Intl journalists discover a charming China in Guangxi 17:18, April 03, 2024 By Zhou Linjia, Yuan Meng, Su Yingxiang ( People's Daily Online Thirteen international journalists recently visited south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from March 11-16 as part of a tour organized by the China International Press Communication Center. During their visit, the journalists experienced the breathtaking natural beauty of the region and learned about the origin and growth of the Maritime Silk Road. They also had the opportunity to explore the increased quality and effectiveness of intelligent manufacturing in Liuzhou, as well as the rich cultural diversity of the ethnic groups residing in the area. Additionally, the journalists witnessed Guangxi's remarkable achievements in ecological civilization construction. The journalists, who had previously covered the 2024 annual sessions of China's top legislature and political advisory body and reported on the Chinese government work report, had the opportunity to witness firsthand the achievements of Chinese modernization. Throughout their visit, they documented Guangxi's efforts in this direction through photographs and articles. Beihai: Protecting environment and preserving history In Beihai city, located at Guangxi's southernmost point, the journalists were astonished by the city's extensive mangrove forest, covering more than 3,000 mu (about 200 hectares). This unique mangrove ecosystem, found only in the intertidal zones of tropical and subtropical coasts, is commonly hailed as the city's "coast guard." Aerial picture shows 13 international journalists visiting a mangrove forest in Beihai, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 11, 2024. (People's Daily Online/Yuan Meng) The journalists were also deeply impressed by Beihai's Silver Beach. "My home country, Zanzibar, has such beautiful scenery too!" exclaimed Abubakar Harith Bakar from Zanzibar Broadcast Corporation. Beihai is known not only for its unique scenery but also for its rich culture. As such, the journalists visited the Hepu Han Dynasty Cultural Museum to explore the history of the Maritime Silk Road. According to historical records, Hepu was already a maritime trade hub during the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.- 220 A.D.), making it one of the earliest departure ports along the Maritime Silk Road. The museum boasts a collection of over 5,200 cultural relics from Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia, and the Mediterranean, preserving the rich historical legacy of trade along the ancient Maritime Silk Road. An international journalist takes pictures of a cultural relic at the Hepu Han Dynasty Cultural Museum in Beihai, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 12, 2024. (People's Daily Online/Yuan Meng) During their visit, the journalists took a moment to admire the ancient artifacts. Afterward, Bakar lauded the museum's impressive efforts in cultural preservation, stating, "The Chinese people possess exceptional skills in preserving history and culture, which I find immensely valuable." Liuzhou: A producer of automobiles and delicacies Upon their arrival in Liuzhou, the international journalists were immediately struck by the prevalent sight of compact-sized vehicles and charging stations that dotted the city streets. These new energy vehicles (NEVs), produced by SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW), have become incredibly popular nationwide. Data reveals that approximately one-tenth of China's NEV production is based in Liuzhou, and SAIC-GM-Wuling is the first domestic auto brand to reach the significant milestone of producing and selling 25 million vehicles. On the morning of March 13, the journalists visited the SAIC-GM-Wuling Baojun manufacturing base. After test-driving an NEV, Helena Kocova from the Czech Republic shared her enthusiasm for affordable, intelligent, and lightweight cars of this kind, expressing her hope that the brand becomes available in Europe. International journalists test drive a new energy vehicle at the SAIC-GM-Wuling Baojun base in Liuzhou, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 13, 2024. (People's Daily Online/Su Yingxiang) Inside the exhibition hall of Guangxi Liugong Machinery Co., Ltd., Pablo Javier Coppari, a journalist from Argentina's Public Television (TVP), had the chance to operate a 5G intelligent remote-controlled electric loader. With the help of advanced 5G remote control technology, he successfully managed the loader from a distance. This innovative piece of machinery can be operated from more than 2,000 kilometers away. Excited about this experience, Coppari exclaimed, "This is a groundbreaking technology for humanity!" In addition to its industrial sector, Liuzhou is also renowned for luosifen, or river snail rice noodles. In 2023, the luosifen industry in Liuzhou generated sales revenue of 67 billion yuan ($9.27 billion), providing employment for over 300,000 people. On the afternoon of March 13, the journalists visited Luobawang Industrial Park in Liuzhou to uncover the captivating story behind the transformation of rice noodles into a thriving industry. International journalists, dressed in the traditional attire of the Miao ethnic group, pose for a picture in the Miao village of Mengwu in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, Liuzhou city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 14, 2024. (People's Daily Online/Zhou Linjia) In the Miao village of Mengwu, located in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, the journalists received a warm welcome from local residents upon their arrival. The villagers greeted them with toast and boiled oil tea, allowing the journalists to experience the allure of Miao customs and culture. The journalists also wore Miao attire and participated in traditional dances, such as the bamboo pole dance, alongside the locals. Guilin: A city of beautiful scenery and rich cultural heritage Artists and intellectuals have celebrated Guilin's picturesque landscapes for centuries. In 2014, UNESCO listed the Lijiang River in Guilin as a World Heritage Site. On March 15, the international journalists embarked on a boating tour along the Lijiang River. As they sailed past the Reflection of Yellow Cloth Shoal, a renowned scenic spot, they eagerly took out Chinese yuan banknotes to photograph and commemorate the famous location, which is featured on the 20 yuan note. Awa Faye from Senegal's Seneweb excitedly shared the breathtaking scenery with her sister via video call, noting that the actual view surpassed the depiction on the banknote. Tiffany Patrice Holman, a journalist from Jamaica's news website Our Today, was in awe of the stunning mountains and rivers as she captured photos, exclaiming, "The landscape here is indescribably beautiful." "Before coming to Guilin, I searched for information online. It's truly a miracle; I never imagined I would come to such a paradise," said Catherine Gulua, founder of Media Center MTAVARI in Georgia, during an interview with People's Daily Online. "Thanks to this experience, we have discovered a new China and witnessed the achievements the country has made," said Gulua, who shared her daily observations and experiences in China on her website through short videos. Her videos quickly gained popularity, with her audience eagerly anticipating each new release. "I presented a real China to the people in Georgia, and I'll continue my reporting to enable more people to understand this great developing country," she said. (Web editor: Hongyu, Wu Chengliang) Thailand, China jointly launch projects during LMC Week 2024 Xinhua) 10:55, April 06, 2024 BANGKOK, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok jointly held a launching ceremony of Thai-led projects funded by the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) during the LMC Week 2024 here on Friday. The LMC special fund recently approved 18 proposals from Thailand, covering collaborative projects in the fields of education, science, research and innovation, public health, trade and investment, public affairs, and natural resources management, said Busadee Santipitaks, the ministry's acting permanent secretary for foreign affairs. With China as a key contributor to the LMC, the special fund has witnessed over 780 development projects across the sub-region. These projects demonstrate a people-centric approach aimed at concrete outcomes towards a community with shared peace and prosperity, Busadee told the ceremony. The LMC consists of six countries, namely China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Thailand is a major initiator and important participant in the LMC. The kingdom is also a tangible beneficiary of improved livelihood and well-being for the people in the sub-region, said Han Zhiqiang, Chinese ambassador to Thailand. "This vigorous development momentum will continue, injecting inexhaustible impetus into the economic and social development of Thailand and other LMC nations," the ambassador said. As of 2023, the LMC special fund has supported Thailand in 77 projects, with a total funding amount of approximately 20 million U.S. dollars. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Zhong Wenxing) Television actor Cole Brings Plenty was found dead in Kansas after he disappeared while under investigation in a domestic violence case, according to authorities. The body of Brings Plenty, 27, was discovered in a wooded area of Johnson County, the local sheriff's office said Friday, the Associated Press reported. The cause of death wasn't immediately revealed. Brings Plenty, who appeared in the "1923" spinoff of popular Western series "Yellowstone," was wanted for arrest on charges of aggravated burglary, domestic battery and criminal restraint filed two days earlier. He hadn't been seen since Sunday, when he allegedly fled an apartment in Lawrence, Kansas, before police responded to a report of a woman screaming for help there. Brings Plenty missed a Monday morning audition over Zoom for a part in an upcoming movie, his agent said. The actor appeared in several TV Westerns, including two episodes of the first season of the Paramount+ series "1923," which stars Harrison Ford and is a prequel to the Paramount Network hit "Yellowstone." His uncle, Mo Brings Plenty, a star of "Yellowstone" who also advises that show and "1923" on Native American issues, posted a flyer about Cole Brings Plenty's disappearance on Instagram. His family also reported him missing, according to police. Cole Brings Plenty's father, Joe Brings Plenty Sr., released a statement Friday that thanked people "for their prayers and positive thoughts you sent for Cole." "I learned this week how many people knew the goodness in Cole's heart and loved him," he said. The pop group Abba congratulate each other in Brighton after winning the Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden with Waterloo (PA) Abba has thanked fans for their steadfast loyalty and support as the band celebrates the 50th anniversary of their Eurovision Song Contest victory. The Swedish pop supergroup made up of Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad won the competition with their hit song Waterloo on April 6 1974 at Brighton Domes Concert Hall. To mark the anniversary, several pianos across Europe will simultaneously play a piece pre-recorded by Andersson and which is designed to make it appear as if he is playing live. Reflecting on the milestone, the group issued a joint statement saying: Its slightly dizzying and deeply humbling to think that millions of you who saw us for the first time in the Eurovision final 1974 have passed our music on not only to one generation, but to several. We see evidence of that every time one of us visits Abba Voyage in London, and its because of this we can celebrate the 50th anniversary of that event in the knowledge that our songs still resonate around the world. The members said they find it difficult to comprehend that 50 years has passed since their success in Brighton, adding: So what were our dreams during those suspenseful moments or in the chaos in the aftermath of the victory we had secured with the smallest margin in Eurovision history? Four different dreams, no doubt, but whatever they were, however grand, reality has surpassed them, thats for sure. Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson attending the Abba Voyage digital concert launch in 2022 (Ian West/PA) Many of you were there from the very start and have followed us ever since for over half a century! Music you discover and learn to love when you grow up or even later in life has a way of staying with you forever. We share that experience with you and to know that our music has become a constant in your lives is a wonderful thing. The statement also said: Throughout the years we have been blessed with the outpouring of love from you, our fans. We feel it and we want to know that hardly a day goes by when were not reminded of it. To say thank you for what youre giving us without sounding trivial is not easy and this is not a moment of triviality. It is a happy and, at the same time, solemn moment and we can only hope that you understand how deeply grateful we are for a long, successful career and for your steadfast loyalty and support through the years. Thank you! Members of the public watch a performance by the Mark de Lisser singers of Abba hit Waterloo on Saturday at Waterloo station in London (Alastair Grant/PA) As part of the celebrations, fans will be able to listen to the piano moment in major cities, including at Londons Waterloo station and in Berlin, Warsaw and Stockholm, where every hour the instruments will play a short piece pre-recorded by Andersson in unison that will be experienced as if Benny were there and playing live, the group has said. Commuters passing through Waterloo station in London were also treated to a choir named the Mark De-Lisser Singers, helmed by De-Lisser who was the choir director for the Kings Coronation and Queens Platinum Jubilee, who sang several spontaneous renditions of Waterloo. Abba has reissued their album Waterloo, which was first released in March 1974 with songs including My Mama Said and Honey, Honey, as a limited edition box set in celebration of milestone. On Thursday, a plaque was unveiled outside Brighton Dome to mark the anniversary of the win. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content The band went on to have a string of chart-topping singles and albums, including Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, Dancing Queen, Super Trouper, The Winner Takes It All and Mamma Mia. Ulvaeus and Faltskog wed a year before Abba formed, with Andersson and Lyngstad marrying at the height of their fame, although both couples later divorced. The group split in 1982 after 10 years but reunited and released their first new music in almost 40 years with their ninth studio album Voyage in 2021, which topped the UK album charts. The musical Mamma Mia!, based on their song catalogue, premiered in London in 1999 and became a worldwide hit. Two movie versions Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again were made with casts including Meryl Streep, Dame Julie Walters, Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan. In 2022, the band launched Abba Voyage, a virtual concert in which life-size avatars of the band as they looked in 1979 perform in a purpose-built arena in east London. Although this years Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Sweden, Andersson told BBC Newsnight last year there is no way the group will reunite or even walk on stage together during the event. Presenter subject to corporations strict guidelines An aesthetics company with a base in Belfast has been asked by the BBC to remove advertising content featuring one of its Northern Irish presenters. Merchant City Medical Group, a hair transplant clinic which has premises in both Belfast and Glasgow, posted an Instagram reel featuring Blue Peter presenter Joel M speaking about his experience with the clinics services. A further post featured the Bangor mans image with the message Surgery carried out locally/500 off + PRP session alongside it, as well as the companys logo and Northern Ireland address on Bloomfield Avenue in Belfast. Joel M, whose full name is Joel Mawhinney, became the 41st Blue Peter presenter in 2022 and has amassed more than 20m followers across his social media platforms, making him one of the most successful influencers from here. The content creator followed a tradition of Northern Irish presenters on the programme, with Adam Beales, Zoe Salmon and the late Caron Keating also former hosts. He said at the time that taking on the role had been a magical experience. "Ive always loved making people smile with my magic and I want to do the same for the Blue Peter audience, he said. They have high expectations and Ill do my best to live up to them. I cant wait to get started. The ad featuring Joel M Mawhinney had initially appeared on the programme as a guest in 2018 and again in summer 2022 to do some tricks in his role as a magician, before being offered the presenter job by the corporation. BBC presenters are subject to strict guidelines governing their use of social media and impartiality, as well as their commercial interests and activity. The broadcaster said it had contacted Merchant City Medical Group and asked it to remove the posts. The BBC has clear guidelines for freelance presenters commercial activity while working with us, said a spokesperson. Soon after this newspaper had contacted the BBC, the posts featuring Joel M had been removed from Merchant City Medical Groups Instagram account. Both Joel M and Merchant City Medical Group have been approached for comment. Local stargazers hoping event will be cosmic, not a damp squib It will be fingers crossed and eyes to the heavens for local stargazers around sunset this evening when we are one of the few parts of the UK that could glimpse a solar eclipse. While the US will be treated to a full solar eclipse, our skies will see a partial version, with around 20-30% of the sun being covered as the moon passes before it weather permitting. Professor Michael Burton, director at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, is hopeful we will witness at least something of the impressive event. If you want to see a total eclipse, and its something Id recommend everyone trying to see once in your life if theres an opportunity, you do have to travel, he explained. I was lucky to see one in the Outback in Australia 20 years ago, and its a spectacular moment. But what we might get to see in Northern Ireland on Monday evening is a partial eclipse. It should start around 7.55pm and the peak time to see it will be around 8.10pm if youre at a high vantage point and looking to the west with a clear view of the horizon as the sun is going down. Professor Michael Burton, director at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium But there are a few things that must fall into place. He added. Well need the sky to be pretty clear for a start, and the best chance of seeing anything is to be as far west in Ireland as you can be. It wont be the full show theyll be treated to in America. Wed expect around a fifth of the sun to be covered by the moon While partial eclipses do happen once every one or two years, Ireland will have to wait until September 23, 2090 for the full show and even then youll need to be somewhere around Co Kerry. For Northern Ireland gazers to get the total eclipse show, thats not expected until April 14, 2200, when Downpatrick across to Enniskillen will be treated to the spectacular solar phenomenon. Those are a long way off, and I suspect anyone with an interest will have travelled if they want to be a part of the experience. The spectacular ring of fire during a full solar eclipse over the US and Mexico in 2015 Eyes will also be fixed on the horizon on Monday evening at Dark Sky Observatory in Davagh Forest. Unfortunately for many of us in NI, cloud cover could spoil the spectacle. Speaking last week, the observatory technical officer Hannah McShane was keeping her fingers crossed. The storm were expecting over the weekend has put a bit of a cloud over everything, she admitted. We know it will be happening, but whether we can see it or not is in the hands of the weather gods. The forecast doesnt look great. Were going to have to have a clear view to the horizon, and its quite unusual for any sort of eclipse to be occurring right at sunset. But if anyone is out around 8-10pm-8.15pm, when the eclipse should be at its peak, and if we have a clear view of the sun going down, then it could be a spectacular sight. Belfast and Londonderry are listed as two of the UK cities where there could be a chance to view the eclipse, along with Aberdeen and Glasgow. In America the total eclipse will give those watching the chance to see a ring of fire as the moon obscures the sun. The entire event lasts around two hours, during which time there will be darkness, with planets and comets possibly visible to the naked eye, and the potential for disruption to communications. Police have appealed for information about a man missing since Thursday. The PSNI said officers are concerned for the welfare of Corin Richard who has been reported missing from the Antrim area. Mr Richard was reported missing on Thursday, April 4, at approximately 10.15am. There was a sighting of Mr Richard in the Glengall Street area of Belfast city centre later on Thursday afternoon. Aged 24, Mr Richard is described as being of slim build with ginger/ blonde hair of around shoulder length and a beard. He is believed to have been carrying a backpack. Any members of the public who believe they have seen Mr Richard or who know of his whereabouts should contact police on 101, quoting 418 04/04/24. Sinn Fein is choosing to throw dirt at everyone else in row over McMonagle job references Gavin Robinson has accused Stormonts opponents of seeking to deliver a wreckers charter that would weaken and divide unionism. The interim DUP leader insisted the party will not be taking a backward step on his watch, saying the Executive and Assembly were in the best interests of Northern Ireland. The PSNI is doubling down on its timeline of events in the run-up to the arrest and charging of former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson last week. Figures show almost five million people have called an NHS dentistry helpline (Alamy/PA) Almost five million people have called the NHSs 111 helpline with dental problems over the last five years, ministers have revealed. Across the UK, people are struggling to access NHS dental care, either having to turn to private dentists or, in rare cases, carry out their own treatment. Data acquired from the Government by the Labour Party has revealed about 965,050 people were referred for treatment as a result of calling the NHS non-emergency line in the last year alone. The figures appear to show that demand for dental care via 111 increased during the pandemic, and has still not returned to normal levels in the years since. Nearly 740,000 people were triaged in the year 2019-20, rising to 1,096,041 in the following year at the height of the pandemic. A total of 4,780,044 people have been referred for dental treatment after calling the line to complain of dental problems since 2019. The NHS recommends those in need of urgent or emergency dental treatment, who are not registered with a dentist, or who have been unable to do so, should call 111 for help. Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said: The sky-rocketing number of 111 calls shows the Tories destruction on NHS dentistry is putting the rest of the NHS under greater pressure. Health minister Andrea Leadsom says the dentistry recovery plan will make services better (David Mirzoeff/PA) After 14 years of Tory neglect, patients are desperately queuing around the block to see a dentist, literally pulling their own teeth out, and tooth decay is the number one reason young children are admitted to hospital. Its time for a change. Labour has a plan to rescue NHS dentistry, and reform it for the long run. We will fund 700,000 extra urgent appointments a year; deliver a targeted recruitment scheme for dentists in left-behind areas; and we will get straight to work on reforming the outdated NHS dental contract. Health minister Dame Andrea Leadsom insisted that the Governments plans to reform dental care would help more people access NHS dental care. She was answering a separate question from Labour, which asked for an estimate of how many urgent and emergency dental appointments will be delivered as a result of the Governments dentistry recovery plan. Dame Andrea said: Our dentistry recovery plan, backed by 200 million of funding, will make dental services faster, simpler, and fairer for National Health Service dental patients. It will fund approximately 2.5 million additional appointments, or more than 1.5 million additional courses of dental treatment. However, the minister admitted no estimates are currently available of the number of urgent and emergency dental appointments that will be delivered through the plan. The UK continues to stand by Israels right to defend its security, Rishi Sunak has said six months on from the October 7 Hamas attacks. But the Prime Minister urged the Israelis to ensure aid gets into Gaza more swiftly, and said the UK remains appalled by an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) air strike which killed three British aid workers. Sunday marks six months since the October 7 attack, in which Hamas militants breached the barrier between Gaza and Israel and attacked military bases and civilian communities. More than 1,100 people were killed in the attack, with 250 people captured as hostages by Hamas, approximately 130 of whom remain in captivity. It was the trigger for Israels ongoing military action in the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 33,000 Palestinians, according to the territorys Hamas-run health authority, as well as mass displacement of the population and an ongoing humanitarian crisis. The Prime Minister said: Today marks six months since the terrorist outrage of October 7 the most appalling attack in Israels history, the worst loss of Jewish life since the Second World War. Six months later, Israeli wounds are still unhealed. Families still mourn and hostages are still held by Hamas. Mr Sunak added: We continue to stand by Israels right to defeat the threat from Hamas terrorists and defend their security. But the whole of the UK is shocked by the bloodshed, and appalled by the killing of brave British heroes who were bringing food to those in need. John Chapman, 57, James Jim Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47, were the three Britons who died in air strikes carried out by the IDF on their aid convoy on April 1. The Prime Minister highlighted the growing toll on Palestinian civilians, and said the UK had been straining every sinew to get aid into Gaza, while emphasising the need for Hamas to release its captives. Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy called for Israeli hostages to be returned home (Lucy North/PA) He called for an immediate humanitarian pause in the fighting, leading to a long-term sustainable ceasefire. David Lammy MP, Labours shadow secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, similarly called for Israeli hostages to be returned home, and condemned the intolerable death and destruction of the IDFs military campaign. But in contrast to the Prime Minister, he called for an immediate ceasefire. In recent weeks, the Government has come under pressure to reveal whether it has received legal advice about continuing arms sales to Israel. Mr Lammy said: The UK Government must also unequivocally commit to complying with international law in this conflict, including following the licensing criteria governing arms sales, as well as calling on Israel to implement the provisional measures in the ICJs binding January ruling in full. He also insisted there was a need to look forward to how we can build a just and lasting peace out of the horrors of this war. A University of South Carolina student is being hailed as a hero for grabbing the wheel of an out-of-control bus after its driver was thrown onto a Mississippi interstate with dozens aboard. The charter bus carrying 56 students crashed around 3 p.m. Friday on Interstate 10 in Hancock County, Mississippi, on the way to New Orleans for a fraternity formal, according to reports. The chaos began when a tire on the bus blew out, Bay St. Louis Police Chief Toby Schwartz told local outlet WLOX. The driver "stood on that steering wheel with every ounce of energy to keep that steering wheel straight," Schwartz told the outlet. Despite her efforts to maintain control, the wheels on one side of the bus went airborne at one point, causing the bus to lean. When the bus leveled out, the windshield shattered and the driver was thrown out, Schwartz reportedly said. But the bus continued "out of control" for another half-mile, Schwartz said. That's when, in what Schwartz described as a "heroic action," one student grabbed ahold of the wheel and took back control of the bus, eventually bringing it to a complete stop. "Because of the bus driver's quick actions and then the students' quick actions, right now we don't have any fatalities," Schwartz said. Nine students were taken by ambulance to a local hospital, while a tenth student and the driver were airlifted to a hospital in critical condition. "The University of South Carolina was informed tonight of an accident in Mississippi involving a charter bus carrying USC fraternity members and their guests traveling to an event in New Orleans," the school said in a statement to CNN. "Our thoughts go out to the students involved in the accident and those affected by it." The UK has failed to prepare for war in a whole-nation endeavour, two former defence ministers have warned. Outgoing armed forces minister James Heappey revealed that only Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials turned up to an exercise to prepare for wartime scenarios which was meant for the whole of Government. He called on ministers to do more to prepare for conflict just weeks after resigning his MoD post. Ben Wallace (Jonathan Brady/PA) Ben Wallace, the Conservative former defence secretary, agreed with his colleague, and said too many in Government were just hoping everything will go away. Writing in the Telegraph newspaper, Mr Heappey said the UK was behind allies who had taken steps to reinforce citizens preparedness for war. He gave the example of Sweden, where the government has handed out a booklet explaining what to do in a time of war, including which emergency food provisions to store. Mr Heappey wrote: Its a stark reminder that war is a whole-nation endeavour and, to be frank, in the UK were a very long way behind. The former soldier, who resigned as a minister at the end of March, said ministers across the Government needed to explain how Britain would feed itself during a war, and how public services would work. The Conservative MP said not enough figures within Government were considering these preparations. He pointed to a whole of Government exercise which Mr Wallace had pushed hard for while serving as defence secretary, aimed at getting ministers and officials into a war bunker to see what their working environment would be. In the end, rather depressingly, it was just defence ministers, senior military officers and MoD officials that participated, Mr Heappey wrote. Mr Wallace told the Telegraph: The growing instability and insecurity directed at Britain and her allies means that the whole of society needs to make a step change towards recognising that our core duty is to think about our defence and our resilience. Its how we used to think during the Cold War, and everyone from local government to the MoD played their part. While Mr Wallace claimed the MoD had made such a change, he added there are too many people in Government and society relying on just hoping everything will go away. The intervention from the two long-serving defence ministers came as Rishi Sunak faces pressure to increase defence spending. Conservative MPs have urged the Prime Minister to raise this to 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP). Jens Stoltenberg, the head of Nato, meanwhile warned that the Wests enemies are becoming increasingly aligned. Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg (James Manning/PA) In an interview for the BBCs Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, the alliance chief warned of growing links between Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. A Government spokesman told the Telegraph an extra 24 billion would invested in the armed forces between 2020 and 2025, which he described as the largest sustained investment since the Cold War. He added: The UK has robust plans in place for a range of potential emergencies and scenarios, with plans and supporting arrangements developed, refined and tested over many years. The Government has launched a national resilience framework aimed at equipping citizens with more information about how to survive in crisis scenarios. At the end of 2023, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden suggested people should stock up on candles, first aid kits and battery-powered torches and radios to prepare themselves. EXCLUSIVE | Emma Little-Pengellys father was leading UDA man who was key to missiles-for-arms plot, MI5 believed Belfast Telegraph discovers assessment in secret files. Noel Little denies any criminal behaviour while deputy first minister says she should not be held accountable for her dads alleged actions Belfast Telegraph discovered the assessment about Noel Little in secret files Sam McBride Sat 6 Apr 2024 at 08:00 Despite his denials, secret documents discovered by the Belfast Telegraph show that the Government believed Noel Little was involved in an international plot to secure weapons for loyalist paramilitaries. The five-ship multinational fleet will sail together from south to north inside Manilas EEZ. A China Coast Guard vessel fires a water cannon towards a Philippine resupply vessel on its way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. The Philippines, the United States, Australia and Japan will hold a joint naval and air exercise in the South China Sea on Sunday, amid growing tensions fueled by Chinas ongoing aggressive conduct in waters internationally recognized as Manilas territory. In a joint statement released Saturday, the four nations defense chiefs said the Maritime Cooperative Activity would take place inside the Philippines 200-mile exclusive economic zone and adhere to international conventions on the right of freedom of sea and air navigation. Demonstrating our collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific, our combined defense/armed forces will conduct a Maritime Cooperative Activity within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone, it said. The maneuvers, to be joined by the USS Mobile, Japans JS Akebono and Australias HMAS Warramunga, come on the heels of Chinas recent harassment of Filipino boats delivering supplies to troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin Shoal. The drills were part of building our countrys capacity for individual and collective self-defense, Filipino defense chief Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said. His Japanese counterpart, Kihara Minoru, said the drills were aimed at securing a peaceful region. Japan believes that the issue concerning the South China Sea is directly related to the peace and stability of the region and is a legitimate concern of the international community, Minoru said. Tokyo also opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo by force, he said. The five-ship multinational fleet will sail together from south to north in an exercise "designed to enhance the participating forces ability to work together effectively in maritime scenarios, Filipino defense department spokesman Arsenio Andolong said. Philippine vessels the BRP Gregorio del Pilar and the BRP Ramon Alcaraz will join the other three in communication exercises, division tactics and watch maneuver drills, he said. The activity should not increase the tension with China in the West Philippine Sea, but "we expect China to malign the exercise as they always do," Andolong said. China had no immediate comments on the drills when contacted by Manila-based reporters on Saturday. The joint operations are taking place ahead of a first-ever U.S.-Japan-Philippines leaders summit at the White House on April 11 that is expected to announce Japans participation in trilateral naval patrols in the South China Sea. In late March, Manila strongly protested after Chinese water cannon blasts hurt three Filipino crew members and caused significant damages to a vessel attempting to resupply troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal. And in the latest maritime encounter, Manila said two Chinese coast guard vessels had "harassed" Filipino fishing vessels on Saturday, while China's coast guard said those ships had illegally entered waters that Beijing has sovereignty over, according to Reuters. A China Coast Guard vessel blocks a Philippine Coast Guard ship escorting a small supply vessel in the South China Sea, March 23, 2024. [Mark Navales/BenarNews] In a statement on Sundays joint drills, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said every country should be free to conduct lawful air and maritime operations. These activities with our allies Australia, Japan, and the Philippines underscore our shared commitment to ensuring that all countries are free to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, Austin said. Citing historical grounds, China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, including Second Thomas Shoal that is within the Philippines exclusive economic zone. Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan also have territorial claims to the sea. A 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague dismissed Chinas sweeping historical claims to the waterway, but Beijing has refused to acknowledge the ruling. Jeoffrey Maitem and Mark Navales contributed to this report. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close This Story in History is selected from the archives by Jeannie Maschino, The Berkshire Eagle. PITTSFIELD Snow still blankets Pittsfield, but summertime was front of mind at City Hall on Friday. When the first Friday in May rolls around in Pittsfield, cultural development director Jennifer Glockner predicts no snow on the ground and a big party underway along the citys main thoroughfare. Glockner, Mayor Peter Marchetti and Rebecca Brien, managing director of Downtown Pittsfield Inc., gathered in City Council chambers on Friday and announced the starting lineup for the citys inaugural season of First Fridays at Five. The event series, which draws its inspiration from early iterations of the citys Third Thursdays events and joins with the long-standing First Fridays Artswalk, promises to give residents and visitors new ways to experience the sites, sounds, tastes and talents of downtown Pittsfield. From 5 to 8 p.m. on the first Friday of the month from May to September, city officials say downtown Pittsfield will transform. North Street will be the center of gravity. City leaders plan to close down the street from Park Square to Depot Street to give festival-goers space to amble along the street and enjoy live music at the new City Main Stage. The stage will be set up in front of Park Square and serve as the beating musical heart of the festival. For the kickoff event on May 3, city leaders have booked Soul Magnets a horn-heavy, nine-piece ensemble known for their old-school, funk and dance floor stylings to christen the stage. On June 7, First Fridays will celebrate Pride Month and local band Happy Together will offer up some '60s-era tunes. On July 5, the Misty Blues band will play the main stage during the Berkshire Blues Legends Concert. Later, First Fridays will feature a cultural collaborative concert with Latinas 413 and a celebration of Berkshire United Ways 100th birthday. Further up North Street, a makers market will give attendees the opportunity to meet and support local artisanal businesses selling handmade clothing and accessories, candles, self-care items, and packaged foods and sweets. To revive the experience of the First Fridays Artswalk, Downtown Pittsfield Inc. has organized a shuttle that will take people to and from City Hall to the Clock Tower Artist Studios at 75 S. Church St. every 15 minutes. The shuttle is scheduled to run from 5 to 7 p.m. Downtown Pittsfield Inc. also plans to transform Dunham Mall the pedestrian space that runs from North Street to Allen Street between Fenn and School streets into a family fun zone for First Fridays at Five. The area will host kids paint and sip, face-painting, games and other interactive activities. For the May launch, Balloon Ben will be the star of the show. City leaders hope to draw visitors throughout downtown with a series of artist pop-ups farther out from Park Square. Persip Park (corner of North Street and Columbus Avenue) will become a pop-up dance zone and performance space for fire dancer Opal Raven Cirque. Graffiti artist Mike Carty will be showing off his talents at Sottile Park (corner of North and Eagle streets) and Jim Horsford will be conducting live pottery demonstrations at Palace Park (138 North St.). First Fridays at Five also will provide space at a community booth for presenting sponsors and event partners to educate residents about the work theyre doing in the community. The Berkshire County branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness is the presenting sponsor for May. The organization will spend First Fridays hosting a one-mile walk from Park Square to Berkshire Medical Center and back as part of NAMIWalks, a national movement to increase mental health awareness and raise money for local efforts. Organizers said that this first season is being sponsored by the Feigenbaum Foundation, Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America, the Mill Town Foundation, MountainOne, the Pittsfield Cultural Council and The Berkshire Eagle. Theres plenty to do downtown before and after the First Fridays at Five event, Marchetti said. We cant wait to get started and we cant wait to see all of you on May 3 at 5 p.m. High-profile Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was arrested during a mass demonstration near the The Hague on Saturday and quickly released only to rejoin the protest and get busted again. Thunberg, 21, and hundreds of supporters of the Extinction Rebellion group tried to block the A12 highway that leads to seat of government and the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands, Reuters reported. Dozens of cops, including officers on horseback, were on hand and arrested Thunberg and others, according to Germany's Deutsche Welle public broadcaster. Thunberg was held for a short time and released at which point she joined a small group that was blocking a different road to the local train station, Reuters said. She was arrested again but instead of being freed, Thunberg was driven off in a police van. Thunberg was held for several hours and released in the evening, an Extinction Rebellion spokesperson told Reuters. A total of 412 people were detained, mostly for participating in a banned protest, local police said on X, formerly Twitter. Officials wouldn't discuss any specific cases but said everyone who tried to block roads was arrested, Reuters said. Saturday's protest was the latest in a series of more than 30 demonstrations against Dutch subsidies for the fossil fuel industry, which lawmakers are set to debate in June, according to DW. Before being arrested, Thunberg told reporters that climate change posed an existential crisis for humanity. "We are in a planetary emergency and we are not going to stand by and let people lose their lives and livelihood and be forced to become climate refugees when we can do something," she said. When asked whether she was worried about getting arrested, Thunberg, who as a teen began staging weekly protests outside the Swedish parliament, answered, "Why should I be?" Thunberg has been repeatedly fined in both Sweden and the U.K., where she was cleared in February of violating the Public Order Act during a demonstration at an oil and gas conference in London last year. WEST STOCKBRIDGE During a hearing for a proposed 230 percent rent increase, the owner of a trailer park lashed out at the town, a tenant and the rent control process itself. Thomas F. Lennon, who owns the trailer park he renamed the Residences on Mill Pond, further explained what he based the requested increase on Wednesday night, in addition to voicing his frustrations. The park has 34 occupied units and one unoccupied pad. Residents own their own trailers and pay rent for services and utilities. In November, he filed a petition to the Select Board, which acts as the town's Rent Control Board, for an increase from the current rent of $241 to $797.51. Lennon spoke rapidly and forcefully after his lawyer, John Prettyman of Braintree, made a more measured and dispassionate presentation. Everybodys an expert, Lennon said. I put my money where my mouth is. Saying, Im trying to make the park look good, at one point he complained about the state of tenant Sissy Gunn Astores trailer. I look at Sissys house. Its ready to fall down. She was the only tenant to have legal representation at the hearing. Lennon said he was having second thoughts about his decision to purchase Gennaris Mill Pond Trailer Park in October 2022 for $900,000. The former owner, Gennaris Mill Pond Trailer Park Inc., holds Lennon's $750,000 mortgage. He touted his $190,000 investment in the water system, which had been leaking for years. That money I had to pull out of my pocket, he said. He explained how he arrived at certain figures justifying expenses in his petition for the rental increase. Lennon barters with a tenant for landscaping, but if that arrangement were not in effect, he would have to pay for those services; so he included an estimate for both. The 14.25-acre park property consists of 11.24 acres for the mobile homes and 3 acres with a five-bedroom home and separate apartment that Lennon renovated and rents. In November, the property was appraised at $1.78 million. For the purposes of the trailer park appraisal, the latter 3 acres were left out of the calculation. Daniel Ordorica, a Springfield lawyer representing Gunn Astore, took issue with the plan to spread costs to all but three acres, saying that in 2014, the West Stockbridge Rent Control Board determined that tenants live on only 25 percent of the property. Lennon countered, saying pipes run through the entire property as does an emergency access road. Ordorica also questioned the use of the appraisal as a starting basis. He said calculations should be based on the towns assessed valuation of the park at $888,100. Prettyman, Lennon's lawyer, said he didnt think the appraisal is out of line with whats been done to the park or with the general increase in property values in West Stockbridge. Ordorica also called into question Lennons plan to pass along costs of the water system improvements to tenants. He read from the Massachusetts Attorney General's rules governing trailer parks, pointing out that such a step may only be legally taken if it is listed in the occupancy agreement. It could be considered an unfair or deceptive practice to seek a rental increase on the basis of that cost, he said. When Lennon criticized rent control and the hearing process, saying it was a waste of time, Select Board member Andrew Potter took issue. Youre doing a disservice, Potter told Lennon, adding that the process is about fairness and transparency, and that rent control serves a purpose in West Stockbridge. Lennon said he was very disappointed and frustrated on my end. Kathleen Keresey, Select Board chair, said theres a learning curve. "We have a lot of documentation," she said. "It's hundreds of pages." After taking nearly two hours of taking testimony, she motioned to adjourn. It is unclear whether the hearing will be continued or when a final determination will be made. I appreciate getting some more perspective certainly from the tenants side and just to have structure around each sides argument is important, Potter told The Eagle Thursday. Now we have a sort of apples-to-apples situation for the arguments for and against. It makes it easier to work through. Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. A Brazilian man arrested over a 110,000 cocaine seizure at Dublin Airport has been held in custody. The drugs were allegedly uncovered at Terminal 1 by gardai and Revenue officers at approximately 7.40 pm on March 31st after a passenger had disembarked from a flight. Advertisement Luis Lemos Rocha, 23, whose address was not stated on his charges, appeared before Judge Marie Quirke at Dublin District Court on Saturday but did not apply for bail. The accused will be allowed legal aid if he furnishes a statement of his means and has yet to enter a plea. Gardai must also seek directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions. Garda Tanya Shinkins told the court the man made no reply to the charge. He was provided with an interpreter for the court hearing. Mr Rocha is accused of unlawful possession and importation of cocaine and having it for the purpose of sale or supply following a search. The offences are contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act. The man was remanded in prison pending his next appearance on Thursday at Cloverhill District Court. Gardai seized approximately 135,000 of suspected drugs and arrested one man during a search operation in Dublin 12 on Friday, conducted as part of Operation Tara. The search was undertaken shortly after 9pm at a residence on the Kildare Road in Crumlin by gardai from the Crumlin District Drugs Unit, with assistance by regular units from Crumlin and Sundrive Road Garda Station and the Garda Dog Unit. Advertisement The operation is part of ongoing investigations into the sale and supply of drugs in the Dublin 12 area. During the search, suspected cocaine worth an estimated 87,000 and suspected cannabis worth 48,000 were seized. An industrial hydraulic press, a large vacuum packing machine, blenders and a weighing scales were also located and seized. All of the seized items were located in a shed at the rear of the property, concealed behind larger items. A man in his 20s was arrested at the scene. He is currently being detained at a Garda station in the Dublin region under the provisions of Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996. The seized drugs will be sent to Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) for analysis. Investigations are ongoing, gardai said. Xcel Energy planned to cut power to 55,000 customers across six Colorado counties starting Saturday, citing dangerous wind conditions and increased wildfire risks. Some customers in Boulder, Gilpin, Larimer, Douglas, Broomfield, and Jefferson Counties were slated for planned power outages starting around 3 p.m. local time on Saturday, continuing through noon on Sunday, according to a news release from the company cited by the Denver Post. The preemptive shutdown came as Colorado was set to be hit with a powerful storm system including potential wind gusts of 100 mph. Xcel provides electricity and natural gas to 1.6 million customers across Colorado. A Douglas County Sheriff posted on X that traffic lights may be out as well and to treat lights like a four-way stop. Outages may extend beyond Sunday due to crews having to physically inspect powerlines before turning them back on, the company said. "Customers who use medical equipment that relies on electrical service should take steps to prepare for extended outages," Xcel said. "Temporarily shutting power off is intended to prevent our electric system from becoming the source of a wildfire ignition." Xcel currently faces hundreds of lawsuits after investigators determined that one of the company's powerlines helped spark the wind-driven Marshall fire in Boulder County in 2021. The high winds may damage electric equipment and cause additional outages of their own, Xcel said. Those dependent on oxygen were told to prepare enough spare supplies to last through Sunday, or consider staying with family, friends or in a hotel outside of the planned outage area. Responders are only able to provide oxygen for medical emergencies. South Metro Fire Rescue additionally warned residents against using gas stoves to warm their homes or an outdoor stove indoors for heating or cooking. People were also advised to keep any generators outside in well-ventilated areas away from windows. Incoming taoiseach Simon Harris has pledged to lead his party with a new energy as he vowed to hit the ground running as leader. Ahead of his expected election as taoiseach in the Dail next week, recently appointed Fine Gael leader Mr Harris addressed delegates at his partys annual conference in Galway on Saturday evening. Advertisement His uncontested elevation to leader of Fine Gael came after Taoiseach Leo Varadkars shock resignation last month. Mr Harris is to formally replace Mr Varadkar as the head of the Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Green Party Coalition in the Dail on Tuesday. Simon Harris with Leo Varadkar (Brian Lawless/PA) Advertisement In a wide-ranging speech at the close of the ard fheis at the University of Galway, Mr Harris identified housing, law and order, support for small business, and pragmatic action on climate change as key priorities. He also addressed recent tensions in Ireland over increased immigration rates, as he pledged to oversee a fair but firm system to manage migration into the country. Launching a broadside against Sinn Fein, he said the electorate in forthcoming local and European elections faced a stark choice between opportunity and outright opportunism. Mr Harris, who paid warm tribute to his predecessor Mr Varadkar, said he was deeply honoured to take on the greatest challenge of his life. Advertisement He described himself as a proud Wicklow man as he referred to his upbringing as the oldest of three children and the values instilled by his mother, a special needs assistant, and his taxi driver father. The 37-year-old also spoke with pride about his wife Caoimhe, a nurse, and young children Saoirse and Cillian. Everything I do will be the grounded in the values my parents raised me with hard work, compassion, and a desire to help those who need it the most, he said. And everything I do will be with the ambition to create a better Ireland not just for Saoirse and Cillian for all of our children. Advertisement He told delegates his political story began when his younger brother Adam was diagnosed with autism, and he began campaigning for better information and services. Advertisement He characterised Fine Gaels fundamental values as hope, enterprise, equality of opportunity, integrity and security. That is the Fine Gael I intend to lead, with a new energy, he said. On his expected election as taoiseach, he added: If given this great honour, I will take office when time is short but there is much to do. Tonight, I promise you, were going to hit the ground running. I will stand by our values as a party and our vision as a nation. A tolerant, inclusive and outward-looking society, which is fair, caring and secure. I am going to match that vision with action. Mr Harris vowed to tackle Irelands housing crisis, pledging to build 250,000 new homes in five years. I am of a generation where homeownership can feel out of the reach of many, he said. To young people, I want you to know your future is here in Ireland. And I want your parents to know we will move mountains to get the children out of the box room and into a home of their own. We have to fix housing once and for all. Mr Harris pledged a package to support small business owners as he acknowledged they were hurting under the pressure of increasing costs. The new party leader also highlighted the need to take action on climate change, saying Ireland had unique potential to secure energy independence but warning of the consequences of division over the issue. He promised not to lecture, instead pledging pragmatic and meaningful climate action. Mr Harris said Fine Gael was also the party of farmers, fishermen and women and rural Ireland. I want to say to farmers and to rural Ireland, Fine Gael will never talk down to you on climate action, he said. We will sit down and work with you and for you. Simon Harris speaking at the University of Galway (Brian Lawless/PA) Mr Harris also vowed to help families struggling in the cost-of-living crisis. He restated his ambition to raise the threshold for the higher rate of income tax to 50,000 and promised to further reduce the universal social charge burden on low and middle-income earners. Mr Harris also pledged to break down barriers to education and improve access to childcare facilities. The Wicklow TD also promised to take action to help people with disabilities. On the wider health service, he said the focus would be on improving access and opening more beds and theatres and ensuring the training and recruitment of more GPs, consultants, nurses and therapists. He said Fine Gael would always stand for law and order under his leadership. We stand for more gardai, with more powers and more resources to make our streets safe, he said. We stand for tougher sentences for those who commit horrific crimes. He said he would fast-track legislation to give judges powers to make sure heinous criminals serve long sentences before they are considered for release. On the fall-out from Novembers far-right influenced riots in Dublin, Mr Harris said he would immediately convene a Dublin city centre taskforce bringing together the council, retailers, business, community groups and gardai to chart a path towards a safer and vibrant city. It is time to have pride again in our capital city, he added. Mr Harris said Ireland needed a fair and firm system to better manage migration. Outlining his support for the new EU migration pact, Mr Harris added: We need to move away from the emergency use of hotels for housing asylum seekers. I believe we now have that plan. But the implementation will be key and engagement with communities is essential and leadership across government. We need to listen to people. The Irish people want to play their part. Irish people want to help. They already are. Speaking about the tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees who have fled to Ireland, Mr Harris acknowledged the influx had posed challenges. Taking in families fleeing the war has brought significant pressures. But it is the right thing to do, he said. Ireland, as a proud and committed member of the European Union, will always stand with the people of Ukraine. Addressing the conflict in the Middle East, Mr Harris issued a blunt message to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying Ireland was repulsed by his actions. The comments drew a standing ovation from the Fine Gael membership. In Gaza we see a humanitarian catastrophe worsen before our eyes, he said. We unreservedly condemn the massacre carried out by Hamas in October and again call for the unconditional release of all hostages. But we cannot and will not stay silent on the actions of Israel either. Reason has been replaced by revenge and by the bombing, maiming and death of children. Famine. A spectre no Irish person can bear. Anyone who can countenance deliberate starvation has lost their humanity. Prime minister Netanyahu, the Irish people could not be clearer. We are repulsed by your actions. Cease fire now and let the aid flow safely. We need a two-state solution, with Israel and Palestine living side-by-side, in peace and security. I reiterate, Ireland stands ready to recognise the state of Palestine. On Northern Ireland, Mr Harris spoke of the need to maintain positive cooperation. I am determined to work together on a north-south, east-west basis to improve the lives of everyone across these islands, he said. Mr Harris said the choice facing the electorate at local and European elections in June was the starkest it has faced in generations. A choice between opportunity and outright opportunism, he said. Sinn Fein promises change. What they mean is they will change their mind at every chance. A party which promises utopia, but specialises in U-turns. He accused Sinn Fein of exploiting every challenge for its own gain. In conclusion, the Fine Gael leader said he would work day and night to make peoples lives better. We will have your back. We will repay your trust, he said. Together, I promise we will deliver. With a new energy. Now lets get to work. Israels admission over the drone attack that led to the death of seven aid workers features among a range of stories on the front pages of Irelands newspapers on Saturday. The Irish Times leads with the situation in Gaza after an Israeli military inquiry into the killing of seven aid workers in an air strike this week found serious errors and breaches of procedure. Advertisement Obesity will become a disease of the past thanks to new weight-loss medications helping people who struggle most, a HSE expert tells the Irish Examiner. The Irish Independent has details of a property developer who is taking a judicial review against An Bord Pleanalas decision to grant permission to a major housing development in south Dublin. Advertisement A former 2FM presenter is set to sue RTE over entitlements he claims he missed out on, according to the Irish Daily Mail. The Irish Daily Mirror reports that the body of New York knife attack victim Sarah McNally is being returned to her grieving family in Longford ahead of her funeral. Advertisement The Belfast Telegraph reveals that MI5 agents believed the father of deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly was a leading member of the UDA and involved in an international plot to secure weapons for loyalist paramilitaries. In the British papers, The Independent reports that Israel has now admitted its grave mistake in the killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, with two members of the IDF sacked as a result. Advertisement Advertisement The Daily Telegraph says the Royal Mails decision to cut second-class deliveries risks patients safety. The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph: 'Mail cuts pose risk to patient safety, say NHS chiefs'#TomorrowsPapersToday Sign up for the Front Page newsletterhttps://t.co/x8AV4Oomry pic.twitter.com/uMnWxso0PZ The Telegraph (@Telegraph) April 5, 2024 The Times leads with the pressure on junior doctors in England to end their strikes after consultants backed a pay deal. The Times: Pressure on junior doctors to end strikes #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/izCN6CnBLM George Mann (@sgfmann) April 5, 2024 The Daily Mail says British civil servants will strike after being ordered to return to the office for two days a week. Daily Mail: Now civil servants to strike over WFH! #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/WUouPpP24B George Mann (@sgfmann) April 5, 2024 The Sun runs a story about the separation of actors Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher, who announced they are getting a divorce. On tomorrow's front page: Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher announce divorce after 14 years of marriage and vow to work through this changehttps://t.co/GG8ONT6AVX pic.twitter.com/hXtgdJlQwR The Sun (@TheSun) April 5, 2024 The Daily Mirror shares a message of support to Kate Middleton in her cancer battle from an ex-prisoner whom she inspired. Saturday's Front Page You inspired me to turn around me life... this will not beat you Read more: https://t.co/yfI06fe7Xs#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/qNRWf8bbma The Mirror (@DailyMirror) April 5, 2024 The Daily Express quotes British prime minister Rishi Sunak, who declared that the UK economy will really take off. According to the FT Weekend, Thames Waters parent company has sent a notice to bondholders stating that it has defaulted on its debt. Just published: front page of the Financial Times, UK edition, Saturday 6 April https://t.co/GWtXcClMul pic.twitter.com/vQrNDBNH9c Financial Times (@FT) April 5, 2024 And the Daily Star warns Britain to brace yourself for Storm Kathleen which will bring 70mph winds and heavy rain. Former British 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. Advertisement Israeli officials have dismissed two officers over the strikes, which were described as a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure. British foreign secretary 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) Advertisement 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. Advertisement He further asserted that Mr Cameron had been silent on the issue, saying the UK foreign secretary had gone into a kind of purdah on arms sales. Former UK 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. Advertisement He said: If the West continues to crumble and especially if Britain and the US 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. Israels military said on Saturday it had recovered the body of a 47-year-old farmer who was held hostage in Gaza. It came as negotiators prepared to begin another round of talks on brokering a ceasefire and securing the release of the remaining hostages, six months into the war, and protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government took place in Tel Aviv. Advertisement Israels army said it had found the body of Elad Katzir and believed he was killed in January by militants with Islamic Jihad, one of the groups that entered southern Israel in the October 7 attack, killed more than 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. Mr Katzir had been abducted along with his mother, Hanna, who was released in November. His father, Avraham, was killed during the attack in Nir Oz, a border community that suffered some of Israels heaviest losses. He could have been saved if a deal had happened in time, Mr Katzirs sister Carmit said in a statement. Our leadership is cowardly and driven by political considerations, and that is why (a deal) did not happen. Advertisement People wave flags and placards at a protest against Benjamin Netanyahus government in Tel Aviv (Ariel Schalit/PA) The discovery renewed pressure on Israels government for a deal to get the remaining hostages freed, as families have long feared time is running out. At least 36 hostages in captivity have been confirmed dead, while about half of the original number have been released. Meanwhile, the toll of Israels ongoing offensive in Gaza is measured in tens of thousands of deaths and more than a million Palestinians displaced. Advertisement We have arrived at a terrible milestone, the UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said in a statement marking six months and noting the immediate prospect of a shameful man-made famine. Mr Griffiths added: We face the unconscionable prospect of further escalation in Gaza, where no one is safe and there is nowhere safe to go. An already fragile aid operation continues to be undermined by bombardments, insecurity and denials of access. Israelis are divided on the approach by Mr Netanyahu and his government after multiple rounds of stalled ceasefire negotiations. A week ago, tens of thousands of Israelis thronged central Jerusalem in the largest anti-government protest since the country went to war. Further protests took place in Tel Aviv on Saturday. Advertisement Thousands of people took part in a protest against Benjamin Netanyahus government in Tel Aviv on Saturday (Ariel Schalit/PA) The negotiations will resume on Sunday, according to an Egyptian official and Egypts state-owned Al Qahera TV. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly about the negotiations. US President Joe Biden has sent CIA director Bill Burns to Egypt for additional talks about the hostages, a ceasefire and securing the countrys border with Gaza. Advertisement Some Israel allies are now considering halting arms sales. Mr Biden warned Mr Netanyahu that future US support for the war depends on swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers. A Hamas delegation will arrive on Sunday to join the talks, the militant group said. We need security guarantees for us as humanitarians but also for the people we serve, said Marika Guderian with the World Food Program, speaking inside Gaza. Hamas has insisted on linking a phased end to the war not a temporary ceasefire to any agreement releasing hostages. It has said it will agree to release 40 hostages as part of an initial six-week ceasefire deal that would include the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Hamas also has demanded the return of displaced people to devastated northern Gaza and an increase in the delivery of humanitarian aid throughout the territory. Israel has offered to allow only 2,000 displaced Palestinians mainly women, children and older people to the north daily during the proposed six-week ceasefire. The efforts to revive negotiations come days after international condemnation of Israeli airstrikes that killed seven humanitarian workers with the World Central Kitchen charity. The Israeli military has described the strike as a tragic error. Aid groups say the mistake is hardly an anomaly. We need security guarantees for us as humanitarians but also for the people we serve, said Marika Guderian with the World Food Programme, speaking inside Gaza. People inspect the site where World Central Kitchen workers were killed in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) The humanitarian group Oxfam says people in northern Gaza have survived on an average of 245 calories a day since January. Israel has promised to open more border crossings into Gaza and increase the flow of aid. Israel has promised to open more border crossings into Gaza and increase the flow of aid. The UN says that in March, 85% of trucks with food aid were denied or impeded. The wars death toll in Gaza is now 33,137, the territorys Health Ministry said. Its toll does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but it has said women and children make up the majority of the dead. The ministry said the bodies of 46 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes had been brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours the lowest such daily tally in months. Israel has blamed Hamas for civilian deaths in Gaza, accusing it of operating in residential communities and public areas like hospitals. Gazas southernmost city of Rafah now holds more than half of the territorys 2.3 million people, and Israels vow to carry out a ground offensive there has caused weeks of dread and warnings even from Israels top ally, the United States. An Egyptian official on Friday called Israels most recent proposal to evacuate civilians from Rafah an unrealistic and unworkable plan. Egypt rejected it and again threatened to suspend parts of the 46-year-old Camp David Accords that facilitate security co-operation between the states. Climate activist Greta Thunberg was among dozens of people detained by police in The Hague as they removed protesters who were partially blocking a road in the Dutch city. Ms Thunberg was seen flashing a victory sign as she sat in a bus used by police to take detained demonstrators from the scene of a protest against Dutch subsidies and tax breaks to companies linked to fossil fuel industries. Advertisement The Extinction Rebellion campaign group said before the demonstration that the activists would block a main road into The Hague, but a heavy police presence, including officers on horseback, initially prevented the activists from getting on to the road. Greta Thunberg joins a climate protest by Extinction Rebellion and other activists near the Dutch parliament in The Hague, Netherlands (Peter Dejong/AP) A small group of people managed to sit down on another road and were detained after ignoring police orders to leave. Advertisement Extinction Rebellion activists have blocked the road that runs past the temporary home of the Dutch parliament more than 30 times to protest against the subsidies. The demonstrators waved flags and chanted: We are unstoppable, another world is possible. One held a banner reading: This is a dead end street. In February, Ms Thunberg, 21, was acquitted by a court in London of refusing to follow a police order to leave a protest blocking the entrance to a major oil and gas industry conference last year. Advertisement Her activism has inspired a global youth movement demanding stronger efforts to fight climate change since she began staging weekly protests outside the Swedish parliament starting in 2018. She has repeatedly been fined in Sweden and the UK for civil disobedience in connection with protests. A top military commander on Saturday renewed Irans promise to retaliate after an airstrike earlier this week widely blamed on Israel destroyed Irans consulate in Syria, killing 12 people, including two Iranian generals. General Mohammad Bagheri, Irans joint chief of staff, told mourners gathered for the funeral of general Mohammad Reza Zahdi that Iran will decide when and how to stage an operation to take revenge. Advertisement Gen Zahdi was the highest ranking commander killed in Mondays attack. Advertisement The attack on an Iranian diplomatic compound was a significant escalation in a long-running shadow war between the two arch enemies, and Israel has been bracing for an Iranian response. In all, 12 people were killed in the strike seven Iranian Revolutionary Guard members, four Syrians and a Hezbollah militia member. The time, type, plan of the operation will be decided by us, in a way that makes Israel regret what it did, Gen Bagheri said. This will definitely be done. On Friday, the commander of Irans powerful Revolutionary Guard, General Hossein Salami, warned that our brave men will punish the Zionist regime, escalating threats against Israel. Advertisement Tensions have flared against the backdrop of the six-month-old Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and raised renewed fears of a broader regional conflict. The Islamic militant group Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for 17 years, is one of Irans proxies, along with Lebanons Hezbollah militia and Yemens Houthi rebels. Both Hezbollah and the Houthis have carried out attacks along the fringes of the Gaza war, with Hezbollah engaging in daily cross-border exchanges with Israel and the Houthis frequently targeting Red Sea shipping. Gen Bagheri made the comments in Isfahan, Gen Zahedis hometown, about 440km (270 miles) south of the capital Tehran. Police stormed the Mexican embassy in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito on Friday to seize the former Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Glas. Mr Glas was taking refuge in the embassy. Advertisement Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador declared the act a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico. He added that as a result of Ecuadors actions, Mexico will officially sever diplomatic relations with its neighbour. Advertisement The raid took place hours after the Mexican government granted Mr Glas political asylum, as diplomatic tensions between the two countries deepened. Mr Glas is perhaps the most wanted man in Ecuador and faces investigations into corruption, bribery and more. The police broke the external doors of the Mexican diplomatic headquarters in the Ecuadorian capital and entered the main patio. Advertisement Ecuadors presidency issued a statement on Friday: Ecuador is a sovereign nation and we are not going to permit any criminal to stay free. Mr Lopez Obrador fired back, dubbing the intrusion an authoritarian act. He wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that his government will proceed legally and immediately declare the suspension of diplomatic relations. Experts watching the arrests pointed out that the act was a bold violation of the Vienna Conventions on Consular Relations, which is likely to drive a wedge between the governments of Mexico and Ecuador. Police make their way into the Mexican embassy in Quito, Ecuador (David Bustillos/AP) Advertisement This is not possible, it cannot be, this is crazy, said Roberto Canseco, head of the Mexican consular section in Quito, outside the embassy. Asked about the situation of the former vice president and if he was apprehended by public forces, he stated: I understand that yes, I am very worried because they could kill him; there is no basis to do this, this is totally outside the norm. The Mexican embassy in Quito remained under heavy police guard late on Friday. Advertisement A day earlier, tensions between the two countries escalated after Mr Lopez Obrador made statements that Ecuador considered very unfortunate about the last elections in which the Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa won. In reaction, the Ecuadorian government declared the Mexican ambassador persona non grata. On Saturday, Mr Glas was taken by armoured vehicle from the attorney generals office to an airport, where he boarded a plane for a flight to the port city of Guayaquil, 265 miles (425km) south of Quito. People who had gathered outside the prosecutors office yelled strength as the convoy of police and military vehicles moved off. Ecuadors corrections agency said Mr Glas will remain in custody at a maximum-security facility in Guayaquil. Authorities are investigating Mr Glas over alleged irregularities during his management of reconstruction efforts following a powerful earthquake in 2016 that killed hundreds of people. He was convicted on bribery and corruption charges in other cases. Alicia Barcena, Mexicos secretary of foreign relations, posted on X, formerly Twitter, that a number of diplomats suffered injuries during the break-in, adding that it violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Diplomatic premises are considered inviolable under the Vienna treaties and local law enforcement agencies are not allowed to enter without the permission of the ambassador. Ecuadors Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld on Saturday told reporters that the decision to enter the embassy was made by President Daniel Noboa after considering Glas imminent flight risk and exhausting all possibilities for diplomatic dialogue with Mexico. Mexico granted Glas asylum hours before the raid. Ms Sommerfeld said it is not legal to grant asylum to people convicted of common crimes and by competent courts. Alicia Barcena, Mexicos secretary of foreign relations, on Friday posted on X that a number of diplomats suffered injuries during the break-in, which she said violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Ms Sommerfeld did not address the injury claims. People seeking asylum have lived anywhere from days to years living at embassies around the world, including at Ecuadors in London, which housed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for seven years because British police could not enter to arrest him. The decision of Ecuadorian authorities was condemned by presidents, diplomats and a regional body on Saturday. Honduran President Xiomara Castro, writing on X, characterised the raid as an intolerable act for the international community and a violation of the sovereignty of the Mexican State and international law because it ignores the historical and fundamental right to asylum. The Organisation of American States in a statement reminded its members, which include Ecuador and Mexico, of their obligation to not invoke norms of domestic law to justify non-compliance with their international obligations. In this context, it (the OAS) expresses solidarity with those who were victims of the inappropriate actions that affected the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador, according to the statement released Saturday. The organisation added that it deemed a meeting of its permanent council necessary to address the issue, but did not set a date. Ms Barcena on Friday said Mexico would take the case to the International Court of Justice to denounce Ecuadors responsibility for violations of international law. Mr Noboa became Ecuadors president last year as the nation battled unprecedented crime tied to drug trafficking. After a group of armed individuals assaulted a TV station during a live broadcast in January, he declared the country in an internal armed conflict and designated 20 drug-trafficking gangs as terrorist groups that the military had authorisation to neutralise within the bounds of international humanitarian law. Ecuadors ministries of foreign affairs and interior did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Associated Press. Former Ecuadorian ambassador Jorge Icaza told AP that the raid was illegal, but he added that it is also against the law to protect a criminal who was punished by the Ecuadorian justice system in two prominent cases, which is also negative from the point of view of international norms. Voters in Slovakia headed to the ballot stations on Saturday to elect a successor to Zuzana Caputova, the countrys first female president and a staunch backer of neighbouring Ukraine in its fight against Russias invasion. Former foreign minister Ivan Korcok won the first round of voting two weeks ago after receiving 42.5% of the votes. Advertisement The pro-Western career diplomat faces Peter Pellegrini, who finished second with 37%, for the largely ceremonial post. Ms Caputova is not seeking a second term. Slovakian presidential candidate Peter Pellegrini, who currently serves as parliamentiary speaker, after casting his vote in a presidential runoff in Rovinka, Slovakia, on Saturday (Petr David Josek/AP) Advertisement Mr Pellegrini is a close ally of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico known for his pro-Russian policies. The two advanced to Saturdays runoff after none of the nine male candidates won an outright majority in the first round. Polls had predicted a tight race in the nation of 5.4 million. Before serving as the foreign minister in 2020-2022, Mr Korcok, 60, served as the ambassador to the United States and Germany. He was also the countrys envoy to Nato and the European Union. Mr Korcok firmly supports Slovakias EU and Nato memberships. Advertisement Its a moment when the people have it all in their hands, Mr Korcok said after voting in Senec, near the capital of Bratislava. Its a moment when we, politicians, have to listen carefully. Meanwhile, Mr Pellegrini, 48, heads the left-wing Hlas (Voice) party that finished third in parliamentary elections last year and favours a strong role for the state. His party joined a governing coalition with Mr Ficos leftist Smer (Direction) party and the ultranationalist Slovak National Party. Mr Ficos government, upon coming to power in September, immediately halted arms deliveries to Ukraine, prompting nationwide protests against its pro-Russian stance and several other policies. Mr Pellegrini currently serves as parliament speaker and his victory would cement Mr Ficos power by giving him and his allies control of strategic posts. Advertisement It will likely be an extremely tight contest, Mr Pellegrini said after casting his ballot in Rovinka near Bratislava. Both sides seemed successful in mobilising their supporters. Critics worry Slovakia under Mr Fico will abandon its pro-Western course and follow the direction of Hungary under populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Polls will close at 8pm GMT and results are expected late on Saturday or early on Sunday. Advertisement The winner will become the countrys sixth head of state since Slovakia gained independence in 1993 after Czechoslovakia split in two. Tajikistan's foreign ministry on Saturday rejected a claim by a top Russian security official that Ukraine's embassy in the Tajik capital was recruiting mercenaries to fight against Russia. "We note that this assertion by the Russian official has no basis to it," Russian news agencies quoted Tajik Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shokhin Samadi as saying. Advertisement Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev, a top ally of president Vladimir Putin, said on Wednesday, without providing evidence, that "Ukrainian special services" were behind last month's deadly concert shooting near Moscow and that the Ukrainian embassy in Tajikistan was recruiting fighters, state media reported. Ukraine has denied having anything to do with the attack that killed at least 144 people, and the United States has said Islamic State militants bore sole responsibility. Americans are leaving massive metropolitan areas places like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and their surrounding suburbs in droves, and they have been doing so for a while. But new census data tells a different story in the Houston metropolitan area, a sprawling 10-county area of more than 7.5 million people. Between July 2022 and July 2023, the Houston metro area gained nearly 140,000 people. Thats one new resident every four minutes or so, according to estimates by the Greater Houston Partnership, the citys business association. That numerical increase was more than any other metro area in the country except for Dallas, which gained more than 150,000 people over the same period. Meanwhile, the countrys three largest metros New York, Los Angeles and Chicago all lost people. Across the board, metro growth was clustered in the South and Southwest. The overall population spike in the Houston metro area is clear, but what exactly is causing the growth and where it is happening is more nuanced. Advertisement Article continues below this ad To understand the change, you have to look at individual changes in what demographers have identified as the three components of population change: domestic migration, which includes people moving into an area from other areas of the country; international migration, which includes people moving into an area from outside of the country; and natural change, which is the total number of births minus the total number of deaths in an area. Lots of domestic migration First up, domestic migration. The Houston metro area saw nearly 40,000 people move in from other parts of the country between 2022 and 2023. Whats clear from the new census data is theyre largely not moving into Harris County or Houston. In fact, Harris County lost nearly 23,000 people to other areas of the country between 2022 and 2023: what is known as negative domestic migration. Instead, Americans from other parts of the country are largely moving into Harris Countys neighbor to the north, Montgomery County, and its neighbor to the southwest, Fort Bend County. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Between 2022 and 2023, Montgomery County recorded the second highest level of domestic migration of any of Americas more than 3,100 counties, with more than 25,000 people from other parts of the country moving in. That number was surpassed only by Polk County in central Florida. Montgomery County has been steadily creeping up in the rankings of highest domestic migration over the last decade and even before that. Meanwhile, Fort Bend County saw nearly 16,000 new residents from other parts of the country, making it the county with the eighth highest level of domestic migration in 2023. Patrick Jankowski, the senior vice president of research and chief economist at the Greater Houston Partnership, said that it is common for people to decide that they want to move to the Houston metro area for work but decide to live outside the city of Houston. Advertisement Article continues below this ad We kind of know, just intuitively, that people settle into Fort Bend County and drive into Houston. Or the classic is that people live in Brazoria County and drive into the Medical Center, or someone who lives in The Woodlands and works in the Energy Corridor or comes into downtown or some place in Harris County, Jankowski said. Domestic migration largely follows the ebbs and flows of the economy, he said. If the local economy is doing well, an area should expect to see more domestic migrants. The Houston region is humming along economically, having created more than 100,000 jobs last year, so it should continue to see more domestic migrants, Jankowski said. Opportunity drives everything. Some people will move here because they dont want to shovel snow anymore. Some people will move here because they feel it has a cool restaurant vibe, and they like the diversity, Jankowski said. And those might weigh into it, but it all comes down to Houston is a job generator. Other neighboring counties in the metro area besides Montgomery and Fort Bend counties experienced rapid population growth as well. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Now were starting to see Liberty and Chambers (counties), which had basically been not really growing too much at all, and theyre pretty small counties but theyre growing, and most of their growth is from domestic migration, said Lloyd Potter, the states demographer. In fact, all of the counties in the Houston metro except Harris County saw positive domestic migration. The same cannot be said about the Chicago metro area, for example, a slightly larger region that saw negative domestic migration in many of Chicago's surrounding counties. In total between 2022 and 2023, the Chicago metro area lost more than 71,000 people who moved to other areas across the country. Think about how you hear about the struggles of New Yorks economy or Chicagos economy or San Francisco where no one has to report to work anymore. Theyre all working remotely, and thats the reason theyre losing population. Theyre just not generating the jobs, Jankowski said. Jankowski estimated using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that the Houston metro area has recovered more than 150% of the jobs it lost during the pandemic. That is, it has gained back all of the jobs it lost, plus a 50% increase in the jobs it had before. The Chicago and San Francisco metro areas, on the other hand, havent yet recovered all of the pandemic jobs they lost. The New York metro area has recovered its lost jobs, but just barely. Advertisement Article continues below this ad International migrants The second major component of population change is international migration, and Harris County saw a lot of it. Over the last year, Harris County added nearly 42,000 international migrants, or people who moved in from other countries. That was the second highest tally of any county in the U.S., surpassed only by Miami-Dade County in Florida, which saw more than 54,000 international migrants move in. Its also the highest number of international migrants Harris County has recorded since at least 2016. People assume that when you say international migration that its everybody coming into the country illegally. Its not, Jankowski said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Its the whole gamut. Its people who are here on student visas who have come to stay. Its people who have been recruited to work in the Texas Medical Center or at UH or Rice. Its expat workers who have been assigned to work here by the oil and gas companies. Its people who are refugees who are here on refugee status. Fort Bend and Montgomery counties also added large numbers of people from other countries, together growing by nearly 10,000 people. Considering the Houston metro area as a whole, international migration was the biggest contributor to growth. Nearly 40% of the metros growth last year could be explained by international migration, compared with only about 30% in the Dallas metro, 20% in the Austin metro and 10% in the San Antonio metro. Natural population increase Finally, theres the third component of population change, which is the number of births minus the number of deaths. Thats also known as natural population change. Harris County recorded roughly 35,000 more births than deaths between 2022 and 2023, the largest natural population increase of any county in the country. The next closest, Los Angeles and Dallas counties, added 22,000 and 20,000 people by natural increase, respectively. Thats not an insignificant thing, Potter said. Were kind of coming out of the pandemic, so I think the number of deaths have declined some. During the pandemic years, the increase in mortality associated with the pandemic kind of slowed natural increase and we also saw during the pandemic declining birth rates for one year. Those seemed to have picked back up here following 2020 to 2021. Harris Countys surrounding suburbs saw comparatively less natural increase in their population. However, Montgomery and Fort Bend counties were both among the top 50 counties in the U.S. for the highest tallies of natural population increase. The national picture Between 2022 and 2023, the Houston and Dallas metro areas grew the most numerically, or in terms of raw population increases. That works out to about a 2% increase for both metros. There were other smaller metros, however, that recorded higher rates of increase. For example, the metro area that includes Wildwood and The Villages in Florida grew the fastest between 2022 and 2023 at nearly 5%. The Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area in Florida and the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach metro area in South Carolina were the next fastest growing metros at about 4%. In fact, the top 10 fastest growing metros were all in the South. Roxanne Grace & AWZY - "Back To You" | DREAM Label Group Los Angeles, CA (April 5th, 2024) Following up the release of I Know Youre With Me by Roxanne Grace and Better Now by AWZY, the two new DREAM Records signings team up to release their new radio single Back To You. The song was co-written by the two and was produced by AWZY. Back To You is available on all digital retail outlets and streaming service providers. AWZY and I wrote Back To You for the person that feels far from God because of sin or a situation, but they desire to feel close to Him again. When we feel far from God, He didn't leave us. He's right there waiting for us to turn back to Him. People reject us, abandon us, break covenant, but that isn't God. He's the most trustworthy faithful one we could ever know. Roxanne Grace In addition to the release at retail, the song was also recently sent to radio via PLAY MPE where it debuted as the most streamed song in multiple countries including the United States. A search is under way for a man believed to have arrived in Western Australia by boat with a group of people on Friday. The man was thought to have become separated from the group near Mitchell Plateau, in the far northern reaches of the remote Kimberley region. WA police said they were advised on Saturday the man may have been a passenger on an unknown vessel. Police said the land search operation was in its preliminary stages and was taking place in an extremely remote area with challenging terrain. A woman trapped in a station wagon after the vehicle crashed into a tree on Brisbanes northside has been rushed to hospital in critical condition along with two other people. The vehicle struck a tree at the intersection of Gympie Arterial Road and Linkfield Road at Bald Hills about 11.20pm on Friday. Three people in their 70s have been taken to the Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital in a critical condition. Credit: QPS She was initially trapped, and she was removed in a critical condition with multiple serious injuries, a Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said. A man in his 70s suffered serious chest injuries, while a second woman in her 70s also received serious injuries. Colin Kelly was a year 7 schoolboy kicking a football on the oval in Melbournes south-east in 1966 when something in the sky caught his eye and changed how he looked at the world forever. Kelly, now 71, was one of about a dozen former students of Westall High School in Clayton South who met on Saturday the anniversary of that fateful day to commemorate the event they cannot explain. Witnesses of the of 1966 Westall UFO sighting. Credit: Joe Armao The group say they are among hundreds who witnessed a UFO or multiple UFOs fly above the school on April 6, before landing in the nearby Grange Reserve. Kelly, who was outside for a PE class, said he heard the object before he saw it. Turning to look over his shoulder, he saw three round aircraft the largest about eight-metres across hovering above the power lines some 200 metres away. Liam Hemsworth is hoping to again follow in the footsteps of his uber-famous Hollywood star big brother Chris Hemsworth by building his own grand designer residence in the Byron Bay hinterland. Fortunately for locals, the younger Hemsworth isnt planning a house of the gargantuan scale of the Broken Head trophy home of Chris and his wife Elsa Pataky, but it also wont come cheap in this age of soaring building costs. Liam Hemsworth has grand plans. Credit: Bethany Rae The star of The Hunger Games movie series will have forked out more than $20 million before he moves in, given the $6.8 million he paid for the 37 hectares in 2021 and an estimated building cost of $14.6 million. The development application lodged on council records is for a two-storey, pavilion-style residence that is recessed into the hillside and designed by Melbourne-based architectural practice SSdH. There are two open-plan living areas and a rumpus room that flank an internal courtyard, and a large cabana and terrace that leads to an almost 18-metre swimming pool. Bangkok: A Thai court is holding hearings on a petition seeking to reopen one of the most controversial cases in the countrys 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 (King Rama X) and the elder brother of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. One of the last pictures of the late King Amanda, left, taken in Thailand in 1945. His brother and successor, Bhumibol Adulyadej, is on the right. King Bhumibol reigned until his death in 2016. Credit: AP 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 kings murder and were executed in 1955. The three men pleaded not guilty and no one else stood trial. Mexico Severs Diplomatic Ties with Ecuador After Police Raid Mexican Embassy, Arrest Ex-VP Jorge Glas (Photo: EneasMx/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)) Mexico has announced its decision to break off diplomatic ties with Ecuador after Ecuadorian police forced their way into the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas. The incident has escalated tensions between the two Latin American countries, with Mexico denouncing the raid as "an outrage against international law." President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico made the announcement on Friday evening, following the police action that saw officers break into the external doors of the Mexican diplomatic headquarters and enter the main patio to apprehend Glas. The former vice president, who has been convicted on bribery and corruption charges and is still under investigation for further allegations, had been residing in the embassy since December while seeking political asylum. "This is not possible, it cannot be, this is crazy," Roberto Canseco, head of the Mexican consular section in Quito, told local press while standing outside the embassy. "I am very worried because they could kill him. There is no basis to do this, this is totally outside the norm." Ecuador's presidency defended the decision to arrest Glas, stating in a statement, "Ecuador is a sovereign nation and we are not going to allow any criminal to stay free." However, Lopez Obrador fired back, calling Glas' detention an "authoritarian act" and "a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico." Alicia Barcena, Mexico's Secretary of Foreign Relations, took to X (formerly Twitter) to report that several diplomats suffered injuries during the break-in, emphasizing that the action violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. She announced Mexico's intention to take the case to the International Court of Justice "to denounce Ecuador's responsibility for violations of international law" and stated that Mexican diplomats were only waiting for the Ecuadorian government to offer the necessary guarantees for their return home. The Mexican embassy in Quito remained under heavy police guard late Friday, and a spokesperson for Mexico's foreign ministry confirmed to CNNE that all Mexican diplomatic staff would be leaving Ecuador immediately. Tensions between the two countries had been escalating in the days leading up to the embassy raid, with Mexico's president making statements that Ecuador considered "very unfortunate" regarding the recent Ecuadorian presidential election, which saw Daniel Noboa emerge victorious. In response, the Ecuadorian government declared the Mexican ambassador persona non grata. Canseco, speaking to a CNNE reporter, described the police action as "barbarism" and "totally unacceptable," stating, "It is impossible for them to violate the diplomatic premises as they have done." Mexico's Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Alicia Barcena, noted that there had been no prior contact with Ecuador's foreign ministry about the arrest and that Canseco was physically attacked during the operation. The incident has sparked a major diplomatic crisis between Mexico and Ecuador, with Mexico vowing to take legal action against Ecuador for violating international law and diplomatic norms. As the situation continues to unfold, the international community will be closely watching to see how this breach of diplomatic protocol is addressed and whether the two countries can find a way to resolve their differences. 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. Advertisement Article continues below this ad 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. Advertisement Article continues below this ad 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. Advertisement Article continues below this ad 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. Advertisement Article continues below this ad 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. Advertisement Article continues below this ad 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. Advertisement Article continues below this ad 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. A picture submitted by a Coles Crossing resident of multiple ducks in neighborhood. Submitted by J Wakeham A picture submitted by a Coles Crossing resident of multiple ducks in neighborhood. Submitted by J Wakeham Coles Pond Park in Coles Crossing neighborhood in Cypress faces muscovy duck problem. Ralph Green Coles Pond Park in Coles Crossing neighborhood in Cypress faces muscovy duck problem. Ralph Green Coles Pond Park in Coles Crossing neighborhood in Cypress faces muscovy duck problem. Ralph Green Coles Pond Park in Coles Crossing neighborhood in Cypress faces muscovy duck problem. Ralph Green Residents who share their Cypress neighborhood with some Muscovy ducks are feuding over how best to control the winged visitors after residents saw men carrying air rifles at the neighborhood pond. A video from an ABC13 report shows a resident near the neighborhood's park and pond talking to the two men and asking to see their air rifles. The men said they were from a pest control company hired by the Coles Crossing homeowners' association to kill some of the ducks, ABC13 reported. The video prompted outrage among some residents, along with calls on social media to save the ducks. Advertisement Article continues below this ad J Wakeham, who lives in Coles Crossing near the park, said Wednesday that she's seen ducks living at the pond for 15 years. She said the duck population wasn't a problem until around two and a half years ago, when the population of Muscovy ducks started growing and became a nuisance in the neighborhood. Wakeham said last Tuesday night she arrived home around 9 p.m. to find the armed pest control workers there. She said the workers told her they were using air rifles, but didnt see them shoot any birds and didnt find any dead birds. Calls to the pest control company were referred to the HOA, which has not responded. Why are Muscovy ducks in the neighborhood? Wakeham said she believes the Muscovy duck population at the pond has grown because people are feeding them. Coles Crossing currently has signs around the pond advising residents that feeding ducks is prohibited. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Feeding Muscovy ducks or wildlife is not a good idea because it helps them breed more if they have a consistent meal, said Ashley R. Morgan-Olvera, director of Research and Education for the Texas Invasive Species Institute at Sam Houston State University. It allows them to lay more eggs and have more babies, said Morgan-Olvera. A Muscovy duck is a native species to central and south America. Morgan-Olvera said that the species has spread outside of its native range in south Texas and has become invasive by breeding and taking over areas that have been historically dominated by other ducks. As with many other types of invasive species, invasive birds can carry and spread diseases. The Muscovy ducks can also harm native duck populations by overeating food sources and leaving waste. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Wakeham said in the last few years she has seen the Muscovy ducks damage property, ruining car paint by leaving droppings, damaging flower beds and leaving droppings around homes and pools. She said she and others in the neighborhood have come together to discuss ways to remove the Muscovy ducks safely and find them a home. Most of us love the wildlife, said Wakeham, adding that there are many bird species in the neighborhood that are beloved by homeowners. Wakeham said she's seen other tree and pest control professionals spraying duck deterrent and even trying to trap the ducks with nets multiple times. How best to get rid of ducks? Is shooting legal? Morgan-Olvera said shooting ducks is legal, but organizations should be careful when deciding to take that approach. Advertisement Article continues below this ad "The neighborhood would need to do a lot of outreach to the community to let them know why they're a problem and why these sorts of things are going on ... but I mean that's going to be startling to anybody, Morgan-Olvera said. She said it's still important to control invasive species, and it's illegal to relocate live Muscovy ducks. Unfortunately if we just leave invasive species to do what they want, we'll lose our native species in the process," she said. One effective way to get rid of Muscovy ducks is using duck contraception. Then they're not going to lay eggs and then the populations can slowly die out," Morgan-Olvera said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Muscovy ducks have caused issues over the years in other neighborhoods like Pearland, where things got heated in 2019 when some neighbors were feeding ducks and others were determined to get rid of them. Thursday, April 4, 2024 at 1:09PM Image: Google Google contemplates a potential shakeup to its core business model. According to a Financial Times report, Google is exploring ways to offer premium AI-powered search features within its flagship search engine for a fee. These features, sources suggest, could be integrated into existing subscription services like Gemini Advanced or Google One. Crucially, the report highlights that even the premium tier would retain advertising. This suggests Google's balancing act: implementing cutting-edge AI while safeguarding its lucrative search ad revenue, which amounted to a staggering US$175 billion last year. The pressure to innovate is likely amplified by the rise of OpenAI's ChatGPT, pushing Google into a competitive race for AI dominance in search. Google has been testing its AI-powered search experience, dubbed Search Generative Experience (SGE), since May 2023. SGE provides AI-generated summaries and responses alongside traditional search results. Initially opt-in, Google has recently begun limited testing with SGE as the default experience. However, the high computational costs associated with generative AI models may be hindering wider implementation. While SGE offers user benefits like comprehensive answers, it also presents a challenge to Google's current business model. AI-generated answers could lead to fewer user clicks on website links, potentially reducing ad impressions and impacting Google's primary revenue stream. The report concludes by stating that Google engineers are actively developing this technology, but the final decision and launch timeline remain unclear. Source Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 8:03AM Photo: Samsung Excitement is building for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6, expected to launch this summer. While a recent leak suggests no battery capacity increase, improved efficiency might still deliver better battery life. Reliable leaker Ice Universe claims Samsung will retain the 4,400mAh battery from the Z Fold3, 4, and 5. This is a slight downgrade from the Z Fold2's 4,500mAh battery. However, there's a silver lining. Despite the similar battery size, the Z Fold5 offered a significant improvement over the Z Fold4, which is likely due to software optimizations and the more power-efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The rumoured Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the Z Fold6 promises even better efficiency, potentially leading to improved battery life despite the unchanged capacity. While real-world testing is necessary for a definitive verdict, we're cautiously optimistic. The one area that might remain underwhelming is charging speed. Rumours suggest the Z Fold6 will retain the 25W charging speed of its predecessors, which feels slow for a premium phone. It's important to remember these are just leaks, and Samsung's official announcement could reveal different specs. We'll likely have to wait until August 2024 (Samsung's usual launch window) for confirmation. Additionally, rumours hint at a possible "Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra" with more significant upgrades, although its availability might be limited to South Korea. Source 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. Shakari Briggs is a reporter for the Houston Chronicle. She can be reached at shakari.briggs@houstonchronicle.com. Before joining the Chronicle in November 2023, she worked for Spectrum News as a digital journalist based in her hometown. Shakari comes to the Houston newsroom with experience in broadcast reporting and producing as a former multimedia journalist and associate producer. The Dallas native has also worked at small to medium-sized newspapers throughout her career. Her reporting on the rise and fall of a shopping mall won an Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors Contest award. She also earned an Arkansas Press Association award for freelance reporting. On Wednesday came a day that my wife, Laura, and I had dreaded but knew was drawing nearer. We had to put to sleep our West Highland Terrier, Maisie, who was only about two months from turning 17. We were certainly thankful for the many years we had with her and have tried to remember that as we mourn her passing amid mounting health issues, despite having a good overall quality of life until about her last week or so. I will never forget when Laura brought her home for the first time one Sunday night in January 2008 while we were living in Knoxville. She had met someone with a Westie rescue group off Interstate 40 between Nashville and Knoxville, and when Laura arrived with Maisie whom we named as a nod to her breeds Scottish roots she seemed very non-communicative with us initially. She was already about six months old at that time, and she had reportedly been in a puppy mill or farm in some place like Iowa, but her first few months had always been a mystery to us. Once she had been with us a couple of days or so, she slowly began opening up and became the sweetest dog, while naturally acting a little hyper and being interested in running around and eventually chasing squirrels. Smaller than a typical Westie, she was also as cute as a button when she sat upright on the kitchen floor and when we began walking her down the street. Other people took notice as well and would remark how cute and sweet she was. Even just a week or so before she died and she was making about her last visit with me over to the Greenway Farm in Hixson, a young girl and her mother commented on her cuteness. I still remember vividly several of those early moments with her in 2008. As she was getting used to her new world, which I assume was much more expansive than her previous one possibly being in a crate a lot of the time, we went exploring in our backyard. I have never forgotten how she cutely and curiously peered through the gaps in the fence belonging to a neighbor on one of those first days. She was learning of her new world that would hopefully be fun. We also began taking her on walks down our flat street and back, with her initially moving with ease. We eventually learned, however, that she was naturally more stubborn than our previous Westie, Buster, and would just stop if she did not want to keep walking. On these walks, we began meeting a few more of our neighbors than we had in the previous two-plus years. One woman, Nancy Richer, came running out to greet her and would become a good friend, occasionally taking care of her along with another neighbor when we were gone or out. The early weeks and even months were certainly a learning time for her, and sometimes she was slow to be house trained. Periodically we would come home after both of us had to be out for more than an hour or two and find a wet spot on a long green hallway rug we had. We tried not to be too hard on her, and it was always a happy moment when I would return and the rug would be dry, as occurred more frequently after a few weeks. To help her learn that she was supposed to use the bathroom outside, we started giving her some popular marrow-style dog treats after she would go out, and she learned to love them among others. Even within a few days before she died, I was still giving her several a day. Since she did manage to live nearly 17 years, maybe they were not too bad for her after all. Maisie was always a mostly good dog and enjoyed looking out our clear storm door in Knoxville and getting excited at the people passing with dogs or at the squirrels she would see. One time when I was in the front yard with her the first few months we had her, she suddenly sprinted out to the street as a car was coming down. I feared the worst, but luckily the driver saw her and stopped, and Maisie would be with us for several more years. When we decided to move back to Chattanooga in 2017, a move that was hard on me emotionally after enjoying Knoxville, Maisie seemed to take it all in stride. She also did not seem to mind living with the four different cats we had while even enjoying their food. We got our new backyard that sloped sharply downhill fenced not long after we moved, and she enjoyed exploring it on her own, even though we continued to walk her up and down our street that was hillier than the one in Knoxville. We also took her walking at the parks and greenways, just as we had in Knoxville seemingly a long time ago now, and she enjoyed those, even though she sometimes had to be gently tugged along. Wherever she was, she always perked up when she saw people and wanted to greet them with a special innocence. Since she had been a dog that had not acknowledged us when we first got her due to the way she had apparently been raised her first sixth months, we always took delight in that. For the first few years when we had her and I went jogging, I would often not take her with me, since she was too small and usually liked to stop and sniff. Almost as often, though, Laura would go with me and walk her while I jogged back and forth around them. Eventually, however, as Maisie calmed down a little with age, I would take her with me to the park and would learn to just run big circles around her and be within a short distance of her in case she got distracted or another person or dog came nearby. I would always have her leash on her, even if I was not holding her, and it just became natural for her to have that on her. Within the last few years, she always expected to go with me in the afternoon when I went jogging and was always waiting and ready to go. During the trip, she would excitedly sit in my lap or in the passenger seat and look out the window. And after we moved to Chattanooga, we would usually then go by to visit my father, Wayne Shearer, and I would also walk his little Yorkie dog, Daisy, who is also about the same age as Maisie. Maisie also enjoyed that visit. Within the last year or so, she would no longer be sitting up and looking out the windows as we drove to a park, and her running around once we were there also became less frequent. However, she would occasionally surprise me over the last six months or so by trotting around with me more than I expected. About a month or so ago, she had started just mostly sitting or walking around only a few steps when I would set her down somewhere at the park. Although, she would usually still go with me a few feet while I pulled her on her leash back in the direction of the car. She had by then mostly hit emeritus status, but that was OK. Her eyesight had also not been that good in recent months, causing her to start flinching some at lights or shadows or nearby objects, and her hearing had also declined. She also no longer went crazy over the sound of fireworks or thunder as she had in her earlier years. But we loved her all the same. And then in the last week before she died, she could basically not stand on her back legs and she had stopped eating much, although she did drink a little water on her next-to-last day. We knew the end had come. While we mourn the loss, we are very thankful for the times we had her stretching out over a long period of our lives through various changes. Goodbye sweet Maisie. We will always love you and remember you! * * * Jcshearer2@comcast.net Monday 3:30 p.m. CT Senate Regular Calendar Death penalty for child rape? GOP bill may discourage families from reporting 2. SB 1834, by Sen. Jack Johnson, would authorize the death penalty as a punishment for child rape. As justified as the policy may sound, advocates say the bill could lead to more family coverups and fewer police reports because child rapes are often committed by relatives. They say parents may not report the attack if it means a death sentence for their sibling or one of their other children. Bill requires proof of age, parental consent for minors before joining social media 23. SB 2097 by Sen. Jack Johnson would prohibit Tennesseans who are under 18 from signing up for a social media account without approval from a parent or guardian. The bill says, A social media company shall prohibit a minor from becoming an account holder unless the social media company has the express consent of the minor's parent to allow the minor to become an account holder. A number of states have passed laws requiring parental consent for kids to use social media, according to the AP. But those laws have faced legal challenges. Commentary: Gunshot wounds are the leading cause of death for children in Tennessee not TikTok, not books, not history lessons, not flags, not vaccines, not drag shows. Covenant School: Bill limits access to child autopsies, preserves in-person review 8. SB 2020, by Sen. Shane Reeves Gov. Lees push to partially privatize building safety, health permit inspections nears finish line Senate Message Calendar SB 2100, one of the governors initiatives, requires local governments to process building and codes permits within 30 days. To comply, the law authorizes, but essentially forces, local governments to hire third-party, for-profit inspectors. The preemption law will only apply to local governments that have adopted building safety standards beyond the states bare bones building safety codes. Tuesday Guns in school: Republican bill would allow teachers, staff to carry guns 1:30 p.m. Senate Regular Calendar 3. Under SB 1325 by Sen. Paul Bailey any school teacher or staff who holds a gun permit could carry a concealed handgun on school grounds. More guns are not the answer. In fact, the increased presence of guns leads to more unintentional shootings. America leads all high-income nations in unintentional shootings, and, in 2023, Tennessee ranked 41st in the US one of the worst firearm fatalities rates in the nation, according to Americas Health Rankings. Tennessee could require porn sites to verify every users age with a state ID 1:30 p.m. Senate Regular Calendar 9. SB 1792, by Sen. Becky Massey, would require porn websites to review a state-issued ID to verify the age of users. This sweeping censorship bill creates a class C felony charge for website operators who do not comply with these age-verification rules when at least a third of the sites content is sexually explicit and harmful or inappropriate for minors. In the age of data breaches, privacy experts worry about the amount of personal data this law may put at risk. Sen. Taylor would bar felons from participating in voter registration drives 1:30 p.m. Senate Regular Calendar 16. SB 2586, by Sen. Brent Taylor, would prohibit people who have served their time from participating in voter registration drives. The bill also creates a $5,000 civil fine for any violations of the law. This bill adds insult to injury for returning citizens and may violate their constitutional right to participate in First Amendment-protected voter registration. Federal courts have ruled previously that encouraging others to register to vote is pure speech. Context: Tennessee denies the right to vote to more than 470,000 citizens because of felony convictions and leads the nation in disenfranchisement of Black citizens at a staggering rate of just over 21%, according to The Sentencing Project. Bill untangles gun rights from voting rights restoration 1:30 p.m. Senate Regular Calendar 28. SB 2913 by Sen. Paul Bailey would allow Tennesseans who were convicted of a felony to apply for voting rights without restoring their gun rights first. The bill comes after an activist Republican state election official began this summer requiring felons to get their gun rights restored before they could get voting rights restored. The Associated Press has the backstory. Gov. Lees voucher scam last on the committee calendar. Are they ready for action? 8:30 a.m. Finance SB 0503 by Sen. Jack Johnson would create an expensive new education voucher program that uses public dollars to subsidize tuition at private schools. House and Senate Republicans remain several hundred million dollars apart on funding their competing versions of the plan. The Tennessean reports that House Republicans intend to pay for their voucher legislation by reassigning dollars earmarked for K-12 teacher raises and student support. At this point, its unclear whether enough progress has been made to force a vote on Tuesday. Republicans undermine right to bail without evidence that it works to reduce crime 8:30 a.m. Finance Sen. Brent Taylor is sponsoring three bills targeting every Tennesseans constitutional right to bail. The legislation would expand pretrial detention and increase incarceration costs on local taxpayers who fund jails. These policies may sound tough, but there is scant evidence that stricter bail laws reduce crime, according to a Governing Magazine report in February. SB 2565 *Taylor Removes the defendant's financial condition as a consideration for bail SB 2563 *Taylor Allows police to charge a defendant who is out on a bond to be charged with a class A misdemeanor for violating a bond order, even if the bond order is not a crime, i.e. curfew or missed appointment. SB 2564 *Taylor creates a Class A misdemeanor offense of violation of a condition of release, even if the condition is not a crime. Wednesday/Thursday GOP would rewrite the Constitution to say legislature cant regulate guns for crime prevention Senate Regular Calendar SJR 0904 would rewrite Article 1, Section 26 of the Tennessee Constitution to eliminate the legislatures power to regulate firearms for the purpose of crime prevention. This amendment deletes this provision, the Legislature shall have power, by law, to regulate the wearing of arms with a view to prevent crime. Tennessee has the seventh highest firearm homicide rate in the nation, according to the CDC Fatal Injury report. Prince Harry has been at odds with his family for several years, but things might be slowly improving -- and his next UK visit could test whether he'll ever be close with his father and brother again. Prince Harry is gearing up for his second visit to the United Kingdom this year. He also plans to bring his wife, Meghan Markle, who has not visited the UK since Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral back in 2022. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex likely wont stay for too long, but it could be a good opportunity for them to visit some sick family members and one expert claims Harry plans to build bridges while there. King Charles with Prince Harry and Prince WIlliam | Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Prince Harry is reportedly working toward repairing things with his family Harry and Meghan stepped back from their roles as senior royals in 2020. Since then, they have been living in California. Harry has not returned to the UK much, though hes made a few court appearances there and also stopped over to visit his father back in February after learning of King Charles cancer diagnosis. Meghan has not visited the UK with Harry and did not attend Charles coronation ceremony, so its been a little while for her. But one source claims Harry plans to use his UK trip to build bridges with the royals after having a difficult time with them over the last few years. A source reportedly close to the couple revealed to Mirror that Harrys main priority outside of the Invictus Games will be to spend time with his family. Harrys first priority when he comes to England is to see his sick dad, the source said. He is pretty focused on this. It will be his first port of call when he comes off the plane to try and spend as much time with King Charles so that they can build bridges, and enjoy each others company like before. Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle | Kirsty OConnor/WPA Pool/Getty Images Where do things stand between Prince Harry, Prince William, and King Charles? It seems that the bulk of the royal rift is now between Harry and his brother, Prince William. While Harry and Charles arent necessarily best friends, he had nice things to say about his father during his February interview with Good Morning America and seems to be moving past their father-son differences. Harry and William, on the other hand, have not had any public contact since they appeared on a royal walkabout together after the queens death in September 2022. It was a good starting point for the men to repair their relationship, but it doesnt appear to have done much. Right now, it remains mostly unknown how Harry and Williams relationship will pan out, but we can assume they will see each other during this next trip especially with the knowledge that Kate Middleton is undergoing cancer treatment. Anyone who is or was fascinated by the life of iconic illusionist Harry Houdini may know that he went through a period of busting people who claimed to be mediums or able to communicate with the dead. However, he didnt have the time to find all of these scammers himself, so he took on help from a team of private investigators. One of the most essential members of his team was investigator Rose Mackenberg. Rose was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1892. After working as a stenographer in a law office, she took an interest in psychics and fortunetellers who claimed they were able to communicate with spirits and tell people their futures. In the early 20th century, Harry Houdini began seeking the help of psychics and mediums so he could connect to his deceased relatives, including his parents. However, he eventually caught on to the fact that many of these self-proclaimed mediums were scam artists. Thus, he began his mission to expose the posing mediums and psychics and inform people about the methods they use to scam and lie. Around this time, Rose came to the same realization as Houdini and began investigating fake mediums. In 1925, she and Harry came together, and he hired her as part of a secret service undercover investigating team. This secret service included a handful of other women, but Rose was considered Harrys top investigator. Rose worked with Harry for approximately two years and, in that time, investigated over 300 claimed psychics and mediums. Shed travel with Harry on tour and investigate these people undercover before Harry arrived in each city. Rose would use different names and disguises and make up fake stories about loved ones she had lost to catch these fake mediums in the act. Then, once she knew they were fake, shed give her findings to Harry, who would later invite the phonies up on stage during his show and expose them in front of the audience. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox. Home News Russian Orthodox Church leader declares Ukraine invasion a holy war' The World Russian People's Council, led by Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, has labeled President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine as a "holy" endeavor, seemingly aiming to bring the region under Russian dominion. The declaration frames the war as a key moment in Russia's battle against the "criminal Kiev regime" and Western "Satanism," calling it a "special mlitary operation." The WRPC, while officially separate from the Russian Orthodox Church, comprises many church leaders and civil figures. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe The decree, published by the Moscow Patriarchate, emerged from a synodal congress on March 27 at Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, with Patriarch Kirill presiding. Addressed to Russia's legislative and executive bodies, the document casts the war in Ukraine that began in 2022 as a spiritual crusade to preserve the unity of "Holy Rus," depicting Russia as a defender against Western encroachment. The decree elaborates on the "Russian world" concept, stressing its spiritual and cultural importance beyond Russia's current borders. It suggests assimilating Belarusians and Ukrainians as Russian sub-ethnicities. It appears to compare the Trinity to the territories of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Antoine Niviere, a professor of Russian civilization at the University of Lorraine in northeastern France, told La Croix International that the document is more than just a statement; it "outlines a sort of political program." "Its content is in total contradiction with the social doctrine that the Russian Church adopted in 2000, which notably rejected the notion of holy war and stipulated that religious leaders should oppose the government if it issued orders contradictory to the ethical and theological principles of Christianity," Niviere stated. "With Kirill, none of this is respected." The document further advocates for asylum in Russia for those upholding traditional values and calls for educational and humanitarian reforms to reflect Russian civilizational values. Patriarch Kirill, initially hesitant about Russia's invasion, has progressively condemned Ukraine and the West, attributing spiritual significance to the conflict. He mandated churches to recite a prayer for Holy Rus, with non-compliant clergy facing sanctions. The WRPC's document aligns closely with Putin's political stance, blending spiritual and temporal power. It advocates for Russia as a global protector against Western globalism. The document promotes a nationalistic education reform purging Western ideologies and aligning with Putin's educational policies. Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, a Northeastern University assistant professor of religion and anthropology, said that Kirill frames the war as a metaphysical struggle against Western modernity, positioning Ukraine as the battlefield for this conflict. The professor told the university-owned publication Northeastern Global News that Kirill's rhetoric includes blessing Russian military efforts and promising spiritual rewards for those who die in the conflict, which diverges from traditional Russian Orthodox doctrine. Riccardi-Swartz believes that the historical narrative within Russian Orthodoxy views Russia as a spiritual defender against the Antichrist, a belief linked to the canonization of Czar Nicholas II, who is seen as interceding for Russia in Heaven. This narrative supports the idea of Moscow as the third Rome, the ultimate stronghold of Christendom, she noted. Konstantin Malofeev, a prominent businessman and pro-Russian separatist backer, plays a key role in the WRPC as Patriarch Kirill's deputy, according to EU Today. His views, mirroring late 19th and early 20th-century doctrines, advocate for an absolute monarchy and a state church, aligning with the "Moscow Third Rome" ideology. The declaration of a holy war justifies and moralizes Russia's imperialistic ambitions, Riccardi-Swartz said. Home Opinion Biden failing (and people know) on immigration, border security President Biden signed a $1.2 trillion budget last week. The bill was 1,012 pages long and filled with innumerable expenditures. About $380 million was allocated for enhanced border security projects in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, and Tunisia. $150 million of which must go to border security in Jordan. Yes, you read that correctly. We are sending money to nations in the Middle East to secure their borders. What was absent from the bill were any real answers to secure our own southern border. In fact, the budget does the opposite. It puts severe restrictions on the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) ability to construct physical barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border to discourage illegal immigration. There is no way to stop the flow of illegal immigration right now without physical barriers on the border. On top of that, the current administration has a policy of catching those who are crossing and then releasing them for a future court date. This essentially means that they will not be dealt with due to the backlog of cases in our justice system. The Biden administration has seemingly no desire to deal with the crisis happening on the southern border. In the past three years, there have been more than 7.4 million documented illegal border crossings. This does not include the many crossings that were not documented. The name for these is got-ways. Congressman Mark Green of Tennessee is the House Homeland Security Chairman. He stated that over 1.8 million known got-aways have evaded U.S. Border Patrol under this administration. This marks a massive surge since the Trump administration. The total estimated number of got-ways for 20182020 was only 415,000. There has been a nearly 400% increase under the Biden administration. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe RJ Hauman of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement (NICE) said in a statement to Breitbart News, The Biden administration wants nothing more than the ability to manage an invasion here at home, all while helping nations abroad build walls. And that is exactly what is happening in our nation right now. In their proposal for the budget, the Biden administration included a $4.7 billion emergency fund for border security to enable the Department of Homeland Security to ramp up operations in the event of a migrant surge. Essentially, the Biden Administration wants to manage the crisis as opposed to taking real action to stop it. None of this money would go to physical solutions to stop border crossings; rather, it would just go to the costs of managing the crisis. Essentially, more money just going to the bureaucratic system. It appears that voters on both sides of the aisle are taking notice of Bidens failure to properly deal with immigration. According to a recent Harvard CAPS Harris poll, President Biden has a meager 36% approval rating from registered voters on his handling of immigration. Among all issues, Biden has the lowest issue-specific approval rating for his handling of immigration. Article 4, Section 4, of the U.S. Constitution, states: The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a republican form of government and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened) against domestic violence. The federal government under the Biden administration is failing the southern states and allowing a mass invasion of millions of people into our nation. There is no argument that this doesn't fall within the definition of an invasion. Millions of people are making it through our southern border unvetted. This means that drugs and criminal elements can enter our nation with ease. We are seeing countless fentanyl deaths, increased crime from drug cartels on our side of the border, and major stresses on city and state infrastructure as they attempt to deal with the influx of millions of people. The Biden administration is failing on immigration because it wants to manage this problem instead of solving it. Seventeen bullet holes can be seen on the front entrance of 7815 Harding Street, where five Houston Police officers were shot while serving a warrant Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019, in Houston. Godofredo A. Vasquez/Staff photographer The federal judge presiding over a civil rights lawsuit in the deadly 2019 Harding Street raid sent a message to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg on Friday: Dont delay criminal trials related to the police scandal. U.S. District Court Judge Alfred Bennett during a hearing about the lawsuit told Stan Clark, an assistant district attorney, to pass a message about moving forward on the criminal cases to Ogg. It would be out of the ordinary if a civil action was the first trial, as opposed to the criminal trial, Bennett said. I would hope that there was some sense of urgency in the district attorney in bringing this matter to justice as she sees fit. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Oggs office declined comment on Friday afternoon. A trial over the civil rights suit is scheduled to begin in November. The families of the couple killed in the botched drug raid Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas accused the city, the Houston Police Department, former Police Chief Art Acevedo and individual police officers, including disgraced officer Gerald Goines of violating the couples Fourth and 14th Amendment rights. The Jan. 28, 2019, raid on a home in the Pecan Park neighborhood resulted in a gunbattle between police and the couple. Multiple officers were wounded, some seriously, and the couple died. Investigations that followed the raid determined that the warrant was obtained on false evidence from a made-up criminal informant, according to prosecutors. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Retired Houston Police Department officer Gerald Goines leaves the court after the Judge Veronica M. Nelson of 482nd District Court quashed two felony murder indictments against him Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at Harris County Criminal Courts at Law in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Goines, who is accused of writing the warrant, has been charged with felony murder over the raid. Goines and multiple other officers who worked in the same narcotics unit as Goines have also been charged with engaging in criminal activity, over an alleged overtime scheme uncovered during the investigation into the raid. The first Harris County indictments connected to the raid were handed down in 2019. Neither Goines, nor any of the police officers charged, have gone to trial. A federal criminal case against Goines is also still pending, and is without a court date. No federal prosecutors were in court Friday and no mention was made about that case. Bennetts message to Ogg came days after Goines was re-indicted on the murder charges. In late March, a Harris County judge threw out the previous murder indictments, agreeing with Goines criminal attorneys that the first indictments lacked specifics about the accusations against him. During Fridays hearing, Clark told Bennett that Goines felony murder trial was still scheduled to begin in late June. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The overtime scheme trial is scheduled for September, according to court records. The Harding Street criminal trials have been delayed by its large size, which include copious amounts of evidence to be disclosed and reviewed. The case also coincided with slowdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it hit a speedbump in February when the first judge presiding over the case was suspended from the bench. Ogg has publicly said the DAs office was ready to move forward on criminal trials since at least May 2023. The scheduling of a trial is ultimately up to a judge. The hearing in Bennetts ninth-floor courtroom was ostensibly to deal with other issues related to the civil case. The lawyers representing Tuttle and Nicolas family asked Bennett to order more depositions against some of the police officers targeted in the lawsuit, arguing their attorneys had improperly stopped them from answering some questions. The citys attorneys argued they were following a verbal order from Bennett to not delve into questions about the criminal investigation into the overtime case. Bennett conceded he gave unclear instructions, and told the attorneys to review the deposition questions that hadnt been answered and report to him which questions would have also been stopped by defendants pleading their Fifth Amendment rights. He said he would make a decision on more depositions after receiving that report. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Clark, the attorney from the district attorneys office, was also in the courtroom because of the depositions. While the county is not a party to the civil lawsuit, Oggs office is seeking copies of the civil depositions as part of the criminal investigations into Goines and the other officers. The defense attorneys including the attorneys representing the city of Houston opposed releasing the depositions to Clark, because they could incriminate them in the criminal investigation or harm their defense in the lawsuit. Bennett denied the district attorneys request, and then asked Clark to pass on his message. Advertisement Article continues below this ad You can see the tension it has created in this case, Bennett said. Home News Baylor University's 'Harry Potter' professor goes viral after blasting JK Rowling for 'hatred of trans people' An English professor at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, went viral on X this week for tweeting about how students in his Harry Potter class have been discussing author J.K. Rowling's alleged "hatred of trans people." "Today in my Harry Potter class [at Baylor], we had a hard and necessary conversation about JK Rowling and her hatred of trans- people," Prof. Greg Garrett, the Carole Ann McDaniel Hanks Chair of Literature & Culture, tweeted on Tuesday. "We decided novelist Rowling, who wrote with compassion about diversity, equity, and inclusion, is worth our attention. Twitter Rowling? Shame on her." Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Today in my Harry Potter class @Baylor, we had a hard and necessary conversation about JK Rowling and her hatred of trans- people. We decided novelist Rowling, who wrote with compassion about diversity, equity, and inclusion, is worth our attention. Twitter Rowling? Shame on her. Greg Garrett (@Greg1Garrett) April 2, 2024 Rowling made headlines earlier this week for tweeting out a list of biological men who identify as transgender women while calling them men and daring police in Scotland to arrest her for violating the country's new Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act. The law, which went into effect April 1 and created a new criminal offense of "stirring up of hatred," carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison, a 10,000 (about $12,500) fine or both. It defines hate crime as "any crime which is perceived by the victim, or any other person, to be motivated (wholly or partly) by malice and ill-will towards a social group" and enables police to log alleged "hate incidents." "It is impossible to accurately describe or tackle the reality of violence and sexual violence committed against women and girls, or address the current assault on women's and girls' rights, unless we are allowed to call a man a man," Rowling wrote in part. "Freedom of speech and belief are at an end in Scotland if the accurate description of biological sex is deemed criminal." The bestselling author also claimed that Scottish women have for several years been expected to embrace a "neo-religious concept of gender that is unprovable and untestable." Rowling drew support from British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said, "people should not be criminalized for stating simple facts on biology." Tory peer Zac Goldsmith likened the Scottish law to something out of East Germany under the communist Stasi. Garrett's tweet about Rowling, which racked up over 2.2 million views as of Friday night, drew scorn from users on X, some of whom accused him of violating Baylor's statement on human sexuality. Others questioned why Baylor University has a collegiate-level Harry Potter class in the first place. Tuition at the private Baptist research university is nearly $52,000 per year, a price tag that swells to more than $70,000 after books, room and board and other expenses. Garrett, who received a $488,000 grant from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation in 2021 to "illuminate the ways various forms of American culture have promoted racial myths through the centuries," doubled down following the backlash and suggested he was standing up for the same sort of people Jesus and the prophets did. "I am not unaccustomed to disagreement on Twitter," he tweeted Wednesday. "I'm a Christian, I teach at a great Christian university, and I'm involved in the Christian work of acknowledging the marginalized and dispossessed, those whom the Prophets and Jesus put front and center. Disagree if you must." Garrett, whose pinned tweet on his X profile is in support of Black Lives Matter as of Friday, also reiterated his assertion that Rowling is guilty of exhibiting "hate." "And maybe we could discuss the definition of 'gaslighting' instead of 'hatred,'" he wrote. "If JK Rowling chooses to post negative comments about trans women on a day commemorating the violent deaths of people for being trans and invites the Scottish authorities to enforce an anti-hate law" He went on to claim that he has spoken with Rowling's former bishop in Edinburgh to confirm that she attended church some years ago. "I understand religious disagreements on LGBTQ issues," he added. "My family is Southern Baptist. But there's expressing disagreement, and there's this. Hate is the proper word." Baylor University did not respond to The Christian Post's request for comment by publication, and Garrett directed CP to a January article in the student newspaper Baylor Lariat about his 300-level Harry Potter class. In the article, Garrett likened Harry Potter to a messianic figure. "[Rowling] said early on that the story of 'Harry Potter' the whole seven-volume story was based on the Gospels," Garrett told the outlet, adding that the Christian themes of love and compassion are one of the most powerful messages in the series. Home Opinion A victory for religious freedom in Virginia At the heart of many culture war issues is the question of whether religious organizations and individuals have the right to order their lives around their deeply held beliefs. While most Americans grant that we all have a right to believe what we do, the First Amendment guarantees the free exercise of religion. Its essential to understand what exactly that entails. Over the last 15 years, the constitutional guarantee of free exercise has been tested again and again, mostly by a new set of so-called rights associated with abortion, homosexuality and transgenderism that have been written into state and federal law. As a result, a group of nuns have been forced to go to court so they would not have to provide insurance coverage for birth control. Pro-life pregnancy care centers have been forced to argue that they should not be forced to advertise abortion services. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Religious organizations, ministries and student groups have been forced repeatedly to defend why they shouldnt be required to hire people who do not hold their beliefs. When taken together, there has been a concerted push to make progressive views on sex and gender mandatory for everyone. If successful, this would effectively abolish Americas first freedom, which the American founders intended. Recently, one such conflict in Virginia was settled the right way. Recently, a group of churches, Christian schools and the Care Net pregnancy center network reached a settlement with Virginias attorney general that affirmed the state cannot force them to hire people who oppose their beliefs. Also, these groups will not be required to pay for insurance plans for their employees that cover gender reassignment surgery or cross-sex hormone therapy. The case was filed back in 2020 and concerned a Virginia LGBTQ anti-discrimination statute called the Virginia Values Act, enacted by former governor Ralph Northam. The law was supposed to create, in Governor Northams words, an inclusive Commonwealth where there is opportunity for everyone, and everyone is treated fairly. In practice, however, the law was anything but inclusive, threatening organizations that didnt comply with strict DEI rules with fines of up to $100,000 per violation. In effect, as Alliance Defending Freedom who represented the plaintiffs in this case explained, this law would have forced nonprofit ministries to abandon their core convictions in hiring and other policies. Thanks to the initiative of these churches, schools, Care Net, and the outstanding work of ADF, this decision went the right way. However, given the Supreme Courts consistent stand on religious organizations and institutions, the fact that another state attempted to control hiring practices of these faith-based groups shows how precarious religious freedom is when it is misunderstood. The ability of nonprofit organizations to hire people who share their beliefs and mission is equivalent to their right to exist. If laws like this one in Virginia are not challenged, Christians and members of other religions will be, in effect, forced to affirm wrong ideas about diversity, equity, and inclusion dogma in order to take part in society. Even further upstream from these bad laws is a bad idea identified by Chuck Colson many years ago from then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who repeatedly used the phrase freedom of worship. As Chuck pointed out then, being free to worship only acknowledges the right to believe in ones heart, home, or house of worship. This is a very different thing from what the American founders intended by the free exercise of religion. And yet, more elected officials have, either in word or deed, embraced this impoverished concept in the years since. This is the most important threat to First Amendment rights. Faith is deeply personal, but its not private. The idea that organizations like pregnancy care centers or Christian schools should not be allowed to operate or hire according to their beliefs is dangerous and deeply un-American. As long as there are laws on the books and policies in place that try to force religious Americans to leave their consciences at home or in church, we should defend our first freedom. The world, and our nation, are better with it than without it. Im thankful for the work of Alliance Defending Freedom, First Liberty, and others who courageously stand for religious liberty. At the same time, Im praying for a day when their work is not nearly as necessary as it is today. Originally published at BreakPoint. Christian group threatens legal action against Scottish government over conversion therapy proposals The Christian Institute has threatened to take legal action against the Scottish government if proposals to ban conversion therapy trample on religious freedom, parental rights and free speech. The Scottish government is proposing a ban on "conversion practices" with prison sentences of up to seven years and the possibility of an unlimited fine for people convicted of breaching it. A public consultation on the proposals closed on 2 April. The Christian Institute said that the draft legislation contains only a "handful of vague criteria for what constitutes a conversion practice". It fears that Christian pastors who preach traditional views and parents who try to stop their children from transitioning will fall foul of the ban. Joanna Cook, a public affairs officer at The Christian Institute, said that the current draft was "vaguely worded, dangerously broad, and would catch innocent, harmless behaviour". She gave the example of a mother who might try to stop her son from going to school wearing a dress and make-up. She said that under the terms of the current draft, this would meet the threshold of an offence being committed, risking prosecution. "There are already strong laws on the statute book to protect gay and trans people. Existing law thankfully tackles verbal and physical abuse in Scotland today," she said. "But those campaigning for a conversion practices law aren't content with that. They want a new speech crime, a thought crime. And, I'm afraid, the Scottish government's proposals give them that." She said that plans to introduce pre-emptive "conversion practices protection orders", intended to stop 'conversion practices' from occurring in the first place, were "especially alarming". "They would hand the courts very broad powers to restrict the free speech of individuals based purely on activists' speculation about what they might say to gay or trans people," she said. Legal advice provided to The Christian Institute by human rights lawyer Aidan O'Neill KC warns that the proposed ban risks criminalising the ordinary work of churches and parents who want to protect their children from radical trans ideology. Ms Cook added: "Our solicitors wrote to the government preparing the ground for judicial review in February 2022. If Parliament passes a law that tramples on basic freedom of speech and religion, we are ready to challenge it all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary." Rare Christian book expected to fetch millions at London auction A remarkable piece of Christian history is poised to make headlines at an upcoming auction in London, as the original Crosby-Schyen Codex, recognised as one of the earliest Christian liturgical books, is expected to command a price easily exceeding 2 million. Penned on Egyptian papyrus during the period of 250-350 A.D. and crafted within the confines of one of the earliest Christian monasteries, the codex represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of bookmaking. Speaking to Reuters, Eugenio Donadoni, Senior Specialist in Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts at Christie's, underscored the codex's significance. "It's right at that period, that transitional period when papyrus scroll starts turning into codex form. So, books as we know them today. And what we have in this book is the earliest known texts of two books of the Bible," he said. Comprising 104 pages with 52 leaves, meticulously inscribed over four decades, the codex holds within its ancient pages texts including biblical passages from Jonah, 2 Maccabees 5:27 - 7:41, 1 Peter, Melito of Sardis' Peri Pascha 47 - 105, and an unidentified sermon for Easter Morning. Donadoni attributed its preservation to Egypt's dry climate, emphasising that only a handful of books from the 3rd and 4th centuries have survived to the present day due to these conditions. "All the major finds of Christian manuscripts that we had in the 20th century and at the end of the 19th century are all concentrated in Egypt for those very precise climatic conditions," he explained. Originally discovered in the 1950s, the codex made its way to the University of Mississippi until 1981 when it was acquired by Dr Martin Schyen, a renowned manuscript collector. Currently displayed for public viewing at Christie's New York from April 2 to 9, the Crosby-Schyen Codex is set to go under the hammer in London on June 11, promising to attract collectors and scholars alike with its unparalleled historical significance. Resisting oppressive hate crime laws will come at a cost Feminists in Scotland are closing ranks against the SNP's new hate crime law in Scotland, but how will orthodox Christians fare under the regime? Harry Potter author JK Rowling, the most high-profile feminist campaigner against the legislation, has pledged on X to stand with any woman who is prosecuted for 'misgendering': "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." Thus far, no prominent Christian leader in Scotland has given a similar pledge if his or her fellow believers were prosecuted under the new law for standing up for unpopular biblical truth. Scottish journalist and former Sunday Times editor, Andrew Neil, in his Daily Mail article on March 30, two days before the new law came into force on April 1, prescribed a dose of realism about the political climate in Scotland. He wrote: "On Monday, Scotland enters a new Dark Age. It is entirely unnecessary and wholly self-inflicted...It will not be easily reversed. The Labour Party, which looks set to replace the SNP as the dominant party in both Holyrood and Westminster, voted for the SNP's new hate crime laws." Scottish voters do not seem to care that much about the threat to freedom of speech from the triumphant Left. With Labour poised to win a landslide victory in this year's UK General Election, conservative writers in England like Douglas Murray and Peter Hitchens, and free speech campaigners like Toby Young and Will Jones, with their historical knowledge, surely realise that apathetic self-interest would rule if the Westminster government started locking up dissidents and that the protests would be few if they were imprisoned. To take just the 20th Century as an example, the lack of popular resistance to Nazism in Germany, to Stalinism in Russia, and to Maoism in China surely teaches us that oppression goes largely unresisted in nations in which civic morality is at a low ebb. Without making any unwarranted comparisons, it is important to remember that the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified by overwhelming popular demand. All four New Testament Gospels record the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, asking the Jerusalem crowd gathered outside the Praetorium for a popular mandate to have Jesus released. What was the solid consensus then? "Crucify him!" The beautiful 17th century hymn by Samuel Crossman, My Song is Love Unknown, captures the timeless truth that the Gospels record: "Sometimes they strew His way, and His sweet praises sing: resounding all the day hosannas to their King. Then 'Crucify!' is all their breath, and for Hath they thirst and cry." In a book which seems to have got fewer reads than a blog post by a politics student at the University of Bognor Regis, I tried to imagine myself as an 86-year-old retired vicar living in Britain in 2050 after the country had undergone a Christian revival. I wrote in Christians in the Community of the Dome (Evangelical Press, 2017): "There is no question that society is changing due to the Revival. A new Prime Minister - a Muslim convert to Christianity as a student in the 2020s got elected in 2045. Prime Minister Ali is a good man and has just been re-elected for a second term. Unfortunately, he's being obstructed rather in the House of Lords by the elderly secularists who still pack the benches in there but Lord willing that will change. King George is a committed Christian, so together they make a good team." Secular history teaches that a Christian revival in a country even as demoralised as Britain is possible. Christianity spread in the deeply pagan Roman Empire and is spreading in Communist China. But in the meantime potential dissidents in the UK, Christian or otherwise, against the triumphant Left would surely be wise to count the cost of resistance. Julian Mann is a former Church of England vicar, now an evangelical journalist based in Lancashire. World's oldest man dies at 114, attributed long life to loving God (CP) The oldest man in the world, who died this week in Venezuela, attributed his longevity in part to his strong Catholic faith and love for God. Juan Vicente Perez Mora, 114, died Tuesday in Tachira, Venezuela, just weeks shy of his 115th birthday, according to an announcement from Freddy Bernal, the governor of Tachira. Guinness World Records had confirmed Mora as the world's oldest man, awarding him the distinction on Feb. 4, 2022, when he was 112 years and 253 days old. He was born May 27, 1909, in El Cobre, Tachira, Venezuela, the ninth of 10 children. Mora could only finish five months of formal education when he was 10 because his teacher became ill. But he learned how to read and write using a book she gave him, according to Guinness. Mora, who worked in agriculture while helping to settle land and family disputes as sheriff in Caricuena from 1948 to 1958, was married to Ediofina del Rosario Garcia until her death in 1997. The two had six sons and five daughters and were married for 60 years. Family was central to Mora, who boasted of 42 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren. "My Uncle Vicente transmits a lot of peace, tranquility and radiates a lot of joy," newphew Freddy Abreu told Catholic News Agency's Spanish-speaking outlet in 2022. "He's a person who has a lot to give. He enjoys the simple things in life and is very grateful to God." Mora, who prayed the rosary twice daily, told Guinness World Records in 2022 that the secret to his long life was to "work hard, rest on holidays, go to bed early, drink a glass of aguardiente [a sugar-based liquor] every day, love God, and always carry Him in your heart." He also wanted to be remembered "as a hardworking man, faithful to his wife and his religion." Following his death, tributes to Mora poured in from political leaders in Venezuela. "Our dear Juan Vicente Perez Mora, today with deep sadness and pain we say goodbye to you, to that archetype of a man from Tachira, humble, hardworking, peaceful, enthusiastic about family and tradition," tweeted Gov. Bernal. "Together with my wife and children we had the pleasure and the pride of meeting him and sharing with his loved ones," Bernal added. "My old Don Vicente, we will always remember him for his optimism in life, for faith, hope, and that deep love for our state of Tachira." Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro echoed Bernal's sentiments. "Juan Vicente Perez Mora has transcended into eternity at 114 years old," Maduro posted on X. "I send my hugs and condolences to his family and to all the people of El Cobre, Tachira state. May God receive him in his holy glory." The Christian Post We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Shanghai airports see surge in inbound foreign travelers in Q1 Xinhua) 10:57, April 06, 2024 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. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Zhong Wenxing) People wait to speak during a Houston ISD Board of Managers meeting at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Houston. 150 people signed up to speak at the meeting. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Houston ISD officials say that the district did not see a significant spike in teacher absences Thursday after over 100 teachers reportedly called in sick to protest appointed Superintendent Mike Miles' leadership. Thursday's "sick-out" involved over 100 teachers across the district, according to former HISD teachers who helped organize the protest. It was the first coordinated work stoppage at HISD since Miles was appointed to his position in June, and the first since teachers held a similar "sick-out" in 2020 to protest return-to-school protocols during the pandemic. HISD officials, however, said Friday that they did not notice more absences than usual. Advertisement Article continues below this ad "The district conducted a brief examination and identified no significant variation in teacher absences affecting instruction for April 4, 2024, " the district said in a statement. The district did not say exactly how many teachers called in sick Thursday, or what the average number of daily absences has been over the course of the school year. Former Superintendent Grenita Lathan's administration did not directly acknowledge the 2020 sick-out. Thursday's protest was meant to call attention to "hostile learning and teaching environments" the teachers said Miles has fostered during his first year in charge, which include strict leave policies and rigid expectations around instruction. Carly Padgett, a former HISD teacher who resigned earlier this year, said the protest was organized by "rank and file teachers across HISD who are using their voice to stand up for students," using a phone tree to verify teachers who were participating. She said that follow-ups with teachers, which were ongoing Friday, confirmed at least 120 teachers at 41 schools had called in sick or scheduled doctor's appointments to come in late or leave early. "It was only word of mouth. Many teachers who would have participated simply didn't know about it," Padgett said. "Still, it is an indication that teachers are willing to take action to call for change despite the district's efforts to silence them." Advertisement Article continues below this ad Neither of Houston's two teachers unions were involved in Thursday's "sick-out." Chris Tritico, attorney for the Houston Federation of Teachers, said Thursday that the union "absolutely (did) not support or endorse any teacher walkout at all," citing the Texas Constitution, which prohibits a public sector union from endorsing a right to strike. As I explain in a column publishing midmorning April 6, we had an overwhelming response to my explanation last week about why we will keep telling the truth about the danger Trump poses to the United States. This is a tiny sample of the of the 2,700 comments people emailed to me, most in support of our policies. You have said what needs to be said in honor of the truth and to counter the torrent of lies spouted daily by right wing media and social media. I agree that we face what Germany faced in 1932. Having survived what happened there and in Austria in 1938 I dont want to see my country of 64 years go that route! Keep telling the truth and let us do all we can to prevent this catastrophe in November. Let sanity return as it has in past crises. And then there are the politicians who are blindly supporting him as well just because they are Republicans. I think its a matter of them trying to keep their jobs instead of doing their jobs which is a disease prevalent in the United States Congress. I applaud your bravery in stating the truth. Brave column today. Must have been very difficult to write. I appreciate you and the pd more than ever in the past few years.Bravo for your thoughtful and professional letter of March 30, 2024. Like someone finally opened a window in the nations overused and fetid outhouse, the fresh air of your editorial is most welcome! We need much, much more like this from everyone in a position to say so! You can thank the boys at www.electoral-vote.com for the link, and a recommendation to read your thoughts directly today. Thank you and keep fighting for the sake of our values and speak truth to power. We dont need to see what the 1936 version of Amerika looks like. I have to admit that it took some real stones to write your newsletter of March 30 about the January sixth attempt to overthrow our democracy. I am in 100% agreement with everything that you wrote. I saw it with my own eyes. I didnt downplay it after a few days and then make an attempt to dilute the horror of it like many of the Trump followers have done. To me, it is as horrific right now today as it was that day, when I was watching it unfold on television. Your article was the best opinion piece I have read to date regarding the madman Trump running for President. Thank you for writing and comparing Trump to Hitler and WWII. I will never understand how intelligent (?) men and women in Congress are standing behind Trump with regards to the stolen election and how they are letting him still control them while they are totally disrespectful to our current President. I am scared to death that somehow, someway Trump will be elected. I fear for my family, my children and grandchildren and the future of our great nation. Fox News and other MAGA sources of information are complicit in the continuing damage to our democratic republic. Most Trump cult members only listen to them and will not accept the truth. Thanks again, Im writing this with tears in my eyes because you have the decency to say what Ive been yelling at too many screens as Ive watched in horror Trump dismantle our fragile democracy brick by brick while his enablers are clapping in the background. My father was one of those who fought Hitler in WWII and was lucky to have survived but hundreds of thousands of GIs did not. Ive wondered my whole life about something I read many, many years ago...a nationwide survey in Germany taken 5(?) years after the war asking if Hitler was good for Germany. This of course was after all the horrors that were revealed with The Holocaust and countless millions that died in so many countries and TWENTY FIVE percent said yes!!! I could never understand how so many millions of Germans thought the worst monster of the modern era could still be idolized. With MAGA I understand...and it makes sense how you can use modern media to dupe certain folks that up is down, big is small, hot is cold and the Emperor has wonderful (invisible) clothes. I too just read the book about Hitlers rise to power. The shocking fact was that he was given the power by those who wanted to end the political chaos that existed at that time. The parallels to what is happening in the U. S. Are eerie and i thank you for publishing this possibility that history could repeat itself. My husband and I are recent retirees in Seven Hills. We moved to the Cleveland area 3 1/2 years ago from Mansfield. I would like to offer you a heartfelt thank you for your editorial on the polls, highlighting the truths surrounding the last election. Believe it or not, we were both strong Republicans before Trump came on the scene. Now we camp strongly with the Democrats; we are so tired of the false rhetoric about the stolen election, etc. While Biden isnt the strongest candidate we could have, we view him as moral, and dignified - in our opinion the man fits the role of POTUS. Trump maybe be the court jester but we live in a clown-world. You are blind to that reality because your media outlet is part of the sideshow. Im sitting here in tears having just read your Letter. Its a sad state of affairs when Im weeping because you told the simple truth. Thanks for having the courage to put candor ahead of mollifying the masses. I loved this very well written article. Im a veteran and was so sad when I watched this happening to the country I served. Mr. Quinn - Your observations on the need for truth in reporting, awareness of tragic historical analogs, and the corruption of our media and political right, were spot on. That so many before us fought and sacrificed to rid ourselves of tyrants, and that we now face this in the form of one so transparently petulant and self-serving is hard to fathom. Thank you for these important reminders. Thank you! Your letter brought me to tears. Thank you for being a champion for truth. I no longer live in Ohio, but Ive just purchased a year subscription. I hope the Plain Dealer continues to be a beacon in these chaotic times. Thank you again for your words. With the simple comparison to 1930s Germany--frightening as it is--you appeal to people to disregard their single interests that his election might support (taxes, abortion, etc) because the big picture of re-electing him is potentially catastrophic for our country overall. Actually, my only critique is that you could have added a sentence that mentioned the 2-3 core issues that cause some otherwise responsible citizens to hold their nose and vote for him, as that might resonate more deeply with some folks in that position who cant or dont want to draw the line connecting themselves to the Weimer Germany people who thought they were using Hitler to further their own interests. Thank you for having the courage to write this article. I have no idea whether or not it will actually change anyones vote, but you did it factually and in the respectful and non-condescending tone that many other news outlets fail to achieve. I couldnt agree with you more. Last year, while on vacation in Ireland, I met a person from Germany on a ferry ride to the Aran Islands. When Trumps names came up I laughed a little and she, in a very serious tone, said, its no laughing matter. In Germany we study history and we know where a person like him can lead you. The danger of people not reading newspapers is everything they read online is biased. Keep reporting the truth and hope it makes a difference. You will be vigorously assailed for mentioning Hitler. So be it. Necessity demands the warning. Hitler didnt rise to power overnight. It was a gradual process. Preventing something similar requires nipping it early. We still have time. You wouldnt know truth your north star if it slapped you in the face Thank you very much for the column frankly pointing out the difference between President Biden and former president Donald Trump. Yes I find many things President Biden does as confusing and frustrating. His support of Benjamin Netanyahu is something I fail to understand, but it is nowhere near the offenses that Donald Trump has done.I hope and pray that the American electorate votes President Biden back in office this fall. P.S. As a retired military member who is proud of my fathers service landing on Normandy I have nothing but disrespect for Donald Trump. My dad was a paratrooper in World War Two. He and his fellow soldiers jumped into hell and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. My wifes father was a Marine and fought in the Pacific. Those men risked everything to end the rule of dictatorships bent on taking over the world. Both are gone now and both would be, in my dads words really pissed at Trump AND his supporters.Keep up the good fight. I am a retired FBI Special Agent. My father is also a retired FBI SA. The FBI has been a part of me since I was 7 years old. Based on my experiences, I have a pretty good understanding of what justice looks like. In my career there were many constants. Not the least of which was the reality that when you have another human being cornered with facts they will attack and deflect. This is human naturefight or flight if you will. But the facts almost always win out. My worry today is the death of the fact. In my 26 year career I never witnessed the division we have now. At the same time it is not surprising. Trump spent a lifetime being skilled at marketing his messageno matter how criminal it is. He has targeted those perceived to be disenfranchised with surgical efficiency. The message is essentiallydont believe the truth. I pray for institutions such as the media, the FBI, DOJ and the court system to stay the course and ignore the deafening noise. I honestly have confidence that they will do just that. Despite that confidence, this does feel like the largest test of democracy in our 248 year history. I guess my message to you is simple and one you already know. Stay the course. Dont let the fact die. I thank you for putting yourself out there on our behalf. Dear Mr. Quinn: You are repulsive and deceitful. You present your opinion as facts and insult and demean anyone who doesnt think like you. You are a committed leftist that follows the left and all that they stand for. Yet, you are wrong on every issue. You are so arrogant and egotistical, you really believe your viewpoint is completely accurate at its core. Your goal is to get your readers to think like you, opposing viewpoints completely unwelcome We still only subscribe to you because we want the crossword puzzle I grew up in central Europe where the impact of WWII was talked about and played a vital part in the school curriculum. We were told that history has a tendency of repeating itself. The parallels between the 1930s in Europe and todays USA are striking. Nevertheless, many Trump supporters I have spoken to see absolutely nothing wrong or alarming about this. It seems to me that using this analogy makes them dig in even more. there is one Hitler and one Hitler only. Same as there is one Lenin or one Mao. Certainly, we could and should learn lessons about the road to fascism through the German people and how a fringe discounted political party combined forces with another to become the National Socialists and threw the world into war while committing genocide. But that is a lesson applicable to the fringes of both dominant American political parties and attempts to directly tie Donald Trump to Adolph Hitler will only get you head nods from your progressive reading audience while disenfranchising those of us who already feel caught in the middle. It may even serve to drive us in the direction of defending someone that we dont even want to defend in the first place. You are a lying pos trying to help out the corrupt Joe Biden. He is a traitor and he lets illegals in as a bid to make bigger blue districts to stay in power. That is treason and Trump was right that they stole the election. If we can cling to the north star of truth as a nation and a people, our democracy will emerge stronger, upholding not only our shared common good as Americans, but the shared common good of the global family of nations of which we are a part. You were born for this moment. We need you. The whole world needs you and every journalist to point us all to that guiding north star of truth. I very much enjoy your columns, for their clarity and honesty. I realize that you write them in order to (a) encourage a dialogue with readers, and (b) hopefully illuminate readers about how journalistic organizations work, and why newsrooms do what they do. Those are admirable goals. I hope that your columns do prompt some healthy dialogue. We need more of civil conversations in this country, rather than what we largely have now. Thank you for your column today. I subscribed to Cleveland.com over a year ago because of your columns, but this is the first time I am writing to you. We need more journalists of major publications like yours who are willing to say it like it is with Trump, to tell the truth and tolerate the backlash. Well said. When truth becomes uncomfortable we need to ask ourselves what role we play in making that happen. As an addiction counselor, I have seen many clients bend over backwards telling lies instead of facing their own reality. My father was a decorated WWII veteran; fortunately he passed before he could witness the rise of fascism in this country. If we are to preserve the ideals for which he fought, we must confront the threat that Trump and his supporters represent. This must be done no matter the hurt feelings it engenders in those who are simply on the wrong side of history. Please keep up the good fight. Although I dont live in America, I have followed his story over the past years and have to agree with your conclusions. I dont think that the susceptibility of some Americans to the truth is unique to the USA. Here in Northern Ireland and in other places in Europe ( including the rest of the United Kingdom may I add), exactly the same thing is happening. If you spin the facts enough, people will believe you and vote for you. The media have a lot to answer for in that the dont question politicians enough on statements they make and lies they continue push as truth. My friends and I have discussed the parallels between Trump and his GOP minions with Hitlers 1930s Germany several times. In the past we could never understand how Germany, Italy, and others could have fallen into such a trap until Trump. I still do not understand how he can brainwash so many people and be so divorced from facts that they believe him, but it has happened. I have read many articles exploring the roots of the angry and cynical wave that Trump incites and has branded in his own name. This will certainly be a challenge for future historians to fully unpack. While I remain hopeful the best of this country will join you to overcome the Trump threat this year, we will need you and the rest of your community of journalists to provide insight and a narrative to help the loyal 30-40% base of Trump supporters reestablish a belief in truth and legitimate paths to resolving our political differences. Thank you for your fantastic piece and your ongoing fight to tell the truth. As a historian I agree the parallels with 1930s Germany are frightening, all the more so because so many Americans refuse to heed the hard learned lessons from that era. Youll be pleased to know that I received a link to your March 30th Letter from the Editor from two close friends, one a small business owner in California, and another an infrastructure development lawyer from Florida. All of us thoroughly enjoyed your letter. I am a commercial bankruptcy lawyer in Texas and am often dumbstruck by the willful blindness of devout Trump supporters. You need to wake up and see what America is becoming without real leadership. WAKE UP! My question to the MAGA people would be, what did your ancestors die for in WWII? Your family members of The Greatest Generation bled, died and were buried on foreign lands FOR YOU so that America would never face such an atrocity on her land. Seriously, Ive never been more worried for the safety of our country (more worried than when as a child, we practiced Atomic Bomb Drills FOR YEARS) than I am right now as I cradle my newborn great-grandson. I weep for the confused Americans who are uninformed and who havent studied history. (a bona fide true patriot, member of Daughters of the American Revolution,member of The Mayflower Society) A sense of relief overcame me as I read your editorial. Our citizens need to face up to Trumps deceit . Mainstream media is our only hope for seeing what is before our eyes. How unfortunate that unbiased journalism is struggling in our country! I appreciated your insight into why our Republican politicians support Trump because I find it inconceivable. This column makes me proud to be a subscriber. Please continue doing your part to tell the truth and protect the proud democracy that so many have bravely defended....especially those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.....indeed, there are not two sides to facts!l As an American, a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an educator, a human being, I have thought many of the ideas you articulated with courage and care. Until reading your column, I havent ever encountered anything that summed up where our country is so concisely and directly. I can only hope that people read your work with at least a sliver of an open mind. While I have been on the fence for a while about canceling my paper subscription and the online version due to the heavy democratic views, you have forced my hand on it. I cannot concisely give my hard-earned dollars to an organization pushing such propaganda. Thank you for recognizing the consequences of the side seeking only their own power and enrichment. The Nazi analogies here are far from exaggerations. They are reality, and it is happening here. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have voted for more Rs than Ds in my 70 years. I never will again. If truth does not matter, we are 1930s Germany, and the world of the 1940s may well follow. I pray all our media would act this year. as you so clearly articulated. Hi Chris , obviously, you can tell which side I am on, which is in the quickly shrinking middle. I fear for the world that our society is leaving for our great grandchildren. Authoritarianism and bigger and bigger climate disasters. Its not too late, and I appreciate your taking a stand. I am a republican, but I thank you for this article on Trump and the truth about Jan 6. Not everybody is drinking the Kool-Aid. Eloquent, truthful and hopeful read. You wont reach everyone but to paraphrase the Senator Everett Dickson a vote and vote there and pretty soon were talking real progress. Keep up the good fight. Thank you so much for writing and saying what I wish every journalist in America would say. I saw a repost of your editorial in Threads and, sad to say, I almost couldnt believe it was real. Thats how far the media has fallen. You are the first journalist in a major paper to stand up and say, Enough! No catering to supporters of sedition. A whole branch of my family tree was lost to Hitlers concentration camps. My fathers family fled to New York. Im too aware that the tipping point comes quickly. I think often about when/if my family should leave the country. Each day that I decide it is safe to stay is because of voices like yours. Thanks for your bravery and sanity. Thank you. As a registered republican and believing in some of the ideas Trump proposes or attempted while in office. I cannot again support someone who attempted to destroy our democracy with bald faced lies. I now see him as what he truly is. We need more Mattis, Cheney, Christie and Pence of the world. I wont waste time - your recent letter from the editor about Trump reporting has made me so proud to call Cleveland my hometown. I hope this small note of encouragement cancels out some of the rant-filled emails Im sure youll get as well. Dear Sir, thank you for articulating what many Americans feel and understand about the dangers of Trump. Your discussion of the sacrifices of our WWII troops in an effort to stop the nightmare of totalitarianism in Germany was particularly poignant. Again, your letter was much appreciated. Your recent letter from the editor on March 30 was a beacon of truth amidst the relentless storm of deceit that pervades our current discourse. It was truly refreshing to witness someone in your influential position take a firm stance against the prevailing tide of misinformation and dishonesty. I earnestly hope that your counterparts in other news organizations will find the same courage and integrity to follow your lead, thereby fostering a culture of honesty and accountability in reporting. The future of our democracy hinges upon individuals like yourself, who are willing to champion the truth without reservation. We need you all shouting the truth from every available rooftop! I greatly appreciate a cogent explanation of why people should not keep silent in the face of evil. It is generally an ardent task to find reasonable and respectable words that identify dishonesty, corruption, and downright danger. And, as you point out, no matter how well one might succeed at this, those who drink the cool-aid will fluster and foam at the mouth unceasingly. Kudos to you, job well done. Water is wet, the earth is round, Trump is a criminal insurrectionist. As a military veteran of 37 years and one who returned to Active Duty after 9/11, I appreciate you restating facts and telling the truth about what a threat to democracy the former President truly is. He is, in short, a menace, and should never be allowed in any public office ever again. Thanks for being about telling your public the truth about historical events and disturbing future trends. Trumps appeals to fear have unmasked Americans veneer of self-assurance and famous optimism. Fear is a powerful emotion that overrides almost all others: faith, patriotism, love, fellow-feeling, a sense of decency and even generosity towards the vulnerable. If we are going to survive as a country we must cultivate these actively in the face an existential threat to our democracy, which I agree, Trump is. Saw your Letter from the Editor. Awesome. Love it. If you know of any Wisconsin outlets that have the same integrity as you please let me know. Never give up. I just want to drop you a quick note to express my appreciation for clearly and forcefully calling out Mr. Trump and his supporters for the danger they pose to American Democracy, and furthermore why you will not engage in both-sides-do-it journalism. It was an absolute breath of fresh air to read. While I live in Portland Oregon (the editorial was brought to my attention via the Balloon Juice blog) I will pick up a three month subscription - consider it further incentive to keep up the work of local newspapers to bring the truth to the general public, no matter how unpleasant that truth might be. Thank you for writing this. Will it move the Trump followers? They are more like a cult, and criticizing their great leader will likely be very offensive to them. I always remember visiting an elderly German relative of mine in Munich about 40 years ago. She recalled, The people just loved Hitler! When you fall in love, facts often become of secondary importance. I want to believe that there are many Trumpers who know in their heart of hearts that Trump is a danger to our country and to democracy itself. I also think that it is their pride that prevents them from publicly changing their voiced allegiance. It believe that it would be difficult to admit that one has followed a madman for so long. Given the divisiveness that exists in so many areas of society today, I think it would also be difficult to be a reformed Trumper. Were I in the position of acknowledging that I had been mistaken in following Trump, could I be comfortable that the non-MAGA contingent would accept and forgive me? And could I be comfortable that the Trump band I had left would not persecute me for leaving? Perhaps some people feel compelled to hold on to something, even though erroneous, rather than to risk living in isolation or abuse. I watch in horror as Trump and his supporters march toward a dictatorship that, in the end, will only serve Trump and a handful of others. I feel the last line of defense is independent, honest and ethical journalists and the organizations that employ and support them. You are spot on, as the Brits would say. Members of my family have served, been wounded, and died for this country since the revolutionary War. I myself served but was fortunate not in a war setting. These people, as you point out, are exactly the same synchophants that supported and encouraged Hitler for their own greed. This plunge into the abyss is exactly why I think this country will be in a civil war within 5 years. Less if Trump loses in the fall. People who are too whatever to think read and understand that he and his enablers are a cancer killing democracy will rise up when he says he was robbed against. The 5000 Year Leap offers the premise that our democracy was so well built it would last far longer than democracies in the past which never lasted more than 300 years. Guess who isnt 300 years old yet. This is not what since many men and women have died for. I am 71 years old and I am so sad I could cry. Keep putting out the good word and pushing against the tide. I hope you win the battle. Journalists will save us. A thousand thanks for that editorial about the 45th presidents threat to our nation. Keep up the good work. Julian Gill is an investigative reporter for the Houston Chronicle. His wide-ranging work on the medical beat, including a three-part narrative on a COVID-19 lung transplant patient, was recognized at the 2022 Texas Managing Editors awards, where he received top honors in the specialty reporting category and second place in the star reporter of the year category. In addition to his extensive reporting on COVID, he has written about the effects of the Texas abortion ban, the maternal mortality crisis, and advances in the Texas Medical Center. He joined the paper in 2018 after two years at the Denton Record-Chronicle, where he covered police and county government. He graduated from the University of North Texas. A San Antonio native, he is a die-hard Spurs fan and avid runner. CNBC's Jim Cramer on Friday told investors what to look out for next week on Wall Street, highlighting earnings reports from major banks, Delta Air Lines and Constellation Brands . He also suggested it's not fruitful to obsess about the Federal Reserve's next move. "Stop worrying about how many rate cuts we're going to get when or where or why or how," he said. "If you can't free yourself from this terrible parlor game, you're going to miss out a ton of terrific investments." Tuesday, Cramer will be listening to a conference from cannabis company Tilray . The Florida Supreme Court on Monday said it would allow voters to decide whether recreational cannabis can be legalized in the state, which could be a big deal for the industry. Cramer said if investors want to bet on cannabis, they might want to choose Canopy Growth however, many traders prefer Tilray. Wednesday brings the consumer price index report, and Cramer said he'll be waiting to see if the numbers are too hot. He'll also be paying attention to earnings from Delta, which he said has the best financials of its peers. Cramer said Thursday is an important earnings day because Constellation Brands will share its quarterly results. He said he expects a great quarter from the beverage company, which is known for products including Modelo. Friday is also a big day for earnings, Cramer said, with reports from Wells Fargo , JPMorgan , BlackRock and Citigroup . He cautioned that these names might not perform well when the Fed starts to rate cuts. Choosing the right doctor for you is very important for your health, but it's not always an easy process. Sometimes a doctor that was once a good fit no longer meets the needs you have now one red flag is that they start dismissing your concerns. "Your health is one of your most important assets, and it should be prioritized in a way that makes you feel comfortable," says Dr. LaTasha Seliby Perkins who is a family physician at Georgetown University. There are some pretty straightforward ways to determine if you should stick with your current care provider or start searching for a new one. Here are three signs that Seliby Perkins says means you should consider switching your doctor. The widespread arrival of generative artificial intelligence has prompted alarm from many quarters. A recent U.S. government-funded study warned of "uncontrollable" consequences from AI. There are catastrophic concerns over AI-powered cyberattacks and the potential loss of jobs as AI replaces tasks. But doom is only one interpretation of AI. According to experts paid to predict the future, the arrival of AI is more likely than not to offer a roadmap out of humanity's worst impulses and create a better, more equitable world. That's the rosy scenario outlined in a recent survey by Tata Consultancy Services, which measured the AI views of 21 futurists worldwide. "We are now at a point in time where science and technology can enable the advancement of humanity in a way we have not seen in a long time," said Frank Diana, managing partner and principal futurist at Tata. "We are in a place we haven't been since the second industrial revolution," he said, predicting that AI's widespread arrival will herald innovation in transportation, energy, medicine, and communication. This view is a world away from some prominent tech leaders who have darkly warned that AI will overtake human intelligence within a few years. In Silicon Valley itself, there is a big split between techno-optimists and doomsdayers. Diana says the doomsday scenarios distract and undermine the technology's potential. "I think, honestly, the conversation around conscious robots and artificial superintelligence gets in the way," Diana said. "If AI is managed correctly, we will instead talk about all the great things AI can do for humanity." He said today's often negative view of AI in the popular imagination has roots in the 1970s when Hollywood shifted towards more ominous themes that matched the country's mood. But before that, he said, technology was viewed as something that could one day deliver utopia. Author and futurist Bernard Marr, who was not involved in the Tata survey, echoed the more optimistic thinking. "I see all the amazing benefits AI can bring and I see it every day. I believe AI is the most powerful technology humans have ever had access to," Marr said, a power he believes can be used to bulldoze inequities and challenges in health, education, and climate change. "We are a very long way from AI becoming sentient, if ever. But AI is very, very good at doing things that in the past only humans could do," Marr said. "The mundane is a waste of our power as humans. AI will allow us to focus on the amazing power that makes us human," he added. He sees AI's role evolving into being a constant co-pilot rather than staying awake at night worrying about robots taking over the planet. "AI will make doctor and patient relationships much better," Marr said, describing how the insurance and regulatory paperwork that bogs doctors down now will be taken over by AI, freeing up the practitioner to spend more time with patients. "I don't see AI as anything scary; all the systems being developed are not working against humans but are making us better." Given AI's power, regulations, laws, and safeguards are necessary to prevent abuse. "But already you are starting to see that happen," Marr said, referring to recent legislation by the EU. So why the widespread fear? When people talk about sentient AI, they usually turn immediately to the ominous. Sentient, however, can also be benevolent or values-neutral, but that is not the AI people usually think about. The reason people fear AI lies in our very humanity, said Kelsey Latimer, a Florida-based clinical psychologist who specializes in anxiety disorder. She said that humans are hard-wired to brace themselves for the worst. "From an evolutionary point of view, we are primed to see the negative and scary things so that we could see the predators coming toward us and respond," Latimer said. If we view something as unfavorable and it turns out to be positive, no harm is done. If we view something as positive but it turns out to be negative, then we often need to prepare for the consequences. Futurists like Diana and Marr predict the consequences of AI will be positive ones. "With the use of AI, the passion and the creativity that we as humans can do will start to shine through," Diana said. For years now, people around the world have been captivated by Sicilian towns selling off abandoned homes starting at 1 euro, or roughly $1.08. Several hundred homes have been sold to curious and ambitious renovators, including Meredith Tabbone, 44, of Chicago. She learned in 2019 that a town called Sambuca di Sicilia was auctioning off homes starting with 1-euro bids. "A lot of people warned me that it could be a scam [and that] I could end up losing a lot of money," she tells CNBC Make It. Still, she took up the idea when she realized her great-grandfather was actually from Sambuca. She placed her bid on a home for 5,555 euros sight unseen and won, thus starting her on a four-year journey of renovations. Meredith Tabbone says she's never done a renovation project like this before, but she was inspired by the work of her father, who was an architect. Mickey Todiwala | CNBC Make It "From the moment that I sent in the bid and checked my email every day and found out that I won, all the way through this process, there have been 4 million moments of frustration, exhaustion, contemplation of how to move forward," she says. Tabbone and other 1-euro homebuyers share their biggest pieces of advice to other aspiring renovators around the world. Prepare for additional costs Sicily's homes may start at 1 euro, but the cost is largely symbolic and just the start of more expenses down the line. In Mussomeli, one of the most famous 1-euro towns, buyers must also pay a realtors fee of 500 euros and pay for the deed, which costs 2,800 euros. That adds up to a total of 3,301 euros, or nearly $3,600. Rubia Daniels is from Berkeley, Calif., and bought several 1-euro houses in Mussomeli, Sicily. Mickey Todiwala | CNBC Make It Rubia Daniels, 50, of Berkeley, Calif., bought three 1-euro homes in Mussomeli in 2019. So far, she's focused her efforts on renovating her main vacation home. She originally thought it would cost her $20,000 but has already spent $35,000 between materials, labor and furniture. She hopes to stay under $40,000. Tabbone paid 5,555 euros for her home, plus some taxes and fees, bringing the home sale up to 5,900 euros, or roughly $6,400. She then bought the building next door through a private sale with the owner for 22,000 euros, or nearly $24,000. Over the next four years, Tabbone spent about 425,000 euros on renovations, or roughly $463,000. Altogether, that adds up to 430,900 euros, or $469,500 for her dream home in Sicily. Be present for renovations Speaking of renovations, though communicating with local construction workers can kick off plans, buyers say it's crucial to be on the ground while work is being done. Danny McCubbin, an Australian native who bought a 1-euro house in Mussomeli, says he's seen "quite a few" foreigners try to manage their project from their home country. McCubbin bought his cheap Sicilian home in 2019 with hopes to turn it into a food-rescue charity. He ended up selling his house back to the real estate agency after it experienced extensive, and costly, water damage. But he managed to open his charity, The Good Kitchen, elsewhere in town. "It's best to actually be here with the builder, choosing the tiles, choosing whatever you need," he says. For the times you can't be there in-person, he also recommends finding a local project manager who can speak English and Italian to communicate plans with the local crew. Have patience Daniels works in construction and learned quickly that things in Sicily take much longer than they do in the U.S. "Working with contractors in Sicily, I had to learn how to set my expectations, but not my American expectations," she says. Have patience to understand the culture and how business is done so you don't get frustrated, she adds. She's been renovating her main home in Mussomeli on and off since 2020 and is still several months from finishing. "Overall, there's plenty capable people to do the work," Daniels says, but "the work here, it flows in a different way. You have to remember this is an island and they are in an island time. So [things] just move a little bit slower than what you expect." Visit in the winter If you're planning to buy real estate in another country, it's best to spend a good amount of time there. And don't only go when it's peak travel season. "I always say come for longer than one or two weeks," McCubbin says. "And most importantly, come in winter. In summertime it's beautiful. It's sunny, the houses, there's no mold in them. You discover in winter that a lot of these houses do have mold. They do have moisture, and it's a very different feel here than in summer." Danny McCubbin had to give back his 1-euro home after it experienced extensive damage, but he found a way to launch his charity, The Good Kitchen, in Mussomeli's town square. Mickey Todiwala | CNBC Make It Learn the language Tabbone, Daniels and McCubbin agree that it's crucial to learn Italian in order to really get around Sicily, especially if you plan to spend part of your year there. Language-learning apps and courses are a good place to start, but immersing yourself among locals is another great way to practice. Tabbone says she enjoys spending time with Sicilians when she visits. Her first friends in Sambuca included members of the construction crew on her project, who then introduced her to their friends and family members. She also has a close relationship with the town's mayor she practices her Italian with him and he practices his English with her. "I think I would be extremely fluent in Italian if Google Translate did not exist," she jokes, "but I'm very, very proficient at Google Translate." Don't be lured just by cheap houses Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks during his morning press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, on May 31, 2019. Mexico's government ended diplomatic ties with Ecuador after police broke into the Mexican Embassy late Friday to arrest a former Ecuadorian vice president, an extraordinary use of force that shocked and mystified regional leaders and diplomats. Ecuadorian police broke through the external doors of the embassy in the capital, Quito, to arrest Jorge Glas, who had been residing there since December. Glas sought political asylum at the embassy after being indicted on corruption charges. The raid prompted Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to announce the breaking of diplomatic relations with Ecuador Friday evening, while his government's foreign relations secretary said the move will be challenged at the World Court in The Hague. "This is not possible. It cannot be. This is crazy," Roberto Canseco, head of the Mexican consular section in Quito, told local press while standing outside the embassy right after the raid. "I am very worried because they could kill him. There is no basis to do this. This is totally outside the norm." On Saturday, Glas was taken by armored vehicle from the attorney general's office to an airport, where he boarded an aircraft for a flight to the port city of Guayaquil, 265 miles (425 kilometers) south of Quito. People who had gathered outside the prosecutor's office yelled "strength" as the convoy of police and military vehicles moved off. Ecuador's corrections agency said Glas will remain in custody at a maximum-security facility in Guayaquil. Authorities are investigating Glas over alleged irregularities during his management of reconstruction efforts following a powerful earthquake in 2016 that killed hundreds of people. He was convicted on bribery and corruption charges in other cases. The office of Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa defended the raid in a statement, saying "Ecuador is a sovereign nation" that will not "allow any criminal to stay free." Lopez Obrador fired back, calling Glas' detention an "authoritarian act" and "a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico." Alicia Barcena, Mexico's secretary of foreign relations, posted on the social platform X that a number of diplomats suffered injuries during the break-in, adding that it violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Diplomatic premises are considered "inviolable" under the Vienna treaties and local law enforcement agencies are not allowed to enter without the permission of the ambassador. People seeking asylum have lived anywhere from days to years living at embassies around the world, including at Ecuador's in London, which housed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for seven years because British police could not enter to arrest him. The decision of Ecuadorian authorities was condemned by presidents, diplomats and a regional body on Saturday. Honduran President Xiomara Castro, writing on X, characterized the raid as "an intolerable act for the international community" and a "violation of the sovereignty of the Mexican State and international law" because "it ignores the historical and fundamental right to asylum." The Organization of American States in a statement reminded its members, which include Ecuador and Mexico, of their "obligation" to not "invoke norms of domestic law to justify non-compliance with their international obligations." "In this context, it (the OAS) expresses solidarity with those who were victims of the inappropriate actions that affected the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador," according to the statement released Saturday. The organization added that it deemed a meeting of its permanent council "necessary to address the issue," but did not set a date. Barcena on Friday said Mexico would take the case to the International Court of Justice "to denounce Ecuador's responsibility for violations of international law." She also said Mexican diplomats were only waiting for the Ecuadorian government to offer the necessary guarantees for their return home. Noboa became Ecuador's president last year as the nation battled unprecedented crime tied to drug trafficking. After a group of armed individuals assaulted a TV station during a live broadcast in January, he declared the country in an "internal armed conflict" and designated 20 drug-trafficking gangs as terrorist groups that the military had authorization to "neutralize" within the bounds of international humanitarian law. Will Freeman, a fellow of Latin American studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the decision to send police to Mexico's embassy raises concerns over the steps Noboa is willing to take to get reelected. His tenure ends in 2025 as he was only elected to finish the term of former President Guillermo Lasso. "I really hope Noboa is not turning more in a Bukele direction," Freeman said referring to El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, whose tough-on-crime policies have been heavily criticized by human rights organizations. "That's to say less respectful of rule of law in order to get a boost to his popularity ahead of the elections." Freeman added that whether Glas was abusing diplomatic protection is a "separate issue" from the decision to send police to the embassy. "We see a pattern of that in Latin America with politicians abusing embassies and foreign jurisdictions, not to flee prosecution but to flee accountability," he said. Ecuador's ministries of foreign affairs and interior did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Associated Press. Former Ecuadorian ambassador Jorge Icaza told AP that the raid was illegal, but he added that it is also against the law to protect "a criminal who was punished by the Ecuadorian justice system in two prominent cases, which is also negative from the point of view of international norms." The Mexican Embassy in Quito remained under heavy police guard after the raid the boiling point of recent tensions between Mexico and Ecuador. On Thursday, tensions escalated after Lopez Obrador made statements that Ecuador considered "very unfortunate" about last year's election. In response, the Ecuadorian government declared the Mexican ambassador persona non grata. Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event on April 02, 2024 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Donald Trump on Saturday said he welcomed the prospect of going to jail for violating a gag order in his upcoming New York hush money trial. "I will gladly become a Modern Day Nelson Mandela It will be my GREAT HONOR," the former president wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post attacking New York State Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over Trump's case. It was not the first time Trump has likened himself to a martyr as he faces a flurry of criminal charges. In an October rant against his various lawsuits, the presumptive Republican nominee also compared himself to Mandela, the former president of South Africa who spent 27 years in prison for his anti-apartheid activism. And last week, Trump took to Truth Social to share a message that likened his legal troubles to the persecution of Jesus Christ. Saturday's tirade occurred just over a week before the trial is scheduled to begin on April 15. That day, jury selection will get underway in the state's criminal prosecution of the former president on 34 counts of falsifying business documents, allegedly in order to hide a hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels weeks before the 2016 presidential election. Trump has accused Merchan of being compromised because of his daughter's role at a progressive consulting firm that has worked for Democrats. Trump's social media rant on Saturday was the latest of several that he has posted about the judge's daughter since Merchan first imposed an initial gag order at the end of March. That order prohibited Trump from making public statements about the case's witnesses, jurors and lawyers. He was also banned from publicly speaking about court staff, employees in the Manhattan District Attorney's office and their family members. That first gag order came in response to Trump's repeated calls for the judge to recuse himself. One day after the first gag order was imposed on March 26, Trump went after Merchan's daughter on social media. Soon after that, Merchan granted prosecutors a request to expand the scope of the order to prohibit direct attacks on Merchan's family members and the family of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Under the expanded order, Trump can still criticize Merchan and Bragg individually. But he is not allowed to target their families publicly. Playing with the fire of his gag orders is becoming routine for Trump. In October, Judge Arthur Engoron threatened Trump with jail time for violating a similar order in a civil case and ultimately issued him $10,000 in fines. President Joe Biden's reelection campaign seized on Saturday's Mandela comments. "Imagine being so self-centered that you compare yourself to Jesus Christ and Nelson Mandela all within the span of little more than a week: that's Donald Trump for you," Biden campaign spokesperson Jasmine Harris said on Saturday. High moisture levels Both the American GFS and the European ECMWF weather models show a deep system of low atmospheric pressure moving into the southwestern United States by Monday. The position of the low pressure system, with its counterclockwise air circulation, will help to direct moisture from the eastern Pacific Ocean into the Lone Star State. This is often a scenario that leads to dense cloud cover, rain, and storms over Texas. This becomes apparent when looking at what models expect the dew point the temperature at which dew forms and a reliable indicator of air moisture levels to be at 1 p.m. on Monday. Both the GFS and ECMWF weather models are showing dew points in the upper 60s to near 70 in San Antonio. That is a very high level of moisture, which often is associated with clouds, rain, and thunderstorms. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (L) shakes hands with China's Vice Premier He Lifeng in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, on April 5, 2024. Pedro Pardo | Afp | Getty Images U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Saturday that she and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng agreed to launch exchanges on "balanced" economic growth, an effort to address U.S. concerns about China's excess manufacturing capacity. After two days of economic talks in China's southern export hub of Guangzhou, Yellen said she and He also agreed to start a forum to cooperate on anti-money laundering efforts in their respective financial systems. The exchanges "will facilitate a discussion around macroeconomic imbalances, including their connection to overcapacity, and I intend to use the opportunity to advocate for a level playing field for American workers and firms," Yellen said in a statement released at the conclusion of the talks. She characterised four and a half hours of discussions with He on Saturday as productive and frank. Coming into her four-day visit to China, her top priority was to persuade Chinese officials to rein in excess production capacity for electric vehicles (EVs), solar panels and other clean energy technology that threaten competing firms in the U.S. and other countries. The Biden administration is facing growing calls from U.S. lawmakers to increase tariffs on Chinese EVs to protect U.S. producers. Chinese state media pushed back on her excess capacity arguments, calling them a "pretext" for protectionist U.S. policies and "fear-mongering." No tariff threat Yellen did not threaten to raise tariffs or impose other trade barriers if China failed to curb state support that has expanded production of EVs, solar panels and other clean energy products far beyond domestic demand, a senior U.S. Treasury official said. "I think the Chinese realize how concerned we are about the implications of their industrial strategy, for the United States, for the potential to flood our markets with exports that make it difficult for American firms to compete," Yellen said. "And then other countries have the same concern." She said the forum would provide a "structured" way to discuss a complicated issue but that it would take some time to resolve. "It's going to be critical to our bilateral relationship going forward and to China's relationship with other countries that are important," she added. She added Chinese officials were "more confident" about the world's second-biggest economy after putting in place policies to address issues in the property sector and on local government debt. China's Xinhua news agency said in a statement that the discussions between He and Yellen were "candid, pragmatic and constructive", confirming both parties had agreed to further discuss balanced growth and financial stability. Beijing also expressed serious concerns about U.S. economic and trade restrictions on China and made a full response to the production capacity issue during the talks, the statement said. The U.S. Treasury official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the balanced growth forum was first proposed in February during an economic working group meeting. Wendy Cutler, a former U.S. trade negotiator, said the forum focused on overcapacity was a positive development, but there was a danger that it could "turn into a stalling tactic" by Beijing to avoid needed actions to bring supply and demand back into balance. Yellen also said she had warned Chinese firms faced "significant consequences" if they provided material support to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Chinese side emphasized that their policy was not to provide such support and did not want this to be a bilateral issue. A drug typically prescribed for diabetes patients has demonstrated potential in slowing the advancement of motor complications linked to Parkinson's disease. The promising effect of the drug lixisenatide is detailed in the new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday. Parkinson's disease is a debilitating nervous system disorder characterized by a range of symptoms including tremors, bradykinesia (slowed movement), dysarthria (impaired speech), and postural instability, which worsen over time, with currently no known cure. According to the Parkinson's Europe organization, approximately 10 million individuals struggle with the condition worldwide, and the figure is anticipated to double by 2050. In response to the alarming rate of Parkinson's disease prevalence, researchers have been exploring the potential of GLP-1 receptor agonists, a class of drugs commonly used to manage diabetes and obesity, for their ability to protect neurons. Previous studies yielded inconclusive results regarding the clinical benefits of these drugs in Parkinson's patients. However, the latest study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has shown promise. For the study, scientists enrolled 156 individuals with early-stage Parkinson's from France, randomly assigning them to receive either lixisenatide or a placebo. After one year of follow-up, participants receiving lixisenatide experienced no deterioration in their motor symptoms, unlike those in the placebo group. Senior author Olivier Rascol, a neurologist at Toulouse University, described the observed effect as "modest," particularly noticeable during assessments conducted by healthcare professionals, who evaluated tasks such as walking, standing up and hand movements. Rascol suggested that with extended follow-up, the differences in outcomes between the two groups could become more pronounced. Rascol emphasized the significance of the findings via ScienceAlert, stating, "This is the first time that we have clear results, which demonstrate that we had an impact on the progression of the symptoms of the disease and that we explain it by a neuroprotective effect." However, gastrointestinal side effects, including nausea, vomiting, and reflux, were common among participants receiving lixisenatide, with some reporting weight loss. Both Rasol and co-author Wassilios Meissner, a neurologist at Bordeaux University Hospital, noted the need for further investigation to confirm the drug's safety and efficacy before widespread clinical use. Meanwhile, Michael Okun, medical director of the Parkinson's Foundation, encouraged cautious interpretation of the study's outcomes, noting the potential significance of the observed differences in patient outcomes. Okun added that while the study may not meet the threshold for neuroprotection, the findings warrant attention and further research. Rodolfo Savica, a neurology professor at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, also stressed the importance of replicating the study's results and conducting additional trials to validate the findings. The study authors expressed anticipation for forthcoming trials that may provide further insights into the efficacy and safety of lixisenatide in managing Parkinson's disease progression. April is National Stress Awareness Month, and in light of the month-long effort to bring attention to the negative effects of stress, an expert has shared the most effective coping mechanisms to combat stress. Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and CNN wellness expert, took the time this week to address the most common concerns people have about stress. As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), stress is a state of worry or mental tension triggered by a difficult situation. It is a natural human response to threats and challenges, so it becomes an inevitable part of daily life. However, the prolonged presence of stress can wreak havoc on both physical and mental well-being. Wen said this can lead to a myriad of more serious health issues, including anxiety, depression, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances. The adjunct associate professor at George Washington University also noted that prolonged stress has been associated with an increased risk for chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. In a dialogue with CNN's Katia Hetter, Wen said there are mental and physical signs and symptoms to watch out for when dealing with stress, including heart palpitations, abdominal pain, and headaches. Excessive stress may also manifest as a drastic change in mood, according to the expert. For instance, a stressed person may find themself easily getting annoyed or irritable, and they may lash out at loved ones and colleagues due to their strong emotions. Fortunately, there are effective coping mechanisms that can combat stress and prevent it from progressing into more serious conditions. Wen advocates for self-awareness and the adoption of healthy strategies, encouraging everyone to practice deep breathing exercises, mindfulness, meditation, and regular exercise. "Deep breathing exercises are something everyone can try and help both in the moment of the stressful encounter and after, for example, as is mindfulness meditation," Wen said. "I'm also a big fan of exercise. There is excellent scientific evidence that exercise is very effective at managing stress. Exercise reduces stress hormones and increases endorphins, which are 'feel-good' neurotransmitters that can relax the body and improve mood." Sen. John Cornyn's sad brisket nearly broke the internet, again. John Cornyn / Twitter FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump talks with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott during a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, Feb. 29, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Texas. As Trump campaigns on the promises of mass deportations and pardons for those convicted in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, his ideas are being met with little pushback by a new era of Republicans in Congress. It's a shift from the first time around when Trump encountered early skepticism and, once in a while, the uproar of condemnation. Eric Gay/AP Thumbs down: Wed expect a think tank dedicated to eliminating property taxes in Texas to do their level best to wriggle out of their own. The right-leaning Texas Public Policy Foundation has done just that by securing an exemption as a scientific research organization. What galls us is that TPPF also secured a subsidized loan from a federal program meant for improvements in the lives of residents of low-income communities, according to reporting by Texas Monthly. The TPPF is hardly focused on the interests of the down-and-out, and theyre certainly not cash-strapped, though the think tanks financial consultants told the magazine they adhered to the necessary legal, regulatory, and contractual frameworks in place at the time. Their board has had several billionaires including Tim Dunn, a Midland oil and gas executive who is bankrolling the push for education savings accounts, otherwise known as vouchers, with the aim of diverting public school funding to Christian private schools. TPPFs political machinations, err scientific research, take place in an $18 million building appointed with Texas-themed inlaid floors, golden-metal elevator doors, a wood-paneled library and a balcony with views of the nearby state Capitol in Austin. Their former TPPF executives now run the America First Policy Institute and the Heritage Foundation, both of which are hard at work incubating the ideas and staffing for a second Trump presidency. Your tax dollars smoothing the way not just for the Lone Star plutocracy but for the nation! Thumbs down: New York Mayor Eric Adams continues to excel at playing into Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts border theater around busing migrants to blue cities. Ahead of Abbotts visit to the Big Apple for a Republican fundraiser, Adams appealed for more coordination and invited the governor to sleep in a migrant shelter 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. Certainly, Abbott could benefit from hearing migrants stories. He ought to take Adams up on the offer and bring Ken Paxton along so the Texas attorney general can complete some of the community service hours he agreed to in his felony securities fraud deal. But Adams has once again given Abbott reason to remind Americans that he didnt create this crisis, and instead lay all the blame on President Joe Biden. If he were fair, Abbott would hold Congress accountable for failing to pass a tough bipartisan immigration bill earlier this year. Instead, he told his Manhattan crowd that hed keep busing migrants to the city until we get a new president. Thumbs twiddled: Gotcha, Colin Allred! The Texas Tribune reports that the U.S. representative from Dallas voted for a so-called TikTok ban only to continue posting on the Chinese-owned social media platform afterward. Why is Allred still sharing videos on the popular app if its a national security threat? In a statement after his vote, Allred pointed out the bill isnt exactly a ban. It would merely require TikToks parent company to sell TikTok to an American company. We suspect the Democrat would be quicker to quit TikTok if he werent in the middle of campaigning to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in November. That, or Allreds got a full-blown, dopamine-fueled social media addiction #laugh #trending #vote. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Thumbs up: Speaking of elected officials with social media habits, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican who leads his chamber in tweeting and could potentially be the Senates future majority leader, nearly broke the internet by once again posting a photograph of his wifes holiday brisket, if thats what you call the glass baking dish of beef shards, trimmed of all visible fat and slathered in a ketchup-hued sauce. Let the brisket wars begin again, he wrote above the image. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton couldnt wait the pounce. The unscrupulous right-wing Republican who frequently clashes with the more sane, dignified, and not-under-FBI-invesigation Cornyn, wrote: Senator, this is what you think is real brisket when you have been in the swamp too long. Paxton included an image of what brisket should look like: a moist fanning of sliced, slow-smoked brisket with perfectly crusted burnt ends and not a drop of sauce in sight. Still, Cornyns rekindling of the brisket wars was a gutsy move four years after the firestorm that erupted when he posted a similar picture. Either the man really loves his wife or he has a deeper message. There are many ways to prepare brisket, Cornyn wrote, and I love them all. You got to give the man credit for turning one of the least appetizing food photos ever shot into a unifying credo during these troubled times. E pluribus unum! Thumbs twiddled: Houston Council Member Edward Pollards plan for speed bumps has hit a speed bump. He presented an ordinance last week that would make it easier to get them installed on neighborhood streets. Until recently, with few exceptions, only the mayor could put an ordinance to a vote, but a new charter amendment approved by voters last year allows a coalition of council members to put items on the agenda without the mayors approval. Nevertheless, a majority of Pollards peers sent his proposal to a committee for further review. Were in favor of good governance, and slower neighborhood streets, so we hope worthwhile ideas from council members dont end up in a bureaucratic pileup. Thumbs up: Last year, we published an editorial revealing that Petland Bellaire was ignoring a city ordinance banning puppy mills. Despite the owner eventually being arrested, the store continued to sell puppies and rack up citations, until now. According to the Texas Humane Legislation Network, the store has stopped selling puppies, though locations outside Houston still do. Continued public pressure by animal lovers and enforcement by the government do make a difference for all the pups out there. Dont give up. Want to stay up to date on our most recent thought-provoking editorials, columns and Letters to the Editor? Our Opinion-focused 'SaysHou' newsletter delivers our weekly highlights, directly to your inbox. Sign up now. Because of light pollution, almost four-fifths of North Americans cannot see the Milky Way. Above: The Milky Way, as seen at Big Bend National Park. John Moore/Getty Images On Monday, millions of people will be on the move, chasing the chance to see the solar eclipse. If youre one of the Houstonians heading to the Hill Country, count yourself lucky: You have a chance not just to see a total eclipse of the sun the superstar of celestial events but also to see the stars of our own Milky Way galaxy. In 2017, the last time the totality of the moons shadow swept across the nation, it swept up with it some 215 million viewers, far more than tuned in to the Super Bowl that year. This next swath of totality will cross into Texas near Eagle Pass. And from there, the moons shadow about 100 miles wide will cut a path of darkness in daytime. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The first time I experienced a total eclipse nearly knocked the wind out of me. The day doesnt simply become dark. It becomes so dark that, almost instantly, the stars appear in all their glory. Even those who still have a good view of the night sky, one that isnt blotted out by electric lights, rarely get that kind of opportunity. As night falls, they see the stars appear one at a time, over a period of hours, the cloak of darkness deepening as the viewers spot on Earth rotates away from the sun. But in a total solar eclipse, all the stars appear with the speed of white paint splashed against a black wall. Nothing prepared me for it. The moment the stars appeared offered a fleeting window into what humans have witnessed for eons: a night filled with the stars, showing us our place in the cosmic order. When we dont see the heavens, we forget that we belong to the heavens. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Seeing a sky full of blazing points of light has never made me feel small or insignificant. On the contrary, it has made me feel bigger than I ever have. I have seen Notre Dame and the Vatican, but seeing the stars was more profound. (Maybe because the ceiling was far higher.) I felt connected to eternity, and I no longer feared death. Unfortunately, not everyone in the eclipses path will have that experience. Sadly, due to solar-activated switches, people can expect regular city lights to come on. If the sky is clear, viewers will still be able to see the red flaming circle of light around the moon. But it is tragic that in many places the starlight, which has taken millions of light years to reach our eyes, will be shouted out at the finish line by a streetlight a few feet overhead. Its a more intense version of the tragedy we live with every night: Almost four-fifths of North Americans cannot see the Milky Way because of light pollution. Our illuminated coastlines, roadways and metro centers are awash with electricity burning away the darkness of night. Its profoundly unsettling to look at satellite images of the Earth and realize the unimaginable waste created by light that doesnt fall on its target but instead goes off into space. That squandered light means wasted energy and wasted money on a scale that is, quite literally, astronomical. Could lights be turned off for the eclipse? In 1986 New York City Mayor Ed Koch had lights extinguished at certain locations throughout the city so people could get a better look at Halleys Comet a once-in-a-lifetime event. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A total solar eclipse is not as rare as Halleys Comet, but it still puts the nation in a lather. This is the extremely rare chance for the people of the metropolitan areas, over which the shadow of totality passes, to see all the stars visible to the naked eye on the streets where they live. In common phraseology, we speak of keeping somebody in the dark, so they dont know what is going on. Here it is just the opposite: Keeping people in the light will prevent them from seeing the universe and experiencing the awe and reverence that comes with our view of the stars. Want to stay up to date on our most recent thought-provoking editorials, columns and Letters to the Editor? Our Opinion-focused 'SaysHou' newsletter delivers our weekly highlights, directly to your inbox. Sign up now. 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. Students look for a classroom to study in for an upcoming exam at Carnegie Vanguard High School on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, in Houston. Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspap/Houston Chronicle via Getty Imag Just one chaplain has been hired at a Texas public school under a controversial state law passed by the Legislature last year, according to statewide staffing data released by the Texas Education Agency. Newman International Academy, a charter school in Arlington, brought on the chaplain at the beginning of this school year at an annual salary of $49,759. Some school districts declined to employ chaplains and instead simply let them volunteer their services. TEA does not track how many chaplains are volunteering in schools across the state. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The new law, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, allows public schools to use state funds to hire religious chaplains. The policy originally was pitched by GOP lawmakers as a way to fill vacant mental health counselor positions, and some argued that more Christianity in public schools could reduce the risk of school shootings. In response to the Uvalde school massacre, the Republican-led Legislature separately increased the amount of school safety funding for districts, and those dollars can be used for the new chaplain program. Each of the roughly 1,200 school districts in the state was required to take a vote last fall on whether to allow chaplains on their campuses, which triggered political pressure from the right and left. Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union or the left-leaning Texas Freedom Network warned the law was unconstitutional and would subsidize Christian evangelism with public dollars. The law does not require that chaplains have any certification, training or licensing, and does not limit the kind of responsibilities they can take on at school. Advertisement Article continues below this ad READ MORE: Texas GOP eyes separation of church and state in schools after Supreme Court prayer ruling The lone Texas public school employing a chaplain has a history of toeing the line that separates religion from public schooling. The nonprofit that runs Newman International is called Saint Servers International Inc. and was founded as a religious organization in 2008. Under state law, charter schools are not allowed to be run by religious groups. The board amended its articles of incorporation to focus on education when it applied for a charter from the state two years later. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In a 2010 letter to the federal Internal Revenue Service explaining the change, an attorney employed by the school wrote, You are no doubt aware that a governmental entity such as a charter school cannot advocate any religious teaching because of the Constitutional principal (sic) of the separation of church and state. TEA went on to offer conditional approval to the school, so long as the organization take immediate action to amend its organizing documents to remove all religious purposes. A board member who was employed by a local seminary also resigned so there would be no conflict. Newman International Academy in Arlington, an eight-campus charter network, enrolled about 3,000 students this school year, with three-quarters being Black or Hispanic. The district, which was mostly recently B-rated by TEA, received about $30 million in state dollars in 2021-22, the most recent year data are available, and about 40% of students tested at or above grade level in state standardized tests. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Speaking to DailyMail.com, she revealed the real-life events behind the show Valentine says the novel is based off her own terrifying miscarriage Danielle Valentine, 40, is a New Jersey based young adult fiction writer whose latest bestseller became the basis of American Horror Story season 12 Danielle Valentine knows how to strike fear in her readers. The young adult fiction writer has covered everything from gruesome murders to paranormal hauntings and spinetingling exorcisms ever since publishing her first book in 2012. Yet, for her 2023 pulse pounding thriller, 'Delicate Condition,' Valentine was inspired to write about something more personal and far more terrifying: pregnancy loss. The author was seven months pregnant with her daughter Harriet (who is now four years old) when she began to put down her own 'painful' and 'horrifying' in 2018an experience that left her in the emergency room for hours without knowing what was happening to her own body. The chilling novel serves as the basis for the 12th season of American Horror Story, subtitled Delicate, and starring Emma Roberts and Kim Kardashian. The book, out now, highlights the nightmarish stories many women experience during IVF and complicated pregnancies. Danielle Valentine, 40, is a young adult fiction writer whose latest novel, 'Delicate Condition' serves as the basis for season 12 of American Horror Story. The book was inspired by Valentine's own 'painful' and 'horrifying' miscarriage in 2018, an experience that she said was like 'being in a horror novel' Season 12 of American Horror Story on FX follows a young actress named Anna Alcott (played by Emma Roberts) who is thrilled to finally be pregnant after multiple rounds of IVF. Soon she suspects that a malevolent force is keeping her from successfully becoming pregnant In season 12, Kim Kardashian, 43, returns as the cunning and suspicious publicist to Anna Alcott (Emma Roberts) Despite having an uncomplicated pregnancy, Valentine was shattered to learn of her pregnancy loss; an experience that she said was like 'being in a horror novel.' 'I ended up going into the emergency room and for hours and hours,' she recalled. 'If they knew what was happening, they weren't telling me, and that was shocking to me.' Valentine said she has seen a significant 'bump' in book sales since the premiere of American Horror Story. The chilling novel highlights the horror stories many women experience during IVF and complicated pregnancies The author (whos also gone by the pen names Danielle Rollins, Danielle Vega, and Ellie Rollins) was also struck by how 'textbook' the miscarriage was. It was 'exactly the way you read and hear about these things happening,' she said. And yet still, Valentine felt totally in the dark, recalling: 'There was a full two-day break where I didn't really know what was happening in my own body.' 'Most of what you hear about miscarriage is how common it is, but you don't heard nearly as much about how horrifying it is.' 'It was almost as though saying it was common or saying that it happens a lot is supposed to somehow insulate people from the horror of it.' 'It was painful beyond imagining,' she told DailyMail.com. 'It was devastating beyond imagining.' However, Valentine revealed that writing about her own experiences in the form of a thriller was a therapeutic exercise for her. The first draft 'started out as me kind of cathartically writing myself into this story,' she explained. She revealed to Shondaland that the book was also, in part, inspired by the 1979 film 'Alien.' 'Its kind of ironic that a bunch of men tried to come up with the scariest thing they could think of happening, and what they came up with was this idea that there might be something inside of your body growing that you have no control over, thats doing these things to you, and eventually is gonna erupt out of you,' she said. In the aftermath of the traumatic miscarriage, Alcott (played by Emma Roberts) suspects that she is still pregnant, even as her husband and doctors continue to gaslight her into thinking otherwise Valentine told DailyMail.com that 'most of what you hear about miscarriage is how common it is, but you don't heard nearly as much about how horrifying it is.' Speaking about her own experience with pregnancy loss that resulted in an 'hours long' visit to the emergency room, Valentine remembers feeling totally in the dark about the situation. 'There was a full two-day break where I didn't really know what was happening in my own body' 'Basically, they just wrote a story about pregnancy.' Delicate Condition follows 39-year-old actress Anna Alcott (played by Roberts) who is thrilled to finally be pregnant after multiple rounds of IVF, before doctors announce that she has suffered from another miscarriage. The novel centers the actress' struggle to achieve a balance between her rising star power and her arduous IVF journey. At the same time, the character begins to suspect that a malevolent force is keeping her from successfully becoming pregnant. In the aftermath of the traumatic miscarriage, Anna suspects that she is still pregnant, even as her husband and doctors continue to gaslight her into thinking otherwise. The tale delves into the realm of the supernatural, yet it's the real-life horrors that resonate most powerfully. Valentine says the harrowing miscarriage scene was 'pulled back quite a bit' from previous drafts, which at one point had the sequence elaborated across 20 pages. Delicate Condition wasn't Valentine's first book option, but it's her first book that was made into such a big show. 'When they told me it was Ryan Murphy (director and producer), it was such an incredible dream come true.' While the author hasn't had an input in season 12 of American Horror Story, she says, 'It's been so much fun to watch, I've been a total fangirl the entire time.' Helen Chandler-Wilde reveals what she learned about ourselves and our things A woman who lost all her worldly possessions after a fire tore through a self-storage unit has revealed what it was like to lose everything she owned. Helen Chandler-Wilde, 29, initially thought it was a 'joke' when she heard of the devastating blaze at the Shurgard self-storage units in Croydon on New Year's Eve in 2018. The journalist and writer, then in her mid 20s, had moved back in with her parents after a bad break-up and had packed all of her possessions - 'furniture, sentimental stuff, books' - into the storage unit. Having suddenly lost everything, Helen soon realised which possessions in life are actually most important and which we can go without. She has now written a book titled Lost & Found, where she documents the painful process of building up her life again from scratch. Helen Chandler-Wilde lost all her possessions after a fire tore through a storage unit on New Year's Eve, 2018 The New Year's Eve fire at the Shurgard self-storage unit in Purley Way, Croydon tore through 1,198 rented units and was tackled by around 120 firefighters In the book, Helen speaks to psychologists about the relationship between ourselves and our things, including the 'dopamine rush' that comes with buying new things and the human tendency to become attached to our objects. 'No one had died but it almost felt like I was grieving', Helen writes about the deep loss she felt after the fire, adding: 'I was a snail without my shell'. And speaking to FEMAIL, Helen said: 'I think it made me much more aware that you can't rely on like physical things to make you happy. 'When you start from scratch, I think you do have this little opportunity to really think about what is it that I want. 'I think it's super common in the way our culture is set up for people to collect things and buy lots of things and do loads of shopping - especially every time you open social media.' Helen opens the prologue to her book by asking: 'If you could save just one thing from a fire, what would it be? I wish I had been offered the choice.' The New Year's Eve fire at the Shurgard self-storage unit in Purley Way, Croydon tore through 1,198 rented units and was tackled by around 120 firefighters. The building was destroyed after being deemed too unsafe - as hundreds of people lost their belongings - and with them, many of their memories. The storage unit before the fire - when Helen had moved around a quarter of her things in Helen has now written a book titled Lost & Found, where she documents the painful process of building up her life again from scratch Helen's first move was to start to replace the essentials, such as saucepans, and she was given a bed by a friend of a friend. Soon, she began to miss the little things, including a box of hairbands when she needed to go for a run, and a coffee table with a red wine stain - a fond memory from a night with friends. A particularly sore spot was losing over 1,000 books to the flames, and being left with a bookshelf, gifted from her parents, with nothing to fill it. 'It is weird to have nothing that sentimental or nice,' Helen said. Losing physical objects also came with the loss of memories and emotions tied to the objects. Helen continued: 'I do think there's still a lot of sadness there because there were items that were so unique, like from a specific country which you're never gonna go to again. 'I had a rug that came from Kosovo, and obviously you're not going to go back to get one. That stuff was so nice and beautiful. In my mind I can walk around my old house in my head and see everything as it was even though that was years ago now. 'I had all these letters that my uncle had written me over the years when I was a child. It was sweet little poems and jokes and stuff, but he's died now. Sentimental stuff like photos are just irreplaceable because it makes you remember the person.' An eventual insurance payout of around 2,000 covered less than a third of Helen's possessions. The fire at the unit destroyed the belongings of hundreds of people, taking away their memories as it did so Pictured: The blaze at the self-storage warehouse, which was later destroyed due to the damage Faced with yet another blow, she realised there was a small advantage to her bleak situation. 'I had a rare chance to start from scratch,' she writes in the book, and these moments of reflection allowed her to consider what she truly needed. Helen now lives in south London with one flatmate - and a collection of meaningful and good-quality things. She said: 'I have a small amount of stuff that I really love and I've given lots of other stuff away. 'I think it's much better to get something the secondhand and a bit quirky and it feels so unique, rather than something generic that like everyone has.' She now focuses on purchasing high quality items, usually second-hand, from charity shops, Vinted or eBay, that will last a long time, and has also cut down the amount of stuff she owns considerably. Lost & Found is available to buy now Now her most prized possessions include a small TV - one of the first things she re-bought after the fire - a Victorian side cabinet from an antiques shop, and a floral sofa from IKEA. In October 2022, she even did a 'no buy month', only purchasing essentials like food - and has kept these habits ever since. 'I think it showed me that you can just get by with living with essentials for a really long amount of time. It can be more relaxing to do that and just so much less stress,' she explained. 'Nothing is actually truly permanent and I think that's something I learned, you can look after an antique and you can call it like a museum level of preservation and it will still be decaying all the time.' Elsewhere in Lost & Found, Helen explores why people are drawn to collecting things in the first place - from displaying status, to the thrill of collecting new items - and the book contains insights from several psychologists. Lost & Found gives seven key lessons learned from losing everything, sparking the realisation that 'she was not what she owned'. Helen said writing it was like a 'super long therapy session', revealing: 'It helped me to get a lot of clarity and understand why I was so upset and why our minds are wired to get attached to our possessions.' Lost & Found by Helen Chandler-Wilde is out now. Published by Octopus Publishing Group, RRP 20. Customers at Laredo Taqueria try to keep dry as they step over an ever-growing puddle from water flowing out of the ground on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022 in Houston. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer Houston Public Works is among the city's largest and most publicly-facing departments. Boasting over 4,200 employees and an annual budget of several billion dollars, the department is in charge of maintaining city streets, ensuring proper drainage, treating and delivering water to households and enforcing building code violations, among other responsibilities. Here is an overview of the department's key functions, leadership and most pressing challenges. Advertisement Article continues below this ad What does Houston Public Works do? One of Houston Public Works' main functions is providing water to hundreds of thousands of city households. The department oversees three water purification plants, 49 groundwater plants, 40 wastewater treatment plants and over 6,000 miles of pipelines in the Houston area. Department employees are also responsible for reading residents water meters and assisting them with billing issues. LATEST ON WATER BILLS: Houston's new water bill plan will help customers facing steep charges, Whitmire says Besides drinking water and wastewater operations, Public Works is also tasked with maintaining the citys transportation and drainage system. This includes city streets, bridges, sidewalks and traffic signs, as well as Houstons stormwater lines and other stormwater infrastructure like manholes and inlets. Additionally, the department spearheads Houstons large-scale infrastructure improvement projects. They range from road pavement and waterline upgrades to long-range plans to redevelop city parks, libraries and fire stations. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Public Works also houses the city engineer and is one of several departments managing the Houston Permitting Center. Who runs Public Works? Carol Haddock became the first woman to lead Houston Public Works when former Mayor Sylvester Turner appointed her in 2018. She succeeded former Director Karun Sreerama after he was suspended and eventually stepped down amid a bribery scandal. Haddock joined the city about two decades ago as a senior assistant director at Public Works, her LinkedIn profile shows. Before that, she served as a program manager at the Harris County Flood Control District. She is one of the citys highest-paid employees and earned $292,000 last year. HOUSTON DATABASE: Search our database of the top-paid City of Houston employees of 2023 Advertisement Article continues below this ad How big is the Public Works budget? The departments budget for the current fiscal year, ending this June, stands at $3 billion. Debt service payments and internal transfers account for over half of the budget. These include paying for bonds issued to support street and drainage improvements and fund transfers to finance the citys long-term infrastructure projects. Operations related to drinking water, wastewater, transportation and administrative functions each account for over $100 million of the budget. Only a small portion of the departments revenue $3 million out of the $3 billion for this fiscal year comes from the citys general fund, which is primarily fueled by property and sales taxes. The bulk of the departments funding stems from the water, sewage and drainage fees that the city charges residents. HIGH BILLS: Houstonians battle soaring water bills as equipment failures and staff shortage complicate charges Public Works employs approximately 4,260 full-time staff. Their roles vary from reading water meters and repairing leaks to inspecting for municipal code violations and processing permitting requests. Advertisement Article continues below this ad What are the biggest issues facing Public Works? Residents have long voiced frustration with unusually high water bills. A combination of aging pipes and meters, a rising number of leaks and restrictive city rules have led to a surge in complaints in recent years, according to city officials. Whitmire has vowed to reform the current billing system. The administration took action in March to repeal a section of a city ordinance that limited city employees ability to adjust these bills. The mayor also unveiled on Thursday a larger plan to replace customers aging water meter readers and help avoid exorbitant charges in the meantime. Residents who have used the citys water services for over a year will receive a monthly charge based on an average of up to 36 months of their billing data minus freezes and droughts until their equipment is working correctly. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Transportation is another area that largely falls under Public Works purview and has become a focal point in Houston municipal politics since Whitmire took office. During his mayoral campaign last year, Whitmire criticized some of the Turner administration's bike lane and public transit policies. Veronica Davis, a senior leader at Public Works who headed the city's transportation and drainage operations, left her role weeks after Whitmires inauguration, sparking debates about the new mayors plans for Houstons transit design. CITY HALL SHAKEUP: All the major leadership changes made by Houston Mayor Whitmire as he shakes up City Hall A woman has set out to investigate the 100-year-old cold case murder that has plagued her family for decades. Jo Piazza, from Philadelphia, had grown up being told that her great-great-grandmother Lorenza Marsala was killed in Sicily before she could join the rest of the family on their move to America. The mom-of-three, who is an author and podcast creator, was forced to unravel a whole host of wild theories about the death - including speculation that the village had turned on her because she was a witch or that she owned land the mafia wanted to get their hands on. Jo said that members of her family had tried to warn her off delving into the case at the risk of 'opening old wounds' - but she was undeterred. Jo Piazza, from Philadelphia, has set out to investigate the 100-year-old cold case murder that has plagued her family for decades She had grown up being told that her great-great-grandmother Lorenza Marsala was killed in Sicily before she could join the rest of the family on their move to America The intriguing tale began after Jo's father passed away back in 2015. She was pregnant at the time, newly married, had recently relocated and lost her job, telling Today: 'I didn't have time to grieve... All of it is a blur.' The doting daughter was forced to clear out some of his belongings so her mom could have a fresh start - with one item being his computer. But Jo came to regret throwing it out after coming across some emails from her dad when she was cleaning out her inbox a few years later. She said that she had responded to most of them at the time but there were a handful that had gone unopened. 'One caught my eye. It was his grandfather's birth certificate. He had remarked on the fact that the mother's name, Lorenza, was so beautiful. "She was the one who was murdered," he reminded me in all caps,' she shared. Jo revealed that her father had become 'obsessed' with discovering the truth about her death - even making several trips back to the island. However, he eventually had to limit his research to that which she could do online after suffering a rare form of muscular dystrophy. She had been born on February 14, 1862 and died on February 24, 1916 - both in the small village of Caltabellotta (pictured) Jo traveled to Caltabellotta to learn more and began recording a true crime podcast about Lorenza's death His mobility deteriorated and he instead turned his attentions to gathering stories from other family members and trawling archives on the internet. 'My dad never got to finish his work... [He] cared so much about this research and I should have been doing it with him,' Jo reflected. She said that she decided to pick up where he had left off as a 'way to connect' with her late father, adding: 'It often felt like he was right along with me.' Jo began her own investigation on Ancestry.com but was forced to start from scratch after failing to guess her father's passwords to access his accounts. It was there that she had access to a whole host of documents that shed further light on Lorenza's life. She had been born on February 14, 1862 and died on February 24, 1916 - both in the small village of Caltabellotta. Lorenza gave birth to her first child at 20 years old and husband Antonino Piazza headed over to America in the early 1900s. Jo's research led her to Ellis Island, New York, which was previously the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. She, along with the help of historian Stephen Lean, was able to piece together a more complete picture of her family's immigration journey. It showed that Lorenzo's children - Santo, Joseph, Josephine, Paulina, Rosa, Calogero and Antonino - all followed in their father's footsteps in moving across to the US. But the family matriarch, who worked as a farmer, was killed before she could be reunited with them. But the writer and podcaster was warned by family and friends to be careful about her research Elsewhere, Jo has since written a fictional murder mystery novel loosely based on her findings titled The Sicilian Inheritance The writer and podcaster was warned by family and friends to be careful about her research. She told People that her uncle had half-jokingly said: 'Why are you opening old wounds? You're going to wind up starting our vendetta again.' Barbie Latza Nadeau, an expert in the Italian mafia, also told her: 'You always have to be careful what you're digging up when you're sifting through the ashes because you may end up stumbling upon something that someone doesn't want you to find out about. 'I'm not trying to scare you. I just think you just have to be vigilant.' Nonetheless, Jo traveled to Caltabellotta to learn more and began recording a true crime podcast about Lorenza's death. It was there that she visited the local municipal office where she was shown the handwritten 'Death Book' which recorded all passings in the village dating back more than a century. She found her great-great-grandmother's name under the section dedicated to 'unnatural causes, accidents or homicides' - but no actual cause was given. 'It was the first real evidence I had that she had been murdered more than a century earlier,' Jo told the outlet. 'My entire body tensed up as I looked at the page. Here she was. This was real. It was no longer just a story told over cocktails at a family wedding. Lorenza Marsala was born here and died here, possibly in a terrible way.' Jo's suspicions only grew when the document also revealed that a man named Nicolo Martino - a name she had never heard before - was killed at the exact same time and in the exact same location as Lorenza. Rumors had constantly swirled about her death including mentions that she was a witch or that the mafia were involved. There was also speculation that one of her sons had returned to the Italian region to avenge the killing during a rabbit hunt before disappearing. Jo found in her research that Lorenza's son Joseph was sent to Europe after joining the military in 1918. He then dropped off the grid for four decades, adding: 'I finally have a piece of evidence that one of Lorenza's sons may have avenged their mother's death.' The exact details of the matriarch's death currently remain unclear as Jo promises to unravel the truth in her podcast. Elsewhere, Jo has since written a fictional murder mystery novel loosely based on her findings titled The Sicilian Inheritance. Here we go again, I thought when I heard that senior Tory MP William Wragg, the vice-chairman of the distinguished 1922 committee, had been caught in a honey trap. Not only had he revealed himself intimately to a stranger on social media, but he'd also passed on the private phone numbers of MPs, including a minister, in an attempt to save himself from being humiliated publicly. Police are investigating whether this could be a 'malicious communication' against an MP. But let's get to the point here. This is an old-fashioned story of a politician caught with his pants down. An MP who fell for the oldest trick in the book, a hot suitor suggesting they wanted to have sex with him. Did it never occur to porridge-pale, podgy, single Mr Wragg, 36, who is openly gay, that the man on dating app Grindr, asking for explicit images, might be setting him up? Evidently not. Openly gay Tory MP William Wragg revealed himself intimately to a stranger on social media When I worked for then Tory party leader William Hague as his media adviser I had to clean up all manner of mess for politicians. I never failed to be struck by the number of happily married MPs having affairs. Like Wragg, they invariably painted themselves as victims when they apologised. 'I've hurt people by being weak. I was scared. I'm mortified. I'm so sorry,' Wragg said. Fair enough, but we expect better from our MPs. His indiscretions are, in the end, a shoddy tale of a selfish, lonely man brought low by his vanity. He's betrayed his colleagues, let down his constituents and all of us who still believe our elected representatives should be examples of probity and propriety. Shame on him. What's not to love about Cher? At 77, she's not shy to reveal how tweakments help her look so young. At an LA awards ceremony she boasted that she first wore the leather trousers she was rocking back in 1989 when she sang If I Could Turn Back Time. She can't, but her plastic surgeon clearly has. Holly's career is on ice Holly Willoughby's PR team basically her very ambitious TV exec husband Dan Baldwin reveals that she is on the cusp of global stardom, close to landing a big deal with Netflix before she conquers Hollywood. I love Holly but doubt somehow that Tinseltown is crying out for a comely 43-year-old mum of three who's famous for sitting on a morning TV sofa and for freezing her butt off presenting the failing Dancing On Ice, a show that's lost nearly ten million viewers since its heyday. Holly Willoughby's PR team say she is on the cusp of global stardom, close to landing a big deal with Netflix before she conquers Hollywood Eyebrows are raised as Vinnie Jones, 59, goes public with new love and ex PA Emma Ford, 47 five years after his beloved wife Tanya died. Don't forget he nursed Tanya at home through a six-year cancer ordeal, so he has been battling that pain for more than a decade. Who knows how long his affair with the lass he calls Blondie who 'brought the life back into his eyes' will last, but I wish Vinnie and Blondie well. Vinnie Jones, 59, has gone public with new love and ex PA Emma Ford, 47, five years after his beloved wife Tanya died Apropos my call in the Mail yesterday for the BBC's highest-paid news presenter Huw Edwards to quit he's still taking his 439,000 salary despite being off sick for nearly a year can I just point out that statutory sick pay has gone up by 7.35 a week to 116.75, and is payable for a maximum of 28 weeks? Why is there one rule for ordinary folk who pay the licence fee and another for BBC employees? The BBC's highest-paid news presenter Huw Edwards is still taking his 439,000 salary despite being off sick for nearly a year Meanwhile, the BBC axes TV series Motherland, which portrays ordinary women coping with the stress of being mums, as it's deemed to be 'a bit too heteronormative'. The show's guilty as charged. What a disgrace there is no significant LGBTQ contingent in the cast, or trans women. Is there any hope now for Call The Midwife as, apart from a couple of token lesbians and some nuns, they're all heterosexual biological women giving birth? Brave King must WFH Despite pleas for a fragile King Charles to take it easy, aides say he is determined to carry on with his and Queen Camilla's planned two-week Down Under tour in October, in an attempt to shore up support for the monarchy in Australia and New Zealand. As a seasoned Aussie traveller, I can tell you he'll face a 23-hour direct flight and a ten-hour time difference, so the jet lag will be horrendous. My humble suggestion, your Maj, would be to cancel it now, and instead do a video link downing a tinnie and slipping another shrimp on the barbie in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. Let's face it, Peter's a sensible dad Unlike most celebrities who hide the face of their newborns for security reasons when posting pictures, Peter Andre releases a happy snap of dad and baby daughter with her face revealed. Which is only common sense really as, let's be honest, one adorable baby looks pretty much like the next one. Peter Andre released a happy snap of dad and baby daughter with her face revealed Rave reviews of Netflix's Scoop say Gillian Anderson's portrayal of Newsnight's Emily Maitlis, who conducted the car-crash interview with Prince Andrew, depicts her as 'stick-thin, brittle and imperious'. And that Newsnight is 'staffed by middle-class liberals driven by their own importance'. So five stars to Scoop for revealing what we always suspected about Maitlis and the BBC's Leftie snob culture. Reviews of Gillian Anderson's portrayal of Newsnight's Emily Maitlis in Netflix show Scoop say she depicts her as 'stick-thin, brittle and imperious' Strictly's response to Amanda Abbington's claims that dancer Giovanni Pernice bullied her so much she had PTSD is to confirm their most successful pro will return with a new contract. Memo to future contestants: if you can't stand the heat of the salsa, for which Amanda got an astonishing 32 with Gio, stay off the dance floor. Cilla Black's Blind Date is set for a reboot with Claudia Winkleman. That 1980s format, where couples go on one date, has been trumped by Married At First Sight, where couples instantly wed. And, as in Cilla's show, it usually ends in disaster. Westminster Wars Bad news for Rishi 'I'll stop the small boats' Sunak, who says the reason for record illegal crossings this year is gangs exploiting better weather only for the Met Office to declare we've just had the wettest 18 months since records began. Angela Rayner attacked the Tories' failure on housing policy, claiming Labour will deliver the biggest boost to social and council housing for a generation. Clearly a speciality subject for Ange although sadly no advice from her on how to get out of paying capital gains tax if you sell up. A devastating poll says the Tories will be wiped out at the next election with Sunak, wannabe PMs Jeremy Hunt, Grant Shapps and even the Right's darling Penny Mordaunt, losing their seats. To which a lifelong Conservative like me says, bring back Boris! New guidance calls for softer jail terms for offenders from deprived backgrounds. How would that work? Most knife crime is committed by youths from fractured families. So they wouldn't be locked up, just sent back to gang leaders who control them. That's rough justice for everyone. Hailey Bieber's a fan. Amanda Seyfried has one. And Meghan and Harry are also thought to have the gadget in their kitchen. Move over marble worktops, American-style fridges and integrated coffee machines - the new kitchen-must have to show off your status symbol is a hot water tap above your cooker, according to designers. Dubbed 'lazy taps', the implements allow you to fill up saucepans, mugs and other utensils with extra hot water, saving time on boiling the kettle and without the walk. The taps have been seen in the homes of Seyfried, Bieber as well as Kendall Jenner, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Unlike kitchen or bathroom taps, instead of being installed above the sink or basin, the 'lazy' taps are installed above the hob, for ease of use while cooking. The taps can cost anywhere between 150 and 1,000 and are becoming increasingly popular in the UK thanks to 'appearing on television shows and tours of celebrities' homes'. Amanda Seyfried showed off her lazy tap during a YouTube home tour for Architectural Digest, describing it as 'stunning' Hailey Bieber is another fan of the utensils, and her version can be seen in the background of this YouTube video Poll Would you get a 'lazy' tap? Yes No Would you get a 'lazy' tap? Yes 1365 votes No 4934 votes Now share your opinion Meghan and Harry appear to have one in their Frogmore Cottage kitchen - seen in a black and white shot of the couple shared in their Netflix series. Another fan is Amanda Seyfried, who showed off her version during a YouTube home tour for Architectural Digest. The actor praised the gadget, describing it as 'stunning' and 'gourmet'. Meanwhile, both Hayley Bieber and Kendall Jenner have the taps - which are also sometimes referred to as 'pot fillers' - in their high-end kitchens. The main difference between boiling water taps and the lazy taps or pot fillers is the location, with the former being positioned by the kitchen sink. They started becoming becoming in the UK some years ago, around 2015. Speaking about those gadgets around the time, Diana Blamires, of Homebase, said: 'Hot taps not only provide customers with an easy and convenient way of getting hot water but for many, it's a style decision for kitchens as hot taps look so great. 'The phenomenal popularity of the hot tap looks set to sound the death-knell for the kettle. There appears to be a lazy tap about the hob in this photo taken in the kitchen of their Frogmore Cottage home 'If you are working or studying from home having a hot tap can save precious minutes. This could end the surge in the national grid during advert breaks as it only takes a few seconds to get a drink so you can get one whenever you like.' Speaking to the Telegraph about lazy taps, Tom Howley, design director at the eponymous bespoke kitchen designers said he had not seen 'big demand' from Brit customers yet. He said: 'They are probably more an aesthetic fashion statement to finish your kitchen.' Meanwhile, Luke Shipway, head of product at kitchen appliance firm Caple, said they might be worth implementing as part of a whole kitchen overhaul. He added there is another benefit to the taps: 'If you have a busy sink area you can also utilise the tap to fill a kettle for a quick tea break.' A bland three-level Sydney apartment has been transformed into an 'eclectic' space filled with eye-popping colours and playful decor. Rowi Singh bought the three-bedroom property with her partner in mid-2020 and let her creativity run wild when decorating. The 29-year-old content creator has an eye for design and is obsessed with bringing spaces to life by adding colour, layering rugs, investing in art and keeping an eye out for unique decor. While Rowi is known for sharing daring makeup looks and has previously collaborated with Rihanna's Fenty Beauty, she's shared her interior design secrets with FEMAIL. Rowi, who was featured in Forbes Australia in 2022 alongside the likes of YouTuber Tammy Hembrow and Comedian Christian Hull, described her style as 'bond, colourful, maximalist and eclectic'. Rowi Singh, from Sydney, has a creative flair and expresses herself through makeup, content creation and interior design. Now she's shared a glimpse into her three-bedroom apartment The 29-year-old is obsessed with bringing spaces to life by adding colour, layering rugs, investing in art and keeping an eye out for unique decor Rowi described her style as 'bond, colourful, maximalist and eclectic'. 'I've always been interested in interior design but I never had the chance to style a space myself until I moved out of home,' she said 'I've always been interested in interior design but I never had the chance to style a space myself until I moved out of home,' she said. Her epic loft-style home features a velvet green couch, several colourful plinths, a locker bedside table, countless houseplants, quirky candles, and a 'melting' lamp. And the huge 8m floor-to-ceiling windows invite natural light indoors to brighten the spaces on all three levels. 'I started by decorating the living room and purchased the essentials first, like the couch and a rug then worked my way out,' she said. 'Starting with the larger pieces can help you dictate a colour palette based on what you're drawn to.' Rowi encouraged others to 'take their time' when choosing furniture that's right for them and to 'not rush' into anything, especially when it comes to expensive purchases. 'I usually find something I like then think about it for a few weeks or months then go back to it to see if I still like it,' she said. Rowi's epic loft-style home features a velvet green couch, several colourful plinths, a locker bedside table, countless houseplants, quirky candles, and a 'melting' lamp Rowi encouraged others to 'take their time' when choosing furniture that's right for them and to 'not rush' into anything, especially when it comes to expensive purchases She seeks inspiration from what's around her and looks on Pinterest to get new ideas. When decorating she starts with the largest pieces first - such as the couch - and works outwards She seeks inspiration from what's around her and looks on Pinterest to get new ideas. 'My creativity with my makeup and interior design are definitely linked. I've always been a creative person and decorating feels very natural to me,' she said. 'I like collecting things, finding new places to put them and looking online at how others style their homes.' She laughed after admitted she probably has too many plinths and house plants. While many opt to DIY their own furniture Rowi said she prefers to buy secondhand buys from Facebook Marketplace or op shops and has managed to score some items for free. But in saying that, she invested in a good quality mattress and original artworks from local artists, and the most expensive thing in her apartment is a $1000 artwork. The bedroom is 'moody' and 'earth' with darker tones compared to other rooms The kitchen is quite simplistic with a 'melting' mirror, vase, cook books, and diffuser In her beauty room there's colour bursting in every corner with a clothing rack, glasses stand, checkered rug, hot pink crates and wall prints Rowi said one of the hardest part of decorating is visualising if something will look right in the home or not. 'One time I picked something up, took it home and realised I got the measurements completely wrong,' Rowi said. 'When you make a home decor purchase make sure it's a carefully considered choice. Don't follow trends because you might not like in when it goes out of style. 'You need to ask yourself if you really like something or if you only like it because you've been it everywhere.' One concern with the maximalist style is the risk of teetering into clutter territory. Rowi recommends taking a step back from your space and try to look at it in a different way. 'There's a thin line between hoarding and collecting pieces, if you're opting for extreme maximalist make sure you move things around so it doesn't clutter the space,' she said. She fills spaces with small side tables, disco balls, plants and stunning vases As for what she would never own - Rowi dislikes anything to do with gaming as it's 'not her thing' and says it 'kills her vibe'. 'I've seen some cute setups on TikTok but it's just not for me. I hate seeing wires peeping out everywhere and I'm not a gamer so it's a no from me,' she said. Exposed wires is a huge interior design pet peeve of hers and to hide any sight of cords she changed over the legs on her TV unit so it sits lower. A father has been heartbreakingly given 12 months to live after a 'stabbing pain' in his head ended up being brain cancer. Mark Downey, 45, was struck with an excruciating headache while driving with his family to a holiday in Wales in September 2023. The HGV driver, from Bolton, went to A&E after painkillers were not helping but left after he faced a 17-hour wait to see a doctor. After visiting his GP at home, who referred him for an MRI scan, he was eventually diagnosed with glioblastoma, a type of fast-growing brain tumour that can carry a life expectancy of just 12 to 18 months from diagnosis. Feeling 'too strong' to give up, Mr Downey and his partner of 23 years, Samantha Scott, 39, are now raising money to fund private treatment. Mark Downey, 45, from Bolton, Manchester, pictured with his partner Samantha Scott, 39, was struck with an excruciating headache while driving with his family to a holiday in Wales in September 2023 Two days before their family holiday to Kinmel Bay in North Wales, Mr Downey had noticed he had a headache but didn't think much of it. He knew something wasn't right when he experienced a 'stabbing pain' in the right side of his head while driving his family to Wales. 'The pain in my head was so sharp I tried to pull my head the other way because it felt like something was banging into it,' he said. 'I took painkiller after painkiller and the headache just did not go.' The pain was so excruciating that it made the father-of-three sick. Brain tumours can trigger personality changes, especially if it is located in the frontal lobe of the brain, which regulates personality and emotions. It can also cause communication problems, seizures and fatigue Mr Downey was eventually diagnosed with glioblastoma, a type of fast-growing brain tumour that can carry a life expectancy of just 12 to 18 months from diagnosis and a biopsy revealed his tumour was 2.5cm wide On the first day of the family's trip, he called 111 and was told to go to A&E. But once in hospital Mr Downey was told it would be a 17 hour wait to see a doctor. Mr Downey and Ms Scott decided to take the risk and drive home, with their son set to start secondary school that Monday. The next day on September 4, he went to see his GP and he was sent straightaway for a brain scan at the Bolton Royal Hospital, which showed he had a bleed on the brain. WHAT IS A GLIOBLASTOMA? Glioblastomas are the most common cancerous brain tumours in adults. They are fast growing and likely to spread. Glioblastomas' cause is unknown but may be related to a sufferer's genes if mutations result in cells growing uncontrollably, forming a tumour. Treatment is usually surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible, followed by a combination of radio- and chemotherapy (chemoradiation). It can be difficult to remove all of the growth as glioblastomas have tendrils that extend to other regions of the brain. These are targeted via chemoradiation. Glioblastomas are often resistant to treatment as they are usually made up of different types of cells. Therefore, medication will kill off some cells and not others. The average survival time is between 12 and 18 months. Source: The Brain Tumour Charity Advertisement The following day he had an MRI which revealed he had a brain tumour. Doctors initially didn't realise how severe it was and thought it was a stage two brain tumour, Mr Downey claims. But following an operation over a month later on October 21 at Salford Royal Hospital, a biopsy showed the tumour was already 2.5cm and he was diagnosed with a stage-four glioblastoma. Around 2,500 Brits and 12,000 Americans are diagnosed with a glioblastoma every year. Headaches, seizures, nausea, drowsiness, vision problems and personality changes are key symptoms. These are caused by the tumour increasing pressure inside the skull as it grows. Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are go-to treatments. There can be a life expectancy of just 12 to 18 months from glioblastoma diagnosis and in many cases it comes back, even after being treated, according to The Brain Tumour Charity. Mr Downey had 30 rounds of concurrent chemo-radiotherapy alongside oral chemo from October 27 to December 23, but the tumour grew back to 1.4cm. In effort to shrink it further, in January he started oral chemotherapy for one week a month for a period of six months. Ms Scott, a sales assistant, fears it is 'incurable' and says 'nothing can be done'. 'Doctors say the only option is another shot at radiotherapy and chemotherapy through the NHS ,' she added. 'I don't want to be left to become too fragile when there could still be something that I could do. 'I am too strong and too well to even dream of giving up.' Mr Downey's family set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for alternative treatments, including immunotherapy, which is not available on the NHS. Immunotherapy works by stimulating the body's natural immune system to destroy cancer cells. Mr Downey, pictured with his partner Ms Scott and two sons Lucas Downey, 19 and Taylor Downey 12, say he is 'too strong and too well to even dream of giving up' Brain Tumour Research explains researchers believe a type of immune cell called T cells are a key component for defeating brain tumours. However, this treatment is very expensive. Currently the family have raised almost 5,000, but they need more than 100,000. 'We have managed to raise some funds but it is nowhere near what we need,' Ms Scott said. 'Doctors told him immunotherapy may not be beneficial for Mark and it costs hundred's of thousands,' she added. There are no immunotherapy treatments approved for treating brain tumours within the NHS, that's because there is no method that has been proven to have a lasting success with enough patients, according to Brain Tumour Research. A TV cosmetic doctor has shared incredible before-and-after pictures showing how injections of salmon sperm rejuvenated her face. Channel 4's Embarrassing Bodies presenter Dr Jane Leonard underwent the bizarre beauty treatment to combat dry skin and eczema around her eyes. The 40-year-old, who runs a cosmetic clinic on London's prestigious Harley Street, told MailOnline she was 'delighted' with the results from just one treatment. Dr Leonard said the swelling went down after 24 hours. Sharing her own results, she said: 'I'm 40 and I work in this industry. 'I've had Botox done, I've had a bit of filler in my cheeks and lips, but I don't really have that much done. 'That said I want to keep myself looking as well as I can, without looking different.' Dr Leonard pictured (left) before polynucleotide treatment. The 40-year-old says she got the treatment improve the appearance of eczema and dry skin around her eyes. Pictured (right) one month after getting polynucleotides injected under here eyes. Her skin appears to have less wrinkles Dr Leonard, who also works as an NHS GP, added: 'I have quite dry skin around my eyes and I suffer with eczema quite badly. 'So using this in a delicate area of the eye, where Botox isn't appropriate, it's the perfect thing to help improve the quality of my skin in a classically difficult to treat area.' Fish sperm injections is a bizarre new beauty trend, which can cost more than 400 a pop. Advocates say it offers a 'natural' alternative to other traditional 'tweakments' such as Botox and filler. Some doctors claim it is safer than other cosmetic injectables, which have been linked to a catalogue of complications including blocked blood vessels, lumpy skin and infections. It uses purified and sterilised DNA molecules extracted from salmon or trout sperm, known as polynucleotides. Dr Jane Leonard, a GP and cosmetic doctor based in Marylebone, London , is no stranger to the wacky treatment which originated from South Korea and says it's safer than getting Botox and filler The popular fishy injectable has been a staple skincare treatment in South Korea for more than a decade and now celebrities including Jennifer Aniston (pictured) are reaping its skin rejuvenating qualities South Korea's aesthetics sector has been using the treatment for over a decade but its now gaining popularity among Western celebrities, including Jennifer Aniston, who told The Wall Street Journal she is reaping its skin rejuvenating qualities. When polynucleotides, DNA molecules extracted from fish sperm, are injected into human skin, fibroblasts are activated. Fibroblasts are stretchy molecules found in skin that help to maintain the structural framework of the tissue. As we age these fibroblasts decrease. So, when the polynucleotides are injected under the eyes, in the cheekbones or in the neck, it theoretically 'rejuvenates' the skin. Dr Leonard admits she doesn't know how scientists discovered such an unusual ingredient, but says it shows just how 'amazing' the cosmetic industry is that 'they actually find this stuff out'. 'Now it's so common people rarely even ask the question about what it is and how it works,' said Dr Leonard. The beauty treatment uses purified and sterilised DNA molecules extracted from salmon or trout (pictured) sperm, known as polynucleotides, and some doctors claim it is safer than other cosmetic injectables When polynucleotides, which are basically purified fish sperm, are injected into human skin the segments of DNA, activate fibroblasts She even claims the injectable can 'do no harm', because they do not have the same side effects as Botox and filler. 'They stimulate the skin to do natural rejuvenation processes,' she said. 'There is nothing being added to the skin, like fillers, it's just a trigger to start the rejuvenating pathway by activated fibroblasts. It works in different ways.' Dr Leonard, who also offers the treatment at her Marylebone clinic, said the pain feels 'similar to getting anti wrinkle injections'. Although you can get numbing cream for the 10-minute procedure, Dr Leonard said she 'coped easily without'. Depending on genetics, whether you smoke or have had a lot of sun exposure, you may need more treatments, but for Dr Leonard she says for her the rejuvenating effect of the treatment lasts about six months. Experts say lack of routine care and burnt out practitioners are contributing The average nationwide time spent in the ED is two hours and 45 minutes As healthcare workers face historically high rates of burnout, the impact of Americas struggling hospital system is trickling down to waiting rooms. Patients all across the country are facing exceptionally long wait times in emergency departments (EDs) - with patients in some states waiting more than four hours for treatment. The average duration for patients from the time they first register in the ED, to the moment they are sent home from the hospital varies widely across the country. In those in areas with speedy departments, you can be seen in one hour and forty minutes - while in more delayed areas it's more than four hours. Aside from the annoyance, long wait times can cause life-threatening complications, putting patients health in jeopardy. The average nationwide time spent in the ED before getting discharged is two hours and 45 minutes. But nearly half of US states exceed this, with Maryland having the longest hospital wait times - 247 minutes, just over four hours. Your browser does not support iframes. Tied for second are Massachusetts and Rhode Island at 214 minutes. Delaware (211 minutes), New York (202 minutes) and New Jersey (194 minutes) round out of the top five, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, analyzed by pre-settlement legal funding company High Rise Financial. Spending more time in the emergency department increases the chances of complications like infections and the risk patients will leave before being treated. The bottom five states, where patients can expect to be in and out of the ED in two hours or less, include North Dakota (107 minutes), Nebraska (114 minutes), South Dakota (115 minutes), Oklahoma and Iowa (117 minutes) and Hawaii (120 minutes). Long ED wait times have been plaguing hospitals for years. A study conducted more than a decade ago found longer durations were associated with an increased risk of hospital admission or death within seven days. Although the overall risk is low, risk of hospital admission increased by up to 95 percent, while risk of death increased by up to 79 percent among the sickest patients. A separate 2018 study found prolonged wait times in the ED are associated with increased death and decreased patient satisfaction. Dr LouAnn Giangreco, a board-certified emergency medicine physician and the chief medical officer of American Family Care, a network of urgent care clinics, told DailyMail.com emergency wait times are often a sign of an areas overall health ecosystem. She said the length of stay in an ED is, really dependent upon the whole health ecosystem that wraps around that emergency department, which includes resources in the community and access of lack thereof to preventative care services. When the surrounding area doesnt have reliable or quality everyday healthcare services, it makes the emergency department a safety net for all conditions including non emergent ones.. As burnout among healthcare practitioners skyrocketed during the Covid pandemic, hospitals felt the effects of staff and supply shortages. Dr Giangreco said: The other end of it is what's happening within the hospital system. Quarter of a million Americans die every year after being misdiagnosed in ER, federal study suggests A quarter of a million Americans die every year because they are misdiagnosed in the emergency room, a federal report suggests. Advertisement 'If that hospital system has a limit in the number of beds that they have, it prevents individuals from being able to go up into the hospital to be able to be cared for. So they're kept within the emergency department for care when they really need to be up on the hospital floors. In addition to the lack of routine care, Dr Giangreco said mental health in the ED is becoming an increasingly common issue. Part of the catch all nature of the emergency department is people coming in with behavioral health problems who have limited access to care in the community, which leads to the overcrowding of waiting rooms. To address the issue and improve care, Dr Giangreco stressed the importance of being able to access routine preventive care, which would maintain a persons health and decrease the chances of a complication requiring a trip to the ED. Increasing telehealth and urgent care services can also provide faster and more accessible in-between healthcare. Supporting doctors, nurses and advanced practice practitioners (APPs) so they dont get burnt out and leave hospital systems is vital to reducing ED wait times and improving patient care. Maryland leads the country for longest ED wait times and is a state that is no stranger to topping lists when it comes to hospitals or healthcare, previous DailyMail.com reporting has found. Dangerous medical blunders resulting in death or serious injury more than tripled in hospitals across the state between 2019 and 2022. A report from the state showed there were 832 adverse events from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022, which was also the highest since records began in 2004. Of the incidents, 769 were classified as the most severe, or Level 1 events, defined as adverse incidents that result in death or serious disability. In one case, a patient went in for surgery on one of his legs and ended up having his other amputated due to a serious medical complication. In another instance in 2021, three people died after a maintenance worker inadvertently shut off an unlabeled oxygen line. Another blunder saw a premature infant with a low birth weight given the incorrect dose of steroids for nearly two weeks. The overall events in 2022 were a 52 percent increase from 2021, and the highest the state has ever recorded since it began compiling data in 2004. The report, which partially blamed dwindling staff and supply shortages during the Covid-19 pandemic for the increase in adverse events, included outcomes from 62 hospitals throughout the state of Maryland, but did not state what hospitals which events occurred in. The Leapfrog Group, a private organization that evaluates hospital safety metrics, ranked Maryland 35th for patient safety and only gives nine hospitals in the state its highest safety rating of Level A. The overall events in 2022 were a 52 percent increase from 2021, and the highest the state has ever recorded since it began compiling data in 2004. The report, which partially blamed dwindling staff and supply shortages during the Covid-19 pandemic for the increase in adverse events, included outcomes from 62 hospitals throughout the state of Maryland, but did not state what hospitals which events occurred in. The Leapfrog Group, a private organization that evaluates hospital safety metrics, ranked Maryland 35th for patient safety. The body only gives nine hospitals in the state its highest safety rating of Level A. Based on the findings, the authors of the report stressed hospitals should prioritize safety and optimize processes to prevent system failures that could lead to serious errors. Also leading in Maryland, rates of Alzheimers disease. The state of Maryland holds the top spot for the highest rate of Alzheimer's disease in the United States, despite it faring better in obesity rates, household income and residents with health insurance. The traditionally Democratic state nestled next to the nation's capital has more than one in eight over people 65 years and older with the condition, compared to around one-in-10 nationally. Maryland is also the only state to have two counties with the top-10 highest Alzheimer's rates. Baltimore City was tied for first place with 16.6 percent of people older than 65 years old and Prince George's County was fourth with 16.1 percent. Dr Kumar Rajan, author of the first-ever report of Alzheimer's rates at the county level published in The Journal of the Alzheimers Association last year, said prevalence of the disease in Maryland is due to a higher number of Black and Hispanic residents. These minority groups may have elevated rates of the dementia, health experts say, because they have higher incidences of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure - all conditions that impact brain health. Previous research has shown older Black Americans are twice as likely to have Alzheimer's or other dementias than older whites and older Hispanics are about 1.5 times more likely to have the disease than their white counterparts due to confounding factors of comorbidities and social aspects, such as racism and discrimination. In addition to coexisting medical conditions, the Alzheimer's Association said the higher prevalence of Alzheimer's among Blacks and Hispanics can likely be explained by health and social disparities, as well as the marginalization and discrimination of these groups in the United States, which has been deeply rooted in history. Dr Keith Vossel, the Alzheimers Disease Program Director in the department of neurology at the University of California Los Angeles, previously told DailyMail.com marginalized groups experience stress, violence, discrimination and racism. All of these life experiences can influence epigenetic changes, which alter the way a gene is expressed. While Dr Giangreco couldn't definitively say why Maryland is experiencing the highest wait times, she said it is important to examine a hospital's staffing, quality measures and errors in order to get to the root of the cause - and begin to address it. Whats the story? Women-led Wool and the Gang was founded in 2007 with the aim of making knitting cool. It has knitting kits for every ability with all you need to make everything from clothing to homeware to pet accessories. Why should I buy? In a world of fast fashion, these simple-to-follow kits remind us ,of the skills and time required for making clothes, shining a light ,on the need to pay garment workers fairly. The kits are a great alternative to phone scrolling. Why shouldnt I buy? The brand ships from both the UK and the US, so its tricky to work out how far your kit may have travelled. But Wool and the Gang works with environmental consultants ClimateSeed to offset its carbon footprint. The extra mile All yarns are sustainably sourced and are either natural fibres or made from upcycled or recycled alternatives. The wool is gathered in a cruelty-free way and everything is certified by Reach or Oeko-Tex to ensure any dyes used are free from harmful chemicals. Kits come with knitting needles, but you can opt to go without if you already own a pair, to save unnecessary material use. Made in The rigorously tested patterns are designed in the brands UK studio and kits are packaged in both the UK and US. Made from Sheep wool 100 per cent renewable and biodegradable. Journey Sea freight is prioritised for all journeys. Our rating Patric Gagne is a happily married mother of two. Shes a successful therapist and a member of a country club, she owns a dog and a cat, and right now shes smiling so widely I fear her face might crack in two as she tells me, Im a sociopath. And I love it! Im a liar and a thief. Im emotionally manipulative. I dont feel guilt. I dont feel shame, continues Gagne, who does school drop-off and pick-up every day with other mums who are just like her on the surface. With her specs perched on the end of her nose, Gagne, 48, is attractive, friendly and upbeat but Im still a bit scared of her. After all, this is a woman who freely admits to adopting a charming persona to make people like her. Shes also confessed to stealing regularly, joyriding and breaking into peoples houses just for the hell of it. When she was seven, she stabbed another child in the head with a pencil (no long-term harm was done, but still). Once, bored, she even tried to strangle a cat. Sociopaths, according to Gagne, exist on a spectrum. While they can feel love and sadness (if sporadically), the social emotions such as jealousy, empathy, shame and guilt are inaccessible to them. This emotional void is a frightening place to be, so they try to access feelings through bad behaviour. If you google famous sociopaths youll find dictators Hitler and Stalin, serial killers Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy and Harold Shipman and notorious fraudsters such as Bernie Madoff. Yet heres Gagne, sitting in her book-lined office on the US east coast (she doesnt want to reveal the location), happily aligning herself with these villains. Patric Hagne: Pretty much everyone who knows I'm a sociopath wants to get close to me In her book Sociopath: A Memoir, she not only tells her extraordinary story, she also and this is a sentence I never thought Id write urges us to be more understanding of sociopaths, who, she says, suffer from an emotional learning difficulty, lacking the conscience that keeps most of us on the straight and narrow. After all, sociopaths are estimated to make up approximately one in 20 (about 30 million) Americans, of whom very few are the hardened criminals you see in screen dramas such as Dexter and Killing Eve. They are far more likely to be your neighbours, colleagues, friends or relations. But youd never suspect us, says Gagne. People want to believe you can spot a sociopath, but we learn from an early age at least I did to conceal that we dont feel like others and use destructive behaviour as a coping mechanism. So, we learn to blend right in. This number equating to something like three million people in the UK alone is roughly the same as for those who suffer from depression or bipolar disorder, says Gagne. Yet there are no self-help manuals, no support groups, no treatment options for sociopathy. To me, that sounds insane. Indeed, many professionals are hostile to the idea of helping sociopaths, even though intervention could help stop them committing serious crimes. In Gagnes therapy training, a fellow student pronounced shed rather their child have cancer than be a sociopath. Gagnes revenge on that individual was to burn the letters T-A-I-N-T on her lawn with salt, but the comments also strengthened her resolve to raise awareness. Gagne aged 14, in Florida Im not trying to minimise sociopathy. Im saying theres nothing immoral or inherently wrong about not feeling empathy. People like me are just different its our behaviour thats wrong at times. Just because I dont care about you doesnt mean I want to cause you pain. Sociopathy exists on a spectrum just like any other disorder there are extreme examples who commit heinous crimes, yet you can also be a sociopath and be educated and be in a productive relationship. But to be that way you need help to understand why youre the way you are. Named Patricia by her music-industry executive father and estate-agent mother, Gagne spent her early years in San Francisco. She started stealing before she could talk. To this day one of her proudest possessions is a pair of glasses swiped from the nose of one Ringo Starr. (Gagne met the Beatle when she was a toddler because of her fathers job.) Sociopathy is like being short-sighted. you have to squint to connect to these emotions At school she felt isolated, baffled that classmates felt remorse if they lied or sorry for other children whod hurt themselves. Mostly I felt nothing, she recalls. And I didnt like how that nothing felt. Her desperation to experience some any emotion manifested itself as an overwhelming pressure, which only eased if Gagne did something so bad it gave her an adrenaline rush that temporarily lifted her default emptiness. Years later she understood how most peoples brains are wired to feel empathy; how people who lack this are compelled to be violent or destructive in an attempt to make them feel like others. Its like being short-sighted, she explains. You really have to squint to connect to these emotions. Its exhausting. One emotion she did feel was love, although she suspects her version is very different to, and less emotional than the one most of us know. Her emotional compass was her mother, who was distraught at how often her daughter landed in trouble. Not wanting to upset one of the few people she cared for, Gagne tried to behave. Then her parents divorced: she moved with her mother and younger (non-sociopathic) sister to Florida. There, her mother was distracted. Gagnes loneliness intensified. Classmates disliked her. Once she locked some of them in a school bathroom, listening to their screams with detached interest, wondering why they were scared. I felt calm, I felt high, she recalls. Gagne was 11 when her uncle gave the family a tour of the state prison, where he worked. Watching its convicted murderers, rapists and arsonists over CCTV, a guard told her that 80 per cent were sociopaths, a word shed never heard before. They dont feel bad about what they do, he said. A light went on in her head. My mother and sister were apprehensive in that environment but I was just fascinated. It was simultaneously concerning and comforting that there was a word for people like me, even if it wasnt the best word. David, the authors husband, and their children, by the sea in Saint Simons, Georgia As Gagne grew older, she made a pact with herself that shed break rules to make myself feel alive but wouldnt physically harm anyone, not because she cared about hurting them but because that would increase the risk of her getting caught. She stole from church collection plates, played truant and broke into empty houses. Once, she began throttling a cat to alleviate her flatness but remembering the no-hurting rule released it. Violence, she says, was a slippery slope for me. At the University of California in Los Angeles, Gagne took psychology classes, investigating the difference between sociopathy and psychopathy, discovering how psychopaths have brain abnormalities that make it impossible for them ever to develop complex emotional responses. Sociopaths, by contrast, have brains similar to everyone else and can slowly learn emotions. With this in mind, she began copying other peoples mannerisms, touching their arms while talking and smiling, to make people warm to her and to help her finally assimilate. At the same time, she worked out a prescription for my apathy in the form of stealing car keys from drunk students so she could take their cars on joyrides. Later, while holding down a job as a nanny, she allowed herself sociopathic relief by adhering to a strict timetable where she broke into houses on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Eventually, Gagne confessed her activities to her astonished father. He paid for a therapist, who confirmed that Gagne was a sociopath but one who was empathy-seeking. In other words, there was hope for her. She had cognitive behavioural therapy, learning healthier ways to deal with her apathy than committing crimes usually in the form of conversation or a firm word with herself: Knowing why I do the things I do took 80 per cent of the air out of the balloon for me. Gagne began studying for a psychology PhD, supporting her studies by working as a music manager. She was honest with colleagues about her condition, but rather than being repelled by her, many were fascinated and envious of her talents for manipulation, ruthlessness and backstabbing characteristics rampant in the music industry. Since then, shes found, Pretty much everyone who knows Im a sociopath wants to get closer to me. Everyone has some darkness in them and the idea of being around someone who can accept yours without judgment is very appealing to a lot of people. Another surprise came when, after qualifying as a therapist, she found she had plenty to offer in showing people how to detach from overwhelming emotions. Id teach patients to think like a sociopath: Why do you care so much about this problem? What does it matter to you? I do the same with my children. As for her sociopathic patients I see relief on their faces because they dont have to mask any more and they feel less alone. She only recently stopped practising to focus on her writing and advocating for sociopaths. At 32, she married David, who works in tech. He is two years her senior, and theyd dated on and off since she was 14. Gagne had always been frank about her sociopathy but it took years for him to fully appreciate that Gagne really was wired differently to him and not just inventing excuses for bad behaviour. He was worried what secrets she might reveal in the book, because I dont always understand how people will interpret things, and so kept a close eye on the manuscript. My publisher jokes he wants to get his hands on what he calls Davids vault, because every single page went to my husband first and there were so many times when he said, You cant publish this. No one should ever see that! What about the reaction of her children, now 13 and eight? Unsurprisingly, as someone who doesnt get emotional, Gagne cant really see why this might be an issue. They understand its not appropriate for them to read my book, she shrugs. Theres always a risk someone will berate or tease them. But Im not the first person to have written a book thats controversial. So, well just take it day by day. As research shows, sociopathy peaks in peoples 20s and, today, Gagne says, Most of my destructive tendencies have gone by the wayside. Shes not a social person but has a handful of close friends. Observing them has made her realise that a sociopaths life is pretty great. I see them grappling with guilt and shame, worrying about what they should and shouldnt do, their calendars crammed with things that they dont want to do but feel obliged to. Im so glad I dont have to deal with any of that. It seems like a very heavy weight. David takes on duties that she hates, such as attending kids birthday parties and school functions; in return, shes shown him how to sometimes put himself first. He was very conflicted about going to visit his family for Christmas, there were some toxic dynamics. My question was why go? He said, Because thats what you do. I said, Hold on, is this actually something you want to do? Equally, because she doesnt understand jealousy, she had no problem with David confessing a crush on a colleague. Why wouldnt he? she laughs. Im hardly your dream girl! So, what keeps Gagne on the rails, preventing her from planning huge bank heists and harming anyone who gets in her way? The decisions that I make are based on logic. I like my life, being married and living in this house, having friends. But I also know that, in order to continue to enjoy those things, I have to abide by societys codes. Every now and then, however, Gagne still goes rogue. If I come home from the grocery store and anything Ive purchased has gone off, Ill make a mental note: Im stealing this next time. Its the silver lining there has to be one to being a sociopath! Now shes a public sociopath, wont it be weird showing up at school for parents evening and having the other attendees nudge each other? Losing my anonymity is bittersweet, she admits, laughing. Im not just getting rid of it, Im lighting a fire under it. But after more than 40 years of being misunderstood, its just so exciting to finally have people understand what being a sociopath means. Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne PhD is published by Bluebird on 11 April, 18.99. To pre-order a copy for 16.14 until 21 April, go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over 25. I am a sociopath and I knew something was off by the age of seven... after I enjoyed stabbing a kid in the head with a pencil EXCLUSIVE book extract from DR PATRIC GAGNE's new book Sociopath: A Memoir In second grade I stabbed a kid in the head with a pencil. Whenever I ask my mother if she remembers, her answer is the same: Vaguely. And I believe her. Because so much about my early childhood is vague. Some things, however, I remember with absolute clarity. I knew as early as seven that something was off. I didnt care about things the way other kids did. Certain emotions like happiness and anger came naturally, if somewhat sporadically. But social emotions things like guilt, empathy, remorse and even love did not. Most of the time, I felt nothing. So I did bad things to make the nothingness go away. It was like a compulsion. Had you asked me back then, I would have described this compulsion as a pressure, a sort of tension building in my head. It was like mercury slowly rising in an old-fashioned thermometer. At first it was barely noticeable, just a blip on my otherwise peaceful cognitive radar. But over time it would get stronger. The quickest way to relieve the pressure was to do something undeniably wrong, something I knew would absolutely make anyone else feel one of the emotions I couldnt. So thats what I did. As a child, I didnt realise there were other options. I didnt know anything about emotion or psychology. I didnt understand that the human brain has evolved to function empathetically, or that the stress of living without natural access to feeling is believed to be one of the causes of compulsive acts of violence and destructive behaviour. Gagne aged eight, around the time of the stabbing incident All I knew was that I liked doing things that made me feel something, to feel anything. It was better than nothing. Id been taking backpacks from school. I didnt even want them, and almost always eventually returned them. When I saw an unattended backpack, I took it. It didnt matter where it was or whose it was, it was the taking that mattered. Doing anything I knew wasnt right was how I released the pressure, how I gave myself a jolt to counter my apathy. After a while, though, it stopped working. Regardless of how many bags I took, I could no longer generate that jolt. I felt nothing. And the nothingness, Id started to notice, made my urge to do bad things more extreme. This was my state of mind the last time I ever saw Syd, one of my classmates. We were on the sidewalk waiting to go to school when she started whining about visiting my house. Shed wanted to spend the night but her parents refused and she blamed me. I was glad she wasnt allowed to visit. My head was hurting. The pressure had been steadily increasing, yet nothing I did seemed to help. I was emotionally disconnected but also stressed and somewhat disoriented. It was like I was losing my mind, and I just wanted to be alone. Abruptly, Syd kicked my backpack from where it sat at my feet, knocking everything to the ground. You know what? she said. I dont care. Your house sucks, and so do you. The tantrum was meaningless, something shed done to get my attention like countless times before. But shed picked the wrong day to start a fight. Looking at Syd I knew that I never wanted to see her again. Without a word, I leaned down to collect my things. We carried pencil boxes back then. Mine was pink with Hello Kitty characters and full of sharpened yellow #2s. I grabbed one, stood up and jammed it into the side of her head. The pencil splintered and part of it lodged in her neck. Syd started screaming and the other kids understandably lost it. Meanwhile, I was in a daze. The pressure was gone. But, unlike every other time Id done something bad, my physical attack on Syd had resulted in something different a sort of euphoria. I walked away from the scene blissfully at ease. For weeks Id been engaging in all manner of subversive behaviour to make the pressure disappear and none of it had worked. But now with that one violent act all traces of pressure were eradicated. Not just gone but replaced with a deep sense of peace. It was like Id discovered a fast track to tranquillity, one that was equal parts efficacy and madness. None of it made sense, but I didnt care. I wandered around in a stupor for a while. Then I went home and calmly told my mum what had happened. WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND? my father wanted to know. I was sitting at the foot of my bed later that night. Both my parents stood before me, demanding answers. But I didnt have any. Nothing, I said. I dont know. I just did it. And youre not sorry? Dad was frustrated and irritable. Hed just returned from another work trip, and theyd been fighting. Yes! I said I was sorry! I exclaimed. Id even already written Syd an apology letter. So why was everyone still so mad? I hated the way my mother stared at me that night But youre not sorry, Mum said quietly. Not really. Not in your heart. Then she looked at me as if I was a stranger. It paralysed me, that look. It was a look of hazy recognition, as if to say, Theres something off about you. I cant quite put my finger on it, but I can feel it. My stomach lurched as though Id been punched. I hated the way my mother stared at me that night. Shed never done it before, and I wanted her to stop. Seeing her look at me that way was like being observed by someone who didnt know me at all. Suddenly, I was furious with myself for telling the truth. It hadnt helped anyone understand. If anything, it had made everyone more confused, including me. Anxious to make things right, I stood up and tried to hug her, but she lifted her hand to stop me. No, she said. No. She stared at me long and hard once more, and then she left. I watched as Dad followed her out of my room, their frames becoming smaller as they descended the staircase. I crawled into bed and wished I had someone I could hurt, so I could feel the way I did after stabbing Syd. Settling for myself, I squeezed a pillow to my chest, digging my nails into my forearm. Be sorry! I hissed. I continued to claw at my skin and clench my jaw, willing remorse with all my might. I cant remember how long I tried, only that I was desperate and furious once I finally gave up. Exhausted, I collapsed back into the bed. I looked at my arm. It was bleeding. The euphoria Id felt after stabbing Syd was both disconcerting and tempting. I wanted to experience it again. I wanted to hurt again. Only I didnt want to. I was confused and scared. I wasnt sure how things had gone so wrong. I just knew it was all my fault, and I had to find a way to make it better. Read YOU Magazine's exclusive interview with DR PATRIC GAGNE this weekend Taken from Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne PhD, to be published by Bluebird on 11 April, 18.99. To pre-order a copy for 16.14 until 21 April, go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over 25. Its a cold February night in Tel Aviv. Palm trees that line the boulevard leading to the citys acclaimed Museum of Art hang limp with cold rain while desperate voices spill from speakers. Here, in the newly named Hostages Square, relatives of the 134 people still being held captive by Hamas terrorists in Gaza are screaming into a microphone begging the Israeli government, the international community anyone to bring their relatives home. Liri, my little sister, Im here to scream your scream that you cant scream at 19, alone inhorror, in the dark, without knowing whats going to happen the next minute, says Shai Albag. On 7 October, Shais sister Liri was abducted from the bomb shelter she was hiding in on the Nahal Oz army base by the Gaza border, where shed reported for duty only two days earlier. Yoni Levy is the father of peace activist Naama Levy, 19, last seen in bloodied tracksuit bottoms being pulled by her hair into a Jeep by terrorists. In the beginning, God created heaven and earth, he says. Now the earth is formless and empty. When will you bring them into the light? When will there be light? Some of the hostages still missing (all from left). First row: Avinatan Or, 30; Kfir Bibas, 1; Carmel Gat, 39; Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23; Doron Steinbrecher, 31. Second row: Dror Or, 49; Zahar Baruch, 24; Agam Berger, 19; Noa Argamani, 26; Gali Berman, 26. Third row: Liri Albag, 19; Yosef Ohana, 24; Hamza Alzayadni, 22; Eitan Horn, 37; Daniela Gilboa, 19. Fourth row: Ariel Bibas, 4; Omer Wenkert, 22; Karina Ariev, 19; Yair Horn, 45; Edan Alexander, 20. Fifth row: Romi Gonen, 23; Yosef Alzayadni, 53; Guy Illouz, 26; Naama Levy, 19; Eden Yerushalmi, 24. Sixth row: Ziv Berman, 26; Amit Esther Buskila, 28; Tamir Adar, 38; Gad Haggai, 73; Alon Ohel, 23 Nadav Rudaeff, the son of 61-year-old hostage Lior Rudaeff, says: Maybe Hebrew is not clear enough, so Ill speak in English. My dad is not a picture. He is a husband, a father, a grandad but above all, he is a human! His words elicit cheers from the crowd, among them thousands of locals who clutch posters of the missing. They wear yellow ribbons and military-style dog tags engraved with the words Our hearts are captive in Gaza in solidarity. The hostages families gather here and in Jerusalem every Saturday night, as well as on grim milestones, such as 100 days since 7 October, when 3,000 Hamas terrorists stormed the border with Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping more than 240. Less than 24 hours later, relatives formed a pressure group, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. What happened was a crime against humanity, says Eylon Keshet, cousin of Yarden Bibas, 34, who was forcibly taken to Gaza separately from his wife Shiri, 32, and their now globally recognised red-headed children, Ariel, four, and baby Kfir. Kfir was kidnapped at eight-and-a-half months and is now more than one year old. It broke something in us. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) recently discovered CCTV footage of Shiri Bibas, barefoot and clutching her terrified children, as she was marched into the city of Khan Younis on 7 October. Its the only sign of life the family has seen of them. A temporary pause in fighting in November led to 113 hostages being released in a prisoner swap, but negotiations stalled. Despite rounds of talks in Paris, Doha and Cairo for a new deal, at the time of going to press, no further hostages had been freed. Meanwhile, released female captives have spoken of sexual abuse, inhumane conditions, a lack of oxygen, little food and constant surveillance by armed male Hamas terrorists, while being locked in a spiders web of wet tunnels 40 metres underground. Yehiel Yehud, 64, has a daughter, Arbel, 28, and son, Dolev, 36, in captivity. We were crushed when Arbel wasnt released, he says. We knew that on 1 December she was included in the womens group who were to be released. And then the negotiations stopped and she didnt get released. Arbel was kidnapped alongside her boyfriend Ariel Cunio, 26, from the safe room of their home on Kibbutz Nir Oz, less than two miles from the Gaza border. Since then, her family has received just one sign of life: The army came one day and gave us a sentence about Arbel and thats all. Nothing about Dolev. You cant ask any questions; you cant get any details. Is she safe? Is she alive? My dad is not a picture he is a husband, a father, above all, a human Yehiel looks to be coping, but hes quick to clarify. Its one long day without night, without morning, without noon. He checks the news daily and has flown around the world: to the US, to Germany (his children have German citizenship) to meet diplomats and decision-makers. The nights, says Yehiel, are the hardest. Sometimes I sit and write my nightmares down, he explains. Dolev has a chronic illness called Hashimotos a thyroid problem. He hasnt had his pills for six months, so I dont know his situation. Hes a father of four his wife gave birth nine days after he was kidnapped. And Arbel? I dont know what has passed there. Sexual abuse? At Kibbutz Kfar Aza, 70km away, Dor Steinbrecher stands under a dreamcatcher in his sister Dorons bedroom, talking through the events that preceded her abduction. Doron called my mother, crying, he explains. She said, Mum, Im scared, Im hiding under the bed, and I hear terrorists trying to enter my house. The call was suddenly disconnected. A few days later, Dorons friend shared a terrifying voice message she sent them the moment she was kidnapped. In it, Doron says, They caught me, they caught me, they caught me. There are shouts in Arabic in the background. Dor Steinbrecher outside the home of his abducted sister, Doron This was the last sign of life the family had until January when Hamas published a video of Doron, now 31, alongside two other female hostages. In it, she urges Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to secure her release. Israeli media chose not to publish the video, calling it an act of psychological warfare, but Dor watched it. The horrors of 7 October and Dorons abduction have turned Dors life into what he too calls a never-ending nightmare. I barely sleep. I feel guilty that I wasnt there to protect my little sister, he says. I feel guilty every time I eat, drink or take a shower, while my little sister is held captive and who knows what terrible things she is going through. Weve heard testimonies of the sexual assaults that happened during the Hamas attack on 7 October and are still happening in captivity in Gaza as we speak. There are young women who have been raped and some of them may be pregnant. Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American/Israeli citizen, was celebrating his 23rd birthday at the Nova music festival in Reim when he was kidnapped from a roadside bomb shelter. A grenade attack had blown off his arm, but he was alive. His last messages to his parents were sent at 8.11am. They read, I love you, and, Im sorry. From day one his mother, Chicago-born Rachel Goldberg-Polin, 54, has campaigned ceaselessly for his release. You never know what is going to be the thing that actually works, she tells me calmly from an office in the business district of Tel Aviv. So, when were asked to do anything, the answer is yes. When its, Go talk to the President of the United States, go talk to the Pope, go talk to Elon Musk, go talk at the UN, go talk at the UN again, go talk to a visiting cohort of African priests, go march from the Gaza border to Jerusalem I always say yes. Each day, Rachel writes the number of days since she last saw her son on to a piece of masking tape, which she sticks to her chest. She talks to their 100k+ followers on Instagram (@bring.hersh.home) and urges people to write to The White House (even if theyre not American citizens) to add power to the campaign to release her son. Even I cant imagine what Im going through, she says. But just because I have a son who is a hostage, who had his arm blown off and who was stolen from me and from his life, does not mean that I do not care about innocent Gazan civilians, she adds. And in fact, when I check in with the news once or twice a week, I read Al-Jazeera and its helpful. I get emotional. Its important that Im seeing things from both sides. I know that things are complicated all over the world. Amit Sousanna, 40, an Israeli lawyer, was released from captivity 55 days after her violent kidnapping from Kibbutz Kfar Aza. On 29 January she stood in front of the burnt wreckage of her home to talk to me and other members of the international press, wearing a black hoodie with the words Bring Them Home NOW on the front. Beside her was a pile of burnt clothes, behind her the walls had been spray-painted with numbers and codes by the IDF. Clutching a piece of A4 paper, she spoke nervously, explaining that each time she comes back its harder to comprehend the horrific crimes that happened here. This was her third visit to Kfar Aza since her kidnapping. Her voice shook as she relived her experience and explained her fears for those still kidnapped: Being in Hamas captivity meant being afraid for my life every single minute, she said. Everything is just so fragile. Youre constantly on the edge. Things can go drastically wrong every second. You are not allowed to speak, not allowed to cry, not even allowed to comfort each other when times get really bad. Amit hopes the last hostages, among them her neighbour, British/Israeli Emily Damari, 28, can keep their faith alive and stay strong, but even the toughest souls cant hold on for such a long time, she says. I was held in a tomb-like tunnel 40 metres underground that was dark and damp. I felt as if we were buried alive. We were held in such inhumane conditions. Every second felt like eternity as I knew that my life could be over any moment. I had no control over my mind, over my body and soul. It was terrifying. We need to bring them all back home as soon as possible, as every day, every minute and every second counts. And time is really running out. As this issue went to press, negotiations between Hamas and Israel were taking place via Qatari and Egyptian mediators, regarding a potential deal that would see hostages released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, during a temporary truce. It is hoped the deal will start with the release of the elderly, the sick and the remaining 17 female hostages. For more information on the hostage situation, visit bringthemhomenow.net Tesla is facing a new proposed class action lawsuit over alleged numerous wage law violations against its California factory and warehouse workers amid recent accusations of workplace bias and union interference. Two former Tesla assembly plant employees in Fremont, California, filed the lawsuit in a federal court in Sacramento on Thursday, demanding over $5 million in damages on behalf of numerous Tesla workers statewide. Tesla's Breach of Contract and Unfair Labor Practices According to the lawsuit, Tesla breached multiple California labor laws by neglecting overtime compensation, offering meal and rest breaks, providing paid sick leave, reimbursing work-related expenses, and furnishing written descriptions of quotas employees had to meet. Tesla has not provided a comment in response to the allegations when requested. READ ALSO: Tesla Settles with Black Worker, Pays $3.2M Over Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Series of Tesla's Class-Action Lawsuits The lawsuit comes amid Tesla's accusations of permitting widespread racial discrimination and harassment against Black employees at its Fremont plant and other facilities in California, which it has vehemently denied. A case filed by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which is responsible for enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws, was dismissed by a federal judge last week. Tesla faces lawsuits from a California civil rights agency and a class of 6,000 workers. Tesla recently reached a lawsuit settlement brought by a former Black factory worker, whose terms were not disclosed after a jury awarded him $3.2 million. Tesla is also confronted with allegations that CEO Elon Musk violated workers' labor rights by implying in a 2018 tweet that employees could lose stock options if they unionized and that it unlawfully impeded a unionization effort at a New York facility. As per The National Labor Relations Board, Tesla breached labor regulations by terminating a union activist, tweeting: "Nothing stopping Tesla team at our car plant from voting union. Could do so tmrw if they wanted. But why pay union dues & give up stock options for nothing?" Tesla has refuted wrongdoing in the New York case and clarified that Musk's tweet was meant to highlight that most unionized workers typically do not receive stock options. However, the federal agency instructed the CEO to remove his tweet and reinstate the terminated employee, Richard Ortiz. Additionally, the company must compensate Ortiz for lost wages, benefits, and any adverse tax outcomes resulting from his dismissal, as directed by the regulator. The board also directed Tesla to distribute notices nationwide and conduct meetings at its primary US car plant in Fremont, California, to educate workers about their protected rights. During these meetings, either Musk himself or a board agent in Musk's presence must read the notice to workers, security guards, managers, and supervisors. In another case in November, a US appeals court ruled that Tesla did not breach federal labor law by prohibiting factory workers from wearing T-shirts endorsing a union campaign. RELATED ARTICLE: Elon Musk's Legal Battle Continues As Ex-Twitter Executive Demands Unpaid Severance Over a Breach of Contract 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Jane Hasell-McCosh lives in a house full of marmalade. As befits the home of the founder of the Dalemain World Marmalade Awards, pots of the stuff line surfaces and parcels of it are heaped in various halls. Throughout the morning I spend at Dalemain Mansion, an Elizabethan-Georgian pile by Ullswater in the Lake District, marmalade keeps arriving from all over the world by post, by DHL or dropped off by hand. By the time I leave, the mound of entries has grown by several feet. The competition, inspired by a 17th-century family marmalade recipe and first held in 2005, has achieved a global presence. Theres a marmalade museum upstairs, presided over by Paddington Bear (his creator, Michael Bond, was an early supporter), with a shelf devoted to the winners, whose recipes Fortnum & Mason (one of the sponsors) makes commercially and sells each year. Last year we had more than 3,000 entries from all over the world. We have sister festivals in Australia and Japan, says Hasell-McCosh (Japans yuzu tastes like a grapefruit/lemon cross). The Japanese are keen on savoury marmalades with meat and fish. She travels there each year to help judge the competition. Zest in show: entries on display at Dalemain I first heard about the World Marmalade Awards 15 years ago, from a cousin whose mothers legendary marmalade is always a much-cherished gift. Mums fallen victim to a conman, he said. You send off your pot of marmalade and ten quid to something called the World Marmalade Awards. Shes furious she hasnt won. Do they even bother to taste it? We had visions of someone rubbing their hands, surrounded by uneaten pots of marmalade and 10 notes. A few years later, I met Hasell-McCoshs niece, who told me, Jane takes it terribly seriously! The house is full of half-eaten pots of marmalade, and the entry money all goes to charity. Specifically: local hospices; theyve raised over 250,000. The competition is divided into various categories: Seville, Any Citrus, Childrens, Octogenarians, Man Made, Merry (booze), Campanologists, Hotel & B&B, Tea-Time, Interesting Additions (chilli, ginger, seaweed, lapsang souchong, whisky). The only rule is they have to be citrus based. Weve got a new category this year: Prisons, with an entry from Maryland Correctional Institute for Women in the US. Judging takes a month. The panel, led by Hasell-McCosh, comprises local volunteers, friends, the WI and the Lions Club. Weve had some of the judges for 18 years, she says. The winners are announced at Dalemains annual spring Marmalade Festival (this year, its 20 April, dalemain.com) to a crowd as densely packed as a jar of preserved fruit, drawn from as far and wide as Norway and Taiwan. At Penrith station, theyre welcomed by Paddington Bear to the Marma-lakeland. Last years top award was won on the seventh attempt by Tim Nind from Edinburgh, who said it was better than winning Wimbledon! Others agree. Jane Hasell-McCosh heads the judging panel My husbands obsessed, said Sarah Barclay, former YOU magazine beauty editor and wife of a busy KC. He enters every year in different categories. He puts in whisky and honey. Hes entering the Marmal-Ashes [for an extra 3 you can compete against marmalade from Australia]. Hes even won a Silver Medal. My cousin won a Bronze. My mother made marmalade, but she never taught me, as she died when I was a child. I love eating it, though. Thats why I took the train to Dalemains dark and sticky heart of marmalade. After Cumberland sausages, toast and marmalade (obviously) in her kitchen, Hasell-McCosh takes me through the judging criteria: Is it clear? Vibrant? She holds a pot up to the light. Although thats hard with the Dark and Chunky ones. Is the pot clean? Is it full to the top? Does it pop when you unscrew the lid? Is it too set? But also you dont want it to flow off the toast. Bubbles, I learn, are bad. I take marks off for too much peel, she says. Look how pretty that label is! Read the ingredients! She tastes from the spoon, savouring like wine. Can you taste them? We try a jar from the Tea-Time category: the ghost of lapsang lingers on my tongue. On the side is a saucepan full of pre-cooked fruit a grapefruit, some Seville oranges, a sweet orange and a lemon. You can make this all year round, Hasell-McCosh tells me. She uses a pressure cooker (quicker and more environmentally sound). Once shes got rid of the pips and scraped off the pith, she chops up the fruit with herb scissors. Where the liquid magic is: the pectin and all the flavour Its so much faster. Some people use a Magimix, but it makes it very cloudy. She pours the pulp into a measuring jug, adds the liquid the fruit has been cooked in and tops up with water to double the pulps volume. The liquid is where the magic is: the pectin and all the flavour. Heat the liquid, then add a pound of sugar per pint Hasell-McCosh prefers white, pre-warmed in the Aga (It melts more quickly). Bring the mixture to a gloopy, volanic boil. When its ready, it has a lovely crackling sound. Let it stand for ten minutes, then put into sterilised jars. Back home, I ring Julia, a Ukrainian former triathlon champion and Eurovision Song Contest contender who, pre-war, also had an award-winning chain of pastry shops in Ukraine. Fruit preservation is big in Eastern Europe because of long winters and poor supply chains. She turns out to have been marmalade-trained by a Michelin-starred chef in Paris. After pressure cooking the fruit, under Julias direction, I chop it, carefully scraping back the pith, and cut up the peel. Julia layers flavour: vanilla and almond. You wont taste it, she says when I object. I insist on ginger. Urgh! I wouldnt add vanilla! says my stepmother, a maker of marmalade as dark as night. Then she tastes Julias recipe: Thats delicious! I become obsessed. In a week I make various batches chilli, ginger and lime; Earl Grey and orange blossom; star anise and gin. I have marmalade with sausages, on toast, in cake, with cheese. Not normally a great sweet-eater, I now live in a brain-fogged marmalade sugar high. Julia sends me a jar of yuzu and bergamot celestial but not for savoury food. Making marmalade is meditation, she says. Perhaps thats the attraction: a complex process, requiring focus and creativity, but involving relatively little stress. The simplest recipe comes from Sarah Barclay, possibly competing with her (very competitive) husband: Nigellas pink grapefruit. You cant go wrong. Chop up the whole fruit and only take out the pips. Two pink grapefruits, lemon juice, a kilo of sugar. The results are delicious, jewel clear. But perhaps like a cheeky pinot grigio versus a complex white burgundy. I enter two jars for the competition: Julias and mine for the Generations Together category (I am older than Julias mother), and a grapefruit, orange and lemon cross with Earl Grey and orange blossom in Any Citrus. I would have entered more categories but I couldnt bear to part with my precious pot. I have definitely crossed to the dark and sticky side. I now have cupboards packed with labelled jars and send pots as presents. I have given up sugar for Lent except in marmalade. I think its time I made some more. 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. 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'. They called him Randy Shandy and no wonder the list of women he conquered was as long as it was starry. The Queen's adored kid brother Mark Shand, who died ten years ago this month, was a handsome swashbuckling adventurer whose life was paved with broken hearts. Occasionally labelled a 'travel writer and conservationist', that was the tip of the iceberg when describing Shand's action-packed and often hilarious life. Camilla thought him 'indestructible', but at the age of 62 he tripped on a New York pavement and, sadly, his roistering days were over. Queen Camilla as child with her sister Annabel and baby brother Mark The Shand siblings, Annabel, Mark and Camilla, together at the funeral of their father Mark Shand with Prince Charles at a memorial service for Major Bruce Shand As the anniversary of his fatal accident comes around in a couple of weeks the Queen will recall Shandy's harum-scarum 'all too short' life and the fun times they had together when young. She recalled 'my charismatic and sometimes infuriating brother', noting with irony the means of his passing - an 'unfamiliar' paving stone - 'who had survived tsunamis, shipwrecks, poisoned arrows and even the fearsome Komodo dragons.' The square-jawed Shand's crusade in life was to save the elephant and this he did heroically, leaving behind an international charity, Elephant Family, of which both Camilla and King Charles are now joint presidents. But in many corners of the globe he'll be remembered for one other thing his reputation as a great lover. Growing up in Sussex, the son of war hero Major Bruce Shand and his wife Rosalind, Mark was never cut out for a conventional career. He was kicked out of his school, Milton Abbey, for smoking cannabis, and started his adult life as a lowly guard at an Australian opal mine. Later he returned to London and set up a business selling Cartier jewellery with his best friend friend Harry Fane, son of the Earl of Westmorland. Tall, rugged and muscular, by the age of 22 he'd honed his skills as a gifted lover and was set to take the world by storm. His first big conquest was Princess Lee Radziwill, whose sister Jackie was the widow of President John F Kennedy. Lee was 20 years his senior. The relationship blossomed at a 1971 house-party in Barbados, thrown by Mark's uncle Lord 'Mad Harry' Ashcombe, to which Lee, Jackie, and others were invited. Also present was Jackie and JFK's daughter Caroline Kennedy, then just 13. Included in the house-party was the as yet unmarried Camilla, along with her flatmate Virginia Carington, daughter of Conservative grandee Lord Carrington. The Barbadian air clearly had special qualities for dissolving the generation gap because by the end of the holiday, Mark and Princess Lee were a loving couple. And so too were Virginia and Mad Harry, 22 years her senior. Camilla was in a long-haul relationship with cavalryman Andrew Parker Bowles at the time and determined to get him up the aisle but that wasn't to happen for another 18 months and meanwhile she was footloose and fancy-free. In the coming months she would meet Prince Charles for the first time at a polo match, and the fireworks would begin. Meanwhile her kid brother Mark, four years her junior, was also making hay. Later he would stay with Princess Lee at her home in the West Indies, where once again he encountered Caroline Kennedy, then at school. He recommended the president's daughter come to London to undertake a fine arts course at Sotheby's. When Caroline finally arrived in Britain, Mark was by now enjoying a fling with a beautiful American model and actress called Barbara Trentham, who was later to marry John Cleese. But 18-year old Caroline determinedly sought out Shand and soon they were in a passionate relationship which flourished despite her being involved in two bomb incidents - one outside her rented Mayfair apartment and another outside her stepfather Ari Onassis' house - which nearly had her flown home by her anxious mother. Instead she stayed with Mark in cosy domesticity, embroidering him a pair of boudoir slippers. There could have been wedding bells. The relationship fell apart when Caroline returned to the States, but Mark's bed didn't remain empty for long. Next up was Bianca Jagger, wife of the Rolling Stones front man from 1971 to 1978. When that failed there was no shortage of replacements, one being model Marie Helvin. Later Mark was said to be close to actress Goldie Hawn, with whom he spent time in India filming a documentary on you've guessed it elephants. Those are the ones we know about. There were many more. Mark Shand with Caroline Kennedy at Heathrow Airport but the relationship fell apart when Caroline returned to the States A 27 year old Mark Shand with Bianca Jagger in a picture from 1979 Marie Helvin with Mark Shand at the premiere of 'Give my regards to Broad Street' film premiere in 1984 Mark was best man at the wedding of Jemima Goldsmith to Imran Khan. Seen here with his wife, Clio Goldsmith at the reception Mark with his wife, Clio and daughter Ayesha at The Elephant Parade Dinner in 2010 Mark was said to be close to actress Goldie Hawn, with whom he spent time in India filming a documentary on elephants Mark famously never talked about his conquests, and in 1990 married former French actress Clio Goldsmith, cousin of Jemima Goldsmith. They lived in Rome, and though the marriage didn't last they had a daughter, Ayesha Shand, who's close to her aunt Camilla and who attended last year's Coronation. The legacy Mark left behind is a huge one half a dozen books, a few awards, and many TV documentaries focusing on his passion for conservation together with an impressive charity supporting the world's endangered elephant population. But it's as a lover that he will surely be most fondly remembered. It's the small city that was put on the map after becoming the site of one of deadliest school shootings in the U.S. in 2022. But Uvalde, Texas is about to enjoy an altogether different focus of attention as one of the few communities set to experience the longest and most dramatic moments of the total solar eclipse that will trace a narrow path north east across America on April 8. The city, population 15,430, and immediate surrounding area is expecting some 100,000 visitors from up to 50 countries to descend for the phenomenon, when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth creating darkness during the day. Uvalde is almost at the center of the 120-mile wide 'path of totality' and is scheduled to go completely dark for four minutes, 15 seconds starting at 1:29pm and 41 seconds. That is roughly two minutes after the border town of Eagle Pass the eclipse's port of entry into America is plunged into darkness for a predicted 4.24 minutes. Uvalde is the proud birthplace of Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey who delivered an emotional address at the White House, urging gun control, after the 2022 massacre Several cities across Texas, including Uvalde and Austin, and will have a direct view of the solar eclipse as it reaches totality on April 8 The city of Uvalde, which was rocked by a mass shooting in 2022, is finally attracting some positive attention as a prime viewing spot for the phenomenon The total solar eclipse will be the region's first in 45 years and 13 states are on the path of its totality The excitement over the rare phenomenon has attracted positive buzz to the community, nearly two years after it was left reeling from a mass shooting that left 21 people dead. Meanwhile, memorials of the May 2022 massacre - when 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos opened fire, killing 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School - remain prominent in Uvalde. These include a poignant stone memorial with 21 white crosses on Highway 90 into the city, next to a giant artwork depicting actor Matthew McConaughey, who grew up there. The Hollywood star gave a passionate 20-minute address at the White House, urging gun control. But chamber of commerce director John Yeackle told DailyMail.com: 'It's going to be refreshing for the world to see that Uvalde is known for more much more than a tragic incident. 'The tragedy was horrific and hearts goes out to the families that were most directly affected. 'Everybody that lives here in Uvalde is probably no more than one degree of separation from someone that was there that day. And I'm no different. 'So this is one of the opportunities that we're excited to showcase what Uvalde is really most known for. And it's not a tragedy, but it's being a gateway to the southwest part of Texas and the desert.' Still, several Texas counties are taking precautions for public safety ahead of the event, with some even issuing emergency declaration, based mainly on the expected traffic nightmare and possible drain on power and resources. The Texas communities set to endure the longest period of darkness during the eclipse - at 4 minutes 25 seconds - are Hunt, Leakey, and Concan, where signs advertising t-shirts and souvenirs of the event have been posted all over town Downtown Uvalde, Texas. The small town is preparing for a massive influx of visitors for the solar eclipse in April Neals Frio River, in nearby Concan, has stocked up with special glasses to view the eclipse safely These include Travis County which contains Austin, which is also in the path of totality and is shutting schools on August 8. Yeackle, additionally an Uvalde County Commissioner, said: 'We're not going that far, but in the city we're not promoting or putting on events. Frankly, we're just trying to survive the event. 'We're not interested in inviting more people. We're concerned with dealing with those already planning to come. 'I believe Interstate 10 north of us and Highway 90 right here will be a parking lot at about 12:45 on the day. Uvalde chamber of commerce director John Yeackle told DailyMail.com the city is embracing the tourism but is mainly focused on public safety 'I'm guessing maybe two thirds of the traffic will be people who drive in from Houston, San Antonio, and Austin we have maybe four million people within 200 miles of us. There will be hours and hours of delays on the two major arteries. 'Distance is a relative thing in rural America. It's 75 miles minimum to San Antonio. For myself, it's not unusual for us to travel two or three times a week just to have dinner, a 150-mile round trip.' One consequence of the madness perpetrated on Uvalde by former Robb Elementary pupil Ramos who was ultimately shot dead by a United States Border Patrol Tactical Unit is the number of extra state law enforcement still in the city. 'I'm confident we can cope,' said Yeackle. 'Going back to the tragedy, we have extra personnel still here from the Department of Public Safety that remain part of the security at schools. 'That's probably 20 plus additionally assigned beside the half dozen that operate on a regular basis here. 'Per capita, we probably have more law enforcement than any other place in the country. And with the situation on the border, we've also got Customs and Border Protection.' Eclipse tourists to the city and surrounding area have faced some eyewatering hotel and Airbnb prices. Memorials of the May 2022 massacre remain prominent across Uvalde, including one street downtown that is festooned with 19 crosses representing each victim The city became associated with tragedy after deranged gunman Salvador Ramos fatally shot 17 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022 Robb Elementary School, where the tragedy took place, was closed and barricaded after the massacre DailyMail.com found the modest Inn of Uvalde asking $3,090.97 for the nights of April 7 and 8 for one room for two people. By comparison, the cost for the following two nights was $255.39 including all taxes and fees. At the equally modest Motel 6 almost next door, the going rate was $1,279 for April 7 and 8 compared to a total of $191.18 for the next two nights. 'The money some hotels want for a room here, it's price gouging, but not necessarily a surprise,' said Yeackle. 'Some were demanding a three night minimum and $900 a night not including taxes. Uvalde is almost at the center of the 120-mile wide 'path of totality' and is scheduled to go completely dark for four minutes, 15 seconds starting at 1:29pm and 41 seconds 'It's my understanding that about 90 percent of rooms have been booked here in town, and I think about 85 per cent up in the Hill Country. 'Unfortunately, every major event throughout the world will have some folks who try to take advantage of visitors. 'A lot of people who are just going to show up thinking they're going to get a place to stay are going be in for a rude awakening. If there are any rooms left, the price is going to be obscenely high. 'And anyone who just rolls in with an RV will have equal problems, because most of the parks are completely booked out. I've heard of people renting out just a space in a field with nothing else for $100 a night. 'Kudos to the establishments who have chosen to be good neighbors and keep their charges reasonable. Because it's much more likely folks will stay with them when they revisit in the future.' He added: 'We're in a stunning area where we can receive a lot of tourists at peak times enjoying floating on the Frio River, and we're 20 minutes from the Hill Country. 'But in terms of amenities, Uvalde is the center. It will be the hub. There's not much to choose from elsewhere. 'For example, the community of Utopia has one gas station with two pumps and a population of about 400.' Eclipse chasers flocking to Uvalde and surrounding area have faced some eyewatering hotel and Airbnb prices A Motel 6 in Uvalde has rooms going for $1500 a night during the week of the upcoming solar eclipse on April 8 DailyMail.com found the modest Inn of Uvalde asking $3,090.97 for the nights of April 7 and 8 for one room for two people Uvalde's relative remoteness within the path of totality also makes it a prime location to observe the phenomenon due to the lack of light pollution. Conditions on the day in Texas are also predicted to be near perfect for the event. 'We have up to 2,000 scientists and specialist eclipse followers coming here because of the location,' said Yeackle. 'NASA experts will also be here monitoring at the Southwest Texas Junior College. Other visitors are coming from the United Kingdom, Germany, Asia, the Netherlands, pretty much everywhere. 'There's an entire sub-culture that follows these things around the world. There's terrific excitement here for it, despite the challenges and need to ensure everyone remains safe.' However, Uvalde's reluctance to promote events, doesn't mean there aren't commercial attractions nearby on the day of the eclipse and leading up to it. Eclipse revelers can enjoy three bands and a party atmosphere in a Wild West 'ghost town' atmosphere in Sabinal, 20 miles east of Uvalde. The remote property, called Steel Reel City, was built about 15 years ago and is complete with a trading post, saloon with swing doors and a Mexican cantina over the dusty street. There's even a mock graveyard. It's usually rented out for film sets but on April 8 will host a bash at $10 a head including glasses to view the eclipse safely. Jake Jecmenek, 67, took DailyMail.com on a tour and said: 'This place was built by a musician called John Ramsey. And he wanted it to look like an old, old town. He wanted old lumber, he wanted it to look authentic. Eclipse revelers can enjoy three bands and a party atmosphere in a Wild West 'ghost town' known as Steel Reel City, in Sabinal, 20 miles east of Uvalde Jake Jecmenek, 67, took DailyMail.com on a tour of the venue, built about 15 years ago by a musician called John Ramsey who wanted it to look like an authentic old western town The remote property is complete with a trading post, saloon with swing doors and a Mexican cantina over the dusty street The venue even has a mock graveyard that is usually rented out for film sets, but on April 8 will host a bash at $10 a head including glasses to view the eclipse safely 'After several years he sold it to a family and they used it as their house, the master bedroom was the trading post. Kind of neat. The saloon was their living room. 'Then Cory Brooks bought it. I approached her and suggested filming movies here and now I help her here. 'We filmed Lady Lawman, which was released in 2021, about Francis Miller the first deputy marshal in the old west, appointed in Paris, Texas in 1891. 'We don't know how many folk will be coming out on the 8th. It could be 200. We've got a stage we're getting ready, the food vendors are very excited.' He added: 'Every business around here is going to make money. Loads of folk who are nothing to do with normal tourism are renting out their land for places to camp. 'And as for the doom and gloom people, they're way off. It's not going to be this huge power grid disaster or anything similar. These cities declaring a disaster why?' In the hills near the River Frio, north of Uvalde, Thea Davenport and her husband Oscar Mendoza are gearing up for the onslaught at their Neal's Lodges and the attached music venue and restaurant Joe Jimmy's in Concan. Their 167 lodges are booked out, compared to 20 to 30 that would normally be occupied at this time of year, predominantly by bird watchers. 'We had people making reservations two years ago for this,' said Thea. 'We've got people coming from Australia. 'This is not our normal busy season, normally we are very quiet. We're opening the bar on the weekend before and believe me, it's going to be very Texan with a band and line dancing. In nearby Concan, Texas, Thea Davenport and her husband Oscar Mendoza are gearing up for the onslaught at their family resort, Neals Neals Lodges and the attached music venue and restaurant Joe Jimmy's in Concan is already booked out for the upcoming event The family-owned business told DailyMail.com that only 20 to 30 of its lodges are usually occupied this time of year, predominantly by bird watchers 'We've heard a lot of panic talk. This isn't a panic situation. It's amazing out here because you can see every star at night, it's gorgeous. 'But to have this solar eclipse and view it in such a big sky setting, it's going to be incredible. We're excited.' Thea added: 'We have all kinds of different people visit anyhow. We've got our good old Texas rednecks, you love 'em, and so many other types of people. But this is another ballgame.' Thea and her husband are charging their normal high season rate. 'We're not gouging, and those who are find it's taking longer to fill their accommodation,' she said. Wesley Lucas, director of communications at Visit Austin, says the state capital is also bracing for potential chaos Thirteen states are on the path of totality for the event, officially known as the Great North American Eclipse. They are Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine. The places longest in darkness are the Texan communities of Concan, Leakey, and Hunt, all at 4 minutes 25 seconds. Meanwhile, in Texas's state capital Austin population nudging one million they're going bats, in the best way. Scientists are concerned that the two million Mexican Freetail bats living under the Congress Avenue Bridge will become disoriented by the sudden darkness and flock out for a 'nightly' feeding session. 'We're renowned here for our bats,' Austin's director of communications Wesley Lucas told DailyMail.com. 'It's a spectacular sight when they flock out at dusk for their feeding. 'But there is a genuine feeling that they could be confused by this eclipse and go out hunting for food way too early.' Like Uvalde, Austin city officials are not actively promoting the host of events 'because we know people are going to come,' said Lucas. 'Austin is a major city, we're the 10th largest in the United States. Auditorium Shores and Butler Metro Park in Austin (pictured) are expected to be flooded with people gathering to watch the solar eclipse Mozart's Coffee Roasters, on Lake Austin, is one of many venues hosting extravaganzas during total solar eclipse 'One study has predicted the direct economic impact to the Austin area could be anywhere from $74.6million up to $200million. 'There has been the emergency declaration but that's really for traffic, safety and infrastructure. Most schools will be closing, and that's to get vehicles off the roads. 'It's totally logistics it's not about some theories that aliens are coming. Certainly, there is an awareness of the impact on telecommunications. 'There is an emergency preparedness to enhance the 5G network because it will be under greater stress with everyone probably using their phones at the same time. 'However, that happens at all major events in Austin We're used to it. The Formula 1 US Grand Prix brings in up to 400,000 people to our city. 'In downtown Austin alone we have 58,000 hotel rooms and 77 per cent of those are booked right now between the Friday before the eclipse and the day itself. 'On average last year for around the same time the occupancy downtown was 55 percent. But, we have the Country Music Television awards the Sunday before the eclipse, so that blurs the figures slightly.' Lucas emphasized: 'We're excited, this is pretty much a once in a lifetime event for us here. We just want people to be prepared if they visit. 'If you're in a car, bring extra water and snacks in case you're stuck. Fill that car with gas. I know there are some communities outside Austin where they're convinced their highways will just become parking lots.' Images taken at exclusive locations such as Worth Avenue and Royal Poinciana Plaza offer a glimpse into the elite world Apple TV's glamorous new hit show 'Palm Royale' provides a glimpse into the gilded but conniving world of Palm Beach high society in 1969 - but who were the real women to dominate the social scene that year? The posh beach city played host to some of the wealthiest and most iconic Americans of the time, including Estee Lauder, Marjorie Merriweather Post and Noreen Drexel. Now, stunning time-capsule images carefully preserved in the state archive now provide a peek behind the curtain at what life was really like for those on the scene as they dressed to the nines in floor-length colorful print gowns and draped themselves in extravagant jewelry. For many, these powerful women were the original Palm Beach influencers - but rather than parading their outfits on TikTok like residents today, they relied on glittering parties, galas and charity balls to showcase their style. Estee Lauder was pictured in a blue teal gown and dazzling headdress waltzing with professional dancer Verne Casanave Diana Auchincloss (left), stepmother to actress and model Brooke Shields, pictured at a fashion show during a benefit for St. Mary's Hospital at the Everglades Club Lyn Fisher Sheresky Revson, the wife of Revlon founder Charles Revson cultivated a fashion collection that landed her on the 'best-dressed' lists of society publications Many of images were taken at exclusive locations such as Worth Avenue and Royal Poinciana Plaza, with high-society chronicler Bert Morgan capturing a host of events including a March 1969 gala to benefit St. Mary's Hospital at the Everglades Club in Palm Beach and a Red Cross fundraiser at The Breakers. One picture set of a fashion show as part of the St Mary's Hospital event features Diana Auchincloss, stepmother to actress and model Brooke Shields. Auchincloss, pictured in a floor-length blue and white printed gown with green bow and matching satin shoes, was previously married to to Thomas Gore Auchincloss, a member of the Onassis family. Her father was the German Vice Consul in the US. The well-connected woman was also a debutante and member of the Grosvenor Ball committee, according to a New York Times wedding announcement. Also at the fashion show was Mary Obolensky, a former FBI worker and later dedicated philanthropist including support of the Russian Nobility Association and Cancer and Blood Foundation. Obolensky also established the Mary Obolensky Underwood Foundation for Leukemia Research before her death in 2006. There is also a relaxed image of Eugenie Marron with Alwin Franz and Edwin B. Coleman on the elite shopping street of Worth Avenue where designers such as Chanel hold storefronts. Marron, a New York socialite who set world records as a pioneering deep-sea fisherwoman, dazzled in bright red slacks and matching top with a Peter Pan collar. Marron became the first woman to catch a giant blue fin, according to her obituary. Marjorie Merriweather Post (right) is seen in one Bert Morgan snap reigning over a a Red Cross Ball at world-famous luxury hotel The Breakers Everglades Club members celebrate the club's 50th anniversary in February 1969 Mary Obolensky, a former FBI worker and later dedicated philanthropist including support of the Russian Nobility Association and Cancer and Blood Foundation Agnes Carvel is pictured at the Everglades Club at a gala for St Mary's hospital in March 1969 Mrs. George Matthews in fashion show at the Everglades Club for the St. Mary's Hospital ball in Palm Beach March 8, 1969 Joyce Hepworth, moved to Palm Beach with her husband George in the 1960s. She developed a a passion for firearms, 'eventually becoming one of the few female NSCA Level III sporting clay, skeet, trap, and field instructors' according to her obituary. She was also a sport fishing enthusiast as well as competitive shooting. Hepworth is pictured with her husband George at a luau hosted at the home of former chair of the US Committee of the United Nations Peter I. B. Lavan. Marjorie Merriweather Post is seen in one Bert Morgan snap reigning over a Red Cross Ball at world-famous luxury hotel The Breakers. Merriweather is seen in a striking pink gown, red satin shoes with a tiara atop her head. Diamonds also drip from her neck, wrists and earing in a glamorous display of wealth. Some of Post's jewelry was so exquisite it was bequeathed to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. Post made her money as the owner of General Foods Corporation and rose to become the wealthiest woman in the US. She was the previous owner of Mar-a-Lago mansion in Palm Beach, now the residence of former president Donald Trump and his wife Melania. Post married four times throughout her life, each ending in divorce. Agnes Carvel is pictured at the Everglades Club at a gala for St Mary's hospital in March 1969. A relaxed image of Eugenie Marron with Alwin Franz and Edwin B. Coleman on the elite shopping street of Worth Avenue Mrs. J. Archie Peck in the fashion show at the Everglades Club for the St. Mary's Hospital ball Mrs. Eric Javits in fashion show at the Everglades Club for the St. Mary's Hospital ball Dr. Roger Currie with Rose Kennedy and Richard Clasby at the Everglades Club Her eye-catching full-length gold gloves march her gold sequined handbag. Carvel is pictured next to her husband Tom, the inventor of soft ice cream and founder of the Carvel ice cream brand. Noreen Drexel, pictured with her husband John R. Drexel III, hailed from an English aristocratic family before emigrating to the US with her mother in 1938. Her ancestors include eight martyred saints. Having never had a formal education, she was a fierce advocate and supporter of public schools. She was heavily involved with several philanthropic organizations including running he West Palm Beach Red Cross, an event for which she is pictured at. At the same event Estee Lauder was pictured in a blue teal gown and dazzling headdress waltzing with professional dancer Verne Casanave. The cosmetics entrepreneur looks suitably glamorous in red lipstick and shimmering eye-shadow. Lauder kept a high-end social life in Palm Beach, mixing with the likes of Ivana Trump. Lyn Fisher Sheresky Revson, the wife of Revlon founder Charles Revson, a competitor of Estee Lauder. Revson enjoyed vacationing on her yacht and cultivating a fashion collection, including dozens of Hermes bags, landing her on the 'best-dressed' lists of society publications, according to a W profile after her death. She lived with her husband in a 28-room triplex in Manhattan before their divorce after ten years of marriage. Revson is seen in a large ballooning white gown with puffy sleeves, a smart navy collar and red bow over the chest. She is accompanied at the Red Cross Ball by John R. Drexel III. Mrs. & Mr. Earl J. Robinson and his mother Mrs. Andrew Fraser Christmas shopping on Worth Avenue So what would these icons think of today's Palm Beach style? Instead of making the guest list for a charity benefit at the Breakers, the modern social status symbol is being featured on the city's unofficial best dressed list - the social media account 'Class of Palm Beach'. Class of Palm Beach, which has amassed millions of views on TikTok, parades the town's best dressed and asks them where they bought their chic outfits from. The wildly-popular social media page is the brainchild of one Millennial resident, who often found herself stopping wealthy people on the street and asking which designer shops they had bought their clothes and accessories from. Some Palm Beachers have become so determined to make an appearance on the account - which has 672,000 followers - that they wait on the busiest avenue for hours in the hopes of being noticed by the page's in-demand admin, DailyMail.com previously reported. READ MORE: Palm Beach Barrenjoey Boatshed blocked from operating at night after just seven locals complained EXCLUSIVE A family wrongly accused by a restaurant of failing to pay for a $364 lobster Christmas dinner has revealed the devastating impact of a subsequent social media hate campaign. Jennifer Do and her food influencer daughters Julie and Belinda Nguyen have been subjected to more than three years of abuse including threats they would be raped and killed. Belinda lost her corporate job, Julie was forced to install surveillance cameras in her home and mum Jennifer was harassed at her local Westfield shopping centre. All three said they lost hair, gained weight and suffered depression so severe they contemplated taking their own lives. 'It's been a living nightmare for us every day,' Julie told Daily Mail Australia. 'An absolute living nightmare.' A family wrongly accused by a restaurant of failing to pay for a $364 lobster dinner has revealed the devastating impact of a social media hate campaign. Left to right are mother Jennifer Do and sisters Belinda and Julie Nguyen Last week the trio finally received an apology from the restaurant which made the false claims about what happened when they dined at upmarket eatery Silver Pearl in Sydney's south-west on December 25, 2020. That night the three women and Jennifer's then-partner Son Nguyen went to the Cabramatta establishment to celebrate Christmas with a seafood meal. They ordered two lobster dishes - one cooked in XO sauce and one prepared sashimi-style, but when the food came to their table Son said the latter tasted 'off' and began feeling unwell. The group called a waitress, who spoke to her manager, but the issue could not be resolved and the family left the restaurant without eating, having paid for a $40 bottle of red wine they consumed. According to Julie, no-one tried to stop the group from leaving but they were told never to return. Police were not called to the scene. The group then went across the road to Barluck Seafood Restaurant where they spent $500 on a lobster dish. CCTV footage shows Jennifer Do, her then partner Son Nguyen and sisters Julie and Belinda Nguyen speaking with staff at the Silver Pearl Chinese restaurant where they were wrongly accused of not paying for a lobster meal At the time, the sisters were part-time food bloggers, posting pictures and reviews of meals they had enjoyed, as well as collaborating with other businesses including fashion designers. Julie said neither sister wrote a review of their experience at Silver Pearl 'or bad-mouthed them to anyone'. The family thought nothing more about the night until about 48 hours later when Julie, Belinda and their mother received direct messages from Silver Pearl on Instagram. The restaurant stated the family had falsely accused them of serving frozen instead of fresh lobster, and suggested they had faked food poisoning. 'Even after you complained, you STILL CONTINUED to eat the sashimi that supposedly caused you to "Feel sick",' Silver Pearl said. 'Not only did you continue to eat it you FINISHED IT. 'We find this kind of behaviour dishonest and classless. 'We are demanding that you pay the outstanding bill of $364 or we will pursue this matter through the police and publicly name and shame your family with photos included for this terrible behaviour.' The restaurant then carried out the shaming part of its threat. Three days after the family walked out of Silver Pearl the restaurant posted a warning on social media to 'Beware FRAUDULENT DINERS' with a photograph of the three women. The man on the right is not Son Nguyen In an Instagram post headed 'WARNING: SCAMMER ALERT' and 'Beware FRAUDULENT DINERS', Silver Pearl publicly repeated the allegations against the three women. 'Belinda, Julie and Jennifer, We are disappointed with your dishonest and fraudulent behaviour,' the post read. 'This is totally classless behaviour and we hope your reputation was worth tarnishing for $364.' The restaurant published pictures of the women (plus a man who was not Son) and their Instagram accounts, as well as a CCTV frame of them at the restaurant. Julie said the backlash on social media was immediate, brutal, and incessant. Belinda worked in project management and had 70,000 Instagram followers, Julie was a corporate analyst with 14,000 followers and Jennifer had a small social media presence. Trolls sent the women hundreds of messages, calling them b**ches, wh**es, s**ts, tw*ts, rats, scum, skanks and trannies. They were likened to sex dolls and escorts. Trolls sent the women thousands of messages, calling them b**ches, wh**es, s**ts, tw*ts, rats, scum, skanks and trannies. They also were likened to sex dolls and prostitutes 'You dumb c**ts and your f***ing dumb retarded parents have been doing this to everyone,' one stranger wrote. 'You f***ing filthy sucks. SCUMS. BETTER NOT CATCH YOU IN THE F***ING STREETS!!!!! Or I'll drag your f***ing wig to the store so you pay for your f***ing meal. Dumb a**es.' Another wrote, 'Pay your bill at the Silver Pearl you f***ing fake s**t. I've tracked your IP address and found you home address'. On Instagram: 'Better watch out ugly b***h gangs are coming to gang rape you'. On Facebook: 'Can we please have permission to kill these animals? I hate people like this, with a strong passion'. After two weeks of public vilification, Belinda lost her job. Julie no longer felt safe in her own home and installed surveillance cameras. Jennifer's relationship with Son eventually ended. 'Once something goes viral it's like poison,' Julie said. 'We felt helpless about the situation. It was very traumatic. 'They said they would physically bash my mum if they saw us around the Cabramatta area. That they'll physically harm us, spit on us.' Jennifer Do (right) and her food influencer daughters Julie (left) and Belinda Nguyen (centre) have been subjected to more than three years of abuse including threats they would be raped and killed The online abuse was bad enough but all three women were menaced in public. 'Mum got stalked at her local Westfield by a lady. Mum said, "Hi, can I help you?" The lady said, "I saw you on TV - you're the lobster scammer". 'We have to be subjected every day to this question: why did you steal the lobster from this establishment? 'There were thoughts of suicide because of the extreme humiliation and hatred of being accused of being a lobster scammer.' Julie said the pile-on removed work opportunities and any chance of her having a relationship. 'People ask why I'm single but every time I date someone they bring up this,' she said. Almost 12 months after their visit to Silver Pearl the women launched a Federal Court defamation action against the restaurant and after attempts at mediation the case was set for trial in October this year. The case was dismissed after the parties reached a private settlement outside court, without Silver Pearl making any admissions of wrongdoing or any damages being paid. On March 28, the restaurant returned to social media, this time with an apology to 31-year-old Julie, 25-year-old Belinda and mother Jennifer. On March 28, the restaurant published an apology to the three women. 'We are aware the posts gained significant traction and caused Jennifer, Belinda and Julie hurt and embarrassment' Silver Pearl insisted in that statement there was nothing wrong with the lobster it served the women and that its seafood was fresh. 'However, we do accept that on 28 December 2020 we published a post that was made about Jennifer, Julie and Belinda.' it said. 'We now acknowledge that none of them ate any of the lobster and it was only Jennifer's partner who did. We acknowledge that they paid for the wine. READ MORE: Influencers look unrecognisable after they alter their appearance on The Kyle and Jackie O Show Advertisement 'We are aware the posts gained significant traction and caused Jennifer, Belinda and Julie hurt and embarrassment. 'It was never our intention for the matter to escalate to the extent it did, and we are empathetic to them for any harm our post may have caused.' Julie said the apology was welcome but the women were still in distress. 'We've been through the wringer,' she said. 'We all struggle with our mental health. 'We still get harassed and cursed by people who thought we were lobster scammers or fraudulent diners. 'We will never have the same confidence going out in public. We live in fear because the threats still haunt us.' All three women were trying to put their lives back together now that the restaurant had said it was sorry for what happened to them. Julie has a tutoring business and is studying migration law, while Jennifer volunteers with St Vincent de Paul and Belinda has taken up rapping as musical therapy. 'The apology does mean more than any amount of money - it does bring us some relief,' Julie said. 'The apology means everything because at least we have something to show to employers, to the public, to people around us who know us personally. 'You can't put a price on your dignity or your integrity.' Lawyers acting on behalf of Silver Pearl told Daily Mail Australia that Julie, Belinda and Jennifer's legal action had been resolved 'amicably'. 'Silver Pearl wishes to reiterate its commitment to providing excellent service to all patrons and maintaining a positive relationship with the community,' they said. 'We affirm that the Silver Pearl remains dedicated to upholding its reputation for integrity and respect.' They were Nazi war criminals who should have been behind bars, but instead walked free for decades in Britain. Incredibly, despite the fact that 274 suspected Nazis living in the UK were investigated, only one was ever convicted under the 1991 War Crimes Act. That individual was Anthony Sawoniuk, who was given two life sentences in 1999 for the murder of 18 Jews in his home town in Belarus. The 'scandal' of the men who got away is revealed in a new book co-written by former BBC home affairs correspondent Jon Silverman. Safe Haven: The United Kingdom's Investigations into Nazi Collaborators and the Failure of Justice, details how damning evidence about another war criminal, Anton Gecas, was delivered on a 'silver platter' to British authorities, but he died a free man. Mr Silverman told MailOnline: 'It is undoubtedly a scandal. You are talking about potentially dozens, maybe more than 100 [who went unpunished].' Another man who died without being punished for his crimes was Szymon Serafinowicz, the grandfather of British actor Peter Serafinowicz. Only one person has ever been prosecuted under the 1991 War Crimes Act. That individual was Anthony Sawoniuk, who was given two life sentences in 1999 for the murder of 18 Jews in his home town in Belarus during the Second World War. Above: Sawoniuk outside court during his trial at the Old Bailey, and right as a young man In 1995, he became the first man to be prosecuted under the 1991 act. Like Sawoniuk, the then 84-year-old, who lived in Banstead, Surrey, had murdered Jews in his native Belarus during the war. He had been the commander of the auxiliary police in the towns of Mir and Turets. A Soviet team had recorded how he had been partly responsible for the the deaths of people who were 'killed, tortured, or burnt alive'. Serafinowicz had initially been investigated by British authorities in 1947. He got into the UK after falsely claiming on his immigration form that he had fought with the Free Polish Forces. The initial investigation into him was carried out by Colonel Alexander Paterson Scotland. As commander of the London Cage, the home of the War Crimes Investigation Unit, Scotland was highly respected. But he had warm words for Serafinowicz, writing that he 'makes a good impression'. He added: 'He is a pleasant and easygoing type, has a somewhat sly character, possessing a slightly shifty eye, but could not be described as anything approaching a brutal type.' Serafinowicz was finally prosecuted six years after the War Crimes Act made it through Parliament. The legislation had been fiercely opposed by critics in the Lords and even some sceptics in the cabinet of then prime minister Margaret Thatcher. The opposition centred largely around the fact that none of the suspects were British citizens when the war crimes were committed. The War Crimes Act had been proposed following the conclusions of a 1989 report ordered by Mrs Thatcher. Another man who died without being punished for his crimes was Szymon Serafinowicz, the grandfather of British actor Peter Serafinowicz Serafinowicz was finally prosecuted six years after the War Crimes Act made it through Parliament. Ultimately, Serafinowicz escaped justice because he was found to be suffering from Alzheimer's His trial, which was due to be held at the Old Bailey in 1997, never went ahead The Hetherington-Chalmers report stated of the suspects who were of most interesting to investigators: 'The crimes committed are so monstrous that they cannot be condoned: their prosecution could act as a deterrent to others in future wars. 'To take no action would taint the UK with the slur of being a haven for war criminals.' Most of the suspects living in Britain were not German but instead had been citizens of countries occupied by the Nazis. Many were implicated in atrocities through their roles in local police forces. Mr Silverman told MailOnline: 'These people were the eyes and ears of the` Germans. 'They knew where the Jews were living, and knew where they might be hiding. They played a very key role in the Holocaust in Eastern Europe. 'After the war there was very little scrutiny of the people that we let into this country. Ultimately, Serafinowicz escaped justice because he was found to be suffering from Alzheimer's. His trial, which was due to be held at the Old Bailey in 1997, never went ahead. Mr Silverman said: 'If action had been taken in 1947, he probably would have been deported and would have been executed.' '[But] it wasn't a serious issue by the late 40s because of the Cold War. It was the Russians who were the enemy.' He added: 'Had they moved more quickly [in the 1990s], Serafinowicz could have been put on trial while he was still fully compos mentis. He would have been the first person to be convicted. He is one that got away.' Mr Silverman's co-author on the new book is former Met Police detective Robert Sherwood. Anton Gecas was delivered on a 'silver platter' to British authorities, but he died a free man. Gecas, who worked as an official for the National Coal Board in Edinburgh after coming to Britain, was a commander of the 12th Lithuanian Battalion, which fought with the Germans after they invaded Lithuania and slaughtered thousands of Jews The decision not to prosecute Gecas was, the pair say in Safe Haven, the first of many occasions when the application of the War Crimes Act proved 'hopelessly inadequate to tackle the inequities of the Holocaust'. Mr Silverman said that part of the problem with getting convictions over the line was that prosecutors treated cases 'as though they were just ordinary murder cases', even though they did not have any DNA or forensic evidence. He said: 'They placed all their reliance on eye witnesses who appeared in court. 'You could imagine that was always going to be a very tough ask to get live eye witnesses to the Old Bailey 50 years after the crimes were committed.' Gecas, who worked as an official for the National Coal Board in Edinburgh after coming to Britain, was a commander of the 12th Lithuanian Battalion, which fought with the Germans after they invaded Lithuania and slaughtered thousands of Jews. In 1992, Gecas famously lost a defamation case against Scottish Television after the outlet claimed he led atrocities against Jews in his native country and Belarus. The case came after he admitted to Neal Sher, the head of the US's Office of Special Investigations, that he had been in the 12th battalion and had 'witnessed' massacres. He claimed that he had not killed anyone because he was a devout catholic. In 1992, Gecas famously lost a defamation case against Scottish Television after the outlet claimed he led atrocities against Jews in his native country and Belarus Edinburgh Sheriff's Court issued a warrant for his arrest in July 2001, but by then he had suffered a stroke and so no action was taken. Proceedings against him were later dropped in September that year and he died soon afterwards. A furious Mr Sher, who died in 2021, told the authors of Safe Haven: 'We handed all the information we had on Gecas to the Hetherington-Chalmers Inquiry. 'We gave them on a silver platter to the Brits. It's scandalous they didn't prosecute him.' Sawoniuk died in prison in November 2005, nearly six years after he was jailed for his crimes. He had come to the UK after enrolling with the Polish Free Army when it became clear the Nazi cause was in tatters. He was demobilised in Sussex in 1947 and became a British Rail ticket inspector. Sawoniuk was able to evade justice for so long in large part because of the Cold War, which meant that a letter he wrote to his brother in 1951 that had been intercepted by the KGB was not acted upon until after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Alexander Schweidler, a former SS guard at a concentration camp, was allowed to settle in Britain after being deported from the US for suspected war crimes Another man who was never punished for his crimes was Harijs Svikeris, who spent decades living in Milton Keynes after coming to Britain following the war. The Latvian man had been a platoon captain in the infamous Arajs Kommando, which had been set up with the explicit purpose of killing Jews and Communists. Svikeris is known to have directly ordered massacres. Detective Chief Superintendent Eddie Bathgate, the head of the Metropolitan Police's dedicated War Crimes Unit, told Mr Silverman shortly after he retired: 'Svikeris was a powerful case and I would cheerfully have put him on the charge sheet. 'The interviews with him were videotaped and you could see he was guilty. 'One of my last remarks to the CPS was "you are not going to be able NOT to prosecute Svikeris." However, prosecutors refused to proceed without the testimony in open court of witnesses who had seen his crimes. Svikeris died from a heart attack in July 1995, just days after the prosecution of Serafinowicz was announced. It was reported that he died clutching a newspaper that was open at a page bearing the headline: 'First man to be charged with Nazi war crimes arrested in Surrey.' Alexander Schweidler, a former SS guard at a concentration camp, was allowed to settle in Britain after being deported from the US for suspected war crimes. He moved to Milton Keynes in 1994 after evidence emerged linking him to crimes against humanity. At the time of his death aged 78 in January 2000, he was receiving a state pension in Britain. Schweidler was born in Slovakia and a guard from 1942 to 1945 at Mauthausen camp in Austria. The Mail's coverage when Sawoniuk was successfully convicted in 1999. He was given two life sentences for the murder of 18 Jews in his home town in Belarus The Mail's coverage of Alexander Schweidler, who was allowed to live in Britain after being deported from the US The Mail's coverage of the 'fiasco' involving the prosecution of Serafinowicz, who was deemed not fit to stand trial because he was suffering from Alzheimer's Safe Haven: The United Kingdom's Investigations into Nazi Collaborators and the Failure of Justice, by Jon Silverman and Robert Sherwood, is published by Oxford University Press More than 80,000 prisoners died there through gassing and being shot. Others died after being forced to work as slave labourers or subjected to horrific experiments. Schweidler, who had become a British citizen in 1964 after fleeing to the UK as a 'refugee' in 1947, had signed a document that confessed to shooting dead two prisoners when they tried to escape. He later claimed that this document was 'falsified' and said he had not seen any ill-treatment of the nearly 200,000 people who passed through Mauthausen. Schweidler went to the US in 1965 and spent nearly three decades there before his enforced return. Safe Haven: The United Kingdom's Investigations into Nazi Collaborators and the Failure of Justice, by Jon Silverman and Robert Sherwood, is published by Oxford University Press. 'It is still 90 seconds to midnight': the stark admission by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in January 2024, marking the second year in a row the world's fate, according to the Doomsday Clock, has been held on such a precarious threshold. The war in Ukraine, North Korean peacocking and the breakdown of a deal with Iran to limit proliferation have all contributed to talk of the nuclear threat returning to headlines in recent years. Fear is exploited by the Russian propaganda machine, with Putin and his cronies repeating explicit warnings of Moscow's preparedness to use 'all available means' to protect her people should they feel threatened - and the possibility of 'accidental' Armageddon reaching London. The revived threat of an attack on the capital has revealed the 'beyond embarrassing' holes in Britain's ability to defend against attacks on the mainland with various programmes of astronomical expense to the taxpayer. Were an attack to overwhelm Britain's first line of defence, an attack on London could kill and injure more than a million people. Hospitals and fire services would be destroyed or left powerless as fire and plague swept through the affected areas. The razing of infrastructure and power lines could leave entire regions unreachable. As experts warn Britain remains woefully underprepared for an aerial attack, an interactive graphic shows how London would be affected by a nuclear blast. Your browser does not support iframes. The Castle Bravo nuclear test: the detonation of the most powerful thermonuclear device ever tested by the United States, on March 1, 1954 High above the atmosphere, all-seeing satellites keep watch over the world 24 hours a day, communicating information back to secretive underground bases in the United States about possible nuclear threats. Today, a missile launch in Russia can be detected within milliseconds, sending teams of trained experts scrambling to scrutinise and relay the threat to their higher-ups. In these precious moments, relevant authorities go about installing the defences needed to intercept and stop the impact - and also to prepare for the worst case scenario. It would take about 20 minutes for a Russian missile to reach Britain, depending on the rocket and place of launch. While a sturdy wall of Type 45 destroyers exist to intercept nuclear and conventional threats, experts warn they remain at risk of being overwhelmed. A missile attack on London would cause untold casualties, tear apart bridges to rest of the country and vaporise almost everything around ground zero. In an instant, a 500kiloton nuclear bomb - powerful, but not the most destructive in Russia's arsenal - would raze buildings and kill nearly 100 per cent of the those within half a mile. If dropped on Westminster, that would mean the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, St Thomas's Hospital and Westminster Abbey being completely obliterated by the thermal blast. As the explosion forms a towering mushroom cloud in the air, fires would spread over a large area, even putting people in underground shelters at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. And within a fraction of a second, the heat would cause a high-pressure shockwave to spread out from the blast, tearing through buildings with powerful force. Travelling at supersonic speed, this would smash windows and cause mass injuries even miles from the point of impact. 'That blast wave will keep rolling - it will drop off severely, but it will keep going - destroying buildings and causing casualties out until about two and a half miles,' Dr Jeffrey Lewis, a professor at the Middlebury Institute, told MailOnline. How deadly would a nuclear blast be over London? Russia has a range of powerful missiles in its arsenal, all capable of creating mass casualties in populated areas. A 300kiloton nuclear weapon, equivalent to 300,000 tons of TNT in strength, could cause an estimated 281,010 fatalities if dropped in the centre of London. In the immediate aftermath, there could be an estimated 662,900 casualties on top of the figure. A more powerful 500kt bomb could cause as many as 392,940 fatalities - and an additional 855,910 casualties. And at 800kt, a bomb could cause as many as 534,900 fatalities - and 1,070,150 injuries. Advertisement In London, that encompasses the Tower of London and Battersea Power station. Most of Hyde Park, half of Regent's Park, Chelsea, Knightsbridge and Belgravia. The damage would span from Camden to Brixton. The Royal Albert Hall, Barbican and the Bank of England would likely collapse in the strike. Fires would rage, emergency services outside of the capital stifled by collapsing infrastructure and piles of rubble up to 30ft deep. A direct strike on the centre would see a 'likely fatal' ring of radiation stretching as far as the easternmost part of Hyde Park, with most buildings collapsing in the City and around the Kensington and Chelsea areas. Beyond that, residents in Camden, Islington, Tower Hamlets, Lambeth and Wandsworth would suffer third degree burns. And six miles away, from Chiswick to Stratford, residents would likely suffer injuries as the blast shatters windows and causes damage to houses. Those able to shelter inside a building, ideally ducking under a desk or into a cupboard in case the ceiling collapses, stand a better chance of surviving - but the shockwave at this distance could still be fatal. An 800kt bomb could extend this, shattering windows in Richmond, Haringey and Lewisham, potentially collapsing landmarks like the Shard and the Tower of London - and inflicting third degree burns on workers in Canary Wharf. While the fatal ring of radiation is limited to the very heart of the city, its effects could spread beyond the M25 depending on the weather, stifling the victims' ability to produce natural defences against infection. Those affected would feel nausea as exposure damaged blood vessels and bone marrow, weakening the body's ability to produce white blood cells needed to fight infection. As the body starts to decay, victims are left vulnerable to outside infections and internal haemorrhaging. The effects of a nuclear blast on Paris would destroy innumerable cultural treasures, including the Louvre and its artworks, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe In a densely populated city like London, a 500kt blast could foreseeably kill as many as 400,000 people in an instant. But more than 850,000 could also sustain injuries from the blast, shockwave and radiation. With much of London's infrastructure taken out, it would likely be hospitals and fire departments in the capital's suburban sprawl that take on responsibility for treating casualties, putting unprecedented pressure on local services. But 'all of the dedicated burn beds around the world would be insufficient to care for the survivors of a single nuclear bomb on any city,' warns the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. The fatalities would invite pests and disease, spreading illness further around a population already decimated by compromised immune systems and creating new epidemics. Significant strikes - nuclear or otherwise - on large population centres would also stifle business, causing huge supply chain disruptions in Britain and beyond. At home and overseas, livelihoods reliant on trade with London would be disrupted or destroyed even if they escaped the physical effects of a blast. And with communication networks likely knocked offline, the response to dealing with plague, injury and demolition would be slow and awkward. Hiroshima and Nagasaki, both destroyed by American atom bombs in 1945, show how communities can rebuild cities from the ground up after their total destruction. But the legacy of these cities carries a stark warning about how aerial attacks might bring London to ruin with enduring scars. The bomb that hit Nagasaki, several times less powerful than the 500kt bomb in our model, caused ground temperatures to reach 4000C and radioactive rain to fall over the beleaguered survivors. 90 per cent of physicians and nurses were killed in Hiroshima, 42 of 45 hospitals rendered non-functional. Even as survivors were moved on and rebuilding efforts commenced, within five to six years the victims began reporting a higher incidence of blood, thyroid, breast and lung cancers. Pregnant women experienced higher rates of miscarriage and infant morality, scarring the next generation and stultifying hopes for the future. In a moment, a nuclear bomb has the power to drastically and irredeemably disturb the path of an entire civilisation. Britain is fortunate to be among the countries with preparations in place to stop an incoming attack. But experts warn the defences are not comprehensive and could be overwhelmed. As shown by Ukraine, the damage repeated missile strikes can inflict on a civilian area can be devastating. Pictures from Kyiv and Odesa show insight the ruin brought by even conventional weapons when air defences run dry. The nuclear threat amplifies and brings sinister new dimensions to this problem. The impact and the spread of radiation depends somewhat on whether a bomb touches the ground before detonating. But in either case, many of the weapons in Russia's arsenal could vaporise the centre of London and scorch its suburbs. But it is not only the nuclear threat that poses a direct challenge to Britain's defences, experts warn. The war in Ukraine has shown the urgency of anti-missile defence systems - and the UK has long left itself exposed to all manner of attacks from above. 'There are some basic things we need to do in this country and we are failing on all of them,' Edward Lucas, a security expert and politician, tells MailOnline. 'We were not properly equipped during the Cold War' and since then have retired many of the tools used to prepare the public and avoid the nuclear threat. The effects of a blast on Washington DC centered on the White House, which would incinerate, crush or irradiate almost all organs of state - including the Capitol and Supreme Court In Britain, RAF Menwith Hill, near Harrogate, stations the site for the European Relay Grounds Station, which picks up information from the American Space Based Infra Red System (SBIRS) satellite system. RAF Fylingdales, on Britain's east coast, also shares information with the US and tries to calculates the trajectories of incoming missiles, allowing interceptors to knock them out. In the event of a missile launch, it is unlikely an adversary would fire just the one rocket, however, meaning Britain's 'means of destroying missiles will only be able to deal with a limited ballistic missile threat', according to a 2003 Ministry of Defence White Paper. At the time, barely a decade after Britain retired its Cold War bunkers, air raid sirens and public warning systems, the government warned of the 'immediate state threat' of Iraq but assessed that there was 'no immediately significant ballistic missile threat to the UK'. Edward Lucas told MailOnline that while London likely would be protected by anti-missile defence systems, 'we have given up on anti-missile defences in this country'. An alert from SBIRS would likely see the UK move its Type 45 destroyers to the English Channel and Thames Estuary in order to cut off incoming missiles before they land. This would make London one of the best-guarded places in the British Isles. But Britain only has six Type 45 destroyers, each equipped with Sea Viper missiles able to knock out up to 16 targets mid-air, from some 70 miles away. Each volley could in principle knock 420 nuclear weapons out of the sky by those figures. Russia alone has an estimated 5,580. The Type 45s are Britain's only defence against Russian multi-missile attacks, the former head of the UK Armed Forces, General Sir Nick Carter, warned MPs last year. And while Ukraine has shown 'how important it is' to have strong stockpiles of anti-missile defences, Mr Lucas says, Britain finds itself desperately lacking. Destroyers represent Britain's best anti-missile defences, he says, but continued success would come to depend on the American ability to continue resupplying the Navy. In World War II, Britain was able to manufacture plenty of low-tech defences against incoming attacks. Today, there is no equivalent to the American Patriot System, or the Israeli Iron Dome, able to prevent repeated attacks from incoming missiles. Sir Nick Carter, former Chief of the Defence Staff, told MPs last June that 'the extent to which we've got a counter-missile system is debatable,' suggesting the only system comparable to Patriot was the Type 45s. In the 1940s, says Edward Lucas, Britain had a clear three stage plan for dealing with an assault on the nation. The first provision was to intercept or prevent bombs reaching their target. The second was to issue a clear warning to the population. The third was to implement an effective plan to shelter civilians, put out fires and clear away debris. By 1944, the Nazi adoption of the V2 rocket posed a more existential threat to Britain's population centres, the country war-weary and lacking in the resources to mitigate an attack. In a time of peace, with the 'muscle memory' of deterrence lost, this is where we find ourselves 80 years on. The effect of a blast on New York's financial district are illustrated, wiping out the entire southern tip of Manhattan and causing damage spanning much of Brooklyn and Jersey Today, while the chances of London being hit are low, they are not nonexistent. In the 20 minutes or so between launch and impact, Londoners would likely be instructed to head down to the Underground, used widely during the Blitz as shelter from conventional bombing. Britain's nuclear fallout shelters, a handful of which were built during the Cold War, have been all but retired. The government did away with its own bunker in Essex in 1992, at the end of the Cold War. Until 1992, Britain also used a 'four minute warning' public alert - then referring to the time from confirmation of launch until impact. In those four minutes, the Home Office and the RAF would be tasked with notifying the population - originally by means of air raid sirens, television and radio - of the impending strike and urging them to seek shelter. During the Second World War, every village, town and city was equipped with a network of dual-tone sirens to warn of incoming air raids. These were phased out - again in 1992 - with very few remaining in case of flooding. Today, it is likely members of the public would be notified by text. A spokesperson for EE told the BBC in 2018 that the government was 'working with the mobile industry to put this capability in place'. Problems remain. In the event of a significant attack - nuclear or otherwise - it is 'possible that the first thing to go would be the mobile phone networks,' warns Mr Lucas. Seven per cent of the UK's landmass lacks access to 4G phone signal in peacetime. In this case, questions go unanswered as to how the relevant parties would inform the population of an impending threat. The now defunct Civil Contingencies Secretariat previously told the BBC the UK had 'robust' emergency management arrangements in place, including 'the capability to warn and inform the public through a range of channels including social and broadcast media platforms and direct alert such as the flood warning system'. But it is not clear what comes next. During the Cold War, government departments issued a series of educational videos to prepare the civilian population on what to do in the event of an aerial threat. Since then, Britain has retired most of its provisions to protect key hubs and build back. 'There is no point in issuing a warning if there is no plan for what to do with the warning,' Mr Lucas says. Today, Britain is supervised by satellites high above the earth, checking continually for evidence of possible threats. Six destroyers stand guard in case of emergency - and in all likelihood could intercept an incoming missile before it hit. But Britain, it seems, remains woefully underprepared for the worst-case scenario. With capability only to deflect a finite number of attacks, and reliant on its partners to restock, questions remain over for how long the country could defend itself. The war in Ukraine has shown the importance of anti-missile defences, and the urgency of a clear plan for what to do should defences fail. The latter, experts warn, Britain does not have. Protected by a handful of ships, and no longer prepared for the imminent conflict of the 20th century, without a strategic review into spending and planning Britain may remain open to existential threats from above. The trio were eventually retrieved, at the cost of 790 being exposed to radiation The SL-1 accident is the only fatal nuclear reactor event to ever occur on US soil. An earth-shattering explosion at the Stationary Low-Power Plant Number 1 (SL-1) in January 1961 saw all three technicians on staff killed during what was meant to be routine maintenance of the government lab's nuclear reactor. Following a painstaking operation, the men's bodies were retrieved - at the cost of 790 others being exposed to radiation out in Idaho's Lost River desert. The three men were then wrapped in hundred pounds of lead, interned in steel coffins and buried under a slab of concrete to prevent any further spread. The lab was also considered lost and was buried a few hundred yards away. But rumors surrounding the incident still swirl today, with some speculating the disaster was in fact a murder-suicide triggered by a sordid squabble after one of the crew members engaged in an affair with another's wife. Indeed, one report claims that the man responsible for the explosion had received a phone call from his wife asking for a divorce just minutes earlier - while the co-worker accused of sleeping with his wife was later found pinned to the ceiling directly above the blown reactor. The explosion occurred at the Stationary Low-Power Plant Number 1 (SL-1) in January 1961, and saw three technicians on staff killed. A subsequent report from the United States Atomic Energy Commission suggested the meltdown may not have been the result of an error Army Specialists Jack Byrnes, 22, and Richard McKinley, 26, and Navy Seabee Richard Legg, 26 were tasked with manning the remote laboratory's desolate halls, and all died in the blast. AEC special investigator Leo Miazga implied Legg was sleeping with Byrnes' wife Pictured, an explosion triggered by scientists at the National Reactor Testing Station during their investigation, at the same station where SL-1 had been To this day, more than six decades later, it is the only time American lives have been lost while synthesizing nuclear energy. SL-1 had opened in May 1961, with Army Specialists Jack Byrnes, 22, and Richard McKinley, 26, and Navy Seabee Richard Legg, 26, tasked with manning the remote laboratory's desolate halls. They would eventually become victims of America's first (and only) fatal nuclear meltdown - 15 years after uranium-based Little Boy, was detonated above the Japanese city of Hiroshima, and after plutonium-based Fat Man hit nearby Nagasaki. The then-Soviet Union would look to steal the spotlight with detonations of their own to keep up with the Oppenheimer-led US, successfully testing its first fission bomb in 1949. An increasingly contentious arms race followed, during which a litany of labs opened across the far-flung deserts of Nevada, Utah, and Idaho. The latter is where SL-1 was erected, in a little-known locale literally called Atomic City. Originally 'Midway' until 1950, the town earned the moniker for housing another nuclear lab, Experimental Breeder Reactor, the world's first electricity-powered plant with nuclear capabilities. Air view of the national reactor testing station of the Atomic Energy Commission near Idaho Falls, Idaho in 1957. The explosion on January 3, 1961, occurred minutes after Byrnes received a call from his wife asking for a divorce, Miazga found Following a painstaking operation, the men's bodies were retrieved - at the cost of 790 others being exposed to radiation out in Idaho 's Lost River desert The rescuers thus rotated trips inside to reduce risks to their safety - rushing in with hazmat suits in 65-second intervals The reactor vessel is seen being removed from the reactor building on November 29, 1961, nearly a year after the disaster. The 60-ton crane had a 5.25-inch steel shield with a 9-inch thick lead window to protect the operator. The three story silo contained much of the radiation Army volunteers from a special Chemical Radiological Unit are seen practicing with the crane to insert a stretcher into into the SL-1 reactor building, to collect the body of the Legg, who ended up pinned to the ceiling just above the reactor vessel by debris propelled in the blast The Stationary Low-Power Plant was constructed more than a decade later, at the National Reactor Testing Station, now known as Idaho National Laboratory, some 40 miles west of Idaho Falls. Eight miles south was the aptly named Atomic City, which today boasts a population of around 40, despite - and perhaps due - to its hazardous history. That said, intentions from the scientists at SL-1 were somewhat benign given the nature of the energy they were dealing with, tasked with providing electrical power and heat for small, remote military facilities such as those near the Arctic Circle. As such, reactors were designed to be small, lightweight, and easy to maintain - capable of operating for three years without refueling. But these reactors - powered by boiling water - incorporated several new technologies, many of which required regular maintenance. New practices at the plant included the use of enriched uranium fuel and burnable poison strips (BPS) to prolong core life, and five control rods from the typical 20 to 50 to simplify maintenance. Inadequately tested technologies commonly exhibited operational malfunctions, NASA scientists wrote in a 2007 report - citing a phenomenon known as control rod 'stickiness' in particular. The toxic spewing event of 1961 occurred after an 11-day maintenance shutdown at the lab over the Christmas holiday, only a half a year into its lifetime. It is believed the explosion was triggered when technicians attempted a manual rod travel exercise after a control rod exhibited 'stickiness' - a term that refers to when a rod catches more neutrons than usual, creating less energy. Diagram of Stationary Low Power Reactor - an experimental design that has not been used since An outside view of the plant, located eight miles outside of Atomic City and 40 miles from Idaho Falls This is due to the fact that nuclear reactors can be compared to big sticks of bags of bouncy balls, with the balls being wandering neutrons from split atoms. If you hit a bag of balls with another ball, the bag splits open, making balls bounce everywhere, creating a process known as nuclear fission. During nuclear fission, a neutron collides with a uranium atom and splits it, releasing a large amount of energy. This comes in the form of either heat and radiation, and to turn the reactor off, one would put in more control rods to catch more neutrons. Fewer rods, however, means more bags of balls splitting - a theory that unfortunately became a reality for the three men on duty the night of January 3, 1961. While performing a basic maintenance procedure - attaching the control rods to the control rod drive mechanism - Byrnes was tasked with manually lifting the control rod about four inches before attaching it to the mechanism. However, the young technician is said to have raised the central rod to a height of 20 inches in 0.5 seconds - causing the reactor to go 'supercritical' in just four milliseconds. A video from the US Atomic Energy Commission shows what the workers had been doing when the reactor went supercritical. It is believed the explosion occurred when technicians attempted a manual rod travel exercise after a control rod exhibited 'stickiness' - a term that refers to when a rod catches more neutrons than usual, creating less energy This is due to the fact that nuclear reactors can be compared to big sticks of bags of bouncy balls, with the balls being wandering neutrons from split atoms. If you hit a bag of balls with another ball, the bag splits open, making balls bounce everywhere, creating a process known as nuclear fission During nuclear fission, a neutron collides with a uranium atom and splits it, releasing a large amount of energy. This comes in the form of either heat and radiation, and to turn the reactor off, one would put in more control rods to catch more neutrons Fewer rods, however, means more bags of balls splitting - a theory that unfortunately became a reality for the three men on duty the night of the disaster While performing a basic maintenance procedure - attaching the control rods to the control rod drive mechanism - Byrnes was tasked with manually lifting the control rod about 4 inches before attaching it to the mechanism However, the young technician is said to have raised the central rod to a height of 20 inches in 0.5 seconds - causing the reactor to go 'supercritical' in just 4 milliseconds. The reactor already had fewer rods than usual, paving the way for an enormous burst of energy The core power level surged to 20,000 megawatts - 6,000 times the rated power output. The heat generated by the power surge vaporized the water powering core and keeping it cool, while hammering steam into the top of the reactor. This caused an explosion of colossal proportions, and the 26,000-pound reactor to lift nine feet off the ground. Photos from the investigation that followed show the control rod lodged in the ceiling of the SL-1 Reactor building - now buried in the Idaho desert. Autopsies showed that Byrnes and Legg died instantly, while McKinley - whose wife was pregnant at the time- exhibited signs of diffuse bleeding within his scalp, indicating he survived for some two hours before succumbing to his wounds. Legg, meanwhile, had been impaled by a heavy shield plug propelled by the blast with a velocity of 85 feet per second, with officials finding both him and the debris pinned to the ceiling. All three men died of physical trauma - all of which was incurred from a chain reaction in the uranium fuel that caused temperatures to soar to more than 3,600 degrees. Scientists at the National Reactor Testing Station created the explosion by removing the control rod from a nuclear reactor buried under the earthen mound, simulating the explosion that occurred behind closed doors This photo shows the AEC and U. S. Army Corps of Engineers detonating a high explosive charge in southwestern Idaho, not far from the since-buried plant A rescue operation was eventually launched, though with the highly toxic core exposed, another crisis akin the one seen a quarter century later in Chernobyl was also occurring. Unaware, first responders responding to an alarm at first thought nothing was afoot - because, at first glance, the reactor buildings exterior looked normal. There had also been two false alarms tripped earlier in the day, further quelling suspicions. That quickly changed when they entered the building - after which their radiation detectors immediately went off. Levels of 25 roentgens (r) were recorded, causing an evacuation - despite whole body doses of 1,000r typically being considered a death sentence. Still, any whole-body radiation dose can increase a person's lifetime risk of fatal cancer, and the levels left lingering were roughly the equivalent of undergoing 5,000 consecutive chest X-rays. The rescuers thus rotated trips inside to reduce risks to their safety - rushing in with hazmat suits in 65-second intervals. Eventually, the mens bodies were recovered, but they remained highly radioactive. Photos show the reactor room after the explosion, which caused temperatures to soar to more than 3,600 degrees Levels of 25 roentgens (r) were recorded, causing an evacuation - despite whole body doses of 1,000r of typically being considered a death sentence Such radiation can take centuries to dissipate - so the military men's especially stricken parts, their hands and organs, had to be removed and buried along with wreckage from the lab site. The rest of the remains were shipped off to their families, and like the debris, were buried in lead-lined coffins beneath layers of concrete in each of their hometowns. Byrnes, a recently wed twenty-something, was interned in hometown Utica, in Upstate New York. Legg, a sturdily built twenty-five-year-old, was returned to rural Michigan, two years after starting work as an electrician for the Navy, before eventually being assigned to SL-1. Unlike Byrnes - who married his high school sweetheart at 17 - Legg arrived without a partner. Once in Idaho, however, he married a teenage testing-station stenographer named Judith Cole. Both men soon became fathers - children they would sadly leave behind. Eight miles south was the aptly named Atomic City, which today boasts a population of around 40, despite - and perhaps due - to its hazardous history United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) special investigator Leo Miazga painted a bleak picture of the dynamic between the two once assigned to SL-1. In a report carried out after the disaster, the official framed both Byrnes - who brought his wife to Idaho with him - and Legg as hapless philanderers. According to Miazga, Byrnes regularly ignored his family, courted strippers and threw tantrums at work - often capped by hurling tools. Legg, on the other hand, was a known prankster, as well as lazy and often unprofessional, people who knew him said. For one on-site prank, Legg allegedly once turned off a fan that cooled critical instruments, and on at least one instance, was found sleeping in his car in the parking lot when he should have been overseeing the reactor. Legg is also accused of once flubbing the time card of a friend tasked with manning the power station - leading Byrnes to be brought in to fill his spot. The two had never worked together, but already had a history. According to Miazgam, the two got drunk at a strip club in Idaho halls in May 1960, with Byrnes introducing his future coworker and others to a prostitute named Mitzi. The Burial Grounds of the destroyed reactor, which was buried along some of the most radioactive parts of the three workers, who had to be dismembered The rest of the remains were shipped off to their families, and like the debris, were buried in lead-lined coffins beneath layers of concrete in each of their hometowns. A a retrospective look at the destruction found inside the SL-1 reactor core is seen here She soon joined the group for tequila and whiskey at a sergeants house, before allegedly offering them sex for twenty dollars a piece. The men reportedly talked her down to $2, and Byrnes took her into a back room. Once the deed was done, Legg started a fight with Brynes, Miazga found - while receiving conflicting accounts as to why. A sergeant who broke it up later told him Legg was either scolding Byrnes - for being unfaithful - or teasing him about his stamina. However, a journalist who dug up the report in 2003 suggests another possibility: Byrnes was sleeping with Leggs wife. William McKeown outlines this theory in 'Idaho Falls: The Untold Story of Americas First Nuclear Accident' - the first book to ever detail Miazga's previously unseen report. Specifically, he honed in on Byrnes allegedly crumbling marriage, and his alleged fragile state of mind the night of the disaster. He also cites the New Yorker's volatile relationship with Legg, who had been promoted over him, and surfaced as a sort of workplace rival. Legg had also regularly taunted Byrnes, Miazga found - specifically about him cheating on his wife. The night of the explosion, the pair and trainee McKinley were tasked with reconnected the reactor's control rods to the drive rack that moved them up and down. Atomic City as it looks today. The initial cleanup took 18 months and consisted primarily of burying irradiated and contaminated materials The facility was purposefully located in a remote part of the Idaho desert, limiting public exposure. The immediate plume of radiation quickly dissipated, so that no harmful amounts reached the nearby community Today it boasts just one bar, and a host of residents who believe the blast was not a mistake This, as mentioned, required one of them to physically lift one of the hundred pound rods about four inches, without causing a reaction. An hour into their shift, a patrolman passed by the plant housing the reactor, noticed that the men were busy and went on his way. Three hours in, an operator transferred an external call to SL-1's control room, and on the other line was Byrness wife, Arlene. The operator patched the call through, after which the couple spoke briefly. Through interviews, Miazga found that during the call, the pair decided to end their marriage - after which an unidentified woman tried calling back several times, never making it through. In his report, the high-ranking energy official theorized that the explosion that followed was an act of self-sabotage - one laid against one of the other two men as a result of a 'lovers triangle.' He implied Legg had been sleeping with Byrnes wife, but produced no evidence to support this. As a result, Byrness response to the untimely phone call remains shrouded in mystery. What is known, thanks to officials' autopsy report, is that the man standing directly over the central control rod before the reactor blew was Byrnes. McKinley, the AEC inspector suggested, was just collateral damage. The type of reactor seen at SL-1 - the first of its kind - has not been used since. As for Atomic City, it still stands today. The probe remains shrouded in mystery, it has lifted the lid a furious row between vintners and eco-warriors over the heart of America's wine paradise Those named in the investigation say they are 'baffled' as to its nature, but it is thought inquiries are being made into political donations made by the industry The FBI has launched a puzzling probe into 40 of the region's most prestigious wineries, including one vineyard owned by a former US ambassador There is a mystery among the vines in Napa Valley. 'None of us know what the hell is going on,' says Stu Smith, owner of Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery. In December, the FBI subpoenaed Napa County requesting records relating to as many 40 high-profile vintners and their wineries, including a former co-owner of the Dallas Cowboys and an ex-US ambassador. It also demanded the county's Farm Bureau, a fierce champion of the local wine industry, hand over documents to the US Department of Justice. A month later, its CEO, Ryan Klobas, was found dead next to his car in the tree-studded hillsides of Orinda, California. Officers who arrived at the scene identified a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The 45-year-old's death was later pronounced a probable suicide. Investigations are ongoing. Former Dallas Cowboys co-owner Craig Hall and his wife, former US ambassador to Austria, Kathryn Hall, have been named in a mysterious FBI investigation that is requesting documents from 40 prestigious wineries in Napa Valley, including Hall Hundred Acre owned by the couple Hall Hundred Acre produces highly rated wines including the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Winegrowers have speculated that Alfredo Pedroza, who sits on the Napa Valley Board of Supervisors, is a person of interest for the FBI. Although he has not been named in the investigation, more than half of the vintners who have been subpoenaed have made donations to his campaign. His house was raided by a week before Christmas Those named in the FBI probe say they are 'baffled' as to its nature. But the tangled vines are beginning to unravel. At least seven vintners ordered to hand over documents have contributed to the Farm Bureau's PAC, the Fund to Protect Napa Valley Agriculture. And more than half have made campaign donations to a controversial local political figure, Alfredo Pedroza, who has previously been accused of impropriety in his dealings with the wine industry. His home was raided a week before Christmas. Officials remain tight-lipped over the reasons for their investigation. But locals say they may have inadvertently stepped into an escalating turf war over some of America's most sought-after soil. Belying its idyllic appearance, Napa Valley has been embroiled in an ugly struggle between vintners and environmentalists, with both sides alleging foul play. On the one side, green warriors argue the continued expansion of vineyards is a threat to ecological diversity. On the other, winegrowers accuse the woke 'mob' of intimidating local officials into blocking projects over spurious environmental concerns. As one Napa insider told DailyMail.com, things have got 'really quite nasty'. Some vintners claim they have been the victims of 'hate speech' and 'personal attacks' from the eco-mob, while others have already upped sticks to escape a 'toxic' culture war. Dark clouds are gathering over the green hillsides of the Golden State. And those who created America's wine-making Eden fear it could soon become a paradise lost. Grapes of Wrath Chuck Wagner was 'mad as hell' that his name appeared among the subpoenas issued by the FBI. 'They shouldn't be naming individuals - unless I've done something wrong that I don't know about,' the owner of Caymus Vineyards told the San Francisco Chronicle. Robin Baggett, former general counsel for the Golden State Warriors and owner of Omega Winery, dismissed the probe as a 'fishing expedition' and a 'big waste of time', suggesting it could even be a 'political witch hunt'. Others named include billionaire and former part owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Craig Hall, and his wife, Kathryn Walt Hall, the one time U.S. ambassador to Austria, along with their winery, Hall Hundred Acre. Also in the spotlight is Napa's exclusive Meritage Resort and Spa; Dave Phinney, the entrepreneur who created the wine brand Prisoner; and Grant Long Jr and his wineries Aonair and Reverie II. The FBI has not accused anyone of wrongdoing. Its subpoena to Napa County, first obtained by the Napa Valley Register through a public records request, seeks records on wineries and their owners. It is dated December 14, 2023 and filed under the name of Patrick Robbins, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California. The subpoena also names FBI agent Katherine Ferrato, who specializes in complex financial crimes. Former Napa County Farm Bureau CEO Ryan Klobas was found dead next to his car from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on January 16. Just a month earlier, the Farm Bureau had been named in a mysterious FBI probe. Klobas was not accused of wrongdoing and investigations into his death are ongoing Chuck Wagner, owner of Caymus Vineyards, said he was 'mad as hell' that he had been named in the subpoena sent by the FBI to Napa County, requesting records related to his winery Robin Baggett, former general counsel for the Golden State Warriors and owner of Omega Winery, dismissed the probe as a 'fishing expedition' and a 'big waste of time', suggesting it could even be a 'political witch hunt'. Pictured here with wife Michelle Baggett Dave Phinney, the entrepreneur who created the wine brand Prisoner and owner of Orin Swift wines in Napa Valley, is also named in the subpoena. The FBI has not accused anyone of wrongdoing The agency has not publicly commented on the nature of their probe, but word on the grapevine is that Pedroza is likely a person of interest. The Napa County Supervisor has become a hate figure for environmentalists due to his staunch support for the wine industry, the expansion of which they blame for an array of ecological woes, from soil erosion to the destruction of natural habitats. Though he has not been listed or charged, the subpoenas include the names of people and companies involved in a controversial land deal that sparked accusations of impropriety against him. Specifically, Craig and Kathryn Hall, and Pedroza's father-in-law, Esteban Llamas. The Halls purchased Walt Ranch, a piece of undeveloped land in Napa Valley's Atlas Peak, for $8million in 2005, with designs to build a 208-acre vineyard. The project was met with fierce opposition from environmentalists who said it would endanger oak trees, habitats and water supplies. After more than a decade of regulatory and legal wrangling, the development was tentatively approved by the Board of Supervisors in late 2021. But if the Halls hoped this was the end of the matter, they were sadly mistaken. The following year, local activist and filmmaker Beth Nelson discovered that Pedroza's father-in-law had acquired a stake in an adjacent property. Critics said Walt Ranch would undoubtedly raise surrounding land values. They slammed Pedroza for voting in favor of the development without disclosing his father-in-law's purchase. The San Francisco Chronicle then revealed that Pedroza and his wife had helped secure a loan for Llamas, using their Napa home as collateral. The supervisor denied he had a financial interest in Walt Ranch, but recused himself from future votes. In the end, it was all too much bother, and the Halls gave up on their vineyard dream. Notably, the subpoena seeks documents, including correspondence, permits, plans and contracts, dating back to 2016 - the year Pedroza was first elected to Napa Countys Board of Supervisors and the board initially approved the Walt Ranch project. 'What on earth is going on?' Regardless, the row was seen as a watershed moment for Napa Valley that went to the core of its identity. Ross Middlemiss, staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) in Oakland, which has led opposition to winery expansion in Napa Valley, said the project was 'a massive conversion of otherwise undeveloped, intact, heterogenous ecosystems into a monocrop'. The guiding argument appears to be: don't we already have enough vineyards? The same battlegrounds were drawn again shortly after. David and Kathleen DiCesaris spent several years and $2million on clearing a stringent environmental check, known as an erosion control plan (ECP), for their project to clear about 30 acres to build a new vineyard in Howell Mountain. Napa County approved the development in March last year, but the decision was appealed by the Center for Biological Diversity, who argued it was a threat to wildlife and biodiversity. In August, the Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to uphold the appeal, the first time it had vetoed a project that had an approved ECP. There have been 673. Pedroza was one of the two dissenting votes, while Ryan Klobas and the Farm Bureau accused the three other supervisors of failing to understand agriculture. In the wake of the vote, signs appeared at some locations accusing those supervisors of being anti-farming and, in at least one case, corrupt. Napa Valley's exclusive Meritage Resort and Spa is also named in the mysterious FBI probe David and Kathleen DiCesaris of Castiel Estate winery say they were threatened by eco-activists who told them they would rather see their property 'burn' than have a vineyard on it Stu Smith, of Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery in Napa Valley, says the county is now being run by a hostile 'mob' of eco-warriors with local officials too scared to stand up to them David DiCesaris told DailyMail.com that he had been caught in the midst of a 'political firestorm' and that the decision marked a 'turning of the tide' against Napa wineries. He claimed he had been 'personally attacked' over the project, with threatening notes slipped under his doorstep telling him, in no uncertain terms, that he and his vineyard were not welcome. When he tried to explain the fire mitigation benefits of his proposed winery, he says a neighbor told him: 'I would rather see your property burn than see a vineyard on it.' Some eco-extremists even drove around his property on a dirt bike, churning up his turf, he alleged. 'It was all kinds of nasty stuff,' he said. 'All I wanted to do was put a vineyard on agricultural land. 'Me and my wife have been here for 30 years. The Napa Valley we know is a kinder, gentler place.' Michelle Benvenuto, executive director at Winegrowers of Napa County, said she had also been personally attacked for her support of the industry. She told DailyMail.com that environmentalists had 'spewed hate speech' against her on the neighborhood app Nextdoor after she spoke out in support of a winery. These activists are part of what Smith describes as 'the mob'. He claims they now effectively run the county, accusing the newly-elected Board of Supervisors of being too cowardly to stand up to them. 'There are a few who are so vocal, so hostile to any project, that the board has been intimidated by them,' he said. 'When the Howell Mountain approval was overturned, those of us in the wine industry were going, "pardon me, what the f*** is going on here?"' A 'huge black eye' for Napa Valley The Center for Biological Diversity did not want to provide comment for this article. But Smith, Benvenuto and DiCesaris all believe their actions pose a threat to the future of the wine industry in Napa Valley itself, and by extension the community as a whole. Estimates of the sector's annual economic contribution to the region have not been updated since 2012, when it was set at $13billion. Yet wineries here are already being tied in knots by red tape. Napa County has the strictest environmental checks for vineyards of any in California - and that is in a state notorious for heavy regulation. It has added to the sense of bemusement among local winegrowers, who have long prided themselves on their eco-credentials. 'We are the environmentalists,' said Benvenuto. Frustration has boiled over into legal action. In 2022, Jayson Woodbridge, of the Hundred Acre vineyard, sued the county for 'administrative overreach' after it demanded he cease replanting trees that had been burnt down during the catastrophic Glass Fire of 2020. The county said Woodbridge had not applied for a permit. But the former Canadian infantryman and banker hit back, accusing officials in court filings of creating 'mountainous red tape and endless bureaucratic obstacles' for him and other vineyard owners. On March 21, he lost round one of the case, in which he had asked a judge to set aside an earlier ruling that prevents Hundred Acre from further developing its hillside vineyard as the lawsuit progresses. Woodbridge and Hundred Acre were also one of the 40 wineries subpoenaed by the FBI. He did not respond to a request to comment from DailyMail.com. Former Canadian infantryman turned Napa Valley vintner Jayson Woodbridge is suing the county for 'administrative overreach' amid growing frustration among winegrowers over the amount of red tape the industry faces Faced with costly and cumbersome bureaucracy, and shouted down by angry environmentalists, Smith wonders who will be able to continue to thrive in Napa Valley, other than the 'very highest net worth individuals'. 'We're competing with one arm tied behind our backs,' he warned. DiCesaris agrees, envisioning a future in which smaller wineries are bought out by conglomerates, pushing up the price of a Napa bottle so that elites can afford them. 'People think that the wine industry in Napa County is too big to fail,' Benvenuto said. 'But it's death by a thousand cuts.' Some of her members are already looking at expanding their businesses elsewhere, with one relocating to Fredericksburg, Texas, the second-most visited wine region in the US but one with a considerably more business-friendly environment. It is in this context, with Napa wine already wobbling, that the FBI probe has them worried. Amid the fevered speculation, Pedroza has already announced he will be stepping down from the Board of Supervisors later this year, depriving the wineries of their greatest ally. 'It is all utter speculation' Smith says. 'But we are very concerned for Alfredo [Pedroza]. He's a very good guy and I worry for him because he's been a terrific supporter of Napa County.' Worse still, Benvenuto fears the whole case could be weaponized by the eco-mob, who will seek to capitalize on any misstep or sniff of corruption linked to the industry. 'It is mysterious,' she said of the investigation. 'We don't support any type of corruption and, if someone is breaking the rules, they should pay the price. 'But it would be a huge black eye. I'm hoping there's no meat behind all of this.' We've all missed a train, but missing a flight is a traveller's worst nightmare. Mrs Lou Lou Smith, from the UK, took to TikTok to detail what exactly happens when you make the dreaded blunder. In a two-minute clip, the former check-in agent explained what you can do to salvage the situation - and what to do if you can't. She recalled one, rare incident where her manager permitted a passenger to board after the flight had been shut. She then emphasised that it was the first time she'd seen it in her fiver years in the role. People were quick to chime in with their own unfortunate anecdotes, and some seemed to experience acts of goodwill from airline staff when they rocked up slightly too late. Mrs Lou Lou Smith , from the UK, took to TikTok to detail what exactly happens when you make the dreaded blunder - missing your flight She started the clip: 'I used to work as a check-in agent and because of that these are the things that I will always do. So what happens when you miss your flight? 'Say for example you get to the check in desk and for whatever reason maybe there's been a car crash on the motorway and it's taking longer to get to the airport or for whatever reason, you've missed your flight'. Mrs Lou Lou then explained that once the flight is shut, they're not allowed to reopen it to accommodate tardy passengers, even if they are only one minute late. She continued: 'Now, obviously when we close the flight, that's it -we're not allowed to open the flight back up. 'There's only been one situation where a flight had been opened back up and that is because there was a four or five hour delay for that particular flight. 'So my manager overrode it and the woman was only one minute late to the check-in desk and he just said: "I'll open it back up and let her go through". 'However that's only happened once in five years that I was working there so it's not really as common as you think'. The content creator explained why airline staff can't just open flights, attributing it to the boarding process which would have already started by the time you're a minute late. But you may be in luck: 'If that is you, and you had just missed the check in what I would usually recommend is going to the airport hold for luggage, it's like a locker system. Especially if you checked in online, take your hand luggage and go through the other side - you've got 45 minutes and chances are you'll still make your flight'. However, if you're too late to do this, she instructed you go to the customer service desk. 'You'll have to pay a rescue fee, this can be anything from 250 up and they'll put you on the next available flight'. Mrs Lou Lou did remind viewers to bear in mind how busy the time period you're flying in is - you may not be lucky enough to get a flight back when you want. She also went through the procedure for when you've missed your flight at the boarding gate. 'They send you to a waiting area and then someone will bring you back through through the other side and again, you'll pay the rescue fee. TikTok users were quick to comment on the clip, with one luckily confessing: 'I forgot my passport once at home and the lovely BA lady at customer service put me on a flight the next day'. It seems like more people than you'd think have missed their flights based on the comments on Mrs Lou Lou's clip Another faced similar good luck: 'I missed my flight to London, was travelling with Delta and they just put me on the next available flight for free!' A different user penned: 'Missed a flight from Stansted to Dubai once, I watched it drive away, so depressing. Emirates gave me one from Heathrow the next day for 56 though!' But not everyone was so fortunate, with one somehow missing their flight 'after checking in'. Another had witnessed a financial tragedy: 'Someone was flying back to USA from Dubai, they thought their flight was at 2pm not 2am! Obviously missed it and paid more than 1k for another flight'. And a different user theorised that: 'If you miss your flight with easyJet you can pay 110 to be put onto the next available flight. Its called an IROP'. Auriol Grey had a spring in a step as she returned to her favourite riverside walk and visited the pub with her friends two weeks after being freed from jail. Friends have told of her 'relief and enjoyment' at being allowed home and 'going out and about again' following a long year behind bars. Disabled Grey, 50, who is fighting to clear her name after winning the right to contest her conviction for causing the death of cyclist Celia Ward, 77, during a pavement row, knows her troubles are far from over. She has to wait until a date to be fixed in May for her momentous hearing at the Appeal Court in London, which could see her vindicated and her conviction quashed. Even so, speaking exclusively to MailOnline, one of her friends who visited Grey in jail said she was so 'thrilled' to be back that she treated a group of pals to breakfast at her nearby Wetherspoon, the Sandford House. In the first image of Auriol Grey since her release from prison (pictured), she can be seen out shopping with a friend She was wearing a dark green fleece, navy trousers and glasses as she strolled through the centre of Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire Footage of the incident that saw Grey jailed showed Celia Ward (pictured with her husband David) wobble into the road in Huntingdon, where she was struck by a VW Passat Grey's close friend Roman Ramsey, 78, who picked her up from prison, said: 'It's in the middle of town and on the site of the old Post Office. She took some friends for breakfast and treated them. 'She enjoys the occasional glass of wine but not at that time so they had cups of tea!' He told how 'prison food was alright' but she missed cooking fresh food, particularly vegetables, explaining: 'She likes roasting different vegetables and snacking on them and making soups. She didn't get nice veg inside. 'Auriol can look after herself and cook for herself but she does need a degree of care for certain things and is in the process of getting her carers back. 'This can take time so now her friends are helping her with things like washing her hair. They are all very supportive. 'She likes going out to the local cafes and shops and is out every day. Mr Ramsey told how she has been struck by 'how quiet' home is at nights, remarking: 'She keeps saying she can't get used to it being so silent! 'There was always so much noise inside. She was on the hospital wing because of her disability and sometimes drug addicts on methadone and having withdrawal symptoms would be banging around, screaming and shouting.' Mr Ramsey revealed that whilst his close friend appears 'physically OK' he has seen a change in her during her 12 months being incarcerated. He said: 'I sense she can be a bit uptight and get stressed. You never know what is going on in her mind because she bottles it all up. 'She is just waiting for her appeal and willing it to all be over but it is always in the back of her mind. 'She was very upset at being jailed in the first place. Her friends, family and neighbours all thought it was totally ridiculous she had been convicted of manslaughter and given a custodial sentence. 'She did too and has always maintained she is not a killer.' He said for the time being Grey was 'keeping a low profile' and had been 'advised by her barrister not to speak to media'. Mr Ramsey also gave an insight into her life away from her cell on a hospital wing. The retired stone mason said: 'She is doing OK and getting out and about which she enjoys. She goes down to the library and to various places. 'Everything is a 10-minute walk, very accessible, and she goes out on her own or with friends. 'Exercise is very important to Auriol and she didn't get much of that in prison. She loves walking down to the river and seeing all the ducks and greenery.' Mr Ramsey, 78, who sometimes joins her for a stroll, said: 'It's a nice feeling for her to be out in the open again it's better than a prison yard with 20 feet of wire above you.' He told of the jubilant scene at her apartment block when she was first freed, with friends and neighbours greeting her 'with hugs and kisses'. He added: 'She was happy and relieved to be granted bail. Grey shouted 'Get off the f***ing pavement' as a retired midwife approached her on the pavement CCTV footage showed Ms Ward falling into the road moments before she was struck by a car 'We were so pleased to have her back home. She should never have been in prison in the first place.' Grey is said to be 'keeping her head down' as she makes the most of her unexpected early release on unconditional bail. She is only too aware that if she loses her appeal she will immediately be returned to prison. She has declined to consider any media interviews 'at this current time' in her intriguing case in which, despite the tragic death of a retired midwife, she has won sympathy and support from many people and not 'the trolling and hate mail' she had feared, a pal says. When she was first freed, polite and well spoken Grey confirmed to MailOnline she was back home but declined to say how she was feeling or answer any questions, simply saying: 'No comment.' She lives alone in an adapted flat in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, where friends and neighbours rally around to help and support her. The popular and much-loved resident lives at the gated complex owned and maintained by the Papworth Trust and needs carers to help with some daily activities. Yet since leaving HMP Peterborough, she is still waiting for a team of care workers to resume their home visits, so her friends are helping her out in the meantime. Grey has a cleft foot and walks with a supportive splint on her right leg. She is also partially blind and suffers with cerebral palsy that affects her mobility and coordination. She likes to keep fit and active, going for daily walks and shopping trips as well as visits to the local library, cafes and pubs. In a first picture of Grey since her release, taken by MailOnline this week, she appeared content as she strolled along a street, linking arms with a female neighbour. An onlooker said: 'It was so nice to see Auriol out and about again. She looks happy and clearly has a lot supportive people around her. 'People in the town who know her are wishing her good luck for her appeal. Many here believe she should never have been locked up.' Grey lives alone in an adapted flat in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, where friends and neighbours rally around to help and support her The popular and much-loved resident lives at the gated complex owned and maintained by the Papworth Trust and needs carers to help with some daily activities Grey was jailed at Peterborough Crown Court in March last year to the fury of her friends, neighbours and some campaigners and disability welfare groups. She was sentenced to three years after being found guilty of manslaughter for waving aggressively at grandmother Celia Ward, who went on to fall into the path of an oncoming car which killed her. Grey was caught on CCTV gesticulating at the cyclist while shouting at her to 'get off the f***ing pavement' near her home in Huntingdon, in October 2020. On March 21, this year, she walked free after being given the green light to challenge her conviction with no bail conditions imposed on her. Another pal and neighbour Robert Reed said: 'Auriol is fine and getting on with her daily life, and getting out and about. 'She is thankful to the court for releasing her and thrilled to be home. She's busy getting her finances and other things back in order. 'But she is keeping her head down because the court still has to make a decision about her conviction.' Caring friend and neighbour Carrie Tooke is among many who had welcomed Grey home and is now helping her out. She previously described her as 'an absolute darling', telling MailOnline: 'We've all lost sleep over what has happened to her. 'I've been her neighbour for five years, and she is ever so sweet and kind. Grey left the scene of the collision before emergency services arrived and went to a local supermarket Grey repeatedly told police she 'couldn't remember' details of the incident which led to Ms Ward's death 'She is properly disabled, and it was a really horrible, tragic accident but it was not Auriol's fault. 'The way the police and courts have treated her, charging her with manslaughter and finding her guilty, is an absolute disgrace.' Grey has few surviving family members. Her mother Verna Grey, 87, from Sudbury, Suffolk, is not in the 'best health' and is understood not to have seen her daughter since her release. She has a businessman brother-in-law living in Chiswick, West London. Her father and sister have both passed away. A spokesperson for the Criminal Appeal Office said: 'Auriol Grey has been granted unconditional bail pending her appeal against conviction. 'She has been released from custody. It is anticipated the appeal will be listed for hearing in May 2024.' Grey had denied manslaughter but was found guilty after a retrial. She lost an appeal against her sentence in May last year but since instructed new lawyers who took her case to the Appeal Court in London. Ben Rose, of Hickman & Rose solicitors, who are representing Grey, said: 'Auriol Grey is an autistic, disabled person with impaired vision. 'In a case such as this, the prosecution is required to prove to the jury that she intended to cause Mrs Ward harm, or fear of harm. 'We say this did not happen, and as a result will ask the Court of Appeal when the case is heard in May to quash Ms Grey's conviction.' Rapist murderer Wayne Couzens launched a formal complaint after prison bosses stopped him from receiving a birthday present from his mum, MailOnline has learned. The former police officer serving a whole life order for kidnapping and murdering Sarah Everard moaned that bosses at HMP Frankland had prevented him from receiving a book and some clothes to celebrate turning 50. The killer then suggested he might even seek financial compensation for his family after missing out on receiving his birthday gift - as his mother would not be able to get a refund on the items which were blocked from reaching him. It's understood Couzens had been told that he was not being singled out but that preventing him receiving the parcel was standard policy and that no prisoner is allowed packages sent from home. However this didn't calm Couzens who angrily pointed out that a similar parcel - which contained some clothes and a set of headphones - had been allowed to reach him earlier in the same year at the top-security jail. Rapist murderer Wayne Couzens (pictured) launched a formal complaint after prison bosses stopped him from receiving a birthday present from his mum, MailOnline has learned The former police officer serving a whole life order for kidnapping and murdering Sarah Everard moaned that bosses at HMP Frankland had prevented him from receiving a book and some clothes to celebrate turning 50 Couzens was given a full-life tariff one of only a handful of prisoners who will never be freed in September 2021 after he admitted the murder, kidnap and rape of 33-year-old Ms Everard (pictured) The 51-year-old complained he had not understood that that previous parcel had reached him as a 'one off' soon after he arrived at the prison and was still settling in. He claimed that the prison rules regarding parcels had never been explained to him properly and so he and his family were unaware that he was not allowed gifts from home - and his mother had been left out of pocket. It's understood that Couzens raged that HMP Frankland had failed to show proper consideration to his parents during the episode which happened in December 2022, just over a year after he was given his life sentence. His complaint was made to the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman - an overseeing body for prison rights - and urged them to intervene in his case. A source said: 'It might seem incredible after his case horrified the country - how he took advantage of his police status to target, deceive, rape and murder poor Sarah - that Wayne Couzens was doing this. 'But that's exactly what happened - just a year on from getting his life term he was writing busybody letters of complaint about not getting a birthday present.' The source added: 'His complaint was based on his parents, how it had inconvenienced them and potentially left them out of pocket. But it was absolutely dripping with self-pity. 'In even hinting that the present should have reached him he was effectively asking for special privileges which other prisoners wouldn't get. The whole episode was unbelievable.' It's understood Couzens (pictured, being interviewed by police) had been told that he was not being singled out but that preventing him receiving the parcel was standard policy and that no prisoner is allowed packages sent from home Couzens was arrested by his colleagues on March 9 2021 and the following day, Ms Everard's (pictured) remains were discovered in a pond in a densely wooded area close to Ashford, Kent It's understood that Couzens raged that HMP Frankland (pictured) had failed to show proper consideration to his parents during the episode which happened in December 2022, just over a year after he was given his life sentence The former officer who at the time of the murder was part of the Met's armed parliamentary and diplomatic protection command - turned 50 on December 20, 2022. By then he had spent a year at HMP Frankland, dubbed Monster Mansion because it houses some of the country's most dangerous criminals including, child murderers Ian Huntley and Roy Whiting and serial killers Robert Maudsley and Sidney Cooke. Couzens had been sent a parcel of clothing, books and some headphones by his mother in January that year, a month after he arrived from the Category A prison from HMP Belmarsh and it's thought he was allowed, as a new arrival, to receive it. But when he went to pick up and sign for his 50th birthday package he was told it was official prison policy not to allow packages sent from addresses of family members - something he claimed not to have been made aware of. He then complained that his mother had been unable to return the goods and get a refund. Couzens claimed that a notice given to all HMP Frankland prisoners explaining the criteria that needs to be met regarding clothing parcels had been issued 10-months before he arrived. The Prison Ombudsman would not comment on whether they took any action on Couzen's behalf after his complaint but it's not thought that they did. Couzens was given a full-life tariff one of only a handful of prisoners who will never be freed in September 2021 after he admitted the murder, kidnap and rape of 33-year-old Ms Everard. He had abused his position as an officer for the Metropolitan Police and pulled her over by flashing his warrant card as she walked home from a friend's house in Clapham, South London on March 3, 2021. Citing Covid-restrictions of the time, he handcuffed her, and placed her in his car before transporting Ms Everard to Dover, Kent, near his home in Deal, where he lived with his wife and two children. Couzens was arrested by his colleagues on March 9 and the following day, Ms Everard's remains were discovered in a pond in a densely wooded area close to Ashford, Kent. Couzens joined Kent Police as a special constable in 2002 and became an officer with the Civil Nuclear Constabulary in 2011. The 51-year-old (pictured, being interviewed by police) complained he had not understood that that previous parcel had reached him as a 'one off' soon after he arrived at the prison and was still settling in He had abused his position as an officer for the Metropolitan Police and pulled her over by flashing his warrant card (pictured) as she walked home from a friend's house in Clapham, South London on March 3, 2021 Citing Covid-restrictions of the time, he handcuffed her, and placed her in his car before transporting Ms Everard (pictured) to Dover, Kent, near his home in Deal, where he lived with his wife and two children He transferred to the Met in 2018 and was on armed protection duties at Parliament and the U.S Embassy. A devastating report published five weeks ago revealed the full extent of his offending, including accusations of sexual abuse and rape going back nearly 20-years, and heavily criticised the vetting procedure which allowed him into the police force. In a statement, the family of Ms Everard told how her death haunted every part of their lives and said: 'It is obvious that Wayne Couzens should never have been a police officer. Whilst holding a position of trust, in reality he was a serial sex offender.' The King calls Buckingham Palace 'The Big House', and while he intends to move there in 2027 when its 369million refurbishment is complete, those close to him insist he is 'no fan' of the royal home. His decision to open up Buckingham Palace and Balmoral Castle to the public reflects his emotional detachment from them - and a need to bring in money for their upkeep, royal experts told MailOnline today. The King is said to be a firm believer in 'the living tradition', namely that a house which is not lived in becomes a museum. But some believe tours costing up to 100 suggest both homes are heading that way. The Queen rarely stayed at her London home after the pandemic - preferring Windsor Castle - and before then only used six of Buckingham Palaces 775 rooms. Former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole has said Charles' decision to open up Buckingham Palace and Balmoral after just a year on the throne shows he has 'no great affection for them - even verging on a dislike. He said The King dislikes Buckingham Palace and wants to open it up more to visitors. He is not comfortable living there and goes there only to conduct official business - for instance for the Prime Minister's "audience of the King" usually on Tuesday evenings. He also has no great affection for Balmoral, hence his decision to make it more accessible to the paying public. He always stays at Birkhall, his late grandmother's cosy, comfy home on the Balmoral Estate. He added: It is the King's instinct and wish to make the monarchy more accessible, making changes that would not have been contemplated while his mother was alive and on the throne'. King Charles III waves from the Buckingham Palace balcony on his Coronation Day - but insiders insist he is no fan of it Balmoral's Drawing Room is where the last photograph of Elizabeth II was taken, as she appointed Liz Truss as Prime Minister two days before her death. The King is much more keen to open up palaces than she was, experts have said, as people can now visit Balmoral Slide me It is known as the Royal waiting room - where for more than 150 years kings, queens and royals have mingled - often nervously - before walking on to the world's most famous balcony (slidey left today, right in 1939) Many believe that Charles will do all he can to stay at Clarence House - just a five minute walk from Buckingham Palace. His home on The Mall has been revamped and furnished by Charles and Camilla with their own pictures, artworks and priceless antiques. He is unlikely to relish moving in 2027, when he will be 78. One source said recently: 'Charles is no fan of "the big house", as he calls Buckingham Palace. He doesnt see it as a viable future home or a house thats fit for purpose in the modern world. He feels its upkeep, both from a cost and environmental perspective, is not sustainable'. It is also no secret that he and Queen Camilla prefer living at Birkhall, the late Queen Mother's home seven miles from Balmoral. READ MORE: The insider's guide to Balmoral for those who missed out on a 100 ticket! ROBERT HARDMAN on what it's really like inside - and what tourists won't see as it opens its doors for the first time... Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip with their dog Tinker in 1976 as they spent their summer break in Balmoral Castle Advertisement Thousands of people will be able to pay between 75 and 100 per ticket to see inside the royal properties - including an afternoon tea at His Majesty's Scottish estate. The openings reflect Charless wish to make more of his official residences accessible to the public. Charles reportedly only visits Buckingham Palace once a week. The monarch has said that he and Queen Camilla will move to Buckingham Palace in 2027 after works have been complete. But experts have said they would not be surprised if the couple, who would both be in their late seventies by then, would move at that age - especially given how much Chares loves Clarence House. Mr Cole says that he is more likely to go to Buckingham Palace to board his helicopter then spend the night there. He said; Charles goes there to go to the grounds to board a helicopter to go somewhere he prefers -- another of his residences, Sandringham House, Balmoral Castle, Highgrove'. When asked where could be next Mr Cole said the royal residence in Norfolk although it would be a wrench given his mothers affection for her "Dear old Sandringham", as she called it. He said: The Queen loved Balmoral but she loved Sandringham, also personally owned by the monarch, even more. Former MP Norman Baker, an expert on King Charles and royal finances, told MailOnline it is all about trying to 'rake in even more money. The Band of the Welsh Guards perform the NATO hymn during the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace, London, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation this week Balmoral Castle is, above all, a family retreat as the first busload of tourists are about to find out when the King throws opens its doors to the paying public for the first time Mr Baker believes like Buckingham Palace, Balmoral and Sandringham should be brought into public ownership, rather than be privately owned by the Royal Family. He said: We need a full investigation by the Public Accounts committee into royal finances. The changes offer the public the chance to see areas of royal palaces never opened up before. Buckingham Palaces famous centre room, where the Royal Family gather before appearances on the balcony, is to open to the public for the first time. At a cost of 75, visitors will be able to take guided tours of the royal residences east wing, the front facade which faces The Mall, where crowds assemble on major occasions to see the monarchy. The palaces east wing was built between 1847 and 1849 to accommodate Queen Victorias family. The wings principal floor will be open in July and August following more than five years of improvements, which were part of the ongoing 369 million reservicing programme. George IVs oriental-style seaside palace in Brighton was sold to finance the building work, and its contents were moved to the east wing and inspired the Chinese-themed decor of its principal rooms. It was in the Centre Room that the monarch prepared to make her final wave to the public from the famous Palace platform at her Platinum Jubilee in 2022 Prince William and Catherine, now the Princess of Wales, shared a kiss on the balcony when they married in 2011 Tours will conclude in the centre room which leads on to the balcony, but the public will not be able to step out. Highlights in this room include two Chinese 18th-century imperial silk wall hangings, presented to Victoria by Guangxu, emperor of China, to mark her Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Tour tickets, from July 15 to August 31, go on sale from April 9. It comes after it was announced on Tuesday that the King will open the interior of Balmoral Castle to the public for the first time from July 1. But a Balmoral ticket will cost 100. Until now tours of the castle have been limited to the grounds and ballroom - where the late Queens coffin was placed following her death at her beloved Scottish retreat in September 2022 - at a price of 17.50. The new private tours of the interior this summer will cost 100 or 150 with afternoon tea, and be limited to 40 tickets per day. The tours will take place from July 1 until August 4, before the King and Queen arrive for their annual summer break. They will take visitors through a selection of rooms used by the King and Queen and other members of the Royal Family. In a statement on its website yesterday, the Balmoral estate announced: Since its completion in 1855, access to the interior of Balmoral Castle has been restricted to the public, until now. Diana and Charles pictured on the Balmoral estate two months before their wedding in 1981 The late Queen watches Charles driving around in a toy car on the grounds of Balmoral Castle For the first time in history, were thrilled to announce the launch of interior castle private tours - The Balmoral Experience. Learn about Balmorals history and heritage, led by our experienced guides through several of the exquisite rooms within Balmoral Castle. It added: You will learn about the origins of the Castle and how it has been loved by generations of the Royal Family... You will see why Balmoral is such a special place - the much loved and celebrated Highland home of the Royal Family. Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire has been the Scottish home of the Royal Family since it was purchased for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852, having been first leased in 1848. The King has ordered workers to construct a giant thistle-themed maze in the grounds - only the second new Royal maze in 300 years, the other having been built at Dumfries House in Ayrshire. He is quietly opening up Balmoral to the public for longer and extending the commercial activities. Inside the Royal waiting room: How Buckingham Palace's Centre Room has played host to nervous Kings, Queens and other royals - and even a triumphant Winston Churchill - before they stepped out onto the most famous balcony in the world It is known as the Royal waiting room - where for more than 150 years kings, queens and royals have mingled - often nervously - before walking on to the world's most famous balcony. Buckingham Palace's Centre Room, which will be open to visitors for the first time this summer as part of an opening of up of the royal home's East Wing, has been a host for nerves and excitement since the reign of Queen Victoria. It is now home to a newly restored glass chandelier that is shaped to resemble a lotus flower and two Chinese 18th-century silk wall hangings that were presented to Victoria by the emperor of China to mark her Diamond Jubilee in 1897. But, beyond the beauty of the ornate furnishings, it is the conversations that the royals have had inside it ahead of their balcony appearances that are most fascinating. Meghan Markle, on her first balcony outing in 2018, reportedly admitted to her husband Prince Harry that she was 'nervous', so it was in the Centre Room where she would have sought to calm those jitters. On VE Day in 1945, Winston Churchill joined the Royal Family - including Princess Elizabeth in uniform - on the palace's balcony. A fly on the wall in the Centre Room would have seen him engage in small talk before he stepped outside to the roar of a jubilant, war weary crowd Meghan Markle , on her first balcony outing in 2018, reportedly admitted to her husband Prince Harry that she was 'nervous', so it was in the Centre Room where she would have sought to calm those jitters The room has also been host to at least one wisp of cigarette smoke. Prince Henry, the late Duke of Gloucester, was pictured enjoying a crafty puff on the balcony threshold in May 1952, when Queen Elizabeth II oversaw the first Trooping the Colour ceremony of her reign. At her Coronation the following year, four-year-old Prince Charles and his then two-year-old sister Princess Anne would likely have been jumping up and down with excitement in the Centre Room before they faced the public with their family. During her 70 years on the throne, there were dozens more balcony outings that would have been preceded by the gathering of the royals in the Centre Room. At her Silver Jubilee in 1977, Lord Mountbatten recalled in his diaries how he hung back before the Queen called him out. He wrote: 'I then stayed back discreetly to let the Family go on but was sent for by Lilibet no less than three times saying she wanted me to come up and go out on the balcony. The Centre Room is seen above in 1939. Its chandelier was originally in Brighton Pavilion Four-year-old Prince Charles and his sister Princess Anne, then two, are seen on the Buckingham Palace balcony with the Queen, Prince Philip and other royals on the day of the Coronation in 1952 At the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977, Lord Mountbatten recalled in his diaries how he hung back before Her Majesty called him out. He wrote: 'I then stayed back discreetly to let the Family go on but was sent for by Lilibet no less than three times saying she wanted me to come up and go out on the balcony' The room has also been host to at least one wisp of cigarette smoke. Prince Henry, the late Duke of Gloucester, was pictured enjoying a crafty puff on the balcony threshold in May 1952, when Queen Elizabeth II oversaw the first Trooping the Colour ceremony of her reign 'When I arrived she asked me what had been delaying me and said that she wanted me to be there when the family went out together so I was pulled out and stood behind her and I was glad that this happened because I would never have believed the sight of the crowds if I hadn't been out on the balcony and seen for myself.' He added that the sight of The Mall, which was 'full from end to end', was 'staggering'. It was in the Centre Room that the monarch prepared to make her final wave to the public from the famous Palace platform at her Platinum Jubilee in 2022. The following year, King Charles gathered his new 'slimmed down' monarchy in the same spot before the traditional balcony appearance at his stunning Coronation. On the day of the majestic wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981, the new royal couple kissed on the balcony. And, five years later, when Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson tied the knot, they echoed Charles and Diana's kiss with a smooch of their own. Prince William and Catherine, now the Princess of Wales, also shared a kiss on the balcony when they married in 2011. The Centre Room, Buckingham Palace, South-East Corner, 1939 Building work takes place in the Centre Room at Buckingham Palace in London, 2021 Princess Elizabeth and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary after their wedding in November 1947 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip with their baby son, Prince Edward, on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, during Trooping the Colour, June 13, 1964 Prince Charles and Princess Diana kissing on the Buckingham Palace balcony on the day of the royal wedding in 1981 But the royal waiting room has also played host to some of Britain's most well-known politicians. On VE Day in 1945, Winston Churchill joined the Royal Family - including Princess Elizabeth in uniform - on the palace's balcony. A fly on the wall in the Centre Room would have seen him engage in small talk before he stepped outside to the roar of a jubilant, war weary crowd. Seven years earlier, when the ill-fated Munich Agreement was struck with Hitler, George VI chose to bring out prime minister Neville Chamberlain - the architect of the deal - onto the balcony. Royal historian Hugo Vickers told MailOnline: 'At times of national celebration, the focus of London turns to the balcony of Buckingham Palace. 'Queen Victoria was the first to appear on it in 1851 during the celebrations for the opening of the Great Exhibition. 'One of her granddaughters, Princess Alice of Albany appeared on it, aged 4, at the time of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, and remarkably she was out there again after Trooping the Colour in June 1977 at the time of Queen Elizabeth IIs Silver Jubilee then called Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone. 'George VI brought Neville Chamberlain out rather controversially after his Peace in our Time visit to Germany in 1938. 'More popular was the appearance of Winston Churchill with the Royal Family on VE Day in 1945, Princess Elizabeth in uniform. 'The Queen Mother appeared fifty years later with the Queen and Princess Margaret to celebrate the anniversary. Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret seen with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on the day of the Coronation in 1937 The royal family gather on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London for the Trooping the Colour ceremony, June 1989 The future Queen Elizabeth II waving from the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London, with her younger sister Margaret and her grandparents King George V and Queen Mary, on the occasion of their Silver Jubilee, May 6, 1935 'It has become a feature of modern day royal weddings that the bride and groom appear on the balcony. 'In 1981 there was the first famous royal kiss between Charles and Diana. Now this is expected. 'In 1986 Andrew and Sarah Ferguson pretended not to hear the demands of the crowd, but then went for it. William and Catherine were more restrained in 2011.' He added: 'The last time the Queen was ever publicly seen in London was at the end of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022. 'She had missed many of the celebrations but decided at the last minute to come up from Windsor by road. 'She appeared in a bright green coat, waving to the adoring crowd for the last time.' Queen Victoria was the first to use the Centre Room, which was was built between 1847 and 1849 as part of an extension to house her growing family. A mobile phone sparked a fire scare when it began to emit smoke on a transatlantic passenger jet heading for London after becoming crushed in a seat, it has emerged. The drama happened on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Heathrow last month when a passenger's mobile phone fell between the seat and the armrest. The seat was moved from the reclined to the upright position which crushed the phone and smoke then began to spiral from it. A flight attendant was able to place the phone in a fireproof thermal containment bag and the flight continued to Heathrow where it landed safely. A mobile phone sparked a fire scare when it began to emit smoke on a transatlantic passenger jet heading for London after becoming crushed in a seat, it has emerged (stock image) The incident was made public by the US Federal Aviation Administration which collate incidents involving lithium batteries involving US airline operators or flights within US airspace. Since March 2006 the FAA has recorded 476 such incidents 199 involving battery packs, 99 caused by vapes or e-cigarettes, 61 mobile phones, 58 laptops and the rest from other personal electronic devices. As these are only FAA figures it means many more incidents will have happened in other parts of the world but are not disclosed, including the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK. Last November a JetBlue aircraft had to be evacuated at JFK Airport when a passenger's backpack exploded shortly before take-off because of a portable phone charger. In dramatic footage filmed by other passengers, cabin staff poured bottles of water over the luggage before fire crews came aboard. The backpack's owner escaped with minor burns. Phones becoming crushed in seats are a particular danger which is why cabin crew warn people during their pre-flight safety checks to alert them immediately if they lose a phone down a seat back or their electronic device starts to overheat. This is because they can then act quickly to deal with the problem before it escalates into a fire or, in the worst scenario, the battery exploding. When a lithium battery overheats it goes into a chemical process called thermal runaway and in this condition one cell in a battery can produce enough heat up to 900C (1652F) to cause adjacent cells to overheat. Lithium battery fires can flare repeatedly and they are then very difficult to put out which is why fire mitigation bags are vital, especially in the confined space of aircraft passenger cabins. The drama happened on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Heathrow last month when a passenger's mobile phone fell between the seat and the armrest (stock image) Many passenger aircraft now carry these lithium battery fire mitigation bags and the most widely used is the AvSax from British company Environmental Defence Systems Ltd (EDS). The company is based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, and won the Queen's Award for Enterprise for the AvSax's innovation, the highest accolade any business can achieve in the UK. AvSax are now on almost 17,000 planes operated by around 100 airlines worldwide and has been used in action dozens of times. EDS managing director Richard Bailey said: 'People are now becoming more and more aware of the potential hazards on planes of mobile phones and other personal electronic devices such as battery chargers and iPads powered by lithium batteries. 'The last place you want a lithium fire is in the confined space of a passenger aircraft with the toxic smoke it gives off and the potential for the device to catch fire and even explode. 'Incidents remain rare but they do happen and if planes are not equipped with AvSax they often have to divert and make an emergency landing at the nearest airport which is costly for the airline and very disruptive for passengers. 'This is why so many airline companies including some of the biggest names in the industry have AvSax for that peace of mind that they are ready for any lithium battery incident. AvSax have been deployed in action well over 30 times and in every incident the flight has safely continued to its final destination.' United Airlines was contacted for comment. China is using AI and fake social media accounts to spread division and mistrust in the United States ahead of the presidential election, according to a stark new warning from Microsoft. As election day nears Chinese cyber operatives are expected to deploy AI to create sophisticated deep fake online videos with false 'news reports' and phony anchors. The tech giant said Beijing is 'doubling down' on efforts to disrupt the election and is currently using fake online polls to decide which issues most divide Americans. It will then post AI-generated memes, original footage and infographics to cause further discord, most likely in relation to immigration, race and drugs. Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) general manager Clint Watts said: "China is using fake social media accounts to poll voters on what divides them most to sow division and possibly influence the outcome of the US presidential election in its favor. "China has also increased its use of AI-generated content to further its goals around the world." China is using fake social media accounts to sow division and possibly influence the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in its favor. Operatives linked to the Chinese Communist Party have already "opportunistically jumped" on news events in the U.S. That includes the prolific group known by the names Storm-1376, Spamouflage or Dragonbridge, Microsoft said. Following a train derailment in Kentucky in November the group urged people through social media to consider whether the U.S. government deliberately caused the crash and was 'hiding something'. It also spread a conspiracy theory that the Maui wildfires of August 2023 were deliberately set by the U.S. government to test a weather weapon. Other misinformation has included accusing the U.S. of poisoning water supplies in other countries to maintain water hegemony. China is using fake social media accounts to poll voters on what divides them most to sow division and possibly influence the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in its favor Chinese President Xi Jinping who has called Joe Biden an 'old friend' 'In recent months, there has been an increase in, effectively, polling questions,' said Watts. 'This indicates a deliberate effort to understand better which U.S. voter demographic supports what issue or position.' Chinese operatives are using the polls to establish 'which topics are the most divisive ahead of the main phase of the U.S. presidential election,' he said. He added: 'These accounts nearly exclusively post about divisive U.S. domestic issues such as global warming, U.S. border policies, drug use, immigration, and racial tensions. 'They use original videos, memes, and infographics as well as recycled content from other high-profile political accounts." Microsoft already saw a surge in Chinese AI-generated content aimed at influencing the presidential election in Taiwan in January. Chinese Communist Party-affiliated operatives spread conspiracy theories about the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan A timeline of how AI was used in an attempt to influence Taiwan's election It was the first time that Microsoft has identified a nation-state actor using AI to influence a foreign election. "With major elections taking place around the world this year, particularly in India, South Korea and the United States, we assess that China will, at a minimum, create and amplify AI-generated content to benefit its interests," Watts wrote. Microsoft's also said North Korea has started using AI to steal cryptocurrency. These 75 foreign men and women have made a mockery of British hospitality. Hailing from a multitude of nations, they have been convicted in the UK of deplorable crimes including paedophilia, rape, knife attacks and murder. Many of those listed here, all of whom claimed asylum, have slipped into the country illegally by boat or by hiding in a lorry before claiming refuge on our shores. Almost all will probably still be here, either serving time in prison or remaining at large. The map compiled by the Mail shows that asylum offenders have spread around the country, with bigger cities and towns feeling the brunt of their criminal behaviour. More than 100,000 migrants, many undocumented, have crossed the Channel on small traffickers' boats alone in the past five years, 92 per cent of whom claimed asylum. Others have arrived hidden in vehicles and at airports. Last year, 62,000 migrants were granted asylum as the Government controversially fast-tracked cases in an attempt to slash the queues. Last week, Tory former immigration minister Robert Jenrick called on the Government to pass a law forcing the nationality and asylum status of criminals to be recorded by English and Welsh courts, so the British public know what is happening. The map compiled by the Mail shows that asylum offenders have spread around the country, with bigger cities and towns feeling the brunt of their criminal behaviour To take just one case highlighted here. Afghan asylum seeker Rasuili Zubaidullah, 22, drugged, raped and killed a 13-year-old girl in Vienna, Austria, in 2020. He wrapped her body in a carpet and dumped it under a tree in the city centre. Weeks later, Zubaidullah sailed across the Channel on a trafficker's boat and was settled in a hotel in Whitechapel, East London, at the taxpayer's expense. It was only when the Austrian police traced his arrival into this country that he was deported to face justice. The behaviour of this man and the others named here should send shockwaves through our beleaguered asylum system. 1 Badreddin Abdalla Adam Bosh, 28, from Sudan, stabbed six people at a hotel in Glasgow in 2020. He was shot dead by police. 2 Somali Abdul Ibrahim was jailed for six years in 2023 for raping a sleeping woman in a Glasgow flat. 3 Algerian Sufian Al Zaki, 35, was jailed for 45 months in 2022 for the attempted rape of a man at an Edinburgh beauty spot. 4 Kurd Zanko Akhbar, 22, was convicted at Newcastle court in January for possessing Class A drugs. Police said he was trying to sell drugs on wasteland in the city. Badreddin Abdalla Adam Bosh and Eltiona Skana 5 Syrian brothers Omar and Mohamed Badreddin were jailed in March this year for multiple counts of rape, including that of a 13-year-old girl. 6 Sudanese Mustafa Osman, 27, was convicted last year at Carlisle Crown court for attacking two police officers. 7 Failed asylum seeker Saimir Ferati, 26, from Albania, was jailed in 2023 for running two cannabis farms in Hartlepool and Kent. 8 Kuwaiti Hadi Hamid, 40, ran over two teens in Middlesbrough in 2017. Sentenced to four years in prison, he tried to use the European Convention on Human Rights to avoid deportation. 9 Iraqi Arez Ali, 28, was jailed for two years in February for drug dealing after being found with crack cocaine in Middlesbrough. 10 Shahin Darvish-Narenjbon, 34, from Iran, stabbed Brenda Blainey, 87, to death at her home in North Yorkshire, in 2022. Blainey had allowed him to live with her and referred to him as her 'grandson'. 11 Sudanese Mahmood Noor Ibrahim, 39, was jailed for the 'disgusting' sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl in Hull in 2022. 12 Eritrean Filmon Teklay, 29, raped a woman in Leeds in 2018. He was jailed for more than six years. Shahin Darvish-Narenjbon and Karar Ali Kara 13 Gjin Nikolli, 36, was jailed for two years in March 2023 when he was found working on a Leeds cannabis farm. He had arrived in London from Albania seven months previously and claimed asylum. 14 Sudanese Karar Ali Kara, 31, stabbed Jodi Miller, 21, to death in Leeds in 2019 when she refused to have sex with him. He was jailed for life. 15 Kurd Shekar Bafri, 23, threatened to rape and kill a female Leeds prison officer when being held in jail on burglary charges in 2022. 16 Aziz Rasul, 25, from Iraq, was given a suspended sentence in 2023 for running cannabis farms in Leeds worth 225,000. 17 Sudanese Adnan Bakhit, 24, was jailed for five years in 2017 after raping a 12-year-old girl in Halifax. 18 Middle Eastern Omid Ebrahmi, 46, was arrested for trying to meet up with a 14-year-old boy for sex through a dating app. He was sentenced to 27 months in prison. 19 Saddam Muhamadaim, 26, from Sudan, was jailed for 13 years in 2019 for raping a 17-year-old girl in Huddersfield. He lied on his asylum forms, claiming to be a teenager. 20 Iranian Ahmiri Ahmedi Azizi, 24, was jailed in 2022 for posting Islamic State propaganda online, demanding attacks on the West. 21 Issa Brayzi-Pour, 22, also from Iran, was jailed last year for the rape of a 70-year-old woman near Bolton and the attempted rape of a 13-year-old girl. Emad Al Swealmeen and Turkey al-Turkey 22 Albanian Eltiona Skana, 30, was found guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility after she stabbed seven-year-old Emily Jones to death in a park in Bolton in 2020. 23 Eritrean Ablolom Okbazge, 27, was sentenced to nine years for the 2021 rape of a woman in Wigan. 24 Awa Zongo, 29, from Burkina Faso, was sentenced to life in prison in 2020 after she stabbed her housemate 30 times in the neck in Hindley Green, Wigan. 25 An Iraqi asylum seeker was jailed for three years in 2020 for sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in Manchester. His identity remains a secret to protect the victim. 26 Kuwaiti Bader Kanash, 28, was sentenced to community service in 2019 for trying to smuggle a three-month-old baby into the UK. 27 Nigerian Saheed Azeez, 33, was jailed for five years last year for masterminding a 220,000 parcel fraud scam. He claimed to be gay to win asylum, despite fathering three children with three different women. 28 Govar Abdul Rahman, 28, from Iraq, was jailed for seven years in 2022 for trespass, voyeurism and sexual assault on multiple women. 29 Fellow Iraqi Emad Al Swealmeen, 32, killed himself as he detonated an explosive device outside Liverpool Women's Hospital in 2021. He was reportedly furious his asylum claim had been rejected. Khairi Saadallah and Maher Maaroufe 30 Jwamer Saygul, 24, another Iraqi, was jailed for nine years in 2022 for raping a Ukrainian refugee in Cheshire. 31 Azerbaijani Jeyhun Zeynalov, 34, received a suspended sentence for sexually assaulting a woman with learning difficulties in Stoke-on-Trent. He licked her breasts and tried to pull down her trousers as she begged him to stop. 32 Dana Abdullah, 35, killed his estranged wife in Stoke-on-Trent in 2019 after she refused to support his visa application. He had previously been convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in 2013 and was deported back to Iran, but returned to Britain illegally. He was jailed for a minimum of 18 years and eight months. 33 Sudanese Yehya Mahdi, 35, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison last year after stabbing a fellow asylum seeker in Nottingham. 34 Musba Missa, 22, from Niger, was jailed for three months in 2023 after starting a fire at his migrant hotel in Skegness and assaulting a member of staff. 35 Sudanese Mofasim Abdulkarim, 23, was caught last year talking to what he thought was a 14-year-old girl online and attempting to meet her for sex. He received a 20-month suspended sentence. 36 Mualla Mukthar, 18, also from Sudan, was caught trying to enter a Leicester nightclub with a knife in 2022. He was given a conditional discharge. 37 Ethiopian Temesgen Desta, 32, was sentenced to life in prison after raping two women in 2019. 38 'Sadistic' Iraqi Abdullah Belal, 31, was jailed for three years last month for child cruelty after tying up and gagging a child in Wolverhampton and forcing an object into their mouth. Azam Mangori and Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai 39 Albanian Clirim Kukaj, 30, who was raised in Serbia, was jailed for 18 months in January for cannabis farming. He was granted permission to remain in the UK after claiming he can no longer speak his native language. 40 Iraqi Turkey al-Turkey, 26, was jailed for eight years in 2021 for raping a woman in Swansea. 41 Albanian Xhevahir Maksuti, 25, was jailed for six months in January this year after a raid on a cannabis farm in Swansea where he was working. 42 Iraqi Ramyar Ahmadyan, 27, was sentenced to 33 months in jail for drug possession in Cardiff last month, three years after claiming he was a converted Christian. 43 Waleid Al Twaynei, 26, was given two years' conditional discharge after being caught with a knife in a Cardiff Home Office building, which he told the court he was carrying to 'slice pears'. 44 Iranian Soheil Bahmanifard, 18, was jailed for 12 years in 2019 for a frenzied knife attack on a fellow refugee in Newport, Wales. 45 Chris Buyoye, 29, was sentenced to 18 months in jail in November after he grabbed a 43-year-old mother and simulated sex with her as she walked with her children in Gloucester. 46 Somali Risman Naitsoka, 40, was jailed for nine years in 2020 after stabbing a woman in the chest when she refused to have sex with him. Jeyhun Zeynalov and Astrit Kapaj 47 Somali Gabre Wounose, 19, was convicted of raping a prostitute at knifepoint in 2020 after promising to pay her 40 for sex then refusing to give her the money. 48 Libyan jihadist Khairi Saadallah, 26, killed three men and injured a further three with an eight-inch knife in a park in Reading in 2020. He was sentenced to a whole-life order. 49 Fared Amire, 24, was convicted of sexual assault in 2020 in Watford and given 200 hours of community service. 50 Afghan Rasuli Zubaidullah, 23, was extradited to Austria in 2021 after fleeing the country on a Channel boat. He had drugged, raped and murdered a 13-year-old Austrian schoolgirl. 51 Moroccan Rachid Redouane, 30, was one of three men to carry out the London Bridge terror attacks in 2017 that killed eight and injured 48 others. He was shot dead by police. 52 Maher Maaroufe, 24, from Tunisia, was jailed indefinitely in 2022 for stabbing his girlfriend to death so viciously that he nearly beheaded her. 53 A 39-year-old asylum seeker with name protection went missing when granted bail after being accused of raping a teenage girl at a migrants' hotel in Waltham Forest, East London in 2022. 54 Afghan Javid Ahmadzai, 28, was jailed for 24 years in 2023 for killing another asylum seeker in East Ham, London, over a 10 debt. 55 Iranian Hewa Rahimphur, 30, was jailed in France in 2023 for 11 years for his role in a human trafficking operation responsible for bringing more than 10,000 migrants across the Channel in small boats. 56 Afghan Abdul Shokoor Ezedi was convicted of sexual assault in 2018 before winning refugee status two years later. He was widely believed to be responsible for the Clapham alkali attack in January this year which left 12 people injured. His body was pulled from the Thames in February. 57 Somali Yaqub Ahmed, 34, was convicted in 2008 of the gang rape of a teenage girl in London. He was deported last year after five years of legal wrangling. 58 Samiulahaq Akbari, 22, from Afghanistan, was jailed for 21 years for a frenzied attack on shoppers in South London in 2019. He was reported to have a 'desire to kill English people'. 59 Albanian Astrit Kapaj known as the 'Wimbledon Prowler' was one of London's most prolific burglars. He was jailed in 2019 for 14 years for 25 counts of burglary and attempted burglary, in which almost 500,000 worth of goods were stolen. 60 Ukrainian refugee Andrii Melnyk, 30, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for sexual assault on an 18-year-old in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey, last year. 61 Howmalow Mawum-Duop, 22, from Sudan, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for piloting a traffickers' boat from which a woman fell and drowned in the Channel last year. 62 Senegalese Ibrahima Bah, 20, was sentenced to nine years and six months for manslaughter in February after four passengers of the dinghy he was attempting to steer across the Channel drowned. 63 Iraqi Talib Rasul, 47, is a convicted sex offender who fled to France but was arrested in January attempting to re-enter Britain with his wife and children on an inflatable boat. He was given a six month suspended sentence. 64 Aziz Akakhel, 32, from Afghanistan, pleaded guilty in 2022 to attempting to enter the UK illegally on a lorry. 65 Eritrean Hanok Zeray, 32, sexually assaulted six women in Brighton in 2022 and was sentenced to eight years in prison. 66 Tesfagabriel Gebrzgabhi, 34, attempted to rape a woman in 2023 in Portsmouth. He was jailed for six years. 67 Omar Ozman, 22, was sentenced to three months in jail last year. A judge said he showed a profound lack of respect for the nation that granted him asylum by committing 'crime after crime' including fraud at a casino. 68 Afghan Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai, 21, was jailed for life for murder in 2022. He stabbed Thomas Roberts to death outside a takeaway in Bournemouth. He was already wanted on murder charges in Serbia. 69 A search warrant is currently active for Ahmed Haffa, 24, missing from the Bibby Stockholm migrant barge. He disappeared following his conviction in March for theft of designer clothes and biting a security guard. 70 Albanians Denis Lami and Walter Kabilo were jailed as drug couriers in 2023 after being caught with 4,480 worth of cocaine in Exmouth, Devon. 71 Iraqi Azam Mangori, 24, was sentenced to life in prison for suffocating and dismembering Lorraine Cox, 32, in Exeter in 2020. 72 Sudanese Adam Mohammed, 24, was jailed for eight years in January for the rape of a university student in Exeter. 73 Vladimir Stratan, 26, from Moldova, was jailed in 2023 for running over and killing a motorcyclist in Devon. 74 Iranian Azad Jalilwand, 35, threw a chair and threatened to rape staff at a Plymouth MP's office in 2019. He was given an indefinite restraining order. 75 Egyptian Fahd Alkhalidi, 42, was jailed for five years in Cornwall for raping a woman he supplied with cannabis in 2020. A teacher forced into hiding after showing his pupils a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed fears he will spend the rest of his life 'looking over his shoulder'. The religious studies teacher was suspended in 2021 after a furore erupted over the use of the image during a lesson and he and his family were forced to flee their home. Now, three years on, he is still living in hiding under an assumed name and his career in teaching is over, MailOnline has learned. They have moved away from West Yorkshire after the incident three years ago which saw Batley Grammar School become the centre of furious protests about the 'blashphemous' use of the Prophet's image. Close friend Paul Halloran said the teacher 'worries that he'll always be looking over his shoulder' and has been 'abandoned' as he continues to forge a new life away from friends and family. Protesters give a statement to members of the media outside Batley Grammar School in Batley, West Yorkshire A teacher who was suspended from a school for showing his pupils a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad is still in hiding three years on. Pictured protestors outside the school in 2021 Mr Halloran said: 'He's a very quiet, unassuming individual, a really gentle soul. 'Sometimes I wonder 'when are you going to get angry about what's happened to you?' but he doesn't, he's upset by it of course, which is understandable. 'It's shocking that three years on he's still in hiding, but the danger remains. I have seen threats made openly on social media from people saying 'he had better not come back because I will be waitingif he does.' Businessman Paul Halloran, 55, a friend of the young teacher's family, has raised over 100,000 which has been desperately needed by the teacher and his family to keep a roof over their heads. 'That was on a public forum and aimed at a religious studies teacher who gave Eid gifts to his muslim neighbours and who lived very happily in our multicultural environment. 'I am in touch with him, sometimes through an intermediary, and I know he's not in the best place. I don't know where he is and I don't want to because his safety is paramount. 'Through our fundraising we are really helping him and his family, I don't know his exact circumstances but I know the money has come in very useful to them and I'm glad to have been able to help. 'He has been abandoned by every single person who could have helped or supported him - the school, the headmaster, the police, his union, the MPs who have served this constituency. No one stepped in to help him. 'He was a member of the National Education Union, which debated the situation in Gaza at its conference but did stand up for him. The teacher was immediately forced to flee his housing association home in Batley with his partner and four young children. Pictured: Batley Grammar School A protester outside the grammar school is pictured with a police officer on March 26, 2021 'He's still here, he does not feel safe but he knows he has to get on with his life the best he can and accept he lives in a country where people have stood by and let this happen. 'He was thrown under the bus by everyone, he had to pick up his wife and kids and was driven out of town. He's looking over his shoulder all the time and living in fear. If he sees headlights approaching he's scared.' Mr Halloran welcomed a report by Dame Sara Khan, the Government's social cohesion tsar, who slammed weak leadership in the face of 'aggressive' protests from 'self-appointed community leaders.' Dame Sara said the suspended teacher 'was not considered a victim of crime' and did not 'receive any of the provisions set out in the Victims Code'. She added: 'In failing to understand the seriousness of the incident, he was let down by all the agencies involved, most notably Kirklees Council, West Yorkshire Police and the Batley Multi Academy Trust. 'There was a considerable lack of leadership by the agencies named above. They should have issued clear messages that threats, harassment and abuse would not be tolerated under any circumstances.' Her report was welcomed by Batley and Spen's Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who rejected the accusation she had not tried to help the teacher in the wake of the controversy. She said: 'What the report says regarding Batley Grammar School makes for deeply disturbing reading. Showing images of the Prophet Mohammed is strictly forbidden in Islam. Protesters take part in a prayer outside Batley Grammar School Dame Sara said the suspended teacher 'was not considered a victim of crime' and did not 'receive any of the provisions set out in the Victims Code' 'Although the incident took place several months before I was elected as the MP for Batley and Spen, I have made it very clear since being elected that the demonstrations outside the school and the teacher having been forced into hiding is completely unacceptable. 'As I said at the time, there can be absolutely no excuse for the intimidation and threats against him. Whilst I am a strong advocate of free speech and the right to peaceful protest, I am also fully supportive of restricting protests outside schools, as recommended by the report. 'Since my election as an MP I have contacted the teacher from Batley Grammar School on multiple occasions, through his union, offering any help or support he and his family may need. Their wellbeing has been my absolute priority. My offer of support is always there, something I reiterated in my most recent letter to him last week. 'Since 2021 there has been new leadership at Batley Grammar School, the Multi Academy Trust and Kirklees Council and I have been reassured that lessons have been learned from the incident in 2021. I believe the priority now should be to use the findings of this report to ensure the mistakes it highlights are never made again. 'As such, I fully support the report's recommendations, including the establishment of an independent, impartial Office for Social Cohesion and Democratic Resilience.' A spokesperson for Batley Multi Academy Trust said: 'We are extremely proud of the school and of our community, and how both have moved forward together so positively from the very difficult period in 2021. 'Those events required us to support all our students, their families and our staff, including the teacher involved, for whom we provided counselling and wider support. 'We remain clear that we delivered on our responsibilities and that we followed due process. This included immediately establishing an independent investigation, accepting its findings and acting on them. 'We are therefore disappointed by the report. We do not recognise much of what is in it, its description of the events, nor the characterisation of our school and community. 'We let the Government know ahead of publication that its draft report contained a number of factual inaccuracies but note that these have not been corrected. 'We are also surprised that the authors of a report on social cohesion decided that the right thing to do was name our school and identify some individuals. 'However, our school and community is in a very positive place and we know that this report will not upset that.' The image shown in class was taken from the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which was targeted in a 2015 mass shooting after publishing a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed. Showing images of the Prophet Mohammed is strictly forbidden in Islam. The National Education Union has been approached for comment. It denied it had not supported its member, pointing out that it received specific praise in the Khan report. The report said: 'We have been impressed by the leadership, support and care demonstrated by the NEU to the RS teacher. 'From the moment they were contacted, the local representative responded with urgency, immediately recognising the seriousness of the issue and the need to protect and support the RS teacher. 'Whether engaging with the media, the local authority, or the police to monitoring social media abuse and providing daily support and advice to the RS teacher, the NEU have continuously provided immeasurable support for the RS teacher.' Turnout for the two-day early-voting period that wrapped up Saturday ahead of the parliamentary elections next week hit a record 31.28 percent, the election watchdog said. According to the National Election Commission, 13,849,043 out of 44,280,011 eligible voters cast their ballots at 3,565 polling stations during the early-voting period that ended at 6 p.m. Those who missed the opportunity this weekend will have to vote on Election Day on Wednesday. It marked the first time the early-voting turnout for general elections exceeded 30 percent since South Korea introduced the system in 2014. In the previous parliamentary elections in 2020, the turnout was 26.69 percent. On Friday, about 6.9 million voters, or 15.61 percent, went to the polls, a record for the first day of early voting for parliamentary elections. On the first day of early voting, turnout exceeded 10 percent in all 17 major cities and provinces nationwide, led by South Jeolla Province with 23.6 percent. The turnout in Seoul was 15.83 percent. South Jeolla continued to lead the way on the second and final day of early voting with 41.19 percent. The southeastern city of Daegu brought up the rear at 25.6 percent. The turnout in Seoul reached 32.63 percent. The quadrennial race is considered crucial for the ruling People Power Party as failure to regain a majority could potentially render President Yoon Suk Yeol a lame duck for the remaining three years of his single five-year term. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which enjoyed a landslide victory in the previous elections, aims to retain its parliamentary majority. PPP leader Han Dong-hoon assessed the all-time-high early-voting turnout as a sign of strong support from conservative voters and encouraged them to help persuade others who are still deliberating. Rep. Kang Sun-woo, spokesperson for the DPK's election committee, attributed the record-high figure to voters wishing to "judge" the Yoon administration. "The angered sentiment of the public that hopes to judge the Yoon Suk Yeol regime as soon as possible has been confirmed through the record-high early-voting turnout for general elections," Kang said in a press briefing. 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 planned to visit polling stations during the early-voting period, while 58 percent intended to vote on Election Day. (Yonhap) Ayla Rain Eilert's parents describe the final moments of their daughter's life as 'beautiful'. On the morning of April 2, 2022, just seven months after she was diagnosed with aggressive cancer which left her in near-constant agony, Ayla's suffering had ended. A beautiful sunrise flooded her room at Mount Sinai hospital in New York City and Ayla, 24, passed away with her parents and younger brother at her bedside. The moment brought peace at last after months of excruciating pain for Ayla pain which her parents, Daren and Amy, say could have been avoided if she had access to Medical Aid in Dying. The practice allows certain terminally-ill patients to administer drugs to end their own life. But it is currently illegal in New York, something campaigners say leads many terminally ill patients like Ayla to suffer needlessly before death. Ayla Rain Eilert, a dancer and artist, died on April 2, 2022, just seven months after she was diagnosed with cancer which left her in agonizing pain that doctors were unable to relieve Ayla's parents, Daren and Amy, said access Medical Aid in Dying would have stopped their daughter experiencing the agonizing pain she suffered before her death Ayla was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in September 2021 and despite extensive treatment, the cancer spread throughout her body In a deeply personal and emotional interview with DailyMail.com, Daren and Amy explained how they are now using their heartbreaking story to campaign for MAiD in New York. They are also keeping a promise made to their dying daughter, who repeatedly asked for MAiD, that they would work to ensure other terminally ill patients don't have to go through what she did. AYLA'S STORY Ayla was born in her family's home state of New Jersey and moved to New York City after high school to pursue her passion for art and dancing. She regularly performed and exhibited her artwork part of a blossoming career which continued right up to her cancer diagnosis on September 23, 2021. Several months earlier, in around May, a sore had appeared on Ayla's tongue and she felt pain in her throat. She sought medical help and, in the two months which followed, was misdiagnosed by two separate doctors. The sores didn't go away and a third doctor recommended a biopsy, which was carried out on September 16. A week later, Ayla and her family received the crushing news that she had squamous cell carcinoma. The condition is a type of skin cancer which is not usually life-threatening, but its location on Ayla's tongue made it much more serious. As soon as the diagnosis was made, her medical team at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan developed an urgent treatment plan which involved surgery just six days later to remove a quarter of her tongue. The extent of the cancer meant that surgeons had to remove half of Ayla's tongue in a procedure which took 11 hours then painstakingly rebuilt the section using skin and tissue from her thigh. Ayla was born in her family's home state of New Jersey and moved to New York City after high school to pursue her passion for art and dancing She regularly performed and exhibited her artwork part of a blossoming career which continued right up until her cancer diagnosis on September 23, 2021 The surgery was a success. Doctors were hopeful that the cancer had been cleared from Ayla's body and she started a six-week recovery process ahead of a grueling course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. During that time, she weened herself off opioid pain medication and had to readjust to eating solid foods again. She was determined to do everything she could to heal, not least so she could enjoy simple pleasures like her favorite meal: a beer and a burger, her parents said. Pre-radiation scans in November found no detectable cancer and the preventative radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments started the same month. She underwent 30 rounds of radiation in 30 business days and chemotherapy once a week, ending a few days before Christmas. The treatment was intense and Ayla suffered bouts of nausea and vomiting, significant pain and the loss of her voice. Despite the ordeal, Ayla stayed positive and determined. She learned American Sign Language to accommodate for her lost voice and also crafted small gift bags for other patients at Mount Sinai, packed with chocolates, chapsticks and acupuncture rings. Ayla had surgery to remove the cancer and then underwent a grueling course of radiation and chemotherapy, but it spread throughout her body The radiation and chemotherapy was intense and Ayla suffered bouts of nausea and vomiting, significant pain and the loss of her voice Ayla with her father, Daren, who said his daughter's illness is 'what MAiD was written for' Doctors said the side-effects would ease two weeks after her final treatment. But there was no improvement. If anything, Ayla was getting worse and by mid-January 2022, she complained that the fentanyl patches for the pain also weren't helping. 'She was weaker and weaker every day,' her father said. Ayla was scheduled for a scan on March 22 to check whether her body was cancer free. Her parents, seeing their daughter continue to deteriorate, refused to wait and several weeks before the date, Daren emailed Ayla's medical team. 'I think my daughter is dying,' he wrote. The scan was brought forward and revealed, devastatingly, that the cancer had metastasized in 13 places. There were tumors across Ayla's body, including around her nose, ears, spine and neck. By then, Ayla weighed just 87 pounds and was in frequent agony. The following day, on March 3, she told her parents: 'This is no way to live. Please help me die.' That would be the first of several occasions that Ayla and her parents tried to secure MAiD for her in the month which followed. On March 8, Ayla deteriorated further during a family gathering at her grandmother's house in New Jersey for her brother Colton's birthday. Her parents took her back to Mount Sinai and she was fast-tracked through ER into a private treatment room where doctors tried to alleviate her symptoms. Amy said: 'She asked for medical aid in dying and they would say, 'well why do you want that?' [Ayla replied], 'this is not quality of life and I'm not afraid to die. I just don't want to be in any more pain'. Daren said the family received a promise from a palliative care doctor who was present: 'Don't worry, now that we're here, we won't let you be in pain.' The doctors weren't able to keep the promise and despite high doses of medication, Ayla's agony continued. 'I called them out on it,' Daren said. 'Maybe a week later, half a week later, like 'you lied to us, you totally lied to us around that'. I was just an angry parent. I think the doctors were doing their best. 'This patient, this circumstance, this is what MAiD was written for.' Ayla was allowed to leave hospital on March 18, in line with her wishes to die at home, with hospice care and the promise of 'aggressive pain management' in the form of huge quantities of opioid medication. She spent just under two weeks at home, but the agony remained too much. Doctors said the pain which plagued the end of her life could only be treated in hospital, where she returned on April 1. Daren describes that night in the hospital as 'the hardest in my life'. 'I was not able to advocate for my daughter,' he said. 'Here is a man, a father failing at advocating for this girl clawing at her neck in pain, whining. 'It's just the most incredibly hard thing for me to do. And I am a fairly peaceful guy. But man, that was the hardest, that's the angriest I've ever been in my life it was a bad experience and MAiD would have just made this a beautiful experience.' Ayla died on Saturday, April 2 at 6.45am. Ayla's parents are using her story to campaign for Medical Assistance in Dying in New York In her final moments, the pain seemed to fade away. After months of suffering, the pain gave way to something 'beautiful', her parents said. 'The sun came up over Central Park, and I just cultivate the love within me and hold her hand and look into her eyes. And I tell her it's time. And that's when she has a single tear and gets it,' Daren said. 'It wasn't this pain anymore. This was a process of death, which I think all readers should know is very peaceful and beautiful. This was, in my mind, a spiritual moment. 'I was there the day she was born on earth and it was beautiful. There's nothing more beautiful than I've ever experienced in those 15 minutes of her passing. Being with my daughter in full love and support, encouraging her to leave us. Encouraging her to be out of pain and free of the body.' 'She finally had found a pathway out of cancer and into the process of dying,' Amy said. 'I am blessed, as Ayla's mom, to have been with her every single day and every single moment of that journey.' But, she adds, 'Ayla shouldn't have had to do that.' THE LAW Medical Aid in Dying is currently legal in Washington DC And ten states: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. In a case of grim coincidence, MAiD became legal in New Jersey thanks to efforts by Ayla's grandmother, Reverend Gillian McAllister. Oregon was the first to legalize MAiD and its policy has largely shaped those of the states which followed. Oregon's policy is also the template for the proposed law in New York. Under Oregon's Death with Dignity Act, the patient must be at least 18 years old, mentally competent and have a prognosis of six months or less to live. Two doctors must approve the request and the patient must be able to administer the drugs themself. MAiD is different to euthanasia, whereby the drugs are administered to the patient by another person. Euthanasia is illegal in the United States. Advocates also insist that MAiD must not be considered 'suicide' and fiercely oppose terms like 'physician-assisted suicide' which opponents often use to describe the process. The act in New York was first introduced in the 2015-2016 legislative session and supporters believe now, nearly a decade later, a law is close to passing. Polling by YouGov published in February found overwhelming support among New Yorkers for MAiD. Some 72 percent backed the legislation. Other national surveys have also indicated around seven in ten Americans believe doctors should be able to help terminally ill patients die. Ayla Rain Eilert THE OPPOSITION The campaign to legalize MAiD in the United States has faced fierce opposition on religious grounds and from disability rights organizations. The Catholic church is a staunch opponent of MAiD and the New York State Catholic Conference has spoken out against legalization. One of the leading concerns from disability groups is that the law could be abused to end the lives of patients who do not have the capacity to make a decision themselves. In a memorandum of opposition delivered in February, the New York Association on Independent Living said: 'A major concern for people with disabilities is assisted suicide reinforces negative perceptions about being disabled and the idea our lives are not worth living.' The letter also said the disability community is 'deeply concerned about coercion and abuse'. Critics also frequently cite the use of MAiD in Canada, where anyone with a serious incurable condition can apply to die, even if the illness is not terminal. The country is also looking at the hugely controversial step of making MAiD available to the mentally ill. Some 13,241 people died using MAiD in Canada in 2022, which was 4.1 percent of deaths in the country and a rise from 1,086 in 2016 when it was first introduced. Opponents fear legalizing it would lead to a similarly liberal approach to its use in the United States. ADVOCATES Daren and Amy have worked closely with Compassion and Choices, which is leading the campaign to legalize MAiD in New York and other states where it remains illegal. The organization and others like it strongly reject the notion MAiD in the US would be anything like the policy in Canada. They say there is no evidence assisted death has ever been abused in the US states where it is legal. Ayla wither her mom, Amy, who said MAiD would have prevented her daughter needlessly suffering before death Corinne Carey, Compassion and Choices' senior campaign director for New York, told DailyMail.com she is hopeful that the law could be changed in the state before 2025. She urged lawmakers to 'imagine how uncomfortable it is for a family member to sit by and watch a loved one beg for death.' 'Imagine how uncomfortable it is to be a terminally ill person and to have lost control over everything else, and have no control over what the end of their life looks like,' she said. Carey spoke with Ayla in the weeks before she passed, a heartbreaking conversation about how MAiD simply was not an option for her. She also described the moving stories from families whose loved ones were able to access MAiD in states where it is legal. '[They] talk about the beauty and the peace and the blessing it was for their family, around the bed and holding the body and saying goodbye in a way that was not in distress.' Carey said MAiD policies in the United States are 'completely different' to Canada's. Through around 25 years of MAiD in Oregon, the policy has remained only available to the most seriously ill dying patients and there are no examples of its abuse, she said. 'We don't have to look to Canada for horror stories,' said Carey. 'If there had been a horror story it would have happened here in the US, and it never has.' Compassion and Choices said dozens of professional organizations across sectors of medicine and law have now publicly supported MAiD in New York. Professor Christopher Riddle, the Chair of Philosophy at Utica University, also said the comparisons to Canada were incorrect. He told DailyMail.com that the practice is morally the same as a patient refusing treatment in order to hasten death. Professor Riddle added: 'The longer other places have this in place in the US, the longer we see that there is not abuse of the kind that people warn us of, that there's not the slippery slopes that people will claim are happening in Canada or something like that.' Donald Trump is gearing for the biggest political fundraising event of the 2024 election season to date on Saturday when a group of ultra-wealthy donors will descend on Palm Beach for a gathering that's expected to rake in $43 million for the Republican presidential hopeful. The fundraiser for the ex-president dubbed the 'Inaugural Leadership Dinner' is being hosted by hedge fund billionaire John Paulson and his fiancee Alina de Almeida. Trump will be in attendance along with former First Lady Melania Trump who has been absent from the 2024 campaign trail so far, though she's reportedly set to host her own fundraising event later this month. Tickets for the glitzy event Saturday go for as much as $814,600 for the chairman level which includes seating at the table with the former president, reception and a photo opportunity. The next level is the host committee for $250,000 a ticket. It includes 'VIP seating,' reception and photo opportunity. Donald Trump and former First Lady Melania in Palm Beach, FL on March 19. The former first lady is expected to attend the former president's fundraiser Saturday night at Palm Beach According to the invitation to the ritzy occasion, other special guests in attendance include South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum who are both in the running to be Trump's vice presidential pick. Another onetime GOP presidential hopeful, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will also be a special guest at the event. Paulson is not the only billionaire to be joining the ex-president for the festivities on Saturday. The invitation includes a series of other extremely wealthy Republican mega donors as co-chairs including billionaire hedge fund manager Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah Mercer. Casino mogul Steve Wynn and wife Andrea are also listed on the invite as is oil tycoon Harold Hamm, Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick and grocery store chain CEO John Catsimatidis. Billionaire John Paulson and Alina de Almeida are hosting the 'Inaugural Leadership Dinner' in Palm Beach on Saturday. The event is expected to raise $43 million for Trump's reelection Robert Mercer and Rebekah Mercer are listed as co-chairs for the ex-president's fundraiser Billionaire casino mogul Steve Wynn is among those expected to help raise money for the ex-president as a co-chair for his fundraising bash Saturday Business magnate Harold Hamm is the chairman and CEO of the oil and gas company Continental Resources The co-owner of the Chicago Cubs Todd Ricketts and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, the former U.S. ambassador to the UK, are also among the co-chairs. Several of Trump's former administration officials are set to attend including his former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and wife Hilary as well as business executive Linda McMahon, who led the Small Business Administration during Trump's first term. Former Ambassador to Spain and financier Duke Buchan III is also listed as a co-chair with his wife Hannah along with Georgia Senator and businesswoman Kelly Loeffler and her husband Jeff Sprecher, chairman of the New York Stock Exchange. Also included as a co-chair is hotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow, who was a major backer of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis during the Republican presidential primary, giving the pro pro-DeSantis Never Back Down super PAC more than $20 million. Former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and wife Hilary Ross in 2023. Todd Ricketts is the co-owner of the Chicago Cubs and a former RNC finance chairman Trump with Jets owner and former ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson and his wife Suzanne after a rally in Las Vegas in February. The Johnsons are co-chairs for the April 6 fundraiser The glitzy shindig in southern Florida is said to be the Republican response to the Democrats' recent 'Evening with the Presidents' fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall. On March 28, Biden appeared alongside former Presidents Obama and Clinton where they were interviewed by late night host Stephen Colbert for a sold out event. That star-studded evening brought in more than $26 million for Biden and Democrats. While some tickets went for as much as $500,000, it generated $9.5 million from grassroots fundraising as more than 165,000 supporters contributed. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee is expected to surpass that massive fundraising haul with his event on April 6. A Republican National Committee official said it was expected to bring in $43 million. But a source close to Bidenworld questioned the ex-president's touted March fundraising totals asking how much from Saturday's mega fundraiser total had already been counted toward the monthly fundraising total. They argued the lack of details about the number of donors in the monthly fundraising figure is telling. That source also noted that the dinner does not appear to have the grassroots component, saying big fundraisers are only so sustainable. Comedian Stephen Colbert (left) moderated the discussion with (from left) President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton President Joe Biden's (center) appearance at a $26+ million Radio City Music Hall fundraiser with former Presidents Barack Obama (left) and Bill Clinton (right) Trump has been playing catch up to Biden when it comes to the presidential fundraising race. Earlier this week, the RNC announced Trump and Republican aligned groups raised a massive more than $65 million in March, a substantial increase over the fundraising through February. The campaign and Republicans finished March with $93 million cash on hand, an major uptick from the less than $42 million Republicans had at the end of February. But despite the improvement on fundraising last month as Trump and the RNC entered a new Trump 47 Committee joint fundraising agreement with the ex-president clinching the necessary delegates to be the nominee, Biden is still way ahead when it comes to raking in cash. Biden raised $90 million in March bringing his campaign war chest to $192 million at the end of the first quarter of the year to cash on hand At the end of March, the president had a whopping $192 million in cash on hand as he enters to tough general election season. His campaign said he has raised $422 million since its launch, the most of any Democratic presidential candidate ever. Biden was able to raise $90 million in March alone, which was the campaign's strongest grassroots fundraising month to date. The record-breaking haul has allowed the president's campaign to make early advertising reservations and invest in field operations with offices and staff across the country as they work to expand their political path to victory. 'It sure looks like Trump's campaign is hiding behind a few billionaires at Mar-a-Lago and is struggling to attract the grassroots donor enthusiasm that powers winning campaigns,' said Rob Flaherty, Biden's deputy campaign manager in a statement. At the same time, Trump has been facing mounting legal fees and has spent millions from his leadership pac Save America on lawyers. The joint fundraising agreement will continue to help fund his legal costs. Campaign federal election filings for March will shed additional light on the presidential candidates' fundraising endeavors later this month. Thousands of vulnerable Brits have been abandoned after one of the UK's biggest mobility equipment firms was hacked on Good Friday. A week after the cyber attack, NRS Healthcare, which delivers hospital beds, wheelchairs and almost 4,000 other aids to millions of Britons, still has no working phone lines, emails or website, leaving elderly and disabled people feeling desperate. The firm - which is owned by private equity giant Graphite, run by wealthy Austrian venture capitalist Markus Golser - has won outsourced contracts for swathes of the UK's local authorities, supplying bed rails, hoists and other equipment that's vital for them to live independently. But NRS's entire business has been down since Good Friday - and it has failed to let its vulnerable customers know. Anyone calling its national phoneline is directed to an out-of-hours O2 mobile number which says it's voicemail is 'full'. Have YOU been affected by the fiasco? Email alesia.fiddler@mailonline.co.uk Nimmy Chowdhary (pictured), 59, is one of the many vulnerable people who have been impacted by the outage She had a stroke eight years ago that left her paralysed on the right-hand side of her body and a vital part of her mobility bed broke seven weeks ago Its website has said: 'This site is down for maintenance. Please check back again soon' since the Easter holiday. Emails bounce back. Social media is full of desperate NRS service users. One wrote on the X platform: 'Shame on u NRS health care after 7 missed delivery appointments in last 6 weeks And no one has ever called back. Is this the way to treat the severely disabled.' READ MORE: Fury as disabled wheelchair-users are forced to risk their lives by riding in the road because their pavements are so shoddy - as London council is blasted for the walkway's shocking state Advertisement Another wrote: 'I've spent the last three days trying to get hold of you spending hours on hold to then be cut off. 'My delivery was meant to be four days ago and today your office is closed?' Some patients are stranded in their homes due to lack of equipment: 'I've tried calling NRS today as my father's floor bed has a fault and we cannot raise it. 'The poor carers are having to work at an impossibly low height.' Another said: 'Thank you @NRSHealthcare for totally wasting my day, through the engineer booked to check my mum's medical bed not turning up.' One customer wrote: 'My recently bereaved Dad waited in for 12 hours yesterday and nobody turned up as arranged.' 'How are NHS staff managing to line up equipment for patients for discharge? The service is breathtakingly abysmal,' asks another. 'It's likely that NRS's failures are causing blockages in hospital discharges, if patients do not have vital equipment delivered to their homes.' Nimmy Chowdhary, 59, had a stroke eight years ago that left her paralysed on the right-hand side of her body. Since a vital part of her mobility bed broke seven weeks ago, she has spent over 100 hours trying to get a replacement from NRS, most of those during the last week when the company has been unobtainable. The former business owner, who lives in Barnet but had to give up her company after her stroke, needs a circulating mattress to relieve the pressure on the paralysed side of her body, but the pump developed a fault. A week after a cyber attack, NRS Healthcare, which delivers hospital beds, wheelchairs and almost 4,000 other aids to millions of Britons, still has no working phone lines, emails or website, leaving elderly and disabled people feeling desperate Furious family members took to social media to vent their anger following the fiasco 'My disabled leg immediately began to swell up,' Nimmy said. 'Initially, NRS sent an engineer - but he said he couldn't fix it and needed a new bed Since then, I've had five weeks of NRS demanding more admin and being passed around various departments. 'I've had to battle with them to cut down the all-day waiting period to a 1.5 hour slot, as I need two carers to be here at the same time to transfer me in and out of the bed.' Nimmy's new bed was not delivered when it was supposed to on Tuesday, after Easter Monday. She said: 'Since then, I have been phoning and phoning and phoning. My foot has doubled in size width-ways, it's like a potato, I have to sleep with 5 cushions underneath it to keep it from bursting. 'I've phoned NRS hundreds of times - five times an hour every day, but every time it says no service.' The district nurse has told Nimmy her leg is now putting her health in danger, and called in emergency physiotherapists. 'I now can't put my foot down because it's so swollen. Only the correct bed will help but NRS won't bring it. In total I've spent over 100 hours trying to deal with NRS - and I'm someone who has the energy to fight this system - many people more vulnerable than me do not. 'Surely NRS should have a back-up system where you can at least find out what's happening. Can you give me any justification for them not answering the phone?' Staff at hospitals and hospices have also reported battles getting hold of NRS. A spokesman for North London Hospice, which uses NRS via its contract with Barnet council, said: 'We have been working closely with colleagues at NRS Healthcare to ensure that our patients receive the equipment and support that they need and to minimise the risk of any disruption to them. 'We will closely monitor the situation and continue to focus on providing excellent patient care.' Nimmy's new bed was not delivered when it was supposed to on Tuesday, after Easter Monday. (Stock Image) Graphite Capital is best known for investing in posh eateries - it owns meat restaurant Hawksmoor, where a steak costs 45 and has owned a chunk of the Ivy Group - but has spread its tentacles into a fostering business, care homes, and children's homes. NRS - whose slogan is 'putting people first' - say they informed the Information Commissioner's Office about its data hack within the required timeframe. Smaller rival Medequip was also affected by a cyber hack at the same time. A spokesman for NRS said: 'NRS Healthcare confirms that it is dealing with a cyber security incident. Upon discovery, we swiftly implemented our business continuity plan, including taking systems offline and appointing external experts to help us investigate what has happened and restore our systems securely. 'Some of our services (including our phone lines) are temporarily unavailable, and our specialist teams are working around the clock to restore functionality safely. 'Thanks to manual workarounds, we are now delivering and collecting equipment for our service users within the community, albeit with some delays. 'We apologise to everyone affected and thank them for their patience and understanding. All relevant authorities have been informed.' Have YOU been affected by the fiasco? Email alesia.fiddler@mailonline.co.uk A Connecticut Democrat successfully changed the wording of new legislation to add the phrase 'expectant mothers', after branding the original suggested language - 'pregnant persons' - an affront to women. State Rep. Robyn Porter, a Democrat representing New Haven, proposed an amendment to House Bill 5454 to incorporate the term 'expectant mothers' during discussions on a bill regarding state funding on Thursday. 'My children call me mother, ma, mommy. It depends on the day,' Porter said Thursday. 'I don't answer to pregnant person or birthing person. That's not what I answer to. 'A huge part of my identity is wrapped around being a mother and a grandmother. So I find it an affront that someone would try to tell me that what they're putting on paper for the purpose of policy covers me when I'm telling you that it doesn't,' she continued. State Rep. Robyn Porter, a Democrat representing New Haven, proposed an amendment to House Bill 5454 to incorporate the term 'expectant mothers' during discussions on a bill regarding state funding on Thursday The primary advocate for the original language of 'pregnant persons' in the bill, launched by the Human Services Committee, was Rep. Jillian Gilchrest The bill was originally launched by the Human Services Committee before reaching appropriations to incorporate the phrase 'expectant mothers' to lines five and six. The original lines of the bill read ' shall create a strategic plan to maximize federal and state resources for mental health services for children six years old and younger, their caregivers and pregnant persons.' Lawmakers voted 32-16 to adopt the term 'mothers' following a 35-minute debate. The unexpected decision was achieved through a coalition of Republicans and members of the legislature's black and Puerto Rican Caucus - with all 16 opposing votes coming from Democrats. Porter stated, 'We want to talk about discrimination? Well, I'm here to tell you that black people in America know that very well. 'This is where I really get frustrated in this building because what we say is dismissed, disregarded, disrespected. I'm always asked to compromise when I come to the table, and I'm expected to do so. She added, 'We were mothers first. Yes, times are changing, and I'm fine with that because that's life... But you don't get to grow, and you don't get to talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion and exclude me and the other women like me who identify as mothers. You don't get to do that.' She said some women 'want to be called mothers. What's wrong with that?' Lawmakers voted 32-16 to adopt the term 'mothers' following a 35-minute debate (State Rep. Robyn Porter pictured Oct. 26) The bill was originally launched by the Human Services Committee before reaching appropriations to incorporate the phrase 'expectant mothers' to lines five and six (Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, Democratic State Representative in the 18th district of Connecticut pictured) The primary advocate for the original language of 'pregnant persons' in the bill was Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, a Democrat from West Hartford. 'Pregnant person is actually the inclusive term,' Gilchrest said. 'It is a gender neutral term, and it would encompass expectant mothers, pregnant women. 'As we talk about DEI, this is the direction we are hoping to move in in this state and ideally across the country. 'And so the term pregnant persons is the more inclusive term, and so I would ask my colleagues to oppose the amendment.' Many legislators representing the state's major urban cities rallied in support of Porter's amendment. State Rep. Geraldo Reyes, a Democrat from Waterbury and a prominent figure in the black and Puerto Rican Caucus, emphasized the cultural significance of motherhood. 'Culturally, as a Puerto Rican person, there is nothing more sacred than a mother... There is only one mother Just as I opposed the word Latinx, I oppose the word expecting person,' he said. Similarly, Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, a Democrat from Hartford backed Porter's amendment and emphasized his support for the LGBT community. 'It's nothing against the LGBT community. It's nothing about them,' he said. 'Nothing against them. We support them We recognize that they have rights, but where are my rights? I have the right to defend my rights.' Rep. Anthony Nolan, a New London Democrat was emphasized then importance of the word 'mother' in black communities. 'I'm just astonished by some of the things that are being said,' he said. 'In black culture, who really are ingrained with that word mother, for us to go home and call our mother something other than a mother, we would end up with a slap across the face. 'We're not removing anything. We're just asking to add something that is dear to those that are speaking in regards to it, especially in the black culture.' Last year, the CDC was slammed for 'appalling' new health guidance in which it replaced the word 'women' with the gender-neutral term 'pregnant people' The CDC's flu vaccine guidance, which was updated on September 7, 2023, was void of all mention of pregnant women and used the term 'pregnant people' instead DailyMail.com found that all gender-specific terms including 'she', 'her', 'women' and 'mother' were wiped from the CDC's recommendations for the respiratory virus and Covid vaccinations, when it was updated last month Last year, the CDC was slammed for 'appalling' new health guidance in which it replaced the word 'women' with the gender-neutral term 'pregnant people.' The erasure of the term women can be seen in recommendations for a host of respiratory virus vaccinations for pregnant women. This includes material promoting shots for Covid, flu and RSV - a common respiratory condition that most affects older adults and young children. Although usually mild, all three viruses can be deadly in pregnant women. All gender-specific terms including 'she,' 'her,' 'women' and 'mother' were replaced with gender-neutral terms like 'pregnant people' and 'pregnant person.' A doctors' organization said the CDC was 'cowering to political forces' at the expense of sound medical advice at the time. More areas of Australia's largest city are on evacuation alert despite the record-breaking rain bomb beginning to ease - as Sydney's Warragamba Dam begins to spill and a man's body was found in water in Western Sydney. Warragamba Dam, Sydney's main supply of drinking water, has started to overflow while several rivers in the Greater Sydney region are expected to burst their banks. As sunny skies greeted Sydney residents on Saturday morning after a day of heavy rain, those in communities on the city's fringes on and the NSW south coast have been warned to expect flooding from saturated waterways. More than a month's worth of rain fell over Sydney, Port Macquarie and Taree on Friday, delaying trains, cutting power and leading to evacuation alerts. The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) was involved in more than 70 flood rescues in the Sydney metropolitan area by Saturday morning and had received more than 4,000 calls in the last 24 hours. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning and a Road Weather Alert has been issued for #Sydney. Heavy to intense rainfall and flash flooding is possible. Expect rain to ease this morning. Monitor updates at https://t.co/Ss766eSCrL pic.twitter.com/JR8XS6KeNS Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) April 5, 2024 More than a month's worth of rain fell across parts of eastern NSW on Friday, leading to fears of widespread flooding (pictured, Narrabeen on Sydney's northern beaches) Warragamba Dam, Sydney's main supply of drinking water, started to overflow early Saturday morning The dam contains 80 per cent of Sydney's drinking water and is expected to continue overfowing for up to two weeks NSW Premier Chris Minns and SES Commissioner Carlene York said major floods are expected for the Hawkesbury, Nepean and Colo river in a press conference on Saturday morning. 'While it looks like blue skies across Sydney at moment ... it is important to note that flood levels in some of the rivers, particularly in Western Sydney, are continuing to rise and that presents a danger for some communities,' Mr Minns said. 'There was up to 180mm of rain dropped across New South Wales in some areas, up to 9am this morning, which is a heavy downpour in a small space of time.' NSW Police confirmed a body was found in Western Sydney floodwaters after the torrential downpour overnight. Emergency services were called to King St in Penrith at about 7:45am on Saturday morning, after a member of the public reported a man's body in water near a reserve. A statement from NSW Police said officers from Nepean Police Area Command had now established a crime scene, and said the man has yet to be formally identified. 'An investigation into the man's death is underway and a report will be prepared for the Coroner,' the statement said. The cause of the death has yet to be determined. Extensive public transport delays are expected across the city across the weekend and the Richmond, Yarramundi and Windsor Bridges will remain closed until Sunday. Premier Chris Minns warned Sydneysiders to remain vigilant as showers are expected to ease but continue across Saturday and Sunday The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) received thousands of distress calls on Friday (pictured, Parramatta's ferry wharf on Friday) Although the storm is drifting southward off the coast from Sydney, its effects are lingering over the weekend Rescue teams have been working around the clock in difficult conditions since Friday, with Commissioner York asking members of the public to safeguard themselves. 'There have been a number of flood rescues over the period of this event. We have had 152 across the state, 72 just in the metropolitan area,' Ms York said. 'People need to make safe decisions to look after themselves and their families or other people in the car and not drive through the flood waters.' Ms York said that SES teams are monitoring the overflow out of the Warragamba Dam and said surrounding communities had been alerted on what to do if conditions worsen. 'At this stage we think the effect of that will be just on those low-lying areas where we have been out with the community, letting them know what is coming and ensuring that they prepare for the waters,' she said. Rural farmland is expected to bear the brunt of overflows from the dam but Commissioner York warned that families and businesses in the area should remain cautious. SES Commissioner Carlene York said major floods are expected for the Hawkesbury, Nepean and Colo river (pictured, a resident rows through a flooded road at Eltham in NSW) Dozens of roadways have flooded and SES members have performed hundreds of rescues Warragamba Dam contains 80 per cent of the Sydney's drinkable water and started spilling at 5:45am on Saturday. The dam's catchment area covers 9,000sq/km including much of the Blue Mountains and from Goulburn in the south to Lithgow in the north. NSW government policy does not allow water to be released from the dam even in the face of significant rainfall which otherwise could have prevented flooding. The spill from the dam may continue for up to two weeks, Water NSW warned. The SES issued more evacuation warnings as floodwaters continue to rise. One alert for low-lying areas along Sydney's Narrabeen Lagoon covers people living in Warriewood, North Narrabeen and Narrabeen Peninsula. 'If you remain in the area, you may become trapped without power, water, and other essential services,' the SES' warning, issued on Saturday morning, states. 'It may be too dangerous for NSW SES to rescue you, and buildings may not be able to withstand the impact of flood water.' Another urgent evacuation warning has been issued for Picton in the Macarthur region after the town's CBD was inundated with floodwaters. There are 62 alerts still active on the SES website. Sydney's Narrabeen Lagoon is one of many waterways that has flooded More than a month's worth of rain fell over Sydney, Port Macquarie and Taree on Friday SES Commissioner York warned residents to safeguard themselves as rescue teams struggle to respond In the city's west Penrith recorded up to 167mm of rain overnight, while Terrey Hills and Canterbury saw more than 150mm since 9am Friday. In the Illawarra, Albion Park was smashed by 190mm while Bellambi, just north of Wollongong, recorded up to 194mm. Residents from Gronos Point and Cattai were urged to evacuate overnight, as were people living in the low-lying parts of Agnes Banks, Cornwallis and the eastern of Richmond lowlands. Those living in Chipping Norton and parts of Lower Portland on the eastern side of Hawkesbury were are also advised to leave at 12.35am. Although rain has eased as clouds begin moving south, the Bureau of Meteorology warned that isolated severe thunderstorms of up to 150mm may redevelop Saturday afternoon for areas from the Blue Mountains to Narooma. The Bankstown Sport Club, Club Liverpool and Richmond Club are currently serving as evacuation centres. NSW SES has warned that people living in the Hawkesbury-Nepean region should expect heavy rain to continue into Saturday and road closures are expected. Anyone living in Sydney, Wollongong, Nowra, Batemans Bay and Goulburn are advised to stay indoors over the weekend to avoid damaging winds and heavy rain. In Sydney the rain even began flooding into the Town Hall train station as workers struggled to maintain the area. Sydney's Town Hall train station has flooded The torrential downpour has created a mess of the streets and everything on them (pictured, a car in Wollongong) In rural areas heavy rainfall has created hazardous driving conditions with boulders, tree trunks and other debris littering highways and roads. Numerous rivers - including the Hawkesbury, Nepean, Georges, Lower Hunter, Myall, Macquarie and Woronora - have been placed on flood watch. 'With the forecast rainfall, further river level rises and moderate to major flooding is possible from Saturday morning along the Hawkesbury and Nepean Rivers,' the Bureau of Meteorology warned on Friday evening. Liverpool and Milperra in southern Sydney could experience moderate flooding from the Georges River from Saturday morning. Surfers and other beachgoers were also warned to stay 'well away from the surf and surf-exposed areas' due to dangerous conditions, particularly at east-facing beaches. Major Flood Warning issued for #Hawkesbury and #Nepean Rivers as flood level expected to reach major level at #Menangle and #NorthRichmond from Saturday morning. Moderate Flood Warning also current for #Colo River. Warning: https://t.co/mnOhFeVLg1 pic.twitter.com/gwyc2AF2Lo Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) April 5, 2024 Despite blue skies in Sydney on Saturday, NSW Premier Chris Minns warned that the aftermath of the storms was not over yet The heavy rainfall has created many hazards on roads (pictured, a landslide that has cut access on Lawrence Hargrave Drive at Coalcliff on the NSW south coast) Extensive traffic delays are expected as a result of the flooding (pictured, Lawrence Hargrave Drive at Coalcliff) Scores of community sport teams had their winter seasons delayed with flooded grounds from Wollondilly to the Northern Beaches closed all weekend. Relief won't be in sight for Nepean and Hawkesbury communities downstream of Warragamba Dam. Mr Minns advised residents to remain alert and up-to-date with warnings in their local areas. 'It is a volatile event and we need to make sure that we've got the latest information ... but it does require everybody being alert,' he said on Friday. The heavy rainfall that descended on Sydney is now moving southward through the Illawarra region and into the Canberra area over the weekend. For now the ACT is experiencing moderate rain. Melbourne can expect light rain with sunny periods over Sunday and Monday, while Hobart avoids the rain despite being cloudy over the weekend. In the nations west, sun is continuing to shine while Adelaide, Darwin and Perth can expect a partly overcast but mostly sunny weekend. In the Northern Territory and Western Australia temperatures are expected to remain above 30C. Protesters accused them of supporting genocide by using the occasion as a Biden fundraiser Hillary Clinton was branded a 'super predator' while husband Bill was called a 'piece of s**t' during an ambush by pro-Palestine protesters in New York City. The Clintons were accused of 'facilitating genocide' by the demonstrators who hurled abuse at the couple as they exited a Biden fundraiser on Wednesday. Hillary was leaving the Music Box Theater where she and her husband were watching a preview of the show 'Suffs' for which she is a producer. She and fellow host Hamilton writer Lin-Manuel Miranda used the occasion to stump for Biden. But the Clintons were met by a hostile crowd blaming Hillary in particular for 'the deaths of millions'. Hillary Clinton was branded a 'super predator' while husband Bill was called a 'piece of s**t' during an ambush by pro-Palestine protesters in New York City The Clintons were accused of 'facilitating genocide' by the demonstrators who hurled abuse at the couple as they exited a Biden fundraiser on Wednesday The incident took place as Hillary was leaving the Music Box Theater where she and her husband were watching a preview of the show 'Suffs' for which she is a producer You call yourself a feminist? Women are dying in Gaza, you fucking coward! Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confronted by anti-genocide protestors Wednesday night after hosting yet another fundraiser for Biden in NYC. Has anyone told you you ARE the superpredator? pic.twitter.com/TdcV1Z2cg0 Talia Jane (@taliaotg) April 4, 2024 'Hillary, has anyone ever told you that you are the super predator?' One protester screamed as the former secretary of state approached her car. 'Bill Clinton, you're a genocide supporter. F*** you, you piece of s**t,' the demonstrator added as the ex-president followed her out. But Hillary appeared unfazed raising a hand to wave and flashing a smile at the others who had gathered to see her even as the critique kept coming. 'You are responsible for genocides, you are responsible for atrocities. You're literally helping facilitate the genocide of Palestinian people,' the protester continued. She continued bellowing even as Hillary got into the vehicle and shut the door. 'F***ing piece of s**t Hillary! Over 34,000 people are dead Hillary. Call yourself a feminist? Women are dying in Gaza.' As the car pulled away, the protester was seen giving the finger before chasing the vehicle down the road to continue shouting. 'Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton, we can see you hiding in the back of your car,' the demonstrator yelled. 'Stop holding fundraisers for genocide you f***ing coward. How many people have died at your hands?' The Clintons were targeted due to their ties to Biden, whose support for Israel as it conducts a devastating bombardment of Gaza has been widely criticized amid the rising death toll Since the Hamas attack of October 7 which killed 1,200 Israelis, at least 33,000 Gazans have been killed by Israel's retaliatory strikes Initially, Hillary Clinton said those calling for a ceasefire, 'did not understand Hamas' as she insisted on Israel's right to defend itself 'I hope their screams haunt you every night,' another person added. The couple were targeted due to their ties to Biden, whose support for Israel as it conducts a devastating bombardment of Gaza has been widely criticized amid the rising death toll. Since the Hamas attack of October 7 which killed 1,200 Israelis, at least 33,000 Gazans have been killed by Israel's retaliatory strikes. Among the recent victims were seven aid workers including a US-Canadian citizen who were blasted with missiles by the IDF as they attempted to deliver food. Initially, Hillary Clinton said those calling for a ceasefire, 'did not understand Hamas' as she insisted on Israel's right to defend itself. But she has since watered down her comments and criticized Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for allowing the atrocity to happen. 'Netanyahu should go. He is not a trustworthy leader. It was on his watch that the [October 7] attack happened,' Clinton told MSNBC's Alex Wagner Tonight show in an interview. Clinton has since watered down her comments and criticized Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for allowing the atrocity to happen Palestinian child cries as victims of an Israeli bombardment arrive at the al-Najjar hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 1, 2024 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 'He needs to go, and if he's an obstacle to a ceasefire, if he's an obstacle to exploring what's to be done the day after, he absolutely needs to go,' 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. The study found that 55 percent disapprove of Israel's actions while only 36 approve. Watch the horrific moment a nightclub bouncer body slammed a man head-first into the floor 'causing him to suffer a seizure'. The video footage was captured on the street outside The Empire nightclub in Middlesbrough on March 23 at around 11pm. In the film you can see the two men tussling out on the street, as one man who appears to be wearing security arm band, grabs the victim and swings him down onto the floor. Before picking the victim up by the waist, lifting him over his head and throwing him head-first down onto the pavement causing him to 'start fitting'. The video footage was captured on the street outside The Empire nightclub in Middlesbrough on March 23 at around 11pm In the film you can see the two men tussling out on the street, as one man who appears to be wearing security arm band, grabs the victim and swings him down onto the floor. Before picking the victim up by the waist, lifting him over his head and throwing him head-first down onto the pavement causing him to 'start fitting' Cleveland police have arrested a 39-year-old man on suspicion of grievous bodily harm, and later bailed him pending further enquiries. Following the violent altercation, the Empire nightclub has been temporarily shut, after Cleveland police urged Middlesbrough council to suspend the club's licence at a hearing. They said: 'At Middlesbrough Council's Licensing Committee meeting, Councillors met to consider an application from Cleveland Police for a Summary Review of the Premises Licence in respect of The Empire following an incident which took place at the premises on Saturday, March 23. 'After hearing submissions from all parties Councillors agreed to the request from Cleveland Police to suspend the premises licence as an interim step until a full review hearing can be arranged within the next four weeks.' In a statement, The Empire apologised: 'Further to a hearing of the licensing committee which we attended today, Middlesbrough Council have taken the decision to temporarily close The Middlesbrough Empire with immediate effect. 'Whilst we understand the concerns that were raised by a recent incident, we are nonetheless disappointed. 'We await the full written decision, and we will then take a few days to consider our response and what actions need to be taken. Obviously any response is now delayed by the bank holiday weekend.' They added: 'We remain absolutely committed to providing a safe night time space in Middlesbrough. 'We apologise that we can't deliver our Easter weekend program, and any ticket refunds will be processed as soon as possible. 'Whatever you end up doing this weekend, we hope that you have a wonderful time and that you keep safe. We will see you soon.' Keir Starmer and Lindsay Hoyle could be faced with an inquiry over the Gaza ceasefire vote as Penny Mordaunt is thought to be backing a fresh bid to refer them to a privileges committee for investigation. Sir Lindsay allowed a vote on a Labour amendment to the SNPs Gaza ceasefire motion at the end of February - causing the House of Commons to descend into chaos, with some MPs walking out. The controversial decision, which frustrated politicians, meant that it was not voted on. However, the move was seen as helpful to Sir Keir Starmer who looked to avoid another major Commons revolt by his MPs over his stance on the Israel-Hamas war. It was then alleged that Sir Lindsay had faced threats from Labour if he did not act, although Starmer has denied this. Following the decision, the leader of the Commons, Penny Mordaunt has expressed support for a vote on a motion which would lead to the pair being investigated, The Times reported. Keir Starmer (pictured) could be under pressure as Morduant offers private support for a motion on him being investigated Sir Lindsay (pictured) allowed a vote on a Labour amendment to the SNPs Gaza ceasefire motion at the end of February - a move that was seen to benefit Starmer Penny Mordaunt (pictured) has expressed support for a vote on a motion which would lead to the pair being investigated READ MORE: More than 90 MPs now back call for Lindsay Hoyle to quit over Gaza vote controversy as Commons Speaker cuts an unusual quiet figure at Prime Minister's Questions Advertisement It would mean that Starmer and Sir Lindsay could then be referred to the privileges committee and claims that Starmer coerced the speaker could be investigated. A new motion to push for an investigation has been put in place and could overrule Sir Lindsay's decision. The motion has been put together by some Tory MPs and the SNP - Mordaunt reportedly has privately supported it. A vote for the investigation into the coercion claims against Starmer could go ahead if the support matches the numbers who rallied against the Speaker previously. It comes after the Speaker was hit with 96 MPs signing a confidence motion in him. Although there is no formal scheme to oust the Commons Speaker the motion of no confidence was thought to be a possible threat to his position. A new motion to push for an investigation has been put in place and could overrule Sir Lindsay's decision A Labour source told The Times: 'The deputy speakers, who are a majority Conservative MPs, looked at this and dismissed it. 'What we're now seeing is Penny Mordaunt taking advantage of Rishi Sunak's weakness to try and boost her standing with Tory backbenchers by continuing to push this. 'Meanwhile the government isn't making time for the issues that matter to voters.' A Labour Party source told MailOnline: 'The Deputy Speakers, who are a majority Conservative MPs, looked at this and dismissed it. That is the correct process. 'What we're now seeing is Penny Mordaunt taking advantage of Rishi Sunak's weakness to try and boost her standing with Tory backbenchers by continuing to push this. Meanwhile the government isn't making time for the issues that matter to voters. That's the real cost of all this Conservative chaos for working people.' A married schoolteacher is accused of grooming an 11-year-old boy with nude photos and $700 until they had sex on her bed. Ashley Elizabeth Bardfield, 32, was arrested on Wednesday night in Mt Zion, Illinois, after the boy helped police with a sting operation. The sixth-grade substitute teacher at Decatur Public Schools District was recorded telling the boy they could 'do it again' and she couldn't get pregnant. Bardfield was reported to police after the boy's mother noticed him 'acting differently' after spending the night at the teacher's home on March 29-30. She went through his phone and allegedly found texts between him and Bardfield and photos of them, including one of them 'flipping off the camera'. Ashley Elizabeth Bardfield, 32, was arrested on Wednesday night in Mt Zion, Illinois , after a the boy helped police with a sting operation The horrified mother also discovered the teacher had allegedly sent her student about $700 over several months. '[She] confronted her child about this situation and the child disclosed he had unprotected sexual intercourse with Alley Bardfield on the night of March 29,' an arrest affidavit by Mt Zion Police read. The mother took him to HSHS St John's Hospital where staff administered a rape kit. Detectives interviewed the boy on Wednesday morning and he told them Bardfield took her to his bedroom where they kissed and she took off both their clothes. They then had sex on her bed, which she usually shares with her husband Casey Newton Bardfield, a construction worker. The affidavit did not explain why the boy was staying over at his teacher's house while her family was away. The boy also told police he and Bardfield allegedly exchanged nude photos on Snapchat, the affidavit stated. Police devised a plan with the boy and his mother to get Bardfield to incriminate herself in text messages and recorded calls with him. The boy sent her a message telling her he was going out of town, but hoped to see her again when he came back. 'I love you and I miss you, Alley. When I come back I'll see if I can come over,' he wrote. Bardfield allegedly replied: 'You're always welcome. I love and miss you too.' Bardfield (left) faced Macon County Circuit Court on Thursday where she only spoke to confirm she understood, and was told she faced six to 60 years' jail if convicted Police obtained a court order for a wiretap and had the boy call Bardfield later that day, when she told him 'her tubes are tied and that she cannot get pregnant'. 'The victim asked Alley if he came over this weekend if they could "do it again". Alley responded "Yes",' the affidavit continued. Police arrested Bardfield hours later and she allegedly admitted to the crime but claimed the boy 'made sexual advances toward her'. Detectives also did 'a thorough review of text messages, social media, and a search warrant executed at the suspect's residence'. Bardfield was charged with grooming, and predatory criminal sexual assault of a child under 13. She faced Macon County Circuit Court on Thursday where she only spoke to confirm she understood, and was told she faced six to 60 years' jail if convicted. The teacher would also have to register as a sex offender for life. She did not apply for bail and will stay behind bars until her next court appearance on April 17. Bardfield and her husband are diehard Chicago Cubs fans, even naming two of their four children after Cubs players or related things. The boy's family planned to sue the school district for failing to properly train and supervise staff to ensure the safety and well-being of its students. 'Ms Bardfield's actions have had a profound and lasting impact on our client, which will likely lead to significant physical, emotional, and psychological challenges,' their lawyers said in a statement. 'As a result, we will be pursuing justice not only against Ms Bardfield but also the school district as a whole.' Bardfield was a long-term substitute teacher for the school district, including DPS District 61 where the alleged victim studied. The Decatur Public Schools District said she was no longer employed. 'While none of the alleged conduct occurred at a DPS school, student safety is always our top priority. We are working with Mt. Zion Police and providing support to students and staff,' it said. The gruesome death of a businesswoman who was set alight by her ex-partner could have been avoided if police had warned her of the danger he posed, a sheriff has ruled. Kevin Marks stood over Ann Drummond, 47, and laughed as she rolled around the ground in a bid to extinguish the flames engulfing her body. He started the blaze in her car at a road near Bathgate, West Lothian, in June 2019. Medics found more than 80 per cent of Ms Drummond's body was injured by burns. She died at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Ms Drummond had picked up Marks from court after he was released on bail for other offences when he committed the lethal attack. Marks, 52, was charged with murder but prosecutors accepted a not guilty plea on the basis his mental health was so poor he was not responsible for his actions. Kevin Marks stood over Ann Drummond (pictured), 47, and laughed as she rolled around the ground in agony Miss Drummond's son Jake Smart (both pictured), who works for a roofing company, took to social media to pay tribute to his mother as she lay dying in hospital. He posted this picture of her with the caption 'my beautiful mum' READ MORE: Mother-of-four dies after being found with head injuries inside burning car near empty field in Scotland Advertisement In October 2020 Marks was ordered to be held at the State Hospital in Carstairs, Lanarkshire, without limit of time. A fatal accident inquiry at Livingston Sheriff Court has now found her death could have been avoided if police had shared information on Marks with the NHS, amid concerns for his mental health. The court heard Marks, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia after the attack, had previously threatened Ms Drummond and had a history of domestic offending. Sheriff Peter Hammond said there should have been a 'thorough and effective' risk assessment carried out on Marks and Ms Drummond warned of the potential danger he posed. The sheriff added the 'inadequate' sharing of information by police and the failure to carry out the risk assessment were defects in the system of working. But Sheriff Hammond made no recommendations after hearing changes to working practices had been made by Police Scotland. Police told the inquiry it was 'unreasonable and unrealistic' for officers to have articulated concerns for his physical and mental health. Marks started the blaze in her car at a road near Bathgate, West Lothian pictured), in June 2019 But in a written judgment, Sheriff Hammond said: 'The effective sharing of potentially relevant information held by the police, within the police service and with NHS staff, about the mental health of Mr Marks might have led to the detection of his psychosis and the taking of protective steps. 'As such, that was a precaution which could reasonably have been taken, which might realistically have resulted in the death being avoided.' Deputy Chief Constable Jane Connors said: 'We will carefully review the determination as we work to improve our response to our communities and vulnerability.' NHS Lothian was approached for comment. Healthy China-U.S. economic ties require true cooperation over self-interest Xinhua) 13:25, April 06, 2024 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. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Zhong Wenxing) The U.S. and China agreed to hold talks that will address a key American complaint about China's economic model, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on the second day of an official visit to China. The two sides will hold more talks and create two new economic groups dedicated to growth in domestic and global economies as well as anti-money laundering, according to a U.S. statement about the creation of the groups. Yellen, who started her five-day visit in one of Chinas major industrial and export hubs, has focused thus far on what the U.S. considers to be unfair Chinese trade practices in talks with senior officials there. I think the Chinese realize how concerned we are about the implications of their industrial strategy for the United States, for the potential to flood our markets with exports that make it difficult for American firms to compete, Yellen told reporters directly after the announcement. Its not going to be solved in an afternoon or a month, but I think they have heard that this is an important issue to us. The announcement of the groups come after two days of extended meetings between Yellen and Vice Premier He Lifeng, Friday and Saturday. There was no immediate comment from the Chinese side. In her statement, Yellen said she and her counterparts agreed that the U.S. and China will hold intensive exchanges on balanced growth in the domestic and global economies. These exchanges will facilitate a discussion around macroeconomic imbalances, including their connection to overcapacity, and I intend to use this opportunity to advocate for a level playing field for American workers and firms. Its going to be critical to our bilateral relationship going forward and to Chinas relationship with other countries that are important, and this provides a structured way in which we can continue to listen to one another and see if we can find a way forward that will avoid conflict," Yellen told reporters. Earlier state media coverage of her trip had dismissed U.S. concerns about overcapacity as a pretext for tariffs. The official Xinhua News Agency wrote Friday night that while Yellens trip is a good sign that the worlds two largest economies are maintaining communication, 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." Yellen told reporters during an Alaska refueling stop en route to China that the U.S. wont rule out tariffs to respond to Chinas heavily subsidized manufacturing of green energy products. Chinese 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. The U.S. has made efforts through legislation and executive orders to wean itself off certain Chinese technologies in order to build out its domestic manufacturing capabilities. Many members of the White House and Congress view the actions as important to maintaining national security. The $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act passed in 2022 to boost the semiconductor industry and scientific research in a bid to create more high-tech jobs in the United States and help it better compete with China. Additionally, last August, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order to block and regulate high-tech U.S.-based investments going toward China. Yellen moves onto Beijing, Saturday afternoon, for more meetings over the weekend with senior officials, economists and the nation's central bank governor. (AP) 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.' 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?' Margaret Waterton (right) pictured with her late mother Margaret Simpson and late husband David Waterton 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 Grant's 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 grandmother's 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 grandmother's 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 Grant's 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 doesn't 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 can't 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. John Cowan (pictured) died with a DNR in place which his daughter Melanie Hunter, who had power of attorney, didn't know about In the same day's 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 couldn't 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'. READ MORE: Doctors admit they can't tell Covid apart from allergies or the common cold anymore Advertisement In contrast to the experience in some care homes, others did refer patients with Covid to hospitals. 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 she'd 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 dad's life wasn't 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 week's holiday, the medic returned to see how he was. Ms Hunter said: 'She said she couldn't believe it. She had to come along and see him with her own eyes. It just didn't make sense. She was standing in total shock and disbelief. 'I got a strong look and feeling from her that something wasn't right.' It was, she said, a 'horrific death' in which her father 'fought, struggled and thrashed around for 13 hours.' For now, the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry continues its examination of some of Scotland's darkest days [Stock picture] The agony was compounded by the fact that, by then, Mr Cowan's 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 didn't 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 Waterton's 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 didn't. When I explained what it was and what it meant, she was horrified. 'She didn't 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 didn't 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. Each of these awful tragedies raise disturbing questions about DNRs [Stock image] 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 didn't know what.' She now strongly suspects it drove a DNR decision. When her husband's 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.' M R 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 Scotland's darkest days. Considerations of criminality do not fall within its remit. But hearings of a very different nature may follow in its wake. Kids taken from school for being forced to stand An Aboriginal mother has pulled her children out of a school after her daughter was told to stand for the national anthem and allegedly threatened with punishment if she refused. The unnamed mother told the ABC her 11-year-old daughter was asked to stand for Advance Australia Fair during a music class in February at Seaview Christian College, a private school located in the South Australian coastal city of Port Augusta. She accused the school of forcing 'assimilation' by making children stand for the anthem while Seaview Christian College said the demand was made 'to respect the formality of the event'. An Aboriginal mother has pulled her children out of a school that has demanded children stand during the national anthem 'You either assimilate or you get out of their school,' the furious mother said. 'There's no room for discussion, there's no room for negotiation, you either do that or you just get out.' She said the anthem was written in a time when Indigenous people 'had no rights'. The ABC viewed a letter the two girls wrote, but did not send to the school, about the incident. 'Aboriginal people find the 'National Anthem' offensive. As it does not represent us in any way or form,' the girls wrote. 'And when we are made to sing or stand, you are taking away our rights as Aboriginal people in our land.' Seaview Christian College told the ABC it respected 'individual views of all students and families in regard to the anthem'. However, it said parents had to 'uphold the principles and values of our school and abide by behavioural standards for the collective benefit of all students'. Seaview Christian College requires parents to sign an enrolment contract before admitting children where families commit to fully supporting the college and to respectfully honour the college leadership and their decisions. The school also said a 'written offer to meet and discuss the issues further was rejected by the family' although other emails suggested that meeting would only take place when the mother 'understood the position of the college'. It's alleged the 11-year-old girl's name, along with the name of another 12-year-old Aboriginal student who also refused to stand, was written on the board and both were given a lunchtime detention to serve the following day. The mother kept her daughter home from school the next day but the ABC said the other girl is understood to have served detention. There are no official policies on singing the national anthem in South Australian schools (pictured the Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags Seaview Christian College denied to the ABC that any disciplinary action was taken. The mother said the children's grandmother was a member of the Stolen Generations and was beaten for not participating in the anthem while being schooled. In her case when the national anthem is played the mother said she was 'not disrespectful' but sits quietly and lets the song pass, which is the same attitude she has taught her children with more than one attending Seaview Christian College. She told the school that being made to stand for the anthem amounted to singing it. Although is it official Commonwealth protocol for people to stand when the national anthem is played, there is no formal policy regarding this in South Australian schools. SA's Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People April Lawrie said the situation as described was 'definitely not cultural safety'. 'I think the response from the school doesn't seem to fit the issue, it's not proportional,' Commissioner Lawrie said. She said Aboriginal people should not be belittled or made to feel ashamed of standing up for their 'cultural identity'. The mother has lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission, the Independent Schools Association and the Education Standards Board in South Australia. Seaview Christian College has been contacted for comment. Once in position, they will make a moving sight in time for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. And yesterday, the 1,475 silhouetted figures began their return to the shores where they landed during the Second World War as two farewell events were held to mark their departure. The figures, just shy of 6ft 6in, represent each of the servicemen who died serving under British command on June 6, 1944. They are due to arrive in France by ferry this morning, where a team of 30 volunteers will spend two weeks installing them in the fields of the British Normandy Memorial, which overlooks Gold Beach, one of the key D-Day landing points. The figures, just shy of 6ft 6in, represent each of the servicemen who died serving under British command on June 6, 1944. Artist Dan Barton stands beside some of the giant silhouettes The silhouettes were designed by Dan Barton of the Standing with Giants charity Yesterday, they were taken by four lorries to the first of the send-off events, held at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire The memorial, at Ver-sur-Mer, was opened in 2021 thanks, in part, to the donations of Mail readers after a campaign by this newspaper. It is where the main British ceremony for the 80th anniversary of D-Day will take place on June 6. The silhouettes were designed by Dan Barton of the Standing with Giants charity, who has spent four years planning the installation from the charity's workshop in Stanton Harcourt, near Witney, Oxfordshire. An artist's impression shows how they will look when set up. Yesterday, they were taken by four lorries to the first of the send-off events, held at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, the birthplace of Britain's wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill. A military band played and prayers and a blessing were conducted by the Vicar of Stanton Harcourt, Reverend Jo Hurst. Mr Barton hopes the figures will help to allow people to 'pay their respects to those that have given us our freedom'. Most of the 'giants' remained inside the 18 metal crates created to transport them. The bases of the crates have been decorated with 22,442 knitted poppies made and donated by The Women's Institute representing the total number of fallen service personnel serving in British units on D-Day and during the subsequent Battle of Normandy. Mr Barton hopes the figures will help to allow people to 'pay their respects to those that have given us our freedom' The lorries were accompanied by more than 200 Harley-Davidson remembrance riders As well as the silhouettes of servicemen representing the three military services, the project will also install two 8ft figures to represent the only two women named on the British Normandy Memorial. They are Sister Dorothy Field and Sister Mollie Evershed, who died while saving 75 men from a sinking hospital ship. Silhouettes of 50 French resistance fighters will also be installed. The lorries, accompanied by more than 200 Harley-Davidson remembrance riders, then headed to Portsmouth, where tens of thousands of soldiers began their journey across the channel in Operation Overlord, codename for the invasion of Normandy. The event at Fort Nelson in Portsmouth included a piper and a military wives choir, before the convoy set off for Portsmouth Harbour to catch the ferry. The silhouettes, once installed, can be visited through this spring and summer as part of the D-Day 80 commemorations. Former head of the Army General Lord Dannatt, who is chairman of the memorial's trustees, yesterday said the anniversary is a time to reflect on Britain's 'ongoing interest in the collective security of Europe'. He said the King is expected to attend the memorial site in Ver-sur-Mer if he is well enough, as he continues treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, alongside fellow heads of state including French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden. The King will also open the new Winston Churchill Centre for Education and Learning on the memorial site, Lord Dannatt said, adding that it is important 'future generations, particularly children and young people, know the story of D-Day' and understand Britain's role in the war. Andy Street has a lot on his shoulders. With the Conservatives trailing 20 points in the national polls, he faces the fight of his political life to cling on to the West Midlands mayoralty he has held since its creation in 2017. But the fate of the former John Lewis boss next month could also determine whether Rishi Sunak makes it to the next election without facing a leadership challenge from his increasingly demoralised MPs. A heavy Tory defeat in the local elections on May 2 is already 'priced in' by many, with experts predicting the party could lose 500 seats half of those it is defending. But the consensus view at Westminster is that the debate on Mr Sunak's future could pass a tipping point if the Conservatives also lose in the West Midlands and in Teesside, where fellow Tory mayor Ben Houchen won by a landslide in 2021. Asked whether he is the guy who is going to save the Prime Minister, Mr Street laughed and replied: 'I'm the guy who's going to save the West Midlands, that is my way of looking at it.' The contest is 'a local election first and foremost', he said. Defiant: In the face of a Tory wipeout, Andy Street plans to come out fighting on May 2 But he conceded there is more riding on the outcome than just his own future, adding: 'If we can hang on up here, it will be a huge barrier to the story that every journalist has written, that Keir Starmer is moving gracefully and inevitably towards Downing Street. 'If we can hang on here then everyone will write, well, if Starmer can't win in the West Midlands he is less likely to win nationally.' On the face of it, Mr Street is an unlikely saviour for the PM. In the 2022 Tory leadership contest he backed Liz Truss, though he acknowledges with hindsight it is 'self-evident she did not have all the requirements to be PM'. But he still stands by some of her ideas, saying: 'The fact we had to get the growth rate of the country up and that we needed a plan for some of the new sectors that will produce the jobs of the future that was absolutely right.' Mr Street's relationship with the PM hit a nadir last autumn when Mr Sunak brushed aside his protests and announced the HS2 rail scheme once planned to run to Manchester and Leeds would instead terminate at Birmingham. Those who saw the West Midlands mayor at the time believe he was on the verge of quitting. He will not say how close he came, but admits he was 'bloody cross' with the PM. More recently, he needled No 10 by declaring he would have handed back the 5million donated to the party by businessman Frank Hester after it emerged he had made racist comments about Labour MP Diane Abbott. His allies insist it is this independent streak which has left him with a shot at holding on in an area which the polls suggest should fall to Labour. His campaign literature is printed in 'Brand Andy' green, not Tory blue, and makes little mention of the Conservative Party. He points to a poll in last week's Birmingham Mail suggesting 65 per cent of people in the region recognise his name and that 53 per cent would consider the individual rather than the party when casting their vote. Asked about the Hester row, he said: 'One of the things hopefully people will judge me on is, what type of chap is he? I'm one individual, the mayor, the buck stops with me. the consensus view at Westminster is that the debate on Rishi Sunak's future could pass a tipping point if the Conservatives also lose in the West Midlands in the next election 'So I think people should know, what's his values? What's his morality? What's his principles? So I gave the straight answer to a question I thought was solely about principles.' Mr Street's bid for a third term is helped by Labour's local record in Birmingham, where the Labour-run administration is hiking council tax bills by 21 per cent over two years, ending weekly bin collections and selling off community centres, as well as even dimming street lights in a bid to stave off bankruptcy. The crisis was triggered by the loss of a massive equal pay claim, less than a decade after the same council lost a similar claim which forced it to sell off the landmark National Exhibition Centre. 'For political leadership to make the same mistake twice is unforgivable,' Mr Street said, adding: 'People say, you've done two terms. Do you really want to do it again? 'Answer, yes. I cannot conceive of passing this region to the Labour Party. Because where they have been in power here, they have demonstrably failed.' His Labour opponent is a former business consultant, Richard Parker, who appears to be fighting a low-key campaign so low-key that he has been empty chaired for at least one hustings after failing to show up. Mr Street is focusing on core issues within the mayor's remit, such as housing and transport, with Birmingham's trams being a visible sign of renewal. Street recemtly launched an initiative to push the region's growth to the highest in the country outside London by the end of the decade by focusing on the thriving tech sector. Pictured: At Jaguar Land Rover Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre, Wolverhampton A plan has been hatched with Manchester's Labour mayor Andy Burnham to bring in the private sector to complete the HS2 link. This week he launched an initiative to push the region's growth to the highest in the country outside London by the end of the decade by focusing on the thriving tech sector. He has little time for the Westminster game-playing that has produced four Conservative leaders since he took office and which is now seeing some MPs playing footsie with Reform UK. 'Absolutely irrelevant,' he said. 'My type of Conservatism thinks that it is a sideshow. The evidence is very, very clear the party has to be united, that's how you win through.' Even his friends do not think he can repeat his winning margin of 54 per cent to 46, from 2021. But any victory here might just give the Tories hope all is not yet lost. All seemed well on the British Airways flight from London to Auckland as it cruised high above the seas off Jakarta on the moonless night of June 24, 1982. But then came the announcement, the nightmare of every airline passenger. 'This is your Captain speaking,' said pilot Eric Moody. 'We have a small problem and all four engines have stopped. We are all doing our damnedest to get them working again. I trust you are not in too much distress.' Surely one of the most remarkable examples of a stiff upper lip in British aviation history, it belied the fear and confusion on the flight deck where 42-year-old Captain Moody and his crew had no idea why their engines had failed. All they knew was that their hulking jumbo jet was now effectively a giant glider heading fast towards the ground and that every decision they took would mean the difference between saving all or at least some of those on board and disaster. The lives of those 263 people 248 passengers and 15 crew would depend entirely on the skill and experience of Captain Moody, whose death in his sleep last month at the age of 84, reminds us of the events of that awful night. He had taken over the controls of BA Flight 009 for the Kuala Lumpur to Perth (Australia) leg of the journey which had started at Heathrow. There, 57-year-old Betty Tootell and her mum Phyl had taken their seats in Economy at the back of the City Of Edinburgh, as the three-year-old Boeing 747 had been named. Emigrants to New Zealand, they were returning there following a trip to London. Surely one of the most remarkable examples of a stiff upper lip in British aviation history (stock image) Most of the passengers had realised this was no regular flight. Pictured, the crew on the BA flight, Stephen Johns Roger Mcnichol Geoff Bell Graham Skinner Araf Chohan (hidden) Lorraine Stewart Clare Wickett Bernard Martin Susan Glennie Nicholas Gray Fiona Wright Sarah De Lane Lea (hidden) Barry Townley-freeman Richard Abrey Eric Moody And Roger Greaves 42-year-old Captain Moody (pictured) and his crew had no idea why their engines had failed A few rows ahead of them was Charles Capewell, who was travelling with his two young sons, Chas, ten, and Stephen, seven. In a few hours, the family expected to be reunited with the boys' mother back at the family home in Perth. They were in good hands. Captain Moody, who'd had his first taste of flying when he took gliding lessons at the age of 16, was one of the first pilots trained on the 747s. An hour and a half into the flight and after finishing his meal, he took a lavatory break only to be summoned urgently back to the cockpit by first officer Roger Greaves and flight engineer Barry Townley-Freeman. With the plane cruising at 37,000ft, they had been confronted with pinpricks of light bombarding the windscreen like tracer bullets. At first they thought it might be St Elmo's Fire a 'sparking' phenomenon caused by ionised air sometimes seen when planes fly through thunder-clouds but the radar showed a clear sky. Equally perplexing, given the radar reading, was that the plane appeared to be flying through banks of clouds. None of this made any sense. Very quickly the strange visual effects on the windscreen turned into sheets of brilliant white light which extended to the wings, lending them an eerie glow. It was just the beginning of the nightmare. The lives of those 263 people 248 passengers and 15 crew would depend entirely on the skill and experience of Captain Moody Captain Moody would have to land the plane manually, despite being unable to see through their front windows At the back of the cabin, Betty Tootell had her reading of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park interrupted by what felt like a jolt of turbulence. 'I glanced over to the left wing and it was covered in a brilliant white shimmering light,' she said later in a TV documentary about the incident. 'I carried on reading but I found that I kept reading the same paragraph over and over again and not taking in a word of it. I just didn't know what was happening.' To her alarm, Betty then saw smoke curling in through the ceiling vents as an acrid smell crept through the cabin. In that era when passengers were allowed to light up on planes, the flight attendants mistook this for cigarette smoke but chief steward Graham Skinner realised that something was seriously wrong. After checking the toilets in vain for smouldering cigarettes, Skinner's team began stowing away loose items in a bustle of efficiency, hoping to reassure passengers that they were on top of the situation. 'I didn't want them to get as upset as I felt,' recalled Skinner. 'I was saying: 'Nothing to worry about. It's just a little hiccup,' but it got really hot and the acrid smoke was at the back of your throat.' Most of the passengers had now realised this was no regular flight. Telling his young sons to close the blind on their porthole, Charles Capewell tried to affect an air of calm. 'As young as they were, they knew we were in bad, bad trouble and they looked at me as if to say: 'Well, what do we do now, Dad?' Betty then saw smoke curling in through the ceiling vents as an acrid smell crept through the cabin. Pictured, a Daily Mail report from 1982 Engineers at Rolls-Royce later discovered that it had flown through a cloud of ash blasted into the air by the Mount Galunggung volcano Lurching up and down as if they were on the world's most terrifying rollercoaster, the petrified passengers were also convinced that the engines were on fire. Captain Eric Moody with senior officer Roger Greaves and senior flight engineer Barry Townley-Freeman Back in the cockpit, none of the warning lights indicated fire anywhere on the plane but then the first of the engines failed. 'The other three went out almost immediately and that's when it began to be a serious emergency,' recalled Captain Moody. 'The engines made a grating, rumbling sound almost like a cement mixer,' remembered Betty Tootell. 'Then gradually the noise just disappeared and they became silent.' 'It was like you were suspended in space and all you could hear was this quietness and the whimpering from a few people that were really upset,' said Charles Capewell. As far as the crew were aware, no other 747 had ever lost power to all of its engines and nothing happening aboard BA009 bore any resemblances to the situations for which they had trained in flight simulators. Still they knew that, even without its engines, a 747 can glide nine miles for every half mile it drops and their calculations suggested that this would buy them about 30 minutes before they crashed. Since it typically took about three minutes to restart an engine, this gave them ten attempts at most. They could not restart the jets unless the plane was flying at 290mph-310mph but their airspeed indicator had failed so all Captain Moody could do was continuously raise and lower the nose of the plane to change its speed and hope that he got it right. Lurching up and down as if they were on the world's most terrifying rollercoaster, the petrified passengers were also convinced that the engines were on fire as every attempt to reboot the jets resulted in great sheets of flame shooting out behind them. They could not restart the jets unless the plane was flying at 290mph-310mph but their airspeed indicator had failed so all Captain Moody could do was continuously raise and lower the nose of the plane to change its speed The volcano near Jakarta (pictured) had erupted that day. The engines had become choked by the volcanic debris 'We didn't know if the flames were going to come into the cabin and if we were all going to burn to death, or choke on the smoke,' said Betty Tootell. 'What's causing it? What are they going to do about it?' READ MORE: The story of BA flight 009 and the words every passenger dreads ... Advertisement Normally, excess air from the plane's engines is pumped into the cabin to keep it pressurised. Without this, the oxygen masks clattered down as they dropped beneath 26,000ft but flight officer Roger Greaves' mask fell apart as he tried to put it on. Aware that Greaves would soon pass out without oxygen, Moody dropped the plane a stomach-lurching 6,000ft in just a few seconds, another ordeal for the tortured souls in the cabin as they plummeted to a height where they could breathe without masks. Strangely there was no hysteria as mothers moved to comfort their children, couples reached for each other's hands and the flight attendants worked their way down the cabin, teaming solo passengers with a companion to accompany them into the darkest of nights. Charles Capewell said: 'The quietness was unbelievable. It seemed eerie and surreal, as if we were suspended in space. All we could feel was this quietness and the whimpering from the few people who were really upset.' He scribbled notes to his wife. 'Ma. Plane going down,' he wrote on the cover of his ticket wallet. 'Will do best for the boys. We love you. Sorry. Pa.' 'Other people were sitting quite rigidly almost as if they hadn't noticed anything,' said Betty Tootell. 'At first it was sheer fear, then after a while it turned to acceptance. We knew we were going to die.' The crew had decided to divert to the nearest airport just outside Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, but a quick calculation showed him that the plane would not make it even that far without at least one functioning engine. Roger Greaves radioed a Mayday warning to Jakarta control, in the international format drilled into every flight crew: 'Mayday, Mayday. Jakarta control. Speedbird nine. We have lost all four engines. Repeat, all four engines. 'Now descending through flight level 3-5-0.' As the plane dropped lower and lower, Captain Moody realised that a mountain range was in the way anyway. He decided that if the engines hadn't restarted by the time they reached 12,000ft he would try to come down on the Indian Ocean, even though he had never attempted a landing on water before. 'I knew it was so difficult to land aeroplanes on the sea, even when you had everything going for you and we didn't have much going for us,' said Moody. As the plane dropped to 13,500ft it looked ever more inevitable that he would have to try this riskiest of manoeuvres on to shark-infested waters. But then, as suddenly as it had stopped working, one of the engines roared unexpectedly back into life. 'When a Rolls-Royce engine starts up, it makes this low rumbling noise and it was just wonderful to hear it,' remembered Roger Greaves. The other engines started up after what seemed an interminable 90 seconds later. With only ten minutes to spare, they cleared the mountain range but their troubles were not over yet. As they finally came in to land, they realised that the landing system at the airport was malfunctioning and unable to tell them how far from the ground they were. Captain Moody would have to land the plane manually, despite being unable to see through their front windows, which for reasons unknown to them had become almost opaque. As they approached the runway, they were barely able to make out the lights and the delay before the wheels touched down felt like minutes rather than seconds but the landing itself was smooth. 'The aeroplane just landed itself, it kissed the earth,' recalled Captain Moody. 'It was beautiful.' Spontaneous cheers and clapping broke out as the traumatised passengers hugged each other. 'All we wanted was to land on the earth and be part of the living again,' says Charles Capewell. 'While we were up there we were dead.' Amid all the subsequent celebrations there remained the vital question of what had nearly brought the plane down. Engineers at Rolls-Royce later discovered that it had flown through a cloud of ash blasted into the air by the Mount Galunggung volcano near Jakarta which had erupted that day. As the plane smashed through the fine particles of rock at some 500mph, the abrasion and friction on its body and windows had produced the strange electrical lightshows seen all around it as the cabin filled with smoke. The engines had become choked by the volcanic debris. Only when they dropped into clearer, denser air and the volcanic material was blown free were the crew able to start the engines again. Following the near disaster of Flight 009, the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre was set up, to liaise between meteorologists and the aviation industry. In the months that followed, the crew of the plane were showered with awards, with Eric Moody receiving both the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air and a set of crystal decanters from Lloyd's of London, the aircraft's insurers. 'I suppose I did save them a couple of million pounds,' he joked. Captain Moody continued flying 747s the repaired City of Edinburgh among them before retiring at 55 after completing more than 17,000 flying hours. Although some of those hours had been spent facing that brush with death over Jakarta, that didn't stop him joking about it during an interview with the Airline Ratings website in 2014. 'When I learnt to fly in the Fifties, flying was dangerous and sex was safe,' he said. 'When I retired in the Nineties, that had gone the other way around.' Along with the grateful passengers, he formed the Galunggung Gliding Club, an organisation which kept the survivors in touch with each other for many years and even produced an unexpected romance when Betty Tootell went on to marry James Ferguson, the man who sat in front of her. 'Life is full of surprises,' she said of their relationship. 'That night, I learned to count every day as a bonus.' Canada's ultra-liberal prime minister has admitted that immigration levels into his country are too high and says the number of newcomers must be 'brought under control'. Addressing an audience at a housing announcement in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, on Tuesday, Justin Trudeau said the number of temporary foreign workers coming into Canada has increased at a rate 'far beyond what Canada has been able to absorb'. The prime minister, known for his liberal stance on immigration, said the number of temporary migrants in Canada more than tripled in the last seven years, and must be 'brought under control'. 'Whether it's temporary foreign workers or whether it's international students in particular, that have grown at a rate far beyond what Canada has been able to absorb,' Trudeau said. 'To give an example, in 2017, two percent of Canada's population was made up of temporary immigrants. Now we're at 7.5 percent of our population comprised of temporary immigrants. That's something we need to get back under control.' Addressing an audience at a housing announcement in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, on Tuesday, Trudeau said the number of foreign workers coming into Canada has increased at a rate 'far beyond what Canada has been able to absorb' and must be 'brought under control' The prime minister, known for his liberal stance on immigration, said the number of temporary migrants in Canada more than tripled in the last seven years. (Pictured: Asylum seekers unload their bags from a van as they wait to enter Canada) 'We want to get those numbers down,' Trudeau continued. 'It's a responsible approach to immigration that continues on our permanent residents, as we have, but also hold the line a little more on the temporary immigration that has caused so much pressure in our communities.' Canada is battling a 130 percent spike in the number of Mexicans, Haitians, and others seeking asylum there, overwhelming shelters and leaving officials scrambling with an $822 million crisis. Shelter systems in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, and other Canadian cities are over capacity, prompting its liberal government to take steps to deter the flows of people north. Canada's asylum claims jumped 130 percent to 137,900 between 2022 and 2023 Canadian officers stop asylum seekers as they enter Canada at the Roxham Road entry point with the US Canadian officers check the credentials of two people who entered Canada via Roxham Road on the Canada/US border Canada's geography means it sees a fraction as many irregular border crossings as the US, but there's been an increase in the numbers arriving by air particularly from Mexico. Shelter systems in Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver are also over capacity exacerbating a shortage of available places for the homeless population. The influx has prompted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government to make policy shifts. Mexico is by far the largest source country for those seeking asylum in Canada, followed by Haiti, Turkey, India and Colombia. The rapid growth in asylum seekers in Canada is happening in tandem with record population gains, driven by foreign workers and international students. The number of international students in the country has tripled to around 1 million in less than a decade. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government has made policy shifts to tackle the migrant surge Protestors rally against Canada regularizing undocumented migrants in Montreal, Quebec Patrick Brown, the mayor of Brampton, Ontario, calls Canada's migrant crisis 'an ugly situation' Frustration over housing shortages has forced Trudeau's government to scale back on its immigration ambitions in recent months. Among other policies, it's capping the number of foreign-study permits. Last year, Trudeau and US President Joe Biden agreed to end a pact that had resulted in asylum-seekers crossing into Canada from the US at a location known as Roxham Road. In February, Trudeau's government reimposed visa rules for many Mexican citizens. Last month, Canada said it plans to reduce the size of its temporary resident population, a group that includes asylum claimants and foreigners on temporary work permits. In Peel, a Toronto suburb, the shelter system is running at 300 percent of capacity, with asylum-seekers occupying more than 70 percent of the beds and many more camping on the streets, officials say. 'It's an ugly situation,' Patrick Brown, the mayor of Brampton, Ontario, said this week. 'If Canada's going to allow more asylum claimants into our country, we need to make sure that they're not left abandoned, and frankly, what we've seen is too much of that.' Asylum seekers make it harder for Canada to manage its home-grown homeless problem Mexico, Haiti, Turkey, and India led the pack in asylum seeker claims in Canada in 2023 In Brampton, about 80 percent came from five African countries, including Kenya and Nigeria, Brown said. The numbers have risen because of the overlapping conflicts and crises in other nations, the resumption of international travel after the pandemic and Canada's broadening of the legal basis for asylum claims. Trudeau's government - under pressure from Quebec Premier Francois Legault and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow - offered about C$360 million or $265 million in January to provinces and cities. That was to help deal with 'extraordinary interim housing pressures' from asylum claimants. It says it's transferred about C$750 million to other levels of government since 2017 to help with asylum-related housing costs. That adds up to C$1.1 billion, $822 million. Heading out for a day in the hills, Falcon Frost pulls on heavy boots and slings a rifle onto his back. He is surrounded by the towering beauty of the Glenfalloch estate in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, north of Glasgow. For townies, this is a magical place to escape the rat race and bag the six Munros peaks above 3,000ft including the queen of the Southern Highlands, Ben Lui, which lies within its 25,000 acres. For Mr Frost, a stalker and estate manager, this is also his place of work. Deer are culled on estates such as Glenfalloch and, for much of the past 28 years, it has been Mr Frosts job to ensure that it is carried out. Lately, though, he and others who earn their living in the countryside are starting to feel it is they who have a target on their backs. Theres very little trust left and thats the problem. We seem to be getting it from all angles, he said. Some folk do feel this is an attack on our traditional way of life. Deer are culled on estates such as Glenfalloch and, for much of the past 28 years, it has been Mr Frosts (pictured) job to ensure that it is carried out Biodiversity minister Lorna Slater (pictured) visited Glenfalloch and was offered to be shown what her what deer management involves He is referring to a recent Scottish Government consultation on the most radical changes to deer management in living memory. It contains proposals that would rip up the previously collaborative approach to deer management and, instead, demand reductions in deer numbers. Failure by gamekeepers to carry out culls, ordered by regulator NatureScot, could lead to a fine of 40,000 and a jail term of up to three months or both. NatureScot could also bill an estate owner if a third party has to do the cull. Deer managers have reacted with undisguised fury to the idea of these Deer Management Nature Restoration Orders (DMNROs), branding them a draconian measure which blows the principle of voluntary deer management clean out of the water. Opponents have threatened to take legal action to halt them if necessary, arguing they could effectively let NatureScot go onto a private estate and impose a cull based on a purely subjective and scientifically undefined need for nature restoration and enhancement. The Scottish Gamekeepers Association left the consultation entirely after claiming the orders could force members to take part in the culling and disembowelling of heavily pregnant hind deer due to proposed changes to the female deer season. It warned it could damage members mental health and contravene their human rights and, to push home their point, it recently posted distressing images on social media of an almost full-term foetus that was recovered from its freshly shot mother. T O seasoned observers such as Mr Frost, 48, this increasingly bitter standoff is symptomatic of concerted efforts by an urban-centric government to wrest control of the countryside from those who live and work there. And its all being done under the flag of environmentalism. You certainly hear through the grapevine that there are some very disgruntled people in the countryside that this is the thin end of the wedge, he said. Deer management for the last ten years or so has gone through these different reviews and there is a sense of the Government constantly shifting the goalposts. They cant seem to decide what they want. Opponents have threatened to take legal action to halt them if necessary, arguing they could effectively let NatureScot go onto a private estate and impose a cull based on a purely subjective and scientifically undefined need for nature restoration and enhancement I dont think they totally get how the countryside works. He added: Where intervention is justified, I am totally for it. But a lot of the sector feels this is a step too far. Its creating unnecessary tension. That tension has been bubbling under for some years between shooting estates and agencies and charities focused on rewilding upland areas. It has reached a point where conflict mediators, more used to working in Northern Ireland and the Middle East, have been brought in to try to make peace between stalkers, environmentalists and science/policy experts. Father-of-three Mr Frost, a second-generation stalker who has been part of that forum, said it had been working towards common goals through dialogue but warned: DMNROs could undo a lot of that good work. He added: We had a visit from biodiversity minister Lorna Slater at Glenfalloch and we offered to take her out on the hill for a day and show her what deer management involves. But she hasnt taken us up on that, unfortunately. The Greens minister, who is leading the consultation, has also twice rejected an invitation by Tory MSP and landowner Edward Mountain to a deer stalking fact-finding event despite her strong advocacy of the culls. Mr Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, had urged Ms Slater to take the opportunity to meet those with a deep knowledge of the subject and to actively participate in a culling operation. But Ms Slater replied that she already had a full understanding of deer management. Mr Mountain, who is convener of Holyroods net zero, energy and transport committee, said: It seems Lorna Slater is happy for there to be blood on the hillsides but not on her hands. Deer managers have reacted with undisguised fury to the idea of these Deer Management Nature Restoration Orders (DMNROs). Pictured: Head stalker drags a stag at Milstone Cairn in Glen Callater on the Invercauld Estate I invited her to spend the day in the countryside with me and some deer stalkers for two main reasons. Firstly, so she could see and hear for herself first hand some of these very genuine concerns, but also to correct some of the arguments she and her government have put forward that are not accurate. Its regrettable that she has declined this invitation twice, and perhaps it tells you everything you need to know about this Scottish Government. Its always beneficial for Edinburgh-based ministers to get out of their comfort zone and see what rural Scotland is actually like, especially when they are making such important decisions. That strength of feeling was reflected in January when rural workers protested in Ballater, Aberdeenshire, against a future vision for the Cairngorms National Park due to be unveiled by Ms Slater and First Minister Humza Yousaf. The politicians cancelled at the last minute due to Storm Isha but demonstrators in wellies and stalking gear held up placards saying rural workers make the park, dont greenwash away rural workers jobs, and stop slaughtering our iconic deer. Deirdre Falconer, regional co-ordinator from the Grampian Moorland Group, told Farmers Weekly: The project includes plans to spend 9million on visitor infrastructure, 19million on peatland restoration, trees and river restoration, and a couple of million on wellbeing. But there is no money for housing or anything to address the real issues that are in the park. The policies that are coming out of the Scottish Government are literally eroding the way of life for people living in these rural areas. It is like an attack on the countryside. The Managing Deer for Climate and Nature consultation comes hard on the heels of the Scottish parliaments passing of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill last month, which makes it compulsory for estates where grouse are shot to obtain government-issued licences which will run for up to five years. Meanwhile, the controlled burning of heather and use of some traps will be subject to separate licensing regimes. It is, perhaps, understandable that estate owners and staff feel under fire. What makes life trickier is the amount a deer is worth can vary wildly. Deer shot in season can earn landowners up to 1,000 per stag and many times that for accommodation and catering, which feeds into the local economy. They may only receive 50 for a carcass shot by stalkers out of season. It means people like Mr Frost can shoot 100 of Glenfallochs 700-strong deer population through the year but struggle to cover even his basic costs such as wages, fuel, equipment, heating, lighting and special copper bullets now required to shoot the animals. Meanwhile, the controlled burning of heather and use of some traps will be subject to separate licensing regimes Furthermore, with the price of venison around 1.80 per kilo, flooding the market with extra meat will do nothing to prop it up, assuming capacity could be found to cope with the extra supply. Ms Slater frequently touts the headline figure that Scotlands total deer population has doubled to around one million as a major concern, even though the figure is an estimate which NatureScot urges should be treated with caution. Only red deer are counted annually their numbers have trebled to around 400,000 since the 1960s. The rest up to 300,000 roe deer, 25,000 sika and at least 8,000 fallow deer are just educated guesses and numbers have stabilised in the past two decades. Its not just about population numbers though, herbivores like deer can have a detrimental impact on our natural environment, the minister lectured in response to Mr Mountains invitation. I want to ensure that we manage our deer populations so that they form a part of a functioning ecosystem, in a way that maximises the benefits they bring as part of our wonderful Scottish landscape. Yet theres a delicate balance to be struck with deer numbers too, argues the Association of Deer Management Groups (ADMG), ensuring they remain within that narrow band where there are sufficient beasts to preserve an estates profitability but not too many to become a nuisance. Managers fear the kind of widespread heavy culling presaged by the consultation will damage that fragile equilibrium. Its always the upland deer range that bears the brunt, said Tom Turnbull, ADMG chair, who runs the Strome Estate in Argyll. Thats because the 50 or so deer management groups, with published deer management plans, are undertaking habitat monitoring and in almost all cases already reducing deer numbers. DMGs are an easy target for the government to focus on and turn the screw, he said. The ADMG believes the suggestion that estates could not appeal a diktat from NatureScot was particularly disturbing. If it goes ahead it will almost certainly end up in the courts, he said. Another worry is no mention of grants to help out with the additional culling. Influential eco-landowners, looking to rewild or preserve the remnants of the ancient Caledonian Forest, have been lavished with grants and tax breaks, as the SNP looks at covering 21 per cent of Scotland in forest by 2032. But even here, there have been 40 per cent cuts to the Forestry Grant Scheme, suggesting a lack of political will in the very schemes intended to support change. The Greens minister, who is leading the consultation, has also twice rejected an invitation by Tory MSP and landowner Edward Mountain to a deer stalking fact-finding event despite her strong advocacy of the culls For estate owners willing to adapt, though, there is no financial safety net. Despite already carrying out 80 per cent of all culling at their own expense, there is no sign of any compensation scheme only the spectre of a big stick with which to beat them. The rural sector is frustrated at the moment, said Mr Turnbull. Much of it feels cornered. Our members are already committed and contributing massively to delivering on the Scottish biodiversity and climate change targets at landscape scale through regeneration and planting of woodland and restoration of peatbogs and have been for the last ten years and more. But I think that deer managers who have been delivering exactly what the Scottish Government wants feel like they might be made to reduce deer levels down to a level at which their job is no longer sustainable. There need to be real incentives put in place to compensate for those higher culls, but also to encourage people and make them feel secure. These proposals do feel like a sledgehammer to crack a nut, said Ross Ewing, director of moorland at landowners trade body, Scottish Land & Estates. There are existing regulatory powers under the Deer (Scotland) Act of 1996 which are perfectly sufficient to do the job if the voluntary principle fails. A NatureScot spokesman said a significant reduction in numbers was vital for meeting targets to restore nature and reach net zero. He added: We believe that a sustained need for deer management and the jobs and skills associated with it will bring significant opportunities for the rural economy. Mr Frost still hopes for the future and that one day one of his sons might even come to work at his very unique office. My 14-year-old, Lewis, is quite keen. He loves being out on the hill, so theres hope. Of course, I think the job might be quite different by then. Dozens of police officers are being paid overtime every day to deal with the deluge of complaints sparked by Scotland's 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 tomorrow's Rangers v Celtic clash could lead to another spike in reports. Scottish Police Federation general secretary David Kennedy warned the impact on officer workload and the force's budget due to increased overtime could last 'weeks or months' Around 3,600 reports were made in the first 48 hours of Scotland's new hate crime law coming into force on Monday Officers say they must check every online complaint individually in case they contain covert messages from victims of domestic abuse or people trafficking. 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 force's budget due to increased overtime could last 'weeks or months'. Mr Kennedy said: 'It's 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. 'It's 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 can't 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 can't 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 Yousaf's '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. Tomorrow's Old Firm match at Ibrox is expected to generate a new flurry of complaints due to chants and shouts from fans. Critics of the new hate crime law fear that the police force will be overwhelmed by thousands of complaints that each have to be investigated 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.' For the first time in history Buckingham Palace will be guarded by French troops in a drill approved by King Charles to mark 120 years of friendly relations. In April of 1904 an agreement known as the Entente Cordiale was decided between the United Kingdom and the French Republic that settled a number of controversial matters and improved Anglo-French relations. To mark this anniversary French troops will guard Buckingham Palace at Monday's Changing the Guard ceremony. The forecourt of Buckingham Palace will see 32 French soliders from the Republican Guard of the National Gendarmerie join 40 Guardsmen from F Company Scots Guards to parade the grounds together. A mock up of what it will look like to have Buckingham Palace be guarded by French troops on Monday For the first time in history Buckingham Palace will be guarded by French troops in a drill approved by King Charles to mark 120 years of friendly relations (Mock up image) A similar guard change, attended by President Macron, will be held in Paris earlier that day. Sixteen soldiers from Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards will join troops from 1er Regiment de la Garde Republicaine to provide the Presidential Guard outside the Elysee Palace, in what will be the first ever example of a foreign state guarding the French Presidential Residence. On Friday, British and French troops were seen rehearsing at the Wellington Barracks which is where they are staying whilst they are here. The Wellington Barracks and named after the Duke of Wellington - the British military leader who defeated Napoleon in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Some X users were apprehensive about the ceremony with one posting: 'French troops at Buckingham Palace. My instinctual anxiety levels rising.' Another fumed: 'Disgraceful that this should be allowed to happen, only British troops should be allowed, I thought we left the EU.' But some had a more positive response with one writing: 'Please be sure we see this historic event'. X users express their thoughts over the news that French troops with guard Buckingham Palace in the Changing the Guard ceremony on Monday To mark the 120-year anniversary of the Entente Cordiale French troops will guard Buckingham Palace at Monday's Changing the Guard ceremony (Mock up image) Squadron Chief Guillaume Dewilde, who is leading the French detachment during the Changing of the Guard, 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.' Garrison Sergeant Major Andrew Stokes, who has been responsible for delivering all 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 we're not nervous at all. 'It will be a wonderful celebration and an opportunity for the public to witness such a spectacle.' Lt Col James Shaw, who has been responsible for designing the ceremony, 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 we're in a really good place for Monday. 'We're super excited for this historic moment.' Lieutenant Colonel James Shaw, who has been responsible for designing the ceremony, 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 we're in a really good place for Monday. 'We're super excited for this historic moment.' The ceremony, which will take place at 11am, will see the group of soldiers traditionally relieved by a new detachment of troops in front of an audience of 40 VIPs. They will be inspected by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the UK Chief of General Staff (CGS), General Sir Patrick Sanders, the French Chief of the Army Staff, General Pierre Schill, and the French ambassador to the UK Helene Duchene. The Gendarmerie will be marched on and off the Buckingham Palace forecourt by the Band of the Grenadier Guards, who will also perform both countries' national anthems and a programme of Anglo-French music. While the Gendarmerie will participate in the ancient ceremony, they will not take the place of their British counterparts in guarding the King. This responsibility is only afforded to members of the British Armed Forces and Commonwealth troops. The Ministry of Defence said the appearance by French personnel at Buckingham Palace forms part of a longer-term programme of joint UK-French activity that celebrates the two nations' historic military and diplomatic ties in 2024. This will include military sporting events, participation in each other's 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 Ministry Of Defence said these will serve to further strengthen the long-standing military and security partnership between Britain and France. GOP frontrunner Donald Trump is reportedly enraptured by thought of the iconic Kennedy surname gracing election tickets next to his name, and is thus considering making Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr his running mate. Word of the prospective merger come from two people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Seattle Times, less than a week after JFK's 70-year-old nephew claimed during a TV interview that Joe Biden is a greater threat to democracy than Trump. They said those close to the aspiring two-term president do not view Kennedy as a true contender, and that Trump, 77, has repeatedly asked his advisers about the prospect, especially in recent weeks. Kennedy, in turn, turned down the reported olive branch, telling the Times in a text message that while flattering, him being Trump's No. 2 is never going to happen. Still, Trump's reported queries to advisers and associates shows that he is still mulling who will be his right hand come November, and may be looking to do away with potential spoiler RFK simultaneously. Insiders said those around him still have no clue whom he will decide on - as RFK on Friday made his stance known. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. His rival, Republican Donald Trump, is reportedly considering making him his running mate Trump, 77, has repeatedly asked his advisers about the prospect of a Kennedy-Trump merger in recent week, sources said Friday RFK JR, then 7, lifts a salamander named Shadrach from a vase in Uncle John F. Kennedy's presidential office March 11, 1961. Trump's reported queries to advisers and associates shows that he is still mulling who will be his right hand, and may be looking to do away with potential spoiler RFK simultaneously 'I'm flattered by the thought, but it's not a course I would consider,' Kennedy - seen in vintage photos with his late uncle and his aunt Jackie O. - told the paper via text. One of the two insiders, meanwhile, divulged how Trump has long been intrigued by the Kennedy political dynasty. 'I like Trump-Kennedy,' the former president recently told one person of a linkup between him and the Kennedy scion. 'I like the way that sounds.' Moreover, the sources cited how Trump, during his term, often bragged to visitors about sitting at the same Oval Office desk as John F. Kennedy, a man who - more than six decades after his passing - as surfaced as a symbol of Democratic royalty. He also regularly invoked the name of the Cuban Missile Crisis hero during White House events, though last week, criticized the former Democrat's views on climate change, in an attempt to paint him as more radical than 81-year-old Biden. 'RFK Jr. is the most Radical Left Candidate in the race, by far. Hes a big fan of the Green New Scam, and other economy killing disasters,' Trump wrote on Truth social March 27 at 2am. 'I guess this would mean he is going to be taking votes from Crooked Joe Biden, which would be a great service to America, RFK Jr. last week unveiled millionaire Silicon Valley lawyer and tech entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his vice presidential pick. The attorney runs a firm focused on addressing things like reproductive longevity, criminal justice reform and a healthy planet, per its website Kennedy has accused President Joe Biden of threatening the First Amendment and Democracy by trying to censor social media. He turned down Trump's alleged olive branch The ex-president's consideration appears to go against a series of attacks wages toward Kennedy in recent weeks, including this Truth Social post that criticized the Democrat's views on climate change, in an attempt to paint him as more radical than 81-year-old Biden 'His running mate, Nicole Shanahan, is even more Liberal than him, if thats possible,' he went on, bringing up the Bay Area attorney who runs a private tech firm focused on addressing things like reproductive longevity, criminal justice reform and a healthy & livable planet, according to its website. 'Kennedy is a Radical Left Democrat, and always will be,' Trump concluded. 'Its great for MAGA, but the Communists will make it very hard for him to get on the Ballot. 'Expect him, and her, to be indicted any day now, probably for Environmental Fraud.' The comments appeared to obliquely address the litany of cases the Republican is currently facing, seemingly suggesting his own legal woes should have the Kennedy descendant worried. However, in the span of a few words, he quickly changed tune - claiming he is happy Kennedy is running, as it would take away votes from his real rival, Joe Biden. 'I love that he is running!' Trump said. 'He is Crooked Joe Bidens Political Opponent, not mine.' RFK Jr. (pictured with his mother ether and sister Rory) has downplayed his family's very public rejection and their support of Joe Biden. He plans to play spoiler to both his opponents RFJ Jr is seen with his father Robert Kennedy, on the grounds of his home in McLean, Virginia. Insiders on Friday said Trump has long been intrigued by the Kennedy political dynasty. Robert F. Kennedy and his family return to New York after a trip to Europe. His wife Ethel, and children Joseph Patrick II, Robert Francis, Jr., and Kathleen stand with him Trump also regularly invoked the name of the Cuban Missile Crisis hero (at left) during White House events, but last week, criticized his nephews's views on climate change, in an attempt to paint him as more radical than 81-year-old Biden A day earlier, Kennedy claimed his renewed campaign as an independent would serve as not only a 'spoiler' for Biden, but Trump as well - responding to comments aired by Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis on a conference call with reporters organized by the DNC. During the call, the official criticized Kennedy's attempt to steal votes away from Biden as 'lame.' Kennedy responded: 'Our campaign is a spoiler. I agree with that. 'It is a spoiler for President Biden and for President Trump.' Trump's alleged curiosity about Kennedy as a running mate, meanwhile, looked to undermine his repeated attacks, as polls in battleground states show a great deal of contention over their preferred candidates. In a Wall Street Journal poll published this week, Trump had support from 39 percent of voters across seven key battleground states, compared with 36 percent for Biden. Moreover, 11 percent of prospective voters pegged Kennedy as their preferred president - a number that demonstrates that while not a frontrunner, a candidate such as Kennedy could very well make a difference. RFK Jr.'s own mother Ethel is said to be the influence behind the family's decision to support Joe Biden over his presidential campaign, sources tell DailyMail.com Davis, however, dismissed this dynamic - despite Trump in recent weeks reportedly viewing it as perhaps influential enough to make his rival a friend. 'Hes a spoiler. Hes tried to coast on his family legacy and the goodwill they have in the African American community,' Davis said of Kennedy on the DNC conference call March 27. 'But the Kennedy family has denounced this lame attempt, and theyve quite frankly stood with President Biden.' Kennedy has been running for president as an independent since last year, and last week brought on Shanahan as a running mate. As of writing, he seems content to continue on with his campaign, despite not sporting the numbers necessary to beat out his two opponents. A third party or independent has never won the presidential election in the US. If given a pardon says he will fix defective apartments A fugitive developer who gained notoriety for gifting his former wife a yellow Lamborghini says he will return to Australia to fix his defective apartments if police promise not to arrest him. Jean Nassif made a series of wild claims and vows about his business affairs in his first major interview since fleeing Australia in December 2022 leaving millions owed and thousands of buyers stuck with uninhabitable units. Mr Nassif, who is of Lebanese descent, was tracked down to country's capital Beirut by ABC reporters and agreed to meet with them at a cafe. Fugitive property developer Jean Nassif (pictured left with former wife Nisserine 'Nissy' Nassif) fled Australia in December 2020 He is wanted by NSW police on charges of large scale fraud but Mr Nasif, 55, said if those are forgiven he will return to Australia and make right thousands of sub-standard apartments sold by his company Toplace. 'I will fix it,' Mr Nassif, who during the interview called himself the 'number one developer on Earth', told the ABC. 'If they move this bulls*** of an arrest and allow me to go back and take my business without fabricating something and put me in jail. 'I already asked the police to mediate and to allow me to negotiate bail, put the arrest on the side because I'm not a criminal.' After saying he was ready to go back to Australia by the end of the year, he later contacted the ABC reporters to say he was seriously ill with a brain infection and was in hospital. Labelling himself 'the son of God' who will 'not let evil prevail on this Earth', Mr Nassif claimed all allegations against him were manufactured by high-profile Sydney identities, who resented his meteoric rise, or Lebanese gangs trying to extort him. Mr Nassif former wife Nissy poses in front of the infamous yellow Lamborghini given to her by the developer in a TikTok that spawned a thousand imitations and parodies Establishment figures targeted him because he was an upstart outsider, he claimed, saying he had been blocked everywhere by government and the media was deployed to destroy his name and character. 'What did I do wrong? Who did I steal? Where is the victim?' Mr Nassif asked as he protested his innocence. In 2022, building licences for Mr Nassif and Toplace were revoked after a series of serious issues were found at the developer's Atmosphere and Skyview apartments in Castle Hill and the Vicinity apartments in Canterbury, both in western Sydney. Vicinity's 400 residents were saddled with a repair bill of up to $100million while 900 apartments in the five towers of Toplace's Skyview development were deemed unsafe to even occupy because of cracks found by building inspectors in 2021. After Mr Nassif fled Australia, leaving his family behind, Toplace was placed in administration having racked up debts of more than $600million. Auditors found Toplace was likely insolvent from as early as 2020 and the company had failed to keep proper records to track a vast array of intercompany loans and transactions, some of which went offshore. They also claimed Mr Nassif misappropriated company funds for personal use. Mr Nassif denied all those allegations labelling them 'false' and 'lies'. He said money he took out of the company was from his own wages and that the company remained 'very strong'. The Nassifs became meme-worthy as examples of decadent opulence after Mr Nassif posted an infamous Valentine's Day TikTok, where he gave his then wife a yellow Lamborghini. As he filmed the car being delivered to the couple, his former wife posed in front of it blowing kisses while wearing designer ripped jeans, a Gucci belt and matching yellow basque with rose-pink sunglasses. Mr Nassif said from behind the camera: 'And the beast arrive. Congratulations to my new wife - finally it is in our garage. Congratulations Mrs Nassif? You like?...You like?' The footage sparked a string of parody videos mocking the couple, with clips of bananas, yellow rubber gloves and yellow-lid rubbish bins voiced over with a creepily drawled: 'You like?...You like?' After her husband fled, Ms Nassif suffered the indignity of having the $480,000 Lamborghini seized from a carpark at the Rhodes shopping centre in Sydney's west by administrators recouping assets to pay back Toplace creditors. 'I was in Coles at Rhodes shopping centre...we go back to where I parked it, and it's gone,' she told the Daily Telegraph. 'The kids were crying and trying to help me find it. I called security and they checked the cameras (in the carpark) and could see a guy taking it.' Other vehicles belonging to Mr Nassif's family members have also been taken by administrators. Mr Nasif told the ABC such news brings him mental distress. 'They're stealing my empire in front of my eyes. Destroying my family,' he said. 'They took the cars from my kids. Shame on them. And now they want to take the house that my little three kids live in.' During his reign as one of Sydney's highest profile developers, Mr Nassif was caught with cocaine at Sydney's Star Casino but escaped conviction on account of his good character. Five towers of Toplace's Skyview development (pictured) were deemed unsafe to even occupy because of cracks found by building inspectors in 2021. He told the ABC he did not have a drug problem because when running his empire he had 'no time for that s**t'. In 2022, a Liberal MP used parliamentary privilege to accuse Mr Nassif of paying 'significant funds' to a Liberal party lobbyist to get a council to approve developments. He denied the allegation. Mr Nassif claimed Lebanese gang members demanded a $6 million bribe from him to lift a stop work order on a Toplace project and make all his problems with a council 'go away'. Such extortion was rampant in Sydney, he claimed. 'There are heaps of them, [doing] drug dealings, stealing, forcing people to pay money for ransoms or for protection. You pay otherwise someone will come and steal you or break your windows,' he told the ABC. He also denied accusations he fabricated evidence to get a $150million loan from Westpac bank, which led to the warrant for Mr Nassif's arrest. His daughter Ashlyn has been arrested and faces charges of helping fake contracts for the loan. In his case Mr Nassif claims he was never issued with a warrant and only knew of it from the media. NSW Police told the ABC that they have contacted Nassif's legal team with the allegations and are applying for an Interpol Red Notice, which is a global arrest warrant. During the interview Nassif also denied claims made during a West Australian court case that he had supplied 10 kilograms of ice. He said such allegations were just further attempts to 'muddy his name'. Waitstaff declined to serve Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert more drinks During the New York Young Republican Clubs annual gala in December, attendees have claimed. Three months after her theatre scandal, Boebert, 37, was seen repeatedly trying to take selfies with Trump at their shared table at the New York Young Republican Clubs annual gala in Manhattan, at Cipriani Wall Street. The alleged outbursts, multiple witnesses claimed, prompted Trump's security to intervene, requesting she desist. Still, the GOP frontrunner issued a glowing endorsement for the firebrand this past month - as a series of consecutive scandals threatens to upend her congressional career. The insight was provided to CNN by attendees who attended the Christmas event December 9, who said they saw a server tell Boebert they would not bring her any more alcohol, claiming she had been 'overserved.' Lauren Boebert, 37, and Donald Trump, 77, shared a table at the New York Young Republican Clubs gala, where attendees reportedly said she repeatedly approached the ex-president, and drank so much that staff stopped serving her The alleged incident happened Three months removed from her widely seen theater scandal, where she was removed from a production of Beetlejuice after being filmed getting handsy with her date Days after, just before the House adjourned for a two-week break for the holidays, Boebert told the station of her scandal-related struggles, three months after she was forced to apologize for the movie theater incident. 'Every day is hard. Im not afraid of a challenge though,' Boebert, less than a month after the father of her children was arrested for allegedly assaulting the couple's eldest during an altercation over laundry, said. '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. She concluded: 'I show that we can persevere and push through. I got my boys, I got my faith.' A little more than six months before, Boebert became a grandmother at the age of 36, after her son Tyler impregnated his 17-year-old girlfriend. She made the revelation at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in June 2023, during which she defended her son and his actions after being asked by Dave Rubin of the 'Rubin Report' if the eldest of four sons with Jayson Boebert, 42, 'challenged' any of her Christian beliefs by getting his girlfriend pregnant 'Obviously, I'm a Christian, and there are standards that we like to uphold, but none of us do it perfectly,' she responded at the time. 'We can nitpick what the Bible says is right and wrong, but I think just having that heart posture of wanting to serve God, it's so important.' The December soiree was attended by some of the biggest names in conservative politics Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was among those in attendance, as well as his former client Trump Trump is seen posing for photos at the high-profile event, during which he was approached by Boebert for selfies several times, sources said This image provided by the New York Young Republican Club shows U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, foreground right, as he poses with attendees, several of whom told CNN about Boebert's alleged behavior Trump is seen giving a speech at the New York Young Republican Club Gala, which was held at Cipriani Wall Street She added that she and her son would go over 'redemption and how to move forward', after proclaiming to a crowd of CPAC conservatives: 'I'm going to tell you all for the first time in a public setting that not only am I a mom of four boys, but come April, I will be a "gigi" to a brand new grandson.' She also used the occasion to praise teen moms who don't have abortions, bragging that her son would be the third generation of teen parents in the family. She said: 'My mom - she was 18 when she had me. I was 18 when I had Tyler, and now he's 18. One of his first comments was, 'Mom, it's hereditary.' 'I said, "Nice try. Doesn't work that way,"' she said. 'But I'm really proud of him and my grandson's mom for being responsible, because they could have taken a different route, and both of them chose life.' Tyler is now 18, and his girlfriend has since given birth. The pair are yet to be married. That same month, former WWE star Stan Lane took a DNA test to prove he is not Boebert's father, after the Colorado rep's mother insisted the retired wrester was her daughter's biological dad following a short fling in the 1980s. Boebert is pictured with her son 18-year-old Tyler, who made the devout Christian a grandma earlier this year She used the occasion to praise teen moms who don't have abortions, bragging that her son would be the third generation of teen parents in the family. That same month, former WWE star Stan Lane (pictured) took a DNA test to prove he is not Boebert's father, after the Colorado rep's mother insisted the retired wrester was her daughter's biological dad following a short fling in the 1980s Lane, 69, took a court-ordered paternity test in 1990 following the claims from Shawn Roberts Bentz, showing he was not Boebert's biological dad. Doubts over the legitimacy were raised when the lab worker who took his blood sample was convicted of taking a bribe to switch vials in another case - spurring Bentz to demand Lane be investigated. He agreed to take a second test, which again proved he was not the father. Lane, who worked as a powerboat racing announcer following his wrestling career, allowed Boebert to handle his DNA sample to get rid of any concerns. Then, in September, perhaps the most sensational of Boebert's seemingly endless scandals surfaced, when she was removed from a theater in Denver after becoming amorous with a date. She was then filmed lashing out at theater staff after being booted from the production for singing - with staff claiming she also vaped and took photos during the performance. Then, in September, perhaps the most sensational of Boebert's seemingly endless scandals surfaced, when she was removed from a theater in Denver after becoming amorous with a date Surveillance footage showed Boebert, wearing a tight, low-cut gold dress and high heels, making a fuss as she and the man were ordered out, before snapping a selfie as she left the auditorium. She went on to angrily bare her teeth at staff as she was escorted through the lobby, at one point reportedly asking 'Do you know who I am?' Afterwards, Boebert and her date were caught on camera walking off through the empty nighttime streets of the Mile High City, weeks before she was accused of using campaign funds to watching a cycle race that her partner from that night was competing in. Then, a month later, Boebert's ex husband was arrested in relation to a domestic dispute involving a 18-year-old Tyler at the family's home in Silt, Colorado - three days after an alleged fight between the suspect and his spouse at a local restaurant. As cops vetted the dispute, Jayson was arrested for third-degree criminal trespass, obstruction, and disorderly conduct in connection with the incident at the eatery, during which he was also cuffed for the alleged assault of his son. He was released later day, jail records show, and his mugshots - taken by two departments for each of the alleged incidents - were also released. Then, a month later, Boebert's ex husband, Jayson was arrested in relation to a domestic dispute involving a 18-year-old Tyler at the family's home in Silt, Colorado - three days after an alleged fight between the suspect and his spouse at a local restaurant. Deputy Cid Ramirez, of the Garfield County Sheriffs office, described the more recent altercation in a newly filed warrant. 'Tyler described that Jayson shoved him by placing one hand in the area of his throat/neck and pushing back,' he wrote. 'Tyler became upset at this point,' Ramirez continued, adding that 'a physical altercation began between Jayson and him' quickly ensued. As the father and son fight escalated, he added, the father of four allegedly 'stuck his right hand thumb into Tylers mouth.' The force of the maneuver, the Colorado cop claimed, made the teen fear that his father 'was going to pull his tooth out.' At some point during the struggle, Ramirez wrote, Tyler managed to get ahold of his cell phone and managed to call his mother. Teams from the Garfield force and The Silt Police Department proceeded to arrest the suspect, who four months after his divorce to Boebert in 2022 was the subject of a similar case, follwoingan altercation that also saw Tyler accuse his dad of abuse. The dispute - also occurring at the couple's Colorado home - saw the then-17-year-old call 911 to claim Jayson had been 'throwing' him around the house. The Boerberts during better times, with the couples four kids including Tyler (center, back row), who phoned 911 dispatchers to tell them he was being beaten Lauren and Jayson wed in 2005. They met while she was working at McDonald's at the age of 16. He was 22 at the time Boebert stands for a photograph with her then-husband Jayson at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, in January 2021 However, Tyler, at the time, called back to recant the claim, claiming the argument never became physical. For the more recent altercation, cops said the dispute stemmed from Boebert allegedly becoming angry that his son was lying on a bed with a laundry basket full of clothes, before grabbing the teens phone and allegedly assaulting him. Recalling how the dispatcher told his department that the teen had indicated to them that Jayson was under the influence and was toting a rifle, the deputy wrote: 'Tyler advised that because Jayson was under the influence of alcohol, he was clumsy and dropped the phone several times. 'Tyler believed Jayson was under the influence because he was only clumsy when he drank alcohol and he has slurred speech.' Cops proceeded to arrest Jayson for prohibited use of weapons, harassment, and assault in the third degree, a warrant indicates. All of the charges are misdemeanors, as are the three pertaining to the eatery altercation. Records indicate that Boebert has since been released in regard to both offenses. His mugshots, however, remain. The very next month, another Boebert was arrested - this time her 18-year-old son, for 22 crimes including theft. Boebert - who during a congressional hearing conceded she gave birth to one of her sons because birth control was 'too expensive' - has yet to comment on the CNN piece Boebert, at the time, said in a statement: 'This is a sad situation for all that keeps escalating and another reason I'm moving. 'I didn't punch Jayson in the face and no one was arrested. I will be consulting with my lawyer about the false claims he made against me and evaluate all of my legal options.' The very next month, another Boebert was arrested - this time 18-year-old Tyler, who was arrested for 22 crimes. Tyler was taken into custody at around 2.30 pm in February in the town of Rifle, Colorado - his mom's congressional district, in connection with a spate of property thefts in the small city. He and three underage accomplices stand accused of breaking into four cars to steal wallets in order to make purchases at local businesses. The firebrand's eldest was arrested for four counts of criminal possession of a financial device, three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor to three counts of theft of under $300. The other charges range from four felony counts of criminal possession of ID, a felony count of conspiracy to commit a felony and more than 15 different misdemeanor and petty charges. The Young Republican incident, if true, marks yet another drama in the seemingly endless saga of the politician, whose allies stil insist her congressional reputation will not be defined by her personal life, even if her style is not always the most agreeable. 'It hasnt encumbered her job performance,' GOP Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida told CNN Friday, as the station published the piece based on the word of several attendees. Look, some of that stuff that popped up wasnt the best stuff to see. Even she acknowledges that,' he went on. '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.' Boebert - who during a congressional hearing conceded she gave birth to one of her sons because birth control was 'too expensive' - has yet to comment on the CNN piece. US President Joe Biden is urging Egypt and Qatar to pressure Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages during peace talks this weekend. Biden wrote to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on Friday, calling on them to press Hamas for a hostage deal with Israel, according to a senior administration official. This comes a day after a senior Hamas leader rejected the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal from Egypt on Thursday. Meanwhile, Biden called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to redouble efforts to reach a cease-fire in the six-month-old war in Gaza. The official, who spoke anonymously to discuss the letters, said national security adviser Jake Sullivan will meet Monday with family members of the hundreds of hostages - including American citizens - who are still believed to be in Gaza. US President Joe Biden is urging Egypt and Qatar to pressure Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages during peace talks this weekend An anonymous official said national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will meet Monday with family members of some of the hundreds of hostages still in Gaza. (A woman holds a sign calling for the return of hostages at an 'Anti Netanyahu Protest' in Jerusalem - 31 Mar 2024) This comes as Biden called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to redouble efforts to reach a cease-fire in the six-month-old war in Gaza. (Pictured: Netanyahu meeting visiting Republican lawmakers in Jerusalem Thursday) The letters come as Biden deployed CIA Director William Burns to Cairo for talks this weekend about the hostage crisis. David Barnea, the head of Mossad, Israel's spy agency, and negotiators from Egypt and Qatar are expected to attend. The Hamas side of the talks is indirect, with proposals sent through third parties to Hamas leaders sheltering in terror tunnels beneath Gaza. The first phase of the proposed deal would secure the release of women and elderly, sick and wounded hostages. Hamas has reportedly rejected the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal from Egypt on Thursday Peace talks are planned this weekend to discuss the hostage crisis. The Hamas side of the talks is indirect, with proposals sent through third parties to Hamas leaders sheltering in terror tunnels beneath Gaza. (Pictured: Family members and supporters of Israeli hostages protest) Biden emphasized the need to get a hostage deal done during the Thursday conversation with Netanyahu, according to White House national security spokesman John Kirby. '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.' Biden said he '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' with Netanyahu, the official said. Biden also told Netanyahu the airstrikes that killed seven aid workers were 'unacceptable' on Thursday, and demanded he push toward an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. He warned Bibi that Israel could lose American support if civilians kept getting hurt and killed. The White House said it want changes within 'hours and days.' 'President 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.' An image grab from a handout video released by the Hamas Media Office shows a Hamas fighter and a Red Cross medic accompanying a newly released Israeli hostage Maya Regev to a Red Cross vehicle, in the Gaza Strip early on November 26, 2023 The young Israeli woman was freed during a hostage exchange in November and told an Israeli parliamentary committee earlier this week that 'every Israeli woman who is being held captive in Gaza is being sexually abused' (Pictured: relatives of hostages before the meeting) Before the committee meeting began, the attendees held posters of the hostages On their call Thursday, Biden also urged Netanyahu for an immediate ceasefire. The White House said in a statement Thursday following Biden's call with Netanyahu that the U.S. president said reaching an 'immediate cease-fire' in exchange for hostages was 'essential' and urged Israel to reach such an accord 'without delay.' '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. 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.' 'There has to be tangible steps, let's see what [Israelis] announce, let's see what they do,' White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said. 'We expect that there will be some 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. The relatives of those still held captive by Hamas terrorists said that their spirit has been broken by the recent revelations of rape by freed women hostages Earlier this week, one freed Israeli woman said that all female hostages held in Gaza are being sexually abused. Maya Regev, 21, was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists while attending the Nova music festival on October 7 alongside her brother Itay, 19, and their 21-year-old friend Omer Shem Tov. The young Israeli woman was freed in a hostage exchange in November and told an Israeli parliamentary committee this week that 'every Israeli woman who is being held captive in Gaza is being sexually abused', the Jerusalem Post reports. Maya said it was 'unbelievable' that the Israeli parliament is due to go on recess on April 8 for more than a month when more than 130 hostages are still held by Hamas. 'Every day there is an emergency and every minute counts. What will the women do there? What will the rest of the captives do there?' Maya said. The relatives of those still held captive by Hamas terrorists said that their spirit has been broken by the recent revelations of rape by freed women hostages, as they fueled concerns that the remaining captives might also be facing similar abuse. A middle school in an ultra-liberal Massachusetts town has been plunged into chaos after white parents accused minority Christian staffers of transphobia - only to find themselves branded racist. Amherst Regional Middle School has been accused of fostering a 'culture of fear and intimidation' amid the toxic identity politics war. The dispute was sparked by complaints officials were not doing enough to protect transgender and non-binary students from bullying by other students and even some staff, the New Yorker reports. In May, the school's student paper published an article alleging Christian staff at the school had repeatedly misgendered trans children, engaged in 'conversion therapy' and referred to the 'LGBTQ demon' during a prayer meeting. Tensions have erupted in part due to the fact that the parents of the transgender kids who complained are white, while the staff accused of discriminating against them are black or Hispanic - and Christian. They've hit back at claims by insisting they're not bigoted and said their accusers are racist - an allegation that strikes deep fear into the hearts of progressive parents. Amherst Regional Middle School has been plunged into chaos after white parents who accused minority Christian staffers of transphobia were branded racist Assistant superintendent Doreen Cunningham was ousted from her role following a report which found there was a 'culture of fear and intimidation' at the school, where some staff were intimidated into silence through 'fear of being labeled a racist' However, Cunningham's supporters, which included her son seen speaking in her defense at a committee meeting, claimed the transphobic allegations were racially motivated Shortly after the article was published the mother-of-one trans student requested a Title XI investigation, the law used to prevent discrimination within education. As a result Hector Santos, who is Latino and Delinda Dykes, who is black were both placed on leave. Both have denied the accusations against them and said they have worked with other LGBTQ+ students without issue. At the same time, an emergency school-committee meeting was held at he high-school library. Furious parents demanded an investigation into Michael Morris, the district's white superintendent, and the resignation of Doreen Cunningham, a black woman who was the assistant superintendent and accused of protecting the accused staffers. At the heated meeting, Cunningham's son was among the few people to defend her. 'For a prime example of how women of color get treated in leadership positions,' he said, 'I say look no further than Amherst public schools.' He insisted that the issues at the school were 'not about the L.G.B.T.Q.+ situation', but due to tensions within the teaching union and racism. Transgender audience members and their supporters could be seen rolling their eyes and grimacing. They also clicked their fingers instead of applauding over fears clapping hands causes distress to anyone with sensory issues. But Cunningham's detractors say she often tried to protect Dykes and Santos, who were both found to have 'engaged in severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive unwelcome conduct' following the Title XI report. The dispute was sparked after the school's student paper published an article in May claiming trans students who had complained of being bullied by students and staff were being ignored Hector Santos was accused of performing 'conversion therapy' at the school, which he denied, he has since left the school Santos was accused of performing 'conversion therapy', while Dykes is said to have prayed against an 'LGBT demon 'that wants to confuse our children' and 'handed out chocolate crucifixes'. At the time the allegations surfaced, Attorney Ryan McLane, who was representing them said they didn't do anything wrong and described them as 'faithful, Bible-believing Christians. However, the Title XI investigation described a 'culture of fear and intimidation' at the school, where some staff were intimidated into silence through 'fear of being labeled a racist.' It also concluded on at least one occasion, Cunningham had engaged in retaliation against an employee who complained about Dykes. The assistant superintendent was hired by Morris off the back of a series of racism scandals in the district, which had been aggravated by his hiring as a white man. So when he took the role, Morris was keen to restore some faith and introduced a new administrative position, assistant superintendent of diversity, equity, and human resources. The DEI-focused position aligned with Morris' view that improving racial diversity among Amherst faculty was 'a civil-rights issue for our kids,' and he selected Cunningham for the role. Cunningham's efforts saw the number of black and Hispanic staff swell - but despite initial support from parents, the atmosphere soon grew rancorous. 'There was a lot of racism in the district,' Cunningham told the New Yorker. 'And I came, and a lot of people of color started to feel safe, not because they thought that I would not hold them accountable but because they knew that somebody would hopefully understand where they were coming from.' She introduced a new hiring system designed to boost the number of staffers of color in Amherst schools, successfully taking the number from 20 percent to 34 percent by 2023. However, she was accused of occasionally overruling her own process to have the final say - an allegation she has strongly refuted. Delinda Dykes was said to have prayed against an 'LGBT demon 'that wants to confuse our children' and 'handed out chocolate crucifixes' and has since stepped down Furious parents demanded an investigation into Michael Morris, the district's white superintendent Some of the employees of color have queried whether the push was more about optics than actually delivering. 'I am a prop to support the numbers that Doreen is putting forth that I know are bullsh**,' science teacher Kerrita K. Mayfield told the outlet, claiming that some of the staff are Cunningham and Dykes' relatives. She also agreed that staff kept quiet about concerns due to fears of being labelled a bigot. 'The worst thing you can be called in Amherst is racist, and it keeps people stuck,' Mayfield added. 'That is what kept Doreen, Delinda, and Hector in their positions much longer than they should have been.' The fallout resulted in Morris walking away from his role with a separation agreement which granted severance pay and stressed he was not leaving due to any wrongdoing. 'There have been people of all races in the district who have been affected by my decisions as superintendent,' Morris said when asked if he did not take action sooner due to fears of being branded a racist. His departure sparked a wave of resignations from the school committee, with all three departing members citing personal attacks concerning racism, homophobia, and transphobia as the reason for leaving. Cunningham was also ousted following the Title XI report, notably she has not been able to move onto a new job as quickly as her colleague Morris. The fallout resulted in Morris walking away from his role with a separation agreement which granted severance pay and stressed he was not leaving due to any wrongdoing. Protesters are seen outside the school on May 12 2022 The findings emerged after a parent of one of the trans kids requested a Title XI investigation, the law used to prevent discrimination within education, which uncovered allegations of discrimination While many of the names thrown up by the investigation have since left the school, chaos continues to swirl Recently a white member of the school's People Opposed to Sexual Harassment (POSH) club was accused of making baseless accusations that a black teacher was making inappropriate comments about students' weight, race and clothing. As for the trans children, their parents have claimed they were subjected to traumatizing restorative justice practices, which put them in a room with their bullies. They claimed that the bullies, who were black and Latino, were shielded and let off relatively lightly during the process which was overseen by another black staffer, Letha Gayle-Brisset. For her part, Gayle-Brisset suggested the criticisms were racially motivated and that inclusion for the LGBTQI+ community is being 'weaponized'. 'There have been whispers that some members in the middle-school community are intent on removing people of color, especially black people, from leadership positions,' she said. The whole affair has continued to cause ructions in Amherst, amid claims the white, wealthy town is home to more 'Black Lives Matter' signs than black people themselves. A chef's war against vegans has reignited after his restaurant was again bombarded by one-star reviews more than 10 months after the feud began. It's 'deja vu' for Fyre bar and UK-born restaurateur John Mountain after one fake online review led to an avalanche of trolling about his Perth venue. Mr Mountain made headlines last year when he banned vegan diners from his restaurant after a string of negative reviews from customers who complained about the lack of plant-based options. Now Fyre is the victim of fake reviews from a group of vegans in Germany who gave the restaurant negative one-star reviews online. It happened around the same time a string of bad reviews were made on a Facebook page from people who had never been to his restaurant. Fyre bar and restaurant owner John Mountain is again being bombarded by one-star reviews by angry vegans - this time from Germany Mr Mountain was harassed by a person who left negative reviews about his restaurant despite never dining there Mr Mountain said he was happy to take criticism and feedback from customers if they were genuine, but it was unfair to target businesses with negative comments online that were false. 'It is defamation and it is worse than that because you cannot take it off,' he said. 'All restaurants are rated on Google with Google reviews. Anybody can be a keyboard warrior, anyone can say whatever they like. 'On Perth Foodies there were 200 reviews in an hour that were all negative. 'A bit of vendetta from one person who created a bit of a fuss. Lucky for me it turned around from the great support we've had and I can't thank the people of WA enough.' The restaurant receives about one positive review a week from people who have dined there, but Mr Mountain noticed one person who always had something negative to say even though they had never been there. In his 'stupid British dry sense of humour', Mr Mountain posted something in response that threw fuel on the fire. 'This person just kept commenting again and again,' he said. A Fyre staff member saw the comments and took it upon himself to message the person after they finished a shift one night, but it further inflamed the backlash. 'She got one of her mates to write a really s***ty review on our restaurant on Facebook and it was the most horrific review,' Mr Mountain said. 'It was definitely our food and furniture but it didn't look like a plate of our food that we served, it had been messed with. 'It turned out the person who left the review was a good mate of the other person. 'It got such a massive response we got slammed again, repeatedly, with one-star reviews.' Mr Mountain has been trolled online with one-star reviews from people who have never been to his restaurant Mr Mountain said the restaurant received 200 reviews in an hour that were all negative The controversy all stemmed from an incident last year after a vegan diner left a one-star review that discussed his 'shortcomings as a chef'. Mr Mountain took the remark personally and it led to him banning anyone who identified as vegan via Facebook. 'Sadly all vegans are now banned from Fyre (for mental health reasons),' he wrote on his Instagram account. After the ban, vegan activist Tash Peterson staged two disruption protests at the restaurant that resulted in her being charged with trespass and disorderly behaviour. In one Ms Peterson, along with a dozen other activists, barged their way inside Fyre, with a speaker loudly playing the sounds of pigs squealing in distress. Protestors chanted and showed video of a pig being slaughtered with the audio amplified by a speaker. Mr Mountain was seen in footage charging out a number of times and scuffling with the demonstrators as he tried to wrestle the loudspeaker from Ms Peterson. Customers were also visibly uncomfortable, according to the celebrity chef, who said that the protests were disrupting his business and scaring diners. Mr Mountain also filed a defamation case against Ms Peterson for social media posts she allegedly made that he said damaged his reputation. Ms Peterson clashes with Mr Mountain during a protest at Fyre last year Ms Peterson has made headlines around the world for staging similar protests in Perth that have involved her pouring blood on a butcher shop and harassing diners eating out. She has since sought to justify her form of protest in several social media posts. 'We're not going after this restaurant because they're banning vegans yes that was maybe a reason that instigated it but at the end of the day it's because this man is profiting from animal abuse and murder and he's also glamourising it,' she said at the time. Mr Mountain said at the time that it caused him huge amounts of distress. 'I don't want to come across as the whinging Pom but these people have nothing better to do and we've had a couple of mental vegans,' he said. 'It does damage the business, for all the hard work we do.' He revealed on A Current Affair at the same time that the drama had cost him his relationship. 'I lost my partner because of this, I lost a relationship, I thought I was going to marry this woman and she just couldn't handle the amount of attention - thanks vegans,' he said, choking back the tears. Vegan activist Tash Peterson protests at Fyre restaurant, where chef John Mountain banned vegans Mr Mountain said while he might seem 'slightly mental', he was trying to protect his business and when someone tried to damage it, they had crossed a line. Mr Mountain has lived in Australia for seven years after arriving from Britain where he was a celebrity chef who shared an agent with kitchen superstar Jamie Oliver. He starred in cooking shows the Great British Menu and Chef Race UK v US. He has also worked with culinary trailblazers Heston Blumenthal at the original famed Fat Duck restaurant in Berkshire, England, as well as the brash Michelin three-starred Marco Pierre White at the Mayfair in London. Despite vegans' repeated attempts to sink his restaurant, business was booming in the immediate aftermath of his first confrontation with Ms Peterson. 'Things have worked out ridiculously well... I usually do half a dozen people in this beautiful restaurant.. I have 35 booked for dinner (on Wednesday night),' he said in June 2023. 'Thank you so much for your vegans, I can go buy a new farm now and look after my animals beautifully.' There is a rare In-N-Out Burger souvenir that you can get for free and sell for nearly $1,000 online. There are many rumors about how to get your hands on one of these collectors items, but only one way how: being the first customer at a new In-N-Out restaurant. The first customer at a new store opening, which are said to be not celebrated or advertised, will receive the coveted In-N-Out coin. The tradition began nearly 70-years-ago when In-N-Out co-founder Harry Snyder, created his first burger coin in 1958, when the chain only had three stores. The coins, about the size of a silver dollar, are being sold on second-hand retail sites like eBay for up to $800. The coins, about the size of a silver dollar, are being sold on second-hand shopping sites like eBay for up to $800 TikTok user Graham Salisbury was excited to receive the collector coin after being the first customer at a new In-N-Out store opening 'We don't really celebrate or advertise new store openings, however, it's our tradition to welcome our first customer with a special In-N-Out Burger coin as well as a T-shirt, and the meal that day is on us,' In-N-Out COO Denny Warnick told the Eureka Times-Standard in 2020 before the opening of a California store. Recently, a member of the In-N-Out Facebook group shared his surprise encounter of receiving a prized 400 coin from a manager. This particular coin commemorated the chain's milestone of opening its 400th restaurant in Meridian, Idaho, the San Fransisco Gate reported. Each burger coin is redeemable for menu items and has no expiration date. The collection comprises of twelve variations, including an exceptionally rare solid silver coin exclusively for staff promoted to store manager. There are rumors about how to get your hands on these collectors items but there's one surefire way: Be the first customer at a new In-N-Out restaurant The company's owner, Lynsi Snyder, said in 2018 in an interview with Forbes she believed putting restaurants in every state would take away 'some of its luster' The California-based company is located in nine states so far Fast-food giant In-N-Out is pushing forward with its expansion into the rest of America with a proposed new restaurant in Washington One TikToker and passionate In-N-Out fan shared his experience in attaining the special coin in a video he shared last year. 'First customers at the In-N-Out Burger grand opening,' he captioned the clip. He described getting interviewed by 'In-N-Out TV' after being the first customer at the store opening. 'I was so excited, I turned red,' User Graham Salisbury said in the video before posing with his silver coin. The burger joint, founded in 1948 by Harry and Esther Snyder, continues to expand across the country. Its famous 'animal style' burgers and fries are more commonly associated with the golden beaches of California. But fast-food giant In-N-Out is pushing forward with its expansion into the rest of America with a new restaurant set to open in Washington. The location will be the first In-N-Out in the Evergreen State - the ninth region the burger chain has ventured into. Lynsi Snyder is the owner and president of In-N-Out and is the sole granddaughter of the company's founders Snyder, who became the president of In-N-Out in 2010 and inherited full control of the company in 2017, is one of the youngest billionaires with a $4.2 billion net worth A spokesman for the restaurant told DailyMail.com last month that the new store, in the city of Ridgefield, was 'very early in the development process'. It was waiting for a permit from the City and would still take between eight and nine months to build once construction begins. It comes amidst a rapid change in direction for In-N-Out which has been increasingly straying beyond its California roots. In-N-Out is known for its nostalgic decor, fresh burgers and loyal cult following. It has a host of celebrity fans, with Meghan Markle even being pictured picking up an order from the restaurant in September. For decades, it only had restaurants in California due to its commitment to only using fresh burger patties. It means all locations must be within 300 miles of an In-N-Out distribution center. Buns are baked with slow-rising dough, Meat is delivered daily without being frozen. Heat lamps, microwaves and freezers are strictly banned Videos show groups of people bundled up in heavy coats and jackets in front of a new store in Idaho Its first store outside of the Golden State was in Las Vegas, Nevada which opened in 1992. In 2000, the chain then opened a restaurant in Arizona before expanding into Utah in 2008. Today, there are 275 locations in California, 43 in Texas and 34 in Arizona. Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado and Texas are all home to at least one. Last month, it hit headlines after announcing plans to open multiple locations in Tennessee by 2026. Another is being planned in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The body of a Baltimore Key Bridge victim has been recovered 10 days after the collapse - the third pulled from the Patapsco as another three are presumed dead. Construction worker Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, 38, was one of six killed when a cargo ship crashed into the bridge early March 26 - spurring a frantic rescue effort to find those affected. The father-of-two was pulled from the river days after the body of 36-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes was found by divers on March 27, inside a red pickup that had sunk 25 feet into the frigid waters. A father-of-four himself, his body was found alongside that of Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, after the three workers plunged to their deaths the day before, after the DALI shipping container crashed into the bridge causing it to collapse. The recovery of Suazo-Sandoval, meanwhile, occurred the same day President Joe Biden visited the site of the collapse to thank first-responders for their continued efforts, as the bodies of three of the six-man team remain lost. Construction worker Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, 38, was one of six killed when a cargo ship crashed into the bridge early March 26 The father-of-two was pulled from the river days after the bodies of 36-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes (left) and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera were found by divers on March 27 'They were hard workers laboring in the middle of the night to repair potholes on a bridge that tens of thousands of travelers crossed every day,' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a briefing the day before. Biden on Friday added 'Your nation has your back,' speaking to the people of Baltimore as he vowed to rebuild the iconic bridge, while renewing his call to have the GOP-dominated House pay for it. The president went on to recount the story of the final message of the six construction workers who died in the collapse whose body is still missing, 24-year-old Latino immigrant Carlos Hernandez. During the speech - held in front of the body of water where the bridge once stood - Biden recounted how Carlos had left a message for his girlfriend the day of the disaster, saying their shift was almost over and they were just waiting on the cement they had poured to dry. Biden, in turn, vowed to recover the bodies of the still-missing workers and not to rest until the cement was dry on a new bridge, telling those in attendance: 'We're going to keep working hard to recover each of them. '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].' Within hours, the body of Suazo-Sandoval was found, as Biden was said to be meeting with family members of the dearly departed. The recovery of Suazo-Sandoval, meanwhile, occurred the same day President Joe Biden visited the site of the collapse to thank first-responders for their continued efforts The devastation at the site of the collapse, which happened when the powerless cargo ship rammed it last week, is extensive Astonishing footage shows the moment the vessel plowed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, sending the colossal steel structure crashing into the Patapsco River The wreckage of the Francis Scott Key bridge That said, three of the men - which include father of five Miguel Luna, an unnamed 35-year-old from Camotan, Chiquimula, in Guatemala, and a worker from Mexico - each remain missing. Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police, said in a statement on Friday: 'There are families still waiting to hear if we have found their loved one. 'I can promise you, we are fully committed to finding closure for each of these families.' Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, meanwhile, later added how the recovery of the third victim 'brings us one step closer to closure,' though added how his 'heart continues to be with all the families still waiting anxiously for their loved ones.' The Democrat, who the day of the collapse chided reporters for asking about a replacement bridge instead of the lost lives, told citizens 'I am grateful for the first responders who have maintained focus on recovering the remaining victims and continued their work to clear the channel with the utmost care. 'We will continue to do everything in our power to support these families, and provide whatever they need to persevere through this unthinkable tragedy.' President Joe Biden, in Marine One, flies over the Francis Scott Key bridge wreckage President Biden's motorcade moves past the collapsed Francis Scott Key bridge Cranes are already working on repairs The disaster stemmed from a container ship hitting the historic overpass - bringing it to an abrupt end after some 47 years. Formerly The Francis Scott Key Bridge, it was the third longest crossing of its kind. Measuring in at 1,200 feet, it was named after the writer of The Star-Spangled Banner, due to the fact it stood some 100 yards of where Francis Scott Key saw the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814 - the battle that inspired the patriotic poem. Its last inspection came in May 2021, which found that - despite being held up by just three support beams - it was in fair condition. After the terrorist attacks on 9/11, city officials elected not to install pier guards around those beams, calling the undertaking too expensive. A boat hit one of those beams Friday night, causing a collapse that erased the structure in seconds. Its history, however, remains, and leaves behind a lasting legacy. Australians across four states will get an extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning thanks to the end of daylight savings. Clocks will revert to Australian eastern standard time at 3am on Sunday, which means the time will jump back to 2am for people living in NSW, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania, and South Australia. This means all of Australia's eastern states will reunite with Queensland and run on the same time zone, with the sunshine state opting out of daylight savings. South Australian and Northern Territory residents will also both run on Central Standard Time. Residents in Queensland and Western Australia will not need to wind their clocks back as these states do not observe daylight savings. Australians in NSW, Victoria, ACT, South Australia and Tasmania will gain an extra hour of sleep before the morning (pictured Bondi at dawn) Australians will find it a little more straightforward without daylight savings, as the nation drops two of the five separate time zones that were in place during summer. The Northern Territory, South Australia, and the outback NSW town of Broken Hill will all be half an hour behind on Australian Central Standard Time (ACST). Western Australia will be a full two hours behind the AEST states and territories on Australian Western Standard Time (AWST). Daylight savings is set to return at 2am on October 6, when Australians in most parts of the East Coast will turn their clocks back one hour for an extra 60 minutes of sunlight in the evenings. Mexican drug cartels are pushing tonnes of methamphetamine into Australia, with North American producers overtaking south-east Asian countries as the biggest suppliers of meth. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed this week that at least 70 per cent of Australia's methamphetamine market is now supplied from Mexico, the United States and Canada. AFP Commander Jared Taggart said methamphetamine was the second most used illicit drug in Australia, with Australians consuming an estimated 10.5tonnes per year. 'Australia is an enticing market for organised crime groups who exploit our people to derive large profits,' Commander Taggart said on Saturday. Since 2021, the AFP's seizures of south-east Asian-produced methamphetamine in Australia has decreased considerably, and accounted for less than 15 per cent of total methamphetamine seized in 2023. The Mexican Navy found 7,200 bottles of liquid labelled as mezcal that actually contained liquid meth headed for Australia in August last year (pictured) Packets of seized methamphetamine and a gun are pictured on an evidence table READ MORE: The billion dollar liquid meth haul authorities found headed for Australia Liquid meth was concealed in 11,520 bottles of tequila before it was uncovered by the Mexican Navy, known as SEMAR, in the port of Manzanillo on April 18, 2023 Advertisement Commander Taggart said factors which may have contributed to Australia being a target country for North American-produced methamphetamine include cheaper wholesale prices and the Mexican cartels' complex concealment capabilities. 'Additionally, the AFP and our global partners have arrested and prosecuted key members of significant Asian organised crime syndicates in October 2020 and January 2021,' he said. In 2022-23, the AFP and its foreign counterparts stopped more than 23.6tonnes of meth produced in North America from making it to Australian streets. This included 4.36tonnes that was seized in Australia. In that same time period, Australians used 10.5tonnes of the drug, making it the second most consumed drug in the country, according to the National Wastewater Monitoring Drug Program. Recent intelligence revealed it was cheaper for organised crime gangs to import meth from North America than south-east Asia. The price for producing one kilogram of meth in Mexico was about $1,000, while in Myanmar prices could stretch from $3,000 to $5,000 for the same amount, authorities said. 'The AFP has a presence in 33 countries and works closely and collaboratively with our south-east Asian and North American law enforcement partners to disrupt methamphetamine trafficking at the source,' Commander Taggart said. 'We will continue to disrupt the criminal environment both onshore and offshore to ensure life-threatening drugs are not entering the Australian community.' Last August, a massive 10 tonne shipment of liquid methamphetamine headed for Australia was seized by Mexican soldiers who found it in a shipping container loaded with 7,200 bottles of clear liquid labelled as the Mexican alcohol mezcal. The meth shipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars was found on a Liberian-flagged vessel at the Pacific coast port of Manzanillo. According to shipping documents, the container was destined for Australia. The Mexican navy shows boxes of liquid meth concealed in bottles of tequila that were seized at the port of Manzanillo A massive shipment of liquid methamphetamine headed for Australia was found in a shipping container loaded with 7,200 bottles of clear liquid labelled as the alcohol mezcal (pictured) The Mexican Navy, which has taken over customs duties at some ports, said the shipment contained 9.5tonnes of liquid meth, though the dry weight of the drugs once separated from the solution would be about 5.4tonnes. For free and confidential advice about alcohol and other drug treatment services call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015. Access free 24/7 drug and alcohol counselling online at counsellingonline.org.au. For information about drug and alcohol addiction treatment or support, go to turningpoint.org.au. Melburnians in one suburb held their collective breath as a dramatic situation unfolded involving teams of police and a bomb disposal robot. Parts of Moonee Ponds in the city's inner north were locked down on Saturday with trams diverted and police blocking off streets following a reported bomb threat, which turned out to be a hoax. A Victoria Police spokesperson said authorities were alerted to reports of a suspected device in the early afternoon, with officers from the Bomb Response Unit attending the scene at Ascot Vale Rd. Photos from the scene showed a bomb disposal robot rolling towards the suspect package, followed by officers in full protective gear. The area was later deemed safe shortly after 4pm. Melbourne police dispatched their bomb disposal robot on Saturday afternoon in dramatic scene at Moonee Ponds Heavily armoured police were also deployed to the incident which turned out to be a hoax Pictures shared on social media, questioned why there were police 'everywhere'. During the operation a 260m stretch of Ascot Vale Rd was closed between Moonee Ponds Junction, and Gladstone St. The Route 59 tram was stopped between Stop 27 Essendon Tram Depot and Stop 41 Essendon Station, while the Route 82 tram was diverted via union Rd. There are cops everywhere in Moonee Ponds, the junction completely blocked off from all access roads 300-500m away pic.twitter.com/qIcYuJ0T7o Alastair Taylor (@tayser82) April 6, 2024 Locals held their breath and were kept outside the incident zone as traffic and trams were diverted from the area Police said the incident was a confirmed to be a hoax and declared the area safe about 4pm Ascot Vale Road closed between Gladstone Street and Moonee Ponds Junction, due to a police incident. Consider using Mt Alexander Road or Moore Street and Market Street. Route 59 and Route 82 @yarratrams impacted. #victraffic pic.twitter.com/4O0IkgtSHs VicTraffic (@VicTraffic) April 6, 2024 The RTE 477 bus was also diverted to Buckley St, Pascoe Vale Rd and Fletcher St for about two-and-a-half hours. In August 2017, a similar scare caused traffic chaos for about four hours, after a bus driver alerted police of a suspicious package on his bus. Authorities deployed a bomb disposal robot to investigate the package, however the scene was declared safe following a large-scale police operation. Robots working long hours in supermarkets are just as entitled to a day of rest as their human counterparts, a German court has ruled, upholding a centuries-old ban on Sunday commerce. Tegut, a regional chain now experimenting with some 40 fully-automated stores, has been embroiled in a legal battle since service sector union Verdi argued allowing the shops to stay open could have 'knock-on effects' for human workers. The highest administrative court in the state of Hesse agreed that the innovative new stores, in operation for the last four years, should be made to close on Sundays, citing a 1,700-year-old Christian principle of 'Sunday rest' enshrined in the constitution since 1919. Thomas Stab, a board member of Tegut, told the Financial Times the ruling was 'entirely grotesque', arguing that the stores were 'basically walk-in vending machines'. He said Sundays accounted for some 25-30 per cent of the automated stores' weekly trade. The Verdi union contested that the success of such shops could see rivals pushing for further relaxation of Sunday trading rules, however, arguing workers need the guaranteed day off to spend time with loved ones. There are some 40 of the innovative automated stores currently in operation Customers check in with their ID and are free to roam the store, paying at self-checkouts Tegut, a Swiss-owned supermarket based in Fulda, operates some 300 conventional stores nationwide, and has sought innovative means of expansion with its 40 'teos'. The 'teos', named in tribute to the chain's late founder, Theo Gutberlet, operate much like normal stores, allowing customers to peruse and pay by self-checkout after dropping off their ID at the entrance. Stab said they recorded higher rates of shoplifting without human security, but the profits outweighed the losses. Teos provided the brand with a way around Germany's strict trading rules, which require stores to start closing by 6:30pm on weekdays and avoid Sunday shopping altogether, with a few notable exceptions. Caveats have been added since the late 1980s to include flexibility at certain times of the year, and devolving regulatory powers to each of Germany's 16 states. Train stations, airports and petrol stations may still open on Sundays - but the restrictive laws ensure some variation between the law and operating hours in practice. The perceived relaxation of rules has been met with resistance from unions and religious groups, who maintain Sunday should be withheld as a day of rest. Philip Buttner, an official at KWA, an affiliate of the Protestant Church lobbying against Sunday trading, 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.' Stefan Naas, head of the liberal FDPs parliamentary group in Hesse, told the outlet the 'current law is completely at odds with todays reality', however, arguing the 'sale of a bottle of milk and a box of cream' does nothing to fundamentally undermine a 'quiet Sunday'. Supporters of the innovative new stores say their use on Sundays could also help create competition with the few petrol stations and souvenir stores allowed to open on the weekend to the benefit of consumers. More alternatives to kiosks and petrol stations could create more competition and lower prices, which would benefit consumers,' Jan Buchel, an economist who specialises in digitisation at the German Economic Institute, told Fortune. 'If technological innovations make it possible for people to buy individual goods without, conversely, other people having to work for hours to do so, the potential should be exploited,' he added. The ruling only affects stores in Hesse, and the teos can still operate in other German states In light of the December ruling against Tegut, the government of Hesse has indicated it is willing to create a legal exception for automated stores. Stefan Naas told the Financial Times he hopes the issue will be resolved by summer 2024, deeming the law an anachronism. The judgement only applies to the region, and the so-called 'vending machines' will be allowed to operate in other German states for the time being. Tegut has since paused its expansion of its successful automated supermarkets in the state. Viennetta Vanillas have been pulled from sale at Tesco because milk and soya are not listed in English on the ingredient list. Parent company Unilever, which owns the Wall's brand which makes the Vanillas, recalled the ice creams 'as a precaution' after a labelling error meant allergens and product information were written in Spanish. The product and ingredients themselves remained the same as the UK ice creams, according to Unilever. The multinational corporation has contacted the relevant allergy support organisations and issued a point of sale notice to its customers amid fears that people with allergies would be hit by the error. Unilever added that the incorrect labels only applied to 650ml packets of Viennetta Vanillas in Tesco stores in the UK. Affected Viennetta Vanilla 650ml products have a Batch Code L4031BC020 and Best Before Date of January 2026. Products in Northern Ireland were not affected by the error. Viennetta Vanillas (pictured) have been pulled from sale at Tesco because milk and soya are not listed in English on the ingredient list Unilever added that the incorrect labels only applied to 650ml packets of Viennetta Vanillas in Tesco stores in the UK (Stock Photo) In a notice about the recall, the Food Standards Agency said: 'If you have bought the above product and have an allergy or intolerance to milk or milk constituents and/or an allergy to soya, do not eat it. Instead, contact the Unilever careline team for further guidance on 0800146252 or email ukicare@unilever.com.' This comes after an urgent 'do not eat alert' was issued by the consumer giant last week with Magnum Classic ice creams recalled over fears they 'may contain metals.' The Food Standard Agency (FSA) issued the warning last Friday about three-packs of Magnum Classic Ice Cream. The affected products had a best before date of 11/2025 and one of the following batch codes - L3324, L3325, L3326, L3327 or L3328. In a product recall notice released by Unilever, the company said: 'Magnum is taking the precautionary measure of recalling a limited number of Magnum Classic Ice Cream Sticks 3x100ml due to internal safety checks showing that they may contain small pieces of metal. 'The safety of the people that buy and use our products is always our number one priority which is why we are recalling these products. 'No other Magnum products are affected - we apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your cooperation.' A couple's dream holiday to escape noisy building work at home backfired when the 'charming lodge' in a 'peaceful setting' they had rented turned out to be next to another deafening building site. John and Ally Middleton were looking to 'de-stress' after months of noisy works at their bungalow in Kirkby, Merseyside. The couple booked a seven-day getaway in Anglesey, Wales, for 406 from Cottages.com in a bid to get some peace and quiet. But the countryside escape soon turned into a 'holiday from hell' after the pair discovered the rental cottage was opposite a 'deafening construction site'. Upon their arrival on Friday, the lodge's owner told the Middletons there would be work on her own home, adjacent to the property, starting on Monday. A couple's dream holiday to escape noisy building work at home backfired when the 'charming lodge' in a 'peaceful setting' they had rented turned out to be next to another deafening building site (pictured) John (pictured, left) and Ally Middleton (right) were looking to 'de-stress' after months of noisy works at their bungalow in Kirkby, Merseyside The couple booked a seven-day getaway in Anglesey, Wales, for 406 from Cottages.com in a bid to get some peace and quiet (pictured: the rental cottage) According to the couple, 'cement mixers, diggers, and dumpers' arrived at 8.15am on Monday morning and carried out work just 20 yards from where they were staying. EXCLUSIVE READ MORE: I paid 8,200 for a dream cruise holiday - but it turned into a nightmare after I was mugged in Cape Town and ordered to stay in my cabin for 48 hours when I got diarrhoea Advertisement Shocking footage filmed by the pair shows the heavy machinery making consistently loud noise at the idyllic setting, audible from inside the property. A JCB digger scurries around yards from the cottage's terrace while a cement mixer continues to run opposite the lodge. The couple said the noise was like being sat next to a motorway and they decided to leave the rental property, advertised as a 'charming single story detached lodge' in a 'peaceful setting', a day earlier than planned. Their dog Molly had even started suffering seizures during the noisy stay, according to the pair. After they were unable to arrange a transfer to another property as the owner was 'not prepared' to give up the booking, Cottages.com offered the Middletons a 62 refund, equivalent to 15% of the total cost. The husband and wife rejected the proposal and have vowed never to use Cottages.com again despite nearly 20 years of custom. The company has since offered a full refund to the disappointed holidaymakers after being approached by journalists about the story. According to the couple, 'cement mixers, diggers, and dumpers' arrived at 8.15am on Monday morning and carried out work just 20 yards from where they were staying Shocking footage filmed by the pair shows the heavy machinery making consistently loud noise at the idyllic setting, audible from inside the property After they were unable to arrange a transfer to another property as the owner was 'not prepared' to give up the booking, Cottages.com offered the Middletons a 62 refund, equivalent to 15% of the total cost The couple said the noise was like being sat next to a motorway and they decided to leave the rental property, advertised as a 'charming single story detached lodge' in a 'peaceful setting', a day earlier than planned Ally, a 56-year-old casual worker, said: 'We moved into a bungalow last September which needed an awful lot of building work so we were basically living in a building site ourselves. 'This was like a de-stress trip, we needed to get away. 'We wanted peace and quiet away from the dust and dirt. 'It was fine Friday night when we got there. [The owner] did tell us when we arrived she was having work done on her property and it would restart on Monday. 'On Monday morning at 8.15am they all rocked up. 'I went out to walk the dogs and all the builders were there. The noise began soon after. It was deafening. 'We thought oh my god, we can't have this. We thought there is no way we can stay here all week, this is horrific.' She added: 'We started to try to get hold of Cottages.com to say you have to move us - there's no way we can stay here. 'For us to be moved, the owner had to give up the booking but she wasn't prepared to do that. A furious Ally posted details of the 'holiday from hell' along with a video of the construction site The husband and wife rejected the company's initial proposal and have vowed never to use Cottages.com again despite nearly 20 years of custom. The company has since offered a full refund to the disappointed holidaymakers after being approached by journalists Ally, a 56-year-old casual worker, said: 'I went out to walk the dogs and all the builders were there. The noise began soon after. It was deafening' She added: 'We thought oh my god, we can't have this. We thought there is no way we can stay here all week, this is horrific' 'We could still hear it with the doors and window shut. 'It's described as an idyllic place to unwind from stress which is what we bought. It's not what we were sold. 'We were getting angrier and angrier. It was really stressful.' John, a 58-year-old council worker, said the construction noise 'ruined their trip' - adding that Cottages.com have permanently lost their custom. John said: 'I just wanted to go home. I didn't feel like I was on holiday at all. 'I felt really fed up. I didn't want to be there anymore. 'The noise was well over 90 decibels - it sounded like we were sat next to a motorway. 'It completely ruined our trip. We really needed a relaxing break but felt more stressed leaving. 'I think we should get a refund. We didn't get the holiday we were promised. 'We spent a lot of money for nothing.' The owner of the property claims there was only noise for one day of the Middleton's trip - and believes the couple were compensated appropriately for this disturbance. The owner said: 'I had an oil leak, I can't help that. 'They only did three hours of making some cement and I gave [the guests] 60 back. 'The rest of the week there was no noise at all. 'I wasn't holding them back - they could've moved if they wanted. 'Most of the week they had no problem at all, it was just one day. 'I wouldn't have let them come if I knew there was building all week. 'The builders came at 10am and left at 4pm. 'I didn't want them to be unhappy, I wanted them to enjoy their holiday. 'I do admit it was noisy on the first day but not beyond that. 'There was nothing I could do about it. They got 60 for the one noisy day. John, a 58-year-old council worker, said the construction noise 'ruined their trip' - adding that Cottages.com have permanently lost their custom He added: 'I felt really fed up. I didn't want to be there anymore' A Cottages.com spokesperson said: 'We are very sorry this stay did not meet the usual high standards customers should expect from a cottages.com holiday' 'I tried to solve each problem that came along.' A Cottages.com spokesperson said: 'We are very sorry this stay did not meet the usual high standards customers should expect from a cottages.com holiday. 'While justifiably disappointed by the quality of their holiday experience on this occasion, the customer has since accepted our apologies and the offer of a full refund.' The family of an Israeli hostage whose body was returned from Gaza following a rescue mission by the IDF on Friday has insisted Elad Katzir 'could have been saved' had the government done more to negotiate a deal with Hamas for his safe return. Carmit Palty Katzir, sister to the 47-year-old Israeli farmer who was captured by Hamas on October 7, announced that Elad had been brought back to Israel on Friday night after he was 'murdered in captivity'. The IDF said in a brief statement on Saturday that 'the body of he abductee Elad Katzir, who according to intelligence was murdered in captivity by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation, was rescued overnight from Khan Yunis and returned to Israeli territory'. While acknowledging the 'brave rescue operation', Ms Katzir insisted that the Israeli leadership was 'cowardly and driven by political considerations', urging them to 'look... in the mirror and say if your hands did not spill this blood'. 'You have 133 more hostages to redeem, worlds to save,' she added in a post on Facebook, paying tribute to her brother. Ms Katzir said Israel still had 'worlds to save' as pressure mounts to secure hostage releases A man sits in a cage with portraits of 47-year-old Israeli hostage Elad Katzir as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages stage a demonstration in Tel Aviv, on March 26, 2024 Elad Katzir, 47 at the time of Hamas' October 7 incursion into southern Israel, was abducted from Nir Oz kibbutz community along his mother Hanna. Hanna was released on November 24 during a one-week truce in the war in Gaza, negotiated between Hamas and Israel with help from foreign mediators. READ MORE: Biden wants Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and release of Israeli hostages during peace talks with Egypt and Qatar this weekend Advertisement Katzir's father Avraham was killed during the attack at the kibbutz, the army said. The IDF estimates that Elad was murdered by his captors in mid-January, after the Palestinian Islamic Jihad outfit published a video showing him alive in captivity. Katzir was buried in the Khan Younis refugee camp in southern Gaza, the Times of Israel reports. Confirmation of the grave's location was reportedly received last night, before troops of the Maglan and Egoz commando units swept in to exhume the body and return it to Israel for identification and burial. The recovery of Elad Katzir's body brings to 12 the number which the army says it has brought home from Gaza during the war. But as the war approaches six months, critics including the family of hostages continue to voice concerns Israel's authorities have not done enough to ensure their safe return. Addressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli war cabinet and members of the coalition government, Ms Katzir noted there remain many hostages to save. According to Israeli official figures, 253 were taken into Gaza on October 7. 109 have since been released and three rescued by the IDF. The tally would mean some 129 people still remain in the Palestinian enclave in Hamas captivity, 34 of whom Israel believe to have died. 'Elad was kidnapped from his home in Nir Oz alive and well and photographed twice while in captivity,' Ms Katzir wrote on Facebook. 'He could have been saved if a deal had happened in time. Our leadership is cowardly and driven by political considerations and that is why it did not happen. 'He might be recognized as a victim of hostilities, but the exact term is 'casualty of acts of neglect'. 'He was abandoned on [October 7] and was abandoned for 183 days in captivity, during which he could be returned alive.' Hanna Katzir, who was released after hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel obtained by Reuters on November 24, 2023 Supporters and families react as others hold pictures of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza as they take part in a '100 Days of Hell' rally calling for their immediate release on January 13 Thousands are expected to rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday night for protests to mark six months since the hostages were taken. Separately, demonstrations are due to go ahead around the country calling for early elections, putting pressure on Netanyahu as the war rages on. In Cairo, American and Israeli negotiators are expected to meet with Hamas representatives to flesh out a ceasefire-hostage deal - some 128 days since the last ended on November 30. Hamas' demands include a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, a return of the displaced, and a 'serious' exchange deal of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, a statement from the group shared Saturday read. Israel faces pressure from its allies over the killing of seven volunteers delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza's beleaguered population on Monday. The group, working for the World Central Kitchen, had just unloaded supplies at a warehouse in central Gaza when a vehicle some were travelling in 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. 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. A damaged vehicle where employees from the World Central Kitchen (WCK), including foreigners, were killed in an Israeli airstrike, on April 2, 2024 People inspect the site where World Central Kitchen workers were killed in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 2, 2024 Seven volunteers were killed in a series of strikes in Deir al-Balah, in Gaza, on Monday Since then, the three main British opposition parties and some lawmakers in the governing party have said the British government should consider suspending arm sales. The Liberal Democrats called for arms exports to Israel to be suspended, while the Scottish National Party also backed that move and said parliament should be recalled from its Easter break to discuss the crisis. The main opposition Labour Party, who polls suggest will form the next government later this year, adopted a nuanced approach, saying the government should suspend arms sales if lawyers have found Israel had broken international law. The war began on October 7 with an unprecedented attack from Gaza by Hamas militants, resulting in the death of 1,170 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, Israeli figures show. Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel has relentlessly bombarded the territory by air, land and sea, killing at least 33,091 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. A headless torso found wrapped in plastic likely belonged to a man over the age of 40 who had been dead for a few days, police revealed today as they continue to probe a horror discovery at a nature reserve in Salford. Specialists from forensics units, search teams and dog unit have been working around the clock at a secluded wooded area in Kersal Dale to try to discover more that might help the investigation, police said in an updated statement today. So far, forensic examinations have only determined the man was likely aged over 40 and had recently died - but 'nothing further than the human remains is yet to have been found'. Chief Superintendent Tony Creely, district commander for Salford, said: 'This is a tragic case which is moving at pace and, thanks to forensic tests, we are able to confirm that the victim is a man who could not have survived. 'At the heart of our investigation is this man and his family. We are using all forensic techniques available to identify him as soon as we can so we are able to support his loved ones during this devastating time.' Police searching a secluded wooded area on Kersal Dale after a human torso was found there yesterday Mr Creely added: 'I would like to thank the public for their cooperation in the last few days. 'The presence of our officers and specialist teams will have caused disruption in the local area and may continue to for some time yet but we value any information they have been able to pass to us. 'There remain a number of unknowns around this case, but we are working diligently and respectfully to provide answers as soon as we are able. 'This will take time and we will continue to provide updates of significance when we can.' Police were called to a secluded wooded area on Kersal Dale after a member of the public found the remains wrapped in plastic at around 5.50pm on Thursday. Forensic investigations concluded on Friday that the victim was a man and likely in his 40s. Police said previously they believe the body belonged to an adult, and that there were no identifying marks on the remains. Officers are now searching for other body parts, while a postmortem will be carried out to try and identify the victim. However, they are not expecting the examination to reveal a cause of death because the full body has not been found. The torso was found without arms or a head, MailOnline understands. Police believe the remains had been there for between 24 and 36 hours before being found. A large woodland area remains cordoned off this afternoon while forensic officers work on the scene. No arrests have been made. Greater Manchester Police has urged the public to come forward with 'any information' about the gruesome find. Superintendent Tony Creely told a press conference today: 'We do not know the identity of the person or whether they're male or female. 'We do know, though, that these remains are human, and they would not be possible for them to have survived. Police believe the person was a male, likely in his forties, and had been dead a matter of days Officers are now searching for other body parts, while a postmortem will be carried out to try and identify the victim 'From forensic inquiry so far, we believe that these remains are likely to have been here for a matter of days. It really is a tragic case. 'Our priority now is establishing who this person is, and ensuring that we carry out a diligent and respectful investigation on behalf of that person and their family, whoever they may be.' He said that the force's forensic teams and detectives will be in the area 'for some time'. 'We're speaking to those locals in the area, dog walkers, passers by, or anyone else who might have the smallest bit of information. 'We need to make a breakthrough in this case and we urge anyone with any information whatsoever to contact the police without delay.' The heartbroken family of a four-year-old Kentucky girl who drowned in a South Carolina resort pool have launched a lawsuit against the vacation hotspot - which also saw two other child drownings in just three years. On April 1, 2021, Demi Williams tragically drowned while on a family trip to Crown Reef Beach Resort and Waterpark, allegedly without a lifeguard in sight. Her stricken mother, Destiny Morgan, who was initially charged with neglect over the death before the charges were dropped, said she is suing the resort for an alleged lack of safety measures around the pool. 'Something has to be done,' she told NBC News. 'I have to do something in honor of my child to make sure that this never happens again.' Demi Williams, 4, tragically drowned in a swimming pool while on vacation with her family in South Carolina on April 1, 2021 Her mother, Destiny Morgan, who was initially charged with neglect over the death before the charges were later dropped (seen in her mugshot), has launched a lawsuit against the resort alleging a number of safety shortcomings Morgan said the horror unfolded on the second night of their vacation, after Demi and her two older siblings spent the day playing in the pool. That evening, they were taking trips down a lazy river ride while Morgan sat in a hot tub that it circled, and the young girl had only been allowed to ride on the same float as one of her older siblings. When she asked to go by herself, Morgan said she told the four-year-old to stand in the pool. After seeing that it was shallow enough for her to easily stand, she allowed Demi to go by herself. But she said she knew something was wrong when Demi's older sister got off the ride, and she began frantically searching for her young daughter. As she got to one of the resort's pools, which was not on the lazy river, she saw another guest pull Demi from the water, not breathing. Because there were no security cameras around the pools, it remains unclear how Demi ended up in the other pool, although her mother suspects she slipped and fell. Guests at the resort, including a nurse, began frantically trying to save the young girl's life, and the nurse told Morgan that she could detect a very faint pulse. However, there were no defibrillators - a device that delivers an electric shock to restart a heartbeat - stationed at the pool, and Morgan said she tried in vain to find any lifeguards or resort staff to help. Demi was rushed to hospital, but was pronounced dead that night. Morgan said she launched her lawsuit in hopes of others avoiding similar heartbreak and said she is still shocked by the alleged lack of safety measures, feeling that 'there wasnt anything that would indicate that they gave a damn about a human life.' Crown Reef Beach Resort and Waterpark in South Carolina allegedly had no lifeguards, defibrillators or security cameras around its pools, in compliance with state law. Demi's mother said signage around pools is not enough to prevent tragedy The Crown Reef resort did not immediately respond to the DailyMail.com's request for comment. The South Carolina vacation hotspot is not required by state law to have lifeguards at its pools or stationed on its lazy river, and they are only required at waterslides. Other pools are allowed to be unmanned so long as they have signage informing guests that there are no lifeguards on duty. State laws also explain why there was no defibrillator, as the state' health and environment department said they pose a threat of electric shock if used on a wet body. NBC News reported that the resort is in good standing with state health department investigations, and passed its most recent unannounced inspection in July 2023 as all pools without lifeguards had appropriate signage. The department added that signs were also properly in place in 2021, when five-year-old Shane Chester drowned, and 2018, when another young girl, Malayza Fayall, 7, drowned in the resort. Fayall's mother had also sued Crown Reef in 2020 on similar grounds and settled in 2023. While reportedly complying with state safety laws, Morgan said that signage around pools is not enough to prevent tragedy. She said she hoped her lawsuit, which is also seeking unspecified monetary damages, will result in safety upgrades around the resort. 'More lifeguards, better lighting, more staffing those are simple solutions that would solve this,' Morgan's attorney Justin Lovely said. 'Close the pool at night if you dont want to have somebody there at shift.' Amy Lawrence, her other attorney, said the 'needless' drowning came after the resort doesn't appear to have made any changes to its safety standards since the 2018 drowning. 'There should never have been a second or third death,' she added. Morgan was initially charged with negligence over her daughter's death, but the charged were later dropped. Morgan said her arrest came within minutes of her daughter's death. She said she is still haunted by the tragic loss of her daughter, and says her children are still suffering with what they saw. '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."' A group of around 15 asylum seekers has arrived by boat to a remote part of Western Australia, in the third such arrival since last November. The latest group, who are thought to be Chinese, arrived at the old World War II Truscott Airbase in the far north Kimberley region on Friday afternoon. WA Police are searching for a man who was onboard the boat, in an incident which has also triggered an Australian Defence Force operation to secure the site. Sky News reported that about 13 Chinese nationals walked onto the airbase - which is now known as Mungalalu Truscott Airbase and is a commercial airport owned by the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation - at around 4pm on Friday. More than 100 Australian Defence Force personnel were at the air base on Saturday afternoon, with staff deploying artillery drones in search of other boats and illegal arrivals. A group of around 15 asylum seekers has arrived by boat to a remote (pictured) part of Western Australia, in the third such arrival since last November A charter jet reportedly flew from Mungalalu Truscott Airbase (pictured) to Perth on Saturday, with some or all of the asylum seekers likely to have been onboard READ MORE: Boat from Indonesia lands in Australia undetected, with at least a dozen 'asylum seekers' onboard A boat carrying asylum seekers from Indonesia arrived undetected on Australia's mainland (suspected asylum seekers arriving at Christmas Island in 2012 are pictured) Advertisement Following long standing practices, the reports have not been confirmed by the office of Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil, or by Australian Border Force spokespeople. 'The Australian Border Force does not confirm or comment on operational matters,' a spokesperson said. On Saturday evening, WA Police released a statement confirming they were searching for a man who is 'believed to have become separated from a group of people in the vicinity of Mitchell Plateau,' where the air base is located. The statement said the 'land search operation is in its preliminary stages and is taking place in an extremely remote area with challenging terrain'. 'WA Police have this afternoon been advised the man may have been a passenger on an unknown vessel carrying a group of people which landed in a remote area of the Kimberley District on Friday, 5 April, 2024.' Artillery drones were used to search the region on Saturday for any sign of a boat or other arrivals. A charter jet reportedly flew from Mungalalu Truscott Airbase to Perth on Saturday, with some or all of the asylum seekers likely to have been onboard. The latest incident is the third unknown boat to have reached the WA coastline in six months. In February, a boat carrying two groups of 39 Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals were found on the Dampier Peninsula north of Broome. The men, dressed in T-shirts and trousers, were reportedly in good health. They were given water at the local Beagle Bay store as temperatures reached 37C. One of the asylum seekers told the ABC that they had spent five days at sea, travelling from Indonesia to Australia. After being dropped off on the beach, the group walked for about 35km, he said, before they were picked up by locals. He said he had paid $8,000 to travel to Australia from Indonesia and hoped to claim asylum so his family could join him. The reported arrivals have not been confirmed by the office of Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil (pictured) ADF troops descended on the airbase on the weekend to secure the area The airbase (pictured) is now a commercial airport owned by the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation In November last year, Sovereign Borders Commander Rear Admiral Justin Jones confirmed a group of 12 refugees surpassed naval border forces. The all-male group walked through rugged bushland in 35C heat arriving at the same remote airbase where the people who arrived on Friday ended up. They were given food and water by airport staff who described them as being in 'poor shape'. In both the November and February incidents, the asylum seekers were intercepted by Australian Border Force personnel and taken to an offshore detention centre on the island state of Nauru. Armed police are standing guard outside cemeteries in Sierra Leone to stop drug addicts stealing human bones that they grind up to use in a psychoactive 'zombie' drug that is sweeping the country. The president of the West African nation, Julius Maada Bio, yesterday declared a national emergency over an epidemic of the abuse of 'kush' - a highly addictive drug cocktail made up of marijuana, fentanyl, tramadol and formaldehyde. It has also been claimed that a key ingredient is ground-up human bones, which some suggest is enhances the high due to the trace amounts of sulphur. The sharp spike in abuse of kush - which is rolled in paper and smoked as a joint - has now forced police officers to guard cemeteries in the capital of Freetown, to stop young men from digging up skeletons to get high. Kush has caused hundreds of deaths and psychiatrically damaged scores of users since it first appeared in Sierra Leone around four years ago, according to the government, although no official figures exist on the exact number. Armed police are standing guard outside cemeteries in Sierra Leone to stop drug addicts stealing human bones that they grind up to use in a new psychoactive 'zombie' drug Pictured: A woman sleeping while sat down in a Kush drug den in Freetown, in July 2023 The 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 The president of the West African nation, Julius Maada Bio (pictured in 2018), yesterday declared a national emergency over an epidemic of the abuse of 'kush' In a nationwide broadcast yesterday, 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.' Although there is no official death toll linked to kush abuse, one doctor from Freetown, told the BBC that 'in recent months' hundreds of young men had died from organ failure caused by the drug. An official from Freetown Municipal Council told West Africa Democracy Radio that armed police were being deployed to protect cemeteries in the Sierra Leonean capital after graverobbers harvested bones from several corpses over night. Sierra Leone Ministry of Health chief, Harold Thomas, told the radio station: 'They are also even using bones of dead people to actually make these compounds so they can smoke. It's a menace to society.' In the past few weeks, police have supercharged efforts to combat graverobbing. Detective Ahmed Sheku Turay said that officers have targeted graveyards in Freetown's Racecourse Cemetery where people known as 'Kush Boys' have been found tampering with graves, local news website Sierraloaded reports. revealed that recent operations have targeted graveyards in Freetowns Racecourse Cemetery, where individuals known as Kush boys have been tampering with graves. Between 2020 and 2023 admissions to the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital with illnesses linked to kush rose by almost 4,000 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. The drug is also found in the neighbouring West African nation of Liberia. President Bio announced the national emergency in a late night address on Thursday, deploring what he said were 'the destructive consequences of kush on our country's very foundation: our young people'. An official from Freetown Municipal Council said that armed police were being deployed to protect cemeteries in the Sierra Leonean capital after graverobbers harvested bones from several corpses over night In the past few weeks, police have supercharged efforts to combat graverobbing 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 A man rolls Kush inside a drug den at the Kington landfill site in Freetown on June 21, 2023 Two people outside a kush drug den at the Kington landfill site in Freetown in June 2023 The president 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'. Kush's low price makes it accessible to disillusioned, unemployed youth in Sierra Leone, where around a quarter of the population lives in poverty. It typically will cost only 20p per joint, although reports suggest that many spend as much as 8 per day on the drug, potentially a huge sum considering the average income is just 400 per year. Local communities have called on the government to tackle the scourge and help them deal with drug users. 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'. '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. Dozens of people are pictured gathered in a kush drug den in Freetown in June 2023 Someone else who has seen the effects kush has, said: '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 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 across 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.' The gunman was fatally killed by police officers on the scene, and two of the victims are in critical condition A security guard stepped in to the bar fight and was shot dead, before a cop and six bystanders were also hit The gunman reportedly opened fire after an altercation at Martini Bar in Doral, Florida at 3:30am Saturday Seven people have been shot and two are dead after a gunman opened fire on bystanders during a bar fight. A gunman is reported to have begun shooting after an altercation at Martini Bar in Doral, Florida at 3:30am Saturday, initially killing a security guard who intervened. The chaotic scenes saw seven others shot, including six bystanders and a Doral Police Officer, before the gunman was shot and killed at the scene. Of the six bystanders, two are in critical condition and four are in stable condition, and the cop was shot in the leg. Two people were killed - including the alleged gunman - and seven others were injured after a bar fight turned into a horror shooting The shooting erupted around 3:30am at the Martini Bar in Doral, Florida The police officer who was shot in the leg had been responding to the incident with another cop, both of whom reportedly fired their weapons in the late-night shootout. The gunman was killed during this exchange of gunfire, according to NBC Miami. Doral Police Chief Lopez said the cop who was hit had been on the force for four years, and applied a tourniquet to his injured leg that may have saved his life. The six bystanders that were shot were made up of one female and five males. In a strange coincidence, the shooting erupted at the same Doral City Place mall area that Doral Police had performed a 'mass casualty' training drill at exactly one year to-the-day that the shooting unfolded. On Saturday, a spokesperson for the Martini Bar told DailyMail.com that the bar's ownership are 'broken' and 'completely shaken' by the shooting. 'Our hearts are broken by the tragedy that unfolded at our venue early this morning that took the life of a dedicated security guard and injured several others,' the bar said in a statement. 'Our staff, patrons, and this community are like family to us, and we are completely shaken by this senseless act of violence. 'Were working diligently to ensure that all those affected by this feel supported in every way possible. We are conducting our own internal investigation, as well as cooperating fully with all authorities. 'This trauma will be felt deeply by us all for a long time to come, and we are here for our community today, and always.' A male teacher who hit an eight-year-old girl on the head with a book has been banned from the classroom for a year. In a long running case, the teacher, who cannot be named, was suspended and referred to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) in August 2021. This was for disciplinary proceedings after he was charged with indecent treatment of children under 12, involving allegations of a sexual nature. That charge was discontinued by prosecutors, though, and the tribunal found it did not have enough information to deal with it. QCAT instead focused on an allegation the teacher had hit the young girl with a book, the Courier-Mail reported. A male teacher who hit an eight-year-old girl on the head with a book has been banned from the classroom for a year. Stock image The child's mother said her daughter told her the teacher embarrassed her by hitting her on the head with her classwork in front of the class. The tribunal heard that the school's principal said the teacher hit the girl on the head with a book, and though he had not meant to hurt her, it was still inappropriate. The principal told the police the teacher was very upset and admitted he might have tapped the child on the head with rolled up worksheet. 'I recall him wanting to apologise and that he felt bad about making a student feel that way,' she said in a statement. The girl was removed from that teacher's class, but 'continued to suffer until divulging her pain and humiliation in a text to an unidentified friend six years later', QCAT was told. The tribunal found the teacher 'behaved in a way that does not satisfy the standard of behaviour generally expected of a teacher'. His registration to teach has been cancelled and he is not allowed to apply to get it back until February 19, 2025. In order to get his registration renewed, he has to provide the College of Teachers, which regulates the profession, with a psychologist's report. That report must show he has an awareness and understanding of what are and what are not proper ways to engage with pupils. A British tourist is understood to be fighting for his life after falling from the third-floor of a Magaluf apartment block. The man, believed to be aged 25, was rushed to hospital with 'very serious' injuries to his face and head and is in a 'critical condition'. According to Spanish media, the incident occurred in the Majorca party resort at 6am this morning. He fell from a flat block known as the Maria Elena building in a street called Federico Garcia Lorca. The Majorca Daily Bulletin reported that a neighbour at the apartment building called emergency services to report a man lying on the ground who was bleeding heavily. The incident took place at a Magaluf apartment block in the early hours of Saturday morning (Stock image) The Maria Elena building where the 25-year-old fell from. The block is in a street called Federico Garcia Lorca The man was conscious and was taken to Son Espases Hospital in Palma, the Majorcan capital. Despite the injuries, the man was conscious and was taken to Son Espases Hospital in Palma, the Majorcan capital. A source at the hospital said the man was 'very seriously' injured earlier this morning and added: 'The 25-year-old patient is in intensive care with multiple injuries.' One island newspaper said he had been in a 'critical' condition. Police were working on the theory he had fallen after losing his bearings and getting into the complex through a gap separating it from a pedestrian walkway. Photos in local press showed a blue plastic barrier covering a gap in a sturdy perimeter fence next to a drop of around 15 feet. It was not immediately clear if the tourist had fallen from that spot or had accessed the residential complex before losing his way and then suffering his accident. His fall had earlier been described as being from a third-floor. He is believed to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time after going out drinking with friends. They say he may have fallen after trying to jump over a wall separating the street from a patio inside the apartment complex. Reports describe him as British although police have not yet made any official comment on his nationality. Danielle Finlay Brookes, a British expat who had been living and working in Magaluf for a number of years, was found dead at her apartment in the Spanish party resort in 2021 An unnamed resident of the apartment block told island paper Ultima Hora locals had warned the council about the damaged fence a year ago and the plastic barrier had been put up as a 'temporary' solution. They said they had phoned the authorities again two days before this morning's incident to say they were concerned because more and more tourists were now using the area to get back to their hotels and other holiday accommodation after going out drinking in bars and clubs. One told the newspaper: 'We knew a tragedy could occur one day and look what's happened.' The building the tourist plunged from is the same one an expat 23-year-old bar worker was found dead in almost four years ago. Danielle Finlay's body was discovered next to a suicide note in May 2020, just days before her 24th birthday. She had called herself a 'Queen building her own empire' on social media and to friends appeared to be enjoying a contented, dream lifestyle. Danielle (pictured) left a suicide note which read 'I feel alone all the time and I am exhausted' But on May 18, after arranging a spa-type treat with her mother to celebrate her 24th birthday, Danielle, from Crewe in Cheshire, hanged herself in her room. Tom Channon, 18, was celebrating the end of his A-levels on holiday with friends when he fell 50ft to his death over a knee-high wall Her body was found by a friend who had access to a key. It emerged she had a long history of anxiety and had previously taken an overdose. A note from Danielle telling of her torment was found inside the flat. It read: 'I wanted to believe that I could fix this but I cannot. 'I feel alone all the time and I am exhausted. I am not strong enough to do this on my own. I love you all, do not ever forget that.' Three Brits previously lost their lives in quick succession after plunging from the notorious Eden Roc apartment block in Magaluf. Natalie Cormack, 19, from West Kilbride in Scotland, fell to her death in April 2018 after getting locked out of her flat and attempting to climb onto her balcony. She was doing her second season in the party resort working in a bar. In June 2018 Welshman Tom Hughes, 20, died when he fell near the entrance after mistaking the building for his hotel. The following month Thomas Channon, 18, from Rhoose near Barry, South Wales, plunged to his death from a narrow walkway after climbing a low wall with a 'sheer' 50ft drop the other side as he tried to get back to his nearby hotel during a holiday to celebrate finishing his A-levels. An Ohio man was pummeled by shocked vacationers at a Walt Disney World bar after he allegedly made fun of a guest with Down syndrome in Florida. Brent George, 61, sparked a four-person fight after allegedly taunting the disabled person while heavily intoxicated, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office. He was seen battered and bruised in his mugshot after being charged with four counts of battery following the incident on January 25. According to his affidavit, George's shocking rant was followed by him shoving and slapping the family, which led them to allegedly hit him with a glass cup and punch him in the head. Brent George, 61, appeared battered and bruised after allegedly taunting a woman with Down syndrome in a Disney Land bar, triggering a brawl where he was punched in the head and hit with a glass cup The bar fight unfolded at the resort's Belle Vue Lounge, a bar found within Disney's Boardwalk Inn. According to one witness, George was 'imitating the grunts' occasionally made by the woman with Down syndrome The arrest unfolded at the resort's Belle Vue Lounge, a bar found within Disney's Boardwalk Inn, after George had been drinking with his wife and two friends. Florida officials claimed that the 61-year-old downed three shots of bourbon and a beer at the bar before deciding to approach the group, identified in the complaint as Candace Boyette Goldberg, Wesley Goldberg, Maria Ayalde, and Richard Goldberg. 'With them was an unnamed sister of Wesley and daughter of Candace who is handicapped, has Down syndrome, and is wheelchair bound,' the affidavit obtained by the DailyMail.com said. According to Wesley Goldberg's version of events in the affidavit, George 'came near their table and started to make fun of his handicapped sister by imitating the grunts that she occasionally made.' A deputy wrote that George claimed to be 'having a 'good time' with the individuals and then he was attacked by them,' but admitted he 'did not remember anything specific due to being intoxicated.' His friend Ward Weber reportedly told cops that he saw George 'walk over to the victim's table because they were 'having fun.' After he allegedly began mocking the woman with Down syndrome, her mother confronted him and asked why he was making fun of her daughter. George then allegedly shoved her twice in response, before then slapping another guest at the table when she tried to step in, deputies said. The attack also saw him allegedly hit in the face by a glass drinking cup, and George told deputies he wanted to press charges but did not know who hit him. The husband of the woman who was slapped was then allegedly punched in the neck by George, which triggered him to punch George in the head in response. Patrons in the bar reportedly stepped in and hauled George away after the melee According to the affidavit, Weber said his friend 'was defending himself and heard someone say that they wanted to kill him.' However, the filing added that he 'did not observe what led up to the confrontation and did not hear anything said between Brent and the other party.' Amid the drunken scuffle, another bystander then grabbed George and forcibly removed him from the bar, according to the reported affidavit. George was treated for his injuries by medical staff, but was cleared and transported to the Orange County Jail. He was charged with four counts of first-degree battery, and has pleaded not guilty. His case docket does not appear to show that he has any upcoming hearings, and the status of the case is unclear as his arraignment that was scheduled for March 13 was canceled. Scottish First Minister said Rowling's tweets 'were a perfect example of how the law actually works' Harry Potter author JK Rowling and other critics of Scotland's new hate crime laws must stop 'peddling misinformation', Scotland's First Minister has said. Humza Yousaf strongly defended the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act against claims it would hamper freedom of speech after it was introduced earlier this week. JK Rowling criticised the Scottish Government's hate laws while posting pictures of 10 high-profile trans people and ridiculed their claims to be women. Speaking at Glasgow's Prestwick Airport on Saturday, Mr Yousaf said: 'There's deliberate misinformation being peddled by some bad actors across Scotland - it's hardly surprising the Opposition seek to do that. 'What we've got is a piece of legislation that in the actual Act itself, explicitly in black and white, protects freedom of expression, freedom of speech.' Humza Yousaf has strongly defended the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act against criticism Harry Potter author JK Rowling sought to challenge the laws with tweets referring to transgender women as 'men' The SNP leader went on: 'At the same time, it makes sure that it protects people from hatred being stirred up against them, and that is really important when we have far too many incidents of hatred that can be because of their age, disability, sexuality or religion.' 'There's no place for that in Scotland, and you have to send a really strong signal that the law will protect you.' Rowling's comments were reported to Police Scotland as alleged hate crimes. The force found she had committed no crime and also said it would not record a 'non-crime hate incident' against her. She also said that most Scots were 'upset and offended by Yousaf 's bumbling incompetence and illiberal authoritarianism', following the introduction of the legislation on Monday. Rowling wrote on X/Twitter: 'Most of Scotland is upset and offended by Yousaf's bumbling incompetence and illiberal authoritarianism, but we aren't lobbying to have him locked up for it.' Asked what his message to critics such as JK Rowling would be, the Nationalist MSP said: 'I would tell them to stop spreading disinformation. It isn't going to help anybody. 'This is a piece of legislation that was passed by every single political party in Scotland, minus the Conservatives.' On a visit to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, Mr Yousaf said the description by Rowling was 'ludicrous'. 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 He said: 'It's a ludicrous suggestion. Actually JK Rowling's 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. 'That's not a surprise. Anybody who actually read the Bill will not be surprised that she did not get arrested. The threshold for criminality is extremely high. 'So anybody suggesting that the Bill deals with simply people having their feelings hurt, being offended, being insulted, I'm afraid that is not what the new offences are concerned with. 'There are very explicit in black and white protections for people's freedom of expression and indeed of freedom of speech. 'The Bill has got the balance right between protecting people from hatred and protecting people's fundamental freedoms.' Mr Yousaf also shared his views in an opinion article in The Courier newspaper, urging politicians and public figures to create a debate rooted in 'reality'. He said false claims the law makes it a criminal offence to make 'derogatory comments' based on the characteristics covered in the Act was 'simply untrue'. The First Minister wrote: 'As a father of two girls, and blessed with a baby on the way, I feel an even greater obligation to work as First Minister to help make Scotland even better for the next generation. 'Critics of this law shouldn't exaggerate its impact with false fears. Equally, its proponents shouldn't pretend that it can of itself eradicate hatred and prejudice from our society.' Yousaf was also reported to police about an alleged hate crime over a speech he made at the Scottish Parliament four years ago. 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' The Harry Potter author wrote on X/Twitter: 'Most of Scotland is upset and offended by Yousaf's bumbling incompetence and illiberal authoritarianism' Like Rowling, police confirmed it was not a hate crime and said no 'non-crime hate incident' would be recorded against his name. Adam Tomkins, a law professor and a former Scottish Tory MSP who voted against the Hate Crime Act, previously told STV News that 'misgendering' someone was not a crime under the law. The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act consolidates existing hate crime legislation and creating a new offence of stirring up hatred against protected characteristics. Those characteristics are disability, religion, sexual orientation, age, transgender identity and variations in sex characteristics. Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov is adding another 3,000 former Wagner mercenary fighters to his burgeoning army, adding to a growing force inside Russia under his personal control. Kadyrov described the recruitment of a new 'regiment' as 'great news' in a post on his Telegram on Friday as he claimed the fighters will soon start 'accomplishing combat tasks'. It was unclear from the messages whether the 'special forces' troops will be deployed in Ukraine or used for some other purpose. Kadyrov boasted they could have a 'significant impact'. The 47-year-old strongman ruler of Chechnya, a republic within the Russian Federation, is loyal to Vladimir Putin but Kremlin insiders and research groups have suggested the relationship has come under strain since the war began. In November, he claimed Wagner troops were now training with his special forces - and pledged to send 3,000 more soldiers to Ukraine. Ramzan Kadyrov and Vladimir Putin pictured together (undated) Wagner Group forces stand in front of a sign for Bakhmut amid the conflict with Ukraine The Head of the Chechen Republic has been judged Putin's closest ally and biggest liability Troops from the defunct Wagner Group have sought new roles since the death of the army's head, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in an air crash last year, after his troops appeared to march towards Moscow in June. Within a matter of months, it was reported mercenaries were back in Ukraine fighting in the ranks of different Russian units. It is not clear from early communications whether Kadyrov intends to send the 3,000 troops he claims to have recruited to Ukraine - or to withhold them for another purpose. Kadyrov claimed to have deployed troops to Ukraine within days of Putin's invasion - and said in November 2023 he was ready to send another 3,000 to Ukraine. He said around the same time a large group of Wagner mercenaries had also started training with special forces from Chechnya after the private military company fell into disarray. 'One of the Wagner commanders with the call sign Ratibor will join the legendary Akhmat special forces,' said Kadyrov in a new update shared on his Telegram channel. 'With him, 3,000 former fighters of the Wagner PMC [private military company] will join the special forces.' Ratibor - known only by his callsign - was wounded in the war, but having recovered will command the new regiment. Chechen commander Major-General Apti Alaudinov - loyal to Kadyrov - said: 'The commander of the regiment will be Ratibor. 'We will form the regiment from the personnel who previously served directly under him 'Congratulations, I welcome you to the Akhmat Special Force.' 'We can once again prove our efficiency and that we are fulfilling the task of the state,' said Ratibor, who has been earlier loyal to Prigozhin. Much of Kadyrov's military force - funded by the Russian taxpayer - is not being deployed amid suspicions of an ulterior motive. In May 2023, Kadyrov claimed to have sent more than 26,000 fighters to Ukraine since the start of the war in Ukraine, including 12,000 volunteers. Besides finding a purpose in Ukraine, one theory is that the fighters are being kept in reserve to crush any coup uprising against Putin - Kadyrov's mentor and funder, who has turned him into one of the world's wealthiest politicians with palaces in Chechnya and Dubai. However, some have speculated boldly that Kadyrov could attempt to breakaway from Russia and set up an independent state were support for the war to collapse. By creating and arming new military formations, 47-year-old Kadyrov 'is effectively strengthening his personal army at the expense of the [Russian] federal budget', according to Kavkaz Realii independent media outlet, part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Kadyrov was appointed by Putin a Colonel-General in the Russian national guard, and he also holds the Kremlin's highest award of Hero of Russia. He has boasted of having tens of thousands of troops under his control. Strongman Kadyrov poses for a photo on a newly modernised T-72 tank Kadyrov (pictured) claimed to have deployed troops to Ukraine within days of Putin's invasion - and said in November 2023 he was ready to send another 3,000 to Ukraine Ramzan Kadyrov, Head of the Chechen Republic, poses with two machine guns Under Putin, 71, Kadyrov has been given more personal autonomy than any other regional leader in Russia. The Russian authorities have turned a blind eye to extra-judicial killings, including some outside the country, as Kadyrov roots out opposition to his iron-fist rule. Kadyrov, a devout Muslim, is the father of at least 14 children. He appears to have recovered from an illness last year that was widely seen as being a kidney problem. Some reports suggested he had been poisoned. A fugitive Wirecard executive used compromised intelligence operatives in Austria to spy on citizens in Europe and plot assassinations using Russian hitmen, according to shocking new claims based on evidence obtained by British Intelligence. Jan Marsalek, the former COO of defunct German payment processor Wirecard, is alleged to have helped coordinate a group of spies who planned abductions on UK soil, prosecutors told Southwark Crown Court in London in September last year. But new allegations contained in an Austrian police report for the arrest of a former Austrian police officer claim that Marsalek was not only compromised by Russia - but may have been one of the Kremlin's top spies in Europe. The 86-page warrant claims that the 44-year-old commissioned police official Egisto Ott and top Austrian security official Martin Weiss to enable undercover work for Russian intelligence operating in Europe over a period of several years. The allegations add to speculation that Wirecard, which collapsed after some 1.9bn euros went 'missing', may have been used as a 'shadow financial network to pay and facilitate Russian undercover operations', according to the Financial Times, which has closely documented allegations of malpractice in a series of investigations. Jan Marsalek, the former COO of defunct German payment processor Wirecard The former businessman is said to have acted as a 'tasker' for five spies in the UK. They include Vanya Gaberova, 29, (left) and 31-year-old Ivan Stoyanov (right). All five deny the charges Marsalek is now believed to be hiding in Russia under the protection of the GRU - the feared military intelligence agency tasked with carrying out sabotage and assassinations on foreign soil - having fled Europe with help from his network. Amid mounting allegations against the former COO, a report published by various European outlets last month suggested he could have been compromised by Russia as early as 2014. They claimed Marsalek had been compromised after a meeting on a yacht some four years after his appointment as COO. An investigation concluded Marsalek had been wooed by the Kremlin after forming a relationship with a Russian erotic actress connected to the elusive security services. This extended to partying, travelling and taking joyrides in MiG fighter jets, the investigation claimed. The new warrant against Ott, based largely on evidence supplied to Austria by MI5, according to the FT, claims Ott used his security clearance as an Austrian police and intelligence official to request confidential information on people of interest to the Kremlin. This extended to the tracking of Russian dissidents and Russia's own agents, the warrant claims. Marsalek is also alleged to have used information supplied by Ott to stage a break-in to the house of a Vienna-based investigative journalist who exposed an attempted assassination attempt by Russia, stealing a computer and storage devices. Christo Grozev left Vienna last year after being told by intelligence agencies Russia might be plotting an attempt on his life. While admitting to having known Marsalek, Ott has previously pleaded his innocence. Marsalek has also accused of playing a key role in a two and a half year Russian spying campaign in Britain. The former businessman is said to have acted as a 'tasker' for five Bulgarians - three men and two women - who are alleged to have carried out surveillance activity on behalf of the Russian state. Marsalek's whereabouts are of course unknown, with an Interpol Red Notice issued for his arrest. The alleged spy formerly worked for Wirecard, a payment processor and financial services provider that as once the jewel of Germany's business community, with a 24bn (20.7bn) valuation on DAX. Following years of tenacious investigative reporting, the company reported that 1.7bn was missing from its accounts in 2020, after vanishing from two banks in the Philippines - a region that Marsalek helped oversee. A series of photos of Marsalek show him sporting multiple different identities. In one, he wears a pair of glasses (left), while in others he has closely cropped hair Marsalek joined Wirecard in 2000, becoming the COO ten years later in February 2010. He and the rest of the company's executive team had their positions terminated in 2020 following an investigation. Marsalek initially said he was going to the Philippines to prove his innocence before vanishing altogether. In 2021, German intelligence concluded he had moved to Moscow. The governing coalition in Germany also claimed at the time Marsalek had 'gained contacts with Russian intelligence services' through contacts in Austria. They said they believed the contacts had 'benefitted him during his escape and his immersion'. Insurance companies have been accused of canceling coverage after covertly capturing images of homeowners' properties using drones, high-altitude balloons and even manned airplanes. Cindy Picos, a resident of Auburn, California, said she was dropped by her home insurer, CSAA Insurance, after they obtained aerial photos of her roof, as reported by WSJ. She was even denied access to view the photos, as she said in frustration 'I thought they had the wrong house. Our roof is in fine shape.' Her experience echoed the sentiments and anger felt by other homeowners, including Marilyn Smith and CJ Sveen, whose policies were rejected after the insurance company monitored their homes via drone. It's not uncommon for insurance companies to use technology like drone surveillance and high-altitude balloons to look for risks, sometimes without the owner's knowledge. Insurance companies have been accused of canceling coverage after covertly capturing images of homeowners' properties using drones, high-altitude balloons, and even manned airplanes Cindy Picos, a resident of Auburn, California, said she was dropped by her home insurer, CSAA Insurance, after they obtained aerial photos of her roof Her experience echoed the sentiments and anger felt by other homeowners, including Marilyn Smith and CJ Sveen, whose policies were rejected after the insurance company monitored their homes via drone Geospatial Insurance Consortium, a company providing aerial imagery and geospatial information to insurers, says its airplane imagery program covers 99 percent of the U.S. population. 'We've seen a dramatic increase across the country in reports from consumers who've been dropped by their insurers on the basis of an aerial image,' said Amy Bach, executive director of consumer group United Policyholders. In Picos' case, CSAA asserted that her roof had reached its life expectancy, but according to an independent inspection, it had at least ten more years of life, she said. The insurer refused to reconsider their decision, and Picos was never given the opportunity to review the images. A spokesperson of CSAA said the company has updated policy to allow homeowners to review images upon request. DailyMail.com has reached out to the company for further information. Other Californians' policies were cancelled in similar circumstances, for example, Smith and her husband drained their pool after their grandkids had all grown up and said they no longer used it. In response, AAA Homeowners Insurance said they noticed 'deferred maintenance' on the pool and could not renew their insurance. It's not uncommon for insurance companies to use technology like drone surveillance and high-altitude balloons to look for risks, sometimes without the owner's knowledge Other Californians' policies were cancelled in similar circumstances, for example, Smith and her husband drained their pool after their grandkids had all grown up and said they no longer used it Smith said she talked with agents after getting the shocking notice of non-renewal who told her the rejection was plainly linked to the pool in her backyard in Oakley. 'She just flat out said because the pool was empty,' Smith said. 'I don't understand what their problem is. Because you empty a pool and you're saving on water.' Another resident Sveen said his insurance was not renewed due to 'clutter' in his front yard. and a fourth homeowner was told his roof had 'exceeded its normal life.' 'Apparently they have some pictures and they noticed clutter,' Sveen said. 'I find that offensive. How dare you judge me because of my stuff!' Sveen uses his yard as a workshop and said that when he asked to see any photos or videos they had taken, AAA denied his request. 'There was no chance to mitigate, clean up, do anything, it was just, you're fired,' he said. The rejections come just months after State Farm and Allstate announced they would not be writing new policies in California due to wildfire concerns. Some companies have been accused of using aerial photos to clear out customers they don't want, the WSJ reported. Sveen, who lives in Oakley, California, was told they would not be renewing his policy because they had taken photos and videos that showed debris in his yard Sveen uses his yard as a workshop and said that when he asked to see any photos or videos they had taken, AAA denied his request Nichole Brink, who quit her job as an agent for Farmers Insurance, said: 'It's like they're using anything as an excuse to get people off their books.' Others with insurance brokerage Arthur J. Gallagher said their firm has seen 'an unprecedented level' of non-renewals. DailyMail.com has reached out to both companies for further information. 'The technology is way ahead of any consumer protections,' said Douglas Heller, director of insurance at the Consumer Federation of America. 'Part of the industry strategy is to avoid any situation where consumers get to say 'yes' or 'no' to this kind of spyware approach to underwriting and rating,' Heller said. Neil Pearson, a consultant who works with imagery companies, said the use of aerial images will only get more detailed and frequent. 'It could get interesting from a privacy standpoint as a property could be monitored daily at high resolution. It is a bit Orwellian.' The president of the Palm Beach Freedom Institute hit back at critics who claimed Americans are leaving Florida after moving there under false pretenses and insists that the Sunshine State is 'America's paradise.' While hundreds of thousands became Florida residents in 2022 lured by the promise of stunning weather, no income tax and lower costs overall, almost 500,000 left the same year. Some of those who departed blamed soaring insurance costs, a hostile political environment, worsening traffic and extreme weather. Paul du Quenoy, president of Florida think tank Palm Beach Freedom Institute, wrote a scathing New York Post opinion piece slamming critics who suggest the Sunshine State is anything less than divine. 'Florida is in fact booming, popular, happy and free. It is, indeed, Americas own paradise,' du Quenoy said. Hundreds of thousands of Americans moved to Florida in 2022, lured by the promise of stunning weather, no income tax and lower costs overall Those who left the Sunshine State blamed soaring insurance costs, a hostile political environment, worsening traffic and extreme weather Paul du Quenoy (pictured), president of Florida think tank Palm Beach Freedom Institute, hit back at critics who claimed Americans are leaving Florida 'Our 2022 net gain of 249,064 people was the largest of any state in the union, as it was the previous two years while blue-state crime rates soared and most of our nations Democrat-governed big cities turned into underpopulated wastelands of crime and decay.' While many who took part in the national migration south have fallen in love with the state, others have had enough of the extreme heat, hurricanes, dangerous native wildlife such as crocodiles and alligators, and rising cost of living. Florida had a population boom during the pandemic, with more than 700,000 people moving there in 2022, however census data showed almost 500,000 left that same year. NBC News digital senior policy reporter Shannon Pettypiece interviewed former Floridians who felt the Sunshine State was not all it was cracked up to be. 'Based on only one grossly misrepresented statistic and interviews with exactly five disgruntled ex-Floridians, it paints our state as a nightmarish place, groaning under high expenses, worsening traffic, scarcer services and what else? extreme weather,' du Quenoy said. 'At least she didnt bore us with a predictable diatribe about alligators (responsible for 30 fatalities in the last 76 years, six fewer than the number of New Yorkers murdered in January 2023).' 'While Pettypiece claims almost 500,000 people moved out of Florida in 2022, she barely acknowledges the fact that well over 700,000 moved in that year, and the ratio of new Floridians to those moving away is rapidly increasing,' he said. The state with the biggest number of transplants to Florida was New York with 90,000 leaving the Empire State for Florida in 2022. One New York transplant was Louis Rotkowitz who spent two years in Florida before moving north again and settling in North Carolina. 'Like every good New Yorker, this is where you want to go. It's a complete fallacy.' After getting a job as a primary care physician while his wife set about teaching, he quickly fell out of love with the area as it would take him more than an hour each way to commute to and from work. Then cost of his homeowners association fees doubled - essentially ending any Floridian dream he might have had. Du Quenoy hit back at people who said residents are leaving Florida due to the threat of wildlife saying gators have only be responsible for 30 fatalities in the last 76 years NBC News digital senior policy reporter Shannon Pettypiece interviewed former Floridians who felt the Sunshine State was not all it was cracked up to be Many complained about expensive real estate and soaring home insurance rates When it comes to getting insurance to have a roof over your head, home insurance soared 42 percent in 2023 to around $6,000 per year, with the state's wild weather events to blame, following a series of hurricanes and the flooding that followed. As for car insurance, getting covered in Florida is a massive 50 percent higher than the national average. Work wise, things are nothing to write back to your old home about with the median salary in Florida among the lowest in the country. The state has an unemployment rate of 3.1 percent - well below the national average of 3.9 percent, but the wages are among the lowest too. 'I had a good salary, but we were barely making ends meet. We had zero quality of life,' Rotkowitz said. Rotkowitz was also uncomfortable about a new 2023 law that allows people to carry a concealed weapon without a license. 'Everyone is walking around with guns there,' he said. 'I consider myself a conservative guy, but if you want to carry a gun you should be licensed, there should be some sort of process.' Barb Carter moved to Florida from Kansas to be closer to her grandchildren, but decided it was not for her after an an armadillo infestation in her home caused $9,000 in damages. She said hurricane Ian blew the roof of her house and she struggled to find a doctor to to remove a tumor from her liver. 'Many people ask, 'Why would you move back to Kansas?' I tell them all the same thing you've got to take your vacation goggles off,' Carter said. 'For me, it was very falsely promoted. Once living there, I thought, you know, this isn't all you guys have cracked this up to be, at all.' Du Quenoy's piece highlighted the fact that people from the north are moving to Florida. Du Quenoy's piece highlighted the fact that people from the north are moving to Florida A tweet from the Palm Beach Freedom Institute said to critics, 'Enjoy your high taxes, terrible crime rate, and earthquakes' A tweet from the Palm Beach Freedom Institute said to critics, 'Enjoy your high taxes, terrible crime rate, and earthquakes.' 'Unsurprisingly, the four states with the greatest net out-migration in 2022 were radical-Democrat-governed New York, California, Illinois and New Jersey,' du Quenoy said. 'New York City alone has lost more than 400,000 people since 2020. So many state residents left, that years census cost New York a seat in Congress while Florida gained one.' Du Quenoy acknowledge some of the ex-residents complaints such as busy traffic and trouble finding doctors, but said that is because people are flocking to the state. 'These inconveniences are by-products of Floridas runaway success, rather than symptoms of any supposed deficiency,' he said 'The plain fact is people want to be here, and not where she is, in greater numbers than ever before.' Prince Andrew has been photographed giggling as a desperate dog owner chased his pooch after it ran in front of the Duke's car - just one day after the new drama, Scoop, aired on Netflix. Andrew was snapped looking relaxed in a Range Rover on the Long Walk in Windsor Castle today. However someone's dog, which seemed to be lost, ran around the 4x4 as Andrew appeared to be pointing at the canine. The pooches' owner was seen searching for his beloved pet - behind the royal's car. Andrew was then snapped chuckling as the man found his dog and walked over to the nearby grass. The Duke was seen cheerfully waving while the dog was secured. Where's my dog gone? The pet owner had lost his pooch and was looking behind Andrew's car while Andrew points at the animal The man does not realise at first that his beloved pet is in front of the royal's car There you are! The owner spots his pooch while Andrew watches on laughing The cheeky canine moves out of the way with its owner as Andrew grins Good boy! The dog is safely moved to the side of the road and the Duke cheerfully waves READ MORE: Inside Prince Andrew's isolating past few years as royal outcast after infamous Newsnight interview that Netflix turned into hit drama Scoop Advertisement The interaction comes just one day after Netflix's film, Scoop, was released. It centres around his Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis - something that was widely considered to be disastrous. The new Netflix film, based on the book by ex-BBC producer Sam McAlister, presents the fateful interview in which Ms Maitlis grilled the Duke on the sex allegations made against him by Mrs Giuffre. Scoop shows the moment the Queen's son naively declared 'that went well didn't it' after the interview and how he joked about meeting paedophile Epstein in New York. Despite only being out for one day, Scoop has already gathered mountains of praise on social media, with some viewing taking to X just hours after it was first aired. The accused squatters have caused chaos in the quiet neighborhood since arriving A shameless pair of accused squatters have demanded to be made 'heirs' of the Long Island home they took over by forging the dead homeowner's signature in documents. Denton Gayle, 29, and Margaret Grover, 19, allegedly presented a judge with a fake lease and a forged signature of the previous owner, Edward Iacono Sr., who died in 2016. The documents presented to Nassau Housing Court Judge Christopher J. Coschignano showed that the couple had apparently rented the home, 39 Brussel Drive, on June 1 for $1,500 a month, court records show. In the two-year lease agreement that the pair allegedly forged, there was a provision that they would becoming the owners, The New York Post reported. The newest update to the ongoing saga that has driven neighbors crazy for months is that the couple, who share a dog called Daisy and a baby son, want to be named 'heirs' to the property. A shameless pair of accused squatters have demanded to be made 'heirs' of the Long Island home they took over by forging the dead homeowner's signature in documents Denton Gayle, 29, and Margaret Grover, 19 (pictured left and right) allegedly presented a judge with a fake lease and a forged signature of the previous owner, Edward Iacono Sr., who died in 2016 Gayle and Grover filed paperwork on Monday in Nassau Supreme Court that requested they be 'added as heirs' to the $873,000 house they're squatting in. Neighbors who live on the quiet block in New Hyde Park have said that the 1597-squae-foot single-family home with two bedrooms has been vacant for more than a decade after the owner died. They said that the home had been in foreclosure since every member of the immediate family who owned it died between 2015 and 2018. Judge Coschignano ordered Grover and Gayle to vacate the property last month, and an eviction against the pair is now pending. Lawyers for the couple have said that they aren't squatting - and insists they signed a valid lease document from a man they believed to be Iacono. 'We're not trying to play the system or asking for anything unfair, the thing they're asking for here will allow us to be able to add our own voice and testimony to the record as the Courts try to determine what happened here and what the next steps are,' said attorney William Igbokwe. The obnoxious couple wreaked havoc throughout the peaceful street until they were tossed out in October and since then, they were allowed to move back in based on the alleged bogus documents. Worried neighbors called 911 because they were worried about the pair's child as the home has no heat, electricity, hot water or working bathrooms. When they returned in January, Gayle allegedly racked up $3,000 worth of parking tickets on his 2013 black Porsche Cayenne, which, according to The Post, has a Pennsylvania license plate. Neighbors who live on the quiet block in New Hyde Park have said that the 1597-squae-foot single-family home with two bedrooms has been vacant for more than a decade after the owner died When the squatters returned to the home in January, Gayle allegedly racked up $3,000 worth of parking tickets on his 2013 black Porsche Cayenne, which, according to The Post , has a Pennsylvania license plate Neighbors complained that Gayle was trying to intimidate him after his return by pacing up and down the street and giving them the middle finger, and even allegedly attempting to chase down an elderly man. 'We truly believe that these people are going to be vindictive,' said a resident, who captured video of Gayle allegedly banging and kicking their door and using a racial slur while telling him to come outside. Gayle and Grover are facing charges of acting in a manner injurious to a child from their October arrest. Gayle also faces charges for resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration charges, records show. Russian troops have been accused of carrying out 'daily' illegal chemical attacks on the Ukrainian front line. It has been reported that drones have been circling over multiple positions along the Ukrainian front and dropping 'tear gas and other chemicals', which are banned during wartime under the Chemical Weapons Convention. A commander of the Ukrainian army told the Telegraph: 'The only way for them to successfully attack us [is] with gas,' because his troops are so embedded attacks with conventional artillery or drones firing missiles was difficult. He added that once the gas strikes, even if it is not fatal, troops panic and 'the first instinct is to get out', after which they can be more easily picked off by Russian forces. A K-51 gas grenade, which are usually filled with tear gas collected by soldiers in the 53rd Mechanised Brigade 'whilst under fire because nobody believed they were being attacked with chemical weapons' Servicemen of the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine run at their positions at a frontline. Ukraine has claimed that there have been 626 gas related attacks by Russia since the outbreak of the war Ukrainian servicemen fire an artillery in the direction of Siversk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Once the gas strikes, even if it is not fatal, troops panic and 'the first instinct is to get out' Ukraine has claimed that there have been 626 gas related attacks by Russia since the outbreak of the war. Another commander from Robotnye, in Zaporizhzhia Oblast where there is an ongoing Russian offensive said that soldiers are now required to carry gas masks at all times, however often they are ex-soviet models therefore not very effective. One of these grenades was examined by the Telegraph, who reported that Rebekah Maciorowski, an American combat medic had received it from soldiers in the 53rd Mechanised Brigade 'whilst under fire because nobody believed they were being attacked with chemical weapons.' She also claimed that last year she was on hand when a suspected hydrogen cyanide attack occurred. Marc-Michael Blum, a chemical weapons expert later confirmed the device received was a K-51 gas grenade, which are usually filled with tear gas. Over night Russian forces attacked Ukraine in Kharkiv with drones and missiles, killing at least six people and wounding 11 more, local officials reported. Another commander from Robotnye, in Zaporizhzhia Oblast where there is an ongoing Russian offensive said that soldiers are now required to carry gas masks at all times, however often they are ex-soviet models therefore not very effective A general view of smoke rising from the Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant on February 15, 2023 in Avdiivka district, Ukraine One American medic claimed last year she was on hand when a suspected hydrogen cyanide attack occurred. Pictured: A Ukrainian serviceman of the 82nd Separate Air Assault Brigade drives a Challenger 2 tank in an undisclosed location near frontline in Zaporizhzhia region, on February 12, 2024 On Saturday afternoon, a further strike on Kharkiv killed another person and left one more person wounded, said Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov. Another missile strike killed a civilian in the southern Odesa region, its governor Oleh Kiper reported. Governor of the Kharkiv region Oleh Syniehubov said missile strikes on the city damaged residential buildings, a petrol station, a kindergarten, a cafe, a shop and cars. Overall, Russia fired 32 Iranian-made Shahed drones and six missiles at Ukraine overnight, according to the air force commander. Ukrainian air defence forces shot down three cruise missiles and 28 drones, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk said in a statement. 'Russian killers continue to terrorise Ukrainians and attack Kharkiv and other peaceful cities,' he said. The Russian military has not commented on the strikes but said that Ukraine on Saturday morning fired Vampire rockets at Russia. All 10 of them were shot down over Russia's border region of Belgorod by air defence systems, the Russian Defence Ministry said. On the ground in Ukraine, Russian forces were advancing, and pushing back against them was 'difficult', said Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's armed forces. Syrskyi said the situation in the Bakhmut area in the partially occupied eastern Donetsk region was particularly challenging. He said Russian forces are carrying out offensive operations day and night, using assault groups with the support of armoured vehicles, as well as assaults on foot. Fierce battles are taking place east of the town of Chasiv Yar, which Ukraine still controls and which is located near the occupied city of Bakhmut. Russian forces are trying to break through defensive lines there, Syrskyi said on the messaging app Telegram, adding that 'Chasiv Yar remains under our control, all enemy attempts to break through to the settlement have failed'. Near Avdiivka, another city in the Donetsk region held by the Russians, the fiercest battles were occurring in Pervomaiskyi and Vodyanyi, according to the official. He also said the situation is tense on the southern and north-eastern parts of the front line. It was the question on everyones lips last week where is the Justice Minister? Despite the Government introducing one of the most seismic changes to Scottish criminal law in a decade the Hate Crime Act Angela Constance has been notable by her absence. But The Mail on Sunday can today solve the mystery... she is on holiday! And, on the day the new Act came into force, she posted on Instagram that she had just completed a 1,000-piece Great Gatsby-themed jigsaw. She even accompanied a video of the finished puzzle with Great Gatsby-themed music from the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Russell Findlay said: Ministers are entitled to a break, but officers have the right to question why the SNP Justice Secretary has been posted missing. Angela Constance went on holiday as Act came into force The Justice Minister boasted of her jigsaw skills on social media While she was relaxing on holiday with a jigsaw puzzle, Scotlands police officers were left picking up the pieces of this disastrous SNP law, which my party is determined to repeal. Although it has been public knowledge since February that the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 would come into force on April 1 and Ms Constance is likely to have known of the date even earlier the Scottish Government yesterday confirmed she had chosen last week to take leave. A spokesman added: We do not disclose Cabinet Secretary or Ministers leave locations. When junior Minister for Community Safety Siobhian Brown was asked if she thought it was appropriate that Ms Constance was on leave, she replied: This [the Hate Crime Act] is under my portfolio. Although it has been decided by the Scottish Government that Ms Brown will oversee the Act, the Justice Secretary position held by Ms Constance is intrinsically linked with the laws. Humza Yousaf held the post when he first brought the Bill to Holyrood, saying it sent a strong and clear message to victims, perpetrators, communities and to wider society that offences motivated by prejudice will be treated seriously. It is also under the remit of the Justice Secretary to ensure that criminal law reflects the needs of society, according to the Scottish Government website. Mr Yousaf last week hit out at Scottish Labour and the Scottish Lib Dems, who both voted for the Bill in 2021, for not speaking out against its detractors. Yet, while accusing them of running for the hills, his own Justice Secretary was also silent. Ms Constance has been approached for comment. The Royal Navy has splashed out 2.4million on dedicated diversity and inclusion staff in recent years at a time when defence budgets are more constrained than ever, ministers have admitted. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps is waging war on what he sees as 'woke' and wasteful diversity pushes, including internal jobs inviting serving marines and sailors to be redeployed as diversity and inclusion officers within Britain's navy. But his parliamentary under-secretary has admitted to spending the seven figure sum on diversity roles in the service since 2019 - prompting disbelief from a former minister who has called for the money to be spent elsewhere. Ex-Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois has called for Mr Shapps to ensure Britain's military is spending its money on 'weaponry, not wokery' - amid concerns the country is on a 'pre-war' footing with Russia. Conservative MP Mr Francois, who also sits on the Commons defence select committee, expressed concern at the spending, which was revealed through a parliamentary response to Tory MP Sir John Hayes. The Royal Navy has spent 2.4million on diversity and inclusion staff in recent years, prompting concerns (pictured: sailors returning to Portsmouth in 2023) Defence secretary Grant Shapps has ordered a 'root and branch' review of military spending on diversity and inclusion Former armed forces minister Mark Francois (pictured) has called on Mr Shapps to ensure the military is spending its money sensibly on 'weaponry, not wokery' But the Royal Navy, like other parts of the armed forces, is struggling to meet recruitment targets, with the shortfall to target widening over a period of years The figures on diversity spending in the Navy were released by parliamentary under-secretary for defence Andrew Murrison in response to a written question by MP Sir John Hayes He told MailOnline: 'The Ukrainians have enjoyed great success against the Russian Navy - including sinking their Black Sea flagship, the Moskva - by using weaponry, not wokery. 'If Grant Shapps is right and we really are entering "a pre-war era" then the MoD needs to start spending its money accordingly, hence presumably why he announced the review of all this activity in the first place.' The figure on diversity spending came from an answer to a parliamentary question given by defence under-secretary Andrew Murrison to Mr Hayes, who has exposed much of the workings of the military's push for diversity. The Navy had spent 2,445,980 on salaries for people employed in 'dedicated diversity and inclusion policy roles from 2019 to 2023', Mr Murrison said. The under-secretary added: 'The Royal Navy has a number of individuals whose roles encompass diversity and inclusion. 'Service personnel rotate through postings which can include diversity and inclusion roles. Their work is supported by a small number of civil servants. 'Each of these individuals are paid commensurate to their rank and training. 'In February 2024, the Secretary of State for Defence ordered a root and branch review of ethnicity, diversity and inclusivity policies in defence which is ongoing.' Mr Hayes has also unearthed other details of the MoD's spending on diversity campaigns, with a total of 1.5million spent on 'ethnic minority and women campaigns and initiatives' between 2019 and 2022. As of February, the Navy had 15 people recruited in roles dedicated to diversity and inclusion, with another 13 in the Army and 14 in the RAF, with 10 other positions open for recruitment. Sir John said at the time: 'Taxpayers care about whether the soldiers are up to the job, and frankly the Ministry of Defence should be focusing on just that.' It is likely the roles will either be cut back or culled altogether as part of the review, which was ordered by Grant Shapps in February after reports suggested security clearance could be eased for overseas recruits. He ordered a top-to-bottom review of the armed forces' diversity policies in February, which is ongoing, claiming precious resources were being 'squandered' at a time when the military faces a recruitment crisis and spending cuts. The new guidance, leaked earlier this year, suggested security clearance was 'the primary barrier to non-UK personnel gaining a commission' in the armed forces. It suggested such checks were holding back diversity targets, nothing that the Army 'struggles to attract talent from ethnic minority backgrounds into the officer corps'. News of the updated guidance prompted former armed forces officials to write an open letter to Mr Shapps, labelling the updated policy 'dangerous madness'. Your browser does not support iframes. The Royal Navy, and other armed forces, have been criticised for pooling money into diversity initiatives at a time of shrinking military spending The Navy has also been embarrassed by several high-profile failures as of late, including a faulty propeller on the flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth (pictured) Announcing the root-and-branch review of diversity policies, Mr Shapps told the Telegraph in February that 'time and resources are being squandered to promote a political agenda which is pitting individuals against each other'. The Defence Secretary said: 'There is a woke culture that has seeped into public life over time and is poisoning the discourse. Anyone who questions it is dismissed out of hand. 'This extremist culture has crept in over years and it is time for a proper shake-up, designed to refocus the military on its core mission - being a lethal fighting force... It is time for common sense instead of divisiveness.' The Royal Navy itself says it promotes an 'inclusive culture' that encourages people to join up regardless of their gender, religion or sexual orientation. Guidance published in 2022 suggests each unit within the Navy has a dedicated diversity and inclusion lead, generally the second-in-command, with other soldiers encouraged to become 'practitioners', 'advisors' or less formal 'associates'. But the Navy, like other parts of the armed forces, is experiencing an unparalleled recruitment crisis at a time when the defence budget looks set to be slashed by up to 3billion over the coming year. Combined, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines have almost 29,000 personnel as of January 1 2024 - but that figure has fallen steadily by over 4,000 since 2012. And the number is likely to continue falling during the Navy's ongoing recruitment crisis - with targets for new sign-ups being missed by more than a quarter. In the year to March 2011, 1,331 new sailors were recruited against a target of 1,332; but in 2023, just 2001 new staff were brought in against a target of 2,738 - a shortfall of almost 27 per cent. The marine force has missed its recruitment targets for both sailors and elite commandos every year for more than a decade. The figures were released by Mr Murrison in response to a written question from shadow defence secretary John Healey earlier this year. Mr Healey said the gap between the target and the reality ran the risk of Britain being unable to fulfil its obligations as a Nato member state, and accused the Tories of 'corroding the nation's moral contract with those who serve'. The lack of soldiers is raising concerns about the viability of much of Britain's naval fleet - with plans floated earlier this year to mothball several warships and a number of high profile breakdowns and delays causing embarrassment for top brass. Earlier this year, a Trident nuclear missile test off the coast of Florida failed in the presence of Mr Shapps when the dummy rocket failed to fire up after being launched from HMS Vanguard and plopped miserably into the ocean. In January, reports suggested Royal Marine landing crafts HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark were being eyed for early retirement so their sailors could be freed up for other vessels. The notion was later put to bed by Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell, who said in February 'neither of them will be scrapped'. However, the future of two other frigates, HMS Westminster and HMS Argyll, remains uncertain: both are set to be retired and their staff transferred to new Type 26 craft, despite Westminster only undergoing expensive repairs in 2017. And Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth had to be withdrawn from a Nato exercise due to a faulty propeller shaft, being replaced by HMS Prince of Wales. The Mail's Don't Leave Britain Defenceless campaign is calling for defence spending to rise to at least 2.5 per cent of GDP amid concerns the military is facing a real-terms budget cut. MailOnline has contacted the Ministry of Defence for comment. An illegal migrant has been charged with aggravated murder in Ohio as the sheriff's office revealed he had been previously arrested 11 times and deported eight. Fermin Garcia-Gutierrez, 46, has been arrested for shooting and killing another man in Hamilton on Monday. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said Garcia-Gutierrez has arrests dating back to 2001 and has allegedly used at least seven different names and three different birthdates. He said the 46-year-old has illegally entered the country at least eight times and is a gang member. 'We have an illegal that's here and he's been deported eight times in our county, and he's committed 20 crimes,' said Jones. Fermin Garcia-Gutierrez, 46, has been arrested for shooting and killing another man in Hamilton Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said Garcia-Gutierrez has previously been arrested 11 times and deported eight Garcia-Gutierrez has arrests dating back to 2001 and has allegedly used at least seven different names and three different birthdates 'He's had seven different names, and now he's charged with murder, aggravated murder, and who knows who else he's killed along the way or killed in Mexico.' Hamilton police responded to a call around 2:35 pm at the 1100 block of South 13th Street, where they found Fernando Reyna Oviedo, 41, with gun wounds, reported The Cincinnati Enquirer. Oviedo was pronounced dead at the scene, and an autopsy determined his cause of death was homicide. 'I can tell you this, that person would be alive today and if you don't think that it's affecting you in Butler County, Ohio, we're all border states; we're all border counties. It's here and we could go on and on,' said Jones. Before he was charged with the murder, police had arrested Garcia-Gutierrez for carrying a concealed weapon, having a weapon while intoxicated and obstruction, reported WCPO. 'It just so happens we ran into him and had an encounter with him. Unbeknownst to us he had committed this murder,' said Hamilton Police Chief Craig Bucheit said. Now he is facing an aggravated murder charge that could see him sentence to 30-years in prison or get the death penalty. Garcia-Guiterrez is being held without bail at the Butler County jail on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement holder Jones had used Garcia-Gutierrez in a press conference expressing his frustration with the border crisis just days before he was charged with murder. He said since July 1, 2021, the Butler County Jail has had nearly 1,000 illegal migrants with a collective 1,757 charges that has cost them $1.8 million to house. Jones had used Garcia-Gutierrez in a press conference expressing his frustration with the border crisis just days before he was charged with murder Statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection show that this fiscal year alone, there has already been a reported 1,151,448 southwest border encounters Jones displayed a poster with President Joe Biden, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. 'Anybody who has been a victim of a crime, your should sue that guy (Mayorkas) when he is not working for the president of the United States. You should sue him personally,' Jones said. Statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection show that this fiscal year alone, there has already been a reported 1,151,448 southwest border encounters. The year, which runs from October to September, is already on current pace to break last year's record of 2,475,669. Since Biden took office, the total number of southwest land border encounters hit a staggering 7,740,747. She is the cold-hearted, scheming villain who casts her dark shadow over one of literatures most famous plays. As generations of pupils learned in English classes, Lady Macbeth driven by a lust for power persuaded her weak-willed husband to commit murder most foul. Yet according to one of Scotlands top crime writers, Shakespeare got the tragedy of Macbeth all wrong. Novelist Val McDermid with a bit of help from former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has written a book exploring the real story of the woman who became Queen Macbeth, first Queen of Scotland. And part of her aim, she says, is setting Shakespeare straight. Macbeth and his wife as portrayed by Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard in the play penned by William Shakespeare According to the Bard of Avon, the Macbeths are motivated by merciless ambition which ultimately leads to their downfall. Their tragedy stems from their decision to seize the throne by killing King Duncan while he is asleep. But McDermid, whose novels have sold more than 19 million copies and been translated into more than 40 languages, recasts the tale in a feminist light as a historical romance seen from the perspective of a strong and determined woman fighting for life and love. As befits a crime writer, the book contains a major plot twist. But in a departure from the gritty tartan noir genre for which she is famous, McDermid also ventures into the realm of erotic fiction. In the authors notes at the start of the book, she claims the Macbeths were not the power-hungry bloody tyrants that Shakespeare wrote of in his Scottish play. And in highlighting other inaccuracies she says: For a start, Macbeth wasnt even his name it was Macbethad. His wife wasnt Lady Macbeth she was Gruoch. If he couldnt get their names right, how can we trust anything else he tells us? She also claims the Elizabethan playwright made a error about the death of King Duncan. Yes, Macbeth did kill Duncan, but it was on the field of battle, not in the dead of night when Duncan was a guest in his castle. Queen Macbeth, released next month, tells the fictionalised life-story of Gruoch Ingen Boite, who is forced into a loveless arranged marriage but finds true love with a nobleman called Macbeth. In the acknowledgements, McDermid thanks her friend and fellow book lover Ms Sturgeon, whose animated dinner conversation resolved an awkward plot point for me. Val McDermid says her new book is aiming to set Shakespeare straight on Macbeth The crime writer has recast Shakespeare's tale in a feminist light She added: Its amazing how a few glasses of red wine release the imagination... The novel contains echoes of Shakespeare, but imagined from a feminist perspective. The witches who prophesy Macbeths doom are replaced by three women a healer, a weaver and a seer whose powers make the men of mediaeval Scotland deeply suspicious. The tale starts with Gruoch and her companions fleeing from plotters who believe she stands in the way of their ambition for power. As the action develops, Gruoch recalls the stirrings of her love for Macbeth, including a racy description of their first moment of intimacy, saying: Where our bodies touched it was like a lick of flame running through me. Shakespeares Lady Macbeth encourages her husband to commit murder, but McDermids version urges caution when Macbeth considers revenge against a rival, saying: Better to be slow than to shed innocent blood, surely? The book is part of Polygons Darkland Tales dramatic retellings of key moments from Scottish history, myth and legend. Pre-publication publicity promises McDermid will reveal a new Lady Macbeth, bringing a schemer in the shadows out into the light and exposing the patriarchal prejudices of history. All seven dangerous terrorists convicted alongside al-Qaeda 'dirty bomber' mastermind Dhiren Barot who wanted to kill hundreds of people in New York and London have been released from jail. The British men, all part of a sleeper cell that helped Barot plan a series of bomb plots in the UK and US, are back on the streets despite being jailed in 2007 for a combined 136 years. MailOnline can reveal that the last of the group to be released was Abdul Aziz Jalil, then 34, who was given a 26 year sentence and was thought to be mass murder plotter Barot's 'minder.' He pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court to conspiracy to cause explosions between 2001 and 2004 alongside his fellow terrorist helpers, who provided intelligence and support to Barot. Dhiren Barot the mastermind behind a series of bomb plots in the UK and US The last of the group to be released was Abdul Aziz Jalil, then 34, who was given a 26 year sentence and was thought to be mass murder plotter Barot's 'minder' Jalil was jailed with Mohammed Naveed Bhatti, 27, for twenty years but released in 2015. Bhatti admitted a charge of conspiracy to cause explosions Jalil was jailed with Mohammed Naveed Bhatti, 27, Junade Feroze, 31, Zia Ul Haq, 28, Nadeem Tarmohamed, 29, Omar Abdur Rehman, 23, and 28-year-old Qaisar Shaffi. A MailOnline investigation has confirmed that all the group have been freed with most serving less than half their sentences. Jalil was released in February 2024 after a parole hearing. Last night, Chris Phillips, the UK's former Head of the National Counter Terrorism, told MailOnline: 'This is madness. This determined gang of terrorists planned to kill hundreds of people in bombings on both sides of the Atlantic. 'Releasing them almost certainly with the same views they had when plotting murder shows how weak our society has become. 'They will not fear returning to prison as they intended to be martyrs. Our society can only be more dangerous with these men in it.' The group were part of a 'sleeper cell' around Barot, a senior British member of Osama bin Laden's network and the mastermind behind the attacks, who was sentenced in November 2007 to life imprisonment. Barot admitted to plotting to bomb the New York Stock Exchange, the International Monetary Fund headquarters and the World Bank, among other targets. In April 2007 it was revealed that he planned to use limousines packed with explosives and radioactive 'dirty' bombs for the attacks. Artists drawing of some of the eight men facing charges of plotting terrorist outrages in Britain and the United States appearing at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court, Wednesday 18 August 2004 Junade Feroze helped to keep watch during clandestine meetings when terror attacks against US targets were being planned was jailed for 22 years but release in 2016 Zia Ul Haq, from Wembley, north London, who was jailed for 18-years, was directed for release in 2014 Omar Abdur Rehman was tasked with disabling fire or security systems. The Parole Board confirmed that Rehman, of Bushey in Hertfordshire, jailed for 15 years, was rejected for release in 2013 but released at the end of his sentence The plans for an attack in London included blowing up an underground tunnel beneath the River Thames to drown hundreds of commuters. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder and it was recommended that he serve a minimum of 40 years. In May 2007, his sentence was reduced to 30 years. At his trial in April 2007, it emerged that Jalil, from Luton, rented a 'safe house' for Barot where planning material was kept and his fingerprints were found on documents relating to chemicals. He also attended terror training camps in Pakistan and assisted with research into radioactivity. The trial was told the seven men were vital for Barot to push ahead with the plots in the summer of 2004, playing roles as couriers, drivers and taking counter-surveillance measures in an attempt to throw the security services off the scent. Barot sub-contracted key parts of his plotting to other members of his team, utilising their skills in devising false identities, as minders and researchers, prosecutors said. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, said at the time that although the seven did not instigate the planned attacks, Barot needed their help and expertise. He added: 'Dhiren Barot and his gang were determined terrorists who planned bombings on both sides of the Atlantic. 'The plans for a series of coordinated attacks in the United Kingdom included packing three limousines with gas cylinders and explosives before setting them off in underground car parks. This could have caused huge loss of life. 'The plans to set off a dirty bomb in this country would have caused fear, panic and widespread disruption.' Mr Clarke said the men were skilled in anti-surveillance techniques, with Jalil and Feroze and having travelled hundreds of miles to use an internet cafe. Sentencing the seven, Mr Justice Butterfield said anyone who participates in such a plan 'will receive little sympathy from the courts.' He added:'Barot was the instigator of this terrorist planning, he was by some considerable distance the principal participant in the conspiracy. 'Each one of you was recruited by Barot and assisted him at his request.' Home Secretary John Reid said at the time: 'The outcome of this trial once again shows the extent of the very real and serious threat the UK faces from terrorism.' The co-conspirators already released from jail are: Qaisar Shaffi, of Willesden, north-west London, who was sentenced to 15 years, was the first to be recommended for release by the Parole Board in 2012. Qaisar Shaffi travelled with convicted al-Qaeda plotter Dhiren Barot to America for a reconnaissance trip, was jailed for 15 years, but was the first to be recommended for release by the Parole Board in 2012 Nadeem Tarmohamed of Wembley, who received 20 years, was also directed for release in 2015 Zia Ul Haq, from Wembley, north London, who was jailed for 18-years, was directed for release in 2014. Naveed Bhatti, of Harrow, north London, who was jailed for 20-years, was directed for release in 2015. Nadeem Tarmohamed, of Wembley, who received 20 years, was also directed for release in 2015. In 2016, Junade Feroze, of Blackburn, who got 22 years , was directed for release. The Parole Board confirmed that Omar Abdur Rehman, of Bushey in Hertfordshire, jailed for 15 years, was rejected for release in 2013. He is understood to have been freed at the end of his sentence. Jalil, now 49, was told by the Parole Board he could be freed in December 2023. The Ministry of Justice confirmed that he had been released. A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: 'We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board has directed the release of Abdul Aziz Jalil following an oral hearing. 'Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community. 'A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims. 'Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing. 'Evidence from witnesses such as probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements may be given at the hearing. 'It is standard for the prisoner and witnesses to be questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more.' Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.' Indian born Barot, now 52, is being held in a maximum security jail. He is not eligible for parole until 2037. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: 'This release decision was made by the independent Parole Board after a thorough risk assessment. 'Terrorists released on licence are supervised by the Probation Service, with the support of police and the security services, and subject to strict conditions including restrictions on their internet use, movements and contact with others. If they break those conditions they face being brought back to prison. A drug dealing family have been jailed for more than 50 years after the mother was found by police sitting next to nearly 500,000 in cash on her bed. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said Ian Shacklady, 67, his partner Gillian Melville, 66, and her son Alan Causer, 45, traded Class A drugs worth millions of pounds from their homes in Skelmersdale, Lancashire. At least 790lb (360kg) of cocaine and 55lb (25kg) of heroin were supplied by the family, valued at millions of pounds. Officers discovered nearly half a million pounds when they raided the home of Ian Shacklady and Gillian Melville - catching the crooked mother red-handed while she was sitting next to the huge pile of cash. The organised crime group, led by son Causer, was locked up for a combined total of more than 50 years today. Gillian Melville, 66, (pictured) was found sitting on a bed next to nearly 500,000 in stacked cash Ian Shacklady, 67, (pictured) admitted conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine, possession of criminal property and possession of cannabis Melville's son Alan Causer (pictured) was the leader of the crime group. Causer has two previous convictions for two offences in 1995 and 2009. Liverpool Crown Court heard that the joint probe by the NCA and Merseyside Police led to their house on Marchbank Road in Skelmersdale being searched on September 15 2021. Melville was found 'sitting in a bed in one of the bedrooms with neatly stacked piles of cash on the bed to one side of her' totalling 481,375. Henry Riding, prosecuting, described the 66-year-old as having been 'caught red-handed' with 'multiple bags containing large quantities of cash on the floor at her feet'. The fingerprints of John Germaine, another conspirator, were found on a number of the bags of cash. Four kilos of cannabis with an estimated street value of 40,000 was also discovered, as were two 'ledgers' which described in meticulous detail the record of their drug dealing activities. The ledgers described the movement of more than 1.4m in cash over the previous few months. Causer's fingerprints were present on these books, with Mr Riding adding: 'They indicated that the half a million pounds recovered from Mr Shacklady and Ms Melville's house was, if not just the tip of an iceberg, only a small proportion of the monies generated by the activities of this organised crime group.' Officers searched Shacklady's white Peugeot Partner van, which was parked across the street, and found a 'fairly sophisticated system' beneath the floor consisting of a hidden switch hiding a secret compartment for stashing illicit goods. Automatic number plate recognition cameras captured the van 'travelling all over the north of England' including trips to Huyton, Manchester, Grimsby, Derby, Nottingham and various areas of County Durham. Police then visited Germaine's storage unit on Ringtail Road in Burscough on September 28 2021 and found 9kg of 'high purity' cocaine. The 35-year-old, of Holt Drive in Ormskirk, was jailed for nine years and two months in relation to the seizure in May 2022 after being convicted of possessing cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply, as well as possession of criminal property. Another defendant, Daniel Heeley, 31, of Rylstone Drive in Heysham, Lancashire was identified via surveillance undertaken as part of the operation. Known as 'Morc' in the gang's ledgers, Heeley was said to have been 'supplied (with) class A drugs in wholesale, kilogram amounts' by his co-conspirators, with the same van having travelled to the seaside town on 14 occasions. Shacklady told police 'he had allowed a person who he wasn't prepared to name to store items at his address, believing it was only money' and that he 'had no idea there were drugs as well'. He claimed Melville 'had no involvement in the matter'. When Germaine was interviewed, he 'began by saying 'I knew this was coming', adding that he was making drug runs to pay off a debt to someone whose jaw her had 'broken in a fight in a nightclub'. Causer, of Sherrat Street in Skelmersdale, meanwhile gave no comment to detectives. When interviewed, his mum said none of the seized cash was hers - other than 6,000 located within her handbag and 11,400 in another bag, which she described as being her 'life savings'. The fingerprints of John Germaine, (pictured) another conspirator, were found on a number of the bags of cash Melville was found 'sitting in a bed in one of the bedrooms with neatly stacked piles of cash on the bed to one side of her' totalling 481,375. Pictures taken from the NCA At least 790lb (360kg) of cocaine and 55lb (25kg) of heroin were supplied by the family Heeley said he had 'previously used drugs including cocaine and ecstasy on a night out' but 'denied any involvement in the supply of drugs'. Police showed him pictures of the co-defendants and he said he did not recognise Shacklady, Melville or Germaine but identified Causer - who is also known as Alan Melville - as 'Melv or Merv'. He said he had purchased an Audi A7 from him in June 2021 for 8,500 in cash, after originally meeting the 45-year-old at Catts Gym in Orrell, Wigan, which he 'occasionally attended'. Shacklady has a total of four previous for seven offences, including receiving 33 months for conspiracy to supply cocaine in October 2022 in relation to 'EncroChat material'. The court was told he was a 'relatively simple man'. Germaine, the court heard, had been a 'model prisoner' behind bars, while Melville, who used a walker in court, had no previous convictions. She is now 'quite frail', lawyers acting on her behalf said. Shacklady admitted conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine, possession of criminal property and possession of cannabis. He was jailed for 10-and-a-half years. Germaine and Causer pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine and possession of criminal property. They received 11 years and eight months and 18 years respectively. Heeley admitted conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine. He was imprisoned for 15 years and three months. Melville pleaded guilty to possession of criminal property. She received a 23-month imprisonment suspended for 18 months, plus a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 15 days and a 12-month mental health treatment requirement. Sentencing this morning, Judge Denis Watson KC said: 'This was a very active and high volume business that was being run as a business focussing on the supply of high-quality cocaine, and on occasion heroin as well. 'This business had been flourishing over a period of three-and-a-half months. The quantities in the ledgers demonstrate that this was a major operation, even by the scale of recent EncroChat cases.' Commenting on the case, the NCA's north region head of investigations Richard Harrison said: 'This was a significant crime group that according to its own records was trading in class A drugs worth millions of pounds. 'These criminals think nothing of the harm that the class A drugs trade brings to communities in the north west and all around the country. 'The NCA and Merseyside Police will continue to employ every possible tactic to target and disrupt organised crime groups, and ensure their members face justice.' She was previously arrested and released but has been taken into custody again after four more victims came forward A Florida woman, 23, accused of pretending to be a 14-year-old to molest a teenage boy has been hit with more charges as victims continue to come forward. Alyssa Ann Zinger of Tampa, Florida, allegedly pretended to be a homeschooled 14-year-old girl to prey on middle schoolers and engage in sex acts with younger boys. The 23-year-old was arrested in November for engaging in more than 30 sexual acts with at least one student as young as 12 from Wilson Middle School. Zinger was taken into custody over claims she posed as a home-schooled teenager to contact the victim on Snapchat, before allegedly engaging in a sexual relationship with him. She was arrested for a second time on Thursday and hit with additional charges for sex crimes after four more victims said that they had been allegedly targeted by Zinger. Alyssa Ann Zinger, 23, of Tampa, Florida, allegedly pretended to be a homeschooled 14-year-old girl to prey on middle schoolers and engage in sex acts with younger boys The 23-year-old was arrested in November for engaging in more than 30 sexual acts with at least one student as young as 12 from Wilson Middle School She was arrested for a second time on Thursday and hit with additional charges for sex crimes after four more victims said that they had been allegedly targeted by Zinger According to victims, the 23-year-old allegedly created a fake persona of a 14-year-old homeschooled student. Authorities said Zinger had sexual intercourse with the first victim multiple times and allegedly sent a pornographic video to several children over Snapchat. She has been charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery and five counts of lewd or lascivious molestation on a victim who is between 12 and 15 years old. The age of consent in Florida is 18. Court records state that Zinger waived her right to an arraignment and pleaded not guilty to the charges. She was released from Orient Road jail on November 24, a day of her arrest and paid a $7,500 bond on each second-degree felony charge, records show. According to search warrants, Zinger and the victim allegedly met over Snapchat at the end of May 2023. Until their breakup in September, the victim believed she was 14 years old. Police were alerted to the relationship in October. She was released from Orient Road jail on November 24, a day of her arrest and paid a $7,500 bond on each second-degree felony charge, records show Once officials interviewed the victim, it was revealed that the suspect allegedly engaged in sexual activity with him approximately 30 times and told him that she molested other boys between the ages of 13 and 15 in the past. Chief Lee Bercaw of the Tampa Police Department said, 'It is disturbing and unsettling to see an adult take advantage of a child and prey on them. 'Anyone who may have been a victim of Zinger's, we encourage you to come forward. The Tampa Police Department will support you and ensure a predator like Zinger doesn't cause you or others additional harm.' A spokesperson for Hillsborough County Schools said the suspect never posed as a student at any of their campuses. As of now, the district is not directly involved in the investigation. Court records state that Zinger waived her right to an arraignment and pleaded not guilty to the charges in November She was released from Orient Road jail on November 24, a day of her arrest and paid a $7,500 bond on each second-degree felony charge, records show Chief Lee Bercaw of the Tampa Police Department said: 'It is disturbing and unsettling to see an adult take advantage of a child and prey on them' 'This did not happen at our school. However, we are glad that a student felt safe enough to come to an adult on campus alerting them about this individual,' district spokesperson Tanya Arja said. 'Our staff immediately contacted law enforcement so they could begin an investigation.' In July, the accused and victim were allegedly caught shoplifting from Nordstrom at International Plaza and Bay Street. She identified herself to an officer using her actual name but said she was born in 2009. The officer could not find information on her with the 2009 date of birth she provided but found one of Alyssa Ann Zinger, who was born in 2001. She told the officer that she had a half-sister of the same name. But after the relationship was revealed, employers at a Tampa Publix where Zinger worked also confirmed she was an adult. A British tourist has died in a body surfing incident on a beach in India after a 'rough wave slammed him into a dune causing fatal head and neck injuries'. Roy John Taylor, 55, died on Friday morning following the horrific accident at Varkala Papanasam Beach in India. According to Indian Police Mr Taylor was an expert body surfer from London. It has been reported that Mr Taylor arrived in Varkala on Thursday with his wife and was staying at a beachside hotel near Papanasam. The incident is thought to of taken place at around 11:30am local time when the beach was busy and crowded with people. Varkala Papanasam Beach in India where British nation Roy John Taylor, 55, died on Friday morning (stock image) Indian Police said: 'We have completed the inquest and the body has been sent for postmortem at Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram. From the preliminary investigation, the accident happened because of rough waves while he was body surfing.' The police said they have reported the incident to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), the Indian High Commission and the British Embassy. An eyewitness said they saw Mr Taylor swimming and body surfing on the back in the morning with a woman. The body surfer from London died when a 'rough wave slammed him into a dune causing fatal head and neck injuries' (stock image) A lifeguard said that for the two days before the incident the beach had been calm and visitors had been allowed (stock image) One of the lifeguards on duty at the time said: 'The person was doing body surfing on the waves when a rough wave swept him and crashed him onto the dune. He suffered injuries on the head and neck and we gave him first aid and took him to the hospital.' The lifeguard added that for the two days before the incident the beach had been calm and visitors had been allowed. A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: 'We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in India.' Police have arrested a man on suspicion of murder after a woman was found dead in a car on a housing estate in east London. Officers were called to Whiston Road in Hackney shortly before 6.45am on Saturday morning following concerns for the woman's welfare. The woman, said to be in her 20s, was found inside a grey Vauxhall Mokka crossover hatchback - with officers forcing entry into the vehicle in order to give her CPR. Despite the best efforts of police and paramedics to resuscitate her, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Formal identification is yet to take place but officers say they are confident they know her identity and have informed next of kin. A post-mortem examination is due to take place. The Metropolitan Police said it arrested a man in his 20s close to the scene on suspicion of murder. Police were called to Whiston Road in Hackney, east London following reports of concern for a woman There, they found the woman 'unresponsive' inside a grey Vauxhall Mokka hatchback (pictured), forcing entry into the car and attempting to resuscitate her However, the woman was declared dead at the scene and enquiries are being carried out into her death (pictured: police and forensic officers at the scene on Saturday) A blue forensic tarpaulin was put up at the scene in Hackney to obscure the vehicle from public view. A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder Detectives believe the man who has been arrested and the woman were known to each other but have released no further details. Enquiries are ongoing and an appeal for information remains active. Police carried out CPR until paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and London Air Ambulance arrived. Images of the scene show a white and yellow forensics tent was established on a side street north of the Blisworth House and Cosgrove House complexes. The passenger side of the car was obscured with a large blue tarpaulin to obscure the scene from public view. Scene of crime officers dressed in blue overalls, hairnets and face coverings were seen coming and going from the tent, and retrieving supplies from a crime scene investigation van. Detectives Inspector Aytac Necati, Specialist Crime, said: 'As my colleagues and I begin our work today, we are all mindful of the human tragedy here. 'The victim's family will be provided with every possible support and I can assure them that the Met's investigation will be conducted with rigour and professionalism. 'While enquiries are in their early stages, I believe the deceased and the man arrested were known to each other. 'A crime scene remains in place in Whiston Road. Local people can expect to see additional police officers in the area in the coming days, and I urge them to speak with these officers should they have information or concerns.' Anyone with information is asked to contact the police on 101 quoting reference CAD 1561/6 April. Information can also be submitted anonymously via Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111. The boss of a humanitarian aid charity has claimed that 13,000 children have already been killed in the war in Gaza and warned that a famine is 'imminent'. Catherine Russell, executive director of UNICEF made the comments on social media today, as she pushed for an immediate ceasefire in the war torn country. Taking to X, she wrote: 'War in Gaza has reportedly killed over 13K children and injured countless more. Homes, schools and hospitals in ruin. Teachers, doctors and humanitarians killed. Famine is imminent. The level and speed of destruction are shocking. Children need a ceasefire NOW.' The RAF airdropped more than 10 tons of food into Gaza last week for the first time amid fears that 1.1million people face 'imminent' famine in a 'catastrophic' humanitarian crisis. A Royal Air Force Airbus A400M dropped packages of water, rice, cooking oil, flour, tinned goods and baby formula along the territory's northern coastline. Catherine Russell, executive director of UNICEF made the comments of social media today, as she pushed for an immediate ceasefire in the war torn country Taking to X, she wrote: 'War in Gaza has reportedly killed over 13K children and injured countless more' Displaced Palestinian children pose for photos standing in front of makeshift tents at a camp beside a street in Rafah on March 13, 2024 Palestinians including children, who took refuge in Deir Al-Balah, wait in line to get a bowl of food distributed by charity organizations for their families, in Deir Al-Balah in the Gaza Strip on April 05, 2024 This comes as Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid was headed to Washington on Saturday for talks with top officials, as tensions between the two governments grow over Israel's handling of the Gaza war. Lapid is expected to meet Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and other officials, his centrist Yesh Atid party said on X. President Joe Biden has stood by Israel through six months of devastating fighting but the killing of seven aid workers in an Israeli air strike earlier this week appears to have brought him the closest yet to a breaking point. In a tense 30-minute telephone call with Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, Biden told the Israeli premier that the strike was 'unacceptable' and called for an 'immediate ceasefire'. The two men discussed '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 afterwards. It added that Biden 'made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action.' Even before the killing of the aid workers, Washington had voiced concern over Netanyahu's plans for a ground offensive in the far-southern city of Rafah, which is crammed with 1.5 million civilians, many of them displaced from other parts of Gaza. The RAF airdropped more than 10 tons of food into Gaza last week for the first time amid fears that 1.1million people face 'imminent' famine in a 'catastrophic' humanitarian crisis Palestinians inspect the damage of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on Jabaliya refugee camp on the outskirts of Gaza City, Tuesday, Oct 31, 2023 Ms Katzir said Israel still had 'worlds to save' as pressure mounts to secure hostage releases Supporters and families react as others hold pictures of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza as they take part in a '100 Days of Hell' rally calling for their immediate release on January 13 During his visit, Lapid will also meet with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who last month called for a snap election in Israel to give voters a chance to get rid of Netanyahu, whom he described as one of the 'major obstacles' to peace. The Israeli premier dubbed Schumer's comments 'totally inappropriate', insisting: 'We're not a banana republic.' The family of an Israeli hostage whose body was returned from Gaza following a rescue mission by the IDF on Friday has insisted Elad Katzir 'could have been saved' had the government done more to negotiate a deal with Hamas for his safe return. Carmit Palty Katzir, sister to the 47-year-old Israeli farmer who was captured by Hamas on October 7, announced that Elad had been brought back to Israel on Friday night after he was 'murdered in captivity'. The IDF said in a brief statement on Saturday that 'the body of he abductee Elad Katzir, who according to intelligence was murdered in captivity by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation, was rescued overnight from Khan Yunis and returned to Israeli territory'. While acknowledging the 'brave rescue operation', Ms Katzir insisted that the Israeli leadership was 'cowardly and driven by political considerations', urging them to 'look... in the mirror and say if your hands did not spill this blood'. 'You have 133 more hostages to redeem, worlds to save,' she added in a post on Facebook, paying tribute to her brother. Police have been called in to split up pro-Palestine protesters after they clashed with Israel supporters during a march in Manchester. Hundreds of protesters took the the streets earlier today in a women-led march, calling for an end to the war in Gaza, with some heard singing the controversial 'from the river to the sea' chant. The rally started in St Peter's Square and marched through the city centre where they met the pro-Israel demonstration on Market Street. The two demonstrations were separated by lines of police as protesters and counter protesters exchanged angry words and riled each other up with opposing chants. The pro-Palestine demonstration, which contained members of the Jewish community carrying banners in support of Palestine, later continued through the city centre circuit returning to St Peter's Square. Police have been called in to split up pro-Palestine protesters after they clashed with Israel supporters during a march in Manchester Palestine anti Gaza conflict and pro Israel demostrations meet in Manchester Central UK on Market street The two demonstrations were separated by lines of police as protesters and counter protesters exchanged angry words and riled each other up with opposing chants 1000s out for the women-led march in Manchester. Women have been the bedrock of Palestinian resistance to Israel's 75 year occupation & ethnic cleansing. Israel has murdered 1000s of women in their genocide in Gaza yet still they stand and still we stand with them pic.twitter.com/SNVegEh8Ta MANPalestine Action (@ManPalestine) April 6, 2024 A pro-Palestine protests also took place in the town centre in Dorchester today, which was organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. A group of Palestine supporters also interrupted the Scottish Green Party Spring conference, Craiglockhart Campus, Napier University in Edinburgh, by holding placards that read 'free Palestine'. It comes after yesterday pro-Palestine protesters marched through London 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. The Pro Palestine march started in St Peter's Square and marched through the city centre The Pro Palestine demonstration, which contained members of the Jewish comunity carrying banners in support of Palestine, later continued through the city centre Dorset Palestine Solidarity Campaign hold a rally in the town centre, on April 6 People hold a sign reading, 'Stop the Genocide' during the Dorset Palestine Solidarity Campaign's rally Dorset Palestine Solidarity Campaign hold a rally in the town centre, on April 6 Dorset Palestine Solidarity Campaign hold a rally in the town centre : A man holds a sign reading, 'Stop the Genocide' during the Dorset Palestine Solidarity Campaign's rally i Palestine supporters during the Scottish Green Party Spring conference, Craiglockhart Campus, Napier University in Edinburgh The Met said on X, formerly Twitter, that it had arrested a total of 10 people during the marches on 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. The demonstrations came 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. One man was also arrested for assaulting an emergency worker, who is 'fortunately not seriously injured', the force added. Newsreader Clive Myrie is at the centre of a BBC impartiality row after making tasteless jokes about the Government while hosting the comedy quiz Have I Got News For You. Tory MPs are furious over Friday night's jibes on BBC One by Myrie, 59, who is tipped to present the Corporation's election night coverage with Laura Kuenssberg after Huw Edwards was forced off the air over a sex scandal. At one point Myrie appeared to shock even the studio audience after referring to Rishi Sunak giving an 'unexpected' knighthood to Egyptian tycoon and Tory donor Mohamed Mansour. He linked the donation to gifts by major Tory backer Frank Hester, who has made offensive comments about MP Diane Abbott. Myrie said the knighthood for Mr Mansour had been unexpected 'because at no point had he been quoted as saying he wants to shoot a black woman'. Tory MPs are furious over Friday night's jibes on BBC One's Have I Got News For You by Clive Myrie, 59, who is tipped to present the election night coverage with Laura Kuenssberg Myrie referred to the 'unexpected' knighthood given to Egyptian tycoon and Tory donor Mohamed Mansour 'because at no point had he been quoted as saying he wants to shoot a black woman', referencing Frank Hester's recent comments directed at Diane Abbott The HIGNFY episode, the first in a new series, was dominated by jokes about Tory Ministers, the Reform party and Donald Trump. In contrast, there were no cutting remarks about Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour Party. Myrie joked about the Conservatives' 'disastrous' showing in the polls. And he introduced a clip of a newsreader mispronouncing Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's name by using a C instead of an H. He said: 'People still can't seem to disguise their feelings about Jeremy Hunt.' He also showed a picture of a woman tumbling out of a portable loo, claiming it was former PM Liz Truss emerging after she had been on the 'sparkling wine' following 'an appearance at a Right-wing conference in the US'. He also suggested that Mr Trump was 'clinically insane'. Panellist Paul Merton told him: 'I can feel you're walking this tightrope, Clive reading the ten o'clock news or the Jobcentre.' Tory MP David Jones said: 'Clive seemed the right choice to anchor the BBC's election coverage. 'Now he has allowed himself to be used as a vehicle for cheap anti-Tory jibes, many will wonder if someone else should be doing that job.' Fellow Tory MP Paul Bristow said Myrie 'didn't just cross the line, he threw up all over it'. He added: 'If he can't keep his bias in check, he should put a red rosette on and stand for office.' The BBC said: 'It is within the audience's expectation that jokes will be made about those in the public eye, and we know the audience can tell the difference between news and satire.' Doctor Who has been the epitome of British family viewing for more than 60 years. But now the BBC has frustrated fans by announcing that episodes from the new series will debut at midnight on Fridays rather than the usual peak-time Saturday slot. Devotees of the sci-fi series, which stars Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th doctor and Millie Gibson as his travelling companion, Ruby Sunday, say the decision to launch the show in the graveyard slot is a snub to its younger fans, who will be fast asleep at the time. They also say it undermines the show's reputation for being 'event television'. The unusual scheduling decision is the result of a new, multi-million-pound deal between the BBC which has exclusive rights to the series in the UK and Disney+, which has broadcast rights for the rest of the world. Ncuti Gatwa (left) will be starring in the new series as the 15th doctor and Millie Gibson (right) will be his travelling companion, Ruby Sunday Fans of the series say the decision to launch the show in the graveyard slot is a snub to its younger fans, who will be fast asleep at the time. Pictured: David Tennant as the Doctor and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble For the first time, it has been agreed the show will be broadcast around the globe simultaneously. This decision benefits American viewers, who will be able to watch episodes as they air each week on Disney+ at the family-friendly time of 7pm in the eastern US. British viewers who want to watch the show when it is released will have to tune in to the episodes on the BBC's iPlayer at midnight. The BBC will then broadcast the new episodes again in the show's traditional Saturday evening slot. Doctor Who, which remains one of the biggest hits on British television, has a huge online presence, with fan websites and social media accounts discussing the show. As soon as it airs on Disney+, its plot lines are likely to be common knowledge throughout the world, meaning British fans may find the plot spoiled before they have the chance to tune in. One fan on X described the decision as 'heartbreaking for UK audiences'. The new way of scheduling the series will begin on May 10 when Disney+ airs two new episodes. Many Doctor Who fans were delighted when the BBC announced Disney would be investing in the show. The US company's involvement means there is much more money for special effects and locations, and the trailer for the new series has a series of stunning set pieces. The decision benefits American viewers, who will be able to watch episodes as they air each week on Disney+ at the family-friendly time of 7pm in the eastern US. Pictured: David Tennant as the Doctor But now some fans are having second thoughts about Disney's involvement. One wrote on X: 'Absolutely furious that Doctor Who is getting released at midnight... it should be on BBC One at its usual time slot first.' One viewer said: 'Disney viewers in the US are getting the highest priority and will receive [the show] at an acceptable time and won't have to avoid spoilers.' 'The BBC really sold UK viewers out for that sweet Disney money,' said another. Russell T Davies, the showrunner behind the new series, says Disney's support will ensure the show has a future, even if the BBC doesn't survive in its current form. And Sebastian J Brook, the site editor of the Doctor Who Online fan site, supported his claim. He said: 'We are living in an age where the way that we watch TV has changed so much. I think this is a fairer way to distribute TV. For all of these years its been America having to catch up with us. 'By doing it this way it makes fair for everyone because they can watch it at the same time. I know the UK time of midnight is not ideal particularly for young children. But they will be able to watch it in the morning at a time which suits them.' He added: 'By doing it this way you're safeguarding the show for generations to come.' A spokesman for the BBC declined to comment. For years Jackie Bird was a cheerful and familiar fixture on Scots television screens. And yesterday the broadcaster was back in the limelight this time at Tartan Week in New York. Ms Bird flew to the Big Apple in her role as president of the National Trust for Scotland and, amid the razzamatazz of the annual Tartan Day parade, she spoke of her pride at being able to take part in her first Tartan Week. She said: It is amazing, the atmosphere is incredible and the New Yorkers are loving it. Many have a great affinity with Scotland and there is a strong feeling of togetherness. Broadcaster Jackie Bird and actor Dougray Scott donned Highland wear for Tartan Day Highland dancers entertain the crowd in New York Joined by Scots actor Dougray Scott, who is this years grand marshal, the ex-BBC presenter sported a tartan kilt designed by Graeme Bone, from Auchinleck, Ayrshire. He is a graduate of the Kings Foundation textile training programme based at Dumfries House. Ms Bird said: I wanted something Scottish and funky and Graeme certainly achieved that. One of the stars of the hit sitcom Black-ish has claimed that Donald Trump will put black people 'in camps' if he's re-elected- and she also called him Hitler. On Thursday, actress Jenifer Lewis, 67, sat down with Zerlina Maxwell, host of the radio show 'Mornings With Zerlina' on SiriusXM. Lewis began by calmly discussing voter apathy, but then she appeared to lose her temper and inveighed against Trump and Trump voters. 'This motherf***** is Hitler,' Lewis asserted confidently. The 'Black-ish' star said that if he's re-elected, Trump would 'take a hammer and break the glass where the Constitution is'. In an interview with Zerlina Maxwell on Thursday, actress Jenifer Lewis (pictured), 67, said that Trump would put black people 'in camps' if re-elected Lewis, who stars in ABC's popular sitcom Black-ish, called the former president Hitler and said that he would destroy the constitution She continued by saying that the current Republican frontrunner would 'tear' the constitution up 'in our faces and say, "Now I'm the king of the f****** world.' The actress paused and then, speaking as Trump, said: 'You will bow down, b******.' 'He will punish everybody that didn't vote for him,' she added. While Lewis spoke, the show's host, Maxwell, grunted in approval. The actress lit into voters who are considering casting a ballot for Trump. She also criticized people who are indifferent to the voting process. Lewis declaimed how we spend much of our time debating which ice-cream flavor to choose because there are '10,000' options. She said: 'We spend half our lives choosing, trying to make a choice on bulls***. What movie tonight? Let me sit here for a half hour. No bombs going off.' 'We do nothing,' the actress continued. 'We sit on our couches. "Oh, I don't believe in voting." You f****** idiot,' Lewis said. She said that if Trump were re-elected, 'as soon as he takes the oath, he will have generals walk down the steps of the Capitol.' Lewis seemed to grow angrier and angrier, and then she raged that she was certain that Trump would become a vindictive autocrat because she recognized his 'mental illness.' Lewis claimed that what she was saying was the truth because she recognized Trump's 'mental illness' 'I know it because I know what mental illness looks like,' she vociferated. 'That mania is unstoppable!' Lewis quieted herself down and said: 'See, this motherf***** is Hitler. He didn't come to play.' Referring to several minority groups, Lewis said: 'That motherf***** will have us in camps...because we sat our fat a** on the couch.' Lewis attributed Trump's popularity to white Americans' fear of minorities. In the interview, she assured white people that minorities aren't coming after them, so there's no need to resort to extreme actions. 'Black people don't want to fight you. All we want to do is feed our children and be equal.' Then she told Maxwell: 'Honey, White people are scared. They're becoming a minority. The world is brown.' The actress elaborated on her apocalyptic vision of America if Trump wins in 2024. She said that 'white' people would aim to inflict myriad punishments on minorities, often referring to minorities with hurtful slurs. 'They're going to do everything they can to stay in those gated communities, not pay taxes, and put those n***** in their places and get those wetbacks out of this country. We own this, b****.' 'See this motherf***** is Hitler,' Lewis said of Trump, the former president and the current leader of the GOP The Black-ish star continued: 'You will not win because love is the answer.' Then Lewis evoked a bloody image of America's racist and violent past. Lewis said: 'We built this country for free while you raped us in your barns. While you whipped us. While you lynched us and cut babies out of our stomachs while we hung from f****** trees.' 'And you got something to say?' she asked. DailyMail.com has contacted Team Trump for comment. A British man is set to finish his run across the entire length of Africa tomorrow in what has been a grueling 9,500 mile journey. Russ Cook, 26 from Worthing, West Sussex dubbed 'Worthing's Hardest Geezer' started the challenge 350 days ago, and is expected to cross the finish line at the most northern point in Tunisia, Ras Angela on Sunday. So far his efforts have raised 568,000 for charity, with a massive 217,000 of that having been donated over the last seven days as his loyal following spur him on to the finish line. But not only has the journey been a testament of mental and physical strength, Mr Cook has also been robbed at gunpoint, held hostage and almost forced to stop the challenge after he was left visaless at the Mauritanian border. Russell Cook's journey through Africa, he has covered 9,500 miles and is expected to finish in Tunisia tomorrow Russ Cook, 26 from Worthing, West Sussex dubbed 'Worthing's Hardest Geezer' started the challenge 350 days ago His route has taken him from Cape Agulhas in South Africa, up through Central Africa, West Africa to skirt around the Sahara Desert and finally into North Africa to end in Tunisia. Originally he had hoped to achieve the mega distance in 240 days, but different obstacles have delayed his finish by around 100 days. When he was travelling through Angola at around 1800miles into his run, he was set upon by armed thugs. Cook claimed his support van was raided by 'desperate blokes with guns' and that the armed men stole his team's cameras, mobile phones and some passports, as well as wads of cash. He added that nobody on his crew was hurt in the armed hold-up. Then in August he was 'kidnapped' by a gang of men armed with machetes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He documented the ordeal on social media: 'In an attempt to find the boys at a village on the plan B route, I stumbled into a rural settlement where the chief told me I must give him money. I had none,' the runner wrote on day 107. He added: 'So that went down well. Pretty soon I found myself surrounded by lots of game blokes with machetes. Was escorted out the village into the bush. 'Emptied my bag to show I had nothing but a half eaten biscuit. Gave it to them, and ran. Spent the next few hours bushwhacking through overgrown jungle paths. Trying to stay off any tracks until I was far away. Cook claimed his support van was raided by 'desperate blokes with guns' and that the armed men stole his team's cameras, mobile phones and some passports Then in August he was 'kidnapped' by a gang of men armed with machetes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Russ Cook is pictured after enduring the ordeal of being robbed at gunpoint by thugs during his extraordinary run 'Made it to the village on the plan B route to find the road was also impassable for the support van again. Exhausted and dehydrated, I started heading back to the last known place with passable roads when two blokes pulled up on a bike. 'They spoke no English but tried to communicate I must come with them to get back to my friends. 'What happened next was a seven-hour motorbike ride deeper into the jungle. In my head I thought this was it. Me. The self proclaimed hardest geezer. About to get held in a Congo gulag before being ripped apart limb by limb and eaten.' Fortunately, Mr Cook was driven into a village and moved into a hut where he recalled a group of men clashing over what to do with him and discussing how much money he owed them. After some back and forth negotiations, he was able to contact his team who spent the next few days formulating a rescue plan. Mr Cook ultimately managed to escape, and despite most people's expectation that he would catch the first flight home, he instead returned back to his start point that day and ran another 60km on a new route. Alongside this he has faced multiple illnesses, including blood in his urine and crippling back pain. Then in January his whole mission was nearly scuppered after he failed to get a visa to allow him to enter Algeria. He is fundraising for The Running Charity, which supports the mental health of young people with complex needs or who are homeless, and Sandblast which educates people about Sahrawi culture In a video posted to social media, Mr Cook said the success of his challenge was now dependent on Algerian authorities granting him permission to enter. 'Right girls and boys, we have a bit of a problem. We haven't been able to get visas for Algeria, and if we don't get them, then it's game over for project Africa,' he said. 'I've been running now for 278 days, covered nearly 12,000km (7,456 miles) through 13 countries and raised over 140k for charity in my attempt to become the first person ever to run the entire length of Africa 'But right now all of that is totally hanging on whether we can get permission from Algeria to let us cross in through this border with Mauritania,' he said. 'This is the only option we have left so, Algeria, if you're listening, please reach out to me. Anything you need from us please let me know,' he added, addressing Algerian authorities. 'It would be an absolute privilege to visit your beautiful country. 'To everyone following the journey online please help us out by sharing this and helping us get this seen by the appropriate people in Algeria.' Tim Loughton, Conservative MP for East Worthing, said he had been sent Mr Cook's video, and offered to help by contacting the Foreign Office. 'Russ-have been sent this and I gather that you are from East Worthing,' he said. 'Can you email me some details and we will do what we can to help through the Foreign Office and Algerian Embassy.' His social campaign worked and the Algerian Embassy said it would grant him a courtesy visa 'on the spot', meaning he could cross the border. The athlete, who is a self-described former 'fat lad' with alcohol and gambling issues, was introduced to long distance running when he entered a half marathon aged 21. Since then he has gained a reputation for attempting trials of strength and endurance - he ran 71 marathons in 66 days from Asia to London in 2019, pulled a Suzuki Alto 26 miles along the south coast and was buried alive for a week in 2021. He is fundraising for The Running Charity, which supports the mental health of young people with complex needs or who are homeless, and Sandblast which educates people about Sahrawi culture. You can donated to his cause here. Theme parks are gripped by a roller coaster 'arms race' as three rival parks debut terrifying new rides, including one that will launch riders 420 feet into the air at 120 mph - which will make it the tallest and fastest ride ever built. At Six Flags Over Georgia, 'The Georgia Surfer' is set to debut, launching riders backwards up a 144-foot tower while spinning them around in circles. Meanwhile, at Dorney Park in Pennsylvania, 'The Iron Menace' will 'suspend riders 160 feet in the air before plummeting at a beyond-vertical, 95-degree drop.' The 'Top Thrill 2' at Cedar Point in Ohio will propel rides 420-foot up and reach 120-miles per hour - earning the spot for the tallest and fastest ride. Set to open at Cleveland's Cedar Point next year, The Top Thrill 2 will rocket revelers 420 feet into the air, park presiders said in a statement, before falling backwards and then forward once again at speeds of 120mph. The 'Top Thrill 2' at Cedar Point in Ohio will propel rides 420-foot up and reach 120-miles per hour - earning the spot for the tallest and fastest ride At Six Flags Over Georgia, 'The Georgia Surfer' is set to debut, launching riders backwards up a 144-foot tower while spinning them around in circles At Dorney Park in Pennsylvania , 'The Iron Menace' will 'suspend riders 160 feet in the air before plummeting at a beyond-vertical, 95-degree drop' Themed to Top Fuel drag racing, the ride - which has three segments and is classed as a 'triple-launch' coaster - will also feature a launch track designed like a dragstrip, where straightaway speeds are poised to surprise the most seasoned of enthusiasts. The 'record-breaking, next generation motorsport machine races a course unlike any other on the planet,' according the ride's description. 'Sleek, aerodynamic vehicles launch you not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES as you drive the sky in an epic competition to reach the finish line.' To experience the highly anticipated 'Top Thrill 2' at Cedar Point, guests must meet specific safety requirements, including having three functioning extremities, as stated on their website The ride is driven by linear synchronous motor (LSM) technology. Riders will also experience the unique thrill of a guaranteed rollback as their racer momentarily returns to the launch in reverse from the existing 420-foot tower. Riders on Top Thrill 2 will also experience the unique thrill of a guaranteed rollback as their racer momentarily returns to the launch in reverse from the existing 420-foot tower Dorney Park is gearing up to introduce 'The Iron Menace,' the northeasts inaugural dive coaster. Scheduled for launch in 2024, this exhilarating ride suspends riders 160 feet in the air before plunging them down a beyond-vertical, 95-degree drop - with four mind-bending inversions and speeds reaching up to 64 miles per hour. Meanwhile, Six Flags Over Georgia is preparing for the debut of 'The Georgia Surfer,' another terrifying attraction that combines a roller coaster with unique water features. Although it may appear simple, this coaster offers an exhilarating experience as riders traverse nearly 590 feet of U-shaped track, reaching speeds of up to 60 miles per hour before splashing down in a scenic water pad. In 2019, there were 1,299 injuries from amusement park accidents in the United States, with approximately four deaths annually associated with roller coasters, according to the National Institute of Health. Just last year, the first roller coaster in history to go 200 feet high had a mechanical issue that led it to come to a complete stop and forced guests to make the terrifying walk down. The first roller coaster in history to go 200 feet high had a mechanical issue last year that led it to come to a complete stop and forced guests to make the terrifying walk down Set to open at Cleveland's Cedar Point next year, the revamped Top Thrill 2 will rocket revelers 420 feet into the air, park presiders said in a statement, before falling backwards and then forward once again at speeds of 120mph The incident, which was caught on video, happened at the Magnum XL-200 roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. A mechanical issue led the ride to stop near its peak and video showed the riders having to slowly walk down the teetering staircase with nothing but a thin metal handrail to cling to. Tony Clark, a spokesperson for the amusement park, referred to it as similar to a 'check engine light' in a motor vehicle at the the time. While he called it a 'standard ride stoppage,' it was unable to be restarted and therefor needed to be evacuated, Fox News reported. When it opened in 1989, the Magnum XL-200 was celebrated by the Guinness Book of World Records for having the highest edge height in the world. It was also, at the time it debuted, the fastest and steepest complete-circuit coaster on earth, topping out at speeds of 72 miles per hour. It was the first ride to go over 200 feet and received historical landmark status in 2004, according to the park's website. The ride, which lasts about two minutes and 45 seconds, is also renowned for its views of the coastline of Canada. Cedar Point, which opened in 1870 and is the second-oldest amusement park in the United States, faced bad publicity earlier this summer as well Cedar Point, which opened in 1870 and is the second-oldest amusement park in the United States, is bringing back a revamped version of what was once the worlds tallest and fastest roller coaster - after the original was closed when a failure injured a waiting guest. It's the second time Cedar Point has made headline in one week last year - after the park unveiled a revamped version of a coaster that shut down after a woman was severely injured riding it in 2021. In 2021, a guest was severely injured by a metal bracket while standing in line outside the coaster and the park's previously unmarred reputation took a hit. Don Lemon has wed longtime fiance Tim Malone in a glitzy New York City ceremony attended by several of his disgraced-A lister pals. Lemon, 58, tied the knot with Malone, 40, on Saturday at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. The ceremony took place half a decade after they got engaged and on the same day as his fiance's birthday. Alleged sex pest broadcaster Matt Lauer, fired CNN boss Jeff Zucker and accused killer Alec Baldwin were among the illustrious attendees. The grooms were seen beaming as they exited the church carrying their three beloved dogs who were part of the occasion. The couple cut dapper figures with coordinated tuxedos in different shades. Lemon sported a green velvet jacket which tastefully complimented Malone's navy. Lemon, 58, wed Tim Malone, 40, on Saturday at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church The couple beamed as they exited the ceremony, which was attended by a host of A-lister guests The newlyweds cut dapper figures in coordinated velvet tuxedos jackets in different colors Fired NBC Today host Matt Lauer arrived hand in hand with girlfriend Shamin Abas. Lauer was let go amid allegation of sexual misconduct Alec and Hilaria Baldwin were among the high-profile guests at the wedding on Saturday. Embattled Baldwin is facing involuntary manslaughter charges over the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins Lemon's ex-CNN boss Jeff Zucker was seen arriving to the event with the subordinate staffer he was fired for having a relationship with The ceremony was set to be followed by a lavish reception at Ralph Lauren's Polo bar, with guests following on foot. Several members of the media elites were seen arriving to the Manhattan church ahead of the ceremony - including some who have fallen from grace in recent years. Matt Lauer, who was fired from his role as host of Today by NBC over sexual misconduct allegations in 2017 was seen arriving hand in hand with girlfriend Shamin Abas. Lemon's old CNN boss Jeff Zucker was also in attendance, along with girlfriend Allison Gollust, his former subordinate who he was sacked for having a relationship with. Actor Alec Baldwin, who is currently facing involuntary manslaughter charges over the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, stepped out with wife Hilaria. The beleaguered actor's trial is due to proceed in July and comes after the movie's armorer was convicted over the fatal shooting. The celebrations got off to an early start, thanks to a phone call from Vice President Kamala Harris who wished the couple a 'marriage full of love, laughter and good food'. In a video shared on Lemon's Instagram she can be heard telling them to always find the humor in themselves and each other. An insider told DailyMail.com the couple's dogs were set to play a role in their special day The couple were set to host a lavish reception at Ralph Lauren's Polo bar following the ceremony with guests following them from the church on foot Broadcaster Tamron Hall was also among the attendees comprised of New York's media elite The View host Ana Navarro sported a floral jumpsuit for the church ceremony Also present from The View was Joy Behar and her husband Steve Janowitz Real Housewives of New York alum Luann de Lesseps beamed as she made her way inside The old friends shared a celebratory embrace in the moments after the couple tied the knot Lemon's friend, The View host Sunny Hostin, arrives for the ceremony in a white pantsuit In response, Lemon said that she and husband Doug Emhoff are his 'couple goals'. It appears Lemon's comments might be more than flattery, with a photo showing how he and Malone once dressed up as the VP and her husband for Halloween. Their intimate ceremony comes eight years after the pair first started dating after meeting at Almond Restaurant in Bridgehampton, New York. It took place on the same day that Malone celebrated his 40th birthday, and exactly five years after they got engaged. Tim proposed to Don with the help of their beloved dogs Barkley and Boomer. The two pooches were wearing dog tags that were engraved with the question: 'Daddy will you marry papa?' Sharing details about their big day, which is set to be a ceremony with their nearest and dearest, an insider said: 'They are both going to wear matching suits with different lapels. 'It won't be a very religious ceremony, but they have written vows they will read to each other. 'Tim was joking with coworkers that he would use ChatGPT to write his. Grammy award winning record producer Clive Davis was the couple's 'something blue' for the big day Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield arrived flanked by members of the Secret Service Boxes of pink and red roses were seen arriving at the reception venue DailyMail.com revealed how insiders had shared that Lemon had become a 'bridezilla' in the run up to the nuptials 'Several of Tim's co-workers from Douglas Elliman are going to be there. 'Their dogs are also expected to be a part of the ceremony just as they were a part of their engagement.' A photo shared on Lemon's Instagram showed three identical harnesses and tuxedos for each of their dogs. Boxes of pink and red flowers were seen being delivered to the venue on Saturday. The nuptials are finally going ahead after being delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Despite keeping numbers intimate, a steady stream of high-profile guests were seen arriving on Saturday. The couple tied the knot on Malone's 40th birthday, exactly five years after he popped the question to Lemon Lemon shared behind the scenes snaps of his dogs' attire for the bid day ahead of the wedding The ceremony is set to be an 'intimate' affair with just their nearest and dearest according to an insider The reception is being hosted at The Polo Bar following the church ceremony Journalist Tamron Hall was in attendance, sporting a chic black dress with rose motif. Real Housewives of New York Countess Luan de Lesseps was also snapped beaming on her way in. Lemon and Malone, who works in real estate, went public with their relationship when they rang in 2018 with an on-air kiss during CNN's live New Year's Eve broadcast. Lemon, who came out as gay in his 2011 memoir Transparent, told CNN viewers: 'I grew up thinking that I would never be able to be public with my relationships, let alone ever get legally married. 'So for me this is doubly thrilling and just a wee bit terrifying. Guess I have to start thinking about children. Talk about a late bloomer.' It was previously reported that Don's axing from CNN in April 2023 caused 'arguments' between the lovebirds. Don Lemon shared a good luck call he received from Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of his wedding to partner Tim Malone In a call before the wedding, Kamala Harris offered the couple her best wishes on behalf of herself and husband Doug Emhoff Lemon told the VP her relationship was 'couple goals' for him. He and Malone have previously dressed up as Harris and Emhoff for Halloween The duo have been engaged since 2019 but were forced to postpone their nuptials amid the coronavirus pandemic The veteran anchor was sensationally sacked amid a furious controversy over his 'sexist' and 'misogynistic' behavior. While Don's axing has reportedly caused friction between him and his partner, the insider added that Tim was sticking by the former CNN anchor and 'knows that he is not misogynistic.' '[Tim] says that [Don] is just gay with a very dry, harsh and sarcastic sense of humor,' they said at the time. In fact, once the pair overcame the shock of Don's sacking, they began to get 'excited' about the prospect of having more time together. 'To be honest, they are actually kind of excited that Don gets to be home with their dogs now, as their dogs are their life,' they added. 'Tim has said that now Don gets to play house-husband. 'Tim says that Don was not happy there for a while and that he was worked to the bone. This is a much needed break for him. After months of lost appetite and chronic pain, a 29-year-old woman was diagnosed with a rare disease that even her medical team had never heard of. Ruby Munsie suffers from a condition that affects less than 0.3 per cent of the world's population. Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMAS) occurs when the small intestine is compressed between two arteries causing a partial blockage - making it incredibly painful to eat. The Sydney woman first visited her GP in October last year after a few friends raised concerns about recent weight loss. Ruby Munsie suffers from a condition that affects less than 0.3 per cent of the world's population Ms Munsie had been experiencing some nausea, reduced appetite and a discomfort on the right side of her abdomen after eating that gradually worsened into a severe and constant pain Ms Munsie had been experiencing some nausea, reduced appetite and a discomfort on the right side of her abdomen after eating that gradually worsened into a severe and constant pain. She also lost her voice multiple times that year - a symptom she ignored but later discovered is common among SMAS sufferers. However after a few routine tests came back without any conclusive explanation for her symptoms, she was left to suffer in silence. She remembers clearly the day she finally admitted herself to the emergency department of St Vincent's in Darlinghurst for two reasons. She had just been promoted to Senior Counsel at the legal software company where she worked and at the same time, she was experiencing some of the most immense pain of her life. 'I no longer felt like I could stay at home due to the level of pain I was in and my inability to eat enough to survive,' she said. She initially put off seeing a doctor because of her hectic work schedule and a fear that it was all in her head. This was not the first time she had experienced pain while eating. In January 2020, she lost a significant amount of weight very quickly and vomited every time she ate. She also lost her voice multiple times that year - a symptom she ignored but later discovered is common among SMAS sufferers She had just been promoted to Senior Counsel at the legal software company where she worked and at the same time, she was experiencing some of the most immense pain of her life Doctors initially told her it was psychosomatic before she was diagnosed with another rare vascular compression syndrome called Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) Doctors initially told her it was psychosomatic before she was diagnosed with another rare vascular compression syndrome called Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS). She underwent surgery in April 2021 and within a matter of months was feeling fit and healthy again. 'I'm still really thankful for the time I managed to get after the surgery, because I feel like I appreciated it in a way most people can't,' she said. 'You don't realise how much sickness can take from you, but it has been pretty devastating to have it happen again,' she said. She now uses a feeding tube to eat but has been in and out of hospital for months due to complications with the device. Her loved ones have been desperately searching across Australia for a doctor or team that can help treat her. 'It's been really difficult to find doctors that are willing and able to help,' she said. 'I was originally told that there were no Australian doctors that could assist and I should look overseas but this isn't realistic for me at the moment.' Her battle became all the more harder when she unexpectedly lost her job in February. The loss was devastating as her job provided a much-needed distraction from the pain and was the only thing lightening the load of her expensive medical treatment. She now uses a feeding tube to eat but has been in and out of hospital for months due to complications with the device At the moment she is running through thousands of dollars a month to cover her lifesaving care while she waits for a determination from the NDIS. Her best friend Nikeesha Justice started a GoFundMe with the goal of raising at least $25,000 to help cover her out of pocket medical costs, legal expenses and services to improve her quality of life like a cleaner and physiotherapy. 'As people that know her are aware, Ruby is the last person that wants to ask for help but her current situation means she can no longer deny it is needed,' Ms Justice said. 'Please help make one part of this fight easier for Ruby so she can focus on recovery.' The GoFundMe can be found here. MailOnline's illustration shows what dogs might look like without humans It's the age-old question if humans were wiped off the face of the planet, what would happen to the rest of Earth's species? Well, according to one expert, dogs would all look the same within five years and breeds would cease to exist. Dr Dan O'Neill, professor of animal epidemiology at Royal Veterinary College, says pooches of all shapes and sizes would be able to mate with each other. As a result, 'unnatural' and unhealthy attributes like flat faces and long sausage-like torsos would soon die out, eventually leading to a single perfect canine blueprint. Dr O'Neill refers to this hypothetical dog as the 'Goldilocks Breed', because it's 'just right' and doesn't suffer from any human-caused abnormalities. The Goldilocks Breed: If humans were wiped off the planet tomorrow, here's what all dogs could look like in five years. Today, there's so much physical variation in dogs because they've been bred selectively by humans to accentuate certain unusual features, like stubby legs in dachshunds and flat faces in pugs. Without humans, dogs would all breed with each other and these 'unnatural' features would eventually be lost READ MORE: Dog breeds to AVOID buying because they've been bred to look cute From pugs to Cavalier King Charles spaniels, here's the dogs that suffer from 'extreme conformation' Advertisement From huge Great Danes to tiny Chihuahuas, different dog breeds all look very different. However, Dr O'Neill claims that 'breeds don't exist', because this is 'a concept humans invented'. 'If humans disappeared off the planet tomorrow, breeds would be gone within five years because all the different types of dogs would breed with each other and morph back into one,' he told MailOnline. According to the expert, this single blueprint for what all dogs could look like could be most similar to today's village dogs. These free-ranging, free-breeding canines tend to look the same across every continent, and are closer to the dogs of thousands of years ago. SLIM BODY Doggy obesity is one of the biggest problems for owners today, but this hypothetical, 'breedless' dog of the near future would be fit and healthy. It would be a 'consummate scavenger', eating what it could find and traversing long distances for scraps, helping it stay slim. Although it would likely vary in size, it would be a world away from the contorted shape of the dachshund, with its long sausage torso, or the pug, with its short, square body. Dr O'Neill said many dog types suffer from 'extreme conformation', where such an exaggerated body shape or structure negatively affects their health and welfare. Dogs without humans could start looking like 'village dogs' - free-ranging, free-breeding canines closer to the mutts of thousands of years ago, with more traditionally 'doggy' features such as a pointed snout and lean torso. Pictured, the Indian Pariah Dog, a village dog and thought to have been present in Indian villages as early as 4,500 years ago Dachshunds have been bred to accentuate harmful features - like a long, sausage-like torso - to make them appear 'cute' and more likely to be bought, fueling the breeding industry READ MORE: How man has changed his best friend: Experts reveal how dogs used to look From German Shepherds to Basset Hounds, many breeds have changed following years of selective breeding Advertisement Examples include the dachshund, the pug, the English bulldog, the French bulldog, the Cavalier King Charles spaniel and the Basset hound. 'We might love to own these dogs with extreme conformation but those dogs may not like to live in that body where they have much higher health and welfare issues,' he told MailOnline. 'Dogs have basic natural needs that we must allow them to be able to fulfil such as to breathe, to exercise, to sleep, to reproduce, to blink, to be free of inherited pain.' POINTED SNOUT Today, some of the most unfortunate dogs have flat faces and squashed noses commonly known as 'brachycephalic' breeds. Examples include the pug, the bulldog, Shar Pei and the Cavalier King Charles spaniel. These poor canines have difficulty breathing, impairing their ability to exercise and running the risk of losing consciousness as they eat. But the 'Goldilocks' dog would have a narrow head and very pronounced snout a characteristic that is often seen in breeds with a history of being hunters. Today, some of the most unfortunate dogs have flat faces and squashed noses - commonly known as 'brachycephalic' breeds. Pictured is one example, the English bulldog READ MORE: Scientists reveal why you should teach your old dog new tricks A study looked at brain structures of 43 middle-aged beagles over three years Advertisement Longer snouts help increase their sense of smell because they have more space for special cells that detect scent, called olfactory receptor neurons. Long snouts even make the mutt more aerodynamic during a fast-paced hunt, like the nose of a high-speed train. LONG LEGS The Goldilocks dog's long legs would also give it a greater stride, helping it traverse longer distances quicker. It would be a far sight from today's breeds with particularly short and stubby legs, like the dachshund, the shih tzu, the bulldog and the favourite of Queen Elizabeth II, the corgi. This bizarre feature, which can cause difficulties while walking or running, is the result of a cartilage disorder called chondrodystrophy, caused by genetic mutations. By breeding short-legged dogs together, this mutation is kept in the gene pool and even get worse over time. Chondrodystrophic breeds can suffer from intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), a problem with the vertebral column and the spine, as well as pain and mobility issues. According to PETA, humans breed corgis to have a genetic mutation called achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism that can lead to hip dysplasia and joint pain. They are deliberately bred to have legs that are too short for their bodies. Pictured, the red Pembroke Welsh corgi READ MORE: How your pet could be affected by the solar eclipse Dogs and cats may show anxiousness Advertisement LONG, CURVY TAIL A naturally long and curvy tail is another indicator of a healthy dog, whereas a stumpy tail is again due to a genetic mutation. Known as brachyuria, the small tail is found in breeds including the Australian shepherd, the Brazilian terrier and the Welsh corgi Pembroke. Dogs don't just have tails for the sake of it in fact, they aid balance, fend off insects, increase or minimise scent, and even act as a communication tool, according to studies. 'Tails exist in all wild canines,' Dr O'Neill told MailOnline. 'These are important for communication between dogs and also as pets for communication with mankind. 'Dogs that are selected with the mutations that lead to tailessness are therefore considered to have an extreme conformation.' UPRIGHT EARS Dogs with erect, upright ears that stick up are more alert to vibrations in the air, better allowing them to pin-point their prey. Meanwhile, dogs with long and hanging ear flaps are at much higher risk of infection than dogs with pointy ears, according to the Royal Veterinary College. Pictured, the Brazilian terrier, one breed known for having a stumpy tail. Dog tails aid balance, fend off insects, increase or minimise scent, and even act as a communication tool Basset Hounds have excess skin and ear length, both of which can lead to skin fold dermatitis (inflammation of the skin) or hair loss or scarring Worryingly, if left untreated, ear infections can spread deep into the ear canal, causing serious harm to the affected dog. Similarly, droopy eyelids and loose, wrinkly skin on dogs as seen in the Basset hound and the Neapolitan mastiff also lead to infections. 'Dogs used for hunting, like Basset hounds, were cross-bred to have drooped ears to prevent debris from entering them while working in tall grass, and spaniels have been bred to have long ears for purely aesthetic reasons,' PETAs vice president of programmes Elisa Allen told MailOnline. 'Over time, these characteristics become exaggerated, and its not uncommon for certain breeds to have excessively large hanging ears that put them at greater risk of ear infections and other illnesses.' However, there is 'only limited evidence on serious health issues linked to semi-erect or v-shaped drop ears, according to Dr O'Neill. The expert wants to people to understand that nature didn't create dog breeds rather, humans did, in about the late 1800s. For hundreds of years, dogs have been selectively bred to accentuate harmful features to create these so-called breeds to distinguish them from each other and fuel a dog-buying industry. Dr O'Neill thinks of breeds as akin to 'brands' because both are created and sold by humans. 'The current generation of humans have been sold a story of the value of 'brand' that we have bought into and each breed can be seen as a brand now,' he told MailOnline. 'Most dogs these days are produced as a product to sell rather than bred in the sense of aiming to meet some breed standard. 'We might love to own these dogs with extreme conformation but those dogs may not like to live in that body where they have much higher health and welfare issues.' Who's at risk of mass job losses caused by the AI revolution - blue or white collar workers? Most experts agree that artificial intelligence will completely upend the American workforce (there are already signs it's doing so in the tech industry). But there have been conflicting reports about who is more at risk, lower-wage workers or middle-management types. A report by the think-tank McKinsey Global estimated Americans on the lowest wages are up to 14 times more likely to be replaced by AI those on the highest. But a separate JP Morgan report predicted 'mass-scale white-collar job realignment' this decade. DailyMail.com spoke to six top experts to cut through the noise. Watch out, middle managers Artificial intelligence will come for repetitive jobs first, but will evolve to replace middle managers, and even knowledge professions such as law and accounting, warned John Warner, founder of Innoventure. Warner said: 'Human jobs involving repetitive, predictable tasks that can be automated are at high risk, including assembly line work, basic data entry, and some aspects of accounting. 'Jobs based on a checklist or input boxes on a screen are not long for this world, including telemarketers, travel agents, bank tellers, cashiers, and loan processors.' Financial analysts and insurance underwriters are also at risk, along with any job which involves large amounts of number-crunching, due to AI's ability to analyze data and access stored knowledge, Warner warned. John Warner, founder of Innoventure Warner said: 'Many knowledge worker jobs are threatened by AI. 'Most middle management jobs take input in one form, manipulate it, and report it forward in another form. 'Automation does that more efficiently. This won't stop with middle management. 'Sophisticated AI will do the analysis that replaces professional jobs in engineering, law, accounting, and other knowledge professions.' Clerical and accounting roles Clerical and accounting roles will see a sharp decline due to the automation of data input and basic reporting, warns Martin Mulyadi, Ph.D., Professor of Accounting at Shenandoah University School of Business. Martin Mulyadi, Ph.D., Professor of Accounting at Shenandoah University School of Business Mulyadi said: 'The most impacted roles are probably those that can be systematized or involve repeated tasks. 'For example, it is anticipated that AI will cause a sharp decline in many clerical job roles. 'It's crucial to remember that although AI may decrease the need for some jobs, it's also opening up new possibilities. 'I would expect employment in the areas of data science and analytics, AI, and machine learning to expand quickly. 'In my field of accounting, I can see the demand for accounting experts who understand these are expected to be in demand.' Call centers 'gone in five years' Call centers will be essentially gone in five years, predicted Piers Linney, AI and Technology lead at Champions (UK) plc. Linney told DailyMail.com: 'Generative AI will increase productivity as human workforces are augmented and technology becomes more capable over time to take on tasks. This means that fewer employees will be needed. Investor and business expert Piers Linney 'For example, call centers will be almost entirely automated within five years. 'However, it is a mistake to assume that only low skilled workers will be affected as a reduction in the need for expensive knowledge workers represents a significant cost-saving. 'In the next decade, we will need to re-think our education, economic, social security, and tax systems.' Customer service in the crosshairs Any job which involves repetitive, predictable tasks could potentially be automated by AI, warned Bernard Marr, author of 'Generative AI in Practice.' Bernard Marr, author of 'Generative AI in Practice.' Marr said: 'AI is set to replace jobs that involve repetitive, predictable tasks across various sectors, including manufacturing, data entry, and basic customer service roles. 'However, this doesn't spell doom; instead, it signals a shift towards jobs that require human empathy, creativity, and strategic thinking.' But coders can rest easy, Marr believes. Marr said: 'Regarding programmers, the fear that AI will replace them is largely unfounded. 'While AI can and is being used to automate certain coding tasks and even write basic code, the role of the programmer is evolving rather than diminishing. 'Programmers are needed to design, supervise, and refine AI systems, and their expertise is crucial in solving complex problems, innovating, and ensuring that AI applications align with ethical standards and human needs. 'The future sees programmers working alongside AI, using it as a tool to enhance productivity and creativity.' Paralegals and researchers beware Jobs that involve retrieving and condensing information will be under threat, according to Nathaniel Whittemore, Founder of Superintelligent, a platform for learning about AI. Whittemore says: 'Skills (and more specifically tasks) are much more likely to go extinct from AI than are jobs. 'Jobs will evolve to involve different combinations of skills and tasks as certain things get AI'd away. 'Skills/tasks that are in trouble: anything that involves very basic research or information retrieval - which could be everything from low-level customer service to paralegals. Anything that involves summarization and condensing other information. 'However, there will be certain complex problems that require human attention, and the skills required for managing those experiences will be human interface skills. 'There may be a smaller number of people employed for these top-level challenges, but they'll be more valued and more highly rewarded because of the changed perception of the significance of their skills.' Writers and analysts A 2023 scientific paper finds that mathematicians, financial analysts and writers are most at risk of being replaced by AI, said Thomas Roulet, Professor of Organizational Sociology and Leadership at the University of Cambridge. Roulet added: 'This is both a difficult and a well researched question! I am sure you will have many answers to it - but the most authoritative source is this 2023 paper. 'It identifies mathematicians, accountants, financial analysts, writers, news and financial analysts as most at risk of being replaced by AI. 'The truth is that those occupations will adapt rather than die - people will consume news, or financial analysis, or consultants' reports in a different way knowing that AI has contributed to producing it.' The UK's best spots for a Sunday roast have been named - and ranked - with the prize for the best dish going to a village pub in West Yorkshire. So reveals Big 7 Travel, which asked its audience and editorial team for their favourite Sunday roasts year-round, from 'quaint country pubs to Michelin-starred establishments'. The 20-strong ranking was drawn up from seven criteria - food presentation, taste, value for money, professional reviews, customer feedback, access to the venue, and venue atmosphere. MailOnline Travel has plotted the top 20 on a mouth-watering map. Feast your eyes on their locations and find out which one is served closest to you. Or read on for more details about the top 10, with the winner at the bottom of the list. Your browser does not support iframes. 10. The Scran and Scallie, Edinburgh Situated in Edinburgh's 'affluent' suburb of Stockbridge, The Scran and Scallie serves up 'quintessential seasonal Scottish food, says Big 7 Travel. The pub uses 'locally sourced ingredients' and serves up 'a mean roast' among other dishes on the menu, says Big 7 Travel. 'Award-winning chefs team up to bring you the best ever-changing food menus here, with roasts that truly showcase expert craftsmanship and quality,' it adds. LEFT: The Scran and Scallie serves up 'a mean roast', says Big 7 Travel. RIGHT: The pub is situated in Edinburgh's 'affluent' suburb of Stockbridge 'Pair your roast with a locally sourced ale or beer, and browse the wine list for a refreshing tipple that perfectly complements the food.' Prices of the Sunday Roast Special range between 25 and 29. 9. The Refuge, Manchester The Refuge in Manchester offers sharing or individual roasts plus all the trimmings and sides you know and love 'This trendy bar and restaurant in the heart of one of Manchesters busiest streets combines international cuisine with the best of British cuisine to bring you high-quality, well-loved, and vibrant plates of food that you cant get enough of,' says Big 7 Travel. 'As for the all-day roast dinners, you can choose between a sharing or individual roast plus all the trimmings and sides you know and love. 'If you want to go all out, you can add - for an additional charge - sides like pigs in blankets, cauliflower cheese and bacon, onion, and sage stuffing balls. You can even order a roast for your dog.' Vegan option at 19. Classic roasts at 21. Sharing roast at 49. 8. The Old Nun's Head, London The Old Nun's Head in London serves 'the stuff Sunday roast dinner dreams are made of' This good-time London pub in Nunhead serves up a lot more than Sunday roasts, including drag nights and cocktails galore. But its perfectly crafted plates of gravy goodness are what theyre most famous for. So says Big 7 Travel, adding: 'They've nailed the gravy-to-meat ratio, and a healthy helping of roast potatoes, veggies, and mashed potato. The cherry on top - literally - is the pillowy Yorkshire pudding. The stuff Sunday roast dinner dreams are made of. 'It's an unpretentious roast dinner, while still being incredibly high-grade. They serve up a variety of vegetarian and vegan roasts, too.' Prices range from 16 to 18. Children's roast is 10. 7. Cafe Van Gogh, London This cafe in Brixton, south London, is the first all-vegan entry on the list. Its roast includes a vegan nut roast Wellington with roasties, seasonal veg and onion gravy Cafe Van Gogh in Brixton, south London, is the first all-vegan entry on the list. 'The idea of a plant-based roast may not sound very appealing to meat-eaters,' says Big 7 Travel. 'However, this cafe succeeds at creating the same superb flavours of a classic roast using only plant-based ingredients.' The dish comprises vegan nut roast Wellington with roasties, seasonal veg, Yorkshire pudding and onion gravy, the cafe told MailOnline Travel. The eatery also functions as a non-profit social enterprise, training people with additional needs to obtain job opportunities and independence. Roast prices range from 16 to 17. 6. Ju Ju's Cafe, Birmingham The roasts served at Ju Ju's Cafe place it 'right at the top' in Birmingham, says Big 7 Travel This unsuspecting little cafe probably isn't the first place youd think of when looking for a Sunday roast in Birmingham. However, the roasts served here place this cafe right at the top. So says Big 7 Travel, which describes the food served here as 'warm and comforting and perfect for fuelling your day ahead'. Its Sunday serving puts 'other roast dinners to shame', it adds, 'with the classics elevated to the next level with a unique twist'. Main menu roasts start at 15, although prices may vary between dishes. 5. Kyloe, Edinburgh Kyloe's roast is 'the best in Scotland', served with 'the fluffiest roasties, light and crispy Yorkshires, lashings of gravy, and succulent cuts of meat', says Big 7 Travel 'More than worthy of its place in the top five, Kyloe in Edinburgh certainly knows how to offer up a perfect roast dinner,' says Big 7 Travel. The publication claims it's 'the best in Scotland' served with 'the fluffiest roasties, light and crispy Yorkshires, lashings of gravy, and succulent cuts of meat'. This includes 'the finest dry-aged rump or sirloin steaks that are expertly carved'. The dish is 'made for sharing' and 'best enjoyed in groups of up to six people'. Prices start from 55. 4. Blacklock Soho, London The Sunday roasts at Blacklock Soho will rival anything that can be made at home, says Big 7 Travel. The dish is served 'within the comfort of an 'expert chophouse in one of Londons trendiest West End suburbs', it adds Served within the comfort of an expert chophouse in one of Londons trendiest West End suburbs, the Sunday roasts at Blacklock Soho will rival anything that can be made at home. That's according to Big 7 Travel, which says the restaurant has been 'relied upon by locals to deliver nothing short of excellence, and it has done just that' since opening in 2015. 'Made with 21, 28, or 55-day aged cuts of lamb, pork, and beef, you can expect rich and flavourful roasts that can be enjoyed individually or shared,' it adds. 'The wines, cocktails, and beers are the perfect accompaniments to Blacklocks signature servings.' Prices range from 17 to 25. Sharing roast at 26 per person. 3. Ducie Street Warehouse, Manchester Ducie Street Warehouse is the home of the UK's third best roast, according to the ranking Taking third place on the winners' podium is Ducie Street Warehouse, described by Big 7 Travel as 'a vibrant cocktail bar and lounge meets a lively restaurant' in the heart of Manchester. 'With so many functions in one, its no wonder this place is constantly alive with diners, drinkers, and private parties,' it adds. 'However, we cant mention Ducie Street without mentioning the exceptional Sunday roasts they serve up each week dry-aged beef, leg of lamb, chicken and vegan roast are all available, adding to the inclusive atmosphere of the place.' Prices for roasts range from 17 to 19.50. 2. The Camberwell Arms, London The Camberwell Arms in South London serves a Sunday roast that's 'made for sharing' with a 'gourmet twist that makes them even more luxurious', says Big 7 Travel Consistently featured on numerous Top 50 lists, The Camberwell Arms in South London 'oozes comfort, quality and inclusivity', says Big 7 Travel. The publication praises the pub's 'warm and welcoming atmosphere', which 'attracts both native Londoners and tourists alike, all of whom are desperate for a taste of this pubs signature roasts'. Here, the Sunday dish is 'made for sharing', with a 'gourmet twist that makes them even more luxurious'. Prices start from 50 for sharing and individual roasts are available for 20. 1. The Hawthorn, Haworth, West Yorkshire The UK's best Sunday roast is served at The Hawthorn (pictured left) in Haworth, according to the ranking. It's served (right) with 'all the traditional sides that have been cooked in an extra special way to maximise flavour and quality', says Big 7 Travel Oozing rustic Georgian charm, Haworth was the home of the famed Bronte sisters and attracts both literature fanatics and history lovers. Foodies, too, who want a taste of something truly special. So says Big 7 Travel, which has named the West Yorkshire village as the home of the UK's best roast. It's served at The Hawthorn pub, known locally for its 'exceptional seasonal roasts that include locally farmed and sourced lamb and beef, and a veggie option, as well as options for children', the publication says, adding: 'Roasts are served with all the traditional sides that have been cooked in an extra special way to maximise flavour and quality.' Prices for roasts range from 16 to 19. Children's option is priced at 8. 'Please don't be a sloucher.' That's a request from etiquette expert William Hanson in a TikTok video in which he explains how to sit correctly in a restaurant. You've been doing it all wrong, so listen carefully. 'We don't sit with our back touching the back of the chair when we eat,' he declares. 'It forces us to have "dinosaur hands" [when using a knife and fork] and that's not very elegant.' '[Sit] with your bottom pressed back into the seat as far as you possibly can,' says William. 'Your back doesn't actually touch the back of the chair' The solution? 'Instead,' says William, '[sit] with your bottom pressed back into the seat as far as you possibly can. 'Your back doesn't actually touch the back of the chair. 'And we keep low wrists when we cut. Much more elegant.' Would the correct posture for dining apply to every type of restaurant? Or could exceptions be made for somewhere more casual? William told MailOnline Travel: 'The context of the occasion always overrides any hard guideline, but generally it's quite hard to eat when sitting way back in the chair and slouching. 'It's also not ideal for digestion. Medical bods will [confirm] that the digestive tract needs to be in as straight a line as possible, rather than hunched, in order for us to process what we have just masticated properly and not put on as much weight.' William here demonstrates that slouching leads to 'dinosaur hands' Is 'dinosaur hands' a known issue in etiquette circles? 'It's certainly something my fellow industry professionals and I worry about at night,' says William. On the whole, are restaurant chairs designed to support the posture he advocates? William told MailOnline: 'A dining chair is engineered differently from a chair you may use to relax in at home or in a bar, which is why we should be able to sit up straighter more easily.' Are there any other advantages to 'low wrists'? William said: 'Yes, keeping your wrists as close to the plate as possible - except for the hand holding the fork, which conveys the food into the mouth - is generally better for easy access to the cutlery.' Is it ok to lean right back on the chair once the meal has finished? William added: 'It is more permissible, especially if everyone else is doing it. But again, context matters. Are you at a very formal meal in smart clothes? Then probably don't. But are you at your friend's house in Elstree, having just enjoyed a microwaved meal? In which case, lean back as you please.' For more from Mr Hanson visit his TikTok and Instagram profiles. His new book, Just Good Manners (Penguin Random House), is out on September 12, 2024. It is billed as 'a witty and authoritative guide to British etiquette', with William sharing 'his definitive guidance on how to charm and delight those around you in every situation with idiosyncratic authority'. Australian airline Qantas is about to overhaul its popular frequent flyer loyalty program as the carrier seeks to refresh its image following a string of controversies. Under new CEO Vanessa Hudson, who took the helm late last year, the carrier has been developing a plan to upgrade the program used by 15million Australians with a roll out date of July 1. The draft documents relating to the proposal reveal it will include a whole new tier called Classic Plus which will sit between the Classic Rewards and Points Plus Pay levels. The documents, seen the the Australian Financial Review, suggest the Classic Plus program will convert one point into 1c for economy flights and 1.5c for business flights. From July 1 Qantas Frequent Flyer members will be able to access another points program The documents also show Classic Plus appears to be only be available on Qantas flights and not Jetstar or partner airlines such as Emirates. If seats are on sale, the reduced fares apply even if buying a ticket with points. Passengers can get flights refunded for a 6000-point fee. In the current system the number of points needed for Classic Rewards, where tickets can be purchased entirely by points, is lower than Points Plus Pay, where points are used to lower ticket prices. However, the catch is Classic Rewards seats are in low supply and hard to find. An internal notes from the documents suggests the new tier will provide more seats available to book with the program. 'The widespread availability of Classic Plus reward seats will mean more options for frequent flyers to use their Qantas Points to book seats in premium cabins at the times when frequent flyers want to travel,' the internal note reads. The changes to the program will mean there should be more seats on flights available to book with points but you will need to use a few more points to do so Under the proposed changes, a $12,000 on-sale return fare to London flying on a Qantas plane would cost 289,200 points if available as a Classic Rewards seat. The same flight would cost 800,000 points using Classic Plus nearly three times as many points but less than half of the 1.7 million points required for Points Plus Pay. A Qantas spokesman said: 'We're finalising improvements to our frequent flyers program which are responding to what members are telling us about the importance of redeeming points for flights at the times they most want to fly.' MasterChef kicked off its 20th series this week, with a new group of 58 passionate and talented hopefuls ready to show off their culinary skills. The judges, chef John Torode and former fruit and veg man Gregg Wallace, are returning, having hosted the show since its 2005 relaunch. Speaking about the new series, John said: 'I can hardly believe that we are into the 20th series of this unbelievably brilliant show. It's such a point of pride and celebration.' He added: 'Twenty years on, MasterChef continues to show if you have a dream, just go for it!' The competitive cooking show initially ran from 1990 to 2001, before being revived in 2005 with an overhauled format, becoming one of the BBC's most successful programmes. MasterChef kicked off its 20th series this week, with a new group of 58 passionate and talented hopefuls ready to show off their culinary skills The judges, chef John Torode and former fruit and veg man Gregg Wallace, are returning, having hosted the show since its 2005 relaunch (pictured) The competitive cooking show initially ran from 1990 to 2001, before being revived in 2005 with an overhauled format, becoming one of the BBC 's most successful programmes Its popularity spawned many spin-offs from the show, including celebrity and junior versions, while the format was then reproduced across the world. The first international adaptation was MasterChef Australia in 2009, subsequently followed by versions in more than 60 countries. Regions still airing the franchise include India, South Africa, Ukraine, Paraguay, Sweden, Mexico, Georgia, Singapore, Turkey, Poland, Croatia, Brazil, Estonia, and Argentina. Most of the international versions follow the same basic format, with multiple heats and challenges to whittle contestants down until there is one winner. However, what the champions receive after they win varies significantly from country to country, with winners banking thousands more than others. Prizes can include book deals, training opportunities, appliances and huge amounts of cash. In the Netherlands, the winning chef gets to publish their own cookbook, while also pocketing 25,000 (21,500). Similarly, in the Thailand version, the champion receives their own MasterChef cookbook and 1,000,000, which also amounts to around 21,500. Its popularity spawned many spin-offs from the show, including celebrity and junior versions, while the format was then reproduced across the world (US version shown) The first international adaptation was MasterChef Australia in 2009, subsequently followed by versions in more than 60 countries (Australia version pictured) Most of the international versions follow the same basic format, but what the champions receive after they win varies significantly from country to country New Zealand's prize package appears the most unique, with the reigning champion, Sam Low, taking home a number of winnings. These includes six months worth of groceries from New World, $6000 worth of Neff appliances, a Kenwood stand mixer, and a cookbook deal with publisher Allen and Unwin. But in the Canadian show, winners get to take home a huge $100,000 cash prize, which is 58,500. While Italians earn a whopping 100,000 or 85,775, and get to publish a book of their recipes as well. MasterChef Spain offers a similar prize with an added bonus: as well as getting 100,000 and their own recipe book, the winner gets the chance to attend the esteemed culinary school, Le Cordon Bleu. The US version eclipses these prizes however, as they offer their winners a staggering $250,000, amounting to just under 200,000. But the version with the perhaps the most lucrative rewards is MasterChef Australia, which boasts a huge prize package for winners. Not only does the champion gets $250,000 (130,500) in cash and the chance to have their own cookbook published, they also receive invaluable training from leading professional chefs. Prizes can include book deals, training opportunities, appliances and huge amounts of cash (Justin Narayan pictured) The US version eclipses these prizes however, as they offer their winners a staggering $250,000, amounting to just under 200,000 (pictured) But the version with the perhaps the most lucrative rewards is MasterChef Australia, which boasts a huge prize package for winners (Emelia Jackson pictured) Not only does the champion gets $250,000 (130,500) in cash and the chance to have their own cookbook published, they also receive invaluable training from leading professional chefs (Julie Goodwin (left) and runner-up Poh Ling Yeow in 2009) Shockingly however, in the original and oldest version of the show in the UK, winners receive nothing but the coveted MasterChef trophy and title. The MasterChef trophy is the shows logo the letter m surrounded by two circles, made of aluminium. Makers of the award, Gaudio, say on their website: 'The MasterChef trophy is instantly recognisable and is treasured by winners.' While the lack of any prize in comparison to the international version may seem disappointing, the main appeal of winning MasterChef is thought to be the recognition, prestige and exposure. In the UK, many cooking competitions do not result in a cash prize, including fellow global favourite - The Great British Bake Off. Instead winners are able to use being crowned the winner of one of the most well-regarded cooking contests as a launchpad to start their professional careers. Past winners have gone on to open their own restaurants, write critically acclaimed cookbooks and begin careers in the media, with many returning to MasterChef as judges. Shockingly however, in the original and oldest version of the show in the UK, winners receive nothing but the coveted MasterChef trophy and title (pictured 2023 winner Chariya Khattiyot) The MasterChef trophy is the shows logo the letter m surrounded by two circles, made of aluminium (pictured 2019 winner Irini Tzortzoglou) The main appeal of winning MasterChef is thought to be the recognition, prestige and exposure, with winners using it as a launchpad to start their professional careers (pictured 2014 winner Ping Coombes) One of the most successful champions is the very first series winner from 2005, Thomasina Miers. The 48-year-old has made several cooking TV series and authored many best-selling cookbooks. Most notably, Thomasina co-founded the hugely popular Mexican restaurant chain, Wahaca, which has 13 branches across the UK. The mother-of-three was also awarded an OBE in 2019 for her services to the food industry and also has a weekly column in the Guardian where she shares her recipes. Past winners have gone on to open their own restaurants, write critically acclaimed cookbooks and begin careers in the media, with many returning to MasterChef as judges (pictured 2021 winner Tom Rhodes with his fellow 2021 finalists Alexina O'Toole and Mike Tomkin) Hulu will be dropping 35 popular movies from its streaming service in the month of April. Some of the already removed films include 2022 fan-favorites, such as dark comedy satire The Menu, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult and Ralph Fiennes, as well as Robert De Niro-led thriller Savage Salvation. On Thursday, 2021 animated movie sequel Monster Family 2: Nobody's Perfect was also removed. Later this month, Wonder Woman, both of the original Ghostbusters films and Blade Runner 2049 are among several titles set to be taken off the streaming service as well. This upcoming weekend, Hulu users will bid farewell to Monster Family 2: Nobody's Perfect, Son of Bigfoot, Beast of Burden, Mr. Right and The Program. Hulu will be dropping 35 popular movies from its streaming service in the month of April Later this month, Wonder Woman, both of the original Ghostbusters films and Blade Runner 2049 are several titles set to be taken off of the streaming service as well Some of the already removed films include 2022 fan-favorites, such as dark comedy satire The Menu, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult The movie starred Ralph Fiennes as the enigmatic restaurant chef, who invites unsuspecting guests to a remote island to enjoy his exclusive and lavish menu On April 5, Hulu will be taking down 2017 family adventure favorite Son of Bigfoot. It will be the last day for streamers to watch Beast of Burden, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Grace Gummer, as the 2018 action thriller will be leaving the platform on April 6 alongside action-comedy Mr. Right and The Program, a 2015 biopic retelling the life story of Lance Armstrong. Mr. Right was filmed in 2015 and stars Anna Kendrick as a woman who discovers her new beau (Sam Rockwell) is not the 'perfect' guy she thought he was and is actually a professional hitman with a dangerous background. After the upcoming weekend, the devastating displacements will not stop there as 2020 comedy-drama The War With Grandpa, which stars De Niro and Uma Thurman opposite one another, will be taken down on Monday, April 8. In mid-April, 2010 horror flick Black Death is set to vanish alongside a long named title 2015 subversive documentary Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon. Around the same time, fans will no longer be able to stream The Two Faces of January on Hulu. The 2014 film, which is both parts thriller and romance, stars the inimitable Kirsten Dunst. It was written and directed by Hossein Amini as he made his feature film directorial debut with the flick. On the first day of April, the 2022 thriller Savage Salvation, which starred Robert De Niro, was removed from the streaming platform; seen at the premiere in November 2022 Mr. Right was filmed in 2015 and stars Anna Kendrick as a woman who discovers her new beau (Sam Rockwell) is not the 'perfect' guy she thought he was and is actually a professional hitman with a dangerous background It will be the last day for streamers to watch Beast of Burden, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Grace Gumme , as the 2018 action thriller will be leaving the platform on April 6 Benediction, the 2021 critically acclaimed war and romance movie based on 20th century England during World War I, will also be parting ways with Hulu on April 15. As such, the 2018 the R-rated horror comedy Banana Split will be leaving on April 27 and shortly thereafter, it will be followed by 2017 comedy drama Permanent and 2020 Daniel Radcliffe-led thriller flick Escape from Pretoria. At the end of the month on April 30, Hulu will also remove 2021 historical drama epic The Last Duel which features an all-star cast comprising of Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The streaming platform will also remove crime biopic Billionaire Boys Club which is centered around a group of wealthy Los Angeles boys in the '80s as they instigate a dangerous, get-rich-quick scheme. The 2018 movie which generally received poor reviews stars Kevin Spacey, Taron Egerton, Ansel Elgort, and Emma Roberts. A debatably underrated movie from 2017, Blade Runner 2049, will also be taken off of Hulu at the end of the month. At the end of the month on April 30, Hulu will also remove 2021 historical drama epic The Last Duel which features an all-star cast comprising of Adam Driver , Jodie Comer, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon A debatably underrated movie from 2017, Blade Runner 2049, will also be taken off of Hulu at the end of the month The first and second original Ghostbusters movies released in 1984 and 1989 will be taken off the streaming platform later this month The 2017 sci-fi thriller, which is a sequel to the 1989 movie, was led by a star-studded cast including Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas and Jared Leto. A host of popular sci-fi, action and superhero movies are also set to disappear from Hulu soon. The list includes Downhill (2020), Failure to Launch (2006) as well as the first and second original Ghostbusters movies released in 1984 and 1989. The 2015 movie adaptation of Goosebumps is also bidding adieu alongside the Ong-Bak action-adventure trilogy based in Thailand and centered around a Muay Thai warrior played by Tony Jaa. 2013 sci-fi action movie Pacific Rim and its sequel released half a decade after the first will also no longer be available to stream on Hulu. At the end of April, it will be the last time for Hulu users to watch Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton and Hugh Laurie together in the 2020 comedy drama The Personal History Of David Copperfield. Hulu will also be parting ways with 2019 action-comedy Shazam! as well as its sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods which was only released just a little over a year ago The 2015 movie adaptation of Goosebumps is also bidding adieu to Hulu Hulu will also remove from its streamer the 1986 coming-of-age drama film Stand By Me, starring the late actor River Phoenix, the brother of Joker star Joaquin Phoenix; Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell seen from L-R Set to be removed from the streaming platform is Sisters, which stars dynamic duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as sisters in the 2015 comedy drama Hulu will also be taking away the Ong-Bak action-adventure trilogy, which was based in Thailand and centered around a Muay Thai warrior played by Tony Jaa Hulu will also be parting ways with 2019 action-comedy Shazam! as well as its sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods which was only released just a little over a year ago. Set to be removed from the streaming platform is Sisters, which stars dynamic duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as sisters in the 2015 comedy drama. Hulu will also remove from its streamer the 1986 coming-of-age drama film Stand By Me, starring the late actor River Phoenix, the brother of Joker star Joaquin Phoenix. The movie is based on Stephen King's 1982 novella The Body and follows a group of four Oregon boys who take it upon themselves to investigate their neighbor's accidental death and find the body. The streaming platform is also set to take down 2011 rom-com Take This Waltz, which stars Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen, as well as 2017 Gal Gadot-starring, DC superhero flick Wonder Woman. Netflix fans have gone wild over a new drama that they have hailed as 'absolutely brilliant'. Scoop was released in the UK today, chronicling Emily Maitlis' infamous interview with Prince Andrew, which caused the Royals to announce the duke would step back from public duties just days after it aired in 2019. British household names starring in the biographical drama include Gillian Anderson and Billie Piper as Newsnight's Emily Maitlis and Sam McAlister, the BBC TV producer who secured the car crash interview. The disgraced prince is played by Rufus Sewell, famed for his portrayal of Count Adhemar of Anjou in the 2001 blockbuster hit A Knight's Tale. Directed by Philip Martin, the Netflix film is an adaptation of then-Newsnight editor Sam McAlister's 2022 tell-all book Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC's Most Shocking Interviews. Brits were quick to gush over the film on X, formerly known as Twitter this morning, lauding its stellar acting and putting powerful women at the helm - and were surprised by a shock cameo. Netflix' Scoop was released in the UK today, chronicling Emily Maitlis' infamous interview with Prince Andrew, which caused the Royals to announce the disgraced duke would step back from public duties just days after it aired in 2019 Emily Maitlis is portrayed by Gillian Anderson who looks almost identical to the famed broadcaster A jowly Rufus Sewell plays Andrew and, if you squint quite a lot, you can just about believe it's him! Less than five years after Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis grilled Prince Andrew, the infamous interview has been dramatised by Netflix Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew pictured during the real 2019 interview Many were gripped by directors' powerful storytelling which focused on Prince Andrew's relationship with the convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, in addition to his own allegations of sexual assault. And loyal EastEnders fan may be surprised to see Christopher Fairbank, who plays Eddie Knight, briefly star in the film - as a dog owner who chats to Maitlis in one scene. One said: 'Spent my morning watching Scoop on Netflix, based on the book by @SamMcAlister1 which documents how that notorious interview with Prince Andrew materialised its utterly brilliant and a really intriguing watch. Highly recommend!' Another captivated X user added: 'Just watched #Scoop and was spellbound - glued to my seat. But Christ - did we really need to see him naked?!?' More viewers were impressed by the star-studded cast: 'Well Scoop is absolutely brilliant. Fantastic acting by all'. The same user was also pleased to see the Prince held to account: 'Very satisfying to see how Andrew taken down by some fantastic women. Hope someone will ask the palace if he's watched it'. While others were merely there for 'Gillian Anderson and Billie Piper' who they felt stole the show. Another added: 'Excellent work by everyone in #Scoop, that interview is still jaw dropping'. Netflix viewers fell in love with Scoop, a dramatised retelling of Emily Maitlis' powerful 2019 BBC Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew, notoriously referred to as the 'car crash interview' And one penned: 'Spent my morning watching Scoop on Netflix, based on the book by @SamMcAlister1 which documents how that notorious interview with Prince Andrew materialised. Its utterly brilliant and a really intriguing watch. Highly recommend!' But others were left perplexed that Netflix was chosen to stream the tale: 'It seems strange that #Scoop which is about an achievement by the BBC is on Netflix not the BBC. 'You would have thought the BBC would want to brag about something they did good for once'. Rufus Sewell opened up while appearing on Good Morning Britain, where he detailed 'obsessively watching the Newsnight interview for hours'. Speaking on his thoughts after getting the role, he said: 'I felt I could get behind it then afterwards, when I got the part, I was like "gosh what I have done?" I'm not a natural mimic'. 'I obsessively watched the interview. I watched it at the time like everyone else, I was kind of transfixed for various reasons. Like most people I had my own judgements'. Kimora Lee Simmons and Russell Simmon's daughter Aoki Lee Simmons, 21, was spotted kissing restaurateur Vittorio Assaf, 65, in St. Barts earlier this week. Aoki and Vittorio, who is a father of two, share a 44-year age difference. The model was seen sharing passionate kisses with the Italian-born Vittorio, who is the founder of the Serafina Restaurant Group, during the beach vacation together, according to Page Six. Vittorio shares two children with ex-wife Swedish model Charlotte Bonstrom, 53: son Vittorio, 21, and daughter Valentina, 17. 'Aoki and Vittorio are spending time together and enjoying each others' company,' a source told People magazine. The insider also noted that St.Barts is a favorite vacation spot for the Simmons family. Hours after they were pictured smooching on the beach, Aoki appeared to address the romance rumors on her Instagram page, sharing a snap of herself with the caption 'Err well now I know why folks were calling me,' which she soon appeared to delete. Aoki is a model and a graduate of Harvard University; she got her degree at age 20 (in 2023), having been accepted into the prestigious school at age 16. Kimora Lee Simmons and Russell Simmon's daughter Aoki Lee Simmons, 21, was spotted kissing restaurateur Vittorio Assaf, 65, in St. Barts earlier this week Hours after they were pictured smooching on the beach, Aoki appeared to address the romance rumors on her Instagram page, sharing a snap of herself with the caption 'Err well now I know why folks were calling me,' which she soon appeared to delete Aoki, 21, pictured with her mother, Baby Phat founder Kimora Lee Simmons, 48 In the images obtained by the outlet, Vittorio was seen kissing the 21-year-old at the beach, with his arm around her waist. She wore a striped bikini and had headphones in her ears, while he wore thigh-grazing swim trunks and no shirt. He helped the aspiring model snap some bikini pictures on the beach before moving to the water and snapping images of her there. Aoki shared a number of bikini snaps on Friday morning while wearing a different swim suit, presumably taken by Vittorio. Aoki and Vittorio, who is a father of two, share a 44 year age difference Aoki is a model and a graduate of Harvard University; she got her degree at age 20 (in 2023), having been accepted into the prestigious school at age 16; seen in 2023 Aoki seen in St. Barts in social media pictures she shared last week The pictures were presumably taken by Vittorio last week He founded his restaurant group in 1995, seven years before Aoki's birth Vittorio shares two children with ex-wife Swedish model Charlotte Bonstrom, 53: son Vittorio, 21, and daughter Valentina, 17; his children Vittorio and Valentina pictured Vittorio Sr with his son Vittorio, 21 In June 2023, Aoki's mom Kimora Lee Simmons accused ex husband Russell Simmons (Aoki's father), 66, of 'bullying and threatening' Aoki and her sister Ming Lee Simmons, 24. Kimora, 48, accused the Def Jam co-founder of 'threatening [their] kids' lives' and alleged that it led to Aoki having 'severe panic attacks' and 'placed on emergency medication' when she speaks to him. Aoki shared text messages and a muted Facetime call to her Instagram, detailing his behavior toward her. The young Harvard graduate was seen crying and looking visibly upset while on the call with her dad Russell, as he appears to angrily speak to her. The family drama came weeks after Aoki graduated from Harvard with a double major, with mom Kimora revealing she is one of the youngest in recent history to do so. She was accepted at age 16. In June 2023, Aoki's mom Kimora Lee Simmons accused ex husband Russell Simmons (Aoki's father), 66, of 'bullying and threatening' Aoki and her sister Ming Lee Simmons, 24; seen in 2001 Kimora, 48, accused the Def Jam co-founder of 'threatening [their] kids' lives' and alleged that it led to Aoki having 'severe panic attacks' and 'placed on emergency medication' when she speaks to him; seen in 2011 Aoki was seen crying and looking visibly upset while on the call with her dad Russell, as he appears to angrily speak to her She also shared a messages where she told him how he allegedly treated her Kimora spoke out as well and shared her support for her daughters Kimora and Russell married in December 1998 in New York City after dating for four years; seen in 2003 Kimora and Russell married in December 1998 in New York City after dating for four years. They met while Kimora modeled during Fashion Week in New York City, and went on to welcome two children together: Ming in 2000 (now 23) and Aoki in 2002. In 2006, they announced they split, however they noted that they were separated already 'for some time.' Russell told People magazine in a statement at the time: 'Kimora and I will remain committed parents and caring friends with great love and admiration for each other.' Kimora filed for divorce in March 2008, citing irreconcilable differences - two years after their split. She requested full legal and physical custody of their children, requesting he gets 'reasonable child visitation to be accompanied at all times by the children's nanny and security personnel.' In January 2009, their divorce was finalized, according to Today Show. In February 2009, it was reported that Russell has agreed to pay $40,000 a month in child support until their youngest reaches the age of 19.5 years old. Kimora was granted sole custody of their girls. She is also mom to kids Kenzo, 14, with ex Djimon Hounsou and Wolfe, eight, with ex Tim Leissner. She adopted son Gary in 2020 when he was 10. During the June 2023 exchange, Kimora said about Russell on her social media: 'I'm so sorry to have to do this. But this man has been threatening my kids' lives. I'm hearing so much more now. We won't be bullied, threatened, or afraid. Who gaf?! Adding: 'No one should live like this. No one's child. This is abuse. Not okay. The threats, not okay. The fear mongering. Not okay' along side text messages shared by Aoki. It appeared to have begun after the girls wished mom Kimora a Happy Father's Day instead of their father. He shared an Instagram post that seemed to be a thinly veiled jab at Kimora; it was a quote that read: 'Stop telling fathers they should have fought harder to see their children and start asking mothers why he had to fight at all.' Soon after, Aoki released the messaged and the muted Facetime call on her stories, also revealing she was done trying with her father. 'My father is not well, for years, he needs help and won't accept that he refuses to acknowledge he is not himself. He has threatened and bullied my sister, my grandma, he has harassed my grandma in the middle of the night in poor health, [sent] a man to my sister's apartment to scare her.' 'He lashes out at anyone who does not say "Ooh Russell everything is fine" well it's not fine,' she wrote. One day later, Russell apologized for his behavior via his Instagram page, writing: 'DEEPLY sorry for being frustrated and yelling... but know this... there are no conditions... for sure I love you guys more than I love myself.' Three months later, Kimora was asked if the situation improved between him and their daughters, to which she said 'no, I wouldn't say that,' adding: 'Just don't abuse my kids. Don't be ignorant to them or disrespectful. It wasn't a one-off thing. I'm not going to allow that. I'm not going to back down. My baby was worries, and she was crying, "I'm never going to work again" because he said crazy stuff." I just don't deal with him, and I don't have time for negativity,' via The New York Post. They welcomed two children together: Ming in 2000 (now 23) and Aoki in 2002; seen in 2006 Kimora with Ming and Aoki posing in her brand Baby Phat Kimora seen walking down the Baby Phat runway in 2009 with Ming and Aoki Vittorio founded Serafina Restaurant Group in 1995 with Fabio Granato in New York City. They have since expanded, with restaurants all over the world. Vittorio was married to ex-model Charlotte for 20 years until she left him in 2021 - to marry her twin sister Cecilia's ex-husband Thierry Gillier - the founder of the fashion label Zadig & Voltaire. Vittorio and Charlotte have two children together: son Vittorio, who turns 22 in May, and daughter Valentina, who turns 18 in August. Cecilia served as the artistic director of Zadig & Voltaire since 2006 - however her social media now says she is the 'former creative director of Zadig & Voltaire.' It is unclear when she left her position. Vittorio founded Serafina Restaurant Group in 1995 with Fabio Granato in New York City; the friends and business partners pictured in 2023 Vittorio was married to ex-model Charlotte for 20 years until she left him in 2021 - to marry her twin sister Cecilia's ex-husband Thierry Gillier - the founder of the fashion label Zadig & Voltaire; seen together Vittorio and Charlotte pictured in 2010 The exes appear amicable - as they pose together with their son Vittorio on Mother's Day last year Charlotte shared a snap of her son Vittorio, whom she shares with Vittorio Sr, last year on his 21st birthday in May 2023 Charlotte wished her and Vittorio Sr's daughter Valentina a happy birthday in August 2023 for her 17th birthday In 2021, Vittorio told Page Six that he and Charlotte were getting a divorce because she wanted to get remarried. He said: 'Charlotte and I are in the process of getting divorced she wants to get remarried,' he said Wednesday. '[She] is getting married to Thierry Gillier, the ex-husband of her sister.' There was a brief rumor that they were switching spouses - and that he was involved with Cecilia, which he denied at the time. 'It is very difficult but I have nothing to do with the sister of Charlotte,' he insisted. It is not clear when exactly Thierry and Charlotte allegedly started cheating on their respective partners though it is said to have been sometime during the pandemic. The source told Page Six Charlotte had started 'secretly dating other people' because she was 'hurt' that Assaf 'spent time with models during their marriage.' Cecilia is then thought to have learned about the double betrayal by her sister and her husband March 2020 with the source saying 'it broke Celia's heart'. She posted cryptic posts on Instagram at that time, taking swipes at Gillier and Charlotte for lacking 'integrity.' In one, posted March 13, 2021, she shared a meme reading: 'You're looking for three things generally, in a person: Intelligence, energy and integrity. And if they don't have the last one, don't even bother with the first two.' She tagged her husband and sister in the post along with the hashtags '#thanks' and '#warrenbuffet'. Last month MailOnline announced that Holly Willoughby would be the co-host of brand new Netflix reality show Bear Hunt, alongside Bear Grylls. And now it has been revealed that Netflix bosses have spent a reported 10 million to form a star-studded line-up in order to keep up with major competitors such as I'm A Celeb and Strictly Come Dancing. The show is being produced by Bear's company and will be Holly's first show away from terrestrial television. A source told The Sun: 'Netflix are determined their collection will be largely killer, with very little filler. Theyre not scrimping on paying six-figure fees and arent afraid to cough up more for the biggest names. 'Theyll be shelling out an eight-figure sum in all, so the cast will be one of the most expensive in reality TV history.' Last month MailOnline announced that Holly Willoughby, 43, would be the co-host of brand new Netflix reality show Bear Hunt, alongside Bear Grylls, 49 And now it has been revealed that Netflix are going all in on their contestants with a star-studded line up with a reported spend of 10 million in order to keep up with major competitors such as I'm A Celeb and Strictly Come Dancing According to The Sun, Bear, 49, and Holly, 43, will be paid 1 million each for the series. Netflix have been contacted for comment. Bear Hunt will show Grylls hunting down the contestants and when he finds them they will be eliminated from the programme. It is set to be filmed in May in the Costa Rican jungle, however won't be aired until 2025. Holly, who quit ITV's This Morning last October, has been the face of daytime TV in the UK for over a decade and made herself a household name. A show insider told MailOnline: 'It's a great and such an exciting fresh series and of course a great challenge for Holly. 'It's a great opportunity for her.' Netflix bosses are said to be 'ecstatic' that they have been able to hire her. One said: 'Holly was their woman for this project from the word go. Ms Willoughby will be familiar with the jungle surroundings. In 2018 she hosted I'm A Celeb alongside Declan Donnelly - the highest rated series ever 'They are absolutely delighted to have got her to sign on the line, hopefully there will be many more opportunities to work with her down the line too.' A source said: 'Holly and her team grafted for this deal with Netflix and negotiated a very attractive package. 'Holly knows her worth and only wants to put her name on credible projects. Her show with Bear has a lot of money behind it and it's expected to be a worldwide hit. 'She is ready to go into the next league. The star quit This Morning last October after 14 years after an alleged plot to kidnap and murder her emerged, leaving her terrified 'There is a lot riding on this show but Holly and her team already think they could be on to a winner. Holly will be familiar with the jungle surroundings. In 2018 she hosted I'm A Celeb alongside Declan Donnelly - the highest rated series ever. Standing in for Ant McPartlin who was in rehab for alcohol and painkiller addictions, she was hailed a huge success. Woody the Cowboy and Buzz Lightyear will have another adventure. TOY STORY 5 will release on June 19, 2026 in theaters, reported Discussing Film on its X account Friday afternoon. The Hollywood Reporter was the first to break the news that the popular Disney franchise and with some others would be making returns to the big screen. The Toy Story characters, headed by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, have been delighting audiences since 1995. Toy Story 4, released in 2019, made more than $1 billion. Buzz and Woody will ride again. Disney has announced a release date for Toy Story 5, June 19, 2026 'We are leaning into our unrivaled brands,' Disney CEO Bob Iger first announced in February 2023. All of the Toy Story films combined have earned $3,032,969,462 globally. Disney is also planning to more animated adventure from the worlds of Frozen and Zootopia. The Oscar winning Frozen and Academy Award nominated Frozen II have earned more than $2.85 billion. Zootopia 2 is expected to release in theaters in November 2025. The studio has also announced the Star Wars spinoff, The Mandalorian, will have its own feature film. The Mandalorian & Grogu will appear on big screen just a few weeks before Toy Story 5 on May 22, 2026.It will be the first Star Wars related theatrical release since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker. Disney also announced the live action Moana, starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, would be pushed back a year until July 10, 2026. The popular Toy Story franchise has made more than $3 billion globally The Star Wars spinoff The Mandalorian will get its own big screen release. The Mandalorian & Grogu will appear on big screen just a few weeks before Toy Story 5 on May 22, 2026.It will be the first Star Wars related theatrical release since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker Moana 2 will be released in November, but the live action Moana has been pushed back to July 2026 The move gives the project some breathing room between its opening and the debut of the animated Moana 2 which opens in November. Tron: Ares, starring Jared Leto, Gillian Anderson and Arturo Castro is the latest project in the Tron franchise. The movie, set to open in theaters October 10, 2025 is said to focus on what happens in the real world when an artificial intelligence escapes. The original 1982 film became a cult classic after it was released and the highly anticipated and long awaited sequel, Tron: Legacy was a huge hit, earning more than $400 million worldwide. As if Prince Andrew doesnt already have enough to worry about of late, his jowls are now in the spotlight. Actress Gillian Anderson has revealed that the actor who portrays him in the adaptation of his car crash BBC Newsnight interview spent hours receiving various prosthetics before filming. Make-up artists carefully added multiple jowls to the face of Rufus Sewell, who played the Duke of York so theyd look more alike. But the real 64-year-old prince seemed unbothered by the attention as he was spotted horse-riding at Windsor yesterday morning. Only hours earlier, drama Scoop went live on Netflix. The show is based on former Newsnight producer Sam McAlisters memoir which delved into the story behind the interview about Andrews links with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Posting on Instagram, Gillian Anderson shared snaps of the makeover. Sewell has already revealed he wore a huge prosthetic bottom, too. Actress Gilian Anderson posts a photo of Rufus Sewell's Prince Andrew transformation As if Prince Andrew doesnt already have enough to worry about of late, his jowls are now in the spotlight The film was 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!' The Netflix film has been a hit on social media, with viewers praising the acting performances Vicky Pattison and Ercan Ramadan coordinated their looks as they arrived at London's O2 Apollo on Friday. The couple appeared in high spirits as they supported their fellow reality TV stars Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks during their Staying Relevant podcast tour. Former Geordie Shore star Vicky, 36, flaunted her curves in a figure-hugging denim jumpsuit. She added a few inches to her statuesque figure with a pair of towering stilettos. Adding a hint of colour to her stylish ensemble, the brunette beauty accessorised with a brown cross-body bag that she had swung over her shoulder. Vicky Pattison and Ercan Ramadan co-ordinated their looks as they arrived at London's O2 Apollo on Friday Geordie Shore star Vicky, 36, flaunted her curves in a figure-hugging denim jumpsuit Ercan, 36, rocked in a smart, pale blue top which highlighted his muscular figure. He teamed it with a pair of navy trousers and white trainers. Also looking casual for the big event was the show's hosts, Sam and Pete. I'm A Celebrity... Ger Me Out of Here! winner Sam, 31, kept his look simple with a black hoody, jogging bottoms and white trainers. Pete opted for a more quirky look in a baby pink knitted jumper, leather trousers, and some beigeshoes. Staying Relevant hit the road for its first day on Tuesday after Sam surprised Pete with a massive tour bus bearing the podcast's avatar logo. Starting in Newcastle, the two pals will travel across the UK, delighting their fans with their latest titbits and dramas. After Newcastle, they travelled to Glasgow before the dynamic duo took their top-rated podcast to London. They are also set to go to Manchester, Cardiff, Birmingham, Plymouth and Dublin. After their first set of shows sold out in a matter of weeks, the hosts announced more shows spanning over the final weeks of April. Adding a hint of colour to her stylish ensemble, the brunette beauty accessorised with a brown cross-body bag that she had swung over her shoulder Also looking casual for the big event was the show's hosts, Sam and Pete. King of the Jungle Sam, 31, kept his look simple with a black hoody, jogging bottoms and white trainers. Pete has regularly discussed the stresses and excitement of taking the podcast to the live stage on the show. He has kept his fans regularly updated with his important meetings, taxing decisions and lengthy business plans - which he documents all by hand in a notebook. Staying Relevant was launched by Pete and Sam in 2022. It has recently celebrated over 5 million downloads and has hit (and held) the coveted No.#1 Comedy chart spot on numerous occasions. Staying Relevant was launched by Pete and Sam in 2022. It has recently celebrated over 5 million downloads and has hit (and held) the coveted No.#1 Comedy chart spot on numerous occasions The show has also been received well in person as crowds were seen singing along with Sam during the performances. Ahead of the show, Sam told MailOnline: 'Pete and I have been talking about this for so long, it feels surreal that it's actually happening. 'Who gets to tour the country talking about life with their best mate? We're going to have so much fun. 'Spending every day with Pete on tour is a real bucket list moment. From the jungle and into the tour van!' A stoush has broken out between the country's biggest networks over a new ratings system that can turn a 'flop' like Channel Seven's Australian Idol into a 'hit'. Channel Nine and Seven are squabbling over the freshly implemented VOZ Total TV ratings which includes viewers streaming shows, even if its only for a minute. And now insiders claim that the freshly implemented system is giving Seven an advantage over top-rating Nine. VOZ Total TV includes not only the ratings in the five major urban centres, but also collects data known as Total TV National Reach. This includes viewers who watch a show for 15 seconds online or a minute on conventional TV. A stoush has broken out between the country's biggest networks over a new ratings system that can turn a 'flop' like Seven's Australian Idol into a 'hit'. Pictured: Australian Idol judges Kyle Sandilands, Marcia Hines and Amy Shark. A TV insider speaking to Saturday Confidential unleashed on Seven over the new ratings system. 'Seven pushed for this new ratings system because they knew they'd come out looking better than Nine,' the source claimed. 'At the time they argued that it makes all free-to-air TV look better so they convinced Nine and Ten to come along for the ride. Many people in the industry think the figures are a joke. Nine and Seven are squabbling over the freshly implemented VOZ Total TV ratings which includes viewers streaming shows, even if its only for a minute. Pictured: nine's ratings juggernaut Married at First Sight is the most watched show on Australian TV. 'The fact is, Nine is killing it in 2024. They've had their strongest first quarter ever, but you wouldn't know it from the new ratings numbers.' Meanwhile, a Nine source is claiming that the network is slamming Seven in the conventional ratings in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane with its News coverage through out the day. All three urban centres are key locations for advertisers. According to the report, the Total TV National Reach greatly impacted the ratings for Seven's Australian Idol this season. The talent show scored 1.784million on its debut this year, as opposed to a modest 423,000 metro viewers last season. According to Saturday Confidential the Total TV National Reach greatly impacted the ratings for Channel 10's Survivor this season. 'It's remarkable how last year's flop Australian Idol is suddenly a runaway success for Seven,' another insider complained to the publication. 'MAFS is the number one show on TV, and that's one thing the new ratings system doesn't change. Meanwhile, Nine's ratings juggernaut Married at First Sight premiered to a whopping Total TV audience this year of 2.451 million. In the metro ratings last year the dating show managed to pull in 840,000 fans. Another long-running reality show Survivor also appears to have benefitted from the new Total TV ratings system. The real-life adventure show managed to score 1.126 million viewers this year with its debut episode, while the 2023 premiere drew 447,000 in the metro centres. An insider claims that Nine is winning the ratings helped by MAFS (pictured) and its News coverage where it counts in the metro centres, including Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Industry journalist David Knox of the TV Tonight blog told the publication that the clash between Nine and Seven over the Total TV ratings is case of 'competing interests'. Since Seven controls the Prime network, Knox says they are focusing on national results. Meanwhile, he said, Nine remains focused on the five major city markets. He also criticised the new system because it 'snubs' multichannel results, city-by-city ratings and Foxtel numbers. The last words in their marriage entered into just 25 months previously were allegedly uttered by Brad Pitt on the steps of the private jet which had brought him, Angelina Jolie and their six children from their house in France to Los Angeles in September 2016. 'F*** you,' he said, apparently. 'F*** you all.' For good measure, according to Ms Jolie, he called her a 'bitch' and 'shook her' by the head and shoulders. The alleged argument on the plane, which ended their marriage, has been rehearsed by Ms Jolie in a court filing. What started out as an altercation apparently between him and one of the children turned she says into a physical fight during which he poured beer and wine over his family and injured his wife by throwing himself backwards into a row of seats while she was clinging to his back. However, in a new legal move the actress has claimed that Pitt twice named People magazine's 'Sexiest Man Alive' was physically and emotionally abusive to her before that point. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie met on the set of Mr And Mrs Smith (pictured) in 2004, but an alleged argument on a plane in 2016 ended their marriage, court papers reveal 'Pitt's history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before the family's plane trip from France to Los Angeles this flight marked the first time he turned his physical abuse on the children as well,' her attorneys claim in newly released court papers. The court papers claim that Ms Jolie has evidence of 'Pitt's history of physical abuse of the family and control abuse of Jolie' and claims the children continue to experience 'significant and ongoing post-traumatic stress'. Attorneys for Ms Jolie refer to a 'history of abuse, control and cover-ups' and claim Ms Jolie has 'testimony, emails, photographs, and other evidence' which, they say, will show how Pitt tried to conceal his behaviour if they come to trial. The actor's denials of physical abuse are described in the court documents as 'gaslighting'. Additionally, it claims he exerted 'coercive' financial control over her via their dispute over the Miraval wine-making business as their divorce has dragged on over the past seven years. Pitt has denied all allegations of physical abuse and was not charged following an FBI probe into the incident on the flight. A source close to the actor described the filing this week as 'pretty much more of the same' from Ms Jolie, adding that it fitted a 'pattern'. Jolie. pictured with Pitt and their six children, claims her husband was physically and emotionally abusive to her before the alleged argument on the plane erupted '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,' the source said. The pair met on the set of Mr And Mrs Smith in 2004 and the following year Pitt and his then wife Jennifer Aniston announced their divorced. In 2008, Pitt and Ms Jolie bought Chateau Miraval, a 35-room house in Provence with 926 acres and a vineyard. He and Ms Jolie have six children, Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 17, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 15, and were married at Chateau Miraval in 2014. Pitt has denied all allegations of physical abuse and was not charged following an FBI probe into the incident on the flight Ms Jolie filed for divorce five days after the incident in 2016 and a legal battle has raged ever since. Her latest filings contend they had all but agreed on a deal for her to sell her part of the Chateau and its wine business to him back in February 2021. But they claim the deal collapsed due to a filing made as part of their concurrent custody dispute. Lawyers say that on March 12, Ms Jolie filed for the eyes of the custody judge two 'offers of proof' detailing 'evidence of Pitt's domestic violence against Jolie and their children'. Jolie's latest court findings also contend that the couple had all but agreed on a deal for her to sell her part of the Chateau they owned and its wine business to him in February 2021, but that it collapsed due to a filing made as part of their ongoing custody dispute They say her sealed filing 'caused Pitt to fear the information could eventually become public'. Documents claim: 'Pitt changed course and suddenly conditioned his purchase of Jolie's share of Miraval on her agreeing to a greatly expanded NDA now covering Pitt's personal misconduct, whether related to Miraval or not.' Pitt is accused in the documents of taking advantage of her absence from Miraval to gain control of the winery and refusing to distribute profits to her. Ms Jolie rejected the NDA and told Pitt she intended to sell her share. Pitt's version of events suggests that her sale was a 'vindictive' act and fuelled by anger over a 50-50 custody decision. This was later overturned after it was found that the judge had not declared a business relationship with a lawyer on Pitt's team. Ms Jolie's lawyer Paul Murphy said: 'By refusing to buy her interest but then suing her, Pitt put directly at issue why that NDA was so important to him and what he hoped it would bury: his abuse of Jolie and their family.' An insider described the situation as 'incredibly sad,' adding that Ms Jolie 'just wishes' Pitt 'could move on and let her be.' Katie Price flaunted her surgically enhanced assets on Friday as she took to TikTok in a skimpy bikini, just hours after she revealed her new 'XXXL lips'. The former glamour model, 45, shared a 10-second clip of herself sat on a couch tying a white beach shawl over her shoulders. Putting on a very busty display, the TV personality wore a skimpy beige triangle bikini which barely covered her ample cleavage. She finished off her ensemble with a pair of quirky cow print trousers. Katie, who was wearing full glam makeup and eye lash extensions, shared the revealing clip to her 1.5million followers, as she plugged a fashion 10 lucky dip offer. Katie Price flaunted her surgically enhanced assets on Friday as she took to TikTok in a skimpy bikini, just hours after she revealed her new 'XXXL lips' Putting on a very busty display, the TV personality wore a skimpy beige triangle bikini which barely covered her ample cleavage. She captioned her post: ' Easter Deals @JYY London 10 Lucky Dip Clothing Bags sizes 6 to 24 comment below if you want one! Includes lounge sets, gym wear, dresses, leggings, pants, kaftans, shoes & more #katieprice #luckydip #easterweekend #bankholidayweekend #easter2024' It comes 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. 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 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 on to 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. Katie, who was wearing full glam makeup and eye lash extensions, shared the revealing clip to her 1.5million followers, as she plugged a fashion 10 lucky dip offer On the same day the star revealed she had her fourth lip filler in five weeks 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. 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. 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 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 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.' Derek Hough's wife Hayley Erbert has been 'cleared' to dance again four months after suffering a cranial hematoma that required emergency brain surgery. On Friday, the couple formally announced that Erbert, 29, would be rejoining Hough, 38, on the Symphony Of Dance tour in just over a week. 'Hi everyone, I am so excited to announce I have been cleared to rejoin the Symphony Of Dance tour, and I will be dancing when the tour begins April 14th in Melbourne, Florida,' Erbert told fans. 'We cannot wait to dance together again on stage and be back with all of our fans and thank them,' Hough chimed. 'Thank you all for the amazing support you've shown during this time,' the Dancing With The Stars pro and judge added. 'So, we cannot wait, and we will see you very very soon.' Derek Hough's wife Hayley Erbert has been 'cleared' to dance again four months after suffering a cranial hematoma that required emergency brain surgery All the smiles and happy news is a far cry from when Erbert was rushed to the hospital following a tour performance in Washington, D.C. in December, where she was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel. As a result, she had to undergo a craniectomy, which is where a section of the skull is removed to help relieve any extra pressure on the brain, according to Cedar Sinai. Just weeks later, she had to have cranioplasty surgery to 'replace a large portion of her skull' that had been removed during surgery. As her road to recovery kicked off Hough decided to postpone the tour to be by his wife's side in order to offer her any help or support she needed at the time. 'What a blessing (and surprise) it is to be able to be back on stage dancing with my love after such a crazy past four months,' Erbert shared in a separate post on her Instagram page on Friday. 'My healing journey has been nothing short of extraordinary and being able to dance again is igniting my soul in all the ways; speeding up my recovery even more.' Feeling grateful, she went on to thank all the medical professionals for contributing to her speedy recovery. On Friday, the couple formally announced that Erbert, 29, would be rejoining Hough, 38, on the Symphony Of Dance tour in just over a week It's been just four months since she underwent the two surgeries, which included cranioplasty surgery to 'replace a large portion of her skull' that had been removed 'We cannot wait to dance together again on stage and be back with all of our fans and thank them,' Hough chimed 'Thank you all for the amazing support you've shown during this time,' the couple added After revealing she was cleared by her doctors, the couple started dancing again just over two weeks ago, in preparation for their return to the tour April 14 'I am so appreciative of the doctors who have supported me in my decision to dance again and my team of specialists that have been assembled to assure that my health and safety is priority,' she continued. She ended by directing her attention to the fans: 'I cannot wait for you all to see this show! It was so meaningful when we opened last year and now, after everything that has happened, it is truly even more special.' During an interview with People the Topeka, Kansas native gushed about how excited she was 'to get back out and dance again after having something so traumatic happen.' 'Dance has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and so I'm just really excited to get out there and do what I love and also to see the people that have supported me throughout this entire healing journey,' she explained. 'What a blessing (and surprise) it is to be able to be back on stage dancing with my love after such a crazy past four months,' Erbert shared in a separate Instagram post on Friday The dancing professionals are seen rehearsing ahead of their return to the stage in the video 'My healing journey has been nothing short of extraordinary and being able to dance again is igniting my soul in all the ways; speeding up my recovery even more,' the Kansas native continued in the caption on Friday 'I am so appreciative of the doctors who have supported me in my decision to dance again and my team of specialists that have been assembled to assure that my health and safety is priority,' she continued Hough also gave thanks to his wife's 'amazing team' who all helped make sure she was 'good and healthy.' 'She's all clear and we're all just amazed by her and can't wait to go out there and put on a great show and an emotional show,' the Salt Lake, Utah native added. The couple, who were only just married in August 2023, started dating in 2015 while they were both appearing on Dancing With The Stars during season 20. The couple announced their return to the dance floor with an Instagram post on March 20 Hough and Erbert make their return in Melbourne, Florida on April 14, and then will take the tour through the U.S., ending on May 19 in San Diego The duo decided to initially keep their relationship quiet for the first couple of years until they made their romance Instagram official in 2017. News of their return to the tour comes just over two weeks after the couple announced she was ready to start dancing again in a joint Instagram post. 'Stepping onto this blank canvas together,' it read in the caption, alongside of photo of the pair hugging on the dance floor. 'Beginning to paint again @hayley.erbert.' The Symphony Of Dance tour picks back up in Melbourne, Australia on April 14 and goes through the East Coast and South until ultimately winding down to wrap things up on the West Coast with a show in San Diego on May 19. Chloe Sevigny was spotted cutting a casual figure while frolicking around the streets of New York City on Friday. The 49-year-old actress donned an oversized green coat with cream lining over a white dress as a denim jacket that was tied around her waist peeked under. She paired the look with dark sunglasses and a tan bag designer bag as she wore high-cut Ugg boots lined with fleece. The American Psycho actress added a leather belt to add an edgy touch as her blonde locks cascaded over her shoulders. Her makeup was light as her bold red lip that stole the show while she accessorized with some silver rings. Chloe Sevigny was spotted cutting a casual figure while frolicking around the streets of New York City on Friday She was in a silly mood as she stuck her tongue out to photographers. She showed her funny side and was in a silly mood as she stuck her tongue out to the camera. This sighting comes days after she was spotted getting some fresh air on a stroll around Manhattan while showing off her unique style. The mother-of-one who recently spoke about an awkward misunderstanding with her Feud costar Tom Hollander went makeup free as she showed off her natural beauty and age-defying skin while she ran errands. Chloe is no stranger to outings in the Big Apple as she fearlessly flashed her silver wedding ring while walking towards the direction of the camera during the outing. The veteran actress was slammed back in January for complaining about women in athleisure and walking their dogs taking over the city. She initially sparked criticism after she gave her controversial thoughts on New York becoming a 'state for the rich', telling Rolling Stone: 'Yeah. The athleisure and the dogs are taking over, and that's really unfortunate. 'Everybody's in Lululemon and has a f***ing dog and it's driving me crazy. I'm sorry, dog lovers. There are too many of you,' Chloe seethed. 'I'm not going out to clubs in Ridgewood, so I'm sure it's there somewhere, but I'm not experiencing it. I hope there are places for people to go when they want to. I miss the megaclubs and the accessibility. 'I would like to know that they were there [in Manhattan] and not in Ridgewood, which seems very far. At the same time, the city seems closer as far as going out to other boroughs with Uber. We would do car services, and it was harder to access areas because of subways and buses not going to certain areas,' she recalled. Sevigny married her husband Sinisa Mackovic in May of 2020 in a secret ceremony in New York's City Hall. Less than two months later, they welcomed a son, Vanja. Two years after their marriage, they celebrated with their loved ones by throwing a bash in Darien, Connecticut, where the Big Love alumna grew up. Sevigny married her husband Sinisa Mackovic in May of 2020 in a secret ceremony in New York's City Hall She was slammed back in January for complaining about women in athleisure and walking their dogs taking over the city The pair was introduced through a mutual friend but did not meet in person until they crossed paths later at a Gagosian opening According to Vogue, the pair was introduced through a mutual friend but did not meet in person until they crossed paths later at a Gagosian opening. They saw each other at social settings various times before they started dating. When they found out they were expecting, Sevigny and Mackovic celebrated with a couple's getaway in Turks and Caicos. It was there her now-husband proposed and, shortly thereafter, the couple eloped in New York City. Michael Sheen has given a rare insight into his relationship with Anna Lundberg after being quizzed about their 25-year age gap on BBC's The Assembly. The Welsh actor, 55, appeared on the special, which was made in conjunction with Autism Awareness Week (April 2-8), on Friday. He was asked an array of questions by 35 neurodivergent people, but some were more personal than others. One young woman asked the Good Omens star: 'How does it feel to be dating someone who is only five years older than your daughter?', in reference to his daughter Lily, 24, who he had during his relationship with ex Kate Beckinsale. Michael has been in a relationship since 2019 with Swedish actress Anna, 30, whom he appeared with in Staged, and the couple have two children together. Michael Sheen appeared on BBC's The Assembly which was made in conjunction with Autism Awareness Week (April 2-8) The Welsh actor, 55, gave a rare insight into his relationship with Anna Lundberg, who is just five years older than one of his children (pictured in 2019) One asked: 'How does it feel to be dating someone who is only five years older than your daughter?', in reference to his daughter Lily, 24, who he had with ex Kate Beckinsale He replied: 'I think because of the age difference, I think both of us were quite surprised when we got together. 'I don't think either of us were looking for that. It's not like I've dated lots of people who are much younger than me, but you meet who you meet. We were very aware of what differences that might make and how they might respond to that,' he added. 'It's not like it was the easiest thing to do. We were both aware it would be difficult and challenging. Ultimately, we felt it was worth it because of how we felt about each other. 'Now we have two beautiful children together. I'm really happy because of the age difference I know I'm a older father. It does worry me. It makes me sad thinking about the time I won't have with them. 'But I think if you find someone who brings you happiness and you make them happy. You've got to go for that I think and I'm so happy we did as we have this wonderful family now.' The Welsh actor dated Kate, 50, met in 1995 on a touring production of The Seagull and four years later, in 1999, the actress gave birth to their daughter, Lily. They split after seven years together but remained close friends. After finding love with Anna in 2019, he welcomed daughter Lyra, three, and welcomed their second child, a baby girl, in May 2022. Announcing the exciting news, Michael shared a sweet snap of his newborn baby holding his finger on X, formerly known as Twitter. The proud father captioned the post: 'And just like that....there was another monkey jumping on the bed.' He was asked an array of questions by 35 neurodivergent people, but some were more personal than others After finding love with Anna in 2019, he welcomed daughter Lyra, three, and welcomed their second child, a baby girl, in May 2022 He originally shared the news on his Twitter account as he posted a picture of Annas blossoming baby bump The couple have been in a romance since May 2019 and welcomed Lyra four months later Last year, Michael and Anna discussed working together for the first time in the second series of BBC's comedy series Staged and touched on juggling parenting with their new stint, set at their home in South Wales during the coronavirus lockdown. The couple admitted 'alcohol was involved' in the scenes they filmed with David Tennant and his wife Georgia as the couples bonded and filmed the majority of their show at night when their babies were asleep. In the programme, which used video-conferencing technology, actors Michael and David play fictionalised versions of themselves as they attempt to rehearse a Luigi Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author virtually amid the pandemic. The Deal star admitted he struggled to shoot content with his partner as they rotated their mother and father duties. The thespian told Radio Times: 'They tend to happen in the night because of the babies being asleep and there tends to be alcohol involved as well. So theyre a bit looser.' 'I dont think that I would have coped with you, if you were the version that you are in the show', Anna joked. Michael Sheen has been praised for 'embracing wholeheartedly' what is the 'interview of a lifetime' for a group of neurodivergent people in the new BBC show, The Assembly. The special followed the actor, 55, as he was quizzed by a group of autistic and neurodivergent people in conjunction with Autism Awareness Week. Viewers said they 'wept' throughout the programme as they watched the powerful interactions, with Michael being moved to tears by a performance of Here Comes The Sun. The Welsh actor held his own throughout the special and managed to answer a whole host of questions, ranging from his love life to the Royal Family. Viewers did not waste any time to share their enthusiasm and demand more episodes of the programme onto social media. Michael Sheen has been praised for 'embracing wholeheartedly' what is the 'interview of a lifetime' for a group of neurodivergent people in the new BBC show, The Assembly The special showed actor, 55, be quizzed by a group of autistic and neurodivergent people in conjunction with Autism Awareness Week - and they didn't hold back One fan posted on X, previously known as Twitter, 'The Assembly was wonderful. I really hope the BBC makes more!' Others said: '#TheAssembly wept my way through this lovely half-hour program showing ground roots diversity with all its surprises. Michael Sheen leapt in despite some visible fleeting trepidation, then embraced it all wholeheartedly. '#TheAssembly with #Autistic & #LearningDisabled people asking Michael Sheen questions is the most beautiful programme Ive seen in ages. My tribe are so incredibly funny, talented & blisteringly honest, & @michaelsheen was just absolutely lovely. Wish everybody would watch it.' 'The Assembly on BBC One is one of the best programmes I've seen in a long time. All of humanity on show. Fantastic.' A couple were overjoyed by Michael Sheen being so calm and collected throughout the episode, with his charismatic charm. 'I have little knowledge on the interviewers disabilities but wow, and how nice is Michael Sheen.' Others were begging for more specials 'please do a series', 'please do more' and anther suggested getting some politicians involved. They said: ' Genuine, heartfelt, unique and fun piece of television. Brilliantly Reithian. Would love to see some politicians and chief executives face this audience.' Viewers said they 'wept' throughout the programme as they watched the powerful interactions, with Michael being moved to tears by a performance of Here Comes The Sun They said: ' Genuine, heartfelt, unique and fun piece of television. Brilliantly Reithian. Would love to see some politicians and chief executives face this audience' The Welsh actor held his own throughout the special and managed to answer a whole host of questions, ranging from his love life to the Royal FAmily During the interview the Welsh actor gave a rare insight into his relationship with Anna Lundberg, who is just five years older than one of his children (pictured in 2019) One asked: 'How does it feel to be dating someone who is only five years older than your daughter?', in reference to his daughter Lily, 24, who he had with ex Kate Beckinsale One young woman asked the Good Omens star: 'How does it feel to be dating someone who is only five years older than your daughter?', in reference to his daughter Lily, 24, who he had during his relationship with ex Kate Beckinsale. Michael has been in a relationship since 2019 with Swedish actress Anna, 30, whom he appeared with in Staged, and the couple have two children together. He replied: 'I think because of the age difference, I think both of us were quite surprised when we got together. 'I don't think either of us were looking for that. It's not like I've dated lots of people who are much younger than me, but you meet who you meet. We were very aware of what differences that might make and how they might respond to that,' he added. 'It's not like it was the easiest thing to do. We were both aware it would be difficult and challenging. Ultimately, we felt it was worth it because of how we felt about each other. 'Now we have two beautiful children together. I'm really happy because of the age difference I know I'm a older father. It does worry me. It makes me sad thinking about the time I won't have with them. 'But I think if you find someone who brings you happiness and you make them happy. You've got to go for that I think and I'm so happy we did as we have this wonderful family now.' The Welsh actor dated Kate, 50, met in 1995 on a touring production of The Seagull and four years later, in 1999, the actress gave birth to their daughter, Lily. They split after seven years together but remained close friends. After finding love with Anna in 2019, he welcomed daughter Lyra, three, and welcomed their second child, a baby girl, in May 2022. Christine Quinn's estranged husband Christian Richard has filed for divorce from her. The tech entrepreneur, 45, is citing 'irreconcilable differences' in his filing against the Selling Sunset alum, 35, after he was arrested for domestic violence in their marital home last month. According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, he is asking for sole legal and physical custody of their two-year-old son Christian with only visitation rights for Quinn. He also asked the court to terminate the reality TV personality's ability to seek spousal support and is not requesting alimony from her. There did not appear to be any explicit mention of a prenup in his filing. Christine Quinn 's estranged husband Christian Richard has filed for divorce from her The tech entrepreneur is citing 'irreconcilable differences' in his filing against the Selling Sunset alum, 35, after he was arrested for domestic violence in their marital home last month According to legal documents obtained by TMZ , he is asking for sole legal and physical custody of their two-year-old son Christian with only visitation rights for Quinn; seen in December 2021 According to the paperwork, Richard requests the court to help them divide their assets and property. He also asked for any of his earnings he has made since their separation be listed as solely his own. For the date of separation, he reported that it was 'to be determined.' The now-estranged couple have been married since 2019 and share one son. This comes shortly after he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon when he allegedly threw a bottle of glass recyclables at Quinn but hit their two-year-old son. He has since disputed this version of events and called them 'lies' as he maintained that he threw a trash bag containing paper towels and soiled rags at the wall. The former couple who tied the knot in 2019 have also filed dueling temporary restraining orders with hers being granted against him earlier this week. She 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. The now-estranged couple have been married for almost five years and share one son This comes shortly after he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon when he allegedly threw a bottle of glass recyclables at Quinn but hit their two-year-old son He has since disputed this version of events and called them 'lies' as he maintained that he threw a trash bag containing paper towels and soiled rags at the wall It has also been reported that cops had been called 18 times to her home in the past five years. Richard is no longer allowed at the former couple's marital home and is banned from threatening, stalking and/or assaulting her. In court documents, she made explosive accusations against him when filing for the temporary restraining order. She claimed the couple were experiencing money woes that caused their relationship to crumble. She alleged that during one outburst the day before his arrest, her husband had urinated on the floor and threw dog feces at her. She also maintained that Richard flung metal, decorative objects at her during that same altercation. When that alleged incident occurred, Quinn decided to bring her relationship with Richard to an end, according to the court documents. The former couple who tied the knot in 2019 have also filed dueling temporary restraining orders with hers being granted against him earlier this week The two met shortly after Quinn wrapped filming for the first season of Selling Sunset, which debuted in March 2019; seen in February 2021 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. An insider close to the pair revealed Quinn 'felt unsafe for a while' and claimed he had even gone as far to fake a suicide attempt to 'test her love.' 'Christine has felt controlled by Christian their whole relationship,' a source told Us Weekly in late March. The two met shortly after Quinn wrapped filming for the first season of Selling Sunset, which debuted in March 2019. She departed from the Netflix reality TV series at the start of 2022. The People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (PETA) is asking for Jason Bateman to stop promoting a dairy company on his SmartLess podcast, for which he co-hosts with Sean Hayes and Will Arnett. The request by the non-profit, which came in the form of a letter to the actor and his representatives, slammed him for spreading what the organization calls 'false and misleading marketing claims' about Organic Valley during a March 18 episode featuring John Oliver. In particular, PETA took issue with the advertisement where he claims the company sells items that are 'ethically sourced from small family farms where cows spend lots of time grazing outside an organic pasture.' 'Despite this representation, animals used for such dairy production are not "ethically sourced" and are harmed in the process,' the animal rights organization maintained in the letter obtained by TMZ. PETA went on to claim how 'cows used for mass consumption dairy products are typically hooked up to machines and milked two or more times per day, rather than being allowed to suckle their calves, it read, before adding, 'To ensure a constant supply of milk, these cows are repeatedly and artificially impregnated - not a pleasant experience - to ensure milk production.' Jason Bateman, 55, and his SmartLess podcast were put on notice by PETA for spreading what it calls 'false and misleading marketing claims' about big dairy during a recent episode The animal rights organization took issue with the advertisement where Bateman claims Valley Organic sells items that are 'ethically sourced from small family farms where cows spend lots of time grazing outside an organic pasture' The non-profit went on to describe the milking process as a 'vicious cycle' where cows suffer 'frequent mistreatment' resulting in various traumas. 'Cows on farms supplying dairy, even on organic farms such as Organic Valley's, are forcibly separated from their newborn calves shortly after birth,' the letter continued. 'This traumatic separation inflicts immense stress upon the cows, who form strong maternal bonds - mother cows can be heard calling for their calves for days after being separated.' Founded in 1980 by Ingrid Newkirk and Alex Pacheco and stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, the activists went on to claim how 'female calves are subjected to the same cycle as their mothers, while male calves are generally taken to feedlots where they await slaughter.' After sharing about how females are sent to slaughter once the cows milk production drops, members went on to write about how it's 'common in the commercial dairy industry for cows to be forced to spend long periods of time standing on concrete floors in their own filth.' As a result, PETA says the mistreatment creates various ailments and health conditions, like respiratory like respiratory issues, udder infections, and hoof injuries. Not wanting the public to be misled, PETA is pushing for Bateman to stop running the dairy advertisement on his Smartless podcast. The publication claims to have reached out to Bateman and his team but haven't heard back just yet. 'Cows on farms supplying dairy, even on organic farms such as Organic Valley's, are forcibly separated from their newborn calves shortly after birth,' the letter continued. 'This traumatic separation inflicts immense stress upon the cows, who form strong maternal bonds - mother cows can be heard calling for their calves for days after being separated' PETA says the advertisement for Valley Organic appeared on the March 18, 2024 episode The SmartLess podcast, which features Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, recently signed a new three-year deal to move to SiriusXM that's set to begin later this summer The SmartLess podcast launched back in July 2020, and within a year Amazons Wondery acquired exclusive rights to the show in June 2021 on a three-year deal. Pouncing on its success, SiriusXM has now bought the rights to the podcast that's said to be another three-year contract worth more than $100 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter. As part of the deal, SiriusXM will provide exclusive content from the podcast for its subscribers, including early access to new episodes of SmartLess and SmartLess Media podcasts Just Jack & Will, Bad Dates and Owned. 'This groundbreaking new collaboration showcases our power to drive growth for an established podcast while bringing unique value back to our subscribers through exclusive content and events,' said Scott Greenstein, president and chief content officer, SiriusXM. 'I'm looking forward to new SmartLess listeners discovering this one-of-a-kind trios inimitable style on SiriusXM, and for current fans to see what magic happens when we team up together.' The new deal between SmartLess and SiriusXM begins later this summer. Married At First Sight stars Lauren Dunn and Sara Mesa put on very glamorous displays as they enjoyed a night out in Perth on Friday. The inseparable best friends pulled out all the stops as they stepped out for a glitzy evening out at luxury Asian restaurant Shui, where they were seen chatting to pals. For the night out, PR maven Lauren, 32, put on a very leggy display in a figure-hugging blue patterned mini dress. She gave herself a few extra inches in a pair of white heeled sandals and toted her essentials in a small black handbag. Sara, 29, looked equally as glamorous as she showed off her incredible figure in a strapless yellow mini dress. Married At First Sight stars Lauren Dunn and Sara Mesa put on very glamorous displays as they enjoyed a night out in Perth on Friday The inseparable best friends pulled out all the stops as they stepped out for a glitzy evening out at luxury Asian restaurant Shui, where they were seen chatting to pals The nutritionist added to her frame with a pair of black strapped heels and styled her golden locks in loose waves across her shoulders. The close pals were seen strutting their stuff on the streets of Perth before they headed into Shui for their glitzy night out on the town. They were seen chatting to a mystery male pal as they sat at their table, with Lauren grinning and looking friendly as she greeted the friend. He was seen standing behind them and chatting as they enjoyed their fun-filled night out. Their latest outing comes after Lauren was accused of having a 'secret boyfriend' in Bali by her co-star Jack Dunkley - in claims which she has firmly denied. For the night out, PR maven Lauren, 32, put on a very leggy display in a figure-hugging blue patterned mini dress She gave herself a few extra inches in a pair of white heeled sandals and toted her essentials in a small black handbag Lauren styled her brunette locks in a straight fashion over her shoulders and opted for a high-glamour make-up palette Sara, 29, looked equally as glamorous as she showed off her incredible figure in a strapless yellow mini dress The close pals were seen strutting their stuff on the streets of Perth before they headed into Shui for their glitzy night out on the town The Gold Coast based personal trainer, 34, shared the bombshell during a rogue interview with Daily Mail Australia ahead of Sunday night's reunion dinner party. He claimed Lauren admitted to the cast that she had a fling in Bali not long before her on-screen nuptials with Jono McCullough and alleged she planned to pursue him after filming. '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. They were seen chatting to a mystery male pal as they sat at their table, with Lauren grinning and looking friendly as she greeted the friend Lauren was seen putting her hand out to greet her friend as they laughed together during the night out He was seen standing behind them and chatting as they enjoyed their fun-filled night out Besties Sara and Lauren pulled out all the stops as they brought the glamour for the night out '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.' His revelation came amid reports in New Idea alleging that Lauren had fallen for the 'perfect' man in Bal in a fling which she disclosed to friends and even to Jono during 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 claimed. Their latest outing comes after Lauren was accused of having a 'secret boyfriend' in Bali by her co-star Jack Dunkley - in claims which she has firmly denied He claimed Lauren admitted to the cast that she had a fling in Bali not long before her on-screen nuptials with Jono McCullough (both pictured). Lauren acknowledged the fling, but siad she felt that her transparency has been used against her However, Lauren has firmly denounced the swirling rumours as completely unfounded. 'It's just a bit ridiculous. I didn't have a Bali boyfriend,' she staunchly told Daily Mail Australia. She went on to acknowledge the romance in Bali, but told how she felt that her transparency about it 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. Dakota Fanning says she was a bit of a late bloomer when it came to mastering the roadways. The War of the Worlds alum, 30, revealed during her Elle interview with Ripley costar Andrew Scott that she learned how to drive relatively recently. While asking the 47-year-old Irish actor while he hasn't learned how to drive yet, she interjected, 'I only learned to drive four years.' A surprised Andrew quickly joked, 'That makes me feel better.' 'I sort of do know a tiny little bit how to drive,' he added. 'But I live in Central London and it's my carbon footprint.' Dakota Fanning says she was a bit of a late bloomer when it came to mastering the roadways in a new interview with Elle The War of the Worlds alum, 30, disclosed during her Elle interview with Ripley costar Andrew Scott that she learned how to drive relatively recently Fanning and Scott's new Netflix limited series Ripley debuted on Friday. The drama tracks the exploits of con man Tom Ripley (played by Scott), with Fanning taking on the role of Marge Sherwood, the girlfriend of Ripley's friend Dickie Greenleaf (portrayed by Johnny Flynn). This adaptation draws from Patricia Highsmiths acclaimed Tom Ripley novels, which were previously brought to the screen in the 1999 film The Talented Mr. Ripley, starring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jude Law. Gwyneth's portrayal of Marge led to comparisons with Dakota's interpretation of the character. However, Dakota confessed she didn't in any way try to copy Gwyneth's performance when preparing for the role. Speaking in an interview with British Vogue, she explained how different the two adaptations are and admitted she didn't find the film helpful for her depiction of Marge. 'I revisit the film because I love it, but I didnt find it helpful in terms of playing Marge or stepping into this world because the vibe of this is entirely separate,' Dakota explained. She added : 'Marge has some ulterior motives as well. Shes kind of using this situation that shes found herself in to her benefit a little bit, too.' While asking the 47-year-old Irish actor while he hasn't learned how to drive yet, she interjected, 'I only learned to drive four years'; Fanning in 2005's War of the Worlds Ripley tracks the exploits of con man Tom Ripley (played by Scott), with Fanning taking on the role of Marge Sherwood, the girlfriend of Ripley's friend Dickie Greenleaf (portrayed by Johnny Flynn). This adaptation draws from Patricia Highsmiths acclaimed Tom Ripley novels, which were previously brought to the screen in the 1999 film The Talented Mr. Ripley, starring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jude Law Dakota confessed she didn't in any way try to copy Gwyneth's performance when preparing for the role. This follows Dakota's acknowledgment that there's one role she hasn't tackled yet, one she deems 'probably more important' than most others. While speaking to Porter, the star dished on her career and shared her desire to have children. 'Being an actor is a huge part of my identity. I dont really know who I am without it,' Dakota told the site. 'But I also have a desire to set up my life and career so that I always have a choice.' 'Having kids is probably more important to me than anything, even being an actor,' she adds. 'If somebody said I had to choose, I would choose having kids. Im one of those people who has always felt that pull.' Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert attended the star-studded launch of Hulu on Disney+ in Los Angeles on Friday just hours after announcing that Erbert is 'cleared' to dance again four months after she suffered a cranial hematoma. The 29-year-old professional dancer and her 38-year-old husband appeared to be in high spirits at the event, as they flashed a pair of wide smiles while posing for a duo of photos. Erbert - who made her official return to red carpet events last month - stood out while wearing a white button-up shirt that had been tucked into a floral-print dress at the event. She completed her look with high-heeled shoes and a pair of chic earrings, while Hough opted for a light blue double-breasted jacket and matching pants. On Friday, the couple formally announced that Erbert, 29, would be rejoining Hough, 38, on the Symphony Of Dance tour in just over a week. Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert attended the star-studded launch of Hulu on Disney+ in Los Angeles on Friday just hours after announcing that Erbert is 'cleared' to dance again four months after she suffered a cranial hematoma 'Hi everyone, I am so excited to announce I have been cleared to rejoin the Symphony Of Dance tour, and I will be dancing when the tour begins April 14th in Melbourne, Florida,' Erbert told fans. 'We cannot wait to dance together again on stage and be back with all of our fans and thank them,' Hough chimed. 'Thank you all for the amazing support you've shown during this time,' the Dancing With The Stars pro and judge added. 'So, we cannot wait, and we will see you very very soon.' All the smiles and happy news is a far cry from when Erbert was rushed to the hospital following a tour performance in Washington, D.C. in December, where she was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel. As a result, she had to undergo a craniectomy, which is where a section of the skull is removed to help relieve any extra pressure on the brain, according to Cedar Sinai. Just weeks later, she had to have cranioplasty surgery to 'replace a large portion of her skull' that had been removed during surgery. As her road to recovery kicked off Hough decided to postpone the tour to be by his wife's side in order to offer her any help or support she needed at the time. 'What a blessing (and surprise) it is to be able to be back on stage dancing with my love after such a crazy past four months,' Erbert shared in a separate post on her Instagram page on Friday. 'My healing journey has been nothing short of extraordinary and being able to dance again is igniting my soul in all the ways; speeding up my recovery even more.' Feeling grateful, she went on to thank all the medical professionals for contributing to her speedy recovery. The 29-year-old professional dancer and her 38-year-old husband appeared to be in high spirits at the event, as they flashed a pair of wide smiles while posing for a duo of photos The pair's appearance at the event just hours after they announced that the professional dancer had been 'cleared' to dance again four months after she suffered a cranial hematoma On Friday, the couple formally announced that Erbert would be rejoining Hough on the Symphony Of Dance tour in just over a week It's been just four months since she underwent the two surgeries, which included cranioplasty surgery to 'replace a large portion of her skull' that had been removed 'We cannot wait to dance together again on stage and be back with all of our fans and thank them,' Hough chimed 'Thank you all for the amazing support you've shown during this time,' the couple added After revealing she was cleared by her doctors, the couple started dancing again just over two weeks ago, in preparation for their return to the tour April 14 'I am so appreciative of the doctors who have supported me in my decision to dance again and my team of specialists that have been assembled to assure that my health and safety is priority,' she continued. She ended by directing her attention to the fans: 'I cannot wait for you all to see this show! It was so meaningful when we opened last year and now, after everything that has happened, it is truly even more special.' During an interview with People the Topeka, Kansas native gushed about how excited she was 'to get back out and dance again after having something so traumatic happen.' 'Dance has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and so I'm just really excited to get out there and do what I love and also to see the people that have supported me throughout this entire healing journey,' she explained. 'What a blessing (and surprise) it is to be able to be back on stage dancing with my love after such a crazy past four months,' Erbert shared in a separate Instagram post on Friday The dancing professionals are seen rehearsing ahead of their return to the stage in the video 'My healing journey has been nothing short of extraordinary and being able to dance again is igniting my soul in all the ways; speeding up my recovery even more,' the Kansas native continued in the caption on Friday Hough also gave thanks to his wife's 'amazing team' who all helped make sure she was 'good and healthy.' 'She's all clear and we're all just amazed by her and can't wait to go out there and put on a great show and an emotional show,' the Salt Lake City, Utah native added. The couple, who were only just married in August 2023, started dating in 2015 while they were both appearing on Dancing With The Stars during season 20. The couple announced their return to the dance floor with an Instagram post on March 20 Hough and Erbert make their return in Melbourne, Florida on April 14, and then will take the tour through the U.S., ending on May 19 in San Diego The duo decided to initially keep their relationship quiet for the first couple of years until they made their romance Instagram official in 2017. News of their return to the tour comes just over two weeks after the couple announced she was ready to start dancing again in a joint Instagram post. 'Stepping onto this blank canvas together,' it read in the caption, alongside of photo of the pair hugging on the dance floor. 'Beginning to paint again @hayley.erbert.' The Symphony Of Dance tour picks back up in Melbourne, Australia on April 14 and goes through the East Coast and South until ultimately winding down to wrap things up on the West Coast with a show in San Diego on May 19. The updated line up for the Pandemonium Rocks festival has been announced - and several headlining acts have been scrapped from the upcoming shows. The festival's social media page shared a statement on Saturday revealing that legendary rock band Deep Purple and punk superstars Dead Kennedys have been removed from the line up. 'Despite the recent press reports that Pandemonium would be cancelled, we - Alice Cooper and Blondie - have worked closely to make it happen,' it began. 'We are excited to be coming to Australia from the 20th - 28th of April, although there have had to be some changes. 'The festival will now feature Alice Cooper, Blondie, The Psychedelic Furs, Wheatus and Wolfmother all on one big stage in Melbourne, Sydney and Gold Coast. The updated line up for the Pandemonium Rocks festival has been announced - and several headlining acts have been scrapped from the shows. Pictured: Headline act Alice Cooper 'The Sunshine Coast show is being moved to Brisbane and Blondie will not be on that show.' Many heartbroken fans quickly took to social media to express their disappointment that they would not be seeing their favourite bands in person - despite paying full price of up to $285 for a ticket. 'So Deep Purple and Dead Kennedy's cut. Do we get any money back for that?' one upset fan asked. 'This has been a monumental stuff up by the promoter. The change of venue to Eatons Hill is a joke. Accommodation was booked by a lot of people,' a second person sniped. The festival's social media page shared a statement on Saturday revealing that legendary rock bands Deep Purple and Dead Kennedys have been removed from the line up 'Despite the recent press reports that Pandemonium would be cancelled, we - Alice Cooper and Blondie - have worked closely to make it happen,' the statement began. Pictured: Blondie vocalist Debbie Harry 'Refunddddd!' a third user chipped in. Last month, the new rock festival was hit by reports of a cancellation, after a string of Australian festivals got the axe, but organisers confirmed it will be going ahead. They told fans that it would be going ahead with 'some changes' and have now confirmed exactly what alterations will be made to the music event. In a statement, organisers revealed that Pandemonium Rocks will go ahead on a smaller scale, becoming a one-stage event rather than taking place across two stages. The festival - set to tour across Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast later this month - has faced a range of challenges since announcing its line-up in January. Earlier this year, the festival attracted some controversy when it was scheduled to clash with the traditional Anzac Day march in Sydney. She previously appeared on seasons four and five of Vanderpump Rules Vanderpump Rules alum Faith Stowers is suing Bravo for 'racism, sexual harassment and physical assault' in a new bombshell lawsuit. According to court documents filed on Friday, the reality TV personality, 35, is accusing the network of discrimination, retaliation and enabling an unsafe work environment on set. In her filing, obtained by PEOPLE, Faith also named three of her former castmates Lala Kent, 33, Stassi Schroeder, 35, and Kristen Doute, 41 for harassment. In one instance, she alleged Kent held a knife up to her neck and threatened to 'cut a bitch' when they were filming together at Lisa Vanderpump's SUR restaurant in an unaired scene from season four when she had just joined the cast. Stowers' suit also names Vanderpump as she claimed the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum threatened to have her fired from her namesake show if she refused to film with her alleged assailant. Vanderpump Rules alum Faith Stowers is suing Bravo for 'racism, sexual harassment and physical assault' in a new bombshell lawsuit According to court documents filed on Friday, the reality TV personality, 35, accused the network of discrimination, retaliation and enabling an unsafe work environment on set Stowers also named the executive producer, claiming they discouraged her from filing a police report regarding the hostile encounter with Kent. DailyMail.com has reached out to reps for Bravo as well as Kent, Schroeder and Doute for comment. In her lawsuit, the former castmate claimed Schroeder and Doute had accused her of going AWOL from the United States Army and allegedly said she was a 'serial criminal' who drugged and robbed men in Los Angeles. She claimed Schroeder and Doute also filed a 'false' police report in 2018 listing Stowers as the assailant when 'the only similarities between Stowers and the assailant were their gender and skin color.' Stowers alleged that she was regularly taunted with racially insensitive remarks and mocked for having 'nappy hair.' Back in June 2020, Schroeder and Doute alongside Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni were axed from VPR when Stowers went on Instagram Live and vocalized these alleged incidents. She said her castmates' behavior was a 'brazen and defamatory campaign' of 'racial harassment' with the intention to 'harm' her and her credibility, and when she spoke up, she was allegedly 'warned' to 'keep quiet and play nice.' Following the scandal and subsequent firing of her former co-stars, she said she was then demoted to an unpaid 'volunteer' for the show's fifth season. In her filing, she also named three of her former castmates. She alleged Lala Kent, 33, held a knife up to her neck and threatened to 'cut a bitch' when they were filming together at Lisa Vanderpump's SUR restaurant in an unaired scene from season four when she had just joined the cast In her lawsuit, the former castmate claimed Schroeder and Doute had accused her of going AWOL from the United States Army and allegedly said she was a 'serial criminal' who drugged and robbed men in Los Angeles Stowers' suit also names Lisa Vanderpump as she claimed the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum threatened to have her fired from her namesake show if she refused to film with her alleged assailant Stowers alleged that she was regularly taunted with racially insensitive remarks and mocked for having 'nappy hair' Back in June 2020, Schroeder and Doute alongside Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni were axed from VPR when Stowers went on Instagram Live and vocalized these alleged incidents. She said her castmates' behavior was a 'brazen and defamatory campaign' of 'racial harassment' with the intention to 'harm' her and her credibility, and when she spoke up, she was allegedly 'warned' to 'keep quiet and play nice' She appeared in seasons four and five. She noted that for the fourth season she was only paid $5,000 a noticeably smaller sum compared to her counterparts' earnings; Rachel Leviss, Stowers, Kent, James Kennedy, James Montana seen from L-R in March 2016 Additionally, she noted that for the prior season she was only paid $5,000 a noticeably smaller sum compared to her counterparts' earnings. '[This was] an astonishingly cynical act of performative allyship,' she said about Bravo and NBCUniversal's dismissal of her castmates' actions. Stowers' filing is the latest in string of lawsuits in a 'reality reckoning,' which has also seen the Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenny Frankel leading the charge to create 'systemic change' at Bravo and eradicating mistreatment against their stars despite not suing the network herself. Notably, Stowers has retained legal representation from the same attorneys who represent Frankel, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Doute recently returned to Bravo as the star of the new spinoff series, The Valley, alongside fellow Vanderpump Rules vets, Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright. In a recent episode of The Valley, she weighed in on and broke down over her past racially insensitive behavior and actions. New episodes of Vanderpump Rules and The Valley air every Tuesday on Bravo. Lily James put on a leggy display as she celebrated her 35th birthday at Apollo's Muse, private members club in Mayfair on Friday. The actress was all smiles as she left the swanky venue in the early hours of the morning alongside her close pal and fellow actress Gemma Chan. Lily looked sensational for her night out as she slipped into a white figure-hugging Saint Laurent mini dress that showed off her lithe frame. The garment featured a pale green dot print while the Pam & Tommy star wrapped up in a camel trench coat. Letting her brunette locks fall loose down her shoulders, Lily alsoadded height to her frame with a pair of gold heels. Lily James put on a leggy display as she celebrated her 35th birthday at Apollo's Muse, private members club in Mayfair on Friday The actress was all smiles as she left the swanky venue in the early hours of the morning Joining Lily at her bash was Gemma Chan who donned a black trench coat which she wore over matching trousers and stilettos Joining Lily at her bash was Gemma who donned a black trench coat which she wore over matching trousers and stilettos. Lily was flanked by two male friends who were both dressed in cream suits with white shirts and shoes. Lily is currently preparing for the release of the upcoming mystery-comedy film Greedy People, in which she will star. The actress was first attached to the project in May of 2022, when Deadline revealed that she had joined its cast. Greedy People will be centered on a police officer who is tasked with investigating a murder and the sudden discovery of a large sum of money in a sleepy town. In addition to Lily, the film's cast will be led by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Himesh Patel, with whom the actress costarred in the 2019 film Yesterday. Performers such as Tim Blake Nelson, Uzo Aduba and Simon Rex round out the cast of the feature. Although Shooting took place in the summer of 2022, Greedy People has yet to be assigned a premiere date. Lily looked sensational for her night out as she slipped into a white figure-hugging Saint Laurent mini dress that showed off her lithe frame The garment featured a pale green dot print while the Pam & Tommy star wrapped up in a camel trench coat Lily and Gemma climbed into a taxi at the end of the night Lily added height to her frame with a pair of gold heels and carried a black handbag Lily was flanked by two male friends who were both dressed in cream suits with white shirts and shoes Magician Dynamo was another guest at Emily's party Lily will also star in the thriller feature Relay, to which she was initially linked in February of last year. The performer will portray a client who seeks the assistance of a corporate fixer after her life is endangered. The Cinderella star is also set to star alongside Riz Ahmed and Sam Worthington in the upcoming movie. Physical production on the feature commenced in New York in April of last year, and its team eventually moved to New Jersey to shoot several scenes. Relay's prospective premiere date has not been revealed as of yet. Swimming legend Lisa Curry issued a heartfelt plea to her followers on Friday, begging them to exercise caution in the water to prevent accidental drowning. The retired Olympic swimmer, 61, shared a post to Instagram asking her fans to be careful, after reports of some recent fatal drownings in Queensland. 'I'm upset and I'm mad. Lesson for life, if you can't swim, don't go in the water! Do not become a drowning statistic,' she began. The Brisbane-native then said she would be offering a free water safety lesson to her male followers in QLD, and encouraged them to attend. 'Hervey Bay Aquatic Centre tomorrow at 8am. If you want to learn some swim training and survival skills, see you there. Swimming legend Lisa Curry (pictured) issued a heartfelt plea to her followers on Friday, begging them to exercise caution in the water to prevent accidental drowning 'This is a men only event to swim, but anyone is welcome to come, watch, listen and learn.' Many of Lisa's followers quickly took to the comment section to thank her for raising awareness about this important issue following recent drownings. 'We live on a very large island. Everyone has a responsibility to learn to swim or stay away from the water,' one fan wrote. 'Great initiative,' a second person added and a third user chipped in: 'Education is needed across the board as drownings just should not happen.' The retired Olympic swimmer, 61, shared a post to Instagram asking her fans to be careful, after reports of some recent fatal drownings in Queensland The Brisbane-native then said she would be offering a free water safety lessons to her male followers in QLD, and encouraged them to attend In January, Lisa revealed on social media that she is in 'recovery' following the tragic death of her daughter Jaimi aged 33 in 2020. Jaimi, who Lisa shared with ex-husband Grant Kenny, passed away in September 2020 after a long battle with alcoholism and an eating disorder. Lisa and Grant Kenny wed in 1984, separated in 2009, and welcomed three children together: son Jett, 29, and daughters Morgan, 32, and Jaimi. Jaimi died at Sunshine Coast University Hospital on September 14, 2020, surrounded by her family. Announcing the sad news on social media at the time, Lisa wrote: 'Our beautiful daughter Jaimi has lost her battle with a long-term illness and passed away peacefully in hospital yesterday morning with her loving family by her side.' Netflix's hotly-anticipated film Scoop was released on Friday and fans have gone wild over the new drama, hailing it as 'absolutely brilliant'. However some eagle-eyed fans have been left slightly baffled as they spotted Gillian Anderson's 'secret nod to The Crown'. The actress, 55, has taken on the role of the renowned journalist Emily Maitlis in the film which recreates the cringe-inducing 2019 interview between Emily and Prince Andrew to the most meticulous detail. Gillian previously received widespread critical acclaim for her portrayal as Margaret Thatcher in The Crown. And while her physical resemblance to the journalist in Scoop is uncanny, her voice suggested she hadn't quite left her role as the former British Prime Minister behind. Scoop fans were left baffled as they spotted Gillian Andersons secret nod to The Crown in the new Netflix drama which was released on Friday Gillian's physical resemblance to the journalist is uncanny, yet her voice suggested she hadn't quite left her role as the former British Prime Minister behind Instead of sounding like the former Newsnight presenter, viewers thought she sounded very similar to her role in the Netflix royal drama. Taking to X - formerly known as Twitter fans wrote: 'Wow! Heard a clip on the radio this morning and without vision thought that Gillian Anderson sounded exactly like Margaret Thatcher!' 'I agree, Gillian Andersons voice was awful. Really off putting - I could only hear Margaret thatcher too.'; 'PSA: Gillian Anderson is doing her Thatcher voice in SCOOP.' 'Half way through and really enjoying it. Although I think Gillian Anderson keeps lapsing into her Maggie T voice which is disconcerting!'; 'Gillian Andersons rasping voice as Emily Maitlis sounded half-strangled.' 'Did Gillian Anderson really use her Margaret Thatcher voice when portraying Emily Maitlis?'; 'Gillian Anderson just picked up her Margaret Thatcher role and changed costume? The whole thing was old news.' Talk TV presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer gave the film a scathing review as she penned: 'While the actual Emily Maitlis interview was superb journalism, Scoop is deathly slow and ponderous. The star studded cast is wooden, and Gillian Anderson sounds more like Margaret Thatcher than Maitlis. You're better off watching paint dry.' Others wrote: 'Gillian Anderson making Emily Maitlis sound like her Margaret Thatcher #Scoop But no.'; 'Watching Scoop, all I see with Gillian Anderson is Margaret Thatcher not Emily Maitlis.'; 'Oh, except that Gillian Andersons Emily Maitlis is brilliant, but occasionally a bit too much like her Margaret Thatcher.' Gillian previously admitted she found playing former Newsnight presenter more daunting than her role as Thatcher. The actress, 55, has taken on the role of the renowned journalist Emily Maitlis in Netflix film Scoop which recreates the cringe-inducing 2019 interview between Emily and Prince Andrew to the most meticulous detail Taking to X - formerly known as Twitter fans wrote: 'Wow! Heard a clip on the radio this morning and without vision thought that Gillian Anderson sounded exactly like Margaret Thatcher!' Speaking about the pressure playing Emily, Gillian confessed: 'It was the first time that I've played a real-life character who is still alive. And I have to say, it's more daunting playing an Emily Maitlis than a Margaret Thatcher even. 'People know Emily so well, they listen to her daily, they watch her and have for years.' Meanwhile Gillian took to Instagram on Friday to celebrate the release of Netflix's Scoop with a slew of behind-the-scenes snaps. She 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!'. In the interview, which was described as a 'car crash', Emily quizzed the Duke about his friendship with the late-convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein. Gillian 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) She shared 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 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. Billie Piper stars alongside Gillian as Newsnight booker Sam, while Rufus Sewell is playing Prince Andrew, and Keeley Hawes takes on the role of Prince Andrew's private secretary Amanda Thirsk in the hotly-anticipated drama. After the interview 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. Hamish Blake has broken his silence on the infamous dig Sonia Kruger took at him at last year's Logies Awards ceremony in Sydney. In July, veteran TV host Sonia Kruger, 58, won the coveted Gold Logie and in her acceptance speech joked that Blake lost out because he had already won twice and people were 'over' him. The camera then cut to Hamish, 41, in the audience, who had a shocked expression on his face after hearing Sonia's snide remark. On Saturday, the veteran comedian revealed he was trying to be a good sport and take Sonia's cheeky remark in good faith by pretending to be shocked by it. 'Unfortunately, the camera cut to me and I went for a joke of my own, which was pretend to be shocked, like, "What? I can't believe I'm hearing that my manager thinks this",' he told the Something To Talk About podcast. Hamish Blake (pictured) has broken his silence on the infamous dig Sonia Kruger took at him at last year's Logies Awards ceremony in Sydney He then revealed the camera cut away as he was still pretending to be hurt by the remark, so no one saw his expression change into laughter. 'The camera had cut away by the time I was laughing at Sonia's joke so to the room it probably looks like it hasn't gone down well.' Blake then said he was shocked the next day to discover Kruger was being publicly criticised over her remarks, as he knew they were in jest. In July, veteran TV host Sonia Kruger (pictured) won the coveted Gold Logie and in her acceptance speech joked that Hamish lost out because he had already won twice and people were 'over' him 'I realised late that next day that she was copping heat so I emailed her and just went, "Hey, if this is a bother, I don't care at all." I know what it's like to be up there.' In July, Kruger admitted she did not rehearse a clear acceptance speech as she did not believe she had a serious chance of winning Most Popular Personality on Australian Television. 'I had written something; it was in my bag so that didn't help so I kind of just had to wing it and my brain was so scrambled,' Sonia told KIIS 101.1's Jase & Lauren. On Saturday, the veteran comedian revealed he was trying to be a good sport and take Sonia's cheeky remark in good faith by pretending to be shocked over it She added that a perceived dig at Blake was 'an absolute joke' that didn't 'come off' correctly. Sonia, who shares the same agent with the Lego Masters host, said their agent told her, 'I think people are a little over Hamish.' She claimed he had added, 'Frankly, I am hoping [Hamish] will leave the agency so I can concentrate all of my efforts on you, Sonia.' 'It was an absolute joke and the agent found it funny, I hope Hamish did too. I must give him an apology email today.' Jessika Power has revealed plans to return back Down Under. The Married At Fight Sight star relocated to the UK back in 2021 and has made a career for herself as a reality star after appearing on the sixth series of the matchmaking show back in 2019. Now the 31-year-old is heading home terf, posing at a Queensland location in an Instagram post on Friday. Posing alongside a beach, the television personality enjoyed a drink in the picturesque locale of Burleigh Heads. She captioned the photographs simply with 'AU' standing for Australia. Jessika Power (pictured) has revealed plans to return back Down Under. The Married At Fight Sight star relocated to the UK back in 2021 and has made a career for herself as a reality star after appearing on the sixth series of the matchmaking show back in 2019 In the comments Jessika hinted she would soon be home for good, writing, 'I'm coming home very soon!! I'm so excited'. Her fans were confused and delighted, with one commenting: 'She back in Oz! Whoooo hoooooo'. Another begged: 'When are you coming home Jess?' Last year, Jessika revealed plans to extend her stay in the UK after finding love with a British DJ. She first relocated to England in 2021 to be with her former flame Connor Thompson, who she broke up with last June. Now the 31-year-old is heading home terf, posing at a Queensland location in an Instagram post on Friday. In the comments Jessika hinted she would soon be home for good, writing, 'I'm coming home very soon!! I'm so excited' However, she has since found love with British music producer Brent Anthony and was reportedly planning on staying in London to be with him. 'It's only been a month or so but they're pretty inseparable,' a source told Yahoo Lifestyle. Meanwhile, Brent recently posted some intimate snaps to his Stories showing Jessika cuddling him in bed. The blonde bombshell is appearing on MTV's Celebrity Ex On The Beach UK in 2024 and is said to be contractually obligated to remain single until the show finishes airing. Following her time on Married At First Sight Australia in 2019, Jessika moved to the UK to pursue a television career, having also starred on Celebs Go Dating. Kanye West's wife Bianca Censori is reportedly eager to have a baby and still plans to wear her revealing outfits when she's pregnant. The couple are said to be eager to have children soon, despite their friends disapproving of the union and Bianca's often outrageous outfits. According to The US Sun, Bianca, 29, has no plans to dress more modestly when she does become pregnant and will carry on with her usual racy style. A source said: 'Bianca is in her element. She loves the attention and being dressed by Ye, despite what everyone thinks of her outfits. 'She feels a lot of her looks are artistic, not just about the fashion. Bianca is fully dedicated and in it for the long haul, she doesnt care what people think of her.' Kanye West's wife Bianca Censori is reportedly eager to have a baby and still plans to wear her revealing outfits when she's pregnant The couple are said to be eager to have children soon, despite their friends disapproving of the union and Bianca's often outrageous outfits The insider added they expect Bianca to follow in the footsteps of Rihanna who regularly wore crop tops and other revealing looks while she was pregnant. They said: 'I wouldnt be surprised if she got pregnant soon and she'll still wear revealing outfits the same as Rihanna did.' Although they often appear sombre in front of the cameras, the source insisted the pair are always 'laughing and joking' with each other. Bianca was recently said to be growing tired of being used as a 'free marketing tool' for Kanye's upcoming album, according to sources who claim she is feeling 'overexposed.' Kanye has been blasted in recent months for sharing provocative images of the Australian designer on social media, raising questions over whether or not she is being 'controlled' by the controversial rapper. Insiders have claimed that despite loving the attention, Bianca herself is starting to feel used and is struggling with Kanye 'pushing for more' ahead of the release of the delayed Vultures 2. 'She needs a break and needs to step back,' a source told DailyMail.com exclusively. 'She loved the attention but it is getting overwhelming and Kanye keeps pushing and pushing for more, more, more leading up to the release of Vultures 2.' The insider explained that the former Yeezy employee was aware that she had been 'overexposed' and was now keen to take a step back and focus on starting a family. According to The US Sun, Bianca, 29, has no plans to dress more modestly when she does become pregnant and will carry on with her usual racy style 'She feels like he is using her as a free marketing tool as does everyone else,' they said. 'These past couple of months have been an experience, but she really wants to focus on having children after the album drops. She knows she is overexposed.' Just last year, Kanye's ex-girlfriend Julia Fox, 34, claimed that she found her short-lived relationship with the rapper 'overwhelming and unsustainable.' The Uncut Gems star - who dated the musician for less than two months in 2022 - told Drew Barrymore that it was hard work being his 'muse'. 'I could only do it for so long,' she said. 'Cause ultimately I think he needed a full-time person and I just couldn't be full-time. It was so overwhelming and so unsustainable.' She continued: 'I think I just realized very quickly it just wasn't gonna be sustainable because, ultimately, I cannot put anybody else first. My son has to be first. 'It just became too much. Like, I didn't sign up to have two babies, you know?' A source said they expect Bianca to follow in the footsteps of Rihanna (pictured) who regularly wore crop tops and other revealing looks while she was pregnant Bianca's family this week rubbished 'bulls**t' claims that they have been concerned for her welfare since marrying Kanye in December 2022, insisting they fully 'support' him and his business ventures. 'We all support him. We support his new album. We support his new clothes he's dropping,' Bianca's sister Angelina Censori told the Herald Sun. Angelina, who described her sibling as her 'best friend and confidante,' continued: 'It's all just bulls**t. There was something about my dad even recently. My dad never talks. Nothing's true.' Earlier this month, insiders told DailyMail.com that Bianca and Kanye had been asked by her father, Leo, to fly to Australia in order to address his concerns over her X-rated makeover. 'Kanye has been invited to go to Australia and Bianca is hesitant to allow this to happen because she knows how her father will react,' the insider stated at the time. 'Her dad still plans to have a sit-down with Kanye, and Leo will not be intimidated by Kanye's power or control. No one is expecting this to be all rainbows and family portraits.' Bianca's mother Alexandra recently flew out to Los Angeles in order to assess the situation for herself. The architectural designer has consistently made headlines thanks to a number of racy outfits since she started dating the rapper The source explained that Bianca wants to shy away from the spotlight as they stated: 'She needs a break and needs to step back' 'Bianca's father was not necessarily pleased with his wife's visit to see their daughter because he feels like she enabled Bianca to continue doing what she is doing,' the insider spilled. 'Yes, Bianca dressed provocatively while her mother was there, but it was nothing in comparison to some of the outfits she has worn prior to and since the visit.' Indeed, Kanye and Bianca often raise eyebrows when they step out in public together but the Grammy winner also likes to showcase his wife's controversial outfits online. Last week, the Carnival artist posted a video of Bianca wearing a strapless white lace leotard and white high heeled sandals while lying in a huge white bed. Malik Yusef, a musical partner of Kanye, told Page Six: 'I think it's Ye saying, "My b***h is living in the lap of luxury, I dont know what you all are doing today, but I hope you're all just chilling like me. This is my business." The room is all bed. It's a new context on bedroom.'" Kanye and Bianca often raise eyebrows when they step out in public together due to her very racy outfits The rapper married the Aussie designer just one month after finalizing his divorce from ex-wife Kim Kardashian in November 2022 - leaving her family fearing that the relationship might have been a rebound. Fears grew for Bianca and the couple's somewhat unconventional relationship over her fashion choices and how she is always silent. But insiders later claimed that she had reassured loved ones that she was not being coerced by her husband. 'Bianca has talked to her family and she has told her friends the same thing since she was last back home, namely that she knows what she is doing and she has this under control,' they told DailyMail.com. Fans were shocked earlier this week after hearing Bianca's 'real voice' in an unearthed throwback video. The architect was speaking at the CFS Summit in Paris in 2022 where she represented Yeezy. She looked significantly different with more natural makeup and long brown hair, which she sported before cutting it shorter amid her romance with Kanye. Daria Varlamova has revealed that she suffered a concussion in a car accident on Good Friday. The former Miss Universe Australia suffered concussion and whiplash after her car was rear ended by a mini bus on Victoria's Calder Highway. 'I was eating my protein ball in the back, I was sitting in the back seat, and the next thing I know there is a big collision and the car suddenly stopped,' the 28-year-old told the Herald Sun. 'I could hear all the glass shattering behind me and metal crunching'. The beauty queen was taken to hospital where she was treated for her injuries and luckily has since recovered. Daria Varlamova (pictured) has revealed that she suffered a concussion in a car accident on Good Friday 'It can happen so quickly, and it can happen to anyone. Please be careful' Daria later said on Instagram. 'For me, this experience was more mentally jarring than anything else' the model continued. 'As a former support worker, I once cared for a young man who was in a car accident (the other driver being at fault). 'His life was turned upside down because of someone's recklessness' she wrote. The former Miss Universe Australia suffered concussion and whiplash after her car was rear ended by a mini bus on Victoria's Calder Highway. The beauty queen was taken to hospital where she was treated for her injuries 'I was eating my protein ball in the back, I was sitting in the back seat, and the next thing I know there is a big collision and the car suddenly stopped,' the 28-year-old told the Herald Sun. 'I could hear all the glass shattering behind me and metal crunching' The ambitious psychotherapy student emigrated from Russia to Perth at the age of eight and was crowned Miss Universe Australia 2021. She cooped the title while sitting at home in her Melbourne apartment, watching the national final which was held virtually for the second year running due to the pandemic. The blonde beauty, who describes herself as 'Russian-born, Western Australia-bred and Melbourne-based', first entered the pageant at the age of 19 but was devastated when she didn't make it to the state finals. In 2020, she was fourth runner-up. Persistence paid off for the self-professed 'travel addict' when she triumphed in a field of 29 finalists, with Mia Brooks from New South Wales coming in as runner-up. The ambitious psychotherapy student emigrated from Russia to Perth at the age of eight and was crowned Miss Universe Australia 2021 Katie Price proclaimd herself to be 'the most natural I've been' as she ditched her hair extentions and makeup. The former glamour model, 45, said she was 'on a health kick' while boasting about her more natural appearance in a video shared on Instagram. However, Katie wasn't completeley without new tweakments as the video came just two days after she revealed she got new lip filler. In her latest clip, the mother-of-five said: 'So I am on a health kick as you can see I've got no hair extensions and I have had a skins booster. 'You can see where I had my lips done yesterday and I've had some Botox. Katie Price proclaimd herself to be 'the most natural I've been' as she ditched her hair extentions and makeup However, Katie wasn't completeley without new tweakments as the video came just two days after she revealed she got new lip filler The former glamour model, 45, said she was 'on a health kick' while boasting about her more natural appearance in a video shared on Instagram Like I said the healthy way forward to me now, I want to wear no make-up and have my skin looking glowing and the Botox and the lips, I'm feeling really refreshed. 'Look at me, this is the most natural I've been with my hair. So yeah, check that skin out - no make-up!' It comes after Katie realed the results of yet another round of lip fillers, having headed to the aesthetics salon for the fourth time in five weeks. Despite her ongoing campaign to introduce an age limit on facial fillers, the former glamour model 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 comes after Katie realed the results of yet another round of lip fillers , having headed to the aesthetics salon for the fourth time in five weeks 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. 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. 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 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 Her visit to the Essex-based clinic came around very quickly after her last visit was as 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.' 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'. 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 vaneers 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. 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. 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. Gemma Collins enjoyed a glass of wine as she expressed her excitement for hotter days ahead on Instagram on Saturday. In a video clip, the TOWIE icon, 43, appeared in high spirits as she filmed herself in a restaurant sipping on a glass of white wine. The Met Office announced it was the UK's hottest day of the year so far after temperatures hit 20.9C in Suffolk. Brits have been soaking up the sun across much of the south and parts of east England. The TV personality looked stylish in a black top and cream blazer as she made a peace sign towards the camera. Gemma Collins enjoyed a glass of wine as she expressed her excitement for hotter days ahead on Instagram on Saturday During the clip, the TOWIE icon, 43, appeared in high spirits as she filmed herself in a restaurant sipping on a glass of white wine She opted for styling her blonde locks in a voluminous blowout and rocked a bronzed makeup look. Gemma donned a silver cross necklace and a pair of oversized black designer shades which featured a gold Fendi branded chain. She captioned the post: 'I just read the UK is about to get hotter then LA'. It comes after Gemma finally managed to flog her size 42H bra on Depop for 20, five months after first putting it up for sale. The former The Only Way Is Essex fan-favourite put the brassiere up for sale in November. After buying the lacy white bra new for 107, Gemma first tried to sell it for 80 on Depop, before slashing the price to 56 within days offering 30 per cent off. As the lingerie continued to go unsold, Gemma - known as The GC - was then forced to cut the price to just 20 three weeks ago - when it was finally snapped up. Gemma did not clarify in her post whether or not the bra had been worn at all, but it came with tags attached. The description for the lacy white bra from Prima Donna reads: 'This full cup bra is sexy, comfortable and super-luxurious. Gemma enjoyed some fish and chips with her fiance Rami Hawash The TV personality looked stylish in a black top and cream blazer as she made a peace sign towards the camera She opted for styling her blonde locks in a voluminous blowout for the sunny day ahead and adorned a bronzed makeup look 'The removable straps accentuate your feminine cleavage. Looks great under a V-neck top.' Gemma - who has also appeared on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! and Celebrity Big Brother - has mixed reviews on Depop. One purchaser fumed about the black top she bought, saying: 'Not as described, unfortunately. Arrived with a strange smell and appeared worn despite having labels still on. Delivery took a while and I had to chase on a delivery update.' And another who bought a colourful two-piece added: 'Chase, chase, chase. No communication unless you communicate and get it posted.' However, there were also positive experiences, with one person leaving a glowing review saying: 'Gemma is one stunning lady, very polite and lovely person the top came quickly with postage & definitely would buy again. 'The top looks great and fits perfect helps to buy plus size as its hard to grab plus size these days. Huge fan and very happy buyer.' The TV star is selling 174 items of clothing on her account, including dresses, tops, shoes and bags. After buying the lacy white bra new for 107, Gemma first tried to sell it for 80 on Depop, before slashing the price to 56 within days offering 30 per cent off As the lingerie continued to go unsold, Gemma - known as The GC - was then forced to cut the price to just 20 three weeks ago - when it was finally been snapped up Gemma - who has also appeared on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! and Celebrity Big Brother - has mixed reviews on Depop It comes after Gemma revealed that she once blew 100,000 in one week on a luxurious trip to Mykonos. Gemma admitted that despite the Greek island being 'pure magic', you need 'big pockets' to be able to stay there. She added that she stayed in a hotel back in 2022 that cost her 21,000 for a seven-night stay - before factoring in the prices of meals and dinners out and activities. She told The Times: 'I've got to be honest when I go on holiday it's not just a five or ten-grand holiday. It ends up costing a fortune. It comes after Gemma revealed she once blew 100,000 in one week on a luxurious trip to Mykonos The former TOWIE star admitted that despite the Greek island being 'pure magic', you need 'big pockets' to be able to stay there 'Mykonos is pure magic, but you need big pockets to go there 100,000 should cover all your meals, activities and accommodation for a week. 'We stayed at the Cavo Tagoo Hotel in 2022 and it was 21,000 for the seven-night stay alone.' Gemma shot onto screens in 2011 when she joined the cast of The Only Way Is Essex as a humble car sales woman. And for the four years that followed she became a household name on the much-loved reality show with her iconic one-liners and dramatic arguments. Since leaving the show she's amassed a huge platform and 2.2million Instagram followers and has gone on to make millions from various businesses, TV appearances and brand deals. Aoki Lee Simmons, 21, enjoyed frolicking in the sand with her rumored boyfriend Vittorio Assaf, 65 during a recent vacation in the Caribbean. The BCBG model, who is the daughter of music mogul Russell Simmons, 66, and designer Kimora Lee Simmons, 48, showcased her lithe form in a multi-colored string bikini in shades of orange, green and red, with a matching bandeau top. She appeared makeup-free and wore her long dark hair in natural curls around her shoulders. The cover model accessorized with a thin gold chain around her neck. Meanwhile, the restaurateur, who is 44 years her senior, sported a pair of blue and white swim trunks. Aoki Lee Simmons, 21, shared a kiss with her boyfriend Vittorio Assaf, 65 while on vacation in the Caribbean April 2 He accessorized with long chunky white gold chain. His salt and pepper hair was combed back from his face. It's unclear how long the two have been dating. A source close to the model told People, 'Aoki and Vittorio are spending time together and enjoying each others' company.' The Serafina restaurant chain co-founder seemed to enjoy using his phone to snap pictures of his lady love, documenting their romantic trip on the island of St. Barts, which is reportedly a favorite destination for the Simmons family. The celebrity hideaway is a favorite of luminaries such as Paul McCartney and Paris Hilton who recently enjoyed trips there. The tiny French-speaking island is located east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The tiny island boasts only nine square miles of area, but it's home to 22 white-sand beaches and the pair enjoyed taking a dip in the sapphire blue and turquoise waters. The couple seemed to be trying to keep their relationship quiet. It's unclear how long the two have been dating. A source close to the model told People , 'Aoki and Vittorio are spending time together and enjoying each others' company' The BCBG model showcased her lithe form in a multi-colored string bikini in shakes of orange, green and red, with a matching bandeau top. The restaurateur sported a pair of blue and white swim trunks The Serafina restaurant chain co-founder seemed to enjoy using his phone to snap pictures of his lady love, documenting their romantic trip on the island of St. Barts The runway beauty seemed to enjoy splashing in the warm waters as the waves rolled toward the shore. The St. Barts visitors guide reports April to June is the best time to visit and December to March is the peak of tourist season The pair enjoyed a swim in the turquoise waters The couple seemed to be trying to keep their relationship quiet, but as word got out, Aoki seemed to address it in Instagram Stories writing,'Errr well now I know why folks were calling me' Neither has shared photos of the other on social media, although recent posts confirm they were both in St. Barts The pair seemed quite enraptured with each other and seemed to have a difficult time keeping their lips to themselves Neither has shared photos of the other on social media, although recent posts confirm they were both in St. Barts. The pair seemed quite enraptured with each other and seemed to have a difficult time keeping their lips to themselves. But as word of the romance got out, Aoki seemed to address it in Instagram Stories writing,'Errr well now I know why folks were calling me.' The St. Barts visitors guide reports April to June is the best time to visit and December to March is the peak of tourist season. The area features beautiful coral reefs and hiking for those looking for adventure. The island also has lots of high end shopping, including stores for Cartier and Louis Vuitton. The runway beauty seemed to enjoy splashing in the warm waters as the waves rolled toward the shore. Aoki is the daughter of music mogul Russell Simmons, 66, and designer Kimora Lee Simmons, 48 She has had a rocky relationship with her father and called him out for his alleged abusive behavior in June 2023 on social media. The posts have since been deleted Aoki has been modeling since she was a child, wearing looks from her family's Baby Phat line as well as Just Fab Aoki has had a rocky relationship with her famous father and called him out for his alleged abusive behavior in June 2023 on social media. The posts have since been deleted. In an interview with Teen Vogue in September of that year, the model said she had no regrets. 'Part of it was already out there. There were reasons I thought it was reasonable to publish, because it was playing out in, like, a silent bubble.' During that tempestuous time, Russell Simmons sued Kimora for fraud, alleging she took millions of dollars worth of energy-drink company Celsius stock to cover husband Tim Leissner's legal fees in a money laundering case. She made her runway debut in 2021 for Pyer Moss Paris Couture Since then, the in-demand muse has been a cover model for several publications, including Rollercoaster, Flaunt and Teen Vogue In November, a court ordered the entrepreneur to pay Kimora some $100,000 to cover her legal fees after a hearing over the allegations. In December, the US government issued a memorandum declaring the Def-Jam Records co-founder had no standing to sue. In February, a former executive at Def Jam Recordings filed a lawsuit, alleging sexual harassment and battery while she was at the company in the 1990s. The woman, known as Jane Doe in court papers, claimed she was raped by Simmons and that her 'career in the music industry was disrupted and derailed by a devastating experience at the hands of Mr. Simmons.' The suit was filed under New Yorks Adult Survivors Act. Vittorio was married for 20 years to model Charlotte Bonstrom, 41 The former couple share two children, Vittorio Jr., 21, and Valentina, 17 The pair aren't the only ones to enjoy the white sand beaches of St. Barts Paul McCartney and Paris Hilton recently enjoyed trips to the island Aoki has been modeling since she was a child, wearing looks from her family's Baby Phat line as well as Just Fab. With beauty and brains to spare, she began attending Harvard University at age 16 and graduated in 2023, at age 20 with a degree in Classics and Government. The brown-eyed beauty made her runway debut in 2021 for Pyer Moss Paris Couture. Since then, the in-demand muse has been a cover model for several publications, including Rollercoaster, Flaunt and Teen Vogue. Vittorio was married for 20 years to model Charlotte Bonstrom, 52. The marriage ended when the Swedish-American beauty left him for another man, her twin sister's ex-husband Thierry Gillier. The former couple share two children, Vittorio Jr., 21, and Valentina, 17. Chrissy Teigen took to Instagram on Saturday to share more photos from her family trip to Bangkok. The 38-year-old mother-of-four and her two oldest children daughter Luna, who turns eight this month, and son Miles, six in May dressed in traditional Thai clothing in clips shared to the app's Stories feature. In one brief video clip shared with her 42.6 million followers, the model flaunted a beautiful, pink, beaded top. Teigen wore it with gold accents, including a long necklace with charms and ornate, geometric hair pieces. She also shared a snippet of Luna in a blue and gold outfit, and Miles in white, purple, and pink. Chrissy Teigen took to Instagram on Saturday to share more photos from her family trip to Bangkok Teigen's look included gold accents, including a long necklace with charms and ornate, geometric hair pieces The cookbook author looked gorgeous in a full face of makeup by artist Punpawee Somporn, who she tagged. Her hair was pulled back into a sizable chignon set at the back of her head. Chrissy and husband John Legend's firstborn looked cute with her hair also styled in an updo with a center part. The youngster's head was adorned with a floral headband and she wore dangling earrings. The happily married couple, who renewed their vows on their tenth wedding anniversary last year, are also parents to Esti, one, and Wren, eight months. They lost their son Jack in September 2020 due to pregnancy complications. The media personality and her family are enjoying a family getaway with her mom Vilailuck Teigen. In January, Chrissy revealed that her mom, who lived with her in the states for years, had moved back to Thailand, where they are from. She also shared a clip of Luna in a blue and gold outfit Her son Miles, five, was pictured in white, purple, and pink It comes after on Friday Chrissy used Instagram to show off her summer ready body while on a yacht. She carried her youngest child, Wren Alexander, in one photo Chrissy shares her four adorable children with husband John Legend, who she married ten years ago While stopping by SiriusXM TODAY Show Radios The Happy Hour, she shared about her parent: 'She is meant to go live her best life. 'She obviously loves taking care of her grandchildren but seeing her every day at home, doing that and being there with us was so special and so amazing, but shes young enough that she needs to go off and be happy.' She added, 'We miss her so much... you feel the void.' Chrissy and John met in 2006 while on the set of the music video for his song Stereo, and they got engaged in 2011. The happy couple waited two years before they held a wedding ceremony in Italy. Stephen Mulhern pulled out of Ant & Decs Saturday Night Takeaway this weekend after he was struck down with illness. The television presenter, 47, is said to have told producers on Saturday morning that he was not up for filming that evening as he was feeling under the weather. While he was absent from the show, the nature of his illness has not been revealed. The last minute change meant hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly had to rewrite an I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! segment to feature radio presenter Jordan North, 34. A source close to Stephen told The Sun on Sunday: 'Stephen was due to be on a small section of the show, but sadly he was feeling a bit too poorly to perform. Stephen Mulhern pulled out of Ant & Decs Saturday Night Takeaway this weekend after he was struck down with illness The last minute change meant hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly had to rewrite an I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! segmen 'When he realised he would be too under the weather to show up he called first thing on Saturday morning to let the team know. 'They were able to rejig the format and make it work without him.' Stephen is still due to appear on Ant & Decs Saturday Night Takeaway last ever episode in a special Farewell Spectacular. A representative for Stephen told MailOnline: 'Stephen was due to be involved in one of the sketches in tonight's show but sadly he was unable to take part due to him feeling unwell. He's looking forward to being back for the final next weekend.' ITV declined to comment. In 2022, Stephen took a long break from presenting after undergoing a medical procedure in hospital. It comes as Stephen and Cat Deeley are being eyed as a guest hosts for Britain's Got Talent. New This Morning presenter Cat and Dancing On Ice host Stephen - who previously hosted companion show Britain's Got More Talent and spin-off programme Britain's Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician - are being eyed by producers to go on stand-by to cover for Ant Mc Partlin on the live shows if his wife Anne-Marie Corbett goes into labour. Stephen, 47, is said to have told producers on Saturday morning that he was not up for filming that evening as he was feeling under the weather The couple are due to welcome their first child into the world in June, so ITV bosses are worried Declan Donnelly could be left holding the fort alone if they don't draft up a contingency plan. A source told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: 'The timing is causing something of a headache for bosses. 'They are considering whether Dec would present alone if Anne-Marie went into labour or, if time allows, a guest presenter could step in. 'Cat and Stephen, who the lads have worked with in the past, are front-runners.' Ant recently explained he and Dec - who has Isla, five, and 18-month-old Jack with his wife wife Ali Astall - are keen to spend more time with their families, which led to them 'pausing' Saturday Night Takeaway after 20 series. He told Flaunt Magazine: 'We do the show and then Britains Got Talent, but on a more personal level, part of the reason were pausing Takeaway is we need a break ourselves, and we need to spend some time with our family. 'Weve both got children that we need to spend time with for a little bit. 'We need time to think and, and time to step back and look at the bigger picture and just see where we are now. It comes after Stephen and Cat Deeley (pictured) are reportedly being lined up to stand-in for pal Ant McPartlin on Britain's Got Talent, should his wife Anne-Marie Corbett go into labour The host is set to become a father for the first time in June, which coincides with the competition's live shows (Ant and Anne-Marie pictured in February) 'You know, like I say, "Were turning 49, and what do we want to do next? Whats the next phase of our career?" 'And weve got lots of ideas and lots of offers on the table, lots of options of things we can do. 'But its working on what we do next and where the next chapter begins. So thats what were gonna do when Saturday Night Takeaway is out of the way. 'Well sit down, take a bit of time, and reevaluate everything.' Made in Chelsea cast member Freddy Knatchbull was reportedly kidnapped by gangsters while filming for the show in Corsica. The reality personality, 20, who is a great-grandson of Prince Philips uncle, is said to have been bundled into a car while on the French island. Model Freddy was locked in a 4x4 by gang members prompting the other members of the cast to descend into a panic. The motive behind the mobsters' actions are not clear. A source told The Sun on Sunday: 'The cast were very worried. Made in Chelsea cast member Freddy Knatchbull was reportedly kidnapped by gangsters while filming for the show in Corsica The reality personality, 20, who is a great-grandson of Prince Philips uncle, is said to have been bundled into a car while on the French island (seen on Made In Chelsea) 'There were five burly men. They were intimidating and hostile and locked the doors of the 4x4 with Freddy inside. 'No one could get hold of him for ages.' An insider added: 'It was hugely worrying because hes the youngest but it all ended up OK. 'We had no idea what was going on and whether it was linked to money or hed just said the wrong thing in French. 'Its been kept under lock and key ever since.' MailOnline has contacted E4 and a representative for Freddy for comment. It is claimed Made In Chelsea bosses were not made aware of the incident at the time. The cast were already on alert as Corsica has the highest murder rate in Europe. Model Freddy was locked in a 4x4 by gang members prompting the other members of the cast to descend into a panic Freddy is the great-grandson of Earl Mountbatten, Queen Victoria and of the uncle to Prince Philip. He missed King Charles coronation in May last year to film last summers Made In Chelsea spin-off. Freddy said of not attending at the time: 'Youve got to go to work, Im afraid. 'I couldnt fly back. I was filming that day.' Demi Moore looked sensational in a chainmail gown as she led the stars celebrating Dolce & Gabbana's 40th anniversary in Milan on Saturday. The actress, 61, was joined by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, 36, and Lily James, 35, for the opening night of the brand's exhibition at Palazzo Reale. Stepping out in Italy's fashion capital, Demi teamed the glittering sheer number with a black bra and matching high waisted bottoms. She styled her hair straight and elevated her height with a pair of strappy sandals to complete her look. Rosie also embraced the brands love of lingerie and wore a black chiffon gown with a plunging neckline. Demi Moore, 61, looked sensational in a chainmail gown as she led the stars celebrating Dolce & Gabbana's 40th anniversary in Milan on Saturday The actress, 61, was joined by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, 36, and Lily James, 35, for the opening night of the brand's exhibition at Palazzo Reale The slip dress featured corset-style panelling and was teamed with suspenders, lace stockings and black underwear. Lily opted for a two-piece consisting of a sheer halterneck top and black wide leg trousers. Speaking to Financial Times ahead of the exhibition opening the brands founders and co-owners, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana explained how they hope to tell the story of 'where they had come from.' Stefano said: 'Our dream is to inspire the new generations, to encourage them to express what they feel, and give them courage.' Domenico added: 'We would like young people to see in the artistic professions an alternative, an antidote to banality and homogenisation. 'And if this project leads them to marvel at the creativity and craftsmanship that are contained not only in the final product, but in the entire process, we will feel truly happy.' Demi's outing comes amid ex husband Bruce Willis' dementia and aphasia battle. Since the Die Hard star's devastating diagnosis, his adoring family have rallied around him. Stepping out in Italy's fashion capital, Demi teamed the glittering sheer number with a black bra and matching high waisted bottoms She styled her hair straight and elevated her height with a pair of strappy sandals to complete her look Rosie also embraced the brands love of lingerie and wore a black chiffon gown with a plunging neckline The slip dress featured corset-style panelling and was teamed with suspenders, lace stockings and black underwear Lily opted for a two-piece consisting of a sheer halterneck top and black wide leg trousers They were joined by Helen Mirren, who wore a sequinned midi dress Cher, 77, caught the eye in a dramatic fur coat and distressed trousers She was joined by her boyfriend Alexander Edwards, 38 Theo James, 39, wore a sleek black suit with a white shirt Naomi Campbell looked chic in a pin striped suit The supermodel, 53, layered a polka dot bra top underneath Bruce, 69, married the actress in 1987 but the pair separated in 2000. As Demi found love with younger actor Ashton Kutcher, 46, (who she split from 2011), Bruce later fell for English model and actress Emma Heming, who is almost 25 years his junior. But Bruce, Demi and Emma were determined to remain friends for the sake of their children and the couples became close. 'We've become like a tribe,' Bruce said of their blended family while speaking with W Magazine in 2009, after Ashton and Demi attended his Turks and Caicos wedding to Emma. Bruce has previously noted that people are often baffled by his friendship with Demi - with whom he shares children Rumer, 35, Scout, 32 and Tallulah, 30. 'It's generated a lot of interest because everyone can understand resentment and envy in the breakup of a marriage, but they don't understand how I can get along with my ex like that,' he said. 'Demi and I made a choice to put the kids first, and we're really lucky that it turns out we all have fun together.' Demi and Ashton ended up splitting in 2011, and they finalised their divorce two years later. Lupita Nyong'o, 41, wore a quirky panelled mini skirt and mesh bodysuit David Gandy dressed in an all-black suit with a wool jacket layered over the top Kitty Spencer stunned in a plunging pleated gown Olivia Culpo looked stylish in a collared boucle jacket with matching shorts Demi recently paid tribute to her ex-husband Bruce Willis as he celebrated his 69th birthday surrounded by his family and loved ones Demi also shared an undated throwback snap of Bruce with all three of his daughters - Rumer, 35, Tallulah, 30, and Scout, 32 Meanwhile, Bruce and Emma went on to welcome their daughter Mabel in 2012. Two years later, they had Evelyn. Bruce celebrated his 69th birthday in March, surrounded by his family, including ex-wife Demi. The actress took to Instagram sharing two new snaps - one with her and Bruce having a chat and another with Bruce playing with his granddaughter Louetta, the first child of his daughter Rumer. Demi also shared an undated throwback snap of Bruce with all three of his daughters - Rumer, Tallulah and Scout. She captioned, 'Happy Birthday, BW! We love you and are so grateful for you.' Heavy rainstorms to hit southern, eastern parts of China: forecast Xinhua) 13:33, April 06, 2024 BEIJING, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rainstorms will lash the provinces of Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Fujian in southern and eastern parts of China -- with some areas in these regions also expecting thunderstorms, gales and hail. In issuing a yellow alert, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said that the central part of southern China's Guangdong Province, in particular, will experience heavy rainfall with predicted precipitation of up to 180 millimeters in the space of just 24 hours from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday. The NMC in this alert also urged local authorities to get fully prepared for dealing with the impact of heavy rainstorms. Local transport departments are advised to beef up transport guidance and implement travel control measures on flooded roads. The NMC further advised the evacuation of people from low-lying and potentially vulnerable areas to safer locations, due to the threat posed by heavy downpours. China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Zhong Wenxing) The chairman of a leading exclusive London gentlemen's club has resigned ahead of an expected change in policy that could see women being allowed to join. Gareth Neame, head of Mayfair's 156-year-old Savile Club, quit on Friday and simultaneously gave up his memberships at the Beefsteak Club and the Garrick Club. Yesterday two sources close to Savile blamed his decision to leave on discussions going on at all three clubs over allowing women to join. One source said that Mr Neame simply couldn't face the procedures and publicity involved. Gareth Neame, (pictured) head of Mayfair's 156-year-old Savile Club, quit on Friday Mr Neame is a successful British TV executive who produced Downton Abbey and, during his stint as a BBC executive, made Tipping The Velve But last night Mr Neame denied that his reason for resigning from the clubs was over the issue of women members. Last week the Garrick Club held a vote to pass a motion to permit women to join for the first time in 200 years. The decision came after a leak to The Guardian last month, which published the names of 60 of its members. The list read like a Who's Who of the British establishment, with names including King Charles, Benedict Cumberbatch and Stephen Fry among its 1,500 members. After the leak, Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, resigned as a member, along with Sir Richard Moore, head of MI6. Prominent female names, including Mary Beard, journalist Cathy Newman, Juliet Stevenson and Amber Rudd have since been put forward as potential candidates for the Garrick. Debates and votes to allow women members are now being scheduled at the Savile Club. Meanwhile, the Beefsteak Club, whose motto is 'beefsteak and brotherhood' has according to a member already decided to let women in. But the issue is now the talk of London's high society, thanks to Mr Neame's decision to storm out. Another source told the MoS last night: 'The Savile chairman has resigned, purely over women members. Everybody's disappointed as he's such an excellent person. 'The Savile are still only talking about it it hasn't even started happening yet. But he resigned because a lot of people are giving him a hard time over it. It's up for discussion but nothing's been finalised. 'It is happening at the Beefsteak too, and at the Garrick. He just can't face going through all of it.' Mr Neame is a successful British TV executive who produced Downton Abbey and, during his stint as a BBC executive, made Tipping The Velvet a feminist drama about lesbians. He won an OBE in 2016 for services to drama. Scenes from Downton Abbey were filmed at the Savile Club, which introduced a strict no-drug policy after Sir Stephen Fry admitted to snorting cocaine in its bathrooms. Human Microbes was calling for people to donate their poop to cure disease You might not think that eating poop sounds like a good idea, but it is in fact an emerging - and even popular - wellness trend. Yes, the new frontier of the gut health craze involves taking pills that contain other people's fecal matter. Said to both cure potentially deadly digestive infections and ease common complaints like constipation, so-called 'fecal microbiota transplants' have emerged out of the lab and are now available to use at home. Companies offering the service take 'healthy' poop - containing gut-boosting bugs - from a donor and process it into a pill. One firm, Human Microbes, offers 100 dollar poop enemas and 10 dollar poop pills that could 'potentially treat' everything from IBS to diabetes to Alzheimers. However, experts have warned that there are serious risks linked to the bizarre medication - including potentially deadly infections. This is an example of what FMT in an enema or colonoscopy form looks like when used in a hospital setting Potentially nasty germs may be lurking in the donors' specimen and, due to a lack of regulation, remain hidden, easily infecting the patient who ingests it. Dr Vincent B. Young, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Michigan, told the Daily Mail: 'There are risks to giving feces to someone, as you're giving all sorts of bacteria which could include a pathogen. 'If the poop product isn't properly screened, you could, open them [the recipient] up to many other diseases that they didn't have a risk for.' This includes pneumonia, E coli, monkey pox, COVID and Ebola, to name a few. Indeed, one patient who underwent an experimental treatment with FMT - to treat a stem cell transplant gone wrong - in 2019 died after he was implanted with a a sample that contained an antibiotic resistant strain of E Coli. Despite this, The FDA approved the first of its kind treatment last year, fueling the fire of at-home fecal transplant fanatics, who have gained popularity online for documenting their poo supplement regimen. Now, health officials have raised the alarm about a company buying and selling poop and FMT products. Human Microbes claims that its products, manufactured from its pool of poop 'super-donors', might help you cure your ailments in the comfort of your own home. But the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a stark warning against Human Microbes, citing that their products aren't regulated and they make false claims that could harm consumers. The FDA's letter said that the company's products are not sufficiently screened before being sold to customers and therefore represent 'significant safety concerns'. Human Microbes products are made by taking 'healthy' donor poop, mixing it with saline and thickeners like maltodextrin, and putting it into capsules or enemas, Human Microbes shared on a company YouTube video. The FDA approved FMT treatment, called Rebyota, is made from poop, but their manufacturing process is done in a lab, regulated by the FDA and sold by prescription to be used under medical supervision. Human Microbes products are available for purchase outside of that structure. 'Human Microbes provides the ingredients for you to DIY FMT with oversight from your doctor,' its website reads. 'FMT has generally been done as a medical procedure in a hospital. But since you can get better results and lower costs from the comfort of your own home that seems like the optimal choice.' Michael Harrop, the founder of Human Microbes, appearing in a promotional video on the company's YouTube In order for Human Microbes to continue selling products, they would have to go through the FDA's regulatory process, or remove mention of fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) from its website, company founder, Michael Harrop, told the Daily Mail by email. This oversight would disrupt Harrop's mission to provide a widely available pool of poop donors to the public, who like him, may be seeking FMT treatments to treat a host of conditions, he said. Harrop said the FDA's current guidelines are, 'very restrictive and arguably inappropriate for FMT and the Human Microbes project. If they insist, it will likely kill this project.' But other experts in the world of FMT say that these guardrails are in place for good reason. 'Safety is absolutely paramount in testing these biologics,' Herve Affagard, the founder of microbiome therapeutics company, Maat Pharma, said. 'I don't know why the regulators wouldn't be involved,' Affagard followed. Testing is so important because a 'good sample' not only contains a diverse set of bacteria, but it also needs to be screened for a barrage of potential infectors, Dr Young said. This includes drug resistant bacterium, like the E-coli, that led to the death of the patient in 2019. It also needs to be screened for common viruses and bugs like monkey pox and COVID, which have both been discovered alive in samples of poo. A doctor demonstrating what one of the FMT products that they may use in the hospital looks like In controlled scenario's, when all the testing is done correctly, fecal transplant has been like a miracle therapy- curing patients on deaths doorstep with drug resistant infections and sepsis. But FMT therapy has only conclusively been shown to help cure one type of infection, caused by a bacteria called Clostridium difficile (C. diff), Dr Young, who studies FMT, said. The bacterium infects roughly 500,000 people in the US each year, and kills an estimated 30,000, according to Yale researchers. If your gut is healthy, your system is probably strong enough to fend off serious illness, Dr Young said. But if your gut is weakened, from previous hospital stays, antibiotics or surgery, then there is a chance a C. diff infection can lead to life threatening conditions like sepsis. Despite this, Harrop wrote that he believes 'FMT may be close to a panacea with a good enough donor.' Gut microbiome research has been incredibly popular in recent years That is consistent with Human Microbes online advertising, which the FDA letter states is misleading, and implies that FMT may be a treatment for a huge swath of ailments, including: irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, Parkinson's, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis, autism, diabetes, depression, obesity, autoimmunity, cardiovascular disease, cancer, anxiety and bipolar disorder. Human Microbes notes on its website that its screening practices are 'in line with international guidelines', but the FDA letter states that poop screening and processing is normally done under the supervision of a licensed health care provider. Harrop is the sole employee of the company, and is not a health care provider. His last formal education was in high school. In multiple blog posts in response to the FDA's letter, Harrop has stated that the only problem with the company's product is that there simply isn't enough of it - he said his company hasn't been able to find 'high-quality stool' that qualifies to be made into their products. Other brands, like Affagard's Maat Pharma, have reported no issues finding appropriate donors to make FMT products. Affagard told the Daily Mail that their supply chain is consistent, in compliance with the European governing bodies and on track to get approved for mass use by 2026. Each person's gut microbiome is unique, which makes it difficult to determine what a 'good' microbiome is The uptick in FMT based companies comes amid a rabid popular fascination with the gut microbiome as a source for all ails of man. But a lot of the science within this realm is new, and thus, many products, like at home gut-microbiome tests, have been shown to be duds. That's because each person has a distinct colony of bacteria that is personal to them, Affagard explained. Everything you've done in your life has contributed to the colony of bacterium that live in your body- from whether you were delivered by C-section to if you decided to have a drink last weekend. So there is not a current scientific agreement on what constitutes a 'good' gut microbiome and a 'bad microbiome'. As researchers continue exploring the potential applications for poop through slow, but careful scientific exploration, they may discover that FMT has applications outside of treating C diff. But in the meantime, Dr Young said guidelines from organizations like the FDA are there to, 'protect people so that people aren't selling political snake oil, basically. The FDA declined to comment on its letter. St Louis has been named as the prime destination for Americans hunting for their first home. The Missouri city is the best market this year for first-time buyers - since their dollars will go further and there is a wider availability of affordable homes. Of the top ten markets named in the new analysis from homes selling site Zillow, half are in the Midwest - including Detroit, Minneapolis, Indianapolis and Kansas City. First-time buyers accounted for half of all home buyers last year, according to Zillow - the highest share since at least 2017. High mortgage rates last year meant that many homeowners were incentivized to stay put because of the low rate on their current mortgage - which kept some would-be repeat buyers on the sidelines. St Louis has been named as the prime destination for Americans hunting for their first home Alongside the Midwestern cities, Austin, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, Birmingham and Baltimore also made the list of the best markets for people looking to get onto the property ladder. Zillow ranked the best markets for first-time buyers on rent affordability, the share of for-sale listings a typical household can comfortably afford, how stiff the competition is expected to be for those affordable listings, and how many similar-age households live in the area. The study looked into rental affordability as a way to judge how easy it would be for prospective buyers to build up savings for a down payment. Unlike some similar studies, Zillow did not look into average salaries in the area as a basis for the affordability of certain markets. The top two markets in Zillow's ranking - St Louis and Detroit - scored well in terms of affordability, both in terms of rent and the number of affordable homes available to buy. Austin, meanwhile, although not the most affordable market on the list, ranks first for the number of similar-age households living there, with which a buyer could build a community. House prices in Austin boomed during the pandemic, as its sunny climate, expansive state parks and relative affordability attracted an influx of buyers. The Texan city came to be seen as the epitome of the Sunbelt's hot housing market, but house prices are now on the decline. Detroit ranked second on Zillow's list - scoring well in terms of rental affordability and a range of affordable homes available for sale Minneapolis was ranked third by Zillow in its analysis of the best markets for first-time buyers this year 'Affording a home is a tough hill to climb, and it's especially steep for those buying their first home, said Zillow Senior Economist Orphe Divounguy. 'Headwinds like mortgage rates, low inventory and rising rents are still strong, but easing. 'Affording a home is a tough hill to climb, and it's especially steep for those buying their first home, said Zillow Senior Economist Orphe Divounguy '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,' he added. First-time buyers need to be aware of financial hurdles including how their credit score can impact their loan options and costs, and how much they need to save up for a down payment. While a typical down payment tends to be 20 percent, Zillow points out that those who have not saved enough should not think this writes them off from purchasing their first home. Separate analysis from the real estate marketplace shows that nearly half of buyers last year put down less than 20 percent. While home sales and inventory climbed in February, according to the National Association of Realtors, high mortgage rates and property prices mean many Americans are still facing affordability challenges. According to latest data from government-backed lender Freddie Mac, the average 30-year fixed mortgage is hovering around 6.82 percent. Last year, the housing market gained a huge $2 trillion in value, amid a historic shortage of homes for sale. And in the last two years, the housing market has gained $5.6 trillion, according to Redfin, pricing many Americans out of the market. Summarizing the complexity of the geopolitical issues surrounding the Strait of Gibraltar in thirty-five minutes was a challenge. Journalist Emilie Aubry noted this in a special issue of Dessous des Cartes devoted to this sensitive maritime corridor. At the crossroads of Europe and Africa, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean, it is the scene of major migratory, commercial and military movements. The journey begins at the southern tip of Spain, on a Spanish rescue boat, responsible for monitoring its territorial waters. From Tarifa, the coasts of Morocco stand out on the horizon, very close. Here, just 14 kilometers separate the two continents. Although the crossings of would-be immigrants have decreased since the sad record of 2018, when nearly 25,000 migrants were rescued by the Spanish coast guard, the latter still assist around a thousand people per year , mainly of North African origin. Sub-Saharan migrants have, for their part, taken the more dangerous Canary route since Morocco strengthened controls on the strait. On board the ferry which connects the industrial port of Algeciras and the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the Moroccan coast in one hour, Emilie Aubry encounters cargo ships and oil tankers. Nearly a hundred thousand boats cross the strait each year to connect the major trade routes between Asia, America and Europe, as well as a thousand military ships, mainly from the Frontex agency, but also American ones leaving from their base in Rota, near Cadiz. Not to mention probable international submarines. In the upscale streets of the tiny and surprising territory of Gibraltar, which has belonged to the British Crown since 1704, and where fish-and-chips rub shoulders with paella restaurants, she addresses the consequences of Brexit, which the inhabitants rejected by 96%. A weapon of blackmail Through interviews and with the help of numerous maps, the program returns to the state of migratory routes in the Mediterranean, but also to authoritarian excesses in Tunisia, or to the consequences of the pandemic and tensions in the Red Sea on trade routes. The migration issue is seen by the actors of the geopolitical magazine sometimes as an advantage for an aging Europe, sometimes as a flow to be stemmed. But it is also a weapon of blackmail used by Morocco, recalls a professor of international relations, Jesus Verdu, whatever the delegate of the Spanish government in the enclave, Cristina Perez, says, for whom the relationship [between Rabat and Madrid] is excellent. In 2021, Morocco opened its doors to smuggle more than ten thousand people into the Spanish enclave and thus force Spain to recognize the sovereignty of the Shereef kingdom over Western Sahara. Interest in this strategic crossing point explains why three countries are vying for control of the Strait of Gibraltar. Morocco has never renounced its claims to the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla, Europes only land borders in Africa. Neither does Spain, in the British territory of Gibraltar. As for the United States, they did not choose at random the location in the Strait of their Rota base, a legacy of the Cold War, in 1953, where more than three thousand American soldiers live today Instructive, with a multitude of testimonies (diplomats, military and political leaders, researchers), explicit archive images and visits in a cyber defense center in Estonia or on the Rukla military base, in Lithuania , this documentary German analyzes the history of an organization as complex as it is strategically important. The largest defensive alliance in the world, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was born on April 4, 1949 in Washington. At the time, twelve countries in Europe and North America agreed to form a military alliance. The goal ? Avoid a new war on the European continent. Another objective: to make the threatening USSR understand that it cannot afford everything. Soviet response? In August 1949, they launched their first nuclear bomb The stage was set, the long history of NATO and its relations with the USSR and then Russia could begin. Administrative constraints Beyond the events which saw NATO grow (thirty-two members today), this documentary has the merit of asking concrete questions: how to intervene effectively with armies with different habits? How to make weapons and ammunition compatible? Can we imagine NATO without the United States if Donald Trump is elected and decides to withdraw from the Alliance? What role does Turkey, a member since 1952, really play? We discover that moving armored vehicles in the Schengen area is a much more complex operation than moving civilian vehicles which can cross this area without control. In Europe, the transport of military equipment is in fact subject to strict rules, varying from one country to another. In order to alleviate administrative constraints and streamline the transport of equipment and troops, NATO is trying to create a sort of military Schengen, with the objective of being able to move 100,000 men in ten days. Currently, it takes two weeks to move 50,000 troops. The filmed archives recall that at the beginning of the 2000s relations between NATO and the new Russian president, Vladimir Putin, were rather good, with both camps focused on the fight against Al-Qaeda, with Russia even allowing NATO to transit some of its equipment through its territory to intervene in Afghanistan. This honeymoon wont last long. In 2004, the accessions to NATO of the three Baltic countries, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia will complete the challenge to Putin, who sees the enlargement of NATO to the east of the Europe as a threat. As a reminder, three days before the invasion of Ukraine, in February 2022, the master of the Kremlin declared: kyiv wants to join NATO. Ukraines membership in NATO directly threatens Russias security. GGSIPU signs MoU with University of Ladakh New Delhi: Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with University of Ladakh (UoL) to foster research and education programmes for students, scholars and faculty members. As per the MoU, both the universities will mutually plan and conduct lectures/ workshops/conferences at the state/national/international level. The students will undertake field visits, trainings, internships, placements, etc. They will jointly undertake study/research projects, and collectively develop MOOCs and learning modules in the area of Information and communication technology, Entrepreneurship and value-added/skill enrichment programmes for students. The Cottage New Carpet Gallery inaugurated New Delhi: Rachna Shah, IAS Secretary (Textiles) inaugurated the New Carpet Gallery at the Cottage on April 4 in the presence of Manoj Lal, Managing Director, The Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India Ltd, Ajay Gupta, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Amrit Raj, Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Dr M Beena, IAS, Development Commissioner (Handlooms). The Indian carpets are prized possessions of any Art Connoisseur. International Conference held at VIT-AP Amaravati: VIT-AP School of Business at VIT-AP University, in collaboration with the University of Newcastle, Australia and the International Institute for Better Future, Australia, organized International Conference on Innovation and Sustainable Business Practices in the Digital Era (ICISD'24). The two days' seminar highlighted the key objective of exploring the convergence of innovation and sustainability in today's digital landscape. With a rich agenda encompassing keynote speeches, panel discussions, technical sessions, and interactive forums, ICISD'24 brought together a diverse community of scholars, researchers, and industry practitioners. The event served as a platform to explore cutting-edge strategies, emerging technologies, and best practices driving both business growth and environmental stewardship. BRPL Wins Golden Peacock National Quality Award New Delhi: In recognition of excellence, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) has been adjudged the winner of the coveted Golden Peacock National Quality Award. Bestowed by the Institute of Directors (IOD), these awards are considered the benchmark for corporate excellence in India. BRPL holds the distinction of being the first power discom in Delhi to receive this recognition. The awardees are meticulously evaluated by a distinguished jury led by Justice MN. Venkatachaliah, former Chief Justice of India, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of India, and the National Commission for Constitution of India Reforms. As the Indian economy progresses towards the USD 5 trillion target over the next two years and the USD 10 trillion target by 2030, the demand for company secretaries will be tremendous to manage the inflow of capital both from the Indian and international investors, a top domain expert said on Friday. We have to increase the pool of Company Secretaries (CS) to 95,000 by 2030 and to 1.4 lakh by 2047, the year of Viksit Bharat economy driven by capital flow and the government-initiated infrastructure development, B Narasimhan, President of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), said here. Currently, ICSI has around 70,000 CS members and over 2 lakh students, he told PTI. Narasimhan gave an insight into the aspects resonating with the Indian economy. We, as CS, are the most recognised profession in the capital market, handling compliances across the board of listed and unlisted companies. SEBI has appointed us as the compliance offices and it is mandatory, he said. Called the Governance professionals, Company Secretaries are at the forefront of managing capital flow from the market, he elaborated. The company secretaries ensure that the governance is properly done by all corporations across India. Narasimhan is confident of the Indian economic progress, which though was slowed down by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years. But he was quick to add that the economic growth pace was being accelerated. Further, India is the only fast-paced growing economy which is giving investors the best rate of return on investments, he pointed out, adding that funds will come as investors are looking at ways of ploughing their monies and India, for that matter, has become the best destination for Foreign Direct Investments (FDI). To sustain 8 per cent GDP growth, the huge infrastructure development will continue, the manufacturing sector will be boosted and exports will be increased through the global supply chain, he said. Narasimhan also explained that ICSI holds international conferences to gain insight into the global markets and take on rich pickings for members. We are building synergies and raising the capabilities of the CS profession through global interactions, he said. Officiating at the two-day conference, the Indian High Commissioner to Singapore, Dr Shilpak Ambule, highlighted Indias role on the global platform. He said: The theme of the conference is particularly apt, as fostering resilient and sustainable economies is crucial for both India and Singapore. ICSI plays a pivotal role in ensuring good corporate governance. By equipping Company Secretaries with the necessary knowledge and skills, ICSI fosters ethical conduct and compliance within companies, which in turn contributes to a more robust and sustainable financial ecosystem, he said. The envoy further added that Company Secretaries act as guardians of transparency, facilitating effective boardroom practices and ensuring accurate disclosures to stakeholders. ICSIs Immediate Past President Manish Gupta informed more than 100 delegates at the conference and over 3,000 logged into the event through live streaming on ICSIs initiatives for equipping professionals beyond boundaries for strengthening the basic structure of Corporate Governance. Indiabulls Real Estate said its board has approved raising Rs 3,911 crore through the issuance of shares and warrants to investors, including the Blackstone Group and Embassy Group. Global investment firm Blackstone will invest Rs 1,235 crore, while the Bengaluru-based Embassy Group will infuse Rs 1,160 crore. After the conversion of the warrants, the Embassy Group will hold 18.7 per cent while Blackstone will own 12.4 per cent. In a regulatory filing on Friday, IBREL (Indiabulls Real Estate Ltd.) informed that the board has approved fund-raise via preferential issue of equity shares and convertible warrants, on a private placement basis, for cash consideration, aggregating to approx. Rs 3,910.93 crore. The move is aimed at recapitalising its balance sheet and positioning the company for organic and inorganic growth purposes. These include capital expenditure for the completion of existing projects and new launches as well as proposed acquisitions, other working capital requirements and general corporate purposes. The board has approved the issuance of 9,13,55,606 fully-paid equity shares of a face value Rs 2 each of the company at Rs 111.51. It has also approved the issuance of 25,93,69,201 warrants, convertible into an equivalent number of equity shares, at an exercise price of Rs 111.51. These securities would be issued to certain entities of the Embassy Group, Baillie Gifford, entities controlled by funds managed by affiliates of Blackstone Inc. (Blackstone Real Estate Fund), funds managed by Quant Money Managers, Poonawalla Finance and other investors. The boards nod is subject to the approval of the shareholders of the company and other requisite clearances. In the filing, IBREL has said the board has approved asset acquisitions worth Rs 1,853 crore to re-energise the business and fuel growth. Sachin Shah, executive director, IBREL, said, We are excited to announce the recapitalisation of the company, which also includes four strategic asset acquisitions that boost our project pipeline. We are grateful for the constant support of our two largest shareholders. We are thrilled that we have a roster of new blue-chip investors who have come on board and validated the company and its growth prospects. The funds will allow us to complete our existing projects and pursue new opportunities. This investment is a culmination of the turnaround strategy that has taken place over the past 13 months. It can fit well in some areas as agro-climatic conditions are the same, he said. The situation of wheat farmers in Pakistan is different despite sharing similar agro-climatic conditions for growing wheat. Since 2021, Pakistans agriculture department has released as many as 31 wheat varieties through international collaborations to help cultivated fields become more productive, climate-resilient and disease-resistant. While Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) has acquired over 4,000 wheat germplasm varieties from various international sources for evaluation and utilization in national breeding programmes, it has yet to indigenously produce quality seeds and species with the ability to absorb climate shocks. Ejaz Rao, a progressive farmer from Bahawalpur, said, Pakistans agriculture authorities have failed to improve seed quality for over 20 years. The hybrid seeds from countries with different climate present dual challenge i.E. Non-compatible with local agro-climatic conditions and disease-carriers. During late 20th century, a hybrid seed from US carried a pest, locally named as AmrikanSundi, which could not be eradicated, Rao said. Stating that climate change has necessitated changes in sowing and harvesting seasons, he suggested adapting to new realities. The availability of seeds, inputs, fertilizer and water must be ensured on time to ward off la nina and elnino effects. Dr Zahir A Zahir, Professor of Institute of Soil & Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, said the University in collaboration with Washington State has developed and acclimatized germplasm, a hybrid seed variety, which requires less water and gives more yield. Pakistan has turned from net exporter of wheat to net importer of wheat in a short period of just five years, thanks to the formidable twin challenge of climate change and population explosion affecting in tandem, says Mushtaq Ahmad Gill, Chief Executive, South Asian Conservation Agriculture Network (SACAN). Highlighting the importance of water amidst raging global warming, Gill who is also former Director General of Water Management, Punjab, Pakistan said Pakistan sadly only has water storage capacity for 30 days. Half of the year, we face drought, the other half, floods, Gill said and called for increasing water storage and saving precious water worth billions of dollars from going into the sea every year. We, the agricultural scientists and farmers from India and Pakistan, regularly stay in touch with each other and hold online/Youtube sessions to benefit from each others experiences. We exchange technology, expertise and products to help each other get optimum yields, Gill said, while stressing on the need to maintain regular contacts. Punjabs Minister for Agriculture Syed Ashiq Hussain Shah ruled out any climate impact on wheat crop. We are expecting a bumper crop this year. The CAA is not anti-Muslim; it just prioritises citizenship for persecuted minorities, not others, from three neighbouring countries. Future legislation may address concerns for Tamils and Rohingyas. Recognising historical context, it aims to assist six religious groups seeking refuge in India. Importantly, the CAA doesnt prevent Muslims from these countries from applying for Indian citizenship The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) marks a watershed moment in Indias electoral system. The government amended the Citizenship Amendment Act 1955 to facilitate citizenship acquisition for religious minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, reducing the qualification period from 11 years to 5 years under the new law. The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) was initially introduced in Parliament in the Lok Sabha in 2016 by amending the existing Citizenship Act 1955. Subsequently, the Bill was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which submitted its report on January 7, 2019. The Lok Sabha passed the Bill the following day, but with the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha, the Bill lapsed. By December 9, the Bill was reintroduced by Home Minister Amit Shah in the 17th Lok Sabha and passed on December 10. The Upper House, Rajya Sabha, also passed the Bill on December 11, 2019. This outlines the journey of the present CAA through both houses of Parliament, culminating in its establishment as a crucial piece of legislation. The Act is drawing both national and international attention for three main reasons: First, it offers citizenship to six persecuted religious and undocumented groups who arrived in India from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan on or before December 31, 2014. These groups include Hindus, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Christians. Second, it excludes Muslims from these countries from applying for citizenship in India. Third, the Narendra Modi Government introduced the Act just one month before parliamentary and assembly polls in some states. Now, the critical question arises: why is the Act sparking Opposition ire and protests in some States? The central point of controversy is its alleged discrimination against Muslims, as it does not offer citizenship to Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Critics argue that Muslim minorities such as the Baloch, Shia, Ahmadiyya of Pakistan, Hazras from Afghanistan, Rohingyas from Myanmar, and Tamils from Sri Lanka face religious persecution in their homelands, yet they are not covered by the Act. Second, critics contend that the CAA violates Article 14 (Right to Equality), the first Fundamental Right mentioned in Part III of our Constitution, by providing a classification of citizens based on religion, which is prohibited under this Article. Third, it allegedly seriously violates the historic Assam Accord signed between the All Assam Students Association (AASU) and the Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress Government in 1985. This accord set the cutoff date for entry of illegal migrants to Assam as March 24, 1971, whereas the current Act pushes this cutoff date to December 31, 2014. Moreover, there is widespread fear that once these illegal migrants from six religious groups become citizens, they will have access to all other rights and facilities like the locals, thus burdening Assam's limited economic resources. Meanwhile, the matter has reached the Supreme Court, with nearly 237 petitioners approaching the top court to stall the immediate implementation of the CAA. Under this Act, the Government can fast-track the grant of Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. The lead petitioner in the case is the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). During an oral mention of the case last week by a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, efforts were made to calm the apprehensions of all petitioners regarding the fast-tracking of the citizenship acquisition process by the Union Government. Again, the Supreme Court has agreed to consider the question of staying the operation of the new Citizenship Amendment Rules of 2024 on April 9. However, so far, there is no official statement from the Government indicating that it would not grant fast-track citizenship to the aforementioned groups of people. Today, the main arguments emerging in the Supreme Court include: the rules governing the CAA are based solely on religious grounds; once citizenship is granted, it cannot be reversed; and the Act has eliminated the scrutiny of new citizenship applications by District Collectors and the recommendations of respective State Governments. Opposition parties and various petitioners are also arguing that if the Government could wait for the last five years, it should be willing to wait for a few more months to implement the CAA. Now, the irony lies in why countries like America are so concerned about an internal issue of India. India is a democratic country, and its Constitution provides equal rights and opportunities to all its citizens, including religious minorities, since its independence and the very inception of the Constitution itself. American Senator Ben Cardin is raising the seriousness of the issue by branding this Act as controversial and also questioning the intentions of the Indian Government as it deeply impacts Muslims, especially during their holy month of Ramzan. He speaks about the Indo-US relationship, based on shared values, where we need to be concerned about the protection of human rights for every person regardless of religion. It is true, we need to respect the human rights of all minorities, including Muslims. But sadly, the people of India in general and the Government of India in particular do not need to learn lessons on human rights from any foreign parliamentarian like Cardin. Indias long history and cultural traditions have displayed enough of our tolerance and mutual co-existence, demonstrating how this land has accepted people from various civilisational roots. Instead, Cardin should focus on how his own country is engaged in wars after wars in many Muslim nations, especially in the West Asia, leaving behind a trail of human rights violations for years now. By now, the US should have been able to stop its closest ally Israel from carrying out bloodshed against the Palestinians, a war conducted in the name of fighting Hamas militants. Before pointing fingers at Vladimir Putin (for the Ukraine invasion) and Xi Jinping (for the alleged genocide of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang), America should introspect and assess its actions worldwide. The Ministry of External Affairs has already termed the American statement on the CAA as misplaced, misinformed, and unwarranted. It has categorically said: The CAA 2019 is an internal matter of India, showcasing the inclusiveness of Indian society. The CAA is an act of granting citizenship, not of revoking it. For the Opposition parties in the country (INDIA Bloc), their aim is not simply to oppose the NDA Government at the centre, but specifically the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With the CAA, they have yet another issue to raise concerns about the Muslim minority in the country. Frankly speaking, for decades, the Congress ruled this country and many of the States. The grand old party, with its visionaries on board, should have already addressed the plight of persecuted minorities, including the Tamils from Sri Lanka, in India. It is clear that the CAA is not against Muslims. This Act is designed to offer expedited citizenship only to persecuted minorities as mentioned in it, not to others. Therefore, a new legislation can be considered by the Government in the future for Tamils and Rohingyas. In fact, this new law acknowledges the historical background of partition and aims to address the plight of these six religious groups who sought refuge in India. The CAA does not prohibit Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan from applying for Indian citizenship. The CAA does not violate Article 14. In the 1997 case of David John Hopkins vs Union of India, the Madras High Court clarified that the Union Governments right to refuse citizenship is absolute and not fettered by equal protection under Article 14. Similarly, in the 1991 case of Louis De Raedt vs Union of India, the Supreme Court held that the right of a foreigner in India is confined to Article 21, and they cannot seek citizenship as a matter of right. These judgments make it clear that citizenship is not a matter of right for any foreign citizen in this country. It must be emphasised that the Union Government has the final power to decide the acquisition and termination of citizenship and all other matters under Article 11. Additionally, the CAA has been implemented under the Seventh Schedule, which includes citizenship in the Union List, making Parliament the sole authority to decide on this matter. State governments, currently refusing to implement it (such as West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala), have no final say in this matter. Also, the CAA does not change or dilute the Assam Accord, as it is applicable throughout India. It does not apply to the tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura, nor to areas under the Inner Line Permit prescribed by the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation 1873. Lastly, the Opposition and the hundreds of petitioners should have enough faith in the apex court of this country, as the matter has already been brought before it. The court will decide the fate of this Act, determining whether it violates the basic tenets of the Constitution, including secularism, and other pertinent issues raised by the petitioners so far. (The writer is currently President of the Global Research Foundation.) Thursday evening turned out to be a memorable one for Ranjeet Savarkar, grandnephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indias pioneer revolutionary. Ranjeet and his associates took time off to watch the film Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, a 178 minutes long biopic on the life and times of Savarkar at Mahims City Light Cinema. Savarkar, whose name has been maligned by powers that be as well as the Left ecosystem of the country, has been retold with facts by Randeep Hooda, the director who plays the lead role. It was a heart-rending experience. History was distorted by a section of the Indian academia to portray Savarkarji in poor light. This movie, based on facts, is a right step in the direction, Ranjeet Savarkar, grandnephew of the freedom fighter told The Pioneer. Ranjeet is the grandson of Dr Narayan Savarkar, younger brother of Savarkar. He was just two months old when Savarkar breathed his last. Narayan too was an accused in many cases foisted on Savarkar by the British masters and their acolyte, the communists. According to Ranjeet, chairman, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar National Memorial, the ideology propagated by Savarkar has become more relevant now as the communism has collapsed all over the world and the Abrahamic religions are fighting among themselves for one-upmanship. Media reports from various theatres where the movie has been released say that historians, sociologists and film lovers expressed their happiness over the work by Randeep Hooda. Though a movie of this kind should have been made long back, it would not have been possible to bring it to the theatres because the ruling class and the fifth columnists would have sabotaged such a movie. I am sure the movie Swatantry Veer Savarkar would be a strong contender for top honours in the race for national awards. It is a movie of global standards, said Sandeep Shinde, Sanatan Sanstha . Determined to reverse the trend of low voter turnout, Gonda administration in Uttar Pradesh has come out with a unique inclusive initiative: It has roped in transgender as polling booth ambassadors. The brainchild of District Magistrate Neha Sharma, the novel idea engaging the third gender has been met enthusiastically from the transgender community too as well as senior officials and law enforcement authorities which have now chalked out a comprehensive strategy in this regard. From composing catchy songs to staging street plays, transgender ambassadors have been asked to leverage their creativity and enthusiasm to educate the public and shed light on their long standing demands as well. Polls will be held on May 20 in the phase five in the district which is home to 25.30 lakh registered voters, including a small contingent of 94 third-gender individuals. Located approximately 120 km from Lucknow, Gonda has faced persistent challenges with low voter participation compared to the State average. However, now with the involvement of the transgender in the poll process, the district officials are hoping to bring the voters to the polling booth and exercise their electoral rights. This initiative capitalises on the unique perspective and outreach potential of the transgender community to raise awareness about the importance of voting and encourage public participation, Amruta Soni, a Government officer and transgender spokesperson told a news agency here. She lauded the initiatives transformative impact, emphasising its potential to promote inclusivity and recognition of transgender rights. Gondas Chief Development Officer M Arunmozhi echoed her sentiments, highlighting the initiatives broader mission of empowerment and engagement with marginalised groups. Importantly, the transgender communitys involvement in the voter awareness campaign remains non-partisan, underscoring their commitment to fairness and transparency. While amplifying civic engagement, they have made it clear that there was no question of endorsing any political parties, emphasising their dedication to a neutral and equitable electoral process. Gondas Superintendent of Police Vineet Jaiswal was of the opinion that the sensitisation efforts will also help address the diverse challenges faced by the transgender community, including healthcare and access to Government schemes. This collaborative endeavour represents a significant step towards fostering a more inclusive and participatory democracy in Gonda. In fact, its not just Gonda which is grappling with poor interest among voters to cast their rights. At least a total of 266 parliamentary constituencies (215 rural & 51 urban) in the country have been identified with low voter turnout. The CEC emphasised on a three pronged strategy of providing facilitation at polling stations like queue management, shelter parking in congested areas; targeted outreach and communication; and involvement of critical stakeholders like RWAs, local icons and youth influencers to persuade people to come to polling stations. According to the EC, approximately 297 million eligible voters did not vote in the Lok Sabha polls 2019. Furthermore, recent elections across various States have highlighted trends of urban apathy towards the electoral process, warranting targeted interventions and collaborative endeavours, the EC has noted. Snap, Share, and Win! In a bid to spark youth engagement in the electoral process, the Vaishali district administration in Bihar has introduced an exciting initiative aimed at first-time voters. Once the voter has exercised their democratic right, they simply need to snap a selfie at designated selfie points and share it. Fifty lucky participants will then be selected through a lottery system. The fortunate few will be treated to an enriching tour of Vaishalis major tourist attractions. These include historical hotspots Buddha Stupa, Jain Stupa and a temple museum, all three located in Vaishali, District Election Officer cum District Magistrate, Yashpal Meena told The Pioneer about the innovative experiment. The idea is to ensure 100 per cent voting and increase the voting percentage in the Lok Sabha elections, he said. Vaishali is revered as one of the worlds first republic so it is obvious that the young voters must be offered something special that help elevate voter turnout, quipped an equally excited Yashpal.The move to tap in Indias youngest eligible voters, aged 18 and 19 comes in the wake of Election Commission data showing them apparently hesitant to exercise their electoral rights. As per the EC, less than 40 per cent of these 18 or 19-year-olds who are eligible to vote have registered for the 2024 elections across the country, with certain states such as Bihar, Delhi, and UP showing even lower enrollment rates. In Vaishali district, there are 26.17 lakh voters of which 32,015 are young electors, 37,385 senior citizens, 16,112 persons with disabilities in the district. The elections in the district will be held in three phases-between 4th to 6th phase on May 13, May 20th and May 25th. Yashpal urged the youth to lap up the opportunity to visit the sites of historical importance by being part of the worlds largest democratic process. The district officials led by Yashpal have been already holding Voter Awareness Campaign throughout the Vaishali district, from various villages to towns including colleges. Such campaigns enhance awareness in society and help people understand the importance of voting. Programs like these are fundamental pillars of democracy and contribute to educating and promoting democratic values. Through such programs, social harmony and empowerment sentiments are also fostered in society, Yashpal said matter-of-factly. The administration has also launched a special election logo on the occasion highlighting the importance of democracy. To encourage overall voters to participate in the electoral process, the district officials are all set to launch a four-day mega awareness programme Maha SVEEP programme from Sunday with officials and staff initiating door-to-door campaigns in 1585 revenue villages. The use of technology, such as the Google form for uploading selfies at the designated selfie point, streamlines the process of selecting participants and adds a modern touch to the initiative, said an official from the district. As per the national electoral rolls, there are approximately 18 million first-time voters in the country. In a shocking incident, a 14-year-old boy was beaten up and a wooden stick was inserted in his private parts allegedly by his classmate in a school, triggering protests in East Delhi. According to police, the accused has been apprehended and produced in the Juvenile Justice Board. The 14-year-old student had allegedly got into a fight with his schoolmates before he was cornered by four of them and brutally thrashed. According to the FIR, the incident took place on March 18. Police said the victim's family suspects more students might have been involved in the assault. After the incident, a protest was held outside the school by the parents and relatives of the minor who sustained injuries in the attack. The student's family accused the police and the school authorities of negligence, alleging a lack of cooperation. They claim that they have been denied access to the school principal. Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Apoorva Gupta said the incident occurred on April 2 on the premises of a private school. The victim, a student of class eight, allegedly got into a fight with the accused over some issues. As per the complainant, he got into a fight with his classmate on March 13 and was assaulted by the accused on March 18. The victim did not tell anyone about the incident at first as he feared reprisal. On March 20, he complained of stomach ache and was taken to nearby doctor. However, the victim's situation did not improve and he had to be rushed to a hospital on March 28 and had to undergo an operation. The doctors at the hospital informed the family that the child had probably been the victim of some untoward incident. When the boy gained consciousness on April 2, he narrated the whole ordeal to his family, following which a police complaint was filed. The victim told the police that one of his classmates, who was wearing a mask, beat him up and inserted a wooden stick in his private parts. The accused also threatened him with dire consequences if he told anyone about the assault, Gupta said. The doctors told the police that a foreign object was inserted inside the posterior of the boy leading to injuries, the police officer said. Following the incident, the parents and relatives of the victim held protests outside the school on April 3 demanding action. The victim was counselled and legal action has been initiated, another police officer said. The medical report revealed that the victim had suffered a severe injury involving the insertion of a foreign object, specifically a wooden stick, into his anal region. The student told about the incident of beating and insertion of a wooden stick in his posterior by one of his classmates. He was also threatened for not disclosing the incident to anyone, the FIR read. A case has been registered under the Indian Penal Code section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 377 (unnatural offences), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Further investigation is underway, the officer said. In response to the arrest of its national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced plans to stage a fast in protest, both in Delhi and across various locations in India and abroad. AAP Delhi State Convenor, Gopal Rai, stated that the protest will take place at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh in Punjab. AAP MLAs, ministers, MPs, councilors, and officials will join the public in abstaining from food as a mark of solidarity. Simultaneously, supporters in 25 states across India and key international hubs such as New York, Boston, Toronto, Washington DC, Melbourne, and London will participate in community fasting to show support for the Chief Minister. Rai urged fasting individuals to share images of their solidarity fasts on WhatsApp number 7290037700, highlighting the global resonance of this movement in backing Kejriwals cause. In addition to the fast, the AAP will observe a Samuhik Upwas (community fasting) to protest against the arrest of the Delhi Chief Minister.. At a press conference here, the Delhi Cabinet Minister also announced that the AAP will observe a Samuhik Upwas (community fasting) to protest against the arrest of the Delhi Chief Minister. The BJP has plotted against Arvind Kejriwal and used probe agencies to arrest him. With each passing day, Modi governments conspiracy is getting exposed in front of the country. People have been asking for a long time about why these senior leaders including Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh were arrested, on what basis was the Chief Minister of Delhi arrested? They are conspiring to finish off Kejriwal by leveling a false liquor policy case against him. In response to the AAP's planned fast, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva expressed regret, stating, it is regrettable that instead of AAP leaders apologizing to the public for the liquor scam of their government they are projecting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest in corruption as persecution against him. It is regrettable that instead of AAP leaders apologizing to the public for the liquor scam of their government they are projecting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest in corruption as persecution against him. To harness the power of its volunteers once again, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is gearing up to hold volunteers milnis on Saturday in Punjab, reminiscent of its successful grassroots campaign that led to the partys landslide victory in the state assembly polls two years ago. After leveraging the power of volunteers to clinch victory on 92 out of 117 seats in 2022 polls, the ruling party is all set to replicate its success in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections too. The party has turned its focus back to its grassroots strength the volunteers, in the wake of the recent departure of the two key leaders Jalandhar MP Sushil Kumar Rinku, and MLA Sheetal Angural. AAPs resounding triumph in the 2022 Punjab assembly elections, where it secured 42.01 per cent of the total votes polled, was largely attributed to its robust volunteer-driven campaign. To counter the BJPs alleged Operation Lotus, the AAP has embarked on a mission to re-energize its volunteer base. Of the total 117 seats, AAP secured victory on 92 (with 78.6 per cent seat share), while Congress could secure 18 seats (15.4 per cent seat share), SAD four seats, including one of BSP (3.4 per cent), BJP two seats (1.7 per cent), and one independent candidate. In terms of vote share, AAP secured 42.01 per cent votes, followed by 22.98 per cent by congress, 20.15 per cent by SAD-BSP alliance, while BJP and its allies secured 7.73 per cent votes. In a significant departure from traditional political engagements, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, for the first time, will be meeting the party volunteers face-to-face, emulating the model of direct interactions he has with the party legislators and Ministers. Termed as Volunteers Milni, these meetings are scheduled to be held in Moga at 12 pm and Jalandhar at 3 pm on Saturday. The Moga meeting will include the volunteers from Malwa region, while the Jalandhar meeting will involve leaders from the Doaba region. Village-level leaders are expected to participate actively in these gatherings, reflecting the party's commitment to grassroots engagement, and efforts to reconnect with its volunteer base. Chief Minister Mann, who is also the partys Punjab unit president, will participate in these programs, along with AAPs national organizing secretary and poll strategist Dr Sandeep Pathak. The 'volunteers' milnis are poised to serve as a platform for volunteers to voice their concerns, ideas, and suggestions directly to the party leadership. By fostering open dialogue and active engagement, the AAP aimed to rejuvenate its volunteer base and galvanize support ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha elections. In Kejriwals Absence, Mann to Campaign in Haryana With AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal behind bars in the Delhi excise policy scam, Mann will be shouldering the responsibility of leading the party campaign from Haryana to Gujarat. Mann is likely to participate in program in Kurukshetra on Monday, where he will canvass in support of the partys candidate. He will also participate in programs in Delhi on April 12 and 13, followed by engagements in Gujarat on April 16 and 17, where he will be involved in the nomination of party candidates and other activities. Nationwide Fast On Sunday Against Kejriwals Arrest Apart from bolstering the partys electoral prospects, AAP has announced a nationwide fast or hunger strike on April 7 in protest against the arrest of its national convener Arvind Kejriwal. In line with this, AAP has devised a strategy to conduct a collective hunger strike in the village of Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of Shaheed-e-Aazam Bhagat Singh. Mann will be leading this hunger strike, while district and tehsil-level programs will also be organized by the party. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha on Saturday expressed strong objection to the statement of BJP's national spokesperson Ajay Alok that Jharkhand State has been gifted to the people by the BJP. It said that the BJP ruled for 17 years in Jharkhand just for the sake that it was formed during the reign of then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The JMM said that the BJP has got its Dakshina and for performing prayers and now it must leave Jharkhand. JMM General Secretary cum Spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said that BJP's Delhi imported spokesperson has said that they have created Jharkhand. There is a hospital in Patna which belongs to him. And this hospital was built by his father. Many people contribute to building any house. But that house does not belong to every person. We got Jharkhand after four decades of struggle. And JMM fought this battle. Targeting the BJP it said that those who are beating drums of corruption in Jharkhand should remember who took the money in the defence deal? The builder of HEC was the same tribal who designed the building of RIMS. Jaipal Singh Munda is being insulted. This mentality is how the tribals can move forward. The wheel of time is turning. We do not know what happens in Udyan Hospital, said Bhattacharya. Meanwhile, Kalpana Murmu Soren, wife of former Chief Minister Hemant Soren, today reached the office of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha for the first time. During this, the workers welcomed her warmly. Workers from different districts had reached the party office. During this, discussions were held regarding the Ulgulan Nyay rally. They also raised slogans of Hemant Soren Zindabad in a loud voice. Sources said that Kalpana has taken command of the Maharally to be held at Prabhat Tara Maidan in Ranchi. Before the Maharally to be held at Prabhat Tara Maidan on April 21, Kalpana held a meeting with the district presidents of the party at the office of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in Harmu and took the views of party workers. After leaving the party office, she also tweeted on social media and said, We will fight, we will win. Today in the party office in Ranchi with the comrades of the struggle. Jai Johar! Jai Jharkhand! Long live Hemant Soren! On January 31, former Chief Minister Hemant Soren was arrested by ED. After which Kalpana Soren entered active politics. She is addressing election meetings at various places and giving powerful speeches in meetings. She is strongly targeting the BJP. Today, after the meeting of district heads at the JMM office, Kalpana left for Bermo in Bokaro district. In Bermo, she has to attend the program organized on the first death anniversary of former Jharkhand Education Minister Jagarnath Mahato. BJP has no claim over Jharkhand, it should leave now: JMM PNS Ranchi The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha on Saturday expressed strong objection to the statement of BJP's national spokesperson Ajay Alok that Jharkhand State has been gifted to the people by the BJP. It said that the BJP ruled for 17 years in Jharkhand just for the sake that it was formed during the reign of then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The JMM said that the BJP has got its Dakshina and for performing prayers and now it must leave Jharkhand. JMM General Secretary cum Spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said that BJP's Delhi imported spokesperson has said that they have created Jharkhand. There is a hospital in Patna which belongs to him. And this hospital was built by his father. Many people contribute to building any house. But that house does not belong to every person. We got Jharkhand after four decades of struggle. And JMM fought this battle. Targeting the BJP it said that those who are beating drums of corruption in Jharkhand should remember who took the money in the defence deal? The builder of HEC was the same tribal who designed the building of RIMS. Jaipal Singh Munda is being insulted. This mentality is how the tribals can move forward. The wheel of time is turning. We do not know what happens in Udyan Hospital, said Bhattacharya. Meanwhile, Kalpana Murmu Soren, wife of former Chief Minister Hemant Soren, today reached the office of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha for the first time. During this, the workers welcomed her warmly. Workers from different districts had reached the party office. During this, discussions were held regarding the Ulgulan Nyay rally. They also raised slogans of Hemant Soren Zindabad in a loud voice. Sources said that Kalpana has taken command of the Maharally to be held at Prabhat Tara Maidan in Ranchi. Before the Maharally to be held at Prabhat Tara Maidan on April 21, Kalpana held a meeting with the district presidents of the party at the office of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in Harmu and took the views of party workers. After leaving the party office, she also tweeted on social media and said, We will fight, we will win. Today in the party office in Ranchi with the comrades of the struggle. Jai Johar! Jai Jharkhand! Long live Hemant Soren! On January 31, former Chief Minister Hemant Soren was arrested by ED. After which Kalpana Soren entered active politics. She is addressing election meetings at various places and giving powerful speeches in meetings. She is strongly targeting the BJP. Today, after the meeting of district heads at the JMM office, Kalpana left for Bermo in Bokaro district. In Bermo, she has to attend the program organized on the first death anniversary of former Jharkhand Education Minister Jagarnath Mahato. AAP 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 Maguntas 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. The Rajya Sabha MP said there is a person Magunta Reddy, who gave three statements, and his son Raghav Magunta gave seven statements. The father and the son gave 10 statements (to ED). When ED asked him (Magunta Reddy) on September 16, 2022 did he meet Arvind Kejriwal. He said he met Arvind Kejriwal regarding the land for a charitable trust. After that his son Raghav Magunta is arrested and he is put in jail for five months and then he (Magunta Reddy) changes his statement. 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. The State BJP unit on Friday raised serious concern over theft of government records files from land record room alleging that it is an attempt to cover up the 8.86 acre land scam at Bargain circle. State BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo alleged that theft from the record room immediately after central probe agency ED has filed chargesheet in the land scam is a big conspiracy to hide facts. Pratul said that it is unbelievable that several land documents were stolen from the record room by breaking the locks of the cupboard. Police personnel are always deployed in this complex. Pratul said that as the story of land loot is unfolding, white collar people are being exposed one after the other. Pratul demanded from Chief Minister Champai Soren that he should immediately take action against this matter, demanding CBI probe on the issue. Pratul said that how such theft can occur in the premises where policemen are present? That too when the ED is only investigating the documents related to land loot. For the first time, a theft of land records has taken place inside the Ranchi District Collectorate. The theft took place on Wednesday- Thursday night. The police and district officials including Deputy Commissioner Rahul Kumar Sinha have visited and inspected the site inside the land record rooms. The police have filed FIR registering the case of theft of official files of land records of several plots of land. An investigation has begun, said the police. Though media persons were informed that official records of land plots located in Ranchi city were missing, the buzz in a section of the Collectorate is that land records of the land that is alleged to have been acquired by ex-CM Hemant Soren in Baragain Anchal, Ranchi, were missing from the land record room. None of the officials including Deputy Commissioner Rahul Kumar Sinha were available for comment. According to the chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate, Soren had allegedly held possession of about 8.86 acre of land located at Bargain Anchal, Bariatu Road in Ranchi. It has been valued at Rs 31,07,02,480 as per urban residential property rate of Rs 3,50,680 per decimal, the ED charge sheet. Pratul said that after the charge sheet of ED, there seems to be a direct connection between Hemant Soren and land mafias in the loot of 8.86 acres of land in Bargain. Shahdeo said that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha had repeatedly said that Hemant Soren had nothing to do with the land. Is. But the charge sheet made it clear to nexus that it was their benami property. Pratul said that it is mentioned in the charge sheet that Bhanu Pratap along with other officials was running a land grabbing syndicate. When his place was raided, a brown colored file was also recovered in which documents related to Badgai and other lands were recovered. Pratul said that in the chat between former Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Vinod, a map has been sent for the construction of a marriage hall in this Lalu Khatal, Bariatu area and there is no other such big land in this entire area. Pratul said that Baijnath Munda and Shyamal Pahan, who are also relatives of accused Rajkumar Pahan, have said that this land has been in the possession of Hemant Soren since 2010. Caretaker Santosh Munda said that the land has belonged to Hemant for 14-15 years. Pratul said that now CO Manoj Kumar has clearly said that he has to get this land verified by Chief Minister's Press Advisor Pintu's Principal Secretary Uday Shankar. where did it go. This has been confirmed by Abhishek Pintu's Principal Secretary Uday Shankar and Abhishek Pintu himself in their statements given to ED. In fact, Pintu has also said that he had asked Uday Shankar to verify two more lands of Hemant Soren. In the files seized by ED, it is written as CMO Argent, Bhuihari. This writing itself tells the whole story of the robbery. The paper which was seized by ED is a very sensational paper. In which the name of the tenant was missing from the blank page of the register of this land. That means there were preparations to add Hemant Soren's name to it. The SAR Court completed the entire investigation in just 20 days between January 9, 2024 and January 29, 2024 and ordered the return of the land. Meanwhile, verification of the land was also done. Three notices were also issued. This was the only case in which this court gave its verdict in 20 days. This is also a record. Rajkumar Pahan's ancestors sold about 40 acres of land to different people between 1978 and 1989. Only this 8.86 acres of land was vacant and was captured by Hemant Soren. Two bills of Khushboo Munda are mentioned in the ED charge sheet. Khushboo Munda is the daughter of Santosh Munda. Bought refrigerator in 2017 and a smart TV in 2022. The address of this land has been given. So it is clearly visible that at this time Santosh Munda was living on this land, who himself is saying that this land belonged to Hemant and it was not in the possession of Rajkumar Pahan. Pratul said that former Chief Minister Hemant is denying the ownership rights of the BMW car. In his statement given to ED, he himself said that on the night of 28 January 2024, I left in my blue colored BMW car. That is, he himself admitted that he was its owner. It is mentioned in the charge sheet that he himself liked this vehicle after visiting the showroom. Pratul said that former Deputy Commissioner of Ranchi, Chhavi Ranjan has also said in his statement that Pintu's secretary Uday used to often ask him for verification of the land. Pratul said that now Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Hemant Soren may say anything, but they have done bad things. They have direct connections to this land and with the help of the government machinery, they had illegally occupied this land. State media in-charge Shri Shiv Pujan Pathak was also present in today's press conference. On the occasion of the BJP's Foundation Day, the Delhi BJP Youth Wing on Saturday here released a QR code for digital dissemination of Modi Government's achievements and organized bike rallies in all 70 Assembly constituencies. Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva released the QR code developed by the Delhi BJP Youth Wing under the Modi Transforming India program, clicking on which will provide complete information about the achievements, guarantees, and schemes of the Modi government to the public. On this occasion, Youth Wing President Sagar Tyagi outlined the 50-day promotional program for the QR code. Youth Wing Secretary Gaurav Chaurasia, Arun Daral, and Puneet Sharma acquainted journalists with digital promotion. The Youth Wing organized motorbike rallies in all 70 assembly constituencies of Delhi to enhance discussions among the youth about the schemes and achievements of the Modi government. Sachdeva inaugurated the rally series by showing the green flag at the rally starting from Paharganj Oil Market. He said "Under the 'Modi Transforming India' initiative, we can see the work done by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's government in the last 10 years through a QR code in a moment. The vision of Developed India can be seen through a QR code." Sachdeva said QR codes of digital technology will be promoted in all assembly constituencies of Delhi, and today's motorbike rally will be a means to connect thousands of new youths with the BJP. Municipal Corporation and district administration reached and razed illegal encroachment built by people on government land in Shankar Nagar area on Saturday morning, complaints of encroachment reached the district administration and the Municipal Corporation. In the presence of the police, the officers of the corporation and administration got the bamboo sticks removed. During this period there was an altercation between the officers and the people. There is Oriya colony in Shankar Nagar located in Ward-76, where government land of the Municipal Corporation area, was encroached upon. Action was taken after receiving information that it was captured by using bamboo sticks on Saturday. Encroachment in-charge Nasir Khan said that he had reached the spot on the instructions of Additional Commissioner Pawan Singh. The land was being encroached upon here. People were advised not to do this. However, some women also protested. Due to this, strictness was taken. Tehsildar Dilip Kumar Chaurasia, Naib Tehsildar Ramji Tiwari, Chhola TI and policemen were also present. Encroachment in-charge Khan said that bamboo poles had been installed for the slums. This was done by 25 to 30 women of Nawab Colony area. Rachana Dhingra of Bhopal Group for Information and Action, an organization of gas victims, also reached the spot. Dhingra of the Gas Victims Organization said that the houses of the families living behind the Union Carbide factory were demolished 15 months ago. They have not been displaced anywhere till date. Now the Railways is also demolishing their houses. It was these people who had come to build their houses on government land and were harassed. Chief Electoral Officer, Jharkhand, K Ravi Kumar made a surprise inspection of the polling stations located in the inaccessible areas of Sahebganj, Mandro and visited the villages and met senior/disabled voters. The CEO met Khalil Ansari, a 92-year-old senior and disabled citizen of Badkhori village, and inquired about his name being in the voter list. He told that earlier he lived in Purnia district of Bihar, but now he is living in Badkhori. Khalil informed that he never exercised his franchise due to his name not being in the voter list. On this, the Chief Electoral Officer directed to immediately start the process of adding Khalil's name to the voter list. He met other senior voters and learned about the minimum facilities and other arrangements available for them at the polling station. The CEO conducted surprise inspection of upgraded polling station number-4 of High School, Amjhor South, Mandro, polling station number-9 of upgraded High School, Badkhori Pradhan Tola, Mandro, upgraded polling station number-10 of Middle School, Moti Lakshmi, Mandro and upgraded polling station number-13 of Middle School, Ranidih. Kumar also inspected remote polling stations with foot access roads. Walking a distance of more than a kilometre, he also inspected polling station number 4 of the upgraded high school Amjhor South, Mandro of Sahebganj and observed the minimum facilities available there. The CEO took stock of various polling stations. He took information from the BLOs present at the polling stations about the minimum facilities for voters and the work being done for voter awareness. While observing the list of members of the polling station awareness group and the voter list, he prepared the list of polling station awareness group and volunteers separately, collected Form 6 related to adding the name of a new voter in the voter list at the time of the process of adding the name. Also, after finalizing the voter list, instructions were given to complete the process related to removing the names of absentee, displaced and dead (ASD) from the voter list in time. Apart from making arrangements for clean toilets and running water, he directed to ensure availability of pure drinking water. Instructions were given to ensure the provision of drinking water by installing tankers or tanks at those polling stations where there is no adequate arrangement for pure drinking water. The Chief Electoral Officer also inquired about the seating area for the polling officer, presiding officer and others and the place marked for keeping the EVM/VVPAT in the polling room. While removing the shortcomings of minimum necessary facilities at the polling stations, he gave strict instructions to install fans in the polling booths and construct sheds at the polling stations in view of the heat for the voters. The CEO held a meeting with the District Electoral Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner, Deputy Electoral Officer, Electoral Registration Officer, Assistant Electoral Registration Officer and other officials in the auditorium of Borio block of Sahebganj and highlighted the shortcomings of minimum facilities and election preparations at the polling stations. District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Hemant Sati, Deputy Development Commissioner Satish Chandra, Additional Collector Raj Maheshwaram and other officials were present in the meeting organized in the Block Auditorium after inspection of polling stations by the Chief Electoral Officer. The Directorate of Higher Education in Chhattisgarh has issued an order directing the appointment of Chhattisgarhi faculties in colleges and universities, an official communique said on Saturday. Presently, Master of Arts (M.A.) in Chhattisgarhi is taught by Assistant Professors with M.A. Hindi qualification in various universities. This order aims to amend the recruitment process and ensure Assistant Professors with relevant qualifications are appointed to teach Chhattisgarhi courses. There should not be any laxity in the preparations for Lok Sabha elections 2024. Be alert for peaceful, fair and fear-free voting. Prepare a list at the police station level of those who try to influence voters during elections, including criminals, anti-social elements and miscreants, and ensure that action is taken against them by keeping a strict vigil. By the next 15th, the officers should complete their allotted tasks and submit the report. The instructions were issued by the Chief Electoral Officer, Jharkhand, K Ravi Kumar, who was reviewing the preparations for Lok Sabha elections in Dhanbad, Bokaro, Giridih and Deoghar districts on Saturday in Dhanbad. The CEO gave strict instructions to the district administration and police officials to remain alert with the aim of conducting peaceful, clean, fair and fear-free elections. He directed all the officers to speed up the election work with coordination. Kumar and State Police Nodal Officer AV Homkar directed for strict monitoring to curb the movement of illicit liquor, narcotics, weapons, explosives and other prohibited items. They also directed successful efforts to stop the influx/distribution of free goods, intensify the raid operations and take strict action against the accused involved in various scandals and recovery of illegal materials. He directed to revise the list of critical and vulnerable polling stations and to deploy security forces in every possible area. The CEO said that the elections have to be celebrated as a great festival of the country. Work keeping in mind the safety and convenience of the security personnel, polling personnel and voters engaged in voting work. He said that the vehicles engaged in election work should be managed in a timely manner. While managing the vehicles, keep in mind that the common people do not face any problem in transportation and there is no curfew-like atmosphere on the day of voting. This time, people have to go to vote with their family members in an atmosphere of enthusiasm, hence special care has to be taken. That normal life should not be affected on the day of voting. He said that as per the instructions of the ECI, this time voting will be held from 7 am to 5 pm i.e. throughout the day at all the polling stations in Jharkhand. All polling stations will also be monitored from the headquarters and commission level through webcasting. Guidelines have been given by the Commission to all the officials in this regard to ensure that there is no scope for any kind of error in the election work. This has to be strictly followed from time to time. He said that the officials should not just give the action plan, they should report on the compliance of the orders of the Commission in the preparations for the elections on the ground. Instructed to conduct intensive investigation at inter-state and inter-district check posts, said that the check posts are being monitored through CCTV. So make sure to keep a special eye on them. The State Police Nodal Officer directed to launch a campaign against all history-sheeters and kingpins and arrest them. He said that the safety of everyone including the polling party, EVMs, voters, security forces will be the first priority for all of us and should not be taken up in the routine work of election work. If even one incident occurs, the responsibility of the criminals as well as the officials will be fixed. Instructions were given to take seizure action against fugitives and criminals hiding at various places. Chief Electoral Officer and State Police Nodal Officer said to activate the social media cell. Take action on objectionable and fake news within eight minutes. In the review meeting, Chief Electoral Officer K. Ravi Kumar, State Police Nodal Officer A.V. Homkar, CRPF IG Rakesh Aggarwal, Additional Chief Electoral Officer Sandeep Singh along with Commissioner of North Chotanagpur Division, DIG CRPF, IG of Dumka Zone along with District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner of Dhanbad, Bokaro, Giridih and Deoghar districts, Superintendent of Police, CRPF. All the senior officials related to the Lok Sabha elections including the Commandant were present. Hailing the Election manifesto released by the Congress party for the Lok Sabha Election, former Haryana Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday said this manifesto will prove to be a roadmap to ensure justice and fair participation for every section. Each of its promises will be implemented when the Congress government is formed, he added. Calling upon all the Congress leaders and workers to take this Nyaypatra to every home and every person during the election campaign, Hooda said 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. He said the Congress has accepted the biggest demand of farmers and has promised loan waiver and legal guarantee of MSP. Apart from this, the announcement of giving annual assistance of Rs 1 lakh to every woman from poor family, and daily wage of Rs 400 to MNREGA workers is also included in the Nyaypatra. Hooda said that the announcement of equity and justice for youth, farmers, women, workers was made in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra under the leadership of former party president Rahul Gandhi. The party has included 25 guarantees in the manifesto. To curb the increasing unemployment in the country and the state, the party has guaranteed immediate permanent appointment to 30 lakh government posts under the Youth Justice Scheme. Apart from this, guarantee of apprenticeship with a stipend of Rs 1 lakh per year to every graduate and diploma holder, a guarantee of conducting examinations in a reliable manner by making a new law to stop paper leaks, start-up fund to the youth at the district level from the national fund of Rs 5000 crore. The guarantee of making them entrepreneurs is also included in the Nyaypatra, he added. For socio-economic equality, Hooda said that the party has announced a caste census of every person and every class. In the constitutional justice section of the Nyayapatra, there are issues like save democracy, freedom from fear, independence of media and judiciary, and campaign against corruption. In this, various subjects ranging from economy, to art and culture have been given place. Senior Congress leader said a concrete vision has been laid on changes in economic policies, curbing unemployment and tax reforms for economic justice in the manifesto. It also includes the need to further broaden the relations between the Union and the states to strengthen the federal structure under State Justice. Keeping in mind the importance of defence and internal security of the country, there is also a section of defence justice, which also includes foreign policy, Hooda added. The election manifesto released by Congress named Nyay-Patra is Congress' 'Nyaya-Patra', it is a guarantee of injustice and not justice. The unjust Congress has no right to issue warrants. Congress's manifesto means insecure women, unemployment, debt burden on farmers, forced and helpless labourers, discrimination and exploitation of the underprivileged and dictatorship and sham democracy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done the work of giving respect and rights to women, said Bharatiya Janata Party State President and MP Shri Vishnudutt Sharma while discussing with the media about Congress's Nyaya Patra in the BJP state office. State President Sharma said that at the behest of Mr Bantadhar, Mr Corruption Nath, during his 15-month misrule in Madhya Pradesh, had stopped the Chief Minister Maternity Assistance Scheme and embezzled Rs. 16,000 given to pregnant women for eating laddus. The Congressmen who, while in government, have cheated the Baiga-Bhariya and Sahariya sisters of every Rs 1,000 they got to eradicate malnutrition, can they give Mahalakshmi guarantee and annual assistance of Rs 1 lakh to women? What rights will those who robbed the entire population give to half the population? Sharma said that Congress is the party which makes a record of scams and corruption while in power. Those who looted the entire rights of the entire population while in government, will they give the full rights to half the population? Congress leader Late. Rajiv Gandhi himself, while being the Prime Minister, had said that in the Congress government, if I sent one rupee from Delhi for the poor, the poor would get only 15 paise, the remaining 85 paise was eaten by the Congress middlemen. How will those Congress leaders who insult women power by making indecent remarks about women, using derogatory words like 'tankmaal' and 'item', respect women power? He added that how will the leaders of the Congress Party, whose leaders consider women as objects of decoration and insult the women leaders of their party from the front stage, make them aware of their rights under 'Adhikar Maitri'? Congress's judicial document is nothing more than a bundle of lies. The Congress party is once again calling its false promises as Nyay-Patra to deceive the public. The work of giving respect and rights to women is being done under the BJP government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. By passing the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a law to provide 33 percent reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies of the country. The Congress party here on Saturday sought action against Chhattisgarh Home Minister Vijay Sharma for violating the model code of conduct. State Congress chief Deepak Baij told the Chhattisgarh Additional Chief Electoral Officer that Sharma along with supporters staged a protest a couple of days ago at the residence of Leader of Opposition Charandas Mahant. Baij demanded that Sharma be sacked as a minister. With the process of filing of nomination papers for the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections a few days away, the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh is yet to announce its candidates for 12 crucial parliamentary constituencies, shrouding the political landscape in suspense. The important Lok Sabha seats where candidates are yet to be announced include Rae Bareli, Kaiserganj, Mainpuri, Deoria, Ballia and Firozabad. The BJPs central election committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak deliberated over potential candidates for various Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh during a meeting held in Delhi on March 23. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, out of the 12 seats in question, the BJP secured nine, while the SP clinched Mainpuri, the Bahujan Samaj Party triumphed in Ghazipur and the Congress won Rae Bareli. While the BJP released its first list of candidates for 51 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh on March 2, the remaining 13, including one replacement, were announced on March 24. However, the suspense continues over the final 12 constituencies. Of the total 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP has allocated five to its alliance partners. Although discussions have taken place regarding the potential candidates for the remaining 12 seats, no official announcement has been made yet. The prolonged delay has triggered anxiety among ticket aspirants, leading to fervent lobbying for candidacy. Several hopefuls have converged on Delhi, aiming to meet senior party leaders influential in ticket allotment. Sources suggest that the BJP is awaiting the Congress to announce its candidate for Rae Bareli seat before finalising its candidate. Rae Bareli, a stronghold of the Congress, has remained beyond the BJPs reach despite the Modi wave in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. However, with Sonia Gandhi opting for Rajya Sabha, the BJP sees it as an opportunity to make inroads in the Congress bastion. The Samajwadi Party has maintained a grip on the Mainpuri seat since 1996, posing a challenge for the saffron party. Amidst speculations, it is anticipated that the BJP might field an upper caste candidate to regain the Ghazipur seat. Virendra Singh Mast, the BJP candidate from Ballia, might be shifted to another seat. Sitting BJP MP Ramapati Ram Tripathi vies for the ticket from Deoria, while local BJP leaders also clamor for candidacy. The filing of nomination for two seats Firozabad and Mainpuri scheduled to go to polls in the third phase, will commence on April 12, while for three seats Rae Bareli, Kaushambi, and Kaiserganj slated for the fifth phase polls, it will begin on April 26. The Department of Dermatology at AIIMS Bhopal marked a significant milestone as it celebrated its Foundation Day on the 5th of April, 2024. The occasion was graced by the presence of esteemed guests, faculty members, and students, commemorating the journey of excellence and service that the department has embarked upon. Speaking on this momentous occasion, Professor (Dr.) Ajai Singh, Executive Director of AIIMS Bhopal, emphasized the importance of dedication and hard work in serving humanity. He reiterated the institution's commitment to supporting the ongoing development of the Department of Dermatology to ensure its continued growth and success. The event served as a platform for sharing insights into the evolving landscape of dermatology, with distinguished ex-AIIMS faculty and alumni offering valuable perspectives. Additionally, the contributions of predecessors in the department were duly honored, recognizing their invaluable role in shaping its legacy of excellence. In a heartwarming gesture, the event also acknowledged the efforts of the security staff who tirelessly serve the institution, particularly during the scorching summers. Sampling and inspection action was taken at various places in Indore by the team formed under the direction of Indore Collector Ashish Singh and guidance of Additional Collector Gaurav Benal. The team conducted a surprise inspection of RJ Confectionery located at Industrial Area Sanwer Road. On the spot, a total of 6 samples were taken for testing when the quality of raw material and finished confectionary being used in the manufacturing of confectionary was found to be doubtful. Apart from this, if the quality of the food color titanium dioxide used in the manufacturing is doubtful, a total quantity of 40 kg whose estimated value is around Rs 4 thousand and the total quantity of prepared confectionary lollipops and jellies whose total quantity is around 500 kg, whose total value is around Rs 65 thousand, was confiscated. Besides, another establishment Champion Ice Cream, Tigriya Badshah Indore was also surprise inspected and two samples of the food item Frozen Dessert were taken and the total quantity of 165 liters was seized due to doubt over the quality. Similarly, surprise inspection was conducted by the team at Parag Enterprises, Nandalapura. On the spot, the vendor was found to be doing food business without food registration. When ghee, the food item kept for sale in the premises, is tested using mobile food testing lab, primarily if there is a suspicion of adulteration of vegetable in the ghee, a total of 6 samples of food items stored in the premises - ghee, vegetable, mustard oil, groundnut oil, etc. are tested and taken for lab testing. On suspicion of the said food items being adulterated, a total quantity of 930 kg whose total value was approximately Rs 2 lakh 75 thousand was seized till further action. Also, due to doing food business without food registration, the food business was closed until food registration was obtained. All the samples are being sent to the State Food Testing Laboratory, Bhopal for testing, after receiving the report, legal action will be taken. BJP State President and former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi today made a big attack on JMM. Marandi, while addressing the assembly level program organized by the party in Medininagar Palamu on Friday, said that the charge sheet presented by ED is a document of corruption of Hemant government. He said that today the wife of former Chief Minister Hemant Soren is accusing BJP of harassing her husband. He said that Kalpana Soren should only read the 191 page charge sheet presented by ED verbatim and she will know the reason behind Hemant Soren going to jail. He said that Hemant government looted the state all around. Sand, stones, coal, iron, land, everything was looted. He said that he did not stop there but also looted the jobs of the youth. Marandi said that on one hand, there is the height of corruption, there is a feast for the corrupt, on the other hand, there is Modi's guarantee to root out corruption. He said that today all the corrupt, anti-India, anti-Sanatan, anti-development forces are talking about removing Modi, while the people are determined to form the Modi government for the third time. He said that in the last 10 years, the poor, Dalits, tribals, backward women of the country have all joined the mainstream of development. 25 crore people of the country have come out of the poverty line. Roads, electricity, highways, IIT, AIIMS, IIM, airport, railway station facilities have increased. Provision of free ration to 80 crore people of the country was ensured. He said that not only India but the world was rescued from the Corona crisis under the leadership of Modi. He said that the guarantee of developed India is Modi's guarantee. He called upon the workers to increase the vote by 10 per cent. He said to increase 370 votes at each booth and this time, fulfill the resolution of getting more than 400 seats. Central probe agencythe Enforcement Directorate (ED) has requested the Jharkhand High Court to get the CBI investigated in the case registered against its officials and media persons under the SC-ST Act. Hemant Soren had lodged an FIR under the SC-ST Act on January 31 against ED officers Kapil Raj, Devvrat Jha, Anupam Kumar, Aman Patel and unknown others at the SC-ST police station in Ranchi. The FIR states that ED officials had asked him to stay in Ranchi from January 29 to 31 and in the meantime raided his Delhi residence in his absence without prior notice. They come from Scheduled Tribe, but among the above ED officers, not a single officer belonged to SC-ST. He and his family have been mentally and socially tortured by this false, artificial act of ED. They are hurt. An attempt has been made through the above mentioned ED officials to defame them among the general public by spreading confusion in the media. However, the court has banned any coercive action against ED officials. The chief ministers complaint was against the backdrop of speculation that ED might arrest him in connection with the central agencys Prevention of Money Laundering Act probe against Soren relating to the ownership of a parcel of land measuring 7.16 acres in Bajra area of Ranchi. It has been alleged that the land parcel was acquired through proceeds of crime involving the illegal sale of army land. Soren has dismissed the case as politically motivated and said the details of his assets were in the public domain. The agency at that time had arrested 14 people in the case, including 2011 batch Indian Administrative Service officer Chhavi Ranjan, who served as director of the states social welfare department, deputy commissioner of Ranchi, Bhanu Pratap Prasad, and businessmen Amit Agrawal and Bishnu Agrawal, who own shopping malls in the state capital. The Enforcement Directorate on Friday opposed the plea moved by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal before a city court for more time with his lawyer, saying special privileges cannot be extended to him merely because he wants to run the government from inside the jail. The ED made its submissions before the special judge for CBI and ED cases Kaveri Baweja, who reserved the order on Kejriwals plea for Monday. Kejriwals counsel told the judge that multiple cases were pending against the politician and that one hour a week was insufficient for a person to understand and give instructions. 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, the counsel said. The ED opposed Kejriwals prayer for five meetings with his lawyer every week, saying it was was against the jail manual. The central probe agency told the court that Kejriwal was already allowed to have 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. 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 EDs counsel told the judge. He alleged that legal interviews were being misused by Kejriwal for purposes other than consultation. Kejriwal has issued some instructions on matters related to governance from behind bars. His Aam Aadmi Party has asserted he will run the government from jail. 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. The EDs submissions were opposed by the defence counsel. People are unequally treated and you have to balance them. Here is a person who has 30 cases going on against him. Can I be equated with someone who has one case against them? Kejriwals counsel said. Kejriwal had moved the application claiming that two meetings every week with his lawyer, as permitted by the court, was not sufficient since he was facing multiple cases in various states and needed more time for consultation. Staff Reporter n New Delhi The Enforcement Directorate on Friday opposed the plea moved by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal before a city court for more time with his lawyer, saying special privileges cannot be extended to him merely because he wants to run the government from inside the jail. The ED made its submissions before the special judge for CBI and ED cases Kaveri Baweja, who reserved the order on Kejriwals plea for Monday. Kejriwals counsel told the judge that multiple cases were pending against the politician and that one hour a week was insufficient for a person to understand and give instructions. 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, the counsel said. The ED opposed Kejriwals prayer for five meetings with his lawyer every week, saying it was was against the jail manual. The central probe agency told the court that Kejriwal was already allowed to have 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. 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 EDs counsel told the judge. He alleged that legal interviews were being misused by Kejriwal for purposes other than consultation. Kejriwal has issued some instructions on matters related to governance from behind bars. His Aam Aadmi Party has asserted he will run the government from jail. 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. The EDs submissions were opposed by the defence counsel. People are unequally treated and you have to balance them. Here is a person who has 30 cases going on against him. Can I be equated with someone who has one case against them? Kejriwals counsel said. Kejriwal had moved the application claiming that two meetings every week with his lawyer, as permitted by the court, was not sufficient since he was facing multiple cases in various states and needed more time for consultation. District Election Officer cum Deputy Commissioner Shekhar Jamuar dismissed Junior Engineer, Raju Prajapati posted at Bhawanathpur block on contract on the charge of dereliction of duty while conducting the duty in Lok Sabha, after detailed inquiry. According to a press release issued by the IPRD Garhwa, Junior Engineer who was posted at Srinagar inter-state Check Post under Hariharpur police Out Post was found absent from the duty during a check of Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) cum ARO Nagar Untari. SDO deputed to BDO to enquire into the matter and submit a report. BDO submitted a report to the SDO. He mentioned in a report that Junior Engineer, Block Bhawanathpur has written 'District Administration Ranchi, On Government Duty and Civil Engineer cum Future Chief Minister Jharkhand Government, Ranchi on his personal vehicle (THAR) jeep and Administration is written on the back of the jeep. As a result, the Sub-Divisional Officer, Nagar Untari sought an explanation to the Prajapati through vide letter no. 94/Nirva, dated- 29.03.2024, in light of which Prajapati submitted an explanation to the Sub-Divisional Officer, he mentioned that due to being employed in the Vehicle Cell under Bhawanathpur Block, he could not appear at Srinagar Ghat Check post on the said date, but in the light of the explanation submitted by JE , the Sub-Divisional Officer not satisfied and it's reported to DC through vide letter no. 102 dated 02.04.2024 mentioned that Prajapati has been deputed to the Vehicle Cell of Bhawanathpur Block, but on 28.03.2024, his presence has not been recorded in the Vehicle Cell. In the light of the clarification provided by Prajapati, the Sub-Divisional Officer, has provided the opinion that Prajapati has tried to mislead by submitting clarification by giving wrong information, his said act reflects gross negligence and dereliction of duty towards election work, in light of which it has been recommended to take strict disciplinary action against Prajapati. In light of which the Block Development Officer, Bhawanathpur-cum-Flying Squad Magistrate has investigated the matter and registered a case against junior engineer for violation of Model Code of Conduct, Bhawanathpur Police Station Case No. 46/24 dated 29.03.2024 u/s 188/171 F/290IPC, 134A R.P. Act 1951 & 179(1) .V. Act 1988. In view of the report,DC sought explanation through vide letter no. 296/P dated 30.03.2024. The clarification has been replied by JE which is not satisfactory. Also, the Project Director, (Administration), Jharkhand Urban Infrastructure Development Company Limited, (JUSCO Ltd.), Jharkhand, Ranchi has informed through letter no. 5160/ dated 30.03.2024 that Raju Kumar Prajapati has been working as Assistant Project Manager in JUSCO Ltd. from 18.12.2019 to 13.08.2020 at JUSCO Ltd. Headquarters and as Assistant Project Manager in Dhanbad Headquarters from Office Order No. 52, dated 14.08.2020. Again, by office order number 13, dated 08.02.2021, the headquarters of Prajapati has been fixed as Garhwa, associating him with Majhiaon Urban Water Supply and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Garhwa . In the light of the above, clarification was sought from Shri Prajapati by letter number- 302 dated 01.04.2024 of this office, but the reply to the clarification has not been submitted by Shri Prajapati till now. From which it appears that Shri Raju Kumar Prajapati, Junior Engineer has nothing to say in his defense. Regarding his appointment, in the light of the service contract attached with the departmental letter no. 1899 dated 01.10.2021 of Panchayati Raj Department, Jharkhand, Ranchi, it is mentioned in clause 4 of the affidavit submitted by him that the service contract will be full-time. That is, during the service contract period, he will not be allowed to work at any other place / institutions etc., which he has not followed. Also, the Model Code of Conduct has also not been followed. In view of the recommendation received from the Sub-Divisional Officer,the explanation received from Shri Prajapati being unsatisfactory and the letter of the Project Director, (Administration), Jharkhand Urban Infrastructure Development Company Limited, (JUSCO Ltd.), Jharkhand, Ranchi, Raju Kumar Prajapati serving simultaneously in two government institutions which is a violation of the contract, the service contract of Shri Raju Kumar Prajapati, Junior Engineer, 15th Finance, Block Bhawanathpur has been terminated, DC said. The India Meteorological Department predicted moderate to heavy rainfall in central Chhattisgarh and on Saturday sounded a yellow alert for the next three days. IMDs weather scientist H.P. Chandra told The Pioneer that heavy rains were expected at some isolated places in Chhattisgarh from April 7 to 10. This will be due to a trough developed from south Chhattisgarh till Tamil Nadu, he said. Moderate to heavy rains and thundershowers accompanied with gusty winds will hit isolated parts of the central region of the state, he said. Some of places in central Chhattisgarh will also receive hailstorm and its devastating effect could be the loss of Rabi and horticulture crops, he said. People in Chhattisgarh will get relief from the scorching summer as the mercury will drop by about 5 degrees Celsius, the scientist said. Northern and southern Chhattisgarh will also see some effect and the temperature will fall to a great extent, it said. Citing that a yellow alert has been sounded, the scientist said the IMD has four colour-coded warnings as per the intensity of any weather system -- green, yellow, orange and red. Yellow alert is given asking the authorities and the public to be prepared. Alleging that the Congress party treated the poor only as vote banks during their rule, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday said that the Narendra Modi led Government at the Centre has initiated several schemes for their benefit and brought smiles on the faces of the poor. The Congress only exploited the poor, gave the slogan of 'garibi hatao' but took no steps towards poverty alleviation, he said. The Congress only gave lollipops to the poor. They failed to do anything for their development, for their interests, despite being in power for a long time," Saini told reporters after a meeting with BJP national vice president Saudan Singh. "As against this, during the past 10 years, Modi has brought smiles on the faces of the poor," said Saini. He also said that more than 25 crore Indians have been pulled out from poverty during the Modi government's time. So many schemes have been started for the poor by the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre which the Congress cannot digest. Their problem is why Modi is so concerned about the welfare of the poor, he said. Later addressing a poll rally in Fatehabad's Ratia falling under the Sirsa parliamentary constituency, Saini said trust of every section has increased in Prime Minister Modi and this is why the people want to bring him back as the prime minister with a big mandate. Saini said the works done by the "double engine" government has benefitted the poor and other sections. Modi has delivered what he had promised, he said. Under Modi's leadership, several schemes have been initiated for various sections, said Saini. He also spelled out several steps taken towards the welfare of the farmers. "Our government is pro-farmer and has protected their interests," he said. The chief minister said the Haryana government procures 14 crops at the minimum support price (MSP). The Congress earlier spread falsehood that the MSP will be discontinued, he said. The country is marching ahead on the path of progress, and the vision of a developed nation by 2047 will be realised, he said. He appealed to the people to elect a BJP candidate from Sirsa, Ashok Tanwar, with a big mandate. Moreover, Saini targeted the opposition over their claims that the ruling BJP may change their Lok Sabha candidates on a few seats in Haryana and said they were speaking lies. The opposition is feeling jittery, he said. "They have been unable to field their candidates and now they are coming out with this propaganda and speaking lies. They want to divert public attention," Saini said. When BJP Hisar Lok Sabha candidate Ranjit Singh Chautala was asked if there are speculations that the party could change him from the seat, he said some people deliberately spread such rumours. Ranjit Chautala told reporters in Hisar on Thursday that as long as the elections last, such rumours will be spread by some people. While the BJP has already announced its candidates for all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the main opposition Congress is yet to announce candidates for the nine seats it is contesting. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), part of the INDIA bloc, is fighting the Kurukshetra seat and has named the party's state unit chief, Sushil Gupta, as its candidate. Poila Bishakh celebration by DWA Poila Boishakh (Bengali New Year), a significant festival that celebrates Bengali culture and heritage was organised by the members of Doctors' Wives Association today at I M A Hall. Chairperson Vinita Sharan and Founder cum Co-Chairperson Jhooma Sarkar extended their warm wishes to one and all. President Shreela Choudhary welcomed the members. Jhooma Sarkar in her speech reminded everyone of the rich history and tradition to bring people together in a spirit of unity. The organisers won accolades for their wonderful performances. Members also enjoyed the Bengali cuisine served on the occasion. SBPS students shine in Fit India Quiz After exhibiting marvellous performance in the preliminary round of FIT INDIA QUIZ, Md. Ammaar Ahmad of Std. X and Abhishek Kumar Ayush of Std. XI of Sarala Birla Public School, Ranchi were selected for the state round of FIT INDIA QUIZ. They secured 8th and 11th ranks respectively in the preliminary round and were awarded a cash prize of Rs. 2000 each and the school was also awarded a cash prize of Rs. 15000. From the state of Jharkhand, 8 schools got selected out of 1500 schools. In the state level semi-final round, SBPS Ranchi got the 1st rank and qualified for the final round. In the final round of state level, the school secured the 3rd position. The students were awarded a cash prize of Rs. 3500 each and the school was awarded with a cash prize of Rs. 32500. Principal, Paramjit Kaur, lauded the performance of the students and she remarked that participation in such competitions leads to the holistic development of the students. WUIF organises Blood Donation Camp Wake Up India Foundation in collaboration with Health Point Hospital organized a blood donation camp on 05/04/2024 at Khelgaon Housing Complex. More than 20 units of blood were successfully collected in this camp. This proved to be an important step for Wake Up India Foundation, which provides an important service to the society along with raising awareness about healthcare services. The enthusiasm and support shown by blood donors at the event will certainly encourage such initiatives in the days to come. Shivam Kumar, Ansh Raj Priyadarshini, Nihal Verma, Zayed Khan, Anushka and Sriparna played important roles in organizing this camp. Opposition INDIA bloc partners plan to meet here on Saturday and chalk out a strategy to counter the dominant BJP in Madhya Pradesh in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, a senior Congress leader said on Friday. The BJP, which scripted an emphatic victory in the recent assembly elections, is preparing for a clean sweep in the general elections in the central state, its leaders have claimed. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the ruling party had bagged 28 of 29 seats in the state, with the lone remaining seat Chhindwara going to Congress Nakul Nath. A meeting of the Madhya Pradesh heads of the INDIA bloc partners will be held at the Congress office here to discuss in detail the groupings strategy against the BJP, which is in power at the Center as well as the state, media advisor to the MP Congress chief KK Mishra told. Over two dozen parties have come under the banner of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to face off with the BJP in the polls. Even as the process of filing of nomination papers for the first two phases of Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh is over, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance is yet to kick off its election campaign in the state. Samajwadi Party and Congress are major partners of the INDIA bloc in UP. As per consensus on seat sharing reached between the two parties, SP will contest 63 Lok Sabha seats and Congress 17 seats in UP. Congress has so far announced candidates for 14 seats while the SP has announced 46 candidates so far. The Election Commission of India had announced the schedule of the 7-phase Lok Sabha polls on March 16. The notification for the first phase polls on eight seats was issued on March 20 and the last date for filing nomination papers was March 28. The notification for the second phase polls in eight constituencies was issued on March 28 and the last date for filing papers was April 4. The polling for the first phase is scheduled on April 19 and for the second phase on April 26. The process is underway and the campaign plan is under preparation. The detailed plan will be announced shortly, said Congress spokesman Anshu Awasthi, SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said, As soon as the candidates for all the seats are finalised, party president Akhilesh Yadav will embark on an election campaign from western UP. The SP and the Congress had finalised the sharing of seats in UP over a month ago and announced it on February 21. Even as the toughest stretch of the Lok Sabha polls awaits SP and Congress, the leaders of both parties say there are no instructions yet from the top on implementing the agreement and there is no clear word about the distribution of work. Sources in the SP said the next obvious task for both the parties was ensuring coordination on the ground for the campaign and transfer of votes to each party to the other during polling. Candidates from both parties are carrying out these exercises to meet the challenge of bringing their cadre together on one platform and ensuring they gel with each other to avoid any confusion or embarrassment as had prevailed in 2017 UP assembly elections when the top leadership of SP and Congress had forged an alliance but their local units shunned each other. That eventually resulted in both parties fielding candidates against each other in several constituencies. However, in the absence of guidelines from their leadership, some confusion remains. There is confusion about the distribution of work. We do not know what responsibilities the Congress cadre will have to bear here, whether our workers will have to work as booth-level agents or not. Our party has asked our district president and Lok Sabha coordinators to appoint booth presidents but we do not know what their tasks will be, or how they will coordinate with SP leaders. Here, we are dependent on the plans of the SP and its candidate, said a Congress leader in Ambedkar Nagar, where SPs Lalji Verma is the INDIA bloc candidate. Contrary to disarray in opposition, the election campaign by the Bharatiya Janata Party is in full swing in UP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have started campaigning for the BJP and its allies. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has so far addressed Prabuddha Sammelans in close to two dozen districts where Lok Sabha polls will be held in first, second and third phases of election. The UP chief minister has also campaigned in Saharanpur, Pilibhit and Mathura. On April 6, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address rallies in Saharanpur and Kairana and also hold a roadshow in Ghaziabad. The BJP is looking to register its best ever performance in UP this election. We will witness our best performance to date in Uttar Pradesh and will get more seats than in 2014, said BJP spokesman Rakesh Tripathi. On April 9, the prime minister will address an election meeting in Pilibhit. On April 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a digital NaMo rally through the NaMo app at all 22,648 booths of 10 Lok Sabha seats going to the polls in the third phase in Uttar Pradesh. The Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar asserted that India does not need any sermons from anyone on this planet on the point of equality as India has always believed in it. Asking the countries to look within, he highlighted that some countries are yet to have a woman president, while India had a woman Prime Minister before even the United Kingdom. Cautioning against the false narrative and misinformation being set afloat about the Citizenship Amendment Act, Dhanhkar 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. The Vice President was addressing the 2023 batch IAS officer trainees at the conclusion of phase-I of their professional course at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie on Friday. Mentioning that CAA facilitates acquisition of Indian citizenship for minorities in the neighbouring countries, the VP asked How can this reprieve, healing touch to those persecuted in our neighbourhood on account of their religious commitment be discriminatory? Noting that CAA applies to those who arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014, he emphasised that it 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 cautioned. Addressing the IAS officer trainees, he called upon 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, Dhankhar said that privileged pedigree is now sulking in the bylanes. 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 questioned, How can someone in a democratic country like ours be more equal than others? This equality before the law that had eluded the nation for long and corruption that was running into the veins of administration like blood are now matters of the past, he told the young officers while recognising the contributions of the civil servants to this revolution. Appreciating 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 upbeat mood all over the nation, he asserted that India is no longer a nation with a potential or a sleeping giant. It is on the move. The greatest challenge to our democratic polity is emanating from those who have long been part of dispensation, have held positions of authority, had the occasion to contribute to the development of the nation and once out of authority or power have poor appetite for growth trajectory of the nation. They need some rebuff from young minds, he said. The Vice President told the IAS probationers that people look up to them as role models. You have to exemplify by actions that are worth emulating, inspiring and motivating young minds and eliciting admiration of the elders in any capacity, he added. Over the past three decades, the Communist parties in Uttar Pradesh have experienced a gradual decline, akin to political exile, as the landscape of the state has shifted towards saffron dominance. Once boasting strongholds in revered religious cities like Ayodhya and Kashi, which provided a political impetus and seed politico capital to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Communists now find themselves relegated to the sidelines of the political landscape. In their heydays, Communist flags flew high even in religious centres such as Ayodhya and Kashi, with notable victories that of Satya Narayan Singh of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in 1967 and Mitrasen Yadav from Ayodhya. The movement, which had its presence in the UP assembly till 1974, when it won 16 seats, won one to four seats till 1996. Thereafter, the Left movement in the state was marginalised, with none of its members entering the portals of the Vidhan Sabha since 2002. The political narrative began to change with the rise of caste-based politics, followed by the BJPs Ram Janmabhoomi agitation in 1989, which polarised voters along communal lines and diverted supporters away from the Left parties. A political analyst said that the advent of the politics of caste and religion in the 1990s pushed the Left ideology to the sidelines. It is not as if the Left parties do not have their organisation in the state. In almost 65 districts, the Communist Party of India has its organisational units but they are struggling because of a dearth of resources. The same is the condition of other Leftist parties, he added. The younger generation is less acquainted with the ideological struggles of the Left, leading to a further erosion of their voter base, noted political analysts, highlighting the generational shift in political ideologies. Dr Girish, a senior leader of the CPI, attributed the Lefts decline to the emergence of caste-driven parties and the communal wave spearheaded by the BJP. Despite their advocacy for labourers, workers and the poor, the Left struggled to compete in elections due to limited funding and shifting voter allegiances. Since 1991, no candidate from CPI or CPI (M) has been elected to the Lok Sabha from UP, marking a significant downturn from their previous electoral successes. Even in traditional strongholds like Kanpur, where Left wing labour leader SM Banerjee once held sway and won Lok Sabha election four times, the tide has turned, with the rise of saffron politics overpowering their influence. In 1977, Manohar Lal of Janata Party stopped Banerjees victory march but in 1989, Suhashini Ali of CPI (M) won the Lok Sabha election from Kanpur. In 1967 Satya Narayan Singh of CPI (M) won election from Varanasi and the same year CPIs Jageshwar Yadav had won from Banda. Ghazipur and Ghosi area were Left bastions. CPIs Jaibahadur Singh was elected MP from Ghosi in 1962 and 1967. In the next election, Jharkhande Rai (CPI) won the election but lost it in 1977. In 1989, Jharkhande Rai again unfurled the Left flag from there. In neighbouring Ghazipur, Sarju Pandey won in 1967. The Left party won election from there in 1971 and 1991. Vishwanath Shastri again put the seat in the bag of the CPI. Mitrasen Yadav from Faizabad and Jharkhande Rai from Ghosi also became MPs in 1989. The Ram Janmabhoomi movement dealt a severe blow to socialist and communist parties, with many of their erstwhile supporters gravitating towards the Congress, Samajwadi Party, and ultimately the BJP. As the Left grapples with extinction in Uttar Pradesh, its once-Red strongholds have now been saffronised, symbolising a significant shift in the states political landscape. Despite sporadic attempts to contest elections and maintain relevance, the Left's presence continues to fade amidst the resurgent saffron wave sweeping across the state. Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena and Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj have yet again entered in a war of words, with the former blaming the AAP leader for utter lack of basic consumables in Delhi Government hospital on Friday while the latter inviting the Centre appointed LG to visit the hospitals where majority of patients come from BJP ruled Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Launching a scathing attack on the ruling AAP government, the LG said, I am writing with reference to your U.O note number Min health/2024/1182 dated 4th April 2024 drawing attention to the utter lack of basic consumables in Dr Hedgewar Arogya Sansthan and Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya. Claiming that the much touted Delhi Model of health service delivery lies in shambles, the Centre appointed LG said that he is appalled at the pathetic state of affairs prevailing in Delhi government hospitals. I am surprised that hospitals in the national capital run by the Delhi government are not equipped even with basic consumables like cotton, he said. He said that the minister is avoiding his responsibility In the letter while accusing him of making it a recurrent practice to cast blame for deficiency solely on the officers. Hitting back at him, Bhardwaj said, I will be pleased to take you to the hospitals of Delhi Government where more than 50% patients are from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. He said that the Chief Secretary and Health Secretary are misleading the AAP ruled Delhi government by submitting that there is no scarcity of medicines & consumables. However, instead of solving the issue, the Chief Secretary and Health Secretary are misleading the Government by submitting that there is no scarcity of medicines & consumables. You have yourself agreed in your communication that there is scarcity of medicines & consumables in hospitals, Bhardwaj said. Meanwhile, Saxena claimed that over the last one decade, there has been a complete lack of oversight in the health sector. Infrastructure is grossly inadequate in some cases, while it is nonfunctional in others, he said. I had written to the chief minister way back in June last year, that apart from construction of only one new hospital at Siraspur, which had huge time and cost overruns, no new hospitals have been established during the last nine years. In existing hospitals, addition of beds was badly delayed, LG claimed, while saying that Bhardwaj disregarded his invitation to discuss issues of public importance related to healthcare by giving frivolous excuses. He said that instead of taking the issues in healthcare head on, Bhardwaj consistently choses to shoot off misleading missives and indulge in media blame game, claiming that the High Court was so anguished with the miserable situation of the health infrastructure, that the division bench threatened the AAP leader in open court with imprisonment. Saxena reminded the Minister that health is a subject which is wholly transferred to the elected government under the constitutional scheme of things in GNCT of Delhi. He said, As minister in charge, you should not shy away from taking decisions of portfolios assigned to you in the council of ministers. This grave situation should ideally have been discussed way back in the council of ministers, which is the highest deliberative policy making body of the government. In a bid to hit back at LG, the AAP leader shared multiple news reports where it is claimed that LG has initiated enquiries. He said, Its nowhere mentioned that CM led NCCSA has ordered those enquiries. While stating that the health conditions in the national capital are bad, Saxena remarked High Court had to step in recently and constitute a committee of doctors to get a proper assessment of health facilities and a roadmap for invoking correctives. Further, he said that this is a sad reflection on the performance of the executive, if judicial action is required to step in. He shared, several public representatives, eminent doctors and the real aam aadmi of Delhi, whom I meet every day, have shared innumerable experiences which highlight the virtual collapse of government health infrastructure. Hitting out on AAP over announcements of augmentation of beds in hospitals and construction of new hospitals, he said, Sadly, announcements which were made with much fanfare were not followed up with the zeal and urgency that was warranted. Delhi Minister in his response to LG asked several questions including Why is LG not saying even a word about initiation of enquiry against the Chief Secretary and Health Secretary? An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 was reported by the National Center for Seismology, Ministry of Earth Sciences on April 4 at a depth of 10 kilometers. After analysis by the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA) the possible affected Panchayats where the epicentre of the earthquake has been identified are Sach, Seichu, Shoon (HilluTwan), and Kumar (Parmar) of Tehsil Pangi, district Chamba. In a statement, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena on Friday said that the Emergency Operation Centers (EOCs) immediately swung into action. With the help of GIS, area near the epicentre of the EQ was identified and contact was established with Deputy Commissioner Chamba and Resident Commissioner Pangi to assess the situation. Information from the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) Chamba and Resident Commissioner Pangi about the situation was sought. They informed that they have been in touch with field functionaries, Patwari Sach, Police Chowki Purthi and elected representatives of the possible affected area. Fortunately, no life or major property loss was immediately reported, Saxena said. On Friday morning, the local administration moved a search and rescue party with the Executive Magistrate, Kanungo, Doctors and Police in the morning to the affected Panchayats. As of now, no loss of life has been reported, and the situation seems to be normal, the statement added. "There have been only partial damages to houses, for which the Patwari is making relief cases as the team carried out its inspections. There are some reports of cracks to the houses and the same will be verified after field verification and relief, if any admissible, under the norms, shall be paid to the affected families in due course of time," the statement said. Panic prevailed in Lalghati area after a 37-year-old female nurse was found dead in an apartment, this flat belongs to the woman's acquaintance. She was living with her 12 year old boy and was living without her husband for the past 3 months. The police have established a case in this matter. Police said that the exact cause of death will be revealed after receiving the PM report. According to TI Brijendra Marskole, Maya TM (37), wife of Sundaram Vyankateshwar Gayatri, lived on rent in Bihar Colony, Bagsevania. She worked as a nurse at Sage Apollo Hospital. Before this she used to work in Trupti Hospital of Lal Ghati. She became friends with Deepak Katiyar who worked here. After knowing about this, Maya's husband returned to Kerala three months ago. After this, the woman started living on rent in Bagh Sevaniya with her 12 year old son Nadan. Before this she had also been with Deepak. When and how the deceased reached Deepak's house has not been revealed. It was Deepak who had informed the police about her death. After taking possession of the body, the police kept it in the mortuary. The body was handed over to the relatives after the PM on Friday. Police said that at present the possibility of murder cannot be ruled out. After the preliminary investigation police have registered a case under section 174 of the CrPC and have started investigation. The police are yet to record the statements of the family members who could reveal the details. The reason of the death has to be revealed and which could surface after the post mortem report is handed to police. The 25th Quarterly Hindi meeting of the Departmental Official Language Implementation Committee was successfully organized under the chairmanship of Prof. (Dr.) Ajai Singh, Executive Director, AIIMS, Bhopal. During the meeting, while reviewing the functioning of the Official Language Hindi in the Institute, Executive Director and Chairman of the Committee, Prof. (Dr.) Ajai Singh got information about the status of use of Official Language Hindi in the Institute. He directed to giving the top priority to the compliance of the Official Language Rules in the Institute, and ensure all necessary efforts to achieve the targets set by the Department of Official Language at the earliest. On this occasion, Col (Dr.) Ajit Kumar, Deputy Director (Administration) informed that the use of official language Hindi in the Institute is continuously increasing. He informed that appropriate measures are being taken in the institute to achieve the Targets set by the Department of Official Language and to speed up the use of the official language Hindi. In a blistering attack on the opposition parties, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Friday, said that unlike in previous governments during which sugarcane payments were delayed to farmers for prolonged periods extending from five to 10 years, today payments were being made to them within a week. Addressing the Vijay Shankhnad rally at Gateway International School grounds in Baghpat, Yogi said it was an honour to visit the revered land of the eminent son of Mother India and former prime minister, Bharat Ratna 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. Chief Minister Yogi commended Prime Minister Narendra 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 honouring 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 the joint candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal, Dr Rajkumar Sangwan. Describing Baghpat as the land of heroes and freedom fighters, Chief Minister Yogi emphasised its historical significance since the Mahabharata era, where the seeds of resistance against injustice and oppression were sown. 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, as Chief Minister Yogi remarked, Duryodhana could not even give the five villages and forfeited societys blessings, culminating in the war. The chief minister remarked: The upcoming election in Baghpat is 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 up to the polling day. Drawing attention to the incumbent MP, Dr Satyapal Singh, Chief Minister Yogi noted his unwavering dedication to Baghpats development. Upon assuming office, he swiftly navigated developmental initiatives through bureaucratic channels in record time, the chief minister 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 of the past. Underscoring the imperative of development for securing a prosperous future for upcoming generations, Chief Minister Yogi highlighted the collaborative efforts of RLD and BJP as essential for Baghpats progress. Furthermore, he criticised the previous administrations for neglecting Baghpats youth, who were left disenfranchised despite their aspirations for government employment. Chief Minister Yogi emphasised the rapid strides India has made under Prime Minister Modis leadership, elevating the nations global stature and ensuring safety for its citizens. He hailed the eradication of terrorism and Naxalism, and pointed to the improved security for women, entrepreneurs and businesses, coupled with a conducive environment for trade and investment. Encouraging heightened engagement in the upcoming election in Baghpat, the chief minister underscored the importance of reaffirming support for the Modi government by electing Dr Rajkumar Sangwan. Given the expansive nature of the constituency, Chief Minister Yogi urged the BJP workers to canvass tirelessly for Dr Sangwan, stressing the need for seamless coordination between BJP and RLD workers. To propel the developmental agenda, he called for unified efforts from all stakeholders. Additionally, Chief Minister Yogi emphasised the significance of voting and extended hospitality to attendees. Gonda Nagar Palika Parishad chairperson and Samajwadi Party leader Uzma Rashid was arrested by the police on Friday. She is accused of fraudulently getting enemy property land registered in her name. The police have tightened the noose around the nagar palika chairperson after she failed to get relief from the High Court. She was called for interrogation on Friday afternoon and later taken into custody. Deputy Superintendent of Police Vinay Singh said that the Nagar Kotwali police had arrested SP leader and nagar palika chairperson Uzma Rashid, who was absconding in a case of enemy property. She was earlier put under house arrest at her residence in Gonda, where she was being questioned by the investigating officer of the case. He said that after interrogation, the police arrested Uzma Rashid and took her to the district hospital for her medical check-up. She was later sent to jail. Reports said that an assistant registrar (kanungo) of Sadar Tehsil in Gonda had filed a case against the nagar palika chairperson in Nagar Kotwali on March 16. He alleged that Gonda nagar palika chairperson Uzma Rashid was illegally occupying the land of enemy property in Rakabganj locality. Not only this, it is alleged that the chairperson misused her position and got the enemy property land registered in her name with the help of forged documents. Regarding this, District Magistrate Neha Sharma directed strict action against the accused. To avoid arrest, Uzma Rashid had knocked the doors of the High Court, but after the appeal was rejected, the police moved ahead and arrested her on Friday afternoon. Further investigations are on against her. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the Congress party is spreading canard in an attempt to mislead the people of the country. He said that it is a pity that those who had foisted an emergency on the country are now talking about a threat to democracy. The CM was addressing a public meeting organised at GMS Road here on Friday. The CM said that prior to 2014 during the Congress regime, new scams used to come to the fore on a daily basis but today the corrupt are either in jail or are on bail due to the policy of zero tolerance on corruption adopted by the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi government. Paying homage to the former MLA and speaker Harbans Kapur, the CM said that the people of Dehradun Cantonment Assembly will continue to support the BJP in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. Exhorting people to give their vote to the partys Tehri candidate Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, the CM said that their vote will help in making Narendra Modi the Prime Minister of the country again. He said that PM Modi has special affection for Uttarakhand and under his leadership projects worth Rs two lakh crore have been sanctioned. The CM said that the dream of a developed, great and self-reliant India is getting fulfilled under PM Modis leadership since 2014. In the last 10 years, a total of 55,000 km of National Highways have been constructed and construction of 15 All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and 74 airports have been done. The CM informed that more than 25 crore people have come out of poverty in the last 10 years. He added that under the leadership of PM Modi, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has been implemented and article 370 of constitution abrogated. Dhami said that the dream of a grand temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya has been fulfilled. He claimed that India has set up a new record in the field of defence export. The country has exported defence equipment worth Rs 21,000 crore to 80 nations. One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme was implemented to provide rightful dues to the armed forces personnel. He said that the passage of a bill in Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the State assembly, stringent anti-copying act, anti riot ordinance and action against land Jihad are some of the achievements of the BJP government of Uttarakhand. Dhami said that the BJP government has provided 30 per cent reservation in government jobs to the women of the State and has made an arrangement of giving 10 per cent horizontal reservation to the statehood activists. The local MLA Savita Kapur, in-charge of Tehri Lok Sabha Vinay Rohilla, Neha Joshi and others were present on the occasion. AAP 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. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) shared the letter, written in Hindi, on X. Will meet you soon outside. The British rulers also had 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. Sisodias 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 a good education one day, Sisodia said. Good education is necessary for a developed country, he added. Reacting to the letter, Delhi BJP Secretary Harish Khurana and Media Head Praveen Shankar Kapoor have said that Manish Sisodias letter from the jail coming after a long time seems to be an effort to prove his political existence. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Friday, said that the government had not only brought Lord Ram, but had also ensured Ram naam satya of all those who threaten the safety of women and traders in Uttar Pradesh. Addressing a huge public rally in Aligarh to seek votes for Bharatiya Janata Partys Lok Sabha candidate Satish Kumar Gautam, Yogi remarked: The dream you saw 10 years ago has become a reality today. The daughters and businessmen, who did not venture out of their houses for fear of criminals in the past, are roaming around freely at night today. It has been possible because of your single vote. You must realise the power of one vote. The chief minister also paid his respects to Baba Khereshwar Mahadev of Khereshwar temple, historical Sarovar Dharnidhar and the land of great Chandravanshi kings on the occasion. He paid tributes to Shiv Narayan Pandit, Mangala Singh and Mahtab Singh, who led the first freedom struggle of 1857. He remarked: Living life in the spirit of Lord Ram is paramount; every task is accomplished by invoking his name. Simultaneously, individuals who endanger societal security will face serious repercussions. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that these elections marked a historic milestone where speculation about the outcome was unnecessary as the results were known to all. Aligarh will go to polls in the second phase. The chief minister added, This achievement is a testament to the transformative endeavours spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the past decade. Once again, the voice of the Modi government resounds loudly across the country, spanning from the North to the South and from the East to the West, for the third time. He highlighted, Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi' leadership, we witness the emergence of a rejuvenated India. Our nations stature has ascended globally, our borders are fortified and the scourges of terrorism and Naxalism have been eradicated. Concurrently, significant infrastructural developments are underway nationwide. The highway from Ghaziabad to Aligarh has expanded to six lanes, a cement factory has been established, and the state now enjoys peace without riots and curfews. The revered kanwar yatra proceeds with grandeur while the artisans of Aligarh gain international acclaim. Progress continues as plans for the Defence Industrial Corridor in Aligarh advance, and the establishment of a university in honour of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh is in motion. Moreover, completing the Atal Residential School for labourers and orphaned children is a testament to world-class infrastructure. All these achievements are a testament to the power of a single vote. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath emphasised that Indian festivals have profound historical significance, and they are not just festivities. He pointed to the transformation of Holi celebrations in Barsana and Vrindavan, which have evolved into world-class events attracting millions. Previously, the turnout was modest, with only 20,000 to 25,000 attendees before 2017, whereas this year witnessed a staggering attendance of 10 lakh in Barsana alone, he said. Chief Minister Yogi underscored the realisation of long-standing dreams, such as Ram Lalla participating in Holi festivities in Ayodhya after centuries. These aspirations, once considered distant dreams, have now materialised, he said. He reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of a developed India, contingent upon the progress of Uttar Pradesh, particularly cities like Aligarh, symbolised by the blooming lotus of prosperity. Emphasising the pivotal role of each vote, Chief Minister Yogi cautioned the voters against the repercussions of misguided choices, recalling past episodes of corruption and societal unrest. He urged the citizens to vote wisely, envisioning India as the worlds third-largest economy within three years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, said that his life was dedicated 24x7 to Mission 2047. Addressing a huge public meeting in Saharanpur, the prime minister said: Your dream is Modis resolve. Every moment of my life is dedicated to the service of the nation. Hitting out at the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance in general and Congress in particular, Prime Minister Modi remarked that while both prioritise commission, the National Democratic Alliance and Modi government focus on the mission to serve the country and its people. He added: Today is the Foundation Day of Bharatiya Janata Party. In the last few decades, a record number of countrymen have joined the BJP. The BJP has won the trust of people because it follows national policy and not politics. For us there is nothing bigger than the country and national interest. Welfare of the poor is not an election announcement but a mission for us. The prime minister said that during Congress rule, commission was commonplace and the countrys image had become that of a corrupt nation. He emphasised that the vigorous crackdown on corruption being carried out by the government today was solely aimed at securing a brighter future for the populace. Corrupt individuals shatter the aspirations of the underprivileged, robbing them of opportunities and hindering progress. When rightful opportunities are usurped by others, it jeopardises the prospects of ones children. Modis resolute actions against corruption are aimed at safeguarding the future prospects of every individuals offspring, he remarked. Continuing his scathing attack on the Congress party, the prime minister further pointed out that the party was dominated by the Muslim League and Leftist ideals. The Congress that fought for Indias independence ended decades ago, he remarked. He stated: Worshipping Shakti (power) as a facet of our inherent spiritual quest is natural, yet members of the INDI Alliance openly oppose it, claiming their struggle is against Shakti. Perhaps they are unaware of the consequences recorded in both history and mythology for those who attempted to dismantle Shakti. Prime Minister Modi urged people to ensure victory of BJP candidates Raghav Lakhanpal (Saharanpur) and Pradeep Chaudhary (Kairana) by record margins. Describing the construction of a grand temple in Ayodhya as a mission and not an election agenda, the prime minister said this year on Ram Navami, Lord Shri Ram would grace his majestic temple rather than the makeshift tent. Another milestone achieved is the removal of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, which was also part of our mission and has been accomplished. Modi is leading the effort to rebuild a prosperous Jammu and Kashmir, even collecting the stones thrown by stone pelters to contribute to this endeavour. We believe in ensuring that government schemes reach every stratum of society, regardless of class, caste, or individual background. True secularism and social justice entail ensuring that all beneficiaries receive their rightful entitlements, he asserted. The prime minister added further that the government took the historic decision of abolishing triple talaq, which has not only safeguarded Muslim women, but also benefited Muslim families as a whole, emphasising that Muslim daughters will continue to bless the BJP for centuries to come. The prime minister lauded Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths role in establishing rule of law in Uttar Pradesh by launching a massive crackdown on criminals and rioters and creating a conducive environment for investment. This area is also known for its agricultural products. Our government has been working for the farmer brothers for 10 years. Our government is sensitive towards the small needs of the farmers. Small farmers in the country are being helped through PM Kisan Nidhi. In Saharanpur alone, Rs 860 crore has been sent directly to the accounts of three lakh farmers, he said. The prime minister said that while his government wanted to make India a developed nation, the opposition parties were only desperate to get power to serve their selfish ends. He said that this was the first election in the country where the opposition was not claiming victory and contesting solely to restrict the BJPs number of seats to less than 370 and NDAs to less than 400. Samajwadi Party has to change its candidates every hour and Congress is not getting any candidates at all. Even on previously considered Congress stronghold, the party is not fielding candidates. The partys credibility has come to such a sorry passe that one day it gives ticket to a person and the next day the person resigns from the party. INDI Alliance has become another name for instability and uncertainty, he stated. The prime minister said that todays Congress had neither policies for the national interest nor a vision for nation building. Referring to the Congress manifesto, he remarked that it showed that the party was completely cut off from the hopes and aspirations of todays India. Prime Minister Modi said that while the sole agenda of Congress was save the corrupt, the BJP government was determined to continue action against corruption and the corrupt. Describing the last 10 years of the NDA government as a trailer, the prime minister said that there was still a lot to be done to take the country forward. The day is not far when India will become the third largest economic superpower in the world. Modi needs blessings for such huge resolutions, he said. On this occasion, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BJP state president Chaudhary Bhupendra Singh, UP ministers Yogendra Upadhyay, Brajesh Singh, Jaswant Saini as well as BJP candidate from Saharanpur Raghav Lakhanpal Sharma, MP and BJP candidate from Kairana, Pradeep Chaudhary, and others were present. Renowned for its lavishness and extravagance, Dubai unveils yet another culinary treasure in its illustrious array. Presenting a dining oasis exuding sheer opulence, the distinguished Dubai Mall now hosts a luminous addition - the prestigious Blue Box Cafe by iconic jewellery brand Tiffany & Co Although Truman Capote's 1958 novella and the famous 1961 movie featuring Audrey Hepburn implied a fancy event called 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' this didn't become a real thing until Blue Box Cafe first opened its doors in 2017 . For those who do not know, the title refers to Holly Golightly, a lively Texan woman in the story, enjoying pastries while looking through the windows of the famous Tiffany & Co. store on Fifth Avenue, making this scene well-known. Bid adieu to your routine coffee pit stops and embrace a decadent experience sipping from the renowned 1837 Blue cups at the Blue Box Cafe, overseen by the talented French chef Marion Lefebvre. Outside, the cafe maintains the House's enchanting tradition of creating captivating window displays, a legacy immortalized in the cinematic masterpiece 'Breakfast at Tiffany's." The cafe's interior reflects the ambiance of Landmark while drawing inspiration from Tiffany & Co.'s renowned Fifth Avenue store. It's like stepping into a magical place filled with blue and white colours that that mirrors the elegance, promising a chic and refined rendezvous that is simply unparalleled. An exclusive chandelier crafted from the signature blue-coloured boxes is a visual delight. The menu presents three distinct culinary experiences inspired by French influences on traditional New York fare: 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' 'Afternoon Tea at Tiffany's,' and A La Carte all-day dining. Imagine enjoying a royal breakfast and pretending to be Audrey Hepburn. I get to have Breakfast at Tiffany' s and taste Holly's favourite dishes counting enjoying a delicious scrambled egg dish - the star of the prestigious Blue Box breakfast menu. Effortlessly blending global culinary influences, this establishment meticulously crafts a gastronomic journey that delves into the intricate textures and flavours of daily produce. The breakfast menu goes beyond Ms. Golightly's simple coffee and croissant, celebrating the flavours of both Paris and New York. I enjoy scrumptious pancakes, avocado toast, and a variety of pastries. With an unwavering passion for baking, the chef prides themselves on creating what could arguably be the finest croissants in the Middle East. Hand-crafted with pure butter, these croissants are not only visually captivating but also transport one to the essence of French culinary tradition. A labour of love spanning three meticulous days, the croissant-making process unfolds in stages of initiation, lamination for layering, and proofing to achieve a golden-brown, caramelized spiral exterior. Each bite reveals hundreds of delicate, buttery layers meticulously formed as the croissants bake to perfection, exuding a symphony of flavours and textures that evoke a sense of indulgence and culinary excellence. I must admit, indulging in this was quite a lavish treat for myself. I truly loved the luxurious experience and would definitely suggest it to anyone who loves the movie, the song, or the brand. Or maybe you just want to feel like Audrey Hepburn for a bit. If you happen to be in Dubai and seek something truly unique to do, I highly recommend booking a table for breakfast (or afternoon tea!) at The Tiffany Blue Box Cafe. FACT BOX Blue Box Cafe Dubai Located at Tiffany & Co. flagship store, Grand Atrium, Dubai Mall Tel: 04 250 4935 Email: reservations@blueboxcafedubai.com Hours of Operation: Monday - Sunday: 10:00 AM - 12:00 AM The author is a travel, lifestyle and food writer and photographer President Biden faces Republican criticism over his policies, especially concerning Mexican migration. The issue gains momentum amid global observations of Trumps immigration clampdown and domestic instability in Mexico. These factors shape crucial debates in the upcoming elections Elections in any nation tend to be hotly and keenly contested occasions, whether it is the campaign utilising roaring tigers in Pakistan by the PML(N) or the whistle-stop tours of the American Presidential Elections. For a long time in the United States, immigration of aliens has been a theme that has drawn both strategic and political traction. In the contemporary context of the US Presidential primaries, before the elections heat up to a crescendo, President Joe Biden is being attacked by the Republicans for his stance and policies on immigration. Mexico stars in the debates and discussions wherein, once the migration of Mexican settlers increases to 5,000 people per day, then the American checkpoints close down. Donald Trump and the Republicans do not intend to be seen as weak or soft on the theme of Mexican influx, so they assail President Biden whenever the opportunity arises. According to one American survey, undocumented aliens account for around 11 million in the American homeland. They enter the nation and dissipate into the realm of unorganised vocations and the resultant economy, which has been a difficult challenge for investigative and law enforcement agencies. If one refers to the Hollywood flick, Scarface, the entire American nations mafia emigrated from Italy and other European nations and began to rule the political and economic roost in the US, consistent with one assessment of the dark economy and societal nature. The domestic situation in the nation-state of Mexico is also in a state of instability and flux as controversies cast a pall of despondency over the country. Reuters reported in one of its articles: Huge crowds filled Mexico Citys main square on Sunday in support of the nations electoral authority, accusing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of trying to weaken the body ahead of a presidential election in June. The protests, one of several in recent years, meant to protect the National Electoral Institute (INE), come after Lopez Obrador sent a sweeping package of constitutional reforms to Congress, which would include an overhaul of the INE. One can hark back to the issue of illegal migration into the US from Mexico and South America. The Darien Gap is a stretch of densely forested land that serves as a conduit for illicit migration into the US territory. Depending on what they can pay, people trudge through the Darien swamp and walk for five to ten days at the mercy of criminal gangs who, after demanding a lump sum amount, often maim, mutilate, and rape the migrants in the Darien Gap. These are a few of the issues being debated in the US Presidential Election deliberations for November 2024. In March 2024, a report succinctly states that a highly anticipated bipartisan immigration and foreign aid bill was recently defeated by former President Trump, a staunch opponent of a border deal. He actively lobbied Republicans to vote against the bill, despite its inclusion of many provisions they had initially supported. Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell succumbed to Trumps influence, voting against the bill despite his role in its development and his prior efforts to garner support within his party. This action by McConnell has further intensified the electoral confrontation between the two presidential candidates. With some Americans advocating strongly for immigration reforms, President Biden could leverage Republican intransigence on immigration to lay blame on Trump for obstructing progress on immigration policy. The rhetoric surrounding immigration policy remains highly divisive, potentially leading to further recriminations from both presidential candidates. Further north in the United States of America, Republicans have seized upon illegal immigration as a pivotal issue in the 2024 Presidential primaries. While it might be considered hyperbolic, one cannot ignore the significant role immigration plays as an electoral issue that could sway the outcome of the US Presidential Elections. The notion of aliens posing a threat to national and homeland security in the US has gained considerable political and popular traction. Republicans have intensified their criticism of President Bidens lenient approach towards the steady and unlawful influx of immigrants from South America through Mexico. This has emerged as a central electoral theme, eliciting considerable criticism and political upheaval. It has been argued that American immigration policies are failing. Recently, its been contended that the system is broken and could potentially harm President Bidens re-election prospects. In Latin America, for example, countries like Venezuela are suffering under the grip of kleptocracy, which adversely affects both the nation and its people. So, what is the solution? The pertinent question arises: do people migrate to the United States of America to escape repression and hardships, seeking the promise of a brighter future despite the perceived decline in Americas fortunes? Immigration laws are under scrutiny as Capitol Hill debates intensify. There are concerted efforts to amend immigration laws within the American homeland. Efforts to overhaul the nations immigration laws, for the first time in decades, have gained sudden momentum. Additionally, the upcoming US Presidential election will likely revolve around the dilemma of whether citizenship or permanent resident status, signified by a green card, will become the prevailing norm, and how much emphasis the twin candidates will place on this issue. There was a global impact of Trumps immigration clampdown, which was observed by IR experts and the legal fraternity. The first executive order signed by President Trump disallowed migrants from seven West Asian nations to enter the American homeland. One of the initial executive orders signed by President Joe Biden revoked these bans on migrants from Islamic countries. These nations included Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and Sudan. However, one cannot overlook the fact that the agencies responsible for monitoring and tracking terrorist outfits such as Boko Haram, ISIS, the Taliban, and Al-Shabaab are the worst affected when deals occur between political leaders. Trumps bravado, premised upon the theme of immigration, resulted in a plethora of economic costs and was fraught with political risks. Several European nations, similar to the United States of America, are facing the menace of migration from conflict zones such as Ukraine, Syria, and Iraq, thereby initiating talks of fencing and walling the frontiers and borders, which is exactly what former President Trump also advocated on the global stage, specifically in America. As a telling fact, the cost of managing the Oresund bridge between Denmark and Sweden is a significant amount. Additionally, apart from Mexican human outages, gun running, and drug trafficking pose a perilous threat to the homeland security of the United States of America. In the Hollywood film The Mule, released in 2018, Clint Eastwoods character, Earl Stone, indulges in drug trafficking after his flower farming business goes bankrupt. (The writer teaches at International Relations and International Organisations, Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi) Virtually equating the Congress with the Muslim League, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the grand old party's election manifesto reflects the same thought as that of the Muslim League at the time of the freedom movement. Prime Minister Modi said the Congress, which existed at the time of the freedom movement, has "ended decades ago". "A number of great personalities were associated with the Congress. The name of Mahatma Gandhi was associated with the Congress. The Congress, which is left today, neither has policies in the interest of the nation nor vision for the nation's development," Prime Minister Modi said. "Yesterday, the kind of election manifesto was released, it has proved that today's Congress is completely cut off from the hopes and aspirations of today's India," he added addressing an election rally in Saharanpur. Sharpening his attack further, he said the Congress is not visible even remotely. Prime Minister Modi also took a jibe at the Samajwadi Party, which is a member of the INDIA bloc and an election partner of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. "The situation of SP (Samajwadi Party) in Uttar Pradesh is such that here they have to change their candidates every hour, whereas the situation of Congress is even more strange. The Congress is not getting candidates at all," Prime Minister Modi said. "Even on the seats, which the Congress considered as its stronghold, it is not able to muster the courage to field candidates," he added apparently referring to the Congress strongholds of Amethi and Rae Bareli. Prime Minister Modi said the "INDI alliance has become another name for instability and uncertainty". "That's why today the country is not taking seriously even a single thing said by them," he added. Without taking the name of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Prime Minister Modi said, "You might remember here in Uttar Pradesh that the film featuring two boys ('do ladke'), which had flopped last time, the film of two boys has been re-released by these people." "I do not understand how many times will these INDI alliance members put the wooden pot (on fire)?" he added. The Congress and the Samajwadi Party had also contested the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections together. According to the election schedule, eight parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will vote in the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls on April 19. These are Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. Claiming that the Samajwadi Party governments have always worked with a "big vision" for the country and the people, the party's president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday alleged that the BJP has a "narrow thinking" and has worked to stop development works. "Socialists have always worked with a big vision for the country and the people. On the other hand, the BJP government worked to stop the development works. BJP's thinking is narrow," the SP chief was quoted as saying in a press release by the party. "The Samajwadi Party builds strong roads to land fighter planes to protect the country in case of an emergency and the BJP flies fake aeroplanes made of paper. This is the difference between the governments of the Samajwadi Party and the BJP," he said. Claiming that the socialist governments have carried out development works with "big goals", he said the work done by socialists is still useful to the country and the people. For the first time, an airstrip for landing of fighter planes was constructed on the country's largest Agra-Lucknow Expressway. Samajwadis are proud of the fact that the expressway built under their government will serve the security needs of the country for centuries, he said. There was corruption in whatever work was done in the BJP government, he said. The Bundelkhand Expressway broke right after its inauguration as huge commission was taken in its construction work, he alleged and added it was inaugurated by the prime minister. BJP governments start corruption as soon as they make plans, he further alleged, adding that all the policies and schemes made by the BJP have been the "centre of loot and corruption". Demonetisation and electoral bonds are the biggest examples of corru hina and Vietnam on Friday tried to navigate through their bitter differences over the South China Sea as their foreign ministers held talks here amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Manila over the maritime dispute. Bui Thanh Son, the Foreign Minister of Vietnam, held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi as the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the code of conduct agreement in the South China Sea (SCS) besides bolstering trade ties. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan besides China have counterclaims over the South China Sea and Beijing remains the central focus of the dispute as it claims most parts of the area are hotly contested by the rest. Both China and Vietnam ruled by their respective Communist parties fought a bitter war in 1979 besides periodic tensions between their navies over the South China Sea dispute. China seeks to maintain close ties with Vietnam with bilateral initiatives pacifying Hanoi not to ratchet up the tensions over the South China Sea. Sons visit is taking place amid a bitter conflict between China and the Philippines as Manila backed by the US is trying to assert its claim over the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea which is strongly resisted by Beijing. The coast guard ships of both countries jostled to assert their claim which both claim as part of their territory. On the Foreign Ministers talks Vietnamese official media reported that 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 to unceasingly develop bilateral ties. 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, a report in the VN Express said. Wang told Son that both sides should jointly safeguard international equity and justice and continue to support each other on issues concerning major common interests. 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, Wang said. The commander of Irans powerful Revolutionary Guard warned Friday that our brave men will punish the Zionist regime, escalating threats against Israel for an airstrike that killed seven of the groups members, including two Iranian generals, earlier this week. The strike, widely attributed to Israel, destroyed the consular section at the Iranian embassy in Syria. The attack on an Iranian diplomatic compound was a significant escalation in what has been a long-running shadow war between the two archenemies, and Israel has been bracing for an Iranian response. The tensions flared against the backdrop of the six-month-old Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and raised renewed fears of a widening regional conflict. The Islamic militant group Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for 17 years, is one of Irans proxies, along with Lebanons Hezbollah militia and Yemens Houthi rebels. Both Hezbollah and the Houthis have carried out attacks along the fringes of the Gaza war, with Hezbollah engaging in daily cross-border exchanges with Israel and the Houthis frequently targeting Red Sea shipping. On Friday, thousands joined a funeral procession in Tehran for the seven slain Guard members, chanting death to Israel and death to America. Marchers held up banners with the photos of those killed in the attack. Other banners read: We will make the wicked Zionist regime regret this crime, with the power of God.The protesters then headed to Tehran University where the head of the Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami gave his speech before the weekly Friday prayers. Our brave men will punish the Zionist regime, he said, adding that no enemy act against our holy system will go unanswered. 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 for supporting Israel. It was not clear if Iran would respond directly or continue to activate its proxies, as it has done throughout the Gaza war. In all, 12 people were killed in Mondays strike on the Iranian diplomatic compound the seven Guard members, four Syrians and a Hezbollah member. Fridays public funeral fell on Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, a traditional Iranian 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 Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. 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With the property market entering its traditional sales season in March and April, hopes for a boost in spring sales have been raised by multiple factors including positive signals from the two sessions, the effects of supportive measures announced by major cities, and the gradual recovery of market expectations and confidence. The Government Work Report, delivered in March at the second session of the 14th National People's Congress, the nation's top legislature, outlined key tasks for the property sector. These tasks include defusing risks in the property market, accelerating efforts to foster a new development model for real estate, and increasing the construction and supply of government-subsidized housing. Pang Ming, chief economist at JLL China, said the measures are very targeted, and the creation of a new model for property development is the most important one. "In the future, the new development model will join forces with the property financing system to form a whole-cycle management mechanism of commercial housing, which covers development, construction, financing, sales, use, maintenance, and trading. In the meantime, efforts will be made to ensure various requirements of buying, leasing and government subsidies will be met under the new system," Pang said. Quality of life Chen Zhixu, senior manager of CBRE China research, expects a greater balance will be achieved between supply and demand under the new property development model. "The report also reaffirmed taking action on urban regeneration, which would help optimize supply and promote the release of potential buyer demand," she said. Shaun Brodie, head of research on the Chinese market at Cushman& Wakefield, a global real estate services firm, said two phrases "new urbanization" and "green and low carbon development" had caught his eye. "I think both these key phrases will impact the real estate market in China immensely in the future as cities continue to improve the quality of life for their citizens and move toward their netzero carbon goals," Brodie said. During the two sessions, Ni Hong, minister of housing and urban-rural development, reiterated the government principle that "housing is for living in, not for speculation". This was viewed by observers as a signal from the central government to uphold the principle amid the ongoing market adjustments. The principle will continue to define long-term arrangements for the residential housing market in China, Brodie said. By adhering to the principle, a rational, steady and healthy development of the residential housing market in China will be ensured, he added. "To my understanding, 'housing is for living in, not for speculation' is the premise and the overall position of the new development model of the property market," said Yan Yuejin, director of the Shanghai-based E-house China Research and Development Institution. "Under such a principle, various related industries will coordinate and join forces to build the new pattern. This gives the parties involved inspiration," he said. Yan added that market expectations have been heightened by more policy adjustments and the spirit expressed at the two sessions. A view of a property construction site in Yantai, Shandong province. TANG KE/FOR CHINA DAILY Active local responses One of the cities that has taken proactive measures to invigorate its property market is Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province. Hangzhou, famous for its picturesque West Lake, announced on March 14 it is scrapping all purchase restrictions on pre-owned homes. "This is an immediate response to Ni, who said during his news conference that respective and tailor-made measures will be implemented accordingly from one city to another," said Li Yujia, chief researcher at the Guangdong Planning Institute's residential policy research center. Local governments have been granted full decision-making power in optimizing their macro-control policies for the stabilization of the market, Li said. Ni also dispelled concerns that the cancellation of former purchase restrictions may overheat the market. "The key problem of the real estate market is not to prevent overheating, but overcooling," Ni said. Li said a gradual relaxation of the purchase restrictions is expected. "Specifically, it will start in the outskirts before expanding to urban centers in first-tier cities, and smaller cities are likely to take greater supportive measures than big cities," Li explained. Beijing is going to take different measures on a district-by-district basis in the optimization of its housing policy, Xia Linmao, executive vice-mayor of Beijing, said at a news conference on March 19. Xia said the precise measures are hoped to better fit people's varied requirements for a home. "We expect the tailor-made policies to be announced from the capital's suburban areas will also help boost market sentiment," said Chen Wenjing, director of research with the China Index Academy. Chen said a range of different property-buying measures have already been rolled out across China. In late January, Shanghai revised its homebuying requirements by allowing eligible nonlocal individuals to buy one residential apartment each outside the city's downtown area. Shenzhen and Guangzhou in Guangdong province as well as Suzhou, Jiangsu province, also modified related housing policies ahead of the Chinese New Year. "Such tendencies are becoming more evident after the State Council executive meeting was held on March 22, which stressed the significance of the real estate market in the overall stabilization of the macro economy and also demanded more effective measures in driving potential homebuying requirements," Chen said. Brodie said if executed correctly, and strong local knowledge is taken advantage of, cities' greater autonomy meant real estate markets around the country will be in a good position to become more stable and optimized. Encouraging signs Some positive signs relating to the property market were seen in National Bureau of Statistics data released in mid-March. "In month-on-month terms, the new home price index drop in 70 major Chinese cities has been narrowing for three consecutive months," Yan said. "Given the continuous supportive measures from local governments, buying enthusiasm as well as home sales volume, both picked up in March, making us believe the home price data stabilization is on a solid footing," Yan said. According to Brodie, secondhand housing transaction data in China's four first-tier cities Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen indicated a rebound continuing into March. The daily transaction volume in Beijing and Shenzhen exceeded 1,000 units; Shanghai's average daily transaction volume reached twice that of February; and Guangzhou's secondhand housing market activity also increased. "Given that the property market is still at the stage of adjustment and transformation, some time is still needed for the normalization of the new-normal market," Brodie said. JLL China's chief economist Pang said although sales by floor area continued their year-on-year decline due to the high base they were coming off last year, sales volumes of both new and pre-owned homes rebounded after the Chinese New Year. Overall market prices and sales of products in the real estate industrial chain have also stabilized, he added. Pang said he expected the fundamentals of the Chinese real estate market to improve in the first quarter, as local governments pushed for more optimization of the market. The volume of new home transactions will see a mild recovery and market activities in large cities will gradually improve, with signs of a stable recovery in property development investment and construction, he added. Time to move Wang Shu, 35, who works at a State-owned company, recently sold his 46-square-meter one-bedroom flat in Shanghai's Yangpu district and purchased a 78 sq m two-bedroom one in the same district. "From my personal experience, the current market adjustment offers the best timing for selling an existing home for a better one," he said. Although Wang pays a higher monthly mortgage, it is more important to him that his son grows up in a comfortable and spacious living environment. The market sentiment index in 50 key cities has risen for three consecutive months since December, according to data collected by Zhuge Real Estate Data Research Center, which also projected the index to maintain the rebound. Pre-owned home transaction volumes in core cities have seen weekly rises since the second half of last year, which continued into March, said CBRE's Chen citing a report by the China Index Academy. The transaction volume of new homes will also see a mild recovery. "Therefore, it is predictable that a mild sales pickup will appear in some major cities this spring, though their performances will vary from city to city," Chen added. Brodie said the property market is still in the process of adjustment and transformation due to the combined effects of the macroeconomic transition, demographic changes, housing supply, and the principle of housing without speculation. "Once a new-normal market status quo is reached and achieved, then we will see a healthy and stable real estate market emerge and come to fruition," he said. JLL's Pang said, "Despite the challenges and difficulties in property development investment, new commercial housing sales will hopefully achieve stabilization both in terms of volume and value in 2024." With further improvement of property policies, it is only a matter of time before the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China's vision for a housing system that takes into account the happiness of the Chinese people is realized, Pang added. The vision promises to "move faster to build a housing system featuring multiple suppliers and various channels of support that encourages both housing rentals and purchases". (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Zhong Wenxing) Click the 'Next >' arrow above or 'Next Story' below to go through the gallery For the first time in five years, an official delegation from Monaghan County Council visited New York for this years St. Patricks Day celebrations. The delegation was led by An Cathaoirleach David Maxwell accompanied by Chief Executive Robert Burns who met with members of the Monaghan Diaspora in New York. They held a series of meetings with key strategic partners and participated in events to showcase all that County Monaghan has to offer economically and culturally as well as promoting the county as a place to visit, invest and do business. The official delegation from Monaghan County Council which also included Liam Bradley, Curator of the Monaghan County Museum, was joined on the visit by members of Monaghan GAA, including chairperson, Declan Flanagan and vice chairperson Brendan Casey, along with representatives of Enterprising Monaghan, Finbarr Daly CEO and board member, Paul Shortt. A number of prominent businesspeople from County Monaghan were also present on the trip, including Martin McVicar, Managing Director of Combilift; Ciaran Marron, CEO of Activ8 Energies; Sammy Leslie, Owner of Castle Leslie and Trustee of the Leslie Foundation; Michael Mullan, Director of Mullan Lighting; Simon Murray, Director of CameraMatics, and; Barry Murray, Director of Universal Graphics. The centrepiece event of the visit was the inaugural meeting of the Monaghan New York Business Network which was held on 15th March, in which business and civic leaders from New York, the wider USA, Monaghan and other parts of Ireland came together to explore opportunities for business investment, job creation and tourism in Monaghan. It was also an opportunity for Monaghan-based businesses to look at the potential of investing in or exporting to the USA. Many Monaghan businesses already have a presence in the USA and the event presented an opportunity for them to strengthen their links with clients and customers and potentially expand in the US market. The first of what it is hoped will be many meetings of the Monaghan - New York Business Network took place at the NYC Hub Bank of Ireland at 2 Grand Central Tower in Manhattan. The event was attended by over 100 guests including business and civic leaders from the County Monaghan delegation and a wide range of people in business or active in the community based in New York who are from Monaghan, are of Monaghan descent or who simply have an affinity with the county. The MC for the event was Finbarr Daly, CEO of Enterprising Monaghan. Martin McVicar who is Managing Director and co-founder of Combilift in Monaghan town and Ciaran Marron, CEO and founder of Activ8 Solar Energies in Carrickmacross attended the event and spoke about starting out in business and their positive experience of setting up and expanding their businesses in Monaghan and highlighting to the audience that being a very enterprising county, Monaghan is an excellent location to invest and in which to do business. Ciara Gormley, SEO Manager at Justworks, who is based in New York and originally from Castleblayney, spoke of her experience of being in business in the city and her career journey from County Monaghan to the USA. Also present at the event was Aidan McKenna, Enterprise Ireland Regional Director for the Americas, who is based in New York and originally from Emyvale. The event was addressed by the Cathaoirleach Cllr David Maxwell and Robert Burns, Chief Executive of Monaghan County Council who both emphasised the benefits of doing business in the county. They introduced a video that that showcased a range of successful businesses in the advanced manufacturing, agri-food and renewable energy sectors that are already located in Monaghan. Thereby demonstrating why County Monaghan is a great business location, providing access to a strong cluster of existing industries, a culture of entrepreneurship, a well-educated workforce and a gateway to the EU and the UK markets. The cultural partnership between Project Children and Monaghan County Council was also promoted at the event and present was Denis Mulcahy, the Co-founder and Chairman of Project Children, his family and ambassadors for the project in the USA. This recently announced cultural partnership between Project Children and Monaghan County Council will see Project Childrens archive hosted at the Peace Campus in Monaghan town. The 50th anniversary of the founding of Project Children will be celebrated in Monaghan next year. The event was organised by Catherine Flood and Linda Croston of Croston Flood Recruiting, Consulting and Events, a firm based in New York. Catherine Flood is well known in New York business circles and is originally from Truagh in County Monaghan. Commenting on the event and the visit by the wider Monaghan delegation, Cathaoirleach, Councillor David Maxwell, said, I am delighted with the turnout at the business network event which was a huge success with a lot of positive feedback and I hope that it will be the first of many such events that will help strengthen social, economic and cultural ties between Monaghan and New York. It was a massive boost to have business people of the calibre of Martin McVicar and Ciaran Marron speak to the audience at the event about their positive experience of doing business in County Monaghan and to be accompanied on this visit by a range of impressive people doing great work in business, sporting and cultural life in Monaghan. There was a busy schedule of meetings and events for the Monaghan County Council and the Enterprising Monaghan delegations, including meetings with Irish state agencies based in New York including the Industrial Development Authority (IDA), Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia and Tourism Ireland, as well as a meeting with the Irish Consulate in New York. During the visit, the wider Monaghan delegation met with the Monaghan Society and representatives of Rocklands GAA Club in New York State in order to renew and strengthen social, sporting and cultural links with the Monaghan community based in New York. The wider Monaghan delegation also had the privilege of attending the traditional St. Patricks Day mass at St. Patricks Cathedral and marching with the Monaghan Society in the New York St. Patricks Day Parade, the longest-running parade in the world celebrating Irelands patron saint and all things Irish. Robert Burns, Chief Executive of Monaghan County Council, said, We are extremely happy with our visit to New York and what we have achieved over what was a busy few days. We have renewed and strengthened ties with the Monaghan community based in New York and promoted County Monaghan as a premier location for inward investment and as an ideal base for US companies to launch into both the EU and UK. Coupled with that we envisage that Monaghan businesses will continue to grow their exports to the US with the support of the Irish State agencies based there. Above: L-R Declan Flanagan, Chairperson, Monaghan GAA; Michael Carroll, Monaghan GAA; Gareth Hargadon, Deputy Counsel, Consulate General of Ireland, New York; Robert Burns, Chief Executive of Monaghan County Council; Cllr David Maxwell, Cathaoirleach of Monaghan County Council; Finbarr Daly, CEO Enterprising Monaghan; Brendan Casey, Vice Chairperson, Monaghan GAA; Paul Shortt, Board Member of Enterprising Monaghan; and Michael McMahon, Monaghan GAA. By BILL CHAISSON Heres a birdwatcher etiquette pro tip that you can take or leave: When you are traveling with a non-birdwatcher, dont make them go birdwatching or otherwise control the trip agenda to include more birdwatching. It just isnt worth it. To wit, on my recent five-day trip to coastal Florida I saw over 30 species of birds without dragging my spouse (and our non-birdwatching host) anywhere at all. We werent even staying in a particularly promising place bird-wise. It was one of those closely- packed communities with a name ending in Beach that dot the Atlantic shoreline of Florida. There is hardly any green space because real estate is so valuable, all the waterways are in channels, and the beaches are crowded with people from fairly early in the morning till at least sunset. Given all that, the number of boat-tailed grackles is impressive. In this landscape, these birds are more common than pigeons or starlings. In late March they are also in breeding mode, which means the males give voice to a song much more melodious than that of the common grackle we have up north. This species has an iridescence more greenish-blue than the greenish-purple of its northern counterpart and they are a good 3-4 inches longer. The second most obvious bird was the Eurasian collared dove, which also outnumbered the pigeons. In 1974, 50 birds were released from captivity in Nassau in the Bahamas (during a burglary!) and the species has now spread across the continent. I encountered it in Portland, Ore. last summer. In Florida it sits in trees more often than a pigeon and does not assemble in groups. Its repeated coo coo cup call is a constant background sound in suburban-ish urban settings. I saw neither common native dove species mourning and ground even during a trip to a local arboretum. The most striking sighting I saw there was a blue-headed vireo at a feeder. This species winters in Florida, but it had molted into its breeding plumage in preparation for migration. I was struck by the saturation of its colors; it may have been a member of the Appalachian population, which is darker and has a thicker bill than our northern birds. We were only three blocks from the beach and during the day I was struck by the lack of shorebirds; it was just too crowded. One morning, however, we walked the shore at around 8 a.m. and saw three species of gulls (herring, ring-billed and laughing) with the last already having molted into its black-capped breeding plumage. Out on the pier we found two ruddy turnstones foraging for scrapes left by fishermen. They were still in winter garb. I saw terns out over the ocean, but could not identify them. They were one of the smaller species, probably the common tern. A visit to a genuine wildlife refuge (for about 45 minutes) yielded the expected bumper crop of diversity and numbers. As soon as we were even near it, white and glossy ibises began appearing along drainage ditches in suburban developments. The refuge is 100-acres of reclaimed farmland that has been re-flooded and diked to retain water. It is crisscrossed with wooden boardwalks. The wildlife is accustomed to human visitors and all but ignored our presence. The anhinga looks like an odd cross between a heron and a cormorant but is in the darter family with its closest relatives found in Africa and India. They are black, flecked with white and chestnut, slightly larger than a cormorant and with a longer heron-like neck and bill. Like cormorants they swim and hunt underwater and must dry off their wings in the sun. They were nesting in March; their young still had down on their bodies but already had real feathers on their wings and tails. All the herons were sporting their breeding plumes and bright skin and bill coloration. This was particularly striking in a little blue heron, which was entirely blue in March: the bill, the skin around the eyes and the eye itself. From just feet away, we watched one methodically hunt for small fish. I think the only first I had on this trip was the tri-colored heron that walked right next to the boardwalk, giving me a good look at its white head plumes. A great blue heron flew over and snowy egrets were visible in the distance along the berms that keep the standing water in place. Also dotting the berms, sunning themselves, were black-bellied whistling ducks and blue-winged teals. Along the edge of the water, common gallinules (now called moorhens, as they are deemed conspecific with the European species) stalked among the cattails, coming in close contact with American coots and pie-billed grebes floating on the water itself. Red-winged blackbirds sang from the shrubs that grew in the drier areas. A red-bellied woodpecker built its nest not 20 feet from the boardwalk in a grove of bald cypresses. As you can see, in less than an hour I was fairly deluged with birds and no one even got their feet wet or shoes dirty. Our host has a new puppy that requires frequent walks through the neighborhood. Those forays were opportunities to listen to the abundant mockingbirds and cardinals singing in the landscape plantings. Blue jays were being blue jays, and all the crows were fish crows. In the sky overhead, platoons of brown pelicans followed the canals and turkey vultures rocked on the thermals, looking for roadkill along the multi-laned, heavily trafficked roads. I was even nostalgic about the house sparrows sorting through the litter on the sidewalks, because I live so far out in the country that I never see this species anymore. In conclusion, my unsolicited advice is to bring your binoculars and guidebook (and Merlin) wherever you travel, but dont press your luck. You dont have to. Bill Chaisson has been a birdwatcher for over 50 years. He lives and works in Wilmot. The Springfield, Vt., Senior Center believes that all senior members of the community can participate in the center activities. There is no membership fees. The center is located at 139 Main Street in Springfield. Activities Hand and Foot card games will be at 1 p.m., Feb. 16. Drop in Corn Hole/Shuffleboard will be at 1 p.m., Tuesday. Nickel Bingo will be at 1 p.m., Friday. The Knit Wits will meet at 1 p.m., Feb. 15. AARP Tax Aid will be starting on Monday. They will be here on Mondays, Tuesdays and half day on Thursdays. Appointments are needed. The centers seniors are headed to the MGM Casino in Springfield, Mass., on Monday, April 15. The cost of the trip is $50. We base our price on 40 people, so if more people sign up you will receive money back. Deadline to sign up is March 29. At 1 p.m., Feb. 7, seniors will be making Valentines for the nursing homes and veterans in our area. At 1 p.m., Feb. 14, the center will have the Green Mountain Express Band playing for it. The Songsters are looking for more people who would like to join the group, they meet every Friday morning at 9 a.m. The center has its 60th Anniversary booklet for sale at the center for a $2 donation. With winter weather here, the Senior Center will follow the Springfield Schools for delays and closings. If school is delayed 2 hours the center will open at 10 a.m. If school is canceled the center will also be closed. The center is still collecting food items for the local food shelves. Appointments are needed for foot clinics. You can call the center to schedule one. The price is $25. If you have any questions about anything above, please reach out to Lori Johnson, Executive Director, at either 802-885-3933 or [email protected]. By DECAN MCCABE The sharpest contrast between rivers and lakes is in water movement. While rivers flow inexorably downhill, lake water movement is more subtle. Anyone who has weathered a storm on a lake, however, can attest that less consistent water movement does not mean no water movement at all. In fact, at one point, about 5,000 years ago, it seems a tsunami formed on Lake Champlain. Geologists use lake sediment cores to study lake conditions from past years. Cores are long columns of lake-floor mud sampled by driving a hollow pipe deep into the lake bed, sometimes from a boat, other times through thick winter ice. The layers of sediment collected in these cores help scientists determine past weather and environmental events. When turbulent rivers carry sediment into lakes, the relatively still lake waters allow the sediment to settle out and sink to the lake floor. Precipitation and river flow patterns affect how sand and silt accumulate in lake beds over the years. Spring snowmelt swells rivers dramatically, washing impressive quantities of material from the landscape into a lake. This means that proportionally more sand and silt is deposited early in the year. Wind and wave action keep the very finest of materials suspended in lake water through fall. Lake ice puts a lid on things in midwinter, allowing very fine clay-size particles to settle out. These seasonal differences in material settling onto lake floors appear as paler and darker stripes, called varves, in lake sediment cores. The cores yield a limited perspective, because each one samples just one point on the lake floor. To get the bigger picture, geologist Patricia Manley, a professor at Middlebury College, and her long-time collaborator and husband, Tom Manley, broadcast compressed high intensity radar pulses (CHIRPs) into the lake water and the sediment below. Detectors record radar pulses bouncing from subsurface varves and use these to build three-dimensional, X-ray-like images of sediments laid down over centuries. These images can record sediment layers as far back as the end of the most recent ice age and they suggest that tsunamis are part of Lake Champlains history. Varves are not just monotonous layers of crud. Similar to tree rings, theres quite a bit of variability from year to year. Melt from one years deeper snow pack may leave a thicker sandy layer. A year with little lake ice may obscure the clay layer. Extended ice and reduced melt, as happened during 1816, the infamous year without a summer, would leave a unique signature with less deposition because of reduced river flows. All of these basin-wide patterns combine to produce a barcode-like pattern of consistently varying relative varve thickness across the lake floor. To the trained eye, departures from this barcode stand out. Manley and her collaborators noticed a particularly spectacular departure just south of the Bouquet River on the New York side of Lake Champlain. A dramatic upheaval was evident approximately 5,000 years back: a large swath of sediment was missing from a shallow slope. Above and below this gap in the record, there was a normal accumulation of older sediments. Professor Manley found six such masses of displaced sediment, all in the same time frame. To explain this mysterious dramatic movement of sediment, Manley looked deeper in Lake Champlain. There, she found that tons of sediment had gone downhill in catastrophic underwater mudslides that upended many decades of accumulated sediment, causing the historic barcode to read backways from older sediment down through younger varves that had been rolled under. Above the topsy-turvy misplaced sediment pile, additional centuries of sediment had accumulated in the normal way, encapsulating the record of the mudslide. So much mud had cascaded downhill that Manley calculated the resulting pressure waves would have produced a tsunami. According to Manley, the wave would have been large enough to wash ashore on the eastern side of Lake Champlain more than 25 feet above the water line. What might cause sediment that had sat quietly for a millennium to suddenly and destructively take flight? Manley suggests an earthquake was the likely culprit. While researching her findings, she found published records of above-water landslides in the Western Quebec Seismic Zone. The timing of these landslides matched up with that of the Lake Champlain mudslides. While tsunami risk is not going to keep me off Lake Champlain, I find it fascinating that forces beyond our current perception have shaped our lakes in ways I never would have guessed. Declan McCabe teaches biology at Saint Michaels College. His book, Turning Stones: Discovering the Life of Water will be published by Down East Books in June and is available for pre-order. Illustration by Adelaide Murphy Tyrol. The Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands magazine and sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: www.nhcf.org. A HOLIDAY in Crete brought this Cork couple together. Kieran Quinlan and Natalie Murphy were married in a civil ceremony in Midleton Park Hotel. Kieran is from Ballinhassig and Natalie is from Carrigtwohill, where the couple now live with their two children, Sam, aged six, and Charlie, aged two. The bridal party included Natalies sister Lydia (Maid of Honour), along with bridesmaids Lucy (Kierans sister), and friends Katie and Sarah. Gary was Kierans Best Man, groomsmen were Killian and Philip. They met on September 6, 2013, on the Greek island of Crete. Natalie recalls: We were both on holidays with different groups of friends flying from Cork and got on like a house on fire from the get go. Natalie recalls their engagement at Kierans family home in Kingsland, Ballinhassig, on August 29, 2020. Kieran was working in Limerick at the time, he usually only worked the odd Saturday but this Saturday in particular he got dressed in his work clothes and left for work as normal. He had arranged for his sister to ask me to lunch so that I would be dressed and ready to celebrate when he got home. He went up to get a ring that I had spotted (and hinted at) in a shop up in Limerick months earlier, I was totally surprised, when I went up thinking I was going for lunch with his sister he was there with the ring and got down on one knee. They were married in a civil ceremony in Midleton Park Hotel on August 26, 2023. Natalie said: Everyone important to us was there to share our special day and we really made the most of it with all our friends and family. My younger son walked me up the aisle with my dad. Our son Sam did a beautiful reading, it was a bit long but he did it so perfectly, we included a sand ceremony and lit extra candles with the kids, I wanted to try and include them as much as I could. I did a lot of DIY for the wedding and I loved how everything turned out. I did all the flowers, bouquets and signs myself and with the help of my father-in-law made the arch also. I had a vision in my head of what I wanted and with the help of our families it all went to plan and turned out even better then I had imagined. MR AND MRS: Kieran Quinlan and Natalie Murphy were married at Midleton Park Hotel. Trace of Cakes in Ballincollig made the cake, with matching cupcakes and donuts. The couples eldest son and Natalies nephews walked up the aisle as ring security to AC/DC, while her two nieces followed up in a pink mini that said Here comes my Auntie. Their first dance was to Love by Nat King Cole. Darren, from Sax Appeal, did the music and was amazing. Recalling the special day, the bride said: Just sitting in a room full of people that were there to celebrate us was just a feeling like no other, it really meant the world to us, people came from far and wide and we appreciate and love every single person that made the effort to attend. THE World Malayalee Council invites the people of Cork to experience an evening of Indian culture and to join them to celebrate Easter and Vishu. Vishu is celebrated in the Kerala State of South Indian and officially marks the start of the Kerala new year. To celebrate, The Cork Malayalee Council are today, Saturday, April 6, organising a social, networking and multicultural event called Blossoms 2024 for both Easter and Vishu. Blossoms 2024 will take place in Togher GAA Hall this evening at 5pm and promises to be a colourful display of culture for all. The social event is open to all communities and is inclusive of families and children. With the purchase of each ticket, guests will be able to enjoy a four-course traditional Indian meal prepared by Douglas restaurant, Indian Spice Kitchen. Previous Blossoms events have seen an array of colour and culture. Attendees will not only experience rich Indian culture but also many of the other community groups from across Cork. There will be performances from other communities such as Chinese (UCC Confucius Institute), Mexican (Amdie Anahuac Mexican Dance Ireland), Irish (Mary McCarthy Irish School of Dancing), Aatma Indian Dance Troupe, Anugraha Dance School of Bharatanatyam, Joan Denise Moriarty School of Dance, an Indian musical band called Daffodils, and many more. Families can also enjoy competitions such as an Easter egg hunt and a treasure hunt. The Lord Mayor of Cork Kieran McCarthy, first secretary from the embassy of India Mr Murugaraj Damodharan, and social inclusion officer from Cork City Council, Kieran OConnell, will also be in attendance on the evening as chief guests of the event. The World Malayalee Council wishes to extend thanks to the main sponsors, Cogans, and also co-sponsors, Oscar Travels, Vishwas and Select Asia. Other sponsors of the Easter and Vishu celebration include: Tilex, Eurasia, Fairyhill Nursing Home, Daily Delight, Mallu Taxi, Apache Pizza, Keanes Jewellry, Pauls Cuisine, Myxtiq, Asian Mix. Tickets, which will include the four-course meal, cost 20 for adults and 15 for children and can be booked online at https://wmc-cork.sumupstore.com/ SIPTU will host its first-ever conference for workers in the early years sector today in Dublin, with people working in the early years sector to travel from all over Ireland to attend. It comes as a survey of those working in the sector revealed that over 84% of them will not stay working there if nothing changes in the next year. Delegates will be addressed by speakers including Minister for Children, Roderic O'Gorman, and there will be panel discussions and motions discussed around the issues in the sector. SIPTU Sector Organiser, Pat McCabe, told The Echo that there will be four main motions up for debate, the first being how to achieve a minimum baseline pay rate of 15 per hour, through increased Government funding. They will also be discussing how to ring fence funding to ensure future increases to pay and core funding to coincide with cost of living increases, and tackling stress and burnout of those working in the sector. 'Low pay is biggest issue' The results of a national survey of Early Years Educators and Managers on their workplace conditions will be released at the conference, with more than 1,300 SIPTU members and non-members working in all levels of the sector surveyed. Almost 70% said that stress and burnout was their biggest work issue, and the main causes of this were staff shortages (31%), the intensity of the job (27%), financial pressures and low pay (22%). Mr McCabe added, We asked if things stay the same, will you still be working in early years in 12 months time? and less than 16% of respondents said yes. Timms Crotty Quinlan, a teacher in a montessori preschool in Cork who sat on the Joint Labour Committee (JLC) for the Early Years Service sector, said that low pay is the biggest issue. She has worked in the sector for 22 years, and said that her employer pays a decent wage, so their staff turnover rate is low, but where I work is very different to other places, she said. People with level seven or level 8 degrees are being paid 13 an hour kids babysitting are making more money than we are - there needs to be more investment and it needs to be ringfenced for pay. I have 11 kids on my own from under three to going on six - my kids are gorgeous and the school I work in is amazing, but that is hard work and youre being regulated by all these different bodies. 'A women's rights issue' Julie ORegan Lynch, who works in an after-school service in Cork, said the sector is 98% women, and because its a caring profession, theres this idea that it should come without pay, that it is a womans role in society. Thats why it has never gotten the recognition and the financial backing that it deserves - its a womens rights issue. Qualified people are leaving the sector over the low pay, forcing services to hire those without the qualifications, she said, adding theres a lot child psychology involved, this notion that we are just caring for the children and playing is a very antiquated idea, everything we do is a deeper process of working. Its typically a 38-week contract, leaving workers applying for unemployment benefits during the school holidays as they are not paid for this time, she said. Everybody is propping it up you have to have a husband earning a good wage or be a younger person living at home with your parents still, but if these services werent there, society would ground to a halt. Ms ORegan Lynch said that it was great that the conference was being held, and that the Minister would be speaking at it, explaining it affirms our professional status. INTO and the ASTI have had conferences for years, so we are behind other teachers unions, but it is a young sector it only really began when women started going into the workforce in the 70s," she said. We are laying down the foundations for a childs education and their life, and society in the future if the people educating the children are not getting respect, how are the children to learn respect? People devote their lives to this sector, I have a masters in early years that I paid for out of my own pocket, because I saw what I could do for the future and for my country by teaching these children. STORM Kathleen's winds are starting to abate across Cork but a yellow wind warning remains in place until 8pm tonight. Thousands of homes and businesses have had power restored but hundreds are still waiting for faults to be rectified. Power outages reported on Saturday across the country were concentrated in Mayo, Galway, Kerry and Cork. A spokesperson for ESB Networks said: Crews are mobilised in impacted areas and responding to power outages where safe to do so. ESB Networks is continuing to monitor the situation as Storm Kathleen tracks across the country and weather warnings remain in place. With high winds forecasted into the afternoon, further outages can be expected in impacted areas. Forecaster Met Eireann had warned of gale force southerly winds bringing a risk of difficult travel conditions, fallen trees, power outages and flooding along coastal areas. Keith Leonard, national director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM), urged people to stay away from all coastal areas during the Met Eireann warnings. Importantly, I would remind people that it is critical that they never ever touch or approach fallen wires, he said, urging people to contact ESB Networks instead. EARLIER: CREWS from Cork City Fire Brigade dealt with approximately 30 call-outs relating to Storm Kathleen since early this morning, a spokesperson has told The Echo. Three crews from Anglesea Street and one crew from Ballyvolane were out pretty much constantly since 6am this morning, the spokesperson said. They dealt with road hazards, fallen trees and dangerous buildings while Met Eireanns Status Orange wind warning remained in effect across the city and county. Fire service personnel also dealt with a number of routine call-outs throughout the morning involving automatic fire alarms and other run-of-the-mill incidents. We dealt with roughly about 20 fallen trees and about 10 dangerous buildings over the course of the morning, the spokesperson said. We were literally going solid from about six in the morning until about half two, with a crew just back from Douglas, where there [were] two calls relating to fallen trees adjacent to each other, and theyre just back now. POWER RESTORED Crews from ESB Networks have restored electricity to thousands of homes and businesses across Cork city and county after they were left without power due to the effects of Storm Kathleen. Some areas remain without electricity, but most of the customers who were earlier affected have now had power restored. In Whitechurch, 139 homes and businesses remain currently without power, compared to the 1,581 people in the area who were earlier left without electricity since approximately 7.30am. In Ballydehob, 46 people are still without power, while in Rathmore 33 homes and businesses are without electricity. In Roscarberry, 16 people are awaiting the restoration of service. In Bantry, 13 homes and businesses are without electricity, and in Castlelyons, 44 people are without power. Electricity supply has been restored to some 1,549 customers in the Ballincollig area who were without power since approximately 11am. ESB Networks has advised customers to visit the website powercheck.ie to see estimated times for restoration of power. The network advises that fallen electricity wires are live and dangerous, and should never be approached or touched. If you see a fallen electricity wire, call 1800 372 999, 999 or 112. EARLIER: CORK Airport has seen some minor delays this morning thanks to Storm Kathleen, but the airport has seen very little flight disruption. Two flights were cancelled yesterday in anticipation of the storm, Aer Lingus EI 711 from London Heathrow to Cork, and Aer Lingus EI 712 from Cork to Heathrow. A Ryanair flight departs Cork Airport during Storm Kathleen on Saturday morning, with strong gusts blowing. Pic: Larry Cummins Passengers were rebooked to other flights, a spokesperson for daa, the airport operator, said, but those two flights were the only services affected so far. Apart from some minor delays, there has been very little flight disruption so far today, thankfully, the spokesperson said. EARLIER: CORK City Fire Brigade crews are currently out all over the city dealing with the effects of Storm Kathleen. Fire service personnel have received approximately 20 call-outs since around 6am this morning, and have been dealing with road hazards, fallen trees and dangerous buildings. A fire service spokesperson told The Echo they had been dealing with a few dangerous buildings, but mostly crews were out with chain saws and dealing with fallen trees. Trees have been down in Glanmire and Little Island, down at The Lough, theyre all over the place, they said. They added that they had responded to a small number of reports of dangerous buildings and fallen slates in city areas. Crews from Anglesea Street and Ballyvolane have been out since the first reports of storm damage began to come in around 6am this morning. Meanwhile, a Met Eireann Status Orange wind warning remains in effect until 2pm today. Crews from Anglesea and Ballyvolane are dealing with a large number of incidents as a result of Storm Kathleen around the City and County. Currently Ballyvolane are in attendance at substantial tree blocking the road between the Riverstown Bar and Monkey Maze Road is closed pic.twitter.com/y3CBPdxMXu Cork City Fire Brigade (@CorkCityFire) April 6, 2024 A Garda source has said gardai across the county are dealing with a significant volume of calls relating to Storm Kathleen, with a number of trees down and road hazards reported. Were responding to a large number of calls as they come in, as are our colleagues in the fire service, removing trees and dealing with road hazards as they are reported, they said. The source said An Garda Siochana had not as yet received any reports of serious incidents related to the storm. Weve been dealing with a lot of calls, but thankfully nothing of major significance so far, they said POWER OUTAGES Thousands of homes and businesses across Cork county are currently without electricity due to the effects of Storm Kathleen. According to ESB Networks, 1,581 people in Whitechurch are without power since approximately 7.30am this morning, and repairs are not expected to be completed until approximately 6pm. Some 1,549 customers in the Ballincollig area have been without power since approximately 11am, and the supplier currently estimates that they will have service restored by 6pm. In Kilmoney, some 93 people are without power since approximately 9.40am, with a restoration time estimated for 6pm. Some 19 customers in Curraleigh are without power, and in Macroom, 38 people have been without power since early this morning. In Kanturk, power has been out since approximately 10.30am, leaving 20 people affected. In Foxhole, 39 people have been without electricity since approximately 9am, while in Rathmore, 67 people have been without power since earlier this morning. In Roscarberry, some 26 people have been without power since this morning, and in Ballydehob 36 people are without electrictity, while in Bantry 13 are without power. In Glengarriff, 46 people have been without electricity since approximately 8am, while in Castletownbere 74 homes and businesses are without power. ESB Networks has advised customers to visit the website powercheck.ie to see estimated times for restoration of power. Meanwhile, it has been reported on social media that power has been restored to homes and businesses in Ringaskiddy, Rochestown and Passage West. Crews from ESB Networks have repaired faults in Mitchelstown, Clonakilty, Lee Bridge and Beal na Blath. COASTGUARD The Irish Coast Guard has not so far received any reports of any incidents relating to Storm Kathleen, a spokesperson for Valentia Coast Guard Marine Rescue Coordination Centre has said. EARLIER: CORK City Fire Brigade reports an extremely busy morning, with crews responding to the effects of Storm Kathleen since early this morning. Three crews from Anglesea Street and one from Ballyvolane have been out since the first reports began to come in around 6am this morning. Fire service personnel have been responding all morning to reports of road hazards from across the city, with trees down and roofs blown off buildings. A spokesperson for Cork Fire Brigade said they had not received any reports relating to serious incidents of flooding in the city. Anglesea Street control is currently stacking calls as fire crews respond to incoming reports of road hazards and dangerous buildings. A Garda source has said gardai in the city are responding to a heavy volume of calls relating to Storm Kathleen, but so far An Garda Siochana has not received any reports of serious incidents related to the storm. Just a very heavy volume of calls so far, but nothing unexpected, thankfully, they said. TREES FALLEN trees and power outages have been the result of the force of Storm Kathleen as it makes its way across Cork. Thousands are without power in Cork city and county. Almost 1600 people are in Whitechurch are affected and 800 in Macroom and over 750 in Mitchelstown. There are several other smaller outages elsewhere in Cork. Fallen trees have also been reported in several areas, including at Ballyvolane near Dunnes Stores, Oldcourt Rochestown and between Killumney and Ballincollig. ESB Networks is aware that some customers are experiencing power outages due to #StormKathleen. Our dedicated teams are working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. Visit https://t.co/GXyuew8I9W to stay informed about estimated restoration times and updates. pic.twitter.com/YVgkIgrB1v ESB Networks (@ESBNetworks) April 6, 2024 Gusts of 111kmh have been recorded at Sherkin Island and winds of 85kmh at Roches Point. Winds are expected to hit their peak over the next few hours and slowly ease off in the late afternoon and evening. #StormKathleen will bring very strong & gusty southerly winds to all areas today, with severe & damaging gusts in the south & west Coastal flooding & wave overtopping are likely Showers will move northeastwards across the country through the day Highs of 12 to 15 C pic.twitter.com/F5B086Z2g8 Met Eireann (@MetEireann) April 6, 2024 Cork is currently under a Status Orange wind warning that came into effect at 7am this morning and will remain in place until 2pm. A national Status Yellow warming is in place until 8pm tonight. According to Met Eireann, possible impacts could include very difficult travel conditions, fallen trees, some power outages, coastal flooding and wave overtopping. FORMER members of the Defence Forces and their relatives will gather at Collins Barracks in Cork on Sunday for a commemorative Mass for deceased members of a unit which had a key role in some of the States major developments over the past century. The Mass at St Michaels Garrison Church is being organised by the 4th Infantry Battalion Association and the associations new colour will be blessed at the ceremony. The 4th Battalion was formed in 1922 in Galway and moved to Cork in 1931. It was the biggest unit in Cork and the entire southern coast until it was disbanded in 2012 by the Government. Among the assignments it had over the years was the provision of security for the construction of the Ardnacrusha hydroelectric dam during the 1920s, while it also had a detachment in Waterville when the trans-Atlantic cable was being secured. It also played a key role in securing the country during the Emergency period from 1939 to 1946. The battalion also protected vital installations including Cork Airport, the Cork Deep Water Port, biotech and pharmaceutical plants, the national oil refinery and electrical substations. The Mass will takes place on Sunday at 10.30am. New York, US (PANA) - The UN Security Council on Friday strongly condemned the latest rise in attacks by the M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of the Congos restive east, which has undermined security and exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation Blog Archive: Oct 2024 (65) Sep 2024 (149) Aug 2024 (155) Jul 2024 (155) Jun 2024 (150) May 2024 (153) Apr 2024 (149) Mar 2024 (155) Feb 2024 (145) Jan 2024 (156) Dec 2023 (155) Nov 2023 (150) Oct 2023 (155) Sep 2023 (150) Aug 2023 (155) Jul 2023 (155) Jun 2023 (150) May 2023 (155) Apr 2023 (150) Mar 2023 (155) Feb 2023 (140) Jan 2023 (155) Dec 2022 (156) Nov 2022 (150) Oct 2022 (155) Sep 2022 (150) Aug 2022 (155) Jul 2022 (154) Jun 2022 (150) May 2022 (155) Apr 2022 (150) Mar 2022 (155) Feb 2022 (140) Jan 2022 (156) Dec 2021 (156) Nov 2021 (150) Oct 2021 (155) Sep 2021 (150) Aug 2021 (155) Jul 2021 (155) Jun 2021 (150) May 2021 (155) Apr 2021 (150) Mar 2021 (155) Feb 2021 (140) Jan 2021 (155) Dec 2020 (155) Nov 2020 (150) Oct 2020 (158) Sep 2020 (150) Aug 2020 (130) Jul 2020 (124) Jun 2020 (120) May 2020 (124) Apr 2020 (120) Mar 2020 (124) Feb 2020 (116) Jan 2020 (125) Dec 2019 (126) Nov 2019 (120) Oct 2019 (124) Sep 2019 (120) Aug 2019 (125) Jul 2019 (124) Jun 2019 (120) May 2019 (123) Apr 2019 (121) Mar 2019 (124) Feb 2019 (112) Jan 2019 (125) Dec 2018 (126) Nov 2018 (120) Oct 2018 (124) Sep 2018 (121) Aug 2018 (124) Jul 2018 (125) Jun 2018 (120) May 2018 (124) Apr 2018 (121) Mar 2018 (124) Feb 2018 (112) Jan 2018 (123) Dec 2017 (124) Nov 2017 (124) Oct 2017 (141) Sep 2017 (135) Aug 2017 (138) Jul 2017 (137) Jun 2017 (134) May 2017 (138) Apr 2017 (135) Mar 2017 (139) Feb 2017 (129) Jan 2017 (143) Dec 2016 (135) Nov 2016 (138) Oct 2016 (142) Sep 2016 (128) Aug 2016 (133) Jul 2016 (136) Jun 2016 (138) May 2016 (164) Apr 2016 (311) Mar 2016 (348) Feb 2016 (320) Jan 2016 (348) Dec 2015 (314) Nov 2015 (338) Oct 2015 (363) Sep 2015 (358) Aug 2015 (399) Jul 2015 (374) Jun 2015 (331) May 2015 (337) Apr 2015 (319) Mar 2015 (320) Feb 2015 (271) Jan 2015 (286) Dec 2014 (254) Nov 2014 (238) Oct 2014 (287) Sep 2014 (267) Aug 2014 (259) Jul 2014 (260) Jun 2014 (238) May 2014 (241) Apr 2014 (228) Mar 2014 (240) Feb 2014 (217) Jan 2014 (263) Dec 2013 (226) Nov 2013 (254) Oct 2013 (256) Sep 2013 (252) Aug 2013 (263) Jul 2013 (261) Jun 2013 (251) May 2013 (250) Apr 2013 (221) Mar 2013 (193) Feb 2013 (164) Jan 2013 (157) Dec 2012 (155) Nov 2012 (240) Oct 2012 (526) Sep 2012 (411) Aug 2012 (394) Jul 2012 (284) Jun 2012 (229) May 2012 (213) Apr 2012 (213) Mar 2012 (253) Feb 2012 (269) Jan 2012 (298) Dec 2011 (273) Nov 2011 (219) Oct 2011 (204) Sep 2011 (201) Aug 2011 (236) Jul 2011 (217) Jun 2011 (211) May 2011 (206) Apr 2011 (215) Mar 2011 (215) Feb 2011 (186) Jan 2011 (215) Dec 2010 (107) Nov 2010 (98) Oct 2010 (55) Christine Quinn's husband has filed for divorce. Christine Quinn's husband files for divorce The former 'Selling Sunset' star tied the knot with entrepreneur Christian Dumontet in December 2019 and they welcomed a son together in May 2021 but Christian has now filed to end their marriage after being arrested twice following a recent alleged domestic violence incident. According to TMZ, Christian, 44, filed for divorce in the Superior Court of California citing "irreconcilable differences". He is asking for sole legal and physical custody of their son but states that he is open to Christine, 35, getting visitation rights. He also wants the court to prevent Christine from seeking spousal support from him and claims that although their wedding featured on 'Selling Sunset' in 2019, they actually officially tied the knot in 2021. Meanwhile, Christian was recently ordered to move out of their home after a judge approved Christine's request for a temporary restraining order against him. Christian was also ordered to hand over login information for the home's security systems and he has been forbidden from coming within 100 yards of Christine, her home, vehicle, job or their son Christian Jr's "school or childcare", according to PEOPLE. The order is in effect until a hearing on April 17. Christian was arrested following an alleged domestic violence incident earlier this month, and he subsequently submitted a request to the court demanding Christine move out of their home, as well as asking a judge to restrict her travels with Christian Jr. However, according to PageSix, the judge denied the request until the legal meeting on 17 April. The documents stated: The facts given in the request do not show reasonable proof of a past act or acts of abuse." Ernie Hudson could have died after a doctor gave him the wrong medical advice. Ernie Hudson suffered a massive health scare in 2011 The 78-year-old actor - who is best known for his role as Winston Zeddemore in the 'Ghostbusters' franchise - had to have an ileostomy bag fitted when he was diagnosed with rectal cancer in 2011 but took it off far sooner than he should have done ad had just hours to rush to the hospital or things could have been fatal. He told People: "I was in really pretty good shape, but I wanted to make sure that everything was great. I went in to get a series of checkups that it really wasn't time for, but it was a very physical play. And then they found in a colonoscopy, they found this little thing on my rectal area, and then they checked and it was malignant cancer. "The doctor said 'Well, you may not have to have an ileostomy bag, but it's a possibility. I asked him How long do I have to wear this thing? Because I'm working and it's really kind of awkward. He told me six weeks. Well, we should have waited three months. He took it off too soon. "I just woke up and my stomach had justit was like a rock. And my wife insisted, thank God, that I go to the hospital. Poison was running into my system if it had been just a couple hours more of me getting there, I probably would've died." The former 'Grace and Frankie' star had just finished filming his role in prison drama 'Oz' when he faced further issues and had to have a biopsy as he admitted that listening to his body had ultimately saved his life. He said: "I had the physical that the studio sort of made you take. When I came back to LA after shooting 'Oz', [my prostate specific antigen] levels were even higher. So we went in and we had a biopsy done, and then they found it. "So I had to deal with it. All those things, had I not caught them and dealt with them, I know that I wouldn't be there. Frances Bean Cobain has learned that grief "serves a purpose" in life. Frances Bean Cobain paid tribute to her late father Kurt on the 30th anniversary of his death The 31-year-old artist is the daughter of Courtney Love and the late Nirvana rocker Kurt Cobain - who took his own life at the age of just 27 in 1994 - and took to social media on Friday (05.04.23) to mark the 30th anniversary of his death. She wrote on Instagram: "I wish I knew the cadence of his voice, how he liked his coffee or the way it felt to be tucked in after a bedtime story. I always wondered if he would've caught tadpoles with me during the muggy Washington summers, or if he smelled of Camel Lights and strawberry nesquik (his favorites, I've been told). "In the last 30 years my ideas around loss have been in a continuous state of metamorphosing. The biggest lesson learned through grieving for almost as long as I've been conscious, is that it serves a purpose. The duality of life and death, pain and joy, the yin and yang nature of human existence which throws us into the depths of our most authentic lives." The former model concluded her post with a line from a letter her father had written to her before he died and noted that he is still "present" in her life as she reached out to others who have also last loved ones. She added: "'Wherever you go or wherever I go, I will always be with you.' "He kept this promise because he is present in so many ways," she continued. "Whether it's by hearing a song or through the hands we share, in those moments I get to spend a little time with my da and he feels transcendent." "To anyone who has wondered what it would've looked like to live along side the people they have lost, I'm holding you in my thoughts today. The meaning of our grief is the same." Bangladesh's ready-made garment (RMG) exports (Chapters 61 and 62) increased by 5.53 per cent to $37.202 billion in July-March, the first three quarters of fiscal 2023-24 (July-June), according to provisional data from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). This figure represents an increase from $35.252 billion in the same period of the previous fiscal 2022-23. While knitwear exports exceeded woven garments, the overall RMG exports did not meet the $39.005 billion target set for July-March 2024, falling short by 4.62 per cent. Bangladesh's RMG exports rose by 5.53 per cent to $37.202 billion in July-March of FY 2023-24, though they fell short of the $39.005 billion target. Knitwear exports increased by 9.79 per cent, while woven apparel saw a 0.47 per cent rise. Home textile exports dropped by 25.98 per cent. Despite a global slowdown, Bangladesh's RMG sector showed resilience. In the first nine months of the current fiscal, exports of knitwear (Chapter 61) rose by 9.79 per cent to $21.011 billion, compared to $19.137 billion during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal 2022-23. Woven apparel exports (Chapter 62) improved by 0.47 per cent, totalling $16.191 billion, against $16.114 billion in July-March 2023, as per EPB data. Home textile exports (Chapter 63, excluding 630510) experienced a significant decline, dropping by 25.98 per cent to $636.53 million, compared to $859.94 million in the same period last fiscal. Collectively, woven and knitted apparel, clothing accessories, and home textile exports constituted 86.87 per cent of Bangladesh's total exports, amounting to $43.554 billion for the period. Despite the global economic slowdown, Bangladesh's RMG exports demonstrated resilience, reaching $46.991 billion in fiscal 2022-23, an increase from $42.613 billion in fiscal 2021-22 and $31.456 billion in fiscal 2020-21. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL) French members of parliament recently approved the first reading of a bill aimed at restricting the manufacture and sale of non-essential products containing per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS), or forever chemicals. The bill was approved unanimously by the National Assembly committee, with 186 votes in favour and none against after a debate between the left and the presidential camp. French MPs recently approved the first reading of a bill aimed at restricting the manufacture and sale of non-essential products containing PFAS (forever chemicals). The bill called for a ban on the manufacture, import and sale of cosmetics, wax products or apparel with PFAS, with the exception of protective clothing from January 1, 2026. Introduced by environmentalist Nicolas Thierry, the bill called for a ban on the manufacture, import and sale of any cosmetic product, wax product or apparel containing PFAS substances, with the exception of protective clothing for safety and civil security professionals from January 1, 2026, French news outlets reported. While the manufacture and sale of textiles containing PFAS will be forbidden from January 1, 2030, kitchen utensilswhich were initially included in the banwere removed from the list after several parliament members cited manufacturers' arguments over risks to employment. Kitchenware manufacturer SEB had recently cautioned that the PFAS product ban would endanger around 3,000 jobs at its regional plants that manufacture Tefal frying pans. Several hundred SEB employees had rallied to protest against the bill near the parliament. Forever chemicals have been linked to several serious effects on human health, leading to growing calls for them to be banned. The European Union (EU) is also considering a Europe-wide ban on PFAS from as early as 2026. While this initiative is welcome, its limitations in terms of health and environment monitoring as well as effective standard setting are yet another reminder of the urgent need of a comprehensive EU-wide approach to cut PFAS emissions at the source and related exposures across borders, explained Natacha Cingotti, health and chemicals programme lead at the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), a European not-for-profit organisation. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS) The US department of homeland security (DHS) yesterday announced an enhanced strategy to combat illicit trade and level the playing field for the American textile industry, which accounts for over 500,000 US jobs. Two DHS agencies, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), will further enhance their work together to protect the integrity of US markets, hold perpetrators accountable for customs violations and safeguard the domestic textile industry. The US department of homeland security yesterday announced an enhanced strategy to combat illicit textile-garment trade. The Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations will work on the strategy that includes intensified cracking down on small package shipments, special operations and increased customs audits and foreign verifications. The plan will involve intensified cracking down on small package shipments, joint trade special operations, increased customs audits and foreign verifications, and the expansion of the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List, a DHS release said. Joint CBP-HSI trade special operations will be conducted to ensure cargo compliance. This includes physical inspections, country-of-origin, isotopic and composition testing, and in-depth reviews of documentation. CBP will issue civil penalties for violations of US laws and coordinate with HSI to develop and conduct criminal investigations when needed. Risk will better assessed by expanding customs audits and increasing foreign verifications. DHS personnel will conduct comprehensive audits and textile production verification team visits to high-risk foreign facilities to ensure that textiles qualify under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement or the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement. An education campaign will be started to ensure that importers and suppliers in the CAFTA-DR and USMCA region understand compliance requirements and are aware of CBPs enforcement efforts. The UFLPA entity list will be expanded to identify malign suppliers for the trade community. DHS has already started implementing this plan, building on ongoing efforts to ensure compliance. The National Council for Textile Organisations (NCTO) welcomed the DHS textile enforcement plan. The essential and vital domestic textile supply chain has lost 14 plants in recent months. The industry is facing severe economic harm due to a combination of factors, exacerbated by customs fraud and predatory trade practices by China and other countries, which has resulted in these devastating layoffs and plant closures. DHS immediately understood the economic harms facing the industry and deployed the development of a critical action plan, said NCTO president and chief executive officer Kim Glas. The American Apparel & Footwear Association, the National Retail Federation, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, and the United States Fashion Industry Association also appreciated the DHS announcement and urged DHS to partner with them and their members. A successful enforcement plan must include input from all stakeholders, clear communication with the trade, and coordinated activities with importers, especially if DHS finds illicit activity happening in the supply chain. The results of any illicit activities must be shared so that our members and other importers can act quickly to address the issue, the associations said in a joint statement. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS) Ileana D'Cruz is embracing motherhood in all its glory! She recently shared a picture with her son Koa Phoenix who is 8 months old already. The Barfi! actress can be seen wearing a black night suit while posing with her baby boy at home.Ileana's son, Koa Phoenix Dolan, was born in August last year. While sharing the news with her fans and well-wishers on social media, Ileana wrote, "No words could explain how happy we are to welcome our darling boy to the world. Hearts beyond full."Ileana has worked in numerous Bollywood movies including Rustom, Main Tera Hero, and Raid. Her fans are eagerly waiting for her next work, Do Aur Do Pyaar, where she shares the screen with Vidya Balan, Pratik Gandhi, and Sendhil Ramamurthy. 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 zweiten Reihe noch enormes Aufwartspotenzial. Im kostenlosen, exklusiven Spezialreport prasentieren wir ihnen 5 innovative KI-Unternehmen, die bahnbrechende Entwicklungen in diesem Sektor pragen konnten. Warum sollten Sie dabei sein? Trotz der jungsten Erfolge steht die Entwicklung der kunstlichen Intelligenz noch am Beginn eines neuen Superzyklus. Experten gehen davon aus, dass der Sektor bis 2032 global auf 1,3 Billionen US-Dollar explodieren wird, wobei ein groer Teil auf Hardware und Infrastruktur entfallen wird. Nutzen Sie die Chance! Fordern Sie sofort unseren brandneuen Spezialreport an und erfahren Sie, welche 5 KI-Aktien das grote Potenzial zur Vervielfachung besitzen. Dieser Report ist komplett kostenlos und zeigt Ihnen die aussichtsreichsten Investments im KI-Sektor. Handeln Sie jetzt und sichern Sie sich Ihren kostenfreien Report! CrashBay, a Toronto, Canada-based digital marketplace providing collision repair solutions, raised $1.25M in funding. The round was led by Markd, with participation from other collision and insurance industry investors. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate product development efforts, ramp up customer acquisition strategies, and expand essential services, solidifying its position as the go-to solution for collision repair needs. Led by Founder and CEO John Harvey, CrashBay is a digital marketplace specializing in end-to-end collision repair solutions for fleets and carriers. Car owners and carriers can book appointments with shops across North America. Repair shops can list their businesses and access a-la-carte direct repair programs. It also offers customized SaaS solutions, digital payments, and claims services for carrier partners. FinSMEs 06/04/2024 Vicky Kaushal is all geared up for his first periodic drama Chhava, based on the life of Chhtrapati Sambhaji Maharaj (son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) Earlier this morning, Vicky took to his IG stories to announce that a schedule of the same has been wrapped up in Wai, Maharashtra. Sharing a pic he wrote, What a schedule this has been! Wrap on Wai! gearing up for the next one. #Chaava Earlier, the actor sustained an intense injury while shooting a war sequence. The actor was on a break for almost 20 days. Advertisement Laxman Utekars directorial also stars National Crush Rashmika Mandanna, who will play Yesu Bai in the film. Rashmika has completed shooting for her part, and the actress also announced the update through her social media account. The film has an ensemble cast featuring Ashutosh Rana, Akshaye Khanna, Divya Dutta, Kiran Karmarkar, Neelkanti Patekar, and others playing pivotal roles in the film. Vicky also has Karan Johars Bad Newz production venture opposite Triptii Dimri and Sanjay Leela Bhansalis film Love & War co-starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. Bad Newz is directed by Bandish Bandits fame Anand Tiwari, the film marks the first collaboration of the two supremely talented actors. Last year, the duo was in Croatia for the shoot of a romantic song for the film. The leaked photos from the time are now being widely shared by Internet users. Dimri said, Hes very understanding and gives you your important space. Vicky, hes like a full-on Punjabi. Very easy. Very committed to his work. You know, hes someone who made me feel comfortable. Hes very secure as an actor. She added, Usually when youre acting, you tend to get a little selfish about your scenes and performance. You have to be aware of what your co-actor is doing or else the scene will fall flat. That worked out with Vicky. After the shocking demise of SSR in 2020, the flat has been reportedly empty read more Adah Sharma, known for her roles in The Kerala Story and Bastar, grabbed headlines last year after reports of her buying a flat in Mumbais Mont Blanc Apartments where late actor Sushant Singh Rajput once used to live. After the shocking demise of SSR in 2020, the flat has been reportedly empty. The Commando actress has finally broken her silence after staying mum for some time. For now I would just like to say that I live in everyones hearts. There is a right time to speak. When I had gone to see the place, I got overwhelmed with the media attention. I am a private person. I love being in the public eye for my movies but I have always been private. I guard my privacy, said the actress while talking to Siddharth Kannan. Advertisement I also thought that its wrong to talk about someone who is not in this world, who has done such beautiful films. I dont stand for that. He is an actor who I have great respect for so I would like to put everything where he has his respect, she added. The Kerala Story, Sunflower 2, Bastar which is your favourite ? And guess Three releases in one month !!! pic.twitter.com/FSnaqDgNkz Adah Sharma (@adah_sharma) March 22, 2024 I also thought that its wrong to talk about someone who is not in this world, who has done such beautiful films. I dont stand for that. He is an actor who I have great respect for so I would like to put everything where he has his respect, Adah concluded. On the professional front, Adah Sharma was last seen in Bastar, which was directed by Sudipto Sen and also featured Indira Tiwari, Vijay Krishna, Shilpa Shukla, Yashpal Sharma, Subrat Dutta and Raima Sen in prominent roles. It was produced by Vipul Shah. An Indian student identified as Uma Satya Sai Gadde died in Cleveland, Ohio, with authorities carrying out a probe. This is the tenth such case since the beginning of this year. What is going on? read more Another Indian students mysterious death in the United States has grabbed eyeballs. According to the Indian consulate in New York, the student, identified as Uma Satya Sai Gadde, passed away in Cleveland, Ohio. The consulate wrote in a post on X that a police probe is underway into the untimely demise. Deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of Uma Satya Sai Gadde, an Indian student in Cleveland, Ohio. It said it is in contact with Gaddes family in India. All possible assistance is being extended, including to transport Uma Gaddes mortal remains to India at the earliest, the consulate added. Advertisement Deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of Mr. Uma Satya Sai Gadde, an Indian student in Cleveland, Ohio. Police investigation is underway. @IndiainNewYork continues to remain in touch with the family in India. All possible assistance is being extended including to transport India in New York (@IndiainNewYork) April 5, 2024 As per reports, this is the 10th such incident in the US involving Indian or Indian-origin students. Lets take a closer look. Recent incidents involving students In March, Abhijeeth Paruchuru, a 20-year-old from Burripalem, Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, was found dead in a car deep within a forest in US Boston. The Indian consulate said at the time that police had ruled out any foul play in his death. The same month, Amarnath Ghosh, a 34-year-old trained classical dancer from India, was shot dead in St Louis, Missouri. He was pursuing his PhD at Washington University. The family of 25-year-old Mohammed Abdul Arafat, who hailed from Telanganas Hyderabad, sought the assistance of the External Affairs Ministry in March after he reportedly went missing from the Cleveland area. His family had got a ransom call days after he went missing in the US. Advertisement On 5 February, Sameer Kamath, a 23-year-old Indian-American student at Purdue University, was found dead in a nature preserve in Indiana. Vivek Saini, an MBA student in Georgia, was violently killed by a homeless drug addict at a convenience store. The incident took place on 16 January when the 25-year-old, who had previously helped Julian Faulkner, reportedly refused to give the man free food, resulting in the latter killing him with a hammer. Syed Mazahir Ali, an Indian-origin student, was brutally attacked in Chicago earlier this year. The same month, two Indian students, Gattu Dinesh (22) and Nikesh (21), died in sleep at their residence in Connecticut. The roommates, who were pursuing masters in computer science, were reported to have passed away from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. Advertisement The deaths of Shreyas Reddy Benigeri, Akul Dhawan and Neel Acharya in separate incidents in the US this year have also raised concerns. What has been done to address this? After a spate of attacks on Indian and Indian-origin students in the US, the White House said in February that President Joe Biden and his administration were working very, very hard to prevent and disrupt such incidents. John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House said at the time, There is no excuse for violence, certainly based on race or gender or religion or any other factor. Thats just unacceptable here in the United States, reported PTI. Advertisement The president and this administration have been working very, very hard to make sure were doing everything we can to work with state and local authorities to try to thwart and disrupt those kinds of attacks and make it clear to anybody who might consider them that theyll be held properly accountable, he had said. Following these tragic incidents, the Indian Embassy officials in Washington and its various consulates virtually interacted with Indian students from across the US. Around 150 Indian Student Association office bearers and students from 90 universities in the US took part in the interaction led by Charge dAffaires Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan, as per PTI. Advertisement It was also attended by the Consul Generals of India in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Seattle. They discussed different aspects of student well-being and how to stay connected with the larger diaspora. With inputs from agencies Its not good news for IIT. The premier institute of India is struggling to find its students placements this season, with data revealing that an average of 30-35 per cent are still looking for jobs. Catch up on this and more in our weekly roundup read more The main entrance of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay campus in Mumbai. The prestigious institute has been struggling to get its students placement this season. File image/AFP This past week has been a busy, busy one for India. With the Lok Sabha polls right around the corner, much of the news in the country focused on the elections. This week we saw the BJP and Congress trading charges over a tiny piece of land the Katchatheevu island between India and Sri Lanka. There was also news about Indias defence exports reaching an all-time record of Rs 21,083 crore in 2023-2024. Advertisement Apart from this, India also saw the release of Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh from jail in the Delhi liquor policy case the same matter in which Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has been arrested. Furthermore, Indias aviation sector hit turbulence when Vistara airlines had to cancel several flights after its pilots decided to go on mass leave. As the week wraps up and we sit back, read our round-up to know what you might have missed. 1) The week started off on a bang when Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress of weakening national sovereignty when it handed over the island of Katchatheevu, which is located in the Palk Strait, to Sri Lanka in 1974. The PMs allegation came on the basis of an RTI filed by Tamil Nadu BJP leader Annamalai. The claim also led many to ask if India could reclaim it? Read our explainer to find our more. AAP leader Sanjay Singh acknowledges supporters upon his arrival at the party office after his release from Tihar Jail following a Supreme Court order granting him bail in the excise policy case, in New Delhi. PTI 2) India, this week, also saw the release of AAP leader Sanjay Singh following the Supreme Court granting him bail in the Delhi excise policy case. With this, the AAP MP was released from Tihar jail where he was lodged for the last six months. After walking out of jail, Singh addressed a press conference wherein he assured that his jailed party colleagues, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, former deputy CM Manish Sisodia and former minister Satyendar Jain will also be released soon. In our essay, we take a look at why Singhs release is significant for the party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Visitors walk past an Indian Brahmos anti-ship missile at the International Maritime Defence show in St.Petersburg, Russia. File image/AP 3) For many years, India was one of the top defence importers. But times are changing. On Monday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced that the country had reached a milestone; the countrys defence exports had cross the crossed the Rs 21,000-crore mark. According to the defence minister, the arms exports touched Rs 21,083 crore in the financial year 2023-24, a spectacular growth of 32.5 per cent over the previous fiscal. But who is India exporting to? And more importantly which arms is the country selling? Advertisement 4) For most people, an IIT degree is valuable and a sure-shot guarantee of a job. However, it seems that the premier educational institute has been hit by hiring woes. Data reveals that an average of 30-35 per cent of students of the institutes are yet to be hired this year. But why are IITs struggling to find placements for its students? Read here to find out more. A an uses a torn portion of carton box to protect himself from the heat as he waits to cross a road on a hot summer afternoon in Hyderabad. The IMD has warned that India will experience a surge in heatwaves in most parts of the country between April to June. File image/AP 5) The country is all geared up for the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections, starting from 19 April. In the run-up to the polls, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced that there would be a surge in heatwaves in most parts of the country between April to June. Indias official weatherman said that heatwaves will last 10 to 20 days this time around, unlike the normal four to eight days, between April and June. The weather forecast has put a dampener on the polls, with many asking if it would affect voter turnout. Read our explainer to find out if thats the case. Advertisement 6) Vistara is one of Indias most popular airlines. But what happens if its pilots choose to take leave all together? It leads to chaos. The airline, jointly owned by Singapore Airlines and Tata Group, had to cancel or delay several flights earlier this week after pilots decided to skip work. Their grouse is that they are upset about reported salary reductions upon merging with Air India and even the matter of the management not taking their complains of pilot fatigue seriously. We explain this here. Thats all from us for this week. If you liked how we explain the news, heres where you can find some more. Advertisement Also, heres an interesting read for the weekend: Forbes released its list of billionaires and there were quite a few entries from India. One of them is Ramesh Kunhikannan, whose wealth grew exponentially thanks to Chandrayaan-3. The external affairs ministry had cautioned Indian nationals against falling prey to human traffickers promising lucrative job opportunities in Cambodia read more External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday that seventeen Indian workers, who were lured into unsafe and illegal work in Laos, are on their way back home. Modi ki Guarantee works for all at home and abroad. Seventeen Indian workers, lured into unsafe and illegal work in Laos, are on their way back home. Well done, @IndianEmbLaos. Thank Lao authorities for their support for the safe repatriation, he said in a post on X. Advertisement The external affairs ministry on Thursday cautioned Indian nationals against falling prey to human traffickers promising lucrative job opportunities in Cambodia. Modi ki Guarantee works for all at home and abroad. 17 Indian workers, lured into unsafe and illegal work in Laos, are on their way back home. Well done, @IndianEmbLaos. Thank Lao authorities for their support for the safe repatriation. pic.twitter.com/KgIM56YJkE Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 6, 2024 He also complimented the Indian embassy in Laos for its successful efforts in the case. In an advisory, the ministry called upon Indians looking at job opportunities in the southeast Asian country to thoroughly check the background of the prospective employer. It has come to attention that Indian nationals, lured by fake promises of lucrative job opportunities in Cambodia, are falling into the trap of human traffickers, it said. The ministry said these Indian nationals are coerced to undertake online financial scams and other illegal activities. Indian nationals intending to visit Cambodia for employment are cautioned to do so only through authorised agents. It is also advised that the background of the prospective employer in Cambodia is checked thoroughly, it said. While Chinas propaganda machine works overtime to spread disinformation, Indias focus on transformative infrastructure projects in Arunachal Pradesh speaks volumes about its commitment to progress and development read more As the Himalayan giants clash, it is India's determination and resilience that will ultimately prevail, ensuring a brighter future for the nation and its people In a brazen display of territorial aggression, the bully state of China has once again attempted to assert its dominance over India by laying claim to the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. Ignoring historical facts and international law, Chinas Ministry of Defense boldly declared Arunachal Pradesh, known for its breathtaking landscapes and rich cultural heritage, as part of its own territory. Chinas Ministry of Defense, Senior colonel Wu Qian asserted, It is an undeniable fact that Zangnan (The Chinese name for Arunachal Pradesh) has been Chinese territory since ancient times, and theres no so-called Arunachal Pradesh. This provocative claim, dismissing the sovereignty of India over Arunachal Pradesh, was met with swift and firm rebuttal from Indian authorities. Advertisement Chinas audacious assertion, labelling it as nothing short of absurd. Rejecting Chinas claim that Zangnan belongs to its territory, India reaffirmed that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inseparable part of the Indian nation. In a significant show of solidarity, the United States has also thrown its weight behind India, recognising Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and firmly opposing any attempts to alter the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) through military or civilian means. However, Chinas aggression wasnt limited to its territorial claims against India. In a separate incident, Chinas Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Lin Jian, rebuffed Indias recent backing of the Philippines sovereignty over the South China Sea. Jian emphasised Chinas stance that maritime disputes should be resolved solely between the concerned parties, without interference from external actors. This statement underscored Chinas broader territorial ambitions and its insistence on asserting control over disputed regions, including Arunachal Pradesh and the South China Sea. Chinas Expansionist Propaganda Intensifies Now coming back to Arunachal, as Chinas propaganda has only intensified in the last few weeks. Let us look what China has been upto in the last few weeks and what has Indias response been. As both nations continue to assert their claims and engage in verbal sparring, the risk of escalation remains a concern, with implications not only for the immediate region but also for global stability. Lin Jian, representing Chinas Foreign Affairs, reiterated Chinas long-standing opposition to Indias claim over Arunachal Pradesh. He pointed to Indias establishment of Arunachal Pradesh in 1987 on what China asserts as its own territory, labeling it an illegal and invalid move. Chinas stance on this issue, Jian emphasised, has remained unwavering. Advertisement However, historical evidence presents a different narrative. Prior to Indias establishment of Arunachal Pradesh, Chinas effective jurisdiction over the region remains questionable. Arunachal Pradesh has a rich historical and cultural heritage, with ties to various indigenous communities dating back centuries. There is little historical evidence to suggest Chinese presence or authority in the region before Indias assertion of control. Moreover, the withdrawal of Chinese forces, including from areas like Tawang, during the 1962 Sino-Indian war further undermines Chinas claims of historical jurisdiction. If Arunachal Pradesh truly belonged to China, one might question why Chinese forces withdrew from what China now claims as its own territory. Advertisement In light of these historical facts, Chinas assertions regarding Arunachal Pradesh appear to be based on conjecture rather than concrete evidence. The regions history, coupled with the events of the past century, cast doubt on Chinas claims and highlight the complexities underlying the dispute. This aggressive stance comes hot on the heels of the opening of the strategically significant Sela tunnel by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a move aimed at bolstering Indias border infrastructure and enhancing its defensive capabilities in the face of escalating tensions with China. As Beijing and New Delhi engage in a war of words, the world watches closely, witnessing yet another chapter in the tumultuous relationship between these two Asian giants. Advertisement Delving into the annals of history reveals a tumultuous relationship between India and China, characterised by territorial disputes and geopolitical maneuvering. Chinas belligerent actions, exemplified by its recent claims over Arunachal Pradesh, epitomize its status as Indias foremost adversary. What was once a strategic ally has now metamorphosed into a formidable foe, with China openly flexing its muscles to advance its expansionist agenda. By staking dubious claims to parts of Indias sovereign territory, China is not merely asserting its dominance but acting as a modern-day coloniser, seeking to subjugate its neighbour through intimidation and coercion. This blatant display of aggression underscores the urgent need for India to stand firm against Chinas encroachments and safeguard its territorial integrity against the bully tactics of its most formidable adversary. Advertisement Chinas territorial claims initially focused solely on Tawang, a region within Arunachal Pradesh, where the sixth Dalai Lama was believed to have been born. However, since the 2000s, China has expanded its claims to encompass the entirety of Arunachal Pradesh, despite Indias longstanding sovereignty over the area since 1955. This shift in Chinas stance is primarily driven by its aim to suppress Tibetan nationalism, which it perceives as being supported by India. Arunachal Pradeshs strategic location at the meeting point of the borders of China, Myanmar, and Bhutan further enhances its significance. This aggressive posture reflects a broader strategy by China to extend its sphere of influence and control, consistent with its approach in other territorial disputes such as those in the East and South China Seas. These border disputes with India signify a strategic departure from Deng Xiaopings policy of maintaining a low profile, as China seeks to assert its historical dominance as the Middle Kingdom. On December 29, 2021, China unilaterally declared the renaming of fifteen locations within Arunachal Pradesh, Indias northeastern bastion ensconced within the Himalayas. Even recently on April 2, 2024 India vehemently rejected Chinas recent attempt to rename certain places in Arunachal Pradesh as senseless and invented. India reaffirmed its unwavering stance, emphasising that such arbitrary actions do not alter the undeniable truth: Arunachal Pradesh is, has always been, and will forever remain an integral part of India. This audacious move, accentuating Chinas insatiable appetite for territorial expansion. Despite a litany of border agreements inked between India and China, spanning from the Border Peace and Tranquillity Agreement (BPTA) in 1993 to the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) in 2013, tensions along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) persist unabated, exemplified by recent flare-ups like the Galwan Valley clash of 2020 and the ongoing standoffs in Eastern Ladakh. In the past week, Chinas state-controlled mouthpiece, The Global Times, has launched a relentless propaganda campaign against India. Through skewed narratives and baseless accusations, it seeks to undermine Indias sovereignty and promote Beijings hegemonic agenda. This orchestrated disinformation effort aims to sow discord and instability in the region, highlighting Chinas malicious intent on the global stage. Such propaganda calls for vigilance and unity in countering Chinas manipulative tactics. India looks the Bully in the Eye Amidst this onslaught of propaganda, Indias proactive stance is evident in its monumental efforts to enhance border infrastructure, particularly in the strategically vital state of Arunachal Pradesh. In a remarkable departure from previous policies, the Modi government has spearheaded a monumental transformation in Indias border infrastructure, particularly in the strategically crucial state of Arunachal Pradesh. Prior to 2014, the region remained neglected, with development initiatives impeded by purported security concerns. However, under the current administration, a paradigm shift has ensued, marked by an unwavering commitment to reinforcing connectivity and fortifying defenses along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). As of February 2022, projects worth a staggering Rs 14,032 crore are underway in Arunachal Pradesh. One of the projects is Sela Tunnel, inaugurated on March 9, 2024, at a cost of Rs 825 crores, connecting Tezpur to Tawang, near LAC with China. It is the worlds longest bi-lane tunnel at an elevation exceeding 13,000 feet. This transformative initiative promises to enhance strategic mobility while thwarting Chinese surveillance efforts. Furthermore, the inauguration of the Siyom Bridge in January 2023 has significantly streamlined the movement of heavy artillery and defense forces, underscoring Indias resolve to reinforce its border infrastructure. Notably, the Border Roads Organization (BRO) has undertaken a Herculean task, constructing 64 roads spanning 3,097 km in Arunachal Pradesh over the past five years alone. Additionally, ambitious projects such as the Arunachal Frontier Highway, traversing 2,000 km from Mago to Vijayanagar, herald a new era of connectivity and accessibility for border communities. This monumental endeavour, complemented by initiatives like the Twin Tunnel under the Brahmaputra, epitomises Indias foresighted stance in safeguarding its territorial integrity and boosting its defense capabilities. Moreover, PM Modis visionary leadership has redefined the narrative surrounding border villages, exemplified by the transformation of Kibithoo from Indias purported last village to its rightful status as the first village. This symbolic gesture underscores the governments unwavering commitment to comprehensive development initiatives, epitomised by the Vibrant Villages Programme, aimed at fostering sustainable livelihoods and bolstering rural infrastructure across northern border states. In conclusion, as the bully state of China continues its relentless attempts to undermine Indias sovereignty, the resolute response from Indian authorities and the visionary initiatives undertaken by the Modi government stand as a testament to Indias unwavering resolve. While Chinas propaganda machine works overtime to spread disinformation, Indias focus on transformative infrastructure projects in Arunachal Pradesh speaks volumes about its commitment to progress and development. With each stride forward, India reaffirms its position as a formidable force to be reckoned with, ready to face any challenge head-on. As the Himalayan giants clash, it is Indias determination and resilience that will ultimately prevail, ensuring a brighter future for the nation and its people. The author is a practicing advocate. She writes articles on womens rights, politics, and law. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. Defence Minister Rajnath Singhs statement, Ghar mein ghus kar marenge, does not mean that India has admitted its role in the alleged targeted killings of anti-social and anti-India elements in Pakistan read more The statement that 'The Guardian' makes into a contentious one is hardly different from what Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has often stated in speeches. Image courtesy: Screengrab/News18 So, The Guardian is at it again. In September 2023, it had reported extensively on the allegations of extraterritorial killings of India-focused terrorists by Indian intelligence agencies, while the former resided in foreign lands. On the Indian response, it stated, It was a mood of abstinence that has since echoed across Indian media and politics, referring to the consensus across society and the political community on the ludicrous assertions that India had chosen to hunt down various terrorists in foreign lands. Advertisement The latest rake-up comes, not surprisingly, from Pakistan, and The Guardian, in its investigative enthusiasm, alleges the revelations to be the handiwork of both Pakistani and Indian intelligence officials. It even puts the figure of 20 anti-India operatives having been hunted down abroad by India as part of a wider policy to target terrorists living on foreign soil, ever since the Pulwama attack of February 14, 2019, which killed 40 Indian policemen in an IED attack on a convoy. The report becomes even more ham handed in the follow-up when The Guardian states that while India has rejected these allegations, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has virtually accepted an Indian hand in them through his statements. What people need to be aware of is The Guardians propensity to spin information, statements, claims, and contexts all into a web of grey, the colour that is most popular in the world of influence and information warfare. Just when we thought that things were settling down in the murky world of international allegations to paint selected governments red, enters the mother of all terror sponsors in the world. The nation that triggered the entire concept of jihadism in the late 1970s to the 1980s to target India through one of the longest-lasting sponsored proxy wars that has only now abated due to fear of Indian reprisals is Pakistan. It is awakening from a situation that led to its virtual hara-kiri. Unable to regain the initiative and yet wishing to rebuild its own relevance in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan is now searching for means to place India on the proverbial mat of allegations before the international community. These allegations extend to all those very things for which its own government has been guilty all these years: Targeting Indian nationals on Indian soil, sponsoring and running extensive networks in J&K and extending across India, and using criminals as flag bearers with drugs as their legal tender. Advertisement Pakistans copybook was hardly ever seriously examined, especially its role in the entire gamut of jihadi activity across Af-Pak, the Middle East, Europe, and America. It has always been a strategic asset for the West, and the Western media has always turned a blind eye to its activities. Down and almost out for the last few years, due to an impoverished and collapsed economy as well as internal political strife, Pakistan has just sworn in a new coalition government. Its attempt to initiate and get to business as usual has led it to find the domain of Western allegations against Indian intelligence agencies as a good starting point to make a re-entry. India need not react to these except to quote some good old idioms: Kettle calling the pot black or Those who live in glass houses etc. Advertisement If the Western media gives credibility to Pakistans allegations, it had better listen to Indias well-substantiated claims of Pakistans sponsorship of proxy wars against India. The allegation of The Guardian and the surmise it draws from Rajnath Singhs statements only substantiate the ridiculously low standards of research by British media in particular. The Indian defence minister is no rookie, and in ten years of holding the appointments of home minister and defence minister for a term each, The Guardian would surely be aware of some of the favourite cliched responses of Rajnath Singh. The statement that The Guardian makes into a contentious one is hardly different from what the defence minister has often stated in speeches. If any terrorist from a neighbouring country tries to disturb India or carries out terrorist activities here, he will be given a fitting reply. If he escapes to Pakistan, we will go to Pakistan and kill him there, Rajnath Singh said in an interview to News18 on April 5, 2024. Advertisement Any and every one interprets and understands this well enough to understand that it refers to the capability demonstrated by Indian security forces (SF) first in September 2016 and then in February 2019. The former, commonly called the surgical strikes, was a limited depth strike across the LoC to target terrorists and their infrastructure without any targeting of regular Pakistani forces. The second was a deep strike by the Indian Air Force against a huge terrorist camp in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, commonly referred to as the Balakot air strike. Both were retaliatory actions in response to terrorist strikes in J&K, messaging clearly the Indian intent that it was willing to risk entry into Pakistani ground or air space to achieve its aim of hunting down and striking identified targets, as per the chosen strategy at a time and place of its choosing. Advertisement Ghar mein ghus kar marenge (We will kill the terrorists by entering Pakistan) does not mean that India has admitted its role in the alleged targeted killings of anti-social and anti-India elements in Pakistan. Its only a cliched response to questions to prove that an asymmetry exists today between India and Pakistans military capability. Pakistan cannot afford to risk conflict with India, but it has adopted the less risky option of castigating India among the international community, primarily to enhance its own significance. The Indian defence minister has re-emphasised that Pakistans sponsored terrorists are unsafe even in their homeland, as India has the capability to risk upping the ante to target them, as demonstrated earlier. Pakistan needs to also be reminded of its growing vulnerability to internal attacks by its home-grown terrorists, which are being sponsored not by India but by many agencies and organisations within and outside. Internecine killings are often the result of these uncertain alliances and enmities. On the final count, in hybrid warfare of this kind, information, statements, media commentaries, and analyses all add up to create a grey cloud of doubt and uncertainty. Grey should be responded to only by grey, never by black and white. That is almost a rule of Grey Zone Warfare. The writer is a Member of the National Disaster Management Authority. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. The Global South is where the numbers rest, and so do much of the global problems, including massive cultural differences with the homogenised Western ways, but which is what has been pushed down their throats over the past decadesthrough the UN system and outside read more In Surat, Gujarat, recently, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar asserted that India will get a Permanent UN Security Council seat this time, but we will have to work hard. Clearly, he expressed determination in the matter and was also pragmatic enough to concede that more needed doing, possibly implying that India needed to work even more on the P-5, as they stand now, and work with the General Assembly (GA), if it came to that. Advertisement Minister Jaishankars aggressive ways of ticking off the West have been visible more frequently in the months and years since the commencement of the Ukraine War. From the subtle and suave diplomat that he was known to be, he has emerged as the voice of new India on the global stage, where Indias better-known pacifist voice, at times taken for weakness by others, has evolved into a global politician of his time, our time. With long years of experience as a career diplomat, he also seems to have concluded that for the West and the Rest (read: China) to hear, leave alone listen, you have to not shout incoherently and infrequently, but to be sharp and sure, and more frequentlyall of it backed by a national power steeped, not in the historic moral posturing but real-world comparisons like economic and political power, even if not a military power, per se. Dividing lines In the course of his Surat interaction with local intellectuals, the EAM also indicated how the P-5 has hijacked the Security Council (UNSC), which in turn used to be seen and accepted as a super-government for the world at large. As he pointed out, the P-5 members chose themselves and ordained themselves as the guardians, though not the guardian angels of the world. That was because they were divided on many counts in many different ways, and their posturing and preferences in regional and global politics divided the UNSC first and the larger UNGA because of their competitive canvassing, campaigning, funding, and arming of member-nations. Yet, the dividing lines were clearly visible during the Cold War era. It began changing after that time, and today, we have Western Europe standing away from their one-time US ally or master on individual issues. China has not risen enough to replace Russia for them to fear a common adversary from a commie background, hence dictatorship, especially in terms of the political rights of its citizens, their thin dividing line to stamp-mark nations, big and small. Despite their re-union over the Ukraine War against Russia and on American bidding, today the US has finally been forced to fall in line with the rest of the world, starting with their West European allies on the Gaza imbroglio and their all-time favourite Israeli friend. Advertisement All of it has thrown up a multi-polar world where groups of nations, in multiple loose formations, have been asserting themselves in various ways in various fora. The UN is increasingly becoming one of those venues, with the focus deliberately kept on the Security Council and membership in it. It is another matter that the UNSC has lost most of its non-existing teeth, which it used to use for scaring away little nations, but which is not possible any more. It has also meant that the inherent differences and consequent deficiencies in the UN system have been showing up off and on, especially with the US-led global war on terrorism targeting Saddam Husseins Iraq. Advertisement Today, the UN processes, both of the UNSC and the UNGA variety, have become ritualistic and non-binding. For instance, the refusal of the UK, a P-5 nation, to accept the opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to return possession and ownership of the Chagos Archipelago to the original Mauritian owner stands out. The British insult of the UNGA majority opinion, attesting to the ICJ finding, is still appalling. There are very many examples of this kind, including Chinas refusal to accept the international finding and also opinion on its non-acceptance of the territorial water dispute with the Philippines. Such other disputes with a few other Southeast Asian nations in the South China Sea are hanging fire. Advertisement Taking the GA route For decades now, India, Japan, Germany, and Brazil have come together to present their respective cases for permanent membership in the UNSC. There is a distortion in regional representation even here, as at least one more from Latin America, one from West Asia (not Israel), and two from Africa would be in order. Can the current group expand the global voice to do precisely as much? Incidentally, as Minister Jaishankar mentioned, Egypt has co-opted with Japan and Germany to present a new set of proposals to the UN. Does Egypt represent the Arab-Islamic nations, Africa, or both? Whenever India and the rest have waved the reform flag inside and outside the UN, the three western members, namely, the US, the UK, and France, especially the former, have tried to scuttle the initiative by converting the proposed discourse into reforms of the administrative and economic kind within the UN system. Its belittling the demands of reform. It is worse, of course, than the one that the US proposed for expanding the UNSC to include more permanent members, but without veto rights. Advertisement Thats the mischief that the US was playing, or ended up doing so. If you talk about permanent member status without veto, the other side would be divided, and their collective demand would whittle down and vanish, as it has happened close to half a dozen times in the last decade or two. So, taking the UNSC route to reforms and expanded membership is not a welcome way out, or so it seems. Can the expanded group, as it exists now or with more representation, then go directly to the General Assembly, where a two-thirds majority could make a difference, starting with pressuring the P-5 to begin with. The GA members would then know that many, if not all, of the additional members belong to and/or represent the Global South, which is where the numbers rest, and so do much of the global problems, including massive cultural differences with the homogenised Western ways, but which is what has been pushed down their throats over the past decadesthrough the UN system and outside. For the group or for India in particular, can it begin with rupturing the system, or otherwise, seek the office of the UN Secretary-General for one of its diplomats, preferably a woman, and get the person elected? If it happens, it would be the first time that a woman would be heading the UN, something that the US has yet to do with a prospective tenant for the Oval Office. More importantly, if it happens, that would be possibly the second time after 1960 that the General Assembly would veto the UNSCs choice and recommendationand the first time they ignore the P-5s straw ballot of match-fixing of sorts. Of course, Jaishankar may not have meant such a course when he spoke about hard work, but it may be among the courses that India and the rest may have to consider before reviving their collective demand for expanding the permanent membershipwith veto power or without veto power for any member. It means the current crop, which has proved to be selfish, self-centred, and more. That and that alone could help revive and restore the lost relevance and prestige of the UN system, after which member-nations should deliberate on ways to add functional teeth to the institution to enforce the interim recommendations of the UNSC and the collective decisions of the UNGA. Further, why not make the UNGA, too, a permanent institution without making its annual summit a ritualistic affair, where speeches are made and whose decisions are seldom enforced, whatever the vote count, other than those that are proposed and promoted by the West? The writer is a Chennai-based Policy Analyst and Political Commentator. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. A political debate erupted after death of three British aid workers in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, with around 600 lawyers, including ex Supreme Court justices writing to PM Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary David Cameron to end arms sale to Israelbut Boris Johnson disagrees read more Former British PM Boris Johnson says it would be 'insane' to stop supplying arms to Israel. Reuters File Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it would be a death wish of Western Civilisation if it agreed to recent calls for an arms embargo on Israel by UK lawmakers and former Supreme Court justices. 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, Johnson wrote in a column in The Daily Mail. Advertisement Johnson also criticised Foreign Secretary David Camerons silence on the matter and wrote, 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." Uproar in UK over arms sales Earlier this week, Israeli Defence Forces launched airstrikes which resulted in the death of three UK aid workers from the NGO, World Central Kitchen (WCK). A political debate erupted in Britain with calls for Sunak government to end its supply of arms to the warring country. In a letter expressing similar sentiment around 600 lawyers, including former Supreme Court justices wrote to British PM Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary David Cameron. Johnson called the attack on WCK convoy as shattering but also defended Israel, claiming it was sending warnings of the IDFs attacks, which are trying to use precision munitions. Israel claimed the airstrike on the aid convoy was a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure and has so far dismissed two officers involved in the strikes. West would be handing over victory to Hamas Johnson argued that if the West stops supplying arms now, it would be insane. He said it would prevent Israel from achieving its objective to finish Hamas as military force in Gaza and would hand over victory to a bunch of murderers and rapists. Advertisement If the West continues to crumble and especially if Britain and the US 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, Johnson wrote. Johnson said Israelis have suffered the biggest and most horrifying massacre since World War Two, and the West should not shun them. 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? Johnson added. Advertisement While, Johnson said that he is appalled by the sufferings of innocent Palestinians, he called West taking away weapons from Israel shameful. 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, he writes, adding that the Palestinian terror group actively uses the death and suffering of their own citizens, maximizing their pain and grief so as to rally international opinion against Israel and we are falling for it, Johnson added. The body of the abducted Elad Katzir, who intelligence indicates was murdered while in captivity by the Hamas, was recovered overnight from Khan Yunis and returned to Israeli territory, the army stated in a release read more A portrait of Elad Katzir featured in a protest on March 26, 2024 by relatives and supporters of the hostages held by militants in Gaza. AFP Israels military announced Saturday the retrieval of the body of a hostage who was abducted by Palestinian terrorists during the October 7 attack on southern Israeli communities. The recovered body belonged to Elad Katzir, a victim of the abduction, bringing the total number of retrieved bodies from Gaza during the conflict to 12, according to the army. However, the news offered little solace to Katzirs sister, who held Israeli authorities responsible for his tragic fate. Advertisement The body of the abducted Elad Katzir, who intelligence indicates was murdered while in captivity by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation, was recovered overnight from Khan Yunis and returned to Israeli territory, the army stated in a release. Katzir, aged 47 at the time of the attack, was taken from the Nir Oz kibbutz community alongside his mother, Hanna. She was released on November 24 during a one-week ceasefire in the Gaza conflict. Katzirs father, Avraham, was killed during the assault on the kibbutz, as confirmed by the military. Elad was abducted from his home in Nir Oz intact, wrote Carmit Palty Katzir, his sister, on her Facebook page. She blamed the Israeli authorities for her brothers death, saying he would have returned alive had the authorities agreed to a new truce deal. Our leadership is cowardly and driven by political consideration, which is why this deal has not happened yet, she wrote. Prime Minister, war cabinet, and coalition members: Look at yourself in the mirror and say if your hands didnt spill blood. Her comments reflect intensifying pressure on the coalition government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over its handling of the war. Advertisement Negotiators were expected in Cairo over the weekend for a renewed push to strike a ceasefire-hostage deal as the war in Gaza reaches the six-month mark on Sunday. Stop-start talks have made no headway since a week-long truce in November, the only one since the start of the war, saw the exchange of some hostages for Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel. The bloodiest-ever Gaza war began on October 7 with an unprecedented attack from Gaza by Hamas militants resulting in the death of 1,170 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, Israeli figures show. Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel has relentlessly bombarded the territory by air, land and sea, killing at least 33,137 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Advertisement With inputs from AFP With significant elections unfolding worldwide, particularly in India, South Korea, and the United States, we anticipate that China will leverage AI-generated content to influence outcomes in its favor, the blog highlighted read more In a recent blog post, software giant Microsoft has raised concerns about Chinas potential use of AI-generated content to advance its interests, especially with major elections scheduled in countries like India, South Korea, and the United States this year. The blog, drawing insights from Microsoft Threat Intelligence, references the latest East Asia report titled Same targets, new playbooks: East Asia threat actors employ unique methods. With significant elections unfolding worldwide, particularly in India, South Korea, and the United States, we anticipate that China will leverage AI-generated content to influence outcomes in its favor, the blog highlighted. Advertisement The report also highlights the involvement of North Korean cyber threat actors in targeting elections in these three countries. Microsofts findings suggest that while the immediate impact of Chinas AI-generated content on election results may be limited, ongoing experimentation and the augmentation of memes and videos could potentially yield more effective results in the future. Although the likelihood of such content directly impacting election outcomes is currently low, Chinas increasing experimentation with memes, videos, and audio augmentation is expected to persist and could prove increasingly influential over time, the blog concluded. Government quickly sprung into action to check AI-generated deepfakes after a fake video of Bollywood actor Rashmika Mandanna went viral. Further, the Ministry of Electronics and IT issued dedicated guidelines for AI-generated content after a controversy erupted over a response of Googles AI platform to queries related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Microsofts threat intelligence report shared screenshots of AI-generated videos in Mandarin and English which alleged that the US and India were responsible for unrest in Myanmar. The report claims that it has found China-based threat actors continue to target entities related to Chinas economic and military interests. The companys threat intelligence team claims to have observed targets of a China-based cyber attackers group Flx Typhoon in the Philippines, Hong Kong, India, and the United States in the early fall and winter of 2023. Advertisement With inputs from PTI This comes after a suicide bombing incident killed five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver in Bisham city of Shangla district while en route in a bus from Islamabad to a hydroelectric dam construction site in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa read more Maryam Nawaz, the Chief Minister of Punjab, voiced concerns Friday regarding the reluctance of Chinese nationals residing in Pakistan to adhere to security protocols, following a suicide bombing incident that claimed the lives of five Chinese engineers among six individuals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Addressing her inaugural Apex Committee meeting, Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, highlighted the challenges in ensuring compliance with security measures among Chinese residents in Pakistan. Advertisement She remarked that Chinese nationals often exhibit resentment when required to adhere to security protocols, expressing discomfort with the idea of being subject to discipline. The meeting, attended by Corps Commander Lahore Lt Gen Syed Aamer Raza and senior military officials, underscored the importance of providing comprehensive security to Chinese nationals involved in development projects across Punjab. Despite the challenges, Maryam Nawaz reaffirmed her governments commitment to ensuring the safety of Chinese citizens engaged in various projects in Punjab. The Apex Committee meeting also condemned the tragic killing of Chinese engineers in Bisham. The suicide bombing incident occurred last week when a bus carrying five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver was targeted in Bisham city of Shangla district while en route from Islamabad to a hydroelectric dam construction site in Dasu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Maryam said terrorism has taken the shape of difficult warfare. Terrorists got digitalised and we need to be ahead of them on such platforms. Besides, terrorists have the latest weapons and technology. They have the US weapons which they got in Afghanistan. The weapons coming from Afghanistan are a big challenge for the law enforcement agencies, she said. The 50-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party leader added that the youth is also being brainwashed and recruited by terrorists. And social media is one of the major tools being used for the purpose, Maryam said. 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. 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. Advertisement Sharif said the war against the menace of terrorism will continue till its complete eradication from the country. With inputs from PTI In an exclusive interview with Network 18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Singh said on Friday, 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. read more Pakistan on Saturday denounced provocative remarks made by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in which he said India would enter Pakistan to kill anyone who escapes over its border after trying to carry out militant attacks. The statement came a day after the Defence Minister commented after the 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 target terrorists residing on foreign soil. Advertisement Indias assertion of its preparedness to extra-judicially execute more civilians, arbitrarily pronounced as terrorists, inside Pakistan constitutes a clear admission of culpability, Pakistans Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. In an exclusive interview with Network 18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Singh said on Friday, 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. 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 promoting terrorism in India, we will not spare them, added the Defence Minister. Advertisement Relations between India and Pakistan have worsened since a 2019 suicide bombing of an Indian military convoy in Kashmir was traced to Pakistan-based militants and prompted 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. Canada and the United States last year 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 Sikh separatist leader Haredeep Singh Nijjar 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. Advertisement The US similarly said in November that it had thwarted an Indian plot to kill Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and announced charges against a person it said had worked with India to orchestrate the attempted murder. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said India will investigate any information it receives on the matter. With inputs from Reuters. Greta Thunberg and hundreds of protesters marched from the centre of The Hague to an area adjacent to the A12 arterial highway read more Dutch police detained climate activist Greta Thunberg and other protesters on Saturday after they blocked a main road in The Hague during a demonstration against fossil fuel subsidies. Thunberg, along with members of the Extinction Rebellion environmental group, was seen sitting in a bus awaiting further action as police continued to arrest participants. The demonstration saw Thunberg and hundreds of protesters march from the centre of the Dutch city to an area adjacent to the A12 arterial highway, a site of prior protests by Extinction Rebellion where activists previously shut down traffic. Despite the groups attempt to access the highway, police, some mounted on horseback, prevented their entry, warning that force might be used if the protesters attempted to breach the roadway. Advertisement The demonstrators, waving Extinction Rebellion flags and carrying signs demanding an end to fuel subsidies, were locked in a standoff with police. Eventually, some protesters found an alternative path and obstructed a significant road near the highway which connects The Hague to Utrecht. Its important to demonstrate today because we are living in a state of planetary emergency, Thunberg told AFP. An earlier arrest was made as police detained a protester and transported them to a waiting van. Despite significant support from the Dutch parliament and the public for reducing fossil fuel subsidies, activists criticised the delay in implementation, pointing out that plans might not take effect until 2030 or even 2035. Extinction Rebellion hit out at the Dutch governments inertia in the face of the ecological crisis, stating, Meanwhile the ecological crisis continues to rage and the countrys outgoing cabinet pretends that we have all the time in the world, while the crisis is now. The statement, published on X (formerly Twitter), indicated that the protest was a strategy to influence Dutch government policy ahead of a forthcoming debate on fossil subsidies scheduled for June. With inputs from AFP The resolution, among other things, demanded that Israel end its occupation of Palestinian territory including East Jerusalem. India abstained during the voting read more India abstained at a UNHRC vote on a resolution demanding immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Source: Reuters The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) recently passed multiple resolutions, including one calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Pakistan introduced the resolution in the Geneva-based council on behalf of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC). In the vote on Friday, India abstained on the resolution titled Human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice. Inside the ceasefire resolution Heres a look at some key points mentioned in the resolution: Advertisement The resolution demands that Israel end its occupation of the Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. Another demand is that Israel, called the occupying Power in the resolution, must immediately lift its illegal blockade on the Gaza Strip and all other forms of collective punishment and siege. The resolution demands an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for 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 the war-torn city. It condemns Israeli actions that may amount to ethnic cleansing. It also called upon all countries to take immediate action to prevent further forcible transfer of Palestinians within or from Gaza. The resolution criticises the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare in Gaza. It also condemns Israels the unlawful denial of humanitarian access, wilful impediment to relief supplies and deprivation of objects indispensable to the survival of civilians, including food, water, electricity, fuel and telecommunications. How other members voted Apart from India, 13 other countries, including France, Japan, Netherlands, and Romania abstained. Among the six countries that voted against the resolution were the US, Germany, and Argentina. Twenty-eight countries voted in favour of the resolution. These nations include Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Qatar, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. India also voted in favour of three other resolutions that criticised Israel for human rights violations against Palestinians, Israels occupation of Syrian Golan, and called for the Palestinian right to self-determination. These resolutions, too, were introduced by Pakistan on behalf of the OIC. With inputs from agencies The draft resolution called for Israel to immediately relinquish control of the Palestinian territory. It asked Council members to not recognise and aid illegal policies and practices of Israel to ensure Palestinians right to self determination read more India votes in favour of UNHRC resolution titled 'Right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. Source: UNHRC India voted in favour of United Nations Human Rights Council resolution that recognises Palestinian peoples inalienable right to have their independent state and called Israel, the occupying power, to immediately renounce the occupation of the seized Palestinian territory. The draft resolution titled Right of the Palestinian people to self-determination was adopted in the Geneva-based Council, with 42 member states, including India voting in favour. Only two members, US and Paraguay voted against the resolution while three countries namely, Albania, Argentina and Cameroon abstained from voting in the council. Advertisement What did the UNHRC resolution say? 1. The resolution reaffirmed the Palestinian peoples inalienable, permanent and unqualified right to self-determination, including their right to live in freedom, justice and dignity. It focused on Palestinian sovereignty and called for an Independent State of Palestine. 2. To end the Israel-Palestinian conflict, it reiterated the need to achieve a " just, comprehensive and lasting peaceful solution" in accordance with international laws and other internationally agreed parameters, including all relevant United Nations resolutions. 3. It called upon Israel, the occupying power, to immediately end its occupation of the seized Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. 4. It asked Israel to reverse and redress any barriers to the political independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Palestine. To ensure the exercise of the right to self-determination by Palestinians, Council called on all states to not recognise and aid serious breaches of international norms by Israel and asked them to cooperate further to lawfully end and reverse illegal policies and practices of Israel. 5. The Council also reasserted its support for the solution of two States, Palestine and Israel, living side by side in peace and security. India along with four others abstained from voting on another UNHRC resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and demanded that Israel immediately lift its illegal blockade on the Gaza Strip. Advertisement France, Japan, Netherlands and Romania abstained from voting on the resolution, while Argentina, Bulgaria, Germany and the US voted against the same. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said the exports have been permitted to Maldives under the bilateral trade agreement between countries during 2024-25. Under the deal, India will export essential goods like eggs, potatoes, onions, rice, wheat flour, sugar, and lentils, stone aggregate and river sand read more Maldives has expressed gratitude to India for lifting export curbs on essential commodities in the current financial year to help the island nation elevate from some of its economic troubles. In a statement on X, Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer said, I sincerely thank EAM Jaishankar 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." Advertisement 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 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. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in a notification said these exports have been permitted to Maldives under the bilateral trade agreement between countries during 2024-25. The development is significant as the export will occur amid a diplomatic standoff between the two countries, triggered by the Maldives after President Mohamed Muizzu leaned towards China after coming to power last November. What goods will be exported to Maldives? Under the deal, India will export essential goods like eggs, potatoes, onions, rice, wheat flour, sugar, and lentils. Advertisement Apart from these items, India will also provide Maldives with stone aggregate and river sand. Until now, the export of the mentioned commodities was either restricted or prohibited. How much quantity of goods will be sent? The specified quantity allowed includes potatoes (21,513.08 tonnes), onions (35,749.13 tonnes), rice (1,24,218.36 tonnes), wheat flour (1,09,162.96 tonnes), sugar (64,494.33 tonnes), dal (224.48 tonnes), stone aggregate (one million tonnes) and river sand (one million tonnes). The exports of river sand and stone aggregate will ensure that the suppliers/extractors have obtained appropriate clearances and mining of the sand is not undertaken in the coastal regulation zone area, which is prohibited under the coastal regulation zone notification. Advertisement Exporters have to obtain necessary environmental clearances from the designated nodal authority of respective state governments from where sand is obtained. With inputs from PTI Those arrested in the city of Karaj in the northwestern province of Alborz included Mohammed Zaker who was identified as a senior member of the group, according to the official IRNA news agency read more Iranian police have arrested three suspected members of the Islamic State group who were plotting attacks at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, state media reported Saturday. Those arrested in the city of Karaj in the northwestern province of Alborz included Mohammed Zaker who was identified as a senior member of the group, according to the official IRNA news agency. The police in Alborz province arrested three members of the Islamic State group who were planning a suicide attack during the end of Ramadan celebrations, IRNA said. Advertisement It was not immediately clear when the arrests took place or whether they included foreign nationals. IRNA also reported the arrest of eight other accomplices, but without elaborating. Local media on Tuesday reported the arrest of two alleged IS members in the holy city of Qom. In January, IS claimed responsibility for twin bombings in the southern Iranian city of Kerman that killed more than 90 people. The attacks took place at a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the death of Qasem Soleimani, a top Revolutionary Guards general killed in a US drone strike in Iraq in 2020. Iran has been battling terrorism and other terror groups for years. State media reported on Thursday that in terrorist attacks near the border with Pakistan, 10 Iranian security personnel and 18 members of a jihadist group were killed. The attacks were claimed by the Sunni Muslim rebel group Jaish al-Adl, which was formed in 2012 and is listed by both Iran and the United States as a terrorist organisation. Chinese people embrace eco-friendly, open attitude toward death Xinhua) 14:27, April 06, 2024 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. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Zhong Wenxing) Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheris comments came as he addressed the crowd at a ceremony in the central city of Isfahan to commemorate Mohammad Reza Zahedi, one of the two dead brigadier generals from the Quds Force, the IRGCs foreign operations arm read more An excavator clears rubble after a suspected Israeli strike on Iran's consulate, adjacent to the main Iranian embassy building, which Iran said had killed seven military personnel including two key figures in the Quds Force, in the Syrian capital Damascus, on 2 April, 2024. Reuters As both Israel and the US brace themselves for an Iranian counterstrike, Tehran on Saturday once again reiterated its vow to avenge the deaths of seven Revolutionary Guards in an attack in Syrias Damascus earlier this week. Irans response will be carried out at the right time, with the necessary precision and planning, and with maximum damage to the enemy so that they regret their action, Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri said on Saturday. Advertisement Israel, which has not commented on the attack yet, is preparing itself for an imminent Iranian attack by boosting its air defence systems and cancelling leaves for troops. Media reports suggest that Iran might engage in direct confrontation with Israel, a move that will escalate regional tensions. Bagheris comments came as he addressed the crowd at a ceremony in the central city of Isfahan to commemorate Mohammad Reza Zahedi, one of the two dead brigadier generals from the Quds Force, the IRGCs foreign operations arm. On Saturday, crowds at the gathering in Isfahan chanted Down with Israel! and Down with the United States! From President Ebrahim Raisi to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran has threatened retaliation against the killings of its army commanders. Talking to CNN, a US official said that the governments of Israel and the US are currently working to soften the blow of an Iranian attack as they anticipate a counterstrike by Tehran could come in different ways and that both US and Israeli assets and personnel might be targeted. In a written message to the US, Iran asked Washington to step aside and warned the US not to get dragged into Netanyahus trap. Advertisement Tehran does not recognise Israel, and the two countries have fought a shadow war for years. Iran accuses Israel of having carried out a wave of sabotage attacks and assassinations targeting its nuclear programme. With inputs from agencies Islamic State, known for its animosity towards Irans Shiite community, claimed responsibility for two explosions in January that targeted a memorial event, resulting in the deaths of nearly 100 people and injuring many others read more Iranian police announced the apprehension of a senior Islamic State operative along with two accomplices accused of plotting a suicide attack during the upcoming festivities marking the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month. According to Iranian media reports, Mohammad Zaker, also known as Ramesh, and the two suspects were captured in Karaj, located west of Tehran, following clashes with law enforcement. Additionally, eight individuals accompanying the suspects were detained. Islamic State, known for its animosity towards Irans Shiite community, claimed responsibility for two explosions in January that targeted a memorial event, resulting in the deaths of nearly 100 people and injuring many others. Advertisement These attacks commemorated the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, a prominent Iranian commander, in Iraq by a US drone in 2020. In January, Iran arrested 35 individuals, including a commander from Islamic States Afghanistan-based branch, Isis-Khorasan (Isis-K), allegedly linked to twin bombings on January 3 in Kerman, a southeastern city. Furthermore, on March 22, gunmen carried out a deadly attack at a concert hall near Moscow, claiming the lives of at least 144 people. US intelligence sources attributed both the January 3 attacks in Iran and the March 22 shootings in Moscow to Islamic States branch, Isis-K. Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that Iran had tipped off Russia of the possibility of a major attack on its soil. In 2022, Islamic State took responsibility for an attack on a Shiite shrine in Iran that killed 15 people. Earlier attacks claimed by Islamic State include twin bombings in 2017 that targeted Irans parliament and the tomb of the Islamic Republics founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Islamic State once occupied large swathes of Iraq and Syria, imposing a reign of terror and inspiring lone wolf attacks in Western countries. With inputs from Reuters American and Israeli negotiators are heading to Egypt for a critical round of talks. Their aim is to forge a ceasefire-hostage deal. On the other hand, Irans promise of retaliation poses the threat of escalation read more The Israel-Hamas conflict has now reached the six-month mark. The coming days are crucial, with American and Israeli negotiators heading to Cairo, Egypt for a critical round of talks. Their aim is to forge a ceasefire-hostage deal. While this development suggests the war might be nearing its end, there is still the threat of escalation. Towards a truce? Israel recently made a rare admission of a grave mistake during its military operations against Hamas militants in Gaza. The acknowledgement of the killing of seven aid workers, primarily Westerners, by Israeli forces marks a significant moment of self-scrutiny amid the ongoing conflict. Advertisement The international pressure on Israel has been rising for a long time now. The United Nations Human Rights Council has even passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Following the killing of the aid workers, the international communitys call for an independent investigation persists. The United States, playing a crucial role in mediating the conflict, has intensified its push for a ceasefire, too. President Joe Biden has directly engaged with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to emphasise the need for an immediate ceasefire. Biden has also hinted that future American support may be conditioned on Israels military conduct. Amid this, the planned negotiations in Cairo, involving key regional and international figures, signal a concerted effort to break the deadlock that has plagued ceasefire and hostage exchange talks since a brief truce in November 2023. Risks of Escalation However, shadows loom over these peace efforts. The conflict is spilling over into the neighbouring countries. In Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have been trading fire. There are fears of the conflict escalating into a war. Meanwhile, Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel for killing seven Revolutionary Guards at the Iranian embassy in Syria. The US and Israel are both on alert for an Iranian attack their assets in the Middle East. Advertisement The wars impact on the civilian population in Gaza remains dire, with accusations against Israel of hindering aid delivery. With inputs from agencies With the submission of the cabinets resignation, Kuwaits new Emir, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, will now have the option to reappoint the current prime minister or select a new one to oversee the formation of a fresh cabinet read more Kuwaits Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, tendered his cabinets resignation to the Kuwaiti emir Saturday, as reported by the state news agency. The resignation comes as anticipated following the recent parliamentary elections held on Thursday. It is a procedural step, as the incumbent government is required to resign before the inauguration of the new legislature. With the submission of the cabinets resignation, Kuwaits new Emir, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, will now have the option to reappoint the current prime minister or select a new one to oversee the formation of a fresh cabinet. Advertisement Despite its ban on political parties, Kuwait boasts one of the most transparent political systems in the Gulf region. However, ultimate authority lies with the emir in state matters. Historically, clashes between appointed governments and the elected parliament have often resulted in political gridlock. Thursdays parliamentary election marks the fourth held since December 2020, underscoring the ongoing political dynamics in the country. With inputs from Reuters Ecuadorian police broke into the Mexican Embassy in the capital city of Quito and arrested Ecuadors former Vice President Jorge Glas, who is convicted twice on corruption charges read more Mexico has announced the severing of diplomatic ties with Ecuador after the police broke into the Mexican Embassy in Quito to arrest the former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas who was lodged there. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, published a statement on X, saying, Police from Ecuador forcibly entered our embassy and detained the former vice president of that country who was a refugee and processing asylum due to the persecution and harassment he faces. Advertisement Me acaba de informar Alicia Barcena, nuestra secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores que policias de Ecuador entraron por la fuerza a nuestra embajada y se llevaron detenido al exvicepresidente de ese pais quien se encontraba refugiado y tramitando asilo por la persecucion y el acoso Andres Manuel (@lopezobrador_) April 6, 2024 He added that the act is a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico. Why was Glas in Mexican Embassy? In December 2023, Glas, who has been convicted twice on corruption charges, sought asylum from Mexico, arguing that he was being persecuted by the attorney generals office and has been lodged at the Mexican Embassy in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito since. The Mexican foreign ministry on Friday granted political asylum to the vice president after Ecuadors government made Mexicos ambassador persona non grata amid growing tensions between the two countries. Ecuadors presidential communications department said in a statement that Glas, who has been sentenced to imprisonment by the Ecuadoran justice system, has been arrested tonight and placed under the orders of the competent authorities. Advertisement This is crazy Reacting to the forced arrest of Glas, Roberto Canseco, head of the Mexican consular section in Quito said, This is not possible, it cannot be, this is crazy. Asked about the situation of former Vice President Glas and if he was apprehended by public forces, he stated: I understand that yes, I am very worried because they could kill him; there is no basis to do this, this is totally outside the norm. What are the charges against the VP? The ex-Vice President of Ecuador, Glas was released from prison last November after serving time for corruption in a vast scandal involving the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. Advertisement He faces another arrest warrant for allegedly diverting funds that were intended for reconstruction efforts after a devastating earthquake in 2015. With inputs from agencies Ecuadorian police forcibly entered the Mexican embassy to arrest former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas. Mexico called this a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and cut diplomatic ties soon after read more Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has announced the immediate suspension of diplomatic ties with Ecuador. This drastic step came on the heels of a highly controversial incident involving the storming of Mexicos embassy in Quito by Ecuadorian police. The officers were there to arrest former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, who had sought refuge in the embassy. Heres a closer look at the series of events that led to this diplomatic standoff: Advertisement 1. Asylum granted to Jorge Glas: The heart of the dispute lies in Mexicos decision to grant political asylum to Glas, who sought refuge in the Mexican embassy in Quito last December. Glas, who served as Vice President from 2013 to 2017 under leftist President Rafael Correa, faced an arrest warrant for alleged corruption. Glas claimed that he was a victim of political persecution. Mexicos decision to grant him refuge was based on a thorough analysis of his situation. 2. Ecuadors response: Ecuadors government, led by President Daniel Noboa, vehemently opposed Mexicos decision to grant asylum to Glas, labelling it an illicit act and refusing to provide safe passage for him to leave the country. 3. Embassy storming: The situation escalated dramatically when Ecuadorian police forcibly entered the Mexican embassy to arrest Glas, an act Mexico has decried as a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico. According to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, the premises of a diplomatic mission, such as an embassy, are inviolable, and the agents of the host country (in this case, Ecuador) cannot enter them without the consent of the missions head. 4. Diplomatic fallout: In response to the embassy incident, President Obrador announced the suspension of diplomatic ties with Ecuador. This move marks a significant low point in Mexico-Ecuador relations. Additionally, the day before Glas was granted asylum, Ecuador had expelled the Mexican ambassador, further straining relations. 5. A history of high tensions: Prior to the embassy storming incident, diplomatic relations between Mexico and Ecuador were already strained. Tensions flared when President Obrador drew parallels between the 2023 election violence in Ecuador, which saw the tragic murder of candidate Fernando Villavicencio, and the crime situation in Mexico leading up to its own elections. This comparison, alongside the declaration of the Mexican ambassador in Quito, Raquel Serur, as persona non grata by Ecuador, highlighted a growing discord. The forcible entry into Mexicos embassy was not an isolated incident but a culmination of these mounting tensions, pushing the diplomatic relationship to its breaking point. Advertisement For now, Ecuador is contending that international conventions do not support asylum for individuals convicted or prosecuted for common crimes by competent courts, challenging Mexicos stance. With inputs from agencies Pakistans response came in reaction to Defence minister Rajnath Singhs comments Friday, where he affirmed Indias preparedness to respond firmly to any attempts by terrorists to disrupt peace within Indias borders read more Pakistan reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding its sovereignty Saturday, following remarks by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh suggesting Indias readiness to enter Pakistan to pursue terrorists fleeing after carrying out attacks in India. In a statement issued by the Foreign Office, Pakistan stressed its unwavering determination and capability to defend its territorial integrity. The statement clarified that while Pakistan has consistently pursued peace in the region, its pursuit of peace should not be misinterpreted. Advertisement Throughout history, Pakistan has demonstrated its steadfast resolve and capability to protect and uphold its sovereignty, the Foreign Office asserted, criticising Indias leadership for resorting to inflammatory rhetoric for political gain. The Foreign Offices response came in reaction to Singhs comments on Friday, where he affirmed Indias preparedness to respond firmly to any attempts by terrorists to disrupt peace within Indias borders. Singhs remarks also included a warning that if terrorists sought refuge in Pakistan, India would take action to eliminate them on Pakistani soil. Singhs statement was prompted by a report from UK newspaper The Guardian, alleging that Indian intelligence agencies had conducted targeted killings of terrorists in Pakistan as part of a heightened national security strategy post-2019. The Foreign Office said that Pakistan stands resolute in its intent and ability to safeguard its sovereignty against any act of aggression and dismissed Indias claims of military superiority. Indias assertion of its preparedness to extra-judicially execute more civilians, arbitrarily pronounced as terrorists, inside Pakistan constitutes a clear admission of culpability. It is imperative for the international community to hold India accountable for its heinous and illegal actions, the statement said, adding that such irresponsible behaviour not only undermines regional peace but also impedes the prospects of constructive engagement in the long term. Advertisement In his response, Singh also asserted that India always wants to maintain good relations with its neighbours. Whatever it is, they (Pakistan) are our neighbouring country. Look at the history. To date, we have neither attacked any country in the world nor tried to occupy an inch of the 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, Singh asserted. With inputs from PTI The attack occurred in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, prompting Power China and the China Gezhouba Company to halt work on two dam projects. The bombing resulted in the deaths of the five Chinese workers and a Pakistani driver read more Chinese workers were targeted by a suicide bomber who rammed into their vehicle on a mountainous road near one of the dam sites. AFP Pakistans Prime Minister has directed the punishment of at least five senior police officials for negligence following a suicide bombing that claimed the lives of five Chinese engineers at a major dam site last month, announced the countrys Information Minister on Saturday. The attack occurred in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, prompting Power China and the China Gezhouba Company to halt work on two dam projects. The bombing resulted in the deaths of the five Chinese workers and a Pakistani driver, whose van was pushed into a deep ravine. Advertisement The construction sites of the Dasu and Diamer Bhasha dams, situated approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) apart in the mountainous region, employ hundreds of Chinese workers. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar disclosed that a committee appointed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had identified a regional official, three district officials, and the security director at the Dasu dam project for negligence in performing their duties. The prime minister has ordered immediate action against these officials, Tarar stated during a press conference in Lahore, without specifying the nature of their punishment. The prime minister himself will be monitoring the security of Chinese (nationals). Those individuals who have shown negligence will be set as an example. Tarar said security matters regarding Chinese citizens would be treated with utmost seriousness and any lapses will not be tolerated. Operations by Power China have resumed at Diamer Bhasha while operations at China Gezhouba Group Company at Dasu remain closed. Pakistani police have detained more than 12 people, including Afghan nationals, in connection with the bombing. Beijing is Islamabads closest regional ally, frequently offering financial assistance to support its often-struggling neighbour and pouring more than $2 trillion into infrastructure projects. Advertisement However, Pakistanis have long complained about not receiving a fair share of the jobs or wealth generated by the projects. The security of Chinese workers is a major concern to both countries, with nationals frequently targeted by militants hostile to outside influence. Last weeks attack came just days after militants attempted to storm offices of the Gwadar deepwater port in the southwest, considered a cornerstone of Chinese investment in Pakistan. With inputs from AFP Cash-strapped Pakistan, which earlier averted sovereign debt default through $3-billion IMF bailout, is now eyeing Saudi investments in industries ranging from agriculture to mines, minerals, and aviation read more Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif will meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on his two-day tour to Riyadh. Reuters File Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has departed from Islamabad for a bilateral meeting with countrys long-term ally, Saudi Arabia to meet the Kingdoms Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Pak foreign ministry said. The two-day trip to Riyadh starting Saturday will be Sharifs maiden foreign visit since he was elected to power for the second time through a coalition government in February. The two leaders are expected to discuss areas of mutual interest and will exchange views on regional and global development, Pakistans foreign ministry said in a post on X. Advertisement Here are 5 reasons why Pak PMs visit to Saudi Arabia is all eyes 1. Pakistan has prepared a comprehensive plan to bag a whopping investment of over $1 billion from Saudi Arabia in the Reko Diq Copper-Gold Project located in Balochistans Chaghi district, as per a report in The Express Tribune. Reko mine is considered one of the worlds largest underdeveloped copper-gold areas, and an Saudi investment could provide a financial support to Pakistans struggling economy. 2. Since averting a sovereign debt, through a $3-billion IMF bailout, Pakistan has been in dire need of financial support. The cash-strapped nation, is eyeing Saudi investments in industries ranging from agriculture to mines, minerals, and aviation. Last year, Pakistan confirmed Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) investments worth $25 billion each for five years into projects concerning energy, IT, minerals, defense, and agriculture sectors. 3. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia also share strong cultural ties. Sharif is expected to perform Umrah (holy pilgrimage) and offer prayers at Masjid-i-Nabwi during his visit, the countrys foreign ministry announced. 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, His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the foreign office said. Advertisement 4. Amid regional tensions with neighbouring India and Afghanistan, Pakistan expected strong defence ties with the gulf country. Earlier this year, Pakistans Army met with Saudi delegation and announced plans to boost Middle Eastern countrys investments in defence technologies and increase cooperation. 5. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan also expected to exchange views on regional and global developments, Pak foreign ministry said. Last year, during the Organisation of Islamic (OIC) meeting Saudi Arabias minister of foreign affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, said the Jammu and Kashmir conflict is a pressing challenge to the security and stability of the region and that the Kingdom is unremitting in its efforts to mediate between the parties involved in the conflict. In the letter, issued on Friday, the signatories call on the United States to refrain from further arms transfers until a comprehensive investigation into the airstrike on humanitarian workers from the World Central Kitchen is conducted. read more Nancy Pelosi, the former House Speaker and a prominent ally of President Joe Biden, along with more than three dozen congressional Democrats has signed a letter addressed to the President and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging a cessation of weapons transfers to Israel. 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. In the letter, issued on Friday, the signatories call on the United States to refrain from further arms transfers until a comprehensive investigation into the airstrike on humanitarian workers from the World Central Kitchen is conducted. Additionally, the letter suggests withholding future arms transfers if Israel is unable to effectively mitigate harm to innocent civilians in Gaza. Advertisement Israels military assault on Gaza, which followed Palestinian Islamist group Hamas Oct. 7 attack, has come under increasing international criticism as the Gaza health ministry has reported more than 33,000 people have died in the war and the narrow coastal enclave suffers widespread famine. The Israeli military said on Friday it dismissed two officers and formally reprimanded senior commanders after an inquiry into the aid workers deaths found serious errors and breaches of procedure. Biden held a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday in which he said Israel needed to do more to protect civilians or the U.S. would change its policy. Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israels subsequent military assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has displaced nearly all of its 2.3 million population and led to genocide allegations that Israel denies. With inputs from Reuters. By SA Commercial Prop News The head of the department, Monnapula Motlogelwa, said the Town Planning Support Forum was created by his department to enable town planners to identify challenges and assess the state of readiness for the implementation of SPLUMA. Municipalities in the North West are set to enjoy better town planning that promotes the social and economic integration of communities, while making the best use of available land. This comes after the provincial Department of Local Government and Human Settlements committed to help municipalities to speed up the implementation of the objectives of the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA). SPLUMA seeks to ensure that spatial planning and land use management in the country is done in a way that encourages the growth of socially integrated communities, while at the same time making amenities accessible to everyone. It addresses the imbalanced spatial planning of the past, where many communities were cut off from facilities, economic opportunities and other convenient services available in towns. SPLUMA was approved by President Jacob Zuma on 5 August 2013. The North West Local Government Department made the commitment to help municipalities to achieve the vision set out in SPLUMA at the provincial Town Planning Support Forum, which was held recently outside Rustenburg. The forum saw provincial town planners seek solutions to deal with the challenges of implementing SPLUMA. During the gathering, a presentation of the Municipal Readiness Assessment Template (MRAT) revealed that municipalities in the province are lagging behind in putting the proper systems in place to implement SPLUMA. Challenges raised include no specific official accountable to SPLUMA, lack of continuity and capacity, and difficulty in understanding roles and responsibilities, which leads to the unavailability of implementation plans. The head of the department, Monnapula Motlogelwa, said the Town Planning Support Forum was created by his department to enable town planners to identify challenges and assess the state of readiness for the implementation of SPLUMA. We all know the kind of challenges we are facing when dealing with this particular legislation. There are serious issues of non-compliance and implementation. We need to assess all municipalities to get an indication on how ready they are in terms of implementation of SPLUMA, he said. Helping municipalities comply with SPLUMA By September this year, municipalities need to have Municipal Planning Tribunals in order to implement Chapter 6 of SPLUMA, which deals with land development management. Motlogelwa said his department will do all it can to ensure that municipalities are ready by September. The provincial government is willing to intervene where possible and absolutely necessary. We will also support those that seem to not have the necessary capacity to implement SPLUMA. We need to also encourage councils to pass resolutions on the matter and prepare a costing model so that we can speed up compliance and implementation, he said. An official from the Rural Development and Land Reform Department, Sunday Ogunronbi, said municipalities in the province have to put in place proper management systems for the implementation of SPLUMA. Municipalities need to find out what is it that they need to do to get ready for implementation. The MRAT has given us an indication as to where we are, and emphasis should now be on the work we need to do and the reality of it thereof, he said. Acknowledging her mistake in accepting the watches as a loan from her friend Wilfredo Oscorima, the governor of Ayacucho region and a political ally, Boluarte stated that she had since returned the Rolex timepieces read more Peruvian President Dina Boluarte displays her watch - which she pointed out is not a Rolex - during a press conference after giving a statement to the prosecutor's office in the 'Rolexgate' scandal. AFP Peruvian President Dina Boluarte refuted allegations of corruption on Friday, asserting that the Rolex watches at the center of the scandal were lent to her by a friend and denying possession of other luxury items, as her administration grapples with the fallout from the controversy. Boluarte addressed the nation via state television following a lengthy interrogation by public prosecutors in the investigation dubbed Rolexgate. Acknowledging her mistake in accepting the watches as a loan from her friend Wilfredo Oscorima, the governor of Ayacucho region and a political ally, Boluarte stated that she had since returned the Rolex timepieces. Advertisement The media scrutiny surrounding the affair uncovered Boluarte wearing various Rolex watches at official functions during her tenure as vice president and minister of development, prior to assuming the presidency in 2022. Law enforcement officials conducted raids on Boluartes residence and presidential office on March 30, seeking the alleged collection of luxury items, including at least three Rolex watches with significant value, as depicted in photographs published by local media. Prosecutors had demanded Boluarte provide explanations for the undisclosed possession of luxury timepieces and other valuables, including a Cartier bracelet valued at $56,000, and jewelry exceeding $500,000 in worth. Additionally, bank transactions totaling around $250,000 during her tenure as a cabinet minister in 2021 and 2022 were under scrutiny. Everything that has been said is false, Boluarte declared, denying owning the luxury jewelry. At one point during her news conference, Boluarte held up her arm to display the watch on her wrist, pointing out it was a Jacques du Manoir timepiece that she had bought in Switzerland, and not an alleged fourth Rolex. The government hoped Boluartes statement to investigators would put an end to a scandal that provoked two motions to impeach her, both defeated by the right-wing majority in Congress on Thursday. - Jail awaits - Small groups of protesters gathered outside the prosecutors office as Boluarte gave her statement, including a group of mainly women who expressed their support for the president. Advertisement A separate group shouted: Dina, jail awaits you! Boluarte is the sixth president in the last quarter century to face corruption charges in Peru. She is also the sixth president the country has had in just eight years. I entered the presidential palace with clean hands and I will leave with clean hands, as I promised the Peruvian people, Boluarte said last week. The president is already facing approval ratings of around 10 percent, and has had a torrid time in office since taking over from Castillo, who tried to dissolve Congress and rule by decree, leading to his arrest and impeachment. In 2023, prosecutors opened an investigation in which she stands accused of genocide, homicide and serious injuries, for the death of more than 50 protesters during a crackdown on demonstrations demanding she resign and call fresh elections. Advertisement With inputs from AFP The strikes primarily targeted residential areas, damaging numerous high-rise buildings, dormitories, administrative structures, a shop, a petrol station, a service station, and vehicles, as per Terekhovs statement read more An employee carries out a door from a fuel station damaged during Russian missile and drone strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine April 6, 2024. REUTERS Two separate Russian strikes targeted Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, resulting in the deaths of eight civilians and leaving at least 10 individuals injured, according to regional officials. The attacks, which occurred early on Saturday and in the afternoon, were reported to have been carried out using missiles and bombs by Russian forces, while Ukrainian national police indicated that drones were involved. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov conveyed via the Telegram messaging app that the initial strike in the Shevchenkivskyi district claimed the lives of six individuals and wounded 10 others. Subsequently, the death toll rose to seven. Advertisement The strikes primarily targeted residential areas, damaging numerous high-rise buildings, dormitories, administrative structures, a shop, a petrol station, a service station, and vehicles, as per Terekhovs statement. Reports indicate that the first attack occurred shortly after midnight, causing extensive damage and fires in the affected areas. U.S. Ambassador Bridget A. Brink condemned the attacks on Kharkiv, emphasising the loss of civilian lives and the destruction of homes and schools. She underscored the urgent need for support to Ukraine in its defense against such unwarranted assaults. A new attack took place later on Saturday and Terekhov said at least one person was killed. There is information about one death as a result of a strike on a residential area of the city. There are also injuries, Terekhov said on Telegram. Kharkiv, in Ukraines northeast, has been a frequent Russian target, with attacks intensifying in recent weeks. On Wednesday, a drone attack on the city killed four people and badly damaged apartment blocks. President Volodymyr Zelenskiys chief of Staff, Andriy Yermak, told the news outlet Politico in an interview published on Thursday, that he saw Kharkiv as the most likely target for any new Russian offensive in May or June. Advertisement Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Synehubov reported a strike on a residential building and a missile attack on a village north of Kharkiv city. No casualties were reported in either incident. Air raid alerts remained in effect for Kharkiv and most of the country, including the capital Kyiv, for several hours after the strikes. Ukraines military said on Facebook its air defences destroyed 28 of 32 drones and three of six missiles launched by Russia. With inputs from Reuters Following Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the EU and other nations implemented a ban on Russian airlines or aircraft owned by Russia from utilizing EU airspace. Additionally, restrictions were imposed on the export of aviation-related technology. read more Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal has urged the European Union to close its airspace not only to Russian and Belarusian flights but also to passengers originating from these two countries. He emphasized that Kyiv will advocate for such sanctions and collaborate with the European Commission to implement them. Our idea is to prevent Russian businesses and Russian tourists from using the EU skies comfortably, the Russian news agency TASS reported Ukrainian PM as saying to a telethon audience. The EU sky is closed to Russian airlines, but we have also discussed closing transit to any flights to and from Russia with our partners, he said, adding that similar measures should target Belarussian nationals as well. Advertisement Following the commencement of the special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, the EU prohibited all Russian flights. Additionally, similar restrictions were imposed on Belarusian carriers in the spring of 2021 by the bloc. Last week, the European Union has prohibited the Turkish airline Southwind from operating in its airspace due to evidence suggesting the companys connections to Russia. From securing Beijings commitment to balanced economic growth to bolstering US-Chinas trade relations, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellens visit to Guangzhou achieved a lot for Washington read more The United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met in Chinas southern export hub of Guangzhou. Over the course of her four-day visit to the Asian country, Yellen focused extensively on advancing Washingtons economic interests. Following her meetings with He, the United States seems to have garnered some early benefits. Here are five key gains for the US as a result of these high-level talks: 1. Initiation of economic growth exchanges: The US and China have agreed to launch discussions aimed at fostering balanced economic growth. These exchanges are likely to address some of the US concerns about Chinas surplus in manufacturing capacities. Advertisement 2. Addressing money laundering issues: Yellen and He have agreed to establish a forum for cooperation on anti-money laundering within the financial sectors of both countries. 3. Discussion on Chinas EV, clean energy sectors: Yellen is understood to have discussed Chinas growing exports in the electric vehicles (EV) and clean energy sectors. Although concerns have been conveyed to China and a path for dialogue has been opened, it is unlikely that the issue will be resolved quickly. 4. An effort to limit support to Russia: Yellen warned Chinese firms of significant consequences if they provided support to Russias war effort with Ukraine. She said that China has emphasised that their policy was not to provide such support. How well this translates on-ground remains to be seen. 5. Strengthening of bilateral relations: The meetings served to fortify US-China relations, establishing a foundation for ongoing dialogue and cooperation. Through constructive discussions, both nations demonstrated a willingness to address contentious issues, signalling a mutual interest in maintaining a stable and productive relationship. These gains reflect a significant step forward in addressing the complexities of U.S.-China economic ties, underscoring the importance of dialogue, cooperation, and mutual understanding in navigating global economic challenges. Advertisement With inputs from agencies A US official said that the governments of Israel and the US are currently working to soften the blow of an Iranian attack as they anticipate a counterstrike by Tehran could come in different ways and that both US and Israeli assets and personnel might be targeted read more An Iranian flag hangs as smoke rises after what the Iranian media said was an Israeli strike on a building close to the Iranian embassy in Damascus on Monday. Source: Reuters The US, along with Israel, is now on high alert for a possible attack by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in the region that could happen as early as next week, a senior US official has said. A significant Iranian attack has become imminent after an Israeli strike killed Tehrans top military commanders in Syrias Damascus last week. Talking to CNN, the US official said that the governments of Israel and the US are currently working to soften the blow of an Iranian attack as they anticipate a counterstrike by Tehran could come in different ways and that both US and Israeli assets and personnel might be targeted. Advertisement In a written message to the US, Iran asked Washington to step aside and warned the US not to get dragged into Netanyahus trap. Biden, Netanyahu talk about Iran attack A forthcoming Iranian attack was a major part of the discussion between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus phone call on Thursday. The official said that the two governments are yet uncertain about how and when Iran is planning to strike back. Meanwhile, according to a report by The New York Times, two unnamed Iranian officials said that Tehran has placed all its troops on high alert and that the country has made a decision to respond to the Damascus attack directly. Amid this, the Biden administration fears that a direct Iranian strike on Israel is one of the worst-case scenarios the US is bracing for. Such an attack would escalate tensions in an already tumultuous situation in West Asia. US says it was not involved in attack While the US buckles up for a possible attack, Washington, last week after the attack, was quick to tell Iran that it was not involved in the Israeli attack in Syria. The United States had no involvement in the strike and we did not know about it ahead of time, a National Security Council spokesperson said. Advertisement Meanwhile, a State Department Spokesperson said that the US has warned Tehran that it should not use the Israeli strike in Damascus as a pretext to attack US personnel and facilities. On Friday, deputy chief of staff of the Iranian president, Mohammad Jamshidi, said on X, 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. Washington, Egypt and Qatar have been engaged in weeks of behind-the-scenes talks in a bid to secure a temporary truce in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails. read more After months of stalemate over a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, US President Joe Biden has now urged Egyptian and Qatari leaders to convince Hamas to reach a deal with Israel, an American official said ahead of another round of negotiation talks in Cairo. Washington, Egypt and Qatar have been engaged in weeks of behind-the-scenes talks in a bid to secure a temporary truce in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails. Advertisement On Friday, the White House hinted that temporary ceasefire negotiations between the two warring sides would take place in Cairo over the weekend. It is, however, not confirmed whether CIA Director Bill Burns will be attending the talks alongside Mossads chief David Barnea, contrary to what some US media reports say. Biden, in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, made clear that everything must be done to secure the release of hostages, including American citizens, now held by Hamas terrorists for nearly six months, a senior Biden administration official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Biden reportedly has written letters to the President of Egypt and the Emir of Qatar, urging them to secure commitments from Hamas to agree to and abide by a deal. During the phone call between Biden and Netanyahu on Thursday, the former emphasised the need for a hostage deal and empowering his negotiators to come to (a) conclusion on this. 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 US official said Friday evening. With inputs from agencies Maggie Angst covers homelessness, addiction and mental health for the San Francisco Chronicle's city hall team. Before joining the Chronicle in late 2023, she reported on California state politics for the Sacramento Bee. Maggie previously wrote for the Mercury News and East Bay Times, where she covered San Jose City Hall, reported from the front lines of California wildfires and exposed systemic deficiencies within an East Bay child welfare agency. She was awarded first place in local government reporting from the California News Publishers Association in 2021. Maggie was born and raised outside of Chicago and earned a bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. San Francisco police are investigating a daylight shooting that left a man dead Friday afternoon in the Mission District. Filipa Ioannou/The Chronicle Police are investigating a shooting that left a man dead Friday afternoon in San Franciscos Mission District. San Francisco Police Department officers said they arrived to the 2300 block of Mission Street at 1:37 p.m., after receiving calls that gunfire had erupted on the bustling strip of shops, restaurants and tapas bars. Officers found a man wounded by gunshots and began rendering CPR with assistance from paramedics. Despite these life-saving efforts, the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Detectives from the SFPDs homicide detail gathered evidence and ask anyone with information to call the SFPD tip line at 415-575-4444 or to text TIP411. Violence against health care workers is on the rise, including in emergency rooms, where tensions can run high as staff juggle multiple urgent tasks. Lawmakers are debating stiffening the penalties against such assaults. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle Patients hurl verbal abuse at Michelle Ravera every day in the emergency room. Physical violence is less common, she said, but has become a growing threat. Ravera, an ER nurse at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento, recalled an incident in which an agitated patient wanted to leave. Without any warning he just reached up, grabbed my glasses, and punched me in the face, said Ravera, 54. And then he was getting ready to attack another patient in the room. Ravera and hospital security guards subdued the patient so he couldnt hurt anyone else. Violence against health care workers is on the rise, including in the ER where tensions can run high as staff juggle multiple urgent tasks. COVID-19 only made things worse: With routine care harder to come by, many patients ended up in the ER with serious diseases and brimming with frustrations. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In California, simple assault against workers inside an ER is considered the same as simple assault against almost anyone else, and carries a maximum punishment of a $1,000 fine and six months in jail. In contrast, simple assault against emergency medical workers in the field, such as an EMT responding to a 911 call, carries maximum penalties of a $2,000 fine and a year in jail. Simple assault does not involve the use of a deadly weapon or the intention to inflict serious bodily injury. State Assembly Member Freddie Rodriguez, who worked as an EMT, has authored a bill to make the punishments consistent: a $2,000 fine and one year in jail for simple assault on any on-the-job emergency health care worker, whether in the field or an ER. The measure would also eliminate the discrepancy for simple battery. Patients and family members are assaulting staff and doing things they shouldnt be doing to the people that are there to take care of your loved ones, said Rodriguez (D-Pomona). The bill passed the state Assembly unanimously in January and awaits consideration in the Senate. Rodriguez has introduced similar measures twice before. Then-Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed one in 2015, saying he doubted a longer jail sentence would deter violence. We need to find more creative ways to protect the safety of these critical workers, he wrote in his veto message. The 2019 bill died in the state Senate. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Rodriguez said ERs have become more dangerous for health care workers since then and that there has to be accountability for violent behavior. Opponents fear stiffer penalties would be levied disproportionately on patients of color or those with developmental disabilities. They also point out that violent patients can already face penalties under existing assault and battery laws. Data from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health shows that reported attacks on ER workers by patients, visitors, and strangers jumped about 25% from 2018 to 2023, from 2,587 to 3,238. The rate of attacks per 100,000 ER visits also increased. Punching, kicking, pushing and similar aggression accounted for most of the attacks. Only a small number included weapons. These numbers are likely an undercount, said Dr. Alai Alvarez, an ER physician and clinical associate professor at Stanford Universitys Department of Emergency Medicine. Many hospital staffers dont fill out workplace violence reports because they dont have time or feel nothing will come of it, he said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Ravera remembers when her community rallied around health care workers at the start of the pandemic, acting respectfully and bringing food and extra N95 masks to workers. Then something just switched, she said. The patients became angrier and more aggressive. Violence can contribute to burnout and drive workers to quit or worse, said Alvarez, who has lost colleagues to suicide, and thinks burnout was a key factor. The cost of burnout is more than just loss of productivity, he said. Its loss of human beings that also had the potential to take care of many more people. The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis projects California will experience an 18% shortage of all types of nurses in 2035, the third worst in the country. Federal legislation called the Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act would set sentences of up to 10 years for assault against a health care worker, not limited to emergency workers, and up to 20 years in cases involving dangerous weapons or bodily injury. Though it was introduced in 2023, it has not yet had a committee hearing. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Opponents of the California bill, which include ACLU California Action, the California Public Defenders Association, and advocates for people with autism, argue it wouldnt deter attacks and would unfairly target certain patients. Theres no evidence to suggest that increased penalties are going to meaningfully address this conduct, said Eric Henderson, a legislative advocate for ACLU California Action. Most importantly, there are already laws on the books to address assaultive conduct. Beth Burt, executive director of the Autism Society Inland Empire, said the measure doesnt take into account the special needs of people with autism and other developmental disorders. The smells, lights, textures, and crowds in the ER can overstimulate a person with autism, she said. When that happens, they can struggle to articulate their feelings, which can result in a violent outburst, whether its a 9-year-old or a 29-year-old, Burt said. She worries that hospital staff may misunderstand these reactions, and involve law enforcement when its not necessary. As a parent, it is still my worst fear that shell get a phone call to inform her that her adult son with autism has been arrested, she said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Burt would rather the state prioritize de-escalation programs over penalties, such as the training programs for first responders she helped create through the Autism Society Inland Empire. After implementing the training, hospital administrators asked Burt to share some strategies with them, she said. Hospital security staffers who do not want to use physical restraints on autistic patients have also sought her advice, she said. Supporters of the bill, including health care and law enforcement groups, counter that people with mental health conditions or autism who are charged with assault in an ER may be eligible for existing programs that provide mental health treatment in lieu of a criminal sentence. Stephanie Jensen, an ER nurse and head of governmental affairs for the Emergency Nurses Association, California State Council, said her organization is simply arguing for equity. If you punch me in the hospital, its the same as if you punch me on the street, she said. If lawmakers dont act, she warned, there wont be enough workers for the patients who need them. Filing the paperwork for her divorce was more complicated for Nuala Bishari than planning her 2019 wedding at San Francisco City Hall. Courtesy Jessica Christian I was standing in my kitchen frying an egg when I got the call. My divorce, a clerk from San Franciscos Unified Family Court told me, was final. In fact, Id been divorced for two months. I had no idea. Id pestered the court, leaving multiple voicemails inquiring about the status of my case, but the last thing I expected to hear was that a judge had dissolved my marriage eight weeks earlier. The call ended, and I stood, shocked, with the phone in my hand. As it sank in, I was hit with a huge wave of relief not that my marriage was over (wed been separated for two years) but that I was finally done wading through the complicated piles of paperwork that had bogged down the past year of my life. Advertisement Article continues below this ad I was not the first of my friends to get married, but in 2022, I was the first to file for divorce. It was a lonely journey, in more ways than one. There was no pool of experience to draw from, no one to tell me how to start such an opaque process or even how long it would take. I decided I needed a lawyer, but quickly realized hiring one was far beyond what I could afford. One told me divorces at her firm started at $10,000. The average cost of getting a divorce in California if you dont have children, I learned, is $17,500, and if you have kids, it jumps to $26,000. Was it possible that even with no kids, no shared property, an amicable separation and nothing being contested, I couldnt afford to get divorced? In desperation one afternoon, I Googled, How to get divorced San Francisco and landed on a step-by-step guide on the California Courts website, which made the whole thing sound easy. You can get a divorce without a lawyer, the website said at the bottom, in bold, next to an exclamation point graphic. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Challenge accepted. Forgoing a lawyer would bring my divorce costs down to just $435 for court filing fees. I printed out the FL-100 form that gets the process rolling with a giddy sense of optimism. Little did I know it would take 13 months, six visits to the courthouse, multiple calls with the courts self-help service, several episodes of crying in frustration and a dozen YouTube tutorials to finally get divorced. Getting married is ridiculously easy. Undoing a marriage? It will take months, if not years. I was blissfully unaware as I stood in my wedding gown at City Hall, filling out paperwork before my ceremony. There was no CliffsNotes primer on the governments rules for marriages. I learned too late, for example, that to remove my spouse as a beneficiary of a personal financial account, I needed their permission even though they didnt have to grant it to be added. Divorce was the only way to skirt that. Advertisement Article continues below this ad As the petitioner, or the one who filed for divorce, I processed the lions share of the paperwork. All forms and there were many of them had to be dropped off in person. But during the pandemic, the family court operated with limited hours and was open only from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The forms were not as straightforward as they seemed. One mischecked box or missing signature would stall the entire process, and I was never notified about my mistakes. Id wait weeks or months for the forms to be mailed back to me, which signified that they had been correctly received. Too often nothing arrived. It was only when I returned to the clerks office that I was informed Id done something wrong. In these instances, there were no copies of the forms on hand, so Id have to go home, print them out, fill them out again, return to the clerks office to drop them off, and the whole waiting process would start over. The reason why there are so many forms is because they want to lay out every single step as it proceeds through the system, said Norah Alyami, founder of DIY Family Law, a Bay Area-based firm that offers by-the-hour consultations, educational videos and mediation. The problem is the forms tend to contain legalese that self-represented litigants usually people who have not been to law school are not going to understand. It puts a lot of responsibility on individual litigants to figure out what a form is actually asking for. I experienced this as I struggled to figure out what the difference was between community property and quasi-community property, or what the phrase good cause appearing meant. A misinterpretation of one question could lead to months of delays. Alyami offers legal services that I sorely wish Id discovered when doing my own divorce. She doesnt require expensive retainers to secure her services, and even provides document reviews to those doing their own divorce to ensure they filled out everything correctly. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In cases where someone has started their own divorce and gotten stuck, she spends a lot of time untangling the mess. They may be all over the place in terms of which forms they filed, and they may not have happened in the right order, she said. I asked her if the process was intentionally difficult, perhaps to push people into hiring lawyers. She disagreed. Legislators and the Judicial Council have tried hard to streamline the process so people can do this on their own, she said. After my experience, I can say it hasnt been a particularly successful effort. Nearly a year to the day after I filed for divorce, I dropped off a stack of forms to the clerks office for what I hoped was the last time. Advertisement Article continues below this ad I love getting these final packets! a clerk said, beaming, before telling me that it would take a few weeks to be finalized because hundreds of divorce cases were queued ahead of mine. For the first time in this entire process, I felt less alone. The year I filed for divorce, six of my friends got married. I didnt feel awkward about celebrating their love; I adore a wedding. But mired in the struggle to manage my divorce, I imparted unwelcome advice. You dont have to sign paperwork, I told them all. They didnt want to hear it. Sure, right, theyd respond, not making eye contact. No one wants to think about divorce before a wedding. But in 2022, the year I filed for divorce in San Francisco, 1,736 couples in the city did the same. A narrative persists that a commitment to someone must include formally registering the relationship with authorities. This trumps what I see as the most beautiful part of a wedding ceremony, where vows are read in front of loved ones and promises are made. Yet for nearly everyone I know, thats not enough. Theres an outsized value placed on the government recognizing that you have chosen someone to be with, ostensibly, for the rest of your life. 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 Formalized marriage can help couples transcend some of the broken aspects of our society such as gaining decent health insurance or having a say over the end-of-life care of a partner. Bob Egelko has been a reporter since June 1970. He spent 30 years with the Associated Press, covering news, politics and occasionally sports in Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento, and legal affairs in San Francisco from 1984 onward. He worked for the San Francisco Examiner for five months in 2000, then joined The Chronicle in November 2000. His beat includes state and federal courts in California, the Supreme Court and the State Bar. He has a law degree from McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento and is a member of the bar. Coverage has included the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, the appointment of Rose Bird to the state Supreme Court and her removal by the voters, the death penalty in California and the battles over gay rights and same-sex marriage. Waymo vehicles sit in a charging bank at its central operations center in San Francisco in 2021. The company has been steadily increasing its activity in the city. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle If you feel like youre seeing Waymo robotaxis on the streets of San Francisco more often, youre not wrong. The autonomous vehicle company reported another jump in ride-hailing activity at the start of 2024, with thousands of people, on average, riding inside a robotaxi each day. Waymo robotaxis logged 1.4 million driverless ride-hailing miles between December and February, roughly a 42% increase from the prior quarter, according to data the company reported to the California Public Utilities Commission. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The latest ride-hailing data gives a better sense of how fast Waymo has moved to increase its driverless operations in San Francisco since state regulators approved the companys unlimited expansion in the city last August and since competitor Cruise was banned from operation in October. December was the first month Waymo reported carrying more than 100,000 passengers on driverless trips the vast majority of which were on paid rides and the Alphabet-owned company reported similar figures for January and February. That quarterly haul of about 316,000 passengers was up 45% from the quarter covering September through November, when Waymo carried about 218,000 riders. The latest figures represent a huge jump from this time last year, when the companys robotaxis shuttled about 13,000 people on unpaid rides. The potential for unchecked proliferation of robotaxis fueled San Franciscos opposition to the decision by the PUC, which regulates commercial driverless ride-hailing in the state. The commissions approval gives Waymo the authority to operate driverless ride-hailing across the city at all hours with no restrictions on fleet size. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Since December, Waymos autonomous vehicles have transported about 3,500 passengers per day in San Francisco on driverless trips. That figure is well below the number of people transported by public transit or Uber or Lyft. The company said it has not significantly scaled its fleet of about 250 robotaxis in San Francisco since August. San Francisco users may now experience surge pricing during busy periods. Waymos ride-hailing services are not yet fully open to the public in San Francisco as they are in Phoenix, another market where Waymo operates. Aman Nalavade, a group product manager at Waymo, said in an email that the company has granted access to driverless rides to a majority of the 200,000 people in San Francisco who signed up on a waitlist. Waymo is now serving tens of thousands of fully autonomous trips in San Francisco every week, and we continue to welcome more riders into the service, Nalavade said. Were scaling deliberately, helping bring the benefits of full autonomy to more San Franciscans while working closely with local communities and regulators. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Waymos increased activity happened as the citys first responders documented a drop in autonomous vehicle incidents where robotaxis interfered with response efforts. The companys robotaxis were involved in 14 collisions between December and February, two of which involved minor injuries. Courtesy of Grand Junction Economic Partnership Goose Gear, which specializes in manufacturing camping systems for vehicle-based recreation, is an example of Grand Junction Economic Partnership recruiting companies to come to Grand Junction. Goose Gear plans to relocate from Huntington Beach, California, to Grand Junction later this year with the goal of creating up to 49 jobs over an eight-year period. NEW YORK, April 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE: SAN) resulting from allegations that Santander may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. SO WHAT: If you purchased Santander 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=22671 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On February 5, 2024, the Financial Times published an article entitled Iran used Lloyds and Santander accounts to evade sanctions. This article stated, in part that Santander UK provided accounts to British front companies secretly owned by a sanctioned Iranian petrochemicals company based near Buckingham Palace, according to documents seen by the Financial Times. On this news, Santanders American Depositary Shares (ADSs) fell $0.24 per ADS, or 5.7%, to close at $3.94 per ADS on February 5, 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 firms 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 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com V-INITIATE trial demonstrates that early initiation with Leqvio, prior to guideline-recommended ezetimibe, for ASCVD patients unable to achieve LDL-C goal on statin therapy alone led to significant LDL-C reduction vs. clinician-determined usual care (60% vs. 7% respectively)1 A significantly greater proportion of the ASCVD patients receiving Leqvio achieved guideline-recommended LDL-C goal vs. the usual care arm while maintaining adherence to statin treatment1 Results from usual care arm reinforce the urgent need for more aggressive LDL-C lowering in ASCVD patients, 92% of whom did not reach their LDL-C goal with statins alone1 The Leqvio safety profile was consistent with the Phase III clinical studies and long-term open-label extension trials for up to 6 years of treatment1-4 Basel, April 6, 2024 Novartis today announced new data demonstrating the early addition of twice-yearly* Leqvio (inclisiran) to maximally tolerated statin therapy, prior to guideline-recommended ezetimibe, in a real-world setting significantly reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), including those with a history of an ASCVD-related event, who could not reach their goal on statin therapy alone1. The late-breaking data were presented at the 2024 American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session & Expo and simultaneously published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. V-INITIATE evaluated a solution to the important challenge seen in clinical practice of too many patients with ASCVD not achieving guideline-recommended LDL-C goal on statins alone and effective non-statin therapies being markedly underutilized, said Michael Koren, M.D., Medical Director and CEO of Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research, and the primary investigator of the study. Given the urgent need to more aggressively manage LDL-C, the results from V-INITIATE show that when added earlier in the treatment continuum, the structured use of effective non-statin therapies like Leqvio can significantly reduce LDL-C for ASCVD patients who are struggling to reach or maintain their LDL-C goal. In the V-INITIATE study, patients receiving Leqvio experienced significant reductions in LDL-C compared to those receiving usual care (60% vs. 7%, respectively; p<0.001), which consisted mostly of statin therapy alone (73%)1. Four in five patients receiving Leqvio achieved the guideline-recommended LDL-C goal of <70 mg/dL compared to just one in five patients receiving usual care (81.8% vs. 22.2%, respectively; p<0.001)1. Notably, patients receiving health care provider (HCP)-administered Leqvio maintained adherence to existing lipid-lowering therapy, and the discontinuation rate of background statin therapy did not differ between the Leqvio and usual care arms (5.8% vs. 16.7%, respectively)1. The safety results from V-INITIATE were consistent with findings from the pivotal Phase III clinical trial program and long-term open-label extension trials, ORION-3 and ORION-8, which demonstrated sustained safety for up to six years of treatment1-4. The data from V-INITIATE illustrate that earlier initiation of innovative non-statin therapies, like Leqvio, presents a real opportunity to do better for ASCVD patients and improve the way we approach LDL-C lowering, said David Soergel, M.D., Global Head of Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Drug Development at Novartis. This study adds data from a real-world setting to the growing body of evidence for Leqvio being generated through our robust VictORION program, and further reinforces the clinical value of this twice-yearly HCP-administered therapy. V-INITIATE is a 12-month Phase IIIb open-label study evaluating the effectiveness of adding Leqvio earlier, following a patients failure to reach LDL-C goal on maximally tolerated statin therapy, compared to usual care, in a setting that reflects U.S. clinical practice. It was designed to more accurately represent the diversity of the U.S. general population across age, sex, race, ethnicity, insurance status, income level, education, prior medical history and statin intolerance1. Unlike placebo arms in typical double-blind trials, the usual care arm reflected U.S. clinical practice by allowing treating physicians to make changes to lipid-lowering treatment based on LDL-C measurements. Usual care was defined as clinician determined based on the 2018 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline recommendations1. *After an initial dose and another at three months. About Leqvio Leqvio is a subcutaneous injection given by a health care provider (HCP) with an initial dose, another at three months, and then every six months2,5. As a twice-yearly, HCP-administered treatment, Leqvio may help to circumvent the challenges of treatment adherence, a common issue in cholesterol management. Leqvio is the first and only small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapy to lower LDL-C. It is approved in over 90 countries, including the U.S., EU, Japan and China1,5,6. Novartis has obtained global rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize Leqvio under a license and collaboration agreement with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, a leader in RNAi therapeutics. About V-INITIATE V-INITIATE is a 12-month, randomized, multicenter, open-label Phase IIIb study in 450 atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) patients in the U.S. with elevated LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) 70 mg/dL. The study evaluated the effectiveness of adding HCP-administered Leqvio earlier, following a patients failure to reach LDL-C goal on maximally tolerated statin therapy, compared to usual care1. Usual care was determined by the clinicians and based on the 2018 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline recommendations; most patients (73%) in the usual care arm remained on statins only1. The co-primary endpoints were the percentage change in LDL-C from baseline to Day 330 and the discontinuation of statin therapy, defined as no statin use 30 days before the end of study visit1. This is the first Novartis trial where all patients have been tokenized with the intention of following their outcomes for two additional years post-trial completion, providing additional insights on the real-world effectiveness of Leqvio7. About VictORION The V-INITIATE trial is part of VictORION, an innovative and robust clinical program for Leqvio, comprising more than 30 trials and enrolling over 60,000 patients in more than 50 countries worldwide7. The program is designed to expand on the foundational evidence of LDL-C reduction with Leqvio in diverse patient populations to include randomized clinical trials, implementation research, real-world evidence, and trials that aim to establish its potential benefits on cardiovascular outcomes in primary and secondary prevention. A growing number of studies are planned to generate a vast array of data with major trials such as ORION-4 (secondary prevention), V(VictORION)-2-PREVENT (secondary prevention), V-1-PREVENT (high-risk primary prevention), V-INCEPTION and V-MONO. About Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) ASCVD refers to a variety of diseases caused by the development and growth of plaques in the inner lining of the arteries8. The atherosclerotic plaque is mainly composed of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) which accumulates over time8. Cumulative exposure to LDL-C is proportionally related to arterial plaque growth and progression leads to subsequent risk of cardiovascular events such as a heart attack or stroke8,9. Accounting for 85% of all cardiovascular disease deaths, ASCVD is the primary cause of mortality in the European Union and its burden in the United States is greater than that of any other chronic diseases10-13. ASCVD risk-equivalent corresponds to conditions that confer a similar risk for an ASCVD event (e.g., diabetes and heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia)4,13. About Novartis in Cardiovascular Cardiovascular disease (CVD) affects hundreds of millions of people and claims more lives globally than cancer, chronic lung disease and diabetes combined14. It is time to change that. Around 80% of premature cardiovascular deaths can be prevented by addressing factors that cause or worsen CVD15. We have a responsibility to make that a reality for more people. Novartis has been advancing the scientific understanding and treatment of CVD for more than four decades. Through early intervention, pioneering science and technological innovation, we are addressing factors that increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, improving the function of damaged hearts and easing the burden of care for patients. We also collaborate with healthcare professionals, patient communities and diverse organizations to improve preventive CV care worldwide. Together, we will help more people with CVD get the right treatments at the right time and live longer and healthier lives. Disclaimer This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as potential, can, will, plan, may, could, would, expect, anticipate, look forward, believe, committed, investigational, pipeline, launch, or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political, economic and business conditions, including the effects of and efforts to mitigate pandemic diseases; safety, quality, data integrity or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AGs current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About Novartis Novartis is an innovative medicines company. Every day, we work to reimagine medicine to improve and extend peoples lives so that patients, healthcare professionals and societies are empowered in the face of serious disease. Our medicines reach more than 250 million people worldwide. Reimagine medicine with us: Visit us at https://www.novartis.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X/Twitter and Instagram. Novartis previously filed its 2023 annual report with the Swiss SIX exchange in Switzerland, as well as its 2023 Annual Report on Form 20-F with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and posted these documents on www.novartis.com. Novartis shareholders may receive a hard copy of either of these documents, each of which contains our complete audited financial statements, free of charge, upon request. References Koren MJ, Rodriguez F, East CA, et al. Comparison of an inclisiran first strategy with usual care in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: results from the VICTORION-INITIATE randomized trial. Data presented at: American College of Cardiology Congress; April 6, 2024; Atlanta, GA. Leqvio. Prescribing information. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. Wright RS, Raal FJ, Koenig W, et al. ORION-8: Long-term efficacy and safety of twice-yearly inclisiran in high cardiovascular risk patients. Data presented at: European Society of Cardiology Congress; August 28, 2023; Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Ray KK, Troquay RPT, Visseren FLJ, et al. Long-term efficacy and safety of inclisiran in patients with high cardiovascular risk and elevated LDL cholesterol (ORION-3): results from the 4-year open-label extension of the ORION-1 trial. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2023;11(2):109-119. European Medicines Agency. Leqvio (inclisiran): An overview of Leqvio and why it is authorized in the EU. Last updated June 2021. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/overview/leqvio-epar-medicine-overview_en.pdf National Medical Products Administration. Drug approval document delivery information. Published August 24, 2023. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://www.nmpa.gov.cn/zwfw/sdxx/sdxxyp/yppjfb/20230824155809182.html Data on file. NCT04929249. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp; 2024. Goldstein JL, Brown MS. A century of cholesterol and coronaries: from plaques to genes to statins. Cell. 2015;161(1):161-172. Ference BA, Graham I, Tokgozoglu L, Catapano AL. Impact of lipids on cardiovascular health: JACC Health Promotion Series. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018;72(10):1141-1156. World Health Organization. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Published June 11, 2021. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds) Roger VL, Go AS, Lloyd-Jones DM, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics2012 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2012;125(1):e2-e220. Kim H, Kim S, Han S, et al. Prevalence and incidence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and its risk factors in Korea: a nationwide population-based study. BMC Public Health. 2019;19(1):1112. Grundy SM, Stone NJ, Bailey AL, et. al. 2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA guideline on the management of blood cholesterol: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2019;139:e1082e1143. American Heart Association. More than half of U.S. adults dont know heart disease is leading cause of death, despite 100-year reign. Published January 24, 2024. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://newsroom.heart.org/news/more-than-half-of-u-s-adults-dont-know-heart-disease-is-leading-cause-of-death-despite-100-year-reign World Heart Federation. World Heart Report. Published May 20, 2023. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://world-heart-federation.org/wp-content/uploads/World-Heart-Report-2023.pdf Novartis Media Relations E-mail: media.relations@novartis.com Central North America Richard Jarvis +41 79 584 2326 Michael Meo +1 862 274 5414 Anja von Treskow +41 79 392 9697 Marlena Abdinoor +1 617 335 9525 Anna Schafers +41 79 801 7267 Switzerland Satoshi Sugimoto +41 79 619 2035 Novartis Investor Relations Central investor relations line: +41 61 324 7944 E-mail: investor.relations@novartis.com Central North America Isabella Zinck +41 61 324 7188 Sloan Simpson +1 862 345 4440 Nicole Zinsli-Somm +41 61 324 3809 Jonathan Graham +1 201 602 9921 Imke Kappes +41 61 324 8269 Parag Mahanti +1 973 876 4912 The attempt to seize local control from the citizens of St. Louis will be met with organizedand might I addhostile resistance (think pension, think future raises). Thats because citizens voted for local control of their police department in 2013 by a majority of citizens. That historic vote was the result of more than a decade of tireless organizing under the leadership of the Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression (CAPCR). The vote turned back the clock of 150 years of state oversight dating back to the Civil War. Though Missouri had troops on both sides of the Civil War, it was an official part of the confederacy. So its no mystery when white people in power act like St. Louis is a plantation, incapable of self-governance. True to those confederate tendencies, the Missouri House of Representatives recently voted to snub its noses at a democratic process that honored voter wishes by putting the St. Louis Police Department under state control. It smacks of the GOP-driven agenda to make America white again or at least white-controlled again. The bill The bill contains such provisions as the need to maintain a police force of not less than 1,313 members. St. Louis is already high on the national list of cities with more police per capita for cities of our size. With the diminishing population of the city, this is tantamount to an occupying force. The bill contains such provisions as the need to maintain a police force of not less than 1,313 members. St. Louis is already high on the national list of cities with more police per capita for cities of our size. With the diminishing population of the city, this is tantamount to an occupying force. In Black neighborhoods, this will only deepen the tensions in a relationship marred by police brutality and police criminality with little or no impunity. The bill also includes establishment of a board of police commissioners with punishment for any city official, including Mayor Tishaura Jones, to interfere with the boards authority. However interference is loosely defined, officials could be fined $1000 and be banned from holding office. Lets do a brief recap of life under state control with a fully staffed police department. Corruption was rampant and went all the way to the top. Crime and violence was high. Responses by the police to citizen calls were problematic, and there were chronic complaints of no-shows. Police assaults and murders of citizens were off the charts. The perverted relationship between the police department and the prosecutors office led to many wrongful convictions with the most recent example being that of Lamar Johnson. Johnson was released last year after being robbed of nearly 30 years of his life. There were reported thefts of money and property by citizens such as the Cardinals World Series tickets. The towing scandal prompted a federal investigation and led to the resignation of Police Chief Mokwa. All this and more was going on with a ballooning department budget. The list of immoral, unethical and illegal behaviors by police rarely received the appropriate attention or resolution. The behaviors were mostly justified adding to an environment that makes it difficult to attract police recruits, especially Black ones. It made the case for local control easier because citizens saw clearly that what we had was absolutely not working for them. Proponents of the hostile takeover should understand that they cant take back the components they want and leave the city with others. For example, If they want to control the police department, they need to assume its budget which accounts for about a third of the citys $1.3 billion budget. No one in their sane mind gives up that kind of authority while still paying all the bills. Overall violence is up in this country. Some of this can be linked directly to Republican policies and laws like the refusal to pass common-sense gun laws. Like playing on peoples fears to create a false narrative about public safety which almost always criminalizes African Americans. CAPCR not only changed the trajectory of police oversight, but it also launched a campaign to re-imagine public safety. Many others joined the campaign which centered community participation, not just adding more police to the equation. Mayor Jones, community groups, faith organizations and others have worked separately and together to address the root causes of crime and violence. The systemic issue of violence will never be solved by more police or more punitive measures. That strategy has proven to be bankrupt and ineffective. The collective efforts of those with a new vision of public safety are making a demonstrable difference. There has been a marked reduction in crimes such as murder, sexual assault and robbery. Juvenile crime is down. The homicide rate is the lowest in decades. Our coalition of the committed prefers to keep working on our public safety plan. However, if we have to divert our energies to address the racist takeover, we will. Ours is a righteous mission for citizen participation and empowerment to determine the safety and security of our communities. We know the white politicians in Jefferson City have no understanding of our reality and no interest in our futures. We are bootin up for a victory. Vancouver, April 5, 2024 - Intrepid Metals Corp. (TSXV: INTR) (OTCQB: IMTCF) ("Intrepid" or the "Company") announced that it has entered into an agreement to amend the option agreement dated April 20, 2021 with New Empire Exploration LLC (the "Vendor") to acquire a 100% interest in the Tombstone South Property (the "Property") located in Arizona. The amendment provides for an extension to complete the required US$500,000 work commitment that was due May 2024 to May 2025, in exchange for the issuance of an additional 100,000 common shares of Intrepid to the Vendor. "The Tombstone South Property has tremendous potential and is a project we remain very excited about," said Ken Brophy, CEO of Intrepid. "The results from the 2022 ground-based large dipole induced polarization ("IP") geophysical survey identified a new chargeability anomaly near the contact of the Bisbee strata which is host to structurally and stratigraphically controlled silver/zinc CRD ("Carbonate Replacement Deposit") mineralization from the Tombstone mining district, and the limestone units which host the zinc-lead-silver Taylor sulphide deposit owned by South32 Limited located 75 kilometres ("km") to the southwest. This amendment provides the Company with additional time to plan and execute a drill program following the recent closing of its private placement in January 2024 for gross proceeds of $6.6 million." The Tombstone South Property is located approximately 5.6 km southwest of the town of Tombstone, Arizona, USA which occupies the center of the historic Tombstone Mining District. The main Tombstone District is well-known for high-grade silver/lead/zinc replacement bodies, fissures and veins that have yielded a historic production (1880's to 1930's) of over 30 million ounces of silver. For additional information on the Tombstone South Property, please refer to the National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report dated effective May 10, 2021 entitled "Technical Report on the Tombstone South Property, Cochise County, Arizona, USA" filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Dr. Chris Osterman, P. Geo, a consultant of the Company, is a Qualified Person ("QP") as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Dr. Osterman has reviewed and is responsible for the technical information disclosed in this press release. About Intrepid Metals Corp. Intrepid Metals Corp. is a Canadian company focused on exploring for high-grade essential metals such as copper, silver, lead, and zinc mineral projects in proximity to established mining jurisdictions in southeastern Arizona, USA. The Company has acquired or has agreements to acquire several drill ready projects, including the Corral Copper Project (a district scale advanced exploration and development opportunity with significant shallow historical drill results), the Tombstone South Project (within the historical Tombstone mining district with geological similarities to the Taylor Deposit, which was purchased for $1.3B in 2018, though mineralization at the Taylor Deposit is not necessarily indicative of the mineral potential at the Tombstone South Project) both of which are located in Cochise County, Arizona and the Mesa Well Project (located in the Laramide Copper Porphyry Belt in Arizona). Intrepid has assembled an exceptional team with considerable experience with exploration, developing, and permitting new projects within North America. Intrepid is traded on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) under the symbol "INTR" and on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol "IMTCF". For more information, visit www.intrepidmetals.com. Intrepid Metals Corp. On behalf of the Company "Ken Brophy" CEO For further information regarding this news release, please contact: Ken Brophy, CEO 604-681-8030 info@intrepidmetals.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information Certain statements contained in this release constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Such forward-looking statements relate to: (i) future exploration plans for the Tombstone South Property; (ii) timelines to complete exploration expenditures; (iii) details about potential mineralization and exploration targets; (iv) the exploration potential of the Company's mineral properties; and (v) potential future production. In certain cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "occur" or "be achieved" suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions or statements about future events or performance. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the Company can raise additional financing to continue operations; the results of exploration activities, expectations and anticipated impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, commodity prices, the timing and amount of future exploration and development expenditures, the availability of labour and materials, receipt of and compliance with necessary regulatory approvals and permits, the estimation of insurance coverage, and assumptions with respect to currency fluctuations, environmental risks, title disputes or claims, and other similar matters. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks relating to the ability to access infrastructure, risks relating to the failure to access financing, risks relating to changes in commodity prices, risks related to current global financial conditions, risks related to current global financial conditions and the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's business, reliance on key personnel, operational risks inherent in the conduct of exploration and development activities, including the risk of accidents, labour disputes and cave-ins, regulatory risks including the risk that permits may not be obtained in a timely fashion or at all, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks, risks related to disputes concerning property titles and interests, environmental risks and the additional risks identified in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's reports and filings with applicable Canadian securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information is made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) has reviewed or accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/204533 Volcanic Gold Mines Inc. (TSXV-VG) ("Volcanic" or the "Company") announces that its management has determined that it is in the best interests of the Company to extend the expiry date of certain common share purchase warrants exercisable at $0.70 per share which were issued in October 2020 pursuant to the Company's public offering and concurrent private placement. The original expiry date of these warrants of April 20, 2022 was previously extended to April 19, 2024, and it is now proposed, subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance, that the expiry date of: 6,273,250 outstanding warrants issued pursuant to the public offering, and 1,558,550 outstanding warrants issued pursuant to the concurrent private placement, be extended by a further 12 months, to April 18, 2025. About Volcanic Volcanic brings together an experienced and successful mining, exploration and capital markets team focused on building multi-million-ounce gold and silver resources in underexplored countries. Through the strategic acquisition of mineral properties with demonstrated potential for hosting gold and silver resources, and by undertaking effective exploration and drill programs, Volcanic intends to become a leading gold-silver company. For further information, visit our website at www.volgold.com. Volcanic Gold Mines Inc. Simon Ridgway, President and CEO Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-looking statements Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward- looking statements and include, without limitation, statements about the proposed warrant extension. Often, but not always, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "estimate", "estimates", "estimated", "potential", "open", "future", "assumed", "projected", "used", "detailed", "has been", "gain", "upgraded", "offset", "limited", "contained", "reflecting", "containing", "remaining", "to be", "periodically", or statements that events, "could" or "should" occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, among others, whether the proposed warrant extension will be completed as intended; the uncertainties inherent in the mineral resource estimates; whether the Company's planned exploration work will be proceed as intended; whether the Company will acquire any new property interests in Guatemala; changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; the Company or any joint venture partner not having the financial ability to meet its exploration and development goals; risks associated with the results of exploration and development activities, estimation of mineral resources and the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; unanticipated costs and expenses; and such other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's quarterly and annual filings with securities regulators and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained herein are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management, including but not limited to: that the proposed warrant extension will be completed as intended; that the Company's stated goals and planned exploration and development activities will be achieved; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; and such other assumptions as set out herein. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Vancouver, April 5, 2024 - Bayridge Resources Corp. (CSE: BYRG) ("Bayridge" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, pursuant to its equity incentive plan, it has granted an aggregate of 600,000 incentive stock options (each, an "Option") to certain consultants of the Company. All of the Options vested on the date of grant. Each Option may be exercised for one (1) common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Share") at a price of $0.57 per Share. The Options expire on the date that is three (3) years from the date of grant.The Company also granted an aggregate of 800,000 restricted share units (each, an "RSU") to certain consultants of the Company. The RSUs will vest as follows: (i) 25% will vest four (4) months after the date of grant; (ii) 25% will vest eight (8) months after the date of grant; (iii) 25% will vest twelve (12) months after the date of grant; and (iv) 25% will vest sixteen (16) months after the date of grant. Bayridge Resources Corp. is a mining exploration company that currently operates the Sharpe Lake property, a lithium exploration project in Ontario. The Company also has an interest in two uranium exploration projects located in the Athabasca Basin in Saskatchewan, which were optioned from Canalaska Uranium Corp.Charn Deol, Director and Chief Executive OfficerE-mail: charnee@gmail.comTel: 604-760-1781The CSE has not reviewed, approved, or disapproved the contents of this press release. As a 2012 alumna of Spelman College, the historically black womens college in Atlanta, Arienne Jones looks back on her school experience as a time that elevated her. It was a very empowering experience, she says. Race and gender were neutralized, so we never felt out of place. We were there based on merit.Jones grew up in Mobile, Ala., and had not traveled much until college when she participated in a study abroad trip to Granada, Spain. She later returned to Spain for a year to work as an English teaching assistant with the U.S. Fulbright Program. In law school at Tulane University, Jones worked with the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Orleans, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center. In 2018, she completed a one-year clerkship with a federal court in Alabama.Now, she is back with the Southern Poverty Law Centers Miami team working as a law fellow. Jones says she is grateful for the great opportunities she stumbles onto. I just kind of throw my hat in and say, The worst they can do is say no, she says. Its just random experiences that have amounted to a very interesting life so far. Aston Martin denies making big-money bid for Newey Aston Martin has denied making an 'astronomical' bid to lure Adrian Newey away from Red Bull. Adrian Newey, Japanese GP 2024 Red Bull Amid Red Bull's dominance, the team's 2024 season has been marred by internal and public strife amid an obvious leadership power struggle and the Christian Horner scandal. So serious has the chaos been that Dr Helmut Marko, legendary F1 designer Newey, and even Max Verstappen have all been linked with the exit door. We are absolutely calm and confident that Max will stay with us, Horner told Sky Italia at Suzuka, adding that the chance the Dutchman will remain at Red Bull beyond 2024 is 100 percent . But even Verstappen doesn't deny that he is being actively poached by Mercedes' Toto Wolff. I understand why he does it, the 26-year-old told De Limburger newspaper. "You can't ignore me. They want me in that car, I understand that. A few years ago there was of course a little more tension between us and Mercedes, but that can all be forgiven and forgotten, Verstappen added. "That's true on both sides. But that doesn't mean I think I should be driving somewhere else right now. Also, Mercedes does not have the fastest car at the moment. That's the Red Bull. However, whilst now quieter, the Red Bull power struggle is still rumbling behind the scenes. This week, it was rumoured that the 'independent' lawyer who investigated the Horner affair is in fact linked with his own Thai allies. I stick with my no comment, Marko told Osterreich newspaper when asked about that. As for those Mercedes rumours, he added: You should ask Toto Wolff. Wolff recently even said Verstappen could take Marko, 80, with him to Mercedes. I'm not thinking about that at the moment, Marko smiled. But let's see what the near future brings. What he certainly doesn't hope the near future brings is Newey's sensational switch to Aston Martin, powered by paddock rumours of an 'astronomical' money offer made by billionaire team owner Lawrence Stroll. Adrian Newey has won more titles than anyone in the paddock, Stroll's son Lance told Viaplay at Suzuka. So I'm sure everyone wants him. He's definitely a legend. Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack, however, denies the story. No, no, he said at Suzuka. We have a very strong technical team with Dan (Fallows), Tom (McCullough), Luca (Furbatto) and Bob Bell recently joined us. So we are quite happy with what we have at the moment. When asked the same question, team driver Fernando Alonso added: I focus purely on driving. (GMM) Haas boss denies early smokescreen Ayao Komatsu has hit back at claims that his expectation that the Haas team could remain dead last in 2024 was always "bulls**t". Ayao Komatsu, Japanese GP 2024 Haas F1 Team / LAT The criticism came from the Japanese's long-time predecessor Gunther Steiner, who recently accused Komatsu of putting up a smokescreen of zero expectations for 2024. They downplayed (expectations) to have an excuse at the beginning, Steiner is quoted as having said by Ekstra Bladet newspaper. "To me, it was the wrong thing to do. The team and Simone Resta did well, because the car was already made last year before I left. The car was already assembled. I kept telling Gene Haas where they would be, because I knew the numbers from the wind tunnel, he added. However, Komatsu hit back, claiming that setting the expectations low for 2024 was just him being honest . On paper it just looked like we had very little time, he said at Suzuka. "Because last year was a bit messy in terms of going back and forth between the development of last year's car and this year's car. "There was no reason to believe that we would start like this. We had a feeling that we had improved the car, but relative to everyone else, we thought they had made more progress. It wasn't bulls**t or putting up smokescreens. Of course I knew our numbers too, Komatsu added. "But how could I know if it would be P7, P8, P9 or P10 without knowing the numbers of the others? We are the smallest, right? he continued. "Could we have predicted Alpine doing what they did? You, you can't trust others to fool themselves. "But also internally, I didn't want my people to see the car in Bahrain and be depressed if we were last. The internal message was 'this is where we start, and from here we improve'. "When we talk about how the car creates downforce, it is actually very different from what the wind tunnel said. This is a problem in itself, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Could I have predicted it? No way. After a few days of winter testing, I expected that we could fight with two or three other teams. But I only knew that when we had seen the car on the track." (GMM) Revival of French GP unlikely for now Stefano Domenicali has played down France's hopes of returning to the Formula 1 calendar - unless the government gets involved. Lewis Hamilton, French GP 2022 Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd. As the sport's schedule become steadily more congested, Paul Ricard - having last held a grand prix in 2022 - became a victim as it was priced out of the market. The new president at the Paul Ricard circuit is F1 legend Jean Alesi, and at Suzuka for the Japanese GP, he asked the sport's CEO what France needs to do to revive its historic race. In a marriage, Domenicali replied to Alesi on Canal Plus, "you must have at least two people who agree. So what we need is interest from France - for the country to understand that, when today you want to organise a Formula 1 grand prix, you need a significant investment. The Italian suggested that without the support of the government, the revival of the French GP is basically impossible. I think it can be organised at a central level with the government, said Domenicali. For example, when we come here to Japan, there is the Prime Minister, and then all of the other people who are in the F1 project. Because F1 is a possibility for the country to be represented throughout the world. (GMM) Chinese vice premier holds talks with U.S. treasury secretary Xinhua) 15:29, April 06, 2024 GUANGZHOU, April 6 (Xinhua) -- He Lifeng, Chinese vice premier and Chinese lead person for China-U.S. economic and trade affairs, held several rounds of talks with U.S. Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen, also U.S. lead representative, on Friday and Saturday in the city of Guangzhou in south China. Focusing on the implementation of the important consensus between the two countries' heads of state, the two sides had candid, pragmatic and constructive discussions on the macroeconomic situation of the two countries and the world, the economic relationship between China and the United States, and global challenges. The two sides agreed to discuss issues such as balanced growth of the United States, China and the global economy, financial stability, sustainable finance, and cooperation in countering money-laundering under the China-U.S. economic and financial working group. The Chinese side expressed grave concern over U.S. economic and trade measures restricting China and responded fully to the issue of production capacity. Both sides agreed to continue to maintain communication. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Zhong Wenxing) Sacked Mazepin awaits verdict after suing Haas Haas is already the subject of legal action after firing Nikita Mazepin in early 2022. Nikita Mazepin, Qatar GP 2021 Haas F1 Team / LAT Recently, when the Russian driver won a European Court of Justice case against his political sanctions, former F1 figure Oksana Kosachenko said the 25-year-old's next step should be to sue Haas for wrongful dismissal. But Mazepin has now told Russian media group RBC that a lawsuit against Haas and its former boss Gunther Steiner has been underway for two years now. The trial continues, he revealed. "And this case has nothing to do with the decision of the EU court. The (Haas) case has already been considered in arbitration, Mazepin added, and we are waiting for a decision, which, I hope, will be made soon. Mazepin thinks his chances of returning to Formula 1 have increased sharply since the recent EU court decision, even though it will not be easy . It's hard to get there, and even harder to get back, he said. "But when we first started suing, almost no one believed in our success. "Therefore, no matter how absurd and funny it may sound now, I believe that my return to Formula 1 is possible. But first we need to achieve the implementation of the court decision. And that's not as simple as it seems. I hope that it doesn't take long and that I will have exactly the same rights to enter countries as any other driver, said Mazepin. (GMM) Simple loose screw caused Verstappen DNF Max Verstappen's brake failure in Melbourne - his first technical DNF for two years - could have been caused by a simple case of a forgotten loose screw. Max Verstappen, Australian GP 2024 Red Bull Supplier Brembo denied any responsibility up-front, while Dr Helmut Marko said it wasn't the case of a faulty caliper but some sort of assembly issue . Auto Bild now claims that a screw may simply have not been tightened from the outset. It was a combination of causes, Marko insists, but that has been solved. He confirmed, however, that it wasn't a case of a sudden failure in the opening moments of the race on Sunday. Max was behind Checo (Perez) in top speed measurements in qualifying on Saturday, said the Austrian. This means that the brake may not have opened properly at this point. Verstappen himself agrees: The processes have been changed a little to ensure that something like this doesn't happen again. Meanwhile, with news emerging that Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes engine has been written off after his Melbourne failure, there are more promising signs for Verstappen. Verstappen's Honda engine was removed from his car prior to qualifying in Melbourne and replaced with a new one. It's still being checked, Honda engineer Shintaro Orihara told as-web.jp at Suzuka, but I think it will be usable once it is repaired. (GMM) Nothing Techs CMF subbrand is making a design-first pitch for its affordable accessories ranging from chargers to smartwatches and a trio of wireless earbuds. We got a pair of CMF Buds at our office and have been using them for the past week to get a better feel of how they perform. These flashy orange buds promise great audio quality and exciting design at a temptingly low price. CMF Buds bring Active Noise Cancelation (ANC) with a dedicated transparency mode, Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity with dual device pairing, and 12.4mm drivers tuned by Dirac. You also get a programmable equalizer within the Nothing X app and over 35 hours of playback between the buds and their charging case. Factoring their affordable asking price may sound too good to be true but these orange buds proved to be a surprisingly good pick. Design Design is a key pillar of the Nothing brand philosophy, which also translates to the CMF lineup. Youll notice similarities between CMF products and those from Swedish electronics maker Teenage Engineering. That shouldn't come as a surprise as the Swedish studio is a founding partner of Nothing Tech and has been the driving force behind the designs of Nothing products since the Ear (1). We should start with the charging/carrying case since its unlike any other case weve seen so far. Our review unit comes in orange and its a very saturated hue that pops in images and in real life too. The design influence from Teenage Engineering is evident here from the bold color to the minimalist design and the rotating aluminum alloy dial. It would have been cool if the dial could be used to control certain aspects of the buds but its only purpose is to serve as a lanyard attachment point. It also makes for a great fidget spinner when you have nothing better to do. Apart from the dial, the case and earbuds are entirely made from plastic helping keep weight down. The case lid feels solid and closes with a firm snap. The only durability concern is that the plastic case is easy to scratch - I got several light scratches on the bottom of the case by carrying it in my pockets after just one day of use. Theres an LED status light on the front indicating pairing mode and a USB-C charging port on the right-hand hand side. The case dimensions are 54.7 x 54.7 x 22.9mm and it weighs just over 43 grams while each earbud is 4.5 grams on its own. Moving to the in-ear fit we found the CMF Buds to fit well with their default size M ear tips. The earbuds are comfortable and managed to stay secure during multiple hour-long listening sessions. The top part features touch controls with single, double, and triple taps - all programmable inside the Nothing X app. Each earbud also hosts 2 HD microphones and the case is IP54-rated against water splashes and dust. The retail package includes a USB-C cable and replacement silicone ear tips. Features and companion app Despite their affordable price point, CMF Buds pack a compelling list of features including Bluetooth 5.3 Active Noice Cancelation (ANC), transparency mode, dual device pairing, and wear detection sensors. The buds are built around 12.4 mm bio-fiber drivers with tuning by Nothing and Dirac. The partnership also extends to Ultra Bass Technology 2.0 which you can tweak to your liking or completely disable inside the Nothing X companion app. Nothing X app is one of the best-designed companion apps featuring Nothings signature minimalist approach and dot matrix font. The app is compatible with Android 5.1+ and iOS 13+ smartphones. Nothing smartphones also get an additional perk - a dedicated low latency mode that works in tandem with Nothings Game mode. Nothing X app with CMF Buds One area where the price point on the CMF Buds starts to show is with the Bluetooth codec support as they only transmit audio over the legacy AAC and SBC types. Theres no support for the high-bitrate LDAC, AptX Adaptive, or AptX Lossless here. While that may be a con on paper, it is sort of expected on a budget pair of earbuds. ANC covers up to 42 dB of noise, maxing out at a frequency range of 2,900 Hz and the 4 onboard microphones also offer AI Environmental Noise Cancellation during calls. Nothing also added two holes at the bottom of the earbud stems for reduced wind interference. CMF Buds support both Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair for effortless pairing. They also feature in-ear detection sensors, which allow them to pause media when you remove either of the buds and resume playback once re-inserted in your ear. Performance and Sound quality CMF Buds feature a vibrant soundstage and punchy bass much like the rest of the Nothing earbud lineup. The 12.4 mm drivers tuned by Dirac Audio offer decent sound output by default although you may find the bass overpowering. Thankfully you can create a custom EQ within the Nothing X app and opt for a more balanced sound signature. Instrument separation leaves some to be desired as the highs tend to get washed out. The mids tend to feel submerged with the vocals and instruments sounding thin. Thats not to say that the CMF Buds sound bad, on the contrary, we found them to offer a lively soundstage that suits the electronic and hip-hop genres quite well. The high treble is well-tuned and offers a nice counter to the strong bass. These buds also get plenty loud and the ANC is potent enough to help drown out unwanted noises in the lower frequency spectrum which is nice to see at this price point. The transparency mode sounded muffled and didnt do a great job of amplifying nearby sounds. Turning the ANC off delivers slight improvements in sound clarity in the lows and mids with bass feeling a notch less overpowering. We tested the CMF Buds with an iPhone 15 Pro and a MacBook Pro 14 during our review. Dual-device pairing worked to the extent that we could switch between the two but you still have to manually stop media from one device and start it on the other. If youre listening to music on your laptop and get a call on your phone the buds automatically transfer the audio to your phone which is a nice touch. One gripe that I have is that the Nothing X companion app on my iPhone would persistently require disconcerting the buds and re-pairing with my phone if Ive used them with another device like my laptop. Hopefully, this bug will be ironed out with future software updates. Touch controls worked flawlessly during our review period. The default mapping doesnt have volume adjustments toggled on but you can assign a double tap and hold gesture for volume up on one side and volume down on the other. Thats far from the ideal setup but it gets the job done. Call quality on the CMF Buds is good enough in quieter environments but the buds have a tough time isolating your voice in densely populated areas with lots of commotion. In-ear detection works and automatically pauses and resumes media playback when you remove either earbud from your ears. It worked too well in some cases and would stop my tracks during a workout if one of the earbuds got slightly loose, prompting a change of ear tips to ensure a better fit. Bluetooth range is on par with other wireless earbuds weve tested recently and works up to 15 meters from your source device. Battery life CMF Buds feature 45mAh batteries in each earbud and a 460 mAh cell inside the charging case. The buds charge via USB-C and do not support wireless charging. Nothing claims you can get up to 8 hours of playback from the buds with ANC off and 5.6 hours with ANC/transparency mode on. The case extends these numbers to 35.5 hours and 24 hours respectively. In our testing, we got 4.5 hours of usage with ANC on and 50% volume. That figure went up to just under 7 hours with ANC off. A full 0-100% charge takes 2 hours which is rather slow. A 10-minute top-up gets you enough juice for 4 hours of usage. The earbuds need just over an hour to go from 0-100% when charging via the case. Verdict CMF Buds by Nothing are a great pair of affordable wireless earbuds that offer more than their price tag would suggest. You get a refreshing design with minimalist branding, comfortable fit, and potent noise cancelation. Couple that respectable battery endurance, dual device pairing, and a neat companion app and youve got a pair of wireless buds that tick a lot of boxes. Nothing has also brought its signature lively soundstage with overpowering bass which may be a plus depending on your preference. At $39/39/39/2,500, the CMF Buds offer great value and wed easily place them at the top of the list in their price bracket. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. The Supreme Court of Guam has granted a short extension of time up to 5 p.m. on Monday, April 8 for any interested party to file any motions for permission to file an amicus brief related to the issue of whether the attorney general can withdraw from representing government of Guam agencies. The original deadline was April 5. Attorney General Douglas Moylan requested, among other things, that the deadline to file an amicus brief be extended to April 12. Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert J. Torres, in an April 5 order, granted a deadline extension only up to 5 p.m. April 8. Should the court grant permission to file an amicus brief, the court will set forth the deadlines for amici briefs in the orders granting permission to file, the chief justice wrote. The Supreme Court earlier granted Gov. Lou Leon Guerreros request to hear arguments on whether the AG can withdraw from representing GovGuam agencies, including the governors office, that the AGs office is investigating. Meanwhile, the AG also sought clarification on whether attorneys who are not licensed in Guam and are interested in filing an amicus brief must apply for pro hac vice admission. The chief justice said they should consult the Guam Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law and determine whether the rule governing admission pro hac vice is applicable to them. The Supreme Court said all the other deadlines remain: April 15 Governors opening brief due April 29 AGs response brief due May 6 Governors reply, if any, due The AG earlier tried to block a Supreme Court review, but the Supreme Court concluded they have jurisdiction to hear the case, and that an expedited resolution to the matter is appropriate. Justices will weigh the following questions: May the Attorney General of Guam withdraw from legal representation of an Executive Branch agency, or otherwise decline to provide legal services to such agency, when the Attorney General claims such representation conflicts with ongoing investigations or prosecutions? May the Attorney General provide legal services to the agency, notwithstanding his access to confidential information from both the agency and the investigations and prosecutions? Is the Attorney General required to implement conflict protocols consistent with the Guam Rules of Professional Conduct including, but not limited to, an ethical screen or assignment of investigations or prosecutions of agency officials to an independent Special Prosecutor? If the Attorney General withdraws from representing an agencyor is otherwise unable to provide legal services to the agencymay the agency employ or procure the services of an attorney independent from the Attorney General to perform legal services for the agency, including review and approval of agency contracts as to legality and form? Oral arguments are set for May 20. Haiti - ALERT : Risk of increase in the number of counterfeit medicines Pierre Hugues, the President of the Association of Haitian Pharmacists, warned the population against the increase in the number of counterfeit drugs on the Haitian market, due to the shortage in pharmacies and the health system. "The risk of counterfeiting increases because demand is high" and the absence of border controls and impunity encourage an increase in the smuggling of counterfeit medicines. Hugues recalled that Haiti depended on imported medicines for nearly 70% of its needs. "Today, ports and airports are closed or dysfunctional, which affects the entire health sector which lacks supplies and medicines and prevents thousands of patients from continuing their treatment." Of the 216 laboratories which officially supply pharmacies in Haiti, only 3 are located on the national territory and normally cover between 25 and 30% of national needs. However, today one of them is inactive due to insecurity, and the other two are operating below their maximum capacity. Finally, Hugues deplored that gangs have looted and burned more than ten pharmacies in Port-au-Prince in recent days. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... USA : End date of evacuations The U.S. State Department sent an email Thursday evening to registered U.S. citizens who wish to leave Haiti, indicating that April 12, 2024 is the deadline. 2nd day of relative calm in Port-au-Prince Friday April 5, for the second consecutive day, Port-au-Prince remained in a tense relative calm. Armed gangs appear to have provided a respite from constant attacks on the National Police (PNH), while international humanitarian organizations are calling for more resources to continue distributing food to the thousands of people displaced by the violence. End of run for an escaped rapist Jean Louis Wilgert (32 years old), an escapee from the National Penitentiary, was arrested by the South-East Police, in the Marbial district. Note that Jean Louis Wilgert was incarcerated on June 17, 2018, for rape of a minor. Inmates in serious difficulty in 3 prisons Several hundred inmates are in great difficulty in the prisons of Petit Goave, Jacmel and Jeremie, warns the Collective of Lawyers for the Defense of Human Rights. In Petit-Goave, prisoners are affected by infectious diseases. While those in the Jacmel prison center breathe a foul odor daily due to a full septic tank. Canada : End of evacuations The last assisted Canadian flight is scheduled to depart from Haiti Sunday April 7, 2024. Canadians, permanent residents and their eligible family members who wish to leave Haiti should contact without delay: https://ow.ly/Znwl50PZrS0 Sorel Jacinthe plans American troops : Former Senator Sorel Jacinthe of the December 21 Agreement declared that a buffer force involving American troops in particular will inevitably have to be deployed in Haiti to clear the ground before the arrival of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMSS). HL/ HaitiLibre Edwards honors city police chief in Congressional Record tribute Chief Blair Myhand receives an American flag and framed copy of Congressional Record remarks from U.S.Rep. Chuck Edwards aide Tommy Laughter. Hendersonville Police Chief Blair Myhand received a surprise recognition from the office of U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards during Thursdays City Council meeting. Edwards aide Tommy Laughter presented Myhand with an Amereican flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol and a framed copy of remarks Edwards made on the House floor earlier this year about Myhands service as the 2023 president of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police and his decades of commitment to public safety. Myhand on Friday said he was surprised to receive the recognition. I was floored by that, he said. I didnt know what to say. In remarks read into the Congressional Record, Edwards, who represents North Carolinas 11th Congressional District including Henderson County, praised Myhand as a decorated war veteran and longtime law enforcement officer who has served as the citys police chief since 2021. Myhand began his law enforcement career in 1994 with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. He was one of three Metro PD first responders to reach the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. For his heroism on that day, Myhand was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, according to Edwards's tribute. Myhand served in the military before beginning his law enforcement career. During his tour in Afghanistan, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. THIS years Henley Arts Trail will take place next month. The official launch took place at the Plough in Shiplake and was attended by some of the artists who will be taking part as well as sponsors. This year, more than 230 artists will take part in the trail at 34 venues from Saturday, May 4 to bank holiday Monday, May 6. This years new venues include the Oaken Grove Vineyard at Fawley, Leander Club and the Great Hall at Shiplake College. Organiser Wendy Penrose said: In addition to these prestigious venues we also have lots of artists opening their homes and studios so visitors can see where the magic happens. Many of these venues arent usually open to the public so its a great opportunity to explore these hidden gems. Whats more you can get to talk to the makers about their inspiration and processes, watch demonstrations and buy direct from the artists. Its such a great celebration of creativity. Jill Sikkens, who owns the gastropub, said: I think art brings a lot of joy to the community. Its wonderful that people have something so special and inspiring. Henley Deputy Mayor Rory Hunt, who attended the launch, said: I am very pleased to see such a wonderful variety of venues and artists lined up for this years Arts Trail. My thanks go to all those involved in planning, hosting, sponsoring or participating in this great community event. I encourage anyone who can make the time to go and see the art, the venues and to support our local artists. Meanwhile, the winners of the Henley Arts Trails new ArtSpark prize have been chosen. Freddie Hodges, 16, and Anjali Shanker, 17, will receive one-to-one tutoring sessions from professional artists. Freddie, a pupil at Gillotts School, will have tuition in oil painting from artist and tutor Sue Tilbury. He said: I am extremely happy. I cant wait until the workshop in order to improve my skill set. Anjali, who attended Wycombe High School, will be taught silver jewellery making by award-winning designer Janet Richardson. She said: This will help me massively when applying for creative courses at university as well as developing my own creative ambitions and personal style. I am very grateful to have this opportunity. Mrs Penrose, a jewellery designer from Shiplake, said: We had many talented students apply and the judges were really impressed with the quality of work submitted. A creative career is not always an easy choice to make and we want to do all we can to support young, up-and-coming artists. Next year we hope that Freddie and Anjali will be able to exhibit their work on the art trail. For more information, visit www.henleyartstrail.com THE Mountain Warehouse shop in Henley is to relocate within the town centre. The outdoor clothing retailer is to take over the former M&Co in Bell Street, which is five doors from its current premises and larger. M&Co closed in February last year and the unit was let temporarily by the Phone Clinic and American Candy Shop, which sells vapes and limited-edition sweets and drinks. This business was criticised by town councillors who argued it was encouraging children to buy overpriced items that were bad for them or harmful to the environment. It has now moved to a smaller unit next to Starbucks. A Mountain Warehouse spokeswoman said: We will be relocating our Henley store to a larger site to offer our customers a wider choice of clothing and equipment, so they can enjoy their next outdoor adventure. Meanwhile, a new Italian restaurant is due to open in Market Place in June. Piccolino, a restaurant chain, has taken over the premises that was previously home to Crockers, a fine dining restaurant and hotel which closed in October 2022. Individual Restaurants, which owns Piccolino, says it has spent 2 million renovating the premises. The restaurant will have 140 covers, two bar areas, a courtyard and a private dining room as well as the use of part of Falaise Square with a 38-seat patio. A Piccolino spokeswoman said: Henley will be our 20th restaurant. Classic, timeless and elegant, the Piccolino ethos is all about community and delighting guests from the moment they step in the door. Meanwhile, Jewellery Works, run by goldsmith Jaco Jordaan, is to open in Reading Road on April 15. Mr Jordaan, who is originally from South Africa, has been in the industry for 30 years and has worked locally as a goldsmith for the last decade. He founded his company five years ago with his wife Natasha and daughter Damia. The family-run jewellers will be Mr Jordaans first shop in the UK but he previously ran a store in South Africa. It will specialise in custom jewellery designs, repairs, hand engraving, stone setting and commissions. She was the girl with the American accent. That made her stand out in the backwaters of Calcutta, where we were batch mates at IIM Calcutta. Later, when we became friends, I learned she acquired her accent in Singapore, where her father was on a deputation from the government of India. We bonded over a shared love of books. The books ensured we stayed friends forever, going on joint trips to the Jaipur Literature Festival and attending book clubs together. I was awed to hear Priya had written Two Chalet School Girls in India, a book in my favourite boarding school series the Chalet School by Elinor M Brent-Dyer. The boarding school story was followed by You Never Know When Youll Get Lucky, a fun rom-com set in the world of advertising, a world Priya knows well, having worked her first job at Lintas Advertising. She Storms the Norms, co-authored with former colleague Anisha Motwani, is Priyas latest book. It tells stories of women achievers that include Ameera Shah, Promoter and Managing Director, Metropolis Healthcare and Suparna Mitra, CEO, Titan Company's Watches and Wearables division. There are lots of these collections of women achievers around, and I pick up everyone, its a subject you can never read too much on. This one stands out for the excellent quality of the writing, for the way it zooms into the conflicts and challenges in the life of a working woman and for the very useful advice each of the interviewees offers. Over email and WhatsApp, I asked Priya how the authors got their interviewees to be so candid. And of course, we also talk about books and getting into trouble for reading a book! Here are edited excerpts of our conversation. We've talked earlier about your childhood reading and your summer holidays. Can you share some of your reading stories from those years? Every summer, we went to Bangalore and Mangalore to visit family. My grandfather was a voracious reader and had stockpiled classics, from Readers Digest magazines to a series of hardcover books like the Worlds Greatest Short Stories and Worlds Greatest Novels. One of the first books I remember reading was Oliver Twist, and rereading that became a summer ritual. Have you ever been in trouble for reading a book? When my parents had moved abroad for a year, I stayed with relatives, and read anything from the home library that I could get my hands on, including James Hadley Chase, at the ripe age of 9. But I got into deep trouble when my aunt caught me with a copy of a book titled Every Night, Josephine! by Jacqueline Susann author of Valley of the Dolls. I got raked over the coals for reading this inappropriate book, based on the title and authors reputation. Funnily enough, it was a memoir of the authors life with her poodle! How did moving to Singapore change your reading? One of my biggest complaints about school in India was that we were allowed to issue just one book a week from the library. For a speed reader, it was torture waiting for the next week. In Bangkok, where we first moved, and then Singapore, the school library allowed four books at a time, and you could return them any time and exchange them. I made friends with the librarian at the primary and secondary school libraries, so I could borrow 8 books at a time. The libraries didnt restrict what you could read by age/grade either, so one got access to a wider array of books. At the time, in India, we largely read British authors or Russian ones. Here I got to read a whole range of American authors, from those writing for children to those writing for adults Maud Hart Lovelace, Laura Ingalls Wilder, as much as John Knowles, Stephen Crane, and Willa Cather. The school system also had us reading more complex books than in India, for example, Miltons Paradise Lost or Catcher in the Rye. In addition, the Indian embassies had extensive libraries so I discovered Nayantara Sahgal, who is one of my heroines to date, and all those folk tales of different states. After doing an MBA at IIM Calcutta, you went on to another MBA at Insead in France. How did that move impact on your reading? In Fontainebleau, where we lived, we discovered a tiny bookstore + video parlour that stocked a treasure trove of out-of-print detective fiction from the 1920s and 30s also referred to as the Golden Age of detective fiction. I spent not only time but a good chunk of money buying close to a hundred of those and shipping them back here, which Im hoping will turn out to be a rewarding inheritance for my kids. You've been a writer with a day job for years now. What is the best and worst part of this? The best part of this is youre not dependent on book royalties to pay your bills, which is a thing few writers can afford, TBH. The worst part is being stressed for time, or having an idea or the perfect sentence pop into your head at the most inopportune times. Whats your advice for writers with day jobs? Its a hack from one of the women featured in She Storms use the superpower of the AND. Keep your day job itll come in handy to pay the bills and as a source of inspiration. And its lovely to be able to have two careers at the same time, isnt it? Seize your windows of opportunity to keep writing much of my next book was written on plane journeys or long commutes, for example. Its a retelling of Gandharis story and is due to be published soon. Somethings gotta give! Please understand that if youre choosing to do these two things simultaneously, you have to choose to give something else up unless you want to go mad with stress. Limit the number of activities or must dos in your calendar to free up your time. How did Two Chalet School Girls in India happen? I had always loved the series and been fascinated by the thought of the two lead characters visiting India, that too during the days of the freedom struggle. And at some point, I thought, who better to write this story than an Indian? A chapter sprang to life in my head. I wrote it down and emailed it along with a brief author bio (which basically said I was a huge fan of the series) to two niche publishing houses in the UK which published these kinds of books. It was in the early days of Google so it was difficult to even find an email address, I remember. And Bettany Press immediately emailed back to say theyd be delighted to publish it. As a history buff, what are your top three women in history? I love badly behaved women those are the ones that make history, arent they? Noor Jehan is an absolute favourite, and there are lovely fictional and nonfiction biographies of her the Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan and Empress by Ruby Lal for example. Elizabeth I is another fascinating character. A fictionalised biography by Jean Plaidy called Queen of This Realm is a terrific read. I am intrigued by the story of Noor Inayat Khan, a descendant of Tipu Sultan who later became a spy for the Allies during WW2. Sharbani Basus Spy Princess gives a gripping account of her life. Do you see the women in your book as badly behaved? Yes. A woman who storms the norms is badly behaved. Because the definition of well-behaved women is those who follow the rules laid down by society. Women like Adhuna Akhtar, Miss Malini and Nimrat Kaur are some such examples. What was the experience of writing She Storms the Norms? How did you get your interviewees to be so candid with their recollections? I had been wanting to write on this topic for a while. We started the process during the pandemic, so all our author interactions had to be via email and Zoom. We did a triangulation of each story there was a list of questions to which we got written responses, and then we did secondary research into each person, collating their interviews and other pieces about them. This was followed by Zoom calls to delve deeper into those responses, to probe on points we didnt understand or wanted to be fleshed out further. I suppose my experience as a qualitative researcher also came in handy to draw them out. Which chapter was the easiest to write and which one was the most challenging? The first chapter I wrote Juggernaut publisher Chiki Sarkars story was the most difficult because I was struggling to find my voice as an author, while not losing hers in the process. It took about eight iterations before I was happy with the first draft. In contrast, the chapter about Ruma Devi (social worker, fashion designer and handicraft artist) came easy. I wrote it much later so I had found my process by that stage. In addition, the input we got from her was a very factual narration, which enabled me to put flesh on the skeleton in my own way, unimpeded by her emotional responses to the story of her life. And finally, what are your plans for Part 2? What's your wish list for which women you'd like to feature? Id love to work on Part 2, as soon as I catch my breath. For my wish list, heres a start Sudha Bharadwaj the lawyer-activist, Garima Arora the first Indian woman to get a Michelin star, Mansiya VP a Bharatanatyam exponent who happens to be Muslim, Karuna Nundy human rights lawyer, Mahua Moitra TMC politician, Leena Nair the CEO of Chanel and Farah Khan - filmmaker. What about you dear Reader - who are your favourite badly behaved women ? Do write in with their story recommendations. And until next week, happy reading! Sonya Dutta Choudhury is a Mumbai-based journalist and the founder of Sonyas Book Box, a bespoke book service. Each week, she brings you specially curated books to give you an immersive understanding of people and places. If you have any reading recommendations or suggestions, write to her at sonyasbookbox@gmail.com Mark Zuckerberg passed Elon Musk on Friday to become the third-richest person in the world, the first time since 2020 the arch-rival billionaires have held those positions. Mark Zuckerberg (left) and Elon Musk (Image courtesy: AFP) Musk, who ranked first on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index as recently as early March, fell to fourth after Reuters reported Tesla Inc. had canceled plans for a less-expensive car, sending shares lower. (Musk denied the report). That followed news earlier in the week that Teslas vehicle deliveries fell in the three months through March, their first year-over-year decline since the early days of the Covid pandemic. Musks wealth has shrunk by $48.4 billion this year, while Zuckerberg has added $58.9 billion to his fortune as Meta Platforms Inc. climbs to fresh highs, including a new record on Friday. Its the first time Zuckerberg has broken into the top three on Bloombergs ranking of the richest people since Nov. 16, 2020, when he was worth $105.6 billion and Musks fortune was $102.1 billion. Musk now has a net worth of $180.6 billion; Zuckerbergs is $186.9 billion. The reversal of the wealth gap between Musk and Zuckerberg, which was as big as $215 billion in November 2021, illustrates how once-hot electric vehicle stocks have been usurped by big tech, and particularly anything involving artificial intelligence. Tesla shares have fallen 34% this year, making it the worst performer in the S&P 500 Index. Its been battered by a global slowdown in EV demand, growing competition in China and production problems in Germany. Meta, meanwhile, has surged 49% thanks to strong quarterly earnings and excitement about the companys AI initiatives. Its the fifth-best performer on the S&P 500. The two billionaires rivalry extends beyond their wealth: Musk and Zuckerberg have been engaged in an ongoing public spat that intensified when Meta launched Threads, a social-media platform that competes with Musks X. The two even traded barbs last year about a possible cage fight. Musk, 52, recently revived the idea on X, saying he would fight Zuckerberg, 39, anywhere, anytime. Musks net worth could take a further hit after his $55 billion Tesla pay package was struck down by a Delaware judge. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index continues to use the options from that pay package, which are one of Musks largest assets, in its calculations of his wealth. Bernard Arnault, the chairman of luxury giant LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, and Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos hold the first two spots on Bloombergs wealth ranking with fortunes of $223.4 billion and $207.3 billion, respectively. Following January's near-catastrophic incident involving a Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft operated by Alaska Airlines, outgoing Boeing CEO David Calhoun declined to be considered for an yearly bonus, the US-based maker of airplanes, said in a securities filing on Friday. FILE - Boeing CEO David Calhoun speaks briefly with reporters after a meeting in the office of Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 24, 2024 (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Calhoun, who will exit as chief executive at the end of 2024, would have received a potential $2.8 million bonus in addition to the $32.8 million he received as salary for 2023, the company stated. Following the Alaska Airlines incident, Mr. Calhoun declined to be considered for an annual incentive payout, and the Board honoured that request. Throughout his tenure, he has demanded transparency within Boeing and with our customers, regulators, and the flying public, the filing read. The 66-year-old's stint as Boeing's president and chief executive began in January 2020, and the Arlington, Virginia-headquartered manufacturer, praised him for taking decisions that, according to the Board, were in the long-term interest of Boeing, even if they came at the expense of achieving near-term financial or operational goals. The plane-maker also acknowledged that the January 5 mid-air emergency, during which a door plug panel tore off from the side of a MAX 9 jet cruising at an altitude of 16,000 feet, showed that Boeing has much work yet to do. The aircraft, operating as Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, was on its way to Ontario after taking off from Portland with 171 passengers and six crew members on board. It returned to Portland and made a successful emergency landing. Mr. Calhoun has responded to this event in the right way by taking responsibility for the accident, engaging transparently and proactively with regulators and customers and taking important steps to strengthen Boeing's quality assurance, the filing said. On March 25, more than two months after the accident, it was announced that Calhoun will step down as CEO at the end of the year. A successor is yet to be named. (With agency inputs) xAI, the artificial intelligence (AI) firm launched by Elon Musk in July last year, could potentially be valued at $18 billion as investors close to the billionaire are in talks to raise $3 billion, an amount that will take the company to the said valuation, The Wall Street Journal has reported (story behind paywall). Elon Musk (File Photo/Reuters) Those considering putting money into xAI include venture capital firm Gigafund and Steve Jurvetson, a business and venture capitalist, the report said. An unnamed co-founder of another venture capital firm is also a potential investor, it added. While talks have gained momentum recently, the terms of the fundraising are yet to be finalised and plans could change. In December last year, Musk had declared that the AI startup was not raising funds right now." A a month later, the company was reported to have secured $500 million in commitments from investors towards a $1 billion goal. xAI was started as an alternative to Microsoft-backed OpenAI, an AI startup from San Francisco that created ChatGPT. That AI chatbot was released in November 2022. Meanwhile, for the first time since 2020, Elon Musk has fallen behind arch-rival Mark Zuckerberg, in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. While the Meta CEO is now the third-richest person in the world, the former has slipped to fourth on the list. Louis Vittons Bernard Arnault tops the rankings, while Amazons Jeff Bezos is second. (With Reuters inputs) New Delhi, Home renovation platform Livspace has become "cash- flow positive" in India business on the back of robust growth in its revenue, a top company official said. HT Image Livspace is expecting around 30 per cent growth in its revenue during the 2023-24 financial year from around 1,100 crore in the preceding fiscal. India business contributes 80-85 per cent to the company's total turnover. The company's EBITDA losses narrowed to 95.35 million Singapore dollar from 96.86 million Singapore dollar during the period under review. "Our revenue has grown 50 per cent CAGR in the past two fiscal years. We have become cash flow positive from October-December quarter of 2023-24 in India business, which is 80-85 per cent of our total revenue," Livspaceco Founder Ramakant Sharma told PTI. Asked about the revenue during the last fiscal year, Livspace Chief Strategy Officer Ankit Shah said the numbers have not been finalised yet but the revenue could be around 30 per cent higher in 2023-24. He asserted that the company is not burning cash anymore and is generating enough cash flow to expand business organically. "We have around USD 100 million cash in our balance sheet," he said, adding that the fund will be utilised for expansion. "Business expansion, investment in branding and experience centres, and improving the supply chain have helped the company achieve high growth in the last two fiscal years," he said. Livspace is actively pursuing M&A opportunities to accelerate growth and enhance its market position. Using its proprietary technology, Livspace provides a one-stop renovation solution for homeowners from design to managed last mile fulfilment for all rooms in a home. In India, the company is present in more than 50 cities and plans to expand business to 100-150 cities in the next 18 months. Livspace has raised around USD 450 million in capital from investors such as KKR, Ingka Group Investments , TPG Growth, Goldman Sachs, Kharis Capital, Venturi Partners, FFP , EDBI, Bessemer Venture Partners, Jungle Ventures, Helion Ventures, and UC-RNT Fund. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Tesla will reveal its long-awaited robotaxi on August 8, CEO Elon Musk announced on Friday. Tesla CEO Elon Musk waves as he leaves the Tesla Gigafactory for electric cars after a visit in Gruenheide near Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. ((AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) Tesla Robotaxi unveil on August 8, Musk posted on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) without sharing details about the project. Following the billionaire's announcement, shares of his Austin, Texas-based electric vehicle manufacturer, rose by more than 3% in after-market trades. Tesla's Robotaxi In April 2019, Tesla had said that it expected robotaxis to begin operating by 2020, and predicted that these autonomous vehicles would last 11 years and drive 1 million (10 lakh) miles, bringing a profit of $30,000 (approx. 25,00,000) each year. Musk has said in the past that Tesla will make a car that humans can operate without control. The South African-born entrepreneur has also previously declared that company models equipped with Full Self-Driving (FSD) capability will, through software updates, gradually become better and better at driving. Models with FSD will be superhuman to such a degree that it will seem strange in the future that humans drove cars, even while exhausted and drunk! he noted in a post on X, in March. He has also stated that the owners of FSD-equipped Tesla vehicles will be able to have their cars serve as a robotaxi. Currently, the Full Self-Driving capability is available with the new Tesla Model 3. For this, however, customers will have to pay $12,000 (approx. 10 lakh) in addition to Model 3's roughly $40,000 (approx. 33,00,000) purchase price. Alternatively, the FSD can be purchased on a subscription basis at $199 (approx. 16,600) per month. (With agency inputs) Bengaluru police have arrested an Ivory Coast national following the seizure from his possession of contraband drugs valued at about two crore. Police seized two kg of MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) crystals, including white, brown, yellow, and pink ones. (HT File) ALSO READ | Azaan vs Bhajan row: Mother of accused files FIR against shop owner, say cops City Police Commissioner B Dayananda said on Friday Seka Ghislain Tano (aged 33) was nabbed in Bommanahalli the previous day on charges of drug peddling by a Central Crime Branch team of Bengaluru Police following a tip-off received by Anti-Narcotics wing of CCB. Police seized two kg of MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) crystals, including white, brown, yellow, and pink ones, along with a mobile phone and a weighing machine from his possession. ALSO READ | NIA denies any fresh arrests in Bengaluru's Rameshwaram Cafe Blast case The accused arrived in Bengaluru in 2022 on a business visa, falsely claiming to be engaged in garment business in Mumbai and Delhi; he was selling drugs, Dayananda told a press conference. He was previously charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in 2022 at Shankarapura police station and was released from jail last October. ALSO READ | Video: Bengaluru biker's miraculous escape from bull who threw him under truck Despite this, he continued with the same illegal business. Currently, the police are conducting a thorough investigation, Dayananda added. Bengaluru, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday hit out at the Siddaramaiah government over the water crisis in Bengaluru and alleged that many irrigation and water-related projects and initiatives were halted by the Congress when it came to power in Karnataka last year. HT Image She also criticised the Congress government for the deteriorating law and order in the state. Addressing a press conference here, the Union Minister said it is very worrying and sad that the city suffers from water-related problems. "Just water not being available is a problem. Since yesterday reports of unfortunately cholera possibly spreading in the town is also a very big concern...It is sort of a worry but I think it is also somewhat because people don't have enough water available, contaminated water also reaches people and as a result they are put to difficulties," she said. Blaming the state government for halting irrigation and water-related projects, Sitharaman said various steps that have been taken till recently or the initiatives which were halted by the current government in Karnataka also showed that there has been mismanagement in water-related areas. She alleged that in May 2023, the Chief Minister halted tenders worth 20,000 crore for projects including the Visveswaraya Jala Nigam Limited, Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited, Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Limited and Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited. She also wondered why the Central government's 'Jal Jeevan Mission' was not being encouraged in the state. "For a city like Bengaluru which is cosmopolitan and a global city, we have just hurt ourselves by these kinds of knee-jerk steps for whatever reasons the Karnataka government has taken," she said. "When pro-Pakistan slogans are raised in the Karnataka Assembly, there is implicit support which is being extended...It is a very big signal saying it's alright we can do anything and get away with it," Sitharaman alleged. She cited the Rameshwaram Cafe blast in Bengaluru and said: "While the NIA is constantly putting out reports that the search is intensified, incidents like raising of pro-Pakistan slogans in the assembly showed that a false sense of protection is being extended to people who perpetrate violence." Hitting out at state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, she said, "Here is a responsible Minister belonging to that very same party which coined the word "Hindu terror" now revealing the identity of a witness. Will he protect him?" Sitharaman slammed the remarks by Congress MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa against BJP's candidate for the Davanagare Lok Sabha seat Gayathri Siddheshwara and said, "Such words are absolutely unacceptable. Women and their dignity don't matter to the Congress party." Shivashankarappa had recently courted controversy by passing an allegedly sexist remark about Siddeshwara, saying that she is only "fit to cook". Responding to a question about the delay in drought relief funds, she explained that the Karnataka government had submitted a memorandum in October and the inter-ministerial central team had come here and conducted a spot assessment. Seeking to defend the Centre, Sitharaman said the release of drought relief has to go through a few procedures and that it had taken time. She said that on March 28, the Central authorities had written to the Election Commission to get prior approval in the context of the Model Code of Conduct for convening the high-level committee. The EC's approval is awaited with regard to the grant of drought relief, she added. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Weeks after he lost the Rajya Sabha election from Himachal Pradesh, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Saturday filed an application in the high court, challenging the interpretation of draw of lots rules by the election officer after there was a tie in the poll. Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi (left) being welcomed by chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on the eve of the Rajya Sabha elections in Shimla in February. (HT file photo) BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan won the February 27 election through draw of lots after both candidates secured 34 votes each. The seat had fallen vacant after the term of BJP president JP Nadda expired. There is nothing in the law, neither in the Act nor in the rules which compels an interpretation which requires that the person whose name is drawn in the draw of lots is a loser, Singhvi told reporters after filing his petition in the Himachal Pradesh high court. The Congress had a strength of 40 members and the support of three Independents in the assembly, but both the candidates polled 34 votes each as nine legislators -- six Congress rebels and three Independents -- voted in favour of BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan. The winner was announced by a draw of lots and under the procedure followed by the election officer, the person whose name was drawn in the draw of lots was declared the loser. It defies common sense, old tradition and practices, anywhere and everywhere in the world that whenever there is a tie between two people, the person whose name is drawn...should be the winner and not the loser. If our contentions are accepted ultimately by the high court, the result declared would have to be declared to be wrong, Singhvi said. There is a strange procedure for filing the election petition which requires the petitioner to be present himself to file it and that is why you find me here, he said. The Congress in the state plunged into a crisis after the Rajya Sabha election defeat. The Conduct of Election Rules have a provision for draw of lots for both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha elections. The key difference in the draw of lots in both the elections is that in the Rajya Sabha elections, the candidate whose slip is drawn loses the poll, whereas in the Lok Sabha polls, the candidate whose slip is drawn wins, a former Election Commission functionary had explained after the February 27 election. The city police arrested an agent working with a private finance company in a case of drug peddling. The accused was later identified as Naveen Kumar, 40, a resident of Ferozepur, Punjab. (HT File Photo) Based on a tip-off, police had laid a barrier in front of the garbage dumping point in Sector 42-D. Around 5.25 pm, a Hyundai Verna car, bearing a Punjab registration number, was signalled to halt but the driver reversed the vehicle on seeing the police and attempted to flee. After the police blocked the cars way, the driver opened the door and tried to run from the spot. But assistant sub-inspector Rajesh Kumar, with a police team, nabbed the suspect, along with a polythene carry bag. On his checking the bag, 12.39 gm heroin was recovered. The accused was later identified as Naveen Kumar, 40, a resident of Ferozepur, Punjab. Police arrested Naveen, who was booked under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. During the course of investigation, Kumar disclosed that he had been smuggling drugs for the last two to three years. He would source the drugs from Ferozepur and sell them in the tricity to earn profits. He further disclosed that he is working in a private finance company. Panchkula The detective staff of Panchkula police arrested an accused in NDPS case carrying a reward of 5,000. The accused was identified as Vijay, alias Badiya, of Mauli Jagran, Chandigarh. On September 19, 2023, a team of detectives had arrested Gautam of Mauli Jagran with 12.30 gm heroin. He was caught from Panchkula Sector 5 bus stand, based on a tip-off. A case under the NDPS Act was registered at the Sector 5 police station then. Police had further arrested Vinay of Mauli Jagran, who had told the police that he had purchased the drugs from Vijay. Subsequently, police had announced the said reward on the accused. Panchkula A 48-year-old woman was arrested for possessing over a kilo of cannabis (ganja) in Kalka. The accused was identified as Neha. Police arrested her near village Seuri around 2.30 pm. The accused tried to flee on seeing the police but was apprehended. On checking her bag, police recovered 1.120 kg of cannabis. A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act was registered at the Kalka police station. The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday directed Chandigarh Police to provide an armed personal security officer (PSO) to Chandigarh Congress president HS Lucky. The order was passed by the high court bench of justice Vikas Bahl on the plea from Lucky, who had claimed threat to his life. (Shutterstock) The order was passed by the high court bench of justice Vikas Bahl on the plea from Lucky, who had claimed threat to his life. Lucky in his plea had submitted that he had approached the police on March 26 with the representation that he received a threat from a Pakistan-based number. In his representation, he had sought police security and investigation into the threat call. However, till date no action has been taken by the police. Since it is election time, the petitioner has to travel and participate in political activities, thus, as an interim measure, at least one armed PSO be provided, he had requested the court. The court, while posting the matter for July 1 and seeking response from Chandigarh Police, observed that prima-facie, it was of the view that he should be provided security and gave directions for providing one armed guard. Accusing the administration of turning Leh into a war zone ahead of its march to the China border on April 7, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) on Saturday said it is withdrawing the proposed event to avoid any sort of confrontation with the law-enforcement agencies. Sonam Wangchuk Addressing a press conference here, LAB leaders, including its chairman Chering Dorjay and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, said they have already achieved their objective of creating awareness among the people of the country about the plight of farmers, who are allegedly losing prime pasture land to huge industrial plants in the south and to Chinese encroachments in the north. ALSO READ- Wangchuk-led groups in Ladakh demand Constitutional protection under 6th schedule In a post on X, social activist Sonam Wangchuk wrote, Pashmina March achieves purpose before it starts... People of Ladakh have been fasting in protest for the last 32 days. These have happened in the most peaceful ways through prayers & fasts. The purpose of the Pashmina March was to highlight the plight of the Changpa nomadic tribes who are losing thousands of sq km of their land due to Chinese incursion in the north and our own corporates in the south. This purpose seems already fulfilled even before the march began due to the suppression attempts & overreaction of the government with the imposition of Section 144, curtailment of internet and restrictions on movement by turning Leh into a war-like zone with armed barricades on all roads leading to Leh city. ALSO READ- Why Sonam Wangchuk's climate fast is an opportunity to look at Ladakh's delicate future Under these circumstances, chances of violence are very high, which could then be used to label this peaceful movement as anti-national. In view of these developments and the fact that the whole nation now knows about the reality of our pasturelands at the borders, the leaders of the Apex Body today decided to call off the Pashmina March on April 7. The ongoing peaceful fast will however continue. We thank all the leaders and people who came here from different parts of the country, the post further read. NOKWANE - His Majesty King Mswati III, the Commander-In-Chief of the Army has promoted six senior soldiers. The King announced the promotions when he was addressing members of the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) and the nation during the celebration of the 51st Army Day which was held at the Army Headquarters at Nokwane yesterday. The promotions include four Brigadier Generals, a Major General and a Lieutenant Major General. The first promotions which the King announced were the four Brigadier Generals and they are; Ncanawe Dlamini, Sotja Dlamini, Chimpa Shongwe and Elijah Shabangu, who is currently attending a course in the Republic of China on Taiwan. Prior to the promotion, they occupied the rank of a Colonel. Thereafter, the Commander-In-Chief of the armed force blessed the promotion of Brigadier General Thandumusa Dlamini and Major General Mfanawenkhosi Khumalo to Major General and Lieutenant Major General, respectively. He said other replacements in the form of promotions, commissioning and defence attaches, would be announced by the Army Commander General (4 Star) Moses Mashikilisana Fakudze. However, he also mentioned that promotions could not be all done in a day, thus others would be an announced next year. The Commander-In-Chief of the Army highlighted that the vacancies which he filled with the promotions were caused by either retirement or death among other things. On another note, the King told the soldiers that the nation came to the army headquarters to appreciate their good work that they do for them (nation). He said as a nation, they were pleased that, since inception, soldiers have continued with their national objective of always protecting and defending the country and its people. Thereafter, the King said it was encouraging to note that they continue to raise the standards of their performance. He said their yesterdays performance was uniquely different from the displays that they demonstrated in the past. Requirements After that, he said their mandate as soldiers requires them to always maintain their bodies - in good shape so that they could be able to perform their duties well. Therefore, he commended them for maintaining their fitness as it could be seen through the various vigorous drills that they were combat-ready. We always receive good reports of your work with the various communities, especially when you reach out whenever you are called upon to assist regardless of the time of the day as you are on duty 24/7. What is important is that you continue to demonstrate that soldiers are not an enemy of the nation, but are here to serve and live with them in harmony for the betterment of the country, the King said. Again, the Commander-In-Chief said it was equally pleasing that as soldiers, they continue to work with allied countries who selflessly impart vital knowledge and skills to them as they engage with them in many countries around the world. Celebration He added that they have been informed that some of them were not present at the celebration because they were abroad for training in various fields of defence and others were in peacekeeping missions. He said on their return, they expect them to share their skills with the entire UEDF. Thereafter, he thanked all those that have contributed to the growth of the countrys military, including the countrys development partners for their continued kind gestures and support rendered to the army. He said as a country, they were grateful to receive reports that in these external courses local soldiers perform exceptionally well as some have been awarded as the best international students. He said as learning from first-world military institutions would help in developing the UEDF to the same position. This is a clear testimony that our army has potential of being one of the best militaries in the world regardless of its size. Being a soldier is all about hoisting ones flag, therefore such reports regarding your performances in external courses is indeed commendable, the King said. Over three months after three men were tortured to death and six others were injured inside an army camp of 48 RR in Poonchs Bafliaz on December 22 last year, the torture survivors are yet to record their statements before a magistrate, a mandatory requirement under Section 164 of the Indian Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc). On Thursday, our statements were recorded before a public prosecutor but not before the magistrate. The status of the police investigation remains the same, said Mohammad Sadeeq, 49, former panch of Topa Peer village. (Photo for representation) The deceased were identified as Safeer Hussain, 44, Showket Ali, 22, and Shabir Hussain, 32, of Topa Peer village. The kith and kin of the deceased men have no clue whatsoever about the armys parallel probe. ALSO READ- Poonch civilian deaths: Armys internal probe points at procedural lapses When defence minister Rajnath Singh met us in Rajouri on December 27, he had assured us that the armys probe would be completed within a month and justice shall be delivered. However, its been over three months, neither the police have recorded our statements under Section 164 of the CrPC before the magistrate nor do we have any clue about the armys probe, said Mohammad Sadeeq, 49, former panch of Topa Peer village and uncle of Showkat Ali. On Thursday, our statements were recorded before a public prosecutor but not before the magistrate. The status of the police investigation remains the same, he added. Sadeeq ruled the inordinate delay in the police investigation. Under the law of the land, our statements are required to be recorded before a magistrate. The police officers keep us telling that it would be done soon, he added. ALSO READ- Leh apex body calls off march of Sonam Wangchuk to China border Station house officer (SHO) of Surankote police station, inspector Mukhtiar Ali, said the statements were yet to be recorded. I have been recently shifted to Surankote police station. The senior police officers are on it. While compensation, job letters and plots have been handed over to the kith and kin of the deceased men, said inspector Ali. On the armys probe, a defence spokesperson said, The proceedings are on. Once the army completed its probe, a statement is expected, he added. Facing a backlash against the custodial deaths, the army then moved out three officers, including a brigadier, from Poonch pending the probe. It may be stated that the five injured men have been twice questioned by the army officers in the Armys Potha hospital during their treatment and then before a military court in a camp of the army in Rajouri. One of the six injured men, Riaz Ahmed, 26, a Class 8 dropout, said, The senior army officer politely asked us to narrate to him whatever had unfolded with us on December 22. About who picked us up from our houses that day and where we were taken and tortured. ALSO READ- Amit Shah attacks Jawaharlal Nehru, claims blunder in Jammu and Kashmir The five men, who recorded their statements before the army officer were Lal Hussain, 70, Riaz Ahmed, 26, Farooq Ahmed, 19, Israel,20, and Jameel Ahmed, 18. The army on December 22 had picked up a total of 29 men, including 10 men from Pangai, 10 from Sawani and nine from Topa Peer village. While three men died during torture and six others were injured severely, the nature of injuries varied in the case of 20 other men from Pangai and Sawani villages. On December 22, J&K Police had lodged an open FIR against unknown accused of the army under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code at Surankote police station. In the first infiltration bid of the year foiled by the Army along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmirs Uri sector on Friday, the security forces killed two terrorist, officials said. The joint operation is still underway in the area, they added. Army personnel display arms and ammunition recovered after security forces foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control, in Uri on Friday. (HT Photo) Army on Friday morning said its alert troopers averted infiltration attempt near Sabura nullah close to the LoC. An Infiltration bid on LoC has been foiled by alert troops in the morning hours today, when terrorists were trying to infiltrate through Sabura Nala, Uri sector. Two terrorist have been eliminated. Operations in progress, Army spokesman said, adding that two AK Rifles, four hand Grenades and other war-like stores have also been recovered from the spot. A senior police officer said two infiltrators were killed in the operation. So far body of one infiltrator has been retrieved, he added. Soon after the encounter, Army expanded the operation in the forest area to check whether more infiltrators are hiding in the area. The operation will continue till searches will be completed, the officer said. Most of the infiltration routes are closed in the Valley due to heavy snowfall in the winters. However, some parts of the Uri sector received less snowfall making infiltration possible. In November last year, Army had killed two infiltrators in the same sector. On October 30, 2023, security forces killed an infiltrator along the LoC in north Kashmirs Kupwara district. On October 26, the security forces had foiled another infiltration bid and shot dead five Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants along the LoC in the Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. Huge cache of arms and ammunition, including five AK rifles and other incriminating materials, had been recovered from the site of encounter. On October 21, two militants had been killed in an infiltration attempt which was foiled by security forces in Uri sector of north Kashmirs Baramulla district. The bodies were, however, taken back by the infiltrating group to the other side of the LoC according to army. On September 30, the security forces foiled an infiltration bid by killing two infiltrators along the LoC in north Kashmirs Kupwara district. The armys Chinar Corps had also recovered arms and ammunition from the slain. The recovered ammunition included two AK rifles, two hand grenades, a pistol and other war-like stores, the Corps said. On September 16, the security forces had foiled an infiltration attempt on the LoC in Hatlanga village in Uri, killing three militants who, it said, were trying to cross-over from the other side while Pakistan soldiers stationed there provided cover fire. The incident was the first of this kind in months. Earlier on August 6, a militant was killed in a joint operation conducted by the Indian Army and Kupwara police in Tangdhar sector. Police had said a terrorist was killed in an encounter while trying to infiltrate along the LoC in the Amrohi area of Tangdhar sector. Two to three other militants accompanying the slain terrorist had escaped back to Pakistan side of LoC, the police had said. On July 19, two Pakistan militants were killed as security forces had foiled an infiltration bid in Machhil sector of Kupwara. In June, the security forces had foiled a major infiltration bid by killing four militants along the LoC in north Kashmirs Kupwara on June 23, the police had said. On June 16, the army and police foiled another major infiltration bid at Jumgund Keran close to the LoC in the Kupwara district and killed five unidentified foreign militants. On June 13, two unidentified militants were killed in a joint operation in Kupwara district on the LoC. Two infiltrators were also gunned down near the LoC in the Machhil sector on May 3. Dismissing a plea for summoning the witnesses of a criminal case again, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has held that as per the Hindu Marriage Act, the ceremony of Kanyadan is not essential for solemnisation of a Hindu marriage. The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court passed the order recently. (For Representation) Kanyadan ritual refers to the tradition of a father giving his daughter in marriage to a groom, symbolising the transfer of responsibility and care from one family to another. The court said that Section 7 of the Act provides only Saptpadi (taking of seven steps by bridegroom and bride jointly before the sacred fire) as an essential ceremony of a Hindu marriage. The order was passed by Justice Subhash Vidyarthi recently on a criminal revision petition filed by one Ashutosh Yadav, challenging the trial courts order passed in a criminal case by which the trial court had rejected an application moved by the revisionist under section 311 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) for recalling the witnesses. The petitioners counsel submitted that there were some contradictions between the statements given by two witnesses in examination-in-chief and in cross examination, which could only be clarified by re-examination. However, the court noted that discrepancy in the statements of witnesses is no ground for recall of the witnesses under section 311 of CrPC. The court observed that in the impugned order, the trial court had recorded the contention of the revisionist that the marriage certificate filed by the prosecution mentioned that the marriage was solemnised as per Hindu rituals. However, the fact of the Kanyadan ceremony needed to be ascertained and therefore re-examination was needed. The high court said that section 311 of the CrPC empowers the court to summon any witness in case it is essential for a just decision of the case. However, in the present matter, it appeared that witnesses were being sought to be examined to merely prove whether the ceremony of Kanyadan was performed or not, it added. Whether the ceremony of Kanyadan was performed or not, would not be essential for the just decision of the case, the court observed. Therefore, a witness cannot be summoned under Section 311 Cr.P.C. for proving this fact, the court said. With this observation, the court rejected the criminal revision petition. The Raheja Estate Association and Mumbai March, a peoples collective, on Friday delivered their citizens manifesto to Piyush Goyal, minister of commerce and industry and BJP candidate for the Mumbai North constituency comprising Dahisar, Magathane, Borivali, Kandivali, Malad and Goregaon. Raheja estate Association and Mumbai March organized an event with Piyush Goyal to discuss issues on Mumbai infrastructure environment and slum at Borivali on Friday. (Satish Bate/HT) The manifesto highlights concerns regarding environment, infrastructure, and slum rehabilitation. With 17.75 lakh voters, Mumbai North is the largest of the six Lok Sabha constituencies in Mumbai. Gopal Jhaveri from Mumbai March emphasised the pressing issue of neglected slum rehabilitation schemes (SRA), advocating for a model akin to Singapores public housing system. He proposed minimizing the saleable component in slum redevelopment until Mumbai becomes slum free. Jhaveri urged the government to take full responsibility for slum improvement, leveraging available funds from various sources including BMCs fixed deposits, Mhada, central government, and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna. He said state agencies, Mhada or MMRDA should develop 4,000 buildings with 20 lakh flats across 1400 clusters, drawing inspiration from successful models like Singapore. Jhaveri said that under the prevailing SRA scheme only two houses have been constructed in the past 30 years. At this pace, Mumbai will take 230 years to be slum-free. Comprising 40 core members and more than 1,000 volunteers, Mumbai March team has been working on this aspect for the last five years using the Singapore Model and the UN Habitat Report as reference. Adivasi rehabilitation in Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) has also found place in the manifesto. Jhaveri noted that despite residing on 20 acres of land within the park without access to basic amenities like water and electricity, the adivasis are considered trespassers by the high court, though the Supreme Court has issued a stay on their eviction. Additionally, on 320 acres of land, there are conflicts between humans and animals, exacerbated by issues such as plastic pollution, alcohol consumption, noise, and vehicle emissions. Jhaveri proposed collaborating with the forest department to relocate them to 50 acres of land for better organized housing. Mumbai March has underscored the importance of safeguarding an ecologically significant and stressed site to preserve Turzon Hill and lake in Charkop. This place has seen an increase in encroachment post-Covid. This area serves as a habitat for migrating birds, housing numerous reptiles and even the Golden Jackal, he said, demanding that the area should be declared a Mumbai Bird Sanctuary. Dindoshi Hill in Goregaon serves as the origin of the Oshiwara/Valbhat Rivers, but its currently facing encroachment by builders, said Jhaveri. The area is designated as a No Development Zone (NDZ) in the BMC Development Plan of 2014-34 and hosts a population of leopards. Preserving the integrity of this hill is crucial, as any alteration to its landscape could pose a significant flood risk in the future, he added. Avinash Thawani, a Borivali resident and part of Mumbai March, stated that for the past five decades, the city has suffered from critical missing links in its development plans, spanning 1967, 1991, to the latest 2014-34 blueprint. One glaring gap in the infrastructure network is the absence of a vital link from Andheri to Dahisar, encompassing areas such as Kulupwadi, Devipada, Magathane, Siddharth Nagar, Thakur Village, Lokhandwala Kandivali, and Dindoshi Film City. Traffic condition in Mumbai North is a huge mess for citizens on a daily basis. Hope we connect the missing links for better connectivity and traffic solutions, added Thawani. An animal bypass is proposed by Mumbai North residents on the Ahmedabad and Thane Road near Ghodbunder to ensure safe passage for leopards towards the Uttan and Tungreshwar area, thus mitigating the risk of animal accidents on highways. They also demand an out-station bus terminal at Dahisar check Naka on available octroi land. The haphazard parking of buses and the congregation of passengers at various pick-up/drop-off points along Borivali, Malad, Goregaon highway, and SV road are contributing to traffic congestion issues. Furthermore, the unauthorized parking of buses in mangrove areas is not only promoting encroachment but also endangering the mangrove ecosystem and the surrounding forests, stated Jhaveri. At the meeting, Piyush Goyal slamed the Thackerays. We want to make Mumbai North slum free, which will become a model for other constituencies.It is a different matter that Uddhav Thackerays son Aaditya Thackeray tried to politicise the issue of slums from Mumbai North and had alleged the BJP was trying to remove slums and relocate those living in them to faraway salt pan lands. Aaditya ji has no concrete plan or project to speak about.In their 2.5 years stint Metro didnt even take off.Have we heard of even one project being successful during the MVAs tenure? They used to get scared to even get out during the pandemic but we worked even during the lockdown from our office, said the union minister. MUMBAI: The Yellow Gate police have decided to seek help from Pakistan to make a watertight case against the nine Somali pirates arrested by the Indian Navy a week ago. Officials will contact the Pakistani police through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to get statements from the Pakistani crew to support their case against the arrested pirates. A case was registered against the pirates on Wednesday. The Somali pirates hijacked an Iranian fishing vessel, Al Kambar, which had a crew of 23 Pakistani members onboard. The Indian Navy, as a part of its anti-piracy operation on March 29, intercepted the hijacked vessel forced the nine pirates to surrender and rescued the 23 Pakistani nationals. Navy ship Sumedha intercepted the vessel about 90 nautical miles southwest of Socotra. A case was registered against the pirates on Wednesday. The nine Somali pirates are Gelie Jama Farah, 50, Ahmed Bashir Omar, 42, Abdikarin Mohmmad Shire, 34, Adan Hasan Warmase, 44, Mohammed Abdi Ahmed, 34, Abdikadir Mohmmad Ali, 28, Aydid Mohmud Jimale, 30, Said Yasin Adan, 25, and Jama Said Elmi, 18. The Navy, however, allowed the fishermen to proceed with their fishing trip after the rescue operation and brought the surrendered pirates to the city. We will, therefore, write to the central agencies through MEA and Interpol and seek cooperation from Pakistan in this case. The statements of the 23 Pakistani crew or at least a few of them need to be recorded as they are witnesses to make a strong case that can stand legal scrutiny against the nine pirates, said the police officer. They police are in the process of sending a letter to the Pakistani courts to get their statements according to a questionnaire sent by the police. The statement could be used in the trial against the pirates, the officer added. Earlier, the navy rescued 17 crew members onboard Bulgarian-owned merchant vessel M V Ruen and arrested 35 Somali Pirates on March 16, 260 nautical miles from the Garacad Port, Puntland, Somalia. The crew was brought to India to record their statements, apart from Naval officers, as they are crucial witnesses in the case. In previous cases, we have asked foreign nationals to depose via video conferencing in our courts, and thats how we managed to get a conviction, Ranjeet Sangale, former special public prosecutor who represented the state in earlier cases related to foreign nationals, said. We have to be careful and gather sufficient evidence in such cases as it an international matter and is under scrutiny from various other foreign courts, said the police officer. The police said they have got the police custody of the pirates and are questioning them with the help of an interpreter. They have been booked under sections 364A (kidnapping for ransom), 383 (extortion), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 342 (wrongful confinement for ten or more days), 307 (attempt to murder), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and under sections of the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, 2022 and Indian Arms Act. Pinning their sights on 13 Lok Sabha seats in western Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will hold Prime Minister Narendra Modis roadshow in Ghaziabad on Saturday evening. Ongoing preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's road show in Ghaziabad to be held on Saturday. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo) The BJP has fielded sitting MLA Atul Garg as their candidate from Ghaziabad and his nomination was accepted after scrutiny on Friday. Ghaziabad will go to polls on April 26, in the second phase of 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This time, BJP has started its campaigning early in Ghaziabad and have already brought in star campaigners such as Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Union defence minister Rajnath Singh to hold meetings and rallies in Ghaziabad. While Adityanath held a prabuddh sammelan (intellectuals meet) in Ghaziabad on March 27, Singh held a rally at Ghanta Ghar Ramlila Ground on April 3. Modis roadshow on Saturday is scheduled to cover about 800 metres of Ambedkar Road, from Maliwara to Chaudhary Morh, along which is located several major markets, residential colonies, offices and commercial establishments. According to BJP office-bearers, the roadshow will have a positive impact on 13 seats in western Uttar Pradesh. The roadshow by the PM will have an impact on 13 seats in western Uttar Pradesh. These include Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Meerut, and Baghpat, among others. The roadshow will enthuse party workers and motivate them to secure a thumping win for our candidates, said Chandra Mohan, spokesperson BJP (Uttar Pradesh). Sources in the party, however, admitted that problems exist in seats such as Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Baghpat and Meerut owing to varying caste equations and denial of tickets to certain candidates who had good chances of winning. Reacting to the proposed rally by Modi, Congress office-bearers said by bringing in its top leaders so early in campaigning, the BJP is admitting that something is amiss in the Ghaziabad seat. The BJP is bringing in its top leaders in the initial stage as they have sensed that all is not well in Ghaziabad and they are apprehensive about losing that seat. So, their top leaders are coming in to set right things. If eventually they lose the seat, the candidates will be held accountable and not the leadership, said Vinit Tyagi, district president, Congress. All these tactics will not affect our chances as our candidate is strong and has support of INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc partners, Tyagi said. The Ghaziabad seat is considered a BJP bastion, political experts said. Rajnath Singh won the seat in 2009 while Gen VK Singh (retired) emerged winner in 2014 and 2019. He was denied a ticket this time in favour of Garg. BJP office-bearers said Ambedkar Road is being readied for the roadshow with fresh paint on central verges, and shifting of electricity poles from the roadside. The Ghaziabad police said a multilayered security has been put in place on Ambedkar Road for Modis roadshow. The police did not reveal the figure of deployment but it is estimated that around 6,000 personnel will be deployed on duty on Saturday. We have deployed security persons on ground as well as on rooftops. The public will have to go through security checks before entering the roadshow route and they will given an armband to indicate that they have cleared checks. The traffic police has also announced elaborate traffic diversions and restrictions will be in place from noon till the end of the roadshow, said Dinesh Kumar P, additional commissioner of police. According to traffic advisory, the movement of heavy and commercial vehicles will be restricted on seven major point from 1pm on Saturday till the end of the programme. The movement of roadways/private/city buses will be restricted on these seven points from 2pm onwards. The movement of private two-wheeler/four-wheeler vehicles will be restricted from 3pm onwards on 14 major road stretches, officials said. The 14 points include: Rakesh Marg to Chaudhary Morh;Lohia Nagar Tiraha to Old Bus Stand; RDC Bridge Hapur Chungi Side to Old bus stand; Sihani Gate Police Station to Old Bus Stand; Ghukna Mode to Meerut Tiraha Siddharth Vihar intersection to Meerut Tiraha; Basant Chowk to Maliwara Chowk; Ramte Ram Road to Maliwara Chowk; Ramte Ram Road to Chaudhary Mode/Ghantaghar; Gaushala to Dudhevshranath Temple; Vijaynagar Dhobi Ghat Railway Bridge to Chaudhary Morh; Meerut Tiraha U-turn to Hapur Tiraha; Nandgram Tiraha to Meerut Tiraha and Rotary Roundabout to Hindon River Metro station. Three suspected Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarhs Bijapur district bordering Telangana on Saturday, a senior police official said. Police said the identities of the deceased Maoists are yet to be ascertained and combing operation of the forest is going on. (Representative Image) Police said that the encounter took place in Pujari Kanker forest along the interstate border when a team of Greyhounds, Telanganas elite anti-Naxal force, was out on an operation. The identities of the Maoists are yet to be ascertained and combing operation of the forest is going on. A team of Chhattisgarh police was also present in the area to extend auxiliary support to the Greyhounds team, he said. Three Maoists were killed in the gunfight and an AK -47 was also recovered from the spot. The teams of both the states are still in the forest and more details are awaited, said the official. Earlier this week, at least 13 Maoists including three women were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarhs Bijapur district. On Friday, the Chhattisgarh police claimed to have killed a Maoist in an encounter with security forces in Dantewada. With the latest incident, the number of Maoists killed in separate encounters in the seven districts in Bastar region this year has reached 50. In the last one week, 23 suspected Maoists were killed in encounters in Sukma, Bijapur and Dantewada. To address the concerns of students preparing for competitive examinations in the state, there is a need to find a mechanism which can be an apolitical forum with the support of aspirants, said veteran politician Sharad Pawar on Saturday. Sharad Pawar was interacting with youth on various issues, including those faced by those preparing for Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC), police and other competitive examinations, followed by question-answer session with the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief in the city on Saturday. (Mahendra Kolhe/ HT PHOTO) Pawar was interacting with youth on various issues, including those faced by those preparing for Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC), police and other competitive examinations, followed by question-answer session with the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief in the city on Saturday. There is a need to set up a non-political forum to address issues faced by those preparing for competitive exams. I am ready to be a part of the mechanism that should help students to sort out legal and valid problems without any political influence, he said. The NCP (SCP) chief said that the contract recruitment in government departments must stop and seats in government jobs through competitive exams should be increased. The government must take steps to address problems of students who are putting in a lot of hard work to better their future with job security. Prime minister Narendra Modi promised two crore jobs per year, but only seven lakh youth have got jobs. There is a need to reduce corruption, develop social institutions and build factories, he said, at the Aswasth Tarunai Ashwaasak Saheb event at Balgandharva auditorium. During the question-answer session at the event, he told one student that there must be a struggle if the Union and state governments do not listen to their woes. Asked about the role of women in politics and decision making, he said women can excel in every sector if given the opportunity. SP Jain School of Global Management (SP Jain Global), an Australian business school, announced that the graduating class of 2023 from its Bachelor of Data Science (BDS) program secured a 100% placement rate. The highest offered salary was AUD 126,200 and an average salary of AUD 82,955 was offered to the placed students. The batch size of the graduating class of 2023 was 35.(Handout) According to a press release by SP Jain Global, the institute has achieved a 100% placement rate for the second consecutive year. The highest offered salary was AUD 126,200 and an average salary of AUD 82,955 was offered to the placed students. The batch size of the graduating class of 2023 was 35. Among the top industries actively involved in the hiring process were consulting (29%), telecommunication (14%), and real estate (14%). Noteworthy recruiters include organisations such as Woolworths Group, TPG Telecom, Greenstone Financials, Rassure, Resonate Solutions, and many others, mentioned the press release. 'The consistent 100% placement rate for our program demonstrates the exceptional calibre of our students and the relevance of our curriculum in meeting the demands of today's data-driven industries. We are committed to providing a comprehensive education that not only equips students with technical skills but also fosters critical thinking and problem-solving abilities essential for success in the rapidly evolving field of data science," said Abhijit Dasgupta, Director of the BDS program at SP Jain Global. In addition to securing full-time positions, students also secured internships at organisations worldwide, including IIT Bombay, Pharmasea, TAT Capital (Sydney), Delicat Fashion (Vietnam), Metaworld, Jio Digital, Elevated Play Philippines, Inc, Geneva Capital Pte (Singapore), TalentEase, and St Trinity, among others, informed SP Jain Global. The BDS program at SP Jain is a three-year undergraduate course designed to equip students with the necessary skills to thrive in the data-driven landscape. Open to Grade XII students, the program looks out for students with a strong aptitude for mathematics and science. 'The BDS program not only honed my technical prowess but also shaped me into a well-rounded professional. The faculty and professional readiness team offered tailored support through mock interviews, workshops, and real-world projects. These resources instilled a deeper understanding of industry dynamics and professional etiquette in me. SP Jain Globals immersive curriculum and personalised guidance boosted my confidence and provided practical insights that directly contributed to my success in securing a full-time position at TPG Telecom post-graduation," said Prakruti Makwana, a graduate of the class of 2023. For more information, visit the official website. 'I am a private person' When asked if bought Sushant's sea-facing house or not, Adah said, For now I would just like to say that I live in everyones hearts. There is a right time to speak. When I had gone to see the place, I got a little overwhelmed with the media attention. I am a private person. I love being in the public eye for my movies, but I have always been private. I guard my privacy. The actor also said, "I also thought that its wrong to talk about someone who is not in this world, who has done such beautiful films. I dont stand for that. He is an actor who I have great respect for so I would like to put everything where he has his respect... I dont like people loosely commenting I didnt like it. I read some comments about him. I mean, you can troll me but dont troll someone who is not there or doesnt have someone to speak about them. I will speak about where I live materialistically soon, but right now I am living in the hearts of millions of people, rent-free. The old living room featured Sushant's much loved telescope through which he'd see his beloved stars, planets and constellations. Buzz around Adah buying the property In August 2023, after a paparazzo posted that Adah was buying the flat in Mont Blanc Apartments, in which Sushant used to live, TellyChakkar said in a report that it had contacted Adahs team and got a confirmation that the news was true. It is not known yet, if and when Adah moved into the apartment. More about the home Sushant reportedly rented the apartment in December 2019 for 4.5 lakh per month. It is a duplex and spans over 3,600-sq ft, with a huge hall sprawling across the lower floor and three bedrooms on the floor above. Entertainment! Entertainment! Entertainment! Click to follow our Whatsapp Channel Your daily dose of gossip, films, shows, celebrities updates all in one place NOKWANE UEDF Army Commander, Hulumende Moses Mashikilisane )Fakudze says they are ready for another civil unrest should there be one in future. He says traditional and non-traditional national security threats have inspired the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) to stay combat ready. This was revealed by the army commander during the 51st Army Day celebration which was held at the Army Headquarters at Nokwane yesterday. Fakudze welcomed the Commander-in-Chief, His Majesty King Mswati III, on behalf of the general command staff, officers and members of the UEDF. On his personal capacity, the commander took the opportunity to welcome Their Majesties and distinguished guests who joined the UEDF in celebration of the armys 51 years since it was established. He further extended a warm welcome to the Queen Mother Indlovukazi for gracing the occasion with her presence as well as Emakhosikati. Guests Fakudze also recognised His Majestys, special guests and African statesman who were in their midst. The army commander shared that the theme for the 51st Army Day was titled UEDF transformation, a strategic approach to combat readiness. The selection of this theme has been informed by traditional and non-traditional security threats which have direct and indirect ramifications to the Kingdom of Eswatinis national defence and security environment, said the commander. The commander said consequently, the traditional and global security threats have challenged the defence force to initiate robust reforms in a quest to militate against the volatilities. He outlined that the mitigations included strategic policy and legislative reforms, deployment of defence attaches, adaptation of training and weaponry systems in line with the ever changing nature of warfare, as well as accelerated training and education in cyber security. He said the reforms were intended to re-shape the UEDF into a versatile, effective and efficient military establishment that would be a force to be reckoned with internally, regionally and internationally, particularly with regards to national defence, law enforcement and peace support operations. He jokingly said that was how far his English could take him and reverted to siSwati, much to the amusement of their Majesties and all attendees. Lwandlolukhulu, siphela lapho singisi silo sikhulu nami lebengisilungisile wena waphakathi, he said. He acknowledged that he was not the main speaker in the event as the army was eagerly waiting for His Majestys remarks. He stated that his main task was to introduce His Majesty the King. He, however, took the opportunity to thank the King and recalled that since the last Army Day, where the King announced promotions meant to fill vacant posts, which he said was of great encouragement to the army. Base Elaborating, the commander thanked the King for his recent visit to where he also cut the sod for a new army base. He further thanked the ministry of defence, government for their collaborative effort in assisting the army with the necessary resources to execute their mandate of ensuring national defence. Fakudze also thanked the King and the Prime Minister, Russell Mmiso Dlamini, who was the then National Disaster Management Agency, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for taking then time to visit the army personnel who were injured during the unprecedented civil unrest. The commander also thanked the Deputy Prime Minister Thuli Dladla who visited families of the deceased army personnel who were casualties during the civil unrest. This has given us encouragement and assurance that His Majesty the King had their welfare at heart no matter the situations they may face and knowing that their families would be looked after even if we lose our lives in defence of the nation, he said. Raveena Tandon took her Instagram on Friday to share a glimpse of her recent trip to Singapore with her daughter, Rasha Thadani. The mother-daughter duo spent quality time at a Taylor Swift concert last month, pictures and videos of which she shared online. (Also Read: Raveena Tandon on Mumbai chowk renamed after dad Ravi Tandon: He may not be in the spotlight, his influence can be felt) Raveena Tandon and Rasha Thadani attended Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour in Singapore Raveena Tandons post Raveenas post contained numerous throwback pictures and videos of her and Rasha having a ball at The Eras Tour in Singapore. Sharing them she wrote, Just mom daughter things. My girls, BFFs. @taylorswift The Eras Tour Singapore by @rashathadani. In the videos, they can be seen dancing along to Taylors songs. One of the videos also show Rasha singing along to Love Story and Raveena cant help but kiss her. She also shared clips of Taylor performing to some of her hits through the years. Rashas birthday Rasha celebrated her 19th birthday with her family and friends two weeks ago. She shared a glimpse of the celebrations on Instagram, which consisted of chocolate cake, purple and gold balloons and more. In one of the pictures she shared, Raveena and her husband Anil can be seen all smiles as she cuts the cake. She also shared pictures clicked with some of her closest friends, apart from a video of her friends singing her happy birthday as she cuts another cake with a bunch of roses by her side. Upcoming work Raveena was last seen in the legal drama Patna Shuklla and crime drama Karmma Calling, both of which released on Disney+ Hotstar. She will soon be seen in Welcome to the Jungle, a stand-alone sequel to the 2007 film Welcome. Ghudchadi is also a project shes shooting for. Rasha graduated from Dhirubai Ambani International School and is yet to make her Bollywood debut. She will star with Aaman Devgan in Abhishek Kapoors upcoming production. The film is expected to release sometime this year. Entertainment! Entertainment! Entertainment! Click to follow our Whatsapp Channel Your daily dose of gossip, films, shows, celebrities updates all in one place Paramount+ series 1923's young actor Cole Brings Plenty has been found dead in a mysterious condition at the age of 27, following his missing earlier this week. Yellowstone actor Mo Brings Plentys nephew Cole Brings Plenty (pictured) found dead on Friday night. (Lawrence Police Department) The sheriffs office in Johnson County, Kansas, confirmed the news following the discovery of his body. On Friday, Lawrence Police Department received a report of an abandoned vehicle on Homestead Lane around 11:45 a.m. Their search led them to a nearby wooded area, where they found the body of a deceased male, later identified as Cole Brings Plenty. Although the cause of death is not clear yet, the sheriffs office has hinted that the investigation is still in motion. ALSO READ| Yellowstone actor Mo Brings Plentys nephew goes missing, named suspect in domestic violence case hours later Earlier in the week, Cole had been reported missing, by his uncle, Mo Brings Plenty, the Yellowstone star. He also posted on Instagram to seek public assistance in locating his nephew. ColeBringsPlenty drives a white Ford Explorer, last seen March 31st leaving the Lawrence area, the post read. What happened on March 31st night? The 1923 actor's sudden disappearance is not so sudden. On March 31, LPD received a 911 call of domestic violence. Officers have arrived at an apartment complex after a report of a woman screaming. Although the suspect had fled the scene by the time authorities arrived, traffic cameras captured Cole driving away. LPD issued a warrant for his arrest. Weve identified him as the suspect, have probable cause for his arrest, and issued an alert to area agencies, LPD wrote in a statement. The LPD has poured its support for the family and the ongoing investigation in Johnson County. Mo mourns his loss Mo had been grieved by the loss, shared his sorrow on social media, stating, I am deeply saddened to confirm that my son, Cole, has been found and is no longer with us. We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone for the prayers and positive thoughts you sent for Cole. We would also like to thank everyone who came to walk beside us as we searched for my son and provided the resources we needed to expand our search areas. I learned this week how many people knew the goodness in Coles heart and loved him. ALSO READ| Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu movie will release on this date During this incredibly difficult time, we ask for privacy as we process our grief and figure out how we move forward. Please know we appreciate you and appreciate your understanding, the post further read. Cole Brings Plentys career included appearances in two episodes of 1923 and roles in Into the Wild Frontier and The Tall Tales of Jim Bridger. War of the Exes! Brad Pitt's lawyers hit back at Angelina Jolie hours after she levelled up abuse claims against the actor. The French winery case is intensifying with each court ruling. The latest ruling was disappointing for Jolie but gave Pitt an upper hand to challenge his ex for not honouring the "first refusal" agreement. A source close to Brad Pitt dismisses Angelina Jolies new claims of past abuse as a misdirection and distraction amid the unfolding legal dispute at Chateau Miraval. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were together for over 12 years. (Image Credit: Alan Davidson/Shutterstock)(Shutterstock) Brad Pitts lawyers hit back at Angelina Jolie after abuse claims On April 5, lawyers representing Brad Pitt, aged 60, filed a motion in court demanding that Angelina Jolie disclose the number of gag orders or confidentiality agreements she has required her staff to sign. This demand came after Jolie claimed that Pitt had physically abused her and their children before 2016 and that it was part of a disturbing pattern. Also read: Angelina Jolie exposes Brad Pitt's alleged physical abuse began before 2016 plane incident In addition to the allegations of physical abuse, Jolie's legal team claims that Pitt prohibited her from selling her shares in the winery until she signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Now, Pitt's lawyers aim to prove that the NDA that Pitt asked for was not more restrictive than the NDA Jolie routinely asks other people to sign. For example, if Jolie conditioned her continued employment of an individual on that individuals agreement to an NDA covering what they witnessed in her home including her treatment of her children and Pitt that would be highly probative of whether she truly believed the provision requested by Pitt was an unconscionable gag order, Pitt's lawyer wrote in the court filing obtained by People. According to the Moneyball lawyers, within six months after Jolie sold her Miraval shares, her lawyer proposed a more comprehensive mutual nondisparagement agreement to Pitt during the divorce proceedings. Also read: Ashton Kutcher on alert for subpoena in 'Diddy' probe after hinting at secrets in resurfaced video: Report 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 couples children. To the extent that Jolie requested this third partys silence about her family or homelife, particularly in a circumstance where there was no business justification, it would speak volumes about whether Jolie actually viewed Pitts requested NDA, which was linked to the Miraval business, as the deal-ender she subsequently alleged it to be. The filing read further. Brad Pitt's source opens up on pre-2016 physical abuse On April 4th, Jolie's legal team accused Pitt of physically abusing the actress in a disturbing pattern before the 2016 plane incident. In response, a source close to Pitt stated, "This case isnt about what took place on a plane in 2016. Its about whether they had an agreement not to sell their interests in the winery and family home without the others consent. Thats what Brad and his team are focused on. Dev Patel is known for pushing the boundaries with experimental cinema. The actor has always gone out of his comfort zone to portray versatile characters. As he makes his directorial debut with Monkey Man, cinephiles are mesmerised with his artistry. X was full of praise about Dev's acting skills and engaging direction in the action-thriller. Yet, some viewers also gave mixed reactions on the plot and pacing of the film. (Also read: Will there be a sequel to Monkey Man? Here's what Dev Patel has to say) Dev Patel's Monkey Man is being hailed for its cinematic appeal. Dev Patel's Monkey Man praised for great performances A user lauded Dev for his acting prowess and direction style and tweeted, #MonkeyMan A high stakes, immersive film that doesnt hold back. Patel showcases a great performance but also an action packed directorial debut. Definitely worth the watch. #moviereview #harryatthemovies. Another netizen wrote, Fair play, Dev. That was one helluva directorial debut, bit of Ong Bak, bit of @Timobros and a whole lot of great. #MonkeyMan. Netizens compare Monkey Man to 80s Bollywood While some movie buffs were not very pleased with the story, others compared it to 80s Bollywood action films. A fan lauded the action and filmmaking of Monkey Man and opined, #MonkeyMan is raw & gritty filmmaking in the best way. The story is a little messy, but the high-octane action & cultural immersion work together beautifully to make this film engaging & utterly satisfying. Patels passion couldnt be more evident. A clear favorite of 24 so far. Another person pointed out that Dev's India shown in the film is unrecognizable and tweeted, #MonkeyMan Review : Dev Patels revenge story feels like 1980s Bollywood movies plot with bad cops serving a villainous Godman. His India is unrecognizable. The camerawork is terrible. Dev proved himself as action star but not as a director or a writer. Monkey Man also features Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikandar Kher, Sobhita Dhulipala, Ashwini Kalsekar, Aditi Kalkunthe and Makarand Deshpande in crucial roles. The movie hit the screens worldwide on March 11, 2024. However, its India release has been postponed. Entertainment! Entertainment! Entertainment! Click to follow our Whatsapp Channel Your daily dose of gossip, films, shows, celebrities updates all in one place It looks like Vignesh Shivan and Nayanthara are on a trip to the latters hometown in Kerala. In a video shared by Vignesh on Instagram Stories, they can be seen out and about in the city at night, with their friends, having ice cream. (Also Read: Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivn share a romanic moment as they attend Saudi Arabia Grand Prix together. See pics) Nayanthara and Vignesh went out for some ice cream with their friends Vigneshs video Vignesh shared a video of Nayanthara and a couple of their friends taken on the streets of Kochi. In the video, he first zooms in on a jewellery ad featuring Nayanthara. Then he shows her friends pretending to be her fans and admiring it from a distance. They say they wish they could meet her in person. He then turns the frame to Nayanthara, who eats ice cream and stands beside them. Her friends pretend to be overjoyed and shocked at seeing her there. However, they soon break character and start giggling when she pretends to hit them. Fans reshared the video on X, pumped to see the actor spending time with her friends. Vigneshs recent trip Vignesh was away from home recently to shoot for Love Insurance Company with Pradeep Ranganathan of Love Today fame in Singapore and Malaysia. Sharing pictures of his twins and Nayanthara once he got back home, he wrote, Getting back home to my Uyirs & Ulagams after an unforgettable shooting experience in Singapore & Malaysia! Cant wait to embrace and take in all the love thats been waiting at home for weeks together. Nayanthara also shared a picture of her and the twins embracing Shivan, writing, Cant explain how we three felt when we saw u after a long 20 days of schedule! We really missed you! I Love you my everything. Upcoming work Vignesh was supposed to work with Ajith Kumar but the actor backed out of the project before it was officially launched. The makers wanted to change the script, leading to the film being shelved. Nayanthara was last seen in the film Annapoorani in 2023 which ran into controversy after its OTT release. She recently wrapped up shooting for Test and is currently shooting for Mannangatti Since 1960. Entertainment! Entertainment! Entertainment! Click to follow our Whatsapp Channel Your daily dose of gossip, films, shows, celebrities updates all in one place The Circle Season 6: Netflix is soon going to release the much-awaited 6th season of its popular reality series, The Circle. The upcoming season will feature 11 contestants, out of which three will be stars posing as someone else. Interestingly, this season will also have an AI twist. It remains to be seen whether the metal menace will outsmart us all or if the humans will continue to reign supreme. The Circle Season 6: Release date, Netflix unveils contestants with AI twist, trailer, cash prize, more(Netflix) The Circle season 6 release date The first four new episodes of Season 6 of The Circle will be released on April 17, and four new episodes will be released each Wednesday leading up to the May 8 season finale. Also read: Like father, like son: Christian Combs accused of sexual assault on yacht charted by Sean Combs The Circle season 6 contestants Exciting news - this season we have 11 contestants vying for a cash prize! And guess what? Some of them have some really interesting secrets that they're keeping under wraps. Want to check them out? Brandon (Catfishing as Olivia) Caress (Catfishing as Paul) A.I. robot (Catfishing as Max) Contestants Autumn aged 21; Murfreesboro, Tennessee Jordan aged 24; Austin, Texas Quori-Tyler aged 26; Los Angeles Lauren aged 26; Philadelphia Cassie aged 29; Manchester, Kentucky Myles aged 29; Los Angeles Kyle aged 31; Miami Brandon aged 34; Columbus, Ohio Steffi aged 35; Redondo Beach, California Caress aged 37; Dallas Also read: Content Warning: All about new horror game that can make you go viral The Circle season 6 cash prize Status and strategy collide in this social experiment and competition show where online players flirt, befriend and catfish their way toward $100,000. Via Netflix. Is there any trailer for The Circle season 6 Yes! New city. New twists. Same game. Catfish, connections and chaos await as new influencers enter the chat and compete for a huge cash prize. What is the AI twist in The Circle season 6? Netflix, like many other industries, is incorporating artificial technology to stay ahead. The Circle, one of Netflix's popular shows, is coming back for its sixth season with a fresh AI twist. MAX, the new addition to the show, will be one of the catfish. The robot has analysed past seasons and used previous competitors as inspiration to make the perfect profile as described by Netflix. This makes MAX a social media magnet for the rest of the players who do not initially know that an AI bot is among them. New Delhi, A shooting of a web series on the 'Emergency period in India' in the Jawaharlal Nehru University here was disrupted by the varsity's students' union on Saturday, even as the administration said that it has granted permission for the shooting to take place on campus premises. HT Image The JNUSU objected to the shooting of the web series on campus at the administration block, terming it as "commercialisation" of the university space and demanded to know why permission was granted to film at the administration block when students are barred from protesting at the site. Nearly 500 crew members have been stationed on campus for the past two days setting up production facilities to shoot the web series on the Emergency period in India, a senior official told PTI. "The JNUSU has illegally obstructed and also tried to force film director Sudhir Mishra out of the JNU campus. The film director has taken due permission from the JNU authority to shoot a web series on the emergency period in India," the official said. Speaking to PTI, production manager of the web series Amar alleged, "A large group of students assembled and started disrupting while we were filming a scene near the administration block. They also hackled the director Sudhir Mishra and hurled abusive words against our team. We were forced to stop the shooting." An immediate reaction was not available from Mishra on the allegation. According to the production manager, the director tried to hold dialogue with the opposing students and convince them that the web series was not against the varsity. However, the students continued to disrupt the shooting. Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president Dhananjay denied the claim and said, "We are not against the web series or its team. But we won't allow any kind of commercialisation to take place on campus," he told PTI demanding the administration to return to money taken for allowing the shooting. Earlier in the day, the students' body had written to the varsity administration opposing the web series shooting at the administration block on the campus. In an email to the JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit, the students union demanded to know why the shooting was allowed within 100 metre radius of the administration block while the students are barred from entering the space to stage protests. "We have come to know that a shooting of a film by Sudhir Mishra is happening at the administration block. It is appalling to know that it is the same place where students aren't allowed to gather for raising their rightful demands," the email read further stating that action is taken against students if they try to hold protests at the site. "We have been opposed to the commercialisation of our university space. This is a public university and this space should not be used for any kind of commercial purpose," it further read. The students' body demanded to know why the team was granted permission to gather students for shooting, claiming that it was involving students in the shooting of the web series. The students body also demanded to know details of the monetary transaction with the administration for the shooting. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Actor Rajniesh Duggal was on a shooting spree since the pandemic and has had multiple releases as well. Now, however, hes cautious about signing new projects in a bid to leap forward. Rajniesh Duggal during his recent visit to Lucknow(Deep Saxena/HT) Its tough for me to sit and wait as I have been working back-to-back. In the last four years, Ive done many projects, he says. Sirf dosti mein, sharaf mein aur sambhando ke khaatir kaam nahin karna hai ab. I dont want to make a wrong choice and regret it later. I have realised that to make a big leap I must take a step back, says the actor whos visiting Lucknow. The actor explains: After the shoot, if a project does not release or is extremely delayed, or is streamed on a platform where it does not reach masses, then theres no point. Release ho aur pata hi na is a very dangerous space. It does no good, rather dents ones career. So, I am careful about signing new projects and cautiously gauging all factors, including production aspects. He is waiting for his big-ticket projects to come out. Its important that the projects get a good release and they do well. Thats the reason why I am slowing down a bit and waiting for projects such as the second season of Inspector Avinash and my international project Postcard, which I shot in Nigeria and will have a global release. Besides, I have completed Ghost Thesis, feature film Bagawat, and murder-mystery web series Happy Birthday of which we have already shot two seasons. The actor adds: I see myself doing better in a different league. So I am not restricting myself to English, Hindi, Punjabi or anything. People know me more for my hit films 1920 (2008) and Ek Paheli Leela (2015) or as a winner of Khatron Ki Khiladi-7 (2015) and the Mr India (2003) title. I want to be known for my recent work. Thankfully, Inspector Avinash (2023) and Video Cam Scam gave me that high and I want to build upon that. His last OTT release (VCS) will soon get a second season. The response is very good and it has crossed 200 million views in over a month. We will soon shoot the second season as well. We will start the shooting of a social-drama film, Jagriti, after the elections in Lucknow, he says on a signing-off note. Actor Rohit Bose Roy recently put an Instagram story regarding the constant nepotism debate in the industry, calling it useless. Talking to us about the same, he shares, There is no particular incident that triggered my post, Roy states, adding, Its just that every time you hear stories and read stuff about a few actors who are related to people in the industry, its just a useless argument and a waste of time. Nothing is wrong with nepotism. Rohit Bose Roy on his Instagram Story Tomorrow, if a businessmans son wants to take over his fathers business, isnt he most welcome? Will the businessman go and look for his neighbors son to groom and take over his business? Its always easier within any industry, Roy questions. The actor argues that the focus on nepotism detracts from acknowledging the hard work put in by individuals, regardless of their lineage. When people talk about nepotism, they are taking away from the hard work that a boy/girl is putting in, only because they are a son or daughter of an actor, director, etc. That really is irritating, the 55-year-old emphasises. Roy also emphasises that nepotism, in his opinion, is not inherently negative and criticized the lack of resolution in the ongoing debate. The nepotism debate is useless because it has no head or tail, he asserts. What are you debating? These discussions are only put forward by people who are disgruntled. Nepotism was never meant to be a negative word. If no conclusion is ever going to come out of the debate, isnt it useless? While acknowledging the advantage nepotism may afford individuals, he says that talent should ultimately prevail. Of course, they have an edge to enter the industry. They know people, people know them. But, its always beneficial to both sides. Today, if a producer wants to launch a kid, and a kid already has weight, reception, and popularity among the audience, why would he not take him? Roy concludes by suggesting that instead of perpetuating the debate, efforts should be made to create opportunities for outsiders. Keep the debate going only if you can get to a conclusion or solution. Make a platform or something for outsiders and then open your mouth, he ends. A 14-year-old boy is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Delhi after he was allegedly beaten up at the school premises by his classmates, who in a bid to assault him also brutalised him with a wooden stick, police officials said on Saturday. The Delhi police filed an FIR in the case on April 2. (ANI) The main accused in the gruesome case, which has sparked protests and demonstrations, has been apprehended, the officials said. The assault came to light on April 2, when the New Ashok Nagar police station received information from a private hospital about the admission of minor assault victim, deputy commissioner of police (east) Apoorva Gupta said. Upon reaching the hospital, the officials were informed that the boy sustained injuries not only to his private parts but also his intestines, Gupta said. The victim told investigators that he was beaten up by one of his classmates who inserted a wooden stick in his posterior, the officer said, adding that the accused threatened to harm his sister, who studies at the same school, if the boy informed anyone. ALSO READ- Delhi woman's body found in almirah, live-in partner booked A case was filed on April 2 under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), 34 (criminal act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 377 (unnatural offences), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Pocso Act, and the main accused, a 14-year-old boy, was apprehended the same day, Gupta said. The first information report (FIR) filed on the basis of a complaint by boys family revealed the boys ordeal. After an exam on March 13, the boy thumped the table in the classroom to which the class monitor objected, the FIR said quoting the boy. We had an argument over this and the monitor called his friend (accused) to continue the argument. During lunch time, the monitors friend called a few of his friends and they all beat me up. My friends saw this and informed the teacher who called us all and the matter was resolved, it said. HT has seen a copy of the FIR. On March 18, the day of the last exam for the class, the accused told the victim that their PT teacher was looking for him. I couldnt find the teacher, so I started walking back from the senior wing to the middle wing but my classmate (who had beaten him on March 13) and his senior friends pulled me to a corner. They all beat me up after which my classmate asked his senior friends to go and said I will deal with him myself, the boy told police. According to the FIR, the accused then tried to rip his clothes, and then assaulted him with a wooden stick. I shouted, but there was no one around so no one came. He left and threatened me not to tell anyone, otherwise he will not spare me and my sister who studies in class 10, the boy told the police. Two days later, the boy developed a stomach ache. His mother rushed him to a doctor who prescribed him pain medication, the FIR quoted the boy as saying. By March 28, the boys condition worsened and he was taken to a private hospital in Noida. The next day, the boy was operated upon during which his appendix was removed, and injuries to his intestines were revealed, the FIR said. ALSO READ- Anand Mahindra offers job to UP girl who foiled monkey attack using Alexa Following the surgery, the doctors informed the boys mother of the assault, it said. On April 2, he finally narrated his ordeal to his mother. It was the doctors who told us that we had to inform the police, the boys 29-year-old sister said. The boy lives with his mother and two sisters in Mayur Vihar. His father died after suffering a brain haemorrhage in 2020. While the boy is being counselled, a probe into the case is underway, DCP Gupta said. The minor was apprehended and immediately produced before the juvenile justice board, she said. But the victims family has demanded the accused be booked for attempt to murder and tried as an adult. If he had the brains to plan and pull off such a gruesome crime, why should he be considered a minor? the boys sister asked. This is an attempt to murder, not just assault. The classmate needs to be booked for attempt to murder, the sister said, adding that he may need another surgery. The boys family has also demanded that other students who beat him up, and the class monitor who allegedly provoked the incident should be apprehended at the earliest. Those who beat my brother are all out there and they are a threat to other students. They should be held by police as well, the 29-year-old said. ALSO READ- Divorce by mutual consent: Wife who waives right to maintenance not entitled to it later, says HC The family, along with their neighbours and parents of other students, staged a demonstration at the school on Saturday. The principal was not available. We asked the teachers who were present about his address or phone number but they didnt share. The teachers have been denying that the incident did not happen inside the school but why would my brother lie just about the place of occurrence? No one from the school came to meet us, the sister said. The school could not be reached for comment. NOKWANE - Former Army Commander Jeffery Shabalala was turned back at the Army Day for wearing his full army uniform. Shabalala was turned back at the main gate while travelling with his family, where he was informed that there was an order barring him from entering the army premises if he came wearing his uniform. However, that was not the case during the 2023 Army Day celebrations, where the former commander was granted entrance in his full army regalia. He obeyed and later returned and took part in the event after he had changed his uniform into a suit. Shabalala served the country as a commander of the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF), where he was in charge of military operations, defence and intelligence, among his many duties. The former commander who was dully invited, came to the army event fully clad in his red army uniform, where he was forced to return home and change into a suit for him to be granted access to the event. This was confirmed by Shabalala, who said he was forced to return home in Mbabane to change before he was allowed to enter. Yes it is true that I was turned back and I had to return home to wear a suit, while the other former security forces chiefs were granted access. I was the only one who was turned back much to my surprise, he said. Explaination Shabalala said he was not privy to the reason behind the action and was still waiting for an explanation from the army. He relayed that he was only informed that he should not enter unless he was wearing a suit. The former commander said he was inconvenienced by the incident because when he returned he found His Majesty the King halfway through his speech, much to his disappointment. When asked on whether he was given a reason for the actions, he said it was best to drop the matter for now and wait for the official explanation from the army. Pertaining to questions on what had changed since the last army day, where he was granted access without a problem; Shabalala said the army would be in a better position to respond as he was also in the dark. He further confirmed that when he returned, he was allowed to enter and be part of the celebrations. The army has, however, stated that they were not aware of the incident. When questioned on what informed the decision to turn back the former commander and whether this was an official decision from the army, UEDF Public Affairs Officer, 2nd Lieutenant Tengetile Khumalo said the UEDF was not aware of the alleged incident. Sources close to the matter also relayed that Shabalala was with his children when the incident happened. He came to the event with his children wearing his red army uniform and he was turned back. He was informed that he had resigned from the army and he did not deserve to wear the uniform, said the source. This publication gathered that there was an alleged command from the top brass that the former army commander should not be allowed to set foot in the army headquarters while in uniform. Medals Shabalala was informed that if he wanted to be part of the event, he should come wearing a suit but not an army uniform. It was shared that the former army commander adhered to the command and went to change and returned wearing a suit with all his medals pinned on and he was allowed to enter the army headquarters. The source revealed that as much as Shabalala was caught off guard, he did not cause a scene but complied with the said order despite the fact that he was informed by junior officers, who said they had been given a direct order and had to execute it. The source further revealed that the former army commander was dully invited and had the invitation card. However, the source revealed that they were not privy to the identity of the person who invited Shabalala. Meanwhile, former Army Commander Sobantu Dlamini, who was fully clad in his uniform arrived at the event in a jolly mood in the company of former National Commissioner of Police and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Edgar Hillary. Of note, Shabalala resigned from the army on August 23, 2021. He announced his own resignation during a press conference held at the army headquarters at Nokwane. Of note, two years after his resignation, the former army commander was appointed as FESBC head of safety and security, which raised eyebrows and a lot of questions on whether retired army personnel needed clearance to be part of such an organisation. The Federation of Eswatini Business Community (FESBC) is a private sector employer organisation, which coordinates cooperation between business, government and the international community. His appointment came at a time when the federation was embroiled in a dispute with a number of large companies in the country over alleged unfair business practices. In a previous interview with our sister publication the Times of Eswatini, Shabalala said he was still a soldier and he did not need clearance from any structure to undertake his duties as head of FESBCs safety and security portfolio. He said a soldier does not retire. When asked if there was no conflict of interest between his former army commander assignment and his current work with FESBC, his response was that there was no conflict at all, as this was more of a continuation of State security duties, as a soldier does not retire. On the question of his allegiance to the traditional structure (libutfo) which is mandatory for soldiers, he said he also did not need any clearance from that end. Tshabalala said his new duties were in line with his business affiliation with FESBC and had nothing to do with any other structures. It is not our protocol as libutfo to get approvals for business assignments, he said. On his security duties, Tshabalala said he was responsible for the coordination of the use of guns within FESBC. Asked where the guns would come from, Tshabalala said most FESBC members had firearm licences, and that his role would be to merely coordinate the use of such weapons. Most businesspeople have licences to own firearms and its not strange, except that now they are to be coordinated, under the FESBC safety and security portfolio, he said. The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to academic Shoma Kanti Sen over five years after her arrest in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case, holding that no prima facie case was made out against her for being a member of banned terrorist outfit or any terrorist activity punishable under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, or UAPA. Shoma Sen (centre) seen during a court visit in Pune in 2018. (HT ARCHIVE) Granting bail to Sen, a former Nagpur University professor aged 66, the bench headed by justice Aniruddha Bose considered her medical condition, advanced age and the delay in the beginning of trial and went on to impose stiff bail conditions including restrictions on her travel and movement. The court also ordered her mobile location to remain active and paired with the investigating officer of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which is probing the high-profile case. We are of the opinion there is no reasonable ground for believing that the accusations against the appellants for commission of the offences incorporated in Chapter IV and VI of the 1967 Act are prima facie true, said the bench, also comprising justice AG Masih. We do not find prima facie commission or attempt to commit any terrorist act by the appellant, the bench added. Sen was among 16 activists, lawyers and researchers arrested in 2018 in connection with the violence that broke out during the bicentennial commemoration of a British-era war in Maharashtras Bhima Koregaon village. One person died during the violence that also sparked sweeping protests by Dalit groups who gather in the hundreds of thousands at the war memorial every year. The Pune Police, and then NIA, argued that an event in Pune on December 31, 2017 called the Elgar Parishad, where allegedly inflammatory speeches were made stoked the violence. Sen, who is currently lodged in Byculla jail, is the 8th accused in the case to get bail. In August 2022, the top court granted bail to Telugu poet P Varavara Rao on medical grounds. Another accused, Sudha Bharadwaj, was released on default bail by the Bombay high court in September 2022. Academic Anand Teltumbde was also released by the Bombay high court in November 2022, which was upheld by the top court. Lawyers Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira were freed on bail by the Supreme Court last year. Two other accused - Mahesh Raut and activist Gautam Navlakha - were granted bail by the Bombay high court in September and December last year. However, they have not been released as appeals against their bail are pending in the top court. Father Stan Swamy, yet another accused in the case, died in 2021. There are seven other accused who have yet to get bail. They include Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Sudhir Dhawale, Sagar Gorkhe, Rames Gaichor, Jyoti Jagtap, and ex-Delhi University professor Hany Babu. The court went through the evidence presented by NIA, which accused Sen of having links with the banned terrorist outfit Communist Party of India (Maoist), but wasnt impressed. Allowing her bail, the top court said, Taking cognisance of the composite effect of delay in framing charge, period of detention undergone by her, the nature of allegations against her vis-a-vis the materials available before this court at this stage in addition to her age and medical condition, we do not think she ought to be denied the privilege of being enlarged on bail pending further process. While ordering her release, the court imposed a string of conditions requiring her to surrender her passport and not leave Maharashtra without the trial courts permission. She was directed to keep only one mobile phone with her during the bail period. In addition, to track her movement, the court directed the location status on her mobile phone to be kept active and to pair the device with that of the investigating officer. In addition, she was asked to report to the local police station once every fortnight. 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 Gonsalves and Fereira. Sen was accused under sections 15 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy), and 38 (membership of a terrorist organisation), among other sections of UAPA andthe Indian Penal Code. For bail to be granted under UAPA, the court is guided by Section 45D(5) of the act which states that an accused person shall not be released on bail if the court, on a perusal of the case diary or the charge sheet, is of the opinion that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the accusation against such person is prima facie true. The court concluded that this restriction would not apply to Sen as the bench found that she didnt prima facie commission or attempt to commit any terrorist act. Further, on the allegations of raising funds for a terrorist act, it said, Most of the materials have emanated from recovery of documents from devices of third parties... None of the materials reveal receipt of any funds by her or her direct role in raising or collecting funds. NIA, represented by additional solicitor general (ASG) KM Nataraj, had claimed that it had a strong case against Sen as she was not only possessing Maoist material but played an active part in the unlawful activities of CPI(Maoist). The court noted a statement by one of the witnesses claiming Sen to be an urban Naxal working for CPI (Moaist). On this thin thread, we cannot apply the rigours of Section 43D (5) of the 1967 Act against her, said the bench. In our prima facie opinion, the allegations that the appellant is a member of a terrorist organisation or that she associates herself or professes to associate herself with a terrorist organisation are not true, and at this stage, she cannot be implicated in the offence under Section 38 of the 1967 Act, said justice Bose in his 54-page verdict. The judgment further stated, Mere meeting of accused individuals or being connected with them through any medium cannot implicate one in Chapter VI offences under the 1967 Act, in the absence of any further evidence of being associated with a terrorist organisation. Such association or connection must be in relation to furtherance of terrorist act. The bench clarified in its order that the observations on the nature of allegations were only prima facie views and the future course of her prosecution would be dependent upon the framing of charges, the nature of evidence and her own defence. Sen 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. Refusing to send her back to the special NIA court for bail, the top court said, We do not think it would be in the interest of justice to remand the matter to the special court at this stage. It further said that even the high court, in exercise of its appellate power under Section 21(2) of the NIA Act, 2008, could have examined the second supplementary charge sheet while examining her bail plea. 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. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh, who is out on bail in the Delhi excise policy case, recalled his days in the Tihar jail on Saturday saying that he was confined to a small prison cell and was not even allowed to step outside. Singh was arrested on October 4 last year and was granted bail nearly six months later. AAP MP Sanjay Singh The initial 11 days were quite difficult. I was inside a small cell and was not allowed to step outside. I was under police security. Subsequently, I spoke to the jail administration and demanded that I be given rights as a normal prisonerAfter a while, I was allowed to move out at fixed times under police securityThey decided to allow me to go to the music room, and badminton court at fixed times. Even the issues related to food were also addressed, Singh said during an interview with news agency PTI. The AAP leader revealed that he read a lot of books inside the prison. I read in those six months - the writings of Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr (Ram Manohar) Lohia, Bhagat Singh. Maine 6 mahine mein utna padha jitna main 6 saal mein nahi padh paaya (In these six months I read more than what I had done in six years), he said. According to the Rajya Sabha member, he was resolute and brave during his time in jail. My morale is quite strong and it will strengthen my fight aheadEither you sit at home or fight. We will fight, Singh told PTI. On his family dealing with his absence, Singh said, It is a tough situation for any family if they battle such circumstances. But the question is how can we stand strongly? I was so cautious. I knew that the video conferencing that takes place between inmates and their families is recordedI would tell them stories that make them laugh. The first day they asked me how I was, how my health was. I told them to always ask me 'jail waale kaise hain'. Nobody was allowed to cry. I told them this was being recorded. The people sitting at the top would be happy seeing them in tears or seeing Sanjay Singh dejected. The Supreme Court granted Singh bail on Tuesday while he was admitted to ILBS hospital. He was arrested last year by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is the latest arrest in the case - he is also the first sitting chief minister to be arrested. (With inputs from PTI) Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday hit out at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge over his remark on Jammu and Kashmir at a rally in Jaipur. Union home minister Amit Shah and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. It is shameful to hear that the Congress party is asking, Kashmir se kya waasta hai (What is the relation with Kashmir)? I would like to remind the Congress party that J&K is an integral part of India, and every state and citizen has the right over J&K, just as the people of J&K have the right over the rest of India, Shah said in a post on social platform X. ALSO READ: There can be no comparison between PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi: Amit Shah The Congress doesnt know that many brave sons of Rajasthan have sacrificed their lives for peace and security in Kashmir. But it is not merely the fault of the Congress leaders. It is mostly the Italian culture of the Congress party that is to blame for not understanding the very idea of India. Such statements hurt every patriotic citizen who cares for the unity and integrity of the nation. People will certainly answer Congress, he had said. ALSO READ: PM Modi's imprint of Muslim League jibe at Congress Lok Sabha poll manifesto On Saturday, Kharge had hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for mentioning Article 370 abrogation in Rajasthan's Churu. Yesterday PM Modi addressed a rally in Rajasthan's Churu. There are a lot of issues related to the farmers. The farmers are suffering and thousands of them have died by suicide. Instead of speaking about their issues, PM said he removed 371. What do the people here have to do with it? Kharge said. You go to Jammu and Kashmir and say about Article 370 abrogation. But here, tell us what you did for the farmers? the Congress president added. ALSO READ: PM Modi takes INDI earns commission jibe at opposition alliance Shah further said,"And for the kind information of the Congress, it was not Article 371, but Article 370, that was abrogated by the Modi government. However, it is only expected of Congress to make such horrendous mistakes. Such blunders made by it have haunted our nation for decades now." The Congress held a rally day after unveiling its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections. Prime Minister Modi hit out at the Congress poll promises, dubbing it an imprint of Muslim League. "Every page reeks of breaking India into pieces. The Congress manifesto reflects the same thinking that was prevalent in the Muslim League during the freedom movement. It completely bears the imprint of the Muslim League and whatever is remaining is completely dominated by the Leftists, Modi said. Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud has called for an independent bar, saying it has a close link with the independence of judiciary. In a vibrant and argumentative democracy like ours, most individuals have political ideology or inclination to quote Aristotle 'human beings are political animals'. Lawyers are no exception. However, for the members of the Bar one's highest loyalty must lie with partisan interest but to the court and the constitution. In many ways, it is the independent Bar that is the moral bulwark to protect the rule of law and constitutional governance, the CJI was quoted by ANI as saying during his address at the centenary year celebration of the High Court Bar Association Nagpur. ALSO READ: Pick your battles: CJI tells probe agencies; lauds new criminal laws Chief Justice of India Justice DY Chandrachud.(ANI file) "The bar as an institution is essential to preserve judicial independence, constitutional values and the dignity of the courts," he added. Chandrachud said that the judiciary has time and again risen to the occasion to assert its independence and non-partisanship, a separation of power from the executive, the legislature and vested political interest. "We must not forget, however, that there is a close link between the independence of the judiciary and the independence of the bar," the CJI said. During his address, the CJI said that the judgments of the Supreme Court's constitutional benches are the culmination of rigorous proceedings, thorough legal analysis and commitment to constitutional principles. "But once a judgment is pronounced, it is public property. As an institution, our shoulders are broad. We stand ready to receive both praise and criticism...bouquets and brickbats, be it through journalistic pieces, political commentary or on social media," he said. "Of late, I have been very disturbed by the tendency of members of bar associations to comment on cases which are pending and on judgments. You are first and foremost officers of the court, and the truth and dignity of our legal discourse is in your hands," he added. Earlier this year, the CJI had said that judges must judge free of social, political pressure and inherent biases. The art of judging must be free of social and political pressure and from the inherent biases which human beings hold. Efforts are being made from within the institution to educate and sensitise judges across courts to unlearn their subconscious attitudes inculcated by social conditioning on gender, disability, race caste and sexuality, CJI Chandrachud had said. (With PTI, ANI inputs) Amid demand for former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to contest from Amethi and Raebareli seats in Uttar Pradesh, the partys central election committee is expected to meet next week to discuss these two parliamentary seats, according to people aware of the matter. The nomination for both these seats will start from April 26 and the last date of filing nominations is May 3 (PTI) The Congress has so far announced 14 of its 17 candidates in Uttar Pradesh, but the party has remained silent on Amethi and Raebareli. A Congress strategist argued on Saturday that nomination in Amethi will start on April 26 and on the same day, polling would be held in Keralas Wayanad, where Gandhi is contesting. The nomination for both these seats will start from April 26 and the last date of filing nominations is May 3. Both the seats will go to the polls on May 20. Whats the hurry? the strategist argued, We have mostly named candidates who need more time to campaign. But that is not the case for Rahul and Priyanka. Gandhi Vadra had been managing the Raebareli constituency on behalf of her mother and she knows the Raebareli seat better than many Congress leaders, another Congress leader said. Both declined to be named. She has also been to the constituency more frequently than Mrs (Sonia) Gandhi, as the latter had pressing engagements in Delhi, the second leader said. The partys election panel is expected to also take up the pending seats in Bihar and has another meeting to discuss Haryana and West Bengal. So far, the Congress has cleared 241 names across 25 states and 5 union territories. While Gandhi Vadra had remained silent on the possibilities of her contesting elections, Rahul Gandhi has indicated he is open to contest in Amethi. I am a soldier of the Congress party. Whatever the party asks me to do, I will do, he said at a media briefing in Maharashtra at the fag end of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, when asked if he would contest from Amethi. Rahul Gandhi had won Amethi three times since 2004, but lost to Union minister Smriti Irani in 2019. ALSO READ- PM does not know history: Congress counters Modi's Muslim League imprint jab The Congress has also made an elaborate campaign plan following the release of its election manifesto that would include distribution of 80 million copies of the 25 guarantees in at least 10 languages, video messages by former party chief Sonia Gandhi, a series of joint public meetings in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and other states under the banner of opposition INDIA bloc. The plan will see outreach by nearly all senior leaders across states. While Sonia Gandhi might not be involved on a large-scale campaign, very soon she will release a video message on the partys manifesto, said a senior leader. Sonia Gandhis message assumes importance as she had been the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance for 10 years and was one of the key architects of the Congress victory in the 2004 general election. ALSO READ- Kangana Ranaut once said she likes beef, claims Congress leader. BJP hits back The party after coming out with its manifesto ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress has now made 80 million copies of the guarantee card comprising of 25 guarantees printed in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Odia, Hindi, English, Bengali, Punjabi, Assamese and Urdu. The doorstep distribution of these cards have already started. Rahul Gandhi, who attended two manifesto release programmes in Hyderabad and Jaipur, is set to attend a rally with Tamil Nadu chief minister Mk Stalin on April 12. There would be a number of joint public meetings likely in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and other states under the INDIA bloc banner, said a leader. ALSO READ- Amit Shah's Italian culture barb at Congress over Mallikarjun Kharge's remark on J&K in Rajasthan In some states such a Maharashtra, the Congress might tweak its strategy to bring in its Maha Vikas Aghadi partners together for the campaign. In Maharashtra, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, who speaks Marathi fluently, will campaign with Rahul Gandhi in a series of rallies. The party also has put special teams in several parliamentary seats to oversee the distribution of guarantee cards to people, and Congress general secretary KC Venugopal is speaking with parliamentary coordinators through zoom calls to take feedback. While defence minister Rajnath Singh has said that India will enter Pakistan to eliminate anyone who escapes over the border after trying to carry out terrorist activities in the country, Congress communications head Jairam Ramesh dubbed the remarks as an attempt to divert attention from other vital issues. The PM and the Raskha Mantri (defence minister) is trying to change the narrative. The main issue is the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and the 25 guarantees. This Ghar mein ghus ke maarenge statement is a deliberate attempt to divert attention from unemployment and price rise, Ramesh said. He also claimed that the INDIA bloc will get a clear majority in this parliamentary election. Raipur: A first information report (FIR) was registered against senior Congress leader and leader of opposition in the Chhattisgarh assembly Charan Das Mahant in Rajnandgaon district on Friday for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a public rally earlier this week. Congress leader Charan Das Mahant (File Photo) The Chhattisgarh unit of BJP had complained to the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), accusing Mahant of inciting Congress workers and the public to commit violence against PM Modi. The complaint was registered at Kotwali police station based on the complaint filed by the election officer, said police. Mahant was booked under section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) for his alleged remarks during a public rally here on April 2, a senior official said. Mahant, a star campaigner for Congress, sparked controversy at a public rally in Rajnandgaon following his speech on Tuesday in which he allegedly stated that they needed someone who could hold a stick and confront PM Modi. He made the remarks while appealing to the people to ensure the victory of Congress party candidate and former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel from the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat. A video of the speech also went viral on social media. If anyone can stand with a stick against Narendra Modi then it is your MP (Bhupesh Baghel)....We want such a person who can hold a stick and can break the head of Narendra Modi and the one who can send him to China, Mahant had allegedly said in his speech. The video received criticism, following which Mahant expressed regret and claimed his statement was misinterpreted. Chhattisgarh will vote in three phases on April 19, 26 and May 7. The counting of votes will take place on June 4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday claimed the Congress Lok Sabha poll manifesto that was released on Friday makes it clear that it is cut off from the aspirations and hopes of the common man and said the party today lacks vision for national development. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public rally ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradeshs Saharanpur on Saturday. (ANI) Addressing a poll rally in Uttar Pradeshs Sahranpur, Modi said, The Congress party that fought for independence has today been rejected by masses as people now admit that the Congress no longer exists as the party today lacks vision for national development and their manifesto makes it clear that the Congress is cut off from aspirations and hopes of the common man. He added: The Congress thinking today reflects the thinking of erstwhile Muslim League and leftists and such a Congress cant take the country ahead. Pitching the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as a Mission vs Commission contest, Modi said that while he was working 24x7 on a mission mode to make India a developed nation by 2047, the commission-seeking, graft-hit opposition was ganging up against him. He also added that there wont be any let up on crackdown against the corrupt and that it would further intensify. Modi also dismissed the Samajadi Party (SP)-Congress alliance as a flop film that had been relaunched, apparently referring to the 2017 UP poll results when the SP-Congress had teamed up unsuccessfully against the BJP. Modi, who launched his Lok Sabha campaign from Meerut on March 31, was back again in west UP for his second rally in a weeks time, this time in Saharanpur, which has a sizeable Muslim presence and is among the 16 Lok Sabha seats the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had lost in UP in 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Modi in his speech said his governments decision to scrap triple talaq has helped scores of Muslim families. There are many who feel that this decision only benefitted Muslim women. In fact, this move to scrap triple talaq helped scores of families as a married girl is also someones daughter and sister too. This is such a big decision that Muslim daughters would bless me for a very long time, Modi said. Modi also targeted the Congress over former party chief and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhis remarks on Shakti. This is a revered land of Goddess Shakumbhari Devi. This is the place of Maa Shakti, and we are a country that never ignores worshipping Goddess Shakti. But it is the countrys misfortune that opposition alliance is openly challenging, claiming that they are up against Shakti. How can anyone do that? Our religious scriptures mention the fate that awaits those who tried to destroy Shakti, he said. Last month, during a rally in Maharashtra, Gandhi had said, There is a word Shakti (might) in Hinduism. We are fighting against a Shakti (might of the State). The question is, what is that Shakti and what does it entail for us? The BJP had claimed the remark was against Hinduism and said it reflected Gandhis mindset. Modi reiterated the BJP-NDAs 400 paar (400 plus) seat push and said this was the first time in the countrys electoral history that the Opposition was not talking of winning the elections but focused on merely reducing the BJP-NDAs numbers. This is the first time that I am witnessing Opposition not talking about winning but about limiting our numbers. That shows the state of the opposition as the Samajwadi Party is changing candidates by the hour while the Congress is finding it difficult to even find candidates, he said. Modi said he and chief minister Yogi Adityanath were pushing for vocal for local and one district one product scheme. We are also planning to open Ekta Mall (Unity Mall) in each state to display the countrys unity. The stone that pelters threw in Kashmir are being used to develop a developed Kashmir, he said adding niyat sahi, nateeze sahi (right intention, right results). Lauding chief minister Yogi Adityanath, he said, Yogi ji wont spare criminals, or allow any let up on law and order. There was no immediate reaction available from the Congress to Modis comments. The Congress manifesto, released in Delhi by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, was heavy on pledges connected to employment, social sectors and marginalised sections and focused on the partys five pillars of justice or nyay, and 25 guarantees under them. New Delhi: A Delhi court on Saturday granted time to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file its reply on an application moved by K Kavitha opposing the order allowing the central agency to interrogate her in judicial custody in connection with the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy case. Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLC K Kavitha (File Photo) The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 15 in the same case and has been in judicial custody at Tihar Jail since March 26. On Friday, special judge Kaveri Baweja granted permission to the CBI to interrogate Kavitha any day next week. In her application, Kavitha has sought to keep the order in abeyance until a copy of the application moved by CBI is provided to her and she has been given an opportunity to file a reply. Also Read: Delhi court allows CBI to quiz Kavitha in excise case CBI had on Friday approached the court seeking permission to quiz Kavitha while she is in judicial custody. The agency had submitted before the court that they wanted to interrogate her in connection with WhatsApp chats retrieved from the mobile phone of her chartered accountant and another accused in the scam, Butchibabu Gorantla, and some documents and phones recovered during the investigation. Kavitha, in her application filed through her counsels, argued that the application was filed by CBI without her being informed and that the agency may not have divulged the facts. It may have concealed, as well as, misrepresented certain facts that may have gone into the mind-making of the court, her application to the court read. Appearing for Kavitha, senior advocate Vikram Chaudhari, along with advocates Nitesh Rana and Deepak Nagar argued that a status quo be maintained unless they are heard on the application. The special public prosecutor, appearing for CBI, sought time to file a reply to the application moved by Kavitha. The counsel for Kavitha urged the court to grant an interim relief of putting the execution of the order passed on Friday in abeyance. However, after hearing both the parties, the court refused to grant interim relief and listed the matter for hearing on April 10. Also Read: Delhi excise case: ED acting as persecuting agency, K Kavithas lawyer tells court Kavitha had previously moved a regular bail application, which is pending before the court. She had also moved an interim bail application on which the court is likely to pronounce orders on April 8. Apart from being under the scanners of ED, Kavitha is also under scrutiny by the CBI, which issued summons to her in February in connection excise policy case. Despite the summons, Kavitha cited an exemption granted by the Supreme Court and did not appear before the CBI. While Kavitha has not been formally charged in any of the six ED charge sheets filed thus far, she has been referenced as a significant figure in court documents. The primary allegation against Kavitha revolves around her alleged involvement in a bribery scheme, known as the South Group, which allegedly paid kickbacks worth Rs.100 crore to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders in exchange for preferential treatment in securing retail zones under the Delhi excise policy. The Delhi governments 2021-22 excise policy aimed at revitalising the liquor business in the city came under scrutiny, leading to a recommendation by lieutenant governor VK Saxena for a CBI probe into alleged irregularities within the regime, ultimately resulting in its cancellation. A Delhi court on Saturday extended the judicial custody of former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia till April 18 in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. Former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia (File Photo) Special Judge Kaveri Baweja extended Manish Sisodia's judicial custody after he was produced before the court on the expiry of the judicial custody granted earlier. His party colleague Sanjay Singh, a co-accused who was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court in the case, also appeared before the court for the proceedings. Manish Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26, 2023, for his alleged role in the "scam". The ED arrested Sisodia in a money-laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9, 2023. Sisodia resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023. Earlier this week, the Aam Aadmi Party leader alleged that the Enforcement Directorate has not been able to prove that the money trail leads back to him. His counsel told the court that since the allegations against him are yet to be established, he is entitled to bail. The CBI as well as the ED have alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Delhi Excise Policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, licence fee was waived or reduced and licences were extended without the competent authority's approval. A day before his bail hearing, Manish Sisodia on Friday addressed a letter to the public from inside Tihar Jail, comparing his plight with the atrocities committed by the British against freedom fighters and asserting his commitment towards education for children. Arvind Kejriwal in Tihar till April 15 On Monday, the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi extended the custody of Arvind Kejriwal till April 15, sending him to Tihar Jail till his next hearing. Unlike Sisodia, Kejriwal said he won't step down from his post and will continue to run the Delhi government from inside jail. After his arrest, Kejriwal alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party is using central agencies like ED and CBI as part of a political conspiracy to topple his government in the national capital. He addressed the Delhi court himself on March 28, where he said that the ED has not made any firm allegations against him in their report, which is why there is no grounds for his arrest. However, the ED sought an extension of his custody to analyse the mobile phones seized from Kejriwal's residence. They also said that they want to put Kejriwal face to face with some of the accused in the excise policy case. (With inputs from PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and other accused are delaying trial in the money laundering case related to the now scrapped Delhi excise policy. According to a PTI report, the central agency while opposing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader's bail plea, claimed that he was he was responsible for drafting the policy and advance kickbacks of 100 crore were received by him and other members of the party. AAP leader and former Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodia arrives at Rouse Avenue Court for a hearing in the Delhi Excise Policy Case, in New Delhi on Saturday. (ANI) "The delay in the trial of the case has not been caused by the prosecution but by the accused persons. Concerted efforts were made on the part of the accused persons, including Sisodia, to delay the trial in the case," the ED told the court in response to Sisodia's second bail plea. ALSO READ: Sisodia invokes Gandhi, Mandela in letter from jail During the court proceedings, Sisodia's party colleague Sanjay Singh, who was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court, also appeared in the court. According to the report, ED claimed that a total of 95 applications have been filed by the accused seeking similar prayers, of which six have been filed by Sisodia. Frivolous applications have been filed by the accused involved in the case, for which costs have also been imposed by the predecessor judge, the agency said in its submissions. The court extended Sisodia's judicial custody till April 18. The judge will further hear the arguments on April 10. Sisodia, who once held 18 out of 33 portfolios in the Delhi government headed by Arvind Kejriwal, who is also in jail after being arrested in the same case, was held by the CBI and then the ED. ALSO READ: Jail ke taale: Sanjay Singh's fiery speech after getting bail | 8 quotes The CBI as well as the ED have alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Delhi excise policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, licence fee was waived or reduced and licences were extended without the competent authority's approval. ALSO READ: Arvind Kejriwal's schedule at Tihar jail: Lunch at 11 am, dinner at 6:30 pm While Sanjay Singh is out on bail, Kejriwal, Sisodia and Satyendar Jain are lodged in the Tihar jail. (With PTI inputs) Tenders for a major sewage network project covering Blocks 1203 and 1016 in Hamad Town and Luzi will be issued soon after receiving the necessary funding from the government, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication, citing the works minister. For further details, visit https://www.gdnonline.com Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party MP Smriti Irani on Friday slammed the Congress's position in Kerala, taking a swipe at senior party leader Rahul Gandhi, who is contesting from the Wayanad constituency. Smriti Irani attacked the Congress for being challenged by its INDIA bloc partner CPI in Kerala, with the party's star candidate contesting against Rahul Gandhi. Union minister and Amethi MP Smriti Irani. (File) The Communist Party fielded its general secretary Annie Raja From the Wayanad constituency in Kerala against Rahul Gandhi. The BJP has fielded its Kerala chief K Surendran from Wayanad, making it a three-way battle. Taking a swipe at the Congress, Smriti Irani said during a Karnataka rally, The condition of the Opposition is that they are fighting in Wayanad. Left parties are saying that why doesn't Rahul Gandhi go to Uttar Pradesh and contest. But when the same Left goes to Delhi for an INDI Alliance meeting, they hug Rahul Gandhi. Yesterday, I said in Kerala, 'Delhi mein hugging, Kerala mein begging.' The situation through which the Congress is going through in Karnataka, 'it is Delhi mein hugging, Kerala mein begging, Karnataka mein thugging' the Union minister said. Annie Raja on Wednesday filed her nomination for Lok Sabha elections from Wayanad. 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. Uncertainty in Amethi Smriti Irani's jibe at Rahul Gandhi comes even as the Congress was yet to decide its candidate from the Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh, which used to be a stronghold for the grand old party. Rahul Gandhi held the Amethi seat before Smriti Irani dethroned him by a significant margin in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. While Gandhi has declared his candidature from the Wayanad seat, it's still uncertain if will take on Irani in the upcoming election. Priyanka Gandhi's husband and businessman Robert Vadra hinted at entering politics and being the face of the Congress from the Amethi seat earlier this week, saying that the people of the constituency expect him to represent them in the Parliament. They want a member of the Gandhi family returns, they will ensure the person's victory with a huge margin, they also expect that if I take my first step in politics, and think of becoming an MP, then I should represent Amethi, Vadra told news agency ANI on Thursday, The Congress partys promise in its manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections that it will scrap the Agnipath scheme and bring back the legacy recruitment model if voted to power has left experts divided. Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi display the party's manifesto for the general election in New Delhi (REUTERS) Congress will scrap the Agnipath Scheme and return to the normal recruitment processes followed by the Army, Navy and Air Force that will guarantee economic and social security for our soldiers, the Opposition party said in a chapter on national security. The Agnipath model marked a major departure from the militarys decades-old recruitment system that was discontinued when the National Democratic Alliance government announced the new scheme in June 2022. It seeks to recruit soldiers for only four years, with a provision to retain 25% of them in regular service. Those recruited under the new scheme are called Agniveers. We can continue with the Agnipath scheme and carry out modifications if needed. The government has said there is scope for modifications depending on the requirements of the armed forces, said military affairs expert Lieutenant General Satish Dua, who retired in 2018 as the senior-most military officer handling all tri-service affairs. India on June 14, 2022, announced the Agnipath scheme replacing the legacy system in an attempt to reduce the armed forces pension burden, lower the age profile of the armed forces, ensure a fitter military and create a technically skilled war fighting force capable of meeting future challenges. It sparked widespread protests and forced a concerted outreach by the government to scotch apprehensions about the scheme. Returning to the legacy recruitment model may not be feasible, said strategic affairs expert Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd). However, we should look at reducing the percentage of Agniveers in service. About 25-30% can be recruited under the Agnipath scheme and the remaining should be selected following the legacy model. We can keep fine-tuning the model as per our needs, he added. Agniveers draw an annual salary of 4.76 lakh in the first year of service and 6.92 lakh in the fourth, get a non-contributory insurance cover of 48 lakh, and an additional ex-gratia payment of 44 lakh for death attributable to service. Those released after four years will get 11.71 lakh as Seva Nidhi severance package, including 5.02 lakh contributed by them during their service. They will also have job quotas in different government organisations, paramilitary forces and other departments. They will, however, not be eligible for pension. Agnipath is a hare-brained scheme that needs to be scrapped considering that national security is paramount, said a former service chief, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Without getting into the politics of it, the Agnipath scheme should have never been implemented. Its in the best interest of the country to return to the previous tried-and-tested recruitment model. As an experiment, you can still recruit around 25% soldiers for short-term and see how they perform before deciding the next course, he said. Soldiers recruited through the legacy recruitment system serve the armed forces for about 20 years before they retire in their late 30s with pension. In November 22, several Opposition MPs flagged concerns about the Agnipath model for short-term induction of soldiers and demanded that it be rolled back during a briefing by defence minister Rajnath Singh to the Parliamentary consultative committee on defence on the controversial scheme. The Agnipath model has been implemented smoothly and the three services are not facing any issue, said a serving army officer, who asked not to be named. The scheme can be tweaked if needed. Everyone needs to work together to ensure the best results, he said. The army has got positive feedback on Agniveers from its units and the recruitment scheme was finalised after extensive consultations, army chief General Manoj Pande said in January 2024. Pandes comments came weeks after his predecessor General Manoj Mukund Naravane (retd) created a stir by revealing that the Agnipath scheme caught the army by surprise and was a bolt out of the blue for the air force and the navy. Naravanes take on the scheme figured in the excerpts of his yet-to-be released autobiography titled Four Stars of Destiny. The excerpts of the memoirs, reviewed by news agency PTI, revealed that Naravane sounded out the Prime Minister about the about the tour of duty scheme for the short-term induction of soldiers in the army in early 2020, but months later the PMO came out with a formulation with a wider scope to include all the three services. He has written in the book that the armys initial view was that 75% of the personnel to be recruited could be retained while 25% should be released. ... A fire broke out in a steel factory in Bokaro, Jharkhand in state-owned Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) on Saturday. Officials said that 15 workers have been placed under medical observation. Fire breaks out at SAIL's Bokaro steel plant (Representational image) The 15 workers inside SAIL's Bokaro Steel Factory have been kept under medical observation as a precautionary measure, and all of them are out of danger, an official told PTI. There was no report of any fatality, the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) official said. The incident took place when maintenance work was underway in the mixed gas pipeline of the Bokaro plant, he said. The fire was extinguished and senior workers reached the spot to assess the situation, he said. There has been no leakage of any gas from the pipeline, and the situation is completely under control, the official said, reported PTI. Indias ambitious journey to conserve the tiger, the apex predator and a symbol of Indias rich natural and cultural heritage, started on April 1, 1973 with the launch of the Project Tiger. The project was launched from the Corbett National Park. (HT Archive) Several experts have said over the years that the tiger would have been extinct if not for the project that sought to protect both the animal and its large habitat in India. Launched by then tourism and civil aviation minister Karan Singh at Corbett National Park, the scheme had a budget of 4 crore at the time, and was designed to provide nine viable and safe reserves in the country to nurture and raise the dwindling population of 1,800 tigers in India. Today there are 3,167 tigers, up from 2,967 in 2018 according to Tiger Population Estimation figures released by the Union environment ministry last year. India has more than 70% of the worlds wild tigers, and the population is increasing at an annual rate of 6%. Between 1979 and 2002, there were between 3,000 and 4,300 tigers according to data with the environment ministry but the numbers started slipping again after that. Aptly, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who conceived Project Tiger wrote that the plan was a comment on our long neglect of the environment as well as most welcome concern for saving one of natures most magnificent endowments, according to the Indira Gandhi, a Life in Nature by senior Congress leader and former environment minister, Jairam Ramesh. The project aimed to ensure the complete protection of the species in nine reserves selected for various scientific, economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological reasons. The reserves were Manas (Assam), Palamau (Bihar), Simlipal (Orissa), Corbett (Uttar Pradesh), Melghat (Maharashtra), Bandipur (Mysore), and Sundarbans (West Bengal). The project laid down that there would be no commercial exploitation of the habitat in these reserves for the next six years and anti-poaching operations would be strengthened. Dr Karan Singh said at the time that in each reserve there would be a well-preserved inner core where no felling of trees, grazing of cattle, or movement of people. Indira Gandhi, in her message, also said the tiger could not be preserved in isolation its habitat, threatened by human intrusion, commercial forestry, and cattle-grazing must first be made inviolate. Forestry practices, designed to squeeze the last rupee out of our jungles, must be radically reoriented at least within our national parks and sanctuaries, and pre-eminently in the tiger reserves... is it beyond our political will and administrative ingenuity to set aside about one or two per cent of our forests in their pristine glory for this purpose? she asked. The area covered by the project has grown in leaps and bounds since. The initial coverage of the Project Tiger included the nine tiger reserves mentioned above spread over 18,278 sq km. Today there are 53 tiger reserves covering more than 75,000 sq km (approximately 2.4% of the countrys geographical area) of tiger habitat under the project. These tiger reserves are repositories for biodiversity conservation in the country ensuring regional water security and carbon sequestration thereby contributing in accomplishing Indias climate change mitigation targets, the environment ministry said in a note last year. The project attracted the active support of the International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and the World Wild Life Fund, which raised $1 million for this project in the 1970s. In the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Conference of 1969 which was inaugurated by the then PM, Mrs Indira Gandhi a grave concern was raised by many of us. I also attended that conference on behalf of the MP government. Many of us raised the matter of Tiger, that it was gravely threatened. The conservation community pledged a million dollars to start something called Operation Tiger which was renamed Project Tiger. The million dollars which was collected by the Wildlife Fund for Nature and others was paid in instalments to the government and subsequently in 1972 it was resolved to start Project Tiger, reminisced MK Ranjitsinh, former bureaucrat and one of the main architects of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, in an interview with HT last year. One of the main criteria was whether under the umbrella of Project Tiger we could save other critically endangered species. The tiger we used as the flagship species and we hoped under the ramifications of Project Tiger we would save diverse habitat, the endangered species and that criteria was very useful. It was not a blind thing of tiger but to use the tiger to save something more valuable habitat of the tiger. I dont judge Project Tiger by only the number of tigers. I think that has caused certain deficiencies. Every field director regards tiger numbers as a matter of survivalyou had absurd figures in some placesTiger is not the be all and end all of the project but definitely the front-runner. Its a failure that people go to reserves only to ogle at tigers. This was not the vision, Ranjitsinh added. As the Janata Dal (Secular), in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is sparing no effort in ensuring victory of its candidates, the party leader HD Kumaraswamy could be appointed a minister, according to people familiar with the matter. In Mandya, HD Kumaraswamys campaign has been prominently highlighting his potential ministerial role, although no official announcement has been made by the NDA (File photo) In Mandya, HD Kumaraswamys campaign has been prominently highlighting his potential ministerial role, although no official announcement has been made by the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) bloc to date. Kumaraswamy has made his demand clear that if given an opportunity and if Prime Minister Narendra Modi has confidence in him, he wants to be the agriculture minister, in the event of NDA coming back to power at the Centre. He further added a caveat that he is sincerely working for NDAs better prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and the continuation of the alliance with BJP, after the parliamentary elections, will depend on how his party and its leaders are treated. We being part of the NDA depends on how our party leaders are treated in the future. We are sincerely working and we want a long-standing relationship with BJP. But ultimately we will take a decision depending on how we are treated and how much respect we get from the BJP, he said. The JD(S), led by former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, forged ties with the BJP-led NDA in September last year. As part of their agreement, the BJP will contest in 25 constituencies while the JD(S) will contest in three Mandya, Hassan, and Kolar in Karnataka. It is not only the aspirations of the people of Mandya to see me as union minister, even my BJP friends feel that it will be good for the state if I become a minister. I come from an agricultural background and given an opportunity I want to be the agriculture minister and bring a good name to the government. If the PM believes that I can do good work and if I am given an opportunity I want to work in the agricultural sector, he said about his aspirations. The JD(S) too has strategically woven the narrative of Kumaraswamys potential ministership into their election campaigns, leveraging it as a solution to farmer issues. This approach has been particularly notable in Mandya. Kumaraswamy is appealing to Dalit and OBC voters because he knows that the consolidation of these communities has led to his son Nikhils defeat in the last election. But he has been attacking Congress over the Cauvery water issue during his campaigns, said a senior BJP leader from Mandya, who didnt want to be named. The government readily provided water to Tamil Nadu, but turned a blind eye to salvaging our crops. Witnessing parched sugarcane fields ignites a deep pain within us, said Kumaraswamy during his campaign on Thursday. In another speech, former chief minister Kumaraswamy evoked his past policy decisions, specifically recalling his initiative to waive farm loans totalling 25,000 during his tenure. Accusing the current Congress government of lacking the necessary political determination, he asked why they should wait for central funds to pay drought relief to the affected farmers. According to the above-mentioned leader, the strategy of the JD(S) is to evoke the farmer issue and project Kumaraswamys potential ministership as a solution. While in Mandya, the JD(S) has been using the alliance to its advantage, in Hassan, where HD Deve Gowdas grandson Prajwal Gowda is contesting, The JD(S) has been pushing its partners from the saffron party for support. This comes after several BJP leaders including the prominent face of the party in the district, Preetham Gowda refused to campaign for Gowda. However, BJP state president BY Vijayendra, who visited Hassan on Thursday, said that all BJP workers, including former MLA Preetham Gowda, will campaign for JD(S)-BJP alliance candidate Prajwal Revanna in Hassan. Vijayendra said if Prajwal Revanna had to win, everyone had to campaign for him. Now JD(S) is part of NDA. Prajwal Revanna is an NDA candidate in Hassan. Workers of both parties will work together to ensure he is elected, he said. Answering a question on the differences within the BJP on campaigning for Prajwal Revanna, the BJP state president said the partys district president Siddesh Nagendra, and MLAs already held a meeting with party workers. As we are in an alliance, we have to work for the JD(S) candidate, similarly, JD(S) workers have to support our candidate in other constituencies. If there are any issues, they will be settled, he said. (With PTI inputs) 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. Georgia, Japan and the Netherlands were among the countries that abstained along with India. (AFP) 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. 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 Defence Forces said two senior military commanders responsible for ordering the strike on the aid workers had been sacked. 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 Canadian spy agency has alleged that India and Pakistan had tried to interfere in Canada's federal elections in the 2019 and 2021 general elections, according to a media report on Friday. Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal (Screengrab) An unclassified summary by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) 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. In February, the Indian government 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. "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 had said on February 8 in New Delhi. During a press briefing in February, Jaiswal said, We have seen media reports about the Canadian commission enquiring into ...We strongly reject all such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections. 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, he added. What did the CSIS report say? A document by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service that the Federal Commission of Inquiry is examining the possible interference of foreign nations like India, Pakistan, China and Russia in the country's elections in 2019 and 2021. 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. The Canadian spy agency further alleged that the Indian government in 2021 ran foreign interference activities that "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. However, CSIS director David Vigneault told the inquiry that the allegations mentioned in the report should not be considered facts, and require further investigation. The information mentioned in the report appears to be uncorroborated, single-sourced or incomplete, the inquiry said. (With inputs from PTI) If terrorists try to disrupt peace or attempt to carry out terror activities in the country, India will give them a muh tod jawab (befitting reply) and hunt them down even in Pakistan, defence minister Rajnath Singh asserted on Friday, voicing the governments resolve to hunt down terrorists even on foreign soil. Union defence minister Rajnath Singh said there was no question of sparing terrorists (ANI) If they run away to Pakistan, we will enter Pakistan to kill them, he said in an interview to news channel News18. He said there was no question of sparing terrorists. The minister was responding to a question on a controversial report published in the Guardian newspaper that claimed that the Indian government assassinated individuals in Pakistan as part of a wider strategy to eliminate terrorists living on foreign soil, citing Indian and Pakistani intelligence operatives. The fresh claims, the Guardian reported, relate to almost 20 killings since 2020, carried out by unknown gunmen in Pakistan. 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 RAWs direct involvement in the assassinations, it further said. Pressed further and asked to comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modis assertion that this is not the Bharat that will be a mute spectator and will enter your territory to kill the terrorists, Singh said, Whatever the Prime Minister has said is true. And this is the strength of India. And Pakistan has also started understanding this. But India always wants to maintain good relations with its neighboring countries, Singh stressed. Whatever it is, it is our neighbouring country. Look at the history. To date, we have neither attacked anyone in the world nor have we taken any initiative to attack anyone...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. According to the Guardian report, Pakistan intelligence sources claimed that targeted assassinations in that country increased significantly in 2023, accusing India of involvement in the suspected deaths of about 15 people, most of whom were shot at close range by unknown gunmen. Responding to a question on Pakistan occupied Kashmir, Singh said, It was a part of India, is a part of India and will remain so...The people of PoK will say that they want to go with India. Asked if it will be a priority for the NDA government in its likely third term, the minister said, I told you, the people of PoK 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. In the southern most Lok Sabha constituency in the country, Kanyakumari, two national parties are set to witness an intense battle between two sons of the soil with incumbent Vijayakumar Vasanth of the Congress (in alliance with Dravida Munnetra Kazagham) and two-term MP Pon Radhakrishnan of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The AIADMK which split from the BJP last September has fielded a fisherman Basilion Nasareth in the constituency which has a coastline of 71km. It is one of the few constituencies in Tamil Nadu where Dravidian parties have ruled since 1967, both the BJP and Congress have a base of their own. Voters in a queue at a polling booth to cast their vote in the Tamil Nadu assembly election at Kanyakumari (Wikimedia Commons/file photo) A BJP campaign vehicle trudging along narrow lanes that slide down to the beach, blared a recorded message seeking votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and for the development projects implemented by Radhakrishnan while he was Union minister of state of shipping between 2014 and 2019. The incumbent Congress candidate too is hoping to bank on development projects such as work which was expedited for a four lane road infrastructure project and a railway doubling project. Though development is central to voters here, they also speak of religious affinities closely linked to the voting pattern. Vasanth and Radhakrishnan are both Hindus belonging to the Nadar community that is dominant in Kanyakumari. While Vasanth is expected to receive the support of minority Christians who make up 42% (to be confirmed) in the constituency and Muslims about 3.4%, Radhakrishnan finds favour among the remaining Hindu population. Im a Hindu so I will vote for the BJP, says a voter P Samutharapandi. When asked why his vote wouldnt be for the Congress candidate who is also Hindu, he said, Because only BJP will protect Hindus. Vasanth is facing support and anti-incumbency among a cross section of voters. I think he has done well. His (late) father was also very good, she says, adding that her vote will be either for the Congress or Tamil nationalist S Seemans Naam Tamizhar Katchi who has fielded M Jennifer. I like Seeman because he is a good change for an alternative. But my family doesnt want the anti-BJP votes to split. A religious divide here between the Hindus and Christians has been chronicled to date back to the first half the 16th century when 20,000 fishermen were said to be converted which also saw many from the Nadar community turning to Christianity. The Kanyakumari area was also part of the southern districts in Tamil Nadu that experienced religious mobilisation in the early 1980s. Both the national party candidates have a history in the constituency. H Vasanthakumar, the owner of one of the largest home appliances group of Tamil Nadu, Vasanth and Co won the seat representing the Congress in the 2019 general elections with close to a 60% vote share. Radhakrishnan, known locally as Ponnar, was the runner up lagging behind in more than 250,000 votes. In the previous election their fortunes were in reverse. Radhakrishnan, had won the seat in 2014 Lok Sabha elections against Vasanthakumarthe only seat the BJP won in Tamil Nadu in that election. After Vasanthakumar died of Covid19 in 2020, a by-election for Kanyakumari was conducted that year alongside the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu which was contested by his son and political novice Vijay Vasanth who with a 52.5% voteshare secured a comfortable victory against Radhakrishnan. Kanyakumari has been BJPs best performance so far in Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu. BJP has maintained a steady vote share there irrespective of whether it was or wasnt in an alliance with AIADMK or even other local allies. From the 2009 general elections until the 2021 by-elections which Radhakrishnan has contested, he has hovered between a voteshare of 33% to 39.9% irrespective of whether he won or lost the seat. In 2019, the BJP was with the AIADMK making the seat a bipolar contest. In 2014 the national party had tied up smaller regional parties and the Dravidian major contested all seats on its own making it a three-cornered contest much like now. This constituency also has an assembly by election in Vilavancode which was left vacant after sitting MLA Vijayadharani quit to join the BJP in February. New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Jagat Prakash (JP) Nadda on the 44th foundation hoisted the partys flag and paid tribute to Jan Sangh founding president Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and BJP founding member Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay at the central office premises in New Delhi on Saturday. BJP president JP Nadda hoisted partys flag at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi on Saturday (Twitter/@JPNadda) In his address to the media and party workers, he outlined the BJPs commitment under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Nadda congratulated and extended best wishes to the party workers on the occasion and called to pledge for the victory of the BJP with a substantial majority in the Lok Sabha elections. He emphasised the contribution and the sacrifices of its senior leaders and party workers. While addressing the media, he cited significant achievements of the BJP-led government such as the abrogation of article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, the Pran Pratistha of Ram Lalla at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya, and the abolition of triple talaq. He further emphasised the partys commitment to Antyodaya and inclusion with the principles of sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas. Nadda acknowledged the relentless efforts, commitment and sacrifices of party workers who have helped the BJP to become the largest political party. The inspiring journey of the organisation is adorned with the hard work, sacrifice and dedication of our senior leaders and millions of workers, he wrote in a post on X. He further wrote that under the leadership of Modi we are seeing the universal progress of Mother India becoming a reality and are witnessing historic reforms. He reiterated the partys mantra of service, good governance, and welfare for the poor, significantly impacting peoples lives. He said that the BJP workers are determined to secure an unprecedented victory in the upcoming elections by pledging to build a Viksit Bharat. The BJP holds 303 seats in the Lok Sabha and 94 seats in the Rajya Sabha. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has about 1,500 MLAs nationwide, approximately 150 mayors, and thousands of presidents and members in the Zilla Parishad. With this extensive public representation, the BJP stands as the largest party in the country, Nadda said Nadda also took oath as a Rajya Sabha (RS) Member from Gujarat on Saturday. Last Month he resigned from the post of RS Member of the Parliament from Himachal as he was among the 57 MPs whose tenure was ending this month. PM Modi extended his greetings and wished the BJP workers on the partys 44th foundation day. In a post on X, Modi thanked the workers for their hard work, struggles and sacrifices in building the party over the years. Modi said that the BJP has become Indias preferred party and expressed confidence that people will elect it for another term in the coming Lok Sabha polls, allowing it to build on the ground covered in the last decade. Union home minister and BJP leader Amit Shah also thanked the party workers for making the BJP the biggest political party in the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lashed out at the opposition INDIA alliance, accusing it of looking for ways to earn commission. Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur, PM Modi said, "The leaders in the INDI alliance are always looking for avenues to take commission, while we, in the NDA, are on a mission (to take the country forward). During its reign at the Centre, the Congress always encouraged and gave primacy to commission. (Construction of) The Ram Temple in Ayodhya was our mission, not an election propaganda or promise." Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath during a public rally in Saharanpur on Saturday. (ANI) During his speech, PM Modi also took a veiled dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his recent 'Shakti' remark. Recently, while holding his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Mumbai, Gandhi had said that they were fighting against Shakti. "This is the soil of Maa Shakti. We are a country that believes in 'Shakti' and worships the deity embodying it. However, it is our grave misfortune that some leaders in the INDI alliance are openly calling for a fight against Shakti. The ancient texts and the Puranas are replete with accounts of what happened to those who tried to destroy Shakti," the prime minister said. ALSO READ| PM Modi's imprint of Muslim League jibe at Congress Lok Sabha poll manifesto During his address, Modi also recalled his visit to Saharanpur a decade ago. He claimed India was going through a period of great despair and crisis at that time and he had promised the people that he would help the country come out of the phase. "I was here in Saharanpur for an election meeting 10 years ago. Back then, the country was in dire straits. It was going through a period of great despair and crisis. I remember promising you all at the time and I won't rest till I can lift the country from the crisis...that I wouldn't let the pride and prestige of our motherland be called into question. I vowed never allow my country stop in its pursuit of excellence," PM Modi recalled. "I resolved then that someday, with your blessings, I will rid the country of its ills and afflictions. I promised to turn despair into hope, and hope into faith. You showered your love and affection on me and I left no stone unturned to repay your faith and support," he added. The Lok Sabha election 2024 will be held in seven phases, starting April 19. Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha, will vote in all seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on June 4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday taunted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav over the tie-up between the two parties for the Lok Sabha elections. Referrring to their 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly election alliance which failed to win the polls, PM Modi said "do ladkon ki flop film" released again. ALSO READ: Failed in 2017, will UP Boys pass this time? This is the first election I am witnessing where the opposition is contesting not to win but to contain the BJP below 370 seats and NDA 400. Samajwadi Party is in such a condition that they have to change the candidates every hour and for Congress, it is even worse, they aren't finding candidates, even at their strongholds, ANI quoted the prime minister as saying at a rally in UP's Saharanpur. ALSO READ: PM Modi takes INDI earns commission jibe at opposition alliance PM Modi referred to Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav's 2017 campaign in the Uttar Pradesh elections, saying 'do ladkon ki flop film' released again. "'Do ladkon ki film jo pichali baar flop ho chuki hai, un do ladkon ki film ko in logon ne fir se release kiya hai (the film of two boys, which flopped last time, that these people have launched again)," he added. ALSO READ: Congress faces uphill task in making alliance in UP work in its favour In February this year, both Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav had held a roadshow in Agra in February this year, almost seven years after the Congress and Samajwadi Party tied up for the 2017 assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh in which they did not do well. The supporters of the two parties had described their leaders as "UP ke ladke" during the 2017 poll campaign. In the 2017 elections, Congress had contested on 114 seats but only won seven and secured 6.25 per cent votes. Both SP and Congress are part of INDIA alliance and have already announced their seat sharing agreement for the general elections. The SP will contest 63 seats in UP and the Congress 17. Imphal: The Delhi police in coordination with the Manipur police on Friday arrested a man who had reportedly been on the run after stealing about Rs.2 crore from a State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Manipur, officials aware of the matter said. (Representative Photo) The 41-year-old man has been identified as Monarch Grace Laishranm and is a resident of Kodompokpi Mamang Awang Leikai in the Imphal West district, said police. Laishranm, who works as a senior assistant at the SBI Bishnupur branch went missing on April 2, after allegedly stealing Rs.2 crore SBI Bishnupur branch from the locker room, officials mentioned above said. Officials said that a complaint was lodged at Nambol police station under Bishnupur district against Laishranm following which an investigation into the matter was launched. As part of the investigation, the Bishnupur police informed the Delhi police and arrested Laishram from Patel Chest Christian Colony, located adjacent to Maurice Nagar police station in New Delhi around 5.30pm on Friday. Confirming this, a state police control room in a statement which was made available to the media on Friday night, said, On 05.04.2024, Manipur police with active co-ordination of Delhi police arrested one Monarch Laishram from Patel Chest Christian Colony, Delhi. He had been on the run after stealing about Rs.2 crore in cash from SBI Bishnupur. Insulting the army and dividing people is the identity of the Congress, and the party was soft on fighting terrorism when it was in power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged on Friday, asserting the country now is a new India which does not shy away from striking within enemy territory. Prime Minister Narendra Modi being presented a memento during a public meeting ahead of Lok Sabha elections, in Churu (PTI) Addressing a poll rally in Churu, his second in Rajasthan in three days, Modi highlighted the work done by his government in the last 10 years and said it was just an appetiser and the main course is yet to come. When we carried out the airstrikes and surgical strikes, Congress were demanding proof of bravery of our security forces. Insulting the army and dividing the country is the identity of Congress, Modi said, in an apparent reference to counterstrikes in Pakistan after terror attacks in India. Modi recalled he was in Churu for a poll rally on February 26, 2019, when the Indian Air Force carried out airstrikes on terror camps in Balakot across the Line of Control. Stating this is a new India, which strikes within enemy territory, he added: Today even the enemy knows that this is Modi, this is the new India. Listing out his governments achievements in ensuring all-round development in the country in the last decade, he said Modis guarantee is being discussed today across the country and Rajasthan is an example of how Modis guarantees were fulfilled and at what speed. I gave a guarantee that cylinders for the poor will be cheaper, it has been fulfilled. An inquiry will be conducted against the Congress paper leak industry, it has been completed, he said, adding people no longer have to struggle to meet basic needs as was the case under the Congress regime. No matter how much has happened, whatever has happened till now is a trailer. What Modi has done so far, it was just an appetiser and the main course is still to come, he said. There is a lot to be done... there are a lot of dreams. We have to take the country far ahead. Targeting the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, referring to it as ghamandia gathbandhan (arrogant alliance), Modi said: I say remove corruption, they say save corruption. They are not holding rallies for the election but to save the corrupt. He also accused the Congress of always prioritising appeasement over the national interests. The country has seen what extent these people could go to please others. They said in the court that Lord Shri Ram is imaginary, he said. A few months back, the whole country was celebrating when the dream of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya was fulfilled, but the Congress was openly insulting our faith. Attack the Congress for its stand on the Ayodhya Ram temple issue the partys top leadership declined the invitation to participate in the inauguration of the grand temple on January 22. Congress has issued an advisory asking all its unit to keep their mouths locked whenever the Ayodhya Ram Temple is discussed. They feel if they take the name of Ram, toh pata nahi kab Ram-Ram ho jaye (it can become Ram-Ram for them), he said. He also accused the Congress and INDIA bloc of being anti-poor and anti-Dalit. The Congress and the INDI alliance have their own interests. They have nothing to do with the welfare and respect of the poor, Dalit and underprivileged people. These are the same people who did not respect Baba Ambedkar. Congress did not allow Bharat Ratna for Baba Saheb (BR Ambedkar) for decades. They imposed Emergency. Backward classes commission was not given constitutional status. Modi fulfilled the decades-old demand. BJP gave the country a Dalit president and a tribal woman as president, he said. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is eyeing a hat-trick of clean sweep in Rajasthan the party had won all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the desert state in 2014 and 2019 general elections. In Churu, which will go to polls in the first phase on April 19, BJP candidate Devendra Jhajharia, a Paralympian, will square off against sitting lawmaker Rahul Kaswan, who recently switched over to the Congress. Accusing the previous Congress government in the state of stalling the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project, Modi said after the BJP came to power, not only has the project been approved but work has also started on it, he added. Whatever the BJP says, it fulfils. Unlike other parties, the BJP does not just issue Ghoshna Patra, it brings Sankalp Patra, Modi said, adding that most of the promises made in the BJPs Sankalp Patra in 2019 have been kept. His comment came hours after the Congress released its manifesto for the general elections. Referring to the law on triple talaq, Modi said it has saved the lives of not only Muslim sisters but also all Muslim families. Modi also sought votes for BJP candidates Sumedhanant Saraswati and Shubhkaran Choudhary from Sikar and Jhunjhunu constituencies, respectively, which will also go to polls in the first phase. Reacting to the PMs address, Congress spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi said Modi was just making statements for political mileage. During Congress rule, the countrys borders were secure. But in BJP rule, we have seen Chinas aggression on our borders. The biggest terrorist attack on Indias Parliament too happened under BJP rule, Chaturvedi said. Stating that the Congress did not boycott the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the spokesperson said the grand temple was built after the Supreme Court order, adding Modi has no contribution in it. We have faith in our gods and do not need certification from anyone. Thiruvananthapuram, The ruling CPI in Kerala on Saturday said the party was maintaining transparency when it came to its bank accounts and funds and the transaction details have already been submitted before the Election Commission and the Income Tax Department. HT Image If the party has to submit details of any accounts, it is ready to furnish all the necessary information before any agency, CPI state secretary M V Govindan said. He was replying to a question regarding media reports about the freezing of the bank account in the name of the party's Thrissur District Committee by the Income Tax Department. Govindan did not deny the reports and said the party has no unaccounted money in its bank accounts. When the reporters asked about the reported summoning of senior party leader and CPI's Thrissur District Secretary M M Varghese by the Income Tax Department in this regard, he said let them call anyone and the party has no fear or concern about it. "We have bank accounts and funds...But it has documents also. We have no unaccounted money," Govindan said. The veteran leader accused the Central agencies and the media of attempting to tarnish the image of the Marxist party by raising baseless allegations without any evidence. "We have bank accounts...and we have submitted all the details before the Election Commission and the Income Tax Department," he explained. Govindan further alleged that the actions by the Central agencies against opposition parties were part of the fascist agenda being implemented by the BJP-led union government. Even Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was put behind the bar in the name of the liquor policy scam and what else they couldn't do, Govindan asked. In a press statement issued later, the CPI State Secretariat said the freezing of the accounts of the party's Thrissur District Committee is 'highly condemnable". The CPI is a party which submits the details of its income and expenditure to the Income Tax Department and the Election Commission every year without any fail and the bank account details of the Thrissur District Committee were also submitted, it said. The party alleged that the act of freezing the bank accounts was part of the BJP government's decision to use the Central agencies to settle their grudges in the wake of the elections. The Income Tax Department has frozen the account without giving any prior notice and without asking for any explanation, it further charged. "The IT Department has adopted a very wrong step in this regard," the CPI said. Registering a strong protest against such actions, the Marxist Party also alleged that such moves were part of the policy of the BJP-led union government to hunt down the opposition parties and the governments led by them. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. India will enter Pakistan to eliminate 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. Defence minister Rajnath Singh.(ANI file) Rajnath Singh's interview in Hindi comes a day after British newspaper The Guardian published a report claiming that Indian intelligence agencies had killed about 20 people in Pakistan since 2020 as part of a broader plan to eliminate terrorists residing on foreign soil. The external affairs minister, in its response to The Guardian, has denied the claims made by the newspaper, 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. Here are top 5 quotes from Rajnath Singh's interview: "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 jawab denge)," Rajnath Singh told CNN News 18 when asked about The Guardian report. 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) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken the truth India has the capability and Pakistan has also started understanding that. 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 the territory of any other country. This is Indias character. if someone tries intimidating India by fomenting terror on our soil, they will not be spared. Also Read | No Indian Muslim will lose citizenship, says Rajnath at Ghaziabad rally On Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir: 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." On Arunachal Pradesh: Arunachal Pradesh was a part of India, is a part of India and will always belong to India. (With inputs from Reuters, PTI) The Congress on Saturday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for calling its Lok Sabha election manifesto an imprint of Muslim League. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the prime minister does not know his history. The prime minister does not know his history as it was, in fact, none other than Mookerjee, the president of the Hindu Mahasabha then, who was himself part of the coalition government in Bengal with the Muslim League, Ramesh was quoted by the PTI as saying. The Congress leader. also accused the BJP of practising "politics of divisiveness" Congress general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh accused the BJP of practising 'politics of divisiveness'.(ANI file) "The Hindu Mahasabha was also in coalition with the Muslim League in Sindh and North-West Frontier Province. It is the BJP, not the Congress, that believes in and practices the politics of divisiveness," Ramesh said. Earlier in the day, the prime minister at his rallies in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur and then in Rajasthan's Ajmer had hit out at the Congress manifesto. Congress manifesto bears Muslim League imprint, part of it dominated by leftists, the prime minister said. In Ajmer, he continued his attack on the grand old party's poll promise, saying,"The Leftists have taken over whatever was left of this manifesto bearing the stamp of the Muslim League. Today Congress is left with neither principles nor policies. It seems as if Congress has given everything on contract and has outsourced the entire party." Right to apprenticeship, a legal guarantee for MSP, passing a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs, a nationwide caste census and scrapping of the Agnipath scheme are among the promises made by the Congress in its Lok Sabha polls manifesto. The Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases beginning April 19. The counting of votes will take place on June 4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lashed out at the Congress over its Lok Sabha election manifesto, calling it an imprint of the Muslim League. "The kind of manifesto released by Congress yesterday proves that today's Congress is completely cut off from the hopes and aspirations of today's India. The same thinking is reflected in the Congress manifesto which was there in the Muslim League during the freedom movement," Modi said at a public meeting in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur, that will vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on April 19. ALSO READ: Congress manifesto bundle of lies, party didnt fulfill earlier promises: BJP The Congress manifesto completely bears the imprint of the Muslim League and whatever part of it is left is completely dominated by the leftists, he added. "The BJP government works without any discrimination. Our thinking is that government schemes should reach every section, every caste and everyone," the prime minister added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a public meeting in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. (PTI) PM Modi reiterated his attack on the Congress manifesto in Rajasthan's Ajmer, calling it a bundle of lies, where every page reeked of "breaking India into pieces". "The same thinking is reflected in the Congress manifesto as was in the Muslim League at the time of independence," he alleged. "The Leftists have taken over whatever was left of this manifesto bearing the stamp of the Muslim League. Today Congress is left with neither principles nor policies. It seems as if Congress has given everything on contract and has outsourced the entire party," Modi added. Modi's attack comes a day after the Congress released its manifesto for the general elections. The grand old party laid emphasis on Paanch Nyay or or 'five pillars of justice', including Yuva Nyay, Naari Nyay, Kisaan Nyay, Shramik Nyay and Hissedari Nyay. ALSO READ: We promise to: Congress's manifesto on love, marriage, personal choices of food and dress The Congress promised legal guarantee to minimum support price (MSP), guarantees, national minimum wage at 400 per day, reform of personal laws, nationwide caste census and others. The MSP payable to the farmer-seller at the procurement centres and APMCs will be directly credited digitally to the bank account of the farmer, the Congress said. "Congress will formulate and implement a sound import-export policy for agricultural commodities, which will give paramount importance to protecting the interests and concerns of farmers," the grand old party said. ALSO READ: Congress manifesto has big promise for LGBTQ+ couples: Will bring law for civil unions The party also guaranteed that it would pass a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for SC, ST and OBC. The first phase of Lok Sabha elections will take place on April 19. The other phases are scheduled to be held on April 26, May 7, 13, 20, 25 and June 1. The counting of votes will be held on June 4. Top Congress leaders, including the party president Mallikarjun Kharge, former president Sonia Gandhi, will hold a rally in Jaipur on Saturday, April 6, to publicly launch its election manifesto 'Nyay Patra'. Congress president Mallikarkun Kharge and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi during the release of the party's manifesto ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2024 in New Delhii on April 5. (Ajay Aggarwal/ HT) The Jaipur public rally comes a day after the Congress released its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls promising 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 others. The manifesto, focusing on five "pillars of justice" and 25 guarantees under them, was released at the AICC headquarters in the presence of Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge will hold a big public meeting tomorrow in Jaipur and will tell the people about the manifesto. There is a great enthusiasm among the workers for tomorrow's meeting, news agency PTI quoted Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra as saying to reporters on Friday. The meeting will be held at Jaipur's Vidhyadhar Nagar stadium, it reported Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot wrote on 'X', "Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge are arriving in Jaipur tomorrow to launch the Congress manifesto 'Nyaya Patra' that guarantees justice." "I request all the Congress workers to reach Vidyadharnagar ground in Jaipur tomorrow on 6th April at 11 am and make this program successful," he said. Takeaways from Congress manifesto 'Nyay Patra' A fresh political row has erupted in West Bengal after a vehicle carrying National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials was on Saturday attacked by villagers at Bhupatinagar in East Midnapore district, where they had gone to investigate a 2022 bomb blast case in which three persons were killed. Hours after the incident, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee accused NIA officials of attacking villagers at Bhupatinagar and not the other way around. Village women attack an NIA team at Bhupatinagar nagar in East Midnapore district on April 6. (PTI) Mamata Banerjee alleged that the probe agency team had gone to the houses of villagers in the early hours over an incident of bursting of crackers in 2022. "The attack was not carried out by women of Bhupatinagar, it was by the National Investigation Agency (NIA)," news agency PTI quoted the Bengal chief minister as saying at an election rally in South Dinajpur district's Balurghat. "Will the women sit back if they are attacked?" Mamata Banerjee said, adding that they had only protested after NIA officials went to some of their houses over the December 2022 incident. "Why did they raid at midnight? Did they have police permission? Locals reacted in the way they would have if any other stranger had visited the place at midnight. Why are they arresting people right before the elections? What does the BJP think, that they will arrest every booth agent? What right does the NIA have? They are doing all these to support the BJP. We call upon the entire world to fight against this BJP's dirty politics," news agency ANI quoted the Trinamool Congress as saying. The central probe team arrested two persons in connection with the case and when they were on the way back to Kolkata, their vehicle came under attack. Later, the NIA team lodged a complaint at Bhupatinagar police station, PTI reported quoted an official. The Trinamool Congress chief accused the BJP government at the Centre of trying to use the central agencies to win the elections. "We want the Election Commission to work impartially, not turn into a BJP-run commission," she said. BJP hits back at Mamata Banerjee Reacting to the incident, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya alleged that West Bengal remained lawless, as ever, under Mamata Banerjees misrule. After attack on ED officials, now another central agency has come under attack. A team of NIA officers, which went to Bhupatinagar in East Medinipur District of West Bengal, to arrest two TMC leaders, were targeted. 100/150 villagers, not only stopped the NIA team from arresting the accused, but also hurled stones at their vehicles, Amit Malviya wrote on X. This wouldnt have been possible without local polices involvement. All criminals in Bengal, from Shahjahan Sheikh to Anubroto Mondal, enjoy TMCs protection, he claimed. NIA arrests two The duo, Balai Charan Maity and Manobrata Jana, were arrested after extensive searches at five locations, including the house of Jana, where a crowd of local residents tried to obstruct the NIA team which raided the area early Saturday in connection with the West Bengal's Bhupatinagar blast, ANI reported. According to the anti-terror agency, one NIA team member suffered minor injuries and the agency's official vehicle was also damaged as some miscreants in the crowd assaulted them. "The aggressive crowd tried to stop the NIA team and its security component from moving towards Bhupatinagar police station to complete the arrest formalities. NIA has lodged a complaint at the local police station in this regard," said the NIA in a statement. Manobrata Jana, and the other arrested accused, identified as Balai Charan Maity, were found to have conspired to manufacture and explode crude bombs to spread terror, it said. Three persons were killed in the December 2022 explosion in the house of one Rajkumar Manna in village Naruabilla in East Medinipur district. A day after a horrific incident of a 55-year-old woman being allegedly stripped and assaulted in Valtoha village of Punjab's Tarn Taran district came to light, the National Commission for Women (NCW) took a suo moto cognizance of the matter, calling it deeply disturbing and appalling. The woman was allegedly paraded semi-naked after her son married a girl against the wishes of her family. Four people, including a woman, have been arrested for allegedly stripping and assaulting a woman.(Twitter) NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma also directed the Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) to take swift action against the accused. Nobody came forward to help the woman, neither the police nor the localsThis is a shocking incident and NCW has taken a suo moto cognizance of the matter. I am sending a member to enquire into the matter. If the police do not take any step against the perpetrators, NCW will write to the ECI keeping in mind the Model Code of Conduct, she said. The incident took place on March 31, but it came to light on Friday after videos of it started to make rounds on social media. According to the victim, her 19-year-old son married a girl living around their neighbourhood a month ago, but her family was against it. Following this, the girl's mother instigated her family members to teach a lesson, the 55-year-old victim said. She kept saying that my son had lured her daughter. Soon, one of her sons caught me by the hair while the other tore off my clothes even as other members of the mob started thrashing me. My husband and other neighbours rushed out of the house upon hearing my cries following which the accused fled the spot, the woman added. The Tarn Taran police on Saturday evening arrested four people including a woman in the case. The culprits have been identified as - Kulwinder Kaur, Gurcharan Singh, Sharanjit Singh alias Sunny from Jivan Nagar in Valtoha, and Sunny from village Abadi Amarkot Amirke. Further investigations are underway, and we assure that all remaining accused will be brought to justice soon, the police said. BJP slams Punjab government BJP leader SS Channy on Saturday hit out at the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government over the incident, saying that they failed to protect the rights of women. He also demanded the resignation of the Punjab chief minister and Punjab Commission of Women chairperson. The CM of the state has more time and energy to seek an appointment with his party chief in Delhi's Tihar Jail but has no time to take care of his state affairsHe has shown what the Taliban did to Afghanistan is being done here in Punjab, he said. Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal also slammed the AAP government in the state saying, Our CM is sitting in Delhi and staging protests in favour of that corrupt Arvind Kejriwal... If you want to protest against anything, it should be against your own police who did not take action for 15 days in this heinous crime. She added, Condemnation of this incident in the strongest of words will not suffice. The way the modesty of our women is being played with on the streets is shamefulThey (Punjab government) should feel ashamed that such incidents are taking place under the leadership of the AAP government which are shameful for the entire Punjabi community. (With inputs from agencies) Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president YS Sharmila on Friday called for ouster of her brother, YSR Congress president and chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, from power, if the state has to be brought back on the tracks of development. YS Sharmila is contesting the coming Lok Sabha elections from Kadapa parliamentary constituency (ANI) Sharmila, who is contesting the coming Lok Sabha elections from Kadapa parliamentary constituency, kickstarted her election campaign with a bus yatra from Amagampalli village of Kasinayana block in YSR Kadapa district. Addressing a rally before commencing the bus yatra, Sharmila said Andhra Pradesh would witness rapid development and a peaceful atmosphere only if Jagan was defeated in the coming elections. He is encouraging murder politics in the state. He is misusing his power to shield those who were involved in the murder of my uncle YS Vivekananda Reddy, she alleged. Sharmila said she had decided to contest the elections from Kadapa parliamentary constituency only to prevent the killers of Vivekananda Reddy from entering Parliament again. On one side, here is Sharmila who is fighting for justice for Vivekananda Reddys daughter; on the other, there is the YSRCP candidate who perpetrated the murder and wanted to buy voters with money power. It is for the people to decide, she said. The Congress president said when her father late YS Rajasekhar Reddy was the CM during the combined Andhra Pradesh, he had implemented several welfare schemes like fees 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, she said. Sharmila said there were no new industries in the state in the last five years, there was no proper capital city and the Polavaram major irrigation project remained in a limbo. 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. 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. Meanwhile, former Union minister Killi Krupa Rani and her husband Rammohan Rao, who had recently quit the YSRCP, joined the Congress in the presence of Sharmila before the commencement of bus yatra. YSRCP leaders have not reacted to Sharmilas comments yet. By late August 2023, something was clearly very wrong in the Cauvery basin. The southwest monsoon had failed. Between June and August, Kodagu district, where the Cauvery originates, saw 50% less rain than normal. The districts of Wayanad (where Rahul Gandhi will contest the election from) and Mysuru, which provide the Kabini with its water, received 60% and 10% less rain than normal. Villagers in Shahapur taluka, Thane, gather around as tankers arrive to empty their contents into an empty well. (HT Archives) And so, reservoir levels in the Cauvery basin began flashing red. By September, the combined reservoir levels were within kissing distance of the lowest ever recorded. Karnatakas leaders, cursing the skies and worried, released less water than they ought to have, into Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu protested, and the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), created precisely to sort out this kind of tussle, ordered Karnataka to release more. Few would envy the predicament that Karnatakas political leaders found themselves in. CWMAs orders were guided by hydrological fact rather than political compulsion. The Supreme Court, which Tamil Nadu approached, was to hear the case soon. Not releasing any water would not reflect well on Karnataka (Would you like to be pulled up by the Supreme Court? deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar asked reporters). Kannadiga farmers were staging massive protests. Rahul Gandhi was set to launch a major welfare scheme in Mysuru on August 30. The Congress-led state leadership would look bad if their national leader was booed on stage. So they compromised, releasing less water than ordered but more than they wanted to. Tamil Nadu was unhappy but restrained in its protests (the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka state leaders are in alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls). Instead, Tamil Nadu approached the mediators again. On September 12, the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) directed Karnataka to release even more water (the chairman of the committee clarified that this was a direction not a recommendation). The distinction was lost on Karnatakas government, which refused to comply. We will appeal CWRC is only a recommendatory body, chief minister Siddaramaiah said. Now for the most interesting part. Siddaramaiah said his state needed 106 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) for irrigation, drinking and industrial use. But, he added, at present, we are left with only 53 TMC of water. We have no water to spare for Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu countered that even accounting for the poor rains, Karnataka was releasing too little water. CWMA met for an emergency session and ordered Karnataka to release water. The Supreme Court ratified this decision. Shyam Divan, the advocate representing Karnataka, said, We are facing a drinking water crisis, especially in urban areas including in Bengaluru. Hmmm. If Karnataka knew there was a water crisis brewing in Bengaluru six months earlier, why did it not put water demand curbs in place then? Why did it not place restrictions on groundwater extraction then? Why not fix leaks and desilt smaller lakes on a war footing then? Instead, the Supreme Courts decision was met with bandhs and protests in Karnataka. Tamil farmers staged an unusual protest, holding dead rats in their mouths implying that Karnataka was condemning them to starvation. After all, the amount of Cauvery water Tamil Nadu got in 2023 ranked amongst the five worst receipts in half a century. Coupled with the poor rainfall, Tamil Nadus delta paddy crop suffered poor yields. *** Now for a layer of detail: Rivers flow fast in their early stretches, wearing away the earth beneath them and carrying the silt downstream. Farmers treasure this fertile silt but, in dams, silt reduces how much water a reservoir can hold. According to the Central Water Commissions updated Compendium on Sedimentation of Reservoirs in India 2020, reservoirs built on east-flowing rivers in the Deccan were particularly prone to siltation, and, by 2009, the four major Karnataka reservoirs in the Cauvery basin had lost 4-10% of their holding capacity because of it. Across India, on average, siltation was reducing reservoir capacities by 1% annually. In some reservoirs, the rate of siltation was five times the rate that dam builders had planned for. Losing upstream forests, incidentally, increases siltation. Oops. Returning to Bengalurus crisis, the high siltation rates implied that there was probably a lot less water in the reservoirs than there appeared to be six months earlier. Experts and leaders probably knew that, and still did little. This is true for reservoirs across India. Oops. Oops. Moving on, Indias water supply is one of the most seasonal in the world most of the country gets most of its annual rainfall over about 100 hours. Rainfall varies tremendously between years. Storing water helps cope with this variability, which is something ancient Indians did well. This is why Indian cities contained so many lakes, built to hold on to rain water and allow it to percolate underground. But, as the Tamil proverb asks, Kazhuthaikku theriyuma karpoora vaasanai? Can donkeys appreciate the fragrance of camphor? Every Indian city has built over and encroached upon its lakes with a vengeance, even as a warming Earth raises the chances of intense downpours. So now, in heavy spells, it floods rather than filling up the neighbourhood lake (think of Velachery in Chennai this past December) and recharging the groundwater that can help in the dry season. World Bank data shows that Indias water storage capacities are minuscule, far lower than Brazils or even Chinas on a per capita basis. Losing this storage to urbanisation and siltation condemns Indian cities to a bipolar reality. In a hotter climate, they can expect to be tossed between floods and water scarcity. Bengaluru and Chennais experiences this past year illustrate this. *** Now to philosophy. Bengaluru protests as groundwater runs out. Chennai protests when homes flood. Farmers protest for subsidies to grow crops that make zero water sense in their regions. India protests against dams. Haryana and Punjab protest when water flows to Delhi. Andhra Pradesh deploys its policemen to open the sluices when Telangana holds water back. It is our water when we need it, but somebody elses water when it needs to be managed. If you doubt this, ask yourself: When was the last time we voted on managing water better? I explore this question in some depth in my 2021 book Watershed. I have asked this question to over 900 people through my institute. And the answer is: Nowhere close to often enough. When we dont vote on water management, it is foolish to expect our political leaders to prioritise it. And thats a problem, folks. Consider the proposed solutions to Bengalurus crisis. Use more treated sewage. Bengaluru has great regulations in place to treat and reuse sewage, but when people cheat and are punished, protests break out, causing penalties to be rolled back. Increase supply. Bengaluru and other cities lose anywhere between 20% and 50% of their water to leaks. When we protest against pricing water, where is a municipality to get cash to fix leaky pipes? Stop wasting water. If you want your neighbour to stop using groundwater for a doggie paddling pool, you need more boots on the ground to enforce standards, which translates to more efficiently managed utilities, and money for salaries. Per World Resources Institute data, urban Indians pay too little for water compared to people living in cities in other developing countries. When we pay so little for water, why will we respect it? And without this respect, how can we become water-resilient? Gods grace? Im a believer, but faith is not an antidote to stupidity. We werent always this way. The Arthashastras water-pricing system rewards water management. And while our dams (Nehrus temples of modern India) silt up and break away, not far from where I live lies a glorious 6th-century granite check dam, cunningly designed to avoid siltation, which, a millennia after it was built, works with little tinkering. Ill end with another story: Once upon a time, the Vaigai, Madurais main river, was in spate. The king ordered each family to help build a bund to guard the city. But Vanthiammai, an old puttu (rice cake) seller, was too weak to obey. She offered puttu to anyone who would help her, but no one came forward. Finally, Lord Shiva, in the form of a young man, offered to help in return for puttu. But Shiva, trickster that he was, ate the puttu, then fell asleep on the job. The king caught him dozing and had him caned. Every citizen of Madurai felt the blow. Even today, this story is celebrated in Madurai, but the message that everyone, even the gods, must help manage water is lost on many. As temperatures, tanker prices and tempers rise in Bengaluru (and Pune and parts of Gurugram), people and businesses are hurting. Those who can are moving away, leaving others bruised or shutting down. In the frenzied pitch of a crisis, we cling to partial-truth straws: poor rainfall, delayed desilting, depleting groundwater. We reach further, drawing more from faraway rivers. But we miss the big picture. The climate has changed. Dry regions (and seasons) will get drier. Wet ones, wetter. Bengaluru district received 714 mm of rainfall last year. Low? Sure. But Bengaluru has received less than that during a third of the years in the past century. Welcome to our future. Projections released this week by the India Meteorological Department indicate brutally long heat waves this summer, even as the water levels in reservoirs across peninsular India ebb further. It is a reality that Bengaluru and India must prepare for. And salvation, always, begins from within in this case, with respecting our water, managing it better and reflecting that respect in how we vote. (Mridula Ramesh is a climate-tech investor and author of The Climate Solution and Watershed) The first time I had sake was in Japan well over a decade ago, but it didnt make much of an impression on me. Then, late last year, I got reacquainted with the Japanese rice wine at a dinner in Mumbai where the hostess, a wine lover, treated her guests to a bottle of chilled, crisp namazake (unpasteurised sake). While sake consumption in Japan has been in a freefall, with the younger generation showing a marked disinterest in the beverage, exports have grown(Freepik) The mellow, aged sake from the Kamoizumi brewery, near Hiroshima, was the highlight of the evening for me. Over the next few months, in a kind of pleasant variation of the frequency illusion, I encountered sake (or news about India-specific plans for it) over and over again: at a dedicated tasting, at the Vault Craft Spirits Festival, which had over ten different varieties, and finally, of prominent Mumbai-based wine importer Vishal Kadakias recent trip to Japan to scope out boutique sakes. Is sake slowly moving out of the orbit of Japanese restaurants and into the homes of the affluent and well-travelled? (Also read | We see Indian single malts as a stepping stone to luxury malts: William Grant & Sons Sachin Mehta and Brian Kinsman) Kadakia, who plans to launch a bunch of sakes this year, isnt too sanguine about its prospects in the country yet. He cites formidable challenges such as lack of awareness and the paucity of avenues where sake can be consumed, but he has also discerned an interesting trend over the last couple of years. There is this set of evolved wine lovers that is also gravitating towards sake. People will order a couple of bottles of wine from us and then also ask for a sake. Its a tiny niche, but its a start, he says. Sake, one of Japans cultural touchstones, is brewed using rice, water, and koji, a funky mould that grows on the husks of rice plants. Other than the addition of yeast and lactic acid which takes place in the second stage of brewing, sake contains no sulfites or additives of any sort. Sake is ideally made from sakamai, a rice with a huge starchy centre that is grown expressly for making the beverage. The rice is milled to get as close as possible to the starch centre and the amount of milling of the rice determines the category into which the sake falls. There are many varieties of sake, from junmai and honjozo to ginjo and daiginjo. The beverage can have a wide range of flavours, from fruity and floral to savoury. Many countries in the world make rice wine, but the Japanese have taken it to another level when it comes to popularising sake, says Lolita Sarkar, a Goa-based certified sake professional who works with importers to put sake on more tables in India. While sake consumption in Japan has been in a freefall, with the younger generation showing a marked disinterest in the beverage, exports have grown from some 14 million litres in 2011 to over 35 million in 2022, according to the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association (JSS). China and the US remain its biggest markets, but the spirit is also being actively promoted in Latin America, Canada, and Mexico. Exports to India, where sake retails for anywhere between 2,000 to 8,000, have risen over 900% in the last decade and grew 62.4% year-on-year in 2023, but Ravi Joshi, who started Sake Club India during the pandemic, says the growth has happened on a small base. There is definitely a rising interest and great curiosity and there are several regulatory constraints as well, but the good news is sake has just been awarded a GI tag in India and that should make it a lot more accessible. (The Geographical Indications Registry awarded the GI certificate earlier this month.) Sonal Holland, Indias only Master of Wine and the founder of India Wine Awards, says that sake and wine share several similarities and echoes Kadakias observation of wine lovers also taking to sake. They both have more or less similar alcohol levels. (Still) Wine tends to stop at 15%, while sake is between 15% to 17%. But there are both drinks that can be enjoyed with food, and it is a misconception that sake only pairs well with Japanese cuisine. Last year sake was introduced as a new category at the India Wine Awards. Holland says that she doesn't see sake becoming as mainstream as she expects wine to be in the next ten years, but is confident of it becoming a definitive category with its own popularity and demand. Decoding sake Futsuu-shu: Futsuu-shu is table sake. Its widely produced in Japan, affordably priced, and contains a fair bit of pure distilled alcohol. There is no rice milling requirement for futsuu-shu. That doesnt mean its to be avoided. A lot of izakayas (traditional drinking restaurants) in Japan serve futsuu-shu and its perfectly drinkable, says Lolita Sarkar. Honjozo: A honjozo sake uses rice milled to about 70% of its original size, and contains 10 % of distilled alcohol, which is added to bring out its flavours. Junmai: Junmai is also made with rice that has a minimum polishing ratio of 70%. However, junmai does not contain any distilled alcohol, says Sarkar. Junmai sake (like other sakes made purely of rice, koji and water) exhibits pure umami and the hearty sweetness of rice. Ginjo: Ginjo is made from rice polished to at least 60% of its original size and has about 10% of alcohol added to it. Junmai Ginjo: With the rice milled down to 60 %, this variety of sake has no added alcohol. Daiginjo: Daiginjo is sake made from rice that has been milled to 50% or higher. Daiginjos are considered to be absolutely top-shelf sakes and are generally light, complex, and fragrant. Junmai Daiginjo: This variety of sake is similar to daiginjo. It has no added alcohol and is both delicate and complex. When was the last time you lingered at a cafe because of the coffee? The near-unanimous answer to that question is birthing a new hospitality format around the world. The anti-cafe is an attempt to acknowledge that many cafe patrons arent looking primarily for food and drink, but for a place outside their homes where they can spend some free time, meet friends, read, daydream or have chance encounters with strangers. The anti-cafe, therefore, charges not by the menu item but by the hour. Tea, coffee, cookies and chips are often included, as is access to wifi, books and games. Some anti-cafes allow guests to bring their own food. Rates in India vary from 60 to 170 per person per hour. Interestingly, one of the earliest of these was set up in Russia. The Ziferblat or Clockface chain, launched in Moscow in 2011, offers visitors free coffee, wifi, books and a piano, and charged by the minute. The chain currently runs six outlets in cities across that country. Founder Ivan Mitin calls them loose spaces; others have opted for terms such as pay-per-minute cafe, non-cafe and time club. Anti-cafe is the most popular, and in the years since Ziferblat, the format has taken root in London, Paris, Berlin, Bordeaux, Slovenia and Manchester. In India, there are anti-cafes in Chennai, Pune, Kochi, Hyderabad and Guwahati. Bengaluru had the first two in India. The Minute Bistro was set up in 2015 and Dialogues Cafe, in 2016, but the former has since shut and the latter now operates as a co-working space. Unsurprisingly, the format has not been popular in exorbitant real-estate markets. New York, Tokyo and Mumbai arent currently home to any. Tokyo does have a time-based model, incidentally, but it is uniquely Japanese in its approach. The anti-procrastination cafe comes with free tea and coffee. But when a patron signs in, they also state their work goal for the day and opt for mild or heavy doses of intervention. Staff members then periodically come over to check on progress and remind the user not to waste the time that they have paid for. We at Wknd were intrigued to learn of this format, and felt compelled to share it, but let us return now to the story of the anti-cafe. At Mauji - The Time Cafe & Spaces in Pune. The why It was a trip to a time club in Paris, and before that a co-working space in San Francisco, that inspired Vandita Purohit to start Mauji - The Time Cafe & Spaces in Pune, in 2020. (Mauji is Hindi for Happy-Go-Lucky.) Purohit, 37, had by then run her co-working space, Daftar, for five years. The time cafe in Paris was part of a co-working facility, but it was meant specifically for people who wanted to spend time outside their home but not at work. Before that, at a co-working space in San Francisco in 2015, I had seen a lot of interaction between absolute strangers, and this feeling of community, which I wanted to recreate. Mauji offers books and board games, a swing and an al fresco area, free beverages and a snack bar (cookies, chips, dips, cake, bread, butter, jam and a toaster), for 170 per hour. The idea is to spare guests the judgement that comes with sitting at a restaurant without ordering any food. Why should anyone be made to feel guilty if theyre not hungry after one lemonade, asks muralist Aathira Mohan, 28, who set up GVQ Cafe (from the Malayalam jeevikku, meaning to live) on her familys farm in Kalamassery, in Greater Kochi, in 2023, after returning home from Bengaluru during the pandemic. This is a 2,000-sq-ft space with free beverages and crepes with fruit and chocolate fillings, for 150 for the first hour and 1 per minute thereafter. There is a paid menu one can order from too (sandwiches, toast, omelettes, beverages). At both Mauji and GVQ, people may bring their own food, which attendants can help them heat up. Anti-cafe-goers at Backyard in Chennai. For architect Akshaya ChittyBabu, 29, the idea for Backyard, opened in 2017, was an extension of her final-year architecture school thesis on co-ideation spaces. The idea was to create a place where creative people of different interests and passions could have the kind of interaction that occurs at a school or college canteen or break room, she says. In addition to the endless beverages and changing paid menu (bakes, salads, sandwiches, coolers), Backyard has rolls of butter paper hanging off the walls, so patrons can note down instant ideas; a communal table; blackboards, books, board games; and a display zone where patrons can showcase their work. Prices start at 300 for a two-hour pass. The add-ons At Pay Per Minute in Guwahati, set up by pharmaceuticals businessman Sanjay Agarwalla in 2023, food plays a fairly crucial role, but there is still no menu. Instead, PPM offers an all-you-can-eat buffet. The menu changes every day; the buffet costs 15 per minute. It was inspired by his frequent visits to the airport to pick up his daughters, who study in Rajasthan. There, they charge you by the hour first for parking, and then by the minute, says Agarwalla, 45. I wondered if I could do the same for a restaurant. This isnt strictly an anti-cafe. Patrons are welcome to lounge if they like, but, he admits, at 900 per hour, the food would be the mission. The Lemerian Workin Cafe in Hyderabad, meanwhile, is designed as a sort of break room for the exhausted professional. Opened by exports consultant Shaikh Arbaaz Ali, 28, and his mother, Ayesha Ali, 47, in 2023, it offers a lounge / co-working area, a restaurant area, and a resting zone with couches . Prices start at 60 per hour. Daily, weekly and monthly passes come with some free beverages; the latter two also come with discounts on food. Were happy to serve those simply looking for a change of scene for a few hours, Arbaaz Ali says. The who There have been some happy surprises in the clientele. In addition to working professionals and students, senior citizens are coming in to chat and relax in groups, or read by themselves. Purohit of Mauji says she knew shed created a safe space when a guest came in, had a lemonade, and then just napped for the rest of their hour. It was a really hot day, she adds, laughing. Another time, a young couple came in, watched a movie through shared headphones on one of our couches, and left. It was such a sweet sight. The simple paid menu helps the cafe break even, the entrepreneurs admit. Often, even those who bring their own food will order a little something, and that goes a long way, adds Mohan of GVQ. I think people like to know they have the option of bringing their own food and the option of unlimited cups of coffee. They like knowing that nobody will badger them once their coffee is over. And so far the collaboration is working for both sides, she says. What should a city have instead of ant-cafes? Say it with us: well-built public spaces. To see where these new formats fit into urban-planning theory, click here. Sobhita Dhulipala attended the special screening of her film Monkey Man at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The actor took to Instagram to share pictures from Monkey Man's premiere event on Instagram. She even gave a shoutout to Dev in the caption of her post. Meanwhile, it is Sobhita's OOTD (outfit of the day) that caught our eye. She wore a pristine white ensemble for the occasion and dazzled fans with her sophisticated sartorial pick. Scroll through to see Sobhita's photos. Sobhita Dhulipala with Dev Patel attends the Monkey Man special screening in Los Angeles. (Instagram) Sobhita Dhulipala attends the Monkey Man screening with the entire cast Sobhita Dhulipala posted photos from the Monkey Man screening with the caption, "So much love for this fellow right here. Look what you made, kid. Monkey Man out now, in theatres worldwide." The post features a click of Sobhita and Dev during the press photo call, the poster of the film on the big screen, Sobhita posing on the red carpet, and a few more of the Made In Heaven actor with the cast of Monkey Man. Meanwhile, her stunning white couture look is from the shelves of designer Gaurav Gupta's eponymous label. Read our detailed download on it below. The Gaurav Gupta look features a bustier blouse and an elegant skirt that actually is trousers. The ensemble is from the designer's Aarohanam collection which he showcased during the Paris Couture Week Spring Summer 2024. The bustier top features an off-the-shoulder neckline, crystal embellishments, pearl and spiky adornments, peplum panels on the side to accentuate the hips, and a figure-hugging corseted silhouette. She wore it over the pants featuring a high-rise waist, a pleated draped overlay forming a skirt illusion, and a flared hem. Lastly, Sobhita chose embellished clear stilettos, pink gem-adorned statement earrings, feathered brows, winged eyeliner, mascara on the lashes, muted nude eye shadow, glossy mauve lip shade, rouge on the cheekbones, beaming highlighter, and centre-parted messy hairdo to style the couture ensemble. Apart from Sobhita and Dev, Vipin Sharma, Reva Marchellin, Makarand Deshpande, Sharlto Copley, Sikandar Kher and Pitobash attended the grand premiere. Directed by Dev Patel and produced by Jordan Peele, the film was released in theatres worldwide but not in India. Eid-ul-Fitr 2024: Eid-ul-Fitr is one of the grandest festivals of the Islamic religion. Also known as Eid-al-Fitr or Meethi Eid, the festival marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan - during which Muslims observe a Roza (fast) from dawn to dusk for a month and engage in religious activities and acts of spiritual reflection. It falls on the first date of the 10th Shawwal of the Islamic calendar. People celebrate Eid by ending their Roza, thanking Allah for offering them health and resistance during Ramadan, wearing new clothes, preparing grand feasts, meeting their loved ones, doing charity, and more. If you and your family celebrate Ramadan with your loved ones, you should learn its date, history, significance, and celebrations. Eid-ul-Fitr 2024: Eid-al-Fitr or Meethi Eid marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan - during which Muslims observe a Roza (fast) from dawn to dusk for a month. (HT Photo/Raj K Raj) Eid-ul-Fitr 2024 Date: When is Eid? Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic Lunar Calendar. While it falls on the first date of the 10th Shawwal of the Islamic calendar, the dates vary because they depend on the sighting of the crescent moon. Therefore, Eid-ul-Fitr will also fall on different days across regions. In Kerala, Eid will be celebrated a day before the rest of the country because the moon sighting adheres to the traditional Islamic calendar and waits for the actual sighting of the moon. It is the only state that decided the Eid dates as per the sighting of the moon in Saudi Arabia. This year, the Eld-ul-Fitr is likely to be celebrated on Wednesday, April 10, or Thursday, April 11, because Ramadan began on March 11 and will end on April 10/11. Eid-ul-Fitr 2024: History, Significance and Celebrations Eid-ul-Fitr is a joyous occasion celebrated by Muslims across the globe. It is believed that the Holy Quran was first revealed to Prophet Muhammad during Ramadan. This history can be traced back to 624 AD. Muslims believe the month-long fasting during Ramadan brings prosperity, harmony, and peace. They refrain from any negative thoughts during this period. Come Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, people break their Roza with a delicious meal and get together with friends and family. Eid-al-Fitr also marks the Prophet's triumph in the Battle of Badr. Meanwhile, Eid-al-Fitr means "Festival of breaking the fast". On this day, people wear new clothes, prepare delicacies, do charity and wish their family and friends Eid Mubarak. They break the Roza with a delicious meal. Meanwhile, the delectable dishes prepared during Eid are Biryani, Haleem, Nihari, kebabs and Seviyan. Additionally, children receive gifts and money from elders, called Eidi. Eid-ul-Fitr 2024: The special festival is almost here and we cannot keep calm. The actual date for Eid-ul-Fitr will be decided post the sighting of the crescent moon in Saudi Arabia it is expected to be celebrated on April 11. Every year, Eid-ul-Fitr is observed with a lot of pomp and grandeur all over the world. One of the most special festivals observed by the Muslim community, Eid-ul-Fitr is also referred to as Meethi Eid. Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of a month-long fasting, also known as Ramadan. During Ramadan the ninth month of the Islamic calendar Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. After sunset, they break their fast with dates and water. The start and end of Ramadan are determined by the sighting of the crescent moon. Ramadan, for this year, started on March 11. Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated with a lot of food, drinks and together with family and friends.(Unsplash) ALSO READ: Eid-ul-Fitr 2024 fitness routine: 12 ways to stay active and healthy during celebrations Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated with a lot of food, drinks and together with family and friends. People get together with their loved ones and celebrate the day together. However, we should be mindful to balance the festive feasts with wellness. Tips to balance festive feasts with wellness Don't skip workout: While festivals can make us bask in celebrations, we should be mindful to not sip workout at all. We should prioritise exercising, even if it's for a small period of time. Mindful eating: We should not go overboard with fried and oily dishes. We should choose healthier alternatives and be mindful of the food habits we have. Pre-event snack: We should consume a pre-event snack to curb hunger, and also not end up overeating during the celebrations. Late dinners: We should not consume food late at night. While festivities can take time, we should be mindful of the time when we are having dinner, as late-night dinner can contribute to unhealthy weight gain. Stay hydrated: We should not forget to drink adequate amounts of water throughout the day. With the summer setting in, the body is constantly in need of staying hydrated. Muslims around the world look forward to celebrating Eid al-Fitr as Ramadan draws to a close. Traditionally, the sighting of the moon marks the beginning and end of Ramadan. The ideal moment is when the moon is positioned between the Earth and the sun so that the far side of the moon is illuminated. On the first day of the 10th Shawwal in the Islamic calendar, Eid al-Fitr, also known as Meethi Eid, is celebrated. This year's celebrations will take place on 11 April 2024. Eid celebrations include completing roza, thanking Allah for providing health and strength during Ramadan, getting new clothes, cooking elaborate meals, spending time with loved ones, volunteering and other activities. (Also read: Eid-ul-Fitr 2024 style guide: Top fashion trends and outfit ideas to celebrate the festival ) Check out timeless recipes that encapsulate the essence of Eid-ul-Fitr. At the heart of the Eid celebrations is the lavish feast, a culinary extravaganza that families eagerly await every year. This annual tradition sees tables decked with an array of sumptuous savoury dishes, each brimming with tantalising flavours and irresistible aromas. Here's a curated selection of five timeless recipes that promise to tantalise your palate and reveal the essence of why these dishes hold such esteemed significance in Muslim culture. Lip-Smacking Eid Recipes 1. Sheer Kurma (Recipe by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor) Sheer Kurma recipe (Pinterest) Ingredients: 50 grams roasted vermicelli 5-6 cups milk 2 tbsps ghee 10-12 cashew nuts, vertically halved 8-10 almonds, vertically halved 1 tbsps chironji cup condensed milk 12-15 pistachios, blanched, peeled and slivered tsp green cardamom powder A pinch of nutmeg powder Method: 1. Heat ghee in a wide non-stick pan. Add cashew nuts, almonds, and chironji and saute till golden brown. Drain on a plate. 2. Heat the ghee remaining in the pan. Add roasted vermicelli and saute for 1 minute. Transfer on the same plate. 3. Heat milk in the same pan. Add condensed milk and mix well. Cook till the mixture comes to a boil. 4. Stir in the fried vermicelli along with the fried nuts. Add pistachios and mix till well combined. Cook for 8-10 minutes, while stirring in between. Add green cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and mix well. 5. Switch the heat off and transfer into individual serving bowls. Serve. 2. Nihari Gosht (Recipe by Chef Kunal Kapur) Nihari Gosht recipe(Chef Kunal Kapur) Ingredients: Spices for Masala Bag: 2 tbsp Coriander seeds 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds Nutmeg For Marinating Mutton: 1 kg Mutton (nalli, noti, chop) Salt to taste 3 tbsp Ginger garlic paste tsp Turmeric 1 tbsp Chilli powder For Oil: cup Mustard oil cup Water 1 Lemon tsp Salt For Frying: 2 cups Sliced onions cup Onion paste 3-4 Cloves 4-5 Cardamom 2 Cinnamon sticks (1 inch) Water as required For Curry: cup Curd 3 tbsp Poppy seeds cup Dry Grated Coconut 1 tbsp Coriander powder For Potli Masala: 75 gm Whole coriander 80 gm Green cardamom 10 gm Cloves 10 gm Black peppercorn 8 gm Mace 2 Bay leaves Nutmeg 30 gm Black cardamom 20 gm Fennel seeds 40 gm Cinnamon sticks 50 gm Shahi jeera 8 gm Dry Rose Petals 10 gm Cubeb pepper 20 gm Pan ki Jad 10 gm Long pepper 10 gm Stone flower 15 gm Indian cassia buds 20 gm Vetiver roots 25 gm Sandalwood powder For Finishing: 3 tbsp Roasted gram flour 3 tbsp Cashew paste 2 tsp Potli masala Pinch of Mace Powder Pinch of Cardamom Powder tsp Black Pepper powder 2 tsp Screw Pine water 1 drop Sweet Perfume 2 Green chillies, slit Handful of chopped Coriander For Garnish: Handful of Fried onions Few Lemon wedges Method: 1. First we prepare a potli of whole coriander, methi dana and nutmeg and keep separately. Potli is basically a spice bag. You can use a muslin cloth to make it. 2. Marinate the meat in salt, turmeric, chilli powder, ginger garlic paste and keep aside. 3. In cup water add some salt and a few drops of lemon. Heat mustard oil and once the oil is hot sprinkle the salt & lemon water in it. 4. Once all of the water evaporates, put the spice bag in the pan and add sliced onions and brown them. 5. Once they are brown, remove them while straining the oil, chop them and keep them aside. 6. In the same pan, pour the strained oil back with the spice bag. Heat the oil and add onion paste. Add cardamom, cinnamon,and cloves. 7. Add fried chopped onion, and the marinated meat. Roast the meat for 10 to 15 mins while stirring it continuously, then add water or stock and cover and cook till the meat is half cooked. 8. Heat a small pan, roast khus khus and desiccated coconut. Let it cool down. Add curd and grind it well. 9. Once the moisture is reduced and the oil surfaces add coriander powder, curd and khus and coconut paste. Now roast the masala till the oil surfaces and skim and remove the oil and keep aside for garnish. 10. For potli masala, roast whole coriander, green cardamom, cloves, black peppercorn, mace, bay leaves, nutmeg, black cardamom, saunf, cinnamon, shahi jeera, dry rose petals, kabab chini, pan ki jad, pipli, patthar ke phool, balchar, and khas ki jad. Cool it down, then grind it to a fine powder then add chandan powder and mix it well. 11. Add more water or stock and cook until the meat is almost cooked. For finishing, mix together bhuna besan and raw cashew paste with some water and add to the boiling nihari. 12. Finish nihari with pepper powder, javitri elaichi powder, potli masala, kewra water and ittar. Take out the spice bag. 13. Garnish with chopped coriander and fried onions and enjoy! 3. Shahi Tukda (Recipe by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor) Shahi Tukda recipe (Pinterest) Ingredients: 4-8 white bread slices 4 cups milk cup sugar teaspoon green cardamom powder cup blanched and sliced pistachios + for garnishing Ghee for shallow-frying Sugar syrup for drizzling Silver varq for coating Method: 1. To make rabdi, heat milk in a non-stick pan and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally, till it thickens. 2. Add sugar and mix well. Add cardamom powder, stir and cook for a minute. Add pistachios and mix well. Remove from heat and refrigerate to chill. 3. Heat some ghee in another non-stick pan. 4. Cut bread slices into 4 equal portions. 5. Shallow-fry the pieces in hot ghee till golden brown from both the sides. Drain on absorbent paper. 6. Take fried bread pieces on a plate. Drizzle sugar syrup and top with rabdi. Apply silver varq and sprinkle pistachios. 7. Transfer on a serving plate and serve immediately. In some very good news, US space agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut Loral OHara, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy and Belarus spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya returned to Earth today after completing a six-month research mission aboard the International Space Station. Immediately after the landing, Russian space agency Roscosmos said, Today, at 10:17am Moscow time (0717 GMT), the descent vehicle of Sozuz MS-24 manned spacecraft landed near the Kazakh city of Jezkazgan. International Space Station (ISS) crew member, NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara rests after landing in a remote area near Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan,(via REUTERS) When the crew left the ISS They exited the International Space Station and boarded the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft on April 5 at 11:54 p.m. EDT and landed safely on April 6 at 3:17 a.m. southeast of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. The capsule that carried them landed safely as the parachutes deployed on schedule. Roscosmos indicated the same in its statement, The (vessel's) deorbit and its descent to Earth went off normally. Time spent on ISS OHara space journey started on September 15, 2023, alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, who continue their one-year mission aboard the station. Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya were sent on March 23 aboard Soyuz MS-25 to the ISS along with NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson. O'Hara completed over 3,264 orbits around Earth, covering more than 86.5 million miles. The time spent on the ISS by these astronauts varied hugely depending on number of missions. During her first spaceflight, OHara spent 204 days on the ISS. However, Novitskiy has accumulated 545 days across four missions and Vasilevskaya's first spaceflight lasted 14 days. What Loral O'Hara did on ISS She conducted various scientific experiments onboard, including research on heart health, cancer treatments and more. All the different crew members had different duties as determined by their respective space agencies. OHara's mission, in line with NASAs Artemis campaign, focused on lunar exploration and setting the stage for future Mars missions. The crew members will now undergo medical evaluations and then head to the recovery staging city in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. NASAs OHara will then travel back to the agencys Johnson Space Center in Houston. Back aboard the ISS, Expedition 71 will officially begin. It includes Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexander Grebenkin, Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub alongside NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, Tracy C. Dyson, and Jeannette Epps. A dog missing in California since the summer turned up more than 2,000 miles (over 3,200 km) away in suburban Detroit. Mehrad Houman holds his dog, Mishka, after she was examined by the veterinarian. (AP) Police in Harper Woods 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, named Mishka, had an identity chip implanted in her with information about her owners. Mehrad Houman and his family live in San Diego but were planning to travel to Minnesota when the call came in. He landed there and then drove 10 hours to Michigan for a reunion with Mishka, the adoption group said on a Facebook post with pictures and video. This is a tale that Hollywood would love to tell, the group said. Mishka had wandered away from Houmans workplace, an auto garage, in July and never returned. Her collar had the family's phone number. We think it was stolen and then it was sold and ended up in Michigan, said Corinne Martin, director of the animal welfare group. Houman's wife, Elizabeth, said it's been an incredible journey. I never gave up, she said Thursday. 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." Veterinarian Nancy Pillsbury examined 3-year-old Mishka, gave her a rabies shot and cleared her to travel home to California. She was clean, well-fed. Whoever had her took good care of her, Pillsbury told The Associated Press. How she got here that's a story only Mishka knows." New York Earthquake: The UN Security Council was briefly interrupted after a rare 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit the New York on Friday morning. A video capturing the moment has gone viral on social media. New York Earthquake: The image shows Janti Soeripto, President and CEO of the non-profit Save The Children, during a UN briefing on Gaza. (YouTube/@unitednations) The UN meeting was discussing the situation in the Middle East and 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 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. Take a look at the video here: 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 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. A 21-year-old student took to Reddit to ask for suggestions, claiming that her nursing college refused to return her original marksheet without pay after she decided to quit. She added that the organisation demanded a huge amount to release her certificate. A student asked for suggestions on Reddit after a nursing college asked her for money to release her original marksheet (Representational image). (Unsplash/uns__nstudio) College refused to give back my original marksheet, the student wrote in the subreddit Bangalore. I joined this nursing college in August 2022, and they asked me for the original marksheet, which I gave because I thought it was for reviewing and theyll give it back. Fast forward to one year, I was bullied all year long in the hostel. Girls spread false rumours about me, and teachers and authorities didnt help me at all. I cried all the time, she added. In the following lines, she claimed that she finally decided to join a new college. However, while trying to get her documents, the college refused to give her marksheet and asked for a huge amount of money. She wrapped up her post by saying, Someone please help me do the right thing because Im very stressed and confused. Take a look at the entire post here: The post was shared a day ago. Since then, the share has collected several upvotes. It has also accumulated tons of comments from people. Many advised the student on what to do next. What did Reddit users say about this post? Which college? Raise a complaint. No one is supposed to withhold the marksheet. Hope you have paid your fees for the full year. If yes, there is no reason at all, wrote a Reddit user. The student replied, I havent paid the entire course fee, but Ive paid first-year fees. I quit before starting 2nd year." Also Read: Reddit post on woman making reels instead of eating her food sparks discussion on social media addiction Just go to UGC and tell them. They'll ask you to send a grievance mail. The college will give you back your original in no time, suggested another. Lesson learnt- never give your original documents to anyone. Make 5-6 colour photocopies and get them laminated. I did that during my school and college admission, posted a third. The student replied, I come from a really small town, and everyone thinks simply there. Plus, I was really young, and my parents also didnt guide me. Its my fault, I know, but colleges shouldnt do this to the students. Apply for the original marksheet at the board and say you lost them. You will get it; you should pay 2k to get it, shared a fourth. I, too, unknowingly gave my original mark sheet to the college, but when I paid the fees for all four years in the 7th sem, I got back all my mark sheet. The best you can do is get the original copies from the respective board. It cost Rs. 500 per document, joined a fifth. A beautiful video showing a sweet exchange between a maths teacher and his students was shared on social media. The video shows how they create a special equation and request their teacher to solve it. The result that the teacher gets is absolutely heartwarming. The image shows a maths teacher trying to solve an equation created by his students. (Instagram/@class12diaries) The video was posted on the Instagram page class12diaries. The page's bio says that students of Motherland Secondary School in Pokhara, Nepal, manage it. In the video, a student writes an equation on a board and then asks her teacher to solve it. The teacher soon starts working on the equation and eventually gets the answer, which translates to We Love you. Take a look at this sweet video: The video was shared some three days ago. Since then, the clip has gone viral with over 9.2 million views - and the numbers are only increasing. The share has further accumulated tons of comments. What did Instagram users say about this video? Imagine if he couldn't solve it, joked an Instagram user. He won. He finally won with his subject, commented another. Thank God I am not your maths teacher. I couldnt have solved it, added a third. He solved it in seconds, joined a fourth. This is the cutest video I have seen, expressed a fifth. OMG! I am not crying! No, you are crying, wrote a sixth. What are your thoughts on this video of students creating a unique equation for their maths teacher? Lahore, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered disciplinary action against four senior police officials for their "negligence" after an inquiry committee probing the suicide attack which killed five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver submitted its report, the information minister said on Saturday. HT Image Last Tuesday, a vehicle-borne suicide bomber targeted the convoy of Chinese engineers in the remote Besham area of the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when they were being driven to a construction site of the Dasu Hydroelectric power station in Kohistan district of the same province. Five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed in the attack. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that Prime Minister Sharif directed action against senior Khyber Pakhtunkhwa officials after the inquiry committee formed to probe the March 26 attack and identify the lapses in security protocol submitted its report, Geo News reported. "The prime minister has directed to take action against the regional police officer Hazara Division; district police officer of Upper Kohistan and Lower Kohistan; director security, Dasu Hydropower Project and commandant special security unit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within 15 days," the report quoted Tarar as saying. We want peace in the region, but our desire should not be misconstrued as a weakness. We are taking the matter of the security of the Chinese very seriously," he said. "Prime Minister Shehbaz is himself overseeing the security of the Chinese projects and engineers, he added. On Friday, Sharif directed all Pakistani security agencies to ensure foolproof security arrangements for the Chinese nationals working on various projects in the country. According to an official 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. Meanwhile, China has also expressed concern about last Tuesday'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. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Climate activist Greta Thunberg was detained twice by Dutch police on Saturday after she and a group of marchers blocked a main road in The Hague to protest against fossil fuel subsidies. Police detain Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (C) during a climate march against fossil subsidies near the highway A12 in the Hague, on April 6, 2024. (AFP) Earlier, Thunberg joined hundreds of protesters on a walk from The Hague's city centre to the nearby A12 arterial highway that connects the seat of the Dutch government with other cities including Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht. The march was organised by the Extinction Rebellion environmental group (XR) -- who previously swarmed the highway and blocked off traffic for hours before being sprayed by a police water canon and taken away. Also Read | Greta Thunberg forcibly removed as climate activists block Sweden's parliament On Saturday, dozens of police officers, including some on horseback, blocked the group from accessing the motorway, warning that "violence could be used" should the marchers try to get onto the road. Carrying XR flags and placards saying "Stop fuel subsidies now!" and "The planet is dying!", chanting protesters were then locked in a tense standoff with police who formed a wall of law enforcement. Thunberg joined in with the chants and slogans during the protest. "It's important to demonstrate today because we are living in a state of planetary emergency," Thunberg told AFP as police blocked marchers. "We must do everything to avoid that crisis and to save human lives," she said. - 'Here for climate' - Some activists, however, found another route and blocked a main road close to the highway where they -- including Thunberg -- sat down on the tarmac. Asked whether she was concerned about police action and arrest, Thunberg said: "Why should I be?" But shortly afterwards, Thunberg herself was arrested and dragged away by police to a waiting touring bus where she was detained with other activists. She told the ANP national news agency by telephone that her arrest had proceeded "calmly". "It's not about the arrest. I am here for the climate," she said. A spokesman for the Public Prosecutor's Office later confirmed the protesters were briefly detained before being released at a different location. Shortly afterwards, however, Thunberg and some activists returned and were arrested again, this time for blocking a nearby traffic intersection, and led away to a waiting police van. Prosecutor spokesman Vincent Veenman told AFP that currently no charges have been laid against the activists. "This however may change if people are arrested over and over again for the same offence," Veenman said. Activists said that despite majority backing by the Dutch parliament as well as broad popular support to slash fossil fuel subsidies, "the plans will not be implemented before 2030, or even 2035". "Meanwhile the ecological crisis continues to rage and the country's outgoing cabinet pretends that we have all the time in the world, while the crisis is now," XR said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter. The protest, added XR, was part of a plan to pressure the Dutch government ahead of another planned debate about fossil subsidies in June. The World Health Organization said Saturday that Gaza's largest hospital had been reduced to ashes by Israel's latest siege, leaving an "empty shell" with many bodies. A Palestinian man looks on as he stands on the rubble in a devastated area around Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital on April 3, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group. (AFP) Israeli forces pulled out of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Monday after a two-week military operation, during which it said it had battled Palestinian militants inside what was once the Palestinian territory's most important medical complex. A WHO-led mission finally accessed the hospital on Friday, after multiple failed attempts since March 25, the UN health agency said, describing the massive destruction. "WHO and partners managed to reach Al-Shifa -- once the backbone of the health system in Gaza, which is now an empty shell with human graves after the latest siege," agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X, formerly Twitter. ALSO READ- US looking at media report that said Israel used AI to identify bombing targets in Gaza He said the team had seen "at least five dead bodies during the mission". They had also found that "most of the buildings in the hospital complex are extensively destroyed and the majority of assets damaged or reduced to ashes", the WHO chief said. "Even restoring minimal functionality in the short term seems implausible," he said, adding that "an in-depth assessment by a team of engineers is needed to determine if the remaining buildings are safe for future use". Tedros lamented that efforts by WHO and other aid groups to revive basic services at Al-Shifa after Israel's first devastating raid on the hospital last year "are now lost, and people are once again deprived of access to lifesaving health care services". ALSO READ- 'Super predator' Hillary Clinton heckled by Palestine supporters over Gaza deaths: I hope their screams haunt you Of Gaza's 36 main hospitals, only 10 remain partially functional, according to WHO. The Gaza war began on October 7 with an unprecedented attack cross-border attack by Hamas militants resulting in the death of 1,170 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP toll from official Israeli figures. Palestinian militants also took around 250 hostages, about 130 of whom remain in Gaza. The army says that more than 30 are dead. ALSO READ- Israel vows to ramp up Gaza aid, admits mistakes in aid workers' deaths Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel has relentlessly bombarded the territory, killing at least 33,137 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Tedros said urgent action was needed in Gaza as "famine looms, disease outbreaks spread and trauma injuries increase". He called for the "protection of remaining health facilities in Gaza (and) protection of health and humanitarian workers". The WHO chief demanded "unimpeded access of humanitarian aid into and across the Gaza Strip" and a "ceasefire". Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer on Saturday said India's gesture to renew the quota to allow the export of certain quantities of essential commodities for his nation signifies the longstanding bilateral friendship and the commitment to further expand trade and commerce. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu during the COP28 in UAE in December 2023. (PTI file photo) India allowed the export of certain quantities of essential commodities for the year 2024-25 at the request of the Maldives government, the Indian High Commission said here on Friday. Announcing the move 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. Zameer took to X to thank India for the move. "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 wrote. "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 Zameer's post, saying India stands firmly committed to its Neighbourhood First and SAGAR policies. Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) is India's policy or doctrine of maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. India's 'Neighbourhood First' Policy underlines the renewed primacy that the country seeks to attach to its neighbouring countries. The announcement for the renewal of the quota comes amidst a diplomatic row between the two countries since November last year when President Mohamed Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, within hours of taking the oath 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. According to Fridays announcement, there has also been an increase of five 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. Prince Harry is set to return to the UK to host his Invictus gaming event. The Duke of Sussex has previously indicated his desire to meet his family, especially his father, King Charles, who is currently battling cancer. While there are rumours that Meghan Markle may join Harry on his trip, there are also reports that the Duchess has declined the invitation. Now, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams has issued a stern warning to Markle in case she makes up her mind to visit the UK. Prince Harry-Meghan Markle: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex are seen.(AP) Meghan Markle receives stern warning ahead of UK visit If Meghan chooses to travel to the UK, it will be her first visit to the region since 2022. According to earlier reports, Prince William and Kate Middleton invited Meghan and Harry to bring their children along on their UK visit. However, Meghan reportedly declined the invitation, citing safety concerns. Also read: Meghan Markle may never return to UK with Prince Harry due to safety fears and Kates' "If she comes there will be a huge amount of adverse publicity because of the way she has acted for the past four years." Richard Fitzwilliams explains to the Sun. The Royal expert added, that security wouldn't be an issue" if she decides to visit, however, Meghan has the "perfect excuse" not to. Meghan is using security as an excuse The royal expert continues, "The security would be decided on a case-by-case basis, they would make sure the trip was secure from the point of view of the UK. I think security could be used as an excuse not to come though. Meghan has every right to come but they have been thrown out of Frogmore and for a good reason. Also read: Kate Middleton's mother grapples with devastating business debt, cannot ask her for help because... Earlier this year, Harry lost a High Court case against the United Kingdom Home Office and its security agency RAVEC. aimed at reversing a decision that had reduced his security classification. The downgrade in classification was due to Harry no longer being a "working royal." The decision was taken due to fears for his own safety and the safety of his wife, Meghan Markle, and two children Archie and Lilibet. Spare and the interviews around it were horrible frankly. She has the perfect excuse not to come over because Harry has lost his security case." Richard Fitzwilliams added. The couple was recently photographed appearing comfortable and relaxed at a star-studded event organized by their charity, The Archewell Foundation. On the other hand, both the Prince and Princess of Wales have taken some time off from their royal duties to spend quality time with their children after Kate was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago. The announcement was made through a video message featuring the princess speaking about her health. Australia plans to appoint "special adviser" to scrutinise Israeli airstrike investigation Canberra, April 6 (UNI) The Australian government has announced it will appoint a "special adviser" to scrutinise the investigation into an Israeli airstrike that killed aid workers, including an Australian woman. In a joint statement issued on Friday night, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Penny Wong, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, said information provided by Israel on its investigation into the airstrike has not satisfied the Australian government's expectations. Marles and Wong said they would write to their Israeli counterparts, notifying them of Australia's intention to appoint an independent special adviser to oversee the investigation and that Australia expects all evidence to be preserved. Wong said that Australia was concerned that those responsible for the operation had not been stood down while the investigation was ongoing. Three people have been killed following the flooding after an embankment dam broke in the southern region of Orenburg, near Kazakhstan, CNN reported citing Russian news agency, TASS on Saturday. In this grab taken from a video released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service on Saturday, April 6, 2024, emergency workers evacuate a local resident after a part of a dam burst causing flooding, in Orsk, Russia. Floods hit a city in the Ural Mountains areas after a river dam burst there, prompting evacuations of hundreds of people, local authorities said. (AP) Thousands of Russians have been evacuated as the dam in the city of Orsk could not contain the flow of water from the Ural River and broke in two places, local authorities told TASS. Authorities have reported that 4,208 people in the region have been evacuated, including 1,019 children, and 495 temporary accommodation centers for 82,200 people are being prepared, according to TASS. ALSO READ| Russia-Made Warships Set to Join Indias Navy, Despite Sanctions As of Saturday morning, the level of the Ural river was nearly double the level the dam was designed to handle, according to regional authorities. The dam failure occurred because the hydraulic structure was not properly maintained, and a criminal investigation has been opened, the regional prosecutor's office said. The dam was protecting the city from the waters of the Ural river. By Saturday morning, the water had reached several districts of the city, flooding nearly 2,400 residential buildings, TASS reported. "A state of emergency is in effect in Orenburg," the head of the Orenburg region Sergey Salmin said in a Telegram post Saturday. "This situation leaves us no choice; overnight the [river] level may reach a critical level. I demand that everyone immediately leave their houses in the flood zone." "Those who refuse to leave the danger zone voluntarily will be evacuated forcibly, with the participation of police officers," he added, CNN reported. Orsk, a city of 230,000 people, lies near Russia's border with Kazakhstan. Former US President Donald Trump launched a fresh attack on incumbent Joe Biden, calling his State of the Union speech "the worst address I've ever seen". When asked if he thinks Biden was using cocaine, Trump suggested that Biden was "all jacked up" and "higher than a kite" during the SOTU speech last month.(AFP) The GOP leader on Thursday appeared in an interview with radio broadcaster Hugh Hewitt and recalled reports of cocaine drug recovered from the White House in July last year. When asked if he thinks the president was using cocaine, Trump suggested that Biden was "all jacked up" and "higher than a kite" during the SOTU speech last month. "I don't know what he's using, but that was not, hey, he was higher than a kite, and by the way it was the worst address I've ever seen," Trump said. "I think what happened, you know that white stuff, that they happened to find, which happened to be cocaine at the White House, I don't know, I think something is going on there," he added. He went on to claim that Biden is "being helped in some way" because "most of the time, he looks like hes falling asleep." Demanding a debate with Biden, Trump stated the Democrat should be drug tested before the event. I want to debate. And I think debates, with him, at least, should be drug tested. I want a drug test. Despite Trump's claim, there is no proof that Biden was high on anything during his State of the Union address, despite Republicans and his critics speculating about where he got his energy from. A white, powdery substance was discovered in a cubby next to the West Executive door of the White House in July 2023 and it was determined to be cocaine. Following this, the US Secret Service launched an investigation and sent the materials to the FBI crime laboratory for further examination. However, no latent fingerprints were found during the analysis to come to a firm conclusion. The absence of tangible evidence led to the closure of the Secret Service's inquiry. Also Read: Will Hillary Clinton's get over yourself advise to upset voters backfire on Joe Biden? Is Biden ready to debate with Trump ahead of presidential elections? In March, Biden made it clear that any debate with Trump "depends on his behaviour". Biden's response came after Trump challenged him to debates anytime, anywhere, anyplace. They both debated twice during the 2020 presidential campaign. However, a third debate was postponed. Also Read: Stop it now: Joe Biden gets stern warning from wife Jill as US authorises more bombs for Israel Trump, who is the GOP presidential candidate, has previously made absurd claims regarding Biden's drug use. In 2016, Trump was caught on camera sniffing repeatedly during a presidential debate. Some assumed that he must be using cocaine. Actor Carrie Fisher and ex-Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean claimed that Trump was under the influence of cocaine. A gunfight at a suburban Miami bar has left two people dead and seven injured. HT Image Investigators said a fight broke out around 3:30 am Saturday at the Martini Bar at the CityPlace Doral Mall in Doral, Florida. When a security guard intervened, an unnamed man took out a gun and shot and killed the security guard, Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said. Two off-duty Doral police officers who were also providing security returned fire, with one of them killing the shooter. One of the officers, a four-year veteran of the force, was shot in the leg and applied a tourniquet to himself, Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez told reporters. Six other bystanders were also hit by gunfire five men and a woman, Lopez said. Gunfight at Miami Bar: The wounded officer has been released from a hospital, WTVJ-TV reported. The six bystanders remain hospitalized, with two in critical condition, Zabaleta said. A resident of a nearby apartment told WPLG-TV that he heard a hail of gunfire. Around 3:15 or 3:30 in the morning, I heard three initial gunshots, said William Suedois. Didn't really know where it was coming from. I thought it was fireworks. Then I heard probably 10 or 15 directly after that very, very fast and very loud. It was very scary very scary. Zabaleta said it's way too early to know who shot who. He said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shootings, while Miami-Dade Police are investigating the two deaths. Investigators also said Saturday they could not yet say why the fight broke out. Officers continued to interview witnesses at the bar well after sunrise Saturday, while parts of the mall remained roped off as crime scene technicians gathered evidence. The security guard who was killed has not yet been identified. Famed Munchausen by proxy victim, Gypsy Rose Blanchard has recently separated from her husband, Ryan Anderson, amid fears of escalating domestic tension. Gypsy Rose Blanchard with her husband Ryan Anderson(Instagram/Gypsy Rose Blanchard) According to Nadiya Vizier, a close friend of Blanchard, a heated argument between the couple led Blanchard to fear for her safety. Gypsy said that she was afraid he was going to hit her, Vizier revealed to People magazine. Although Anderson did not become physically violent, still the incident triggered Blanchards traumatic memories of past abuse by her mother. The altercation reportedly occurred at their Lake Charles residence. Vizier described Andersons behaviour as domineering, likening Blanchards experience to being on a leash. The emotional strain of feeling trapped in her home became unbearable for Blanchard, prompting her to leave. ALSO READ| Gypsy Rose Blanchard is all set to undergo cosmetic surgery: Report Blanchard publicly announced the separation on March 28 via a private Facebook post, following the deactivation of her widely followed social media profiles. Unfortunately my husband and I are going through a separation and I moved in with my parents home down the bayou, she stated, while expressing a need for self-discovery and introspection. Timeline of Blanchard's relationship The courtship started while Blanchard was serving time in prison and got married to the woman in a wedding held in July 2022 within the prison. Blanchard spent time behind bars for the murder of her innocent mother who was victimized by the Munchausen syndrome and who had brought about daily distress and torment on her daughter. He was paroled and left in December 2023, married Anderson only for three months. At that point in time, Blanchard renewed her relationship with her former fiancee, a tattoo artist, Ken Urker. The two appear to be embraced together, showing engagement and even getting similar tattoos on their bodies. ALSO READ| Gypsy Rose Blanchards ex, accused of raping her after killing her mom, says he's waiting for true time to speak Amidst swirling rumours, Vizier clarified, I want people to know she didnt leave Ryan for Ken. She left him because she wasnt happy anymore. Bobby Pitre, Blanchards cousin, also spoke to the media, suggesting that Blanchards feelings for Urker never faded. Shes obviously in love with the first guy, Ken. You know? Thats who shes been hanging out with. She obviously loves him, Pitre remarked. Washington, An India-based pipe manufacturing company has announced that it will invest USD 35 million to establish its first US production facility in northwest Louisiana and expects to create hundreds of jobs in the region. HT Image Howrah-based Global Seamless Tubes & Pipes exports its products to industry customers in more than 10 countries worldwide. Its Louisiana facility will have advanced machinery that integrates both hot-finishing and cold-drawn manufacturing processes in the same unit, positioning the company to meet growing demand better and build a domestic supply chain for North American customers in engineering, oil and gas and power generation sectors, according to a press statement. The company expects to create 135 direct new jobs in DeSoto Parish. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in 251 indirect new jobs, for a total of 386 potential new jobs in the Northwest Region. As a natural gas hub and a key player in the international energy supply chain, Louisiana is a natural choice for our second production facility, our first in the Western Hemisphere, Global Seamless President A.R. Biswas said. Global Seamless is dedicated to providing our customers with high-quality services and products, and this new plant will allow us to better serve those customers with a local supply chain. Global Seamless Tubes & Pipes is a leading manufacturer and exporter of carbon, alloy and stainless steel cold-drawn and hot-finish seamless tubes and pipes. LED is dedicated to bringing jobs and economic opportunities to each and every corner of our state, LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois said. This investment will promote growth in our rural communities while providing support to Louisianas oil and gas industry. I thank Global Seamless for investing in Louisiana and our skilled manufacturing workforce, and for recognising the competitive advantages our state offers to expanding businesses. DeSoto Parish Police Jury Parish Administrator Michael Norton said the project will breathe new life into what was once a thriving manufacturing facility located in Mansfield, and provide the residents with more career opportunities. "We look forward to this project and the possibilities it will provide for the community and the good people with Global Seamless Tubes & Pipes. Engineering and design of the former Hensley Industries facility is currently underway with construction and installation of the first production line expected to follow shortly after. The company estimates commercial operations to start by the end of the year. Mansfield Mayor Thomas Jones, Jr. said: This venture will spark our local economy and bring needed quality jobs to this community. We will definitely embrace our new business owners and work with them to make this a smooth transition. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert, who recently underwent a surgery for blood clot in leg amid campaign for third term, was cut off from alcohol at a December fundraiser headlined by former President Donald Trump. Citing Multiple witnesses, CNN reported that server told Boebert that "they would not bring her any more alcohol". (Getty Images via AFP) Citing Multiple witnesses, CNN reported that server told Boebert that "they would not bring her any more alcohol". A server informed one witness that they believed Republican leader had been overserved". During the event, she even tried to take selfies with Trump as they were sharing the same table. However, his security stepped in and asked her to stop hounding the ex-president. At a Manhattan gala, Boebert garnered the scorn of the other attendees due to her carelessness and fangirling behavior. Boebert is facing a tough battle in a contest for a new district, which may put her career in Congress in peril. She has Trump's backing as she is running to replace Ken Buck, who resigned from Congress and threw a hurdle in Boebert's agenda by triggering a special election. However, her actions have already earned her the public disdain of other MAGA firebrands. Boebert has claimed that Buck's early resignation was done specifically to push her out of the party. Read More: Who's Lauren Boebert? Trump supporter asked to define 'carpetbagger' in GOP debate GOPs chose special election candidate who won't run against Boebert in the primary Colorado Republicans recently elected Greg Lopez to fill the remaining term of Buck. Former mayor of Parker, Lopez, has promised to serve the remaining six months of Buck's tenure, hinting that he will not challenge Boebert in the current GOP primary for the 4th congressional district in Colorado. Lopez's win came as a surprise as he defeated Jerry Sonnenberg, a former state legislator, by a narrow margin on Thursday night. Also Read: What is May-Thurner syndrome, the condition Lauren Boebert has been diagnosed with? Meanwhile, Boebert, who has been diagnosed with a condition called May-Thurner syndrome, congratulated Lopez on his win and also thanked the vacancy committee for acting in the district's "best interest". Her statement came as she has earlier expressed hope that Colorado Republicans would select a caretaker candidate. Despite receiving millions of dollars in federal assistance for her former district, Boebert was among 40 House Republicans who voted against a government funding package. After securing the funding, she expressed her excitement by saying she "can't wait for the ribbon cuttings." Following federal raids on music mogul Sean Diddy Combs' homes in Miami and LA, a woman has alleged that Combs' son, Christian, sexually assaulted her while she was working on his dads yacht. The rapper is currently under investigation for sex trafficking accusations made by several of his former close acquaintances. Diddy, who allegedly chartered the yacht, is being sued for premises liability and for aiding and abetting his son. Christian Combs accused of sexual assault on yacht charted by Sean Combs(Pic credit: King Combs Instagram) Christian Combs accused of sexual assault On Thursday, the new lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Christian, Diddys 26-year-old son, has been accused of sexual assault, sexual harassment and infliction of emotional distress by Grace OMarcaigh as an employee on a boat chartered by Puff Daddy himself for a trip late in December 2022 as per the documents obtained by People. All this happened when she was twenty-five years old. Also read: 'Karma haunts Sean Diddy Combs decades after teen was killed in fatal NYC game stampede, says brother As a steward, O'Marcaigh said she served dinner and drinks to guests on the yacht from 6 pm to 6 am. During her stay on board, she noted numerous people who may be prostitutes practising sex work and some celebrities indulging in partying and drug abuse. The complaint further says that on December 28th, 2022, Christian went aboard the yacht with music producer Rodney Lil Rod Jones (Jones also made critical accusations against the rapper aged 54 such as sexual battery and harassment allegations). In addition to these things, it is alleged that when Diddys son came onto the ship he was extremely drunk and had singled her out during that day. According to the complaint, O'Marcaigh said Christian pushed her to drink a glass of tequila, then became aggressive and demanded she drink more. She said she suspected the tequila was spiked because she had seen other women lose consciousness from one drink. She also said Christian groped her breasts and private body parts. The complaint filed also includes an audio recording and pictures of bruises to back the claims. Following her job termination, she alleged in the suit that her mental health worsened and she experienced anxiety, panic attacks, and suicidal thoughts. Also read: Ashton Kutcher on alert for subpoena in 'Diddy' probe after hinting at secrets in resurfaced video: Report 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, Ms OMarcaighs attorney Rodney Diggs told NBC News. Hopefully her story will inspire others to come forward. She added. In addition, Diddy was named as a co-conspirator in the suit for his sons alleged role in the attack, as well as for his responsibility as the yachts chartering company. Like father, like son. It gives us no joy or pleasure in filing this suit against Christian Combs," Ms OMarcaighs other attorney Tyrone Blackburn remarked. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has joined forces with 40 other House Democrats in a bold and firm plea to President Joe Biden, urging him to immediately halt the transfer of U.S. arms to Israel. On Friday, dozens of congressional Democrats sent a letter to the President and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to reassess America's role in the growing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian groups. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticised Donald Trump's push to add citizenship question to upcoming census. Pelosi also said that Trump's census question aims to 'make America white again'. The California Democrat says the administration is battling in federal court to insert the question because it would have a chilling effect on who responds. The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked the question's inclusion. Pelosi said that if people don't answer their census forms, the administration will win. Pelosi joins democrats in push to stop US weapon transfers to Israel Over the past few months, the growing tensions between Israel and Gaza have become a major political issue in the United States. As the election season draws near, the world is paying close attention to any movement by the US, even a small one. Also read: 'Karma haunts Sean Diddy Combs decades after teen was killed in fatal NYC game stampede, says brother In response to an attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, the military of Israel launched an assault on Gaza on October 7th. This has led to severe criticism and international scrutiny, especially after the Gaza health ministry reported that more than 33,000 people have died in the war. According to the report, the narrow coastal strip is also experiencing mass starvation making the humanitarian situation even more alarming. Pelosi a senior member of Biden's Democratic Party argued for ending arms sales to Israel, indicating that this view is increasingly becoming mainstream in the party. Also read: Melania Trump's absence from public eyes tied to White House mystery Key Quote "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 signed letter read. The letter also asked the Biden administration to launch its own investigation into Monday's Israeli air strike that killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen, a humanitarian aid group. The letter was signed by several prominent Democrats, including Representative Barbara Lee (D-Vietnam), Rashida (Rashida Tlaib) and Alexandria (Alexandria) Ocasio (D-New York). Following investigations into the deaths of aid workers, two officers were removed from their positions as well as senior commanders who were formally reprimanded on Friday by Israeli military authorities. The inquiry showed significant mistakes and procedural violations leading to the decision. President Biden discussed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday how Israel could better protect civilians. If these measures are not improved, he warned that the U.S. might adjust its policy. Former US State Secretary Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill became a target of pro-Palestine protestors in New York City. The incident occurs at a time when the Biden administration is dealing with intense criticism for continuing to defend Israel in the midst of a war that has killed over 33,000 Palestinians. Former US State Secretary Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill became a target of Pro-Palestine protestors in New York City.(AP ) The demonstrators branded Hillary a "super predator" and accused the pair of "facilitating genocide" as they left a Biden fundraiser on Wednesday. The couple was singled out due to their long association with Biden, whose backing of Israel during its catastrophic shelling of Gaza has drawn heavy criticism. A hostile mob also called Bill a "piece of s**t" and flung insults at the couple. Hillary was heading out of the Music Box Theater with Bill after viewing a preview of "Suffs," the show which she has produced. Also Read: Stop it now: Joe Biden gets stern warning from wife Jill as US authorises more bombs for Israel One protestor asked Hillary if anyone has told her "that you are super predator". Another person yelled, "Bill Clinton, you're a genocide supporter. F*** you, you piece of s**t." Even as the criticism continued, Hillary seemed unperturbed, extending a hand to wave and smiling at the crowd. After the couple got into their car, the protestors continued to bash them for atrocities in Palestine, saying that "You're literally helping facilitate the genocide of Palestinians." A female protestor even grilled Hillary over the killing of women in Gaza. "F***ing piece of s**t Hillary! Over 34,000 people are dead, Hillary. Call yourself a feminist? Women are dying in Gaza." Accusing "Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton" of hiding in the back of her car, the protestors said: "Stop holding fundraisers for genocide you f***ing coward." The demonstrators went on to ask "how many people have died at your hands?", while one added, I hope their screams haunt you every night. What is Hillary Clinton's stand on Israel- Hamas war? After Hamas attack on Israel claimed 1, 200 lives, Hillary Clinton initially emphasised Israel's right to self-defense, claiming that those advocating for a ceasefire "did not understand Hamas." Also Read: Nancy Pelosi joins calls with 40 house democrats for Biden to stop arms sales to Israel Later in an interview with MSNBC, she apologised for her previous remarks, and blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for letting the atrocities occur. "Netanyahu should go. He is not a trustworthy leader. It was on his watch that the [October 7] attack happened," she asserted. In a recent strike launched by Israel, seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers, including a US-Canadian citizen, were killed as they attempted to deliver food in Gaza. All eyes are on the biggest WWE event of the year, with WrestleMania 2024 fuelling robust action on the two-night weekend shift. Among other WWE superstars, Dwayne The Rock Johnson is finally coming back to the circle for the first night's main show. FILE - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson makes his entrance at Wrestlemania XXXI, Sunday, March 29, 2015, in Santa Clara, Calif. Dwayne The Rock Johnson is back to perform in one of the main events this weekend's WrestleMania in Philadelphia. (Don Feria/AP Images for WWE, File)(AP) However, even before the match kicked off in the ring, The Rock got into an offstage controversial brawl with a fan. During the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, for which Johnson had come in to induct his grandmother Lia Maivia, he jumped into a verbal face-off against a fan in the front row. What happened between The Rock and a fan at the WWE Hall of Fame 2024 Ceremony? As the show came to its close on Friday, the fan incited The Rock by saying, Cody's coming for you." He was referencing to Cody Rhodes' potential takeover at WWE WrestleMania 40. The Rock and Roman Reigns are listed to go up against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins during one of the most awaited events of Saturday night. Also read | Trump still hasn't tired out of comparing himself to Nelson Mandela in 2024 over ongoing trials The Final Boss supposedly lost his cool for a minute, being back around the ring and all, and verbally spat at the fan, Watch your f***ing mouth. Though envisioned as an actor with a cool persona, Johnson is painted as a different dark character altogether at the WWE. The Brahma Bull has previously inducted his father, Rocky Johnson, and his grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, into the WWE Hall of Fame. When, where, and how can you watch The Rock on WWE Wrestlemania XL? The outcome of the first one will set the conditions for the second night. The People's Champion is teaming up with Roman Reigns to meet their match in Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins at the WrestleMania 40 Main Card Night One. This event will kick off on April 6 at 7 pm ET or 4 pm PT. Fans may tune in online on Peacock, as the 2024 WrestleMania is an exclusive Peacock event. Earlier this week, The Rock appeared on Fox & Friends Weekend and expressed regret over endorsing Biden in 2020. The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was one I thought was the best decision for me at that time, he said. Am I going to do it again this year? That answers no, concluded the WWE star. 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.. On Saturday, former US President Donald Trump embarked on yet another one of his Truth Social rants, addressing what a great honour it would be to spend time in prison over violating the gag order in his hush money trial. Outrightly, calling out Judge Juan Merchan and others in his social media tirade, he likened himself to a Modern Day Nelson Mandela. And this isn't the first time when he's compared himself to the anti-apartheid activist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former President of South Africa. FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Grand Rapids, Mich., April 2, 2024. Social media accounts who shield their real identities have come to dominate right-wing political discussion online, even as they spread false information. When a user who uses a pseudonym on the social platform X made a claim against a government website, public figures including Trump, immediately started raising alarm. In three days, the claim, which election officials explained was inaccurate, amassed more than 63 million views on X, according to the platforms metrics. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)(AP) Now we have Merchan, who is not allowing me to talk, thereby violating the Law and the constitution, all at once, begins Trump in his April 6 Truth Social post. He then questions the American judge's credibility, exclaiming: How was he even chosen for this case??? Berating the judge as a partisan hack, Trump lambasted him for issuing the gag order that sought to halt the ex-president's off-handed rants targeting other officials associated with the case. Also read | US on high alert as Iran vows revenge for Israel strike on Tehran's Syria Embassy: 'Stay away so you won't get hurt' Donald Trump's Social Truth rant over hush money trial gag order Trump name-drops Judge Juan Merchan in his latest three-part Truth Social tirade.(Truth Social / @realDonaldTrump) In Trump's three-part verbal online attack, he also took a swing at Judge Arthur Engoronfor, who'd ordered him to pay over $460 million in a civil fraud trial. Judge Merchan issued Trump an expanded version of the gag order earlier this week to put a stop to his critical remarks on social media. He'd previously dragged the judge for a conflict of interest and his supposed reasons for taking over this case. Trump alleged Judge Merchan couldn't keep off his biases since his daughter is a Democratic political consultant. The former president's hush money trial, one of his four criminal indictments, is slated to commence on April 15. It marks the first-ever criminal trial that puts a former US president at the centre. Also read | RHOC alum Lauri Peterson confirms son Josh Waring's death at 35 in heartbreaking statement October 2023 brought up a previous instance when he compared himself to Nelson Mandela, portraying himself as a victim of political persecution. I dont mind being Nelson Mandela, because Im doing it for a reason," he spoke at an old Derry, New Hampshire, rally. The civil rights icon was jailed for over 27 years for fighting against apartheid in South Africa. At Gray Butte Airfield in California, Stephanie Cosme, a 32-year-old civilian contractor for the US Air Force, lost her life on September 7th last year as a result of an accident. As she got caught up in the data recording, she started to lose her sense of direction and ended up being killed by MQ-9As rotating propeller i.e., it became the cause of her unexpected demise. A report of a real method was submitted by the Air Force Material Command to explain the causes that led to that failure. US Air Force discovers two key elements in Stephanie Cosme's propeller-related death(Legacy.com) The MQ-9A, described in the report as an armed, multi-mission, medium-altitude, long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft, serves dual purposes: primarily targeting dynamic execution targets and secondarily functioning as an intelligence collection asset. At the time of the accident, Cosme was employed by Sumaria Systems, providing test support services to the Air Forces Life Cycle Management Center. ALSO READ| Indian student dies in Ohio, fourth such death in a month in US The investigation into the accident by the Air Force Materiel Commands accident investigation board revealed two primary causes. First, the board stated, 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. She didn't look up, walked directly into the propeller Cosme was focused on the testing device, looking down at the testing device the whole time, and appeared to be pressing buttons, possibly to keep the backlight on. Despite attempts by a colleague, who began walking towards Cosme, shouting and waving his arms in an attempt to get [her] attention, and others who began shouting and waving to get [Cosmes] attention as well, she did not look up. she proceeded to walk directly into the propeller sustaining fatal injuries. The investigation went further to disclose one of the main causes of the accident, the major communication gap among the contractors test team and the ground support staff, and the other reason was the pressure to complete several inspections on time because of the previous delay and and cancellation of the tests. A mock-up effected by the board of inquiry concluded that the whirling propeller was not visible from the tail of the aircraft at that point where Cosme took off. ALSO READ| Marjorie Taylor Greene claims earthquakes and eclipses are bad omens, faces severe backlash online Cosme is survived by her parents, two siblings, a fiance, and a stepdaughter. Her obituary on Legacy.com reflects the essence of her life, stating, family was the center of Stephanies world. She is remembered for her passion for crafting, baking, aviation and all things strange and unusual. The obituary further notes, 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. In response to the Israeli strike on the Iranian embassy in Syria, the United States has been put on high alert as it is gearing up for a potential attack by Iran targeting Israeli and American assets in the region, said a US official. US President Joe Biden held a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and discussed the looming threat of a retaliatory attack by Iran.(AP) Although US and Israeli officials believe that an attack by Iran is "inevitable," both the countries remain uncertain about Iran's way of responding to the strikes. "We're definitely at a high state of vigilance," the official told CNN, adding that a strike could take place next week. Iran's senior military commanders was killed when Israeli war planes targeted Iran's embassy in Damascus on Monday, signaling a significant escalation in Israel's conflict with its neighbours in the Middle East region. Seven Iranian military advisors were also perished in the attack, according to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. The deceased include the senior commander of the Quds Force, Mohammad Reza Zahedi. Also Read: 'Swarm Of Drones, Cruise Missiles': Iran Okays Plan To 'Directly Attack' Israel Biden discusses Iran's threat with Netanyahu Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden held a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and discussed the looming threat of a retaliatory attack by Iran. Following the talks between the two leaders, the US and Israel have been in continuous touch, a top administration official told NBC News. According to CBS News, the United States intelligence data revealed that Iran is preparing a counterattack that would use a large number of Shahed loitering drones and cruise missiles. "Officials say the timing and target are unknown, but a proportional response to the Damascus attack would be to hit an Israeli diplomatic facility. The attack is likely to come between now and the end of Ramadan next week," it reported. Meanwhile, two representatives from Biden's cabinet have voiced concerns about Iranian retaliation with Israel, stating that they will attack military and intelligence targets rather than civilians. The New York Times cited two individuals as claiming that Iran had placed its military troops on "full high alert". The officials stated that Iran's decision to "directly attack Israel" was made "in order to create deterrence" and as payback for the Syrian airstrike. Also Read: Joe Biden warns Netanyahu in a phone conversation, US support hinges on protecting civilians Iran vows retaliation, asks US to step aside In a stern warning to the Biden government, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's top advisor asked Washington to stay out of the conflict between Iran and Israel. Raisi's deputy chief of staff, Mohammad Jamshidi, wrote on X, 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 won't get hurt. In response, the US asked Iran not to target American facilities. Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, described the Israeli strike on the Iranian embassy in Syria as a turning moment and declared that Tehran's response was "inevitable." According to Israeli media, Tel Aviv authorities are planning about building bunkers in response to warnings of reprisal from Iran. Moreover, the Israeli army has chosen to deploy reserve soldiers to its Aerial Defense Array as a preventative measure against potential Iranian retaliation. In a horror discovery, Greater Manchester Police found a headless human torso wrapped in plastic that belonged to a 40-year-old man who had been dead for a few days. The body was discovered at Kersal Wetlands in Salford on Thursday evening. Forensic officers at Kersal Dale, near Salford, where a headless human torso was found.(PA) A dog unit, search teams and specialists from forensics units have launched a murder investigation. While it appears that police are searching the secluded wooded area for other body parts, investigators said that nothing further has been found. However, a postmortem will be conducted to identify the deceased. Chief Superintendent Tony Creely, Salford district commander, stated in a press conference that the tragic investigation is progressing swiftly and that the victim is a man who could not have survived. "At the heart of our investigation is this man and his family. We are using all forensic techniques available to identify him as soon as we can so we are able to support his loved ones during this devastating time." He stated that the police are yet to identify if the victim is a male or female. Also Read: Harrowing helicopter footage shows unarmed teen kidnapping victim being shot to death by cops: Here's what went down What was the cause of death? On Thursday evening, a local discovered the remains wrapped in plastic. Following this, police arrived at the wooded area. Earlier, police thought that the corpse belonged to an adult. The officials are not expecting the forensic team to reveal the cause of death as the entire body has not been located. According to Daily Mail, the torso was discovered without arms or a head. No arrests have been made as forensic officials continue to investigate in the area. Greater Manchester Police has appealed to the public to come forward if they have "any information" on the horrifying discovery. Also Read: Joe Biden blasted for saying America is safer with him as president: Laken Riley would disagree The detectives and forensic teams will remain in the area "for some time", police said as they are gathering information from dog walkers and passers by in the region. The Chief Superintendentstated there are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding the case, adding that officials are "working diligently and respectfully to provide answers" as soon as possible. This will take time and we will continue to provide updates of significance when we can, Creely stated. Two people, including a gunman, were killed and seven others sustained injuries after a gunfire incident at a bar in Miami-Dade County, Florida on Saturday. The shooting took place at a Martini Bar in CityPlace Doral mall around 3.30 a.m. Among the injured is a police officer who was called to the scene following a brawl at a commercial establishment in Doral City that turned deadly when a gunman started firing. (X) Among the injured is a police officer who was called to the scene following a brawl at a commercial establishment in Doral City that turned deadly when a gunman started firing. According to authorities, a security guard who tried to step in was shot and killed at the spot. Following this, police engaged in gunfire with the suspect and he was ultimately killed. The injured police officer, who was shot in the leg, was rushed to a hospital. Six innocent bystandersfour men and two womenwere reportedly caught in the crossfire, according to the police. While two of the victims suffered critical injuries and they were take to Jackson Trauma and HCA Kendall Regional Trauma, the other four are in a stable state. The identity of the shooter is being investigated by authorities. Also Read: Savannah Graziano death: New footage shows California cops fatally shooting 15-year-old unarmed kidnapping victim Police say not looking for any suspects During a press conference, Chief of Police Edwin Lopez said that the swift reaction and "heroic actions" of the City of Doral police officers on the site "prevented an incident from escalating." The officer shot and killed the subject, however, the officer also sustained a gunshot wound to the lower extremity, Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is looking into the officer-involved shooting aspect of events, while Miami-Dade police are currently currently probing the homicide part of it. Police informed that they are not looking for any suspects, but a number of witnesses have been taken into custody for questioning. Also Read: 1 dead, 4 injured in shooting at Nashville restaurant during Easter Sunday brunch, suspect on the run A most disappointing day Stressing that police cannot provide assurance that incident like this does not happen, Lopez said: "We can definitely ensure that when and if an incident like this occurs in South Florida". The chief called the incident a extremely disappointing day for South Florida community. Anytime a law enforcement officer is shot, it tears at the core fabric of our community. But we are grateful that he is alive and in stable condition, and we look forward to completing this investigation. A Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 and British Airways Airbus A350 suffered a ground collision at London's Heathrow Airport, leading to minor damage to both aircraft. According to media reports, two aircraft -- G-XWBC and G-VDIA -- were involved in the incident at London Heathrow.(X) The incident occurred when the Virgin jet was being directed by a tug when the wiglets of the aircraft contacted the tail of the nearby BA aircraft, Daily Mail reported. Following the incident, emergency services rushed to the spot The officials verified that the plane was being moved to a different area of the airfield as it had just finished a trip. Moreover, the flight schedule remains unaffected by the collision. Taking to X, one of the eye witnesses wrote: Just witnessed a plane crash at Heathrow! A tug pushing back a Virgin 787, crashed the wing into a BA A350. Meanwhile, a video that has surfaced on social media shows the aftermath of the incident at Heathrow airport. Virgin Atlantic issues statement In a statement, a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said the airline is aware that the wingtip of one of the empty aircraft came collided with another aircraft while it was being towed from the stand at London Heathrow Terminal 3. "The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority. We can confirm no customers were on board the Virgin Atlantic aircraft during this time," the spokesperson said, adding that a comprehensive investigation has been launched. Virgin Atlantic's engineering teams are monitoring the aircraft, which is currently out of service. According to media reports, two aircraft -- G-XWBC and G-VDIA -- were involved in the incident. British Airways received G-XWBC, an Airbus A350-1000, in November 2019. The aircraft is 4.4 years old, according to Planespotters.net. Moreover, British Airways possesses 18 A350-1000 variants, all of which are now in active service. Currently, the aircraft type's average fleet age is 2.6 years. Regarding G-VDIA, it is a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner that was handed over to Virgin in March of 2016. The airline operates a fleet of 17 787-9 variants. Former presidential candidate and Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy's proposed solution to illegal immigration in the United States is indeed a contentious and polarizing one. "End birthright citizenship for the kids of illegal aliens," Vivek Ramaswamy. Photo by Anna Moneymaker / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)(Getty Images via AFP) His call to stand for the rule of law and utilize the military to secure the border reflects a hardline approach to immigration enforcement that prioritizes strict adherence to legal channels for entry into the country. However, his recommendations, which include mass deportations, defunding sanctuary cities, and ending birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants, raise significant ethical and practical concerns. And many lament it as scary. ALSO READ| Indian woman gets US citizenship at the age of 99, netizens question American dream I say this as the kid of legal immigrants: stand for the rule of law. Use our own military to secure our own border. Start the mass deportations. End funding for sanctuary cities & Central American countries, Ramaswamy stated. End birthright citizenship for the kids of illegal aliens. The idea of discarding the due citizenship of the children born to undocumented immigrants is particularly troubling as this will undo the idea and base of American citizenship and possibly be a question mark over the future of a lot of individuals. The Fourteenth Amendment to US Constitution, ratified in 1868, upholds birthright citizenship as the central part of American identity and values cherished and protected by many. US's open border is a serious flaw in the system Whilst professionals like engineers, scientists and foreign media engage in a five-stage application process for visa approval that takes them more than 500 days, and sometimes wait times extending beyond 100 years, others take advantage of a big omission in the U.S. immigration system the open border to cross the border without the proper documentation. This obscene duality mirrors the unsoundness of the immigration policy in the US, which backs up the illegal immigrants while slamming the legal arrivals. ALSO READ| Dunki reality check: Viral video captures Indians and Pakistanis walking to Mexico-Texas border The Pew Research Center's study shows Indians have emerged as the third-largest group of undocumented immigrants in the US, with numbers surging by 70% since 2011. New York City agreed to pay $17.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by two Muslim women, who claimed that their rights were infringed upon when they were detained and made to remove their headscarves for a mugshot According to the settlement between NY authorities and the two Muslim women, each beneficiary will receive between $7,824 and $13,125 after legal fees are deducted.(Pixabay) Over 3,600 people are eligible for reimbursements under the preliminary financial settlement, which was filed in Manhattan federal court on Friday. However, the accord still needs to be permitted by a district court judge, Fox News reported. In 2018, Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz filed the lawsuit after they were detained for allegedly breaking fictitious protection orders. They both were taken into custody in Manhattan and Brooklyn, in 2017, respectively. According to the settlement, each beneficiary will receive between $7,824 and $13,125 after legal fees are deducted. The payout is expected to be approximately $13.1 million, but it might go up if enough of the more than 3,600 qualified class members file their claims. The settlement, according to Clark and Aziz's attorney Albert Fox Cahn, is a crucial step forward for the religious and privacy rights of New Yorkers. Also Read: Hijab ban violates religious freedom: US Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz share their horrific experience Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz said they felt shame and trauma after being forced to remove the head coverings which are worn by Muslim women in observance of the Islamic religion. Their lawyers even likened taking off the hijabs to being strip-searched. "When they forced me to take off my hijab, I felt as if I were naked," Clark said in a statement provided by her lawyers. "I'm not sure if words can capture how exposed and violated I felt." She went on to say that it is a feeling of pride as she played an important role in getting justice for thousands of New Yorkers. According to Cahn, the accord makes it clear that the NYPD cannot breach the First Amendment rights of New Yorkers without incurring consequences. Also Read: Iran says US trying to violate sovereignty over hijab protests, warns response What was the response of New York's police department to the lawsuit? Reacting to the lawsuit in 2020, New York's Police Department allowed both males and females to cover their heads during mugshots as long as their faces were visible. "This settlement resulted in a positive reform for the NYPD," said police spokesman Nicholas Paolucci. "The agreement carefully balances the department's respect for firmly held religious beliefs with the important law enforcement need to take arrest photos." The lawsuit comes after three Muslim women were forced to remove their headscarves for mug photographs in 2018, and New York City was ordered to pay them $180,000. The death of an Indian student, who is pursuing studies in Ohio, US, was reported on Friday night. The Indian Consulate in New York confirmed Uma Satya Sai Gaddes untimely death in mysterious circumstances. An investigation to determine the reason for the death is now in progress. Mysterious death of Indian student Uma Satya Sai Gadde in Ohio prompts investigation. (HT File) Who is Uma Satya Sai Gadde? Gadde, who was in college in Cleveland, Ohio, created a gap at heart to many. The Indian Consulate conveyed its great regret following the young student's tragic accident, and extended its deepest condolences to his bereaved family in India. Besides that, the representative will be a shoulder they can lean on during the tough times. Deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of Mr. Uma Satya Sai Gadde, an Indian student in Cleveland, Ohio, the Indian Consulate in New York conveyed in X (formerly Twitter) post. ALSO READ| Indian student dies in Ohio, fourth such death in a month in US Police investigation is underway. @IndiainNewYork continues to remain in touch with the family in India. All possible assistance is being extended, including to transport Mr. Uma Gadde's mortal remains to India at the earliest. 10th such incident this year This incident is painful and reminds us again about a string of deaths of Indian-origin students in the US. In March, Mohammed Abdul Arafat, another Indian student, mysteriously went missing from the Cleveland area, with his family subsequently receiving a ransom demand for his safe return. Besides, this sad happening ignites fright in the minds of people belonging to the Indian Community that crowd are studying away overseas in terms of safety and well-being. Gadde's case is the tenth such occurrence this year alone. The increasing number of deaths among Indian students in the United States has sparked widespread apprehension. Earlier this year, Amarnath Ghosh, a 34-year-old trained classical dancer from India, was fatally shot in St. Louis, Missouri, while Sameer Kamath, a 23-year-old Indian-American student at Purdue University, was discovered deceased in a nature preserve in Indiana. Vivek Taneja, a 41-year-old Indian-origin IT executive, sustained life-threatening injuries during an assault outside a restaurant in Washington. ALSO READ| List of Indian students found dead in US under mysterious circumstances recently In response to these troubling developments, the officials of the Indian Embassy in Washington and its consulates across the country convened a virtual interaction with Indian students from various universities. Led by Charge d'Affaires Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan, the discussion aimed to address student well-being and foster connections within the broader diaspora. Approximately 150 Indian Student Association office bearers and students from 90 universities participated in the interaction, which also saw the attendance of Consul Generals from Indian diplomatic missions in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle. Forty members of US Congress urge Biden to cease offensive arms supplies to Israel Washington, April 6 (UNI) Forty members of US Congress, including former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have appealed with a joint letter to US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to stop the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel after a deadly Israeli strike on World Central Kitchen's (WCK) humanitarian convoy in the Gaza Strip. "We write to express our shared concern and outrage regarding the recent Israeli airstrike, which killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including an American citizen. In light of this incident, we strongly urge you to reconsider your recent decision to authorise the transfer of a new arms package to Israel and to withhold this and any future offensive arms transfers until a full investigation into the airstrike is completed," the letter read. The members of US Congress also called on Washington to ensure that future military deliveries to Israel, including already authorised transfers, are "subject to conditions to ensure it is used in compliance with U.S. and international law," the letter said. Campaign fundraising in the state of New Mexico has gotten off to a wild start between incumbent Democratic Party US Senator Martin Heinrich and Republican contender Nella Domenici. According to the tallies announced by the candidates obtained by the Associated Press, the campaign team of Domenici-the daughter of longtime US Senator Pete Domenici-said it raised more than $1.25 million between January and the end of March, including a $500,000 contribution by the Republican businesswoman-turned-candidate herself, along with donations from at least 1,100 people. Domenici's campaign cash figures were shared first with Fox News Digital. On the other hand, Heinrich's campaign said that he raised over $1.5 million during the same period from more than 7,600 donors, in addition to the $3.5 million amount the campaign had at the end of 2023. Detailed findings from the Federal Election Commission were unavailable as of Friday, April 5. In January, Domenici challenged Heinrich for his federal Senate seat, calling for new approaches to border enforcement, natural resource development, and public education. "What an incredible outpouring of broad support in such a short amount of time - New Mexico is truly ready for a change," she said in a statement. "[F]or too long, New Mexico has been hurt by career politicians like Martin Heinrich who have put their extreme progressive ideology ahead of solving problems and the best interests of New Mexicans." Read Also : New Mexico Middle School Broken Into by Migrants for 2nd Time in a Week Republicans hope to regain their political footing this year in New Mexico, where Democrats hold all congressional seats and every statewide elected office. U.S. President Joe Biden won the state by 11 points or about 100,000 votes. Heinrich first won his Senate seat in 2012 and was reelected in 2018, with about 54% of the vote in a three-way race against Republican Mick Rich and Libertarian candidate and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson. Former Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzales III initially registered to pursue the GOP Senate nomination ahead of New Mexico's June 4 primary, but failed to collect enough petition signatures to qualify, leaving Domenici as the sole GOP contender. Democrats hold a tenuous 51-49 voting majority in the Senate but were defending more seats than Republicans in the November election. The United States is on high alert and preparing for an "inevitable" attack after Iran vowed retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its consular office in Syria that killed seven members of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two generals, according to reports. "We're definitely at a high state of vigilance," a U.S. official told Reuters about an attack that could come as soon as next week. Senior U.S. officials told CNN that an attack is "inevitable," saying Iran could target American or Israeli assets in the region. At a funeral for the seven in Tehran where marchers changed "death to Israel" and burned U.S. flags, Gen. Hossein Salami, the commander of the IRGC, said Israel "cannot escape the consequences" of its alleged actions in Syria and for the war in Gaza against Hamas. "The Zionist regime cannot escape the consequences of the harm it does," he said. "It is exposed and knows very well what is going to happen." President Joe Biden discussed the threat with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their Thursday phone call. "Our teams have been in regular and continuous contact since then. The United States fully supports the defense of Israel against threats from Iran," a senior Biden administration official told Reuters. The attack, attributed to Israel, on the Iranian compound in Damascus has stoked already heightened tensions in the region because of the six-month war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, and threatens to widen the conflict in the region. Hamas operates as one of Iran's proxies in the Middle East, along with Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. Flooding in Russia's Ural Mountains broke a dam in the southwestern city of Orsk forcing emergency workers to use lifeboats to rescue about 2,000 people, according to reports Saturday. Video footage showed emergency workers in orange jumpsuits and white helmets wading through thigh-high water as they helped one woman out of her home. As many as 10,000 residents may live in the the flood zone, and up to 4,000 homes could be swamped by rising water, the BBC said, citing local officials. Half of Orsk's old town district was inundated and Mayor Vasily Kozupitsa said the situation was "rapidly worsening." "Citizens of the Leninsky and Sovetsky districts of Orsk are being evacuated to temporary accommodation centers," according to a statement from the the regional prosecutor's office. The dam burst Friday night after melting mountain ice caused the Ural River to overflow in Russia's Orenburg region near the border with Kazakhstan. The prosecutor's office reportedly blamed the dam break on poor maintenance and the Associated Press said Russia's Investigative Committee opened a criminal probe into suspected safety violations. Widespread flooding has been reported on both sides of the Russian-Kazakh border for several days, with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev saying it may mark the country's worst natural disaster in 80 years, according to the BBC. A Chipotle worker in Michigan was shot in the leg by a customer during an argument over guacamole, according to reports. The 21-year-old victim, who was not identified, was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for a non life-threatening injury, Fox 2 reported, citing information from the Southfield Police Department. A suspect in the Friday evening shooting, a Detroit man whose age was alternately given in reports as 31 or 32, was taken into custody after he fled the scene. Customers told the outlet they heard a ruckus before the shooting. "I was just eating a bowl and I heard shouting. And then I looked over, they're arguing. One of the workers went to the back, I don't know why, and then when he was in the back, the customer walked around the counter, tried to grab his food and put it in a bag," Thomas Huber told Fox 2. "Then the employee came back, and they started fighting, and then we heard a gunshot and just ran out as quick as we could," he said. Witness Michael Beals said he had the same inclination. "It was loud, and then we all just ran out," he said. "I wasn't really thinking ... there was going to be a shot, but there was." Police confirmed to local outlet WXYZ that the shooting stemmed from a dispute over guacamole, but did not elaborate. Monday's highly anticipated solar eclipse could be obscured by clouds along much of its path due to storms moving across the central U.S. Part of the Northeast stand the best chance of clear skies, according to weather experts interviewed Friday by the Associated Press. A large area near southeastern Missouri and southern Illinois was also expected to provide prime viewing spots, and Canada might have light cloud cover that won't block movement of the moon across the sun during the rare, total solar eclipse. But parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas are iffy, as is Mexico, according to AP. The potential for severe storms from Texas to Arkansas could also affect travel home for sky-watchers from Texas to Arkansas. Millions of people are expected to watch the eclipse, prompting concerns about traffic jams, overloaded cellphone networks and other potential problems. Some local governments even declared states of emergency ahead of the celestial spectacle. Experts have also stressed the need to wear proper eye protection and warned about a proliferation of fake and counterfeit eclipse sunglasses. Although lower, thicker clouds would likely prevent people from seeing the eclipse, higher and thinner clouds shouldn't pose much of problem. But the wet weather moving across the U.S. makes it hard for meteorologists to pinpoint where clouds will spoil the view. "The uncertainty is still pretty high," National Weather Service meteorologist Marc Chenard said. Daniel Dawson, an atmospheric scientist at Purdue University, advised anyone hoping to keep their plans flexible and monitor the weather forecasts. "Look for where the confidence seems to be the greatest as you head towards the event," he said. For those not willing to risk it, NASA will stream telescope views of the sun starting at 1 p.m. EDT Monday. A U.S. Air Force contractor who accidentally walked into the propeller of a MQ-9A drone on a California airfield was improperly trained and disoriented before the fatal misstep, a military investigation released Friday concluded. Stephanie Cosme, 32, was working as a contracted civilian test engineer at Gray Butte Airfield on Sept. 7, 2023 when she unintentionally walked into the propeller during a ground test. The Palmdale resident was airlifted to Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, but died a short time later from severe injuries. An Air Force Materiel Command Accident Investigation Board on Friday released a report attributing the deadly error to two main causes. Firstly, Cosme was improperly instructed or trained on taking telemetry readings while approaching the MQ-9A with the engine running, the report found. Secondly, she experienced a loss of situational awareness while moving around the aircraft to take those readings, investigators found. AIB President Brig. Gen. Lance R. French also highlighted two additional factors that contributed to the tragedy: a lack of clear communication between the contractor test team and ground support personnel, and a rush in the tests due to previous delays and cancellations. The AIB report recreated the accident scenario with an MQ-9 parked in the same spot, engine running, and similar lighting conditions as on Sept. 7. During the simulation, the spinning propeller was not visible when viewed from the rear of the aircraft, the direction from which Cosme approached. Cosme worked for Sumaria Systems, LLC, and was providing test support services for the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Detachment 3. Police in Arkansas shot a man who fired at them after crashing his vehicle into a shopping mall Saturday morning, police said. The man drove his vehicle into Massage Envy in the Lewis Crossing Shopping Center in Conway and barricaded himself in a room, police said on Facebook. While officers were talking to the man, he allegedly opened fire on them, authorities said. Officers returned fire and hit the man. Officer Shad Foley, a spokesperson for the Conway Police Department, said the man was taken to a local hospital, the Associated Press reported. There was no information about his condition. Conway police said no officers were injured in the exchange of gunfire. The Arkansas State Police are investigating the incident. Mexico City, April 6 (UNI) The Mexican government will appeal to the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) to condemn the actions of the Ecuadorian authorities after police attacked the diplomatic mission in Quito that left several diplomatic staff members injured, Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena said on Saturday. Earlier on Saturday, Ecuadorian authorities detained former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas who had been sheltering in the Mexican Embassy in Quito, media reported. Barcena said Mexican diplomats in Ecuador sustained injuries after Ecuadorian law enforcement officers had broken into the Mexican Embassy to detain Glas. "Mexico will appeal to the International Court of Justice to condemn Ecuador's responsibility for violations of international law," Barcena said in a statement published by the Mexican Foreign Ministry on X. Glas arrived in the Mexican embassy last December to request protection and was granted guest access. The Ecuadorian government later asked Mexico for permission to enter the embassy and arrest Glas, but police were denied access. UNI/SPUTNIK AKS The mayor of a Texas border town resigned so he could be released on bond following his shocking arrest in a drug trafficking scheme that allegedly involved storing and packaging cocaine inside a local middle school. Progreso Mayor Gerardo "Jerry" Alanis quit in an unsigned, undated letter sent to the city manager by his wife, the Valley Central website reported Friday. The three-sentence letter said Alanis' resignation was "effective immediately" and thanked City Manager Javier Villalobos "and the City of Progreso for the opportunity to have served in this position for the past 10 years." Alanis' move allowed him to post a $100,000 bond and be freed from custody under terms of an order that also required him to resign from office, Valley Central said. A U.S. magistrate judge last month ordered Alanis held without bond as a "danger to the community" but he appealed the decision to a U.S. district judge who imposed conditions that also include electronic monitoring and no contact with the seven co-defendants in his case. They include Alanis' brother, Progreso school board trustee Francisco "Frank" Alanis, and Joe Rosbel Salas Jr., a former Progreso school bus driver. Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested Jerry Alanis last month on charges that he conspired to traffic more than 88 pounds of cocaine. During a March 21 bond hearing, Border Patrol Agent Pablo Barrera testified that informants told the government that the mayor had stored and packaged drugs in a locked room at Dorothy Thompson Middle School. A search of the school didn't turn up any drugs but agents found vacuum seal bags and boxes that matched a description provided by an informant, Barrera said. Jerry Alanis' arrest was part of probe that began in 2020, when the Border Patrol caught Salas with about 30 pounds of cocaine. Salas agreed to cooperate with authorities and pleaded guilty, according to Valley Central. A Canadian couple is fighting to have their home stripped of its heritage designation, saying that the original owner was racist and against immigration, according to a report. Arnold Mahesan, a fertility specialist of Sri Lankan descent, and his wife, Roxanne Earle, whose family comes from Pakistan, said when they bought the $5 million home in an affluent neighborhood of Toronto in 2022 they didn't know that it carried the designation. It had been built in 1906 for Stapelton Pitt Caldecott, CBC News reported. Caldecott, a former Toronto Board of Trade president, was opposed to immigration, the outlet reported, citing a University of Toronto historian. "Stapleton Caldecott would've been appalled by us living in the house he commissioned," Mahesan told the Toronto Preservation Board at a March 28 meeting, the outlet reported. The couple told the board that they only found out that the 9,000 square-foot house had a heritage designation last year when they looked into modifying the steps leading to the sidewalk. Because of the designation, they would have to get the city to approve any changes to the property. They asked the city to repeal the designation in January, but the city said it doesn't have a policy that would prevent buildings from getting heritage status because of its connection to such individuals. At the preservation board meeting, the couple cited a report by University of Toronto lecturer Michael Akladios that said Caldecott was anti-immigration and opposed immigrants assimilating into society. The city told the preservation board that the home's heritage designation had nothing to do with Caldecott, but rather its unique structural qualities and design by Toronto architect Eden Smith. The board voted to remove all references to Caldecott in the designation, but rejected the couple's request. Mahesan said that the board's decision won't do, arguing that it amounts to "putting our thumbs over that part of history." The couple will continue to fight the ruling, their attorney said. "We intend to realize every opportunity we can to try to convince council to repeal the designation," Michael Campbell told the outlet. A gunfight at a bar on the outskirts of Miami left two people dead and seven injured early Saturday, with the wounded including an off-duty police officer and six bystanders. The bloodshed began when a fight erupted around 3:30 a.m. at Martini Bar in the Miami suburb of Doral, authorities said. When a security guard tried to intervene, an unidentified man pulled out a gun and fatally shot the security guard, Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta reportedly said. Two off-duty Doral police officers who were working security fired back with shots of their own, ultimately striking and killing the shooter, officials said. One of the officers, a four-year veteran of the force, was shot in the leg, said Chief Edwin Lopez. He was released later Saturday. In the exchange of fire, six bystanders five men and a woman were also hit, according to the Associated Press. The woman and one of the men were hospitalized in critical condition, according to NBC Miami. Zabaleta told reporters Saturday that it was too early to know "who shot who." A nearby resident told WPLG-TV that he heard a burst of gunfire ring out. "Around 3:15 or 3:30 in the morning, I heard three initial gunshots," said William Suedois. "I didn't really know where it was coming from. I thought it was fireworks. Then I heard probably 10 or 15 directly after that very, very fast and very loud. It was very scary very scary." The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shootings, as Miami-Dade police focus on the two deaths. Officers continued to interview witnesses into the early morning on Saturday, and parts of the mall remained roped off as crime scene technicians collected evidence. No clear reason has been given as to what prompted the fight. Baghdad, April 6 (UNI) Shia armed groups making part to the so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq said they attacked oil refineries in Haifa in northern Israel. Today at dawn, Saturday, April 6, 2024, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq attacked oil refineries in Haifa in our occupied territories with drones, the groups said on Telegram. The Iraqi armed groups said they "will continue to destroy enemy strongholds during operations to resist the occupation and support our people in the Gaza Strip, as well as in response to the Zionist massacre of unarmed Palestinian civilians." UNI/SPUTNIK AKS The Fire District is returning unspent ARPA funds provided by the town for a fire truck it will not be receiving. Dalton Fire District Votes to Return Ladder Truck ARPA Funds to Town DALTON, Mass. The Board of Water Commissioners on Wednesday voted to return to the town the balance left of American Rescue Plan Act funds allocated for a ladder ladder truck. "We appreciate the support and trust the Town of Dalton has consistently extended to our fire and emergency medical services. As stewards of public funds, we recognize the importance of responsible financial management," board Chair James Driscoll wrote to the Select Board. "We have determined that returning the unutilized ARPA funds aligns with our commitment to transparency and fiscal responsibility." In 2022, the Select Board approved transferring $119,500 in ARPA funds to the Fire District to purchase the "refurbished" ladder truck. The district is a separate governmental body from the town On Oct.18, 2022, Northern Fire Equipment received a down payment of $77,000; the district will return the unspent $42,500. The ladder truck was ordered in late 2022, but its delivery date has been changed at least four times. Northern Fire Equipment has said staffing shortages, change orders, and unexpected mechanical malfunctions have contributed to the delay. The funds were earmarked for a specific purpose that can no longer be completed, so "we must ensure they are used effectively and efficiently," Driscoll wrote. Last month, the board voted to seek legal action against Northern Fire Equipment for breaching the ladder truck contract in an attempt to recover the ARPA funds. More information here "We sincerely thank the Town of Dalton for its unwavering support over the years. Your continued investment in our fire and EMS services enables us to enhance public safety, respond promptly to emergencies, and serve our community with dedication," the letter to the Select Board says. "Once again, thank you for your partnership and collaboration. We look forward to continuing our work together for the betterment of Dalton and its residents." The decision to return the funds to the town passed with no discussion. Stockbridge Author Explores AI in New Novel STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. Author Joan Cohen's debut novel focused on the difficult intersection of personal decision-making and data; her second takes it a step further by questioning whether the data we depend on is even real. In " The Deepfake ," protagonist Sylvie uncovers corporate malfeasance while working for an artificial intelligence company in Boston. And when she falls in love with someone who fears and hates AI, she begins to question everything she knows. Cohen wants the novel to start a conversation surrounding AI by illustrating Sylvie's inner conflict. "In 'The Deepfake,' I'm very troubled about how we proceed. It's a very hard issue. So, I wanted to make my readers think about that," Cohen said. "I wanted them to see somebody struggling with it So it's not as if it's a cocktail party conversation and then she goes home and puts on a TV. She is living this and being torn about it." Cohen draws from her own background in marketing and as an executive for technology companies, and a corporate decision that she refused to condone because it "felt borderline illegal." The novel also explores other ethical and sensitive topics such as people-pleasing, sexual assault, and other prevalent issues in society. "When I write, perhaps like a lot of people, I don't know if it's like a lot of writers, I procrastinate. I avoid sitting down and doing the hard work and I find that writing about some moral issue or ethical issue keeps me in my seat. It's interesting," she said. AI allows people to put very convincing images or videos of others on the internet doing or saying things they did not do, Cohen said, and while she doesn't know the answers, discussions need to start happening on the impact this technology has and possible safeguards. She's heard people she considers intelligent and educated say they don't understand AI or that they are not going to worry about it yet. "I'm just surprised to hear that they don't know that it's already here and that they don't know that they're using it necessarily, but they are," she said. "And it's something that we should be jubilant about and it's something that we should be terrified of. Those are two difficult states to be in at the same time." She does have "one terrible fear" about AI and it is not robots taking over the world -- it is conspiracy theories and the speed of disinformation. "My hope is that people who are a lot smarter and more knowledgeable than I am are thinking about how to solve some of these problems. If they're not, I mean, that's pretty scary," she said. "I don't know who reads my book, but I just hope it gets people thinking and I hope it gets them going to the internet, as I have and reading articles by experts because we have different opinions from one another. But that's how we solve problems." Cohen's father encouraged her to read the op-ed pages in newspapers because they had a range of views, she continued. "That was very good advice but when I look back on it, it seems quaint." Today there isn't an op-ed page, rather people look up topics online and will get information supporting the point of view they already have, Cohen said. It's confirmation bias, she noted, where you take in all the facts that support the point of view that you already have and reject all the facts that don't support it. "We might go to MSNBC on TV, if we prefer something that is more liberal, or we might go to Fox, we prefer something that's more conservative," she said. "I mean, yes, there are a few newspapers left but I don't think they're long for this world. That's critical thinking though." Cohen said she learned about how to persuade people during her careers and it was interesting to see how people's perception changed. "Then when I left the technology world, I drew on a lot of what I had seen, and some of it was wonderful and some of it was not so wonderful," she said. "Some of it was people who took advantage of the system and often they were very high up in companies. It's kind of 'what can I get away with' and 'this is business' and 'this is what we do. So, don't be a Girl Scout.'" Sylvie is a people pleaser, and she is not aware of the downside of it. This trait leads her to "some very sticky ethical situations," Cohen said. "I don't think it's sexist to say that that's much more common among women than men because of how we're raised." Cohen hopes that young people will read her book and think about whether they have people-pleasing tendencies and how it affects their life. "I have kids, obviously, they're grown and I don't know if they've learned from my books. I think all kids believe their parents are born 40. I have two minds about that. I would like to think that I'm having a positive impact on young people but, I truly don't know," she said. Cohen and her husband have had a vacation home in the Berkshires since 1977 and moved to the area full time when they retired about seven years ago. The people, atmosphere, and cultural venues prevent her brain from going stale, she said, because they draw a range of people and the community is welcoming to newcomers. "Lots of interesting people, lots of interesting conversations," she said. Her debut novel, " Land of Last Chances ," a 2019 finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards, delved into the life of an executive facing a late-life pregnancy and a genetic conundrum. Cohen will sign books at the Pittsfield Barnes & Noble on Saturday, April 20, at 1 p.m. and a launch party will take place at The Bookstore in Lenox on May 4 at 4 p.m. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Get our The Life Cinematic email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Michael Sheen has admitted to a concern over being in a relationship with someone just five years older than his daughter. The 55-year-old Good Omens actor, who will soon play Prince Andrew in a rival project to Netflixs Scoop, addressed the topic while being interviewed on The Assembly, a BBC series made for Autism Acceptance Week that sees autistic or neurodivergent interviewers grill celebrity subjects. One interviewer brought up Sheens relationship with Anna Lundberg, 30, asking candidly: How does it feel to be dating someone who is only five years older than your daughter? Sheen has two children with Swedish actor Lundberg as well as a 25-year-old daughter with Kate Beckinsale. The actor did not skirt the question, calling it not the easiest thing to do and said he has worries about being a much older father. He said: Because of the age difference, I think both of us were quite surprised when we got together. I dont think either of us were looking for that. Its not like Ive dated lots of people who are much younger than me, but you meet who you meet. We were very aware of what differences that would make and also how people might respond to that, he added. Its not like it was the easiest thing to do. We were both aware it would be difficult and challenging. Ultimately, we felt it was worth it because of how we felt about each other. The couple met after appearing in sitcom Staged, which co-stars David and Georgia Tennant. He raised a concern about the age difference, saying that he is worried about being an older father. open image in gallery Anna Lundberg and Michael Sheen have been in a relationship since 2019 ( Getty Images ) Because of the age difference, Im aware that Im a much older father, he said. It does worry me. It makes me concerned. It makes me sad thinking about the time I wont have with them. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free But ultimately, I think if you find someone who brings you happiness and you make them happy, youve got to go for that. So thats what we decided to do and Im so happy we did as we have this wonderful family now. Sheen was in a relationship with Beckinsale from 1995 to 2003. His other partners have included English ballet dancer Lorraine Stewart and actors Rachel McAdams, Caitlin Fitzgerald and Sarah Silverman. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The BBC has addressed claims that Giovanni Pernice is returning to Strictly Come Dancing after alleged behind-the-scenes tensions with his celebrity partners. Pernices future on the show has been in question ever since Sherlock star Amanda Abbington requested tense footage of her rehearsals with the pro after she unexpectedly quit the show in 2023. While Pernice has brushed off any claims of wrongdoing, it was alleged last month that the Italian dancer had caused difficulties with two other former celebrity partners during their time on the show. Reports claimed that Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh and former Love Island host Laura Whitmore, who previously said she was uncomfortable with Pernice, had a tearful summit with Abbington about their respective difficult experiences working with the dancer, who is well known to be intense during training. Despite this, its been reported by MailOnline that Pernice, after tense talks earlier this week, has been assured by the BBC that he will remain on the show. Upon request for comment, the corporation told The Independent: The professional dancers for 2024 will be announced in due course. The pros are usually announced in August, one month before Strictly begins. In the past few years, they have included Karen Hauer, Dianne Buswell and Nikita Kuzmin, who finished in second place on this years Celebrity Big Brother. Ahead of 2023s edition of Strictly, Nadiya Bychkova was left fuming after being told she would not receive a celebrity partner. It is believed that Pernice will remain on the series as no official complaint has been issued to the BBC. Pernice has been a part of Strictly since 2015, and won legions of fans due to his onscreen camaraderie with EastEnders actor Rose Ayling-Ellis. The pair won the show in 2021. Since the news, Pernice has been supported by his fans, and by Debbie McGee, one of his former celebrity Strictly partners. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Speaking on The Mirrors Invite Only podcast, Pernice said: It was a shame that she had to leave for medical reasons because I think, in my opinion, we could have gone all the way. open image in gallery Giovanni Pernice looks set to return to Strictly ( BBC ) Pernice said his reputation as a perfectionist comes from caring about the celebrity hes partnered with, adding: In every single part of the world, if [youre] a professional dancer, we have to get these people on the Saturday night looking the best as they can. And if we get to have good scores at the end, I look back and say Ive done a great job. We all care about our partners and we all want to look great on the Saturday. When it was claimed Abbington had requested training footage, the BBC said that robust duty of care protocols and constant dialogue occurs between the shows producers and its celebrity contestants. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy 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. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free 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. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy 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. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free 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. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Sharon Osbourne has issued yet another takedown of James Corden after criticising him on Celebrity Big Brother. When the former X Factor judge appeared on ITV series last month, she surprised viewers with her candid views on everyone from Ellen DeGeneres and Anna Wintour to her former employer Simon Cowell and Adele, whose accent she mocked. But it was during a discussion of celebrities who name-drop that Osbourne called out Gavin & Stacey star Corden, stating: I tell you who does that: James Corden he does that all the time. She continued: I go to him, I really like your shoes, and he goes, Yes, Stella McCartney. Im like, I didnt ask you who made them. He constantly, constantly throws out names. Reflecting on his arrival in the US, Osbourne said: When he got to America, he played the LA game really well. She then concurred when Louis Walsh, who finished fourth on the series, said he kissed all the right people. Now, while discussing her time on the series with husband Ozzy, daughter Kelly and son Jack, Sharon doubled down on her criticism of the former Late Late Show host, who has cleared up rumours he was fired from the series. When she said that Walsh got into so much s*** for his candid opinions, Jack told her: You werent a f***ing saint you went after everyone as well! Sharon, defending herself, replied: All I said was Anna Wintours a c***, to which Kelly reminded her she also criticised DeGeneres and Adele. Jack then said: You f***ing went off at James Corden, but Osbourne described her assessment as fair. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Thats fair, she said, adding: I mean, hes fair game. That fake laugh. When Ozzy said he didnt know who Corden was, Jack told his dad: He was that British actor who became the talk show host in America. open image in gallery Sharon Osbourne is not a fan of James Corden ( Shutterstock / Getty Images ) Sharon then said, in reference to the 2013 film One Chance: His claim to fame is playing Paul Potts in a movie. Corden started his career as an actor and writer in the UK before moving to the US in 2015 when he scored a gig presenting The Late Late Show. His credits before One Chance include comedy series Gavin & Stacey, which he wrote alongside co-star Ruth Jones, and The History Boys , which began life as a stage play. In 2011, he also received acclaim for his theatre performance in One Man, Two Guvnors. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Lando Norris has dismissed suggestions from dominant Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez that they could struggle for pace in Sundays Japanese Grand Prix. Verstappen took pole position to continue his run of locking out the first spot on the grid so far this season, while Perez was just 0.066 seconds slower to secure his place on the front row. Norris emerged from a pack of cars all running very similar times to take the place as best of the rest for McLaren on another Saturday where it was Red Bull who shone. Despite a 27th qualifying one-two for the Red Bull team, both drivers were quick to point out they are not as happy with their longer race pace. Having run with their race set-up in the final practice session ahead of qualifying, Verstappen complained: So far, I havent been happy with my long runs. The pace wasnt what I would have liked, so theres a bit of a question mark going into tomorrow. Our race pace is still not too bad, but its not how I have been feeling in some of the races this year, last year, as comfortable, lets say it like that. Perez, meanwhile, echoed the views of his team-mate: Lets see what we are able to do tomorrow, he said. They complained about their race pace, but I don't think they've had a bad race in the last four or five years Lando Norris I dont think we are looking great at the moment in our long run pace, but weve done some changes and hopefully that will translate into our race pace. However, Norris did not seem to buy the suggestions that Red Bull may have any sort of Sunday struggles. Obviously last year I was side by side with Max into turn one. So hopefully trying to redo that, he said of his plans for the race. But its tricky. Theyre quick. They complained about their race pace, but I dont think theyve had a bad race in the last four or five years, so I think theyre going to be good tomorrow. Of course weve got a lot of pressure from behind so we have to keep an eye on the mirrors. But at the same time I want to go forward and I think we have pace to stay where we are, so thats my goal. That will be our target for tomorrow. But I think realistically, were still too far away to challenge them. Theyre too quick for us. Yes, we are quicker in qualifying, but in the race, normally, they always pull away a bit more. So, I think well be realistic. Im always realistic when I say it. So I think our competition is with the guys behind and at the same time, Ill do my best to push forward. Carlos Sainz won in Australia last time out and will start Sundays race fourth for Ferrari, with the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso fifth. Oscar Piastri was sixth-fastest in the second McLaren, while Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are down in seventh and ninth respectively with Mercedes later fined 5,000 euros for an unsafe pit-lane release of Russell. Charles Leclerc is sandwiched between the pair, with home favourite Yuki Tsunoda rounding out the top 10. Tsunoda scraped into the final session, eliminating RB team-mate Daniel Ricciardo at the end of Q2 to the roar of the Suzuka crowd. Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon also failed to make it through and will start 12-15th, respectively. Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly, Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant and Zhou Guanyu were knocked out in Q1. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy 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. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The final night of Ramadan will soon pass and bring Eid-Al-Fitr, as Muslims prepare for celebrations around the globe. Eid al-Fitr is calculated in accordance with the sighting of the new moon by the Saudi Arabia moon-sighting committee and is typically announced by local Mosques. Ramadan is expected to conclude on Tuesday 9 April 2024, meaning Eid al-Fitr is likely to fall on Wednesday 10 April 2024. Why does the date change? Each year the Islamic Lunar calendar is typically shorter than the Solar calendar by 10-12 days and usually Eid and Ramadan rotate and are celebrated in different seasons of the year. However, the precise timings and dates change from country to country, depending on the geographical location. Festival of Breaking Fast Eid-Al-Fitr, also known as the Festival of Breaking Fast is the first of two Eids in the Islamic calendar and is typically celebrated after the Muslim fasting month, known as Ramadan. Many Muslims celebrate Eid by spending time with their loved ones, making unique dishes for this special day and connecting in prayer to commemorate and acknowledge the end of the fasting month. Its a way of showing gratitude and remembering Ramadan and the charitable sacrifices many Muslims made during the fasting month. This, as many Muslims believe, is in accordance with The Holy Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). What is Ramadan and why do Muslims fast? Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, an act of worship that teaches patience, perseverance and charity. Its a means of Muslims making time for worship and becoming closer to God. Many Muslims fast to break away from bad habits, while also following the teachings of Islam, which is seen as a compulsory act of worship. However, many are exempt if they are unable to fast, such as the elderly, pregnant women, those who are physically or mentally incapable, those who have not reached puberty yet and women who may be menstruating. Ramadan takes place for 29-30 days, during which time Muslims wont eat or drink between dawn and sunset. How do Muslims celebrate Eid-Al-Fitr? Eid celebrations begin with special prayers at the mosque. Many Muslims dress in new garments, as it is believed that Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) would wear his best cloak to commemorate this day. open image in gallery ( Getty Images ) Communities members, family and friends also gather to share sweet treats, gifts and stories. Its a festival that celebrates the goodness of life and the blessings that came with the Holy month of fasting. Women welcome Eid by applying henna on their hands to mark the celebration, this has been a tradition for many centuries. Children are also commonly gifted with money or toys from elders. What does Eid mean and when is the second Eid celebrated? Eid-Ul-Adha is also known as the Festival of Sacrifice and is typically celebrated two months after Eid-Al-Fitr. Eid-Ul-Adha marks the completion of Hajj, The Muslim Holy Pilgrimage to Mecca and is a reminder to many Muslims of the willingness and sacrifice Prophet Abraham made. Eid-Ul-Adha is considered as the bigger Eid celebration, where many Muslims complete their Hajj and sacrifice a sheep or goat. The meat is then shared equally between family, friends and those that are in need. Charity is a big part of the Muslim faith and one of the Five Pillars of Islam, so Eid is another reminder for Muslims around the world, to give even in moments of celebration. Eid is also a celebration of life, devotion and understanding of the Muslim faith. How can I take part in Eid if I am not Muslim? Everyone is welcome to celebrate! If you have Muslim friends or co-workers, be sure to just wish them an Eid Mubarak or Happy Eid. You can get involved by dressing up or just acknowledging the celebration that many are partaking in around the globe. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Rwandan genocide suspects are still living freely in Britain, 30 years after the massacre which killed 800,000 people, amid inexplicable delays to a UK police probe into the allegations. MPs and the Rwandan authorities have called on the Metropolitan Police which launched an investigation six years ago to hurry up and decide whether they can bring a case against the five men, who settled in the UK in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide. The five suspects, who have lived in the UK for decades, deny any involvement with the atrocities and have never faced trial to answer horrific allegations. One of the men is accused of helping to lead attacks in a village where 40,000 Tutsis were said to have died. British High Court judges have so far refused Rwandas extradition pleas over fears the men would not face a fair trial in their home country. But officials in Kigali have called for a trial in the UK instead, with Britain accused of lagging behind other nations in ensuring those suspected answer to allegations. France and Belgium are among the countries that have already held trials for a number of accused. Campaigners and politicians have now urged the government to ensure justice is done, amid fears time is running out for the suspects to answer to the allegations, and as the country marks the 30th anniversary of the start of the Genocide Against the Tutsi, which took place between 7 April and 15 July 1994. It comes as Rishi Sunak battles to push through his controversial Rwanda deportation plan, which, if passed, would see asylum seekers who arrive illegally in the UK sent to the east African country. They are currently not allowed to be sent there as Rwanda is not seen as safe. Reporter Amy-Clare Martin approaches suspect Celestin Mutabaruka in 2019 ( Mirrorpix ) Speaking to The Independent, senior Tory MP Stephen Crabb, chair of the war crimes all-party parliamentary group (APPG), said the delays in the police probe were frustrating and inexplicable. Our small cross-party group of MPs and peers have become increasingly concerned about the lack of action with respect to the alleged genocidaires, he said. We have previously had contact with the Met police about why no case has yet been brought. I would note that resource issues havent prevented the Met from pursuing other international issues, most recently with Israel and Gaza where they have been advertising for witnesses to come forward. He added: With each passing year we have seen, unfortunately, the chances of getting a successful prosecution are diminishing. Around 800,000 people were killed in just 100 days in the Rwandan genocide, led by Hutu militias who targeted the Tutsi minority community and some moderate Hutus. Many perpetrators fled overseas. The five suspects who have been living in England for around 20 years, all in their 60s, are named in an extradition judgement as Celestin Mutabaruka, from Kent; Vincent Brown, also known as Vincent Bajinya, from Islington, north London; Celestin Ugirashebuja, from Essex; Charles Munyaneza, from Bedford; and Emmanuel Nteziryayo, from Manchester. They all strenuously deny any wrongdoing, while one told The Independent the allegations were politically motivated. Four of the men were first arrested in 2006 and detained after an extradition request by the Rwandan government, but released after they successfully appealed. A second request was issued for all five in 2013. Rwandan high commissioner Johnston Busingye called for an investigation into the suspects to be expedited ( AFP/Getty ) Although a judge said each suspect had a prima facie case to answer, a 2017 High Court judgement concluded there is a real risk of a flagrant denial of justice for these men if returned to Rwanda. Instead, Rwanda has supported an investigation launched in 2018 by Scotland Yards war crimes team, part of Counter Terror Command, with the potential for them to be tried in the UK. However, despite multiple trips to Rwanda and several interviews under caution, the ongoing probe has so far not resulted in any arrests or charges. While the lengthy Met investigation continues, one of the suspects has been living in a housing association-owned semi-detached home in Ashford, Kent. Celestin Mutabaruka co-founded the Fountain Church in Ashford, Kent, with his wife where he describes his role as a pastor. In a statement to The Independent, he said: I categorically refute all accusations levelled against me. These allegations are baseless and concocted by the Rwandan authorities. Responding to pleas for the investigation to be expedited, he said the police operate independently, adding: I take solace in this independence, and welcome the investigation into the allegations against me, as it will demonstrate their falsehood and hopefully shed light on the similar plights plaguing Rwandans who dare oppose the regime. Vincent Bajinya, a doctor who has acquired British citizenship and changed his name to Brown, lives with his family in a flat on a Peabody-owned estate in Islington, north London. He categorically denies any wrongdoing. Stephen Crabb MP, chair of the war crimes APPG, said he was increasingly concerned over the lack of action over the suspects ( PA Media ) Charles Munyaneza is understood to live in Bedford. The Independent contacted him for comment. His lawyer previously told the Mirror: He lives with the stigma of the allegation. He has repeatedly asked to have that evidence tested in a UK court and is pleased that may finally take place. Celestin Ugirashebuja is said to be a care worker living in Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex. Emmanuel Nteziryayo, who was born in 1963, is thought to be living in Manchester. Meanwhile, in a statement to The Independent, Rwanda issued a plea for the lengthy probe to be expedited. Rwandan high commissioner Johnston Busingye said: Alleged perpetrators of horrific crimes live freely, despite us knowing their names and the jurisdictions in which they live. Weve been working with all the relevant authorities in the UK to ensure these individuals face justice. Every day justice is delayed for these victims is a day too many. We hope that all necessary measures are going to be taken to expedite the process that has taken a long time and to ensure that those who are alleged to have committed these crimes face justice. It comes after Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, previously suggested the men living in Britain should be extradited to Rwanda in light of the prime ministers deal for Britain to send asylum seekers to be processed there. Speaking in Kigali in May last year less than two weeks after striking an asylum deal with the British government Mr Kagame said he hoped that when the UK is sending us these migrants, they should send us some people they have accommodated for over 15 years who committed crimes [in Rwanda]. Dr Andrew Wallis, who has written two books on the genocide, told The Independent: We would like to think that our government would do everything possible to bring them [the suspects] back or for that country to put them on trial. So why is it different when the victims are not British? We tell the world that our justice system is the best, yet it seems grossly unfair that we are not interested in justice for those who are not British citizens. He added: Time is ticking on this. The government has sat on its hands for too long. Rishi Sunak and Rwanda president Paul Kagame. Mr Kagame previously suggested the men should be extradited to Rwanda in light of the asylum deal ( PA Archive ) This week Amnesty International called for nations to urgently pursue justice after several suspects sheltering around the world died before allegations were tried in court. Justice delayed is justice denied, said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty Internationals regional director for east and southern Africa, as he urged authorities to maintain momentum to deliver justice for survivors and relatives of victims in Rwanda. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesperson, Alistair Carmichael, said: Thirty years on, justice for survivors of the Rwandan genocide is long overdue. The Met and the Conservative government should be working together to do everything they can to deliver justice in this case, while respecting the findings of the High Court. A Met Police spokesperson said its investigation relating to allegations of genocide offences in Rwanda in the 1990s is ongoing, adding that dozens of witness statements had been taken and a number of interviews carried out under caution. They added: We continue to liaise with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and partner agencies in Rwanda as we progress lines of enquiry. Investigations into alleged historical war crimes committed overseas are extremely challenging and complex, and building cases is often a lengthy process. Asked if the government will challenge the courts extradition refusal in light of the Rwanda deportation policy, a Home Office spokesperson said: Extradition matters with Rwanda are not part of our migration and economic development partnership and to suggest otherwise would be completely wrong. This is an independent Metropolitan Police inquiry and it would be inappropriate for us to comment further. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The BBC has been forced to defend its coverage of the Princess of Waless cancer diagnosis after receiving complaints from people who believed it was excessive and insensitive. Kate revealed she was undergoing treatment for the disease in an emotional video message released on 22 March, in which she told others battling the disease you are not alone, after weeks of frenzied speculation online about her health and whereabouts. The broadcaster, which had aired the full video, said it was mindful of its reporting approach and did not speculate on details that had not been made public. Kate revealed she was undergoing treatment for the disease in an emotional video message released on 22 March ( Independent TV ) In a statement issued on Friday in response to the complaints, the BBC said: We broadcast in full the highly personal video message from the Princess of Wales, in which she spoke directly to the public about her cancer diagnosis. Our coverage reflected the significance of this story and the outpouring of support for the princess from around the globe. We explained to our audience what was known about Catherines condition, but did not speculate on details that had not been made public. Kate, William and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were absent from the royal familys traditional Easter Sunday service at Windsor Castles St Georges Chapel over the weekend The corporation detailed its reporting approach and said it always gives careful consideration to the editorial decisions made. 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, it said. As part of our analysis, we examined the intense speculation there had been in the preceding weeks about the princesss health. 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. We always give careful consideration to the editorial decisions we make. While we have a responsibility to report on stories that are of interest to our audience, we appreciate that not everyone would have approved of the approach we took. More rumours were triggered when the princess admitted to editing her official family Mothers Day photograph after multiple international news agencies withdrew the picture ( Prince of Wales/Kensington Palace/PA Wire ) It comes after weeks of intense speculation online about Kates whereabouts and health. The 42-year-old had only been spotted in public three times after she underwent abdominal surgery in January, following which her cancer was discovered. Conspiracy theories about Kate further spread after William missed, at very short notice, the memorial service of his godfather the late King Constantine of Greece on 27 February due to a personal matter. It has now emerged that the prince pulled out of the event following his wifes diagnosis. More rumours were triggered when the princess admitted to editing her official family Mothers Day photograph after multiple international news agencies withdrew the picture. However, Kates announcement of her cancer diagnosis prompted an outpouring of sympathy from around the world and went some way to putting an end to the spreading of outlandish claims. King Charles announced in February that he had also been diagnosed with cancer, which was discovered when he was being treated for an enlarged prostate ( PA Wire ) A Kensington Palace spokesperson said the princess and her husband were both enormously touched by the public response to her health announcement. The prince and princess are both enormously touched by the kind messages from people here in the UK, across the Commonwealth and around the world in response to Her Royal Highness message, the statement said. They are extremely moved by the publics warmth and support and are grateful for the understanding of their request for privacy at this time. Kate, William and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were absent from the royal familys traditional Easter Sunday service at Windsor Castles St Georges Chapel which was attended by King Charles and the Queen who were applauded by crowds after attending the mass. The monarch announced in February that he had also been diagnosed with cancer, which was discovered when he was being treated for an enlarged prostate. Following Kates announcement, Charles was said to be proud of his beloved daughter-in-law for her courage in speaking about her diagnosis, with the two remaining in close contact during their treatment. With the head of state and the future queen both receiving treatment for undisclosed forms of cancer, the royal family faces an uncertain period but the monarchy is expected to rally around those at the heart of the institution. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} More than 60 lawyers, campaigners, politicians and academics are backing a womens rights lawyer who could face sanctions such as a fine or suspension after challenging a judge for having a boys club attitude in a ruling on a domestic abuse case. Charlotte Proudman, a family law lawyer who specialises in violence against women, voiced concerns on social media that Sir Jonathan Cohen downplayed domestic abuse to which her client claimed she had been subjected by her ex-husband. She was troubled by the judge referring to their relationship as tempestuous and his use of the word reckless to describe the alleged domestic violence. The 35-year-old lawyer is now being investigated by the Bar Standards Board, the regulatory body for barristers in England and Wales, and if a tribunal finds against her she could lose her licence for a year or have a fine imposed over her comments. In the tweet thread that triggered the disciplinary proceedings to be launched, Dr Proudman said: I do not accept the judges reasoning. This judgment has echoes of the boys club which still exists among men in powerful positions. She was aware Sir Jonathan belonged to the Garrick Club a private members club which has faced ongoing criticism for refusing to accept women members when she posted the tweet thread in April 2022. Dr Proudman lost the family law case. Several high-profile supporters have now called for the Bar Standards Board to drop the disciplinary investigation. Labour MP Apsana Begum and womens rights activists Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu and Dr Helen Pankhurst are among those who have signed the letter to the body, exclusively shared with The Independent. We ask the Bar Standards Board to withdraw its misguided prosecution and to issue a formal and public apology to Dr Proudman Letter The letter, spearheaded by Shera Research Group, argues the accusations levied against Dr Proudman are oppressive and unjust and warns she appears to have been targeted unfairly by those in power to silence dissent and maintain control. It states: We do not believe that Dr Proudmans comments about a judgement by Sir Jonathan Cohen undermine the integrity of the system or reduce confidence in it; to the contrary, we believe it takes immense integrity to publicly defend a vulnerable individual from a judge who holds significant power. We ask the Bar Standards Board to withdraw its misguided prosecution and to issue a formal and public apology to Dr Proudman. The letter also voices concern and dismay that the board has launched disciplinary proceedings, arguing the charges undermine the principles of free speech and accountability by tamping down criticism. It also calls for all judges and legal professionals to cancel their membership at the discriminatory Garrick Club so they comply with the principles of justice they are sworn to uphold. It is not lost on us that an individual who has been critical of the judicial treatment of women is being bullied by the very institution publicly claiming to end it, the letter states. Dr Proudman, who has almost 85,000 Twitter/X followers, denies all the charges against her. Charlotte Proudman ( N/A ) Speaking to The Independent last year, Dr Proudman hit out at the Bar Standards Board for not taking action against colleagues who verbally abused her in foul-mouthed rants on Twitter/X. The lawyer reported more than 50 barristers, who were predominantly male, to the body over a series of public messages. She believes the criticism is an attempt to silence her from speaking out about violence against women and girls. But despite being acknowledged as unpleasant and inflammatory, the board said it would not take action because the messages do not meet the threshold for regulatory action. Tweets sent by currently practising and retired lawyers, seen by The Independent, brand Dr Proudman a c***t, a w*****, a narcissist, and dreadful as well as accusing her of idiocy. The Bar Standards Board said it does not comment on ongoing disciplinary proceedings. The Independent has contacted the judiciary press office for comment. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A Russian disinformation network has made a series of false claims about the British royal family in its ongoing information war with Ukraine. Among the incorrect allegations being made by pro-Kremlin campaigners is the suggestion circulating on fake news sites that King Charles has sold his royal residence Highgrove House to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky for 20m. The bizarre report was initially made in a YouTube video that featured someone who claimed to be the estate agent behind the made-up sale. However, security experts told The Times the character, named Sam Murphy, appeared to be AI-generated. The news was then spread by a fake British outlet before it was circulated by a number of English, French, German and Italian bots on X, formerly Twitter. A website called The London Crier published an article featuring a supposed interview with Charles former butler Grant Harrold. In it, Mr Harrold is claimed to have confirmed the sale of Highgrove as having been completed through Mr Zelenskyys wife Olena on 29 February, and that staff at the royal residence had been laid off. Even an official Russian embassy account then tweeted the fake news to its thousands of followers. However, Mr Harrold, who is now a royal commentator, told The Times that the story and the interview it claimed to be based on was entirely made up. His spokeswoman said: This story is completely false and Grant has made no comment on this. There was no interview that took place. Kyiv was even forced to publicly refute the Highgrove tale, which bears similarities with other attempts, ungrounded in any fact, to imply the Zelenskyys are financially benefiting from the Ukraine war. Ukrainian state media reported: This is a fake. There is no information in the British media about Zelenskys purchase of the mansion, and there are no official statements on the matter. It is the latest in a series of attempts by Russian propaganda to target the British royal family, as stories about the monarchy dominate headlines. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A traveller group has been ordered to stop removing tonnes of earth from a hillside in the Welsh valleys. Blaenau Gwent Council has served a stop notice to the landowners, following locals raising fears the excavation could cause a landslip. The earth has been removed from a sloping field next to Nantyglo Rugby Club in Blaenau Gwent, South Wales. The works have been going on for more than a week, with residents complaining of heavy machinery since late March. Stop notices are served by planning authorities when there are concerns there has been a breach of planning rules. The notice will be in place for 28 days. Speaking to the BBC, a Blaenau Gwent Council spokesperson said: We consider that there has been a breach of planning control by the unauthorised excavation of this land. This includes importation of material, creation of embankments and re-profiling of the area. The (stop) notice requires that the activity specified is stopped with immediate effect. The council also said it has commissioned independent experts to assess the stability of the land but had concluded there was no immediate risk to properties in the area. Ahead of the stop notice being issued, some 874 people signed a petition calling for a halt to the unauthorised occupation of the land. One person said: Why should people ride roughshod over planning regulation? If and when that landslips it will be the taxpayer picking up the tab. The council must act now and stop these unauthorised land works. Another said: This is not just morally wrong but the risk of road collapse due to close excavation is massively increased. This is a very busy road they are digging alongside. The owner of the site told the BBC the land would be used for grazing horses, but did not deny there were plans to turn it into a settlement in the future. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Britain has failed to prepare for war and has fallen behind their allies in preparedness, two former defence ministers have warned. Former armed forces minister James Heappey revealed that only Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials turned up to an exercise to prepare for wartime scenarios which was meant for the whole of Government. Ben Wallace, former defence secretary, agreed and said too many in government were just hoping everything will go away. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Heappey said the UK was behind allies who had taken steps to reinforce citizens preparedness for war. He gave the example of Sweden, where the government has handed out a booklet explaining what to do in a time of war, including which emergency food provisions to store. Former armed forces minister James Heappey (Victoria Jones/PA) ( PA Archive ) Mr Heappey wrote: Its a stark reminder that war is a whole-nation endeavour and, to be frank, in the UK were a very long way behind. The former soldier, who resigned as a minister at the end of March, said ministers across the Government needed to explain how Britain would feed itself during a war, and how public services would work. The Conservative MP said not enough figures within government were considering these preparations. He pointed to a whole of government exercise which Mr Wallace had pushed hard for while serving as defence secretary, aimed at getting ministers and officials into a war bunker to see what their working environment would be. In the end, rather depressingly, it was just defence ministers, senior military officers and MoD officials that participated, Mr Heappey wrote. Former defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the government was hoping instability would just go away ( PA Archive ) Mr Wallace told the Daily Telegraph: The growing instability and insecurity directed at Britain and her allies means that the whole of society needs to make a step change towards recognising that our core duty is to think about our defence and our resilience. Its how we used to think during the Cold War, and everyone from local government to the MoD played their part. While Mr Wallace claimed the MoD had made such a change, he added there are too many people in Government and society relying on just hoping everything will go away. The intervention from the two long-serving defence ministers came as Rishi Sunak faces pressure to increase defence spending. A government spokesperson said an extra 24 billion would invested in the armed forces between 2020 and 2025, which he described as the largest sustained investment since the Cold War. The UK has robust plans in place for a range of potential emergencies and scenarios, with plans and supporting arrangements developed, refined and tested over many years, it added. Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the The Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The government has been urged to quickly pay compensation to all the Windrush generation victims at a rally commemorating the scandals sixth anniversary. Several speakers addressed the public event in Windrush Square, Brixton, in South London, including immigration lawyer Jacqueline McKenzie, Bishop Desmond Jaddoo, campaigner Glenda Caesar, activist Patrick Vernon, Black Cultural Archives chair Lisa Anderson, and church leaders. Candles were also lit as part of a vigil, attended by more than 50 people, held in remembrance of Windrush pioneers and people who have died since the scandal erupted, as spoken word poetry and prayers were delivered. Jacqueline McKenzie, who has worked with more than 400 Windrush victims, said progress is being made through successful Windrush Compensation Scheme claims, though the Home Office has a lot more to do, while the lengthy application process remains complex, the system is fraught with delays and a number of applicants die without resolution. Were seeing some good outcomes but theres still some issues such as major delays and people dying because its an elderly cohort, she told The Independent. The partner and head of immigration and asylum law at the firm Leigh Day also said solicitors are battling against a perfect storm of misinformation around eligibility and Home Office failures to effectively engage with all affected communities about their rights. Jacqueline McKenzie ( The Independent/Nadine White ) I also think the problem with the space is that so many people dont really understand the compensation scheme, so theres a whole lot of videos being circulated on platforms like Tiktok, wrongly informing people that they can apply, and people who arent entitled to awards submit applications which clog up the system. And then the Home Office originally thought, from census data and statistical modeling, that 50,000 people of Caribbean heritage could have been affected by the Windrush Scandal. Well, only around 7000-8000 have received their papers, so why arent the Home Office doing more outreach? The compensation scheme has been in place since April 2019 in the governments purported bid to right the wrongs of the scandal, which emerged a year earlier and saw many British citizens, mostly from the Caribbean, denied access to healthcare and benefits and threatened with deportation by ministers despite having the right to live in the UK. Despite growing concerns around the number of people dying before receiving payouts, the Home Office has so far resisted demands for such reforms, warning that changing how the system is administered could disrupt claims being processed and lead to delayed payments. Activist Ros Griffiths, chairperson of Friends of Windrush Square which co-organised Saturdays event, told The Independent: We cannot give up in our pursuit of justice for the Windrush generation, and the dismantling of oppressive systems, because they paved the way for us. Ros Griffiths ( The Independent/Nadine White ) This rally was planned by a cross section of community groups including The Windrush National Organisation (WNO), Friends of Windrush Square, Churches Together England and more. Former Met Police superintendent Leroy Logan was also in attendance at the event and told The Independent: We need to be here to honour those who have passed and ensure that the Windrush scandal doesnt happen again to future generations. Mr Logan also praised the churchs role in todays vigil, adding: Im glad to see the churches coming forward; they have a role to play, not only in political lobbying but also to give that people the spiritual support that they need. Im really pleased that were seeing clergy being present at this vigil. Ive been to previous vigils and theyre lacking in numbers. So, better late than never. Patrick Vernon ( The Independent/Nadine White ) Bishop Desmond Jaddoo, founder of the Windrush National Organisation (WNO), hosted the afternoons proceedings. Speaking after the event, he told The Independent: Today is an opportunity for our voices to be heard, its the commencement of a journey towards change. What we have to do is use today not just to level the playing field, so that our children dont face these issues anymore, but ensure as well, that we create tomorrows leaders. Campaigner Patrick Vernon said: The government always uses the rhetoric of right the wrongs of the scandal but theyve not actually listened to the concerns of survivors, campaigners and lawyers. This has been borne out by the fact that theyve reneged on their commitments to carry out recommendations from the Windrush Lessons Learned Review. Hopefully, when a General Election is announced and politicians are canvassing the votes, people will ask prospective candidates if theyll commit to giving automatic citizenship to the victims of the scandal, revamping the scheme and removing it from the Home Office - these are some of our key demands. Anthony Brown, who launched advocacy group Windrush Defenders after successfully resisting a wrongful deportation attempt by the Home Office, travelled from Manchester to attend the Brixton event. Leroy Logan ( The Independent/Nadine White ) Im here because this is an important, national issue, he told The Independent. Its not just people here in London who are affected by the scandal; its people all around the country. Our voices are there. To quote Frederick Douglas power concedes nothing without demand. So we have to mobilise and we have to demand what we want, as opposed to what the government has said that they can offer. This event comes after the governments compensation scheme for victims of the Windrush scandal was branded a failure by campaigners who urge ministers to overhaul the payout process five years after it was launched. Critics of the scheme have repeatedly called for the Home Office to be stripped of responsibility for determining and handling payments to victims and said it should be turned over to an independent body instead. A Home Office spokesperson said: The government is committed to righting the wrongs of the Windrush scandal and making sure those affected receive the compensation they rightly deserve. We have paid more than 80 million in compensation and over 82 per cent of claims have received a final decision. We continue to make improvements so people receive the maximum award as quickly as possible, whilst providing extensive support to help people access and apply to the compensation scheme. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Rishi Sunak has been accused of purging Brexit-backing Conservative candidates from the party ahead of a general election. Those on the Tory right believe Downing Street is blocking true blue candidates who support low-tax and small-state conservatism from standing in the election so that the party will instead be dominated by centrists. If the Conservatives were to lose, with Mr Sunak subsequently resigning, the prime minister would still have prevented the party from moving to the right by packing it with One Nation Tories who would not favour right-wing leadership candidates. Rishi Sunak is accused of favouring centrist candidates ( AP ) Some Tory MPs have said high-quality applicants for the list of approved parliamentary candidates are being rejected due to their traditional Conservative values, while those who might lack the required skills to be an MP are being put through because they believe in high taxation and public spending. Applicants described those in charge of the selection process as yellow Tories, meaning their preferred candidates are almost indistinguishable from Liberal Democrats. They also told The Telegraph that there is an anti-Brexit bias among interviewers. The row is representative of the wider ongoing civil war within the Conservative Party. There are those who argue a move to the right is the only way to combat the threat of Reform UK, while others insist occupying the centre ground is the only way to remain electable. Aman Bhogal, a former diplomat who has not been elected since he contested the Upper Bann seat in Northern Ireland in 2015, claimed the Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ), which is in charge of the approved candidates list, was involved in a stitch-up, preventing right-wingers from getting onto constituency shortlists. The row is representative of the wider ongoing civil war within the Conservative Party ( PA Archive ) Former Conservative MEP David Campbell Bannerman said he is being blocked from progressing to the long list for any particular seat, after being on the approved list of candidates since 2019 because I wasnt being nice enough about Rishi Sunak. 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 claims they have 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. 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. The Independent has approached Downing Street for comment. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Britain must ramp up its defence and aid spending and bolster its diplomatic and intelligence networks amid the most dangerous period since the Cold War, the UKs former top civil servant has warned. Writing in The Independent, former cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill urged the government to nearly double Britains defence spending to reach 4 per cent of GDP and restore the international aid budget to 0.7 per cent of national income, slashed by Boris Johnson in 2021. And warning of the threat should Vladimir Putin prevail in his war on Ukraine, he called for Kyivs allies to upgrade defence industrial capacity to wartime levels, run our own factories 24/7 and buy weaponry and munitions for Ukraine, whether or not Congress funds the US to do so. The former national security adviser also suggested that European militaries should be modernised and integrated through the Nato military alliance, and called for the formation of a similar economic alliance to respond collectively to crises or coercion. As autocrats advance, delay is a luxury we cannot afford, the crossbench peer wrote following the 75th anniversary of the founding of Nato as he urged European governments to tackle the fraying of the Western alliance, and for Britain to lead by example in this effort. Contrasting the vigour of US president John F Kennedys inaugural 1961 pledge to pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, with the weariness of his modern successors, Lord Sedwill pointed to Americas disorderly retreat from post-9/11 wars, the uncertain response to previous Russian aggressions in Georgia and Ukraine, creeping protectionism against allies, and the dilution of Natos guarantee of collective defence. In the face of the most dangerous period since the end of the Cold War, Lord Sedwill questioned whether 75 years after its foundation Nato can meet the test of rediscovering Kennedys confidence, commitment and courage when he positively welcomed the responsibility to defend freedom in its hour of maximum danger. Urging Britain and European nations to increase their defence budgets, he wrote: When Kennedy spoke, most Nato allies made considerable sacrifices to invest in collective security. [Donald] Trump puts it crudely, but, today, even the most Atlanticist Americans warn that their taxpayers cannot be expected to subsidise a European social model they do not enjoy themselves. The price of ramping up European military industrial capability is a fraction of the cost we will face if Putin prevails, said Sir Mark ( Kremlin Pool Photo/AP ) But warning that money alone isnt enough, Lord Sedwill suggested that European armed forces should be modernised and integrated through Nato across the five domains of sea, land, air, space and cyberspace. That means setting aside traditional boundaries between army, navy and air force, accepting that many prized traditional manned assets will become obsolete, and adopting at scale the model of the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) with several Nordic and Baltic allies. But this goes beyond defence, he continued, writing: Three years ago, I met G7 leaders in Cornwall and argued that we should reverse the drift to protectionism between allies, and match Natos military alliance with an economic one to respond collectively to crises or coercion, and develop resilient critical supply chains. This is particularly relevant as we also wrestle with Xi Jinpings increasingly assertive China. Ukrainian soldiers take part in a military exercise at a military training camp in Yorkshire during a visit by defence ministers from the Joint Expeditionary Force nations ( PA ) He called on the UK and other European leaders to make these commitments at Natos Washington summit in July, and for the next Nato secretary general to be mandated to deliver them. It follows multiple interventions in recent months by senior politicians and military figures demanding that Britain must do more to prepare itself for the possibility of war. In January, defence secretary Grant Shapps warned that Britain was facing a pre-war world, and claimed the peace dividend that allowed successive governments to ease spending on defence had come to an end. Days later, the head of the British army insisted that the UK should be prepared to form a citizen army of tens of thousands of people in the event of war. Cautioning that Britains current forces and reserves would not be large enough to defend the country if there was a war, General Sir Patrick Sanders warned it was now essential for Britain to lay the foundations for national mobilisation. This was echoed the following month by MPs on the cross-party Commons defence committee, who found in an inquiry that the UKs military was not sufficiently prepared to fight an all-out war despite such readiness serving as a vital deterrent to Britains adversaries. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} 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. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Mexico has cut diplomatic relations with Ecuador after police broke into the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest former Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Glas. Glas, who has been convicted twice for corruption, has been living in the Mexican embassy in Quito since seeking political asylum there in December. Just hours after the Mexican government granted Glas political asylum on Friday, Ecuadorian police raided the embassy and arrested the former vice president. The Ecuador presidents office confirmed in a statement that it had arrested Glas, who was vice president between 2013 and 2017 and found guilty of receiving bribes from a Brazilian construction firm. I am very worried because they could kill him. There is no basis to do this, this is totally outside the norm, Roberto Canseco, head of the Mexican consular section in Quito, told local media. Ecuadorian police special forces attempt to break into the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest Ecuadors former Vice President Jorge Glas, on April 5, 2024 ( AFP via Getty Images ) Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called the move a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico. I have instructed our chancellor to issue a statement regarding this authoritarian act, proceed legally and immediately declare the suspension of diplomatic relations with the government of Mexico, the Mexican president said. Mexico water crisis: Residents struggle with severe water shortages Alicia Barcena, Mexicos foreign secretary, posted on X that Mexican diplomats were also injured during the raid. Given the flagrant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the injuries suffered by Mexican diplomatic personnel in Ecuador, Mexico announces the immediate breaking of diplomatic relations with Ecuador, Ms Barcena said. The arrest comes after a week of escalating tensions between Mexico and Ecuador after the Mexican president made statements about the most recent Ecuadorian elections. Ecuador declared Mexicos ambassador in Quito persona non grata on Thursday, after which the embasy announced that it was granting asylum to Glas. The right to asylum is sacred and we are acting in full consistency with international conventions, granting asylum to Jorge Glas. I trust that the government of Ecuador will have safe passage as soon as possible, Ms Barcena said on Friday. Ecuadors presidency argued that Mexicos asylum offer was illegal and that Mexico abused the immunities and privileges granted to the diplomatic mission that housed the former vice president, and granting diplomatic asylum contrary to the conventional legal framework. Glas has said his convictions are politically motivated a claim Ecuadors government denies. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A suspect is on the run after an arson attack at the Vermont office of Independent Senator Bernie Sanders. A significant fire engulfed the door and part of the vestibule while staff were inside the Independent senators Burlington headquarters on Friday morning. A man sprayed a possible accelerant on the office door, set the fire and fled, according to Vermont State Police. No one has been arrested and no motive established, authorities said. Police released a photo from surveillance footage of the suspect wearing an orange beanie hat, white sneakers, black jacket, and dark pants. 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. Police are seeking to identify a suspect who allegedly set Sen Bernie Sanderss Vermont office on fire ( Burlington Police Department ) Mr Sanders was not at the office during the attack. The Burlington Fire Department reported that the fire broke out in an area between the vestibule, elevator, and entrance to Mr Sanderss office on the buildings third floor. Firefighters were called to the scene at about 10.45am on Friday. The buildings sprinkler system had put out most of the fire by the time of their arrival. The door was moderately damaged, and large parts of the building suffered water damage. Mr Sanders office and others nearby were evacuated. We are grateful to the Burlington Fire and Police Departments who responded immediately today to a fire incident that took place in our office building, Kathryn Van Haste, Vermont state director for Mr Sanders, said in a statement, according to The New York Times. Senator Bernie Sanders, pictured on 3 April, was not at the office at the time of the fire ( Getty Images ) We are relieved that no one on our staff and, to our understanding, no one in the building was harmed, she added, according to Vermont outlet Seven Days. Thank you as well to the Vermont State Police for their assistance and the efforts of the US Capitol Police and the Senate Sergeant at Arms, who are working in coordination with local first responders. Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak said that she was grateful for the quick action of the Burlington Fire and Police Departments in responding to the fire at One Church Street. My office continues to be in close communication with both departments as the investigation is carried out, she added. The brick building, valued at about $5.9m, was constructed in the late 1890s and previously served as a Masonic Temple, the local outlet noted. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Independent has contacted the office of Mr Sanders, the Burlington Police Department, and the US Capitol Police for comment. Mr Sanders has faced threats in the past Long Beach police arrested a man in 2019 after he allegedly posted an online threat against a rally featuring the senator that was set to take place in the city. In 2018, a Maryland teenager was indicted after he sent death threats to Mr Sanders and then-California Senator, now-Vice President Kamala Harris. Also in 2019, a man was convicted in Orlando, Florida for sending death threats to Mr Sanders. The Associated Press contributed to this report Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Just months after being escorted out of a Denver theatre for lewd behaviour, a new report has spilled details on Lauren Boeberts antics at a GOP Christmas party. The Colorado representative was allegedly cut off from alcohol by a server at the New York Young Republican Clubs Manhattan gala, an incident seen by several witnesses, according to CNN. The Secret Service was also reportedly forced to intervene in her repeated attempts to take selfies with the events guest of honour, former president Donald Trump. In a statement to The Independent, Gavin Wax, president of the New York Young Republican Club, said: If youre asking if Congresswoman Boebert had a good time at one of our galas, the answer is I hope so. Everyone knows the New York Young Republican Club throws the best galas. Congresswoman Boebert was in NYC for a good time not a long time. We will happily welcome her back this year. U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., smiles before the first Republican primary debate for the 4th Congressional district on Jan. 25, 2024, in Fort Lupton, Colo ( AP ) The event on 9 December at Cipriani Wall Street attracted former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, and Arizona Rep. Paul Gozar. The galas programme included a quote from disgraced ex-president Richard Nixon: Never forget, the press is the enemy. The Independent has contacted Rep Boeberts office, the Trump campaign, and the Secret Service for comment. Rep. Boebert, a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, is fighting for her political future after a string of controversies. She has chosen not to run for re-election in Colorados third district after only narrowly defeating Democrat Adam Frisch in 2022. Mr Frisch is running for the seat again later this year. Instead, Ms Boebert is running for the open seat in the more conservative fourth district of Colorado but faces an uphill battle in the 25 June primary. She has been forced to appeal to a new group of voters and overcome accusations of carpetbagging in the rural area, but remains the frontrunner to win the nomination. Ms Boebert has argued that the move was made for personal reasons as she wanted a fresh start after her recent divorce. She has retained the support of Mr Trump, who endorsed her last month. Allies of Ms Boebert told CNN that her extroverted and loud personality can be misunderstood. Just because were elected officials doesnt mean were any more perfect than anybody else. Stuff happens, Florida Republican Representative Byron Donalds told CNN. But I think she has been able to do her job, and thats all that matters at the end of the day. Yet voters have increasingly expressed doubts about the lawmakers fitness for office. Last September, Ms Boebert was forced to leave a performance of Beetlejuice at a Denver theatre. Audience members had complained about her vaping near a pregnant woman, talking too loudly, taking flash photographs, and groping her date, Aspen bar owner Quinn Gallagher. Moment Lauren Boebert removed from Denver theatre production of Beetlejuice After initially denying the behaviour, she was forced to apologise when video footage emerged. Last month, a judge ended a temporary restraining order that she had sought against her ex-husband, Jayson Boebert. She had asked for the restraining order in February after accusing Mr Boebert of threatening to harm her and entering the family home without permission. Ms Boeberts request referenced an argument at a restaurant with her ex-husband in January. Mr Boebert claimed that she had struck him, an allegation he later withdrew and that police said was unsubstantiated. The Colorado lawmaker has faced recent health issues. Ms Boebert was hospitalised to have surgery on a blood clot in her leg earlier this week but is expected to make a full recovery, her campaign team said. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Watch as Hungarian opposition figure Peter Magyar led an anti-government protest in Budapest on Saturday, 6 April. More than 10,000 people were expected to join in the demonstrations, which was followed by a rally at parliament. The former Fidesz insider, who was married to former justice minister Judit Varga, has declared that he will launch his own political party, The countrys largest protests in years were prompted in February when preisdent Katalin Novak resigned after it emerged that she had issued a pardon to a man imprisoned for helping cover up child sexual abuses by a director of a state-run orphanage. Ms Varga, who approved the pardon as justice minister, also resigned. Saturdays demonstration was demanding the departure of the entire ruling elite, Mr Magyar wrote on Facebook. Mr Magyar has announced a Stand Up Hungarians movement with a new website that reads: Lets show that together we can change the future of our country and build a sovereign, civil, modern European Hungary. Close UK has fasttracked the production of laser energy and radio waves weaponry For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} 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. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Russia is ready to swallow Europe whole, a top Ukrainian commander has warned - less than two months after he led a costly evacuation from a key city on the eastern frontline. Speaking to The Independent from an undisclosed location in Donetsk, deputy commander of Ukraines 3rd Assault Brigade, Maksym Zhorin, issued a troubling warning to Kyivs Western partners. The West, he said, must urgently prepare. Create serious defence systems that could counteract Russia because it will undoubtedly open its mouth and try to swallow the rest of Europe, he warned. Ukraines deputy commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade, Maksym Zhorin, spoke to The Independent from an undisclosed location in Donetsk ( Ukrinform/Shutterstock ) It is the latest in a string of warnings from Ukrainian military and political figures that Russia will not stop with Ukraine. But it comes less than two months after Mr Zhorin helped lead a difficult evacuation from Avdiivka, the first Ukrainian city to be taken over by Russia since last May, in part because a recent lack of Western military support had left Ukrainian forces there at a significant disadvantage. Mr Zhorin was part of the crack unit, one of the most valued in the Ukrainian army, that was called in at the last minute to evacuate hundreds of soldiers trapped in Avdiivka as Russian forces pushed to encircle it after months of fighting. Many were left behind, where they were later captured or killed, and Russian forces then rushed forward behind the retreating Ukrainian troops, taking several more towns in the process. Videos show Ukrainian soldiers mercilessly killed and left on the streets on the northwest outskirts of the city, which was the last remaining route back to Ukrainian-held land. Mr Zhorin, more than most, knows the cost of an advancing Russia. Russian attack through Avdiivka detailed on timeline map During his interview, the first with Western media since the fall of the city, Mr Zhorin was blunt about the reality of the eastern frontline while Western weapons supplies are delayed or simply being withheld - and he was frank about the future of European security. A US military package worth roughly $60 billion has been in limbo in Washington for seven months, victim to squabbling politicians, while European partners have failed to send more than half of the million artillery shells they promised to Kyiv by this year, unable to agree on how to finance their production. Hours after Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg announced a long-term proposal for a 100 billion military package to Ukraine this week - a step in the right direction for Kyiv - Mr Zhorin said that the pledge will help but it is, like all Western aid, coming too late. Roughly seven weeks after Russia claimed Avdiivka, he says the situation has finally stabilised, with defences being held from villages west of Avdiivka including Tonenke, through Semenivka, up to Berydchi. But the pressure remains, and it is fierce. He claims Russia is dropping between 40 and 60 powerful aerial bombs a day on their positions, while DeepState, a Ukrainian war tracker, said on Thursday that Russia had advanced towards Berdychi and was carrying out assaults in the direction of Semenvika. Its map suggests Tonenke, meanwhile, is already under Russian control. A Ukrainian soldier of the 3rd Assault Brigade fires at Russian positions in the Avdiivka direction ( Telegram / 3rd Assault Brigade ) Members of the 3rd Assault Brigade undergo training earlier this month in Ivano-Frankivsk, western Ukraine. The 3rd Brigade is made up of volunteers and conscripts, many of whom are younger than the average Ukrainian soldier ( Telegram / 3rd Assault Brigade ) The term stalemate was taboo while Ukraines summer counteroffensive was ongoing last year as it suggested the attack was failing; now its a dangerous word for a different reason. Russia and Ukraine may be fighting a war of attrition, but its Vladimir Putins forces that are on the move. Of course, the situation would be a lot more difficult if we didnt receive the aid at all, but ultimately the cost of hesitation is Ukrainian territory and Ukrainian lives, Mr Zhorin said. The average Ukrainian infantryman is tired, exhausted by the dynamics of war, and by the events that have transpired. They are almost faint. Unfortunately, that is the truth. Many of the soldiers his unit were tasked to save from Avdiivka were from the 110th Brigade, which had fought in the city for the entirety of Putins full-scale war, launched in February 2022, without rotation. Many in his unit have also been fighting non-stop. Outside of the artillery disadvantage, which Mr Zhorin says extends to basic armaments, it is this lack of additional troops that has caused issues for Ukraine. Ukrainian servicemen of the 3rd Assault brigade are seen through night vision goggles, or NVG, during a night mission on the frontline near Avdiivka last month ( AP ) Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree lowering the age of conscription from 27 to 25 to widen the pool of potential recruits. At the moment, the average age of a Ukrainian soldier is 43, as Kyiv has tried to avoid recruiting from a small pool of young people. But Mr Zhorin says, like the Western aid, that the move is not enough and is coming too late. I do not think it is enough, he said. I would decrease the age further. As difficult as this is to say, young people must fight. It is too difficult to keep the older soldiers motivated and they often have chronic health issues. Young people are more motivated, more energetic and more willing to fight. The problems caused by belated mobilisation drives and delayed Western aid are being felt across the frontline but they are acute in the Avdiivka direction. Despite the calibre of Ukrainian soldiers in the area, Mr Zhorin says they are unable to launch anything other than localised counter-attacks that are more a form of defence attack as opposed to a large-scale counter. It is part of what Ukrainian military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has called active defence. This satellite image shows a position in Avdiivka from July 2022 ( AP ) This satellite image from 26 February 2024, a week after Russia claimed control of Avdiivka, shows the extent of destruction wrought by Putins forces in the region ( AP ) It is unwise to talk about counter attacks at the moment, Mr Zhorin said. We must concentrate on defence. The priority now is to provide proper solid defence and defensive lines. He added that several engineering units had been deployed to help fortify the defences in the area, while every infantryman was digging trenches at one point or another. The natural terrain, which includes treelines, slight hills and a few bodies of water, is also favourable for defence. That Russias Avdiivka offensive has been slowed to some extent is impressive, said Mr Zelensky earlier this week, given the shortage of shells and a significant slowdown in supplies. The resilience of each of the soldiers is the resilience of our entire Ukraine, he said during a nightly address. But his and Mr Zhorins comments underscore the difficulty facing Ukraine in 2024, as well as the sheer difference in the situation on the frontline compared to last year. The 3rd Assault Brigade may be minimising the Russian advance - Mr Zhorin claims his unit has killed up to 15,000 Russians in the past few months alone - but the threat of another push by Putins forces is now real. And then, its Europe next. Use this time wisely, the deputy commander says, addressing Kyivs Western partners directly. While Russia is attacking Ukraine, prepare for your own war with Russia. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Ghazi has already lost both his father and brother and he cant allow his one-year-old daughter Abeer, born in Gaza, the deadliest region in the world to be a child, to suffer the same fate. Now the young journalists family, including his disabled sister Maryam confined to a wheelchair by a war injury, hide out in their bomb-ravaged home covered in graffiti from occupying Israeli soldiers. He points out their battle plans, sleep schedules and names scrawled on his family living room walls used as a base by Israeli soldiers as they launched an assault on the Al-Maghazi camp in the central area of Gaza City where he was forced to relocate. The 27-year-old told The Independent: My father was martyred in the 2014 war. My brother was martyred in the 2018 war. My wife and I do not care whether we live or die, but we have a daughter- Abeer. This is life. We strive in every way to take care of her and pray no harm will happen to her. We try to feed her healthy food, but there is nothing healthy. We lose fruit here and vitamins. We lose Pampers and we lose clothes, but we manage with just the simplest things. We returned to our house in the Maghazi camp, after the [soldiers] occupied our house throughout the invasion and before leaving the house, [Israeli soldiers] destroyed and broke all our furniture. I feel disappointed because there is nothing we can do. Israeli soldiers used Gazis family home as a base ( Instagram/@Ghaazzi ) Now we hide [at night] in the partially destroyed house. We all sleep here, it is only destroyed on the inside. But life is very difficult. There is no safety, security, healthy food, or healthy water. Diseases are widespread, and there is not enough medicine for everyone. Hospitals have become unable to accommodate the sick and injured, we are suffering from all sides. Prices have become very expensive. We cant buy anything, but we thank God that we are still alive. Gazi gave up his dangerous job as a photojournalist in Gaza just as the Committee To Protect Journalists said at least 95 reporters and media workers were among the more than 33,800 killed since the war began on October 7. Im very afraid for my family, my daughter, and my wife, because this war is very fierce. You saw how many journalists were martyred in this war. The army target journalists here. Soldiers wrote their battle plans and patrol schedules on his walls ( @Ghaazi ) He has launched a GoFundMe to get his ten-strong family to safety. He added: Without help it seems that we will not leave Gaza and we will die here. Any money will be paid in coordination to Egypt until we leave Gaza. Many families went out this way, they collected donations and went directly to Egypt. By coordination, Ghazi speaks of the system by which Palestinians can pay for permission to leave the Gaza Strip. Cross-border travel has been suspended so now coordination is now the only way for Palestinians without dual nationality to leave the deadly warzone. Before the war, it was possible to travel with Egyptian travel company Hala for 350 but this price has now skyrocketed to 8,000 paid in cash with very little recourse or any competition from other companies offering the chance to start a new life. He added: I have never tried to leave Gaza because I never had the money. Its so expensive. But I fear there will never be peace in Gaza, and I do not believe that this war will end soon. So we must evacuate the Gaza Strip of my most valuable things - my family. It would be impossible to leave anyone behind. My only hope is that this war will end and that my family and I will leave the Gaza Strip safely and live stably in any other country. I hope everyone will stand by us and help us live. It came as Palestinians in the Gaza Strip faced further difficulties feeding their families after World Central Kitchen (WCK) paused its operations in response to the deaths of seven aid workers in an Israeli drone strike. Sir Alex Younger, ex-head of M16, heaped the pressure on Rishi Sunak to intervene saying the killings showed Israel was using systematic targeting that risked slaughtering innocent people by mistake. In an outspoken intervention, he claimed Israel was in danger of losing its right to claim a moral purpose in the war with Hamas. To donate to Ghazis fundraiser click here. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Israel says it has recovered the body of Elad Katzir, a man who was taken hostage during the 7 October Hamas attack on southern Israel. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that Mr Katzirs body was recovered from Gaza overnight and brought back to Israel. The body of the abductee Elad Katzir, who according to intelligence was murdered in captivity by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation, was rescued overnight from Khan Younis and returned to Israeli territory, the IDF said, adding that the victim was identified by medical officials and that his family has been informed. Mr Katzir, 47, was abducted along with his mother Hanna Katzir from Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October when Hamas and other affiliated Islamist groups attacked southern Israel, killing an estimated 1,200 Israelis and taking more than 250 people hostage. Ms Katzir was among the hostages released by Hamas in November as part of a series of temporary ceasefire agreements and prisoner swaps, while his father was murdered in Nir Oz. Our mission is to locate and return the [remaining] abductees home, the IDF said, adding that they were working in full coordination with the relevant national and security bodies and will continue until the task is complete. UNHRC resolution on Gaza: Council wants Israel to be held accountable The Israel-Hamas war has dragged on for more than half a year, becoming one of the deadliest conflicts of the century. Since the 7 October cross-border attack by Hamas, Israeli forces have invaded and pummeled Gaza, causing the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians and the displacement of millions. More than 33,000 Palestinians, including over 13,000 children, have died since the war began, according to estimates that come from the Israeli military, the Gaza health ministry, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The UN has warned that the Gaza Strip is on the brink of famine, with families in the besieged northern part of the strip forced to survive on less than a can of beans a day. International agencies have accused Israel of severely limiting the flow of food aid into Gaza, something Israel has denied. Seven aid workers, including three Britons, were killed in an Israeli air strike on Monday, an incident which has led to global condemnation and the firing of two senior military officers. Even though a vast majority of Gazas population has now fled to the southernmost city of Rafah, over 300,000 people are still believed to be trapped in the north, which has seen the worst of the Israeli bombardment. Israel has said it intends to launch a ground offensive into Rafah next, though its closest ally the US has urged it to reconsider doing so. Meanwhile, Hamas continues to fire rockets into Israel from Gaza while Hezbollah and other militant groups are doing so from southern Lebanon. Hamas and Islamic Jihad are both still believed to hold hostages taken during the 7 October raid, as well as the bodies of those who died in captivity, with no end in sight to the conflict. Q I live in the UK and have a property in Bulgaria. I travel frequently from the UK to Germany for work. For the past couple of years I have been able to spend up to 90 days in Bulgaria without affecting the time I can be in the rest of the EU. I was concerned to see that Bulgaria is now in the Schengen area, which I imagine could make things tricky. But someone said on an online forum that Schengen status only applies if you fly into Bulgaria, not if you cross by land from Greece. Is this correct? Name supplied A One of the many consequences of Brexit for British citizens particularly those who own property in the EU is the UKs demand to be subject to the 90/180-day rule. This is the Schengen area restriction on the time that third-country nationals can spend within the zone, amounting to about three months in any six-month stretch. Schengen now includes all EU member states except Cyprus and Ireland, as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and some small countries. Until the start of April, British visitors could spend an additional 90 days in Bulgaria (and neighbouring Romania) without affecting their Schengen area score, because those nations were outside the zone. Each had its own 90/180 allowance, and so in theory you could be permanently in southeast Europe, spending 90 days in Bulgaria before crossing to Greece for a further 90 days, for example. From this month, arrivals from, and departures to, other Schengen nations do not pass through border controls. As you say, checks are still being made at land frontiers between Greece and Bulgaria (as well as between Hungary and Romania). But you cannot swerve the 90/180 rule by entering either Balkan country by road. The checks are being imposed solely in a bid to monitor and control the flow of people from Bulgaria and Romania into the rest of the EU, because of concerns about migration. Ireland remains a special case, with British citizens able to spend unlimited time in the republic. Cyprus is now the only southern Europe destination where Schengen area rules do not apply. open image in gallery If you are prepared to forsake Waverley station for nearby Haymarket, you can save money ( PA ) Q I have to get from Edinburgh to London on Saturday morning, arriving by around 2pm. Its the day of the strike on LNER. Due to various commitments I cannot travel a day earlier or later. But the fares are off the scale. Cheap Lumo trains are all sold out, and the cheapest train ticket I have seen is 200 one way. I really dont want to fly, but easyJet to Gatwick is about 50 less. Can you help? Elizabeth B A Yes. I am sorry that you have been bamboozled by the confusing fare structure on the railways. While airlines are a law unto themselves, pricing at whatever the market will bear in order to maximise revenue, on the railways there are significant limits in place. As background: the latest round of rolling strikes by train drivers belonging to the Aslef union will hit the East Coast Main Line on Saturday. Rail passengers are wearily accustomed to the pattern by now. LNER will run a skeleton service on its core route from Edinburgh via Newcastle and York to London every hour or so. Only the last train of the day, an almost-all-stations departure at 4.30pm, is selling for a reasonable fare 80 one way. Earlier trains are priced at 200, the cost of an Anytime single. Fortunately, if you ask a slightly different question, you get a very different answer. You can make your journey, with a seat reservation included, on the 8.52am from Edinburgh to London Euston its an Avanti West Coast train on the West Coast Main Line. You would not have spotted it if you were searching for Edinburgh to London Kings Cross. The off-peak fare for this journey is just 125, a considerable improvement on the 200 you are being quoted. But I can save you a further 34: if you are prepared to board the London train barely a mile away at Haymarket station, just beyond the West End of Edinburgh, the fare falls to just 91. The timing is an issue: the train arrives at 2.54pm, which I imagine is too late for you. But with a change of train at Crewe, you can overtake the original service and arrive at London Euston at 2.09pm. Seats are still available for both of these trains. open image in gallery Most major airports will soon have scanners similar to this one in use at a prison in Scotland ( Getty ) Q You have been writing at length about the changes to security procedures for cabin baggage, but I am more concerned about the screening for airline passengers. Recently I have seen fewer and fewer of the standard metal detector arches and more of those strange and slightly alarming checkpoints where you have hold your arms outstretched while possibly getting a dose of X-rays. Does anyone actually know whether they are safe? Rose H A I believe you are referring to millimetre wave security scanners, which are rapidly appearing at airports across the UK and the rest of the world. Sometimes they are used for a secondary scan after the passenger passes through a metal detector arch, and sometimes as the sole check on passengers. The panel that you face which typically has a picture of how you are supposed to stand and hold out your arms is full of tiny transmitters that send out very low power waves, as well as receives that record the reflection. One manufacturer of such scanners, Rohde & Schwarz, tells potential customers that the scanners allow contactless illumination of a human body and can help to detect body-bound contraband, hidden or unwanted objects of all kinds and materials. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), meanwhile, says: Millimetre wave machines are important pieces of airport security equipment because they can show hidden threats such as guns and knives. The same agency insists the risk of detrimental effects on health is very, very low, adding the scanners emit far less energy than a mobile phone. The metric I use to reassure myself that these body scanners are safe is that they are used to screen airport and airline staff every working day, and I have not heard of any untoward effects or controversy about health concerns for regular users. The EPA says that anyone worried about the millimetre wave technology is not required to undergo a scan, saying: You can ask for a pat-down search instead. This cannot, though, be relied upon in other countries. open image in gallery The harbour plays an essential role in the life of San Francisco ( AP ) Q What would you say is the one feature that makes a city appealing? I live in York so I like a river through the centre with Budapest as the best one. Richard M A Thank you for an intriguing question one that I have not previously considered. Rivers are at the heart of many cities, with the fundamentals of human geography (transportation and/or bridging point) providing the seed for a settlement. It is difficult to contemplate a visit to London or Paris where the Thames or Seine do not feature significantly. Yet some great cities with a river virtually ignore it: the Spree has never been a particular dimension of Berlin, while the core of Vienna is some distance from the Danube. And in Cairo a city I adore the Nile is actually an impediment to enjoying both sides of Africas greatest megalopolis. Deep history is often an important element, and Athens and Rome make the most of their amazing inner-city archaeology. But many great cities, especially in the US, are much younger and still have great stories to tell. A harbour is always good. At the heart of the appeal of Hong Kong, Sydney and San Francisco is the water and the way that it plays an essential role in the citys life. And Hamburg, way inland, also benefits from a mighty harbour with much activity. A dominant place of worship in Europe, a cathedral can also be central to a citys identity. A fortress or palace also appeals. Yet it is possible for a city to have no especially distinguishing features and still entrance the visitor. Tokyo is probably the prime example, where human hyperactivity is the strongest suit. I shall contemplate your question next time I visit a new city. Thanks again for a fascinating question. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Delta Airlines has recently gained attention for its alleged treatment of women for what they showed up wearing on one of their flights. In the last two months there have been instances in which women were almost removed from planes because they were not wearing a bra. Here is what the airlines rules state and whether or not a person can actually be removed for what they are wearing. Delta has recently updated its Contract of Carriage, as of 12 March 2024, which is essentially their list of rules for passengers flying with them. Rule seven specifies its refusal to transport policies. Various methods that Delta states will allow them to remove any passenger from its aircraft at any time include: government request, refusal to allow themselves or their property to be searched, refusal to produce appropriate identification, failure to comply with Deltas rules or Contract of Carriage, and the passengers conduct or condition. Under that section, the rule explains that a passenger may not be removed from a Delta flight for having a disability. Delta will not refuse to provide transportation based upon race, color, national origin, religion, sex, or ancestry, the rule reads. In terms of a dress code, the airline does require that the passengers wear shoes and says they may be removed for being barefoot. The rule also states a passenger may be refused transportation, when conduct, attire, hygiene or odor creates an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers. According to this rule the airline can make the decision to remove a passenger for not wearing a bra. Last week, a woman said that Delta Airlines targeted her for not wearing a bra. During a news press conference on Thursday, 28 March, 38-year-old DJ Lisa Archbold held a news conference with her attorney, Gloria Allred, claiming that when she showed up to board her Delta Airlines flight at Salt Lake City Airport in January, she was singled out by airline staff. Archbold told the press: I was targeted and humiliated. It felt like a scarlet letter was being attached to me, Archbold recalled of being escorted off the plane in baggy jeans and a loose white T-shirt with no bra. I felt it was a spectacle aimed at punishing me for not being a woman in the way she thought I should be a woman as she scolded me outside of the plane. Once the entire plane was seated, a flight attendant came to Archbolds seat. She asked her to speak in private and escorted her off the plane. Allred noted that Archbold suspected her braless outfit was the cause. The attorney said, The gate agent told her that when passengers are wearing offensive or revealing clothing, Deltas official policy is to remove them from the flight. Archbold was reportedly only allowed to fly under one condition: that she must wear another shirt on top of the one she was wearing. At the time, the head flight attendant reportedly informed her that women must cover up according to Deltas official policy. She had been flying from conservative Salt Lake City, Utah, to the much more liberal San Francisco, California. Male passengers are not required to cover up their T-shirts with a shirt or a jacket, Allred argued. They also do not have to wear a bra to board or remain on a plane and women should not have to wear one either. Her attorney noted at the time that according to US federal rules, airlines can only remove passengers who present a clear safety or security risk to the plane or its passengers. Archbold, however, was neither. Although there are no plans to go forward with a lawsuit, Allred said that she and her client want a sit-down meeting with the president of Delta Airlines to ensure that their policies will be updated to reflect 21st-century values and standards. The Independent has contacted Delta for comment. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Delicious anticipation is a key component of the glories of travel. A beachside taverna, a mountain pass or a world-class museum? Wherever you picture yourself weeks or months from now, the expectation of a journey delivers abundant rewards and lifts the spirits. Having said that, I find myself in the somewhat awkward position of being on the verge of departing for the worlds biggest-ever astronomical party but not knowing where exactly I might join it. Heres the context: on Monday 8 April, the moon will blot out the sun along a 115-mile-wide zone of totality a stripe of darkness that will sweep across North America from Mexicos Pacific Coast to Atlantic Canada, visiting dozens of US cities along the way. I very much hope to witness this total solar eclipse, but as of Saturday evening I do not know where I will be on the day. For the previous Great American Eclipse, in August 2017, I booked three years in advance; for this one, it will be just 24 hours ahead. The 2017 total solar eclipse, which swept from Oregon to South Carolina (and which I watched in Wyoming), was a mere warm-up for this Mondays cosmic event. While the last one covered sparsely populated locations, the 2024 astronomical extravaganza will be far more accessible: 32 million Americans live within the zone of totality. The duration of darkness is also remarkably high: a maximum of four minutes and 28 seconds, two-thirds more than the last time the US experienced daytime darkness. Anyone beneath a clear sky will experience the closest the universe gets to magic. The air chills. The stars and planets appear in the middle of the day. For those brief moments, the only signals that there is a star at the heart of the solar system are faint diamonds of light on the edge of the heart of darkness: this is sunshine slipping through lunar valleys. Surely the greatest show on earth so long as your view is not obscured by cloud cover, which downgrades a cosmological marvel to an eerie daytime gloom. And that, for millions of would-be watchers, is the problem. The brilliant astronomer and eclipse guru, John Mason, pored over the weather records for 8 April for many previous decades. He concluded the location with the best chance of clear skies is on the Texas-Mexico border near San Antonio. Dr Mason emphasises, though, that you can stack the meteorological odds in your favour as much as you like, but nature will have the final say about whether you will enjoy the heavenly performance. Texas now looks as though it may be beneath heavy cloud though another phenomenon, the Mason miracle may come into play. I am holding off my decision until Sunday morning. I am hoping fervently that Niagara Falls will be clear: a spectacular location in its own right, with an entirely new dimension of an afternoon interrupted by a blackout. My sole investment so far is a 17 ticket for the Monday morning train from Toronto to Niagara as a traffic-jam avoidance technique. As of Saturday evening, though, the whole track looks iffy apart from a break in the clouds over Missouri and Indiana, as well as northern Maine and the Canadian province of Quebec. The forecast 24 hours ahead will prompt my final selection. If Niagara does not look good, I will aim elsewhere. The Sunday flights I have my eye on are both on British Airways, because I hope to grab a seat using Avios frequent-flyer points: cash fares are very high. The first is to Cincinnati, close to Indiana, at 4.10pm afternoon or to Montreal a couple of hours later. As soon as I book I shall start investigating the opportunities for exploration generated by the decision, as well as looking forward to those precious moments of totality. Anticipation may be the most intense emotion, but last-minute decisions can also prove worthwhile. Lets see if this one does. Simon Calder, also known as The Man Who Pays His Way, has been writing about travel for The Independent since 1994. In his weekly opinion column, he explores a key travel issue and what it means for you. Introducing conscription would be "money well spent" if threats to the UK are "real" and "genuine", a Tory MP has declared. Tobias Ellwood, who served in the British Army, told Matthew Wright on LBC on Saturday, 6 April: "I like the idea of people doing some form of service. "But... It's not for everybody. There are sorts of things that you can do to support your nation which doesn't necessarily mean you're going to be carrying arms. And that we need to be flexible about." It comes after a Nato ally said the British Army should consider conscription to deter Vladimir Putins aggression in Europe. An e-bike burst into flames on a platform at a London railway station during rush hour, newly-released video shows. London Fire Brigade (LFB) were called to Sutton railway station on the evening of 21 March as commuters made their way home. Owner Sahab Singh, 25, bought the e-bike from an online marketplace four months beforehand. He said he had no issues until the day of the fire, which occurred as he waited for his train on the platform. I feel lucky that I escaped and no one was injured. It was very scary, Mr Singh said. There have been 31 e-bike fires and 9 e-scooter fires this year in the capital, LFB said. Our technology editor answers your trickiest tech queries Question: My Revolut asked me for a photo of government-issued identification so I uploaded a snapshot of my drivers licence. Now its asking me for my PPS number. Most of my friends have Revolut too, and only some of them are being asked for this. Is this a scam? Or whats going on? Eugene Hayes Answer If you get this request when you open the app itself on your phone, its not a scam. If you get a request like this via text or email, it may or may not be a scam; the best thing to do is to independently open the app itself and see if youre prompted to do anything. But dont open the app from a link in the text or email; open it separately to your text or email session. Now, as to the reason why its asking for your PPS number, Revolut says that its part of international financial regulatory rules. Its a little confusing because some banks in Ireland ask for PPS numbers but others dont. This naturally leads to questions as to the exact reason why one bank says they require a particularly sensitive piece of information, such as a PPS number, while others say they dont. Heres what Revolut told me when I asked them about it: Certain Irish customers will have received a push notification and/or email from Revolut recently to provide their PPS number. As a European-regulated bank, Revolut is legally required to determine where its customers are tax resident. This is for reporting purposes under international tax rules, namely the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and is solely for the purposes of identifying customers tax residency. In Ireland, this information can be derived from customers PPS numbers, which are used by Revenue to identify Irelands taxpayers. My understanding is that not every Revolut customer will get this request as, and this is where it gets a bit byzantine, this PPS number requirement only applies to Revolut customers who joined the service before March 2023 (in other words, most of us), when it established an Irish branch. From that date on, anyone in Ireland who set up an account with Revolut is not necessarily in line to get a request for a PPS number as its technically with the Irish branch, negating the banks need to verify your tax residency status. Email your questions to aweckler@independent.ie Marian Keyes: Im both shocked at being 60 and think its a nonsense. I do have things like arthritis, a gammy eye, but mostly I feel young With a new book and a Netflix deal in the bag already this year, Dublin writer Marian Keyes is having a good 2024. Here, she talks about moving out of her Dun Laoghaire home of 26 years, hitting a milestone birthday and marking 30 years of sobriety Marian Keyes. Photo: Dean Chalkley Tanya Sweeney Sat 6 Apr 2024 at 03:30 By the time I meet Marian Keyes ahead of the release of her new novel, My Favourite Mistake, we are barely a full three months into 2024. And yet, the author is already having what would be considered by anyones reckoning as an annus mirabilis. Ten days previously, Keyes and her husband, Tony Baines, moved out of their expansive, gorgeous Dun Laoghaire home to Dublin 14, into a property that Keyes saw in a newspaper and fell in love with on first sight. Sleep guru Fiona Brennan: I went from an OK sleeper to a bad sleeper to a brilliant sleeper After two years of research, Fiona Brennan has identified the eight habits that can help guarantee sound slumber. Here, the clinical hypnotherapist talks about the different types of sleepers, the payback of prioritising rest and how HRT helped her Sleep guru Fiona Brennan: I went from an OK sleeper to a bad sleeper to a brilliant sleeper Katie Byrne Sat 6 Apr 2024 at 03:30 The more you focus on falling asleep, the less likely you are to drift off. Its a strange contradiction, which clinical hypnotherapist Fiona Brennan discovered first-hand while researching her new book, 8 Habits to Help You Fall Asleep, Stay Asleep And Wake Up Refreshed. Two former Fianna Fail councillors will contest the upcoming local elections in Galway as candidates for Independent Ireland. Both councillors left Fianna Fail in recent weeks, with new party Independent Ireland today announcing they will contest the forthcoming elections in Connemara. Cllr Noel Thomas and Cllr Seamus Walsh had previously been critical of plans to house asylum seekers in a former hotel in Oughterard, Co Galway at the end of last year and faced criticism within Fianna Fail as a result. The Ross Lake House Hotel was the target of an arson attack following protests in December. Mr Thomas, who served as a councillor of 10 years in the area of Connemara South, has acknowledged that the issues surrounding disciplinary action he faced as a result of his criticism of plans for asylum seeker accommodation in Oughterard last year was partly responsible for his decision to leave the party. "As far as Im concerned I think the main political parties Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Sinn Fein included, and the Green Party, seem to have become very detached from the ordinary person, as far as Im concerned, and I suppose thats been eating away at me for some time, Mr Thomas told RTE News at One last month. "I suppose I was holding on all the time in the hope that some members of the Dail would actually kick back against the leadership that was there and maybe try and get things to change but anyway, that never happened. Speaking today, Mr Thomas said: I strongly believe that if a politician fails to listen to and honestly represent their constituents then it is time for them to stand down. He said one of the reasons he decided to join Independent Ireland was that it not only supports candidates to stand by their communities, but actively encourages them to speak honestly and openly about concerns they or their communities have. Meanwhile, Mr Walsh has served as a councillor in Connemara North for two decades and said he is a strong believer in standing by the members of my community on issues they would be wrongly affected by. Politics needs a new party and a fresh approach, led by common sense and people first policies, the freedom to speak truthfully and represent the concerns of the people who elected you are a cornerstone of democracy, we need change in this country and I firmly believe that is what we will deliver with Independent Ireland. Party leader Michael Collins said the councillors will have the opportunity to represent their communities honestly, respectfully and without fear of censure under the Independent Ireland banner. It comes as the party, spearheaded by TDs Michael Collins, Michael Fitzmaurice and Richard ODonoghue, has announced the candidacy of former RTE midlands correspondent Ciaran Mullooly in the upcoming European elections. Mr Mullooly worked for RTE for 27 years before retiring in 2021. 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. Former champion jockey and TV personality Nina Carberry will run under the Fine Gael banner alongside sitting MEP Maria Walsh, while Fianna Fail candidates include Barry Cowen, Lisa Chambers and Niall Blaney. Aontu leader Peadar Toibin is also contesting the election, with academic Rory Hearne running as the candidate for the Social Democrats. He was never the same man. It shattered his peace of mind 20 years after Padraig Nally shot dead trespasser at his home, ripples from case are still felt Jailed Hutch gangsters no longer on protection regime as threat from Kinahan cartel rivals recedes Almost a year after Gerry The Monk Hutch was acquitted of Regency murder, easing tensions mean security measures have been relaxed Hutch crime gang members no longer on protection regime in Irish prison system Ken Foy Sat 6 Apr 2024 at 03:30 Members and close associates of the Hutch organised crime gang are no longer on a protection regime in prison, the Irish Independent can reveal. Dee Forbes used her RTE credit card to pay for her own leaving do lunch with colleagues the day before she was told to resign as director general. Ms Forbes clocked up a bill of almost 400 in an Italian restaurant in Dublins Ballsbridge as she and her executive team marked the end of her tenure with the public service broadcaster. The following day, she was told to step down by the then chair of the RTE board Siun Ni Raghallaigh due to revelations related to how former Late Late Show presenter Ryan Tubridy was paid. Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal for the first time how Ms Forbes, who has refused to answer any questions about her controversial tenure in RTE, spent thousands of euro in taxpayers money on fine dining, flights to rugby matches, flowers and wine. Details of Ms Forbess spending come as RTEs current director general Kevin Bakhurst said new rules on discretionary spending and expenses are being closely monitored. Ms Forbes decided to leave RTE a few weeks before her contract was officially due to end last July. She was aware an audit of payments to Tubridy was under way when she brought forward her leaving date. A number of going away parties were held to mark her exit, but at the time no one was aware of the fast-approaching scandal that has engulfed the broadcaster since. Ms Forbess credit card bill shows she treated colleagues to a 394 meal in the Al Boschetto restaurant on June 15. Later that evening, a drinks reception was held in Arthur Maynes pub in Donnybrook for Ms Forbes. The next morning on June 16, RTE staff gathered for tea and cakes in the Montrose office to wish Ms Forbes good luck in the future. However, on the same day, the former director general was called before the RTE board and told details of a review of payments made to Tubridy during his time on the Late Late Show. At an Oireachtas committee meeting a few weeks later, Ms Ni Raghallaigh revealed she told Ms Forbes she should resign due to the information revealed in the audit of RTE finances by Grant Thronton. Ms Forbes did not resign until the pay scandal became public knowledge on June 26. The former director general clocked up expenses totalling almost 18,000 during her five-year term in Montrose. This included 328 on flights for the European Rugby Cup Final between La Rochelle and Leinster in Marseille, where Ms Forbes met business partners involved in hosting the event. While in the French port town, she treated a companion to Moroccan food in the Le Souk restaurant that came in at around 72. On the day of the match, she and her guest ate quiche and poke bowls for 56 in a bistro near the stadium. Back in Ireland, while asking the Government to bail out the cash-strapped broadcaster, Ms Forbes was using her credit card to enjoy fine dining at the two-star Michelin restaurant Chapter One on Dublins Parnell Square where she spent 145. She also spent 531 in the Michelin guide Italian restaurant Osteria Lucio on Grand Canal Quay, Dublin, in July 2022. She spent 256 dining in the Super Miss Sue restaurant in Dublins city centre, which has since closed. Her credit card bill also includes a 198 bill for the five-star Merrion Hotel opposite Government Buildings This card was also used to book stays in some of Irelands top hotels, including the five-star Hayfield Manor Hotel in her home county of Cork, which cost 342. She also spent more than 1,000 at the Clayton Hotel on the Burlington Road, Dublin, and 295 in the G Hotel in Galway. Ms Forbes spent almost 1,000 over three years buying flowers from a variety of florists around Dublin, which an RTE spokesperson said they believe were for funerals, gifts and people leaving the organisation. However, the spokesperson added that it is no longer possible to include the purchase of flowers in expenses. Ms Forbes spent 195 in Franks wine shop, which RTE said they believe that these were for gifts, in most/all cases for people retiring or leaving the organisation. She spent 40 on macaroons in the Dublin-based French bakery Laduree. She also used her taxpayer-funded credit card to pay 300 for Munster Rugby tickets for clients that were purchased in addition to those already allocated to RTE through corporate sponsorship arrangements. Ms Forbes used her RTE credit card to pay for subscriptions to the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Economist and the Irish Times. An RTE spokesperson said: Under the leadership of RTE director general, Kevin Bakhurst, and new measures introduced, such as an end to discretionary spend, it has been made clear that expenses need to be very carefully managed in all areas of the organisation and that only expenditure on items or events which are business-critical will be approved. Such expenditure is being closely monitored by our managers and by our finance teams across RTE. A spokesperson for Ms Forbes said: Dee Forbess situation and circumstances remain unchanged, and she is unable to respond to the queries outlined. HSE chief Bernard Gloster urged people today not to feel any stigma or shame about applying for a GP visit card. He was commenting after GP Tadhg Crowley of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) said one of the reasons for the low take-up was that people did not want to be seen as poor. Dr Crowley also said the application process was too complex. Mr Gloster, who was addressing the annual meeting of the IMO in Killarney, said he was quizzed by reporters on the low take-up of free GP visit cards - just under 39,000 have been claimed from the 430,000 who are eligible. He insisted he did not believe the application process was too complicated. In response to GPs' view that it was linked to people not wanting to be seen as poor, he urged people to see it as a "healthy thing" although it is now incumbent on the HSE to ensure better take-up. He also said the hospital trolley crisis means patients can be left "in pretty awful circumstances." He was, however, unable to say when the health service's recruitment freeze will end despite doctors warning it is impacting patients. Senior consultants at the meeting said it "represents a very serious threat to patient care. Consultants at the meeting said it is "absurd that the HSE has decided the recruitment embargo is a reasonable policy." Mr Gloster was unable to say when it would end and said he is working with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly on a "funded workforce plan" for the HSE which would mean there would be no need to repeat another recruitment "pause." He insisted the recruitment freeze, which has exemptions for grades such as consultants, was implemented after the HSE overshot its hiring last year with a net growth of 8,000 staff. It means record numbers are now employed by the HSE, he added. Hiring has also continued in January and February, he added. Asked about the measures to tackle severe overcrowding in University Hospital Limerick, he denied that hospital consultants were being unfairly blamed for contributing to the crisis. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said on Friday that more consultants at the hospital should take up a new work contract allowing for rostering in the evening and over weekends. Mr Gloster said that there is a huge amount of people in the workforce working very hard. Limerick is disadvantaged due to the lower uptake of the contract. "What we are looking for is consistency in the use of the contract and a better spread of decision-making during the day." He said that in twelve weeks time there will be 70 step-down beds available to to the hospital group and with the longer opening hours of medical assessment units in Nenagh and Ennis, patients should see a difference. Asked if patients on public waiting lists can expect to see more cancellations of surgeries across the country to alleviate trolley congestion in hospitals, he said decisions would be made by individual hospitals. But both trolley numbers and waiting list figures fell last year. In his address to the doctors he said: "There is no doubt that it is heartening with increases in thousands attending there is still a 10pc reduction on trolleys. Every day of this winter period past, I along with many of your colleagues, worked through a daily focus on avoidance, ED operations, In-house care and Discharge. I am grateful to you for the part many of you play in that. He said progress had been made in reducing the numbers of people who no longer need to be in hospital with numbers down to around 350, a 30pc fall. He also confirmed there are plans for virtual wards - where patients who should be in hospital are monitored remotely at home. The two test sites are University Hospital Limerick and St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin. Fine Gael TD Kate OConnell says its up to Simon Harris if she will run again Former Fine Gael TD Kate OConnell has said she will do anything she can to help Simon Harris ensure their party remains in Government. Ms OConnell would not say if she intended to run in the next general election but said she planned to assist Mr Harris personally, politically and professionally. Speaking at the Fine Gael ard fheis in the University of Galway, she said it would be up to Mr Harris to decide if he wants her to run in any future elections. Today is about Fine Gael people coming together to celebrate a new leader, it is about a positive slant on the day, its not about me. I want to do whatever I can for Fine Gael to keep Fine Gael in Government, she told the Irish Independent. She described the Taoiseach-designate as a political disruptor who will bring about a better Ireland for everybody. The former Dublin Bay South TD said Fine Gael has gone through a period of inertia but she now believes Mr Harris will help revive the party. Im here to support Simon Harris both personally, politically and professionally, she said. I feel I have something to offer the party. I want to help Simon Harris bring the party where it should be. I feel the party has been through a period of inertia and I think its time for the party to reconnect with the people, she added. Ms OConnell said it was time the country changed for the better after coming through the Covid-19 pandemic and dealing with ongoing impacts of global tensions brought on by wars. Ms OConnell was elected to the Dail in the 2016 General Election and made a name for herself as being an outspoken member of the party. She supported Simon Coveney in the 2017 Fine Gael leadership contest which was held to replace former Taoiseach Enda Kenny. Her decision to brand Leo Varadkars supporters as choir boys during the leadership campaign sparked controversy in the party However, she lost her seat in the 2020 General Election while running alongside former Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy. Ms OConnell did not put her name forward for selection in the Dublin Bay South by-election to replace Mr Murphy which instead saw Dublin City Councillor James Geoghegan unsuccessfully contest the election. Mr Geoghegan was selected to run in the next general election while Leo Varadkar was still Fine Gael leader. He warned against splitting the vote in Dublin Bay South if Ms OConnell was put on the party ticket by Mr Harris. Seven years ago, after a chance encounter with the Taoiseach in the Phoenix Park, Rory Hearnes name was brought up in the Dail. I met with him not too long ago at a running event in the Phoenix Park where he was less than pleasant, to put it that way, Leo Varadkar told the Dail in 2017. It certainly was not the kind of polite conversation I would expect from a university academic. He was referring to the housing academic and Maynooth University lecturer telling him that he thought he was a disgrace for not burning the bond holders, in reference to the repaying of banking debt following the economic crash. Dr Hearne has in more recent years accused Fine Gael of conducting a smear campaign against him, both on the airwaves and online, particularly in debates on the housing crisis. I have communicated my policies, and communicated what they were doing year after year with emotion, with concern, Dr Hearne says. And I think they couldnt handle that. Youre supposed to be an academic, youre supposed to be giving us you know, the advice and then f**king off back to the university, and not debating us and not hammering us in debates. He laments several times in our interview that he has spent many years studying housing policies and written academic papers about them. This is why he should be trusted on housing policy, he says. People want politicians who have values, who understand issues, he says. Dr Rory Hearne is a candidate for the Social Democrats in the Midlands-North-West constituency. Photo: Frank McGrath [The public] is fed up of Tweedledum and Tweedledee, people who dont read the books, who dont care about understanding things. I have been researching and working on this for 15 years. Earlier in the interview, he recalled a broadcast debate with Fianna Fail Senator Shane Cassells. He turned to me and said, Rory needs to get his head out of the books and get down to wherever the f**k it was and look at the actual housing being built. And its this anti-intellectual, you know, viewpoint, this anti-ideas, you know, We do, we dont read and thats part of the problem. They dont look at the policies and go, theres a problem here with the policies. The outspoken academic had his first stint in politics when he ran for the Dail in 2007 for People Before Profit (PBP) in the then constituency of Dublin South-East. An election poster from this time shows a number of promises among those, a vow to only take half a TDs salary. But now running for a European seat in Midlands-North-West for the Social Democrats, this promise no longer remains. I made that promise when I was in my early 20s, I now have four children, he says. I think it was a very good and very principled [commitment] at the time. He also reveals he would take a career break from his current academic role at Maynooth University. Labour leader Ivana Bacik resigned her role as associate professor at Trinity College after questions were raised over her plans for the role when she was running for the Dail. Niamh Hourigan, Labours European candidate in Ireland South, has said she would resign her academic role if elected. However, Dr Hearne says it is up to the university to hire somebody if it is short staffed. He said the career break would be unpaid. It doesnt necessarily mean that if I leave, that there will be no one here teaching, he says. Having been in PBP for years, Dr Hearne says he was also a Labour member for three months before the party made the decision to go into government in 2011. He then left. But its still not fully clear why he chose the Social Democrats for this election and not Sinn Fein, whose candidates are being seen as having the most secure chance of winning seats. He admits that housing is also a key focus point for Sinn Fein. He says he didnt really consider Sinn Fein but said he looked at all parties on the left. The issues of housing, inequality, climate change are key priorities for the Social Democrats and he said it is where he felt at home most. Dr Hearne says he feels passionate about housing, particularly of family homelessness. He says housing is the biggest issue and proposes having a state developer build homes and not the Land Development Agency (LDA), which he brands Nama 2.0. He quotes figures which he says nobody else running for a seat in Midlands-North-West has calculated. Theres 111,000 adults living at home with their parents in this constituency, he says. I dont see people who live in the constituency raising this, you know, there were 5,000 households evicted in this constituency last year, I dont see anyone or any other parties who are raising this as an issue. He also says 10 of the 15 counties in the constituency had not one affordable rental or purchase home built by the State. The couple at the centre of the Baby John case have denied they are the childs parents, their solicitor has told the Irish Independent. Killarney based lawyer Padraig OConnell said his clients, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 50s, denied they were the biological parents of the child when they were interviewed by gardai in relation to the case. Next week marks the 40th anniversary of the murder of Baby John, a newborn found on a beach in Cahersiveen on April 14, 1984, with 28 stab wounds and a broken neck. In March 2023, Mr OConnells clients, a couple from Kerry, were arrested on suspicion of murder in the Kerry Babies case. Both were released without charge. Gardai took DNA samples from the couple upon their arrest and rushed them to Forensic Science Irelands laboratory in Dublin, which confirmed that the couple are the parents of the infant. It is understood the results of the DNA samples were put to the couple at separate interviews at Listowel and Castleisland garda stations. Mr OConnell said he was not present when what he described as purported DNA was put to his clients. They denied all allegations, he said. The allegations that were put to them were they were the parents of the child and that they had something to do with the childs death. They denied vehemently and absolutely such allegations. Both allegations. Mr OConnell said the couple have not returned to work since their arrest and that they have fortified their home with extra security in a bid to ensure more privacy. They have since installed CCTV cameras and gates so they will not be approached unknowingly by the gardai, he said. They are getting on with life. They have two sons who are very supportive. Mr OConnell said that parentage would have to be proven in a court of law and that he was confident his clients had no case to answer. They were arrested, interviewed and released without charge more than a year ago and since then they have heard nothing, he said. This week, a garda spokesperson said the investigation into the murder of Baby John remains ongoing and a file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions in due course. Fine Gael leader and incoming Taoiseach Simon Harris with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis in Galway Picture; Gerry Mooney Fine Gael leader and incoming Taoiseach Simon Harris and Leo Varadkar as he arrives for his leaders address at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis in Galway Picture; Gerry Mooney Fine Gael leader and incoming Taoiseach Simon Harris with the party faithful before leaders address at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis in Galway Picture; Gerry Mooney Fine Gael leader and incoming Taoiseach Simon Harris after his leaders address at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis in Galway Picture; Gerry Mooney The renters tax credit should be increased to over 1,000 and tax free grants of up to 30,000 for people buying a new house should be extended for another five years, according to incoming Taoiseach Simon Harris. This would represent a significant increase from the current rate of renters tax credit of 750, which was previously 500 per year per renter. Mr Harris pledged in his Fine Gael Ard Fheis speech that 250,000 homes will be built in Ireland over the next five years. He also promised to cut taxes, increase the pension, extend the hot school meals programme and extend the Carers Allowance to thousands. He said the Government will respond to help farmers, who have had a brutal year. The housing promises come amid criticism from Sinn Fein for not focusing enough on housing policy after being selected Fine Gael party leader. He said being Taoiseach will be the greatest challenge of my life and said he will hit the ground running. Under the Help to Buy scheme, first time buyers are able to get up to 30,000 tax back when buying a new home. Mr Harris promised to extend the scheme for another five years. Some 45,000 families have availed of the initiative thus far. The scheme has come in for criticism for pushing up house prices and for being a very costly measure. Mr Harris also promised cuts to income tax and USC, and said Fine Gael will outline a five-year tax strategy later on this year, which will protect the tax base but also help put more money in peoples pockets. Fine Gael leader and incoming Taoiseach Simon Harris with the party faithful before leaders address at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis in Galway Picture; Gerry Mooney A total of 150,000 more children will avail of hot meals at school as the programme will be extended to 900 more primary schools in the next year, he said. The incoming Taoiseach also promised more cash for carers by increasing the Carers Allowance disregard so that thousands more carers will qualify. He also said the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention for the Rights of People with Disabilities will be ratified this year. The minister also hinted at further increases to the pension in the Budget, saying it has been increased for the past three years. Every single year Fine Gael is in Government, we will do more, he said. Fine Gael leader and incoming Taoiseach Simon Harris and Leo Varadkar as he arrives for his leaders address at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis in Galway Picture; Gerry Mooney He also said Fine Gael has a plan to deliver 1,500 more beds and recruit more staff in hospitals. Mr Harris also promised to reform mental health services and introduce new laws to reform mental health services, because mental health is one of the greatest challenges facing our young people. He said Fine Gael will bring in a package to support businesses in the next year to make sure you thrive and prosper. The Government is already rolling out a 250m scheme to help firms with costs and the paperwork has been cut down so that businesses can get the grant into their bank accounts as quickly as possible. Mr Harris said the year has been brutal for farmers and promised the Government would help them. You need help, and we will respond. Under my leadership, I will look at practical supports to help farming community. A plan will be brought forward over the next six weeks by the Fine Gael agricultural group as a result of holding 15 meetings across the country with farmers recently. The incoming Taoiseach promised to bring in the biomethane strategy so that farmers can earn a good income and he also promised to keep the nitrates derogation, as well as vet schools in rural areas. I will work with you and support you so that, together, we retain Irelands nitrates derogation which is necessary for our agri-food sector, he said. Fine Gael has seen a one-point drop in support following the appointment of Simon Harris as party leader, according to the latest Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks opinion poll. However, Mr Harris, who will be elected taoiseach on Tuesday, is a marginally more popular a leader than Sinn Feins Mary Lou McDonald but he is less popular than Fianna Fails Micheal Martin and Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns. With next weeks Cabinet reshuffle fast approaching, the poll shows Government chief whip Hildegarde Naughton (18pc) is the publics preferred candidate for promotion to a full Cabinet position while 14pc believe Junior Minister Patrick ODonovan should get a senior ministry. The polls also shows 13pc believe European Affairs Minister of State Peter Burke should be promoted while 12pc say Minister of State in the Department of Finance Jennifer Carroll MacNeill should become a Cabinet minister. The same number believe Mayo TD Alan Dillon should be promoted to one of the two Cabinet portfolios available to Mr Harris while another 11pc believe Minister of State Neale Richmond should be senior minister. Fine Gael leader Simon Harris reviews his speech at the Fine Gael ard fheis in Galway. Photo: Gerry Mooney However, the majority of people said they did not know or were not interested when asked who Mr Harris should promote; these answers were excluded from the percentages outlined. Fine Gaels support increased by two points when Mr Harris first became party leader just over two weeks ago but support has dropped now, down one point to 21pc. Meanwhile, Sinn Feins fall in support is continuing as the party drops another point to 26pc. This is its lowest level of support since the Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks opinion poll series began in January 2022. Fianna Fail is also down one to 16pc; the Social Democrats remain unchanged on 6pc; Aontu is unchanged on 4pc but party leader Peadar Toibin has seen his personal popularity jump significantly. The Green Party (4pc) and Solidarity-People Before Profit (2pc) are also unchanged, while the Labour Party is down a point to 3pc. The biggest shift is the continuing rise in support for Independent politicians, who are up three points to 17pc. Outgoing Taoiseach and former FG party leader Leo Varadkar at the Fine Gael ard fheis in Galway. Photo: Gerry Mooney Despite Opposition calls for a general election after Leo Varadkar announced he would be stepping down as Taoiseach, the majority of the public (56pc) believe the national vote will be held next year. However, two out of five people (41pc) believe it will be held this year. The opinion poll was carried out among a sample of 1,334 people on Friday and today, April 5-6, and has a 2.7pc margin of error. The removal of private patients from fee-paying treatment in public hospitals will happen sooner than planned, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said today. It means that private patients who have health insurance will only be treated in private hospitals instead. People with health insurance can still be treated as public patients in public hospitals but there will be no fee involved and an end to the accusation that they are queue-jumping. The minister made his comments as he addressed the annual meeting of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) in Killarney. He is said faster removal of private practice from public hospital is being made possible by the high take-up of a new work contract by hospital consultants - worth up to 300,000 a year. The contract means they will only do public work in public hospitals and also agree to work evening and weekend rosters. They can still treat private patients outside of their public hours but only in private hospitals. The minister told the conference that nearly half the hospital consultant workforce now are on the new contract - most have switched and hundreds of others are new recruits. "Over 2,100 have signed up and several hundred more are in the course of negotiation. I expect that it will be over 50pc this year, he said. He added there are now 4,300 consultants working in the HSE. Several hundred more will be hired this year. I have set a goal of getting to 6,000 consultants by 2030 and were on target." He said it will be "an important milestone in Irish healthcare" when public hospitals are for public patients only." This would bring down waiting lists. "I think there will be a tipping point in the hospitals where it will become impossible to provide private care because you need access to more than one consultant .You might need access to radiology, anaesethetic and there will be fewer of these consultants providing private care." Asked about his plan to tackle overcrowding in University Hospital Limerick, he said the additional beds will be the size of a new hospital, There are two new 96 bed blocks and the 108 beds promised. He called on hospital consultants working there to show leadership. He was responding to criticism from the midwest hospital campaign who called the proposed set of measures as sticking plaster. "We need to see real leadership from the consultant body in the hospital.They need to do everything to improve patient flow. "Everyone in the hospital is saying they need senior decision makers on duty out of hours and at weekends, he added. More people are now eligible for a free GP card, but the application process has been criticised for being over complicated. Photo: Getty Images One of the reasons why nearly 400,000 people have so far snubbed the offer of a free GP card that would save them up to 80 a visit is because they do not want to appear poor, a family doctor said. Dr Tadhg Crowley, who is GP spokesman in the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), was asked his views on why just under 39,000 people out of a possible 430,000 have so far availed of a GP visit card after the easing of means testing for those on a median income. People dont like to apply for something that says they are poor, he said. He also cited the difficult application process and said people would need to be computer savvy to complete it. In his own practice, Dr Crowley, who was speaking to reporters at the annual meeting of the IMO in Killarney, Co Kerry, said just 50 patients have signed up for the GP visit card, which takes into account income and outgoings such as a mortgage. Seeing the low take-up, he asked one of the secretaries to work with patients to help them apply but they also found it complicated, and there was a reluctance among patients to provide details. Take-up for the GP visit card for children aged six and seven, which was rolled out in August, is higher with 71,555 now with free visits out of a possible 78,000. A GP card entitles the holder to unlimited free GP visits as well as access to chronic care monitoring. Dr Crowley believed this did not carry the same too poor label because it was free to all children, based on age. Asked about the low take-up, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, who addressed the meeting, said he also believed the application process needed to be made easier by the HSE. We have extended free GP care for half-a-million people. The HSE needs to review the application urgently. It is far too complex. People are confused by the term median income and there needs to be more awareness also that these cards are available, he said. Several rural areas remain hit by a lack of GPs but there are green shoots that there will be improvements with more doctors in training, said Dr Crowley. He said his practice, which has nine doctors in Kilkenny, has re-opened its patient list and the post-Covid surge in people seeking assistance has stabilised. Mr Donnelly also told the conference the removal of private patients from fee-paying treatment in public hospitals will happen sooner than planned. It means that private patients who have health insurance will only be treated in private hospitals. People with health insurance can still be treated as public patients in public hospitals, but there will be no fee involved and it will end accusations they are queue-jumping. He said faster removal of private practice from public hospitals is being made possible by the high take-up of a new work contract by hospital consultants, worth up to 300,000 a year. The contract means they will do only public work in public hospitals and also agree to work evening and weekend rosters. They can still treat private patients outside of their public hours, but only in private hospitals. The minister said nearly half the hospital consultant workforce are now on the new contract: most have switched and hundreds of others are new recruits. Over 2,100 have signed up and several hundred more are in the course of discussions. I expect that it will be over 50pc this year. He added there are now 4,300 consultants working in the HSE. Several hundred more will be hired this year. I have set a goal of getting to 6,000 consultants by 2030, and were on target. Mr Donnelly said it will be an important milestone in Irish healthcare when public hospitals are for public patients only. This would bring down waiting lists, he said. I think there will be a tipping point in the hospitals where it will become impossible to provide private care because you need access to more than one consultant. You might need access to radiology, anaesthetic and there will be fewer of these consultants providing private care. Asked about his plan to tackle overcrowding in University Hospital Limerick, he said the additional beds will be the size of a new hospital. There are two new 96-bed blocks and an additional 108 beds. He also called on hospital consultants working there to show leadership. Part of a new range of measures is to have consultants working rostered over six days or seven, to ensure senior decision-makers are on site. The media regulator has launched two journalism schemes, with 5m of taxpayer funding, for reporting on local councils and district courts. Now Coimisiun na Mean wants the publics views on the schemes, which are designed to combat disinformation by ensuring trustworthy and accurate reportage and to expand coverage of local authorities. The schemes are based on a recommendation by the Future of Media Commission, and open to applications from journalists and media outlets working in print, online and broadcast. All the publicly funded content will be available in an online portal in Irish and English. The 5m available under these schemes will ensure that local media can continue to perform its vital role in reporting on matters of public interest and improving access to trusted, quality information, Ronan O Domhnaill, the media development commissioner at Coimisiun na Mean, said. The consultation, which will run until May 2, is designed to get the publics view on how the Local Democracy scheme, which is getting 3m, and the Courts Reporting scheme, which has been assigned 2m, should be run. A key condition is that all funded content must be made available to other media outlets and the public free of charge within a week of publication. In relation to reporting on local councils, Coimisiun na Mean says it will aim to allocate a minimum of one grant per council area, of which there are 31. In deciding on the size of grants it will have regard to population, the number of municipal districts and how many sources of public-interest journalism exist. As well as councils, the scheme will pay for reporting on meetings of joint policing committees and regional health forums. There will also be funding for reviewing publications and records to identify stories of public interest. Not less than a third of the total fund is being assigned to the courts reporting scheme. The regulator says the initial intention is not to fund reporting of proceedings in the higher courts due to the high volume of the current coverage these receive. The report of the Future of Media Commission recommended that the current Broadcasting Fund, which supports the Sound and Vision scheme, should be converted into a Media Fund to support all outlets on all platforms. It said the fund should be operated by the regulator to ensure that funding decisions are independent of government, and that it be established on an administrative basis at first. US secretary of state Antony Blinken, left, and Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg at the 75th Nato anniversary in Brussels. Photo: AP We have been hard-wired by evolution to see safety in numbers. The higher the degree of danger, the more we band together. The fact that war is again being fought on the continent of Europe was the driving force behind Natos recent expansion to 32 member countries. This week marks the 75th year of its foundation. Unsurprisingly, it used the opportunity to double down on commitments to stay the course in Ukraine. Commenting on the original Washington Treaty, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said: Never has a single document with so few words meant so much to so many people. So much security, so much prosperity, and so much peace. US secretary of state Antony Blinken, who was also in Brussels for the celebrations, said: That security democracy, liberty and the rule of law is again being threatened by those who believe might makes right. It says much about the precarious state of global stability that the alliances ranks have almost tripled from its 12 founding members in 1949. Article 5 of the Washington Treaty stipulates that an attack on any one of their number must be met with a united response. Nato was founded on a single, solemn promise: An attack on one ally is an attack on all, Mr Stoltenberg said. With this in mind, Ukraine is anxious to join, but has failed to elicit anything more than encouraging platitudes. Unanimity on its membership remains elusive, notwithstanding the fact it is standing alone against Vladimir Putins imperialistic ambitions. Kyiv must make do with Nato promises that its door is open in the future. The alliance provides non-lethal support such as vehicles, fuel, combat rations, medical supplies and de-mining equipment. However, many members do provide arms and ammunition to Ukraine. Despite the many dignitaries on hand, it was the shadow of someone who was not present that dominated discussion. The possible return of Donald Trump to the White House was a hot subject. He has repeatedly challenged the collective security provisions at Natos core. His comment that he would encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want to an ally who was not meeting defence spending guidelines shook Nato. With one eye clearly on Washington, Mr Stoltenberg said: I dont believe in America alone, just as I dont believe in Europe alone. Ireland has been a partner nation with Nato since 1999 when it joined the Partnership for Peace programme to increase links with other Western militaries. The alliance was a phoenix that rose from the ashes of World War II to defend peace. It has been criticised for being a tool of the US, and for being unwieldy. Nonetheless, that it has survived three-quarters of a century suggests history has taught us something. But that it remains so sorely needed today also reminds us the price of being such slow learners could be extremely costly. Israels right to defend itself has never been in question, but its military actions must be precisely targeted and proportionate. Having failed spectacularly on both counts, it now finds itself condemned rather than consoled in the wake of the terrible Hamas attack of last October. Hate speech, of course, is more often than not simply a form of speech that other people hate hearing. Supporters gather at Dublin Castle for the result referendum to abolish the 8th Amendment of the Constitution in 2018. Photo: Getty Images I totally agree with Ian ODoherty (If hate-speech bill becomes law, well all end up in court for voicing our opinion, Irish Independent, April 4) that we still have the opportunity to step back from the hate-speech bill. Indeed, as he suggested, if it is passed into law, we will need more prisons for people simply expressing an honestly held opinion. Im glad to see Ian was reluctant to vote to repeal the Eighth Amendment on abortion, but must take issue with his reasoning on not having the right or the moral authority to tell a woman what she should do with her body. While Im not a biology expert, I must state that abortion is not about what a woman does with her body, but it does involve the killing of the baby in her womb. I feel pretty sure that if he was aware that another helpless baby was going to be killed, he would endeavour to save its life. That is simply the aim of those who oppose abortion and, instead, they aim to offer every assistance to those with crisis pregnancies to continue with the pregnancy, which, unfortunately, the Government refuses to do. Surely it is time to reassess the continued support of abortion. Mary Stewart, Ardeskin, Donegal town Brutality shown by Israeli regime must be ended for a lasting peace to take root This years Quds Day, an annual pro-Palestinian event held on the last Friday of Ramadan, is commemorated under circumstances in which we are witness to one of the gravest cases of carnage in modern history. The humanitarian catastrophe of the past six months in Palestine, and particularly in Gaza, manifests another painful and unfortunate side of the historical breach of the rights of the oppressed Palestinians in an occupied territory, in complete violation of international law. Blameless Palestinian women, men and children are being slaughtered by the Israeli apartheid regime. Not even medical and relief centres, mosques and churches are spared. Israel stands accused of genocide and the perpetration of various types of war crimes in the Gaza Strip. The deaths of more than 33,000 Palestinians, alongside repeated interference in the delivery of humanitarian aid, food and medicine to the entire Gaza enclave, compound this unfolding tragedy. It is now crystal clear to all that one of the dangerous objectives of the Israeli regime in imposing a full blockade on the Gaza Strip and preventing the delivery of urgent and sufficient humanitarian assistance to its residents is to create conditions for the social and civil collapse of Gaza as well as the destruction of the historical identity of Palestine. Today it is incumbent more than at any other time to bring to the spotlight of the international community, the UN Security Council and the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court, the elements that prove there is an ongoing genocide in Gaza. We have conducted extensive consultations in international forums with the UN secretary general and the International Committee of the Red Cross for humanitarian co-operation, as well as the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, to emphasise the necessity of the cessation of hostility and delivery of food and medicine. We see the secretary general of the UN and the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross have taken important steps, but it is our belief due to the full alignment of the White House and some other Western governments with the Israeli regime that such humanitarian efforts have not yielded appropriate results so far. The US is evidently one main side to blame for the continuation of war and obstruction of efforts to cease it. We also hope that with the blessing of this holy month, we will see stronger regional, Muslim and international unity and consolidation and global efforts to support the oppressed Palestinian nation more effectively than ever. We would further implore that more serious, effective and deterrent regional and international measures are taken to end the continued brutality of the Israeli regime against the Palestinians. As long as the main root of the crisis is not given serious attention and responsible action is not taken to treat it, lasting peace and security will not be formed in the region and the world. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, minister of foreign affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Arabs appear very good at passing on the blame for their actions to others If Fintan Lane (Tanaiste calls out Israeli bombardment, but we let US military use Shannon, Letters, March 30) holds that starving out a town or fortress as traditional siege warfare until now is against international humanitarian law, will he admit that the Jacobite siege of Co Derry was equally illegal? In purely humanitarian terms, of course. More recently, German submarine warfare sought to starve the British Isles to the extent that it caused rationing in neutral Ireland for tea and several other commodities. Further, does he comprehend that the blitzing of Israeli villages and towns since 2006 with over 20,000 rockets before October 7 and another 15,000 since is equally as improper as random attacks on civilians? How does he explain the 1948 war being a result of Arab rejection of UN resolution 181 and the refugee situation resulting from rejection of UN 194 peace proposals? It seems Arabs are good at dropping a brick on their toes then blaming everybody else. Fedayeen and 1956 Sinai Suez; 1967 shutting the Gulf of Eilat and the Six Day War; Second Intifada with 4,000-plus dead; likewise, the 1936-39 Arab Rebellion and 5,000 dead; now last October 7, with 30,000 fatalities. Overall, Mr Lane and the Palestine lobby protest too much about international law, which they treat as what they say it is and not what it actually is. Frank Adam, Prestwich, Greater Manchester Its an election year, so you can give up hope of the US taking Israels toys away Your editorial on April 4 states: Israel is listening to nobody, so US must take a tougher line. But will the US do so? It is big on show-talk, but US president Joe Biden cant overcome the conundrum that Israel is the spoilt child of Americas Middle East policy, and no president seeking re-election is going to do what is ultimately necessary take Israels toys away, by which I mean the endless funding it gets for its security. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows full well that all the US will muster in a election year is rhetoric. Sadly, the deaths of innocents will escalate, lost in a unjust war and from failed policy in the region since World War II. The only hope is that the Israeli people themselves will rescue their shattered, bloodstained image and force out their despicable government. Aidan Roddy, Cabinteely, Dublin 18 Lets not forget Hamas has pledged to kill all Jews and broken many ceasefires David Ryan suggests that the fighting in Gaza will only stop when the US stops arming Israel (Unrelenting carnage in Gaza will end only when US stops arming Israel, Letters, April 5). He overlooks the fact that Hamas broke a ceasefire on October 7, has since broken two more, and turned down five Israeli proposals for humanitarian pauses. Thankfully, wise US president Joe Biden realises that a disarmed Israel would be easy prey for Hamas, which has repeatedly pledged to destroy the Jewish state and kill all Jews. Karl Martin, Dublin 13 My feeling is that crises on housing and health have no hope of blowing over With another storm coming our way, I cant help wondering: if Ireland cant manage its water supply, what hope is there that we might be able to manage housing or health? Send in the clowns. Noel Mannion, Clonbur, Co Galway Teachers, keep activism and your personal lives out of kids classrooms There have been big changes in teaching since my days in school (1970s and 80s). Gone are the days of corporal punishment, which is obviously a change for the better. However, Im not so keen on how my children seem to know so much about their teachers personal lives nowadays. Also, many teachers now seem to consider political activism to be part of their brief. The anti-Catholic patronage crew seem to be replacing one ideology (that of religion) with another (liberal progressivism). E Bolger, Dublin 9N One proposal for alleviating Dublin's shortage of water is to pump it overland from the Shannon. Stock image Sometimes in Ireland you wonder if you are living in several different environments. Wednesdays Nine OClock News on RTE was a case in point. A journalist stood in a muddy field with a farmer who complained that months of rain had led to a delay in planting crops. The endless rain since last July is becoming a real crisis for farmers. Ten minutes later in the same news bulletin there was an item about water shortages in Dublin reaching crisis point owing to population growth. No mention of fixing the leaks responsible for much of the shortage. A very wet-looking George Lee stood by the banks of the Shannon where it is proposed to take 2pc of the water at Parteen, Co Clare, to pump to Dublin to alleviate the shortage. Some protesters talked about their objections and the risk of drought when the Shannon levels drop in summer. I dont hold myself out to be an expert in hydrology, but water shortages in Ireland are a bit like sand shortages in the Sahara. Climate experts tell us Irelands annual rainfall will rise by at least 8pc with climate change. Surely our problems lie with storage, as Dublin city is apparently serviced by only one main reservoir. Rather than building a metro system, the Government should be investing in gondolas. An American tourist once asked a garda in Killarney: Officer, when do you get the summer in Ireland? The garda replied: Last summer was on a Thursday. Joseph Kiely, Letterkenny, Co Donegal Joe Biden blindly walked into war of attrition when he could have prevented it Your editorial (Israel is listening to nobody, so US must take a tougher line, Irish Independent, April 4) is not alone factual, it is in sync with the majority of editorials in democratic nations today. The seemingly deliberate targeting by the Israel Defence Forces of United Nations peacekeeping members and aid workers on the borders of the Gaza Strip and Lebanon is nothing new. For too long, Western governments have turned a blind eye to the behaviour of both the Israel Defence Forces and police. Continually overlooked is the fact that all Israeli governments since 1948 have declared their nation democratic, yet the behaviour of the current government under Benjamin Netanyahu has been anything but. The Israeli media are hog-tied by what can only be described as a with-us-or-against-us credo, with dire implications for any Israeli who speaks out against the appalling massacres in Gaza. US president Joe Biden blindly walked into this war of attrition when he could have prevented it, and all because of an election, proving yet again that selfishness takes precedence. As with the attack of last October 7, so too the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914: You are with us or against us. Netanyahu has never made any secret of his desire to bomb Iran. The recent targeting of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, illustrates a clear disregard for peace in the entire Middle East. Common sense and humanity appear irrelevant to those who not only imagine they are immortal, but, far worse, fail to realise they are accountable. Declan Foley, Melbourne, Australia Unrelenting carnage in Gaza will end only when US stops arming Israel Who seriously expects us to believe the shelling of three marked aid vehicles (about one kilometre apart), resulting in the deaths of seven unarmed relief workers, was an accident? This comes from one of the most technically advanced military forces in the world, and is really the lowest of the low, easily beating the claim that the Israel Defence Forces were taking great care to avoid killing or injuring innocent Palestinians. Lets not forget that 32,000 people (mostly women, children and aid workers) have been killed to date in Gaza. This carnage will stop only when the US stops arming and backing Israel. David Ryan, Co Meath Endless orgy of violence will leave generations in Middle East traumatised The chilling plight of children in Gaza is beyond comprehension. The relentless orgy of violence has created a lost generation of children amid hunger, starvation, disease, malnutrition, desperation and displacement. An entire generation of children will probably miss out on education. The health care system has been decimated, resulting in a dearth of medical staff, supplies, water, electricity and medical equipment and a lethal combination of diseases. In a nutshell, the traumatising memories of this war will be long-lasting and intolerable. Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob, London Want seat in the Cabinet? Its not what you know, its where you come from Is it any wonder our country is in such a state when government ministers are appointed on the basis of geography or gender rather than ability? Frank Murphy, Strandhill Road, Sligo Would counties that cant pay their way in a united Ireland just be cast adrift? Reading your report on the latest button-counting exercise to determine what the financial implications of reunification might be (United Ireland would cost up to 20bn a year, report suggests, Irish Independent, April 4), it is hard not to conclude that if such an approach was reasonable, it could be used by the richer parts of any state to jettison areas not generating surplus wealth. Why not hand Donegal and Leitrim, or any other place calculated to be not paying its way, over to the British, or to whoever else might want it? Those living in the leafy suburbs, on the east coast in particular, could look forward to a significant improvement in their already plush lifestyles. But isnt it altogether strange that we never hear such things emanating from London in support of ditching Northern Ireland? Are the English really that much more patriotic and loyal to each other than we in Ireland, where many seem to cling to the notion that money trumps everything? Jim OSullivan, Rathedmond, Co Sligo The run will begin in Edenderry, with over 60 trucks set to participate The run will make stops in Portlaoise, Barack Obama Plaza, Birdhill and near Macroom, where more trucks will join it, before it finishes at Kanturk Mart. Kanturk will be the final destination of a unique truck run that is aiming to raise funds for suicide prevention service SOSAD (Save Our Sons And Daughters) later this month. The truck run will see dozens of lorries set off from Edenderry in Offaly on April 20 and travel overnight to Kanturk. One of its organisers, Paul Cocoman, said 60 to 70 truckers have already signed up for the event, which will fundraise for a cause important to many in the trucking community. Theres a lot of truckers who have had many personal experiences or they have had a friend in the industry or maybe a friend in general or someone they know who has been through a hard time and they just want to give back, like a lot of us, Paul said. This is Cork Newsletter Enter your email address below and click 'Sign Up' to receive the This is Cork newsletter direct to your inbox. Please check your inbox to verify your details In a personal sense, Paul said he has looked to help out services like SOSAD since one of his friends took their life, which led him to getting involved in charity events like the Christmas Light run in Edenderry. He said the idea for the inaugural truck run to Kanturk came about when one of his friends participating in the Christmas Light event said that he was going to run a fundraiser that would be something different. He said, Im going to start in the middle of the night and lets work to a destination down the country and drive during the night and finish up in daylight, Paul explained. Paul said that though there has been similar shorter events like this organised in Ireland before, the upcoming truck run is unique in that it will travel such a distance overnight and because of this it has attracted many participants who are raising sponsorship money. Its a very unique event and its something different. Thats what a lot of lads have said, Its something different, wed like to do it, instead of your normal truck or tractor runs where you go, you drive for an hour, and you go home again, Paul said. The run will make stops in Portlaoise, Barack Obama Plaza, Birdhill and near Macroom, where more trucks will join it, before it finishes at Kanturk Mart. Those involved in the run will make stops in Portlaoise, Barack Obama Plaza, Birdhill and near Macroom, where they will be joined by more trucks, before heading to Kanturk Mart, where a breakfast stall will be setup. Later in the day, the truckers will head to the Park Bar for a steak lunch that will be sponsored by McCarthys Butchers of Kanturk. At the pub, there will be live music and an auction and a raffle in aid of SOSAD, with one of the prizes being a truckers super bundle consisting of a 1,000 litres of AdBlue, a snow foam gun and detergent. Paul, who said those involved in the fundraiser plan to party the night away in Kanturk, explained that funds for SOSAD are also being raised through the sale of wooly hats and t-shirts related to the truck run. A GoFundMe has also been setup that has so far raised 1,800 since February 18. Those interested in finding out more about the Light Up the Night truck run can contact Paul on 087 3315399 or Ryan on 085 2161551. If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, call Samaritans free on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.ie; or call Pieta on Freephone 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444. SOSAD can be contacted on 1800 901 909. Pieta have said that they are working hard to expand services in Co Louth following the decision by the Dundalk Darkness Into Light committee to call off this year's walk The suicide prevention and mental health charity Pieta say they are working hard to expand services in Louth and that they are available 24 hours a day for anyone in crisis. The statement comes after the Dundalk committee of Darkness Into Light called off this years walk, citing disappointment over the failure of the HSE to reach a service level agreement with Pieta to establish a physical presence in Louth. While expressing their heartfelt appreciation and thanks to the Dundalk committee of Darkness into Light for all their support throughout the years, Pieta said that they were disappointed by the cancellation of this year's walk. They added that they remain hopeful that we can continue to work together to improve services for the people of Dundalk and Louth. We will continue to offer our services via phone and video and from our centres in adjacent counties," they said in a post on social media. In 2023, Pieta provided over 600 hours of free professional therapy to people from Louth. We have a bereavement support service locally and our education teams are actively involved with over 4,500 students in Louth through our Resilience Academy and Amber Flag initiative- helping students build resilience and encouraging positive mental health practices in the community. We recognise that there is still work to be done, and we hear the concerns expressed by the Dundalk committee for local enhanced services. We want to assure people that we are still working hard to expand our services in the area and that Pieta is available 24 hours a day for anyone in crisis. We remain committed to working closely with local communities, stakeholders, and authorities to meet their needs, and we are actively working with partners to expediate the process of establishing a service in Louth. We extend our thanks and appreciation to all those who support the work of Pieta in providing free, professional counselling and supports to people in suicidal distress or engaging in self-harm. Meanwhile SOSAD Ireland, which has centres in Dundalk and Drogheda, said that they acknowledge the difficult decision taken by the Dundalk Darkness into Light committee. They also stated they wanted to remind the people of Louth that we are here to support you, with local services funded solely by the generosity of local communities. As a non-state funded organisation, SOSAD Ireland relies entirely on the unwavering generosity of local communities to sustain and expand its essential services, they said in a social media post. "In 2023 alone, our counselling services in Drogheda and Dundalk provided vital support to 807 members of the local community, offering over 9,822 hours of free counselling sessions. "We are dedicated to providing round-the-clock support for the people of County Louth with our 24/7 helpline, available free of charge to anyone in crisis or in need of anyone to talk to, 365 days a week at 1800 901 909. Emphasising the critical need for mental health support services, particularly considering the high level of suicide within our communities, they said they were unwavering their commitment to advocating for improved mental health care for all. SOSAD Ireland also encouraged the local community to persist in raising awareness and promoting mental health initiatives, Public warned to avoid coastal areas due to severe gustsClose to 35,000 homes and businesses without power nationwideDozens of flights to and from Irish airports have been cancelledTrains to and from Heuston Station significantly delayed due to a tree on the line More than 34,000 homes and businesses were without power today as Storm Kathleen hit Ireland with severe and damaging gusts and choppy seas with ferries, flights and trains all disrupted. Status Orange weather warnings were in effect for five counties and a countrywide wind warning was also in effect throughout today. Around 34,000 homes, farms and businesses are currently without power, predominantly in counties Mayo, Galway, Kerry and Cork. The ESB expects further outages in impacted areas due to high winds forecast for this afternoon. Crews have mobilised in impacted areas and are responding to outages where safe to do so and ESB Networks continue to monitor the situation as Storm Kathleen tracks across the country, a spokesperson said. "We apologise to all homes, farms and businesses impacted for the inconvenience caused," they said in an update this afternoon. "An Important Public Safety Message: If you come across fallen wires or damaged electricity network, never, ever touch or approach these as they are LIVE and extremely dangerous. Please report any damage to electricity infrastructure by calling 1800 372 999." The storm has caused major travel disruption as it tracks over Ireland this morning and around 80 flights have so far been cancelled between Ireland and the UK and Europe today due to the storm. All Aer Lingus flights from Belfast were cancelled while a number of Irish-bound flights were diverted to the UK due to high winds. Trains to and from Heuston station are also significantly delayed this morning due a tree on the line near Monasterevin. Services have since resumed, though delays are expected due to congestion. A trampoline in the street in Drimnagh, Dublin.Photo: Lorraine Mitchell/PA Wire. A Status Orange wind warning for Galway and Mayo is in effect from 9am until 6pm while a Status Yellow wind warning for the entire country continues until 8pm this evening. A separate Status Yellow wind warning for Donegal, Mayo and west Galway will come into effect from 8pm this evening until 6pm tomorrow, Sunday morning and a Status Yellow wind warning for Waterford and Wexford will come into effect from 4am tomorrow morning until 7am tomorrow morning. The countrys crisis management team yesterday warned the public that Storm Kathleen is a dynamic storm and to stay away from all coastal areas for the duration of the Met Eireann warnings. Counties Cork, Kerry and Waterford are currently under a Status Orange wind warning due to gale force southerly winds, with some severe and damaging gusts. The entire country is under a Status Yellow wind warning from 5am until 8pm this evening as strong, gusty southerly winds sweep across the country. Northern Ireland has been issued with a similar warning from the UK Met Office, where very windy conditions are expected between 8am and 10pm. Strong gales are expected along the coasts with flooding and wave overtopping likely, while frequent showers will move eastwards across the country and continue into this evening. A man takes photos of the waves at Blackrock Diving Board, Salthill, Co. Galway. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire Dublin Airport has confirmed it is open and operational today as Storm Kathleen hits Ireland. Its windy, but the early wave of departures and arrivals has moved well, it said in a post shared to X. As always, passengers flying today are advised to check with their airline directly for updates regarding specific flights. Ryanair has already warned passengers of potential disruptions to flights to and from the country due to Storm Kathleen, while Aer Lingus has also told passengers that there may be some delays and cancellations this weekend. A number of ferry services have also been cancelled this weekend due to adverse weather conditions. A mix of clear spells and scattered heavy showers will follow tonight, when it will remain windy and reach near gale force on West and northwest coasts and in the southeast at times. Road users have been urged to check local traffic and weather conditions before setting out on any journey, with the Road Safety Authority advising motorists to beware of falling debris and the chance of vehicles veering across the road in windy conditions. Drivers should expect the unexpected and remain aware that the control of a vehicle can be affected by strong crosswinds, with high-sided vehicles and motorcyclists particularly vulnerable to strong winds. Fallen trees have obstructed a number of roads in Kerry, with Kerry County Council urging the public to avoid travel in Killarney due to a downed tree partially blocking the bypass. Others have fallen at Rathmore on the N72, the Ardfert to Banna Road, Ballygamboon on the N70 and other locations across the county. Electricity poles have partially fallen at Annadale near Killorglin and Stradbally in west Kerry. Cork County Council has confirmed that flood barriers will be erected on Sunday in Fermoy and Mallow as a result of expected weather conditions, with the county also impacted by a small number of fallen trees across the road network. A number of weather warnings are in place today after Storm Kathleen hit the coast of Ireland this morning. There will be gale-force southerly winds, with some severe and damaging gusts, and impacts could include some power outages, coastal flooding, difficult travel conditions, fallen trees and wave overtopping. People should be aware that Storm Kathleen is a dynamic storm and there will be updates to weather warnings, the countrys crisis management team have warned. A 111-year-old man from England is now the worlds oldest living man, and said the secret to his longevity is pure luck. John Alfred Tinniswood was born in Liverpool on 26 August 1912 the same year the Titanic sank and is a great-grandfather currently residing at a care home in Southport, where staff describe him as a big chatterbox. Hamza Abu Alkas, who was wounded while trying to receive aid, sits with his daughter in a UNRWA school where they shelter amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Photo: Reuters Palestinian Redwan Abu Alkas lost his daughter in an Israeli airstrike. His home was destroyed and the familys dream of opening its own business, a pizzeria in the once bustling Gaza Strip, was shattered. The family had saved up the money and bought all the equipment. That was before the Israeli bombardment of one of the most densely populated areas in the world began in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militants who rule Gaza. Israel fires military officers over grave errors in strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers More crossings into Gaza opened as Joe Biden threatens shift in US policy Israeli military personnel near the Israel-Gaza border. Photo: Reuters James Mackenzie and Ramy Amichay Sat 6 Apr 2024 at 03:30 The Israeli military dismissed two officers and formally reprimanded senior commanders after an inquiry into the killing of seven aid workers in an air strike in Gaza this week found serious errors and breaches of procedure, the military said. Her lawyers claim Pitt made the sale of their French winery conditional on his ex-wife signing a NDA that prohibited Jolie from speaking [other than in court] about Pitts abuse Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage 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. Donald Trump hit by legal setbacks as pleas to drop criminal charges denied The former president has been criminally charged in four cases Former US President Donald Trump is accused of keeping classified documents after leaving office, amongst other charges. Photo: Reuters Andrew Goudsward Sat 6 Apr 2024 at 03:30 Donald Trump has suffered a series of legal setbacks as judges spurned his calls to dismiss criminal charges over the former US presidents efforts to overturn his 2020 loss in Georgia, and his keeping classified records after leaving office. Photo Courtesy: PIB There is a recent video on social media that shows scores of Thai citizens, including policemen, waiting patiently at Bangkok airport to see off the relics of Lord Buddha. Such is the reverence for the Buddha in South East Asia that the 26 days display of the sacred relics of Lord Buddha, along with those of his two disciples Sariputra and Maudgalyayana, at various locations across Thailand, attracted millions of visitors. The relics were returned to India on 19 March. While India has used Buddhism as a foreign policy tool in the past, the intensity of such interactions has been enhanced in recent years. The latest initiative with Thailand illustrates the strategic importance of culture and heritage within the contemporary Indian diplomatic discourse and the benefits that accrue from the pursuit of initiatives aimed at promoting cultural cooperation between nations. Indias diplomatic policy establishment in recent decades has placed a strong emphasis on its rich culture and heritage. Two recent examples in "relic diplomacy," where India shared the relics of Lord Buddha with Thailand and Queen St. Ketevan with Georgia can be cited as illustrations of this diplomatic outreach. While Lord Buddha relics are more popularly known, the relics of Queen St. Ketavan, found in Goa were returned to Georgia in 2021. More on Queen Ketevan a little later. These initiatives not only showcase India's rich cultural heritage but also serve as a powerful tool of communication and connection that helps to connect different cultures. In India, objects like historical artifacts and other tangible remains, have crossed borders many times and come to represent the idea of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" (the world is one family). This philosophy emphasizes the interconnectedness of all people. It is this basic philosophy that gives momentum to relic diplomacy and furthers Indian foreign policy in myriad ways. Pertinently, the sacred relics of Lord Buddha, known as the Kapilavastu relics, are housed at Indias National Museum. They are believed to be the remains of Buddha and two of his disciples, Sariputra and Maudgalayana, dating back to around the 4th-5th century BC.They were unearthed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in the 1970s in Piprahwa near Siddharthnagar in Uttar Pradesh, a site thought to be the ancient city of Kapilvastu. These sacred relics have travelled abroad for exhibitions, having been displayed in Mongolia and Sri Lanka in the past.However, in the case of Thailand, it was the first time that the relics of Lord Buddha and his disciples were showcased together. They were flown to Thailand on 22 February 2024, with the respect of a visiting dignitary on a special Indian Air Force plane. These relics are considered exceptionally rare and valuable, classified under the "AA" category for antiquities and art treasures. However, Indias Ministry of Culture made an exception and acceded to the special request from the Thai government, allowing them to be displayed in Thailand. The special exhibition in Thailand also marked the 72nd birth year of the King Rama X, highlighting the civilizational link between India and Thailand. These relics were put on display for public veneration in Bangkok for the first time ever, starting on 23 February. These values, embodied by the Buddha and his disciples, are being highlighted through the exhibition of bone fragments in Bangkok's National Museum. The exhibition is part of a long tradition of such exchanges, with India previously sending relics to Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. The exhibition then travelled across Thailand, with stops in several cities before concluding on 18 March. The event drew a large crowd of devotees, with many lining up, early in the morning, to pay their respects. After the month-long exhibition in Thailand, Minister of State Meenakshi Lekhi, received them at a special ceremony at Air Force Station, Palam and respectfully carried the casket containing the relics. On this occasion she spoke about the deep cultural connection between India and Thailand, strengthened by the Buddha's timeless message. Relic diplomacy can also be contextualised in terms of Indias Look East policy as India has actively built on the shared cultural heritage with countries in South East Asia, like those in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Thailand is a recent example of this collaboration, signifying India's ongoing efforts to promote cultural understanding and unity. India's sharing of Buddhist relics with South East Asian nations like Vietnam earlier reflect this trend. Another aspect of relic diplomacy is the role of the ASI in restoring historical sites in the ASEAN region. For instance, the ASI has restored historical sites in Cambodia and also uncovered treasures like Buddhas statues. Such initiatives strengthen the already strong foundation between India and South East Asia, aligning with their respective foreign policies of "Act East" and "Look West." India uses its long history as a centre of spirituality and knowledge (its "Dharmic civilization") as a unique form of soft power. It promotes the exchange of ideas, cultural connections, and traditional wisdom to address modern problems. Today, 97% of the worlds Buddhist population lives in the Asia and South East Asia, and a number of countries such as Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka perceive Buddhism as being intrinsic to their national values and identity. Prime Minister Modi recently laid the foundation stone in Lumbini, Nepal of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage. It aims to be a centre for Buddhist learning and attract international visitors. Designed with prayer halls, meditation areas, a library, and an exhibition hall, the Centre will showcase Buddhist teachings and history. This project goes beyond just the building. Lumbini is part of a larger Buddhist circuit, with other important sites marking Buddha's life journey. Another successful example of cultural diplomacy involves Georgia. In July 2021, Dr. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs returned the relics of the revered Queen St. Ketevan. A symbol of faith and resilience, the Queen's remains, discovered in Goa, highlight the historical ties between India and Georgia today. In 2017, India had shared the holy relics of Saint Queen Ketevan with Georgia for six months. The relics hold significant historical and religious importance for Georgia. Ketevan (1560-1624) was the queen of Kakheti, a kingdom located in a region of eastern Georgia that bears the same name. After her death at the hands of the Safavid empire, two Portuguese Augustinian monks brought her remains to the St. Augustine Chapel in Goa in 1627. In 2017, after talks between the Indian and Georgian governments, the Ketevan relics were sent to Georgia for an exhibition for six months. After taking the relics to different churches, they were returned in 2018. After which, the Georgian government appealed to India to permanently transfer the Ketevan relics because of their historical and spiritual importance to Georgians. After this, India gifted one part of the Ketevan relics to Georgia. This is the power of cultural diplomacy. Countries use cultural diplomacy to achieve specific goals, and for India, its cultural ties are linked to its political and economic interests. This raises the possibility that relic diplomacy, or showcasing religious artefacts, can be used more strategically. As more countries engage in Buddhist diplomacy, India will face new challenges, such as competition from countries like China and Pakistan. India's cultural diplomacy should remain confident and focus on its unique strengths.With Prime Minister Modi in line to win the next General Election, in June 2024, the Buddhist aspect of Indian public diplomacy is likely to be maintained and intensified. Photo courtesy: wikipedia.org New Delhi/UNI: The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Dalit and women's rights activist Shoma Sen in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence case. A bench comprising Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Augustine George Masih, after noting that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) did not oppose the bail plea of Shoma Sen, granted the bail. The court said that the stringent conditions for bail under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) would not apply. "Section 43(D)(5) restriction should not apply to the petitioner. We have noted that the Additional Solicitor General (who appeared for the NIA) stated custody is no longer needed. Once we hold that 43(d)(5) of the 1967 Act does not apply, 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 Court said in its order. The court directed Shoma Sen to surrender her passport before the trial court directed her not to leave Maharashtra without the courts permission. The court directed that she be present before the trial court during the examination of witnesses, etc. The court further set the following conditions while granting bail: She shall inform the NIA about her residence, inform the NIA officer of her mobile number, and ensure that number remains active and charged. The GPS on her mobile device should be active, and her phone should be paired with the phone of the NIA officer so that her location can be ascertained. If the condition is breached, it would be open to prosecution to seek cancellation of bail, the court added. Shoma was arrested on June 6, 2018, and booked for offenses under UAPA. The Bombay High Court had last year directed Shoma to approach the special NIA court for bail. To this end, she filed an appeal before the apex court. She had first applied for bail before the Pune Sessions Court in December 2018 before the filing of the chargesheet, and another application after the filing of the chargesheet. Both applications were rejected by the Sessions Court in November 2019. After this, the investigation of the case was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and the trial was transferred to the special NIA court. Sen then approached the High Court for bail in 2020. The High Court in January 2023 asked her to approach the special NIA court first. Sen then chose to appeal against that High Court order before the apex court. Senior Advocate Anand Grover, along with advocates Nupur Kumar and Paras Nath Singh, appeared for Sen in the apex court and applied for her bail, which was granted. Advocates Siddharth Dharmadhikari and Aaditya Aniruddha Pande appeared for the State of Maharashtra. Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj appeared for the NIA. Photo Courtesy: Unsplash The Indian Consulate in New York on Friday said an Indian student has died in the US state of Ohio. The consulate said the investigation is currently ongoing to ascertain the cause of the death. The deceased Indian national was identified as Uma Satya Sai Gadde. According to reports, he was studying in Ohio's Cleveland. Reacting to the death of the Indian national, the Indian Consulate in New York posted on X: "Deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of Mr. Uma Satya Sai Gadde, an Indian student in Cleveland, Ohio." Deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of Mr. Uma Satya Sai Gadde, an Indian student in Cleveland, Ohio. Police investigation is underway. @IndiainNewYork continues to remain in touch with the family in India. All possible assistance is being extended including to transport India in New York (@IndiainNewYork) April 5, 2024 "Police investigation is underway.@IndiainNewYorkcontinues to remain in touch with the family in India," the consulate said. "All possible assistance is being extended including to transport Mr. Uma Gaddes mortal remains to India at the earliest," it said. Several Indian-origin people were found dead in the USA in 2024 Indian-origin student Sameer Kamath was found dead in the woods at a nature preserve in the USA last week. He was a doctoral student at Indiana's Purdue University. Four major cases were recorded this year Recently, 19-year-old Shreyas Reddy Beniger, a student at the Linder School of Business in Ohio, was found dead. Purdue University student Neel Acharya was found dead on the university campus, hours after his mother had reported him missing. Vivek Saini, from Haryana, was hammered to death by a homeless man in Georgia's Lithonia on Jan 16. Akul Dhawan, another Indian student, was found dead outside the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in January. Hyderabad student injured after being chased and attacked by four men in Chicago Meanwhile, a student from Hyderabad has received grave injuries after being attacked by four armed robbers near his house in the US state of Chicago. A video shows the student, who was bleeding profusely, stating that he was kicked and punched by the robbers. The robbers also snatched his phone. The victim-Syed Mazahir Ali, a resident of Langar Houz in Hyderabad, had gone to the US to pursue a Master's degree from Indiana Wesleyan University. Photo courtesy: X/@BYVijayendra Bengaluru/UNI: Karnataka BJP President Vijayendra Yediyurappa expressing confidence in his party's performance in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls has asserted that the Congress which is in a pitiable state will not secure more than 40 seats in the elections. "I will give it to you in writing. Congress leaders who are going overboard in the state should remember that the Congress will not cross 40 seats in Lok Sabha elections," Yediyurappa warned Congress leaders against their over-enthusiasm. He wished to make it clear to them that optimism is unwarranted given the projected outcome according to the BJP's assessment. Vijayendra highlighted what he perceives as disarray within the Congress party in the state and questioned the credibility of its leadership, particularly targeting Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for his criticisms of the Central government. "The Congress is in a pitiable state. At this point, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's remarks against the union government do not bring any dignity to him," he said here on Friday. Vijayendra stated that voters in Karnataka were clear about supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for another term and were not swayed by what he described as false promises. Yediyurappa also challenged the Congress to present a candidate capable of matching PM Modi's stature, suggesting that the opposition party lacked a strong contender for the prime ministerial position. Image Credit: UNI Bengaluru/UNI: Union Minister Smriti Irani criticised the Congress party's manifesto, particularly alleging they plan to restore Article 370 if they come to power. "They (Congress) have released their manifesto. And it is written in the manifesto that we will fully restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir but in hushed words they say that if they get power then they will restore Article 370 which we (NDA government) had abrogated. PM Modi says India is one from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, but Rahul Gandhi says no," she said. Smriti also alleged that despite the government banning the Peoples Front of India (PFI) under the UAPA Act, Rahul Gandhi is accepting support from the organisation. "This is the condition of Congress now that they have to take support from terrorist organisations to win elections," she said. The minister, who is currently attending rallies in parts of south India ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, was speaking at an interactive meeting with businessmen in the city late Friday evening. Highlighting a perceived contradiction in the behavior of Left members regarding Rahul Gandhi's nomination from Wayanad parliamentary constituency, Smriti alleged that while the Left expresses dissatisfaction with him contesting from the south, they appear supportive of him in Delhi. "Some issues are going on in Wayanad with (Congress leader) Rahul Gandhis recent nomination. The Left is unhappy with him contesting from the south and has questioned as to why he is not contesting from Uttar Pradesh. "However, when the same Left members go to Delhi they are seen hugging him. It has come to this now, hugging in Delhi, begging in Kerala and thugging in Karnataka," she said adding that all these should not be encouraged and urged voters to support the BJP. In her address to women at the late evening gathering, Smriti emphasised the importance of women's engagement in serious political issues rather than being preoccupied with entertainment like daily soap operas. She also urged women to prioritise political awareness and participation, suggesting that only those who take politics seriously can progress socially and politically. Photo courtesy: Screenshot grab from X video Kolkata/UNI: Officials of National Investigation Team (NIA) were on Saturday attacked by a mob at Bhupatinagar in election- bound West Bengal's East Midnapore district when the anti-terror agency was returning with two arrested TMC activists in a 2022 blast case in which three people were killed, official sources said. State police were investigating the attack in which the vehicle of the NIA was vandalised and one of the officials received wounds. The federal agency filed a complaint at the Bhupatinagar police station. Sources said the NIA conducted the raid at midnight and after interrogating the two suspects in the blast case nabbed them. #WATCH | West Bengal: NIA officers had to face protesters in Bhupatinagar while they were carrying out an investigation in connection with the Bhupatinagar, East Medinipur blast case. People allegedly tried to stop the NIA team from taking the accused persons along with them. pic.twitter.com/KKL33S4Plm ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2024 While returning by their car, the NIA team was attacked by the irate mob which pelted stones breaking the windscreen. One of the officials received a head injury. The NIA arrested Monobrata Jana and Balai Chandra Maity, who would be produced before a special court on Saturday. The NIA is probing following a Calcutta High Court order in the December 22, 2022 blast case in which three people were killed, including a TMC activist, a day before TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee's visit there for a meeting. State police said the incident happened before a contingent of force arrived on the spot as the federal agency went to raid without informing about the search operation. The NIA alleged that altogether eight people, accused of their involvement in the blast, skipped summons twice and hence the raid was conducted. The NIA attack happened in Bengal, barely three months after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was attacked on January 5 last when the federal agency went to grill Shahajahan Sheikh, a TMC leader, at Sandeshkhali in the alleged ration scam in North 24 Parganas. Reacting to the attack, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned why the central agency went there without informing the local police station at midnight. Will the women at home keep quiet if the agency officials enter at midnight? asked Banerjee. CPI(M) leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya accused the chief minister of fomenting trouble by her statement. West Bengal continues to remain lawless, as ever, under Mamata Banerjees misrule. After attack on ED officials, now another central agency has come under attack. A team of NIA officers, which went to Bhupatinagar in East Medinipur District of West Bengal, to arrest two TMC pic.twitter.com/GALVYR7fbs Amit Malviya ( ) (@amitmalviya) April 6, 2024 He said the attack on the NIA was pre-planned and committed by the instigation of the ruling TMC. The driver of the NIA vehicle alleged that some 50/60 women attacked the vehicles. 13:07 | Lima, Apr. 5. The amount proves the commitment to promoting and attracting private investments for the development of infrastructure and public services, as well as to enhancing the country's productivity and competitiveness, ProInversion Executive-Director Jose Salardi said. He added that this result reflects private sector confidence in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mechanism as long-term investments. At the end of March, ProInversion awarded the New San Juan de Marcona Port Terminal to the Jinzhao Peru Port Terminal, for the design, financing, construction, operation, and maintenance of the project worth US$405 million. Similarly, the port project will reactivate mining investments worth US$15 billion in the country's southern area and will impact economic growth, generating jobs, improving income and quality of life for the population in Ica, Ayacucho, Apurimac, Cusco, and Arequipa regions. Likewise, it will promote the development, by the Peruvian State, of the Andahuaylas-Marcona Railway, worth approximately US$5 billion, with the purpose of energizing the southern mining corridor. It could also reactivate the development of the petrochemical industry thanks to an investment of more than US$2 billion. Last Thursday, the Peripheral Road Ring which entails a total investment of US$3.4 billion, including property management costs was awarded to the Spanish consortium Cintra, Acciona, and Sacyr. It will be in charge of the design, financing, construction, operation, and maintenance of the megaproject for 30 years. The Peripheral Road Ring will connect 12 districts of Lima and Callao, benefiting 4.5 million people. It is the largest road project awarded by ProInversion over the last 10 years. Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen highlighted this awarding process, because it reflects a concrete case of the economy starting to become reactivated. "A US$3.4 billion project is being awarded, and investors around the world must get to know that Peru is a reliable and stable country, with safe rules (for investments). There is little left to reach 50% of ProInversion's investment portfolio planned for 2024, and we will continue undertaking efforts," he indicated. The Peripheral Road Ring considers the construction of a modern 34.8-kilometer-long freeway that will facilitate the interconnection of users with the Northern and Southern Pan American Highway and the Central Highway, plus access to the Port of Callao, Jorge Chavez International Airport, the Port of Chancay, and the future Ancon Industrial Park. According to projections, it will reduce travel time and will be interconnected with the main urban transport systems of Metropolitan Lima and Callao: Lima Metro Line 1 and Line 2, branch of Metro Line 4, the Metropolitan bus system, and the future Lurigancho Independencia cable car system. The Road Ring's positive impact will be such that it will create approximately 70,000 direct and indirect jobs in the construction phase, plus 20,000 jobs in the operation and maintenance phase in the industry linked to construction, commerce, and services sector in Lima and Callao. It will also lower the transportation infrastructure gap in Peru by 13%. Photo Courtesy: Bill Gates X page Technology major Microsoft has warned that China may use Artificial Intelligence-generated content to disrupt upcoming polls in India, South Korea and the USA. "China is using fake social media accounts to poll voters on what divides them most to sow division and possibly influence the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in its favour. China has also increased its use of AI-generated content to further its goals around the world," Microsoft said in its report. Microsoft said, additionally, North Korea has increased its cryptocurrency heists and supply chain attacks to fund and further its military goals and intelligence collection. In his warning, Microsoft said: "With major elections taking place around the world this year, particularly in India, South Korea and the United States, we assess that China will, at a minimum, create and amplify AI-generated content to benefit its interests." "Despite the chances of such content affecting election results remaining low, Chinas increasing experimentation in augmenting memes, videos, and audio will likely continue and may prove more effective down the line. We can expect to see North Korea continue to steal cryptocurrency to fund space, missile, and nuclear programs as well as launch supply-chain attacks on the defence sector," the warning said. Microsoft claimed that China attempted an AI-generated disinformation campaign during the Taiwan presidential polls this year. "The Taiwanese presidential election in January 2024 saw a surge in the use of AI-generated content to augment IO operations by CCP-affiliated actors," the warning said. Microsoft said it was the first time it registered a nation-state actor entity using AI content in attempts to influence a foreign election. "The group we call Storm-1376, also known as Spamouflage and Dragonbridge, was the most prolific. For example, on election day, it posted suspected AI-generated fake audio of Foxconn owner and election candidate Terry Gou (who had bowed out of the contest in November 2023) endorsing another candidate in the presidential race. Gou had made no such statement. YouTube quickly removed this content before it reached a wider audience," the report said. "Storm-1376 has promoted a series of AI-generated memes of Taiwans then-Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate William Lai, and other Taiwanese officials as well as Chinese dissidents around the world. These have included an increasing use of AI-generated TV news anchors that Storm-1376 has deployed since at least February 2023," read the warning. Photo Courtesy:Pixabay A 50-year-old man was beaten to death by neighbours allegedly over a land dispute in the Saraini area of Rae Bareli district here in Uttar Pradesh, police sources said on Saturday. Police sources said that Shyamvilas Trivedi was having a dispute with his neighbours over an open land in front of his house. "On Friday night when Shyamvilas was going to attend a religious function he was attacked by his neighbours Shivnand Shukla, Ashutosh and others," Police said. Police sources said Shyamvilas, who sustained serious injuries, was admitted to the district hospital where he died during treatment on Saturday morning. "A case has been lodged and the body has been sent for postmortem examination. Efforts are being made to arrest the accused," police said. (With UNI Inputs) In a heart-touching instance of communal harmony, the Kashmiri Pandit community members recently organised a 'Street Iftaar' in the historic neighbourhood of Bohri Kadal in Srinagar. Despite the bustling streets and wet weather conditions, the distribution of Iftaar Kits aimed to foster unity and understanding among people of different backgrounds reported Kashmir News Observer. Sandeep Mawa, a Kashmiri Pandit, distributed the Iftaar Kits during the event. Mawa is currently the Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Reconciliation Front. Speaking about the kit distribution, Sandeep expressed his joy at seeing people from all walks of life gathering to share a meal and exchange warm greetings., reported KNO. He emphasised the need for such initiatives to continue bridging divides and promoting peace in the region. A local named Sahil told KNO: "This Street Iftaar is a beautiful gesture that brings our community closer together. It shows that regardless of our backgrounds, we can come together in the spirit of compassion and brotherhood. Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons The Ministry of National Defense (MND) in Taiwan recently tracked one Chinese aircraft and seven naval vessels around Taiwan between Friday and Saturday. The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) helicopter entered the country's eastern air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND as quoted by Taiwan News. In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the PLA activity, the news portal reported. Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 40 times and naval vessels 35 times so far in the ongoing month. 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, reported Taiwan News. What is the basis of Chinas claim over Taiwan? The basis of Chinas claim over Taiwan dates back to 1945 when Japan lost its control over the island in 1945, post-World War Two. The 1949 Chinese civil war lead to communists taking control and Chiang Kai-shek the one who lost fled to Taiwan. He ruled it for many decades. This is where Chinas claim to Taiwan emanates. The very fact that Chiang Kai-shek came to Taiwan and was not indigenous to the place is Taiwans argument against the claim. In a recent interview with Times Now, Kangana Ranaut, an actor-turned-politician and BJP candidate from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, stirred controversy by mistakenly referring to Subhas Chandra Bose as India's inaugural Prime Minister. Her remarks, although factually incorrect, have sparked widespread discussion and even ridicule on social media platforms. 'Some General Knowledge For Beginners': Kangana Ranaut On Subhas Chandra Bose Comments During the interview, Ranaut asserted, "When we gained independence, where did the first Prime Minister of India, Subhash Chandra Bose, go?" Despite being corrected about Bose not holding the position of Prime Minister, Ranaut alluded to the popular conspiracy theories surrounding Bose's disappearance, questioning, "He wasn't, but why? Where did he go? How was he made to disappear?" All those who are giving me gyan on first PM of Bharata do read this screen shot heres some general knowledge for the beginners, all those geniuses who are asking me to get some education must know that I have written, acted, directed a film called Emergency which primarily pic.twitter.com/QN0jD3rMfu Kangana Ranaut (Modi Ka Parivar) (@KanganaTeam) April 5, 2024 Ranaut's comment drew criticism from various quarters, with Bharat Rashtriya Samithu (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao taking a dig at her and the BJP on social media. The video clip of Ranaut's statement quickly went viral, with many users lambasting her for the "ill-informed remark." Screenshot From Knagan's Insta Story In response to the backlash, Ranaut has now shared an article clipping on her Instagram Stories highlighting Bose's declaration as the Prime Minister of Azad Hind in 1943. Defending her stance, she took to Twitter, stating, "All those who are giving me gyan on the first PM of Bharata do read this screen shot here's some general knowledge for the beginners." She further added, "If I speak way ahead of your IQ you assume I must be uninformed, well the joke is on you and it's a lame one!!" Facts About Subhas Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose's pivotal role in history cannot be overlooked. On October 21, 1943, in Singapore, Bose formed the Azad Hind (Free India) government, assuming the positions of Prime Minister, Head of State, and Minister of War amidst World War II. Under Bose's leadership, Captain Dr. Lakshmi Swaminadhan led the women's organization and commanded the Rani Jhansi Regiment, the first women-only battle regiment in Asia, which fought for the Indian National Army. The Azad Hind Sarkar asserted authority over Indian civilians and military personnel in territories then under British occupation, introducing its own currency, court system, and civil code. Bose's bold move not only propelled the freedom struggle against British rule but also earned recognition from leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. They lauded the Azad Hind government for envisioning a robust, unified India. Prime Minister Modi emphasised Bose's inspirational role, not only for Indians but also for freedom fighters worldwide, during the 75th anniversary commemoration of the Azad Hind Government's formation. In a significant development, the Noida Police have submitted a voluminous 1,200-page chargesheet in the Surajpur court, implicating YouTuber and Bigg Boss OTT 2 winner Elvish Yadav, along with seven co-accused, in the snake venom case. Police Files Chargesheet In Snake Venom Case Against Elvish Yadav The Noida Police has taken decisive action in the ongoing investigation of the snake venom case by presenting a detailed charge sheet against Elvish Yadav and seven others. The chargesheet, spanning over 1,200 pages, was filed in the Surajpur court and marks a critical milestone in the legal proceedings surrounding this high-profile case. Noida Police Unleash 1200-Page Chargesheet In Elvish Yadav's Snake Venom Saga/X The comprehensive chargesheet is built on statements from 24 witnesses and substantial evidence, including electronic data, which strengthens the allegations under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against Yadav and his associates. The document highlights Elvish Yadav's purported involvement with snake charmers, alongside the discovery of toxic snakes and a significant quantity of Krait species poison at the location in question. Crucially, the investigation received a significant boost with the confirmation of snake venom presence by a laboratory in Jaipur, a pivotal piece of evidence shaping the course of the inquiry. The saga began in November last year when an FIR was lodged against Elvish Yadav, leading to the arrest of eight individuals, including five snake charmers, following a raid on a banquet venue in Sector 51. The raid, prompted by a complaint from People For Animals (PFA) NGO, was a part of efforts to crack down on alleged rave parties involving snake venom drugs, supposedly hosted by Yadav. Despite being granted bail in the initial phase of the investigation, Yadav continues to be under legal scrutiny, with the chargesheet shedding light on his purported connections to the drug case. In a related development, claims regarding Elvish Yadav's possession of high-end assets, including vehicles and real estate in Dubai, have been contested by his family members. His father, in an interview with AajTak, revealed that the vehicles showcased in Yadav's YouTube videos were often rented, not owned, and disputed assertions about his son's overseas property holdings. The snake venom case has captured significant public attention due to its sensational nature and the involvement of a popular YouTuber. With the filing of the chargesheet, the legal proceedings are expected to intensify as the case moves forward in the judicial system. Summer break is approaching, but planning a family vacation that's both exciting and budget-friendly can feel overwhelming. But worry not. Here are 5 international places you should visit this summer with your kids to enjoy and relax. From ancient temples and beautiful beaches to affordability and sustainability we covered everything. Five budget-friendly places to visit this summer with your kids pinterest 1. Dubai Pinterest Dubai, known for its warm hospitality, delicious street food, and desserts, is a fantastic place to visit this summer. It has the new BAPS Hindu Mandir, beautiful beaches, and Burj Khalifa. Places to visit in Dubai: Dubai Fountain Shows Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo Aquaventure Waterpark 2. Sri Lanka Pinterest Being small in size, Sri Lanka packs a lot of different things like beaches, rainforests, and tea plantations, all of which you can visit in a short time. Sri Lanka also shares a similar cultural background as India, making itself a comfortable and familiar place to visit with kids. Places to visit in Sri Lanka Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. Train rides through Kandy to Ella, which is just mesmerising Yala National Park or Udawalawe National Park 3. Bhutan Pinterest Known for Buddhist culture, monasteries, beautiful landscapes, and Gross National Happiness, all of which make Bhutan one of the best places to visit with your kids. Bhutan focuses on sustainability to minimise their impact on nature, making it a good way of teaching how to take care of nature, to your kids. Places to visit in Bhutan Paro Taktsang (Tiger's Nest Monastery) Jigme Dorji National Park Chele La Pass 4. Nepal Pinterest Next on our list is Nepal, known for Mount Everest, the Green Mountains and Momos. Nepal is known for its Hindu and Buddhist culture. This country has climates ranging from warm lowlands to chilly at higher altitudes. Places to visit in Nepal Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) Pokhara and Phewa Lake Chitwan National Park 5. Vietnam Pinterest Last but not least, on our list is Vietnam, known for its bustling streets, delicious street food and affordability. In Vietnam, you can also see the water puppet theatre. Places to visit in Vietnam Ha Long Bay Hoi An Ancient Town VinWonders amusement park Things to remember Research the scams of the place that you're visiting. Read about the culture to make sure you seem polite and respectful. Learn about local transport to make sure when travelling, you don't pay more. For more on lifestyle, astrology and health from around the globe, please visit Indiatimes Lifestyle. In a heartwarming display of appreciation, Nepali students devised a unique mathematical equation to honor their beloved teacher. The equation, crafted with care and creativity, reflects not only the students' mathematical prowess but also their deep gratitude towards their mentor. This gesture signifies the profound impact educators have on their students' lives, transcending traditional classroom dynamics. The equation's unveiling was accompanied by anticipation as the teacher's reaction was eagerly awaited. Such gestures reinforce the importance of fostering strong teacher-student relationships and acknowledging educators' dedication and hard work. This touching moment encapsulates the essence of teaching as a reciprocal endeavor, where both students and teachers inspire and uplift one another. Witnessing the teacher's reaction is a poignant testament to the power of appreciation and camaraderie within the educational realm. What Did These Students Do For Their Teacher? Here's how students create a special equation for their math teacher to solve | Image: Instagram Teachers not only impart knowledge but also guide and mentor their students to confront future obstacles. In today's era of social media, students frequently express their gratitude towards their educators in heartwarming ways. Recently, at Motherland Secondary School in Pokhara, Nepal, students chose a distinctive approach to thank their math teacher. Rather than conventional gestures, they formulated a unique equation for their teacher to solve. Here's how students create a special equation for their math teacher to solve | Image: Instagram As the teacher tackled the equation on the board, its solution revealed a touching message. This moment was captured on camera and shared on the school's unofficial Instagram page, swiftly gaining viral traction. The footage commences with a female student inscribing an equation on the board, challenging her teacher to decipher the problem. Swiftly, the teacher delves into the task, unraveling the solution. Initially perplexed by the outcome, the teacher soon comprehends the underlying message: "We Love You." Here's how students create a special equation for their math teacher to solve | Image: Instagram A broad smile graces his face as he acknowledges the students' gesture, highlighting the answer. This heartening video has captivated social media users, who applaud the students' ingenuity and the teacher's emotional response. Where Can You Watch The Video? You can watch the viral video on Instagram posted by 12B-io. How Did The Internet React? Since the video was shared on social media, it has gotten over 1 million views. There are many comments, lets check them out: Internet reacts to students create a special equation for their math teacher to solve | Image: Instagram Internet reacts to students create a special equation for their math teacher to solve | Image: Instagram What do you think about it? Do let us know in the comments. For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram. In a landmark cultural victory, Greece has launched an exhibit showcasing three ancient treasures "illicitly exported" to a leading US museum, according to the Culture Ministry. GreekPrime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has kicked off campaigning aheadof Junes European elections promising to better shield victims ofdomestic abuse. No fewer than four persons died while 20 sustained degrees of injuries when operatives of the Nigerian Police clashed with members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, also known as Shiites during a procession to mark the International Quds day in Kaduna on Friday. It was gathered that the event turned violent, made traders to close shops while people were seen running for safety, as gun shots were heard coming from the busy Kano Road axis. However, an eye witness disclosed that the Police attempted to disperse members of the Shiites group, who were holding a procession and had gathered around Kano Road, Ahmadu Bello Way Kaduna. Advertisement READ MORE: DSS Releases Former Shiites Spokesperson, Musa Meanwhile, one of the Shiite leaders, Malam Aliyu Tirmizi, confirmed that four of their members were killed while 20 others were injured. He said: we usually come out on the last Friday of every Ramadan to protest peacefully and show our support to the people of Palestine for the inhuman treatment they are being forced to face as is being done by others across the globe. We usually have a peaceful procession but this time around, as we were about to start, the police came and threw tear gas at us and started shouting and in the process, four of our members were killed while 20 were injured. Former Governor of Rivers State, Celestine Omehia, on Friday, disclosed that an undying inclination for power is tormenting Minister Nyesom Wike of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), hence, his display of unstable moments. He also advised Wike to reduce his propensity for power and greed, so as to allow his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara function at his job. Advertisement Omehia disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in response to a media parley which Wike, immediate past Governor of the State hosted in Abuja recently. Wike on Tuesday, described Uche Secondus, George Sekibo and other PDP leaders in Rivers State as expired politicians and buccaneers owing to their support for Fubara. Reacting, Omehia described Wikes uncontrolled outbursts as product of a confused mind. Wikes anger, he said, was that his ambition of a third tenure has crashed and the people of Rivers State have realized that his quest for power is personal and not for the interest of Rivers State or the South-South at large as claimed. READ ALSO: Political Vampires Wike Slams Rivers PDP Leaders For Supporting Gov Fubara The FCT Minister thought that he would continue to control and abuse the resources and governance of the state but God, through the people, resisted the impeachment plot by his members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Wike is notorious for lying against anyone, anytime and disrespects elders at will, so there is no surprise about his outburst and criticism against innocent personalities in Rivers State. Wike speaks from both sides of his mouth, he says something today and denies it tomorrow like a clown. I am not a buccaneer and my capacity to contribute to the growth and development of my state and country is not impaired. I wonder why he is pained by our support for the Governor and the Federal Government under President Tinubu. Does he want us to perpetually be at political war with everybody, even long after elections are over and governance taken over? Is it not madness? Omehia queried. He added that Wikes excesses, inconsistencies and hallucinations had reached a shameful peak and advised him to face his job in Abuja as the state was not missing his presence and nuisance value. The Edo State Police Command has emphasized the prohibition on officers searching citizens phones during routine patrols and other operations, adding that it is an unprofessional conduct. Disclosing this to the public, the commands Public Relations Officer, SP Chidi Nwabuzor revealed this in a statement posted on Facebook page on Friday. Chidi stated that 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. Advertisement READ MORE: Edo Police Nab Four Kano Kidnappers After Collecting Ransom 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. Jim Obazee, special investigator probing the activities of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and related entities has completed his services and submitted his report. Recall that in July 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Obazee, former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN), as a special investigator. Tinubu had said the special investigator would also work on a comprehensive report on public wealth currently in the hands of corrupt individuals, establishments as well as Government Business Entities . Advertisement On December 22, 2023, Obazees team submitted a report, titled, Report of the Special Investigation on CBN and Related Entities (Chargeable offences), to Tinubu, revealing fraudulent activities in Nigerias apex bank. READ ALSO: How Funds Will Be Raised For Student Loans Reps Committee However, in a statement on Friday by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Tinubu commended Obazee for his professionalism in handling the complexities of this critical national assignment. He said Obazee submitted the report of the panel and that the scope of the task terminated on March 31, 2024. Subsequent to 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, the statement read According to Ngelale, Tinubu commended Obazee for answering the call of duty while wishing him success in his future endeavours. The Eclipse Foundation announced that it is partnering with the Apache Software Foundation and other open source foundations to establish common specifications for secure software development based on existing open source best practices. In an April 2 blog post, Eclipse said that the goal of the initiative was to meet the challenges of cybersecurity in the open source ecosystem and demonstrate cooperation with the European Unions Cyber Resilience Act (CRA). Participants include Apache, Eclipse, the Rust Foundation, the PHP Foundation, the Blender Foundation, the OpenSSL Software Foundation, and the Python Software Foundation. The collaborative effort will be hosted at the Brussels-based Eclipse Foundation AISBL under the auspices of the Eclipse Foundation Specification Process and a new working group. Other code-hosting open source foundations and industry players are invited to join. People wait at the 8th and Market PATCO station after PATCO service was suspended following the earthquake. Read more Derrick Pitts first thought that was a mighty big truck that just rumbled past his house likely coincided with that of millions of other people in the Philadelphia and New York regions at 10:23 a.m. Friday. But he quickly surmised this was different, a low-frequency vibration. Pitts, a trained geologist who also is the Franklin Institutes chief astronomer, knew he had just experienced a shelf-shaking earthquake. Advertisement What the U.S. Geological Survey identified as an earthquake of magnitude 4.8 on the USGS scale, its epicenter believed to be an inactive fault in north-central New Jersey, rocked one of the nations densest population corridors Friday. READ MORE: A visual guide to the earthquake That was followed by 18 aftershocks within the next three hours, with the most substantial registering as a magnitude 3.8 that shook the region around 6 p.m. More aftershocks are possible during the next several days. For a ground-shaking that, by USGS research geologist Alex Hatems estimate, lasted all of one to two seconds, the episode generated quite a drama. No major damage or injuries were reported, but for a few frightening moments it seemed as though the region stood still as waves of anxiety radiated across several states from Maryland to New England. USGS said it received more than 160,000 reports of tremors, which it said was a record. Philadelphia police, despite urging people not to call 911, fielded over 200 calls. We expect earthquakes like that, said Hatem. USGS records thousands of these annually. They just dont happen anywhere near here very often. What were the effects of the earthquake in Philly? Fright and disorientation were more evident than disruption. Philadelphia International Airport imposed a brief stoppage of arriving and departing flights immediately after the earthquake, said spokesperson Christine Ottow. But that was strictly precautionary. Similarly, PATCO temporarily halted service to inspect stations for damage, and PennDot staff were inspecting infrastructure for telltale signs of distress. School officials in the region checked on buildings, and through it all schools stayed open. At a 4.8 magnitude, the earthquake that occurred Friday would be well short of major, typically resulting in some shaking of indoor objects. It is estimated that up to 15,000 of those occur around the world annually. Each order of magnitude represents a 10-fold increase in power. Thus, an earthquake measuring a 4.0 would be 10 times stronger than a 3.0. What caused the earthquake? That is a question that USGS officials will investigate. They suspect that it occurred along a fault that has been long inactive. Earthquakes can occur at deeper levels than current mapping of the fault line system, making prediction difficult. The nearest major fault to the epicenter is the Ramapo fault line which runs from southeastern New York to Southeastern Pennsylvania. Unlike in the West, the temblors around here arent the result of massive, colliding tectonic plates, said Hatem; inactive faults in the East can become active from time to time. Why were the tremors so widespread? Although this was not a major earthquake, it was felt from Maryland to as far north as Vermont. Geologists say that earthquakes in the East can affect far larger territories than their counterparts in the West. The rock formations around here are very old and very dense, said David R. Wunsch, director and state geologist for the Delaware Geological Survey. That makes them more favorable for propagating tremors than the younger rocks of the West, he said. The August 2011 earthquake centered in Virginia, which was felt in the Philadelphia region, may have been felt by more people than any quake in U.S. history, according to the USGS. The East does get earthquakes That Virginia quake was a 5.8 and was blamed for causing up to $300 million in property damage. In November 2017, a quake of 4 magnitude with an epicenter about six miles from Dover, Del., resulted in shocks that reportedly were felt from Washington to New York. READ MORE: A magnitude 4 quake hit Delaware in 2017 Seismic activity is a constant, says Pitts of the Franklin Institute. The Earths crust is always adjusting itself, he said. Most of what occurs around here falls into the minor category. However, that does not necessarily mitigate the fright factor when the ground and china closets start shaking, said USGS earthquake specialist Sara McBride. We know that earthquakes can be upsetting for people, she said. READ MORE: What you need to know before and after an earthquake Confronting the shakes Barrie Franklin, a 28th-floor resident of the Laurel, Philadelphia tallest residential building, felt the bed shake and assumed that it was the result of construction work. Then came a family text message with a question a lot of folks were asking each other: Did you feel that earthquake? Justin Allen was on an operating table Friday morning in Huntingdon Valley when the room began to shake. He thought maybe it was a passing train, But then the surgeon said something along the lines of, Thats an earthquake, right? These are not exactly the words anyone wants to hear during a surgery. Let alone THAT surgery, Allen wrote. He was undergoing a vasectomy. But, Allen said, his doctor and the operating room staff kept their cool, pausing until the shaking passed. Everything picked up as usual and the procedure went well, he said. We all just kept laughing about how wed never forget where we were when this was happening because who would even believe that story? Staff writers Jesse Bunch, Thomas Fitzgerald, Kristen A. Graham, Michelle Meyers, Sam Morris, Henry Savage, and Aubrey Whelan contributed to this article. At City Hall on Monday Aug. 21 2017, viewers looked up to see a partial eclipse as it comes close to the 75% coverage. Another total solar eclipse is anticipated to occur on Monday, April 8. MICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer Read more The last time a total solar eclipse cast its shadows across the United States in August 2017, Jenee Chizick-Aguero, the founder and publisher of Motivos magazine, was pregnant with her son. There was a viewing party in the parking lot outside Esperanza, a nonprofit on North 5th Street, and Chizick-Aguero was determined to go. In a total solar eclipse, the moon aligns up between the earth and the sun, temporarily blocking the suns light and turning day into nearly night, in some places. Advertisement But first, the Fishtown resident had to negotiate with some strong cultural beliefs of her husband, Jorge Arturo Aguero, and his family, who are Costa Rican. Both Jorge Aguero and his mother, Nereida Esquivel, who still lives in Costa Rica, were worried about Chizick-Aguero catching a glimpse of the eclipse while pregnant. His mom covered herself in black clothing during the 1991 eclipse, when [she] was pregnant with his younger sister, she said. Her mother-in-law told her she had worn all black to guard against her baby being born with a birthmark. By the 2017 eclipse, Chizick-Aguero, who loved science, was all set to go out to watch it. Her own child would be born one month later. But my husband said, No, you cant do this. It might jeopardize our son, Chizick-Aguero recalled. Thats when Chizick-Aguero learned that people in Costa Rica, especially the areas where Indigenous beliefs are strong, have customs about what pregnant women should do during a solar eclipse. The 2017 eclipse was the first to be seen in a broad sweep across the country, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, in nearly a century, since June 1918. There had been an eclipse in February 1979, but that one was only visible in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. through Canada. So this was a major eclipse. Chizick-Aguero, born in the United States, had not grown up with myths about solar eclipses. She was adamant about watching it. Her compromise was to attend the viewing party with a friend. In addition to wearing protective eye wear, Chizick-Aguero tied a black sweatshirt around her belly to honor her husbands beliefs. Their son was born a month later, without any birthmarks. In Philly, remembering Maya eclipse myths Diliana Cho Solis, a bilingual counseling assistant for the Philadelphia School District, lives in South Philly. But she was born in Honduras, the daughter of a Chinese father and a Nicaraguan mother. Cho Solis said the eclipse myths in Honduras stem from Mayan legends. One belief is that crops will go bad because the moon has taken the energy away from the sun. Theres also a belief that pregnant women should wear a red ribbon or anything red. And if a child is born [during] an eclipse, people believe the child will be born with superpowers and be gifted, she said. There are also beliefs that the sun and moon are lovers who have been punished, so they can only meet one time over several years. U.S. Indigenous customs There has been so much excitement about recent eclipses with crowds gathering to view them together that the Smithsonian Magazine and the New York Times published articles noting that for Indigenous peoples throughout the world, a solar eclipse can be spiritual and sacred. During an annular eclipse in October 2023, the Navajo Nation closed all its parks during the eclipse to accommodate traditional beliefs. Navajo look at the universe as holistic, David Begay, a cultural astronomer and vice president of the Indigenous Education Institute, told the Times. The alignment of the planet, moon and sun during eclipses is understood as one cycle within an interconnected cosmic order. And the Institute for Dine Culture, Philosophy and Government, in Arizona, on the Navajo Nation, told the Smithsonian Magazine in 2017: During the eclipse, we must be in full prayer and reverence. Prayers must be focused on the concept of the Sun or Moon going through an ending, and we are to pray about the ending of bad or evil, or the ending of phases of life. In addition, our prayers must be focused on the birth and renewal that will arrive when the eclipse ends. Dine is what the Navajo people call themselves. The Smithsonian listed a detailed description of various Indigenous beliefs about eclipses: During a solar or lunar eclipse, it is believed that a death occurs. A death is a very sacred occurrence. There are certain necessary protocols, but most important is the strict and comprehensive reverence in observing the occurrence of death, the Dine Institute said. The Dine also believe the sun is male and the moon is female and that during an eclipse, the sun and moon are mating. Once the eclipse has passed and the sun and moon are bright once again, the Dine believe that a birthing has just taken place. It is believed that the mating is to give birth to, or renew, the universe and all creation. The Taos Pueblo of New Mexico believe that people should stay indoors and keep babies away from windows. The Cherokee in Oklahoma say the eclipse means a giant frog in the sky is trying to eat the sun. Everybody is supposed to go outside and make a big noise with drums, whistles, and voices to scare the frog away. A rare astronomical event For Derrick Pitts, an astronomer at the Franklin Institute, many people growing up in the United States did not learn about solar eclipses because the widespread teaching of science didnt occur until after the Industrial Revolution. Pitts said for many civilizations, the natural phenomenon of the moon blocking the sun caused fears that something was interrupting the sun, and either we try to do something to reverse that, or we wait fearfully indoors until its over and pray for protection from what evil or bad spirits might be affecting the sun. This is a rare astronomical event, and its always great to connect people with real science, he said. Pitts will be hosting the Franklin Institutes viewing party from 1: 30 to 5. p.m. on Monday. Ive seen eclipses before, and its like a very deep dusk. Its not like night, he said. Astrological interpretations Stephanie Renee, who describes herself as the Vibe Mistress, of Soul Sanctuary, a nonprofit arts education foundation, is Black and Caribbean and lives in Roxborough. She didnt know of any customs surrounding solar eclipses while growing up in Washington, D.C., but as someone who studies astrology, Renee said astronomical events like eclipses, in general, represent a new beginning, and a radical change. Its about a radical moving forward in your own individual energy, she said. What makes this solar eclipse significant is that it is happening while Mercury is in retrograde. This happens about three times a year, when there is an approximately three-week period where you need to double- and triple-check what you say, think and do. " For instance, she said during a Mercury retrograde, people should be careful about making major purchases or signing contracts and there should be a high level of caution. Its also significant that this eclipse is happening as the skies enter the astrological sign of Aries, Renee added. This means that you have all this Aries energy which is pushing you forward, an eclipse, that is about an inner shift, while at the same time the Mercury retrograde is telling you to slow down, double-check things and make sure your communications dont go haywire, she said. Watch the animals Addie Johnston, a research scientist who works at the University of Pennsylvania, lives in the Graduate Hospital area of the city and is chair of the Friends of Carpenter Green Park, at 17th and Carpenter. Johnston is asking her neighbors and parents of students at the nearby Edwin M. Stanton school to encourage children to get involved in a science project watching out for odd behaviors from animals, birds and insects during the eclipse. She has posted fliers about the Solar Eclipse Safari, which is asking people to go outdoors and observe animals. All animals are affected or controlled to some degree by their circadian rhythms, and with the skies turning darker, theres a potential for bees to act a bit odd, Johnston said. You may notice some alteration in the flying habits of the bees, or birds. New Philadelphia Commerce Director, Alba Martinez is photographed on Monday, March 18, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pa. Read more Alba Martinez came to Philadelphia in the early 1990s as a 22-year-old law school graduate hoping to advocate for people who didnt really have a voice. In January, she started a new role as Mayor Cherelle L. Parkers commerce director, serving as citys liaison to a constituency that very much has a voice: the business community. Advertisement Martinez, 61, is the first Latina to lead the agency, and one of the highest-ranking LGBTQ city officials in Philadelphia history. While she has worked in the corporate world, as an executive with Vanguard, Martinez spent most of her career in the local nonprofit sector and with the city as child welfare commissioner. Its an atypical resume for a commerce director, a role often filled by people who have spent their careers in the corporate sector. But its no accident. Parker wants the world to know Philly is open for business. But her vision relies less on the familiar mix of tax cuts and incentives, and more on supporting small neighborhood businesses, especially those owned by Black and brown Philadelphians. My ability to understand whats going on in the neighborhood as well as whats going in the business sector and be able to connect with individuals across the entire spectrum of Philadelphians economically is an advantage, Martinez said, and I think the mayor sees it and values it. The challenge for Martinez will be balancing the administrations focus on neighborhoods with the traditional work of commerce directors, such as attracting international corporations that often want to be personally courted before picking a new location in the United States. READ MORE: How Mayor Parker is changing the conversation on Phillys tax structure Shell also have to pitch Parkers agenda, which this year includes no tax cuts despite the city having significant cash reserves, to such groups as the local chambers of commerce that annually advocate for reductions to the wage and business taxes. Former City Councilmember Maria Quinones Sanchez, who has known Martinez for three decades, said Parkers decision sends the message that were a majority Black and brown city and we have not moved the needle on this. Shes seen billions at Vanguard and what theyve done, but she also understands that the economics of the neighborhood the small store, the hospital, and all of these things that improve peoples quality of life has an economic component to it that is also a job-creator, said Quinones Sanchez, who ran for mayor last year. Martinez, who was floated as a potential mayoral candidate in 2015, lives in Center City with her wife, Roberta Trombetta, who has also held high-profile roles in the nonprofit sector and the state government. Martinez said she wants to be known as the commerce director for every Philadelphian and every business first. READ MORE: Ex-Phila. officials get license, marry within the hour But I do think the fact that Im Latina and gay is is an issue of representation, she said. If I can make people feel that they belong in the business community, they belong in government, they believe they belong in positions of leadership, then I feel like that is an honor and a privilege. From Puerto Rico to Congreso The daughter of of two college professors, Martinez grew up in Puerto Rico and earned a degree from the University of Puerto Rico at 19 before attending law school at Georgetown University in Washington. During law school, she interned in Immokalee, Fla., one of the poorest communities in the country, and decided to pursue public interest law. When she came to Philadelphia in 1985 to work for Community Legal Services, she didnt know a soul. But she found community by looking up the arts and culture organization Taller Puertorriqueno in the phonebook and taking the 47 bus to the Puerto Rican enclave in North Philly. (Based on that experience, Martinez in 2022 produced a short film called La Guagua 47, which celebrates Phillys increasingly diverse Latino community.) READ MORE: La Guagua 47 shows how SEPTAs #47 bus connects Latino communities throughout the city Martinezs big break came in the early 1990s, when she was tapped to lead Congreso de Latinos Unidos, a venerable Philadelphia Latino community organization that was then mired in scandal. With the help of reform-minded board members, including Quinones-Sanchez, Martinez rebuilt Congresos reputation. She started a first-of-its-kind program for domestic violence victims, as well as a job-training program with the carpenters union. It became a masters degree in organizational management, if you will, on the street, she said. Martinez also began developing a now well-known reputation for cultivating talent. In her early days of Congreso, the IRS was camped out at her office, said Cynthia Figueroa, who worked for her there and later became a deputy mayor. She took over an agency that probably was going to disintegrate and disappear, and she went in at a very young age and really turned it around. Turnaround artist Martinez seems to have a turnaround story for every stop in her career. Her success at Congreso led her to connections with City Hall, and Mayor John F. Street in 2000 tapped her to become child welfare commissioner and head of the Department of Human Services. She implemented changes credited with lowering the number of children in foster care, and increased the agencys focus on preventing situations where children are removed from families. She then became president and CEO of United Way, where she implemented a policy shift to fund projects with measurable goals rather than simply doling out money to nonprofits. Her relationships with United Ways corporate backers, including Vanguard, led to a new job. It was extremely eye-opening because I didnt really understand to quote Cardi B how money moves, Martinez said. My 25-year-old self would never have thought I would end up in the corporate sector. Her 12 years at Vanguard included a period leading the retail services department, which managed $600 billion in assets and had seven million clients. After leaving in 2020, she spent time in Florida, returned to Philly, and was semi-retired while working on community projects. Then Parker won the mayors race and Martinez knew what she wanted to do. I expressed interest in the position, Martinez said. Its a decision primarily based on love, love for our city ... and also a huge sense of optimism for the leadership our mayor is bringing. Commerce directors under Kenney and former Mayor Michael A. Nutter include people whose previous careers were in development, architecture, health care, higher education, and business process services. None had as much experience in charitable and social services work as Martinez. The primary agenda The mayors public safety plans have dominated the early days of her administration. But as a Council member, Parker was active on small-business issues, and Martinez is spearheading a number of her top priorities, such as the expansion of a commercial-corridor cleaning program Parker championed in Council, and an effort to streamline permitting requirements. Martinez is also planning to hold Commerce Department office hours across the city for small-business owners to learn about programs that could help them grow. Chellie Cameron, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, said she meets regularly with Martinez, who she said is working to figure out exactly what her vision looks like. Clearly, its what the mayor is doing, and the neighborhood focus, and small Black- and brown-owned business interests, she said. Martinez, however, will also have to travel across the country and internationally to encourage businesses to invest in Philly. Lauren Swartz, president and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, said building those relationships is no simple matter. READ MORE: Cherelle Parker says she has a plan to address Phillys litter problem. Heres how shed focus on business corridors. As Americans, we show up and stick out our hands and say, I got a deal for you. You want to do business together? said Swartz, who was a deputy commerce director under Kenney. And most of the rest of the world says, Its nice to meet you. Lets build a relationship first. Swartz praised Parker and Martinezs agenda of first focusing on local businesses, and said her organizations job is to maintain international ties until top city officials need to get involved. Martinez said her plan for business attraction is to ensure that groups working to promote Philly from her department to the chambers of commerce to real estate firms do so with a unified message highlighting Philadelphias assets and being more assertive and more intentional about promoting Philadelphia as a destination for business. But her top priority is supporting businesses that are already here. That is a really important agenda, she said. It is not secondary. It is primary. Films in the 1950s and 60s, such as John Fords The Searchers, starring John Wayne, reinforced the prevailing "man of few words" culture. Read more When Ellie Anderson, an assistant professor of philosophy at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif., had coffee with female friends, she noticed the conversation often involved dissecting the meaning of comments or texts from their male romantic partners. Together, theyd talk through an argument with a boyfriend, or try to interpret a vague text message from the night before. Theyd game out the next step, deciding when, if at all, to bring up the issue, and then carefully prepare what theyd say or draft a text message in response. Advertisement Anderson says many of the women she knows spend what seems to be an inordinate amount of time interpreting the pretty opaque cues of men theyre dating. Anderson felt she was observing a form of emotional labor, a term first defined by sociologist Arlie Hochschild to describe how certain workers typically women have to suppress emotions, such as flight attendants who deal with unruly passengers. But what to call the mental work women were doing in deciphering cryptic conversations and texts? In a paper published last year, Anderson penned a new term: hermeneutic labor. Hermeneutics refers to the interpretation of language. Hermeneutic labor, Anderson says, encompasses three phases of emotional work: Interpreting the feelings of others. Determining when and whether to bring difficult, emotional conversations up. Interpreting your own feelings. Anderson argues that hermeneutic labor is largely performed by women who are forced to interpret the emotions and motives of male partners who lack the emotional vocabulary to explain themselves. The men, Anderson says, are often really taken aback and are like, Oh, why are you causing a problem? She argues this dynamic can have a particularly negative effect on women in heterosexual couples because their work to maintain the relationship is often met with disbelief, accusations of overreacting, or fixating on problems their partner claims dont exist. This, Anderson says, has the effect of punishing women for attempting to maintain their relationships. It starts in childhood Amy Warren, a licensed mental health counselor in Sarasota, Fla., has seen the pattern Anderson describes again and again over the course of her 29-year career. More often than not, its the woman in a heterosexual relationship who pushes the couple to seek counseling. Oftentimes, the mans blindsided, Warren says. Men are unhappy in the relationship because a womans unhappy, and the womans unhappy because a mans emotionally disconnected. But rather than blaming men for their emotional disconnection, Warren faults how men are raised. So many men think of their role in a relationship as the provider, the father, sometimes the protector, Warren says. Thats because theyve been groomed to believe that is their role. Not really because they chose it. Warren, who is also a psychotherapist, says this lack of emotional expressivity arises from what she calls little T traumas in early childhood. When you tell a child, Dont cry; dont be a baby; grow up; be a big boy, thats definitely a little T trauma, because it teaches them to shut down their emotions, Warren says. The toll of masculine norms Psychology professor Ronald Levant says he frequently starts lectures by asking the audience if they know a man who has trouble verbally expressing his emotions. The result has almost always been the same. Almost everybody raises their hand, Levant says. Levant, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Akron and a former president of the American Psychological Association, has been studying emotionally inexpressive men for more than four decades. While its true that many women and nonbinary individuals also have trouble expressing emotions, the stereotype of the emotionally inexpressive man persists. The reason, experts say, is because so-called masculine norms still dominate many cultures. Levants research focuses on these masculine norms, which include dominance, toughness, self-reliance, a strong interest in sex, disdain for all things feminine, gay or bisexual, and restricting the expression of emotions. The result of these norms, Levant and other experts say, is that boys often are socialized to suppress the expression of vulnerable and caring emotions. This inability to identify emotions with words also has a name normative male alexithymia. The condition, Levant stresses, is normative not because it is common enough to be considered normal, but because it arises out of social norms associated with traditional masculinity. A 2012 study co-authored by Levant found the condition was associated with higher rates of fear of intimacy and lower rates of relationship satisfaction and communication quality. If a boy is essentially punished for showing affection or crying, Levant says, hes going to kind of not allow this emotion to come out. How to improve communication When one partner struggles to put their emotions into words, it requires both parties to improve how they communicate. Heres some advice. Take turns being upset. Amir Levine, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist at Columbia University, has a rule for couples that come to his practice: Only one person is allowed to be upset at a time. Levine, who also co-wrote the popular book Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find and Keep Love, says that in relationships, one persons mood whether its miserable or happy affects the mood of the partner. The person who is upset first should be the one who is allowed to be upset. You have to put your upset aside and find a way to make them not upset because thats your job, Levine says. Thats kind of what relationships are all about. Reflect back the words. Reflecting back what your partner says has the effect of showing them you're listening to them, and invites the opportunity to clarify what's upsetting them. Warren says it's important "to say back to the person what you think you heard them say, so the speaker can then clarify. You get the whole picture, and you can respond accordingly rather than getting reactive and defensive." Let your partner know what you want. Warren says it's imperative for intimate partners to let each other know what they want in their relationships, and "stand firm" that you won't tolerate certain behaviors. Warren notes that many people wrongly believe that their partners should intuitively know their needs without being told. Its up to us to let them know in a gentle, loving way what we want, Warren says. It's been four years since the pandemic propelled workers into a new reality, with the closure of offices forcing both employers and employees to navigate a new environment centred around flexible and remote work. Leading the way on a European level, Irelands workforce has transitioned to hybrid working at a greater rate than any other country in the EU, with figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) reporting that the number of people working mainly from home increased by 173% between 2016 and 2022, from 94,955 workers to 259,467. In addition, latest CSO Census findings also show that nearly a third of Ireland's workforce, or around 750,000 employees, worked from home at least one day a week. Such a significant uptake has led to a new normal for Irish workers, with remote and hybrid options not just a luxury but an expectation amongst the majority of new job seekers, with many workers happy to forgo other forms of compensation such as salary increases or additional holidays once flexible work options are afforded. "The shift to remote work made many people reconsider their priorities," says Trayc Keevans, Global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Director at Morgan McKinley Ireland. Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Ms Keevans said more value has been placed on the key by-products of hybrid working such as reduced commute times and the ability to live in lower-cost locations. This sentiment is echoed by Elma Connolly, Hub Manager at the Ludgate, a co-working space located in Skibbereen which is heading for its busiest year so far. "The vast majority of our members are either sole entrepreneurs or remote workers," says Ms Connolly. We have seen a lot of new people in recent times, with more and more remote workers buying and settling down in West Cork compared to before the pandemic. Ms Connolly says the Ludgate is already preparing for the summer months which is its busiest time of the year as holidaymakers and second home-owners relocate to West Cork throughout June, July and August. However, several employers have begun to increasingly push back on flexible and remote work, with Ms Keevans noting a stark shift in attitudes in the past 12 months. "This time last year, I would have said two days in the office and three days from home was the standard, and people were getting increasingly comfortable with that. "Now, the dial has moved back a lot further. Currently, we are seeing three or four days in the office becoming the norm with a major push by employers to have people back in the office." Collaboration and learning have been largely cited by employers in their push towards office working, says Ms Keevans, particularly when it comes to training new hires. Read More Irish firms' desire to get workers back in the office could delay gender equality by a generation "Firms, especially those within professional services, are increasingly keen on new intakes working in the office. These firms rely heavily on fresh employees to learn from more senior staff and that exposure is necessary for their overall training." "We have heard several times now that inducting new hires is becoming more and more difficult without these in-person interactions." This has also led to a rise in "anchor days", whereby before, employees could choose which days most suited them to work from the office, whereas now, these days are being decided by employers on behalf of workers to further enable collaboration and learning amongst staff. "Before, many employees would choose Monday and Friday as their days from home which raised productivity concerns amongst employers. Nowadays, it's becoming increasingly common that workers are obliged to come in on certain days of the week." However, demands like these amongst certain employers have been met with pushback from employees, with many of those accustomed to flexible working conditions unwilling to forgo their new-found benefits. A recent survey from EmployFlex indicated that all things being equal, 92% of employees would move from their current role for more flexibility in another position. However, despite the clear demand from employees, several employers including Facebook and Instagram owner Meta recently announced it would be reversing its working-from-home policy despite telling staff it would allow permanent remote working post-pandemic. In another example, Zoom, a staple throughout multiple covid lockdowns also told employees living near a Zoom office that they would be required to be onsite two days a week to collaborate with fellow employees. According to recent data compiled by LinkedIn, there was a 37% drop in the share of remote jobs among all listings in Ireland compared to the previous year. Across the country, Ms Keevans says the largest advocates of a return to the office are US-owned firms, with more leniency offered by smaller firms and Irish-owned businesses. However, Ms Keevans notes that there has been a subtle shift in power in favour of employers, with what was initially demanded by just a handful of firms now becoming the norm across multiple industries. The movement has also been helped by a growing acceptance among employees, however, Ms Keevans says the extent of employer demands will determine its resistance. Ms Keevans warns: If employers start pushing for five full days in the office and for an end to flexibility, this will lead to conflict. "While the labour market is still largely employee-led from a skills perspective, there is no doubt employers are happy to take a stronger stance on the issue with less leniency overall being afforded." Looking forward, Ms Keevans says employers will need to achieve a delicate balance to not isolate workers but notes that employer demand for in-office days will not plateau anytime soon, which may bring with it unintended consequences. "For a lot of people, especially women, flexible working hours enable family life. If a parent can drop her children to school and head into the office afterwards, there's an opportunity for the best of both worlds," says Ms Keevans. Already, women in leadership positions are leaving at an unprecedented rate. According to a report from Lean In and McKinsey & Co, the reasons are due to companies failing to satisfy the expectations of female leaders. These expectations include a workplace that prioritises flexibility, employee well-being, diversity, equity and inclusion. While there have been strong pushes towards further gender equality in the workforce with an increased emphasis on gender pay gaps and female leadership positions, an end to flexible working could carry the unintended consequences of putting additional pressure on mothers and further forcing women out of the workplace that only in the last few years has become increasingly more accessible. A woman claims she heard a loud thud while waiting in her Mazda 2 at Brisbane International Airport last week. An Aussie family are living in fear after allegedly discovering a tracking device attached to their cars fuel tank following a trip to the airport. A woman, who has requested to go by the name Cheetah, told Yahoo News Australia the ordeal began on Thursday as she, her partner and their two kids, aged 9 and 7, took a friend to Brisbane International Airport. The mum said she waited in their Mazda 2 at the drop-off zone with her son while her partner and daughter walked their friend inside because it was her first time going there. Cheetah told Yahoo she found a tracking device under her car after taking a friend to Brisbane International Airport. Source: Cheetahgirls92/TikTok While we were waiting I heard a thud at the back of the car and I tried to look around, because I thought somebody hit the car with their luggage or something because it was quite a loud thud, she told Yahoo on Monday. Unable to see anything obvious, Cheetah assumed something had fallen or shifted inside the car. After about 30 minutes during which the Gold Coast resident was requested to do a lap of the airport by a security guard after overstaying her allocated 15 minutes the rest of the family returned and they drove home. My friend ended up missing her flight so we had to take her to the Gold Coast Airport the next day because that was the only flight that she could get, she explained. Because we did that trip, when we got home later that night my partners phone lit up with a notification saying that an Apple AirTag had been travelling with him and maybe tracking his location. Shocked family 'find Apple AirTag under car' Cheetah claimed her partners Samsung phone then gave the option of sounding an alarm on the tracking device. Initially believing their friends Apple AirTag had fallen off her bag, the couple searched the entire sedan. So we were checking the whole car and we couldnt find anything but we could hear this like, it has a really high tone, so we were trying to follow the tone, she said. My partner just had this crazy idea to search the outside of the car and hes seen this like black thing on the fuel tank and at first he thought because it was like pitch black outside he thought it was a part of the fuel tank. However, it didnt take the hobby mechanic long to realise the small black box didnt belong and pulled it off. Thats when we realised what had actually happened, she said, adding it was at that moment the loud noise from the day before replayed in her mind. Cheetah said she then jumped in the car and asked her partner to put the device back on while standing a few feet away. He threw it up and it latched instantly and made the exact same noise that I heard before while we were sitting at the airport, she said. The Gold Coast couple say they are 'so scared' after allegedly discovering the Apple AirTag on their car. Source: Cheetahgirls92/TikTok Family struggling through sleepless nights After disabling the device, the family told Yahoo they reported the terrifying incident to local police before contacting the Australian Federal Police. The mum claimed very concerned authorities asked her a series of questions including what type of car she drives, if she had children with her and if they were carrying any expensive-looking luggage, but so far no reason for the device has been identified. So many things have run through our heads since this happened. So its just been the fear of the unknown, Cheetah said. Weve had a lot of sleepless nights and [the] kids are in our bed at the moment. Were just so scared. We dont know why this has happened. Cheetah said she dropped off the AirTag to police on Saturday for an investigation, however the AFP and Queensland Police told Yahoo they have no reports of that nature. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Tom Stobart's Cooks Encyclopedia tells us that an acre of soya beans will keep a man alive (but not necessarily contented) for 2200 days ... but just 75 days if he lived on beef [from cattle raised on the same acre]. While I adore mapo tofu and similar dishes, Im really not sure I could live on soy. I also wont eat those highly processed fake meat products. If Im honest I dont quite understand why anyone would give up all meat. Intensively reared meat I fully understand, but a mountain lamb or a grass fed cow dispatched humanely are far too tasty to miss out on. So, yes, Im a committed carnivore and will happily skin and gut a rabbit, pluck and draw a pheasant and cut a live lobster in half (far more humane than boiling). But then I also adore Denis Cotters Paradiso and enjoy the extra creativity required in cooking for vegetarian and vegan friends (using Cotters recipes, of course). Cork is incredibly lucky to have Paradiso and Dublin has long needed an equivalent place where the lack of meat on the menu goes unnoticed. Glas opened five years ago with that in mind, and I did visit in 2019 but felt they were still finding their feet so opted not to review. A fifth anniversary and a new menu drew me back and I brought a vegan opera director friend and at the last minute his 23-year-old son agreed to join us. The room is nicely appointed with comfortable banquettes and good lighting and was almost full on a Tuesday evening. The Glas menu is pleasingly short with four options offered for starters, mains and desserts, with a choice of two courses for 43 or three courses for 49, and sides costing an extra 6. Of the 12 menu items, eight were vegan and all sounded enticing, although in a couple of cases more detail would have been useful (eg which of the 12,000 species of seaweed was in that Seaweed Fritter). The first thing to say about our starters is that they were beautifully plated and pleasing on the eye. Goats cheese mousse was delicate, creamy and fluffy and some hazelnut brittle and sweet earthy cubes of beetroot jerky added texture. However, chicory kimchi really needed more heat and pungency. Oyster mushroom croquette was perhaps a little light on mushroom flavour but cauliflower couscous and a garlic-rich ramson remoulade more than compensated. Glazed radishes were nutty and almost fruity and I scraped up all the peanut cream underneath. The buckwheat granola on the side had good flavours but was teeth-breakingly hard. Starters had proved interesting but we were not yet wowed; that changed with the main courses, beginning with the caramelised onion tart with its lusciously sweet mushrooms on a savoury shortbread, a salty, fruity, blue cheese sauce and a garlic emulsion adding contrasting and complementary flavours. Charred roman broccoli atop a rich umami mushroom cake and a pistachio crumble was equally impressive, while baby Tokyo turnips and butterbeans were tasty but needed their richly flavoured roast onion Mexican mole which had a concentrated earthy flavour and a decadent velvety texture. On the side, polenta fries (6) were another success, crisp and textured with a properly intense kimchi aioli for dipping while patatas bravas were crisp outside and fluffy within with a garlicky roast vegetable pesto. For wine, I chose Torre dei Beati Montepulciano dAbruzzo (44), bright and fruit-driven, and a good match with our dishes. The list has several options by the glass and is fairly priced with eight wines under 40 and some good options going up the scale. However Id love to see a couple of natural wines and maybe a pet-nat or two as they would suit the food and clientele. The hits kept coming with our desserts. My pear and polenta cake was crumbly, lightly sweet and topped with in-season poached rhubarb. Dillisk meringue and pea ice cream added intriguing extra flavours and textures. Caramel apple and tiny candied squash chunks came with a light coffee cream sauce and a stand-out mint sorbet to bring the flavours together. White chocolate ganache could have been a little creamier perhaps and the candy beetroot a little less earthy, but I adored the liquorice-flavoured crumble. We left happy and sated and Glas is warmly recommended with creative and innovative cooking, intelligent saucing, good use of seasonal ingredients and not a soya bean in sight. THE VERDICT: Bowled over by support The Menu is genuinely delighted to support a wonderful Cork-based outing for the Empty Bowls initiative, a global grassroots movement of artists and craft makers to raise money for food-related charities. Empty Bowls for Gaza, spearheaded by Cork artist/ceramicist Martha Cashman, has already seen members of the public design and make clay bowls, which will be part of a special event (April 13, 2.30-4.30pm) in St Peters, North Main St, Cork. Attendees will buy a raffle ticket to win a bowl, to then fill with very delicious Palestinian-inspired food prepared by chef Orla McAndrew. Also available will be bowls designed by well-known names including actor Mary McEvoy, chef Denis Cotter, Darina Allen, and TV architect Roisin Murphy and splendid creations from superb Irish potters/ceramicists Cormac Boydell and Fermoyle Pottery, and US artist Linda Sawtelle, all up for raffle. West Waterford Festival of Food Feats your eyes on this festival A great old favourite of The Menus, the Waterford Festival of Food (April 19-21), in Dungarvan, returns with yet another splendid programme celebrating the very finest of Deise dining and producers. Paul and Maire Flynns Tannery restaurant is at the heart of proceedings with a Tannery Spanish Feast. However, The Menus highlight of weekend has to be Rowley Leigh at the Tannery, on the following night, as the legendary English chef arrives in West Waterford for a menu laden with his iconic dishes. Also worth noting are: The Saturday Seafood Lunch at the Cliff House; afternoon teas at both Ballyin House and Woodhouse Estate; dinner at Lismore Castle with Seaneen Sullivan, Santina Kennedy, and Anthony OToole. The Menus other top pick for the weekend is Pilgrims Waterford Pilgrimage, with Mark and Sadie Jennings formerly of Pilgrims restaurant, in Rosscarbery, West Cork offering two feasts, dinner on Saturday and lunch on Sunday. The Inish Beg Estate's Carpa dining room Wine and dine in Carpa Les Bories Jefferies visits Carpa (April 10) is very special evening in the sublime surroundings of the Carpa dining room, at Inish Beg estate ( inishbeg.com). The event sees Joe Jefferies, iconic natural wine vigneron of Les Bories Jefferies, in the Languedoc, France, fetch up in West Cork for a magnificent tasting dinner, as Ophelia Keane and team present a menu inspired by Southern France. Brians Wines ( brianswines.ie) special guest Joe Jefferies pops the cork on some of his truly singular wines. (Limited accommodation available at Inish Beg.) Mireia Pujol-Busquets with Wine Alta Alella Barrels of fun Speaking of vino, The Menu has always had a fondness for Dublins ELY Wine Bar. 25-years-old this year, The Menu recommends a public wine tasting (April 11, 7-9pm) with winemaker Mireia Pujol-Busquets Guillen of Alta Alella Winery, Barcelona, who will be pouring some of their wonderful Cavas and still wines. Each will be complemented by small plates from ELYs new seasonal menu, with a chance to win some great prizes including the Alta Alella 10 Gran Reserva. Ryes & Shine Crackers TODAYS SPECIAL The Menu has been relishing the very splendid rye sourdough breads from Angela Nothlings Ryes and Shine micro-bakery, in Mayfield, Cork city. Her most popular loaf is the Mayfield Bloomer, a fine crusty sourdough with moist open crumb. The Menu also snaffled some of her German/Central/Eastern European style dense rye loaves, including a classic Borodinsky and Thereses Schwarzbrot based on Angelas late mothers recipe both chewy, wholesome loaves vibrating with delicious nutty rye and leaving that exquisite post-prandial feeling of contentment and nutritional wellbeing, Angela also makes fine baked confections, including very good cinnamon buns, but The Menus new passion is her crisp Rye Cookies which had The Menu quivering like hed just experienced his first kiss all over again. Nutty rye harmonising exquisitely with butter and sugar, and a sublimely judged finishing of sea salt crystals to trigger salivation. The public has been repulsed by the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza, incoming Taoiseach Simon Harris has said. Mr Harris said that Ireland stands ready to recognise the Palestinian state while calling for a two-state solution. In his keynote speech at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis in Galway, the Fine Gael leader said the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened before our eyes and Ireland cannot stay silent on the actions of Israel. We condemn the massacre carried out by Hamas in October and again call for the release of all hostages, Mr Harris said. But we cannot stay silent on the actions of Israel either. Reason has been replaced by revenge and by the bombing, maiming and death of children. Mr Harris criticised the Israeli government for the lack of aid being allowed to enter Gaza, describing it as a famine. Anyone who can countenance deliberate starvation has lost their humanity, he said. Prime minister Netanyahu, the Irish people could not be clearer. We are repulsed by your actions. Ceasefire now and let the aid flow safely. Mr Harris received a standing ovation from the crowd after calling out the actions of the Israeli government. Meanwhile, the Fine Gael leader also said that he would seek to bring forward a package of supports for businesses and that he has heard their concerns loud and clear. I know you are hurting. I understand how hard it is to absorb increased costs especially when it seems like everything is coming at you at once, Mr Harris said. Under my leadership, Fine Gael will introduce a package to support businesses to make sure you thrive and prosper." On housing, Mr Harris also pledged that the Government would build more than 250,000 houses over the next five years and that he wants to see the renters tax credit increased to 1,000 a year. He said the ongoing waiver of development levies is working and that is making it cheaper to build and cheaper to buy, while confirming that the Government would further extend the help-to-buy scheme. During his speech, Mr Harris also said it is his ambition to increase the cutoff point for the lower rate of income tax to 50,000, saying that he will outline a five-year tax strategy later this year. I believe it is unfair that people on an average wage have to pay the higher rate of income tax. So tonight, I am restating my ambition that nobody earning below 50,000 should pay the higher rate of income tax. Addressing issues around law and order, Mr Harris said he wants to introduce fast-tracked legislation to give judges new powers to make sure heinous criminals serve long sentences before they are even considered for release. He referenced the Dublin riots in November, saying that he would be convening a Dublin City Centre taskforce when he takes up the Taoiseachs office next week. There was also criticism of Sinn Fein in the new Fine Gael leader's speech, with Mr Harris saying that the main opposition party is only opportunist. Sinn Fein promises change. What they mean is, they will change their minds at every chance, he said. A party which claims to be on the side of the gardai but honours their killers and collects them from the prison gates, he said. Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said he will immediately convene a Dublin city centre task force to tackle violence when he becomes Taoiseach. He said this body comprising gardai, businesses and community groups - will chart a path towards a safer and vibrant Dublin. The incoming Taoiseach said that last November the country witnessed thugs and criminals set fire to the capital, destroying shops and garda cars without a care in the world. It is not clear how the promised task force will work alongside existing the Dublin City Joint Policing Committee which comprise gardai, local authorities, city councillors, businesses and community representatives. The Governments central policing reform legislation, the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, which was passed last February, will see the replacement of the JPCs across the country with new Community Safety Partnerships as part of a new national structure. In a section of his speech covering security issues, Mr Harris said Fine Gael would always stand for law and order. He said: We stand for more gardai, with more powers and more resources to make our streets safe. Under Budget 2024, the Government provided funding for the recruitment of between 800 and 1,000 student gardai. Fine Gael leader Simon Harris (left) and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at the 82nd Fine Gael Ard Fheis at the University of Galway. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire Earlier this month, 165 new recruits entered the organisation, bringing total strength to almost 14,100, the highest since February 2023. But the Government still has a way to go before it reaches the recent height of 14,750 in March 2020. The Garda Budget for 2024 reached a record allocation of 2.31bn, up from 2.14bn in 2023. On garda powers, Mr Harris said body cameras for gardai would be in place by the summer along with up-to-date technology to support gardai. The body cameras are being piloted in four garda divisions. The incoming Taoiseach said Fine Gael stood for tougher sentences for those who commit horrific crimes. We will fast track legislation to give judges new power to make sure heinous criminals serve long sentences before they can ever even be considered for release, he said. This refers to planned legislation that was first announced by Justice Minister Helen McEntee in March 2022 and is promised for this year. Under the plans, judges will have the legal power to impose minimum terms - of between 15 and 30 years - that an offender must serve in cases of murder, rape, sexual assault or child sexual abuse before they can even be considered for parole. The plans were adopted after lengthy campaigning by victims groups. Mr Harris also said in his speech that the Government would continue to increase prison capacity. The Prison Officers Association and the Irish Prison Service have been warning of a looming overcrowding crisis for years a crisis, as revealed in the Irish Examiner, that has accelerated this year, with numbers at record levels and about to breach the 5,000 mark. Mr Harris said the Criminal Assets Bureau, which Fine Gael established in 1996 following the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin in June 1996, would get more powers, under existing proposals, to strip criminals of assets more quickly. The Fine Gael leader said new measures would be brought forward this year to increase penalties for knife crime and anti-social behaviour, which he said had become too dominant in communities. These measures are thought to stem from the work of the Anti-Social Behaviour Forum, set up in September 2021 by Minister of State in the Department of Justice, James Browne. Earlier this year, when talking about this forum, Ms McEntee said there was already a comprehensive and robust legal framework in relation to knife crime, including heavy penalties. She said it was a complex issue and that there were no quick fixes to tackling knife crime. Mr Harris also mentioned the ongoing issue of children who were being groomed into a life a crime through the scourge of drugs in society. In relation to the Defence Forces, Mr Harris said the Government would do more to support and resource our defence forces, before stressing it was the only Oglaigh na hEireann. But he did not add to this statement or detail where the Government was at regarding its commitment to implement the second of three options outlined by the Commission on Defence Forces, published in February 2022. Under this option the Government pledged to increase the annual budget to 1.5bn by 2028, up from 1.1bn in 2022. The budget stood at 1.23bn in 2024. The commitment includes the net recruitment of 2,000 personnel and the provision of nine double-crewed ships by 2030, with the Naval Service currently provided with two operational ships, but only one is on-patrol. Mr Harris spoke at some length in relation to immigration, pointing out that Ireland was a country of emigration and that this had shaped the country. But people are now coming to this country in search of that better life," he said. But we have to better manage migration. We need a fair and firm system. He said Ireland will sign up to the biggest overhaul of migration rules in decades referring to the decision announced at the end of last month that Ireland will opt-in to the EU Migration Pact. This will result in a firmer system," he said. "It will ensure those who need our help get it, but we're also ensure that those who are not entitled to come to this country, get a decision more quickly and quite frankly, leave more quickly, as well. He said the country needed to move away from the emergency use of hotels for housing asylum seekers, and said he believed the Government now had a plan. He said: But implementation will be key and engagement with communities essential and leadership across government. We need to listen to people. Mr Harris did not make reference to the arson attacks on asylum accommodation centres or the threat posed by far-right agitators. He said Irish people wanted to play their part in assisting asylum seekers: Irish people want to help. They already are. The incoming Taoiseach said Ireland stood shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, adding: "We know war is a darkness that threatens all of our democracies and all of our European values." He said this has posed "real challenges" for Ireland but strongly endorsed Ireland's support for Ukraine against Russian aggression. "Taking in families fleeing the war has brought significant pressures," he said, "but it is the right thing to do and Ireland, a proud and committed member of the European Union, will always stand with the people of Ukraine". 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. On Friday, 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. A Gaeltacht development group has called for ministerial intervention to secure the future of the countrys oldest Irish college following confirmation it will not open for summer courses this year. Colaiste na Mumhan in Ballingeary, Cork, will remain shuttered this year despite the best efforts of the village development group, Coiste Forbartha Beal Athan Ghaorhaidh, to work with the college trustees to secure Irish language courses there this summer. It could cost the Gaeltacht up to 40,000 in lost income. Coiste members, who raised concerns in January about the future of the college, and who called on the college trustees, Comhaltas Colaiste na Mumhan, to reopen it or hand it over to them to run, expressed bitter disappointment at the news, especially at a time when demand for Gaeltacht courses is surging. Spokesman Tadhg O Duinnin said they met representatives of the college twice since and subsequently engaged in protracted email correspondence during which the trustees suggested they could licence the college to the Coiste. But Mr O Duinnin said there were just too many legal issues to resolve in time for this summer season and so the process collapsed. The not-for-profit community organisation, Comhaltas Colaiste na Mumhan, has been asked to comment. The Coiste said ministerial intervention was probably needed now to secure the colleges long-term future and to exploit its remarkable potential to the full. In a hard-hitting statement, the Coiste criticised the trustees for failing to organise Irish courses this summer, for allowing their membership fall, for poor planning, and for allowing the college facilities fall into disrepair. These courses have been very important for Ballingearys culture, heritage and economy for nearly 120 years, the Coiste said. The Comhaltas has lost vital connectivity with the Ballingeary community, having lost all its vital Ballingeary membership over the last two years. The colaistes buildings, which have incredible potential, have not been used in any meaningful way outside of five weeks of the summer courses. The Comhaltas have run courses for only one summer since 2019 and that was in 2023. All this is happening at a time when Irish summer colleges throughout the country are thriving. We firmly believe the courses will not run in 2025 due to Comhaltas Colaiste na Mumhans inability to do so. We wish to take their place." Colaiste na Mumhan opened in 1904 as Irelands first Irish language teacher training college. It began offering summer courses for secondary school students some years later. The most recently available figures published by the Charities Regulator shows Colaiste na Mumhan had a deficit for 2022 of just over 20,100, with total income of just 8,239 and expenditure of 28,455. In 2021, it recorded 26,200 income by the end of December, with expenditure of 33,600, and the previous year, it had 43,916 income with 51,000 expenditure. By contrast, a decade ago, its total income for 2014 was 185,000, with expenditure of 184,000. The spectre of the overcoated Fagin looming large over the lives of dependent children is one of the most enduring characters of childrens fiction. A schemer who trains children to be pickpockets, while providing them with food and somewhere to stay, has become synonymous with exploitation since Oliver Twist was published almost two centuries ago. The moral dilemma for some children in such a situation is painted through the eyes of the young Oliver Twist in the Charles Dickens novel. The orphaned Oliver sees only the good in Fagin at first, not realising the modus operandi being employed by him in his dealings with children like Oliver. In recent weeks, the passing of legislation dubbed Fagins Law is aimed at criminalising adults who use children for the purpose of engaging in criminal activity. The Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Bill 2023 has a penalty of a fine of up to 5,000 or imprisonment of up to 12 months on summary conviction, or an unlimited fine or up to five years imprisonment on indictment for adults convicted under the legislation. According to the Department of Justice, a child who influences another child to commit a crime cannot be charged under this legislation so as to avoid further criminalisation of children. The networks and communications manager of MECPATHS, JP OSullivan, works with the hospitality industry to prevent child trafficking. Mr OSullivan has concerns about the new legislation, because children will be expected to give evidence against their groomer in order to secure a conviction. He says: We primarily see the sexual and the criminal exploitation here in Ireland. For the criminal piece, it would be young lads getting a Canada Goose jacket, a voucher for Brown Thomas, a bottle of beer, a box of fags, and then they believe they are buddy-buddy with this person. Then the requests start: Take this package in for me, I bought you that, this is what friends do for each other, or were in a relationship, this is what partners do. Where we would see this a lot is with children living in care and that tactic is used. They might have no familial connections, the piece that is missing for them is the affection. The trafficker will see that and will shower them with the gifts, the emotions, the connection, and then they believe they are in a relationship with the person be it familial or sexual and the exploitation begins. They would have been brought into their trust and they 100% believe they are in a relationship with them. We are seeing untold numbers of kids caught in criminal exploitation. The recent legislation was passed amid much applause, but my concern is that at the centre of it this piece of legislation requires the child to give evidence against the accused, in order to secure a conviction. 70% of children caught in these worlds are brought in by a familial connection, so what child is going to stand up against their aunt, their mum, or their dad and say they did this to me when they are not even self-identifying [as a victim]? They have got the Canada Goose jacket, they dont think anything has happened to them. According to Europol, this so-called lover boy technique is widely used by criminals to recruit victims confronted with economic and social hardship for labour exploitation and the sex trade. Labour exploitation can present in various forms, including in the beauty industry, in agriculture, and in organised begging. The agency said: The suspects target their victims vulnerabilities, and seduce them with expensive gifts and promises of a better life abroad. This is how many women leave their families in search of love and new opportunities in other countries. However, once they find themselves in their new home, they are forced into prostitution to earn money for their handler. The victims are lured with affection, violence, and threats against them and their families back home. In Ireland, two Nigerian women were the first to be convicted of human trafficking here. Their case came before Mullingar District Court in 2021, and the women Alicia Edosa and Edith Enoghaghase were convicted on two counts of trafficking women around Ireland on dates between September 2016 and June 2018. They were also convicted on one charge of organising prostitution, as well as a series of money laundering offences. Their trial heard evidence of four women who claimed they were forced into prostitution in Ireland after undergoing a voodoo ceremony in Nigeria. One woman said she was forced to pull the heart out of a chicken as part of the ritual. In some cases, women believed they were coming to Ireland to work as shop assistants, only to be forced to work as prositutes. The women had been forced to swear they would not try to escape or speak to gardai once in Ireland, the trial heard. The women had believed they were coming to Ireland to work as shop assistants. Instead, they were forced to work as prostitutes across the country, including in Limerick, Cork, and Galway. They were also told that they owed the defendants sums, ranging from 35,000 to 60,000, for having arranged their travel to Ireland. Last year, police forces in Britain and Bulgaria combined in an operation called Motley, which resulted in nine arrests and the seizure of more than 1m of assets including cash. The suspects were alleged to have targeted women on social media and used the lover boy method to lure them to Britain, where they were advertised online for provision of adult services. Associate researcher Ruth Breslin, who works on the Sexual Exploitation Research Programme at UCD, describes the lover boy method as insidious. She said that many of the cases reviewed by the programme involved deception in attracting women to Ireland. Ms Breslin says, in many cases, the women end up in Irelands sex industry. She adds: One trend we have noticed is that the lover boy method is something that is quite a common experience for women from central and eastern Europe. She explains that women lured into the sex trade with the lover boy method are persuaded by men, who they believe they are in a relationship with, that working in the sex industry is something they are doing because they love their boyfriend. They are being persuaded that the money they earn is something they can both benefit from. However, she points to one case she recalls where a woman who managed to escape realised afterwards that she was wearing cheap clothes while the trafficker the man she believed to be her boyfriend was dressed in designer gear. She also came to realise that, while she and other women in this position felt safe and protected by their boyfriends, those men were profiting from their prostitution. Ruth Breslin, of the Sexual Exploitation Research Programme at UCD, describes the 'lover boy' method as insidious. Ms Breslin says: At the end of the day, he is the one calling the shots and keeping the chunks of the profits. She points out that such relationships are often controlling and abusive, and adds: It is very insidious because the girl is being controlled. It is an intersection of trafficking and domestic violence. It is very complicated. Ms Breslin believes that women and girls in lover boy relationships are much harder to identify and, as a result, they cannot benefit from services for people in their position, because they typically do not realise they are victims. During a recent court case in Ireland, Detective Sergeant Alan Lynch, from the Garda National Protective Services Bureaus Human Trafficking Investigation and Co-ordination Unit, referenced the lover boy method in human trafficking. He told the court he has been working in the area of human trafficking for the past three years, assisting investigations and assessing prospective victims. Suspected victims are assessed through three pillars: mobilisation, means, and exploitation. Det Sgt Lynch explained: We must form one part from each pillar for someone to be deemed a victim. Under mobilisation is recruitment, transport, and transfer. Transport not only means into the country, but transport throughout the country and collection from an airport is a massive part of trafficking. It plays into the vulnerability of people coming into the country who have no English, they dont know where they are and have limited means. The means then is the middle pillar there is force, deception and coercion, abduction, abuse of power, and abuse of vulnerability. We see that a lot with victims. The last part is exploitation sexual, labour, criminal, forced begging and forced criminality. 'A heinous crime' Human trafficking is a heinous crime and it is committed by transnational poly-criminals. In trafficking cases, typically, there are a number of different methods that are used. It is sometimes physical, sometimes emotional, sometimes financial. It is a phenomenon called the lover boy phenomenon. It is used to coerce victims. Victims then submit to trafficking, as they have no acceptable alternative. It is akin to a coercive control situation. They believe that they have no alternative and nothing is wrong. While Det Sgt Lynch said it can occur in a number of different trafficking scenarios, it is most common in sexual exploitation. Romanian prosecutors claimed that the lover boy method was employed by social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Christian, who were charged with rape, human trafficking, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women in Romania after being arrested in December 2022 with two Romanian women. All four deny the allegations. According to Det Sgt Lynch, securing complaints from possible victims of trafficking and exploitation can be a protracted process. To take a statement of complaint from these victims would take over the course of five or six visits, to avoid re-traumatising victims, he told the court. It generally takes a long long time for people to realise the situation that they are in. He outlined that in cases of labour exploitation, victims typically have no access to money, have no PPS numbers, and dont have access to their own documents or identification papers. He also said that lover boy situations typically refer to areas of sexual exploitation. However, in labour exploitation, people in bad circumstances in their home country are taken under the wing of senior operators in a trafficking organisation and given good clothing, jewellery, and other items which they would not have had access to previously. Mr OSullivan says of such instances: It needs to be taken into account too where some of these people come from." The experience they are having in Ireland, be it exploitative, may be 10 times better than where they actually began their life and they think there is nothing wrong. For those that do, they often fear speaking out or seeking help because of the intimidation they have suffered and the threats that they would be prosecuted for activities they carried out while in the grip of their traffickers. Another strand of legislation which will have an impact on victims of human traffickers is the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Bill 2023, which passed committee stage in the Dail last November and is set to go to report stage in the coming weeks. In its submission on the legislation, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission called for recognition of the difficulties faced by victims in coming forward. The submission said: As traffickers often use the threat of prosecution as a means of control, victims are afraid to come forward. We recommend that the bill be amended to include a statutory defence for victims of trafficking where they have committed crimes as a direct consequence of them being trafficked. In the days of Oliver Twist, the grooming of children by Fagin was less complex than the means used by those engaged in trafficking and exploitation today. This has been highlighted in by the commission in a submission to the European Commission 5th Progress Report on the Fight against Trafficking in Human Beings in the European Union. Technology provides groomers and recruiters with highly accessible, but also relatively discreet, means to build a relationship of trust with their victims, to tap into their vulnerabilities, and offer them what appears to be a way out of a difficult situation in their lives, the commission warns. Theres a film in the story of Mary Gorman, the farm servant whose life took an unimaginable course after she happened to see Roger Casement walking along the road in Ardfert, Co Kerry, with two other men on Good Friday morning of 1916. Her accidental sighting took her to London and introduced her to celebrity of sorts, as outlined here last week. Her brief moment of fame (or infamy, depending on how you look at it) backfired cruelly when she returned home. Two short years later, she was on her way to Dr Steevens Hospital in Dublin under the alias Julia Quinlan her second name change in as many years to be treated for a venereal disease. At least the authorities took some responsibility for this young woman who had fallen victim to the wiles of an Australian officer, as one official put it, after she appeared as a Crown witness against Roger Casement in 1916. Giving testimony She had little say on giving testimony, much like the four other ordinary citizens three from Ardfert and one from Tralee who later found themselves caught in the political crossfire when they returned home to a country much changed after the Easter Rising of 1916. Yet, there is not a shred of self-pity evident in the letter Mary Gorman wrote to Dr Coffey, the man who helped her when she first presented at the infirmary at Tralee Workhouse in late 1917. In it, she comes across as a well-informed, educated woman taking control of her own healthcare. She is matter of fact and open when talking about syphilis perhaps because attitudes to the illness were changing, in the medical profession at least. Dr Steevens Hospital opened a dedicated venereal disease clinic in January 1919, eight months after Mary began treatment there. Even if the illness still carried an enormous social stigma, treatment for it had improved. Mercury, so toxic to the human body, had been replaced by a course of novarsenobillon injections which was followed up by a new blood test to assess improvement. In her letter to Dr Coffey in Tralee, it is clear Mary Gorman was aware of all of this and was looking for his advice. Her Dublin doctor had proposed she return home after getting four of the six injections. She, on the other hand, thought it would be better to stay at the hospital. It didnt make sense not to complete the treatment, she wrote, but her greatest concern was having to go back to Ardfert. Woman of loose morals I would rather go somewhere else, she wrote, expressing her clear dread of returning to a small community where she was seen not only as a traitor but now as a woman of loose morals as well. Mary Gorman. one of the principal witnesses in the Casement trial at Bow Street in 1916. Picture: Daily Record and Mail What is striking was how this young woman she was still only 20 was able to make her case and say she was entitled to treatment. She had read in the paper that the treatment scheme got plenty of money from the government. I cant understand why they treat me as if it was a compliment. I think it is for the good of the State I am contenting myself here so long. It isnt like as if I wanted to go around and give it to everybody else like others do. By then, she had spent more than a year at the hospital while the authorities at Dublin Castle tried to find her a job abroad as soon as she was cured. It must have been impossibly difficult for Mary Gorman. She had expressed the injustice eloquently herself earlier in 1918 when she was brought before the Board of Guardians at Tralee workhouse. She had gone in there as Mrs Mary Donaldson but was outed as the witness in the Casement trial shortly afterwards. In her defence, she said: I only said I saw three strangers passing down the road The police came and said I would go off to England. I knew nothing about Sir Roger Casement. They sent me off to England where anyone is not safe. Her situation was not only personally distressing, but it was considered hot news. Sympathy On its front page, The Kerryman labelled the proceedings unusually interesting, in fact they were almost historic, yet it expressed some sympathy for Mary Gorman. It is hard, very hard for a young, and I suppose unsophisticated country girl to be drawn into the whirling vortex of great political happenings and come out unscathed. The writer also agreed Mary Gorman had been abandoned by the authorities and argued the government and not the Tralee ratepayer should provide for her now: What I look upon as the most important, and disgraceful feature of the whole affair is that Mary Gorman, after working for the government and thereby rendering herself obnoxious to many in the community was subsequently thrown away by them, as herself stated. Mary Gorman had others to speak for her, such as local government inspector Alfred P Delany, who said she had been subjected to a most painful inquisition at Tralee workhouse and should be given a chance of a new life. She is held up as an odious outcast, and her case is cited as an example of the dire consequences that must overtake anybody who, in a political case, assists the Crown these consequences being first, Irish hatred, and secondly, English abandonment, he wrote. A series of fascinating letters in the Dublin Castle records, marked secret, tell the story of how the authorities did, in fact, do the right thing. They paid for her treatment and sought a job abroad for a woman who had met with misfortune. Meantime, her uncle Timothy Gorman wrote to the king of England and the British government to say he would care for her at his home in New York. She is afraid they [will] shoot her [if she returns to her grandmother] for the people there is sticking up for Casements radical work, he wrote. Passage to New York At the end of 1919, 'Julia Quinlan' was deemed fit to travel, and her passage to New York was paid. She was escorted to Liverpool by policewoman Mary ONeill with a suitcase full of new clothes boots, four chemises, a skirt, frock dress, underwear and travelling rug, among them and 10 in her pocket. She set sail on January 14, 1920, on board the ocean liner Baltic, to be met, we assume, by her uncle of 206 West 19th Street, New York. At home, it would take nearly a century to rehabilitate her memory and that of the other witnesses, Michael Hussey, Martin Collins, 12, Maurice Moriarty and John McCarthy. As the latter said: We are the innocent victims in this misfortune and you only brought us here [London] to throw the blame down on us. In 1966, John Blackwell wrote an article in The Kerryman arguing the witnesses were ordinary people caught up in events beyond their control. But, says his grand-daughter Helen OCarroll, historian and curator of Kerry County Museum, people were not ready to hear that side of the story. In 2016, she wrote an article in the Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society journal outlining the fate of those reluctant witnesses. Attitudes had finally shifted, 100 years on. Meantime, Mary Gorman aka Julia Quinlan, disappeared from the historical record once she landed in New York. Did she change her name again? If so, who could blame her and yet we owe it to her to write the next chapter of her story. The search continues. Tick tock goes the clock for the TikTok Taoiseach. As he prepares to enter office, becoming the youngest Taoiseach in the history of the State, Simon Harris is under pressure to break records on delivery if his tenure as head of Government is to make any impact. Harris also needs to re-energise his own fatigued party and has described this as a moment for Fine Gael to reset. The 37-year-old has already indicated that security, supporting business, regional development, and responding to the migrant crisis will be among the items on his agenda. But Fine Gael in Government has failed to get a proper handle on the health or housing crises over the past 11 years, so Harris wont be able to make a significant dent in either in just 11 months if the coalition even manages to last that long. Instead, he would be wise to focus on a few key areas, and top of this list should be addressing some of the unfinished business he left behind in the Department of Health. 1. The National Childrens Hospital: For Harris, more than anyone else in Cabinet, the National Childrens Hospital will be a defining legacy issue. As health minister back in 2019, he was forced to admit to the Dail that the Government and the taxpayer had been extremely badly let down by the elasticity of the cost of the hospital. For Simon Harris, more than anyone else in Cabinet, the National Childrens Hospital will be a defining legacy issue. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA At that time, the project was running at 1.43bn. When the facility does eventually open it will have surpassed the 2bn mark. Ensuring the final stages of the hospital are delivered without further financial or time issues should be a priority for Harris. 2. Securing law and order: This time last year, Justice Minister Helen McEntee would have been widely tipped as a contender to take over the reins of Fine Gael, but her perceived lack of strong leadership in the wake of the Dublin riots damaged her standing within the party. So much so, that she barely entered the mix of speculation before Harris emerged as the only contender. Harris, as head of a party that has always prided itself on being strong on law and order, knows he has to get a handle on justice. McEntee has insisted she wants to stay in her portfolio but was seen looking forlorn around Leinster House this week. Deciding whether to keep McEntee in place or take a chance on someone like Neale Richmond or Peter Burke could mark out his term in office. 3. Defence Forces: With numbers now below 8,000 for the first time in decades, morale in the Defence Forces is on the floor. The problem of recruitment and retention of staff has become so acute that the State has been forced to withdraw soldiers from peacekeeping missions on the Golan Heights. The final 133 soldiers arrived back in Dublin Airport yesterday, with the decision made not to continue deploying members on the border between Syria and Israel due to personnel shortages. It is just over a year since the killing of Private Sean Rooney, and his fellow peacekeepers in Lebanon now find themselves in direct crossfire between Hezbollah and Israel as rocket attacks across the border in both directions intensify. A visit from the Taoiseach to Camp Shamrock would undoubtedly show that Harris is committed to improving the pay and conditions of the Defence Forces, but he would have to back this up with actions at home. 4. Hate Speech: Whether or not McEntee remains in Justice, the incoming Taoiseach will have to make a decision on the contentious hate speech bill. Helen McEntee and Simon Coveney ahead of the Fine Gael ard fheis in Galway. Picture: Dan Linehan The proposed legislation, which includes a clause to create an offence based on a person communicating material to the public that is likely to incite violence or hatred, has become wrapped up in culture wars and disinformation. When asked about it yesterday, Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe said the bill would have to be reviewed and reassessed. But if Harris is to show real leadership, he should press ahead to implement the new laws in the lifetime of this Government. 5. The Gathering: Fine Gaels pre-pandemic manifesto put forward a Year of the Invitation, to be held in 2023. The proposal, based on the original tourism drive that provided a 170m economic boost, was billed as a global invitation to visit Ireland on the 10-year anniversary of the Gathering. The Gathering part two plan made it into the Programme for Government, but with many hotels now hosting Ukrainian families, the idea seems to have been shelved by the coalition. With the hospitality sector now under pressure due to rising costs and the axing of the special Vat rate, any resurrection of a plan to boost tourism would be a welcome move. 6. The Enda appeal: While his fabled stories of the two-pint man sparked a certain amount of sneering from certain quarters, former taoiseach Enda Kenny was a politician who could really work a room. Harris follows in the footsteps of former Fine Gael leaders and taoisigh Leo Varadkar and Enda Kenny. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins When Leo Varadkar took over as leader of Fine Gael in 2017, many in the party welcomed a slicker style of politics. But there is a growing opinion among the grassroots and elected representatives that Fine Gael should return to a more personal style. Harris, if clever, should be able to merge the online world with the rubber chicken circuit. 7. Scoliosis: As minister for health in 2017, Harris said that waiting times for children who needed surgery for scoliosis were appalling. Were going to make sure by the end of this year, no child waits in this country longer for a scoliosis procedure than four months, he promised. Fast-forward to February of this year when Harris was confronted in the Dail by Sinn Feins Pearse Doherty, who raised the plight of 288 children who he said continue to languish on waiting lists for critical scoliosis surgery. Children should not be left waiting for months and sometimes years as their condition deteriorates. Addressing waiting lists for once and for all would be politically astute but also the compassionate thing to do. 8. Keep the coalition going: It may sound like a simple task, but ensuring that the three-stool coalition does not topple over will be a balancing act for the new Taoiseach. With the final budget of this Government due to be delivered in the autumn, each of the parties will be looking to put a clear stamp on the measures and ministers will be manoeuvring for the best possible share of the pot. However, a near 25% drop in corporation tax receipts in the first three months of the year and increases in State spending should be a warning to Harris that keeping a keen eye on the purse strings is now a necessity. There was an earthquake in the New York area last week, with reverberations felt for miles around. On Saturday morning there was a similar vibration in the Cork area, an emanation on a low frequency, as comments made far to the north came to light. If you missed out, there were reports coming from Dublin about a new market which is to open there, or perhaps an old market being reopened: the citys Victorian fruit and vegetable market is to be redeveloped at a cost of 25m. So far so good. Best of luck and all that. Then Dublin City Councils chief executive chipped in, telling the Irish Times: Well be far better than [the English Market in] Cork once we get going, but things take a while to get to a point where you pull the trigger. Then when you pull the trigger it happens very quickly. Shots fired, eh? Those are brave words given that the redevelopment was first proposed in (checks notes) 2002 and is still in the distance almost a quarter of a century on. Theyre even braver when you drill into the detail. Dublin City Council is undertaking stablisation works on the building in the hopes that the new market will be able to open in two years, but there are several legal cases ongoing in relation to the site. That means there are no guarantees the council will even own the site when the market is due to open. Given that its the subject of numerous court cases, well just have to wait and see what happens next", was a less eye-catching but perhaps more accurate comment from the chief executive. The fact that this officials name is Richard Shakespeare can be filed under added bonuses. Its not fair to pick on someones name but in this case it can only be done with a physical effort: two charcuterie counters, both alike in dignity, etc. Sometimes a column just assembles itself in front of you, with all the constituent parts more or less aligned together, ready to slot into place. In this case, there are almost too many parts on hand. Theres an effrontery angle here, a bullishness-so-brazen-you-almost-have-to-admire-it angle: saying a non-existent, aspirational space will be better than a functioning enterprise now in its fourth century of operation takes some neck. Then theres the were-reinventing-what-a-market-is angle: Mr Shakespeare said the Dublin market will have a quintessentially Dublin . . . That isnt just Irish stew; it should reflect the business and restaurant environment in the city, and reflect a modern Ireland. Putting aside the gratuitous shots fired at Irish stew, this statement is a neat encapsulation of something that the English Market has been doing since 1788. The market has always reflected Ireland without having that spelt out as a mission statement. Add in the inevitable part of our-tourism-offering angle: putting the new market as part of a chain to link OConnell Street, Henry Street, Mary Street, Abbey Street and Capel Street is an admirable wish, but one reason the English Market has survived for so long is that it is a working market serving generations of Corkonians. Its status as a tourist landmark is incidental, not fundamental. Then you can add in the blissful ignorance angle: the English Market is the iconic centrepiece of the city, but there are other successful markets in Cork. The Marina Market down on the river sounds like the kind of restaurant location envisaged for Dublin. The Black Market, a smaller boutique market with food outlets, is a couple of hundred metres from the Marina Market. That makes three separate markets in a city of 224,000 people, as opposed to the, ah, range of markets in Dublin, a city of 1.2 million. It was interesting that in media reports of Mr Shakespeares comments there was no mention of the Epicurean Food Hall, a short-lived venture in creating a food market in the centre of Dublin since replaced by a large Dealz. Most important, though, this report was the Dublin attitude writ large, raw and unvarnished: what well do in Dublin will be better. Not because of anything grounded in facts, or based on real evidence, but simply because were doing it in Dublin. Theres something inherently cringeworthy in that kind of attitude, of course, an infantile need to be the biggest. A mature approach would have been to cite the English Market as a helpful model or ideal template rather than insulting it on one hand and handing a hostage to fortune with the other. The fact that Dublins top administrator expressed himself in this way was illuminating, and not just in relation to this new market. Unfortunately, none of us will be around in two-and-a-half centuries to see if it can match the English Market for longevity, though I doubt it will. Even its most ardent promoter has had to admit that its not clear itll even open. The market and its devotees dont need to respond to desperate bleats for attention. For those reasons, and more, that vibration coming from the Deep South on Saturday morning wasnt anger or defensiveness. Corks weekend emanation could be articulated in a Leeside expression as old as the market itself. Leave them off. Victoria will become the fourth state to adopt the initiative, meaning millions of residents will be able to download a digital ID from next month. More than four million road users will be able to leave their wallet at home with Victoria to become the latest state to officially allow motorists to rely on a digital version of their driver's licence. The move which follows several other states including NSW, Queensland and South Australia comes in the wake of a six month trial in which 15,000 Ballarat residents download their licences to the Service Victoria or myVicRoads app. Now, the initiative will be officially rolled out to drivers statewide from next month, Minister for Roads Melissa Horne announced on Saturday. More than 4.5 million fully licensed drivers will be first eligible for the switch, followed by learners and p-platers by 2025. Drivers in Melbourne will be able to rely on a digital driver's licence from next month as the initiative gets rolled out statewide. Source: Getty The digital licence will reflect in real-time whether it has been revoked or suspended and can be used as proof of identity. Police, businesses and other authorities will be able to verify its authenticity through a timed QR code. Consultation with organisations that rely on photo identification including bars, restaurants, retailers and police will ramp up throughout April, ahead of the change. "Our digital driver licences will make it easier for Victorians when they go about their day-to-day lives whether that's driving around, renting a car, collecting a parcel or visiting a licensed venue," Ms Horne said. Queenslanders most recently joined the trend with residents in the sunshine state able to rely on the digital ID cards from November, despite a glitch delaying the rollout. South Australia launched its digital licences all the way back in 2017, followed by NSW two years later. Queensland recently followed South Australia and NSW in introducing the driver's licence within an app. Source: supplied Victorian Minister for Government Services Gabrielle Williams said drivers in the state had been calling on the government to follow other states' lead. "Victorians have been asking us for a digital driver licence," she said. "From next month millions of Victorians can access them on their phones alongside other government-issued cards like a Working with Children Check, seniors card or fishing licence." How to download digital driver's licence Victorians who have downloaded either the VicRoads or Services Victoria app will automatically receive their digital licence through their app once it has been processed in May. The licences can be updated in real-time if there are changes to licence conditions or personal information like home addresses. The transition to the digital version has involved lengthy privacy and security testing, the state government said. with AAP Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. BLUE and white? Its sky and freshly spun clouds, its water and wave, and above all things, its the iconic indigo seen in all sorts of ceramics from delft to fine porcelain. Food looks beautiful plated on blue and white set onto a butter-soft white linen tablecloth. Its a natural companion to oiled or painted wood, and here in Ireland, its a familiar vernacular of three centuries that would have been proudly staged in Irish cottages and farmhouse kitchens as part of a dresser display. Crossing ploughed fields or walking the beach, you will likely pocket a sherd or two of domestic blue and white pottery, its edges buffed to silk by seawater. If youre interested in collecting or just want to add some blue and white to your summer table, heres a little history. Our fascination for blue and white dates right back to the 17th century when Chinese porcelain and its pretenders became widely available to the ascendant society across Europe. Chinoiserie China Blue (roller blinds from 29), priced according to sizings, blinds2-Go.ie. The development of porcelain began in seventh-century China (Tang Dynasty), where potters in the town of Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province managed to refine their ceramics with fine kaolin clay. Influenced by Islamic pottery, this was imaginatively decorated before final firing with a cobalt pigment produced in Yunnan province or imported from Persia (Iran). Depending on what was available, darker blues were taken from cobalt with more iron oxide and paler hues were delivered with pigments featuring more magnesium. By the 15th century star pieces or porcelain were being made for African and Middle Eastern buyers and featured symbols and motifs appealing to a variety of cultures. Chargers, ginger jars and vases with their ink style painting on what was termed Kraak porcelain in various shades of blue and white/buff Chinese porcelain and was now also reaching the West. It became a highly anticipated staple of the Dutch East India Company voyages, collected along trade routes developed for tea, spices, silks and other goods. The waterproof cargo was crammed in terraces of plates and vases, into the bilge of ships as ballast. Ancient porcelain, perfectly intact has been recovered in recent times from known wrecks. By the Georgian era, every great house had its curated collection of silver, and blue-and-white Chinese porcelain, its stylised landscapes and scenes indicating wealth and culture to the occupants peers. As the Chinese style was adapted to reflect Western tastes in shapes and themes, blue and white became a popular sensation. Local potters responded by creating their techniques and wares. Chinese porcelain and Delft styles were delivered in tin-glazed earthenware, stoneware and transfer prints. Everyone could have a taste. Hard-paste German and English porcelain was decorated before firing. Cheaper blue and white stonewares in heavier clays were stencilled or transfer-decorated with cartoonish Chinese scenes and happily over-painted. The Victorians brought a new interest to blue-and-white collecting, and in the middle of the 19th century Irish and British society was in the thralls of these styles. German porcelain puts a smart show in blue and white. Francis Carreau for the iconic German brand Rosenthal, from 35- 105 per plate, rosenthal.de and Irish suppliers. Everywhere you go auctions, charity shops and dealers floors, blue and white will pop out in various forms. Chinese styles are widely faked, and the best of Chinese and Asian ceramics have been widely reproduced in their finer forms for over 150 years. Take advice before parting with serious money. If youre interested in imported pieces, read more about Korean pottery in blue and white, Chinese porcelain, Islamic ceramics, and the English and Continental ceramics that followed their lead. Millers publish a wide variety of guides (check your local library), and there are oodles of information online. A visit to any national museum over your summer travels will feature some magnificent pieces with their back story. Over in Amsterdam, you can still pick up early Delft tiles with folksy motifs that trace their origins right back to the glory age of Tulip trading and sea voyaging for just a few Euro. I would start any antique buying with one great Victorian meat plate or charger. You can find these (sometimes with crude repairs in massive iron staples to the reverse) in any mixed sale in blue and white or other poly-chrome colours. Willow pattern chinoiserie patterns are still a popular favourite, and you can find its tiny bridges, pavilions and blushing maidens on modern tableware to this day. Willow was created in the 1780s in Stoke-on-Trest in England, cooked up from an unlikely Japanese fairy tale. It offers a fantasy landscape of oriental drama and romantic intrigue to read off under the Sunday lunch. For a vintage collector, Cornish blue and white with its signature bands of blue and white is ideal. Look out for teapots, pudding bowls and nappies (a now old-fashioned word for a cooking dish) designed by Thomas Goodwin Green in the 1860s. Brand-new pieces of T&G to the original design are still available at cornishware.co.uk. Read More Save or Splurge? We try two spring wallpaper designs Any large retail outlet of dining ware will feature blue and white so keep your eyes peeled for lovely things to mix up on the table to create the look. Blue and white colours and shading from different families of dishes, old and new, tend to sit very happily together. Spode in the UK has been around for 250 years. It has come up with some gorgeous new takes on its 18th-century Gothic melodramas of transfer-ware Italian scenes on earthenware with its Imari border. Cottage core heaven for a Sunday lunch. Around 33 a dinner plate. Log onto spode.co.uk for suppliers. My final pick is vintage and new Royal Copenhagen blue and white, as it was a favourite of my mother, filling her dresser shelves in the 1980s when the look saw something of an upswing. We grabbed a huge box of it at auction for about a tenner. First produced in 1774 under the patronage of the Danish royal family, every piece of Royal Copenhagen is still stamped with the three hand-painted waves that symbolise Denmarks waterways, the Oresund or Sound, the Great Belt and the Little Belt; dipping bowls from 46.90. The hand-painted Royal Creatures collection could deliver a very special wedding present, from 119, royalcopenhagen.com. Only buy chipped, cracked and damaged examples of this or any ware if youre happy to float it up onto a shelf to act as an ornament and dust it regularly. In antiques or vintage, damage will always decimate value unless its a museum-quality rarity. Were not likely picking that up from the local boot sale. Happy hunting! Climate activist Greta Thunberg was among dozens of people detained by police in The Hague as they removed protesters who were partially blocking a road in the Dutch city. Ms Thunberg was seen flashing a victory sign as she sat in a bus used by police to take detained demonstrators from the scene of a protest against Dutch subsidies and tax breaks to companies linked to fossil fuel industries. Police stormed the Mexican embassy in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito on Friday to seize the former Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Glas. Mr Glas was taking refuge in the embassy. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador declared the act a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico. He added that as a result of Ecuadors actions, Mexico will officially sever diplomatic relations with its neighbour. This is not possible, it cannot be, this is crazy The raid took place hours after the Mexican government granted Mr Glas political asylum, as diplomatic tensions between the two countries deepened. Mr Glas is perhaps the most wanted man in Ecuador and faces investigations into corruption, bribery and more. The police broke the external doors of the Mexican diplomatic headquarters in the Ecuadorian capital and entered the main patio. Ecuadors presidency issued a statement on Friday: Ecuador is a sovereign nation and we are not going to permit any criminal to stay free. Mr Lopez Obrador fired back, dubbing the intrusion an authoritarian act. He wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that his government will proceed legally and immediately declare the suspension of diplomatic relations. Experts watching the arrests pointed out that the act was a bold violation of the Vienna Conventions on Consular Relations, which is likely to drive a wedge between the governments of Mexico and Ecuador. Police make their way into the Mexican embassy in Quito, Ecuador (David Bustillos/AP) This is not possible, it cannot be, this is crazy, said Roberto Canseco, head of the Mexican consular section in Quito, outside the embassy. Asked about the situation of the former vice president and if he was apprehended by public forces, he stated: I understand that yes, I am very worried because they could kill him; there is no basis to do this, this is totally outside the norm. The Mexican embassy in Quito remained under heavy police guard late on Friday. A day earlier, tensions between the two countries escalated after Mr Lopez Obrador made statements that Ecuador considered very unfortunate about the last elections in which the Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa won. In reaction, the Ecuadorian government declared the Mexican ambassador persona non grata. On Saturday, Mr Glas was taken by armoured vehicle from the attorney generals office to an airport, where he boarded a plane for a flight to the port city of Guayaquil, 265 miles (425km) south of Quito. People who had gathered outside the prosecutors office yelled strength as the convoy of police and military vehicles moved off. Ecuadors corrections agency said Mr Glas will remain in custody at a maximum-security facility in Guayaquil. Authorities are investigating Mr Glas over alleged irregularities during his management of reconstruction efforts following a powerful earthquake in 2016 that killed hundreds of people. He was convicted on bribery and corruption charges in other cases. Alicia Barcena, Mexicos secretary of foreign relations, posted on X, formerly Twitter, that a number of diplomats suffered injuries during the break-in, adding that it violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. A violation of the sovereignty of the Mexican State and international law Diplomatic premises are considered inviolable under the Vienna treaties and local law enforcement agencies are not allowed to enter without the permission of the ambassador. People seeking asylum have lived anywhere from days to years living at embassies around the world, including at Ecuadors in London, which housed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for seven years because British police could not enter to arrest him. The decision of Ecuadorian authorities was condemned by presidents, diplomats and a regional body on Saturday. Honduran President Xiomara Castro, writing on X, characterised the raid as an intolerable act for the international community and a violation of the sovereignty of the Mexican State and international law because it ignores the historical and fundamental right to asylum. The Organisation of American States in a statement reminded its members, which include Ecuador and Mexico, of their obligation to not invoke norms of domestic law to justify non-compliance with their international obligations. In this context, it (the OAS) expresses solidarity with those who were victims of the inappropriate actions that affected the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador, according to the statement released Saturday. The organisation added that it deemed a meeting of its permanent council necessary to address the issue, but did not set a date. Ms Barcena on Friday said Mexico would take the case to the International Court of Justice to denounce Ecuadors responsibility for violations of international law. Mr Noboa became Ecuadors president last year as the nation battled unprecedented crime tied to drug trafficking. After a group of armed individuals assaulted a TV station during a live broadcast in January, he declared the country in an internal armed conflict and designated 20 drug-trafficking gangs as terrorist groups that the military had authorisation to neutralise within the bounds of international humanitarian law. Ecuadors ministries of foreign affairs and interior did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Associated Press. Former Ecuadorian ambassador Jorge Icaza told AP that the raid was illegal, but he added that it is also against the law to protect a criminal who was punished by the Ecuadorian justice system in two prominent cases, which is also negative from the point of view of international norms. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned of threats posed by right-wing populists as he addressed a gathering of centre-left European parties on Saturday ahead of elections for the European Parliament in June. Mr Scholz arrived in Romanias capital Bucharest for a conference of the Party of European Socialists, part of the Socialists and Democrats group, the second biggest in the Parliament. Voters in the 27 EU member states go to the polls in June. Right-wing populists are running election campaigns against our united Europe, the German leader said at the Palace of the Parliament, which hosted the conference. Romanias Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, third left, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, second right, and PES president Stefan Lofven, right, ahead of the Party of European Socialists conference in Bucharest (Andreea Alexandru/AP) They are ready to destroy what we have built for the kids; they stir up sentiment against refugees and minorities. Opinion polls indicate a significant shift to the right in the upcoming election, with the radical right Identity and Democracy group likely to gain enough seats to become the third largest group in the legislature, mainly at the expense of the Greens and the centrist Renew Europe group. Mr Scholz said a prosperous EU capable of getting things done is the best response to populism and autocrats. He also pledged continued support for Ukraine, saying it is key to restoring peace in Europe. Mr Scholz leads an unpopular three-party coalition. Recent national polls have shown his centre-left party far behind Germanys main centre-right opposition bloc and at best roughly level with the right-wing Alternative for Germany party. The Socialists and Democrats President Iratxe Garcia Perez also addressed the issue of rising populism in the June elections, saying those parties only pose a threat to our European project. The meeting comes after the EUs largest political party, the centre-right European Peoples Party, also met in Bucharest last month, where representatives endorsed Ursula von der Leyens bid for a second five-year term leading the blocs powerful Commission. Jobs and social rights commissioner Nicolas Schmit from Luxembourg, was chosen as the Socialists and Democrats lead candidate for Brussels top job. The next Commission chief will require approval from leaders of all EUs member states. Almost half of the EUs 27 national leaders are members of the European Peoples Party. Voters in Slovakia headed to the ballot stations on Saturday to elect a successor to Zuzana Caputova, the countrys first female president and a staunch backer of neighbouring Ukraine in its fight against Russias invasion. Former foreign minister Ivan Korcok won the first round of voting two weeks ago after receiving 42.5% of the votes. The pro-Western career diplomat faces Peter Pellegrini, who finished second with 37%, for the largely ceremonial post. Ms Caputova is not seeking a second term. Slovakian presidential candidate Peter Pellegrini, who currently serves as parliamentiary speaker, after casting his vote in a presidential runoff in Rovinka, Slovakia, on Saturday (Petr David Josek/AP) Mr Pellegrini is a close ally of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico known for his pro-Russian policies. The two advanced to Saturdays runoff after none of the nine male candidates won an outright majority in the first round. Polls had predicted a tight race in the nation of 5.4 million. Before serving as the foreign minister in 2020-2022, Mr Korcok, 60, served as the ambassador to the United States and Germany. He was also the countrys envoy to Nato and the European Union. Mr Korcok firmly supports Slovakias EU and Nato memberships. Its a moment when the people have it all in their hands, Mr Korcok said after voting in Senec, near the capital of Bratislava. Its a moment when we, politicians, have to listen carefully. Meanwhile, Mr Pellegrini, 48, heads the left-wing Hlas (Voice) party that finished third in parliamentary elections last year and favours a strong role for the state. His party joined a governing coalition with Mr Ficos leftist Smer (Direction) party and the ultranationalist Slovak National Party. Mr Ficos government, upon coming to power in September, immediately halted arms deliveries to Ukraine, prompting nationwide protests against its pro-Russian stance and several other policies. Mr Pellegrini currently serves as parliament speaker and his victory would cement Mr Ficos power by giving him and his allies control of strategic posts. It will likely be an extremely tight contest, Mr Pellegrini said after casting his ballot in Rovinka near Bratislava. Both sides seemed successful in mobilising their supporters. Critics worry Slovakia under Mr Fico will abandon its pro-Western course and follow the direction of Hungary under populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Polls will close at 8pm GMT and results are expected late on Saturday or early on Sunday. The winner will become the countrys sixth head of state since Slovakia gained independence in 1993 after Czechoslovakia split in two. A top military commander on Saturday renewed Irans promise to retaliate after an airstrike earlier this week widely blamed on Israel destroyed Irans consulate in Syria, killing 12 people, including two Iranian generals. General Mohammad Bagheri, Irans joint chief of staff, told mourners gathered for the funeral of General Mohammad Reza Zahdi that Iran will decide when and how to stage an operation to take revenge. Gen Zahdi was the highest ranking commander killed in Mondays attack. The time, type, plan of the operation will be decided by us, in a way that makes Israel regret what it did The attack on an Iranian diplomatic compound was a significant escalation in a long-running shadow war between the two arch enemies, and Israel has been bracing for an Iranian response. In all, 12 people were killed in the strike seven Iranian Revolutionary Guard members, four Syrians and a Hezbollah militia member. The time, type, plan of the operation will be decided by us, in a way that makes Israel regret what it did, Gen Bagheri said. This will definitely be done. On Friday, the commander of Irans powerful Revolutionary Guard, General Hossein Salami, warned that our brave men will punish the Zionist regime, escalating threats against Israel. Tensions have flared against the backdrop of the six-month-old Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and raised renewed fears of a broader regional conflict. The Islamic militant group Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for 17 years, is one of Irans proxies, along with Lebanons Hezbollah militia and Yemens Houthi rebels. Both Hezbollah and the Houthis have carried out attacks along the fringes of the Gaza war, with Hezbollah engaging in daily cross-border exchanges with Israel and the Houthis frequently targeting Red Sea shipping. Gen Bagheri made the comments in Isfahan, Gen Zahedis hometown, about 440km (270 miles) south of the capital Tehran. EXCLUSIVE: New rules are coming to campsites thanks to tourists who 'don't respect' the environment. Now a local WA council says it is 'clamping down'. Messy tourists have been called out after a popular camping spot on Australia's coast was left badly littered after the Easter long weekend with local authorities saying they've been left with no choice but to "clamp down" and introduce new rules to limit the number of visitors. Tourism officials for the Turquoise Coast in Western Australia have blasted campers who left behind rubbish, warning their "legacy will be remembered for a while to come". "Please let us know your address so that we can return your left behind items," the Visit Turquoise Coast Facebook page wrote on Thursday, sharing a photo of one camping area with rubbish and toilet paper left strewn in the bushes near the beach. The mess was left at Sandy Cape Recreation Park north of Jurien Bay, an Instagram hotspot about two-and-a-half hours drive north of Perth. Many Aussies reacted with anger at the "disappointing" and "disgraceful" scene, with some fearing free campsites could be shut down. Rubbish and toilet paper was left behind by campers. Source: Facebook "That makes me sooo angry. The place needs to be closed to camping and monitored," one WA resident said. "Send them the clean up bill it's disgusting leaving the bush like that," another commented. While the visitor centre was unauthorised to speak to the media, it did suggest online that poor behaviour could have repercussions when it comes to free access. "Most of us treat our campsites with respect but there are a few who don't and they will be the ones who complain when such places are no longer available to them," it wrote. Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, local shire president Tony O'Gorman confirmed new rules are set to be introduced to "clamp down" on messy campers, lamenting how many people "ignore" signs and break the rules. Sandy Cape Recreation Park is a popular spot north of Perth. Source: Chris Allen/Google Photos "We have 87 registered camp sites out at Sandy Cape. We get people that just flock in and ignore all the signage, ignore everything," he said. "The idea is that if you're in a bush camping area, you have your own toilets, you're completely self contained and whatever rubbish you generate you take out with you lot's of people don't do that so we're going to clamp down on it a bit more stringently." Authorities are currently working on a booking system which will mean only visitors who have registered online will be permitted into camping areas with overnight gear. "We could have hundreds of people rock in and they will just pull up at the side of the road and pitch a tent and that's just not acceptable it's damaging the environment and it's dangerous. They just don't pay respect to the facilities and the area." The breathtaking scenery make Jurien Bay a popular spot for those on social media. Source: Instagram While he hopes to have the booking system operational by the June long weekend, he expects it's more likely to be up and running by the September school holidays. "You can no longer just rock in and expect to get a spot... If you don't have a booking, there's no access," O'Gorman said. "People can still obviously go in there on day trips," he added. The shire president reiterated the local community wants "as many tourists as we can but we also have to respect the environment that we have". WA has around 1000 free camping sites WA is one of the most popular camping destinations with long stretches of beach and a low population making it a haven for Aussie tourists to explore. There are around 1000 free camping sites across the state, according to RAC, with lots of free camping available in the state's national parks. Travellers can wake up overlooking the Great Australian Bight or just about every corner of the Kimberley. In most sites campers are required to bring a portable toilet and abide by principles to "leave no trace". "Check your campsite or rest area before you leave and collect any rubbish or spilled food. Leave nothing and consider picking up items carelessly left by others," Explore Parks WA says on its website. Growing backlash against lazy campers It's not the first time concerns have been raised about a backlash to messy campers at popular Aussie beaches. In December, Noosa locals feared beach camping could be banned after camping gear, including new tents and cabanas were left discarded on the sand. Meanwhile over Christmas one NSW man took matters into his own hands, turning to social media to track down people who left behind rubbish and broken camping gear on a Lake Macquarie foreshore. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. The victim said the violent scene was 'like something you see in the movies' with WA Police asking the public for help in finding his attacker. A young Facebook user is warning others after he was stabbed in the stomach in broad daylight while trying to sell jewellery via the popular online Marketplace with police still searching for his attacker. Will, 20, was knifed in the stomach and thigh when the sale took a nasty turn when the pair met up in a busy Perth suburb in what he described as a "gruesome" and "crazy" altercation. The bloody incident took place last Thursday when Will agreed to meet the potential buyer at Hyde Park in the city's inner north at about 10.30am. While he was showing the man the jewellery, the suspect fled with it, prompting Will to follow in pursuit. CCTV of the chase shared by police shows the moment before the man turned on Will in front of onlookers, stabbing him multiple times. Police are looking for the assailant who fled on foot. Source: WA Police "It's like something you see in the movies, you can't imagine what it's like," he told Nine News. "I'm looking at myself and I just like see this blood just pouring out of me ... I've never seen anything like it." The uni student had advertised the items worth about $2000 on Facebook Marketplace. In the end he required emergency surgery at Royal Perth Hospital to check if his organs had been punctured. "It's quite a scary thing, I've had some terrible dreams," he said. Fortunately for Will, his vital organs were hot hit in the stabbing. Source: Nine News Fortunately for Will, no vital organs were ruptured and he says his pain is subsiding. But more than a week on police are still searching for his attacker. On Friday Detective Acting Sergeant Millie Phelan encouraged the assailant to hand himself into authorities. "These kinds of acts are cowardly and incredibly violent and the victim is very lucky to have escaped with no life changing injuries," she told media. "Violence of this nature will not be tolerated and is unacceptable." She urged anyone with any information to come forward. Detective Acting Sergeant Millie Phelan described the incident as 'cowardly'. Source: Nine News In 2020, a 28-year-old Sydney man was murdered after meeting up with a tradesman to sell Apple AirPods through Facebook. His attacker was sentenced last year to 16 years in prison. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. The naked body of a missing woman has been found floating in the sea by fishermen. Ana Victoria Avila, known as Nani among loved ones, went missing last Wednesday. The family's worst fears were later confirmed when Fishermen found the victims body floating in the water three days later on March 30, local time. Her naked corpse was discovered in the sea about 32 kilometres south of the popular tourist destination of Cancun, Mexico. Concerned family members reported her disappearance when they failed to contact her on the phone. Authorities reportedly said the young woman drowned, with no signs of physical foul play. Source: Jam Press Avila, who came from Cordoba, Argentina, had been living in Mexico since December. She was based in the resort city of Playa del Carmen where she worked as a photographer for weddings and other social events. Following an autopsy, the authorities announced that her cause of death was drowning. According to the report, the 28-year-old's body showed no signs of violence or sexual abuse. Avila studied photography at the Provincial University of Cordoba and the National University of Cordoba. On social media, she described herself as a documentary maker and photographer. She also worked as a camera operator and video editor and taught introductory photography courses online. Shocked friends have mourned her sudden and mysterious death. "Nani was someone who everybody wanted as a friend, an incredible person, fun, with a great sense of humour," close friend, Tamara Combina said. "She was also a strong and determined woman ... And an incredible photographer, a hell of a professional, with unique creativity." Jam Press Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Tehran Vows Revenge For Damascus Embassy Attack It Blames On Israel Iranian officials, as they normally do, have vowed vengeance, with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowing on April 2 that Israel would be punished by our courageous men. Though the threats by Tehran are usually idle, analysts say this time Iranians might have to make good on their pledge. Iran doesnt have many good options, but [the April 1] attack could force its hand, said Farzan Sabet, a senior research associate at the Geneva Graduate Institute. First Israeli Attack On Iranian Diplomatic Premises Past attacks on Iranian interests in Syria allegedly carried out by Israel have targeted military installations used by the IRGC and its affiliates. The April 1 strike was the first on an Iranian diplomatic compound. Iranian Ambassador to Syria Hossein Akbari told state television after the attack that three of those killed had diplomatic credentials. Iran has accused Israel of contravening international law and has demanded global condemnation. It has also requested a UN Security Council meeting. Israel has long practiced a policy of not commenting on air strikes in Syria. Raz Zimmt, a senior researcher at the Israeli-based Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), said the building hit was used by the Quds Force, the expeditionary wing of the IRGC that has been designated a terrorist entity by the United States. Al Jazeera English video: UNSC emergency meeting: Iran urges UN condemnation of consulate building attack in Syria He said the attack was part of Israels strategy of escalating matters with Iran in an attempt to put pressure on the head of the snake, as Israel sees it. Israel launched its deadly offensive in Gaza after Hamas, which has been designated as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, attacked several communities in Israel on October 7 that killed nearly 1,200 people, most of them civilians. The Iran-led Axis of Resistance has been targeting Israel since it attacked the Palestinian enclave, and even tried to impose a naval blockade using Yemens Huthi rebels, which in recent months have targeted commercial ships heading to Israeli ports. Israel has responded by hitting the proxy groups that make up the Axis of Resistance but has particularly ramped up its attacks on IRGC positions since December. The Israeli strike on the Iranian diplomatic facility in Syriamay have been an effort by Israel to impose a higher cost on Iran for the Axis of Resistance pressure campaign, said Sabet. Strategic Patience Not Cutting It Despite losing more than a dozen officers of varying ranks since the Gaza war began, the Islamic republic has not directly gone after Israel because a war with Israel would inevitably turn into a war with the United States. OtherWords OtherWords is published by the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive think tank. All told, their freely syndicated op-eds reach millions of readers each year in the heartland communities often overlooked by traditional national media. They cover politics, policy, and social issues from a progressive but non-partisan perspective. Oakland, Ca. (Special to Informed Comment; Featured) On March 29, the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the government to stop subsidizing the academies and yeshivas (seminaries), whose students have been exempted from military service since Israels founding. This move, brought by Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, was prompted by the expiration of prior government actions to maintain the exceptions, which sunset on April 1. With that, the Court ordered the government to suspend the educational subsidies for seminary students, if they dont honor their military call-ups. Opponents call this, bullying Bible students. Others expressed the growing resentment over exemption, with the fastest growing segment of the populace enjoying government subsidies, while not contributing to defense during war. The cost of maintaining the subsidies to the Haredim (Ultra-Orthodox) has skyrocketed to about $136M or 500M shekels under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus (Bibis) government. Haaretz columnist Yossi Verter argues that theyve created their own private kleptocracy. Then October 7 brought a new reality, making the exemption for this group, some 14% of the population now, untenable. The Courts decision was prompted by a petition filed by The Movement for Quality Government, the Brothers and Sisters in Arms and 240 other Israeli citizens. They object to exempting thousands of ultra-Orthodox draft-eligible people from military service. The government instructed the IDF not to draft the yeshiva students in June 2023, though the exemption had expired. The petitioners responded saying, Its very saddening that instead of understanding that something illegal is being done here a government decision in violation of the law the attorney general is enabling the continuation of the illegal situation and allowing the sinner to benefit. In fact, she is defending an illegal situation in court. In a gross act of hubris-chutzpah, Bibi promised his ultra-Orthodox parties that the legislation they want for extending exemptions will be passed. This would not be the first time Bibi has made promises to allies he doesnt have the standing to keep, without cooperation from other parties unlikely to go along. Hes become well-accustomed to sacrificing Israels immediate and long-term interests for his own political survival, not unlike Donald Trump. And any such bill that might pass the Knesset will not pass the Supreme Court, judging by their recent actions. The exemption of yeshiva and rabbinical students from military service dates to the founding of Israel in the aftermath of the Holocaust. Most of the European and global rabbinate, libraries and scholarship history had been wiped out by the Nazis. The exemption was necessary to rebuild 20th Century Judaism from the ground up to re-stock the synagogues, universities and yeshivas. By most accounts, that was amply accomplished by the 1973 War. The original exemption applied to only 400 yeshiva students, at a time when the comprised a small segment of the population. Ironically, the Haredim were some of the original anti-Zionist, who opposed the creation of the Jewish State, which they viewed as an impediment to the return of the Messiah. So in 1948, their opting out of military service was not significant to security. Now they comprise roughly 14% of the Israeli population, as noted above, and is the fastest growing demographic, creating a drag on the economy and military. They remained exempt from the conscription pool when the nation has never been more embattled with wars on multiple fronts. In 1998, the Court dispensed with the exemption, as a violation of equal protection law. Since then, a series of short-term agreements through the Courts and Knesset kept it in place. The most recent one in 2018 expired on March 31, after which, Bibi tried and failed to negotiate with the Court to extend the deadline; and pass a law to permanently enshrine it in Israeli law. The Courts ruling validated what many exemption objectors argued all along, that the government could not subsidize the yeshiva students, while exempting them from the conscription requirements of all other Israeli citizens. This was an application of the American equal protection concept, enshrined in the 14th Constitutional Amendment. Israel had no such law until 2021. How military exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox divide Israel | REUTERS Video This Court decision has fractured the Israeli government, which has been a delicate balance of ultra-Orthodox leaders and far-right secular groups promoting illegal settlements in Palestinian territory. If PM Benjamin Netanyahu does not defy his own Court (again), the Haredim might leave the government prompting new elections. But if the decision is not honored, some secular politicians might prompt the collapse. The Likud government is dependent on two ultra-Orthodox parties to keep the government in power, Shas and United Torah Judaism. Haredim or Haredi are the most observant Jews adhering to every one of the 613 laws in the Torah, Talmud, the Midrash and other formal commentaries. Unlike the Chassidic Chabad Lubavichers, the Haredim are rigidly exclusionary towards other Jews, and self-segregating; while Chabad engages in secular outreach and is accepting of Jews who are not as observant. The self-exclusionary nature of Haredi is fueled by the fact that, They teach their children to despise secular Jews. They do not recognize the state, they are anti-Zionist; to them, we are simply a cash register that must be robbed, according to Haaretz columnist Nehemia Shtrassler. The Court had given the government the April 1 deadline to submit a new bill and until June 30 to pass it, when it ruled the exemption to be a violation of equal protection, and thus discriminatory. The war cabinet consists of Bibi, along with Ministers Yoav Gallant and Benny Gantz. The latter two argue that Bibis proposal does not go far enough to meet the manpower needs of the IDF, and they want more Haredi men in the troops. Most of the 287,000 reservists called up on October 7 have since been released, but will return to active duty soon. Many reservists resent being compelled to serve longer active terms, and want the Haredi men drafted. The drama was elevated when Gantz, the former general, opposition leader and war cabinet member; called out this untenable situation, and demanded new elections in September. Gantz suggested that early elections would provide Israel with international legitimacy, a direct reference to public comments by the US and other allies, over the growing objections to Bibis leadership, and the self-destructive nature of the far-right government. He said, I believe Israeli society needs to renew its contract with its leadership, and I think the only way to do it and still maintain the national effort in fighting Hamas is by having an agreed election date. His comments elicited a harsh reaction from the Likud, dismissing the call as petty politics, claiming it would lead to paralysis, divisiveness and an impediment to freeing the hostages; as if theyre on track to accomplish any of this, and actually care about the hostages more than causing famine in Gaza. Bibi claimed that new elections would paralyze the country, as if he hasnt already accomplished that. He follows the same double-speak playbook as Trump with the media. But Gantzs position also brought parallel, but different objections from fellow Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, who insisted that Gantzs centrist position does not go far enough. Lapid said, Israel cannot wait another six months until the worst, most dangerous and failed government in the countrys history goes home. As long as we are a democracy, there is a tool that changes reality. It is called elections. Election now! This places Israeli opposition leaders in alliance with Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. His dramatic Senate Floor speech last month called for new Israeli elections; and also called out Bibi for focusing more on his political survival than the security of his nation, or minimizing civilian casualties in Gaza. But its President Joe Bidens move now to halt US aid to the Israeli war machine, to dignify Schumers rhetoric and legitimize his own. The Bibi government is like to fall soon, a consequence of political over-reach for an untenable situation, and his own brand of hubris-chutzpah. After a series of inconsequential elections and back room bargaining, which yielded no majority; he managed to cobble a fractured government, composed of ministers with competing and conflicting agendas and interests. It was destined to fail from the beginning, and now they face a dilemma certain to bring it down. Its a matter of time. Benny Gantz of the National Unity Party has declared that if new elections arent held by September, his party will leave the government. 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: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.galwaymetalsinc.com Look us up on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn 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. Kim Bum dishes on his honest opinion about starring in rom-com K-dramas and reveals the reason why he prefers not to focus on this genre at the moment. The South Korean actor headlined a slew of romantic comedy series during his early years as an actor. Among which is the iconic remake "Boys Over Flowers" with Goo Hye Sun, Lee Min Ho, Kim Hyun Joong, and Kim Joon. Interestingly, he also proved his versatility as an actor in melodramas and romance series such as "That Winter, the Wind Blows," "Padam Padam," and even comedy K-dramas like "Ghost Doctor." However, it seemed like fans wouldn't be seeing Kim Bum in a rom-com anytime soon. Here's Why Kim Bum Thinks Rom-Com K-dramas Are Not for Him In the behind-the-scenes video uploaded by Kim Bum's agency, King Kong by Starship, he was asked about his plans on returning to rom-coms. A staff member told the actor that fans are looking forward to seeing him in a rom-com, but instead of expressing excitement, Kim Bum claimed that the genre doesn't work for him. However, he revealed the reason why he couldn't do rom-coms anymore. "No, I think it's easier to play the role of killing people. Why didn't I act like this for ten years? I get it again. I don't know how to express my face." As for his fans and netizens, they still believe that Kim Bum was born to play lead characters, especially in rom-coms. i will personally drag the hell out of him just to do romcom. that face, that look, that smile HE WAS BORN TO DO ROMCOM pic.twitter.com/X8fyyRJra0 j (@rhybeom) April 4, 2024 nahh just a compilation of han joonhwi smiling and 90% of it is bcs of kang sol a #LawSchool pic.twitter.com/heOKpNJ5WI (@latterant) April 29, 2021 What's Next for Kim Bum? The South Korean star had a fruitful year in 2023. From his return to the small screen through the highly anticipated sequel, "Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938," Kim Bum is booked and busy with multiple projects and activities. Other than the actor reprising his role as Lee Rang in the fantasy series with Lee Dong Wook and Kim So Yeon, he was also busy touring around Asia for his fan meet. The 2023 Kim Bum Asia Fan Meet titled "Between Us and Me" happened in the second half of the year, where he visited his fans in Malaysia, the Philippines, and more. Interestingly, Kim Bum surprised viewers with his special cameo in "Wedding Impossible," which stars Jeon Jong Seo, Moon Sang Min, and Kim Do Wan. Taking on the role of CEO Bin Tae Hwan in episode 12, he played the love interest of Bae Yoon Kyung, who played the role of an heiress. IN CASE YOU MISSED : Kim Bum Amassing Massive Popularity Because of THIS For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars. KDramaStars owns this article Written by Geca Flores Saturday, April 6, 2024 - Former Nairobi gubernatorial aspirant, Agnes Kagure, has disclosed that she was once considered Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition presidential candidate, Raila Odingas running mate. Kagure contested as an independent candidate for the coveted Nairobi seat after her Jubilee Party of Kenya party and Raila's ODM parties agreed to field a joint candidate in the city. While recalling how the 2022 county and national elections shaped up, Kagure disclosed that she was among the Azimio la Umoja politicians considered Raila's running mate in the presidential contest. "In the run-up to 2022, we were discussing the possibility of being Baba's running mate. Mnaona mambo ingeendaje hapo? (How would things have turned out?" She posed on her Facebook. When probed into what the discussions entailed, Kagure opened up about how the coalition sought to leverage her passion for youth and women's empowerment to add value to their national agenda. "Naturally, I am passionate about youth and women, as you can see in many of the development and charity programmes by my foundation. "The discussions were inclined towards rallying women and youthful voters to our side," Kagure said The Kenyan DAILY POST Saturday, April 6, 2024 President William Rutos Cabinet has been gripped with anxiety after Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria revealed that he will begin releasing performance reports of Cabinet Secretaries this month. Speaking during the launch of National Youth Service (NYS) programmes, Kuria indicated that the reports will first be submitted to Ruto. He added that the reports will also be presented during Cabinet meetings for the members to know where they are in terms of service delivery. On the other hand, he hinted that the report, which will be published monthly, will also be made public to promote service delivery across all government agencies. Therefore, he warned his colleagues to ensure that they up their game and deliver on promises that were made to Kenyans during the campaigns. "I want to tell all the CSs and PSs that I have also been tasked with performance delivery. That work entails looking at service delivery in all government institutions. And starting this April, I will be releasing a report to the Cabinet on the progress. "And because I am an honest person, shouldn't we also make the report public? I will be releasing that report monthly so that we can be able to call out others (the underperformers)," he stated. According to Kuria, the CS will be judged based on the commitments that were made during the government roadshow that was held early in the year where Ministries highlighted key targets for the year. On the other hand, he highlighted that the government was keen on the housing, health and road sectors. Upon taking the Public Service docket in 2023, Kuria reiterated that he would push for government officers to achieve the President's agenda which is centred around the Bottom-Up economic model. He also asserted that Kenyans would be key in improving service delivery by exposing government agencies that are not performing through a public portal. The Kenyan DAILY POST Saturday, April 6, 2024 - Former Amani National Congress (ANC) Secretary General, Barrack Muluka, has said he regrets supporting the Kenya Kwanza Alliance government. In October 2020, Muluka joined President William Ruto, then the Deputy President, stating he was proud to work under him. Muluka said he had no problem offering his services to Ruto as he had the necessary credentials to perform any task. Fast forward, the communication specialist has expressed his displeasure about the Ruto-led administration. During an interview on KTN News on Friday, Muluka stated that those who contributed to Kenya Kwanza's ascend to power owe the country an apology. "We are talking about a gangster government, a gangster regime, and that's why we are where we are, and we must call it what it is by its name. "As I have said, those of us in whatever way and to whatever extent that may have contributed to the bringing of this bandit regime into power, owe this country an apology," he stated. The Kenyan DAILY POST Saturday, April 6, 2024 - Kisii County Governor, Simba Arati, has claimed former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangis life is in danger and urged Kenyans to pray for him. Speaking at Gusii Stadium on Friday, Arati claimed Matiang'i was being hunted down by criminal gangs. The ODM strongman urged the national government to accord the ex-CS state security due to his prominent duties in the fight against criminal activities during former president Uhuru Kenyatta's tenure. According to Arati, the former CS who retreated to his rural home in Borabu has been forced to be on higher alert most of the time. Arati said Matiang'i regularly switches his vehicles to evade criminal gangs that have been targeting him. "Matiangi dealt with Al Shabaab and restored peace and security in our country. "Even if he was loyal to his boss, he needs security from the government because his life is in danger," Arati said. The Kenyan DAILY POST. Friday, April 4, 2024 An ex-gang member has been executed for a double-murder he claims he can't remember. Michael Dewayne Smith, 41, killed two women in a vicious attack in 2002 while "high on drugs." He received a lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, US, and was pronounced dead at 10.20 am local time (4.20pm BST) on Thursday, April 4. According to the San Diego Union Tribune, when given the opportunity to say his last words, Smith responded: "Nah, I'm good." He had previously said of the murder spree: "I was high on drugs. I dont even remember getting arrested." In a phone interview with the Oklahoman on Monday, April 1, he added: "I don't want to die, man. "Who can ever be prepared to die, man? I sure don't want to die for something I didn't do." The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals denied Smith's fourth request for an emergency stay of execution on Wednesday, April 3. He is the fourth person to be executed in the US this year. Smith has always denied murdering Janet Moore, 40, and Sharath Babu Pulluru, 24, who were killed in separate incidents in February 2002. But in the lead-up to his death prosecutors branded Smith a ruthless gang member who slaughtered his two victims as part of a revenge plot. Ms Moore, they claimed, was shot in her apartment as a then-19-year-old Smith searched for her son who he believed had pointed cops in his direction. Meanwhile he shot Ms Pulluru nine times as he thought she had disrespected his gang during a newspaper interview. She was then doused in lighter fluid and set on fire. Smith claimed he had been framed for the crimes. Smiths attorney, Mark Henricksen, claimed he was intellectually disabled a condition made worse by years of hardcore drug use. Mr Henricksen argued Smith should be allowed to serve a life sentence rather than face the death penalty. He also argued Smith was under the influence of PCP (Phencyclidine or phenylcyclohexyl piperidine, also known as angel dust) when he made an initial confession to police. He added key parts of Smith's admission were not supported by facts. However, prosecutors rejected claims of intellectual disability, adding Smith remains a danger to society. They also noted he was caught with weapons on death row as recently as 2019. "He has expressed a desire to kill more," said Assistant Attorney General Aspen Layman. Saturday, April 6, 2024 - A section of leaders from the vote-rich Mt Kenya region have endorsed Kiharu Member of Parliament, Ndindi Nyoro, as President William Rutos successor in 2032. Led by Kiambaa MP John Njuguna Kawanjiku, they said Nyoro has what it takes to succeed Ruto in 2032. Kawanjiku said they can see the countrys future under Nyoro. "The future of our country is so important, and when you look at that picture, we can see something in Ndindi Nyoro," he said amid cheers. In his speech, UDA digital strategist Dennis Itumbi stated that they would have a conversation when the time is right. He said they would pronounce in Kiharu since they had seen Nyoro's track record. "As young people, we must come together, and here in Kiharu, we will announce the president when he comes from here because we have seen the work he has done," Itumbi stated. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, April 4, 2024 A toilet-dwelling rat sent a Canadian man into organ failure and sepsis after sinking its teeth into his hand. The 76-year-old man was trying to fish the rat out of his toilet when the rodent bit two of his fingers. He went to the emergency room and received basic wound care and a tetanus booster and was sent home. But 18 days later, the septuagenarian was back in the ER. He was suffering from a number of symptoms including fever, headaches and abdominal pain that had been ongoing for three days, according to a report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. His heart rate was high, his blood pressure low and his kidneys were damaged, according to medical tests. He had signs of multi-organ dysfunction and sepsis and was admitted to the intensive care unit. While his bite wound had mostly healed, doctors suspected it could have something to do with his deteriorating condition. They ran blood and urine tests and found the man had leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that is often transmitted to humans by animals like rats and can be fatal in rare, severe cases. The bacteria is found in the urine of animals and doctors believe that the rat may have had a mouthful of the contaminated urine when he bit the Canadians fingers, thus breaking the skin for the bacteria to enter his body, according to the report. The Canadian man was given treatment, including antibiotics and steroids, and was released from the ICU after three days. More than 1 million cases of leptospirosis are reported worldwide each year and nearly 60,000 of those end in death. Saturday, April 6, 2024 - Public Service, Performance, and Service Delivery Cabinet Secretary, Moses Kuria, has dismissed Deputy President Rigathi Gachaguas call for Mt Kenya unity. Speaking at a burial in Kiharu constituency on Friday, Kuria rubbished calls for the region to unite, adding that they are already speaking in one voice. Kuria questioned how politicians keep talking about unity, yet the region rallied behind President William Ruto in the 2022 General Election. He claimed that most leaders calling for unity were insincere, arguing that most were after being made regional kingpins. "Let me conclude by telling the leaders of Mt. Kenya. Now people are saying that we should unite, have unity, and speak the same language; I don't disagree. "But I want to ask you, didn't we unite in the year 2022, didn't you choose us with the majority of votes for William Ruto and Kenya Kwanza, what other unity do these people want? They are united. , Now let's go and ask them where their roads are, where their water they're asking for is, let's ask them where that TVET is. "Every day it's about unity. It's not about uniting to make leaders big, that's foolishness," Moses Kuria said. The Kenyan DAILY POST Saturday, April 6, 2024 - Kenyans have begun fleeing to Tanzania to seek healthcare services, following the ongoing doctors' strike that has paralysed medical services across the country. According to reports, there is a surge in the number of Kenyan patients who have been admitted in the Rombo district of Kilimanjaro region and the Longido district of the Arusha region. However, with the continued movement of Kenyans across the border to its neighbour, a concern has been raised about Kenya-Tanzania's porous nature of the border. Analysts who weighed into the matter noted that Tanzania could borrow from the situation to strengthen its healthcare system. Tanzania may be compelled to acquire state-of-the-art medical equipment infrastructure upgrades and specialized training. Meanwhile, the doctors' strike continues to escalate despite the recent efforts by the government to release Ksh2.4 billion to facilitate the recruitment of intern medical officers. Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU), led by its Secretary General Davji Atellah, termed the offer as insufficient, stating that the demonstrations would continue until the government waves the white flag. "The strike is on. I think it is on more than before," Davji Atellah warned during an interview with Citizen TV on April 2, signaling a further health crisis. The Kenyan DAILY POST. Saturday, April 6, 2024 President William Rutos Haiti mission is getting complex and difficult by the day. This is after Trinidad and Tobago also pulled out of the Kenyan-led United Nations Security Council-sanctioned Multinational Security Mission (MSS) to Haiti. Speaking to the press, Trinidad and Tobago Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister, Dr Amery Browne, stated that the government had reached a final decision regarding sending troops to help fight gangs in Haiti. Trinidad and Tobago has been in support of action to treat the Haiti situation. We have provided financial support as well as human resources to Caricom Good Offices efforts, to the Eminent Persons Group and to the other diplomatic foundation that has been laid in preparation for the Multinational Force, Browne stated In a clear communication, Trinidads Prime Minister noted that the country was not in a position to contribute military forces to the disturbed Caribbean nation at this stage. Contributions of boots on the ground as it were, the prime minister has made it very clear that is the current position of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, that we are not in a position to contribute military forces, police officers or boots on the ground at this stage for that particular effort, he added. The country, however, promised to work with the other members of the Caribbean Community regional bloc, CARICOM to address the issues facing Haiti. So that position is maintained, but we will continue to receive updates and to contribute to Caricom and further interface with that very concerning crisis. The deployment of Kenyan police to Haiti has hit several hurdles ahead of the mission. The resignation of Ariel Henry called for the Kenyan government to halt the plans waiting for a proper governing body to get instilled. The Kenyan DAILY POST Xem them ... Tin bai cuoi cung Khong con du lieu e load Photo:CGTN (Global Times) US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, a US senior official who is believed to be pragmatic and less hawkish toward China than many of her peers, has arrived Guangzhou, capital of South Chinas Guangdong Province, and kicked off her 6-day visit to China from Thursday to Tuesday (April 4-9), with Chinese experts saying on Friday that Yellen is trying to seek helps from China to solve US economic challenges, and they said US officials need to adjust its arrogant attitude and speak nicely when asking helps. He Lifeng, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Vice Premier of the State Council, has met with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Guangzhou. The two sides discussed in-depth key issues related to the global, economic and financial fields of China and the US. He said the main task for this meeting is to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state in their meetings and telephone dialogue, and seek to provide appropriate responses to key concerns in China-US economic relations, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Friday. I opened meetings with Vice Premier He Lifeng for frank and substantive conversations on our bilateral economic relationship. It is crucial that the two largest economies in the world seek progress on global challenges and closely communicate on areas of concern, Yellen said in a post on social media platform X on Friday afternoon. Commentary: Washington should not treat Pacific Islands as its own backyard Xinhua) 09:19, April 06, 2024 The silhouette of the U.S. Capitol building is seen in Washington, D.C., the United States, Feb. 6, 2024. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua) Rather than genuinely addressing the needs and concerns of Pacific Island countries, Washington is using them as mere pawns in its geopolitical game. 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. Staff members from China inspect the road upgrade project in Vanua Levu, Fiji, April 2, 2024. China's assistance is instrumental in the development of Fiji and other Pacific island countries, said Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. (Photo by Sang Qinlong/Xinhua) 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. A doctor from the Chinese medical team provides free diagnosis and treatment service to a little girl in Gizo, capital of the Western Province, the Solomon Islands, Dec. 1, 2022. (Photo by Zhao Yi/Xinhua) 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. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Zhong Wenxing) A public meeting held Thursday to discuss an affordable housing development in the Billings Heights which faced pushback sparked by the beginning of construction and misinformation spread via morning radio demonstrated the value of coming together to discuss concerns about community change. HomeFront, the projects developer, was represented by CEO Patti Webster and Amber Uzelac, director of assets. Once the outlandish rumors were out of the way that the development is intended for refugees, migrants, or homeless people Webster and Uzelac tackled subtler misconceptions about who resides in affordable housing. Lets talk about what low income means, Webster said. Low income could apply to any one of us sitting in this room. The median family income in Billings is $100,500, according to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Cutoffs for whether a household is considered low income are determined by the number of people in the household. In Billings, thats $55,200 for an individual, $63,050 for a two-person household, and $78,800 for a family of four. Homefront owns and manages 513 units across Billings, with income limits ranging from 40% to 80% of the area median income, also determined by household size. Of the 2,118 households currently served by HomeFront, just 2% receive government assistance. Theyre people just like you and I, living paycheck to paycheck, Webster said. HomeFront has 7,109 households on its waiting list, despite the fact that the organization has stringent eligibility requirements which include landlord or professional references, passing a background check, and proof of residing legally in the country. We deny way more people than we approve, Webster said. HomeFront is barred from renting to sex offenders by state statute. They are able to rent to people with criminal history but consider the pattern of criminal history. Wed rather rent to someone who did a one-time bad thing, not a chronic petty offender, Webster said. And HomeFronts requirements dont stop once renters are approved and move in. We have a complaint right now against us for being too nosy, Webster said. HomeFront conducts six inspections of each unit per year and properties have video surveillance. HomeFront is even picky about the vehicles in their parking lots, which must have parking tags and be in working condition. Were constantly in there, Uzelac said. If renters dont want that, were not the landlord for them. Were not a stand on the sidelines landlord, she added. That also applies to property maintenance. Our mission is to provide quality, decent, safe, sanitary housing, Webster said. We keep our units up. We dont build junk. Were really proud of what we do. Uzelac and Webster also mentioned the other HomeFront properties already on the same parcel of land, the first of which opened in 2011. It has been a long time that weve been good neighbors, Webster said. An attendee of the meeting concurred. This made me feel a lot better about it, he said. Ive been living nearby and had no problems. Its not like the horror stories you build up in your head when youre just hearing pieces. Justin Hutchinson, a local radio producer who attended the meeting, expressed shock at how well the meeting had gone. Come to one of our regular HOA meetings, thats where we tar and feather, an attendee said, to laughter from the group. By the end of the meeting, questions and concerns had shifted away from the character of the coming residents and towards more general concerns that come with watching your community grow, such as difficulties parking and increasing traffic. The Heights is going to experience some change, said Councilwoman Jennifer Owen, who represents the neighborhood on City Council. We can let developers come in and determine that change or we can be active citizens and think about what we want to see happen. We can change but preserve our neighborhood character, she added. This is just the beginning of the conversation. At the meetings end, Owen, Uzelac, and Webster applauded the attendees for coming in person to learn more about the project, rather than participating in the fearmongering happening online. I hope you come away from this thinking At least its HomeFront, Uzelac said. Hopefully its a little better that its us. And if HomeFronts not a passive landlord, theyre not a passive developer either. We will come speak to you whenever you want us to, Webster said. The top U.S. nuclear envoy will visit Romania, Poland and Sweden next week to discuss North Korea's military threats and its growing ties with Russia, the State Department said Friday. From Monday through Friday, U.S. Senior Official for North Korea Jung Pak is set to travel to Bucharest, Warsaw and Stockholm for talks on challenges from the North's "unlawful nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, malicious cyber activity, and deepening military and political partnership with Russia," according to the department. "She will also discuss opportunities for promoting dialogue and diplomacy with the DPRK," the department said in a press release. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "Her travel is part of ongoing U.S. efforts to coordinate closely with allies and partners on the global security implications of the DPRK threat," it added. Her planned trip comes amid the growing need for tighter international cooperation to address North Korean threats following Russia's recent veto of a resolution on the annual renewal of a U.N. panel monitoring the enforcement of sanctions against the North. Absent the resolution, the panel's mandate is set to end April 30. (Yonhap) A certain member of BABYMONSTER is drawing attention for her jaw-dropping visuals. On April 1, 2024, BABYMONSTER made their official debut with all seven members. The girl group released their debut mini-album, "BABYMONS7ER," with the title track "SHEESH." However, the group has been active since November 2023, when they released their first song, "BATTER UP." As the girl group continues to promote itself, interest in the members has increased. Currently, one member is garnering love for her good looks. BABYMONSTER Ruka Member Draws Attention For Stunning Visuals On April 6, 2024, a post titled "Why is this BABYMONSTER member so f*cking pretty and charming?" was uploaded to the well-known South Korean online community forum, Nate Pann. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: BABYMONSTER Maknae Chiquita Savagely Responds To Fan Asking To Marry Her The original poster (OP) shared several photos and GIFs of BABYMONSTER member Ruka in the post. They also added that, out of all the members of the group, Ruka is the one they like the most. Soon after the post was made, several Korean netizens rushed to the comment section to share their thoughts. YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN: BABYMONSTER Reveals Feelings on Being Compared to BLACKPINK & ILLIT Many agreed with the OP, saying they thought Ruka was the prettiest member of BABYMONSTER. They noted that although Ahyeon and Pharita are the most mentioned by media outlets, it is Ruka and Chiquita who stand out the most since they debuted. Others noted that she did not stand out at first glance, but the more they looked at her, the more captivating she appeared. Some theorize it is because she looks Korean despite being Japanese. CHECK THIS OUT: BABYMONSTER Ahyeon Opens Up on Being Called 'Little Jennie' Some comments read, "Rather than Ahyeon and Pharita, who are often mentioned, Chiquita and Ruka are the prettiest ones since BABYMONSTER's debut." "Ruka looks better in video than in photos. I think she is the prettiest member of BABYMONSTER." "Honestly, Ruka's features don't stand out. However, she has a nice face shape, so she looks pretty." "But doesn't Ruka look like a Korean despite being Japanese?" "I agree. When I first saw her, I didn't think she was that pretty, but now she is growing on me." What do you think of the situation? Tell us in the comments below! BABYMONSTER Recent Activities On April 2, 2024, it was announced that BABYMONSTER will be holding their first fan meeting tour in 2024. They will be heading to five countries: Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, and Indonesia. FOR YOU: BABYMONSTER 'SHEESH' MV Teaser Draws Comparison to BLACKPINK Lisa Solo 'LALISA' On April 1, 2024, BABYMONSTER made their official debut with their first extended play, "BABYMONS7ER," and its lead single, "SHEESH." KpopStarz Owns This Written by Alexa Lopez In a broadcast, actor Jung Kyung Ho, who is the 12-year boyfriend of Girls' Generation Sooyoung showed his affection to her by saying THIS. On April 5, actor Jung Kyung Ho along with the cast of the hit 2020 drama, "Hospital Playlist" appeared on PD Na Young Suk's YouTube web content posted on the channel fullmoon. During the much-awaited reunion, Jung Kyung Ho made the whole room full of love when he mentioned his long-time girlfriend Choi Sooyoung, recalling their overseas trip. Jung Kyung Ho Shares He Can't Imagine Doing Anything Alone Without Sooyoung In the video, the topic of his relationship started when Na PD noticed the sunburn of Jung Kyung Ho. The actor then explained that he got it during his overseas trip to Australia. When the producer further asked if it was for work or just to have fun, Jung Kyung Ho sweetly replied: "(I went) with Sooyoung." Hearing this, Na Young Suk was impressed by their good relationship even after 10 years of dating but the actor corrected him: "(We are dating for) 12 years. No, because there is nothing that we don't do together. I've never thought of doing anything alone. It's always with her." ALSO READ: SNSD Sooyoung & Jung Kyung Ho's Date Photos Set the Internet Ablaze 'Oh both are going...' When PD Na Young Suk laughed and joked that he thought he was always with his best friend Kim Dae Myung, the actor jokingly replied' "I'm just his second." Earlier in February, the couple's photos strolling hand in hand at an Australian zoo circulated online, showing their unrelenting relationship. Also, they shoot more hearts to netizens by wearing a couple items and matching outfits. SNSD Sooyoung & Jung Kyung Ho Wedding Plans Meanwhile, SNSD Sooyoung and Jung Kyung Ho started dating in 2012, but they started their public relationship in 2014. Since then, they openly expressed affection and love to each other, revealing that they were able to maintain a long commitment by having admiration, care and respect for each other. Since they are both actors, they also cheer on each other and despite busy schedules, the couple always alott time for their dates. Surpassing a decade as a couple, fans and the media's attention are focused on when will people hear their wedding bells. Unfortunately, the couple were still enjoying their dating period but they have always hinted at their desire to build a family together, with Sooyoung saying: "If there is good news, I will tell the reporter first." Regarding tying the knot, Jung Kyung Ho also said: "I think we should get married when the time comes. But we still never had a direct conversation about it. If the right time comes, (we will tell you)." READ MORE: SNSD Sooyoung Talks on 11-Year Relationship With Jung Kyung Ho, Marriage Plans Will We Hear Wedding Bells Soon? For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz. KpopStarz owns this article. Written by Eunice Dela Cruz Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Bulgaria risks sanctions not only by the United States but also by the European Commission (EC) due to the hastily built natural gas pipeline TurkStream 2 (called Balkan Stream by Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov). An inspection by Bivol and the Civil Association BOETS (Fighter) at the construction site in the village of Makresh and at the projects office in the town of Brusartsi in northwestern Bulgarian found that the workers laying the pipe are mostly Russian and Belarusian citizens. It turned out that they are employed by the Belarusian State-owned Beltruboprovodstroy company, which is a long-term subcontractor of Russian energy giant Gazprom. Lithuania removed in 2019 the Belarusian company from the tender for an interconnector to Poland over national security concerns. At the same time, an investigation by BIRD.bg revealed that the Saudi Arkad and the associated with Cosa Nostra Italian Bonatti are only a smokescreen for Russias IDC, a subcontractor of the sanctioned by the European Union (EU) and the United States Gazprom. Bulgarias Ambassador in Minsk, Georgi Vassilev, handed a note to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry on Thursday, October 8, informing it of the Bulgarian governments decision to recall Vassilev for consultations, the Bulgarian edition of Free Europe reported. The news was also announced by Bulgarian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister from the ruling party Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) Ekaterina Zaharieva on her Facebook page, after her meeting with Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in Bratislava. But would Zaharieva also have the courage to act against Lukashenkos Beltruboprovodstroy? The sign at the gate states in Russian Entry by Pass Only, one more confirmation that Brusartsi has become another enclave of the Russian Federation in Bulgaria. But Gazprom, which has been sanctioned for Vladimir Putins annexation of Crimea and invasion in Donbass, is not the only company that acts freely and even frivolously on the territory of Bulgaria, a EU and NATO member. The President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, declared illegitimate by the EU and the United States, is successfully absorbing European funds in Bulgaria through the construction of TurkStream 2, Bivol and BOETS found. Belarusian workers at the site told BOETS that their direct employer was Beltruboprovodstroy, a State-owned company directly under the authority of the government in Minsk. This is confirmed by a document from the Trade Register of the Republic of Belarus, provided to Bivol by the Belarusian Investigative Center. At the same time, Bivols partner investigative site BIRD.bg published on October 7 on its Facebook page information about over BGN 9 million in EU funds, which may be redirected to the Gazprom project in Bulgaria. The inspection by the teams of Bivol and BOETS in the village of Makresh and in the town of Brusartsi found that there were no Bulgarian workers at the construction sites of TurkStream 2 near the city of Montana. The government is pouring European funds into the construction of TurkStream, BIRD.bg warned. These are funds under the project Technical assistance for completion of the preparatory works needed for the start of the construction of the gas interconnector Bulgaria Serbia. This most likely concerns the future interconnector with the Republic of Serbia, which the EC insists on after the gas shortage crisis of 2009. Meanwhile, the interconnectors route suddenly coincided with that of TurkStream AKA Balkan Stream. According to Bulgartransgaz, this is simply an extension of the gas transmission network of Bulgaria, which apparently accidentally overlapped with the route of TurkStream 2 to Serbia and Hungary. Date of concluding the contract October 10,2020, amount BGN 9,240,420.00, percentage of EU co-financing 85.00%, BIRD.bg wrote. At the same time, there is unconfirmed information that the Italian branch of Arkad with an office in Milan may have been bought by Russian companies. Arkad is a top subcontractor of Saudis energy giant Saudi Aramco, but IRPI journalist Luca Rinaldi commented for Bivol in 2019 that the company does not have any activity in Italy or in Europe. Suddenly, this inactive company won the tender for the construction of a gas pipeline in Bulgaria. All and any tricks are admissible circumvention of the Public Procurement Act through smokescreen company Arkad (part of agreements between Gazprom and Saudi Aramko and rather Putins agreements, in which Borisov is just a strawman), skipping building permits, eco-assessments, assignments to foreign companies, without going through permit procedures for workers and employees Not to mention supervisors and Russian security companies that do not have a permit to carry out such activities, former Bulgarian Ambassador in Moscow, energy expert and political blogger Ilian Vassilev wrote after Bivol and BOETS visit in Brusartsi. Beltruboprovodstroy threat to Lithuanias national security Beltruboprovodstroy filed in 2019 a lawsuit against Lithuania, claiming EUR 10.2 million in compensation for violation of its investor rights. Despite submitting the lowest price offer of around EUR 74.9 million, the Belarusian company was removed together with partner company KRS (Kaunas, Lithuania) from the bidding process to build the Gas Interconnector Poland Lithuania (GIPL). This happened on the advice Lithuanian intelligence over national security concerns. The consortium between Lithuanian companies Alvora and Siauliu dujotiekio statyba was declared the winning bidder. The Lithuanian government commission vetting deals with strategic companies found that Beltruboprovodstroys main customers were Russian and Belarusian companies, including Gazprom. The State Security Department (VSD) says in its report to the commission that Beltruboprovodstroy has business links with Gazprom, Stroytransgaz, and Rosneftegazstroy, and has accreditations not only from Gazprom, but also from Transneft and Rosneft. The Belarusian company is involved in Russias strategic energy projects, such as the YamalEurope gas pipeline, DELFI.lt and other Lithuanian and Russian media wrote then, which may explain the secrecy of the site in Bulgarias Brusartsi. Russian enclave for BGN 0.10 per square meter? Base 1 in Brusartsi is an office for at least 50 Russian-speaking employees and a warehouse for dozens of containers and pellets with equipment. It is located on the territory of the local municipal market. According to documents obtained by BOETS, including a list of Municipal Council voters in Brusartsi, the councilors have rented the land to IDC for the ridiculous amount of BGN 0.10 per square meter. The decision had been taken unanimously by the Municipal Council, dominated by GERB, including the GERB-nominated mayor. But a linear meter of the pipeline costs to the Bulgarian taxpayer BGN 10,000, paid by Bulgartrangaz, a company within the State-owned Bulgarian Energy Holding, documents of BOETS also show. The workers at the construction site were all employees of Beltruboprovodstroy and the Russian company IDC, which built the Serbian section of TurkStream 2. The equipment and the vehicle fleet come from Turkey and Serbia, while some of the vehicles of IDC were with Romanian registration. The only Bulgarian companies at the sites in Makresh and Brusartsi detected by BOETS and Bivol were engaged in service activities. These were the bus transport company Union Ivkoni, security company SOT 161 and the forwarding operator FreeLine. The containers with the equipment for the gas pipeline in Brusartsi were marked in Greek but also had stickers of the Bulgarian FreeLine. FreeLine had been established in 2004 and, according to its website, it deals with groupage shipments from Greece and deliveries from the United States and Canada. Its registered address is 1220 Sofia, Bulgaria, 92G Iliyantsi Blvd. The company claims it is striving to meet the clients specific needs, obviously the specific needs of the Arcade-IDC partnership as well. Also according to its website, FreeLine Ltd. is an associated member of NSBS the Bulgarian Association for Freight Forwarding, Transport and Logistics and of the biggest forwarding network in the world WCA, which has 4 783 offices in 188 countries. Union Ivkoni is one of the most influential companies in the transport sector in Bulgaria. Its owner, Ivaylo Konstantinov, was in the leadership of the Association of Bus Carriers of Bulgaria. According to some sources, Konstantinov is the son-in-law of former MP Ramadan Atalay, who sat for many years in the parliamentary Transport Committee. Sunflower seeds for BGN 6 million Seeing this site and project, what do you think, do you think that they arent any? was the answer of one of the guards at the Arcade-IDC base in Brusartsi when asked if there were Russian military or security guards there. After the Bivol reporter and the leader of BOETS were pushed outside the barrier by force, a police patrol arrived at the scene, followed by the chief of the Brusartsi Police Department, Senior Inspector Danail Donchev. At this point, the assailant, an IDC employee wearing a military uniform of the Russian Federation without insignia, disappeared inside the office and his identity could not be established. The security guard from SOT 161 said the man was a Russian colleague but he could not remember his name. How can I remember the names of 100 people? he said. The chatty security guards of SOT 161, who instead of resolving conflicts, let Russian mercenaries masquerading as guards, push and shove representatives of Bivol and BOETS, outraged many who watched our live streams on Facebook. The guards kept eating sunflower seeds, taking pictures with their phones, commenting on the political situation in the country and praying that Bivol and BOETS do not cause them to be fired. But their sunflower seeds already cost BGN 6 million to Bulgarian taxpayers, as that is the amount collected by SOT 161 from government public tenders, according to Bivols search engine BIRD. The listed owner of the company is engineer Ivan Videnov. Bulgarias weekly Capital reported in 2017 that SOT 161 was the largest security company in the country and market leader after the company bought out its competitor Security Holding in a deal with the British G4S. According to the publication, SOT 161 provided security to 60,000 sites just in the Bulgarian capital Sofia and deployed 47 patrols work per shift while the total number of sites in the country exceeded 90,000 in 2017. According to data for 2015, the revenues of SOT 161 were just under BGN 64 million and profit was BGN 8 million. Ivan Videnov told Capital then that a significant share of revenues comes from the personal security segment, but did not specify exactly what and whom his company guards so profitably. Questions without answers Bulgarias National Security Agency (DANS) should explain why companies that are sanctioned on the territory of the EU, such as Gazprom and Beltruboprovodstroy, work freely in Bulgaria and bring their own employees. The same question could be asked of Serbia, since authorities in Belgrade, led by President Aleksandar Vucic, insist they want their country to become a EU member. The Prosecutors Office should answer the long-standing question why the Italian Bonatti for which the Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI), Bivol, and Capital repeatedly wrote that it is connected with the Italian organized crime group Cosa Nostra had not been removed as a participant in the 2019 tender for the gas pipeline. Moreover, after the Milan-based branch of Arkad won the project, Bonatti quickly turned from competitor to subcontractor. The question of why Russian security guards run freely in municipal sites in a NATO and EU member state, using force against media and NGOs also remained unanswered. We are not commenting, Danail Donchev, the police chief in Brusartsi, told Bivol. BOETS announced a new campaign calling on citizens to stop themselves the expensive project of the last remaining European dictators Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko. *** If you find this article useful, support our work with a small donation. Pay a Bivol Tax! We will highly appreciate if you decide to support us with monthly donations keeping the option Monthly Like this: Like Loading... This post is also available in: Bulgarian New Delhi [India], April 6 (ANI): The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Jammu Sub Zonal Office has attached movable properties in the form of bank balances relating to one accused Yatin Yadav, M/s New Global Fumigation Corporation, Proprietor Yatin Yadav and his associate Lokesh Kumar, to the tune of Rs 1 Crore (approximately) under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The attachment by the central enforcement agency was in a case related to a paper leak of the examination conducted by JK Services Selection Board (JKSSB) for the recruitment of 1200 Sub-Inspectors of J&K Police, against monetary benefits by the accused Yatin Yadav and others. Also Read | Inter Miami vs Colorado Rapids, MLS 2024 Live Streaming Online in India: How to Watch Football Match Live Telecast on TV & Score Updates in IST?. ED said it initiated investigations on the basis of FIR and chargesheet filed by CBI, Jammu, against accused tout Yatin Yadav and 23 other accused persons. ED investigations revealed that accused Yatin Yadav in criminal conspiracy with other accused persons, allegedly contacted different aspirants willing to access question paper and provided them the leaked question paper during March 25, 2022 to March 27, 2022 at different places, against monetary payments ranging from Rs 15 Lakh to Rs 30 Lakh. Also Read | Congress Manifesto for Lok Sabha Elections 2024: India Is Not Property of a Few People, Belongs to Everyone, Says Sonia Gandhi. During the ED investigations, the scrutiny of the suspected bank accounts showed that the chain of transactions had been used to route cash deposits, and other funds into the bank accounts related to Yatin Yadav. The funds were allegedly also routed into his proprietorship firm, M/s New Global Fumigation Corporation as well and was dissipated vide transactions of smaller amounts. "The linearity of the interconnected transactions, coupled with the fact that the beneficiary of the transactions is accused tout, Yatin Yadav, cogently established the tainted nature of funds into the said bank accounts, relating to the Proceeds of Crime," ED said on Saturday. Further investigation is under progress. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) ATK New Delhi [India], April 6: Indian Institute of Fashion and Design (IIFD), a beacon of excellence in design education, proudly announces its stellar achievement in the India Institutional Ranking Framework (IIRF) 2024. Securing the prestigious 8th position among the top 40 design colleges in India (Private), this remarkable feat underscores IIFD's unwavering commitment to academic distinction, innovation, and industry relevance. Also Read | Alexa Monkey Attack: Anand Mahindra Offers Job to Girl Who Saved Herself and Her Younger Sister From Monkey Attack Using Alexa. With a legacy of excellence spanning decades, IIFD has consistently strived to redefine the boundaries of design education. The institute's unwavering dedication to fostering creativity, nurturing talent, and providing students with a world-class learning environment has garnered recognition from one of India's most respected ranking frameworks. The India Institutional Ranking Framework (IIRF) is a comprehensive assessment tool that evaluates higher education institutions based on various parameters including academic excellence, faculty expertise, infrastructure, research output, and industry interface. In the highly competitive landscape of design education, securing a top position in the IIRF rankings is a testament to an institution's commitment to excellence and its ability to meet the evolving needs of the industry. Also Read | Assam: Around 4,500 Contractual Teachers on Pay Scale of Permanent Employees, Says Official. IIFD's journey to the 8th position in the IIRF 2024 rankings is a testament to its relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation. The institute's curriculum is designed to empower students with the knowledge, skills, and expertise needed to succeed in the dynamic field of design. From fashion design to interior design, textile design to graphic design, IIFD offers a diverse range of programs that cater to the diverse interests and aspirations of aspiring designers. Commenting on this significant achievement, Vimi Vansil, Director of IIFD, expressed her delight, stating, "We are honored to be recognized as the 8th top design college in India by the India Institutional Ranking Framework 2024. This achievement is a testament to our unwavering commitment to providing world-class education and empowering the next generation of designers. At IIFD, we strive to nurture creativity, foster innovation, and equip our students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the competitive world of design." In addition to its academic excellence, IIFD is also known for its industry-oriented approach and strong industry partnerships. The institute collaborates with leading design firms, fashion houses, and industry experts to provide students with real-world exposure and practical experience. Through internships, workshops, seminars, and industry visits, students at IIFD gain invaluable insights into the workings of the industry and emerge as industry-ready professionals. As IIFD celebrates its achievement in the IIRF 2024 rankings, the institute remains committed to its mission of shaping the future of design education in India and beyond. With a focus on innovation, creativity, and excellence, IIFD continues to inspire, educate, and empower the next generation of designers, thinkers, and innovators. For more information about the Indian Institute of Fashion and Design (IIFD) and its programs, please visit www.iifd.in. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by ATK. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kolkata, Apr 6 (PTI) A total of 100 more companies of central forces will arrive in West Bengal next week, with the Election Commission planning to deploy 277 companies in the first phase of polling in the state on April 19, an official said on Saturday. Three constituencies in north Bengal Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduars will go to polls in the first phase. Also Read | Shab-e-Qadr 2024: Mehbooba Mufti Slams Jammu and Kashmir Administration for Shutting Jamia Masjids Gates Ahead of Laylat-ul-Qadr. "At present, 177 companies of central forces are already deployed in different districts of West Bengal. Another 100 companies of central forces will arrive in the state by Wednesday. A total of 277 companies will be deployed for the first phase of voting," he told PTI. "However, more personnel are needed to provide central force cover in all booths. But there has been no confirmation yet of getting more forces. Therefore, in the first phase, state police may also be deployed along with central forces," he said. Also Read | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Additional 100 Companies of CAPF To Reach West Bengal Next Week. A company in the central armed police forces comprise around 100 personnel. So, 277 companies would amount to 27,700 personnel. Webcasting will be conducted in all the booths, he said. Meanwhile, a total of 47 candidates have filed their nomination papers for the second phase of polling in three Lok Sabha constituencies in the state on April 26, he said. Darjeeling, Raiganj and Balurghat Lok Sabha seats will go to polls in the second phase. Fourteen candidates have submitted their nomination papers for Darjeeling, 20 for Raiganj and 13 for Balurghat, he added. The last day to withdraw nominations is April 8. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kolkata, Apr 6 (PTI) A two-member TMC delegation is scheduled to visit Bhupatinagar in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district on April 7, where a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team was attacked by a mob while arresting two key conspirators in a 2022 blast case. Chief Minister and TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee has accused NIA officials of attacking villagers at Bhupatinagar, rather than the other way around. Also Read | Shab-E-Qadr 2024: Authorities Shut Gates of Srinagars Jamia Masjid Ahead of Laylat-Ul-Qadr. She defended the villagers' response as self-defence, stating that NIA officials had entered several houses in the early hours over an incident involving the "bursting of crackers in 2022". TMC leader Kunal Ghosh, along with senior state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, will visit the area on Sunday to interact with villagers, including the families of the arrested leaders, and then hold a rally at Bhagabanpur under Bhupatinagar. Ghosh said they will submit a report to the party later. Also Read | Consent for Physical Relations Not Misconceived Without Evidence of False Promise of Marriage, Says Delhi High Court. Senior state minister Bratya Basu criticised the incident, expressing concern that even bursting of chocolate bombs could lead to NIA visits in Bengal. He highlighted the BJP's excesses at the Centre, which he believes are testing the patience of the ruling party. Basu mentioned that the party has requested a meeting with the full bench of the Election Commission in New Delhi to address the "use of central agencies by BJP." In response, BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya criticised the CM's reaction, suggesting it shows little respect for NIA probes into blasts and raises concerns for the security of the state and country. BJP MP and party's candidate for Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha seat Dilip Ghosh remarked that the attack is part of a trend where the ruling party in the state engineers attacks on personnel of independent agencies to hinder investigations into leaders' misdeeds. "TMC had also instigated similar attacks on ED personnel in Sandeshkhali. In the long run, the perpetrators of such attack were arrested. Using a section of of villagers to incite people against federal agency personnel has become the hallmark of the party," Ghosh said. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari urged the Election Commission to take action against certain police officials, alleging that Mamata Banerjee's repeated instigations have emboldened attacks on NIA officers. "The law and order structure of West Bengal has crumbled completely and since the control is right now with the Election Commission of India, it's high time that @ECISVEEP should take proper action against the Officer in Charge of Bhupatinagar Police Station, SDPO Contai, SP of Purba Medinipur District and the DG of WB Police," Adhikari posted on X. He referenced previous incidents involving attacks on ED officials and criticised Banerjee's remarks about the NIA at a political event in Mathabhanga. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kolkata, April 6: In her first response to the attack on an NIA team at Bhupatinagar in Purba Medinipur district while carrying out a probe in connection with a blast case, Chief Minister amata Banerjee on Saturday claimed the elite anti-terror agency did not share any prior word with the state government on their visit to the area. According to sources in the ruling TMC, the CM also questioned why the agency had to carry out this raid in the middle of the night. Speaking on the Bhupatinagar incident, Mamata said, "Why did they have to carry out the raid at midnight? Did they have police permission? The locals reacted in the same manner as they would if any stranger were to come calling on them in the middle of the night. Why are they picking up and arresting people just before the elections? What does the BJP think...that they can get our booth agents arrested? What right does the NIA have? These actions are meant to favour a particular political party going into the elections. We call upon all conscientious people across the country and the world to rise the BJP's dirty politics." Bhupatinagar Blast Probe: NIA Team Faces Protest in West Bengals East Medinipur While Arresting Accused in Case, Vehicles Damaged (Watch Video) Lashing out at the ruling TMC in the state, veteran BJP leader and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Is this the first time such an incident took place in Bengal? Was the ED (team) not attacked earlier? Didn't the truth about Sandeshkhali come out (in light of the attack on the ED team)? The NIA (team) was out carrying out raids against suspected terrorists when they came under attack." Speaking to ANI, BJP leader Rahul Sinha launched a fierce attack on CM Mamata saying the incident has yet again brought the complete collapse of law and order in Bengal into the spotlight. "This brazen attack on an NIA team vindicates our stand that there is no law and order in Bengal. The chief minister is running a dictatorship here in the name of governance and administration. She has put the state's fare and future in the hands of extremists," Sinha told ANI. "We demand that those behind this incident be identified and brought to justice at the earliest. We demand exemplary punishment for the culprits," the BJP leader added. Earlier in the day, some officers of the NIA were allegedly heckled in Purba Medinipur district while carrying out a probe in connection with a blast case. According to sources in the elite anti-terror probe agency, an NIA team visiting Puba Medinipur in connection with an ongoing probe into the blast case came under attack on Saturday. Bhupatinagar Blast Probe: NIA Vehicle Attacked in Purba Medinipur During 2022 Blast Investigation; Two Arrested (Watch Videos) Sources said the vehicle in which the NIA officers were travelling was allegedly vandalised while a person was being picked up in connection with the case. In a video of the alleged incident that was widely shared on social media, locals were purportedly seen gathering around a vehicle, trying to stop the NIA team from taking the suspect along with them. The villagers also pelted the vehicle with stones, sources added. As was widely reported earlier, a team of ED officers were surrounded, heckled and attacked by protesters in Sandeshkhali while raiding the residence of expelled and jailed TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and another ruling party leader in connection with an alleged food scam. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kolkata, Apr 6 (PTI) BJP's Hooghly Lok Sabha seat candidate Locket Chatterjee on Saturday accused Trinamool Congress supporters of accosting her vehicle. The TMC denied having any role in the incident, claiming that common people were protesting her alleged absence from the constituency, from where she is contesting to win for the second consecutive term. Also Read | Man Sues Restaurant Over Non-Veg Food: Ahmedabad Resident Seeks 30.50 Lakh Compensation After Eatery Serves Him Murg Makhanwala in Place of Vegetarian Dish. The incident took place at Bansberia in Hooghly district, where she went to attend a religious ceremony. "Suddenly, some outsiders attacked the vehicle, common people were not there. I could come out of there with the help of my security personnel," she said. Also Read | Shab-e-Qadr 2024: Mehbooba Mufti Slams Jammu and Kashmir Administration for Shutting Jamia Masjids Gates Ahead of Laylat-ul-Qadr. Dismissing her allegations, a local TMC leader said, "Common people were protesting her absence from the constituency. The TMC does not have anything to do with the incident." (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 6 (PTI) Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Saturday appointed K Byjunath as the acting chairperson of the State Human Rights Commission. Governor Khan made the appointment after Justice S Manikumar, the former Chief Justice of Kerala High Court, expressed his inability to take over the charge as the Chairperson of the Commission. Also Read | Heatwave Warning for Odisha: Guidelines Issued To Tackle Heat Wave Conditions; IMD Predicts 'No Change' in Temperature in Next 24 Hours. "Justice Manikumar informed the Governor's office today that he will be unable to take charge due to some personal matters in his family," Raj Bhavan sources told PTI. Byjunath was appointed as a judicial member of the Commission in 2021 while he was working as a District judge at Kalpetta. Later in 2023 when Justice Antony Dominic retired from the post of Chairperson, Byjunath had become the acting chief. Also Read | Heatwave Warning For Odisha: Authorities in State Issue Guidelines in Several Districts To Tackle Heat Wave Illness. Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former Leader of Opposition, Ramesh Chennithala today welcomed the decision of Manikumar not to take charge. "It was a delayed but prudent decision. Stepping back spared him further humiliation that assuming the post might have brought," Chennithala said. Congress has been opposing the recommendation of the state government to appoint Manikumar as the Chairperson of Human Rights Commission alleging it was a gesture of gratitude for the favorable verdicts. The Chairperson is selected by a three-member panel comprising the Chief Minister, Speaker and the Leader of Opposition. In this case, the Governor had agreed to the recommendation despite the Leader of Opposition having expressed his disagreement. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Rajnandgaon, April 6: A case has been registered against Charan Das Mahant, the Chhattisgarh Congress' Leader of Opposition, over his 'objectionable' remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a public rally. The FIR was registered under Section 506 (for criminal intimidation) at Kotwali Police Station in Rajnandgaon city following directions by the District Election Officer against the senior Congress leader on Friday, police said. Charan Das Mahant, who is one of the star campaigners of the party, sparked controversy at a public rally in Rajnandgaon on Tuesday when he stated that they needed someone who could hold a stick and confront PM Modi. During his speech in the local dialect, Mahant urged the public to ensure the former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel's success for their future well-being. Chhattisgarh: PM Narendra Modi Offers Prayers at Danteshwari Temple in Bastar (Watch Video). Mahant called for support for Baghel's victory in the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat, hailing him as a champion of women and farmers. "We need a protector who can stand up against Narendra Modi, and your MP (referring to Baghel) is that person. We want someone who can hold a stick and confront Narendra Modi," he said. These remarks stirred controversy, drawing a swift response from the ruling BJP. BJP MP and national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi criticised the Congress after Mahant's controversial remark against PM Modi and accused the Congress of "losing its mental balance as the people's love and support for PM Modi continue to grow." PM Narendra Modi Helps To Move Table on Stage During Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai's Swearing-In Ceremony in Raipur (Watch Video). "It is expected that after being opposed by the people and the ever-increasing support and affection towards PM Modi, opposition leaders, mainly from the Congress, seem to have lost their mental balance. The Chhattisgarh LoP has once again used derogatory language for PM Modi, which has been a habit of Congress," BJP's national spokesperson, Sudhanshu Trivedi, said on Thursday. "Such language is saddening in democracy... I want to ask, 'Ye Mohabbat Ki Dukaan Se Kon Kon Se Farmaan Hai?'. Congress claims to hold exclusive copyright and be from the tradition of Gandhi, but did Gandhi used to have a stick for this reason? And this is not just a slip of the tongue but a statement made deliberately and this is all happening from the 2014 elections," he added. Elections in the 11 parliamentary constituencies of Chhattisgarh will take place in three phases on April 19, 26 and May 7. The counting of votes will be done on June 4. The BJP, which has a stronghold in Chhattisgarh, won 9 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha, while the Indian National Congress (INC) was limited to only 2 seats. In the 2014 election, the BJP won 10 seats, while the INC only managed to win one seat. Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 6 (ANI): The Drugs Control Administration (DCA), Telangana, took firm action on Saturday against the forgery of drug licences by a pharmaceutical company named Ovoid Pharmachem Pvt Ltd located in Jeedimetla and filed a case against the company director. Drugs Control Administration, Telangana filed a complaint at the Jeedimetla Police Station regarding the forgery of a drug licence. Also Read | Shab-e-Qadr 2024: Mehbooba Mufti Slams Jammu and Kashmir Administration for Shutting Jamia Masjids Gates Ahead of Laylat-ul-Qadr. According to an official release of DCA, a police case has been filed against Narasapally Ramudu, Director of Ovoid Pharmachem Pvt Ltd, in FIR No. 327/2024 on May 5, 2024, at the Jeedimetla Police Station under Sections 420 (Cheating) and 468 (Forgery) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). This is for the creation of a fake drug licence containing drug products not permitted by DCA, Telangana, as well as for manufacturing and selling products under the forged drug licence. Also Read | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Additional 100 Companies of CAPF To Reach West Bengal Next Week. The Drugs Control Administration, Telangana, has detected a significant case of fraudulent activity within the pharmaceutical industry. An investigation conducted by DCA officials has revealed that Ovoid Pharmachem Pvt Ltd, located at Plot No. 318, Subashnagar, Quthbullapur Mandal, Medchal-Malkajgiri District, engaged in the forgery of a drug manufacturing licence. Narasapally Ramudu, Director of Ovoid Pharmachem Pvt Ltd, was involved in the creation of a forged Drug Manufacturing licence for certain drug products that were not authorised for the company by the Drugs Control Administration, Telangana. This unlawful activity was carried out to deceive drug regulatory authorities, pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and the public. Upon verification of the Drugs Control Administration, Telangana licencing database on the ODLS (Online Drug Licencing System) Portal, it has been confirmed that Ovoid Pharmachem Pvt Ltd created a fake drug licence for certain drug products. DCA also detected that the firm manufactured and sold certain drug products under this fraudulent licence. Drugs Control Administration officials seized stocks worth Rs 23.93 lakhs, including 800 Kgs of Activated Charcoal 250 mg and Simethicone 80 mg Pellets. It is imperative to emphasise that the manufacturing and sale of pharmaceutical products under forged licences pose a significant threat to public health and safety. All manufacturers shall comply strictly with regulatory requirements and maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct. Drugs Control Administration, Telangana, alerted all pharmaceutical manufacturers and stakeholders that forging drug licences is a serious offence with severe consequences. Stringent actions will be taken against any individuals or firms found engaging in such illegal activities. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Chennai, Apr 6 (PTI) DMK legislator N Pugazhenthi died due to a brief illness at a hospital in Tamil Nadu's Villupuram on Saturday, a source at the hospital said. He was 69. Pugazhenthi is survived by his wife, a son and three daughters. Also Read | Shab-E-Qadr 2024: Authorities Shut Gates of Srinagars Jamia Masjid Ahead of Laylat-Ul-Qadr. The MLA, representing the Vikravandi Assembly constituency, was in the midst of a poll campaign along with his party president and Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday when he suddenly swooned. He was immediately rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital in Villupuram where he died today. Pugazhenthi joined the DMK in 1973 and served the party in various capacities. He won from Vikravandi in the 2021 Assembly elections and hailed from Athiyur Thiruvathi in Villupuram district. Also Read | Consent for Physical Relations Not Misconceived Without Evidence of False Promise of Marriage, Says Delhi High Court. Expressing shock and anguish over his sudden demise, Stalin said though the MLA was not keeping well for the past few days he had been actively campaigning for the victory of the DMK in the Lok Sabha elections. "We were hopeful that he would get well, but the news of his death has plunged us in great grief," Stalin said in a statement and extended his deepest condolences and sympathies to the bereaved family, relatives, friends and party men. Governor R N Ravi in a post on 'X' said: "Deeply saddened on the passing away of Thiru N Pugazhenthi, Member of Legislative Assembly from Vikravandi. His contributions to public life will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his grieving family. Om Shanti!". (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kolkata, Apr 6 (PTI) A total of 468 students received their MBA degrees at the 59th annual convocation of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta on Saturday. Addressing the gathering, director-in-charge, Professor Saibal Chattopadhyay, said the premier business school is continuously augmenting teaching, learning and academic infrastructure. Also Read | Heatwave Warning for Odisha: Guidelines Issued To Tackle Heat Wave Conditions; IMD Predicts 'No Change' in Temperature in Next 24 Hours. "We have been continuously striving to augment teaching, learning and academic infrastructure as part of the institute's vision and mission. I congratulate our graduating students for their success," he said. He described the graduates as "ambassadors of IIM Calcutta" and urged them to strive towards making the world a better place to live in. Also Read | Heatwave Warning For Odisha: Authorities in State Issue Guidelines in Several Districts To Tackle Heat Wave Illness. A total of 468 students of the two-year flagship MBA programme of the 59th batch were awarded degrees, the institute said in a statement. Also, 76 students were awarded degrees for one-year MBAEx programme, while 60 students were awarded degrees for two-year PGDBA programme at the convocation, it said. Postgraduate diplomas were awarded to 40 students in the Executives for Visionary Leadership in Manufacturing (PGPEX VLM) programme. Kotak Mahindra Bank founder Uday Kotak, in his speech as the chief guest, called upon the graduating students to champion professional "entrepreneurship" and spearhead India's economic ascent. He shared insights from his own entrepreneurial journey, punctuated with challenges and triumphs, and emphasised the importance of resilience and perseverance. Praising strides made by India, he envisioned a future where the nation would claim a coveted spot among the world's top economies. He called upon the graduating class to "seize this historic opportunity" and become "architects of India's economic renaissance". "I wish for India to certainly see itself in the third place in terms of absolute GDP within the next five years. But between now and 2047, I would like to see India with a USD 30 trillion economy. More importantly, I envision a distribution of per capita income reaching at least USD 15,000, transforming India into a middle-income country. You are the people who can make this Indian dream a reality," Kotak said. Advocating a paradigm shift towards "professional entrepreneurship", Kotak urged the graduates to infuse their careers with an entrepreneurial spirit while upholding the highest standards of professionalism. He underscored the "symbiotic relationship between ownership mentality and professional excellence as a catalyst for enduring success". He highlighted the potential for profitable ventures in sustainable development, aligning financial prosperity with environmental responsibility. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Visakhapatnam, April 6: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) turned out to be the first responder after receiving a distress call from the fishing boat Durga Bhavani, which caught fire following a cooking gas cylinder explosion in the Bay of Bengal on Friday afternoon, officials said on Saturday. Upon receiving the call, the Coast Guard diverted its ship, 'Veera,' to assist the fishermen stranded mid-sea, about 65 nautical miles from Visakhapatnam in the Bay of Bengal. Nine fishermen were injured in the incident, which occurred while preparing lunch. Indian Coast Guard Evacuates Sri Lankan Fisherman with Heart Ailment From Mid-Sea, Airlifts Him to Chennai. All, with severe burn injuries, were rescued by the ICG, provided with immediate first aid by the medical team on the Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Veera, and brought to Visakhapatnam. The nine fishermen had ventured into the sea for fishing. The incident occurred 50 miles from the Visakhapatnam coast, as confirmed by ICGS Commandant VR Prakash. No Shri To Be Prefixed Before Names of Indian Coast Guard, Defence Forces Officers Instead of Their Ranks, Says Presidents Secretariat in RTI Reply. "As per the information from the Coast Guard, the ICGS Veera rushed to the spot for the rescue operation. All the crew of the fishing boat escaped with minor injuries. No casualties have been reported. The ICGS team provided first aid and is bringing them to the Visakhapatnam coast," ICG said on Friday. All survivors were shifted to a hospital for further medical treatment, they added. New Delhi, Apr 6 (PTI) The Congress Saturday hit back at the BJP for its criticism over Mallikarjun Kharge "mistakenly" referring to Article 371 while talking about the abrogation of Article 370, claiming the AICC chief had "inadvertently" exposed the 'Modi-Shah' game plan of wanting to make changes in Article 371. The BJP hit out at Congress president Kharge over his swipe at the ruling party over the issue of removal of Article 370 of the Constitution, with Home Minister Amit Shah saying the opposition party's "Italian culture" is to be blamed for not understanding the very idea of India. Also Read | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Additional 100 Companies of CAPF To Reach West Bengal Next Week. Shah and other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including its president J P Nadda, shared a clip of Kharge's speech on X, in which he is heard targeting the ruling party for talking about the removal of Article 370 in Rajasthan. The Congress chief also incorrectly referred to Article 371 instead of Article 370, which had granted special rights to Jammu and Kashmir and was annulled by the BJP-led Centre in August 2019. Also Read | Delhi Excise Scam: ED Accuses AAP Leader Manish Sisodia of Delaying Trial, Opposes Bail Plea. Responding to the BJP's criticism, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Today by a slip of the tongue in his speech in Jaipur, @INCIndia President Mallikarjun Kharge ji mistakenly said that Modi claims credit for abolishing Article 371. Kharge ji clearly meant Article 370." "Amit Shah immediately pounced on the Congress President. But the truth is that Modi does indeed want to change Article 371-A relating to Nagaland, Article 371-B relating to Assam, Article 371-C relating to Manipur, Article 371-F relating to Sikkim, Article 371-G relating to Mizoram, and Article 371-H relating to Arunachal Pradesh," he claimed. "Incidentally, Kharge ji was the man singularly responsible for Article 371-J relating to the erstwhile Hyderabad-Karnataka region - which he got accomplished only after Dr. Manmohan Singh became PM," Ramesh said. Amit Shah got all excited and agitated because Congress president Kharge "inadvertently" exposed the Modi-Shah gameplan on Article 371; now that they have gotten Article 370 out of the way, the Congress general secretary said. BJP chief Nadda had also seized on the issue to slam the Congress. In a post on X, he said, "Another day, another gem from Congress! Kharge Ji displays the typical Congress mindset which wanted Jammu and Kashmir to remain disconnected from the rest of India. He doesn't even know that the Article in question is Article 370 and not 371. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Pune (Maharashtra) [India], April 6 (ANI): A police constable posted in Pune allegedly shot himself with a service carbine gun in a staff resting room, a police official said. The deceased was identified as Bharat Asmar (33). Also Read | Live Breaking News Headlines & Updates, April 6, 2024. Police suspect that it could be due to personal reasons. No suicide note has been found. "There were no suicide notes found as of now, and police suspect some personal problems could be the reason behind this extreme step," a senior police official said. Also Read | Rattandeep Singh Shot Dead in Punjab: Former Terrorist Gunned Down by Unidentified Gunmen in Balachaur (Watch Video). On Thursday night, Asmar went to the restroom and locked the room from inside, and it is suspected that he shot himself around 3 am using his service carbine gun, resulting in his death. The incident came to light on Friday afternoon, and police are probing the case further, the official added. The exact reason behind the extreme step is yet to be ascertained. Further details are awaited. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Tarn Taran (Punjab) [India], April 6 (ANI): Punjab Police on Saturday arrested three accused persons for allegedly molesting and parading a 55-year-old woman half-naked in the streets of Tarn Taran. Reportedly, a 55-year-old woman was assaulted and publicly humiliated in a village in Punjab's Tarn Taran district on March 31. The incident occurred after her son had eloped with a local girl and married her, against the wishes of her family. A purported video of the crime came to light on social media on Friday. Also Read | Heatwave Warning For Odisha: Authorities in State Issue Guidelines in Several Districts To Tackle Heat Wave Illness. "The victim woman's son fell in love with a girl and married her in court. The girl's family was against this marriage and the girl's mother, with her two sons and two other men, went to the boy's house there they got involved in a heated argument and the two parties got into a scuffle, during which the boy's mother's clothes tore," said SSP Tarn Taran Ashwani Kapoor. The three accused have been identified as Kulwinder Kaur, Gurcharan Singh, and Sunny, police said. According to the complaint, the victim was alone at her home when her son's in-laws allegedly assaulted her and tore off her clothes. Also Read | Shab-E-Qadr 2024: Authorities Shut Gates of Srinagars Jamia Masjid Ahead of Laylat-Ul-Qadr. "The main accused, Gursharan, the girl's brother, filmed a video of the woman... They waited for a few days before filing a complaint, hoping to reconcile things at home. But as soon as the FIR was filed, the accused made the video go viral on social media... Police teams were formed and one of the teams found success when they learned that the accused was at the Amritsar bus stand and trying to flee the state. He was arrested there," said SSP Tarn Taran. However, the police are still looking for Charanjit Singh, Saranjit Singh, and two other unidentified individuals, an official said. Further information is awaited. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Ludhiana (Punjab) [India], April 6 (ANI): An assistant commissioner of police (ACP) and his gunman in Punjab's Ludhiana East were killed after their vehicle collided with another on Dyalpura bypass in Samrala late on Friday night, officials said. According to police, ACP Sandeep Singh and his gunman, identified as Paramjot Singh, suffered grievous injuries after an SUV they were travelling in collided head-on with another SUV coming in the opposite direction. Also Read | Ather Rizta Launch Event: 'Now Indian EV Companies Like Ather Should Make Electric Two-Wheelers for Global Market', Says Former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant During Ather Community Day 2024. The duo were coming from Chandigarh and were on their way to Ludhiana when the accident took place. They were taken out of the vehicle and shifted to a nearby hospital. Minutes after the collision, their vehicle caught fire, they said. Their driver, however, survived the collision. His condition was said to be stable, they said. Also Read | Child Selling Racket Busted: CBI Busts Network of Traffickers Involved in Buying and Selling of Infants; Three Babies Rescued, Seven Accused Arrested (Watch Video). The identities of people travelling in the other SUV were not confirmed, they added. Meanwhile, a case has been registered at Samrala police station and the police were further looking into the acc. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Ahmedabad, Apr 6 (PTI) A high drama prevailed in Ahmedabad on Saturday when some women from the Kshatriya community threatened to perform "jauhar" (self-immolation) outside the BJP headquarters in Gandhinagar demanding the party withdraw Parshottam Rupala's candidature over "anti-Rajput" remarks. Police detained five women and Shree Rashtriya Karni Sena president Mahipal Singh Makrana before he could meet them in Ahmedabad. Also Read | Shab-E-Qadr 2024: Authorities Shut Gates of Srinagars Jamia Masjid Ahead of Laylat-Ul-Qadr. In other parts of the state, members of the Kshatriya community organised a march in Rajkot while in Jam Khambhalia town in Devbhumi Dwarka district, protesters barged into an event attended by Gujarat BJP chief CR Paatil, showed black flags, and shouted slogans against Rupala, a Union minister. The BJP candidate from Rajkot Lok Sabha constituency, Rupala had triggered a row by claiming that erstwhile maharajas' succumbed to the persecution by foreign rulers and Britishers and even married off their daughters to them. Also Read | Consent for Physical Relations Not Misconceived Without Evidence of False Promise of Marriage, Says Delhi High Court. The Kshatriya community strongly objected to Rupala's remarks as the majority of the erstwhile royals were Rajputs and demanded that the BJP withdraw him from the poll fray. The five women had threatened to commit "jauhar" outside the state BJP headquarters "Kamalam" in Gandhinagar in the evening, according to Kshatriya community leaders, prompting the police to step up security. Shree Rashtriya Karni Sena president Makrana was also detained before he could meet the women to persuade them against taking any extreme steps. "He (Makrana) was released in the evening. The women, who were prevented from leaving the house as heavy police force was deployed at the spot, later went back home," said ACP (M division) AB Valand. Before he was held by police, Makrana told reporters that he would meet the Kshatriya women to persuade them to not take any extreme step like committing "jauhar". Addressing a press conference, he said the stir against Rupala's candidature would be intensified in the state. "Rajputs are a traditional vote bank of BJP. If Brahmin and Bania have traditionally supported the BJP; Rajputs have also played a big role. So far Rajputs have voted for the BJP. But if for a single person, Modiji is ready to lose power at the Centre, then let it be so," he said. Meanwhile, in Rajkot, members of the Kshatriya community took out a rally to hand over a memorandum to the district election officer. Another round of meeting was held in Rajkot and it was decided that demonstrations will be staged across Gujarat under the campaign "Operation Rupala" until our demand is met, a community leader said. "The meeting decided that if Rupala goes ahead and files his nomination papers, then 400 members from the Kshatriya community will also file their nominations against him," Kshatriya leader Karansinh Chavda told media persons. He said voting should be held through ballot papers in the Rajkot constituency where Rupala is in the fray. "Leaders at the meeting decided to form a district-level committee to take protests across the state. The Kshatriya samaj is getting the support of members from various other communities," he claimed. Despite an apology from Rupala and the intervention of senior state leaders, the Kshatriya community is firm on Rupala's removal as a BJP candidate and strong action against him for his remarks. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Chennai, April 6: The MLA of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) from Vikravandi assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu's Villupuram district, N Pugazhenthi, passed away aged 71 on Saturday. Reportedly, the DMK MLA collapsed during an election campaigning event earlier in the day and was rushed to a hospital in Chennai. Katchatheevu Island Issue: Day After Attacking Congress, PM Narendra Modi Targets DMK, Alleges Ruling Party Did Nothing To Safeguard Tamil Nadus Inte His mortal remains has been brought to the DMK headquarters in Villupuram for the public to pay last respects. Condoling the demise of the DMK legislator, Governor RN Ravi upheld the former's contributions in public life. "Deeply saddened on passing away of Thiru. N. Pugazhenthi, Member of Legislative Assembly from Vikravandi. His contributions in public life will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his grieving family. Om Shanti!" - Governor Ravi," the Raj Bhavan shared in a post on X. Lok Sabha Election 2024: Anger Against DMK in Tamil Nadu Will Be Vented Out by Public in Upcoming Poll, Says PM Narendra Modi Pugazhenthi, hailing from Athiyur Thiruvathi in Villupuram district, joined the DMK in 1973. He served as the chairman of Koliyanur Panchayat union in 1996 and was appointed as the Villipuram district president after state minister K Ponmudy stepped down from the post. The DMK MLA contested the 2019 bypoll in Vikravandi following the demise of DMK's Radhamani but lost the seat. The party fielded him again in 2021 in which he defeated AIADMK's R Muthamilselvan. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 6 (ANI): Union Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday hit the Lok Sabha election campaign trail in Tamil Nadu's North Chennai and lashed out at the DMK leaders' alleged anti-Sanatana Dharma remarks. "Today, I stand in a state that is renowned for its spiritual power, its saints, and its culture, and that is why the nation is outraged when the DMK leaders attacked Sanatana Dharma," Irani said. Also Read | Ather Rizta Launch Event: 'Now Indian EV Companies Like Ather Should Make Electric Two-Wheelers for Global Market', Says Former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant During Ather Community Day 2024. The BJP leader who is the Union Minister for Women and Child Development was campaigning to support North Chennai BJP candidate Paul Kanagaraj. The campaign, which kicked off at Othavadai Street in Nammalwarpet Market in Chennai saw Irani attacking the opposition bloc INDIA alliance. Also Read | Child Selling Racket Busted: CBI Busts Network of Traffickers Involved in Buying and Selling of Infants; Three Babies Rescued, Seven Accused Arrested (Watch Video). "Today, the Congress party says they want to protect democracy. My question to the Congress party is how will they protect democracy when they are with the DMK?," Irani said. She also said that how could the Congress party and the INDIA alliance which takes the support of terrorist organisation's political leadership protect democracy in the country. "The Congress today to fight election even in a state like Kerala takes the support of banned terrorist organisations like the PFI's political leadership, " Irani said. "And I saw that in Wayanad, the INDI alliance is fighting, but when they meet in Delhi, they are hugging each other. And today I am in Tamil Nadu; I can only say, In Delhi, they are hugging; in Kerala, they are begging; and in Tamil Nadu, they are thugging." Voting for all 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and the only constituency in Puducherry will be held in the first phase on April 19. During polling for the 2019 general elections, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, comprising the Congress, VCK, MDMK, CPI, CPI(M), IUML, MMK, KMDK, TVK, and AIFB, registered a landslide victory, winning 38 of the 39 seats. The DMK-led alliance secured a landslide victory by bagging 38 out of 39 seats. The Congress, which was also a part of the alliance, bagged 8 seats out of the nine contested. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the other hand, won only one seat. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Indian National Congress candidate V Vaithilingam won the only seat in the Puducherry Parliamentary Constituency. The polling will be conducted in seven phases across the country from April 19 to June 1. The counting of votes will be on June 4. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Raipur, Apr 6 (PTI) Three Naxalites were gunned down in an exchange of fire with security forces in a dense forest in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district bordering Telangana on Saturday, a senior police official here said. The encounter took place in Pujari Kanker forest along the interstate border when a team of Greyhounds, Telangana's elite anti-Naxal force, was out on an operation, he said. Also Read | BJP Foundation Day 2024: PM Narendra Modi Extends Wishes on Bharatiya Janata Party's Foundation Day, Says Indias Most Preferred Party. A team of Chhattisgarh police was also present in the area to extend auxiliary support to the Greyhounds team, he said. Three Naxalites were killed in the gunfight and weapons were also recovered from the spot, the official said. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha Elections 2024: PM Narendra Modi To Hold Rally, Roadshow in State Today; Will Also Visit Ajmer. A search operation is still underway in the area, he added. Earlier this week, at least 13 Naxalites including three women were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kolkata, April 6: People of southern West Bengal are likely to get a respite from the sweltering heat with the Met Department on Saturday forecasting thunderstorms owing to the formation of a cyclonic circulation over north Bangladesh. Heatwave conditions are prevailing over several districts in the region, with Panagarh recording the highest temperature in the state at 41.7 degrees Celsius, closely followed by Bankura at 41.5 degrees Celsius, the weather office said. West Bengal: IMD Issues Heat Wave Alert for South Bengal It forecast thunderstorms with lightning and gusty wind in the region till Monday, and in northern West Bengal till Wednesday owing to a cyclonic circulation lying over north Bangladesh and strong moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal. Heat Wave Alert for Parts of East, Peninsular India over Next 2 Days Southern West Bengal, which has seen a steady rise in day temperatures over the last one week, is set to see a fall in the mercury level by three to four notches, the forecast said, providing people of the region with hope of a respite from the sweltering heat. Kolkata recorded 38.3 degrees Celsius, while Asansol, Purulia and Barrackpore crossed the 40 degrees mark, it said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Chandigarh, Apr 6 (PTI) Senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka on Saturday questioned the "slow" progress in the probe into alleged irregularities in land deals during the erstwhile Congress government in Haryana. "Why is the investigation into the Vadra-DLF deal slow? It has been 10 years. How much more to wait. The Dhingra Commission report is also in cold storage. Sinners are having a good time. Also Read | Congress Hits Back PM Narendra Modi Over His Remark on Manifesto, Says 'He Doesn't Know History, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Himself Was Part of Government With Muslim League'. "Why is the ruler's intention weak? The promise made by the prime minister to the country in 2014 should be remembered," Khemka, the 1991-batch Haryana-cadre officer, said in a post on X in Hindi. In 2012, Khemka hit the headlines after he had cancelled the mutation of the 3.5-acre land deal between Skylight Hospitality -- a company linked to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra -- and the realty major DLF in Gurugram's Manesar-Shikohpur. Mutation is part of the land transfer process. He had also accused the Haryana government of victimising him then. Also Read | Snake Attack in UP: Man Dies After Getting Bitten by Cobra That He Rescued From Well in Banda Village. Khemka at that time was the director general, consolidation of holdings and land records. In 2012, Bhupinder Singh Hooda was the chief minister of Haryana. Notably, the Bharatiya Janata Party had alleged irregularities in land deals during the then Congress regime in Haryana and made it a major poll issue in the 2014 Lok Sabha as well as assembly elections. The Congress, Hooda and Vadra have always denied any wrongdoing. The BJP, after winning the Haryana assembly polls in 2014, had set up a commission of inquiry under Justice S N Dhingra (retired) in 2015 to probe issues pertaining to grant of commercial licence to Skylight. The Punjab and Haryana High Court, however, on January 10, 2019, had quashed the report of the Dhingra commission of inquiry, citing procedural irregularities and restrained the government from making it public. (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 6 (PTI) Indian IT major Wipro on Saturday announced the resignation of Thierry Delaporte as CEO and named Srinivas Pallia as the new Chief Executive Officer of the company, effective immediately. The announcement comes days before the Bengaluru-headquartered company is scheduled to announce its Q4 and full-year earnings for 2023-24 on April 19. Wipro has been trailing its peers on the performance front with subdued report card and weak guidance and saw a spate of senior-level departures including CFO Jatin Dalal and chief growth officer Stephanie Trautman last year. Also Read | BJP Foundation Day 2024 Date: Know the History and Significance of BJP Sthapna Diwas That Celebrates the Formation of the Bharatiya Janata Party. According to a Wipro release, Pallia brings to the CEO role extensive institutional and industry knowledge, as well as a strong track record of leadership through some of the most significant technological shifts the industry has seen. In a BSE filing on Saturday, Wipro said its Board noted the resignation of Delaporte with effect from April 6, 2024, and went on to add that he will be relieved from the employment of the company with effect from the close of business hours on May 31, 2024. Also Read | AMC Raising Day 2024: Army Medical Corps Celebrates 260th Raising Day as They Live Up To The Corps Motto. "At their meeting held on April 6, 2024...pursuant to the recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, the Board of Directors has approved the appointment of Srinivas Pallia as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the company with effect from April 7, 2024, for a period of five years, subject to the approval of shareholders and the Central Government as may be applicable," Wipro informed in an exchange filing. Before taking over the reins of Wipro as its CEO in July 2020, Delaporte worked with Capgemini. Delaporte's annual salary of over Rs 80 crore at Wipro had made headlines last year. The USD 11.2 billion global information technology, consulting and business process services company competes in the global outsourcing market with Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Cognizant and other international and domestic IT players. In a release announcing the top-level changes, Wipro said the appointment of Pallia (a Wipro veteran) as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, is "effective immediately" and that he will be based in New Jersey and report to Chairman Rishad Premji. "He succeeds Thierry Delaporte, who, after spearheading a significant transformation at Wipro for the last four years, is stepping down to pursue passions outside the workplace," said the company which has 240,000 employees and business partners across 65 countries. In his resignation letter to the Board, Delaporte wrote: "I am writing to resign from my position as CEO and MD of Wipro Ltd, effective April 6, 2024. It has been an incredible honour, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have played a role in the growth and success of Wipro". "During my tenure as CEO and MD, we have witnessed a significant transformation within the company that has not only driven financial growth but has also positively impacted our associates, clients, and shareholders," Delaporte said wishing the company continued success and prosperity in the future. Pallia has been with Wipro for over three decades and most recently served as the CEO for 'Americas 1' region, which is Wipro's biggest and fastest growing strategic market. In this role, he oversaw diverse industry sectors, established their vision, and implemented growth strategies, resulting in increased market shares within these sectors, according to the company. Pallia is a member of the Wipro Executive Board. "Srini is an ideal leader to lead Wipro at this pivotal moment for our company and industry. Over the past four years, Wipro has undergone a major transformation under the most challenging external conditions. Srini has been an integral part of this journey," Rishad Premji, Chairman of Wipro Ltd said. Premji said Pallia's client-centric approach, growth mindset, strong execution focus, and his commitment to Wipro's values, make him the "perfect fit" as the company enters the "next chapter of growth and profitability". "I'd like to express my gratitude to Thierry for his leadership at Wipro. The changes he implemented have better positioned us for the future. We have optimised our structure, enhanced our leadership, prioritised partnerships, and improved our overall efficiency. This provides a strong foundation for Srini to effectively build upon," Premji said. Premji noted that Delaporte will continue until the end of May, working closely with Srini and him to ensure a smooth transition. Pallia joined Wipro in 1992 and has held many leadership positions, including President of Wipro's Consumer Business Unit and Global head of Business Application Services. Commenting on his appointment, Pallia described Wipro as one of those rare companies that combine profit with purpose, and said he is "truly honoured to have been chosen to lead this iconic institution". "I am excited to build on the strong foundation established by Thierry and lead Wipro on its next growth trajectory. I have built my entire career at Wipro, and I have a deep appreciation of our 78-year history and our incredible team of more than 240,000 associates," Pallia said. He said Wipro has the right strategy, and tremendous people and capabilities throughout the organisation, and added he is "excited about the opportunities for future growth." Pallia holds a bachelor's degree in engineering, and a master's in management studies from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He graduated from Harvard Business School's Leading Global Businesses executive program, and the Advanced Leadership Program at McGill Executive Institute. Delaporte said he is grateful to Premji and the Board for the opportunity to lead Wipro through a period of significant transformation. Wipro had posted a nearly 12 per cent decline in consolidated net profit at Rs 2,694.2 crore in the third quarter ended December 2023. Rival Infosys posted a 7.3 per cent decline in net profit, while Tata Consultancy Services and HCL reported an 8.2 per cent and 6.2 per cent increase in consolidated profit in the December 2023 quarter. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) London, Apr 6 (AP) A second British lawmaker has acknowledged receiving explicit messages on his phone in what police are investigating as a malicious phishing attempt against politicians, their staff and journalists. Conservative legislator Luke Evans said he had been a victim of cyber flashing and malicious communications a month ago, when an unknown individual sent him an explicit image of a naked lady. Also Read | BlackBerry CEO John Giamatteo Accused of Sexual Harassment in Lawsuit Filed Former Employee in US District Court: Report. Evans said in a video message Friday that he'd immediately reported the incident to police and parliamentary authorities. Another Conservative MP, William Wragg, revealed on Thursday that he had disclosed some colleagues' phone numbers to an unknown individual who contacted him on a gay dating app. Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: Russian Missile Strikes on the Ukrainian City of Kharkiv Kill Six and Wound 11. Wragg said he'd exchanged messages with the individual, who called himself Charlie, and had sent an explicit photo of himself. Wragg told The Times of London that he was scared and manipulated into giving his colleagues' numbers to the unknown individual he had met on Grindr. News website Politico was the first to report that several current and former parliamentarians, staffers and political journalists had been contacted by an unknown number on WhatsApp. The sender claimed to be Charlie or Abi and tried to strike up flirtatious conversations. The honeytrap 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. Politico said some of those targeted were sent naked images, with at least two reported to have responded by sending images of themselves. The Leicestershire Police force in central England where Evans has his constituency and London's Metropolitan Police both say they are investigating reports of malicious communications. British intelligence agencies have warned of attempts by hackers linked to foreign states, especially China, to target politicians with cyberattacks. Police have not said who they think was behind the messages. 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, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kabul [Afghanistan], April 6 (ANI): 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. Also Read | Indian Student Uma Satya Sai Gadde Dies in US State of Ohio; 'Deeply Saddened by the Unfortunate Demise', Says Indian Consulate in New York. 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. Also Read | Earthquake in New York City: Indian Consulate in New York in Touch With Diaspora Members After Quake of Magnitude 4.8 Strikes NYC. 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) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Four Allegany County residents were arrested last week when deputies responded to a call at self-storage facility in Portville, the Cattaraugus County Sheriffs Office announced. Charged with third-degree burglary, third-degree criminal trespass and possession of burglars tolls were Katherine A. Ray, 42; Brandon G. Gaines, 41; Jessica L. Bailey, 37; and Michael R. French, 45; all of the same address on North Main Street in Bolivar. Gaines and French are held in Cattaraugus County Jail without bail due to two or more previous felony convictions, the Sheriffs Office said. Ray was remanded to Cattaraugus County Jail in lieu of $2,500 bail. Bailey was released on her own recognizance. The four were taken into custody at Portville Storage, 446 Portville Ceres Road (Route 417), after deputies responded to a call about 4:30 a.m. on April 2 reporting multiple people cutting locks and removing items from storage units. Dale Anderson New Delhi [India], April 6 (ANI): Dammu Ravi, the Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs (Economic Relations), will embark on a visit to Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya from April 7-12, accompanied by the Additional Secretary (East and Southern Africa), Puneet R Kundal. During the visit to Rwanda, the MEA Secretary (ER) will represent the Government of India at the event marking the 30th commemoration of the 1994 Rwanda Genocide (Kwibuka 30) on April 7. Also Read | Earthquake in US: 4.8 Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Eastern Parts of United States With Epicentre in Lebanon, New Jersey; No Reports of Damage. "He is also expected to hold meetings with Ministers and senior officials of the Government of Rwanda," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release. "Secretary (ER) will thereafter travel to Uganda from April 8-9 leading a 35-member multi-sector business delegation that aims to increase trade and commercial ties between the two countries," the release added. Also Read | US Shocker: Massachusetts Man Viciously Bites Police Officer's Hand Causing Severe Damage and Heavy Bleeding, Injures Three Others in 'Violent Encounter'; Arrested. Additionally, he will also meet with ministers and officials of the Ugandan government, besides chairing a business session comprising captains of Indian and Ugandan industry. He is also expected to interact with the Indian community in Uganda. Furthermore, the press release disclosed that "Secretary (ER) will then travel to Kenya heading a large delegation comprising officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Indian agricultural companies and business chambers from April 10-12." This visit will fulfill the decision taken in the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and the President of Kenya during his visit to India in December 2023. The delegation will, interalia, explore the possibility of agricultural farming in Kenya. "Dammu Ravi will also be chairing a business session comprising Indian and Kenyan companies besides having meetings with Ministers and officials of the Government of Kenya. He will also be meeting with members of the Indian community in Kenya," the release added. The visit by the Secretary (ER) is a reaffirmation of India's commitment to further strengthen its ties of friendship with Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya and to maintain the momentum of high-level contacts between India and countries in Africa, post the entry of the African Union (AU) as a permanent member of the G-20 during the Indian Presidency. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Tehran [Iran], April 6 (ANI): Iran announced on Saturday that it had apprehended members of the ISIL (ISIS) group who were allegedly plotting an attack at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramzan, Al Jazeera reported. The breakthrough came after a vigilant citizen in Mahdasht, located in the Alborz province, approximately 60km (37 miles) west of Tehran, alerted law enforcement, according to police spokesman Saeed Montazerolmahdi. Also Read | BlackBerry CEO John Giamatteo Accused of Sexual Harassment in Lawsuit Filed Former Employee in US District Court: Report. This tip-off led to the arrest of a "senior" ISIL figure named Mohammad "Ramesh" Zaker. Montazerolmahdi revealed that Zaker and two other ISIL operatives were taken into custody, while an additional eight individuals accompanying the alleged terrorists were also arrested, as reported by Al Jazeera. The group was purportedly planning a suicide attack during Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramzan. Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: Russian Missile Strikes on the Ukrainian City of Kharkiv Kill Six and Wound 11. This development follows previous attacks attributed to ISIL in Iran, including twin bombings during a ceremony in Kerman in January, which claimed nearly 100 lives and left over 200 wounded. The Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), the Afghanistan-based branch of ISIL, claimed responsibility for the Kerman assault. Iran responded by arresting 35 individuals linked to the attacks, including an ISIS-K commander. In addition to the Kerman incident, ISIL has been implicated in other attacks on Iranian soil, such as assaults on a major Shia shrine in Shiraz. Notably, the group has targeted symbols of Iranian authority, including the parliament and the tomb of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 2017, according to Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, Iran faces heightened security challenges amidst escalating tensions in the region, exacerbated by Israel's military actions in Gaza. Recently, armed militants from the Sunni separatist group Jaish al-Adl launched attacks on two bases of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan. This prompted funeral processions for slain IRGC members across various provinces, including Lorestan and Mazandaran. Furthermore, Iran mourned the loss of Brigadier-General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior IRGC commander killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus, Syria. Speaking to a crowd in Tehran on Saturday, the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, Mohammad Bagheri, said "the criminal US and the cruel and child-killing Zionists must know that the life of the regime [Israel] is coming to an end, and there is not much left until its decay and destruction". "Air strikes on a consulate, as a protected mission under international accords, have no meaning but madness from the Zionist regime because it is harming and killing itself. If politicians in Israel had any credibility left, this move destroyed it," he said, renewing Iran's vow for revenge for its killed commanders, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Islamabad [Pakistan], April 6 (ANI): Preparations are in motion to convene the inaugural session of the Senate on April 9, following the recent House elections, according to sources as reported by ARY News on Saturday. During the Senate session, the newly elected senators are slated to recite their oaths, with the election for the chairman and deputy chairman positions set to take place on the same day, according to sources. Also Read | Daylight Saving in Australia: Clocks To Go Back an Hour on April 7 To Mark the End of Daylight Saving; Know Time and States That Observe Daylight Saving Time. President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari has endorsed the appointment of Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar as the presiding officer of the Senate session, following the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, ARY News reported. In light of these developments, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has put forward former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani as its nominee for the Senate Chairman office. Also Read | Monster Husband in UK Murders Wife, Chops Her Body Into Over 200 Pieces Before Dumping Remains in River. The Election Commission has officially recognised the 37 candidates who secured Senate seats in the recent elections. However, concerns have been raised regarding the pending Senate elections for 11 seats of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. Analysts have pointed out that conducting the election for chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate without the representation of the 11 members from KP could cast doubt on the credibility of the process. As of now, no schedule has been issued for the Senate election to fill the 11 vacant seats in KP, ARY News reported. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Sindh, April 6: Five children of a family lost their lives after drinking contaminated water from a borewell in the Sanghar district of Sindh, ARY News reported on Friday. The five kids, aged between four and eight, succumbed to poisoning after drinking water from a nearby hand pump in Sanghar, according to a statement from the deputy commissioner of Sanghar. Pakistan Conducts Strikes Against 'Terrorist Hideouts' in Iran, Seven Killed Including Four Children. Following the incident, they were taken to the hospital immediately, the official added, saying they complained of fever, diarrhoea, and vomiting. Nevertheless, the kids died while receiving the treatment, according to ARY News. Pakistan: 18 Children Die of Pneumonia in Punjab Province Due to Freezing Cold. The victims have been identified as Mureed Bhatti (8), Mumtaz (3), Rashid Ali (5), Sania (4), and Zamira (4). The deputy commissioner visited the village to test the water after the event, accompanied by health officials. The district health official blocked the hand pump placed on agricultural land as a precaution after verifying the presence of harmful substances. Islamabad [Pakistan], April 6 (ANI): Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed all the security agencies to ensure fool-proof security arrangements for the Chinese citizens working on various projects in Pakistan following a recent terrorist attack in Shangla district on March 26, as reported by Geo News. The terrorist attack had targeted a vehicle, resulting in the killing of a woman five Chinese nationals, and a Pakistani driver. Also Read | Joe Biden Vows To Move Heaven And Earth To Rebuild Baltimore Bridge: Live Breaking News Headlines & Updates, April 6, 2024. Subsequently, work on the hydropower project has been suspended since the attack, as per Geo News. The victims were killed when an explosive-laden vehicle hit the bus carrying them on the Karakoram Highway in the Bisham area on March 26. Also Read | Earthquake in New Jersey: 4.0 Magnitude Aftershock Rattles US State Hours After Morning Quake. While chairing a meeting in Islamabad focused on the nation's security, he emphasised the need for stringent security measures to safeguard Chinese nationals involved in various projects across Pakistan. According to Geo News, PM Sharif said that he had decided to personally review the meetings concerning the overall security of the country, especially the security of Chinese citizens. Additionally, he stated that the war against the menace of terror will continue until its eradication from the country. He directed the interior ministry to increase collaboration with the provinces to further improve the provincial anti-terrorism departments. The PM also directed to chalk out a comprehensive strategy for the regular audit of the security standard operating procedures (SOPs). The meeting was attended by the federal interior minister, heads of security institutes and relevant authorities. PM Shehbaz was briefed about the comprehensive security situation in the country. He vowed to continue waging war against terrorism until its annihilation. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Home Department asked relevant authorities to upgrade the security for Dasu Hydropower Project amid the terrorist attack. Chinese engineers are currently working on several projects in Pakistan, with Beijing investing over USD 65 billion in infrastructure works as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under Beijing's wider Belt and Road initiative. In a letter, the KP Home Department asked the inspector general of police, Upper Kohistan deputy commissioner, project director and other relevant authorities to provide security so that work could be resumed on the dam project. The News on March 29 reported that civil work at the sites of the Dasu and Diamer-Bhasha Dams had been temporarily suspended by the Chinese companies overseeing operations due to security concerns, a day after work was also suspended at the Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project. Around 991 Chinese engineers were working on both projects, while the local staff had been told to stay at home till further instructions, an official working on the project confirmed to the publication. Around 741 Chinese and 6,000 locals are working on the 4,320 MW Dasu Dam in District Upper Kohistan. Work on the Mohmand Dam in KP remains ongoing, with Chinese engineers continuing their operations at the site. Similarly, the General Manager of Diamer-Bhasha Dam (DBD), Nazakat Hussain, also confirmed that the Chinese company had suspended work on the dam. "Around 500 Chinese nationals were engaged in DBD but the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) staff continues to work. Around 6,000 locals are busy with dam construction," He said. He hoped that the situation would normalise in a few days, leading to the return of Chinese employees. The Diamer-Bhasha Dam would produce 4,800 MW of electricity through hydropower generation. Once completed, the Mohmand Dam will generate 740 MWs of hydroelectricity, irrigate 15,100 acres of land and control floods downstream. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Islamabad [Pakistan], April 6 (ANI): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's core committee said the delay in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senate elections was an attempt to blatantly disregard the Constitution, assault the unity of the federation and abuse the voting right, Pakistan-based The News International reported. The PTI's statement came as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) notified the winners of the recent Senate elections. In a meeting, the PTI core committee was briefed about cases against former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. Calling the 'slow pace' of judicial proceedings against Imran Khan very unfortunate, the PTI's core committee called for the release of the party's founder, according to The News International report. Also Read | Joe Biden Vows To Move Heaven And Earth To Rebuild Baltimore Bridge: Live Breaking News Headlines & Updates, April 6, 2024. The participants in the meeting condemned the delay in Senate polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and called it the tarnishing of democracy through incomplete houses and the criminal assistance of the Election Commission to nullify the right to vote of the people. The PTI's core committee criticised the harassment of judges of the higher judiciary through dubious letters. It called for exemplary action against those responsible for harassment of the judges. It reiterated the demand for the formation of a full court on the letter of six judges of the Islamabad High Court, live telecast of court proceedings and holding of judicial convention. Also Read | Earthquake in New Jersey: 4.0 Magnitude Aftershock Rattles US State Hours After Morning Quake. It called for the early disposal of election petitions from the Election Commission and tribunals set up by it. The PTI's core committee called on the electoral watchdog to restore the electoral symbol of the party and stated that there was no legal justification for the non-restoration of the electoral symbol as it had submitted all the details regarding the intra-party polls. The core committee offered support to a mass movement set to be launched by PTI after Eidul Fitr through the Grand Alliance formed following wider political collaboration. It said that the first large public gathering under the Grand Alliance will be held in Balochistan's Pishin district on April 13. The PTI's core committee strongly condemned the arrest and remand of women prisoners, particularly Aliya Hamza and Sanam Javed. It called for the immediate release of all the PTI leaders and workers, including the party's founder, Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, The News International reported. On Friday, PTI set up a 14-member political committee to take all decisions and inform the core committee. The PTI Central Media Department, in a notification, said, "as per instructions received from founder chairman PM Imran Khan, following persons are appointed to the political committee. The political committee shall take all the decisions and inform the core committee," according to The News International report. According to the notification released by PTI, the leaders who have been appointed in the political committee are: Omar Ayub (chair), Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur, Shibli Faraz, Sher Afzal Marwat, Khalid Khursheed, Aon Abbas, Pakistan's former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Hafiz Farhat, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Hammad Azhar, Raoof Hasan, Shah Farman and Atif Khan. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Gurugram, April 6: Two men were arrested on Thursday for allegedly beating a 45-year-old man to death in Gurugram. The victim, identified as Sanjay Das, was reportedly killed for talking to the wife of one of the accused, according to police officers. Indian Express reported that Das, a native of Karana village in Bihar and resident of Baslambi in Gurugram, was found dead at his residence on Tuesday. His body bore bruises and marks allegedly inflicted by sticks, indicating a violent assault. Ghaziabad Horror: Man Brutally Thrashed With Iron Rod After Argument Over Purchase of Food Item, Dies; Disturbing Video Surfaces. The police were alerted about Dass death by his nephew, Prince, who subsequently filed a complaint. Based on Princes complaint, an FIR was registered under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 302 (punishment for murder) at the Bilaspur police station. The accused, identified as Sonu (36) and Pawan Kumar (34), residents of Baslambi village and Fazilpur Badli respectively, were then sought by the police. Delhi Shocker: 14-Year-Old Minor Boy Brutally Thrashed to Death in Brahmpuri Area. During interrogation, it was revealed that Sonu was supposed to visit Das, and Das had called Sonus wife over the phone regarding the same. This reportedly upset the accused, who then allegedly picked Das in their vehicle, took him to a village field, and beat him with a wooden stick. They later returned the severely injured Das to his room, where he died, said ASI Sandeep, a Gurugram police spokesperson. The accused were arrested, and their car, a Brezza, along with the stick allegedly used in the crime, were seized by the police. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 06, 2024 08:54 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Srinagar, April 6: People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti hit out at the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Saturday for shutting the gates of the Jamia Masjid here on the occasion of Shab-e-Qadr. Shab-e-Qadr 2024: Authorities Shut Gates of Srinagar's Jamia Masjid Ahead of Laylat-ul-Qadr "How unfortunate that on the auspicious occasion of Shab-e Qadr Jama Masjid has been locked up to prevent people from offering prayers and Mirwaiz put under house arrest yet again. Land, resources, religion -- what all will you deprive Kashmiris of?" the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister asked in a post on X. Happy Shab-e-Qadar 2024 Wishes and Messages: Celebrate Laylat-ul-Qadr, The Night of Power, by Sharing WhatsApp Status, Greetings, Images, Quotes and Wallpapers She was reacting to the Union Territory administration's move to close the historic mosque around 5:30 pm on Saturday. The administration has also placed Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest. Sean Diddy Combs 26-year-old son is facing a lawsuit for sexual assault. The accuser, named Grace OMarcaigh, alleges that during a yacht party, Christian King Combs forced himself on her, reports TMZ. She claims to have audio recordings of the incident. Grace states that she was working as a steward on a yacht chartered by Diddy before New Years Eve in 2022. She alleges that despite her objections, King, who was heavily intoxicated, attempted to kiss and grope her. The report further states that Grace is suing the 54-year-old rapper as well for aiding and abetting his son in the alleged assault. Sean Diddy Combs Los Angeles and Miami Homes Raided by Federal Authorities Amid Sex Trafficking Allegations. Christian King Combs Sexual Assault Allegations #Diddy's son, Christian "King" Combs, is being sued for sexual assault, and the alleged victim claims she has audio recordings of him forcing himself on her during a yacht party. What we know so far https://t.co/ncbFIpAVPL pic.twitter.com/tX2W3j2AZM TMZ (@TMZ) April 5, 2024 (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.) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is one of the oldest and biggest political parties in India. It was established on April 6, 1980. This year, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Sthapna Diwas 2024 is being celebrated on April 6, which is its 44th Sthapna Diwas. Since its inception in 1980, it has soared to become a global political powerhouse. Today, the BJP has gone on to become not only one of Indias largest political parties but the world's as well. On this happy occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address BJP leaders and workers, as well as the people of the country. The Sthapna Diwas celebrations will feature speeches, events, and discussions that will focus on the party's journey, achievements, and future aspirations and goals. It's a special moment for members of the party to come together and think about the BJP's values, transformations made, beliefs, and contributions. Let's celebrate the 44th Sthapna Diwas of the BJP. Let's unite to honor its legacy and imagine a future full of unity and progress. BJP Foundation Day 2024 Date: Know the History and Significance of BJP Sthapna Diwas That Celebrates the Formation of the Bharatiya Janata Party. BJP Foundation Day 2024 Wishes and Greetings BJP Sthapna Diwas (Photo Credits: File Photo) BJP Foundation Day 2024 Wishes and Greetings BJP Foundation Day (Photo Credits: File Photo) BJP Foundation Day 2024 Wishes and Greetings BJP Foundation Day (Photo Credits: File Image) BJP Foundation Day 2024 Wishes and Greetings BJP Foundation Day (Photo Credits: File Image) BJP Foundation Day 2024 Wishes and Greetings Representational Image (File Photo) (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.) The special month of Ramadan is almost over, and Muslims everywhere are preparing to observe Shab-e-Qadr, also known as Laylat al-Qadr. This important Islamic festival is celebrated around the world. This year, Shab-e-Qadr falls on April 6. Shab-e-Qadr holds significant importance as it is believed to be the night when the Qurans verses were first revealed to Prophet Muhammad during Ramadan. It is regarded as the holiest night in Islam. Muslims believe that on this blessed night, God's blessings and mercy are plentiful. It's a time when sins are forgiven and prayers are answered through God's grace. During Shab-e-Qadr, Muslims recite a special prayer known as dua. The dua, or prayer, is, O Allah, you are the one who forgives greatly and loves to forgive, so forgive me. To celebrate Shab-e-Qadr in 2024, you can share wishes, greetings, messages, quotes, wallpapers, and images with your loved ones on platforms like Facebook or WhatsApp. Ramadan 2024 Start and End Dates in India: When Is First Roza? Know the Sehri and Iftar Timings in Major Indian Cities. Shab-e-Qadr Wishes Shab-e-Qadr (Photo Credits: File Photo) Shab-e-Qadr Messages Shab-e-Qadr Greetings Shab-e-Qadr (Photo Credits: File Photo) Shab-e-Qadr Wishes Shab-e-Qadr Messages Shab-e-Qadr (Photo Credits: File Photo) Shab-e-Qadr Mubarak 2024 Images, Greetings, Messages, Quotes And Wallpapers To Send To Loved Ones (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.) Times Staff Writer In exuberant services that drew political titans and the poor, thousands of worshippers turned out Sunday to bid farewell to the Rev. Cecil L. Chip Murray, senior pastor of First AME Church, after 27 years in the pulpit of one of the most important black churches in Los Angeles. An estimated 11,000 people crammed into three services to send off Murray, who is retiring at 75 after transforming the church from a small, low-key congregation to a religious and civic powerhouse that has steered its community through the Los Angeles riots, gang warfare, police brutality and the AIDS crisis. With a motto of Prayers With Feet, Murray has exhorted his congregation to go beyond Bible studies and reach out to build 2,000 units of low-income housing, provide thousands of jobs, expand neighborhood food programs and educate young people through college scholarships and its own elementary school. Advertisement Murray said his departure would not change the churchs activist direction. Especially the black church ... must be a servant church or we are in default, he said in emphatic remarks to reporters after the services. The church must reach beyond its walls. It must have more than prayer, more than worship. The word must become flesh. Murrays extraordinary reach was exemplified by two visitors who shared the pulpit with him Sunday: former Gov. Gray Davis, who declared Murray to be the citys most powerful voice for justice, and a bearded, homeless man whom the preacher invited to step forward for an embrace and words of encouragement. The preacher shed no tears over his farewell, and chose not to speak about himself at all during his farewell sermons. Instead, in high-octane performances of stomping feet and sweaty brow, he pounded on his social gospel to the very end. Advertisement Ticking off figures on how much blacks spend on Cadillacs, movie tickets, cosmetics and the like, Murray exhorted the crowd to stand against arrogance and share their wealth with needy neighbors. What you do with what you have reflects who you are, he said. If you can eat a full meal in front of a hungry person, you aint got no religion. Murray shared his personal feelings later, saying he was thrilled that his church is now so organized that it would carry on its mission without faltering. Advertisement Murrays successor is expected to be announced today in St. Louis by the Right Rev. John R. Bryant, the African Methodist Episcopal Church bishop who oversees states west of the Mississippi. Asked to name his proudest achievement, Murray responded: That congregation. They have to be the center of pride that they would go from being pew members to public workers. He added that he would announce his next move in a month or so, after weighing options that he declined to discuss. I just follow Gods lead, he said. Murrays stature as a community builder was enhanced Sunday when ChevronTexaco announced that it would donate a former service station site worth $240,000 to the churchs nonprofit economic development agency, FAME Renaissance, as a gesture of thanks for the pastors service. The agency plans to build an $8.5-million business-development center. Sundays services capped five months of tributes and awards for Murray, a Florida native and fifth-generation African Methodist Episcopalian who said he was born to preach and began serving as a junior pastor when he was in junior high school. After earning his doctorate in religion at Claremont School of Theology, he served at AME churches in Pomona, Kansas City and Seattle before moving to Los Angeles in October 1977. Advertisement Arriving in an Afro and dashiki, Murray soon transformed what longtime church member Toni Scott recalled was a staid congregation of traditional hymns and little civic activism. Murray raised eyebrows when he brought in drums and guitars, Scott said, but his high spirits and joyful manner soon became contagious. So did his approach to church. Before he met Murray, Los Angeles media consultant Kerman Maddox said he had avoided church because of what he saw as the hypocrisy of people who worshipped on Sundays and sinned the rest of the week with adulterous affairs, alcoholism and the like. When he turned up at First AME in 1984, it was only to hear the Rev. Jesse Jackson make a pitch for his presidential campaign. But it was the other reverend, Chip Murray, who caught his ear with his passionate social gospel. I saw this guy and said, Wow, hes different, Maddox said. He was getting involved in the neighborhood, the community, Jesses campaign. I still wasnt sold, but it made me go back again. Three years later, Maddox took the plunge and joined. He recalls walking the streets with Murray, handing out condoms and warnings about AIDS long before other black preachers were willing to publicly address the health threat. Doors were slammed in their faces and people publicly accosted them for their controversial work, but the pastor turned out to be prophetic, Maddox said. As word spread about the churchs work, its congregation multiplied from 1,000 members to its current total of 18,000. First AME, on Harvard Boulevard in the West Adams district, became a requisite pilgrimage stop for Democratic politicians. Former President Clinton visited at least twice, and he mentioned Murray in his memoirs. Advertisement On Sunday, the phalanx of political heavyweights who came to pay tribute included Rep. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles), Assemblyman Mark Ridley-Thomas, county Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, Mayor James K. Hahn, state Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer, several Los Angeles City Council members and Police Chief William J. Bratton. But hobnobbing with the political high and mighty never made Murray lose his touch for the down and out. Sharon McDade, a 43-year-old customer service representative, said she was a single mother of two struggling to get off welfare and make ends meet with a part-time job when she visited the church for the first time 10 years ago. The church rescued her by getting her situated in a low-income housing unit and surrounded her with a spiritual support network that has helped change her life, she said. McDade is now working full time, praying regularly and readying herself to leave low-income housing. I never thought I was important, but Pastor Murray looks me directly in the eye and smiles and asks me how Im doing, she said. It makes me feel good. Scott, a Los Angeles educator, recalls Murrays faithful sick calls when she was hospitalized, staying with her for hours in the emergency room to ensure that she was well-treated. He offered to temporarily house her then-wayward daughter and wrote letters of recommendations for another childs college application. Such personal gestures of caring are rare for pastors of mega-churches like his, Scott said. Whenever I needed him, I always knew he was a person I could count on, she said. The grateful congregation has showered Murray with plaques, photo albums and personalized compact discs of music and tributes. On Sunday, it unveiled a stained-glass window immortalizing his visage. Advertisement Milita Caddell, a 37-year-old L.A. resident and YMCA director, found herself on the verge of tears despite the festivities. Wow, she said. Its the last time for us. Its a new generation. Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, a Democratic ally, just had his office burned in an arson attack, according to police, who revealed that the motive is still unclear. This is the latest attack on a politician as the US presidential elections approach. It was a deliberate attack on the US senator, but nobody was injured during the attack, with the independent senator himself being away when the blaze was started, according to the Associated Press. The arson attack itself happened while people were still inside the senator's office, which is located in Burlington, Vermont. Authorities have revealed that the suspected arsonist is male, and he sprayed what the authorities described as a possible accelerant on the office door. The suspect then lit the door up before running away from the scene. Burlington police have admitted that the suspect is still at large, but they are already looking for him. Meanwhile, firefighters evacuated not just the people in the senator's office but also the ones in nearby offices that shared the building with the senator's political headquarters in the state he represented. The Associated Press tried to reach Senator Sanders's office for comment, but the Vermont senator was not in his office at that time. Damage in Arson Attack on Bernie Sanders's Office Was Minimal But Could Have Been Worse As for the damage the arson attack caused, authorities say there were just minor damages, and nobody was injured. The biggest damage was with the door that the suspect had sprayed the possible accelerant with, as the fire was quickly contained by the office's sprinkler system. READ MORE: Donald Trump's Trump Media May Get Investigated for Influence Peddling Over Deal That Saved It From Bankruptcy However, authorities admitted that if the sprinkler system did not work, the attack could have been much worse, according to ABC News, as the fire engulfed the door and prevented the office workers from escaping. "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," said the Burlington Police Department in a statement. "The sprinkler system then engaged and largely extinguished the fire." Bernie Sanders Slams Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Over Killings in Gaza Meanwhile, as the Vermont senator, who is Jewish, was dealing with an arson attack in his office back home, he is also dealing with the war in Gaza. He slammed the state of Israel over the killings happening there, particularly Benjamin Netanyahu. In an interview with MSNBC, he told Netanyahu to "Stop murdering innocent people," before pointing out that "Two-thirds of the people who have been killed, over 32,000 people have been killed [in Gaza], are women and children. This is inexcusable." "What's going on in Gaza now is one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the modern history of the world," the Jewish senator added. "I mean, we're talking about the possibility of hundreds of thousands of children and others starving to death. 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: Bernie Sanders Calls Out U.S. Funding Israel, the Cost of Ozempic and Promotes 4-Day Work Weeks - Pod Save America Mexico has granted political asylum to former Ecuadorean Vice President Jorge Glas, announced the foreign ministry on Friday. This decision follows Ecuador's declaration of Mexico's ambassador as persona non grata, heightening tensions between the two nations, Reuters reports. Glas, convicted twice for corruption charges, has taken refuge in Mexico's embassy in Quito since December, seeking asylum due to alleged persecution by Ecuador's attorney general's office. Ecuador's foreign ministry responded by refusing to provide Glas with safe passage out of the country, asserting that Mexico's actions violate political asylum agreements. Ecuadorean authorities had previously sought permission to enter the embassy and arrest Glas, who received a six-year prison sentence in 2017 for accepting bribes from Odebrecht, a Brazilian construction firm. In a statement, Ecuador's foreign ministry criticized Mexico's granting of diplomatic asylum as an illicit act that facilitates evasion of justice and promotes impunity. It emphasized Ecuador's commitment to impartial legal proceedings regardless of political affiliations. READ NEXT: Ecuador Expels Mexico Ambassador Over Comments Increased Tensions and Diplomatic Spat Ecuador condemned the heightened presence of its police forces outside the Mexican embassy in Quito, where Jorge Glas has sought refuge, Aljazeera noted. The situation escalated after Ecuador declared Mexico's ambassador persona non grata, a response to remarks made by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador during a news briefing. Lopez Obrador's comments insinuated that violence influenced Ecuador's recent presidential elections, referencing the assassination of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in August 2023. He suggested that the murder affected the electoral outcome, favoring Daniel Noboa over Luisa Gonzalez. Villavicencio, an anticorruption advocate, was critical of Gonzalez's left-wing party. The subsequent runoff vote saw Noboa narrowly winning the presidency over Gonzalez. Mexico's decision to grant asylum to Glas, a figure associated with the leftist government of ex-president Rafael Correa, exacerbated tensions further. Political Ramifications and Regional Dynamics The granting of asylum to Glas underscores Mexico's alignment with Correa's legacy, triggering diplomatic friction with Ecuador's current administration, according to AP News. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's comments about Ecuador's elections and his perceived support for Correa's movement have strained bilateral relations. This incident reflects broader shifts in Latin American geopolitics, with Mexico's leftist leadership facing challenges in its regional influence. While Mexico maintains economic ties with the United States, its attempts to assert leftist leadership in Latin America encounter obstacles, particularly amid evolving regional dynamics. In contrast, leaders like Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have pursued more assertive foreign policies, positioning themselves as influential regional figures. Lula's international engagements contrast with Lopez Obrador's relatively limited diplomatic initiatives, highlighting Mexico's subdued role in regional geopolitics. Despite regional ambitions, Lopez Obrador's administration prioritizes maintaining favorable relations with the United States, particularly on migration issues. This pragmatic approach underscores Mexico's strategic alignment with US interests despite occasional rhetorical gestures towards leftist ideologies. Mexico's decision to grant asylum to Jorge Glas exacerbates tensions with Ecuador, reflecting broader regional dynamics and Mexico's pragmatic foreign policy approach. While Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador seeks to assert leftist leadership in Latin America, challenges persist amid shifting regional alliances and priorities, underscoring Mexico's nuanced diplomatic stance. READ MORE: Maduro Approves Essequibo Annexation, Accuses US of Secret Bases This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Ross Key WATCH: Ecuadorian police surrounds Mexican embassy in that country - From TeleSUR English Peru President Dina Boluarte was just grilled by government prosecutors as she stands accused of corruption with her ongoing Rolex Scandal, or "Rolexgate," as they call it in the South American country. Her home was raided last weekend as police searched for the controversial luxury watch collection she owned. While police raiding the homes of Peruvian presidents has happened time and time again, Boluarte is now the first Peruvian president whose home was raided while she was still in office. After prosecutors grilled her for hours over the Rolex scandal on Friday, she slammed them and insisted that these luxury items were loaned to her. She did admit exercising bad judgment, however, as she faces the latest political crisis plaguing her presidency since she succeeded her former running mate, the ousted former President Pedro Castillo. "It was an error to accept as a loan those watches from my friend," she admitted to the press after her closed-door testimony in the capital, Lima. There, she told prosecutors that all the watches in the collection, except for one, were "loaned to her by a friend who she said hoped they would reflect well on the country if she wore them," according to Reuters. She then slammed the investigation against her, calling it a "lie" and a "smoke screen," urging prosecutors to be more professional. The testimony came a day after she survived two attempts in Peru's unitary Congress to discuss whether or not she should be impeached over the Rolex Scandal. The votes were in favor of "no," effectively scrapping any impeachment attempt while investigations were going on. This is not the only legal trouble that the Peruvian president is facing, as she is also currently under investigation over the deaths of protesters who marched against her last year in Ayacucho. READ MORE: Peru President Dina Boluarte Requested To Be Removed from Office by Lawmakers Over Rolex Scandal Where Did the Controversial Watches and Jewelry from the Rolex Scandal Come From? During her testimony before prosecutors, President Boluarte admitted that the watches came from her ally, Wilfredo Oscorima, the governor of the southern rural region of Ayacucho. However, the Associated Press noted that this new official testimony contradicted her previous statement where she said that her luxury watch collection was a "fruit of my labor" for working since she was 18. The scandal began when the digital news program La Encerrona pointed out that the president, who was a simple government official before becoming vice president during the Castillo administration, was seen wearing a Rolex watch worth up to $14,000. This sparked a slew of reports that she has been wearing many different Rolex watches, as well as a gold and diamond Cartier bracelet estimated to cost more than $54,000. Peru President Dina Boluarte Met With Protests as She Left Prosecutor's Office After she testified, Dina Boluarte was accompanied by a motorcade and a full security escort, which is common for the top leaders of various countries. However, as she was leaving the prosecutor's office in Lima, she was met with protests, according to Barron's. Police had blocked off roads in the path of the president's motorcade, but the protesters still showed up as the embattled president faces a corruption scandal, as well as being connected to the deaths of several protesters last year. 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: Gravitas | Rolex Watches and Cartier bracelts: Peru's President in trouble over luxury items | WION While some pay top dollars, many can witness the total solar eclipse for free. Safety is paramount; eye protection is crucial to avoid damage from solar radiation. Experts caution against looking at the sun, even briefly, to prevent irreversible eye damage, according to CNBC. Get ready for the April 8 solar eclipse; protect your eyes with special glasses, even Bill Nye-branded ones. NASA advises using specific eclipse glasses or handheld viewers. Regular sunglasses aren't safe for solar viewing. Follow NASA's guidelines for safe viewing. Here are some places where to find free glasses for the solar eclipse: Staten Island Museum The Staten Island Museum will be giving away eclipse glasses to visitors all weekend long. You can pick up a pair on Saturday, April 6, and Saturday, April 7, between 11 AM and 5 PM at the museum located at 1000 Richmond Terrace, Building A, Snug Harbor. Just to be clear, you need to pay to get into the museum. Tickets are $8 for adults and $2 for kids, and then you can get the eclipse glasses for free! READ NEXT: Solar Eclipse 2021 New York Welcome Centers You can get limited-edition I LOVE NY eclipse glasses at 30 places across New York State. These include New York State Welcome Centers and certain service areas along the NYS Thruway, per TimeOut. Each person can get two pairs while supplies last, but there's only a limited amount given out each day. If you're in New York City, you can pick up a pair at Moynihan Train Hall's MTA Long Island Railroad Ticket Windows. They are open every day from 6:30 AM to 9:30 PM. And if you're on Long Island, head to the Long Island Welcome Center at 5100 Long Island Expressway, Eastbound between Exits 51 & 52, in Dix Hills. They are open from 7 AM to 9 PM daily. Public libraries Solar eclipse glasses are available on a first-come, first-served basis at all New York Public Library and Queens Public Library branches until supplies run out. In addition, selected Brooklyn Public Library locations will offer them on specific dates. Please be aware that you'll need to sign a liability waiver when you collect your glasses. This giveaway is made possible through a partnership with the National Esports Association (NEA), which has launched the "Look Up!" campaign to encourage New Yorkers to safely enjoy the solar eclipse. Warby Parker stores Warby Parker is stepping up its eyewear game by offering free solar eclipse glasses at all its stores until the big day. You can grab eclipse glasses while they're available, but supplies are limited. With over a dozen Warby Parker stores across New York City, especially in Manhattan, it's convenient to get your hands on a pair before the eclipse. READ MORE: August 2017: Rare Total Solar Eclipse to Grace Skies Across the US, First in Nearly Four Decades This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Ross Key WATCH: How to know if solar eclipse glasses are safe - From FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth A high-dollar fundraiser in Palm Beach, Florida, aims to bolster support for former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, with proceeds already totaling $43 million, according to a source familiar with the details, CNN reports. The event, the first major Trump billionaire donor since the former president became the presumptive presidential nominee for the Republican Party, is set to host 100 attendees. Hosted by hedge fund founder John Paulson, the fundraiser features prominent GOP donors, including hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah, oil tycoon Harold Hamm, hotelier Robert Bigelow, and casino mogul Steve Wynn. Special guests include former Trump rivals turned endorsers: South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. Funds raised at the event benefit the Trump 47 Committee, a joint fundraising operation involving Trump's campaign, the Republican National Committee (RNC), and state party committees. The admission price ranges from $250,000 per person for host committee members to $814,600 per person for chairmen, with perks including dinner seating at Trump's table. This fundraising effort follows recent disclosures from the Trump campaign and the RNC, indicating a combined fundraising total of $65.6 million in March, with $93.1 million in cash reserves. Despite improvements, Trump and the RNC face a significant financial gap compared to President Joe Biden's campaign and the Democratic National Committee, which reported cash reserves exceeding $155 million at the end of February. READ NEXT: Trump Urges Donations for Legal Fees Over RNC Funds Diverse Attendees and Trump Billionaire Donors Strategy The event boasts a diverse lineup of attendees, including Scott Bessent, founder of Key Square Group and a rumored cabinet nominee for a potential second Donald Trump administration, and Jason Trennert, Chairman and CEO of Strategas, a prominent figure in Wall Street circles, Fox News noted. Other notable figures expected to attend include Todd Ricketts and Woody Johnson, co-owners of the Chicago Cubs and New York Jets, respectively, along with Wilbur Ross, former secretary of commerce under Trump. The fundraiser underscores Trump's fundraising efforts to close the financial gap with Joe Biden. Despite Biden's strong fundraising performance in the previous quarter, Trump and the RNC have made strides, raising over $65 million in March alone. The event in Palm Beach is part of a broader fundraising push, with upcoming events planned in swing states like Georgia and Florida. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley expressed confidence in the fundraising efforts, emphasizing strategic investments to mobilize voters and protect the integrity of the electoral process. With just 31 weeks until the election, Whatley predicts a resounding victory for the Republican Party. Fundraising Dynamics and Electoral Outlook Trump's fundraising initiatives reflect efforts to overcome financial challenges and mobilize support ahead of the election, according to The Hill. Despite Biden's fundraising advantage, Trump's campaign remains focused on rallying donors and securing resources for voter outreach efforts. The Palm Beach Trump billionaire donors signal a concerted effort to galvanize support among GOP donors and close the fundraising gap with the Democratic Party. With the election expected to be closely contested, fundraising prowess will play a crucial role in determining each candidate's ability to mobilize supporters and secure electoral victories. As the fundraising race intensifies, both Donald Trump's and Biden's campaigns are poised to deploy resources strategically, targeting key battleground states and voter demographics. With significant sums at stake, fundraising efforts will shape the competitive landscape leading up to the election, underscoring the importance of financial support in modern political campaigns. READ MORE: Trump Leads Biden by 1% in Recent National Poll This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Ross Key WATCH: Donald Trump hopes to beat Biden's fundraising record in Palm Beach event | NewsNation Now - From NewsNation 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. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Despite allocating 49.5 million up to 2026 for work to help provide dignity of care in prisons, the practice of slopping out looks set to continue in Portlaoise Prison. The practice of slopping out has ended in every other prison in the country. It involves the use of containers for human waste which are then removed from cells. The practice has been branded inhumane" and "degrading by the Irish Penal Reform Trust. Despite this, the practice continues on the E-Block in Portlaoise Prison where subversive prisoners are held. Announcing the 49.5 million funding for prisons earlier this week, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee told graduating prison officers that the funding would help provide dignity of care and rehabilitation and improve conditions for people in custody. This allocation sends the message to those new recruits, and to their colleagues across the IPS, that we value their contribution and are improving the working and living conditions for them and the people in their custody, with the ultimate goal of ensuring our prisons are safe, provide dignity of care and rehabilitation to prevent reoffending and build safer, stronger communities, Minister McEntee stated. However, when queried on the practice of slopping out on E-Block in Portlaoise, the Department of Justice indicated it would continue. The IPS has examined the provision of in-cell sanitation at E Block in Portlaoise and has determined that given the historical nature and condition of the building combined with the relative costs, installing in-cell sanitation is not feasible in this block, a Department of Justice spokesperson said. There were eight prisoners in E- Block in Portlaoise Prison on Friday, April 5. The prison had 229 prisoners and was operating at 105% capacity. The Midlands Prison was operating at 109% capacity with 875 prisoners. The Department spokesperson said the funding would provide an additional 670 prison spaces across four prisons. In particular this funding will facilitate progress on four capital projects at Castlerea, Cloverhill, the Midlands and Mountjoy prisons to accommodate up to 670 prisoners. Preparatory work will commence this year on these four key projects as part of an accelerated capital construction programme. This additional capital funding will also be used to advance short term projects currently being pursued by the Prison Service that are expected to deliver almost 100 spaces this year across the prison estate, the spokesperson stated. Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise has launched a campaign to highlight the signs and symptoms of the life-threatening condition, sepsis. Activities taking place in the hospital throughout the week included public information stands and staff awareness events promoting the Sepsis 6 which is the national framework for the treatment of Sepsis and highlighting mandatory training for clinical staff. Sepsis requires urgent medical attention and can hide behind any infection, at any age, making it hard to detect. There are around 13,000 cases of sepsis reported in hospital each year and 1 in 5 people who develop sepsis die from it. As symptoms of sepsis can often be mistaken for something else, the HSE is advising people who have an infection and are not getting better to ask Could it be sepsis? A new HSE public information campaign launched recently in collaboration with patient advocates to highlight the signs and symptoms of the life-threatening condition, sepsis. It comes as new research* shows a high awareness of sepsis among the public, but a low knowledge of the signs and symptoms of sepsis. Dr John Connaughton, Clinical Director at the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise said, Sepsis is a cause of significant illness, some of which is preventable. This campaign aims to help people to recognise the signs and symptoms of sepsis as we know that early treatment can lead to better outcomes. It is very important that all our clinical staff undertake the HSE mandatory training on Sepsis management. We continue to work with colleagues across our hospital, providing sepsis training and resources for the effective management of this life-threatening condition. Signs and symptoms of sepsis in adults (including maternity) are: S Slurred speech, new confusion, too sick to communicate, drowsiness E Extreme shivering, muscle aches, fever P Has not passed urine in the last 12 hours and does not feel like passing urine S Shortness of breath, lips tinged with blue, feels like your heart is racing, dizzy when you sit or stand I I feel like I'm going to die S Skin mottled and discoloured, new rash that is still visible when pressed on with a clear glass (glass test). The signs and symptoms of sepsis in children are: Very fast breathing Fits or convulsions Mottled skin (irregular colour) bluish or pale A rash that does not fade when you press it Unusually sleepy and difficult to wake Unusually cold when you touch them Has had no pee for more than 12 hours Sepsis leaflets at www.healthpromotion.ie for order or download. The 8th Irish Military Seminar takes place on May 10 and 11 at the Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge. On the evening of May 10, the seminar opens with a very special event. Join authors James Durney, Mario Corrigan and John OByrne for the launch of their book The Colour of Kildare 1913-1923 . This event will start at 7pm sharp, no booking necessary. At 8pm, a talk will be given on the Missing in Action: The 50-year search for Irelands lost soldier. In almost 70 years of Irish peacekeeping missions with the United Nations only two soldiers have died on overseas operations whose bodies have failed to be repatriated. Missing in Action is the story of the 50-year search for one of those soldiers, Trooper Pat Mullins who was killed in an ambush at Elizabethville, in the Congo. This story will be told by Ralph Riegel. Please note that the 8pm event is a ticketed event, pre-booking essential. On Saturday 11, registration takes place between 9am and 9.30am. The timetable of events is as follows: 9.40am-10.20am This land of ire. The Nine Years War in Ireland, 1593-1603 with Dr. James ONeill The Nine Years War was one of the most traumatic and bloody conflicts in the history of Ireland. Encroachment on the liberties of the Irish lords by the English crown caused Hugh ONeill, Earl of Tyrone, to build an unprecedented confederation of Irish lords. 10.25am-11.05am In Spanish Trenches: The Mind and Deeds of the Irish in the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War with Emmet OConnor. The Connolly Column the Irish who fought for Republican Spain is a window on 1930s Ireland. This presentation examines what they did in the war, how International Brigades operated, and what their command systems meant for the life, and death, of ordinary brigadistas. 11.05am-11.30am refreshments 11.35am-12.15pm Art MacMurchadha Caomhanach at war with Richard II, 1394 and 1399 Nothing venture nothing have. Darren McGettigan The English king Richard II made two expeditions to Ireland in 1394 and 1399. Ireland in his time was the scene of a Gaelic Irish revival where Irish kings in numerous parts of the island rolled back the Anglo-Norman conquests of previous centuries. The Gaelic Irish of south Leinster also produced one of the most remarkable and successful leaders of the late-medieval period, Art MacMurchadha Caomhanach. 12.20pm-13.00pm World War Military Structures in Co. Kildare. Stephen Callaghan. This presentation will examine the results of a recent report compiled by Archaeology Plan on the surviving First and Second World era military structures and landscapes in County Kildare, with a focus on the Curragh Camp. The presentation will also give context of their importance in a nationwide setting. 13.00pm-14.20 Lunch (not provided) 14.25-15.05 Irish Doctors in the Second World War with Joe Duignan. At least 2,000 Irish doctors joined the British military forces during the war. This conflict was truly global and the doctors who were involved were in every theatre of war. Most joined the Royal Army Medical Corps (1,147) followed by the Royal Air Force (407) and the Royal Navy (253). A total of 72 Irish doctors died during the war. 15.10-15.50 Sean Keating and the Art of Revolution with Dr. Eimear OConnor. This presentation focuses initially on Sean Keatings politically motivated paintings between 1915 and 1924, for which he is well-known. It will then examine the rest of the artists long career during which time he used both metaphor and images of ordinary people to question and critique the post-treaty ruling classes. 16.00 Close of seminar In order to secure your place on the seminar log on to www.riverbank.ie IFA Animal Health chair TJ Maher has slammed the Department of Agriculture over their failure to deliver a comprehensive support package for the BVD eradication programme. Reacting to the Ministers announcement of 3.75m in funding for 2024, he said on-farm BVD testing costs are almost 10m per annum, significantly more than 3.75m. Since the BVD programme began in 2012, farmers have absorbed over 120m in testing and associated costs. The financial commitment by the Department is nothing short of an insult to farmers and fails to recognise the enormous effort and investment they have made in the programme to-date. Its infuriating that the Minister for Agriculture couldn't come forward with an appropriate package that would remove the cost burden on farmers as the programme approaches the proof of freedom phase, he said. This year farmers have had to face a price increase of 35 cent to the BVD test, coupled with the fact that post has increased from 1.05, when the testing became mandatory in 2013, to 2.95 in 2024. Mr Maher described the payment of just 2.40/sample for a maximum of 25 samples per farm as insufficient, considering the phenomenal work they have done to get the BVD programme to the healthy position it currently occupies. Farmers are rightly furious at the lack of Government support for the BVD programme. AHI, but particularly DAFM, have a job of work to do if they want to restore farmers confidence in AHIs shared funding model. This funding announcement is nothing short of an insult to farmers and will leave them questioning the future role of the AHI model in tackling other diseases such as IBR, he concluded. The public has been urged to be vigilant and prepare for severe wind conditions when Storm Kathleen hits Ireland on Saturday morning. Met Eireann has issued status orange warnings for Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Galway and Mayo on Saturday. Cork, Kerry and Waterford will be under an orange wind warning from 7am until 2pm, while another status orange warning for wind will be in effect for Galway and Mayo from 9am until 6pm. Orange weather warning updated Status Orange Wind warning for Cork, Kerry and WaterfordValid : 07:00 Saturday to 14:00 Saturday Status Orange Wind warning for Galway and MayoValid: 09:00 Saturday to 18:00 Saturday Keep up to date herehttps://t.co/t2JoveRUyC pic.twitter.com/PTOdsUGohB Met Eireann (@MetEireann) April 5, 2024 Met Eireann warned that Storm Kathleen will bring very strong and gusty southerly winds, with some severe and damaging gusts. A nationwide yellow wind warning is in place from early on Saturday. On Friday, the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) Crisis Management Team convened a Met Eireann technical briefing to assess possible impacts from Storm Kathleen, a significant low-pressure system currently tracking off the west coast. The team has warned of the potential impacts of Storm Kathleen to include very difficult travel conditions, fallen trees, some power outages, coastal flooding and wave overtopping. Speaking after the meeting, Keith Leonard, national director of the NDFEM, said: Given the challenging wind conditions expected, I would urge members of the public to stay away from all coastal areas for the duration of the Met Eireann warnings. Also, strong winds can make driving conditions hazardous especially for the more vulnerable road users such as cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and high sided vehicles and road users should pay particular attention to the risk posed by fallen trees and flying debris. Status Yellow Wind warning for Ireland Possible impacts: Some fallen trees Difficult travel conditions Debris, loose objects displaced Coastal flooding Wave overtopping Valid: 05:00 Saturday to 20:00 Saturday 06/04/2024 pic.twitter.com/FvqNvhnB0L Met Eireann (@MetEireann) April 5, 2024 Importantly, I would remind people that it is critical that they never ever touch or approach fallen wires. Be sure to stay safe and stay clear of fallen or damaged electricity wires and, if you encounter any, do contact ESB Networks at 1800 372 999. Where power cuts do occur, use the PowerCheck App to check for reconnection times. We will continue to monitor the ongoing weather conditions and ensure that all relevant state bodies are responding appropriately to meet any challenges. I would advise everybody to keep up to date with information regarding the developing weather situation via the Met Eireann platforms available. The Irish Coast Guard has also appealed to Stay Back, Stay High, Stay Dry. The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has also urged road users to exercise caution on Saturday. Motorists have been advised to be aware of objects being blown out onto the road, watch for falling and fallen debris, to allow extra space between themselves and other road users and drive with dipped headlights at all times. Meanwhile, the Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh Tyrone and Derry, which will stay in place from 8am until 10pm. It has warned of blustery showers in part of Northern Ireland, with strong to gale force southerly winds and possibly severe gales for a time along the Down and Antrim coasts. It said that some exposed and coastal areas could see gusts reaching higher speeds of up to 70mph. Early Warning Press Release VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On April 4, 2024, as part of a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement"), Mr. Robert Scott ("Mr. Scott") acquired 23,238,000 units ("Units") of First Helium Inc. (the "Issuer") at a price of $0.05 per Unit, for a total subscription price of $1,161,900. Each Unit consists of one common share (a "Share") in the capital of the Issuer and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"), with each Warrant entitling the holder thereof to acquire one additional Share at a price of $0.075 per Share until April 4, 2027. Mr. Scott is providing the following disclosure pursuant to National Instrument 62-103 ? The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues as Mr. Scott's ownership over the Shares of the Issuer will constitute 10% or more of the issued and outstanding shares on an undiluted and a partially-diluted basis following the completion of the Private Placement. Immediately prior to the Private Placement, Mr. Scott beneficially owned, or had control and direction over, 816,530 Shares, and 1,500,000 warrants and 900,000 options exercisable for 2,400,000 Shares, representing approximately 0.937% of the outstanding Shares on an undiluted basis and 3.56% of the outstanding Shares on a partially-diluted basis, assuming the exercise of the warrants and options held by Mr. Scott, and based upon 87,059,353 Shares outstanding prior to the Private Placement. Immediately after the Private Placement, Mr. Scott beneficially owns, or has control and direction over, 24,054,530 Shares, and 24,738,000 warrants and 900,000 options exercisable for 25,638,000 Shares, representing approximately 15.70% of the outstanding Shares on an undiluted basis and 27.78% of the outstanding Shares on a partially-diluted basis, assuming the exercise of the warrants and options held by Mr. Scott, and based upon 153,232,353 Shares outstanding upon completion of the Private Placement. The Units were acquired by Mr. Scott for investment purposes only, and in the future, Mr. Scott may acquire additional securities of the Issuer, dispose of some or all of the existing securities it holds or will hold, or may continue to hold its current position, depending on market conditions, reformulation of plans and/or other relevant factors. A copy of the early warning report filed by Mr. Scott in connection with the Private Placement will be available under the Issuer's profile on the SEDAR+ website. To obtain a copy of the Report, a person may also contact Ed Bereznicki, CEO of the Issuer by telephone at 1-833-435-4861. 5 april 2024 at 20:00 News published onand distributed by: Federal, provincial and territorial labour ministers discuss key challenges facing workers in Canada RICHMOND, BC, April 5, 2024 /CNW/ - Federal, provincial and territorial labour ministers met today to collaborate on common issues in workplaces across Canada. The meeting was co-hosted by the Honourable Seamus O'Regan Jr., federal Minister of Labour, and the Honourable Harry Bains, Minister of Labour for British Columbia. Last year, the International Labour Organization (ILO) presented to ministers on the recent inclusion of a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental principle and right at work. Since then, federal, provincial and territorial governments have been undertaking a technical review of Canada's current compliance with ILO C155, the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981. Ministers received an update on that work and discussed next steps toward Canada's possible ratification of the convention. The Canadian Standards Association and the BC Building Trades gave presentations to ministers on the challenges workers face with personal protective equipment (PPE) in the workplace, including ill-fitting PPE especially for women. These challenges present serious dangers on worksites and barriers to the inclusion of women in the trades and other sectors. Ministers agreed to do more work in this area, including raising the issue with PPE manufacturers, employers and labour in their respective jurisdictions and convening a meeting on this issue. Ministers also discussed harmonization efforts related to occupational health and safety. Ministers then discussed occupational health and safety protections and labour standards for workers in gig work and other non-standard employment circumstances. This emerging industry requires governments to consider how labour standards can address the reality faced by these workers. Ministers also spoke about labour dispute provisions, appropriate essential service levels during a strike or lockout, and the issue of replacement workers, while sharing their experiences and best practices regarding conflict resolution. Minister O'Regan spoke with his colleagues about the report he received from industrial relations experts offering recommended terms of reference for the Government's forthcoming review of longshore disputes at ports. Ministers agreed that Canada's credibility depends on the stable operation of its supply chains, and discussed how they can work together to ensure that Canada continues to be a reliable trading partner to the world. The meeting concluded with ministers reiterating their commitment to working together to share information and best practices in order to implement policies supporting fair, safe, healthy and inclusive workplaces in their jurisdictions. Quotes "Governments get more done when we work together. That's what businesses and workers expect, and that's what happened here today." ? The Honourable Seamus O'Regan Jr., Federal Minister of Labour and Seniors "Working people across Canada are entitled to fair working conditions. We rely on our labour laws, employment standards and the workers' compensation systems to ensure appropriate rules are in place. The labour ministers' meeting was a chance to compare best practices and discuss ways to keep up with the needs of our changing workplaces." ? The Honourable Harry Bains, Minister of Labour for British Columbia Quick Facts The federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for labour meet regularly to discuss issues of mutual concern that they can collaboratively address. Throughout the year, their work is supported by deputy ministers through the Canadian Association of Administrators of Labour Legislation. In June 2022 , the International Labour Conference declared a safe and healthy working environment as a fifth fundamental principle and right at work, along with the four other existing fundamental principles. Two occupational health and safety conventions were subsequently declared as new fundamental or core ILO Conventions: C187, the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006; and C155, the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981. Canada ratified C187 in 2011, but has not yet ratified C155. Associated Links The Canadian Association of Administrators of Labour Legislation International Labour Organization Follow us on X (Twitter) SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada 5 april 2024 at 20:03 News published onand distributed by: Statement by the Prime Minister on the passing of the Honourable Iona Campagnolo OTTAWA, ON, April 5, 2024 /CNW/ - The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the passing of the Honourable Iona Campagnolo: "Today, I join Canadians in mourning the passing of Iona Campagnolo, a respected politician, former Cabinet minister, and former Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. "Mrs. Campagnolo started her career in broadcasting in Prince Rupert. A believer in the importance of public service, she later became a member of her local school board and city council, then was elected as a Member of Parliament in 1974. She served under my father, Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, as Minister of State for Fitness and Amateur Sport, and was a strong voice for women's rights both in Canada and around the world. She was also the first woman to serve as President of the Liberal Party of Canada. "Mrs. Campagnolo's contributions to Canada extended well beyond her political life. She returned to broadcasting, where she covered human rights stories and served in leadership roles in non-governmental organizations, including the North-South Institute, the Southern Africa Education Trust, and the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development. "Mrs. Campagnolo never stopped serving British Columbians. She was elected Chancellor of the University of Northern British Columbia in 1992 and appointed as the 27th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia in 2001. As the first woman to hold this title, she championed many causes, from climate action to gender equality to reconciliation. "For her decades of tireless service, Mrs. Campagnolo received numerous awards and accolades, including honorary degrees, Indigenous honours, and the Order of British Columbia. She was also named a Member and then an Officer of the Order of Canada, a testament to her extraordinary career. "Mrs. Campagnolo was a proud British Columbian and a role model for women in politics. Her relentless dedication, optimism, and commitment to equality will leave a lasting mark on Canada. "On behalf of Canadians, I offer my deepest condolences to Mrs. Campagnolo's loved ones and all British Columbians. Canada has lost a trailblazer. Her passion to create a better Canada ? and world ? will continue to inspire us for generations." This document is also available at http://pm.gc.ca SOURCE Prime Minister's Office 5 april 2024 at 20:50 News published onand distributed by: Bristol Myers Squibb Presents New Interim Long-Term Efficacy Data from the EMERGENT-4 Trial Evaluating KarXT in Schizophrenia at the 2024 Annual Congress of the Schizophrenia International Research Society Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) today announced new interim results from the Phase 3 EMERGENT-4 open-label extension trial evaluating the long-term efficacy, safety and tolerability of KarXT (xanomeline-trospium) in adults with schizophrenia. Long-term efficacy data from the trial were presented in a poster titled, "Maintenance of Efficacy of KarXT (Xanomeline and Trospium) in Schizophrenia" (Poster F264) at the Annual Congress of the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) being held April 3-7, 2024, in Florence, Italy. "We are pleased to see a continued and consistent meaningful reduction in symptoms of schizophrenia across 52-weeks in an outpatient setting, beyond what was seen in the short-term, in-patient five-week trials (EMERGENT-2 and EMERGENT-3)," said Roland Chen, MD, senior vice president and head, Immunology, Cardiovascular and Neuroscience development, Bristol Myers Squibb. "We look forward to continued conversations with the FDA and to sharing additional data from the EMERGENT program later this year." EMERGENT-4 is a Phase 3, 52-week, outpatient, open-label extension study evaluating the long-term safety, tolerability, and efficacy of KarXT in adults with schizophrenia who previously completed the treatment period of one of the Phase 3, five-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, efficacy and safety studies, EMERGENT-2 or EMERGENT-3. At the time of the data cutoff of April 17, 2023, 110 patients were part of the interim efficacy analysis, with 29 patients having completed 52 weeks of treatment. In the interim analysis, KarXT was associated with significant improvement in symptoms of schizophrenia across all efficacy measures at 52 weeks. At the end of the open-label extension, more than 75% of participants achieved >30% improvement in symptoms, with an average reduction of 33.3-points from baseline (98.4), as measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score. In addition, participants had a mean 1.7-point change in Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) score from baseline (5.2), representing an average shift from ?markedly ill' at baseline to ?moderately' or ?mildly' ill at one year. Improvements in symptoms of schizophrenia continued throughout the 52-week trial regardless of whether participants were previously treated with KarXT or placebo during the acute trials. Prior to enrolling in the open-label extension, participants who previously received placebo in EMERGENT-2 and EMERGENT-3 had a significantly higher mean PANSS total score compared to those who received KarXT (placebo 86.5 vs. KarXT 76.1). When dosed with KarXT, the patients previously on placebo had significant improvements in symptoms within two weeks of treatment with KarXT. After four weeks, PANSS total scores were comparable between those who received KarXT or placebo in the acute trials. "These interim data from EMERGENT-4 continue to validate the potential of KarXT in the long-term management of schizophrenia, with continued benefit across 52 weeks of treatment," said Elan Cohen, Ph.D., principal investigator, CenExel Hassman Research Institute and investigator in the EMERGENT program. "The consistency of efficacy results across all EMERGENT clinical trial programs is encouraging and suggest KarXT could provide a differentiated treatment approach for people living with schizophrenia." In additional data presented at the congress, KarXT demonstrated a favorable impact on weight and long-term metabolic profile where most patients experienced stability or improvements on metabolic parameters over 52 weeks of treatment. In long-term trials, KarXT was generally well tolerated, with a side effect profile consistent with prior trials of KarXT in schizophrenia. KarXT was not associated with significant changes related to prolactin or clinically meaningful changes in movement disorder scale scores over 52 weeks (Oral Session: New Pharmacological Treatments and Assessments and Poster F74). About KarXT KarXT (xanomeline-trospium) is an investigational muscarinic antipsychotic in development for the treatment of schizophrenia and psychosis related to Alzheimer's disease. Through its novel mechanism of action, KarXT acts as a dual M1/M4 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor agonist in the central nervous system, which is thought to improve positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. Unlike existing treatments, KarXT does not directly block dopamine receptors, representing a potential new approach to treating schizophrenia. About Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a persistent and often disabling mental illness impacting how a person thinks, feels, and behaves, and affects nearly 24 million people worldwide, including 2.8 million people in the U.S. It is characterized by three symptom domains: positive symptoms (hallucinations and delusions), negative symptoms (difficulty enjoying life and withdrawal from others), and cognitive impairment (deficits in memory, concentration, and decision-making). In part due to limitations with current treatments, people living with schizophrenia often struggle to maintain employment, live independently, and manage relationships. While current treatments can be effective in managing select symptoms, approximately 30% of people do not respond to therapy, with an additional 50% experiencing only a partial improvement in symptoms or unacceptable side effects. Bristol Myers Squibb: Delivering Breakthrough Science for Meaningful Interventions in Neuroscience Neurological conditions represent some of the greatest challenges of our time because of their impact on society, including patients, caregivers, families and healthcare systems. At Bristol Myers Squibb, we are committed to advancing our robust pipeline of potential medicines for neurological disorders with the goal of modifying disease and improving quality of life. Leveraging genetics, biomarkers and predictive sciences, we target key pathways involved in the initiation and progression of neurological diseases to develop therapies with the potential to optimize patient outcomes. About Bristol Myers Squibb Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding, among other things, the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products. All statements that are not statements of historical facts are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and projections about our future financial results, goals, plans and objectives and involve inherent risks, assumptions and uncertainties, including internal or external factors that could delay, divert or change any of them in the next several years, that are difficult to predict, may be beyond our control and could cause our future financial results, goals, plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the statements. These risks, assumptions, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, that future study results may not be consistent with the results to date, that KarXT (xanomeline-trospium) may not achieve its primary study endpoints or receive regulatory approval for the indication described in this release in the currently anticipated timeline or at all, any marketing approvals, if granted, may have significant limitations on their use, and, if approved, whether KarXT for such indication described in this release will be commercially successful. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many risks and uncertainties that affect Bristol Myers Squibb's business and market, particularly those identified in the cautionary statement and risk factors discussion in Bristol Myers Squibb's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as updated by our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements included in this document are made only as of the date of this document and except as otherwise required by applicable law, Bristol Myers Squibb undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise. corporatefinancial-news 6 april 2024 at 13:20 News published onand distributed by: WHEN BROTHER Michael Muiris Cunningham reached the gates of heaven on Palm Sunday evening, the gatekeeper said to him, cead mile failte, and he went straight in, said his fellow Christian Brother, Br James Dormer at his funeral Mass. Br Cunningham, aged 94, from Doon was laid to rest on Wednesday, March 27, after a life full of teaching, religion and GAA. Br Dormer, in his eulogy, said Michael was a special person, both to his family and his second family of the Christian Brothers. The Mass in Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Ennis Road, was celebrated by Fr Des McAuliffe and concelebrated by Fr Joe Hayes, Fr Jimmy Donnelly, Fr Tom Carroll, Canon John Daly, Fr Tom Ryan and Fr Sean Sexton. Born in Croughafoile, Doon, in 1934, Br Cunningham began his early education at the local Foilacleara National School and later continued his education at the Christian Brothers Primary and Secondary School, in Doon. In his early years at secondary school Michael decided he would like to become a Christian Brother. Seventy nine years ago he left home for the Christian Brothers Juniorate in Baldoyle, Dublin. A big move for a young boy in those days, in the middle of the last century, just after the second world war, said Br Dormer. His teaching career began in September 1949 at Blarney St CBS. He also taught at Christian Brother schools in Dun Laoghaire, Portlaoise, Templemore, Crumlin, and spent the last twenty years of his teaching career as principal of Midleton CBS Primary School. He wrote a handbook for parents on many aspects of the primary school education curriculum, which is still in use today. Br Cunningham officially retired in 1996 after 47 years. However, after moving to Ennis he began working in conjunction with the Sisters of Mercy with members of the Travelling community. In 2010, Br Cunningham moved to his native Limerick, and took up residence at St Teresas, North Circular Road in the city, As can be seen by the condolence messages, Muiris was a committed teacher and had a passionate interest in Gaelic Games and during his time in Limerick he attended nearly every Harty Cup, Dean Ryan Cup, White Cup, (now Fr ODowd Cup) and Rice Cup games that Ardscoil Ris were involved in. His interest in GAA was acknowledged when in 2018, he was the recipient of a Sean Gael Award from the East Limerick GAA Board for his attendance and enthusiasm for GAA in Limerick, said Br Dormer. Br Cunningham took great pride in members of his family and relatives being involved in the GAA, whether it was a club officer, team mentor or referee, and in recent years it delighted him to see Limerick win Munster and All-Ireland hurling titles and relatives of his being members of the team panels. READ MORE: Sadness as Rose of Tralees Limerick grandmother passes away Great grandnephew, Barry Murphy, is a current member of the Limerick senior hurling panel; grandnephew, David Stapleton, won an All-Ireland Under 21 medal with Limerick in 2002 and played senior while grandnephew, Eamonn Stapleton, is a current inter-county referee. These are just some of his relations who have been involved with Limerick, Doon and Oola GAA, both on and off the pitch. Br Cunninghams strong faith was the cornerstone of his life and was at Mass every weekday morning for the 9.30am rosary and Mass afterwards. In recent years when he was unsure of walking he even would drive the short distance to Mass. Br Cunningham returned to his homeplace for the final time where he was laid to rest in Doon Cemetery. May he rest in peace. AN INVESTIGATION has been launched into works at a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in west Limerick. Limerick City and County Council has launched the probe after receiving a complaint around the alleged chopping of trees and foliage at Barrigone, near Askeaton. The land is designated as SAC, which are prime wildlife conservation areas, considered to be important both on a European as well as an Irish level. Development is restricted in these areas. But Joe Whelan, who chairs the local community council, was one of several people who wrote to the local authority after seeing work taking place on the site near his home. It has been designated as this for as long as Ive been living in this part of the world because of its uniqueness. Rock is close by as there is a quarry there. It wouldnt have been great farmland for agriculture. So it became an area of conservation, with the wildlife living on it, he said. Mr Whelan says hes seen foxes, rabbits, hares, falcons and buzzards on the 200-acre site, which is located adjacent to the N69 Limerick to Tralee road. Ive seen hawks flying around there too. Its also an area where bird watchers will bring tours. What is growing in there is special too - particularly for butterflies, he added. The Limerick Leader has yet to establish who the owner of the land is, or what is planned for the site. But Mr Whelan said: Im very worried. This is our Burren in Limerick. Its a beautiful area and should be changed. He confirmed that as a group, the community council will fight any plans for the area. They are seeking a meeting with the local authoritys parks department and have also been in contact with National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the local heritage group. READ MORE: Dial-a-ride transport services for Limerick proposed Among other things, the role of NPWS is to advise and administer protection measures for Special Areas of Conservation across Ireland. A spokesperson for the local authority said: Limerick City and County Council can confirm a complaint has been received in relation to works carried out at Barrigone, Askeaton, and this is currently the subject of an investigation by the planning enforcement section. This section of the council is responsible for dealing with breaches of planning controls, including where building work requiring planning permission is undertaken without such permission, where conditions attached to a planning condition are not complied with, or where the use of a building or site is changed without planning permission. Since the investigation is ongoing, the local authority said it could not comment any further. OpenAI is aiming to use its popular chatbot ChatGPTit said 600,000 individuals pay for business versions of itas a way to gain an entry into businesses and sell them its enterprise artificial-intelligence services. Those individuals are paying for ChatGPT Enterprise or ChatGPT Team, which make up what OpenAI calls its business products," according to OpenAI Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap. ChatGPT Enterprise is aimed at large companies with over 100 employees, and ChatGPT Team is geared at smaller firms with less than 100 employees, the company said. OpenAI said it doesnt disclose the number of businesses that pay for its services. It said 92% of Fortune 500 companies are using ChatGPT in some form, and 100 million people actively use ChatGPT on a weekly basis. We want to go maximize the number of companies that have a ChatGPT license, but if people are not actually using the technology underneath, then who cares? Its shelfware," Lightcap said in an interview. As we build better products, we just want to see that number [of individual users] go up." The San Francisco-based AI company, which has been at the center of the current boom in generative AI, is up against many well-funded competitors in pursuing business customers, including tech giant Microsoft, its primary backer and partner. Unlike innovations in previous tech booms, generative AI is ideally suited for transforming the way businesses operateand a growing number of firms are looking to cash in on it. Owing much to its relationship with Microsoft, OpenAI has become one of the de facto vendors companies initially use to test generative AI, many chief information officers say. But increasingly, open-source models from companies such as Meta Platformswhich can be less expensive to useare also putting pressure on OpenAIs lead. While OpenAI said it doesnt have a market share figure, it referenced venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitzs survey, which found that 100% of the 70 enterprises it surveyed are using OpenAIs models in some capacity, with 66% using its models in their operations, and 34% in testing. With such a broad base of userswhether corporate IT-sanctioned or notbringing ChatGPT into their workplaces, Lightcap said the chatbot is an efficient" way for businesses to quickly understand the benefits of applying generative AI at work. Once youve introduced this appreciation for AI in your enterprise, through a product like ChatGPT, youre starting to give your workforce an appreciation for how the model works," he said. Software companies have similarly aimed to sell their products through a bottoms-up" or freemium" approach, where individual employees or developers bring free or paid tools into their workplacesthereby opening the door for vendors to upsell corporate executives on a packaged solution. OpenAI now has a team of about 200 developers, researchers, and sales and support staff to help directly sell its AI technology to companies, according to Lightcap, making its discussions with CIOs, chief technology officers and chief executives, a very direct sales motion." That figure is dwarfed by the size of enterprise sales groups at large, legacy software firms, which can number a thousand or more. The most common business-use cases, so far, are workforce enablement" or employee productivity, and companies that use OpenAIs models to power their own products, such as customer support platforms, Lightcap said. Home-improvement retailer Lowes is using a custom version of OpenAIs GPT-4 model to improve search results on its website, and insurer Oscar Health used OpenAI models to build an assistant for managing claims, OpenAI said. ChatGPT Enterprise is priced based on the number of users at a company, and ChatGPT Team costs $30 a month for each user when billed monthly. ChatGPT Plus, the companys paid product for consumers, costs $20 a month. The free version of ChatGPT includes access to GPT-3.5, a less powerful version of its language model. Launched last August, ChatGPT Enterprise is designed to address businesses concerns about securing their proprietary data, Lightcap previously said. It is built on GPT-4, the companys advanced language model, and designed to address businesses concerns about securing their proprietary data. Lightcap said OpenAI doesnt train its models on businesses data. ChatGPT Team, launched in January, also includes access to GPT-4, but with some restrictions on usage and fewer management and security controls than the enterprise version. In addition to ChatGPT Enterprise, OpenAI helps businesses develop their own apps and products, Lightcap said. The cost of building custom apps and products for businesses varies greatly, he said, depending on underlying model training costs and service costs, but typically ranges in the millions of dollars. Still, some CIOs say OpenAI needs more enterprise credibility before theyre willing to go all in on its services. Startups are considered more risky than established enterprise sellers, they say, and many dont want to take on additional vendor risk. In the wake of OpenAIs leadership turmoil last November, some enterprises decided to spread out their AI bets across multiple vendors, and are using a mix of proprietary and open-source models. Lightcap said the company is seeing the opposite. Trying to manage this across a lot of vendors is complex," he said. Were increasingly hearing companies tell us they really want to go with one partner." Businesses still have the choice, though, between working directly with OpenAI to access its technologies and using Microsofts Azure cloud service, which also provides access to OpenAIs most powerful models. Some CIOs say its easy to flip a switch and add AI services to their existing Microsoft software or Azure setup. Cloud providers also offer data privacy and content safety assurances, regulatory compliances and software that makes it easier for corporate developers to put the AI models to use. We have our own business now thats very independent," Lightcap said, referring to the firms relationship with Microsoft. We look at ChatGPT really as the access point that any workforce in the enterprise should have to AI." Write to Belle Lin at belle.lin@wsj.com Electric carmaker Tesla Inc. is set to unveil its long-awaited Robotaxi on August 8, CEO Elon Musk announced in a social media post on his site X (formerly known as Twitter). This comes as Tesla registers weak sales amid competition from affordable Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), Bloomberg reported. Musk Loses Third-Richest Person Title Following the announcement, Tesla's shares surged by up to 5.1 percent in postmarket trading in New York. Notably, however, the company's stock has witnessed a 34 percent decline this year up to Friday's (April 5) close. Just before Musk's revelation about the Robotaxi, he lost his title as the world's third-richest person, overtaken by Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Focus Shifts to Robotaxi Over Cheaper Car Tesla's ambitious plan for a fully autonomous vehicle initially presented to investors in 2019, has been a cornerstone of its high valuation. Recent updates include the rollout of the latest version of its driver-assistance software, marketed as FSD (Full Self-Driving), to consumers. While Tesla has hinted at both a cheaper car and a dedicated Robotaxi as part of its next-generation vehicle platform, prototypes for either are yet to be unveiled, as per Bloomberg. Musk's post on X indicates a priority shift towards the Robotaxi, although both will be developed on the same platform. Earlier on Friday, Reuters reported Tesla's abandonment of plans for a less-expensive vehicle, diverting resources towards the Robotaxi project. Musk promptly refuted the claim, stating, "Reuters is lying," without providing further details. Tesla faced a production surplus of 46,561 vehicles in the first quarter, resulting in price reductions, as per Bloomberg. Amid a consumer trend favouring hybrid models over pricier EVs, manufacturers are reconsidering their electrification strategies. Musk's bold product unveilings have historically generated excitement among customers and investors, without relying on traditional advertising. However, not all announcements translate into successful execution, exemplified by the delayed production and slow ramp-up of the Cybertruck following its highly anticipated debut in November 2019. The fourth quarter of FY24 (Q4 FY24) is likely to be relatively soft for the banking sector mainly due to net interest margin (NIM) pressure, steady loan growth but softer deposit growth and cost pressures with the impending impact of wage hikes & pension provision, according to a report by brokerage firm Elara Capital. The brokerage company also highlighted that that the PSU Banks are likely to perform better in terms of growth in earnings than the private banks. Among our coverage universe, we expect PSU banks to report better earnings growth than private ones, led by lower credit cost. We expect earnings discussions to be dominated by NIM and growth outcome, it said. The firm projects that the NIM pressure likely to sustain and funding cost pressures likely to persist in the Q4 FY24. PSU vs private According to the report, banks are at an unusual junction wherein frontline names have underperformed. With outperformance by other private and mid-tier PSU banks, the valuation gap between mid-tier and frontline has narrowed. We retain our neutral stance on banks; hereafter, the riskreward may be tilted toward frontline peers. No significant asset quality challenges and better growth may ensure sustained rerating for PSU banks on earnings stability with SBI being our top picks, it added. The firm estimates net interest income (NII) for its banking coverage universe to grow at nearly 8.3 per cent YoY during Q4FY24, adding that NII growth to be soft and low credit cost to drive earnings trajectory. Large private banks are likely to post 15.5 per cent year-on-year (YoY) growth in NII, meanwhile, mid-size banks likely to post 6.6 per cent growth and PSU Banks to witness 1.1 per cent in Q4FY24. In terms of profit after tax (PAT), PSU Banks to lead the chart with 17.9 per cent quarter-to-quarter (QoQ) growth expected in Q4 FY24. Whereas, private banks are likely to post of 0.1 per cent and mid size banks to post 1.9 per cent growth. According to the report, HDFC Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank are likely to witness a steady NIM growth. Among private banks, HDFC Bank is expected to report strong deposit growth 5% QoQ; however, the composition in the form of retail and others will need to be monitored. Whereas, Axis Bank is expected 3.5-4% QoQ growth in loanbook, broadly in line with frontline peer banks; however, the base effect will play out in YoY terms. JSW Energy Ltd., a part of the $23 billion JSW Group, announced that it has successfully raised 5,000 crore through the qualified institutions placement (QIP) to accelerate its growth plans. In a late regulatory filing, the company disclosed that it will use the proceeds of the QIP for the prepayment of its debt and to invest in its renewable arm, JSW Neo Energy. The issue was opened by the power vertical of the group on 2 April 2024 and closed on 5 April after its board approved the allotment of 10,30,92,783 equity shares to 97 qualified institutional buyers at the issue price of 485 per equity shares, a discount of 4.92% to the floor price. The company further said that out of the 5,000 crore proceeds, it plans to use 3,139 crore towards prepayment of debt, while 611 crore will be used towards investment in Neo Energy, and the rest for general corporate purposes. The proceeds from the QIP will bolster an already strong capital structure even further, significantly enhance our financial flexibility, and enable us to accelerate our ambitious growth plans, said Pritesh Vinay, director (finance) and CFO of JSW Energy. The issue, the company added, garnered a strong interest from marquee global long-only investors, domestic mutual funds, and insurance companies. The QIP witnessed an overwhelming response resulting in over 3.2 times subscription, it added in the filing. The strong institutional investor interest reflects their unwavering confidence in our positioning as a diversified energy transition platform focused on growing both the generation and storage businesses, with optionality for green hydrogen and its derivatives. At JSW Energy, we are not just witnessing the transformation of the energy sector; we are actively shaping it, setting new benchmarks for industry leadership, and aiding Indias journey towards net zero targets by 2070, said Sharad Mahendra, joint managing director and CEO of JSW Energy. Global asset managers like GQG, Blackrock, Nomura, Wellington, UBS and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) participated in the QIP. Jefferies India Pvt. Ltd. was the sole book running lead manager, with Khaitan & Co. as the legal counsel to the company while Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. and Linklaters Singapore Pte. Ltd. being the legal counsels to the book running lead manager. JSW Energy has a total locked-in generation capacity of 12.5 GW. In addition, the company has 3.4 GWh of locked-in energy storage capacity through battery energy storage system and hydro pumped storage project. To strengthen its hold on India's fast fashion market, e-commerce giant Amazon has introduced Bazaar, a special store focused on trendy and affordable lifestyle products under 600. With this launch, Amazon aims to compete against Walmart-owned Flipkart and Reliance's Ajio. The US-based firm had initiated the onboarding process for sellers, urging them to list unbranded fashion and lifestyle products including apparel, watches, shoes, jewellery, etc below 600, reported Economic Times a month ago. We continue to invest and innovate on behalf of our customers and third-party sellers and are excited to introduce the Amazon Bazaar storefront on Amazon.in where customers can discover and shop ultra-affordable fashion and home products listed by sellers, especially from manufacturing hubs across India, said an Amazon India spokesperson on Saturday. The move came amid a slowdown for mass-market products with Amazon facing deceleration in its growth. Even though there has been no major announcement by the company, a special Bazaar section has started appearing on Amazon's Android application version. In the section, users can find kitchen items with a starting price of 125, trending accessories and clothing at 125, and many other items. How to buy items on Amazon's Bazaar? Consumers don't have to download another application or visit another site as Bazaar is available on Amazon's Android application. Follow the steps to access Amazon Bazaar. -Download and install the Amazon application. -Open the Amazon mobile app and sign in. -New users can also skip the process to directly access the online available products. Users can see the 'Bazaar' icon on application to purchase affordable and fashionable items under 600 on Amazon. -Click on the Baazaar icon on the top left of the home screen to begin shopping for affordable items on Amazon's Bazaar. About Amazon Bazaar Amazon Bazaar is a dedicated destination for fashion and home products at affordable rates, wrote Amazon in its Help and Customer Service section. You can find items from clothing, accessories, and jewellery to handbags, shoes, traditional and western wear, and a wide array of home goods including kitchenware, towels, bed linens, and decor items. Start shopping now on Amazon Bazaar! Available only on the Android Amazon shopping app, reads the Amazon page. India is reportedly planning to replace the minimum wage system with living wages by 2025, a concept that is gaining greater acceptance in many countries. Both minimum wages and living wages assure a certain minimum level of income for workers but the latter, actively promoted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and many workers rights bodies, ensures that remuneration is adequate for a workers household to live a basic and decent life. India is said to be seeking technical assistance from the ILO to develop a framework for estimating and implementing living wages. India ushered in the concept of minimum wages soon after gaining independence, becoming one of the first developing countries to do so. It enacted the Minimum Wage Act, 1948 empowering the central and state governments to notify minimum wages that should be paid for different categories of workers to curb exploitation in low-paid informal jobs. Employment is in the concurrent list, so wages for some jobs are notified by the central government and for others by state governments under this Act. Mint explains why the adoption of the living wage system will be pro-workers. What is a living wage? According to the ILO, a living wage is the wage level that is necessary to afford a decent standard of life for workers and their families. It takes into account the economic circumstances of a country and is calculated for the work performed during the normal hours of work. It is usually higher than the minimum wage set by governments because it considers the cost of food, housing, health, education, transportation, clothing, other essential goods and services and provision for unforeseen events. The determination of living wages also considers the average size of a household and the number of earning members. However, there cannot be a one-size-fits-all solution to the wage-setting process, the ILO has cautioned. The setting of minimum wages in India does not take such a holistic approach though the consumer price index which is a measure of the cost of living is considered. The minimum wages are notified by the central and state governments and may undergo annual revision. The ILO estimates that India notifies about 2,000 minimum wage rates across sectors of employment and workers skill levels. About 50 of these wage rates are notified by the central government and the rest by states. How can living wages benefit workers? As living wages are meant to ensure a basic and decent life for a workers family, they tend to be much higher than the notified minimum wages. Just as minimum wages for the same work vary from state to state, living wages too will vary from state to state and even district to district. This can be seen in the reports of the advocacy group Global Living Wage Coalition (GLWC) which ran a study in six districts across four states over multiple years. Consider, for instance, the coalitions reports on Madhya Pradesh. The coalition investigated what should be living wages in the rural areas of Chhindwara in south MP and in Ratlam which is in the western part. The study considered the family size for both districts as 4.5 members with 1.67 workers. For Chhindwara, the GLWC estimated the monthly cost of living at 20,799 in 2023 and for Ratlam at 22,105. After considering the average number of workers in a household, the study estimated the appropriate living wage for a worker in Chhindwara at 13,279 per month and in Ratlam at 14,114. This is higher than the minimum wage of less 10,000 for unskilled workers in the state. In Tamil Nadu, the GLWC ran their study in the rural areas in Nilgiris and the urban areas of Tirupur, known for its hosiery manufacturing units. The family size for both districts was estimated at four while the average number of workers in Nilgiris was taken as 1.73 and for Tirupur as 1.58. The study estimated the monthly cost of living in Tirupur at 27,355, which meant that workers required 18,482 as living wages. In contrast, the cost of living and the living wages for Niligiris were far less at 22,548 and 13,914, respectively. In all four instances, workers would earn more if they were paid living wages rather than minimum wages, and that in turn would increase the households total income and increase their spending power. However, employers will see their wage bills rise significantly with the implementation of living wages. What are the challenges to estimating living wages? Estimating appropriate living wages for a set of workers will require an understanding of their cost of living in the place of residence, which includes gathering insights into the basket of goods and services consumed by a workers household, prices paid locally for these goods and services and the level of deprivation they might be suffering for want of adequate income. To a large extent, data collected for Household Consumption Expenditure Surveys may provide that insight. The National Family Health Survey would also provide some inputs. The ILO governing body report after its March meeting in Geneva suggested that living wage methodologies should follow a number of principles such as estimation of the needs of workers and their families through evidence-based methodologies, consultation with representative employers and workers organizations, regular adjustments to consider changes in the cost of living and the patterns of consumption, and promotion of gender equality and non-discrimination. A gender-neutral living wage will benefit women workers who are currently paid much less for the same work done by men. Many employers might resist this change. (Bloomberg) -- Boeing Co. Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhouns total compensation jumped 45% to $32.8 million last year, boosted in large part by a retention bonus intended to keep him in the job through 2025 before a dramatic aircraft accident exactly three months ago upended that plan. Stan Deal, who ran Boeings commercial airplane division, saw a 42% bump in total pay to $12.5 million, Boeing said Friday in a securities filing. Both executives were caught up in sweeping leadership changes unveiled late last month as the board selected a new chairman, launched a CEO search and replaced its commercial airplane chief. Boeings directors also took a tougher look at pay, shrinking long-term incentives granted to top managers earlier this year to reflect a more than 20% collapse in Boeing shares since the Jan. 5 accident. I promise that I personally, and we as a board, will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to get this company to where it needs to be, Steve Mollenkopf, Boeings newly installed chairman, wrote in a letter to shareholders. Read More: Can New Leaders at Boeing Clean Up Its Old Problems?: QuickTake The board made several changes to more directly link pay to Boeings safety and quality. For the commercial division, the planemaker will now track improvements in out-of-sequence manufacturing known as traveled work, an issue that contributed to the midair panel blowout of a 737 Max early this year. And as of 2024, long-term incentive payouts for executives can be sharply cut if certain safety-related goals are not timely completed, including a new survey to assess Boeings safety culture, the filing said. The bonuses are also tied to better controls and assessments of safety risks for manufacturing the 737 and other aircraft. The recent compensation change by directors meant Calhouns 2024 award was reduced to $13.3 million from a target of $17 million. Boeings departing top executive told directors in February that he would decline his 2023 bonus worth an estimated $2.8 million. Calhoun will also forfeit the remainder of last years retention bonus if he makes good on plans to step down at the end of the year. He still received half of that grant, initially valued at about $5.3 million, in February. The payout was due to vest in equal amounts in 2024 and 2025 provided Calhoun stayed on the job. Barring a rapid turnaround at Boeing, Calhoun will likely walk away from his five-year stint as the companys chief executive with far less than the nearly $100 million that he was initially targeted to receive, the filing showed. Although Calhoun was awarded pay and equity-based incentives valued at $97.6 million between 2020 and 2023, his cumulative realized pay over that period was $19.7 million. Thats a reflection of the companys slumping stock and long-term grants that havent paid off due to Boeings lackluster performance. (Updates with details of incentive pay changes from fourth paragraph) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, is under scanner after a lawyer filed a complaint against her and others for allegedly sharing the court proceedings of the Delhi CM, accused in excise policy case, on social media. The complaint was filed by a lawyer who claimed that the hearing was recorded and circulated on social media platforms by Sunita Kejriwal and other political leaders. The complainant also sent a legal notice to social media platforms to take down the video showing court proceedings presided over by special judge Kaveri Baweja on March 28. Also read: Ensure people don't face problems: Sunita Kejriwal shares jailed Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's message for AAP MLAs The complainant charged against the accused persons/political parties Sunita Kejriwal in this case for wilfully and deliberately disobeying the Video Conferencing Rules dated October 26, 2021, of the Court. It further mentions. Notified by Notification No. 348/Rules/DHC to consolidate, unify and streamline the procedure relating to the use of video conferencing for Courts. Also read: Sunita Kejriwal likely to assume 'significant role' in AAP, BJP says 'Rabri Devi in making' The list of people against whom these charges have been pressed includes Sunita Kejriwal, Akshay with X handle name @Akshay", Promila Gupta (councillor, Ward 11, Timarpur), Vineeta Jain (vice president of INC Rajasthan), Arunesh Kumar Yadav with X handle name @YadavArunesh. Also read: Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita launches Kejriwal ko Aashirwad campaign, urges citizens to support Delhi CM In the complaint, the lawyer has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members of hatching a pre-planned conspiracy of intentionally and deliberately attempting to malign and manipulate the court proceedings through the audio and video recording. The Delhi CM and AAP chief was produced by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on charges of money laundering in connection with the Delhi Excise policy scam at Delhi's Rouse Avenue court that took place on March 28. Meanwhile, recording of court proceedings is prohibited under the High Court of Delhi Rules for video Conferencing for Courts 2021. Also read: Bhagat Singh's kin slams AAP over Arvind Kejriwal's jailed photo: 'Would ask party to refrain...' The complainant alleged that Promila Gupta (Councillor), Ex-Member of Delhi Commission for Women and ex-member Governing Body of SPM College posted the Video/Audio recording of the court proceedings on social media while other AAP members trailed behind by reposting, forwarding, sharing and resharing it. Also read: 'PM Modi's arrogance of power': Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita breaks silence Delhi CM and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. His judicial custody was extended till April 15, and he is currently lodged in Tihar Jail. The videos and audio recordings of the AAP chief addressing the bench were circulated on X with the tag #MoneyTrailExposedByKejriwal. Arvind Kejriwal arrest news: In a fresh plea against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal retaining his position as the chief minister of Delhi, former AAP MLA Sandeep Kumar has approached the Delhi High Court seeking the Kejriwal's removal. The petition is listed for hearing before Justice Subramonium Prasad in Delhi High Court on Monday. In his petition, Kumar has said after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money-laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy for Delhi, Kejriwal has incurred an "incapacity" to carry out the chief minister's functions under the Constitution. The plea says the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader's "unavailability" complicates the constitutional mechanism and he can never function as the chief minister from prison according to the mandate of the Constitution. "Article 239AA(4) of the Constitution provides for the Council of Ministers with the chief minister at the head to aid and advise the lieutenant governor in the exercise of his functions in relation to matters with respect to which the legislative Assembly has power to make laws. The aid and advice to the lieutenant governor are practically not possible without the chief minister being a free person available to render his aid and advice under the Constitution," the petition says. Kejriwal, who was arrested by the ED on March 21, is currently lodged in Tihar Jail. The high court had earlier rejected two public interest litigation pleas seeking Kejriwal's removal from the chief minister's post. On April 4, a bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet P S Arora refused to entertain a PIL on the issue, saying it was Kejriwal's personal choice to continue as the chief minister. A 55-year-old woman was assaulted and paraded semi-naked on the streets of Voltoha village in Punjab's Tarn Taran. The incident took place on the evening of March 31, around a month after the victim's son eloped with a woman and married her against her family's wishes, news agency ANI reported. "The video of a purported incident, wherein a woman was seen paraded, was also made viral by the accused persons," SSP Ashwani Kapur was quoted as saying. Here's all we know about the case: 1. The victim's son had married a girl against the wishes of the brides parents. The son's in-laws allegedly assaulted his mother to avenge the marriage. The victim said in a complaint that she was alone at her home when her sons in-laws allegedly assaulted her and tore off her clothes. "They paraded her in the village in a semi-naked condition," the victim alleged. Meanwhile, Tarn Taran's Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ashwani Kapur said the victim was alone at her home when Kulwinder Kaur (mother of the girl), along with her brothers Gurcharan and a family friend Sunny Singh, and one unknown person came to her house to avenge the marriage. "Following heated arguments, they started assaulting her and also tore off her clothes," Kapur added. 2. Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered on April 3 under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 354D (stalking), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 149 (unlawful assembly). Later, the police also added sections 67 and 67-A of the IT Act in the FIR. ALSO READ: British actor Russell Brand accused of rape and sexual assault 3. Four people, including a woman, were arrested for allegedly assaulting the victim, police said on Saturday. The accused will be produced in a court to seek their remand and the mobile phone used to make the video has also been seized, police told PTI. "Those arrested have been identified as Kulwinder Kaur, Gurcharan Singh, and Sharanjit Singh alias Sunny, all residents of Jivan Nagar in Valtoha, and Sunny of village Abadi Amarkot Amirke in Tarn Taran," SSP Kapur, was quoted by news agency ANI as saying. He said that further investigations are on and the remaining accused will be arrested soon. 4. Punjab Commission of Women chief Raj Lali Gill condemned the incident and said that this is a very shameful incident for the entire state. "A woman's modesty has been compromised on the streets by parading her half-naked. She kept begging for help and looking for places to hide herself. This is a family affair," Gill told ANI. She said the victim's son married their neighbour's daughter in court. "The girl's family was against this marriage and reached the boy's house, and the two families indulged in a heated argument," Gill said. "Things escalated, and the girl's family attacked the boy's mother and tore her clothes. One boy out of them started filming a video of the boy's mother after her clothes were torn. This is a very shameful incident for the entire state. The Women's Commission stands with the victim," she added. Meanwhile, National Commission for Women (NCW) chief Rekha Sharma said, Nobody came forward to help her neither police nor the locals. This is a shocking incident and the NCW has taken a suo moto cognizance of the matter. I am sending a member to enquire into the matter. If the police do not take any step against the perpetrators, the NCW will write to the ECI [Elections Commission of India] keeping in mind the Model Code of Conduct... 5. BJP leader SS Channy said the current Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab "has failed to protect the rights of women". He said Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann "has shown Taliban is there in Afghanistan, now the same Taliban is here in Punjab..." New York and New Jersey were shaken by an earthquake on April 5, measuring 4.8 magnitude on the Richter scale, followed by an aftershock, as per a Reuters report. "If there is an aftershock, people are encouraged to drop and cover and to hold, drop to the floor, cover your neck, and hold onto something that is sturdy," New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated, as quoted by CNN. Hochul further advised residents to exercise caution, especially around buildings, particularly high rises. She urged individuals to leave their homes if they hear shifting or unusual noises and to inspect their residences for any damage, including walls, doors, floors, windows, as well as water and gas lines. Minimal Damage Reported Despite the quake, there were no reports of significant damage to infrastructure, nor were there any reports of injuries, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Addressing the public, Adams reassured residents, stating, "New Yorkers should go about their normal day. First responders are working to make sure the city is safe." Adams confirmed that school buildings are safe for students, advising them to remain in school. Furthermore, flights at the Newark Liberty International Airport have resumed operations after being temporarily halted due to the earthquake. Epicentre Details The quake, which occurred at 10:23 am (ET), had its epicentre near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, approximately 45 miles west of New York City and 50 miles north of Philadelphia, as reported by the US Geological Survey (USGS). The epicentre was located in Tewksbury, central New Jersey, around 40 miles west of New York City, with a depth of 4.7 kilometers (2.9 miles). According to the US Geological Survey, Friday's earthquake marks the third-largest recorded quake in the Northeastern United States in the last 50 years. The largest recorded earthquake in the region occurred in 2002, measuring 5.3 magnitude, near New York's Au Sable Forks. (Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden plans to tout his administrations alternative broad-based student-debt relief plan on Monday, according to a White House official, while hes in Madison, Wisconsin a city thats home to thousands of college students in a 2024 battleground state. The White Houses Plan B rule is meant to replace Bidens original $400 billion student-loan forgiveness program, which was struck down by the US Supreme Court. The more targeted proposal which is being finalized by the Education Department would offer cancellation to borrowers in specific groups, including people with balances exceeding their original principal or those eligible for relief who have not enrolled in existing programs. The new plan was originally more narrowly written. But amid pressure from progressive lawmakers and advocacy groups, the administration expanded eligible borrowers to include people who have experienced financial hardship, opening up opportunities for younger borrowers to seek relief. Yet the revised plan will almost certainly face similar legal hurdles to the ones that ultimately tanked the presidents initial measure. 2024 Message Student-debt cancellation resonates with young people, as well as with Black and Latino voters voting blocs whose support will be crucial to Democrats success in Novembers elections. Polls show support for Biden, who vowed on the campaign trail in 2020 to pursue student debt relief, has been eroding among those groups. The Education Department has forgiven more than $144 billion in federal student loans through regulatory changes that allow more borrowers to receive forgiveness under existing programs and by canceling balances for individuals defrauded by their schools or those deemed totally or permanently disabled. That relief, however, has mostly gone to middle-aged borrowers who have held loans for at least a decade. In a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll, 43% of Gen Z voters said Biden was doing too little to address the burden of student debt. Some rounds of student loan cancellation have already been hit with lawsuits in recent months, including actions for Americans in the governments public-service loan forgiveness program and income-driven repayment plans. Im going to get sued every turn when it comes to debt relief, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona told reporters in February. Were not sitting idly. Were pushing, and were gonna push every chance we get. The regulations still need to undergo a comment period before the department can issue a final rule. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported the development. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com China is likely to use artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content to target elections in India, the US and South Korea, and understand issues that divide voters in these countries ahead of national elections, Microsoft warned on Friday. In a blog post, Microsoft cited its report on 'Threat Intelligence insights' to explain how China "is using fake social media accounts to poll voters on what divides them most to sow division and possibly influence the outcome of the US presidential election in its favour." The Microsoft Threat Intelligence insights in the latest East Asia report were published by the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) on Friday. The report said it is expected that "Chinese cyber and influence actors, and to some extent North Korean cyber actors," will work towards targeting elections in "India, South Korea, and the United States". How China, North Korea might influence elections in India, US, South Korea? 1. China's influence operation (IO) seeks perspectives on US political topics: China had allegedly begun using generative AI to create sleek and engaging visual content. The Microsoft Threat Intelligence continued to identify AI-generated memes targeting the US, the report said. The Microsoft report claimed that China increased its use of AI-generated content to further its goals around the world. The "increased use" of Chinese AI-generated content in recent months aims to "influence and sow division" in the US and elsewhere on a range of topics. Many of this topic included controversial domestic issues. These topics include the train derailment in Kentucky in November 2023, the Maui wildfires in August 2023, the disposal of Japanese nuclear wastewater, drug use in the US as well as immigration policies and racial tensions in the country. The Microsoft analysis also mentioned the company's September 2023 report which highlighted how Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-affiliated social media accounts began posing as Americans across the political spectrum and responded to comments from authentic users. 2. North Korea cyber operations: The report mentioned that North Korea has increased its cryptocurrency heists and supply chain attacks to fund and further its military goals and intelligence collection. "It has also begun to use AI to make its operations more effective and efficient," it added. This may facilitate the development of new military capabilities. It added that North Korean threat actors are adapting to the age of AI. "They are learning to use tools powered by AI large-language models (LLM) to make their operations more efficient and effective," the report said. 3. AI-generated contentand anchors: The Microsoft report mentions a picture in its report, claiming that it shows how Storm-1376 posted videos in Mandarin and English alleging that the United States and India were responsible for unrest in Myanmar. "The same AI-generated anchor is used in some of these videos appeared in a Taiwan-facing Storm-1376 campaign," it said. Will these tactics sway voters? The report, however, claimed that there is little evidence these efforts have been successful in swaying opinion. "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," the Microsoft report added. China's AI influence in Taiwan election According to the report, China did a test run in Taiwan using AI-generated content to influence voters away from a pro-sovereignty candidate. On Taiwans election day, Storm-1376 had reportedly posted an AI-generated audio clips of Foxconn owner Terry Gou, an independent Party candidate in Taiwans presidential race, who bowed out of the contest in November 2023. "The audio recordings portrayed Gou's voice endorsing another candidate in the presidential race. Gous voice in the recordings is likely AI generated, as Gou made no such statement," the report added. The general or Lok Sabha Elections in India are due in April-May, while the presidential elections in the US will be held on November 5. The national elections in South Korea will be held on April 10. (Bloomberg) -- The US is warning allies that China has stepped up its support for Russia, including by providing geospatial intelligence, to help Moscow in its war against Ukraine. Amid signs of continued military integration between the two nations, China has provided Russia with satellite imagery for military purposes, as well as microelectronics and machine tools for tanks, according to people familiar with the matter. Chinas support also includes optics, propellants to be used in missiles and increased space cooperation, one of the people said. President Joe Biden raised concerns with Xi Jinping during their call this week about Chinas support for the Russian defense industrial base, including machine tools, optics, nitrocellulose, microelectronics, and turbojet engines, White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said. Chinas foreign ministry didnt immediately respond to a request for comment during a holiday weekend. Beijing has sought to portray itself as mostly neutral in the face of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now into its third year, yet its established a deep alliance with Moscow as part of what Xi and Vladimir Putin termed a no limits friendship ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. Trade between the two countries reached a record $240 billion in 2023. Russias neighbor has become the supplier of everything from clothes to machinery and cars after an exodus of Western manufacturers and multiple rounds of sanctions. At the same time, Russia has boosted exports of commodities such as coal and oil to China. Crucially, China and Hong Kong have also become key gateways for Moscow to access restricted technologies, including chips and integrated circuits, used in weapons or needed to build them. The US and European Union have listed several Chinese firms for enabling those transfers, but the trade shows little sign of dropping off. Last year, the Biden administration also sanctioned a Chinese company for providing satellite images to a Russian technology firm which in turn then supplied them to the Wagner mercenary group. Beijing has also yet to indicate whether it will participate in a summit Ukraine has been organizing to agree on key principles upon which to build a future peace settlement with Russia. Chinas support for Russia has deepened in recent months, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters. Secretary of State Antony Blinken briefed European allies this week on the scope and significance of Chinas support and on the need to do more to curtail it, one of the people said. Blinken asked allies to raise the problem directly with China and to take actions against Chinese entities and companies, another person familiar with the discussions said. The Financial Times first reported some of the messages communicated by Blinken at meetings with NATO allies. The US and its allies will be looking to convey their concerns to Beijing and to ramp up efforts to crack down on Chinas support for Russias defense industry, the people said. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also warned of significant consequences this week if companies, including those in China, were found to provide material support for Russias war against Ukraine and its military-industrial base. Read more: Moscow Is Outpacing Ukraines Allies in the Race for Ammunition The worries come as Ukraine faces a critical artillery shortage and its allies are flailing in their efforts to resupply Kyiv. Russia, meanwhile, has been able to boost its domestic arms production, continues to import key components via a network of third countries, and is getting shells and other weaponry from the likes of North Korea and Iran. The Biden administration previously warned Beijing not to provide Russia with weapons, and theres no sign it has so far done so. --With assistance from Peter Martin. (Updates with White House comment in fourth paragraph.) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com News / National by Staff reporter Former Zanu PF Mashonaland West chairperson and former Norton legislator, Temba Mliswa, has been elected as the inaugural Chairperson of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Chapter of the African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption (APNAC).The election took place in Lusaka, Zambia, during an APNAC conference on Thursday.Mliswa confirmed this development on social media, expressing gratitude to his ancestors for this historic achievement."I have been elected as the new and first Chairperson for the APNAC SADC Chapter for the next four years. This marks a significant moment in history, being the inception of the APNAC Chapter with me as its pioneer leader. I am deeply honored by this recognition of my dedication and efforts."I extend my heartfelt thanks to all those who have faith in my leadership abilities. I am grateful to my ancestors and the Almighty for this elevation."This validates that my contributions at the local political level have made an impact. It's sometimes only when others acknowledge our efforts that we realize their magnitude," Mliswa remarked.Now serving as a village headman, Mliswa paid tribute to the Parliament of Zimbabwe and Speaker Jacob Mudenda for their guidance and support in nurturing MPs like himself."I express my sincere appreciation to the Zimbabwean Parliament under Advocate Mudenda's leadership. It's encouraging to witness African legislators uniting against corruption in all its forms."Corruption is a pervasive challenge that demands unwavering resistance," Mliswa emphasized, calling for the establishment of anti-corruption units in all government offices, with regular rotations to prevent corruption within these units.The conference aimed to elect the SADC APNAC Executive Committee in accordance with previous meeting resolutions.In his role as the new Chairperson of APNAC SADC Chapter, Mliswa stressed the importance of members' commitment to combating corruption at both national and regional levels.He encouraged former Zimbabwean parliamentarians to join APNAC in this noble endeavor.Among the attendees at the conference were Zambian National Assembly Deputy Speaker Hon. Chisangano, APNAC President and Benin National Assembly Speaker HE Louis Vlavonou, and Mliswa, who serves as an APNAC Board member and Chairperson for Mobilization and Monitoring and Evaluation Committee.The Zimbabwean delegation included Chief Chikwaka, the Chairperson; Hon. Mushoriwa, the Secretary-General; Angelina Gutu, a Researcher; and Admore Nyamuramba, an APNAC Committee clerk. India and Pakistan attempted to interfere and conduct clandestine activities in Canadian elections that took place in 2019 and 2021, the country's spy agency revealed on Thursday night. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service on April 4 released the documents stating that the Government of India had tried to use its proxy agency in Canada in 2021, according to an unclassified summary written by the CSIS. Similarly, the Government of Pakistan had also attempted to clandestinely influence the Canadian politics in 2019, Canada's foreign intelligence agency wrote as quoted by cbc.ca. The documents submitted as part of the federal commission inquiry into foreign influence contain stark assessments potential interference in Canada's elections by India, China, Russia, and other countries. Currently, the matter is under public investigation. David Vigneault clarified that intelligence is not necessarily fact, hence, it may require further investigation while all documents caution about the summaries being possibly uncorroborated, single-sourced or incomplete, the report added. The CSIS document alleged that 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. WHEN INDIA RESPONDED TO INTERFERENCE CLAIMS Back in February, India had responded to allegations of interference, calling them baseless. India had rejected the claims over its interference in Canadian elections, asserting that the core issue has been Ottawa's meddling in New Delhi's internal affairs, PTI had reported. In February, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, We have seen media reports about the Canadian commission enquiring into ...We strongly reject all such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections. "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 added. The United States is on 'high alert' amid an escalating Iran-Israel shadow war and the looming threat of a wider Middle East conflict. Tehran is currently preparing a response after a suspected Israeli strike killed an Iranian military commander and several advisors this week. Meanwhile the Hezbollah its main proxy in the Middle East warned the Jewish state that it is prepared for war. Iran has asked the US to step aside if it wanted to avoid getting hit. 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 won't get hurt. In response US asked Iran not to target American facilities, tweeted Mohammad Jamshidi the Iranian presidents deputy chief of staff for political affairs. Meanwhile, US officials indicate that the country is in a "high state of vigilance" following reports of an attack next week. President Joe Biden discussed the matter during a telephonic exchange with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday. According to a Reuters report quoting a senior Biden administration official, teams from both countries have remained in continuous contact. Washington has also reiterated its full support for Israeli defense against threats from Iran. Iran warns US to stay out of conflict with Israel after suspected consulate attack in Syria. Concerns grow in the Biden administration over potential attacks in Israel or against military targets. Referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian presidents deputy chief of staff for political affairs, wrote on X, "warned the US not to get dragged into Netanyahus trap". "Step so that you dont get hit," Jamshidi added. The US is on high alert and is preparing for a significant response from Iran against Israeli or American targets in the region. Earlier this week, an Israeli 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. 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 October 7. Hezbollah is completely prepared and ready for any war with Israel, Nasrallah said. Pro-Palestine protesters lashed out at former US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary on Wednesday as the duo left a election fundraiser. The former State Secretary was dubbed a super predator who was helping to facilitate the genocide of Palestinians as she exited the Music Box Theater in New York. More than 33,000 people in Gaza have been killed since Israel declared war on Hamas following the October 7 attack. Videos shared online show the agitators hurling epithets as the two Democratic leaders exited the venue. Hillary Clinton and Lin-Manuel Miranda came together earlier this week for a 'Broadway fundraiser' intended to help save American democracy. The musical by Shaina Taub is based on the suffragists and American Womens suffrage movement. F***ing piece of s**t Hillary! Over 34,000 people are dead, Hillary. Call yourself a feminist? Women are dying in Gaza, screamed one female protester. Stop holding fundraisers for genocide you f***ing coward, cursed another. Bill Clinton, you're a genocide supporter. F*** you, you piece of s**t, yelled a third. President Biden urged an "immediate ceasefire" on Thursday amid widespread fury over an Israeli air strike that killed aid workers in Gaza. Data shared by the Hamas-run Health Ministry indicates that at least 33,137 people have been killed since war broke out nearly six months ago. Large swathes of the Gaza Strip remain at imminent risk of famine and an estimated 75,815 people have been wounded since the clash began in early October. The Biden administration has faced strong protests in recent months amid the bloodshed in Gaza. His re-election campaign however continues in full swing with President Biden raising more than $90 million in March and topping Republican nominee Donald Trumps haul. The president and his party ended March with $192 million cash on hand the most ever amassed for a Democrat at this point in the calendar. The POTUS has raised more than $422 million since launching his reelection bid last April. As an incumbent with only nominal opposition in the primaries, hes been able to stockpile money for the general election. (Bloomberg) -- Campaigning in South Koreas parliamentary election has underlined the nations status as one of the worlds largest crypto markets, with both major political parties touting related inducements to win votes. President Yoon Suk Yeols People Power Party has vowed to delay a digital-asset tax, while the opposition Democratic Party pledged to lift curbs on exchange-traded funds including US Bitcoin products that directly hold tokens. Were going to allow the ETFs, whether domestic or overseas, Democratic Party policy specialist Hwanseok Choi said, citing its manifesto. Hwanseok, a member of the partys think tank, participated in drawing up the manifesto. Yoon is seeking to wrest control of the legislature in the April 10 poll from a progressive camp led by the Democratic Party. Official figures show that more than 6 million South Koreans over 10% of the population participated in the crypto market via registered exchanges in the first half of last year. That represents a sizable pool of potential voters in a pivotal election. ETF Controversy The US in January gave the green light for ETFs investing directly in Bitcoin, and the products have amassed total assets of about $57 billion so far. South Koreas securities regulator quickly said brokering the products locally may violate the law, effectively choking a potential efflux of speculative cash. The move stoked some confusion and roiled a slew of stocks. The People Power Partys manifesto doesnt dwell on the controversy, instead promising to delay planned taxes on crypto gains beyond the scheduled timeframe of 2025. South Koreans have been active in the latest digital-asset bull market and are famed for their ardor for smaller cryptocurrencies, not just market-leader Bitcoin. Upbit, the biggest domestic crypto exchange, regularly ranks among the top platforms globally for trading volume. Korea Securities Depository data show South Koreans last month poured more than $200 million into the shares of US-listed Bitcoin holder MicroStrategy Inc. They also flocked to US crypto-futures ETFs, which are permitted products. Even election candidates have exposure: some 7% own crypto, according to a Yonhap report that analyzed asset disclosures. Crypto Risks The flip side of such speculative animus is that crypto is a highly risky sector the nation infamously spawned Do Kwon and his doomed Luna and TerraUSD tokens, which blew up more than $40 billion when they imploded in 2022. But memories of the wipeout, which impacted hundreds of thousands of people, are being overshadowed by this years $900 billion jump in the crypto market. A dedicated investor-protection framework comes into effect in July, and both parties have indicated they would also pursue wider regulation for the industry. Along with the sops floated by politicians, that points to the possibility of greater acceptance of digital assets in South Korea, echoing a broader Asian trend. In contrast, many US officials are hostile to crypto. Expectations are growing that spot-crypto ETFs will eventually be allowed, adding to the potential for the crypto market to be more widely established as an investment asset in South Korea, Hanwha Investment & Securities Co.s alternative asset analyst Yumin Kim wrote in a recent note. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com AAP MP Sanjay Singh exited Tihar jail this week after six-month of imprisonment in connection with the ongoing Delhi delhi excise policy probe. The senior politician said that he had stayed resolute and brave despite massive difficulties during the initial days. Several senior AAP leaders including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his former Deputy Manish Sisodia currently remain lodged in Tihar jail. The initial 11 days were quite difficult. I was inside a small cell and was not allowed to step outside. I was under police security. Subsequently, I spoke to the jail administration and demanded that I be given rights as a normal prisoner, he told PTI. Singh walked out of Tihar jail on Wednesday after being granted bail by the Supreme Court in a money laundering case related to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. He had been lodged in the high security facility since his arrest in October last year. ALSO READ: Ex-AAP MLA Sandeep Kumar seeks removal of Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi CM in high court Singh recalls the situation improving after he sought his rights as a normal prisoner. He also contended that his "morale is quite strong" despite spending the past six months in jail. They decided to allow me to go to music room, badminton court at fixed times. Even the issues related to food were also addressed. I read in those six months the writings of Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr (Ram Manohar) Lohia, Bhagat Singh. Maine 6 mahine mein utna padha jitna main 6 saal mein nahi padh paaya (In these six months I read more than what I had done in six years), he added. The senior AAP leader was welcomed with loud cheers and slogans as soon as he walked out of jail. Visuals shared online showed the politician climbing atop a vehicle parked outside the jail and addressing the supporters gathered there. Congress manifesto contains pictures from New York and Rahul Gandhi's favorite destination Thailand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized the grand old party's Nyay Patra for the Lok Sabha elections on Friday. Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Congress Nyay Patra features a picture of Buffalo River in New York State under the environment section. There is a picture on water management in the Congress manifesto. This picture is of the Buffalo River in New York state. Under the Environment section, a picture from Rahul Gandhis favoured destination, Thailand has been put. Who is putting all this in their manifesto? He used a Hindi proverb called Akal bade ya bhains? (Is wisdom greater or the buffalo?) to mock the Congress party for the New York pictures in their Lok Sabha polls manifesto. Till now, they have not been able to find out who was posting tweets from their social media chairperson's account. Now, who sent them these pictures? They did not use wisdom in either situation, he said. The BJP also accused the Congress of coming up with such a manifesto to mislead voters, calling it a bundle of lies. It is an irony that Congress is seeking the people's mandate with the promise to do wonders if voted to power, Trivedi said. He took a jibe at Congress for naming its manifesto Nyay Patra, saying the name itself suggests that the party had done injustice to the country during its 50-60 years of rule. "The Congress did not fulfil any of the promises made in its earlier manifestos for Assembly and Lok Sabha elections," he alleged, asking "Which are the Congress-ruled states where Rahul Gandhi's promise of giving 76,000 to people has been implemented?" BJP leader Amit Malviya also took a dig at Rahul Gandhi and the Congress manifesto saying 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, for yet another holiday, soon after election, he added. The Congress on Friday released its manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabah elections scheduled in seven phases beginning from April 19. The party has promised the right to apprenticeship, a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops, raising the 50 per cent cap on reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBC), and the civil law for LGBTQIA+ couples. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday alleged that the Election Commission of India has rejected its permission for two Lok Sabha election programs with Haryanvi and abusive language in the written reply. Haryana unit AAP chief Sushil Gupta, who is contesting from the Kurukshetra constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections scheduled in seven phases, said the party had sought permission for poll campaigns on April 7 and abuses were mentioned in the reasons' column. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party flagged the EC's Haryanvi and abusive reply on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle. "Koni dende, EC allegedly wrote in the document shared by the party leader. Anurag Dhanda, AAP Haryana Vice President slammed the BJP-led centre and the Election Commission, asking Are BJP people running the Election Commission offices all over the country? When permission is sought for the election program of @DrSushilKrGupta in Kurukshetra, Haryana, the Election Commission office rejects it with abusive words? he further wrote. Calling it an shameful act, the AAP also said the Election Commission should clearly tell that it is not responsible towards all the parties of the country, rather it has become only a political wing of the BJP. Has the Election Commission recruited BJP trolls in its offices? When AAP candidate asked permission from Election Commission for the program So the Election Commission, abusing the AAP candidate in writing, refused to give permission for the event, the Aam Aadmi Party wrote. Brahm Prakash, the sub-divisional magistrate-cum-assistant returning officer in Haryana's Kaithal took cognisance of the matter and ordered the suspension of five computer operators. He also directed the police officials to conduct a thorough probe in this matter. However, Prakash did not rule out the possibility that the portal might have been hacked. IT IS HARD to say which was more significant: who was killed, or where. On April 1st a suspected Israeli air strike flattened a building at the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus. The blast killed seven people, among them several high-ranking Iranian officers. It was a serious escalation in the long shadow war between Israel and Iran, hitting a target that should have been off-limits under international norms. The question now is how Iran will choose to respondand whether it does so by attacking Israel itself or its main foreign backer, America. The strike killed General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a commander of the Quds Force, the expeditionary wing of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He had served for years as the groups head of operations in Syria and Lebanon; Arab and Israeli analysts say he was close to Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hizbullah, the Lebanese Shia militia and political party. His deputy and five other IRGC officers were also killed in the blast. The general was the highest-ranking Iranian commander to be assassinated since America killed Qassem Suleimani with a drone strike in 2020. Israeli officials did not publicly claim responsibility for the strike (though in private they leave little doubt about their role). But they did argue that whoever bombed the embassy compound had a right to do so. Daniel Hagari, the army spokesman, described the building in question as a military buildingdisguised as a civilian building". It is true that the IRGC officers were not in Damascus to negotiate lower pistachio tariffs. And it is galling to hear Iranian officials invoke the sanctity of consular buildings, when the first major act of the newly established Islamic Republic was to take hostages at the American embassy in Tehran in 1979. But that sanctity is nonetheless a long-standing global norm. If the mere presence of military men was enough to override it, some of Israels own embassies would be legitimate targets too. Even Saudi Arabia, a longtime rival of Iran, was quick to denounce the strike, although it did not name Israel in its condemnation. Since October 7th, when Hamas militants crossed the border from Gaza and killed more than 1,100 people, Israel has been fighting on two fronts: against Hamas in Gaza, and against a wider array of Iranian-backed militias across the region. The most powerful of those is Hizbullah, which has carried out near-daily missile attacks against towns and army bases in northern Israel. But the group has held back from all-out war: most Lebanese do not want their country dragged into one, and Iran is wary about risking its most useful proxy. Israel, in turn, has been avoiding striking too deep into Lebanon, lest it elicit a heavier response from Hizbullah. It has mostly limited its bombing to southern Lebanon, though in recent weeks it has struck further into the Bekaa valley, a fertile expanse in the countrys east where Hizbullah also has a big presence. It has no such reservations about hitting Syria, however. After a decade of civil war, Bashar al-Assads regime is too brittle to fight back, and the Iranian-backed militias in Syria lack the enormous arsenal of their Hizbullah comrades in neighbouring Lebanon. Syria offers a long list of targets: Iranian officers, allied militiamen and shipments of weapons bound for Hizbullah. It has turned into a free-fire zone for Israel, which has carried out dozens of strikes in Syria since October 7th, wiping out most of the IRGCs top leadership in the country. On Christmas Day it killed an Iranian general in Damascus; in mid-January it killed five officers, including the IRGCs intelligence chief in Syria. Other strikes have targeted Hizbullah, including an attack on Aleppos airport on March 29th that killed seven members of the group and dozens of Syrian soldiers. After the Suleimani assassination, Iran made do with firing a barrage of ballistic missiles at two American bases in Iraq in replythe largest such attack to date, but hardly the sort of fire-and-brimstone response demanded by some hardliners. There may be more domestic pressure to respond this time: Iran has weathered months of Israeli attacks, and by striking a consular building Israel has now in effect bombed Iranian soil. Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, suggested that Iran might respond directly rather than through its proxies. The evil regime will be punished by the hands of our brave warriors," he said in a statement on April 2nd. That may well be empty talk. Iran always prefers to fight through others. The night before the embassy strike, a drone launched from Iraq hit a naval base in Eilat, Israels southernmost city. A coalition of pro-Iranian militias took credit. Iran may now approve more such attacksand may also lash out at America. The two countries have tried to de-escalate tensions since January 28th, when an Iranian-backed group launched a drone at an American base in north-eastern Jordan and killed three soldiers. In response, America bombed Iranian targets in Iraq and Syria. Nervous about further escalation, Iran told its proxies to suspend further attacks on American troops, and they begrudgingly obliged. American officials have made it known publicly that they had no advance knowledge of the Israeli attack in Damascus, a message they also passed via intermediaries to their Iranian counterparts. The Iranians sound unconvinced. America must be held accountable," said Hossein Amirabdollahian, the foreign minister, on April 2nd. Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to the supreme leader, made similar comments, arguing that America holds direct responsibility" for the attack. Hours after the embassy was bombed, American troops shot down an attack drone flying near al-Tanf, a remote American garrison in eastern Syria. Officials are not sure whether the drone was targeting the base. Still, it was the first such incident since early February. Israel is playing a risky game in Syria. It thinks it has a rare opportunity to damage Irans proxies in the region, and that Iran is too nervous about a broader war to retaliate in a big way. So far, that gamble has proved correct. But past performance is no guarantee of future results: if Israel pushes too far, the region could find itself in a far messier conflict. Is it safe to use your smartphone to capture the solar eclipse? As part of the world is set to witness a total solar eclipse on April 8, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has lent a word of caution for those excited to capture the event on their smartphones. Warning a social media user against the use of smartphones for this purpose, the NASA said the phone sensor could be damaged just like any other image sensor if its pointed directly at the Sun. "This is especially true if youre using any sort of magnifying lens attachment on the phone. You would need to utilize the proper filters just like on any other camera," the US space agency said. The NASA also shared advise for space enthusiasts. It said, "The best practice would be to hold a pair of eclipse glasses in front of your phones lenses when photographing the Sun at any point other than totality." Other tips by NASA on photographing the eclipse are: 1. Looking directly at the Sun is dangerous to your eyes and your camera. To take images when the Sun is partially eclipsed, one needs to use a special solar filter to protect their camera, just as they need a pair of solar viewing glasses (also called eclipse glasses) to protect your eyes. At totality, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun, one must make sure that they remove the filter so that they can see the Suns outer atmosphere the corona. 2. Any camera is a good camera. Taking a stunning photo has more to do with the photographer than the camera. One can use telephoto zoom lens, tripod and delayed shutter release timer for best shots. 3. While youre snapping those eclipse photos, dont forget to stop and look at the eclipse with your own eyes. Just remember to wear your solar viewing glasses (also called eclipse glasses) for all stages of the eclipse before and after totality. Total solar eclipse 2024 The first solar eclipse of 2024 will take place April 8, 2024. It will be witnessed across North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The eclipse will not be seen in India this time. News / National by Staff reporter ZIMBABWE People's Revolutionary Army (Zipra) ex-combatants yesterday held a memorial service in remembrance of their commander Lookout Masuku who died in 1986 shortly after his release from prison.Masuku died on April 5, 1986, following his wrongful arrest and conviction by late former Prime Minister Robert Mugabe.He had been detained for four years together with 86 other Zipra officials although the courts had cleared them of charges of planning a coup detat against Mugabe's administration.Mugabe accused the then late Joshua Nkomo's PF Zapu of plotting to unseat his Zanu-PF government and launched a witch-hunt named Gukurahundi which claimed over 20 000 civilian lives in Matebeleland and Midlands provinces.Zipra War Veterans Association spokesperson, Buster Magwizi, said Masuku was a political prisoner."Little things can be forgotten but not the betrayal that Masuku suffered under the Zanu-PF government," Magwizi said."Masuku died as a political prisoner because those who had taken over power through some means feared that they could not rule when Masuku and the late former intelligence supremo Dumiso Dabengwa were free."We have learnt that a country can be independent but with no freedom."In 1982, Masuku together with Dabengwa and others were arrested for allegedly planning a coup detat against Mugabe.In 1983, the Supreme Court found Masuku and Dabengwa not guilty of the charges.However, the police refused to release the duo and invoked emergency regulations, holding them for four years.On March 11, 1986, the government released Masuku and Vote Muza, a Zapu official, due to poor health.Masuku was buried at Lady Stanley Cemetery on April 12, 1986.In a speech on Masuku's funeral, Nkomo said: "After all his sacrifices, Lookout died a pauper in our own hands, we cannot blame colonialism and imperialism for this tragedy. . . he is not being buried at the Heroes' Acre. But they can't take away his status as a hero. You don't give a man the status of a hero. All you can do is recognise it. It is his."Yes, he can be forgotten temporarily by the State. But the young people who do research will one day unveil what Lookout did."On November 18, 2017, President Emmerson Mnangagwa renamed Llewellin Barracks, situated on the outskirts of Bulawayo, after Masuku. Five years ago, Kalih Raksasewu was getting his car tuned when the mechanic shared a curious tidbit: He had stumbled upon a tiger near his home. The startled creature jumped a fence and vanished, the man said. Strange encounter, thought Raksasewu. Not least because the men live on Indonesias most populous island, Java, and especially because Javan tigers have long been believed extinct. The last confirmed sighting dates back nearly half a century, to 1976. Raksawewu took out his phone and showed the mechanic images of leopards, which can sometimes be confused for tigers. No sir, came the reply. The cat had stripes. Raksawewu found himself getting excited. A researcher involved in local conservation work, he had grown up hearing tales of the giant felines, including from his mother, who once saw one while driving. In my heart Ive always been greatly interested in this creature, and I was very sad when it was declared extinct, he said. He raced off with the mechanic, the auto-shop boss and a few hangers-on to search for traces of the big cat. They tramped through the area of the alleged sighting, near plantations and fragmented forest landscapes where wild pigs and other potential tiger prey abound. Then they saw it: a single strand of hair that lay on the low wooden fence the animal had allegedly jumped. I had this hope that the tiger had a hair snagged when he leapt, said Raksasewu. It turned out to be true. Lazarus creature? In the beginning, guesses as to the provenance of the hair were wildly varied: a local plant or a cat of the regular, purring kind rather than the mighty, roaring kindboth of which, while anticlimactic, seemed more plausible. Years went by as the lone strand made an improbable journey through myriad government offices and laboratories, peered at by a parade of locals, bureaucrats and scientists. Two weeks ago, DNA analysis suggested a match: Javan tiger. In an article in Oryx, a peer-reviewed journal published by Cambridge University Press, researchers said they compared DNA from the lone hair with that of its nearest living relative, Sumatran tigersclose but no cigar. Same for the DNA of a Javan leopard. The best match: the DNA of a Javan tiger from the 1930s preserved at an Indonesian museum. In Indonesia if you talk about the king of the jungle youre talking about the tiger, said Wirdateti, a government researcher trained in genetic analysis who co-authored the paper with Raksasewu and two others. If the results are confirmed by further testing, it would be one of the most dramatic examples of what some in the conservation community refer to as Lazarus creaturesanimals declared extinct that somehow survived. Too wild to be true? While the study has caused buzz, it is also attracting a good deal of skepticism. Anubhab Khan, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen who is an expert on the tiger genome, cast doubt. Khan said the genome of big cats is hugely complex, with distinctive features that affect what happens when big-cat DNA is sequenced for study. In this case, he said, while the Indonesian researchers thought they were comparing what is known as mitochondrial DNA, they were in fact comparing a different type of DNA, Khan said. That muddied the analysis, he said. Khan said there may be a way to study the DNA further, but it would be challenging because theres just one putative tiger hair to work with. As things now stand, Khan said, hes fairly confident the hair comes from a big cat, but cant go any further. Its just inconclusive. He plans to publish his response in an academic journal. Indonesias environment ministry has said it plans to install camera traps and commission further genetic study. It cited the deepwater charr, which was believed to have perished from an alpine lake decades ago but started turning up in fishing nets again in the 2010s. The lone hair that was found by Kalih Raksasewu. Tigers, however, are a different kettle of fish. It is quite something, Wulan Pusparini, an Indonesian ecologist pursuing a doctorate at Oxford University, said of the study. I am quite skeptical about the possibility of a large cat hidden from public view for nearly five decades. The giant predators were once so numerous in Java that entire villages would be evacuated after tiger attacks, which killed hundreds of people a year for much of the 19th century as coffee and sugar cane plantations expanded into the tigers forest home. Locals referred to bad years as tiger plagues and fortified their villages against attack. The British naturalist Alfred Wallace visited Java in the 1860s, and recounted how a tiger dragged a boy from a cart. Some 700 villagers armed with spears systematically hunted down the cat, whose teeth were worn as charms. Today Java has long since lost its whiff of wildness. It is one of the most densely populated places on the planet, with more than 150 million people squished into an area slightly larger than Pennsylvania, leaving little room for tigers to roam undiscovered. Although residents claim to spot tigers occasionally, in many cases the cats turn out to be leopards. The Javan tiger was thought to be confined to folklore, used as a character in shadow puppet theater, and as an emblem for the armed forces. Wirdateti, who goes by one name, said she remained confident that that the hair was from a Javan tiger, and plans more research to buttress the teams findings. She noted that other locals had also reported seeing what they said was a tiger. Ripi Yanur Fajar, the mechanic who claimed the initial sighting in 2019, said in an interview that he was confident of what he saw as he was riding his motorbike late at night. The tiger was right there in front of me, Fajar said in an interview. It looked like they do in the zoo. In this week's tech recap, major players in the industry have unveiled groundbreaking developments and strategies aimed at reshaping the landscape of e-commerce, streaming services, artificial intelligence, and smartphone technology. From Alibaba's ambitious plans for rocket-based deliveries to Disney's crackdown on password-sharing on its streaming platform, the tech world is witnessing a flurry of initiatives. Additionally, Elon Musk has put efforts to retain AI specialists at Tesla, Apple users were warned against vulnerabilities by CERT-In, and the launch of new flagship smartphones by Motorola and OnePlus were some of the significant developments in the world of technology. Let us dive into the details of these updates. Alibaba eyes One-hour rocket-based deliveries worldwide Alibaba, the prominent Chinese e-commerce giant, aims to revolutionize global delivery services by exploring one-hour deliveries using a rocket-based system in partnership with Beijing's Epoch Space. Facing fierce competition, especially in its flagship Taobao marketplace, Alibaba seeks to maintain its industry dominance. Previously offering five-day deliveries in key global markets through Cainiao Smart Logistics Network, Alibaba now ventures into rocket-based transportation to further expedite delivery times. The partnership involves utilizing the cargo cabin of the Yuanxingzhe 1 rocket, featuring innovative designs like a conveyor belt mechanism for parcel loading. Similar to SpaceX's reusable rockets, the Yuanxingzhe 1 is capable of multiple missions, including simulated sea landings. The proposed operational sequence involves a 25-minute journey from eastern to western China, with swift unloading via a conveyor belt upon landing for final distribution to customers. After Netflix, Disney Plus plans to crack down on password-sharing Disney CEO Bob Iger has announced plans to address password-sharing on the company's streaming platform starting in June. The move aims to consolidate the streaming industry, boost subscriber growth, and improve profitability, with aspirations for double-digit margins. This strategy follows Netflix's success after cracking down on password-sharing, leading to a surge in subscribers. Iger's announcement follows a proxy battle against activist investors, with a resounding endorsement of the board's strategies, including CEO succession plans. Additionally, Iger hinted at ongoing partnerships for ESPN. The victory strengthens Disney's position as it revitalizes its film and television franchises, pursues streaming profitability, and expands ESPN digitally. Elon Musk to raise salaries of Tesla engineers to ward off poaching by OpenAI Elon Musk acknowledged Tesla's struggle to retain artificial intelligence specialists, with some leaving to join his AI venture, xAI. Tesla is increasing compensation for its AI engineering team, responding to poaching efforts. Musk expressed frustration over the talent war, which he called the "craziest" he's seen. Concerns arise about conflicts within Musk's empire as personnel move from Tesla to xAI. Musk's announcement of xAI followed a Delaware judge voiding a massive stock award arranged by Tesla's board. Musk's history with AI ventures includes co-founding OpenAI but later parting ways due to conflicts. Recent departures from Tesla to xAI, like Ethan Knight, highlight aggressive recruiting efforts and substantial compensation offers. Govt warns against risk in iPhone, iPad and Macbook The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has issued a high-risk warning regarding vulnerabilities in various Apple products, including iPhones, MacBooks, iPads, and Vision Pro headsets. The warning highlights vulnerabilities in older versions of Apple software and hardware, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code and compromise device security. Users are advised to update their devices to the latest iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS versions to mitigate the risk. Additionally, precautions such as avoiding unsecured Wi-Fi networks, implementing Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), and downloading apps from reputable sources are recommended to enhance security measures. Motorola Edge 50 Pro launched in India with Moto AI Motorola has launched its latest flagship, the Motorola Edge 50 Pro, in India. This smartphone features a powerful 4nm octa-core Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 SoC and a 4,500mAh battery with both wired and wireless Turbo charging capabilities. Initially priced at Rs. 31,999 for the 8GB + 256GB variant and Rs. 35,999 for the 12GB + 256GB configuration, the device is offered at a limited-time discount of Rs. 27,999 and Rs. 31,999 respectively. Sales commence on April 9 via Flipkart, Motorola online store, and retail outlets, with exclusive benefits including discounts on HDFC card transactions and exchange bonuses. The noteworthy features of the smartphone include a promise of three years of OS updates and four years of security upgrades, a 6.7-inch 1.5K pOLED curved display with a 144Hz refresh rate, IP68 rating for dust and splash resistance, and a sophisticated AI-backed triple rear camera setup, including a 50MP primary sensor. OnePlus Nord CE4 5G launched in India with Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset OnePlus has introduced the Nord CE4 5G in India. This is a mid-range smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset and is set to rival devices like Nothing Phone 2a, Redmi Note 13 Pro, and Realme 12 Pro. Priced at 24,999 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage and 26,999 for 8GB RAM/256GB storage, it sporting a 6.7-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. This smartphone boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 SoC, up to 8GB RAM, and 256GB storage. Camera-wise, it features a 50MP primary sensor with OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 16MP front camera. It supports 4K video recording, houses a 5,500mAh battery with 100W SUPERVOOC fast charging, and comes in Dark Chrome and Celadon Marble colors. With IP54 certification for splash and dust resistance, it offers dual 5G SIM support, Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi, GPS, and expandable storage up to 1TB. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. 3.6 Crore Indians visited in a single day choosing us as India's undisputed platform for General Election Results. Explore the latest updates here! Four unhoused Clarkston residents, along with the nonprofit Elves for the Homeless, have filed a complaint and jury demand against the city of Clarkston in the United States Eastern District Court of Washington. The four residents, all of whom have disabilities, include John Parke, Scott Darrington, Nancy Caskey and Tamara Apfelbeck. In the complaint filed Friday morning, the plaintiffs allege the citys ordinance on camping within city limits violated the Americans with Disabilities Act through a policy they say disproportionately affected them because of their disabilities. Ordinance 1706 limits camping to the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., and each person or household is limited to a 64-square-foot plot (the equivalent of 8 feet by 8 feet) at Foster Park. Plaintiffs argue the citys nonresponse to a March 7 letter requesting changes to the ordinance constituted a failure to make reasonable accommodations to avoid disability discrimination. John Wolff, the attorney at the Northwest Justice Project representing the group, said the unhoused plaintiffs are representative of more unhoused residents not specifically named in the complaint. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 31% of people experiencing homelessness in 2023 had experienced a chronic pattern of homelessness, meaning that they experienced homelessness for extended periods of time and have a disability. My clients are persons living with disabilities. They are residents of Clarkston, some of them longtime residents, Wolff said. This case is about asserting their rights to the basic means of survival. The complaint also lists several alleged violations of federal and state constitutional rights, including the right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment, seizure of property without due process, and the right to travel; which plaintiffs say also includes the right not to travel. They want us to just sit in the rain and wait around for 9 p.m. to set up our tents, getting soaked. Humans need shelter during the day, too, Caskey said in a quote provided in the complaint. Numerous unhoused people are thought to have left the city because of the limitations imposed by the citys ordinance. Idaho, already in a doctor shortage, is losing doctors who specialize in obstetrics and gynecology. In a presentation at the Idaho State Capitol Building on Wednesday, Idaho medical leaders say the workforce shortage is exacerbated by doctors confusion about how to practice medicine under Idahos abortion ban that only allows abortion if it is needed for the mothers life not their health. And they pleaded with lawmakers for a health exception, which would allow a doctor to terminate a pregnancy to prevent significant harm to a patient, not just prevent their death. For example, if a patients water broke early and infection was setting in before a fetus was viable, a physician could treat the infection, which may involve terminating the pregnancy, without fear of prosecution. Idaho is digging itself into a workforce hole that will take many years, if not decades, to fill. But before we can stabilize the environment and move forward, we have to stop digging. And we need more clarity in our laws to help with that, said Susie Pouliot Keller, chief executive officer of the Idaho Medical Association. If providers are prosecuted under Idahos abortion law, they face two to five years in prison and could have their medical license suspended or revoked. Idaho also has a civil enforcement law, allowing doctors to be sued for at least $20,000 by any family members of a person who obtained an abortion. But legislation modifying Idahos abortion ban isnt likely this year. The Idaho Legislature finished most of its business for the session last Wednesday and has recessed until next Wednesday to give itself time to address any potential vetoes Gov. Brad Little could issue. Legislators held off on abortion legislation in 2024 while the U.S. Supreme Court considers a challenge to Idahos abortion ban, said Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, who is chairperson of the Idaho House State Affairs Committee, which typically handles abortion legislation. Crane, after meeting with Treasure Valley doctors earlier this year on the issue, said he believes attorneys are being dishonest about how the abortion ban works. And he stressed that no doctor has been prosecuted or charged under Idahos abortion ban. I think that theres still a push to try to undo Idahos abortion statutes. And theyre using doctors, OB docs, as a pawn in this political game, and Im tired of it, Crane told the Idaho Capital Sun in an interview. Be honest with your doctors. Let them know the provisions that have been put in place by the Idaho Legislature. There are provisions that are clearly spelled out. Concerns about Idahos abortion ban being unclear arent new. In October, the Washington Post reported on how doctors had begged hospitals for guidance on abortion laws including in Idaho. I really dont think theres any factual way to deny that it is, in fact, our abortion ban that is causing this very serious problem, House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, told the Idaho Capital Sun in an interview. The Idaho Medical Association had worked on draft legislation for a maternal health exception, Pouliot Keller told the Sun in a statement. But those conversations stopped after the U.S. Supreme Court decided to hear Idahos case, she said. We learned that due to the impending court decision, there was no longer a legislative path forward. Regardless of the (Supreme Court) decision, IMA is still committed to a legislative change to preserve the health of patients faced with harmful pregnancy complications, Pouliot Keller said. A crisis of conscience for doctors practicing under Idahos abortion ban Dr. Megan Kasper, an OB/GYN in Canyon County who spoke at the Capitol on Wednesday, said shed recently cared for a patient in her second trimester weeks away from viability who had painful contractions and a dilated cervix. Idahos abortion ban didnt cause Kapser to change how she cared for that patient, she said, but the things she managed in the background did. What did I need to do to keep myself and the whole health care team out of trouble? What was going to be my threshold for her health status? If she started bleeding, how much bleeding was I going to tolerate? At what point would her bleeding be enough that I would feel competent saying, OK, this is life-threatening? Under normal circumstances, Kasper said, the baby was not going to survive this process. I would, as a physician, not have a whole lot of room for anything going the wrong direction. I would say All right, this is starting to go not well. We need to step in and intervene and keep you miles away from anything life-threatening, she said. But, Kasper said, now, I have to think about that. And she said she has to have parameters that she could potentially support in court. As we move forward, it has become very clear to me that the current situation here in Idaho is no longer about pro-life or pro-choice Its about basic maternity care that no one in 1972 even thought about questioning, Kasper said. Dr. Sara Thomson, a Boise OB-GYN who represented the Idaho section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said at the Capitol presentation some OB-GYNs she knows have left because of the moral conflict they experience while treating patients. And more are thinking about leaving if Idahos laws dont change, she said. Many of us have had a crisis of conscience about what to do. Feeling both deeply committed to our patients, but also concerned about what this means for us personally and for our own families, Thomson said. The threat of incarceration for five years for patient care is a heavy burden. And being told that no physician in our state has been prosecuted yet or that a case of medical necessity is unlikely to be prosecuted, is not adequately reassuring. Idaho is seeing obstetric deserts, Idaho Hospital Association CEO says Three Idaho hospital labor and delivery departments recently closed: Bonner General Health in Sandpoint, Valor Health in Emmett, and most recently, West Valley Medical Centers Caldwell facility. A judge denied a recently convicted mans motion for a new attorney and trial, but if the case is appealed then a new attorney will be appointed. Robert J. LaPlante filed a motion March 18 for a new attorney and a new trial, and the motion for a new trial was amended Monday. His public defender, Brennan Wright, then filed a motion to withdraw as attorney. LaPlante also filed a motion for judgment of acquittal Tuesday and the motion for a new attorney was heard by 2nd District Judge Mark Monson on Wednesday at the Nez Perce County Courthouse. A 12-member jury convicted LaPlante on March 14 of first-degree attempted murder for striking, stabbing and/or cutting Loyal Otis Dickson Jr. on July 14 in North Lewiston. At the hearing, Monson noted that Wrights motion was triggered by LaPlantes, which he filed himself. Wright said he and LaPlante discussed the motion and LaPlante still wanted him to withdraw from the case, according to a recording of the court hearing. LaPlante then addressed the court, stating there was evidence that wasnt used during his trial, that he wasnt told of his rights, and there were other things he wasnt aware of. LaPlante also mentioned his motion for a new trial and Monson said the issue before the court was the motion for a new attorney. I get that but Im just theres a pattern here, LaPlante said in the recording. LaPlante then stated he wasnt represented correctly and, since the trial, more information and witnesses have come forward. In the recording, Monson noted criminal rule does allow for the defense to withdraw if there is good cause. But, because LaPlantes representation is appointed by the court, he doesnt have the right to select an attorney for himself. Monson also said a lack of confidence in his attorney isnt enough grounds for the court to appoint a new attorney. LaPlante also doesnt have the right to reject appointed council. Stories in this Regional News Roundup are excerpted from weekly newspapers from around the region. This is part one, with part two scheduled to appear in Sundays Tribune. McCALL, Idaho The entire Valley County Road Advisory Board has resigned in protest over complaints that county commissioners have not heeded the boards recommendations. The advisory board submitted a joint letter of resignation to Valley County Commissioners in March, alleging poor departmental management and oversight. The resignation letter, and a response from commissioners is available on the countys website at co.valley.id.us. The advisory board was formed in March 2021 and tasked with making recommendations for improvements and funding strategies to commissioners. Volunteer board members included Steven Hull, Lorrine Munn, Jerry Robinson, Gary Swain, Kirby Robertson and Paul Hefner. The letter concluded that the board had successfully identified weaknesses and inefficiencies in the countys road department, but not enough action was taken by commissioners. Our conclusions confirm these department failures were not related to lack of funds, said a letter from Hefner, former road board president. We identified underperforming administration and leadership within VCRD (the Valley County Road Department) as to the reason the department is experiencing persistent performance and customer service failures. We feel we have served our community successfully, Hefner said. However, our findings and recommendations have been left to languish with limited implementation that could help guide and improve the VCRD now and into the foreseeable future. Advisory board members also took issue with commissioners adopting a master transportation plan and planning to move the countys road department headquarters without consulting the group. Despite adoption by BOCC (Board of County Commissioners), most recommendations provided the VCRAB (Valley County Road Advisory Board) were only partially implemented, Hefner said. Many of the issues that prompted formation of the Valley County Road Advisory Board remain unresolved, he said. Longford native and new Camogie Association President Brian Molloy has put integration with the GAA and LGFA to the forefront of his agenda. The first male Uachtaran of the Camogie Association was ratified at the organisations annual Congress, which took place this weekend at the Westgrove Hotel in Clane, Co Kildare. Son of Kathleen and the late Gerry Molloy, Rathcline, Lanesboro, Brian previously served as Connacht Camogie Chairperson, Galway County Board PRO and then Connacht Provincial Council PRO and representing his home club of Ballinderreen (where he was PRO and Co Board delegate) he will become the 32nd President of the Association, succeeding outgoing Uachtaran, Hilda Breslin. Today was an historic and proud day for Brian Molloy, his wife Vivienne, daughters Ciara and Aisling, mother Kathleen, his extended family, his club Ballinderreen, his home town and parish of Lanesboro and Rathcline and all his friends. Addressing Congress, Brian, the former student of St Mel's College from the Leaving Cert Class of 1988, thanked all of the attendees and expressed his heartfelt gratitude to outgoing Uachtaran, Hilda Breslin, for her outstanding dedication and exemplary leadership as Uachtaran of the Camogie Association over the past four years. Also read: Ciaran Mullooly takes leave from Longford tourism role to contest European elections on Independent Ireland ticket He said, This is a very special moment and indeed an historic moment for our Association, as I am the first male to be elected president of the Association in its 120 year history. "I am very proud to take on this role and very grateful to have been given this opportunity to lead the Camogie Association. We have a fantastic game that is a fundamental part of Irish culture." He believes a fully integrated Gaelic Games Association of Camogie, GAA and LGFA will be a stronger and more balanced association and urged Congress delegates to operate as if the three associations were already integrated. "Integration with the GAA and the LGFA has long been on the agenda within the Camogie Association. We have been consistently in favour of integration and steadfast in our belief that the new combined and fully integrated singular Gaelic Games Association will be a stronger, more balanced Association. "There are some steps towards integration that we can start to take right now. It starts with all three associations adopting an integrated mindset and reflecting that in their decisions and engagements now. "We still tackle our day to day challenges but we tackle the challenges through the prism of how we would operate if we were already integrated." Also read: Longford native Brian Molloy to be installed as first male President of Camogie Association Hilda Breslin, outgoing Uachtaran of the Camogie Association, who addressed Congress for the final time, congratulated Brian Molloy. "I want to wish Brian all the best as we look to the future. Lets value all our players for the part they will play in our Association now and beyond. Lets make our clubs even more inclusive communities, building a foundation for lifelong enjoyment, participation and support for Camogie. Also in attendance at Congress were Jarlath Byrnes, Uachtaran of the GAA, Helen ORourke, CEO of the LGFA and Tom Parsons, CEO of the GPA. Jarlath Byrnes, Uachtaran of the GAA address the Congress delegates and expressed his full support for the current move towards integration. He said, I would like to pay tribute to the outgoing President Hilda Breslin for her commitment to the process. I look forward to working with the new President Brian Molloy in the near future. The new Hurling Development Committee will work hard to create new hurling and camogie clubs in areas where there is currently room for development. The GAA will ensure the association is ready to face the challenges and opportunities that full integration presents for gaelic games across the globe. Also read: Historic moment as Longford native becomes President elect of Camogie Association 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. Irelands incoming taoiseach Simon Harris has pledged to lead his party with a new energy as he vowed to hit the ground running as leader. Ahead of his expected election as Irish premier in the Dail parliament next week, recently appointed Fine Gael leader Mr Harris addressed delegates at his partys annual conference in Galway on Saturday evening. His uncontested elevation to leader of Fine Gael came after Taoiseach Leo Varadkars shock resignation last month. Mr Harris is to formally replace Mr Varadkar as the head of Irelands Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Green Party coalition government in the Dail on Tuesday. In a wide-ranging speech at the close of the ard fheis at the University of Galway, Mr Harris identified housing; law and order; and support for small business as key priorities. He also addressed recent tensions in Ireland over increased immigration rates, as he pledged to oversee a fair but firm system to manage migration into the country. Launching a broadside against the main opposition party, Sinn Fein, he said the electorate in forthcoming local and European elections faced a stark choice between opportunity and outright opportunism. Mr Harris, who paid warm tribute to his predecessor Mr Varadkar, said he was deeply honoured to take on the greatest challenge of his life. He described himself as a proud Wicklow man as he referred to his upbringing as the oldest of three children and the values instilled by his mother, a special needs assistant, and his taxi driver father. The 37-year-old also spoke with pride about his wife Caoimhe, a nurse, and young children Saoirse and Cillian. Everything I do will be the grounded in the values my parents raised me with hard work, compassion, and a desire to help those who need it the most, he said. And everything I do will be with the ambition to create a better Ireland not just for Saoirse and Cillian for all of our children. He told delegates his political story began when his younger brother Adam was diagnosed with autism and he began campaigning for better information and services. He characterised Fine Gaels fundamental values as hope, enterprise, equality of opportunity, integrity and security. That is the Fine Gael I intend to lead, with a new energy, he said. On his expected election as taoiseach, he added: If given this great honour, I will take office when time is short but there is much to do. Tonight, I promise you, were going to hit the ground running. I will stand by our values as a party and our vision as a nation. A tolerant, inclusive and outward-looking society, which is fair, caring and secure. I am going to match that vision with action. Mr Harris vowed to tackle Irelands housing crisis, pledging to build 250,000 new homes in five years. I am of a generation where home ownership can feel out of the reach of many, he said. To young people, I want you to know your future is here in Ireland. And I want your parents to know we will move mountains to get the children out of the box room and into a home of their own. We have to fix housing once and for all. Mr Harris pledged a package to support small business owners as he acknowledged they were hurting under the pressure of increasing costs. He said Fine Gael was also the party of farmers, fishermen and women and rural Ireland. Commenting on the challenges presented by climate change, Mr Harris stressed the need for a collaborative approach. I want to say to farmers and to rural Ireland, Fine Gael will never talk down to you on climate action, he said. We will sit down and work with you and for you. Mr Harris also vowed to help families struggling in the cost-of-living crisis. He restated his ambition to raise the threshold for the higher rate of income tax to 50,000 euro (43,000) and promised to further reduce the universal social charge burden on low and middle-income earners. Mr Harris also pledged to break down barriers to education and improve access to childcare facilities. The Wicklow TD also promised to take action to help people with disabilities. On the wider health service, he said the focus would be on improving access and opening more beds and theatres and ensuring the training and recruitment of more GPs, consultants, nurses and therapists. He said Fine Gael would always stand for law and order under his leadership. We stand for more gardai, with more powers and more resources to make our streets safe, he said. We stand for tougher sentences for those who commit horrific crimes. He said he would fast-track legislation to give judges powers to make sure heinous criminals serve long sentences before they are considered for release. On the fall-out from Novembers far-right influenced riots in Dublin, Mr Harris said he would immediately convene a Dublin city centre taskforce bringing together the council, retailers, business, community groups and gardai to chart a path towards a safer and vibrant city. It is time to have pride again in our capital city, he added. Mr Harris said Ireland needed a fair and firm system to better manage migration. Outlining his support for the new EU migration pact, Mr Harris added: We need to move away from the emergency use of hotels for housing asylum seekers. I believe we now have that plan. But the implementation will be key and engagement with communities is essential and leadership across government. We need to listen to people. The Irish people want to play their part. Irish people want to help. They already are. Speaking about the tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees who have fled to Ireland, Mr Harris acknowledged the influx had posed challenges. Taking in families fleeing the war has brought significant pressures. But it is the right thing to do, he said. Ireland, as a proud and committed member of the European Union, will always stand with the people of Ukraine. Addressing the conflict in the Middle East, Mr Harris issued a blunt message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying Ireland was repulsed by his actions. The comments drew a standing ovation from the Fine Gael membership. In Gaza we see a humanitarian catastrophe worsen before our eyes, he said. We unreservedly condemn the massacre carried out by Hamas in October and again call for the unconditional release of all hostages. But we cannot and will not stay silent on the actions of Israel either. Reason has been replaced by revenge and by the bombing, maiming and death of children. Famine. A spectre no Irish person can bear. Anyone who can countenance deliberate starvation has lost their humanity. Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Irish people could not be clearer. We are repulsed by your actions. Cease fire now and let the aid flow safely. We need a two-state solution, with Israel and Palestine living side-by-side, in peace and security. I reiterate, Ireland stands ready to recognise the state of Palestine. On Northern Ireland, Mr Harris spoke of the need to maintain positive co-operation. I am determined to work together on a north-south, east-west basis to improve the lives of everyone across these islands, he said. Mr Harris said the choice facing the electorate at local and European elections in June was the starkest it has faced in generations. A choice between opportunity and outright opportunism, he said. Sinn Fein promises change. What they mean is they will change their mind at every chance. A party which promises utopia, but specialises in U-turns. He accused Sinn Fein of exploiting every challenge for its own gain. In conclusion, the Fine Gael leader said he would work day and night to make peoples lives better. We will have your back. We will repay your trust, he said. Together, I promise we will deliver. With a new energy. Now lets get to work. Watercourses have the ability to restore the soul. From the tinkling of tiny tributaries to the lapping of a lake, the rhythmic soundscape creates a point in time of tranquillity. Fishermen know this. The calm of casting lines draws enthusiasts to waterways the world over to engage in a pastime that embodies art and practicality. In his book 'The Catch: Fishing for Ted Hughes' author Dr Mark Wormald explores this attraction through its appeal to one of the 20th century's great poets. Using Hughess collection of poems, River, and his fishing diaries as a guide, the Lecturer at Pembroke College Cambridge visited places the poet fished. That journey brought him to Longford, and at the end of this month he returns for the Granard Booktown Festival. The genesis of the book came when Dr Wormald unearthed letters and fly fishing memorabilia relating to British Poet Laureate Hughes, the American-born Irish contemporary artist, Barrie Cooke, and Nobel Laureate, Seamus Heaney. The three were great friends during the course of their artistic and literary lives with Cooke and Hughes especially close because of their love of fly fishing. The Catch was such a hit that Classic Anglers Magazine awarded it 'Book of the Year' an accolade the academic is particularly pleased with. I'm very proud of that, he tells the Leader, his delight audible in a voice that has travelled across copper wires from Cambridge to Longford. That award recognises the accessibility of what could have been a scholarly endeavour: I started all of this off thinking I would write an academic essay about Ted Hughes' fishing diaries. Over the course of the eight years it took to write, it became a very personal book. Booker Prize winning novelist, Graham Swift, who fished with Ted Hughes, offered some advice: He said 'your challenge is to write about fishing in a way that makes sense to someone who doesn't fish and someone who is not an academic'. I inhibited my impulse to explain and interpret and instead replace that with a desire to tell the story. So I'm really pleased that it has reached even non-fishing women, he joked. Longford features in Hughes' 1986 book River: One particular poem, Saint's Island, is about that experience. He fished with Barry Cook to get out of an increasingly notorious, vilified public life, Dr Wormald says of his subject. It meant a huge amount to him, fishing with Barry, all over Ireland, he says, Fishing is the best way of engaging with experiencing the natural world. He said when he's been fishing, he lost the power of forming words. His was a complete concentration on the life of water, the surface of the water, reading the water, working out atmospheric conditions and the way that fish would behave as a result of that, and then catching the things. The loss of words was a temporary aberration: The words came back and formed these most remarkable poems. His concentration and total absorption was something more active than contemplation. He compared hunting, poaching and fishing. He said fishing was the purest and mildest form of the essential life activity that united single-celled creatures with mammals. And that passion, absolutely essential to life, was to capture and kill prey. Observing life is the essence of poetry. Mark says the crossover of poetry and fishing is more than symbolic: It's the most acute observation of the natural world, whether it's identifying the particular species of fly, which is hatching, which he needs to match to the fly he's using, or just knowledge of the behaviour of the pike lurking under the surface of Lough Ree. Not every experience of fishing is tranquil: Ted and his son Nick were fishing on Lough Ree in 1978 in a gale. They almost got blown off. Neither Ted nor Nick wore life jackets. It was a very hairy moment for them. The author says fishing and poetry are appropriate bedfellows: The language captures an overlap or even a coincidence, an identity. In poetry and fishing we are casting a line, and we say tight lines. Ted wrote, as well as cast, tight lines. Mark's Booktown contribution will see him in conversation with John Connell. He says the discussion will, appropriately, be fluid: I hope we'll also talk about the book I'm writing now. It's about Barry Cook and his friendship with Ted and Seamus and John Montagu. I hope we'll also talk about the state of our waters, which Ted was a passionate defender of and advocate for, but which on both sides of the Irish Sea are not in the conditions they should be. For Ted, fishing was his way of breathing, as he told Barry's daughter Anya. When you are immersed, as close to the natural world as you are when you're fishing, you notice all the damage we do to our waters. He's an inspiration and a reproach still to us. Dr Mark Wormald in conversation with John Connell will be in Granard Library on Sunday April 21 at 12pm. Around 12,000 customers remained without electricity in Ireland on Saturday evening after Storm Kathleen swept across the island. The number had fallen from a peak of around 34,000 outages earlier in the day. The high winds also caused travel disruption, with some flights to and from Dublin and Belfast City airports cancelled. An orange wind warning for Cork, Kerry and Waterford that came into effect at 7am lifted at 2pm, while another status orange wind warning for Galway and Mayo lapsed at 6pm. A yellow wind warning was in effect across the rest of Ireland until 8pm. Very windy this #afternoon as #StormKathleen brings strong & gusty southerly winds to all areas Strong gales on coasts with coastal flooding Frequent showers track NE with highs of 12 to 15 C https://t.co/sFyGizB5AS pic.twitter.com/6LVV2jAr08 Met Eireann (@MetEireann) April 6, 2024 The yellow warning will remain in place for Donegal, Mayo and west Galway until 4pm on Sunday. The remaining outages on Saturday evening were concentrated in Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, Laois and Wicklow. A spokesman for ESB Networks said: ESB Networks crews will continue to work late into the evening with a view to restoring supply to the vast majority of impacted customers by tonight. However, there will be some customers without power overnight. In advance of the storm, forecaster Met Eireann had warned of gale force southerly winds bringing a risk of difficult travel conditions, fallen trees, power outages and flooding along coastal areas. Keith Leonard, national director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM), had urged people to stay away from all coastal areas during the Met Eireann warnings. In Northern Ireland, a Met Office yellow wind warning for counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Londonderry was to lift at 10pm on Saturday. There were multiple instances of fallen trees in the region amid the high winds. The Met Office had warned of blustery showers in parts of Northern Ireland, with strong to gale force southerly winds and possibly severe gales for a time along the Down and Antrim coasts. Phone Scammer Busted by Police After Duping 94-Year-Old Valley Stream Man Out of Nearly $250,000 Crime By Chris Boyle Published: April 05 2024 Jamario Smellie, 27, allegedly claimed to work for Publishers Clearing House and that the victim won a large sum of money, but needed to pay the taxes before receiving the winnings. The Major Case Bureau reports the details of a Grand Larceny/Elder Scam that occurred on Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 12:00 pm in Valley Stream. According to detectives from the Nassau County Fraud and Forgery Unit, in conjunction with the Nassau County Fugitive Squad, US Marshalls and the Nassau County District Attorney Financial Crime Bureau, a 94-year-old male received a telephone call at his residence from an unknown subject claiming to work for Publishers Clearing House. The subject stated the victim won a large sum of money, but needed to pay the taxes before receiving the winnings. The victim wrote multiple cashier checks to various people totaling $246,968.00 USD. The victim later realized it was a scam and contacted the police. Subsequent to the investigation, detectives were able to place the defendant, Jamario Smellie, 27, of 174 E 43rd St, Brooklyn, New York under arrest at 6:00 am on Friday, April 5, 2024. The investigation is ongoing. Defendant Jamario Smellie is charged with Grand Larceny 2nd Degree and was arrested for a Supreme Court Warrant of arrest. He was arraigned on Friday, April 5, 2024 at First District Court, 99 Main Street in Hempstead. The Nassau County Police Department urges the community to be on alert and to remind vulnerable family members, friends and neighbors about potential scams or fraud. Sam Hauser has been a reliable shooter all year long for the Celtics but that consistency came to a crashing halt on Friday night. The sharpshooter misfired on 17 of his 18 shot attempts in Bostons 101-100 win. Hauser went 1-of-13 from 3-point range in the victory, a crucial factor in Bostons woeful shooting performance from beyond the arc (27.3 percent). It was the worst shooting performance by a Celtic player since Jayson Tatum also went 1-of-18 from the field back in November 2019 against the Mavericks. Only one other Celtic had a worst shooting performance since 1954 according to ESPN Stats and Info. Like Tatum, Hauser ended up on the winning team despite the dreadful outing, which was the second-worst shooting performance by any player in a win since 1954. The best public high school in Massachusetts is not located in Boston or in its metropolitan area its in Worcester, according to the school ranking website Niche. Each of the top public high schools in Massachusetts received an A+. This info relies on reviews of the schools academics, teachers, clubs and activities, college prep, resources and facilities, diversity, administration and, if any, sports. The Massachusetts Academy for Math and Science topped the list of the best public high schools with an overall A+ grade. It received A+s in academics, teachers, college prep and administration, but has As in diversity and clubs and activities. A magnet school at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the school also hit the top spot among the Massachusetts high schools with the best teachers. The academy is the only public school in the state where senior students can attend a private university full-time, according to its website. Niche users who attend this academy are most interested in advancing to Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Brown University and Northeastern University. With around 100 students on average, 100% of the schools students graduate. Lexington High School took the second spot on Niches ranking. The high school ranks third when it comes to schools with the best college prep in Massachusetts, while it also ranked 14th out of 276 schools when it comes to the best high schools for STEM in the Bay State. When reviewed by students and parents on Niche, Lexington High School received four out of five stars. Most reviews were favorable about their time spent at the school, but the word challenging was the common thread in several reviews. Weston High School ranked third. The school received high scores in academics, college prep and its graduation rate, and it also ranked fifth when it came to having the best high school teachers in Massachusetts. The fourth-best school ranked by Niche was Boston Latin School. This school also ranked second out of the best magnet high schools in Massachusetts, followed only by the Massachusetts Academy for Math and Science. Despite having several A+s, Boston Latin School has a B+ in sports, a B in resources and facilities and a C+ in food, according to Niches reviews. Brookline High School takes the No. 5 spot on Niches ranking. The best public high school in Norfolk County, according to Niche, the school received A+s, As and A's in most fields, except food which received a B. Students agreed that they felt it was a safe school, with 97% saying so on Niche. While 79% of students and parents agree that students can be competitive, 81% of parents and students agree that teachers care about students success. These schools received their ranks based on compiled data such as testimonials from students and parents, population data from the U.S. Census and the location of the schools, according to Niche. As a chef, Rachel Miller has big dreams. And one of them is turning her restaurant, Nightshade Noodle Bar in downtown Lynn, into a destination eatery. In the few years that its been open, Nightshade has been praised by Bostons top food critics for its unique culinary focus on French and Vietnamese-inspired seafood. Meals such as Grilled Langoustine with scallion oil and peanut Romesco have earned the restaurant a spot on a list of best tasting menus in Boston by The Food Lens, a culinary website. And last year, Miller was named a finalist for the 2023 James Beard Award in the Outstanding Chef category. Despite her award-winning career, Miller said theres still one thing holding her back from her dream: Massachusetts lacking a Michelin Guide. The prestigious Michelin Guide, published by the French tire company Michelin, is an annual guidebook that showcases top destination restaurants worldwide that are known for their culinary excellence. Rachel Miller (right), the owner of Nightshade Noodle Bar in downtown Lynn, works alongside her colleague in preparing a meal.Nightshade's Facebook account They decipher if your restaurant is good enough to travel to, Miller said. It certainly keeps certain chefs in restaurants in the ranks, she continued. Youre listed thats as best as you can get. The James Beard Award is sort of broader and has a different objective. This is if your restaurant is actually superb. It is really important to have that. It does sort of decide your future, and it is certainly a resume-builder for those who work there. For Miller, earning a spot on the Michelin Guide is so important shes said shes contemplated moving her restaurant several times to a city where the guide exists. Due to the large amount of press her restaurant has gotten over the years, Miller said she sees patrons from across the country travel to Nightshade, some of whom have waited two months for a reservation. Still, many of the customers complain that the restaurant is not on the Michelin Guide, she said. Had I not been in a position where I needed to stay in the area, I definitely would have put all the effort that Ive put into Nightshade Noodle Bar in a city that had a Michelin Guide hands down. No questions asked, she said. If my lease gets ripped out from under me, Im out of here. A display of a giant version of The Michelin Guide, an international culinary guide, sits at the Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore.Choo Yut Shing How does the Michelin Guide work? Although Michelin has been reviewing restaurants internationally since the 1920s, the French tire companys famous culinary guide didnt enter the United States until 2005, when it reviewed some of New York Citys finest restaurants, according to the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. Based on culinary expertise, anonymous inspectors choose destinations to include in the Michelin Guide. After reviewing a handful of restaurants in a given area, the inspectors rate the eateries, giving them one, two or three stars based on the quality of its cuisines. Today, the company said that there are over 1,500 U.S. restaurants included in the Michelin Guide, including in cities such as Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago. And the anonymous inspectors have several more restaurants beyond the ones included in the Guide. Yet, the famed international culinary guide hasnt touched Massachusetts or New England. It just seems that were being left out, Stephen Clark, the president and CEO of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, said. Massachusetts has an incredible history of culinary excellence, weve had James Beard award winners, weve had featured chefs, we were the home to Julia Child. Weve had decades of excellence of chefs and Michelin should be rating restaurants in Massachusetts. Even with its global network of inspectors, Michelin does not have any news to share about additional Guides in North America, the company wrote in an email to MassLive. Michelins anonymous inspectors are always looking for maturing destinations fit for its culinary guide, the company wrote in an email to MassLive. Once all the conditions are set to assess the quality of a citys culinary scene, the Michelin Guide will begin its process. But the Michelin Guide does not reveal specific details regarding how a destination is chosen nor how an anonymous inspector evaluates a destination, the company said. Uni, a Japanese restaurant in Boston, is located 370A Commonwealth Ave. in Boston.David Cifarelli For many restauranteurs in a non-Michelin destination, this lack of transparency can block them from international attention. For Harrison Smith, the general manager at Uni, a Japanese restaurant in Boston, the largest benefit a restaurant can gain from a Michelin star is visibility, he said. Its an international guide. International travelers look at Michelin stars when theyre traveling. When Michelin enters a new market, a good handful of restaurants usually receive at least one star, Smith said. Chicago has 21 Michelin-starred restaurants, Los Angeles has 23 and Miami has 12, according to the Michelin Guide. In many cases, these famed stars can boost a restaurants profitability with each star, one study found. But in Massachusetts, where many restaurants are Michelin star-worthy, as Smith put it, that potential increase in revenue will be missed. If you go to Europe, theres Michelin-starred places in the middle of nowhere like in a bar in France, he said. So it seems silly to me that theyre only monitoring certain cities in the United States. And I definitely think Boston certainly has restaurants that are Michelin quality. Efforts to reach out to Michelin Its not like Massachusetts cities havent entertained the idea of a Michelin Guide before. David ODonnell, the vice president of strategic communications for Meet Boston the citys tourism board spoke to Michelin about bringing the restaurant guide to the city last year, according to Eater.com. ODonnell was worried about paying Michelin for a city-wide guide of Bostons culinary scene, Eater reported at the time. The VP had described the deal as a pay-to-play situation. But months later, after learning more about the other ways the Michelin uplifts restaurants like through their Bib Gourmand award ODonnell said he changed his mind. Ramsays Kitchen opened in Boston in January of 2022. We kind of learned a lot more after the article about the full sweep of offerings that Michelin brings to the table and also a bit more about their kind of new approach to sending their inspectors to new destinations, he said. Meet Boston has had some engagement with Michelin for the past two years, ODonnell said. But, the two groups conversations resulted in nothing tangible regarding how Boston gets a Michelin Guide or how much one would cost. Its just us kind of understanding where theyre going in the future, he told MassLive. In an email, Michelin did acknowledge that MeetBoston has inquired about whether the citys culinary scene merits a Michelin Guide. This is not unusual, as destination evaluation is an ongoing process in many places around the world, the company said. But Michelin reiterated that it did not have any news to share about additional guides in North America. The bill that comes with a Michelin Guide Inspectors aside, other parts of the Bay State are turned off by the hefty price that comes with launching a Michelin Guide. Mary Kay Wydra, the president of Explore Western Mass, a tourism board based in Springfield, said in an email that her tourism board wouldnt be able to afford the price tag that comes with a Western Massachusetts Michelin Guide. We believe our funding is better spent promoting our diverse, locally owned dining options to the 4 million visitors that come to our region each year, Wydra wrote in a statement. Sometimes local tourism boards will pay Michelin to launch a guide in their city As the Michelin Guide continued to grow its influence, it sought out partnerships with local tourism boards to help show off new locations and gastronomic scenes. The money covers the cost incurred in establishing a Michelin Guide in a new destination, promoting the selection and highlighting a new restaurant, the company wrote in an email. But the money a tourism board has to fork over for a Michelin Guide can be well over six figures. In 2022, Florida paid over $1.5 million in state and city tourism budgets for a Michelin guide exclusive to Miami, Tampa and Orlando, according to an investigation by the Miami Herald. In 2023, the Colorado Tourism Office paid Michelin $100,000 for three years to be considered in their guide, according to the New York Times. The Tunnel Bar is located in Northampton and is owned by Jeremiah Micka.The Tunnel Bar's Facebook account Jeremiah Micka, the owner of Tunnel Bar and Notch 8 Grille in Northampton, said that Western Massachusetts may not have the influence to attract Michelins attention compared to more densely populated areas. I feel like its always in major cities where you have a bigger clientele and an appetite for that style of food, Micka said. I think you can get a lot more ingredients and fresher ingredients in these major cities, which might sound counterintuitive, but youre just not going to have the distribution of certain things out in say Western Mass or in the more rural parts of America. On top of that, Micka said he doesnt see the value in the Michelin star. As someone whos been in the business for two decades, Micka said he doesnt think the prestigious culinary guide is worth its six-figure price tag. The amount of money that you have to put into this think thats kind of ludicrous to get into the six figures to be rated, he said. That just seems crazy. The interior design of Seamark Seafood & Cocktails, a new seafood restaurant slated to open in Encore Boston Harbor in April 2024.Courtesy of Rockwell Group Does Massachusetts even need a Michelin Guide? But, whether Michelin decides to come to Massachusetts or not, at the end of the day for some it doesnt matter. Massachusetts restaurants stand alone, Clark said. They dont need the Michelin star rating to still be excellent. They deliver an incredible experience. They deliver heartwarming opportunities for guests to interact with each other and enjoy the restaurant. And so the Michelin star rating is nice and its nice to have, but were not being hindered by not having it. I think the quality of our culinary experience stands alone, Clark said. Restaurateurs such as Robert Sisca, the chef-partner at The Banks House and Bistro du Midi in Boston, said that the Michelin Guide isnt completely necessary. Sisca, who worked at Le Bernadin in New York City, a three-star Michelin restaurant, before coming to Boston, thought the esteemed guide would eventually hit the city. But now the veteran chef said he is focused on a more holistic goal. I feel like its more about cooking, but I prefer more about cooking for guests and cooking for what people are looking for not versus being critiqued by a guide, Sisca said. Still, for others such as Miller, the Michelin Guides critiques and reviews are still the very thing she needs to elevate her career. And in that case, the passion for cooking still wont be enough, she said. Of course, were doing it because we want to, and we love it, but, were all in it for something, Miller said. Its to make it. So as long as theres nothing theres no goal to reach, why be here? If you want to end the night with a Boston cream pie and start the next morning with a Parisian croissant, thats now an option. JetBlue earlier this week launched its new daily nonstop flight between Boston Logan International Airport and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. The first flight of the new service departed Wednesday from Logan, the airline announced in a statement Wednesday. The flight from Boston to Paris departs at 8 p.m. and arrives at 9:15 a.m., and the flight from Paris to Boston departs at 11:15 a.m. and arrives at 1:02 p.m. Through the launch of the new flight service, JetBlue aims to build on its transatlantic offerings from Boston, according to the statement. JetBlue has been a great partner to Logan for many years and we are excited that they are launching Boston - Paris, Massachusetts Port Authority interim CEO Ed Freni said in the statement. This new flight gives our passengers even more choice to visit Europe and all the sights across the Atlantic. The airline started selling tickets for new nonstop flights between Boston and Paris and Boston and Dublin earlier this year. JetBlue offers daily service from Logan to London and Amsterdam as well. Wednesdays announcement follows the launch of a new nonstop service from New York Citys John F. Kennedy International Airport to Charles de Gaulle last summer. The airline plans to add a second daily flight from New York to Paris starting June 20, JetBlue noted. To celebrate the launch of the new service to Paris, seats for U.S.-originating flyer were on sale Wednesday starting at $599 roundtrip for the airlines Core experience and $2,499 for its premium Mint experience. For France-originating travelers, prices were starting at $549 for Core and $2,199 for Mint. The airlines announcement comes on the heels of a Boston federal judges decision in January to block JetBlues $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit Airlines, which markets itself as the leading ultra-low-cost carrier in the U.S. The U.S. Department of Justice argued the merger agreement would have driven up prices on routes where the two airlines compete and would have eliminated JetBlues main ultra-low-cost competitor, depriving travelers of choice, according to a statement from the department. The judge ruled the merger violated the core principle of antitrust law: to protect the United States markets and its market participants from anticompetitive harm, the statement detailed. In March, JetBlue announced it reached an agreement with Spirit to terminate the merger. As part of the deal, JetBlue agreed to pay Spirit $69 million to resolve all outstanding matters, the airline said in a statement. If youre looking for a low-cost direct flight from Boston to the Midwest, you may be in luck. Spirit Airlines is offering five new nonstop destinations to its Boston Logan International Airport service this summer. The airline will add direct flights to Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Kansas City and Pittsburgh, a spokesperson for the company told MassLive. The routes come in addition to Spirits previously announced new services from Boston to Charleston, Dallas, Houston and Norfolk, which begin April 10. JetBlue also announced earlier this week the launch of its new daily nonstop flight between Logan and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Spirit and JetBlues announcements follow months after the decision of a federal judge in Boston to block the merger of the two companies. The judge ruled in January the transaction violated the core principle of antitrust law: to protect the United States markets and its market participants from anticompetitive harm, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice. The department alleged if JetBlues acquisition of Spirit were to proceed, prices would increase on routes where the two airlines currently compete as JetBlue sought to acquire and eliminate its main ultra-low-cost competitor, depriving travelers of choice. Spirit and JetBlue reached an agreement in March to end the merger, with the latter agreeing to pay the former $69 million to resolve all outstanding matters, JetBlue said in a statement. For the Roxbury-based nonprofit Stone House, which helps survivors of domestic violence, reaching a 50-year milestone is a bit of a double-edged sword, according to its chief development officer, Gina Varamo. Every nonprofit ultimately has a goal to not exist. So ultimately I would love for us to not be here for 50 years because that would mean that we wouldnt have domestic violence in our community, Varamo said. However, with that said, I think to hit 50 years means that weve served the community in the way that theyve needed and wanted. But for staff member Caroletta Shaw-Boyd, a former Stone House client, she was very grateful that Stone House existed. Stone House has taught me to be fine, said Shaw-Boyd, who is also a support group facilitator. Fine, to me, is focused, inspired, not alone and empowered. Stone House has been helping survivors of domestic violence, like Shaw-Boyd, feel empowered for 50 years. The non-profit organization was founded in 1974 as an alternative to institutionalization for women with mental health issues, Stone Houses website reads. Since then, the nonprofit has expanded to provide support for adult, child and family survivors of domestic violence. Weve always kind of been open to anybody thats experiencing DV and has been welcome into our doors, Varamo said. Aside from celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Stone House also has its 29th annual Wilderness Heals hike coming up in July. The 3-day, women-only hike in New Hampshires White Mountains is the organizations largest fundraiser. Each hiker raises money for Stone House and this years funds will go towards the emergency shelter, Varamo said. More information about the hike, including how to register, can be found online. Expanding who they serve The organization has evolved to not only help cisgender women, but also men, LGBTQ+ individuals, lower-income individuals, people of color and immigrants. Varamo said these different identities impact how these individuals move through the world and interpret their experiences. This often poses a unique set of challenges, as well. Maybe they are not documented and they dont qualify for food stamps. So theyre working around a language barrier, a documentation barrier while also experiencing DV, she explained. Or we have folks that are not able to access certain places. So something that we really try to think about in our work too is access. In other words, Stone House excels at looking at the bigger picture of domestic violence and its clients. Thinking about all the different experiences that these folks are bringing in is really important to providing a truly holistic and healing experience as opposed to just thinking about this one aspect of their life, Varamo said. I think thats something that everyone, our staff, really strives for. And I hope that thats something that our clients can feel when theyre in our spaces. Common areas inside Stone House.David Cifarelli In addition, the tactics that abusers use to control victims are often specific to these groups, including immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community, according to Crisis Intervention Specialist Ariana Barbas. As a domestic violence survivor herself, Barbas said her former partner used to say that she would out her to her family and friends. It was always one of my biggest fears, she recalled. Or theyll always kind of hold over your head, Oh, youre not actually gay. Things like that, thats a big piece. Immigrants who are domestic violence survivors also experience their own kind of manipulation from their partners, such as threatening to take their Green Card or their children, according to Barbas. So there are lots of different ones, but I want to make sure were covering a big spectrum of it because it is all different kinds of relationships, Barbas concluded. Overall, Stone House looks to provide resources for as many domestic abuse survivors in Boston as possible so they can feel safe, empowered and independent. Amazing people For Shaw-Boyd, who started as a client and eventually joined the staff at the Stone House, it is the staff that truly makes the organization shine. The people that work here are amazing people, Shaw-Boyd said. I think that every single one of them has a passion for this work. A Birmingham, Alabama native, Shaw-Boyd has lived most of her life in Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan. Shaw-Boyd suffered incarceration, domestic violence, substance abuse due to some unhealthy choices as a young adult, she told MassLive. At some point, enough was enough, and I had to take certain steps to get into a place to assure that my past did not become my present, she said. Stone House was very key for that. When she first arrived, Shaw-Boyd was broken, torn and without [her] children. I was there for a few years and there were obstacles that I had to face and Stone House helped me to face them, she said. Stone House helped me with my voice [and] to be able to stand and first admit my faults. Shaw-Boyds first obstacle was getting her children back, which Stone House helped with by prepping Shaw-Boyd for court where she eventually regained custody of her children. Aside from helping her get her children back, Shaw-Boyd said Stone House taught her how to be a productive member of society and deal with the traumatic things in her past. The key part for me as a client was not only were they listening, but they heard what I was saying, Shaw-Boyd said. At the time Shaw-Boyd was a resident, men and boys were not allowed at Stone House. In fact, boys over 12 are typically not allowed at domestic violence shelters for women. However Stone House made an exception for Shaw-Boyd, who had her young son with her at the time. That policy officially changed in 1978 when Stone House opened the first domestic violence shelter in Boston that encouraged women to bring their children. The organization also officially welcomed its first male into its transitional housing program in 2011, according to Stone Houses website. We listened to our community. We wanted to keep families together. So we started including young boys in our shelter, Varamo said. We have a lasting presence in the community because folks know that were here and we listen. Finding the next place The Early Learning Center at Stone House.Courtesy Photo This active listening has helped Stone House launch initiatives like its Rapid Rehousing Program and Early Learning Center. Emelly Cabral, another former Stone House client, has benefited from both of those programs. Cabral, who has lived in Roxbury for 23 years, was involved in a toxic relationship with the father of her son for three years, she told MassLive. At the time Cabral and her son were living with her parents, but the 26-year-old did not want to get them involved in her situation. My son deserved the best and I deserve the best too, Cabral said. So I just left and I was calling every place because its hard to get into a shelter. Cabral said she looked for help in the right place after calling Stone House, adding that the non-profit was meant for me. Cabral moved into Stone House in August 2022 with her son, who was 4 at the time. Clients are connected to Stone House by calling SafeLink, Massachusetts statewide 24/7 toll-free domestic violence hotline. SafeLink will then streamline to Stone Houses hotline. From there, Stone House will tell people if they have rooms available. People are taken in based on either the order in which they call or the severity of their situation. Stone House will also consider other factors like if they have a big enough space for whoever is coming in. If theres a mom and 10 kids, of course we cant accommodate that, Barbas said. But if its like a mom and a kiddo or a mom and two kiddos, definitely we want to make sure that the family is going to be comfortable and were not setting them up to fail as well. In her role, Barbas is the point person for people who need immediate help, such as people who walk into Stone House, as well as clients who are already living at the organization. Barbas spoke about how domestic violence is not just a man and a woman, and that it is much bigger. That could be like a mom and a child, it could be grandma and grandson. It could be anything, she said. Domestic is household and closeness. Thats what domestic really is. Barbas added how 1 in 3 women and 1 in 7 men will experience some form of domestic violence in their lifetime. On average, domestic violence survivors leave and go back to a toxic situation nine times as well. Barbas hopes she can help reduce this statistic. I would love to be able to figure out a way to kind of lessen that number, where its more like, maybe three or four so I can get them to safety faster so I can have them see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that life is worth living and that love doesnt have to hurt, she said. The average shelter stay for Stone House residents is about two years, but Varamo said the organization will keep people for as long as they need. Were not in the business of kicking folks out if theyre not ready to move on to their next step, she said. Were going to keep people as long as they can, give them all of the services, meet them where theyre at, help them hit their goals, and then once theyre really ready to thrive on their own, well let them go on their own. Stone House has one emergency shelter in Dorchester, which is a three-family house that can fit about 20 people. However, the organization is looking to replace this shelter by building a forever home that will be up the street from Stone Houses Roxbury facility, Varamo said. The Roxbury facility has 32 housing units, 10 that work in Stone Houses housing stabilization program. The non-profit also has wider community services, so people dont have to live in the shelter to utilize those services. People also work with Stone House for different periods of time. The outside of Stone House's housing facility at 3012 Washington St. in Roxbury.Google Maps Street View Sometimes well see folks for that one moment of crisis, and then we dont hear from them. Some folks we work with for years and years and years, Varamo explained. We want to be with people in their journey at every step to get to where they are going to be successful and independent and fulfilled. Despite being housed at Stone House, Cabral still struggled with her mental health initially. I was depressed and you do get depressed because its a hard situation, she said. Then you look at your child and its like, you dont want to be there because you want the best for your child. Cabral and her son stayed at Stone House for a year and three months where staff helped her not only move into her first apartment in Roxbury, but also regain her confidence. When you come from a DV situation, its like you dont believe in yourself and youre down, Cabral said. But being in Stone House, it helped me bring my self-esteem up. So I appreciate them a lot for that. Going beyond basic needs The outdoor playground at Stone HouseCourtesy Photo Aside from helping residents meet their basic needs (clothing, food, household goods and safe transportation), Stone Houses services include crisis intervention, advocacy, case management, mental health counseling, financial stability and parenting classes. The nonprofit will also help clients navigate immigration issues and offer support groups that address topics like trauma and anger management, which are usually run by Barbas and facilitated by Shaw-Boyd. Despite having a full-time job, Shaw-Boyd decides to work part-time at Stone House because her passion is to be there and to maybe put in those little pieces that may have been missing for me, for the next woman or the next family coming through. There is a need for people to give, whether its financially, whether its with time, because Im sure that if you look into anybodys family history, even your own, youll find that theres something in your life that Stone House can help with whether its a family member, a friend, or whatever, Shaw-Boyd said about the importance of giving back to the organization. In addition to helping domestic violence survivors regain their strength, Stone House also fosters close relationships. Cabral said she had a good roommate and still talks to most of the people she met while living at Stone House. The young mother even developed a family-like bond with another resident. There was this lady on the first floor. I saw her more like my mother because shes way older than me, Cabral said. I speak to her every day. Did I meet friends? Absolutely. Some of my best support came from that weekly house meeting, Shaw-Boyd said. Some of my best support came from groups, and there was a wealth of information there and that taught me that I wasnt alone. Shaw-Boyd added, Years ago, our motto was once a Stone House member, always a Stone House member, and thats still true today. We want to support folks and to have lasting relationships, Varamo said. I think its a testament to be around for 50 years. It just means that we listen authentically to folks in our community and we want to be there. We dont just care because we get paid the big bucks, because we know we dont, Barbas said. We care because were survivors. We care because we know someone is a survivor. We care because we know its a problem. As someone who has been doing her work for about seven years, Barbas said that Stone House is the most inclusive, understanding, open and warm organization she has ever worked for. When you walk in there, it feels different, she said. It reminds me of like that fuzzy blanket when youre feeling down and you wrap yourself in a fuzzy blanket. Thats Stone House, theyre the fuzzy blanket that you need. A search of a home in Mansfield earlier this week unearthed a cache of weapons, including nearly two dozen guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition and items allegedly used to improvise explosives, according to police. A 61-year-old Mansfield man was arrested Wednesday on two default warrants out of Attleboro District Court for cases stemming from alleged criminal activity in Mansfield and Norton, the Mansfield Police Department said in a statement. A default warrant is issued when someone fails to make it to a court date or does not pay money owed because of a judges order or state law, according to MassLegalServices. Officers learned after the arrest there were a number of allegedly illegal guns located at 142 Church St. Detectives applied for and were granted a warrant to search the home, and as a result, they found 23 guns, more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition, high-capacity feeding devices and items purportedly used for making improvised explosives, the department detailed. Law enforcement obtained more information about items found in the home Thursday morning. After consulting with the Bristol District Attorneys Office, Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, detectives applied for and were granted a second warrant to search the grounds of the property of 142 Church St., according to the departments statement. After speaking with neighbors and securing the scene, Mansfield police thoroughly searched the grounds of the property with help from state and federal authorities, the statement said. The department did not say whether any additional items were found during the second search. The man who was arrested was being held on the default warrants. He was expected to face additional charges in Attleboro District Court, including improper storage of a firearm, improper storage of a large-capacity firearm, possession of explosives, possession of fireworks, possession of a large-capacity firearm and possession of a firearm without a firearms identification card, according to the department. The name of the man was withheld from the public pending his arraignment, the department said. The investigation is ongoing. An explosion and fire in Derry, New Hampshire earlier this week left a 76-year-old woman dead and an 11-year-old girl injured. The woman, identified as Laura Percival, died from complications caused by multiple blast injuries suffered in the explosion and fire at 141 Goodhue Road on Thursday. The child remains hospitalized, according to the New Hampshire Division of Fire Safety. Our hearts ache as we confirm the loss of a member of our community, who tragically lost their life in the devastating explosion and fire, the Derry Fire Department said in a statement. We are deeply saddened to provide an update on the tragic incident that occurred on Goodhue Road on April 4th 2024. Our... Posted by Derry, NH Fire Department on Friday, April 5, 2024 A preliminary investigation indicated a tree fell due to the nor easter snowstorm that swept through New England earlier this week and struck two propane tanks on the backside of the house, causing a leak and the subsequent explosion, the division said. The explosion and fire were reported around 11:40 a.m. Thursday. When firefighters first arrived at the scene, they found heavy flames coming from the single-family home, according to the division. Firefighters located a resident, later identified as Percival, in the driveway. She was dead, the division said. There were reports of a person still inside the home. Another resident, the girl, was in the house at the time of the explosion. She was taken to Parkland Medical Center in Derry and then transferred to a Boston area hospital for treatment, according to the division. A GoFundMe page set up to support the family of Percival and the girl identified the child by her first name, Violet. She managed to escape from the fire through a hole in the foundation is being treated for burns, according to the page, which notes the familys three cats also died in the fire. The investigation into the origin and cause of the explosion and fire is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the division by telephone at (603) 223-4289 or email at fmo@dos.nh.gov. SPRINGFIELD More than 70 firearms were turned in during the 90-minute Hampden District Attorneys gun buyback event at the Raymond Sullivan Public Safety complex Saturday morning. Included in the DAs haul were several assault-style weapons, semi-automatic long guns with high-capacity magazines, and at least one ghost gun made with no serial number and consequently untraceable. Mother Nature gave us the ultimate April Fools prank this week with warm temperatures on Monday followed by snow, sleet and ice just a couple of days later. I hope everyone was able to stay safe in the conditions out there. This past Monday, my staff and I held a roundtable on substance use disorders in rural communities at the Russell Town Hall. The substance use epidemic is one of the most pressing issues of our time. An alarming report was published late last year by the Department of Public Health which showed increasingly high rates of opioid overdose deaths in Massachusetts rural communities, compared to urban areas. As the Senate chair for the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery, roundtables such as these are crucial to finding out how the Legislature can create policy that best supports folks living in all of our communities struggling with addiction. This discussion focused on how this crisis is specifically impacting rural communities across Western Massachusetts and brought together those in recovery, counselors, health care providers, as well as fellow elected officials. This week I had the pleasure of touring the construction efforts of Holyoke Veterans Home alongside Congressman Neal. It is incredible to see this project take life after our years of advocacy. One of my proudest moments as legislator was shepherding the $400 million bond bill through the legislature to governors desk to fund this very construction project for our veterans. Our veterans deserve the very best that the commonwealth can provide, and I cannot wait for construction to be completed and the day that veterans are welcomed in to call the new building home. In most ancient cultures, a solar eclipse was considered to be a bad omen. It was believed to be a celestial dragon or other demon devouring the Sun, the Sun and Moon fighting, the Sun invaded by a black planet or the Sun losing its power. A common approach to scare away the entity was making noise, banging pots or other objects or firing arrows at the Sun. The solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, will be an amazing and rare opportunity to see the moon block out the sun. A total eclipse will be seen on a path from Mexico to Canada. Here in Western Massachusetts, it will be a partial eclipse of up to 94%. It will start around 2:13 p.m., peak at 3:27 p.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. The temptation to look at the sun during this event can be dangerous. It is unsafe during all phases. A recent survey showed that 30% of Americans do not know that looking directly at the eclipse can cause harm. I think I have heard since I was a child that one cannot look directly at the eclipse or blindness will occur. It is true that the rays of the sun can injure your eyes. An ophthalmologist from the National Eye Institute stated, Never look directly at the sun. You can seriously damage the retina and even be permanently blinded. Your retina is the light sensitive tissue in the back of the eye that sends signals to the brain so you can see. Solar retinopathy occurs from damage from high levels of ultraviolet radiation and infrared radiation. This intense light causes blurred vision, sensitivity to light, blind spots, changes in color perception and eye pressure. It can lead to permanent loss of vision. These symptoms may not appear directly after. They can start gradually over hours or days. They may resolve or they can worsen. Photokeratitis can occur. This is also known as sunburned eyes or welders flash burns. Symptoms are pain, redness, tearing and difficulty keeping eyes open. This does not usually cause permanent damage and is temporary. Repeated episodes of this can cause long-term damage. Macular edema is when the central part of the retina swells, causing distortion in your vision and permanent damage. Symptoms include difficulty distinguishing between objects and colors are less discernible. If you experience any eye symptoms after viewing the eclipse, see an ophthalmologist as soon as possible. Diagnosis and treatment may help prevent further damage and preserve your eyesight. You can view a solar eclipse safely with solar filters. These glasses must meet the international standard ISO 12312-2 certification, have a manufacturers name and address on them, be less than three years old and have no scratches on them. It is not safe to use binoculars, cameras, telescopes or other optical device with these filters. Very dark sunglasses, peeking between your fingers or through a pinhole is not safe. Without filters, the only safe way is by turning your back to the sun and watching a projected image. Cloud cover does not decrease the dangerous effects of the sun. Also, consider closing your curtains and keeping your pets inside to protect their eyes. Other health concerns related to the eclipse may be caused by large crowds and heavy traffic along the path of totality. Some areas of the country may not be handle the influx of eclipse watchers. One should plan as for other disasters or emergencies with an emergency kit and a meeting place if you get separated from your travel companions. If you are in direct sunlight for hours watching all the phases, protect your skin and wear sunscreen. The next solar eclipse over the United States will not occur for another 20 years. If you do not have the opportunity to see this one, NASA will host live coverage available by downloading an app, NASA TV on Roku, on an Amazon Firestick or on NASAs YouTube channel. There are no health risks with any of these venues. So, whether you choose to make a lot of noise or shoot arrows at the sun, the moon is still going to pass over and obstruct the sun. Just protect your eyes. The sun will emerge radiant as ever. Here comes the sun. Take care of yourself and someone else. Juanita Carnes is a Westfield resident and a nurse practitioner with 38 years of experience in a hospital emergency department and urgent care facilities. She served 30 years on the Westfield Board of Health. I DID not pay much attention to the debate during the run-up to the recent referendum. It was not because of any lack of interest on my part. Heavy involvement in a different campaign meant that I didnt pick up on the hidden agenda that lay behind the wording of the referendum articles by the government. My lapse was inexcusable. So, caught up in my own preoccupations, I returned from the Mayo Association function in Dublin in time to vote at Murrisk National School. In voting yes to both propositions, I had a vague sense that I was supporting Irelands continuing journey from a rigid, coercive and patriarchal society to a more open, tolerant and equal society. This seemed the right thing to do, but as I said, I had not been paying attention to the evolving debate. The following afternoon, when the referendum result was declared, I was shocked. Was Ireland lurching back to the bad old days and unwinding the progress towards greater tolerance? I felt like I had on November 8, 2016, when I stayed up all night to watch the US Presidential election count on CNN. As dawn broke, I was faced with the realisation that Donald Trump was the new president of the US. I was in Dublin that day and went for a long early morning walk out to the Poolbeg lighthouse to clear my head, in a state of disbelief and fearful of the consequences. I had not seen that result coming. Nor, unfortunately, had the Democratic contender, Hilary Clinton. This time, I did not go for a walk. Instead, I looked closely for the first time at the issues that had been trashed out during the debate. This is completely the wrong way to go about deciding how to vote, but I still wanted to understand what had gone wrong, as I thought. The first thing I did was look at the results for all of the constituencies to see if this was an urban v rural issue. Had the people of Mayo and the Northwest Region been sidelined yet again? Not the case! There was not a single constituency where both referendum propositions got a majority yes vote. Indeed, there was only one constituency where one of the two propositions obtained a tiny majority yes vote, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown. Probably they are people like me who had not been paying attention to the issues. Elsewhere, it was a county-wide wipeout. Was it a victory of the extreme right? A Trump-like victory for people who burn down refugee centres? My belated examination of how the referendum had been debated dispelled that notion. Far from abandoning the path of tolerance and openness, the Irish people had seen through the hollowness of the proposed changes and the fact that they were drafted in a way that offered minimal protection to carers and threatened legal chaos. What cheered me up was that my failure to pay attention was perhaps less culpable than the failure of policymakers to read the public mood and heed the wise advice of the Citizens Assembly when the two propositions were being selected and finalised. Not only were the parties in the coalition government out of touch with the electorate, but the main opposition party, Sinn Fein, appears also to have been out of touch. Just as well that the people had a better grasp of what a modern, caring and tolerant country needed than the policymakers did. A very disturbing explanation of the referendum result was given in an article in this weeks New Statesman by Irish Times journalist Finn McRedmond. Irish journalists are often asked to write for prestigious foreign media and the message they convey can sometimes be quite misleading. McRedmond portrayed post-referendum Ireland as follows: Amid riots, embarrassing referendums and a looming general election, there is a growing sense that the energy that once filled Dublin Castles courtyard with revellers in 2018 has metastasised into something darker. And what is that darker Ireland? McRedmond writes: There are now two Irelands. One is represented by the politicians who emphasise Irelands commitment to diversity, who remind the world that St Patrick was an immigrant; and the other by anti-refugee protesters in Dublins East Wall area, arson attacks on proposed asylum centres and upturned trams in the capitals centre. This is an extraordinarily false portrait of Irish society. In America under Trump, you had an activist government of extreme views that was determined to dismantle constitutional protections and reverse the progressive laws that made modern democracies more tolerable than in the past. In Ireland, we appear to have an indolent government that lost touch with the evolving progressive values of our society. A government of the centre-right that is happy to minimise social protection of the weak in an effort to avoid financial commitments. The Irish electorate as a whole should take a bow. It saw through that hypocrisy and injustice and I did not. I have often called the people of Mayo and the Northwest Region to action in this column, saying that they should be demanding much more from their elected representatives. It seems that they did so on this occasion, and I wasnt even with them! John Bradley is a former ESRI professor and has published on the island economy of Ireland, EU development policy, industrial strategy and economic modelling. If youre a U.S. citizen in Haiti and still looking to escape the violence in Port-au-Prince, there are only a few days left to do so with assistance from the U.S. government. Potential travelers in Haiti have been notified that U.S. government charter flights are not expected to continue after Friday, April 12, the State Department said. The end of the U.S. government flights means American citizens, especially those still in Port-au-Prince, will have limited options for leaving the country. All international flights out of Port-au-Prince remain canceled. Miami-based American Airlines, which flies between Miami and Port-au-Princes Toussaint Louverture International Airport, has suspended its daily service through Wednesday, April 17. JetBlue Airways, which last week had suspended flights through Friday, April 5, now says that cancellations will continue through at least Wednesday, May 15. The airline flies between the Haitian capital and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Spirit Airlines, the only major U.S. carrier that flies into both Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien, has suspended flights into both airports until further notice. Spirit operates daily service out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International. For now, the only direct commercial connection between Haiti and South Florida is onboard Sunrise Airways, a Haiti-based airline. The airline has flights between Cap-Haitiens Hugo Chavez International Airport and Miami International Airport scheduled for April 8-11 and April 13-14. The carrier is also looking to start service between Cap-Haitien and Panama, St. Maarten and Guadeloupes Pointe-a-Pitre as of Monday, April 15, however, customers should check the website for the schedule. Both Port-au-Princes international and domestic airports have been closed for more than a month, along with its main seaport, following attacks by an alliance of armed groups. During one of the attacks, several airplanes belonging to Sunrise Airways were struck by bullets, leaving the carrier and all of the major U.S. carriers to announce a cancellation of commercial flights as of Monday, March 4. As a result, the U.S., Canada and France have put up helicopters and charter flights at the disposal of their nationals seeking to leave Haiti. So far, more than 300 U.S. citizens have taken advantage of the flights. Some individuals were transported on helicopters to the neighboring Dominican Republic, while others were taken to the northern port city of Cap-Haitien, where they then boarded the U.S. government charter after signing a promissory note to pay. In a message sent out this week by the U.S. embassy to Americans still in Haiti, potential travelers were informed that the helicopter flights are offered when the security situation permits it. Because flights may not always be available on the same day, travelers should be prepared to arrange their own lodging in Cap-Haitien. Haitian authorities have not said when they expect the capitals airports to be operational. Both are currently being secured by the Haiti National Police and soldiers with the Armed Forces of Haiti, who, working together, have managed to repel attacks. However, the situation remains tense. In the last week, armed groups have continued to loot and burn both public and private infrastructure and target critical infrastructure like police stations and the National Palace. In its latest update, the United Nations warned that the humanitarian situation continues to worsen. Ambulances and workers with the National Ambulance Center are still unable to access gang-controlled areas, and gunfire in the Champ-de-Mars, located across from the palace, and in the Delmas neighborhood has disrupted mobile clinics, the U.N. said. The global body also reported that suspected cases of cholera, the deadly waterborne disease, is now being reported in all of Haitis regional departments, with some communities reporting active outbreaks. Late Friday, members of a presidential council charged with creating a path forward out of the crisis said that they had finalized a political agreement among their seven voting members and two observers. The document, once signed, is expected to be sent to the Caribbean Community, which will then transmit it to outgoing Prime Minister Ariel Henry so that his council of ministers can sign and the council can be formed. Henry, who was forced to resign by Washington amid the turmoil, has said he will step aside once the council has been installed. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, April 5, 2024 A federal judge on Thursday declined to grant class-action status to six Google account holders who brought privacy related claims against the company stemming from its real-time bidding system. But the ruling, issued by U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the Northern District of California, allows the account holders to gather more evidence and renew their request to proceed as a class for purposes of obtaining an injunction against the company. What's more, Rogers appeared to endorse the idea that Google should revise some real-time bidding practices. The injunctive relief sought would be an important step toward choice, accountability, and transparency, she wrote. But in a partial victory for Google, the judge prohibited the plaintiffs from renewing a request for monetary damages on a class-wide basis. While the decision allows users to seek damages on an individual basis, doing so can be prohibitively expensive. advertisement advertisement The decision stems from a lawsuit brought against Google in March 2021, when Missouri resident Kimberley Woodruff and other users alleged the company's real-time bidding ad system violates people's privacy by sharing their personal information with thousands of outside companies. Other Google users, including California and out-of-state residents, later joined in the complaint. Among other claims, the users said Google violated representations that it wouldn't share people's personal information. Two years ago, Rogers rejected Google's request to throw out the lawsuit at an early stage of the proceeding. She said at the time that the allegations in the complaint, if proven true, could show that Google violated federal and California privacy laws, as well as promises to avoid sharing personal information. Since then, Google and the plaintiffs have been exchanging evidence relating to the dispute, and battling in court over whether the matter should proceed as a class-action. The users sought to represent a class of all Google account holders whose personal information was sold or shared by Google through real-time bidding after June 28, 2016 -- the date Google revised its privacy policy in a way that allowed the company to combine data about pseudonymous web-browsing activity with personally identifiable information. Google opposed class-certification for several reasons. Among other arguments, the company said that questions about whether users consented to information sharing required individualized determinations. Rogers agreed that claims for monetary damages would require individual evaluation, but disagreed regarding a request for an injunction. There is evidence before the court which already shows that Google shares enough information that [real-time bidding] participants can discern what an account holder is reading online, even when it is on a religious or medical topic; exactly where they are reading it, including the coordinates of an account holders home or work; and their background, which allows for a detailed, demographic profile of the account holder, Rogers wrote in a 26-page ruling. Google cannot run away from the common question of whether it promises its account holders that it would not sell their personal information and, if so, it violates that promise billions of times a day, she added. by Colin Kirkland , April 5, 2024 As TikTok faces a potential ban in the U.S., the ByteDance-owned company has released strategic content , like its recent economic impact report , intended to depict how beneficial the short-form video app is to American small businesses. A new study shows that a TikTok ban might also influence the performance of Gen Z college students. To better understand how this group of TikTok users feels about a potential ban, the education-based magazine Intelligent.com surveyed 929 current four-year college students between the ages of 18 and 24 in March 2024. While the findings suggest divided feelings on a ban, they depict TikTok as a relied-upon educational resource. Four-year college students in this age bracket frequently use TikTok. advertisement advertisement Out of the 47% of respondents using the app daily, 18% spend six or more hours on the app each day. Three-quarters of respondents said they use the app at least a few times a month, with more than half believing a ban would impact their grades. Furthermore, 30% feel their grades will worsen if TikTok is banned, while 24% believe their grades would improve. According to the report, the majority of these students receive at least some help with their schoolwork from TikTok, with 22% say they get a great deal of help from TikTok, 24% saying they get a lot of help and 29% saying they receive some help. College students gravitate towards TikTok because they can easily search and find creators that they can relate to in a concise and engaging format that breaks down complex information into manageable, bite-sized videos, says Huy Nguyen, Intelligent.com's chief education and career development advisor. Nguyen adds that this short-form video approach to learning caters specifically to Gen Z, as it is brief yet leverages the power of visual storytelling. Over time, TikTok's powerful algorithm also personalizes users' educational resources in the app. It should be noted, however, that the content Gen Z college students are interacting with on TikTok is not vetted in any reliable way and may not be as beneficial as it might seem in the completion and understanding of college-level work. The platform's emphasis on quick, short-form, content production can sometimes oversimplify complex topics, misleading students rather than enlightening them, Nguyen says. Overall, Gen Z college students are equally divided in their views on a TikTok ban, with 41% opposing a ban 16% opposed and 25% very opposed and 40% supporting a ban 23% supportive and 17% very supportive. Whereas 19% of students included in the survey arent sure whether they want the app banned or not. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, April 5, 2024 Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear on Thursday signed a privacy law that gives residents some new rights to control their data, but doesn't give people the right to opt out of ad targeting based on pseudonymous information. House Bill 15, which was approved unanimously by lawmakers and will take effect in January 2026, enables residents to learn whether their personal information has been processed, and to have that information deleted. The statute has a provision giving people the right to opt out of ad targeting, but that provision doesn't apply when businesses target ads based on pseudonymous data, such as information stored on cookies or linked to device identifiers -- provided such data is kept separately from information that could be used to identify people. Common behavioral ad targeting techniques rely on pseudonymous identifiers to track people across the web and infer their interests. The Kentucky law is largely modeled on a 2021 privacy statute in Virginia that was backed by the tech industry. But the Virginia law, unlike Kentucky's, gives people the right to opt out of the use of pseudonymous data for ad targeting. advertisement advertisement Advocacy group Consumer Reports opposed the Kentucky law -- in part due to the exemption for pseudonymous ad targeting. With Beshear's signature, Kentucky has now joined more than a dozen other states with privacy law. Most of those states require companies to let people reject ad targeting based on cookies or other pseudonymous identifiers. The exceptions, in addition to Kentucky, are Iowa, Tennessee and Florida. The Cubs have signed right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. and catcher Ali Sanchez to minor league deals, as announced yesterday by the teams Triple-A affiliate in Iowa. Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register (X link) was the first to report that Edwards was working out with the Iowa pitching staff on Thursday. Edwards is back for what is technically a third stint with the Cubs, after he opted out of his previous minor league deal with the club two weeks ago. After testing the market, Edwards now returns to a familiar environment to see if another MLB opportunity might yet emerge in the Wrigleyville bullpen, and it be assumed that his new minors pact probably has at least one opt-out clause. A veteran of nine Major League seasons, Edwards posted a 3.69 ERA in 31 2/3 innings for the Nationals in an abbreviated 2023 campaign. Edwards didnt pitch after June 19 due to a diagnosis of shoulder inflammation and later a stress fracture that developed in late August. The injury brought a sour end to what had been a pretty successful run in D.C., as Edwards revived his career with a 2.76 ERA over 62 innings for the Nats in 2022. The righty had mostly struggled in the previous three seasons, which hastened the end of his original run with the Cubs when Chicago traded him to the Padres at the 2019 trade deadline. With Edwards bringing some bullpen depth to the Triple-A, Sanchez will do the same to the Cubs catching ranks. Yan Gomes and Miguel Amaya seem to be entrenched as the active rosters catching duo, so Sanchez joins veteran Curt Casali in Iowa, and Joe Hudson (who signed a minors deal with Chicago in the offseason) has been moved to the Triple-A affiliates developmental list. This placement might be a way to keep Hudson sharp while the Cubs sort out their catching situation, or it could possibly hint that Hudson could eventually be the odd man out. Sanchez signed a guaranteed big league contract with the Pirates in December, though Pittsburgh designated the catcher for assignment on Opening Day. Since Sanchez had previously been outrighted in his career, he had the right to opt into free agency rather than accept Pittsburghs outright assignment to Triple-A, and the backstop indeed took the chance to re-enter the open market. The Cubs are Sanchezs sixth different organization in less than 38 months. His only MLB experience consists five games with the Mets in 2020 and two games with the 2021 Cardinals, as the catcher has otherwise bounced around as a depth option. While not really known for his bat, Sanchez has a respectable .275/.345/.402 slash line over 893 career plate appearances at the Triple-A level, though those numbers were boosted by a nice 2023 season with the Diamondbacks top affiliate in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. ANN ARBOR, MI Ann Arbor musician Laith Al-Saadi kicked off the 53rd annual Hash Bash on Saturday, April 6, with a musical tribute to the late John Sinclair. Performing on guitar for a crowd of thousands on the University of Michigan Diag, he played the song John Lennon wrote in the early 1970s for Sinclair, the Ann Arbor poet who served two and a half years of a 10-year prison sentence for two marijuana joints. They gave him 10 for two what else can Judge Colombo do? We gotta set him free, Al-Saadi sang, expressing hopes afterward that Sinclair, who died Tuesday at 82, is finally truly free. Ann Arbor musician Laith Al-Saadi on stage at the 53rd annual Hash Bash on the University of Michigan Diag on April 6, 2024. (Ryan Stanton | MLive.com)Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News But the war is not over, Al-Saadi said. They freed one drug and still believe prohibition works for every other drug, he said, lamenting theyre still putting people in cages for what they put in their bodies. Saturdays smoke fest took place where it all started back in April 1972 after Sinclair was freed from prison following a long legal battle against Michigans felony marijuana laws. The hazy tale of Ann Arbors first Hash Bash as told by John Sinclair and others there It was in large part a memorial and festive celebration of his life, sprinkled with a mix of somber remembrances and some lighter moments. People young and old alike were in attendance, some whove been coming to Hash Bash since the 1970s. Rest in peace, John Sinclair! was among messages on signs in the crowd. Hastings resident John Tripp carried a sign with the throwback message Free John Sinclair. That was the rally cry at the John Sinclair Freedom Rally headlined by Lennon and Yoko Ono in December 1971, which Tripp said he attended. John Tripp, of Hastings, holds a tribute sign for John Sinclair at the 53rd annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash at The Diag at University of Michigan on Saturday, April 6, 2024. Tripp attended the 1971 and 1972 cannabis events in Ann Arbor. An overall theme of this years event is a tribute to John Sinclair. John Sinclair who was a poet from Flint, whose imprisonment for marijuana, led as inspiration for the first annual Hash Bash in 1972. He passed away only four days prior on April 2. Julian Leshay Guadalupe | MLive.com Kick out the jams! others shouted from the crowd as Al-Saadi prepared to perform Saturday, a reference to Sinclairs time managing the proto-punk rock band MC5. Mr. Hash Bash Adam Brook teared up from Al-Saadis performance. He then read one of Sinclairs old poems, Aint Nobodys Bizness, in which he proclaims: We have a right to our bad habits. "Mr. Hash Bash" Adam Brook pays tribute to the late John Sinclair at the 53rd annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash on the University of Michigan Diag on April 6, 2024. (Ryan Stanton | MLive.com)Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News Brook recalled reeling Sinclair back into Hash Bash many years ago after Sinclair had gone on to become a DJ in New Orleans. We knew that this event was based on his hard work and the time he spent in prison, so it meant a lot to us to get him back involved in the weed game, he said. We worked together for years, he added, saying Sinclair was like a father to him. Leni Sinclair, American photographer, activist, and divorced wife of John Sinclair, speaks at the 53rd annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash at The Diag at University of Michigan on Saturday, April 6, 2024. An overall theme of this years event is a tribute to John Sinclair. John Sinclair who was a poet from Flint, whose imprisonment for marijuana, led as inspiration for the first annual Hash Bash in 1972. He passed away only four days prior on April 2. Julian Leshay Guadalupe | MLive.com Leni Sinclair, who was John Sinclairs wife and a leader of their counterculture commune in Ann Arbor in the 1960s and 70s, also addressed Saturdays crowd, sharing memories of her late ex-husband who she nominated for Michiganian of the Year. It should have been John here right now, but the great spirit had other plans for him and called him home, she said. But hes here in spirit. She escaped from communist East Germany in 1959 and ended up in Detroit where she met John in 1964, she said. He was already fighting against the most draconian law ever imposed on law-abiding Americans, totally based on junk science, she said. That spirit of fighting against injustice attracted me to him in the first place. Poet and marijuana activist John Sinclair in Ann Arbor in 1968.Photo provided by Leni Sinclair While living together in their castle in Detroit in the 1960s, she said, John was on probation for a first offense and they faced threats of being busted by police for illegal cohabitation. It was illegal for people of opposite sex to live together without being married, so what did we do? We got married, she said, adding they had two beautiful children, Sunny and Celia. They left Detroit after their house was fired bombed and moved into a house on Hill Street in Ann Arbor in 1968. But their reputation preceded them and some conservatives protested their arrival with a candlelight vigil, she said, recalling signs with messages such as Sin like in SINclair. We were sinners to them because we smoked weed, she told Saturdays crowd with a laugh. And now all you sinners turned into saints. A sign in the crowd paying tribute to the late John Sinclair at the 53rd annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash on the University of Michigan Diag on April 6, 2024. (Ryan Stanton | MLive.com)Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News The movement John Sinclair started to change marijuana laws in Michigan has had an immense impact on the economy, Leni Sinclair said, suggesting the state has avoided many millions of dollars in incarceration costs. But she still thinks about what America did to people like us by lying to us for the last 70 years or 80 years, she said of cannabis being considered harmful and illegal at the federal level. The law has been used to suppress people and to break up and destroy families and it has to stop, she said, acknowledging the struggles she and John went through felt like war and their marriage ended in divorce. Ann Arbor marijuana activist Chuck Ream holds a sign he made paying tribute to the late John Sinclair at the 53rd annual Hash Bash on the University of Michigan Diag on April 6, 2024. (Ryan Stanton | MLive.com)Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News Leni Sinclair also paid tribute to all the members of their Hill Street commune who sacrificed and spent two and a half years of their lives working to free John from prison. John Sinclair also deserves to be honored for his incredible life as a poet, writer, editor, publisher, musician, DJ and manager of two of Michigans best-known bands, the MC5 and the Stooges, she said, adding he contributed to the vibrant, artistic community of Michigan. Hash Bash organizer Jamie Lowell said a lot of credit also should go to Leni Sinclair, who hasnt gotten enough recognition over the years. John Sinclair himself said that Leni did everything he did except for have to go to jail, Lowell said. Hash Bash organizer Jamie Lowell speaks at the 53rd annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash on the University of Michigan Diag on April 6, 2024. (Ryan Stanton | MLive.com)Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News University of Michigan police were on hand for Saturdays event, which started at noon, and reported there were no issues as of about 4:20 p.m. Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Ann Arbor daily newsletter. FLINT, MI Crossover Outreach, which has provided Flint and Genesee County residents with critical resources since 1991, has reopened for client services and donations in its newly constructed building on Court Street. After being closed for four months during construction, Crossover staff members and volunteers are pleased to announce their doors are back open. Community members are invited to an open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, April 8, at Crossover, 414 W. Court St. Guests will have the opportunity to tour the new space and interact with staff and board members. Prior to the new building, Crossover had been operating out of a home built for a single family. Over the past several years, the needs of the community have continued to grow, with over 35% of the population living under the federal poverty level. The staff had a sense of urgency to expand services and programming to reach more people in need but knew they couldnt continue serving long term out of their current space. We desperately needed a new space, but we needed it tailored to our needs and how we serve the community. We also knew it had to be sustainable long term, said Denise Diller, executive director at Crossover. This new building is exactly that. And more importantly, its a tool to help us serve even more people experiencing hardships in our community. The new facility, which is located on the same property on West Court Street, has increased the nonprofits usable space from 5,000 to 7,500 square feet. In 2023, Crossover began to see an increase in the number of individuals and families utilizing its daily services, 47% of which had sought out these services for the first time. Many clients are in a position where they must choose whether to pay their rent, water bill, electric bill or buy food for themselves and their children, said Tiffany Sommers, development officer at Crossover. Families have now lost pandemic benefits and are once again struggling to pay for things, such as food, basic needs items and insurance. With more than 100 local organizations referring their clients to Crossover for emergency food, clothing, household items and other resources, its more important than ever to be open and serving Flint area residents again. Crossovers new facility has a community space, which community partners can use for meetings, support groups and classes, including recovery support, healthcare education, job training, nutrition, financial literacy and more. Offering these resources will allow Crossover and its partners to grow deeper relationships with residents and go beyond the crisis needs of poverty, Diller said. For example, the Flint Holistic Recovery Community meets at Crossover every Wednesday. It was established with the intention of creating a safe space for holistic modalities and multiple pathways to coexist and be a community support for those in recovery. As a self-supporting group, having a space to meet on a continuous basis that is free of charge and equipped for what we need for holistic healing is vital to the recovery community, said Nicole Stroub, FHRC member. In April of 2023, Crossover announced they had raised more than $2.6 million, surpassing their fundraising goal. Major funders include the Whiting Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Samueli Foundation, Graff Family Foundation, The Carls Foundation, Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan, and two foundations that wish to remain anonymous. As Crossover continues to grow, this building is just the next step and a much-needed addition to the communities they serve. Its a worthwhile and meaningful investment into the City of Flint, improving the corridor and providing a more robust resource center for their neighbors in need. Learn more about Crossover and the resources offered to the community at crossoveroutreach.org. Read more from The Flint Journal: Michigan man in hospice, who dyed hair blue for Detroit Lions playoff run, has died Sauna, home theater and indoor pool: Rare Michigan oasis hits market at $1.2 million Old fire station will transform into first-ever Goodrich social hub Life after Dr. Dres Aftermath: Flint rapper Jon Connor answers questions in new album NCIS' Longest-Running Castmember Sean Murray Says His Fate on the Show Is Uncertain: 'You Never Know' (Exclusive) As the franchise gears up to hit 1,000 episodes, Murray also tells PEOPLE of the "secret sauce" behind 'NCIS' and its success Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Sean Murray on 'NCIS' Despite being the longest-running cast member, Sean Murray doesn't quite feel safe in his standing on NCIS. As the crime fighting franchise gears up to hit 1,000 episodes across its five shows, Murray, 46, exclusively tells PEOPLE that "even after 21 seasons" he doesn't know where his journey on NCIS will lead. "I think we learned this with things that have happened on the show over the years... No one is quite safe," he explains. "Obviously, being here 21 years, [I] have enjoyed, immensely, being a part of this show and continue to be incredibly grateful to be a part of this show, but you never know what's going to happen." Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Sean Murray on 'NCIS' Related: The Cast of NCIS: Where Are They Now? Though the actor doesn't want to say "anything's for certain," he says things are "really good right now" and the cast is having a "good time" on set. "And I don't think anyone is itching to go elsewhere at the moment," he says. On Monday, April 15, NCIS will be celebrating its 1,000th episode. While reflecting on why he believes the franchise has endured, Murray reveals that he believes the "quality" and care put into building the procedural had created a strong foundation for the NCIS brand to grow. Kevin Lynch/CBS via Getty Images The original cast of 'NCIS' Related: Vanessa Lachey Teases Personal Connection to NCIS: Hawai'i Episode: It's 'Allowing Me a Lot of Healing' (Exclusive) "A really strong ship was built very early on, and the show developed and founded strengths in a different kind of way than most procedurals," he says, adding that fans connected with the show and its characters "early on." He continues, "It felt like a family, and I think that that family feeling and the world of NCIS is something that people really liked to be a part of." Though Murray can't put an exact finger on the franchise's "secret sauce" for success, he says that formula has spread out to different series. Since the OG NCIS debut on CBS, the show has gone on to birth four spinoffs in Los Angeles, New Orleans, Hawai'i and Sydney, Australia. "Everyone, respectfully, has had their own sort of slice of the pizza," he explains of how the franchise has grown. "Everything's been pretty unique, I think, so it's really quite cool to see the way things have expanded." 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. NCIS airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Canceled sled dog races. Empty ski hills. Muddy snowmobile trails. Northern Michigan and Upper Peninsula businesses are struggling after record warmth hollowed out the normally busy winter tourism season. Because of that, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is urging the federal government to create a well-tailored tool to aid businesses impacted by unseasonably warm winters. Over the years the first week in April has produced some of Michigans most memorable tornado outbreaks. Lets look at some of these. There have been several significant tornado situations here in Michigan in the first few weeks of past Aprils. These include: The Standale-Hudsonville tornado in 1956 The Palm Sunday tornado outbreak in 1965 The Super Outbreak of April 3-4, 1974 The tornadoes of April 1979. The tornado outbreak of April 2-3, 1956 produced four notable tornadoes in Michigan. It has two milestones with the last F5 tornado to occur in Michigan and the strongest tornado on record in northwest Lower Michigan near Traverse City. The F5 tornado occurred as a tornado roared through Standale and Hudsonville near the Grand Rapids area. The tornado started near Holland and moved northeast through Hudsonville into Standale, west of Grand Rapids. It had a 52-mile path, killing 17 and injuring 340. You can read all about the tornado outbreak here. There was also an F4 tornado that hit Benzie County that day and ended in Grand Traverse Bay near Traverse City. That tornado is likely the strongest tornado to hit northern Michigan in recent history. The Palm Sunday tornado outbreak on April 11-12, 1965 had at least 11 significant tornadoes touching down in Michigan. The northwest side of Grand Rapids was again hit hard. This outbreak also featured two very strong, long-track tornadoes in far south and southeast Michigan from around Hillsdale to Washtenaw County. Heres a great summary of that tornado outbreak. One of the most famous tornado outbreaks in U.S. history included Michigan on its northern edge. This outbreak has always been dubbed The Super outbreak of 1974. This was the severe weather outbreak that initially got me interested in meteorology. There were 148 tornadoes over 13 states from Michigan, Indiana and Illinois south to the Gulf Coast, resulting in 335 deaths and 6000 injuries. These werent just weak tornadoes. 95 of the tornadoes were at least F2 strength and 30 tornadoes were violent F4 or F5 tornadoes. Heres a great write-up on the tornado outbreak you are sure to remember if you were around in 1974. The final memorable tornado situation in early April was the last violent tornado to hit Michigan on April 2, 1977. Violent tornadoes are ranked as either F4 or F5 strength. According to the National Weather Service at Grand Rapids, On April 2, 1977 a supercell thunderstorm produced two F4 tornadoes, one in Kalamazoo County where the town of Augusta was hit, and another in Eaton County that damaged and destroyed homes from near Bellevue to Eaton Rapids. One person was killed and 50 injured. Prince Harry's Sentebale charity launched its first-ever benefit auction today. Sentebale, founded in 2006 by the Duke of Sussex and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, supports children and young people in Lesotho. "At the intersection of this incredible roster of artists, is a reminder of the resilience, identity, and power we strive to instill in those we serve, echoing the very essence of 'forget- me-not' which Sentebale means in Sesotho," Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso said in a statement. "We are so honoured that these artists are contributing their work in support of ours, as we engage with children, young people and their communities in Lesotho and Botswana in forging sustainable solutions for a brighter, more inclusive future." Five years ago, Prince Seesio spoke to T&C about Sentebale and the Duke of Sussex. "When we first started he was a young man, straight from school. He was eager to absorb, and over the period Ive seen him grow tremendously. Not only grow as a person, but his passion for the charity and for the cause of young people who are seemingly on the margins," he said about Harry, adding, "It's not just the orphans and vulnerable children of southern Africa or Lesotho that he has a passion for. Ive seen him do all these other initiatives because I think it is driven from a place that is deep-rooted. He wants to make a difference." Courtesy Sentebale Courtesy Sentebale All proceeds from the auctionwhich features works by Outtara Watts, Yinka Shonibare, Derrick Adams, Nelson Makamo, Sedireng Mothibatsela, Camila Falquez, and Meshu Mokitimi, among otherswill go to support the work of Sentebale. Per the charity, "these artists collectively echo Sentebale's mission to work with vulnerable children, young people and their communities to create sustainable solutions that address issues of health, wealth inequity and climate resilience in Southern Africa." Courtesy Sentebale Courtesy Sentebale "Curating this extraordinary array of artists, spanning from emerging talents poised for global acclaim to established stars, fills us with immense joy," Dr. Sophie Chandauka, Chair of Sentebale, added. "The fusion of art and philanthropy not only enriches our souls but also fuels our ongoing efforts, which have already transformed the lives of countless children and youth. It's a personal joy for me to witness the convergence of artistic brilliance and the relentless pursuit of uplifting the potential of our youth, especially in countries I hold dear from my upbringing in Southern Africa. Courtesy Sentebale Hannah OLeary, the Senior Director, Head of Modern & Contemporary African Art at Sothebys, also shared how the auction house "is both honoured and delighted" to work with the organization on the sale. "As global market leaders for African art and artists, we are committed to the African continent, and commend Sentebale for their impactful and transformative efforts in southern Africa," she said. "This auction provides collectors with the chance to acquire a diverse array of exceptional artworks, ranging from those by well-established international artists to promising emerging talents, all while contributing to this remarkable cause." The Sentebale Benefit Auction is live for viewing now on Sotheby's website. Bidding begins April 11 at 11 a.m. eastern, and ends at April 25 at 2 p.m. eastern. You Might Also Like All India SLIET Entrance Test (SET 2024) https://career.webindia123.com/career/dates_and_events/entrance/eng/sliet-entrance-test-set.htm Details of All India SLIET Entrance Test (SET 2024) 2024-2-13 2024-4-15 https://career.webindia123.com/career/images/exams.png India India All India SLIET Entrance Test (SET 2024) Engineering Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering And Technology (SLIET) Entrance Test- (SET 2024) All India SLIET Entrance Test (SET 2024) Category : Engineering Admissions 2024 Published : On February 13, 2024 By Webindia123 Editor Important Dates Last date for receipt of complete online application form (ICD/B.E.Lateral Entry/M.Sc/M.Tech April 15th, 2024 Last date for receipt of complete online application form (PhD) July 15th, 2024 Last date for uploading of category documents for ICD/B.E/M.Sc/M.Tech (OBC-NCL/SC/ST/EWS) May 4th 2024 Exam dates 3-Year ICD Program- (SET-I) May 4th 2024 B.E.(Lateral Entry)- (SET-III) May 4th 2024 Ph.D Program-(SET-V) July 22nd 2024 M.Sc/M.Tech-(SET-VI/VII) May 4th 2024 Declaration of result(SET-I/III/V/VI) May 14th 2024 Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering & Technology (SLIET), established by the Government of India, provides technical education in emerging areas of Engineering & Technology. The Institute is fully funded by Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. The Institute offers unique modular pattern of education in various branches of Engineering & Technology. Applications (online) are invited for admission to : Integrated Certificate Diploma(ICD) Program 3 year ICD (SET-I) B.E. (4 year - through JEE- Mains) B.E. (3 year - Lateral Entry through SET-III) PG Programs (M.Tech.; M.Sc.) Ph.D Programs (SET-V) Eligibility Criteria: Integrated Certificate Diploma Eligibility : (1) The minimum qualification for admission to the 3 Year ICD Programme is Matric pass (Pass in English, Mathematics and Science is compulsory) from a State Education Board / CBSE / ICSE / National Open School or an equivalent examination recognized / approved by MHRD, Government of India. Those who are appearing in matriculation examination may also apply subject to producing the result at the time of admission (2) For admission to Lateral Entry ICD (2nd year) in addition to the matric pass as above, must have passed full time 2 years ITI/Certificate/10+2 (vocational) in relevant trade with 50% marks(45% for reserved categories) from Govt./Semi Govt Institute along with 2 years industrial experience from Govt./Semi Govt. and Private Industry of repute. Duration: The duration of the ICD programme is 3 years, However, in case a student is willing to exit after successfully completing 2 years in the prescribed course of study with required credits, he/she will be awarded certificate in the respective course of ICD programme. He/ She will be allowed to exit only after completing all the formalities as per the norms of institute. B.E. Admission to B.E. will be based on JEE (Main)-2024 and counseling through CSAB/JoSAA-2024. For Institute spot admission CSAB/JoSAA-2024 schedule will be followed. Refer Institute website www.sliet.ac.in from time to time. How to Apply Process of registration shall be ONLINE only. Online Application Fee General & Other Categories (Boys) : Rs. 1750/*- General & Other Categories (Girls) : Rs. 1250/*- SC / ST (Boys and Girls) : Rs.1000/* Admit Card will be provided in Duplicate. One Admit Card has to be deposited at examination centre at the time of examination and other copy shall be retained by the candidate for future use. Admit Card can be downloaded from Institute website www.sliet.ac.in. All the candidates shall print their Admit Cards from the respective login. In case of any difficulty in printing / downloading the Admit Card, the candidate should contact / inform the Issuing Authority immediately . The form number / roll number is the prime means for locating the application and it should always be quoted in all correspondence & enquiry. No candidate will be permitted to enter the examination hall without a valid admit card. The admit card meant for candidate should be preserved carefully. More details can be obtained from the institute website. Contact Details Address : Chairman, SET Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Longowal - 148106, Distt. Sangrur, Punjab, India Phone : 01672-280072, 253136 Fax : 01672-280072, 280057 Mobile : 9815048837 E-mail : Contact I Website : www.sliet.ac.in Find it Useful ? Help Others by Sharing Online Comments and Discussions A total solar eclipse will be able to be seen (unless its cloudy) in most of the U.S. on Monday. Below are a couple of tips you can use to view it safely. In our latitude, it will begin at 12:49 p.m. when the moons disk begins to cover the suns. The peak of the eclipse, when 80% of the sun will be covered by the moon, will occur at 2:04 p.m.. It will end when the last of the moons disk moves off the suns image. The event basically goes from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. An eclipse party free and open to the public will be held at the Winona State University, College of Science and Engineering, hosted by the Geoscience Department. They will have special eclipse glasses, special solar telescopes and pinhole projectors for safe solar viewing. You can see it from home, too, but you have to take precautions not to look directly at the sun. It is always true, but most folks dont commonly look right at the sun. Its too bright. If you do for even a matter of seconds, that energy can permanently burn a hole in your retina. In an article about viewing the eclipse, one person from Oregon who was partially blinded in a 1963 solar eclipse described his experience saying: Oh, 20 seconds probably, thats all it took. Now when I look at someone I am able to see their face but not their nose. In 1999, a solar eclipse passed over the United Kingdom. One hospital alone reported 45 patients complaining of eye problems. Twenty of those had burns or retinal inflammation. Regular sunglasses do not block enough light to prevent harm. The eclipse glasses will filter all but 0.0003% of visible light and block out most ultraviolet and infrared spectrum as well. These filters have a thin layer of aluminum, chromium or silver deposited on the lens surface to absorb the damaging energy. Using photo or X-ray film is not safe either. This is valid if you try to look through binoculars, ordinary telescopes or mirrored cameras. If you just have a pair of the darkest possible welders goggles handy, No. 14, lying around the house, they would work. The American Astronomical Society cites several manufacturers of disposable eclipse glasses that meet international standards for viewing. Some are Grafix Plastics, Halo Eclipse Spectacles, American Paper Optics/eclipseglasses.com, Seymour (pun?) Solar, Flipn shades, DayStar filters, Rainbow Symphony and Thousand Oaks Optical. They are not that expensive. The AAS has more information on eclipse glasses retailers. It recommends that you avoid ones on Amazon Temu, eBay or other online marketers at the lowest price. Your local library just might have some to use! Public libraries are amazing. The good old standby is the pinhole projector I well remember from younger days in school and at home. You can look up directions for one easily online. It is just a piece carboard you make the hole in and a piece of paper. You let the sun shine in through the hole to watch the event on the paper. You might want to do that anyway for fun. Supposedly you can remove your eclipse glasses when the moon is covering the sun 100%. Then you see the suns outer rim, its corona, or crown. But put them right back on, or go back to the pinhole camera. In our area, the sun will not be 100% eclipsed. This all presumes the sun is visible and its not too cloudy! Its worth making the effort. It is part of the universe in which we live, which is amazing when you think about it. Its a nice break from current affairs! You can remind your friends we just experienced a syzygy (SIH-zih-gee), from the Greek for yoked together. It is where three celestial bodies are in line with each other. Wont you sound smart? You are already a Moneycontrol Pro user. OK OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Chirag Paswan steps up as 'kid bro'; outwits his wily uncle OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Election wrap: PM Modi slams Congress manifesto, Rahul Gandhi's attack on 'electoral bonds', BJP's 'Italian culture' jibe, and other top stories Follow us on: Lalu Yadav fielding his family in elections as RJD doesn't have political leaders anymore: Rajiv Pratap Rudy India Elections Highlights: Addressing a public gathering in Ajmer, PM Modi said, Lord Brahma is the creator and BJP is also committed to building a new India. He said Rajasthan is moving ahead towards greater heights of development under the BJP rule. He also took a dig at Congress saying wherever there is Congress, there cannot be any development. Congress never thought about poor, marginalised and youths. He said, " Wherever there is Congress, development can never happen. Congress never bothered about the poor, downtrodden, underprivileged, youth. For the Congress, it can be said 'ek to karela, dusra neem chadha'." For many decades coalition govts functioned. Due to compulsions of alliance, country's interests were passed over, said PM Modi in Ajmer. Sometimes a decision by citizens sets course for next 100 years, this election is one such big opportunity, he added Follow us on: Embassy REIT to acquire business park in Chennai for Rs 1,269 crore; plans to raise Rs 2,500 crore Follow us on: US and China plan talks on economic growth including manufacturing overcapacity' issue, says US Treasury Secretary Yellen Who is Srinivas Pallia, the new CEO and MD of Wipro? Here is all you need to know Follow us on: DMK trying to misrepresent facts, was party to Indira Gandhi govt's Katchatheevu handover: Hardeep Puri Follow us on: India plans to control its entire airspace from Nagpur, big move to unify all 4 flight information regions Follow us on: 6 months in Tihar jail have strengthened resolve to fight against 'injustice, dictatorship': AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Former AAP MLA moves Delhi HC seeking removal of Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi CM Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Best cities to find a job in the US Follow us on: Mexico's president says country will break diplomatic ties with Ecuador after police break into Mexican embassy in Quito Former Vietnam veteran and retired Navy Lieutenant Commander Gary Noice View Photo Amador County, CA Hospice of Amador and Calaveras recently received a substantial donation of $400,000 from the estate of the late Gary Noice, a former Vietnam veteran and retired Navy Lieutenant Commander. The donation, which comes a year after Noices passing, is a testament to his dedication to making a lasting impact in the community, according to Hospice Executive Director Samantha Lukow, who expressed her gratitude, We are deeply moved by Mr. Noices generosity. His contribution will have a profound impact on our ability to fulfill our mission of providing free end-of-life care to everyone in our community. It is heartening to see individuals like Gary Noice continue to support the well-being of our community even after they have left us. Noices bequest will have a profound impact on Hospice of Amador and Calaveras, which will continue to provide free end-of-life care to the community. The generous donation comes at a crucial time for Hospice, enabling them to expand their reach and enhance the quality of care provided. Director of Patient Care Services Jess Harman shared, This generous donation will empower us to continue delivering compassionate end-of-life care to those in need. We are honored to be a part of Gary Noices legacy, and we pledge to utilize this gift to its fullest potential. To further bolster Hospices mission, community members are encouraged to attend Hospice events, make donations, or shop at their thrift stores. Volunteers are also welcome to contribute their time and skills to this noble cause. For more information on how to support Hospice of Amador and Calaveras, please visit www.hospiceofamador.org or contact our office at (209) 223-5500. 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. There was a heavy police presence during the arrival of the fugitive murder suspect at Gweru Magistrates Courts 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. Breaking News via Email Related Zimbabwe Latest News THE City of Harare has warned owners of dilapidated buildings in the central business district (CBD) to refurbish their properties. The city also advised the proprietors to make written presentations within a fortnight. In a statement on Wednesday this week, town clerk Hosiah Chisango said the requirements for the rehabilitation of dilapidated buildings were in line with city by-laws. The City of Harare is hereby giving notice to all property owners and occupants of buildings in the central business district (CBD) and those outside the CBD, to renew or regenerate their buildings and or properties either through repairs, refurbishments and/or repainting, Chisango said. He said the status of some buildings contravened such requirements. According to the by-laws, no person should allow any building on their premises to become a danger to the health of its occupants or those using it. He also added that the buildings should not pose a danger to public health or be sources of unpleasant fumes, smoke or odours, or unsightly or a disfigurement to the neighbourhood. The council named some of the buildings that require renewal along major roads in the city like Robert Mugabe Way from Rotten Row to Samora Machel Avenue, Jason Moyo Street from Rotten Row to Simon Vengesayi Muzenda Street. Other buildings include those along Samora Machel avenue from Kuwadzana round-about to Msasa; Leopald Takawira Street from downtown tuckshops to Westgate shopping centre and Julius Nyerere Way from the Railways flyover to Sam Nujoma Street. The city also identified buildings along First Street from Robert Mugabe Way to Samora Machel Avenue, Seventh Street from Nelson Mandela Avenue to Josiah Tongagara Street, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Road from Robert Mugabe Way to Harare Drive, Seke Road from Railways flyover to Maruta shops, Airport Road from Arcadia to Robert Mugabe International Airport and Fidel Castro Road, Simon Mazoradze from Julius Nyerere Way to Mbudzi Interchange. Accordingly, all property owners and occupants of buildings in the areas stated above are requested to comply with the afore-said by-laws or submit written representations in connection with this matter within two weeks of this public notice, to the director of works failing which council shall apply the requirements of section 56 of the said by-laws to enforce compliance, Chisango said. NewsDay. Breaking News via Email Related Zimbabwe Latest News The Senate on Monday unanimously passed a bill that would ban first cousins from getting married in the state. The House Civil Justice committee on Tuesday passed a version by Rep. Darren Jernigan (D-Nashville), who plans to retire from the House this year. During the committee meeting, Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood) revealed part of his own family history while indicating support of the bill. My grandparents came over to this country through Ellis Island from Italy back in the 1920s, Bulso said. And they settled in Lorain, Ohio, right south of Lake Erie, next to Cleveland. And they were first cousins, but they couldnt get married in Ohio. So back in 1924, they actually came down to Tennessee to get married. So, but for the existence of the current law, I would not be here. But despite that, I think its good legislation and I intend to support it. Residential infrastructure development Rep. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) is sponsoring a bill he says creates a process for financing for infrastructure for facilitating more residential development in cities and counties that desire it. We are in a blessed state that we are growing so fast, and we are having a housing shortage, Pody said during a committee meeting earlier in the session. Especially in the fastest-growing counties around, we are trying to find a way that we can get more housing developed quicker. Pody said commercial developments have several tools to do this and the idea of the bill is to extend some of those same options for local communities in development. SB2315 passed on Monday with 30 senators in agreement on the bill. It heads to the House Finance Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday, April 9. Concealed carry in schools SB1325/HB1202 would allow school staff with enhanced permits to carry concealed guns on school property. It passed the Senate Judiciary Committee 7-1 on Tuesday. Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis) was the sole no vote. It will be on the Senates calendar on Tuesday, April 9. Less time for fair wage claims The Senate passed HB2113/SB2017, which would the shorten statute of limitations from six to three years for workers not being paid fairly to make a claim. It passed the Senate 24-1 on Monday after already having passed the House in March. It will move to the governors desk next. East Bank legislation pushed back again The Senate Finance Ways and Means Committee delayed SB2968, sponsored by Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville), until Tuesday. The House version should also return on Tuesday to the House Local Government Committee. The Tennessee Lookout reports North Carolina-based Speedway Motorsports LLC, which owns Bristol Motor Speedway, potentially played a part in the bills return to committees. Reportedly, the company wanted lawmakers to use the legislation as leverage for a deal to help fund renovations at The Fairgrounds Nashville. Joe Hall, a representative for the company, told the Lookout the group is not trying to derail the bill. Oliver said in a statement on Friday: "I have heard various rumors about the controlling partys intent. That Republicans want to tie the East Bank legislation to approval of a deal to rebuild a racetrack at the Nashville fairgrounds. That Republicans want more seats on the Authority with voting power. Another rumor suggested Republican leadership is blocking the East Bank bill as retribution for words I used to describe the frustration I felt for my district after being silenced on an extreme GOP bill overturning local police reforms passed in the wake of the death of Tyre Nichols." Oliver said she tried to resolve any issues with Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) in a meeting. "Whether its political exclusion or hurt feelings or both, I dont know what the truth is, but I know my integrity is not worth these political theatrics and power plays especially for legislation that lacks input from the residents I represent in the Senate," Oliver said. She added that the language of the bill and policies had been decided early on without her involvement but that she continued to carry the legislation since it impacts her district. "Its a pattern older than the state itself: Black voices get sidelined on major economic decisions and the benefits of those deals trickle up to the wealthy or out-of-state not down to our families," Oliver said. Health care updates A bill (SB1832/HB2226) that would create four new positions on the states existing Maternal Mortality Review Committee for community-based maternal health experts passed the House Health Committee on Wednesday after passing the Senate in mid-March. The board studies pregnancy-related deaths in Tennessee and issues a yearly report. Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis) has a history of presenting bills related to maternal health and doulas. The legislation heads to the House Government Operations Committee on Monday. A separate bill, SB1919/HB2365, allows for insurance to cover 12 months of birth control at once, and passed the House on Thursday. It is now on its way to Gov. Bill Lees desk. Another bill (HB1726/SB2359) that would remove immunization requirements for foster families accepting infants and medically fragile children was sent to the governors desk on Monday. Physicians expressed concern to Scene sister publication the Nashville Post about the importance of the whooping cough vaccine, as the disease could be deadly for infants (read more). Abortion legislation The abortion trafficking bill (HB1895/SB1971) that would make it illegal for an adult to help a minor who is not their biological child obtain an abortion passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and is headed for the Senate floor while awaiting action in the House. It is similar to a 2023 Idaho law that has been blocked by a federal judge. Immigration enforcement A bill was transmitted to Lees desk Thursday that aims to require local police to work with ICE any time a person who is suspected to be undocumented is detained or stopped. The bill (SB2576/HB2124) was the subject of a protest from the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition this week. This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post. Former Air Force general says EMP event could happen during April 8 total solar eclipse A retired United States Air Force (USAF) general warned that an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) event could happen during the April 8 total solar eclipse Retired USAF Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt made this statement during a recent interview with "Inspired" channel host Jean Nolan. "I'm getting from a couple of places that there is a potential over the next few weeks, and I can't co-locate it with April 8. But there is a possibility that somewhere in our nation, there's going to be an EMP or electromagnetic pulse event," Holt told Nolan. "Now, you could conveniently if that were to happen along that path of the solar eclipse. Well, then you might have a government that explains that away as saying, oh, this solar eclipse was like no other," Holt continued. "We've had a solar flare storm because we've been marinated in that news story over the past four years that oh, solar flares are just around the corner, and these are bad, and it could wipe out your electronics. Well, in reality, that is true if it's the right kind and if it's exactly the right type. We haven't seen that since I think the mid-1800s." North America will experience a total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, beginning at around 11:07 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Mexico's Pacific coast. From there, the eclipse will then take a path through the U.S., crossing in order of appearance Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will also be visible from small parts of Tennessee and Michigan. After Maine, the eclipse will continue north through Canada in southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and, finally Cape Breton. 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. Holt added that physicists are also warning people about the Schumann resonance, which are frequencies that could bring about humanity losing everything. He pointed out the federal government is warning Americans about these things and telling them to take action could only mean that they have to do it because the government knows something people don't know about. A possible EMP event must not be taken for granted Holt said the potential for an EMP event must not be taken for granted and every American must have preparatory steps for taking care of their own families and their communities. (Related: EMP survival: 4 Ways to protect your home from an EMP attack.) He stressed that people should not remove the EMP threat from the list of things they need to worry about. Holt also advised people to do research and get protection against an EMP attack by having cost-effective devices like a Faraday can. Many things could happen in the event of an EMP wave, and protecting electronics from the pulse through devices like a Faraday cage could help people manage. Nolan said these are strange times and the messaging, warnings, disaster declarations and state emergencies in various states are inconsistent with history and any potential danger that a solar eclipse could pose. Holt noted that there are a ton of guides online on how to create Faraday-like devices for people strapped for cash and time that will allow them to weather the storm. He then added that valuable electronics should be the priority for these cages, like smartphones, wires, batteries and other electronics people may need. Follow EMP.news for more stories about preparing for a possible EMP threat. Watch the video below about the declarations being made by the federal and state governments regarding the April 8 total solar eclipse. This video is from the What is happening channel on Brighteon.com. More related articles: Why is the National Guard being deployed during the Great American Eclipse on April 8th? EMP survival: Follow these tips to survive the first 72 hours after an EMP event. EMP attack could wipe out two-thirds of the US population within a year. Sources include: Brighteon.com Science.NASA.gov SchumannResonance.org Total tyranny: FBI agent admits questioning Americans every day, all day long about social media posts In recent years, numerous celebrities and other public figures have been raked over the coals for things theyve said on social media. In many cases, voicing unpopular opinions can end a high-profile individual's career. But what about ordinary people who are just sharing their political views online with their friends and family? It turns out the FBI is watching Americans social media posts pretty carefully, and if they dont like what you say, they could well show up at your door and ask you to explain yourself. A recent incident in Oklahoma highlighted just how much time and energy the American government is devoting to policing peoples speech online. Lawyer Hassan Shibly posted a video online showing FBI agents going to the home of his client, Rolla Abdeljawad, claiming they had screenshots of posts she made on Facebook that were political in nature and that they wanted to discuss them with her. She said she wasnt going to talk to them, and when she asked them to show their identification badges on camera, they refused. However, she later confirmed with her local police that they were part of the FBI. Although this in-person visit was disturbing enough on its own, it gets worse. She asked one of the agents, So we no longer live in a free country and we cant say what we want? He replied: "No, we totally do. That's why we're not here to arrest you or anything. We do this every day, all day long. It's just an effort to keep everybody safe and make sure nobody has any ill will." Really? They do this every day, all day long? Most of us are aware that the Biden administration works closely with social media platforms to censor Americans speech and make sure their preferred narratives get maximum air time while detractors are silenced, but it is still surprising to see just how far they are going in their pursuit to control our speech. 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. The FBI is even willing to own up to this behavior on the record, with a statement supplied by Kayla McCleery, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma City FBI office, admitting: "Every day, the FBI engages with members of the public in furtherance of our mission, which is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States. We can never open an investigation based solely on First Amendment protected activity. The FBI is committed to ensuring our activities are conducted with a valid law enforcement or national security purpose, while upholding the constitutional rights of all Americans." Facebook owner Meta, meanwhile, has a policy of handing over data to American law enforcement when issued with a search warrant, subpoena or court order, or in emergency cases where there is imminent harm to a child or risk of death or serious physical injury to any person. They complied with law enforcement requests 87.84% of the time during the first half of last year. Facebook user criticized Israel's actions in Gaza before the FBI visited her What exactly did Abdeljawad, who previously volunteered for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, say to cause this amount of attention? She said she is not sure which particular post is responsible, but she has made numerous posts discussing her anger about the war in Gaza, calling Israel Israhell. However, she has not called for violence. At one point, she had even warned others that the government is paying attention to what they say online, writing: Don't fall for their games. Our community is being watched & they are just waiting for any reason to round us up. If you're Muslim and/or pro-pal consider all your media accounts, Google searches, mail, messenger, local mosques & political events monitored. #NYC #usa #PoliceState #FreePalestine". It would be interesting to compare how many people are receiving visits from the FBI for posts with anti-Israeli sentiment to those who are questioned about anti-Palestinian posts. Sources for this article include: Reason.com FoxNews.com Netanyahu convenes war cabinet as Israel prepares for imminent retaliation from Iran after airstrike against embassy in Syria Israel's war cabinet has convened to discuss its options following threats of an "imminent" retaliatory attack by Iran in response to Israel's unprovoked attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria. On Monday, April 1, an Israeli airstrike targeted the Iranian embassy in Damascus that Tehran said killed seven senior members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in the special forces unit Quds Force. (Related: Israel attacks Iranian embassy in Syria to provoke Iran, rope U.S. into WWIII.) Zahedi is the most senior Iranian military official to be killed since the United States assassinated former Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020. At least nine other people were killed, including one other Iranian, five Syrian militants from Iran-backed armed groups, one member of the Lebanese group Hezbollah and two civilians a woman and her son who lived two stories above the same building of the Iranian embassy. The strike marked the most significant escalation of the conflict in Israel and the rest of the Middle East. In response, both Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi vowed retaliation against Tel Aviv. As per Israeli policy, Tel Aviv has not directly claimed responsibility for the airstrike. However, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari did claim in a press conference that, according to Israeli intelligence, the building that was targeted "is no consulate and this is no embassy." He added that the target struck was a "military building of Quds Forces disguised as a civilian structure in Damascus." 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. Netanyahu government preparing for Iranian retaliation In response to Iranian threats of retaliation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been holding emergency meetings with his war cabinet and other security officials over concerns of an "imminent attack" on Israel or Israeli targets abroad. While continuing to not take responsibility for the airstrike, Netanyahu claimed that Iran has been operating against Israel for years "both directly and via its proxies, and therefore Israel is operating against Iran and its proxies, both defensively and offensively." "We will know how to defend ourselves and will operate according to the basic principle of whoever is harming or planning to harm us we will harm him," he added in a statement meant to dissuade any Iranian retaliation. Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, in one of the closest statements to a confirmation that Israel was behind the airstrike, said during a discussion with other members of the Israeli parliament's Foreign Affairs and Security Committee that Israel operates "everywhere, every day to prevent the strengthening of our enemies and to make it clear to everyone who acts against us, all over the Middle East, that the price for acting against Israel will be a heavy price." The country said the IDF has been put on high alert in preparation for the Iranian response. Air defenses are being strengthened, intelligence units are on the lookout, reservist units have been called up and weekend vacations for active units have been canceled. Experts and analysts note that Netanyahu's government is concerned that Iran could respond directly by launching missiles from its territory, rather than through its proxies. Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, former head of the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate, recently stated in an interview with Israeli television station Keshet 12 that "I won't be surprised if Iran fires directly at Israel." Alan Mendoza, executive director of the London-based think tank the Henry Jackson Society warned that the world must take Iranian warnings of retaliation seriously. "They've laid down their marker, so we can only assume they're going to do it," he said. "It could be a series of global targets. It could be an attempt to strike Israel again in an Oct. 7-style war this time with Lebanon," he added, referring to Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel which killed over 1,200 Israelis. "There are many options the Iranians could employ and the obvious option would be to use Hezbollah to create more pressure on Israel and to take out some targets," continued Mendoza. "Or they could look to other proxies in the Houthis in Yemen who have been firing missiles towards Israel and also groups in Iraq who have also been trying to fire missiles." Mendoza further warned that Iran may even orchestrate "external global terrorism" attacks "against Israeli or even Jewish targets." Watch this clip from Southfront Press discussing how the Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus brings the Middle East closer to the brink of total war. This video is from the channel The Prisoner 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. GENOCIDE JOE: White House supported Israel despite knowing they were indiscriminately bombing civilians in Gaza. Sources include: The-Sun.com Reuters.com SyriaHR.com Edition.CNN.com Axios.com YNetNews.com Brighteon.com Kentucky man charged with smuggling MINORS into the U.S. to make child porn An alleged human trafficker has been arrested in Kentucky for smuggling three illegal immigrants two of them minors into the United States to help him produce child pornography According to the federal indictment from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Natividad Aguilera Garcia, 37, of Shelby County, started tricking one of the minors, identified as "Minor A," to be engaged in prohibited sexual activities on May 1, 2021. Garcia has been producing and receiving sexually explicit visuals of Minor A and, at the same time, transporting the victim across state or international borders to engage in illegal sexual activities for years. The indictment also stated that Garcia assisted in the illegal entry of three individuals, including Minor A, into the United States. After the successful illegal entry of Minor A, Garcia presented a fake birth certificate to the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), falsely claiming that he was the uncle of Minor A. Unfortunately, the ORR accepted the falsified documents and handed Minor A to Garcia without conducting a formal vetting process. (Related: Immigrant children being organ harvested in massive global organ trade racket thats beginning to be exposed.) However, during an undercover investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Kentucky State Police Electronic Crime Branch arrested Garcia. The state police then began its own investigation after they discovered Garcia uploading images of child sexual exploitation 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. Garcia now faces between 15 to 30 years in prison for the charge of production of child pornography alone. He also faces charges of receipt of child pornography, enticement of a juvenile for sex, transportation of a juvenile for sex, encouraging illegal entry, making a false statement to the government and presenting a false document to the government. Garcia case sparks renewed debate over border policies and child safety Garcia's case has reignited debates over poor immigration and border policies and how these have negatively affected children both in and outside the United States. Jessica Vaughan, a prominent voice from the Center for Immigration Studies, argued that the case has left many unanswered questions about the victims, including how Garcia connected with his victims and whether parents were involved. "This case could have been prevented through better policies: better vetting of this sponsor, follow-up once a child is placed in the custody of someone who is not their parents," said Vaughan. Under federal law, unaccompanied alien children [UAC] from distant lands who arrive at the border must be directly turned over into the custody of the [HHS] until the department identifies a potential sponsor. During the administration of former President Donald Trump, the vetting process for potential sponsors took 102 days. However, when President Joe Biden took office, the ORR only took 35 days to release children to the foster placement system. And now, it just stands at 31 days. In turn, the process has only created horrifying experiences for UAC. A scathing HHS report released in February found that 16 percent of ORR child case files in March and April 2021 lacked documentation of sponsor background checks. Moreover, in 19 percent of cases where children were released to sponsors pending Federal Bureau of Investigation or state checks, the case files were never updated with results. Visit Migrants.news for more stories about migrant crime and violence in the United States and other countries. Watch this GB News report about how the United Kingdom's "imported violence" courtesy of African migrants is a threat to public safety. This video is from the CONSERVATIVE POLITICS & NWO channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Illegal immigrant, who was arrested and released twice, murders GA nursing student. BIOWEAPONIZED CHILDREN: Tuberculosis-infected illegal alien children deliberately released across 44 states by the Biden regime. Illegal immigrant charged with VEHICULAR HOMICIDE in Colorado had already been deported FOUR TIMES. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk TheManchesterEnterprise.com WashingtonTimes.com Brighteon.com Russia pins blame on Ukraine, U.S. for Crocus City Hall terrorist attack Russian officials persisted in their efforts on Wednesday, April 3, to blame the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack on Ukraine and the United States rather than acknowledging the Islamic State's admission of responsibility for the terrible attack. Despite ISIS claiming responsibility for the massacre and reports indicating that Russia had received warnings from both U.S. and Iranian intelligence about an imminent ISIS attack, Security Council of the Russian Federation Secretary Nikolay Patrushev chose to deflect blame. During a recent meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Patrushev argued that Ukraine and the U.S. were "trying to impose it on us" that the terrorist attack that killed over 140 people "was committed not by the Kyiv regime but by supporters of the radical Islamic ideology, possibly, by members of the Afghan branch of [ISIS]." Patrushev is referring to the Central Asian-based regional branch of ISIS, the Islamic State-Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K. "However, it is far more important to promptly establish who is the mastermind and the sponsor of this horrific crime," Patrushev continued. "Its traces lead to Ukrainian intelligence services." Asserting that the Kyiv regime is under full control of the U.S., Patrushev echoed the Russian government's narrative that Washington is responsible for the creation of terrorist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda. He accused Ukraine of harboring ISIS militants and exploiting them for its agenda. (Related: Moscow terrorist attack: A declaration of war by the West against Russia.) 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. Patrushev further claimed that the perpetrators of the attack and their accomplices were apprehended while attempting to flee into Ukraine, suggesting complicity on the part of Ukrainian authorities. He criticized Western media for what he described as extensive, pre-planned coverage of the attack, insinuating collusion with a narrative contrary to Russia's interests. Despite these claims, Russian officials have yet to present concrete evidence implicating Ukraine in the attack. Patrushev's assertion regarding a Ukrainian escape route for the terrorists is based on unverified statements made by Russian President Vladimir Putin shortly after the incident. Both the U.S. and Ukrainian governments have vehemently denied any involvement in the attack. Kremlin: Intelligence report before the attack too vague to act upon Russian officials downplayed the significance of the intelligence report provided to them before the attack by claiming it was too vague to act upon. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested that such information exchange typically occurs through specialized channels and attempted to dismiss the detailed warning provided by U.S. intelligence as mere "intelligence chatter." According to assessments from international security experts, Putin is endeavoring, without substantiated evidence, to associate Ukraine with the recent assault on a concert hall in Moscow to galvanize domestic support for Russia's military actions in Ukraine. Immediately after the attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue, ISIS-K claimed responsibility. Russian authorities also reported the arrest of 12 individuals purportedly linked to the attack, including four suspected gunmen identified as citizens of the Central Asian, majority Muslim nation of Tajikistan. Retired U.S. Army Col. Robert Hamilton of the Middle East Institute in Washington, an expert on security matters, labeled the Kremlin's attempt to link the attack to Ukraine as a cynical but convenient tactic. He emphasized that there is no evidence implicating Ukraine in the attack and underscored that Ukraine does not engage in terrorist acts or war crimes. Watch this clip from the "Breanna Morello Show" as she discusses the possibility of radical Islamist migrants orchestrating a Moscow-style attack on the United States. This video is from the MyPodcastDropped2320 channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Russia doubles down on claims Ukraine was behind Moscow attack, slams U.S. for blaming ISIS Turkey detains 147 ISIS-linked suspects following deadly Moscow attack. Russian media group head insists ISIS was not behind attack on Moscow concert hall. Sources include: Breitbart.com VOANews.com Brighteon.com Taiwan earthquake puts global chip supply at risk as TSMC pauses production line The massive earthquake that struck Taiwan's eastern coastline this week, rocking the entire island, resulted in a temporary shutdown of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), which manufactures chips for the entire world. Reports indicate that the manufacturing plant, a vital component of the global supply chain for microchips, closed its production line after shaking from the earthquake rattled the facility. The largest to hit Taiwan in 25 years, the quake destroyed many buildings and killed many people. It also threw a wrench into TSMC's operations, the company being the main contract chipmaker for both Apple Inc. and Nvidia Corp. (Related: Did you know that the entire U.S. stock market is being artificially propped up, mainly by Nvidia?) "There is no damage to our critical tools including all of our extreme ultraviolet lithography tools," the company announced in a statement after evacuating its staff out of certain areas of the manufacturing complex. TSMC did reveal that some of its tools were damaged at certain facilities, but that all available resources are being deployed to ensure a full and swift recovery of operations. Smaller Taiwanese chipmakers similarly halt production Rival chipmaker United Microelectronic Corp. also shut down its machinery at some plants and evacuated certain facilities, including at hubs in Hsinchu and Tainan. Another company whose operations were halted by the earthquake is ASE Technology Holding Co., which manufactures and assembles the vast majority of semiconductors that go into devices like iPhones and other smartphones and consumer vehicles. 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. The facilities where microchips are made are extremely vulnerable, even to the slightest tremors. Perhaps they should have considered this before planting themselves on an island, Taiwan, that is prone to earthquakes and that sits smack-dab on the infamous Pacific Ring of Fire. "A single vibration can destroy entire batches of the precision-made semiconductors," reported Bloomberg. "TSMC's U.S.-traded shares were up 1.6% Wednesday morning in New York while UMC was little changed." An assessment from analysts at Bloomberg Intelligence found that any of the financial effects caused by the earthquake will be "cushioned" by "robust demand for the firm's advanced node processes" in other words, there is expected to be limited impact from the quake, or so they say. Numerous tech firms in Taiwan are still in the process of assessing the damage caused by the quake, which we know leveled dozens of large buildings on the eastern side of the territory. Barclays analysts noted that even a temporary halt in chip production threatens to upset an intricately complicated production process that in many cases requires uninterrupted seclusion in a vacuum for many weeks. "Some of the high-end chips need 24/7 seamless operations in a vacuum state for a few weeks," commented analysts Bum Ki Son and Brian Tan. "Operation halts in Taiwan's northern industrial areas could mean some high-end chips in production may be spoiled." Amazingly, the 7.4 magnitude quake shook most of Taiwan to some noticeable degree, including the capital city of Taipei all the way on the western side of the territory. Taiwan is a terrible place for delicate chip production, it turns out, as the territory sits at the convergence of two tectonic plates. Even so, Taiwan remains the top location where upwards of 90 percent of the world's highest-end chips required for advanced applications such as smartphones and AI (artificial intelligence) are made. "Industry executives and government officials have long called out the dangers of centering the world's advanced semiconductor production on an island that, apart from natural shocks, is considered a potential military flashpoint," Bloomberg reported. More related news about the coming collapse of the global economy as we currently know it can be found at Collapse.news. Sources for this article include: Bloomberg.com NaturalNews.com Thank you for reading! To read this article and more, subscribe now for as little as $1.99. Ukraine will JOIN NATO, Blinken announces, signaling imminent WWIII with Russia In the clearest indication yet that the planet is on the verge of being plunged into another world war, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated that Ukraine will, in fact, be joining NATO. The reason this is more serious than perhaps anything else that has happened yet between Russia and the West is because much of Ukraine is disputed territory. Russia controls Crimea and Donbass, and the whole point of President Putin's special operation in Ukraine is to get back the rest of what he says is Russia's. By allowing Ukraine to join NATO, the West is basically declaring all of what is currently known as Ukraine to be outside of Russia's control, which crosses a very clear red line. "This is intentionally starting WWIII to help Hunter Biden's paymasters level of insane," tweeted one X account about how "insane" this latest development really is. If, or rather when, Ukraine joins NATO, there will be a ton of "unresolved" territorial issues and border conflicts that are likely to spark a much larger war that drags NATO through Article V. "Such a war would be extremely bloody and potentially escalate to nuclear Armageddon," the same X account warns. Secretary of State Blinken says that Ukraine will be joining NATO This is insane. This is insane. This is intentionally starting WWIII to help Hunter Biden's paymasters level of insane 1) Ukraine, if/when it enters NATO, will have "unresolved" territorial issues. Crime and the pic.twitter.com/bRfBV7oPOf Will Tanner (@Will_Tanner_1) April 4, 2024 (Related: Israel also did its part to provoke WWIII by bombing the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria.) America promised not to do this Back in the 1990s when the former Soviet Union (USSR) fell, the United States promised Russia that NATO would not expand any further to the east. That promise was later broken when Goldman Sachs looted Russia by privatizing much of the country, allowing NATO to in fact move further east. Those developments upset Putin, but up until now he has restrained himself that is until this latest announcement about Ukraine joining NATO. Again, because so much of Ukraine is disputed territory that Putin says is rightfully Russia's, such a move crosses a very serious red line. 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. "It is utterly unacceptable and would have been like Ireland or Canada joining the Warsaw Pact," tweeted "Will Tanner" (@Will_Tanner_1). "That's why he launched the war." "By 'demilitarizing' Ukraine by shelling its army into oblivion and by creating a constant conflict, he wants to keep Ukraine out of NATO without going to war with NATO. He thought we wouldn't be so dumb as to bring it into the alliance if it is fighting a war with Russia." But dumb the West truly is as it makes this dangerous move in the interest of the one percent, and at the expense of everyone else. "Apparently [Biden's] administration is that insane and is willing to spark World War III so that Ukraine is controlled by the oligarchs that paid off Hunter rather than Putin and the oligarchs in his camp." This article explains in much further depth how the reason Putin launched an offensive against Ukraine in the first place has everything to do with NATO's broken promises concerning a NATO expansion in eastern Europe. "The war could have been avoided," The American Tribune reported. "The hundreds of thousands dead, the millions who are now refugees, the wasted resources and human misery all could have been avoided." "All it would have taken is NATO keeping its word and not expanding, not recklessly dancing on Russia's red line for indiscernible reasons not related to the national interest." More related news coverage can be found at WWIII.news. Sources for this article include: Twitter.com NaturalNews.com TheAmericanTribune.news A recent study said natural disasters cost the Asia-Pacific region an estimated US$65 billion in economic damages last year, primarily from China's disastrous floods and India's drought. Economic Loss Due to Natural Disaster Aon, an insurance company that conducted the study, identified roughly 400 natural disasters in 2023, the hottest year on record, ranging from floods to droughts, cyclones, and wildfires. It estimated the total damage at US$380 billion, a 7% rise from the previous year. Natural catastrophes are significant climate events that result in at least $50 million in losses, 10 deaths, or 50 injuries. According to the research, floods were the most costly threat in Asia-Pacific for the fourth consecutive year, accounting for more than 64% of total losses in 2023. Annual flood losses have surpassed $30 billion since 2010. China incurred the greatest losses in Asia-Pacific, with $32.2 billion in flood-related losses, accounting for more than half of overall regional losses. Throughout the year, Hong Kong, South Korea, India, and Pakistan all experienced substantial flooding and record rains. The South Asia floods, in particular, claimed approximately 2,900 lives. Aon stated that flood-related losses had totaled more than $30 billion every year since 2010. The report also mentioned rising temperatures and unexpected heatwaves, particularly drought conditions in China and India. Aon stated that despite heatwaves being among the "deadliest perils, these risks have traditionally been a blind spot in the insurance industry." The insurance also stated that big earthquakes contributed to increased damage, following shocks in Afghanistan's Herat Province in October and China's Gansu Province in December, which killed almost 1,500 people and damaged over 200,000 dwellings, respectively. "With climate driving new extreme weather records, businesses increasingly need to quantify and address the direct and indirect impact of climate risk," said George Attard, CEO of Reinsurance Solutions for Aon's Asia Pacific region. Although climate change is not often mentioned as one of the top ten hazards to organizations, he believes it has a direct impact on four important areas: business interruption, shifting market trends, supply chain disruptions, and regulatory changes. Read Also: Experts Study the Impacts of Rising Temperatures to Economic Growth Insurance Gap Coverage While the Asia Pacific accounted for just about 17% of total global losses, it also had the biggest insurance coverage gap, with 91% of disaster-related losses uninsured. This was much higher than the global average of 69%, according to a report. Aon discovered that insured losses in the Asia-Pacific totaled only US$6 billion. No region outside of the United States came close to matching this level of coverage, with Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa all insuring only 17 percent or less of their losses. Turkey and China saw the highest uninsured losses, followed by the United States, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. The report noted that while population-dense areas tended to have better investment in infrastructure and insurance coverage, significant urban growth "can lead to unforeseen risks, especially when it comes to unprecedented weather events," citing Hong Kong's "black rain" floods in September as an example. The city was paralyzed by 16 hours of torrential rain, resulting in millions of dollars in damage, including flooded subway stations, stores, and streets, and prompting criticism of the government's disaster planning procedures. A similar report released last month by reinsurance company Swiss Re estimated that insured disaster-related losses might treble within the next decade as temperatures rise and extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, making risk reduction even more important. Related Article: Climate Change Losses Reach $140B Per Year with Prolonged Droughts, Heatwaves, Storms Thai wildlife officials have announced a strategy to deal with the thousands of macaque monkeys who terrorize Lopburi locals and tourists, stealing food and even harming them in their eager search for a free meal. Dangerous Encounters The macaques that wander Lopburi represent local culture and are a popular tourist attraction. However, after years of dangerous encounters with residents and visitors, as well as multiple failed attempts to establish peace through population control measures, locals and businesses have had enough. Monkeys frequently try to take food from humans, resulting in tussles that can cause scratches and other injuries. This village, located around 90 miles north of the capital Bangkok, is well-known for its monkey population. The local cops are employing wooden catapults to deal with the rowdy monkeys. Criticism intensified in March when a woman dislocated her knee after a monkey dragged her off her feet in an attempt to obtain food, and another man was thrown from his motorcycle by a hungry monkey. Athapol Charoenshunsa, director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation, said they intend to round up 2,500 of the nuisance monkeys and place them in vast enclosures outside the city from which the animals will be unable to escape. "I don't want humans to have to hurt monkeys, and I don't want monkeys to have to hurt humans," he said. Read Also: Monkey Invasion: 3,500 Macaque Monkeys Overrun City in Central Thailand, Harassing Tourists and Vandalizing Shops Catching Monkeys An official monkey-catching campaign was launched this week, with a focus on more aggressive alpha males. It has captured 37 monkeys so far, the majority of which have been placed in the care of wildlife authorities in the nearby province of Saraburi, while others have been taken to the Lopburi zoo. Officials said they intend to capture the rest of the monkeys once the enclosures are completed, particularly those in residential areas. Separate cages will be set up for various monkey battalions to keep them from fighting. Police Major General Apirak Wechkanchana ordered the formation of a special police force to battle monkeys. "In most cases, they only need to use the slingshots as a deterrent, they don't have to use objects to strike the monkeys," he added. The police team has also been ordered to keep the monkeys from stealing or vandalizing property. Some have blamed the city's monkey problems on tourists and inhabitants feeding the creatures, claiming that this lured monkeys into the city, increased their population, and conditioned them to accept food from humans. Residents believe that an earlier effort to curtail feeding exacerbated the situation. In recent years, local officials have threatened fines for feeding monkeys outside of a few permitted places near the main tourist attractions. However, those feeding sites were dominated by a few armies of the fiercely territorial beasts, while rival bands became increasingly hungry and began pestering people in other regions for food. People must also learn to live with the city's monkeys, according to Phadej Laithong, director of the Wildlife Conservation Office, who explains that a shortage of natural food sources forces the animals to seek sustenance elsewhere, even from humans. Previous control measures have fallen short. From 2014 until 2023, the wildlife officials neutered around 2,600 Lopburi monkeys. Athapol stated that they are also working in other locations in Thailand where monkeys are an issue, like Prajuab Kiri Khan and Phetchaburi. He claimed that monkeys cause frequent difficulties in 52 of the country's 77 provinces. Related Article: No More Trafficked Orangutans in Thailand As They Sent Back Three Monkey Back To Indonesia A toilet rat bite led to the hospitalization of a Canadian man after he suffered from severe bacterial infection, according to a medical case report in January 2024. The 76-year-old man went to the emergency department of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, during the previous winter. The patient also experienced a three-day history of abdominal pain, fever, and headache. The man was bitten on his two fingers by the rodent when he attempted to remove it, after seeing the small mammal in his toilet bowl. Doctors who attended and examined the patient found that he was infected with "severe leptospirosis" which is known as a rat-borne disease, which is carried by other rodents and rabbits. Leptospirosis is responsible for thousands of human deaths globally each year, according to health experts. Toilet Rat Bites Canadian Man In the case report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on January 22, a toilet rat bites a Canadian man in an urban setting, resulting in his hospitalization after being inflicted with a severe bacterial infection. Upon arrival to the hospital's emergency department, doctors performed basic wound care on the patient, who was also given a tetanus booster. However, the man was back in the hospital after 18 days. According to the report, the man had suffered from fever, headaches, and abdominal pain for several days. Although his finger wounds were almost completely healed during this time, the patient's blood pressure was low but he was experiencing a very fast heartbeat. Blood tests also showed that the man had damaged kidneys and had a low number of platelets. It was only determined that the patient had leptospirosis following blood and urine analyses. In relation to the case, the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital team states penicillin is the antibiotics of choice to treat severe leptospirosis (Leptospira interrogans) and rat-bite fever (Streptobacillus moniliformis or Spirillum minus). In the United States, the report states that rat bites account to 1% of the estimated 2 million animal bites annually, with victims often being children. Also Read: Police Rescues a Harmless Big Gray Rat Snake Found in Home's Toilet in Alabama Leptospirosis Symptoms The most common leptospirosis symptoms in humans include chills, headache, high fever, muscle aches, vomiting, abdominal pain, red eyes, and jaundice, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Experts warn that if leptospirosis is left untreated, the bacterial disease can lead to kidney failure, liver failure, and even death. While it is acquired from the fluids of infected rodents, it cannot be spread from person to person. The CDC emphasizes many leptospirosis symptoms can be mistaken for other diseases, adding that some infected persons could be asymptomatic or may not show any symptoms at all. In the case of the Canadian man, although being bitten by a toilet rat is unusual, other related bites from rats are still considered as life-threatening, regardless of the setting. In 2017, a 10-year-old died from rat-bite fever after receiving and handling a pet rat from a local pet retailer. Related Article: Rat Bite Fever: Deadly Rat-Borne Disease is Spreading Quickly in the US Sydneysiders, batten down the hatches! A relentless low-pressure system churning off the coast threatens to unleash a biblical downpour across southeast Australia, with Sydney at the epicenter of the storm. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued a series of flood warnings, raising concerns about overflowing rivers, flash floods in low-lying areas, and potential disruptions to daily life . Sydney on High Alert: Will the Harbour City Become Venice Down Under? The deluge began its assault on Thursday night, drenching parts of Victoria and New South Wales. Some regions received a staggering 50 millimeters (2 inches) of rain within a few short hours, a stark reminder of the system's potency. Nervous eyes now turn to Sydney, the nation's most populous city. The BOM predicts relentless downpours throughout the weekend, igniting anxieties about a potential repeat of past flooding incidents that devastated entire suburbs. While visions of Sydney morphing into a real-life Venice Down Under might be dramatic, the situation remains serious. Localized flooding is a very real possibility, particularly in areas with poor drainage or a history of overflow. Residents in flood-prone suburbs are urged to take immediate precautions. Clearing gutters, checking evacuation routes, and having sandbags at the ready could prove to be crucial steps in minimizing potential damage. Beyond the Harbour City: A Region Braces for the Deluge The impact of this weather system extends far beyond the iconic Sydney Harbour. Victoria, still reeling from the devastating bushfires that ravaged entire landscapes earlier this year, now faces a double threat. The heavy rains pose a significant risk of landslides, further destabilizing fire-weakened slopes. Additionally, saturated soils could trigger soil erosion, exacerbating the environmental damage caused by the blazes. While the downpours undoubtedly pose challenges, it's important to acknowledge the potential benefits. Large swathes of southeast Australia have been enduring drought conditions for months. This significant rainfall event could act as a much-needed natural water bomb, replenishing parched landscapes and boosting water reserves in parched reservoirs. Farmers, who have been struggling with diminished yields and water scarcity, could see a much-needed reprieve if the rains deliver a gentle soaking rather than a relentless deluge. However, a delicate balance exists. While some areas desperately crave rain, others could be pushed to the brink by excessive downpours. Experts warn that the sheer intensity of the rainfall could overwhelm drainage systems, leading to flash flooding in urban areas. Paved surfaces prevalent in cities offer little respite for the water, forcing it to accumulate and potentially cause rapid inundation. Also Read: Cold Front to Bring Potential Severe Weather Hazards in Western Australia This Week: BOM Warns United We Stand, Prepared We Weather: A Call to Action for Australians With a dynamic weather system at play, staying informed is paramount for all Australians in the affected regions. Real-time updates from the BOM website and local news outlets are essential to track the latest forecasts and warnings. Residents should also be prepared for potential disruptions such as power outages and road closures, ensuring they have access to essential supplies like batteries, non-perishable food, and bottled water. Community spirit is crucial during these challenging times. Checking in on vulnerable neighbors, especially the elderly or those living alone, can offer invaluable support. Additionally, adhering to road closures and evacuation orders issued by emergency services will ensure everyone's safety. By remaining informed, taking necessary precautions, and working together as a community, Australians can navigate this challenging weather event and minimize its impact on their lives. Remember, a little preparation can go a long way in ensuring the safety and well-being of yourself and your loved ones during these wet and potentially disruptive days. Related article: Australia Weather Update: BoM Forecasts Continuance of Cold Front Into the Weekend At sundown April 22, Jews will observe Passover, commemorating our birth as a people and our transformation from slaves in Egypt to free people in our own land. This year, in the shadow of the events of last Oct. 7, and the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, we will inevitably reflect on what it means to be a people and to have a homeland, to be slaves and to be free. Now, as then, some of our people are in bondage, this time in Gaza. (G-d willing, they will be free by Passover.) This time, theyre held by people who believe that not only the Palestinian territories but the country Israel is their home. What does Passover tell us? During a ceremonial meal called a Seder, a book, the Haggadah, will guide us through a retelling of the Passover story. Well eat unleavened bread called matzo. The Haggadah says, This is the bread of affliction that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Whoever is hungry, let him come and eat; whoever is in need, let him come and conduct the Seder of Passover. This year here; next year in the land of Israel. This year slaves; next year free people. This year, we know there is hunger in Gaza as a result of war we neither wanted nor started. Good-faith efforts to bring humanitarian aid to those in need have been frustrated by the complexity of delivering it. Israeli hostages also suffer from hunger. Last year, captives; this year still captives. Well break one matzo in half, symbolizing brokenness in ourselves and the world. Later the halves will be rejoined, symbolizing healing. We long for our hostages to be restored to us. We long for peace. The Haggadah also says, For not just one alone has risen against us to destroy us, but in every generation they rise against us to destroy us; and the Holy One, blessed be He, saves us from their hand! As we reflect on the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, reading this passage will give us hope that our Protector will once again save us. As we recite the Ten Plagues, well spill 10 drops of wine to remind ourselves that joy at our redemption must be tempered by sorrow at the suffering of others, even our enemies. We take no pleasure in a war forced on us. This year, as we sit around our Passover tables, we will grapple with the harsh reality of Gazan suffering. Even those of us who believe the Gaza incursion is necessary and justified are anguished at the human toll. The last words of the Seder are Next year in Jerusalem! Over the centuries of dispersal to other lands, we never forgot our ancient homeland, and never lost our longing to return to it. We have returned, and found that others besides Jews now call Jerusalem, and the land, home. Some of them are now Israeli citizens with equal rights. Others hope to make Gaza and the West Bank their own home. And some on both sides want all the land, and deny that others can have a home anywhere between the river and the sea. Jerusalem means City of Peace. The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, implies more: wholeness. May it be so for all who love Jerusalem, and the land between river and sea, and call it home. May all who are hungry be fed. May all who are enslaved be freed. May all brokenness be healed. And may all people merit to find freedom in their own home. This year, in Jerusalem. Mrunal is happy to see 'quintessential love stories' coming back on big screen A ctress Mrunal Thakur is over-the-moon as filmmakers are envisioning her in roles that are not only soft and gentle but also layered. The actress also shared her happiness over the "quintessential love stories" coming back on the silver screen. Mrunal said: "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. Its amazing to see that not only are such films coming back, but I definitely feel lucky that Im getting to work with such varied filmmakers and their vision of how romance is played out on the screen. Mrunal has worked in successful films such as 'Sita Ramam' and 'Hi Nanna'. In her latest release, 'Family Star', where she is paired opposite Vijay Deverakonda, the actress shines in the quintessential love story and family drama. 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." aIANS Mrunal is happy to see 'quintessential love stories' coming back on big screen Post your comments Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! Ileana D'Cruz cooks 'chicken katsu for the soul', her ode to 'simplest things' A ctress Ileana D'Cruz had a good time making a meal for herself and shared that she enjoyed the yummy dish while it was hot and fresh. Ileana took to her Instagram stories on Saturday morning and shared a picture of chicken katsu, a Japanese dish of fried chicken made with panko bread crumbs, and called it for the soul. The actress added a line to describe how it was in taste: Was so good to cook a yummy meal and enjoy it while it was hot and fresh. The simplest things. Ileana will be seen on the big screen in the upcoming romantic comedy 'Do Aur Do Pyaar'. It also stars Vidya Balan, Pratik Gandhi and Sendhil Ramamurthy. Directed by Shirsha Guha Thakurta, who is making her debut, the film is set to release on April 19. Ileana D'Cruz cooks 'chicken katsu for the soul', her ode to 'simplest things' Post your comments Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! A study by New York and Rocky Mountain U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs researchers showed blast exposure can cause intestinal permeability, a condition that can lead to gut bacteria entering the bloodstream and causing problems in other parts of the body. The study was the first to show a connection between blasts and intestinal permeability in a real-world operational setting. Researchers found biomarkers of intestinal permeability and signs of bacteria in the blood in 23 of 30 military breachers who were exposed to controlled, low-level explosive blasts during training. The biomarkers were observed between one and 16 hours after blast exposure, suggesting a direct connection. Intestinal permeability is a condition in which materials in the gastrointestinal tract can pass through the cells lining the intestinal walls. While the human body naturally has some intestinal permeability to allow nutrients to pass through the gut, when the barrier is too loose harmful substances such as bacteria can pass through into the rest of the body. Participants also reported headache, dizziness, concentration problems, and slow thinking after blast exposure. These symptoms are often seen in people with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). Analysis suggested bacterial leakage could add to mild traumatic brain injury to increase mental symptoms. Previous research has shown a connection between gut bacteria and cognitive performance. About 20% of post-9/11 active duty Service members and Veterans have reported at least one mild TBI, with more than a third of these being caused by blast-related injuries. TBI research has shown pressure waves caused by explosions can cause internal injuries to the vasculature of the brain. While the entire body is susceptible to this type of damage from blasts, less is known about how the digestive tract may be affected. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first study to show a direct connection between blasts and intestinal permeability with associated cognitive symptoms. The authors suggest treatment of blast-related TBI should also take into consideration intestinal integrity, the gut microbiota, and bacterial effects such as systemic inflammation. The study appeared in the March 21, 2024, issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Nerve cells (neurons) are amongst the most complex cell types in our body. They achieve this complexity during development by extending ramified branches called dendrites and axons and establishing thousands of synapses to form intricate networks. The production of most neurons is confined to embryonic development, yet few brain regions are exceptionally endowed with neurogenesis throughout adulthood. It is unclear how neurons born in these regions successfully mature and remain competitive to exert their functions within a fully formed organ. However, understanding these processes holds great potential for brain repair approaches during disease. A team of researchers led by Professor Dr. Matteo Bergami at the University of Cologne's CECAD Cluster of Excellence in Aging Research addressed this question in mouse models, using a combination of imaging, viral tracing and electrophysiological techniques. They found that, as new neurons mature, their mitochondria (the cells' power houses) along dendrites undergo a boost in fusion dynamics to acquire more elongated shapes. This process is key in sustaining the plasticity of new synapses and refining pre-existing brain circuits in response to complex experiences. The study 'Enhanced mitochondrial fusion during a critical period of synaptic plasticity in adult-born neurons' has been published in the journal Neuron. Mitochondrial fusion grants new neurons a competitive advantage Adult neurogenesis takes place in the hippocampus, a brain region controlling aspects of cognition and emotional behavior. Consistently, altered rates of hippocampal neurogenesis have been shown to correlate with neurodegenerative and depressive disorders. While it is known that the newly produced neurons in this region mature over prolonged periods of time to ensure high levels of tissue plasticity, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms is limited. The findings of Bergami and his team suggest that the pace of mitochondrial fusion in the dendrites of new neurons controls their plasticity at synapses rather than neuronal maturation per se. We were surprised to see that new neurons actually develop almost perfectly in the absence of mitochondrial fusion, but that their survival suddenly dropped without obvious signs of degeneration. This argues for a role of fusion in regulating neuronal competition at synapses, which is part of a selection process new neurons undergo while integrating into the network." Professor Dr. Matteo Bergami, University of Cologne's CECAD Cluster of Excellence in Aging Research The findings extend the knowledge that dysfunctional mitochondrial dynamics (such as fusion) cause neurological disorders in humans and suggest that fusion may play a much more complex role than previously thought in controlling synaptic function and its malfunction in diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Besides revealing a fundamental aspect of neuronal plasticity in physiological conditions, the scientists hope that these results will guide them towards specific interventions to restore neuronal plasticity and cognitive functions in conditions of disease. A research team led by the University of California, Irvine has built the first genetic reference maps for short lengths of DNA repeated multiple times which are known to cause more than 50 lethal human diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease and multiple cancers. The UC Irvine Tandem Genome Aggregation Database enables researchers to study how these mutations called tandem repeat expansions are connected to diseases, to better understand health disparities and to improve clinical diagnostics. The study, published online today in the journal Cell, introduces the UC Irvine TR-gnomAD, which addresses a critical gap in current biobank genome sequencing efforts. Although TR expansions constitute about 6 percent of our genome and substantially contribute to complex congenial conditions, scientific understanding of them remains limited. This groundbreaking project positions UC Irvine as a leader in human and medical genetics by addressing the critical gap in the ability to interpret TR expansions in individuals with genetic disorders. The TR-gnomAD advances our ability to determine how certain diseases might affect diverse groups of people based on variations in these mutations among ancestries. Genetic consulting companies can then develop products to interpret this information and accurately report how certain traits might be linked to different groups of people and diseases." Wei Li, the Grace B. Bell Chair and professor of bioinformatics and co-corresponding author To build the database, the team utilized two software tools to analyze the genomic data of 338,963 participants across 11 sub-populations. Of the .91 million TRs identified, .86 million were of high enough quality to be retained for further study. It was also discovered that 30.5 percent of them had at least two common alternative forms of a gene caused by a mutation located in the same place on a chromosome. "Although we've successfully genotyped a substantial number of TRs, that is still just a fraction of the total number in the human genome," Li said. "Our next steps will be to prioritize the integration of a greater number of high-quality TR and include more underrepresented ancestries, such as Australian, Pacific Islander and Mongolian, as we move closer to realizing personalized precision medicine." UC Irvine team members involved in the research included co-corresponding author and research assistant professor Ya Cui; Wenbin Ye, postdoctoral scholar; Jason Sheng Li, biological chemistry graduate student; and Eric Vilain, professor of pediatrics and the director of the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science. Also participating were Jingi Jessica Le, UCLA biostatistics professor, and Dr. Tamer Sallam, vice chair and associate professor at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. Before the evolution of legs from fins, the axial skeleton -; including the bones of the head, neck, back and ribs -; was already going through changes that would eventually help our ancestors support their bodies to walk on land. A research team including a Penn State biologist completed a new reconstruction of the skeleton of Tiktaalik, the 375-million-year-old fossil fish that is one of the closest relatives to limbed vertebrates. The new reconstruction shows that the fish's ribs likely attached to its pelvis, an innovation thought to be crucial to supporting the body and for the eventual evolution of walking. A paper describing the new reconstruction, which used microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) to scan the fossil and reveal vertebrae and ribs of the fish that were previously hidden beneath rock, appeared April 2 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Tiktaalik was discovered in 2004, but key parts of its skeleton were unknown. These new high-resolution micro-CT scans show us the vertebrae and ribs of Tiktaalik and allow us to make a full reconstruction of its skeleton, which is vital to understanding how it moved through the world." Tom Stewart, assistant professor of biology in the Eberly College of Science at Penn State and one of the leaders of the research team Unlike most fish, which have vertebrae and ribs that are the same along the length of the trunk, the axial skeletons of limbed vertebrates show dramatic differences in the vertebrae and ribs from the head region to the tail region. The evolution of this regionalization allowed the performance of specialized functions, one of which was a mechanical linkage between ribs in the sacral region to the pelvis that enabled support of the body by the hind limbs. The pelvic fins of fish are evolutionarily related to hind limbs in tetrapods -; four-limbed vertebrates, including humans. In fish, the pelvic fins and bones of the pelvic girdle are relatively small and float freely in the body. For the evolution of walking, the researchers explained, the hind limbs and pelvis became much larger and formed a connection to the vertebral column as a way of bracing the forces related to supporting the body. "Tiktaalik is remarkable because it gives us glimpses into this major evolutionary transition," Stewart said. "Across its whole skeleton, we see a combination of traits that are typical of fish and life in water as well as traits that are seen in land-dwelling animals." The original description of Tiktaalik focused on the front portion of the skeleton. Fossils were meticulously prepared to remove the surrounding matrix of rock and expose the skull, shoulder girdle and pectoral fins. The ribs in this area were large and expanded, suggesting that they may have supported the body in some way, but it was unclear exactly how they would have functioned. In 2014, the fish's pelvis, discovered in the same location as the rest of the skeleton, was also cleaned of matrix and described. "From past studies, we knew that the pelvis was large, and we had a sense that the hind fins were large too, but until now couldn't say if or how the pelvis interacted with the axial skeleton," Stewart said. "This reconstruction shows, for the first-time, how it all fit together and gives us clues about how walking might have first evolved." The researchers explained that, unlike our own hips where our bones fit tightly together, the connection between the pelvis and axial skeleton of Tiktaalik was likely a soft-tissue connection made of ligaments. "Tiktaalik had specialized ribs that would have connected to the pelvis by a ligament," Stewart said. "It's astonishing really. This creature has so many traits -; large pair of hind appendages, large pelvis, and connection between the pelvis and axial skeleton -; that were key to the origin of walking. And while Tiktaalik probably wasn't walking across land, it was definitely doing something new. This was a fish that could likely prop itself up and push with its hind fin." The new reconstruction of the skeleton also sheds light on specializations for head mobility in Tiktaalik and new details of the fish's pelvic fin anatomy. "It's incredible to see the skeleton of Tiktaalik captured in such vivid detail," said Neil Shubin, Robert R. Bensley Distinguished Service Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago and one of the authors of the paper. "This study sets the stage for ones that explore how the animal moved about and interacted with its environment 375 million years ago." In addition to Stewart and Shubin, the research team includes Justin B. Lemberg, Emily J. Hillan, and Isaac Magallanes at The University of Chicago, and Edward B. Daeschler at Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. Support from the Brinson Foundation, the Biological Sciences Division of The University of Chicago, an anonymous donor to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, and the U.S. National Science Foundation funded this research. Fieldwork was made possible by the Polar Continental Shelf Project of Natural Resources, Canada; the Department of Heritage and Culture, Nunavut; the hamlets of Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord of Nunavut; and the Iviq Hunters and Trappers of Grise Fiord. The French auto giant Citroen has inaugurated a new authorized dealership and workshop facility of La Maison in Mumbai. As per the official release by the brand, the facility will be operated by Garnet Motors, allowing interested customers to enjoy the service in both Andheri West and Goregaon West. The newly launched dealership at Andheri West has been developed in a total area of 2,500 sq. It will feature the companys top 4 cars on the display. When it comes to the facility in Goregaon, is spread over 10,000 sq. ft, allowing the customers to have a completely fulfilling expirence as soon as they step inside the showroom. It will also use a total of 4 cars in the display, making it easy for the customers to witness models live. Citroen Plan The decision to open of new facility in La Maison has been taken to spread the network in India and give the business a big boost. It has been reported that the company also has a plan to improve the product range, and will offer more models in the competitive SUV segment. Statement By Top Official Commenting about the new dealerships in Mumbai, Managing Director & CEO, of Stellantis India, Aditya Jairaj said The product portfolio at Citroen India is growing and we are committed to providing best-in-class services to our expanding customer base, will continue to further expand our footprint in the country. The inauguration of the new dealership and workshop facility is yet another step toward our goal of Network Expansion in 2024. The dealership and workshop are strategically located in the prime locations in Mumbai. In a move to contribute to the EV segment, and offer more choices in the section, the premium car maker Kia plans to launch two mass-market EVs in India. It has been reported that the company will introduce the products in the next 18 months. As per the details shared by the President & CEO of Kia, Ho Sung Song, the company will turn one of its hot-selling products Carens into an EV. The second model of the mass-market EVs has not been revealed yet. Expected Launch Period? Some reports suggested that it is likely to be a Clavis EV. However, the brand has not confirmed the details for the second model as yet. Both the battery-powered models are expected to arrive in the second half of next year. While talking at the Kias Investor Day 2024, Song also informed that the tech-loaded EV9 will also be released in the country later this year. By the end of 2027, the company is expected to add 15 new EVs. Newly Launch Refreshed Range Meanwhile, the Kia has launched the refreshed version of Seltos and Carens. The former has received two new additions to the fleet, while the latter now has an overall 30 variants to choose from. Talking about the new range in Seltos, the model comes with a long list of advanced features. The model gets a dual-pane panoramic sunroof, improved star map LED-connected tail lamps, similar LED headlights, paddle shifters, drive and traction control modes, a multi-functional steering wheel, and automatic climate control, among others. Refreshed Carens When it comes to the Carens, the company has added a brand-new color option, Pewter Olive. It will be available in all trims, except X-Line variants. The brand also has included a choice of 8 monotone, 3 dual-tone options, and 1 exclusive colour for X-Line. In its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections released on April 5, the Congress party has declared that if elected to power, it intends to make centrally-conducted qualifying examinations, such as the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) and the Common University Entrance Test (CUET), optional. The manifesto emphasises the necessity of ensuring that all higher education institutions, whether central, state, or private, follow standard student admissions prerequisites. Recognising the reservations made by various states, particularly Tamil Nadu, over exams like NEET, the Congress party intends to resolve these concerns. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had previously written to President Droupadi Murmu in August 2023 for approval of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Exemption Bill. Although the Tamil Nadu assembly passed the bill in early 2023, the states governor refused to sign it. Tamil Nadus stance is based on the claim that NEET violates states rights by interfering with their ability to admit students to medical colleges. Also Read| In 48-Page Manifesto, Congress Promises Nationwide Caste Census, Rs 1L to Oldest Female Member of Poor Family Apart from resolving issues with qualifying exams, the Congress manifesto delineates several other educational commitments. One key commitment is the partys promise to review and alter the New Education Policy (NEP) while collaborating with state governments, highlighting the necessity of respecting the states rights while developing education policies. This approach is in response to opposition from some states to the NEP and its implementation. Furthermore, the manifesto promises assistance to state governments in establishing Government Community Colleges in every tehsil/taluk for Class 12 graduates. These community colleges will offer a diverse range of degrees and diplomas tailored to meet the demands of industries such as hospitality, tourism, digital marketing, paramedical services, paralegal services, and basic technical skills required in the manufacturing sector. According to reports, the Congress manifesto was drafted with a special emphasis on Panch Nyay, the five pillars of justice. It also highlights Yuva Nyay, Naari Nyay, Kisaan Nyay, Shramik Nyay, and Hissedari Nyay. India is scheduled to hold the 18th Lok Sabha elections in April-May 2024, with the current Lok Sabha term ending on June 16. On March 16, the Election Commission of India (ECI) released the calendar for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which also feature assembly elections in Odisha, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh. From April 19 to June 1, citizens across India will vote for representatives from 543 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the exam schedule for the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Stage 2 exam 2024. Candidates who registered for the NIFT Stage 2 Exam 2024 can check the schedule at the official website at nta.ac.in. The NIFT Stage 2 2024 exam is scheduled to take place on April 13 in multiple shifts. The NIFT 2024 stage 2 examination will be conducted for admission into the Bachelor of Design (BDes) and Bachelor of Fashion Technology (BFTech) programmes offered by 18 NIFT campuses across the country. Candidates should download their city intimation slip and admit card for the NIFT 2024 exam through the official website of NTA at exams.nta.ac.in/NIFT/. For the B.Des (Regular) programme, the situation test will be conducted from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. Similarly, for the B.Des (Artisan) programme, the studio test will also take place during the same time slot, from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. B.Des (Artisan) programme will additionally undergo a personal interview, which is scheduled to begin from 2:00 pm onwards. For the B.Des (NLEA) programme, the studio test is scheduled from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, followed by the personal interview session commencing from 2:00 pm onwards. For candidates applying for the B.F. Tech (NLEA) programme, the technical ability test will be conducted from 10:00 am to 11:00 am, while the personal interview will start from 2:00 pm onwards. NIFT Stage 2 Exam 2024: How To Download Exam Schedule? Candidates can follow these simple steps to download the NIFT Stage 2 2024 exam schedule: Step 1: Visit the official website of NTA at nift.ac.in. Step 2: Click on the SCHEDULE FOR CONDUCT OF STAGE-II EXAMINATION FOR THE NIFT BACHELORS PROGRAMMES (REGULAR, NLEA, ARTISANS) NIFT ADMISSIONS-2024 link located under the Latest tab. Step 3: A PDF file with NIFT Stage 2 exam dates will be displayed on the screen. Step 4: Check the exam dates carefully. Step 6: Download and take a print out for future reference. Scheme/duration/medium/syllabus of examination, programme wise intake, reservation of seats, exam cities, eligibility criteria, education qualification, passing requirements, important dates, etc., relating to the exam are contained in the Prospectus hosted on www.nta.ac.in / https://exams.nta.ac.in/NIFT/ / www.nift.ac.in, the official schedule mentioned. For any queries or clarifications, candidates can call NTA Help Desk at 011-40759000 or 011-69227700 write to NTA at nift@nta.ac.in. The general elections to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha in India are set to commence on April 19, 2024. It will be held in seven phases and will continue till June 1, 2024. The results will be announced on June 4. As you may already know, only those above 18 years are allowed to vote in India. Till 1988, the age to vote in our country was 21 years but it was later reduced to 18 years. 1.85 Crore first-time voters in 18th Lok Sabha Elections As per data provided by the Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, there are a total of 96.8 crore eligible voters for this years general elections. Out of the total, 49.72 crore are male voters, and 47.1 crore are female voters. While 19.74 crore are young voters, that is, they are below the age of 29. Furthermore, 1.82 crore Indians will be voting for the first time, that is, they are aged between 18 to 19 years as of January 1, 2024. Out of this, 85 lakh are first-time women voters. As per statistics shared by CEC Rajiv Kumar, the poll authority is preparing to set up 10.5 lakh polling stations across the country that will be manned by 1.5 crore personnel, and 55 lakh EVMs. Kumar said the Commission has conducted 17 Lok Sabha elections, 16 Presidential elections, and more than 400 assembly elections. Why is 18 years the cut-off age for voting? The Sixty-first Amendment of the Constitution of India or the Constitution (Sixty-first Amendment) Act, 1988, reduced the voting age of elections from 21 years to 18 years to provide an opportunity for the youth of the country to become part of the political process in the country. Ever since there has been a debate whether the voting age should be reduced to 16 years. While some point everyone must get an equal opportunity, others say that children can be influenced easily by their parents and peers and hence doesnt make them the right fit to make decisions and vote. One Quora user by the name of Jay Kumar pointed out that the age of development and maturity in a common Indian household is far above 16. So in many cases, there is a large probability of the adolescent voters decisions being influenced or even manipulated by their familial or societal counterparts leading to the formation of voting clusters which is undemocratic. While another user, Goyal Arpit says that at the age of 18 students are more focussed on further studies leaving them hardly any time to make political decisions. If we see hardly there are youths that care about voting in India (they may be interested in political chit chat). busy with their IIT, NEET, MBA, UPSC they hardly vote up to at least 22, said Goyal Arpit. In her research article, More Than The Vote: 16-Year-Old Voting And The Risks Of Legal Adulthood, Katharine Silbaugh, a Professor at Boston University School of Law says that allowing 16-year-olds to campaign and vote may exploit adolescents when they are meant to be protected. Lowering the voting age will therefore undermine the protective commitments we make to youth in school, in the justice system, and in the child welfare system, says Silbaugh. According to a journal published by NIH NLM, in a survey conducted on Austrian citizens (where those 16 years or above can vote), the intention to turn out was relatively low among citizens under 18 in the 2009 EP election. It was lower than those between 18 and 21 while respondents over 30 had the highest intention to turn up to vote. Did you know school children can apply to vote even before turning 18? Even before attaining the minimum voting age of 18 years, school students can ask ECI to include their names in the voting list. How? As per the latest amendments made to the election laws, new voters who complete 18 years on April 1, July 1, and October 1 of any given year, and not just January 1, will be eligible for enrolling as first-time voters. Such candidates can apply in advance for the general elections. The EC had also directed the chief electoral officers, electoral registration officers, and assistant electoral registration officers to work out tech-enabled solutions such that the youth can file their advance applications. As per CEC Kumar, the EC received over 13.74 lakh advance applications from students above the age of 17 but below 18 years on January 1, 2024. Ways children under 18 can still contribute in polls Earlier in January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a virtual address, said that it is the responsibility of the young voters to help make the country developed in the next 25 years in the same way the young generation during the 25 years before Independence had for its freedom. So, till one attains the age of 18, how can one take part in polls? Interested students can start by finding out reliable information on the election, candidates, and related issues. They can also discuss with their family members, and school friends about elections and voting. However, doing thorough research work is of utmost importance before forming any opinion. Keeping track of the news events daily and Indias political landscape can provide deep insight into the upcoming general elections. One can also volunteer on a political campaign to get a first-hand experience of how polls are conducted. Students can even communities with like-minded people and discuss their views with each other. Students can also encourage their parents, and relatives to vote. Recently, schools in Uttar Pradesh have been asked to write to their parents asking them to pledge to check their names in the voter list and vote in the 18th Lok Sabha polls. Who can vote in India? Apart from being 18 years of age, candidates must be Indian citizens. Indians living overseas but resident at the address given in their passport are also eligible to vote. A person who is not a citizen of India cannot be registered in the electoral polls. Once a citizen who has enrolled as a voter, and receives a voter slip from the EC are eligible to vote. Countries where the voting age is below 18 The legal voting age in most countries is 18 years. Apart from India, the voting age in China, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, the United States, Afghanistan, and Israel is 18 years. According to WorldAtlas, the the legal voting age for Nicaragua, Scotland, Austria, Guernsey, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Cuba, and Brazil, is 16 years while for Sudan, North Korea, Indonesia, Greece, and East Timor, it is 17 years. The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) is expected to announce the Madhyamik or Class 10 results this month. According to media reports, the class 10 results are scheduled to be issued around the end of April or sometime after April 20. Once the results are issued, students can use their admit card number and date of birth as login credentials to check their scores and obtain the marksheet at the official website, wbresults.nic.in. The West Bengal class 10 examinations were held between February 2 and February 12. This year, roughly 8.76 lakh kids took the West Bengal Madhyamik exam. Students enrolled in West Bengal Board schools should get in touch with the schools administration right away if they have misplaced their admit cards. The authorities will then provide the student with the roll number and school code to check the result. West Bengal Madhyamik Result 2024: How to Check Online Step 1: Go to the West Bengal Boards official website, wbresults.nic.in. Step 2: On the homepage, find and click on the link labelled West Bengal Madhyamik (class 10) Result 2024, once the results are released. Step 3: After clicking on the link, enter the required information, including your roll number and date of birth, into the designated spaces. Step 4: After entering the required credentials, click the Submit button. Step 5: The West Bengal Madhyamik Result 2024 will be displayed on your screen. Step 7: Download and print a copy of the West Bengal Madhyamik Result 2024 for future reference. West Bengal Madhyamik Result 2024: How to Check Via SMS Students can also check their West Bengal class 10 scores via the SMS service. Students must enter their roll number and submit it to 5676750 in order to receive their results. For example, if an individuals roll number is 12345, they must send an SMS to 5676750 with the message WB 12345. Following the announcement of the results, they will receive a response with details about their scores. To pass the West Bengal class 10 board exam, which carries 800 total marks, students must get at least 34 per cent, or 272 marks.In 2023, 86.15 per cent of students passed the Madhyamik exams, often known as the WBBSE Class 10 board exam. This represented a slight decrease from 2022, when 86.60 per cent of students passed the examination. The release of the manifesto or Nyay Patra ended in hope and optimism for the Congress a note sounded by Rahul Gandhi who said: Dont forget 2004 when India was shining. Everyone doubted whether BJP under Vajpayee could be defeated. Applauding the loudest was Sonia Gandhi, the architect of the 2004 win. But will 2024 be as easy for the party? Its not only the Narendra Modi factor but also the perception being built that Congress is weakening and a few people run its affairs. The seating and the interactions exchanged were a giveaway to the turmoil within the Congress. On stage was clearly the power centre Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge flanked by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal. Its these people who call the shots and take key decisions. In fact, slogans of Rahul bhaiya zindabad, aap sangharsh karo hum aapke saath hain [Victory to Rahul Gandhi, we are with you]. Rahuls sangharsh reflects in the manifesto that talks of caste census and the right to work. But more than that, there is a promise that a Congress-led government will bring a new law for immediate disqualification in case of defections, make bail more than jail the norm, review electoral bonds, ensure an independent judiciary as well as ED and CBI. Rahul Gandhis Yatra has been about freeing India. In 2004, Sonia Gandhis pitch was about pricking a hole in a Vajpayees Shining India. It worked and Congress ka Haath Aam Aadmi ke Saath was a winner slogan. But the Congress was stronger then. A woman taking on the mighty Vajpayee captured the imagination and narrative. Allies were in awe of Congress. All this has changed now. The fact that the Congress has proposed that it would make changes in the tenth Schedule to bring immediate disqualification of defectors shows that no matter what it says, its shaken by the exodus which makes the party look like a sinking ship a far cry from the Congress of 2004. Next is the caste census stress. The Congress wants to remove the 50 per cent cap on reservation and increase it for Dalits and OBCs. When Rahul Gandhi came into politics, he wanted to usher in a fresh air and promote inclusive politics where everyone would be given a chance and, like his father, merit more than lineage or caste would matter. Many who have left the Congress or are in it cannot fathom why a party which is battling BJP is stressing on inclusive development and why a modern, liberal leader like Rahul Gandhi, who is calling the shots, is going back in time. The new pitch made by him and Kharge was that there was no level-playing field. Citing EVMs, electoral bonds and income tax troubles, the Congress, however, is unable to enthuse its own cadre with these issues. In the end, elections are won and lost due the karyakartas. PM Narendra Modi knows this very well. Facing an apprehension of workers becoming smug and complacent about a sure win, the prime minister set the 400 Paar target and addressed workers frequently. This also shows that the BJP understands the power of workers while, in the Congress, many complain of the inaccessibility of netas. Now, with the BJP and PM Modi raising the robust aggressive stand against terrorists with the Ghar Mein Ghus ke Maarenge narrative, once again the post-Pulwama slogan of 2019 has been brought to the centre stage. How will Congress counter this? Will the promise of a similar aggressive slogan against China, which is now included in its manifesto, match this narrative? June 4 is when the answers will come but it is no secret that the edge the Congress had in 2004 is clearly missing now. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Congress manifesto bears Muslim League imprint, part of it dominated by leftists. He further took a jibe at the partys poll documents and called it jhooth ka pulinda (bundle of lies). Addressing an election rally in Saharanpur, Modi said, The kind of manifesto the Congress released on Friday, reflects the same thinking that was prevalent in the Muslim League at the time of independence. The manifesto completely bears the imprint of the Muslim League and the remaining part of the manifesto is dominated by the leftists. #WATCH | Addressing a public rally in Saharanpur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, Yesterday the kind of manifesto released by Congress reflects the same thinking that was prevalent in the Muslim League at the time of independence. The Congress manifesto completely bears pic.twitter.com/g3UEf9nkkA ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2024 The prime minister further said the opposition INDIA blocs aim is to earn commission after coming to power while the BJP-led NDA is on a mission. He added the opposition alliance was fighting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections just to stop the BJP from winning more than 370 seats. During its rule, the Congress focus was on earning commissions. The INDI alliance too aims to earn commission after coming to power but the NDA and Modi sarkar is on a mission, Modi said. The opposition is fighting just to stop the BJP from winning more than 370 seats. The Samajwadi Party is changing candidates every hour while the Congress cant even find candidates to field, Modi said. The Congress does not have the courage to field candidates even in those seats which are considered its stronghold, he added. Modi said the Congress manifesto bears a Muslim League imprint and part of it is dominated by leftists. The prime minister said the INDIA bloc has become synonymous with instability and uncertainty and the people of the country were not taking them seriously. He said it is the misfortune of the country that the opposition alliance is talking about fighting against shakti. Worshipping shakti is a part of our natural spiritual journey. But, the people of the INDI alliance say their fight is against shakti, Modi said. According to the election schedule, eight parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls on April 19. These are Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. The counting of votes will be held on June 4. PM Holds Roadshow in Ghaziabad Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a roadshow in Uttar Pradeshs Ghaziabad while extending his support to BJP candidate Atul Garg. Since the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls last month, the Prime Minister conducted his first roadshow in the state and was joined by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. (With inputs from PTI) BJPs decision to field Pallavi Dempo, wife of noted Goa industrialist Shrinivas Dempo, from the South Goa Lok Sabha seat has triggered a war of words in the state, with the united opposition calling it an affront to the common man. Congress, AAP and the Goa Forward Party have claimed that Pallavi Dempo has been picked due to her influential background. Slamming the move, senior Goa Congress leader Girish Chodankar said: Giving candidature to a businessmans wife showcases how industrialists are more preferred by the BJP over loyal, faithful party workers. It seems like the BJPs grassroots-level cadre are mere contractual workers for the party because a candidate with no background in politics or social work is forced upon them. He added: First they imported leaders and MLAs from the Congress and MGP and thrust them on BJP cadre. Dempos candidature is another example. Chodankar was of the view that the Congress would benefit from the move as BJP is already trailing from South Goa as per surveys. The South Goa constituency is currently held by Congress leader Francisco Sardinha. Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai feels the BJP is only trying to take advantage of Brand Dempo to gain votes in the constituency where the party has won only twice since 1962. By nominating Pallavi Dempo, BJP Goa has admitted what the people of Goa have always believed that theres not a single party member in the entire BJP who can face voters of South Goa, said the former deputy chief minister of Goa. Till three ago, BJP was saying they are considering three names from their party Narendra Sawaikar, Damu Naik and Babu Kewlekar. Four women leaders were also spoken about. However, suddenly, Pallavi Dempos name came up. The BJP seemed to be rattled by its previous defeats in the constituency and that is why decided to ride on the fame of a noted industrialist. I have already challenged Pallavi-ji to debate with me in Konkani because we doubt if she knows our mother tongue, said Goa AAP chief Amit Palekar. Returning opposition fire, the Goa BJP said Pallavi Dempo was active in the party and had also attended several Mahila Morcha events. BJP, while assuring that the entire cadre was behind her, criticised the united opposition for delay in announcing their candidate from the same constituency. BJP spokesperson Giriraj Vernekar said, Two weeks since the BJPs South Goa candidate was announced, the Congress has failed to nominate a candidate. Pallavi has attended several Mahila Morcha events in the past and has also been a member of the BJP. Her work in the field of education and social service needs no introduction. Its not her merits that are under question, but rather, the opposition is rattled by their imminent defeat. He added: The INDIA bloc must focus on quelling internal differences and finding a candidate instead of focusing on the BJP candidate. Their disconnect with the masses will be clear on June 4 when results are out. A 45-minute hike from Rudraprayag will lead you to a remote village on a hilltop at the farthest corner of Pauri Garhwal. Gawana is the ancestral village of Indias current Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan. After the motorable roads end, a steep hike on foot will land you at the Panchayat Bhawan of the small village to which Indias highest-ranking Army officer belongs. Next to the Panchayat Bhawan is a locked house, which still adorns the Tricolour. This belongs to the family of General Chauhan. Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, this village is overwhelmingly leaning towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with even family members of Indias Chief of Defence Staff declaring: Vote toh Modi ke naam pe hi padega (our vote is for Modi). Pankaj, a young man in his late twenties, standing next to the small two-storey house told News18: We are very proud that this is the village of Indias CDS. But we are also very hurt at how the Congress abused another son of the soil General Bipin Rawat. General Chauhans predecessor, General Rawat was killed in an air crash in 2021. He belonged to Sain Gaon, which also falls in the Garhwal region. An 80-year-old bespectacled woman in the village was visibly emotional. I have lost my brother. Modi is my brother. We are his family. The free ration we eat is because of him. Why would we vote for anyone else? A young woman who is married to Chauhans family reasoned the anti-Congressism of the village. We dont like the Congress. No one from this village will vote for them. What have they done for Gawana or even Uttarakhand? Instead, they left no stones unturned in insulting us. My vote is for Modi, she said. Both she and Pankaj were referring to Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit calling the later General Rawat a sadak ka gunda (street thug), a statement the local BJP candidate, Anil Baluni, has been constantly reminding the electorate of in his campaign speeches. Another 80-year-old joined the conversation as the locals made space for her to sit. Its not that the Congress hasnt done anything in 70 years. But Modi has surpassed that in 10 years. We may live in this remote village with no shop or primary healthcare nearby, but we arent naive. A few hours before this conversation, BJP candidate Baluni had visited the village to interact with some of the locals and sought their blessings. Asked about his repeated reference to the ill-treatment of General Rawat, Baluni shot back. Look I want to point out that this is not a campaign issue. This is a matter that is related to the brave hearts of Uttarakhand, related to the land of Garhwal, he told News18. He made an emotional pitch, saying Garhwalis arent a near-dead society and that they would get riled up hearing such abuses for one of their tallest sons. While remarks against the late Bipin Rawat remain a talking point in Gawana, the absolute faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi among the locals is another reason there not a single villager who told News18 they would vote for the Congress. One of the senior-most members of the village, a lady in her late 80s told News18: Look, it is straightforward. My son lost his leg. He is differently abled. Modis schemes help run my house. Why wouldnt I vote for the BJP? As afternoon gave way to evening and the News18 crew was preparing for the way down from the village, a kind woman insisted we carry some water with us and guided us on how to take the right steps to avoid tripping up. In Hindi mixed with Garhwali, she summed up the villages sentiment: Look son, I dont understand politics. But Gawana very well understands national interest. Darjeeling: BJPs Raju Bista nearly lost the Darjeeling ticket to a former bureaucrat. Contesting Lok Sabha elections from the hills for the second time in a row, he is confident his victory margin will cross 5 lakh this time. Speaking to News18, Bista touched upon the issue of Gorkhaland demand, the understanding with Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung, and infrastructure projects in the pipeline. Accusing the West Bengal government of ditching Gorkhas and looting Darjeeling, he also lashed out TMC supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly misleading the public on the Citizenship Amendment Act. Edited excerpts: Was it difficult getting a BJP ticket from Darjeeling for the second time? Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalingpong people are not my vote bank, but my family. The BJP has a tradition here. Leaders decide things for us. They only give ticket to candidates the public wants. I am not an old politician; I am only five-years-old in politics. I have always worked for the people of the hills and the Northeast. I am thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda who knows the most about Darjeeling. The BJP does not believe in dynasty politics. Many people are interested in contesting elections, but its up to the party. Why should people vote for you again? For the first time, people are saying they want to see the sitting MP as the candidate. There are a lot of reasons for that. There are certain political issues here in Darjeeling. Eleven Gorkha communities need to be given tribal status and we have declared in our manifesto that we will offer a permanent solution. We are moving forward to that solution according to the Constitution. We have seen under PM Modis leadership that he has made the impossible possible. Thats his strength. I am sure the people here also believe that PM Modi can make things possible. As far as development is concerned, the Bengal government has looted this area. People do not like the Bengal government here because they use our resources, give us Rs 5 and that too they take back. The Bengal government considers Darjeeling to be theirs, but doesnt consider people of Darjeeling to be theirs. I did a lot of development here in the last five years. There is a four-lane road coming up to ease traffic. The 100-year-old Coronation Bridge collapsed, but there is now an alternative Coronation Bridge coming up here. A 180-km Ring Road is coming up in Siliguri. Rs 35 crore has also been sanctioned for drinking water. What is your partys stand on Gorkhaland demand? Why couldnt the permanent solution be implemented in last five years? Its not true that nothing happened on that front. Home Minister Amit Shah has done several meetings, our representatives met him. When PM Modi visited, he too, promised a resolution and we are moving towards that. People have faith in the PM. When didi (Mamata Banerjee) promises something, the opposite happens. But that is not the case with PM Modi. Gorkhas have been dominated and tortured for the last 100 years. But now they have hope and aspirations. I feel one with the community. When I go to Kolkata, they ask me are you Nepali?. We are good friends with Nepal and we have an open border. That does not mean we are foreigners. We have identity crisis here and a solution is required. Between 2024 and 2029, this problem will be solved. As far as Gorkhaland is concerned, the people of this region have been neglected. You have to hear what the people say. The Bengal government never did that and even ditched the people here. A BJP MLA from Kurseong is contesting against you as an Independent. Everybody has the right to contest. When the party decided on the candidate, he opposed the decision. Let him do whatever he wants. He became an MLA for PM Modi. He is not fighting against the party, but against the people. Its just drama, nothing serious. Anit Thapa, the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha president and head of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), says their candidate Gopal Lama will win since they won Panchayat elections along with the TMC. Whats your take on this claim? Anit Thapa knows his place. Did you see any TMC flag in the hills? They are asking for votes by hiding their flag. Gopal Lama is good, but in 2017 our people died. That blood is on Gopal Lamas party symbol. They can say anything they want. Ask them how much development they have done and they will not have an answer. They have divided the people in the name of boards. They have tried to divide Gorkhas and done nothing else. Now they are distributing money and saying whoever votes for them will get a bike. I tell the people that I will always work for them and be with them. Why you are again taking Bimal Gurungs help? Mamata Banerjee has tried to break the Gorkhas. Whats the point of another district in Kalingpong? There is only one DM and SP, and no development. I want the people to come together, thats why (Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president) Bimal Gurung supported us and we welcome it. Gurung has worked for the people. Mamata Banerjee says CAA will take away the citizenship of some people and make them foreigners? What has she done apart from misleading people? CAA gives (citizenship) right to the people and does not take it away. Mahatma Gandhi promised that during Partition but Congress did not fulfill it. Now, PM Modi is doing it. Mamata Banerjee will decide who gets citizenship? She only bats for one community. She is 110% anti-Hindu. Are you confident of winning? I will talk to you on June 4. This time, the margin will cross 5 lakh. In a warning to people posing a threat to the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not only brought Ram to the state but will also ensure Ram Naam Satya (chant used at funerals) for those who threaten society and warned that we will make the life of criminals miserable. The Chief Minister made the remarks while addressing a poll rally for BJPs Lok Sabha candidate Satish Kumar Gautam in UPs Aligarh, where polling will be held in the second phase on April 26. Earlier, no one ever thought that daughters and traders could venture out at night without worry. We ensure Ram Naam Satya (last rites done) for the danger posed to the safety of daughters and businessmen. We live our lives chanting Lord Rams name. Without Ram, nothing is possible. But when someone poses a threat to the security of society, Ram Naam Satya is also certain, Adityanath said. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister further emphasized the importance of voting for continued progress and development. What was a dream 10 years ago is now becoming a reality, and its happening because of the value of your vote. A wrong vote would have led the country into the depths of corruption. There was anarchy, curfews, and lawlessness earlier. Our daughters, our youth were under threat, Adityanath said. Earlier people thought that nothing would happen to criminals But I said that we will make the life of criminals miserable. We speak less and give more results, he added. Expressing confidence in the outcome of the upcoming elections, the UP CM stated that people have already decided in favour of a third term for the Modi government. For the first time, while the election process is underway, people are already confident about the outcome. They have already decided that it will be the Modi government for the third time (Tisri baar Modi Sarkar) If PM Narendra Modi secures a third term, India is poised to become the worlds third-largest economy within the initial three years, Adityanath said. BJPs Stand Against Crime The Uttar Pradesh CMs stance on crime echoed the sentiments of other senior BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi, while addressing a rally in Rajasthans Churu on Friday, stressed his governments stance on terrorism and said that things have changed now as the enemy knows that this is New India, which enters into enemy territories to give a befitting reply to them (Yeh Naya Bharat hai jo ghar mein ghus ke marta hai). Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reiterated PM Modis sentiments during an exclusive conversation with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi on Friday and said the BJP government will give a befitting reply to any terrorist who tries to disturb peace in India. 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 the 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. Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs, 80, to Parliament, will vote in all seven phases: April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 23 and June 1. The counting of votes for all 543 Lok Sabha seats across the country will be held on June 4. In as many as 227 Lok Sabha seats across the country, women voters outnumbered men in voter turnout in the 2019 general elections, official numbers analysed by News18 show. In terms of gap in voter turnout, Uttarakhands Garhwal and Almora stood at the top positions, with about 13 percentage point difference in the two genders. Women turnout is the percentage of women voters over female electors. In Garhwal Lok Sabha seat, women turnout was 60 per cent against male turnout of 46.61 per cent. In Almora it was 57 per cent against male turnout of 44.46 per cent. The turnout of women voters in the two constituencies was below the average turnout of women in the state at 64 per cent as well as the state average turnout of 61.88 per cent. Apart from Garhwal and Almora, there are three more Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand Tehri Garhwal, Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar and Hardwar. In 2019, the state had 78.56 lakh electoral voters of which 37.13 lakh were women. Of the total 48.61 lakh votes polled in the state, 23.90 lakh were women against 23.87 lakh men. More than 80,000 votes were postal, the data from the Election Commission of India (ECI) shows. The next three constituencies in the list were from Bihar Jhanjharpur, Madhubani and Supaul. In these three seats, women turnout was more than general turnout as well as male turnout. In Jhanjharpur, the constituency turnout was 57.35 per cent of which female turnout was 63.82 per cent and male turnout was 51.15 per cent. In Madhubani, the average turnout was 53.81 per cent. Male turnout was 48 per cent while female turnout stood at 59.98 per cent. In Supaul, women turnout was 71.68 per cent against male turnout of 60.09 per cent. Of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, 31 saw higher women turnout in 2019. Kerala, with 16 of 20 seats reporting higher female turnout, was next in line. In Odisha, 17 of 21 Lok Sabha seats had higher women turnout in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the ECI data shows. The numbers analysed by News18 also show that Assams Dhubri had the highest voter turnout, in general as well as gender-wise. Of the 18.58 lakh voters in the constituency, at least 16.85 lakh votes were polled about 91 per cent turnout. While on this seat, the women turnout (90.45 per cent) was the highest, it was not more than men (90.61 per cent). Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir was on the other end of spectrum with just 7.61 per cent women turnout. The constituency had 13.97 lakh electoral votes but only 71,575 men (9.8 per cent) and 51,274 women polled votes. The total turnout stood at 8.9 per cent. In terms of number of votes, on at least 107 seats, the votes polled by women were more than men. Further, on at least 21 seats, women voters outnumbered men by 50,000 votes with Telanganas Nizamabad showing an exceptionally high gap of 1.13 lakh between the genders. Keralas Vadakara was next in line. At least 4.85 lakh men voted in the constituency while the number of women stood at 5.75 lakh. States/UTs with better womens participation In terms of states and UTs, the best performance of women turnout was in Lakshadweep (86.78 per cent) followed by Manipur (84.13 per cent). The other states where the women turnout was over 80 per cent were: Nagaland (82.69 per cent); Tripura (81.97 per cent); West Bengal (81.79 per cent); Puducherry (81.52 per cent); Assam (81.33 per cent); Dadra & Nagar Haveli (81.17 per cent); and Arunachal Pradesh (80.78 per cent). Jammu & Kashmir, with just 43.67 per cent female turnout, had exceptionally low participation of women. However, it is also important to note that the overall voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir was also just about 45 per cent. Maharashtra (58.82 per cent); Uttar Pradesh (59.56 per cent); and Bihar (59.58 per cent) were the other three states where the female turnout was below 60 per cent. Delhi and Gujarat were slightly better with about 60 per cent turnout. Further, in as many as 17 states and UTs, the female turnout was better than the state average. In Daman & Diu, female turnout was 75.47 per cent against the state turnout of 71.85 per cent. Next was Uttarakhand. In Bihar, the average voter turnout was 57.33 per cent but female turnout stood at 59.58 per cent. The other states where female turnout was better were: Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Lakshadweep, Jharkhand, Manipur, Goa, Kerala, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, Chandigarh and West Bengal. Gujarat, Sikkim, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh were on the other end. Women turnout in Gujarat was 60.90 per cent against the state average of 64.51 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha. In Sikkim, the women turnout was 78.60 per cent against the state average of 81.41 per cent. In Maharashtra, the voter turnout was 61.02 per cent but women turnout was 58.82 per cent. In Madhya Pradesh, the voter turnout was 71.20 per cent, while female turnout was 68.67 per cent. The country is now gearing up for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls that will be held from April 19. As per the ECI data, there were 43.85 crore female voters in 2019 of the total 91 crore voters. In 2019, 61.41 crore voters cast their votes, including 29.46 crore women. This time, the total electorate of India has reached 96.88 crore. The Special Summary Revision, published with January 1, 2024, as the qualifying date, has added more than 2.63 crore new electors. The data shows that there are around 15 per cent more women (1.41 crore) added in the list than men (1.22 crore). The number of male voters has increased by around seven per cent, while females have gone up by around nine per cent between 2019 and 2024, data shows. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has summoned a BJP worker from Karnataka to inquire about the Rameshwaram Cafe blast in Bengaluru that happened in March. The questioning follows the use of a second-hand mobile phone by an individual arrested in connection with the case. Sai Prasad, BJP worker from Shivamogga district, was the original purchaser of the phone. After being questioned by the central probe agency, he was permitted to return home, according to a report by The Indian Express. Investigators said that Prasad often visited a mobile store in Thirthahalli, Karnataka, which was run by Sardar Naveed, a suspect who was investigated by the central probe agency on March 27. The BJP worker sold a mobile phone to Naveeds store. The probe also found that the phone initially bought by the BJP worker was later used by Muzammil Shareef, 30, who is the only person arrested in connection with the cafe blast case so far. Police stated that the second-hand phone used by the arrested person brought Sai Prasad under suspicion. Muzammil Shareef, from Khalsa, Chikkamagaluru, was arrested on March 26 for providing logistical support to the main accused persons. He allegedly supplied mobile SIMs and materials for making IEDs to the two main suspects. The technical analysis of phone usage led to the identification of the BJP workers phones IMEI number, sources told the publication. On Friday, the NIA identified Mussavir Hussain Shazib as the primary accused in the Bengaluru cafe blast on March 1, and Abdul Matheen Taahaa as his accomplice. The agency had conducted searches at 18 locations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh to locate and arrest other suspects. The NIA has been summoning and questioning all acquaintances, including college and school friends, of the absconding and arrested accused persons to collect evidence and information. Due to the nature of the incident, any disclosure of witness identities may jeopardise their safety and hinder the investigation. Additionally, unverified news items impede effective investigation, the agency said. (With inputs from PTI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said India will give a befitting reply to those who try to disturb peace in India. He went on to say that cross-border terrorism from Pakistan will be met with asymmetric cross-border retaliation. Singhs statement echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modis sentiments from a recent election rally, where he asserted that Indias stance on terrorism has changed under his reign and the enemy knows that this is New India, which enters into enemy territories to give a befitting reply to them (Yeh Naya Bharat hai jo ghar mein ghus ke marta hai). Both statements reflect how over the past 10 years, Indias policies on terrorism, miscreants, and neighbours, especially Pakistan and China, under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, have shifted from slow-to-anger diplomacy to a harder, more outspoken diplomacy. The Modi government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and is conveying to the international community Indias determination in its fight against the menace. News18 looks back at the times when under the Modi government, Indias top leaders spoke tough on terrorism. Addressing a public rally in Saharanpur today, PM Modi said, The stones thrown by stone-pelters in Kashmir, Modi took that stone and started building Vikasit Jammu & Kashmir Today, every Indian says, Niyat sahi to natije sahi. BJP govt works without any discrimination, we want our policies to reach everyone and for this, we have worked for 10 years. Our mantra is Saturation, which means people should benefit 100%, thats the real secularism and social justiceI gave you a guarantee that desh jhukne nahi dunga. On Friday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in a conversation with Network18s Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi about a report in The Guardian newspaper which claimed that Indian agencies had a hand in the assassination of 20 terrorists inside Pakistan, said, Whichever terrorist tries to disturb India from our neighbouring country or carries out terrorist attacks here, we will retaliate against them harshly, Singh. If he flees to Pakistan, we will enter Pakistan and kill him, he added. On Thursday, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar also affirmed Indias stance on Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir and that we will never accept that PoK is not an integral part of India. On the issue of PoK, there is a National position and not the partys position. The parliament of India has taken a united stand supported by every political party. We will never accept that the PoK is not an integral part of India. The central issue when Pakistan is concerned is terrorism, and on the terrorism issue, we as a party and the govt very clear that we will not ignore terrorism and wont look away when terrorism happens. We will deal with it, will reply and that has been our record, he said while addressing the media. In March, Rajnath Singh, while speaking at AAP ki Adalat programme on India TV, said that the people of PoK are themselves raising the demand for a merger with India and expressed confidence that the people of PoK will merge with India. PoK was ours, PoK is ours, and I am confident that PoK will itself merge with India. Singh said. During the winter session of Parliament in December 2023, Home Minister Amit Shah, while speaking in the Rajya Sabha, attacked Indias first Prime Minister of Independent India-Jawaharlal Nehru over the Jammu and Kashmir issue. Shah reiterated his accusations that it was because of the Nehruvian blunders that Pakistan could illegally occupy a portion of Kashmir, known as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), or Azad Kashmir. Jahan tak nazariye ka sawaal hai, desh ki ek bhi inch zameen ka sawaal hai, humara nazariya tung rahega, hum dil bada nahi kar sakte. No one has the right to give away a section of our land to show off their big heart, Shah had said. In a warning to people posing a threat to the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not only brought Ram to the state but will also ensure Ram Naam Satya (chant used at funerals) for those who threaten society and warned that we will make the life of criminals miserable Earlier, no one ever thought that daughters and traders could venture out at night without worry. We ensure Ram Naam Satya (last rites done) for the danger posed to the safety of daughters and businessmen. We live our lives chanting Lord Rams name. Without Ram, nothing is possible. But when someone poses a threat to the security of society, Ram Naam Satya is also certain, Adityanath said on Friday. In 2022, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, during a New York visit, took a veiled dig at China and its ally Pakistan and said, On the challenge of terrorism, even as the world is coming together with a more collective response, multilateral platforms are being misused to justify and protect perpetrators. He seems to be referring to the repeated holds and blocks on proposals to blacklist terrorists, specifically those based in Pakistan such as Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar. He also called Pakistan the epicentre of terrorism and said, The world today sees them (Pakistan) as the epicentre of terrorism. Now I know we have been through two-and-a-half years of Covid and a lot of us have brain fog as a result. But I assure you the world has not forgotten where does terrorism (emanate), who has their fingerprints over a lot of activities in the region and beyond the region. In todays evening digest, we are covering: Can Rahul Gandhi Repeat Mom Sonias 2004 Magic? Bruised by Exodus & Dejected Cadre, Congress Hopes for A Miracle; Amid Repeated Charge of AAP Leaders Worsening Health in Jail and others. Bears Muslim League Imprint: PM Modi Shreds Congress Manifesto in Saharanpur Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Congress manifesto bears Muslim League imprint, part of it dominated by leftists. He further took a jibe at the partys poll documents and called it jhooth ka pulinda (bundle of lies). READ MORE Can Rahul Gandhi Repeat Mom Sonias 2004 Magic? Bruised by Exodus & Dejected Cadre, Congress Hopes for A Miracle The release of the manifesto or Nyay Patra ended in hope and optimism for the Congress a note sounded by Rahul Gandhi who said: Dont forget 2004 when India was shining. Everyone doubted whether BJP under Vajpayee could be defeated. Applauding the loudest was Sonia Gandhi, the architect of the 2004 win. READ MORE Amid Repeated Charge of AAP Leaders Worsening Health in Jail, Tihars New Data: Gained 6 Kilos in 6 Months After Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed that jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal lost over 4 kgs in prison, the Tihar jail refuted the claim and shared Sanjay Singhs medical report which showed improvement in his health while he was in jail. READ MORE Delhi Schools Announce Extended Summer Vacation Amid Rising Temperatures As the summer has already started, the temperatures have been on a constant rise every day. All the students have been eagerly awaiting the summer vacation. Summer vacations allow the students to get an off from school due to the temperature rise. Usually, these vacations last for a month. During these vacations, students can develop new skills or go on a trip. Students will also get time to prepare for their upcoming examinations during the summer break. In Delhi, the schools will remain closed in May and June. READ MORE Rajnath Singhs Message On Terrorism Is Loud And Clear; Pakistans Response Proves It Todays India has the capability to take decisive action against terrorists, and Pakistan realizes that, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi on Friday. His message on cross-border terrorism was loud and clear. So much so that less than 24 hours after Singh spoke from News18s platform, Pakistan couldnt help but take note of his hard-hitting interview that hogged headlines at home and, clearly, sent ripples across the border. READ MORE Few People Would Have Come Back From Such Injuries: Shane Watson in Awe of Super Driven Rishabh Pant | EXCLUSIVE Each season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) brings out a plenty of inspirational stories of players overcoming odds to make it big. One such story in the ongoing IPL 2024 is of Indias wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who made his competitive return after a gap of 15 months. READ MORE A National Investigative Agency (NIA) team, who had gone to Bhupatinagar in West Bengals East Midnapore on Saturday morning to investigate a 2022 blast case at a Trinamool Congress leaders house, was attacked by villagers and bricks were thrown at a car of the investigative agencys team. The officials earlier this morning arrested two local TMC leaders, identified as Manobrata Jana and Balachandra Maity, in connection to the bomb blast case and were on their way back to Kolkata, when the vehicle came under attack. As per primary inputs, one of the cars was damaged. Locals gheraoed the vehicle and pelted stones at it. The NIA has said one of its officers was also injured, a senior police official said. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also lodged a police complaint in this regard, he added. Election Commission Seeks Report on Attack The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday sought a report from West Bengals Chief Electoral Officer over the attack on the attack on the NIA team in the state. The NIA had asked eight Trinamool Congress leaders to appear before its officers on Saturday, for questioning in connection with a blast at Bhupatinagar in West Bengals Purba Medinipur district in 2022. The leaders had skipped the earlier summons that directed them to visit the NIA office at Kolkatas New Town on March 28. Meanwhile, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh alleged that the opposition BJP is behind the NIA move. After NIA officers faced protesters during probe in Bhupatinagar, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, Why did they raid at midnight? Did they have police permission? Locals reacted in the way they would have if any other stranger had visited the place at midnight. Why are they arresting people right before the elections? What does the BJP think, that they will arrest every booth agent? What right does NIA have? They are doing all these to support the BJP. We call upon the entire world to fight against this BJPs dirty politics. West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari took to X to condemn the attack on the NIA officials. He said that the Law and Order structure of West Bengal has crumbled completely. The NIA Team, probing the Bhupatinagar Bomb Blast Case has come under attack at Bhupatinagar in the Bhagabanpur Assembly Constituency, of Purba Medinipur District.The Law and Order structure of West Bengal has crumbled completely and since the control is right now with the pic.twitter.com/7rObpoNPGK Suvendu Adhikari (Modi Ka Parivar) (@SuvenduWB) April 6, 2024 BJP leader Locket Chatterjee also strongly criticized the attack at Midnapore on Saturday. Calling it outrageous, the BJP candidate from West Bengals Hooghly said this blatant disregard for law and order is unacceptable. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress has sought an urgent appointment with Election Commission of India (ECI) over the misuse of central agencies like NIA. On December 3, 2022, an explosion ripped apart a kutcha house with a thatched roof in Bhupatinagar, killing three people. Three persons were killed in the December 2022 explosion in the house of one Rajkumar Manna in Naruabilla village, East Medinipur, West Bengal. Manna himself was seriously in the blast, along with two others, Biswajit Gayen and Buddhadeb Manna. All three succumbed to their injures later. The NIA took over the 2022 blast case on June 4, 2023 and re-registered it as RC 16/2023/NIA/DLI under various sections of law, including the Explosive Substances Act. During the course of the investigation, NIA uncovered the role of several other accused in the case, including the arrested accused, Manobrata Jana of village Naruabila, and Balai Charan Maity of Ninaruya Analberia. The two men had actively participated in the conspiracy to make crude bombs and had extended support for the same, NIA had found in its probe, which led to the recent searches and arrests. The arrested accused will be produced before the Special NIA Court, Kolkata, as per law. In a blistering attack on opposition parties, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modis leadership, significant progress has been made in developing Baba Sahebs Panchtirthas for the first time since independence. The UP Chief Minister stated that unlike past governments, the BJP administration has taken concrete steps to fulfill Baba Sahebs aspirations. Adityanath made the comment while addressing a large gathering in Nagina to garner support for Lok Sabha candidate Om Kumar and highlighted the significant changes in India under PM Modis leadership. The 500-year long wait has ended as Lord Shri Ram graces the grand temple in Ayodhya. Not only has the majestic temple of Shri Ram been completed, but the revered Panchtirthas associated with Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar have also undergone rejuvenation. Moreover, the birthplace of Saint Shiromani Guru Ravidas Ji in Kashi has been adorned with new splendor. The significance of Rams name extends beyond religious sanctity; it now stands as a shield for the security of daughters and business people. Indias transformation over the past decade serves as a beacon of hope for nations worldwide, UP CM expressed. He remarked, A decade ago, India grappled with a lack of global respect and internal security concerns, stalling development amidst rampant corruption and disregard for eminent figures. Today, under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi, a new India emerges as a global leader, earning admiration worldwide. From constructing a four-lane road connecting Bijnor to Najibabad to establishing a medical college in honor of Mahatma Vidur, tangible developments underscore the nations trajectory towards progress and prosperity. Adityanath highlighted, Under the Modi administration, 80 crore impoverished individuals nationwide receive essential food provisions, alongside complimentary Ayushman cards and Ujjwala gas connections for ten crore mothers. In stark contrast, Congress, SP, and BSP have a history of stoking unrest and sheltering troublemakers. While they imposed curfews, the BJP facilitated the peaceful Kanwar Yatra. By physically installing Lord Shri Ram in Ayodhya, the BJP has validated the faith of millions while simultaneously ensuring the security of daughters and businessmen. The choice lies with the people: perpetuate caste-based politics or support inclusive development, the CM stated. The Chief Minister praised Nagina candidate Om Kumars efforts in Lucknow, resulting in establishing a medical college and reviving the sugar mill in Nazimabad. He emphasised, The intertwined nature of development with Bijnors rich history, stressing the importance of preserving heritage alongside progress. Upholding security as paramount, the CM affirmed a commitment to combating hooliganism and ensuring the safety of daughters, businessmen, women, and farmers, refraining from divisive politics and instead prioritising public service. Highlighting the transformative impact of every vote, the CM credited the electorate for shaping the nations trajectory. The governments dedication to citizen welfare is evident in initiatives like PM SVANidhi, which supports street traders, contrasting with past regimes marked by curfews and extortion, he said. Embracing Prime Minister Modis vision of a developed India, the CM underscored the indispensable role of a developed Uttar Pradesh, with Bijnor and Naginas prosperity pivotal to the states advancement and Om Kumars leadership crucial for Naginas progress. The event saw the presence of prominent figures, including Regional President Satyendra Sisodia, District President Bhupendra Chauhan, State Minister Narendra Kashyap, Gopal Anjan, District Panchayat President Saket Pratap Singh, MLA Ashok Rana, Anoop Valmiki, Dr. Yashwant Singh, Mushiram Pal, Sheesh Ram Ravi, Satish Gautam, Subodh Parashar, CP Singh, and Lok Sabha candidate for Nagina, Om Kumar. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Saturday said more than 60 stations on its network have been co-branded with reputed corporates, Public Sector Undertakings and media companies, among others, to offer them publicity opportunity while earning revenue for DMRC. The stations include eight on Red Line, 14 on Yellow Line and 25 on Blue Line. DMRC officials said that around 150 metro stations are still available for co-branding across the network. A total of more than 60 metro stations have been cobranded so far on the DMRC network. These stations are spread across the network and the popularity of this scheme reflects the potential of the co-branding scheme. A number of very reputed corporates, PSUs, media companies, educational institutions have already associated themselves with the DMRC through this scheme, a senior DMRC official said. Almost all DMRC stations are at prominent locations near residential areas, markets, educational institutions etc. Therefore, branding opportunities at these stations provide great visibility to those who associate with the DMRC through this scheme, the official said. Presently, about 150 metro stations are still available across the network which can be co-branded, he added. For PSUs and other government establishments, the DMRC negotiates directly with them on the one-on-one basis as a result of which several prominent PSUs, banks etc. have already availed this facility and co-branded with stations, the official said. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the DMRC has laid great emphasis on such revenue generation avenues, especially since last year. The DMRC successfully organised a stakeholders interaction session on co-branding rights and collaboration opportunities in June 2023, he said. The session witnessed active participation from representatives of over 30 organisations, including media agencies, and public and private organisations with establishments in the vicinity of metro stations, the officials added. Defence Minister Rajnath Singhs assertion to News18 that cross-border terrorism from Pakistan will be met with asymmetric cross-border retaliation is being viewed as a signal of Indias unabashed public embrace of unorthodox tactics to eliminate security threats. Singh, normally reticent in his public pronouncements, was unequivocal in his response to a question by Network18s Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi about a report in The Guardian newspaper which claimed that Indian agencies had a hand in the assassination of 20 terrorists inside Pakistan. Whichever terrorist tries to disturb India from our neighbouring country or carries out terrorist attacks here, we will retaliate against them harshly," Singh, 72, said in the interview on Friday. If he flees to Pakistan, we will enter Pakistan and kill him." Although election-season language is normally stronger than usual, the context of the defence ministers statement as well as the fact that it is Singh saying it, is being perceived as open signalling by India of its intention to employ a full range of tactics to beat back terror wherever it emanates from. Singh, when asked about PM Modis statements on Indias tough approach to cross-border terror, said whatever the prime minister had said is correct (Ghar main Ghus ke maarne vali Baat) as India has that power and now Pakistan also realises this". Speaking to CNN-News18, Lt General (retired) Sanjay Kulkarni said what Singh probably meant was the reference to the surgical series in Pakistan like Balakot. Those strikes by India have put Pakistan on the back foot and Pakistan dare not to do anything mischievous as it was planning to do earlier or use terrorism as an instrument of state policy as blatantly as they were doing earlierbecause Pakistan now knows and understands that India will react if they do it again," Kulkarni told News18. Maj Gen Harsha Kakar, defence expert, said: The defence ministers comment shows the ability of the nation to strike at terror emanating from other countries, especially in the neighbourhood. It is in no way an admission that India has killed terrorists inside other countries, especially Pakistan, as The Guardian wants us to believe." BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said there has been a change in the template of response to terrorism. Big terror attacks are down now be it in J&K or Left-wing extremism. After the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, Air Chief Marshall Fali Homi Major told Manmohan Singh that they could carry out air strikes on camps in Pakistan but the Congress government gave Pakistan Most Favoured Nation status. Today, the template is Muh Tod jawab with surgical strikes in Pakistan after terror acts," Poonawalla said. PM Modi has also spoken twice about his governments approach of Ghar Mein Ghus Ke Maara in his election rallies in Bihar and Rajasthan in the last two days. 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, say political experts. The foreign ministry has denied the assertions in the article but the statements of the prime minister and the defence minister are leaving the matter open to interpretation. INDIA TALKS TOUGH ON TERROR The Narendra Modi government has adopted a zero-tolerance approach to terror, with India giving a befitting reply to Pakistan via not just military but also diplomatic channels. Recently, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, while speaking at the Pandit Hriday Nath Kunzru Memorial Lectures 2024 said, On the western front, the long-standing challenge of cross border terrorism now elicits more befitting responses. Believe me, Uri and Balakot sent their own message." At another event, while discussing his book Why Bharat Matters, Jaishankar explained how India wont talk to Pakistan if it means accepting terrorism. What Pakistan was trying to do, not now but over multiple decades, was really to use cross-border terrorism to bring India to the table. That, in essence, was its core policy. We have made that irrelevant by not playing that game now," he said. The ministers assertions underlined that while India could not choose its neighbours, interactions could no longer be dictated by tactics that the country does not stand by. In 2022, India had declared its intention for normal relations with Pakistan, contingent on a terror-free environment. This was in response to the then Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharifs overture for dialogue. Indias Ministry of External Affairs had reiterated its desire for peaceful coexistence with all neighbours, including Pakistan, underpinning the necessity of a terror-free ambience. Since then, India has emphasised that while it is open to talks, it needs an atmosphere devoid of terror and hostility as a prerequisite for any dialogue. The governments tough stance also seems to have worked on the ground as recent reports indicate a significant decrease in terrorist activity stemming from Pakistani border outposts in the last six months. According to top intelligence sources, Pakistani forces were earlier aiding terrorists with infiltration and tunnel construction apart from other activities. The change in behaviour seems to be a response to increased pressure and vigilance from Indian security forces. A senior official told News18 that terror outfits have moved their launchpads, which are now away from the actual border. Due to Indias long-range surveillance system, terror outfits are trying to hide and are moving their launchpads kilometres away from the border as a safer option. THE TRADE FACTOR Since 2019, when Pakistan-linked terrorists carried out the Pulwama attack, trade between India and Pakistan has been at a near-complete standstill. Going a step further, India stripped Pakistan of its most favoured nation" status, effectively placing a 200 per cent duty on Pakistani imports. As India revoked J&Ks special status in August 2019, an outraged Islamabad downgraded diplomatic ties and suspended bilateral trade. However, five years later, the cash-strapped neighbour is looking to revive trade ties. Recently, Pakistans Foreign Affairs Minister Ishaq Dar said the country will seriously examine" the question of resuming trade with India. Pakistani businessmen want trade to resume with India," declared Dar in a sign of the heat on the government from traders and business owners in Punjab. Indias ascendance as a global power means the country remains the fastest-growing economy in the world and is slated to become the country with the third-largest GDP in the world by 2027. As India climbs the diplomatic ladder, armed with its growing influence under the leadership of PM Modi, the neighbour has had a tough time keeping its house in order. In Pakistans financial year that ended in June 2023, more than 12 million people fell into poverty, according to the World Bank. The debt burden, combined with inflation, ever-increasing prices of essential commodities and constant attacks by Baloch rebels and Pashto militants have pushed the country to the brink, explaining the interest in resuming trade ties with India. India, however, is not keen to budge as its pre-condition of eliminating terror emanating from Pakistans soil remains unfulfilled. Also, Pakistan will have to bite the bullet and accept that the reality in Jammu and Kashmir has been permanently altered with the abrogation of Article 370 and it has no claim in the Valley. Pakistan has been insisting that the onus of improving the ties was on India and urging it to undo its unilateral" steps in Kashmir as a sort of pre-condition to start the talks. India has dismissed the suggestion and made it clear to Pakistan that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were integral and inalienable parts of the country. New Delhi has also asserted that the constitutional measures taken by the Indian government to ensure socio-economic development and good governance in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are matters internal to India. Lately, Prime Minister Modi in a post on X congratulated Shehbaz Sharif on becoming the head of Pakistans government, prompting hopes for a diplomatic thaw. Sharif responded days later with an equally curt post, thanking Modi for his felicitations. The Sharif-led coalition government came to power after the February 8 elections but it began its tenure with a dwindling economy which needs immediate improvement. A police constable allegedly died by suicide at the Unconventional Operations Training Centre (UOTC) in Nagpur on Saturday, an official said. The deceased, identified as 35-year-old Mangesh Maske, who served in the State Reserve Police Force (SFPF) Group 4, shot himself with his service rifle around 5:00 pm, said the Wadi police station official. He was on deputation to the UOTC, which is an anti-Naxal training facility of Maharashtra police. Sitting in his chair, he pointed the rifle to his chin and fired. He died on the spot, the official noted. Mangesh is survived by his wife, who serves with Nagpur police, and two children. In October last year, a constable of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) allegedly shot himself dead with his service rifle in Farrukhabad. In another incident in October 2023, a 55-year-old Andhra Pradesh police head constable allegedly shot dead three members of his family wife and two daughters- and later shot himself to death. His name is Venkateswarlu and he was working as a writer in Kadapa two town police station. He worked till 11 pm last night (Wednesday) and took a pistol and some rounds from the police station and went to his house, Kadapa sub-divisional police officer Md. Sharif was quoted by PTI as saying. (With PTI inputs) In a ruling recognising the rights of women in a live-in relationship, the Madhya Pradesh High Court said a woman living with a man for a considerable period is entitled to maintenance upon separation, even if they are not legally married. According to an NDTV report, the Madhya Pradesh HC delivered the judgement while hearing a case of a petitioner who challenged a trial court order requiring him to pay a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 to a woman with whom he had been in a live-in relationship. The HC emphasised that maintenance cannot be denied if there is evidence of cohabitation between the couple and cited the trial courts finding, which concluded that the man and woman had been living as husband and wife. The court further ruled that the birth of a child within the relationship cemented the womans right to monthly maintenance. The Madhya Pradesh High Courts significant judgement highlights the involvement of a legal landscape regarding live-in relationships in India. In February this year, Uttarakhand brought a uniform civil code, one of the sections of which made registration of live-in relationships mandatory. The Allahabad High Court, while hearing a bail application in February 2024, in a case of false promise of marriage and rape, observed that it was difficult for women to live alone after breakup in a live-in relationship. The bench of Justice Siddhartha said, It is difficult for a woman to live alone after breaking of live-in relationship. The Indian society at large does not recognise such relationships as acceptable. The woman, therefore, is left with no option but to lodge a First Information Report against her live-in partner, like in the present case. The bail application was moved by a man against whom a woman had filed a case under Sections 376 and 406 of the Indian Penal Code. The victim had alleged that the accused was in a live-in relationship with her for one-and-a-half years during which she got pregnant. However, he later refused to marry her. The world knows today that India is taking the lead in combating terrorism, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said during a public meeting in Saharanpur on Saturday, echoing BJP colleague and Defence Minister Rajanth Singhs statement to News18 that India will give a befitting response to terrorist groups even if they flee to Pakistan. Both Yogi Adityanath and Rajnath Singh were referring to 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. Two days ago a report by a reputed British newspaper attracted the attention of the world and all of us. It mentioned how terrorists were killed inside Pakistan Today the world has also accepted that terrorism is a challenge and India will lead the world in dealing with it, Adityanth said while campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. #WATCH | Addressing a public rally in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath says, "Two days ago a report by a reputed British newspaper attracted the attention of the world and all of us. It mentioned how terrorists were killed inside Pakistan. Only The Guardian can tell pic.twitter.com/0HXND8MjVL ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2024 In an interview to Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi on Friday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had said that if terrorists flee to Pakistan, India will enter the neighbouring country to eliminate them. 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 padosi desh se yadi hamare Bharat ko disturb karne ki koshish karega, yahan par yadi atankvadi harkate karega, toh uska muh tod jawab denge), Singh told News18. 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). Singh had said that 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 Modis 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. The Defence Ministers statement is being viewed as a signal of Indias unabashed public embrace of unorthodox tactics to eliminate security threats. Smt. Isha Ambani Piramal launched, Being Breast-Aware: What Every Woman Must Know, a book written by Dr. Vijay Haribhakti, Chair, Onco Sciences, Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, in an effort to raise awareness about breast health. This book is part of the global breast cancer convention, India Breast Meeting 2024, which is being arranged by the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital. The fight against breast cancer is a journey of compassion and resilience, where every act of awareness and every gesture of support becomes a beacon of hope & healing for patients and their families. With the inaugural India Breast Meeting 2024, we have tried to bring together the knowledge and experience of experts from around the world. We hope this expands the scope and quality of care for breast cancer patients. My sincere appreciation and gratitude to the entire team at Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital for spearheading this initiative and constantly raising the bar for top quality patient care and support. said Smt. Isha Ambani Piramal, Director, Reliance Industries Limited. Breast cancer has emerged as the leading human cancer and the most prevalent cancer among women worldwide and in India. In 2022, 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 670,000 died from the disease globally. This means that breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in women worldwide, accounting for 1 in 4 cancer cases. Its also the second most common cancer across all genders, and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. The book aims to give precise information by medical experts and serve as a tool to help in prevention, early detection and optimal care for breast cancer, which remain crucial to an improved survival rate as well as quality of life. To address the concerning rise in breast cancer, Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital also offers the One Stop Breast Clinic, aimed at helping any woman with a possible or proven disease of the breast get a comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment pathway within two hours. Through collaborative efforts between healthcare professionals, organisations, and individuals, the launch of Being Breast Aware: What Every Woman Must Know marks a significant milestone in the ongoing battle against breast cancer. By raising awareness and fostering dialogue, this initiative aims to reduce the burden of breast cancer and improve outcomes for women across India. The event was held on April 6th, 2024, at 6:30 PM, amidst the prestigious ambiance of The Regal Room at Trident Hotel, Nariman Point, Mumbai, In conclusion, the launch event of Being Breast Aware: What Every Woman Must Know serves as a reminder of the importance of proactive measures in combating breast cancer. As efforts towards breast cancer awareness and prevention continue, collaborations between stakeholders are vital for achieving meaningful progress in breast healthcare. World Health Day is commemorated every year on the founding day of the World Health Organisation (WHO). On April 7, annually, the day is observed in order to raise awareness about global health issues and highlight the importance of well-being. To celebrate this day, people from around the globe come together to promote a healthier world for everyone and to recognise WHOs achievements. ALSO READ: World Health Day 2024: Wishes, Quotes, Messages, Facebook and WhatsApp Status to Share WHO is an autonomous organisation that works under the United Nations (UN) to promote health-related issues globally. As we celebrate World Health Day today let us take a look at this years theme, significance of the day and about its history. World Health Day 2024: Theme The year 2024 marks the 76th anniversary of WHO and as a part of celebration WHO has chosen My Health, My Right as the theme of World Health Day 2024 which focuses on the fundamental human right: access to quality health care, education and information. World Health Day 2024: History Established on October 24, 1945 the main goal of the United Nations is to promote worldwide peace, security, and better living conditions for everyone. One important factor for better living was public health. Taking this in consideration, the diplomats who created the United Nations discussed the need for an International World Health Organisation. On April 7, 1948 the constitution of the World Health Organisation came into being. The World Health Assembly (WHA) was formed to overlook the work for the WHO. The World Health Organisation was formed by the merger of the Heath Organisation of the League of Nations and the office international dHygiene Publique and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). However, it began functioning in 1951, after acquiring sufficient capital resources. India was added to the WHO constitution on January 12, 1948. World Health Day 2024: Significance The key operation of World Health Day is to raise awareness among people about the health issues they deal with worldwide. It teaches people, organisations and governments how to address global health issues as a part of the UNs sustainable development goals. World Health Day 2024: Interesting Facts 1. WHO has worked on several issues like Smallpox, Chickenpox, Polio, TB, Leprosy etc. in developing countries. 2. Organisations that participated in WHO highlight all their activities through media like news and press releases, so that people are aware of it. 3. World Health Day is celebrated by government, non-government, NGOs and other organisations worldwide. 4. To achieve the goal of World Health Day, people in WHO hold debates between individuals about different health related topics, organise exhibits, competitions and award ceremonies. Actress Adah Sharma, known for her role in The Kerala Story, was reportedly buying a flat in Mumbais Mont Blanc Apartments, where the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput once lived. This news intrigued fans and the public in August. Sushant Singh Rajputs tragic death in 2020 shocked the nation, and his body was found in that apartment on June 14, 2020. Since then, the flat has apparently been empty. Adah has now spoken up about this news after staying quiet for some time. In an interview with Siddharth Kanan, Adah said, For now I would just like to say that I live in everyones hearts. There is a right time to speak. When I had gone to see the place, I got overwhelmed with the media attention. I am a private person. I love being in the public eye for my movies but I have always been private. I guard my privacy. Adah Sharma was saddened by some comments she saw about Sushant Singh Rajput when news broke about his apartment being sold online. She felt it was wrong to talk about someone whos no more. I also thought that its wrong to talk about someone who is not in this world, who has done such beautiful films. I dont stand for that. He is an actor who I have great respect for so I would like to put everything where he has his respect, said Adah, adding, I dont like people loosely commentingI didnt like it. I read some comments about him. I mean, you can troll me but dont troll someone who is not there or doesnt have someone to speak about them. I will speak about where I live materialistically soon, but right now I am living in the hearts of millions of people, rent-free. The huge duplex 4BHK apartment at Mont Blanc Apartments offers a stunning view of the sea and covers an area of 2,500 square feet, featuring a terrace. Situated on the sixth floor of Carter Road in Mumbais Bandra West, the apartment was advertised online by its real estate agent, Rafique Merchant, in December 2022, aiming to attract potential tenants or buyers. 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. It was earlier reported that 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. However, the director has dismissed these rumours. Taking to her handle on X, formerly Twitter, Gurinder wrote, This is NOT TRUE. NOT SURE WHERE THIS STARTED. THE SCRIPT IS STILL IN THE WORKS. ALIA AND I HAD A MEETING BOUT ANOTHER PROJECT AND I ATTENDED HER CHARITY GALA RECENTLY. Check out her post here: This is NOT TRUE. NOT SURE WHERE THIS STARTED. THE SCRIPT IS STILL IN THE WORKS. ALIA AND I HAD A MEETING BOUT ANOTHER PROJECT AND I ATTENDED HER CHARITY GALA RECENTLY.Alia Bhatt to star in Gurinder Chadhas next, backed by Disney? https://t.co/oIG3pkGb7u Gurinder Chadha OBE (@GurinderC) April 6, 2024 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 centred around an Indian princess, a project in collaboration with Disney. 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. However, Gurinder has now dismissed these rumours with her official statement. In 2022, Deadline 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. Deepika Padukone has shared yet another cryptic note amid her pregnancy. On Saturday, the mom-to-be actress took to her Instagram stories and shared a quote which talked about praying more and complaining less. Posting less. Doing more. Comparing less. Reflecting more, the quote read. Complaining less. Praying more. Discussing less. Accomplishing more, it added. Interestingly, the post comes at a time when Deepika Padukone is also expecting her first child with actor-husband Ranveer Singh. The two announced their pregnancy in February this year when Deepika shared an adorable poster with September 2024 written on it. The poster also had childrens clothes, toys and balloons as the border. Deepika and Ranveer have been married for over five years now. The pregnancy announcement came weeks after Deepika said that she wanted to have kids with Ranveer. The actress was speaking to Vogue Singapore when she said, Absolutely. Ranveer and I love children. We look forward to the day when we will start our own family. Meanwhile, on the work front, Deepika Padukone was recently seen in Fighter with Hrithik Roshan. Produced by Viacom18 Studios and Marflix Pictures, the film was a thrilling tale of courage, determination, and love, woven in a storyline filled with action and emotions. The movie delved into the life of an Indian Air Force pilot, portrayed by Hrithik Roshan, and his journey to protect his nation and loved ones. Next, Deepika Padukone has a number of projects in her pipeline. She will soon be sharing the screen with Prabhas in Kalki 2989 AD. The film also stars Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan in a key role. It will hit theatres in May this year. Besides this, Deepika will also be working on the Hindi remake of The Intern with Amitabh Bachchan. She will also be introduced into Rohit Shettys cop-verse with Singham 3. Kamal Haasan is among the biggest stars in the South film industry. He has been a part of some of the biggest films and enjoys a massive fan following. The actor is all set to star in the highly anticipated film, Indian 2. The film has been directed by popular Tamil filmmaker S Shankar and is the sequel to their superhit film, Indian, which was released in 1996. There has been a lot of hype regarding the release of the film, and the fans are eagerly awaiting to watch it in theatres. Amid all the buzz, Kamal Haasan has finally revealed the release date with a new poster. In the latest poster, the vigilante Senapathy (portrayed by Kamal Haasan) is depicted with his signature twisted finger, his hands bound in handcuffs. The creators of the poster have highlighted Senapathys relentless battle against corruption and injustice, emphasizing his policy of zero tolerance. Kamal Haasan shared the same with the caption, Gear up for the comeback of Senapathy!INDIAN-2 is all set to storm in cinemas this JUNE. Mark your calendar for the epic saga! #Indian2 . Take a look: Kamal Haasan-starrer Indian 2 has been creating buzz since it was announced, back in 2018. The filming started in 2019. Due to various reasons, including overshooting of budget as well as an unfortunate accident on set that resulted in the death of a crew member, the film was put on hold for years. Further, the Covid-19 pandemic caused an additional delay in the project. Later, the shooting was also postponed due to a clash of opinions between Lyca Productions and films director S Shankar. After a long wait and settling all the issues, Indian 2s filming has finally come to an end reportedly. In an interview with The Hindu, Kamal Haasan, who was last seen in the 2022 movie Vikram, said that he has completed shooting for Indian 2 and Indian 3. He said, I cant make up for the lost time. Also, we cannot speed up production as the quantity doesnt matter, quality does. We have completed Indian 2 and Indian 3. The post-production work of Indian 2 is currently happening. We will start work on Indian 3 post-production after we finish it. Indian 2 stars a huge cast including Siddharth, Kajal Aggarwal, Rahul Preet Singh, Samuthirakani, Bobby Simha, and Priya Bhavani Shankar. Reportedly, Shankar has also brought to life on-screen departed actors Vivek and Nedumudi Venu through CGI and body doubles. Jacqueline Fernandez has set the stage ablaze with her sensational dance moves in the stunning Yimmy Yimmy music video. The dynamic dance track, within weeks of its release, has emerged as a chartbuster with people playing it on a loop. As the song continues to captivate music enthusiasts across the world, a video of Jacqueline has surfaced on the Internet. It shows the actress practising her dance moves for the song. Jacqueline flaunted her hot dancing moves while the song, Yimmy Yimmy played in the background. She was joined by two other dancers while practicing her heart out for her music video. The Kick actress sported bold expressions while she flawlessly executed the choreography. For her dance rehearsals, the actress was dressed in a white ensemble. Her cute fitted crop top featured a square neck and elegant full sleeves whereas white skorts appeared comfy, allowing her to rehearse with ease. With her hair tied in a sleek ponytail, the diva looked cute as ever. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani) Earlier this week, another video of the actress showcasing her sexy dance moves started being widely shared on the Internet. This began after a user on Reddit revisited the time the actress set the internet on fire with her pole dance. In the video, Jacqueline can be seen wearing a pair of orange shorts and a pink crop top, while flaunting her pole dancing skills. It needs to be noted that Jacqueline, in 2021, had revealed that she had been pole dancing for a few years now. Meanwhile, Jacqueline has a series of films in her kitty. She will be soon making her appearance in Vaibhav Mishra directorial Fateh. In the film, she will share screen space with Sonu Sood. Additionally, the actress is also filming for Welcome To The Jungle. The star-studded film will feature Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Disha Patani, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Jacqueline Fernandez, Paresh Rawal, Krushna Abhishek, Arshad Warsi, Daler Mehendi, Shreyas Talpade, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Tusshar Kapoor, Mika Singh, Zakir Hussain, and Kiku Sharda in the lead role. Apart from these, the actress is also reported to be a part of an unannounced project with Jio Studios which will be released later this year. If there is anyone who can play a happy-go-lucky diva perfectly then it is Kareena Kapoor. Her role as Geet in the romantic comedy Jab We Met has become a cult favourite since its release in 2007. One of the most popular dialogues from the film is Mai Apni Favourite Hu, meaning I am my favourite. This small but powerful dialogue has been adapted by cinema lovers as a slogan of self-love. Recently, Kareena Kapoor indulged in a series of AMA-format Instagram Stories. When a fan asked her How are you so fab at everything? The multiple Filmfare-winning actor shared a still from Jab We Met in which her character Geet says, Mai Apni Favourite Hu. While sharing this still, Kareena sassily adds, Dont ever forget that. Over the years, Kareena has spoken multiple times about how Jab We Met changed her lifes trajectory in the least expected way. In a 2020, interview with Film Companions Anupama Chopra, Kareena said that she was approached by actor Shahid Kapoor to do Jab We Met even though the couple had broken up recently. However, Kareena took the advice and agreed to do Jab We Met. She recalled, In fact it was Shahid who actually said that I should hear this script of this film. He was like, Its amazing, the girls part is amazing and you should do it. He kind of actually got this entire project together and both of us ended up doing this film. Kareena was parallelly shooting Tashan alongside Jab We Met. She told Anupama Chopra that since Tashan was a big-budget film, she had hoped it would give her career a boost. For Tashan, she also worked hard to get the size zero figure. Incidentally, Jab We Met, which was made on a much smaller budget and was director Imtiaz Alis second film, went on to become a hit. On the other hand, Tashan tanked despite its A-list ensemble cast and directorship of Vijay Krishna Acharya, known films like Guru and the Dhoom franchise. Talking about this unexpected turn of events, Kareena retrospectively said that she credits Jab We Met for reviving her career and thanks Tashan for introducing her to the love of her life, Saif Ali Khan. Kareena and Saif started dating in 2007 after meeting on the set of Tashan. They eventually got married in 2012, and now have two kids. Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran, currently seen in Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life), shared his thoughts on nepotism in a recent chat. He admitted that his surname helped him get his first film without any audition. He also talked about his relationship with Dulquer Salmaan, both being sons of famous actors. Prithviraj said that in Kerala, they are all pretty much Nepo kids. In Kerala, we live quite close to each other, and we are all well Nepo kids. I have had it easy to come into the industry. I got my first film only because of my surname. Someone thought I would make a good lead actor because I was so and sos son. I wasnt even screen tested. I owe my first film only to my surname, nothing else, the actor said in an chat with Mashable India. He added that he owes his first film to his surname. He said, But I owe only my first film to my surname because in cinema, the thing is, you could be anybodys son or daughter, but youre being evaluated by the public that coming Friday. If youre not good enough, youre not good enough, thats it. You cant be protected. You cant be protected by the board of directors. You are out there to be judged by the public and youll have to face them. But having said that, I repeat, yes, Ive had it easy to get into the industry. Meanwhile, Aadujeevitham is receiving praise worldwide for its touching story and outstanding performances, especially by lead actor Prithviraj Sukumaran. Directed by Blessy, its leaving a lasting impression on audiences. Among the admirers is celebrated ISRO scientist and Padma Bhushan awardee Nambi Narayanan, who hopes the film wins an Oscar, considering it one of Prithviraj Sukumarans standout works. Apart from Prithviraj Sukumaran, the film stars Jimmy Jean Louis and Amala Paul in supporting roles.The film has been in the making for almost 16 years. It was first conceptualised in 2008 by Blessy and Sukumaran had agreed to play the part later that year. Sonam Bajwa sizzles on Instagram with her latest captivating pictures. Known for sharing glamorous photos and videos, the actress has once again turned up the heat on social media with a fresh set of stunning images. On Saturday, Sonam took to her Instagram handle and dropped a bunch of pictures of herself, wearing a blue knotted asymmetric dress. The actress raised the temperature with dewy makeup, glossy lip colour, as she struck several poses for the shutterbugs. She wrote, Calm and chaotic . Clicked by @aviraj (also Happy birthday again ) Hair @little_hair_poetry Styling , creative direction and make up by me . Take a look: Sonam has over 13.6 million followers and doesnt shy away from treating fans with stunning photos from her photo shoots. She also keeps fans posted about her whereabouts. Recently, she revealed that she was on a break. Sonam shared a photo from on board a flight. In the flight, she was seen enjoying a cup of tea and was reading a book titled, It Starts With Us, by Colleen Hoover. She shared the post with the caption, Some long flights have been therapeutic for me lately . Such an amazing way to connect with yourself when you are disconnected with the world. Haina ? Sonam Bajwa is a popular name in the Punjabi film industry but she is yet to make her Bollywood debut. Speaking with News18 Showsha recently, Sonam said shes got offers from Bollywood. Offers have been coming my way but it will happen when its meant to happen. I dont want to do things here just because I should. I want to do something very, very nice because Im also representing the Punjabi film industry. So, I know that my fans expect a lot out of me and I want to do justice to them when I come in as a Punjabi film actor, she told us. Sonam Bajwa has also been making the headlines recently for her rumoured marriage with a Delhi-based pilot Rakshit Agnihotri. According to a report by ETimes, the news first broke out on Reddit, where social media users claimed that the actress got hitched to her beau in September 2020. Reportedly, they have been married for three years. The speculated pair are yet to confirm their marriage. Bishop Robert Caldwell, the Church-ordained missionary, had nearly three centuries worth of past masters to guide him. The first is the well-known fraud, the Roman Brahmin, Roberto Di Nobili (1577-1656) who used the sacred Sanatana city of Madurai for his soul-harvesting activities. But more than Nobili, it was his worthy successor, the Italian missionary Constantius Beschi (1680-1743) who decisively changed the direction, focus, and tactics of harvesting Hindu souls in Tamil Nadu. Beschi was well-versed in Sanskrit but he consciously avoided using Sanskrit terms in his Tamil compositions in praise of St. Joseph, for example. Pompously titled Thembavani (The Unfading Garland), he describes it as an ornament of poems as sweet as honey (sic). It contains 3615 stanzas tracing the history of Salvation and the life of St. Joseph. Beschi is perhaps the first Italian missionary to sow the seeds of Sanskrit destruction in the Tamil Desam. He wrote a series of Tamil grammar and linguistics, profusely praising the grandeur and greatness of this ancient language. Beschi is also the first European scholar of the Tamil language who elaborately delineated the distinction between chaste and colloquial Tamil and expounded in detail on Tamil classical literature. With this, Beschi had laid sturdy foundations, which have endured till date i.e., for more than three centuries. Cut to the1920s. Dravidian politicians suddenly rediscovered Beschi and hailed him as a great model of a European who had been so impressed by the sophistication, beauty and intricacy of the Tamil language, that he devoted his entire life to mastering it. Along with Caldwell, Beschi is another figure greatly revered in the annals of the Dravidian myth-making ideology. It elevated him to cult status, christening him as Viramamunivar (literally: The Warrior Sage). On January 2, 1968, the DMK government erected the statue of this Viramamunivar on Marina Beach. It is equally unsurprising that in 1954, a certain Thomas Srinivasan wrote a laudatory article (Beschi, the Tamil Scholar and Poet: Tamil Culture Vol III, 1954) on Beschis contribution to Tamil. The enduring foundations laid by Beschi would eventually demolish the Sanskrit Department of Presidency College, Madras, after India attained independence. Almost since its inception, the department had been sanctified by a distinguished lineage of extraordinary Sanskrit scholars including Sri Rangacharya, Kuppuswami Sastri, and P.P. Subramhanya Sastri who all left behind an equally illustrious scholarly progeny such as C. Kunhan Raja, V. Raghavan, T.N. Ramachandran and others. But it took about a decade for the Dravidianists to annihilate this glorious legacy root, branch and leaves. In the heydays of his violent, streetside Dravidian activism, EV Ramasamy Naicker issued a public declaration: When we think of ourselves as Sudras, we accept ourselves as the sons of prostitutes. The fact that he is still hailed as Periyar (The Elder or Respected One) by a significant chunk in Tamil Nadu is deeply reflective of a celebration of cultural destruction. A glimpse into the overall history of Tamil cinema offers innumerable and continuing proofs of this fact. Ramasamy Naicker achieved his triumphs with greater speed and success where his senior and junior contemporaries had failed because he employed a simple device that his predecessors had been hesitant to use: the brazen deployment of violent and obscene language in public. Even here, Ramasamy Naicker showed no originality. He directly plagiarised the tactics of Lenin who infamously extolled the effectiveness of sticking the convicts badge on your opponent as a method of circumventing serious intellectual debate which he was destined to lose. The calculated destruction of Sanskrit in Tamil Nadu was the direct and associative outcome of inveterate Brahmin hatred espoused by the Dravidianists. From the start, the Dravidianists adopted a scorched earth policy of destroying everything that could remotely be considered Brahminical: the Sanskrit language and literature, temple traditions and social customs. But the most effective imaginary enemy that they created and vilified was Sanskrit: specifically, Sanskrit as opposed to Tamil. Apart from Ramasamy Naicker, other major players of the so-called Self-Respect Movement and later the Justice Party, included J.N. Ramanathan, son of Nallaswami Pillai (author of Sivajnana Bodham), and J.S. Kannappar who had publicly burned copies of the Manusmriti in Madurai. They quickly understood the power of organised violence. In all the violent incidents that they unleashed, there is an echo of a famous proverb regarding the successes of Islamic invasions into India: while the Hindus were busy brushing up theological and philosophical arguments, the warriors of Islam were busy sharpening their swords. And here, the Dravidianists were busy writing inflammatory pamphlets and delivering provocative speeches against Brahmins, Sanskrit, Hindu deities, Puranas, etc. One such disgusting pamphlet that appeared in 1929 was titled the Visittira tevarkkal korttu (The Wonderful Court of Hindu Deities). It used the literary device of a court of law in which revered Hindu deities were put on trial and cross-examined for the various sexual and violent crimes they had allegedly committed against the non-Brahmins, and harsh punishments were imposed on them. The pamphlet concluded that the entire Hindu religion was a mass of superstition and had to be wiped out from the Tamil land. Sure enough, riots and arson erupted in various parts of Tamil Nadu at regular intervals during the first two and half decades of the twentieth century, all thanks to these brazen tactics of the Dravidianists. The Dravidianists couldnt have achieved the kind of success they did without the tacit and at times, open support of the British, not to mention the Christian missionary apparatus, which was rubbing its hands in glee at the kind of brood that Caldwell had spawned. At the root, Robert Caldwell, like his predecessors, had the destruction of Brahmins in mind because they formed the chief obstacle to his conversion project. But he masked this sinister intent by announcing that what he was really doing was scholarly work in Tamil linguistics. But by using linguistics as a pretext, he manufactured the spurious sociological equation that Brahmins=Aryas=evil north Indian invaders=oppressors of Dravidians. To be continued The author is the founder and chief editor, The Dharma Dispatch. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. With the first phase of polling in the Lok Sabha elections only a few days away, let it not be said that the Congressthe countrys main Opposition party and also its oldest political outfithas not been doing enough. In fact, demonstrating remarkable farsightedness by anticipating its defeat, it has readied a list of alibis to explain the coming loss. Not just that, off and on, it has been harping on those reasons. The need for adopting such a tactic is simple. If it had unleashed all those causes after June 4 (result day), it would have been accused of giving excuses post the loss. By its querulous complaints in the run-up to the elections, the Congress is preparing the ground for the I told you so moment once the outcome is known. Consider some of the reasons. The first is the Congress partys ire against the electronic voting machines (EVMs). Since its massive 2014 electoral loss, and again in 2019, senior leaders of the party (and a few more from other Opposition ranks) have been condemning the use of EVMs, for they believe that the machines played a role in their previous defeats. In their opinion, EVMs are suspect for two reasons: one, they are susceptible to malfunctioning; and two, they can be manipulated in the BJPs favour. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has repeatedly given detailed responses to show that the fears over the EVM are baseless, but the Congress refuses to be convinced. More recently, its senior leader Jairam Ramesh wrote to the ECI, seeking an appointment with the poll body to discuss the matter and the connected issue of voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT). The ECI replied that the literature on everything that the leader raised was already in the public domain and that the material included 85 frequently asked questions on the machines and VVPAT. It reminded Ramesh that the rules governing VVPAT had been introduced by the Congress-led government in August 2013. The ECI further said that issues relating to tampering, hacking, micro-controlling, end-to-end verifiability, technical competency, manufacturing, source code, etc, had also been earlier addressed. Given the large margin of seats that the BJP won in the 2014 and the 2019 general elections, a paranormal effort would be required to manipulate the EVMs across the country. Consider the following: there are 968 million registered voters, more than a million polling booths, and 5.5 million EVMs to be deployed in the coming general elections. How can a party, even as large as the BJP, fix so many machines across the country, and more so when elections are to be held in several phases on different dates? More recently, the Congress has cried foul over the arrest of some Opposition leaders who are part of the INDIA bloc, which has taken on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The bloc partners held a joint rally in Delhi on March 31 against the government. The Congress says that the BJP, scared of losing power, has got these leaders arrested on trumped-up charges. With the Opposition behind bars, the BJP will have snuffed out the challenge to its win-at-any-cost plot. This is the second excuse. Lets look at three main INDIA bloc leaders arrested in recent weeks: Arvind Kejriwal of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Hemant Soren of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), and K. Kavitha of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). Neither of them can influence electoral results pan-India. Kejriwals area of influence is primarily Delhi and Punjab, Sorens is limited to Jharkhand, and Kavitha is barely known to voters outside of Telangana. It is difficult to imagine how they can, free from prison or otherwise, take on the BJP and Prime Minister Modi across the country. This brings us to the third argument the Congress has forwarded. Which is that investigations agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are being misused to target important leaders opposed to Modi, and thus discredit them and clear the arena for an easy BJP victory. If the ED and the CBI are indeed misusing their powers, the courts will take them to task. If the charges they have levelled against the leaders are false and without evidence, the courts will exonerate the accused with honour. As for countering perceptions, the Opposition parties have as much space as the BJP to correct the impression, and they have been using that opportunity. The Congress and the others have pointed out an extraordinary situation where only Opposition leaders have been found to be allegedly involved in corrupt deals, while none from the BJP or its allies even though there may have been cases of wrongdoing against them has been acted against. This is a conversation that can be had separately. That said, the what-about-them argument cannot shift focus from the accusations that have resulted in the leaders mentioned earlier, finding themselves behind bars, and being denied bail by the courts. The Congress party has most lately discovered another excuse for its impending defeat. It claims that the action by the Income Tax Department to freeze its bank accounts, was plotted by the ruling BJP to cripple its election campaigning and disrupt the level playing field. The facts of the case tell a different storythat of an arrogant party which refused to follow the law of the land and consequently landed in a soup. This, in a nutshell, is what happened in a recent case (there is more than one case): The Congress party had sought a stay on the collection of tax demanded for the assessment years 2018-19. The matter went to the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, which dismissed the partys request because the latter failed to present a convincing reason for its appeal. Various opportunities were given by the IT authorities to the party to clear the amount. At one point, the tax authorities offered the party an option to deposit 20 per cent of the disputed amount involved in the pending appeal, but the Congress refused to comply with this reasonable suggestion. Finally, the matter reached a crisis point, leading to the so-called freezing of the accounts. The Congress went to the court against the move, but received no relief. Incidentally, they have reportedly now been slapped with more fresh cases. While the Congress and other Opposition parties have presented several more, similar sounding excuses, the one that cannot miss the mention is the following: The BJP is using the double whammy of money power and the threat of probe agencies to lure away several senior Opposition leaders to its side, to ensure the Opposition partys defeat. This analysis is problematic because its not absolute. What money power or the threat of agencies prompted someone of the like of Jyotiraditya Scindia or RPN Singh or Jitin Prasada or Captain Amarinder Singh to quit the Congress and join the BJP? Why did Milind Deora leave the grand old party and come to the Shiv Senas (Shinde) side? Why did Baba Siddique quit the Congress and go over to Ajit Pawars Nationalist Congress Party? A few days ago, a horde of Congress leaders from Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan made the BJP their new home. Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad, having been with the party since the 1970s, had earlier left to launch his own outfit. Was it money or the threat of investigation agencies that prompted him to rebel? The fact is that the Congress party, because of its insipid leadership, lack of fresh, forward-looking ideas and concepts, and driven by a negative mindset, has been unable to retain many of its stalwarts. It is these drawbacks that have led to the erosion of public trust in the party. Instead of addressing the inherent problems, the Congress is busy concocting excuses in the garb of saving democracy and saving the Constitution. The writer is an author and a public affairs analyst. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. On April 4, The Guardian came out with a report with the headline Indian government ordered killings in Pakistan, intelligence officials claim. The article went on to state that this was a wider strategy to eliminate terrorists living on foreign soil and backed this by interviews and documents shared by Pakistani investigators and said that this is part of an emboldened approach to national security after 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. We could not stop the attacks because ultimately their safe havens were in Pakistan, so we had to get to the source, The Guardian quoted one Indian intelligence operative as saying. The investigative report said it had seen evidence provided by Pakistani security agencies, and noted that Indian officers confirmed the new policy of assassinating enemies and dissidents on foreign soil. The report also cited unnamed senior officials from two separate intelligence agencies in Pakistan as saying that Islamabad suspected Indias involvement in almost 20 killings since 2020 carried out by unknown gunmen in Pakistan. Indian Statements The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has categorically denied the report by The Guardian, reiterating an earlier statement made by Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, affirming that targeted killings in other countries were not the policy of the Government of India and that they were part of an orchestrated attempt at false and malicious anti-India propaganda. While speaking to News18 on April 5, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, If he [terrorist] flees to Pakistan, we will follow him and take him down on Pakistani soil. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken the truthIndia has the capability and Pakistan has also started understanding that. Singh asserted that those trying to foment trouble in India will get a befitting reply. Pakistans Response The Pakistan Foreign Office in a statement has said that Indias assassination of Pakistani nationals on Pakistani soil was a clear violation of the countrys sovereignty and a breach of the UN Charter. The Pakistani statement of course does not disclose the fact that most of the terrorists killed have been involved in acts of terrorism and that Pakistan has denied sheltering them. Incidentally, Dawood Ibrahim continues to live in Karachi and Osama Bin Laden was targeted in Abbottabad by the US on May 2, 2011, at a time when Pakistan was partnering with the US and receiving a large amount of aid from them in the war against global terrorism. At that time, President Obama had said, Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So, his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and dignity. The Pakistan Foreign Office in a statement has condemned what it describes as provocative remarks made by the Indian defence minister. However, they remain quiet using terrorism as an instrument of state policy. The use of proxies was first witnessed in October 1947 in Jammu and Kashmir, then during Operation Gibraltar in 1965 and thereafter post the humiliating defeat suffered by Pakistan in 1971, they focused on deterring India with nuclear weapons and bleeding India with a thousand cuts. This doctrine was attempted during the Punjab insurgency and then in the Kashmir insurgency under General Zia ul Haq with the code name Operation Topac. Today, faced with increasing terrorist strikes within Pakistan and the elimination of its home-bred terrorists, the nation needs to introspect. Their fault lines are increasingly being widened and exposed and their security lapses within the intelligence and law-enforcement agencies are more visible. Pakistan is seen by many to be in a state of collapse, a country in an abyss. This has been compounded by a declining economy and poor governance. The World Today This latest development highlights the complex dynamics and ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan at a time when the world is facing increasing threats from terrorism. Pakistan itself has lately carried out intelligence-based aerial strikes inside Afghanistan to punish terrorists responsible for killing hundreds of civilians and security forces in cross-border raids. On January 16, Iran had carried out unilateral strikes in Pakistan, against Pakistani-based terrorists. 48 hours after the attack, Pakistan conducted retaliatory strikes inside southeastern Iran, targeting what it described as terrorist hideouts. The Hamas attack launched on Israel on October 7 and the war that Israel has waged on the Gaza Strip ever since, which has resulted in unprecedented collateral damage, and the recent ISIS attack in Moscow which led to the death of over 130 innocent civilians, has once again shown the havoc terrorists can wreak on society. Terrorism, today, has taken such a formidable form that its effects are visible across geographies and in the virtual space. Terrorism remains a diverse and dynamic threat in a volatile, complex, uncertain and ambiguous environment. The threats include ideologically motivated violent extremists, and a complex mix of nationalist, ethnically motivated groups and individuals who are prone to radicalisation. Technological change is accelerating, with cyber and drone technologies all contributing to the constantly shifting landscape. Technology is also impacting global terror financing. The increasing use of virtual assets, encrypted messaging and untraceable cryptocurrency are some of the emerging fields that terrorists are utilising. Conclusion The statement by Rajnath Singh, and Indias surgical strikes following Uri and at Balakot are a signal of its strategic intent, ability and willingness to respond strongly to terror attacks carried out on its soil. Pakistan needs to ensure therefore that cross-border terrorism is not at the forefront of its policy. The larger question which remains is how the elimination of terrorism and terrorists should be approached when there is a country harbouring terrorists on their soil. Eliminating terrorist networks requires a re-examination of strategies. Use of force has been witnessed in the US-led coalition intervention in Afghanistan post 9/11 and by Israel both in Lebanon against the PLO and currently in Gaza. However, there will be critics who will state that unilateral actions erode moral capital and weaken democracy. Terrorism remains one of the most significant threats to peace, security and stability. There is thus a need to build global consensus to degrade and defeat terrorism. The author is an Army veteran. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Congress over its president Mallikarjun Kharges misspoken Article 371 mention. Earlier in the day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge appeared to have criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modis mention of Article 370 in an election rally in Rajasthans Churu. Yesterday PM Modi addressed a rally in Rajasthans Churu. There are a lot of issues related to the farmers. The farmers are suffering and thousands of them have died by suicide. Instead of speaking about their issues, PM said he removed 371. What do the people here have to do with it? Kharge said. In an X post, Home Minister Amit Shah called out Mallikarjun Kharge, who said Article 371 instead of Article 370 saying it was only expected of Congress to make such horrendous mistakes. Such blunders made by it have haunted our nation for decades now, Shah wrote. The Home Minister also noted how it was shameful to hear that the grand old party is asking what connection the people of Rajasthan have with Kashmir. It is shameful to hear that the Congress party is asking, Kashmir se kya waasta hai? I would like to remind the Congress party that J&K is an integral part of India, and every state and citizen has the right over J&K, just as the people of J&K have the right over the rest of India, Shah wrote in an X post. He further said the Congress doesnt know that many brave sons of Rajasthan have sacrificed their lives for peace and security in Kashmir. But it is not merely the fault of the Congress leaders. It is mostly the Italian culture of the Congress party that is to blame for not understanding the very idea of India. Such statements hurt every patriotic citizen who cares for the unity and integrity of the nation. People will certainly answer Congress, he added. BJP national president JP Nadda called Kharges remark a typical Congress mindset. Another day, another gem from Congress! Kharge Ji displays the typical Congress mindset which wanted Jammu and Kashmir to remain disconnected from the rest of India. He doesnt even know that that Article in question is Article 370 and not 371! Nadda wrote in an X post. Jammu and Kashmir will remain an integral part of India. And, the removal of Article 370 is very much linked to national pride and the unity as well as integrity of India. Congress will never understand such emotions, he added. Another day, another gem from Congress! Kharge Ji displays the typical Congress mindset which wanted Jammu and Kashmir to remain disconnected from the rest of India. He doesnt even know that that Article in question is Article 370 and not 371!Jammu and Kashmir will remain an pic.twitter.com/JMy6zUFGpf Jagat Prakash Nadda (Modi Ka Parivar) (@JPNadda) April 6, 2024 BJP leader Amit Malviya called it a sad state of affairs that the Congress president thinks abrogation of Article 370, is not a national issue. Sad state of affairs, when Congress President Kharge thinks that abrogation of Article 370, is not a national issue. Post independence, Indias unification remained an unfinished task because of Article 370, which was not just unconstitutional but even undemocratic. Congress is dangerous for the idea of Bharat, Malviya wrote in an X post. In the name of Ram, the ruling BJP is spreading the communal agenda of Nathuram, Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar has said, and asserted that vyaktivaad (individualism) is more dangerous than parivarvaad (dynastic politics). In an interaction with PTI editors at the news agencys headquarters here, he also said there was an effort to belittle the contribution of the Gandhi-Nehru family. Kumar claimed that the BJP was making an attempt to reduce the greatness of the Hindu religion, asserting that in Rams concept there is no scope of hatred towards anyone. Asked how the Congress and the INDIA bloc would deal with what many perceive as a wave over the Ram temple construction in Ayodhya that could benefit the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, he said, What is the need for the Congress to deal with it? There is nothing wrong if there is a wave of Lord Ram in the country, it would have been wrong if there would have been a wave of Nathuram (reference to Mahatma Gandhis assassin Nathuram Godse) in the country. I think what the BJP is propagating, it had no role in it. Ram ji was in Treta Yug, the BJP was formed in 1980. The BJP is engaged in how to dupe those people who believe in Ram, so, Rams name (naam) is taken but actions (kaam) are of Nathuram. This game benefits the BJP, the Congress leader said. This is against the history, culture and the future of the coming generation of the country, he added. Kumar said the concept of Ram is ingrained in the country with people and places named after him. You cannot reduce him to a place. In other religions, a particular place is very important but in Hindu religion all places are important and all Gods are important. Ram is as important as Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. So Hindu religion is different from other religions, he said. What has happened is that those who believe in the Hindu religion are being duped for the sake of political gain, Kumar said, slamming the BJP. Attempts are being made to reduce the greatness of the religion. In Ram jis concept there is no scope of hatred towards anyone, he said. He said the whole Ramayan is about the way of life and explains what is ethical and what is unethical. Ram and Ramyana are not just in one form but in several forms, he noted. If you talk of Ramayan, there is Tulsidas jis Ramayan and Valmikis Ramayan and there are many tales that our different in them, there are hundreds of other Ramayans in this countryThis countrys culture and history is associated with Ram. The only concerning thing is that by taking Rams name, Nathurams communalism and divisiveness on the basis of identity is being spread as a political ploy which is dangerous, Kumar alleged. Rams name has been there since Treta Yug, it has been there before BJPs birth and it will continue till beyond BJPs end, Kumar asserted. On allegations of the Congress being a dynastic party, he said there was an inherent bias in such a statement. There is a bias and a deliberate attempt to ridicule the background of a particular family, he said. On the allegation of parivaarvaad on the Congress, I would like to ask that is it just limited to the Gandhi-Nehru parivaar or it is applicable to other leaders as well? If it is applicable to other leaders as well then I have a direct question Till the time Jyotiraditya Scindia was in Congress, he was parivaarvadi but as soon as he crossed over to the BJP, he has become rashtravadi, samajwadi and sanghvadi? Kumar said. Be it any sector, from business to film industry to academia (it is there), so either we are all parivaarvadis or if it is wrong, it should wrong for everyone. It cant be that Congress parivarvaad is wrong and BJPs is right, Kumar said. He cited the examples of BJP leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad, Piyush Goyal, Anurag Thakur and BCCI secretary Jay Shah, pointing out that with their fathers having been or in politics, it amounts to dynasticism. He said the contribution of the Nehru-Gandhi family was being underestimated despite two prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi having given their life for the country. In this day and age when people retweet for the Congress in the night and switch sides the next morning, two PMs gave their lives. What was the need for Nehru to stay in jail for 15 years, he was Motilal Nehrus son. So the sacrifice and contribution of that family has been reduced, he said. Kumar argued that vyaktivaad was more dangerous than parivaarvaad. Modi ji decided that Shivraj Singh Chouhan will not be CM, (former Haryana CM)Khattar Sahab slept as CM and woke up to know that he is not the CMwhere these decisions are being taken? This is worse than parivaarvaad, individualism is more dangerous with one person taking all decisions, he said. On him being interested in contesting from Begusarai again but the seat going to CPI in alliance, Kumar said one always wants to tread the path that he or she has earlier walked on. When I first came to Delhi I was nervous so fear of the unknown is always there. In your own native place, you have a emotional connect and you feel comforted. But as far as political battle is concerned, I dont see myself reduced to a particular place, the Congress leader said. Asked about RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and Tejashvi Yadavs reported opposition to his candidature from Begusarai due to insecurity, Kumar said he was not such a big person that the former deputy chief minister of Bihar whose both mother and father were chief ministers be scared of him. He said that for him politics is for causes and issues. If the party asks me to fight polls, all 543 seats are the same for me, he asserted. A fresh political row has erupted in West Bengal after a team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was attacked by villagers in East Midnapore districts Bhupatinagar, where the security officials had gone on Saturday to investigate a 2022 bomb blast case in which three persons were killed. Hours after the incident, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned the timing of the NIAs raid and accused the officials of the anti-terror agency of attacking the villagers and not the other way around. The Trinamool Congress supremo claimed that the probe agency team had gone to the houses of villagers in the early hours over an incident of bursting of crackers in 2022. Mamata Questions EDs Actions The attack was not carried out by women of Bhupatinagar, it was by the NIA, she said at an election rally in South Dinajpur districts Balurghat. Will the women sit back if they are attacked? she said, adding that they had only protested after NIA officials went to some of their houses over the December 2022 incident. Questioning the timing of the NIAs action in 2 year old case, Banerjee said, Why did they raid at midnight? Did they have police permission? Locals reacted in the way they would have if any other stranger had visited the place at midnight. Why are they arresting people right before the elections? #WATCH | Balurghat, Dakshin Dinajpur: After NIA officers faced protesters during probe in Bhupatinagar, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, Why did they raid at midnight? Did they have police permission? Locals reacted in the way they would have if any other stranger had pic.twitter.com/F1lbdJL1Qu ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2024 She further attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government for allegedly using the central probe agency for its political gain, saying, What does the BJP think, that they will arrest every booth agent? What right does the NIA have? They are doing all these to support the BJP. We call upon the entire world to fight against this BJPs dirty politics. We want the Election Commission (EC) to work impartially, not turn into a BJP-run commission, she said. Questioning the transfer of the states police officers by the EC, she asked why the officers of ED, CBI and IT have not been changed. NIA, CBI are brothers of BJP; the ED and IT are funding boxes of BJP, Banerjee said. If you (BJP) have the power, win the election by fighting in a democratic manner. Dont arrest my booth-level workers and election agents, she said at the rally. NIA Team Attacked In West Bengal A vehicle carrying NIA officials was on Saturday attacked by villagers in Bhupatinagar, where they had gone to investigate a 2022 bomb blast case in which three persons were killed. Later a spokesperson of the NIA said, In a major breakthrough in West Bengals Bhupatinagar blast case, in which three persons were killed in December 2022, the NIA arrested two key conspirators amid stiff resistance from an unruly crowd in the states East Medinipore district. The duo Balai Charan Maity and Manobrata Jana were arrested after extensive searches at five locations, including the house of Jana, where locals tried to obstruct the NIA team. The crowd tried to stop the NIA team and its security component from moving towards the Bhupatinagar police station to complete the arrest formalities. The NIA has lodged a complaint at the local police station in this regard. The NIA spokesperson said Jana and Maity were found to have conspired to manufacture and explode crude bombs to spread terror. Incident Brings Back Memories Of Sandeshkhali Attack Saturdays incident brought back memories of January 5 when three officials of the Enforcement Directorate were attacked by a mob in North 24 Parganas districts Sandeshkhali during a search on the premises of then Trinamool Congress leader Shajahan Sheikh in connection with alleged irregularities in the public distribution system. BJP Demands Removal Of 5 Senior Police Officials Following the incident, the BJP approached the Election Commission demanding the removal of five senior police officials. In a letter to the Chief Election Officer (CEO), the party said todays incident seems to be a repeat of what happened in Sandeshkhali a couple of months back. In light of these grave developments, we demand immediate and decisive action be taken by the Commission by removing the following officers OC Bhupatinagar Police Station, SDPO Contai, SP Purba Medinipur District, ADG Law & Order, DG & IG of West Bengal, the party said. The above officers have shown beyond doubt their complete alliance with the party in power, TMC since the people being taken in custody by the NIA were TMC goons, it added. 2022 Bomb Blast Case Three persons were killed when an explosion ripped apart the kutcha house of Rajkumar Manna in Bhupatinagar on December 3, 2022. Rajkumar Manna, Biswajit Gayen and Buddhadeb Manna were grievously injured in the blast and later died. The state police initially registered an FIR on December 3, 2022, against the three men killed in the explosion but the provisions of the Explosive Substances Act were not applied. Subsequently, a writ petition was filed before the Calcutta High Court with a prayer for transferring the case to the NIA. The NIA took over the case on June 4, 2023, on the high courts order dated March 21, 2023, and re-registered a case under various sections of law, including the Explosive Substances Act. During the investigation, the NIA uncovered the role of several other accused in the case, including Manobrata Jana of Naruabila village and Balai Charan Maity of Ninaruya Analberia. The two men had actively participated in the conspiracy to make crude bombs and extended support for the same, the NIA found in its probe, which led to searches and arrests on Saturday. (With Inputs From ANI and PTI) A 76-year-old man from Canada ended up in a serious medical condition after a rat bite. He was trying to catch the rat, which was in his toilet. But instead, the rat bit two of his fingers. This incident caused the man several problems like organ failure and sepsis. After his first visit to the emergency room, the 76-year-old man got basic wound care and a tetanus shot. But 18 days later, he had to go back to the ER because he was still feeling sick. He had symptoms like a fever, headaches and stomach pain for three days. This comes from a report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Medical tests showed that the mans heart was beating fast, his blood pressure was low and his kidneys were damaged. Also, he showed signs of problems with many organs and had sepsis. Because of this, he needed to stay in the intensive care unit. Despite the improvement in his medical condition, doctors were concerned about a possible connection to his declining health condition. After blood and urine tests, doctors found that the man had leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that animals like rats transfer to people. In serious situations, leptospirosis can even cause death. As per the report, doctors found that the bacteria entered the mans body through a rat bite. They suspect the rat might have had urine in its mouth, which then infected the mans broken skin. This type of bacteria is usually present in the urine of animals such as rats. Studies reveal that worldwide, more than 1 million cases of leptospirosis are reported annually, with nearly 60,000 resulting in death. It unveils the mortality rates for this bacterial infection to be between 5% to 15%. In the case of the Canadian man, he received treatment which involved antibiotics and steroids. After three days, he was released from the ICU. Leptospirosis can sometimes be very dangerous, but in the case of the man bitten by the rat, antibiotics helped him feel better. He left the ICU after just a few days. In a heartwarming tale of reunion, a dog missing from California, US, found her way back to her owners nearly nine months later and over 3000 km away from home. Mishka, a terrier mix, vanished from San Diego in mid-July last year, leaving her owners disheartened. Despite their efforts to locate her through social media, unfortunately, they couldnt find any leads. However, just before Easter, police in suburban Detroit, Michigan, received a call about a stray dog. Soon a police unit captured the furry wanderer and reached out to The Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society (GPAAS) for assistance. Upon scanning Mishkas microchip, they discovered her owners information, who was based in San Diego. It was a lucky day for Mehrad Houman and his family, who were notified while preparing to travel to Minnesota. Despite the long journey, Mehrad decided to drive 10 hours to Michigan for an emotional reunion with Mishka, who had disappeared from his workplace, but her collar helped officials find them. GPAAS shared the emotional story on Facebook and wrote, This is a tale that Hollywood would love to tell. The dog gets lost and finds its way across the country. A conscientious family microchips their beloved pet. An unfortunate event happens with the dog being separated from them. A local resident makes the right decision. The synergy between a municipality and its local animal shelter shines brightly. The technology of the microchip reunites the long, lost pup with its forever family." Reacting to the post, a user wrote, Awesome. How wonderful! So important to have pets microchipped." Another shared, So happy Mishka found her way home." If only this dog could talk, what a journey," a comment read. An individual wrote, What a lucky, sweet dog! So happy they are reunited. Such a heartwarming story." One more added, Mishkas story is a perfect example of the value of chipping your dog without her chip, she wouldnt be home now." Meanwhile, in a conversation with The Associated Press, Corinne Martin, director of the animal welfare group said, We think it was stolen and then it was sold and ended up in Michigan." While Elizabeth, Mehrad Houmans wife stated that it has been an amazing experience. She never lost hope even though the search involved sticking over a thousand flyers and wearing Mishkas leash while looking for her. Elizabeth even placed a flyer on her cars rear windshield. Now that the dog has been reunited, she is curious to know the mystery of how Mishka ended up so far away from home. After examining Mishka, the veterinarian, Nancy Pillsbury, found her to be in good health. Houmans pet received a rabies shot and after that, she was declared fit to travel back to her home. Pillsbury claimed that whoever had Mishka took good care of her during her adventure. The relationship between students and teachers is extraordinary. Teachers dont just educate but also mentor their students to face future challenges. In the age of social media, students are often seen showing their appreciation towards their teachers in the sweetest ways. Recently, at Motherland Secondary School in Pokhara, Nepal, students decided to thank their math teacher uniquely. Instead of a traditional gesture, they devised a special equation for their teacher to solve. As the teacher solved the equation on the board, the result revealed a touching message. The moment was captured on camera and it was shared on the schools unofficial Instagram page, which quickly went viral. Since the video was shared, it has garnered over 1 million views. The video begins with a female student writing an equation on the board and challenges her teacher to solve the problem. Without wasting any time, the teacher starts working on the problem and quickly gets to the solution. Although the teacher was initially puzzled by the outcome, but he soon understood the meaning behind the answer, which read, We Love You. With a big smile on his face, the teacher was moved by the students gestures and highlighted the answer. The uplifting video has left social media users impressed, as they couldnt stop admiring the students creativity and the teachers reaction. Reacting to the video, a user wrote, He won, he finally won with his subject. Another shared, Imagine if he couldnt solve it. How is his handwriting this good despite being a math teacher, when my university teacher writes, its like hes writing in Latin language, a comment read. One more wrote, OMG Im not crying, youre crying. Another wrote, I hate my math teacher but I wanna do this. One more shared, We did this with our tuition teacher and he literally cant solve it we have to get him how to solve the problem and it took like 30-40 min for him to solve, but that was funny. Earlier, students at a university in Kerala recently organized a surprise baby shower for one of their professors. The touching moment was recorded at the Co-operative Institute of Health Sciences in Thalaserry and it quickly went viral online. In the video, the professor enters the classroom, unaware of the surprise waiting for her. However, upon seeing the beautifully decorated room, filled with balloons reading the text baby shower and a cake, she gets overjoyed and couldnt believe what she saw. The emotional video reaches its peak when a student drapes a Mom-to-be sash around her shoulder. Dozens of users on social media platform X have come forward to express their frustration over the prolonged wait times for US visas and green cards in the comment section of what was meant to be a heartwarming post celebrating the story of a nearly 100-year-old Indian woman who recently attained American citizenship. They say age is just a number. That seems true for this lively 99-year-old who became a #NewUSCitizen in our Orlando office. Daibai is from India and was excited to take the Oath of Allegiance. Shes pictured with her daughter and our officer who swore her in. Congrats Daibai, US immigration services (USCIS) said in a post. As the American immigration agency shared 99-year-old Daibais journey to US citizenship, netizens raised concerns about the extensive backlog plaguing the American immigration system. Many voiced their grievances over the arduous wait times for visa approvals and green card processing. They say age is just a number. That seems true for this lively 99-year-old who became a #NewUSCitizen in our Orlando office. Daibai is from India and was excited to take the Oath of Allegiance. Shes pictured with her daughter and our officer who swore her in. Congrats Daibai! pic.twitter.com/U0WU31Vufx USCIS (@USCIS) April 5, 2024 Challenges of US immigration Aside from the issue of green card backlog, the US visa application process in India has become increasingly burdensome, with wait times stretching beyond several years in some cases. Professionals such as engineers, scientists, and techies face significant delays, with wait times for visa approval often exceeding hundreds of days. This has led to frustration and anger among those affected. Daibais story, while inspiring, has reignited discussions about the accessibility of the American Dream, the belief that anyone, regardless of background, can achieve success in the US through hard work and determination. There is a need for reforms within the USCIS to address the delays and obstacles faced by immigrants seeking permanent residency in the United States and the accessibility of the American dream. Some have raised questions about whether the dream is truly attainable for everyone, particularly given the challenges and obstacles inherent in the immigration process. Concerns have been voiced regarding the extensive backlogs and lengthy wait times experienced by many individuals seeking visas and green cards. Legislative problem? When asked about the long backlog of green cards in a recent podcast, US Ambassador in New Delhi Eric Garcetti said, Part of this is a legislative problem that Congress will have to address on whether its the number of legal immigrants, the number of green cards, or the number of people who can become citizens. He said there are just limits to how many Green Cards can issued. Like any country, Im sure there are limits here, too. And that is frustrating for Indians, I think because there are so many Indians who want to come to America. And thats a great part of our news, by the way. Second only to Mexicans, where Indian visas last year, the biggest number of students, double the second biggest. Read More: Welcome More Indians: US Ambassador Garcetti Addresses Questions On Visa and Green Card Delays Huge priority Garcetti also said that US President Joe Biden has asked him to bring down the visa wait time for India, adding that this is a huge priority for the American government. I dont think presidents even focus on visa wait times. But we all have so many Indian friends who are saying, Why is this taking so long? That it even went up to the president. The reality of 250 is that it is an average. And I think the typical person is actually under 200 days already, Garcetti said during a podcast with ANI in response to the 250-day wait for visa appointments. The US ambassador said that there are several things that the country is doing to address the visa concern, including the opening of new consulates. Weve talked about opening two new consulates in the near future. One in Bangaluru, and another one that will be in Ahmedabad. Two, were working with the Ministry of External Affairs to put more bodies in India, and theyve been very responsive and helpful. Third, we are shipping it out, he said, adding the US councilors, who dont have enough work in their countries, are working on Indian visas. An Indian student studying in the US state of Ohio has died and a probe has been launched into the case, the Indian Consulate in New York said on Friday. The death of Uma Satya Sai Gadde in Cleveland is the latest in a string of tragedies to shock the Indian diaspora in the country. Deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of Mr Uma Satya Sai Gadde, an Indian student in Cleveland, Ohio, the Consulate General of India in New York said in a post on X. The consulate said that they continue to remain in touch with Gaddes family in India. Deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of Mr. Uma Satya Sai Gadde, an Indian student in Cleveland, Ohio.Police investigation is underway. @IndiainNewYork continues to remain in touch with the family in India. All possible assistance is being extended including to transport India in New York (@IndiainNewYork) April 5, 2024 All possible assistance is being extended, including to transport Mr Uma Gaddes mortal remains to India at the earliest, the consulate said. At least half a dozen deaths of Indian and Indian-origin students in the US have been reported since the beginning of 2024 leading to concerns among the community as they notice an alarming rise in the number of attacks on the students from India. Since the beginning of the year, deaths of 34-year-old trained classical dancer from India, Amarnath Ghosh, was shot dead in St Louis, Missouri, Sameer Kamath, a 23-year-old Indian-American student at Purdue University who was found dead in a nature preserve in Indiana on February 5 and Vivek Taneja, a 41-year-old Indian-origin IT executive, suffered life-threatening injuries during an assault outside a restaurant in Washington has raised concerns. The death of Taneja was the seventh death of an Indian or Indian-American in recent months in the US. The Indian Embassy in Washington in order to address the concerns regarding the series of deaths and attacks on Indians and Indian-origin persons and students held, along with other Indian consulates, a virtual interaction with Indian students from across the US where they discussed various aspects of student well-being and ways to stay connected with the larger diaspora. About 150 Indian Student Association office bearers and students from 90 US universities participated in the interaction led by Charge dAffaires Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan. It was also attended by the Consul Generals of India in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Seattle. (with inputs from PTI) Maryam Nawaz, the head of Pakistans most populous region, has said that Chinese nationals living in Pakistan get resentful when they are asked to follow security protocols. These sharp remarks came days after Chinese engineers were killed in a suicide bombing in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver were killed in a suicide bombing last week while travelling between Islamabad and a hydroelectric dam construction site in Dasu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The bus was attacked in Bisham city of Shangla district. This comment came as Pakistans Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered at least five senior police officials to be punished for negligence after a suicide bomber killed Chinese engineers at a major dam site last month. Punjab CM Maryam, the daughter of three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, while addressing her maiden Apex Committee meeting in Lahore said, the Chinese living here do not want to follow security discipline. They are resentful when they are asked to follow security protocols. They dont want to come under any discipline as they fret over it, she added. The meeting, held on Friday, was also attended by Corps Commander Lahore Lt Gen Syed Aamer Raza and other senior military officers. Maryam, however, expressed her governments resolve to provide fool-proof security to the Chinese nationals working on development projects in Punjab. The meeting also condemned the killing of Chinese engineers in Bisham. 50-year-old Maryam, who became the first-ever woman chief minister of a province in Pakistan, said terrorism has taken the shape of difficult warfare. Terrorists got digitalised and we need to be ahead of them on such platforms. Besides, terrorists have the latest weapons and technology. They have the US weapons which they got in Afghanistan. The weapons coming from Afghanistan are a big challenge for the law enforcement agencies, she said. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party leader added that the youth is also being brainwashed and recruited by terrorists. And social media is one of the major tools being used for the purpose, Maryam said. 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. Hundreds of Chinese people are employed at the Dasu and Diamer Bhasha dam construction sites, located around 100 kilometres apart in the mountainous region. Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said a committee appointed by PM Shehbaz identified a regional official, three district officials and the director of security at the Dasu dam project for their negligence in fulfilling their duties. (With agency inputs) The body of hostage Elad Katzir, who the Gaza-based Islamic Jihad abducted during the October 7 attack, has been rescued from the Khan Yunis and returned to Israeli territory, authorities said Saturday. Elad Katzir was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization during the October 7 Massacre. His mother, Hanna, was also abducted by IJ and released on November 24, and his father, Avraham, was murdered in the kibbutz. According to intelligence, Elad was murdered by IJ in captivity, the Israel Defence Forces said in a post on X. The body of hostage Elad Katzir was rescued by security forces overnight from Khan Yunis and returned to Israeli territory.Elad Katzir was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization during the October 7 Massacre. His mother, Hanna, was also Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 6, 2024 Breaking: The body of the late Elad Katzir abductee, who according to intelligence information was murdered in captivity by the GAP terrorist organization, was rescued tonight from Khan Yunis in an operation by the commando formation under the direction of the General Security pic.twitter.com/sUbBg41Zjn Rubi Yona (@RubiYona) April 6, 2024 The IDF said 47-year-old Elads abduction had deeply affected his family, with his mother, Hanna, also abducted and later released and his father, Avraham, killed in the initial attack. Israeli intelligence reports suggest that Elad was murdered by the Islamic Jihad in captivity, according to The Times of Israel. Our mission since the beginning of the war has been, and remains, to locate and bring the hostages home. We will continue to operate until it is complete, the IDF said. Half a year into Israels war, agonised families of hostages caught in Gaza are in a race against time. In November, a weeklong cease-fire deal saw the release of more than 100 hostages. However, the war is dragging on, with no end in sight and no hostage deal on the table. Israel believes about a quarter of the remaining hostages are dead, and divisions are deepening in Israel over the best way to bring the rest home. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to both eliminate Hamas and bring all the hostages back, but hes made little progress. He faces pressure to resign, and the U.S. has threatened to scale back its support over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Israelis are divided into two main camps: those who want the government to put the war on hold and free the hostages, and others who think the hostages are an unfortunate price to pay for eradicating Hamas. (With agency inputs) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday informed that 17 Indian workers, who had been ensnared in unsafe and illicit employment in Laos, are on their way back home. This recuse bid comes as the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) cautioned Indian nationals against falling prey to human traffickers promising lucrative job opportunities in Cambodia. After the successful rescue of Indian nationals, Jaishankar said in a social media post, Modi ki Guarantee works for all at home and abroad, a phrase often used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself during public speeches. 17 Indian workers, lured into unsafe and illegal work in Laos, are on their way back home. Well done, @IndianEmbLaos. Thank Lao authorities for their support for the safe repatriation, Jaishankar said in a post on social media platform X. Modi ki Guarantee works for all at home and abroad.17 Indian workers, lured into unsafe and illegal work in Laos, are on their way back home. Well done, @IndianEmbLaos. Thank Lao authorities for their support for the safe repatriation. pic.twitter.com/KgIM56YJkE Dr. S. Jaishankar (Modi Ka Parivar) (@DrSJaishankar) April 6, 2024 Read More: Denied Food, Shelter If Target Not Met: Rescued Indian Cyber Slave from Cambodia Recounts Harrowing Ordeal Be Aware of Fake Jobs Many Indian nationals are being deceived into employment in Thailand or Laos, particularly in positions such as Digital Sales and Marketing Executives or Customer Support Service by deceptive firms involved in call-center scams and cryptocurrency fraud in Laos Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone. Agents in Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore, and India lure individuals with promises of high salaries, hotel accommodations, and visa assistance, only to illegally transport them into Laos from Thailand and coerce them into harsh working conditions without proper permits. Numerous Indians have fallen victim to human traffickers, finding themselves ensnared in strenuous labor and subjected to physical and mental torment. Despite facing perilous circumstances, several Indian nationals have been rescued from these dire situations. Promises of lucrative job In an advisory issued on Thursday, the MEA called upon Indians looking at job opportunities in the Southeast Asian country to thoroughly check the background of the prospective employer. It has come to attention that Indian nationals, lured by fake promises of lucrative job opportunities in Cambodia, are falling into the trap of human traffickers, it said. Read More: India to Crack Down on Cambodia Cyber Work Scam, 250 Nationals Rescued So Far: MEA The ministry said these Indian nationals are coerced to undertake online financial scams and other illegal activities. Indian nationals intending to visit Cambodia for employment are cautioned to do so only through authorised agents. It is also advised that the background of the prospective employer in Cambodia is checked thoroughly, it said. Over 250 Indians Rescued Last week, the Indian government said it was rescuing its citizens who were lured into employment in Cambodia and were being forced to participate in cyber fraud schemes. The Indian embassy in Cambodia is working with Cambodian authorities and has rescued and repatriated about 250 Indians, including 75 in the last three months, the MEA spokesperson said in a statement on last Saturday. Jaiswal was responding to Indian news reports that stated more than 5,000 Indians are trapped in Cambodia and being forced to carry out cyber frauds on people back home. Todays India has the capability to take decisive action against terrorists, and Pakistan realizes that, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi on Friday. His message on cross-border terrorism was loud and clear. So much so that less than 24 hours after Singh spoke from News18s platform, Pakistan couldnt help but take note of his hard-hitting interview that hogged headlines at home and, clearly, sent ripples across the border. Pakistans foreign ministry said on Saturday it denounces the provocative remarks made by the Indian Defence Minister" and asked the international community" to intervene, in a response that is reminiscent of similar attempts in the past when Islamabad has tried to sweep its support for terrorists under the carpet and unsuccessfully pleaded before global powers to rebuke New Delhi for a host of issues. Pakistan also used the opportunity to bring under the spotlight what it called irrefutable evidence, elucidating Indias campaign of extrajudicial and transnational assassinations on Pakistani soil" malicious claims that have been reiterated in the wake of a British media report that linked Indian intelligence to the assassinations of terrorists and extremists on Pakistani soul. Indian officials have described the report as false and fabricated". Next, the Pakistani statement ventured into what could be described as the territory of a fiction, calling out Indias assertion of its preparedness to extra-judicially execute more civilians, arbitrarily pronounced as terrorists" another attempt at intentionally twisting New Delhis stand. For bringing in civilians in this narrative reeks of malevolence and dirty tricks on Pakistans part. Pakistan has always demonstrated its commitment to peace in the region. However, our desire for peace should not be misconstrued. History attests to Pakistans firm resolve and ability to protect and defend itself," its foreign office said in the statement. Its a bit rich coming from the hawks in Islamabad who are locked in a bloody border conflict with Afghanistans Taliban rulers, for whom they had once laid out the red carpet. There has been unease in ties between Iran and Pakistan as well, with both conducting strikes in the others territory targeting insurgents. In this context, Pakistans statement should be seen as nothing but a desperate attempt at playing the victim card to gain sympathy at a time when the country is plagued by multiple challenges from extremism to a sluggish economy. While speaking to News18, Singh rightly underscored the resolve of a new India that is firm and decisive after suffering for decades from terrorism emanating from Pakistani soil. If he [terrorist] flees to Pakistan, we will follow him and take him down on Pakistani soil. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken the truthIndia has the capability and Pakistan has also started understanding that," Singh said, asserting that those trying to foment trouble in India will get a befitting reply. Singh stressed that New Delhi wants to maintain cordial relations with its neighbors, underlining that India has never been the aggressor. Singh was responding to a question on The Guardian article that claimed Indian intelligence officials orchestrated the killing of individuals in Pakistan as part of a bid to eliminate terrorists living on foreign soil. Singh did not specifically comment on the veracity of the report; he underlined Indias larger stand in relation to cross-border terrorism from Pakistan. In a rare message marking the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan, Afghanistans supreme leader has urged Afghans to respect Sharia law and called for good relations with the international community. Since assuming power in August 2021, the radical Islamic outfit has enforced rules based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law. Women have borne the brunt of restrictions the human rights groups have described as gender apartheid. Notably, the Taliban-run government has not been officially recognised by any state. In Saturdays message ahead of the Eid al-Fitr festival that falls next week, supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada said: Injustice and being opposed to Sharia leads to insecurity. . # https://t.co/zlxdSwuZnH TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) April 6, 2024 Hibatullah, who lives in southern Kandahar province, the Talibans spiritual heartland, and is rarely seen in public, reiterated that the Taliban authorities seek diplomatic and economic relations with all nations. His message did not touch on key diplomatic sticking points, such as allowing girls and women to return to secondary schools and universities. In the realm of international relations among all countries, we aim to pursue a balanced and economically focused policy in the light of the holy religion of Islam. The Eid message came after a recording attributed to Hibatullah that circulated in January was shared widely again in recent weeks. https://t.co/opJccUDqZq pic.twitter.com/HfbC5BKExl Zabihullah (.. ) (@Zabehulah_M33) April 6, 2024 Read More: Afghan Women Will be Stoned to Death for Adultery, Declares Taliban Leader Akhundzada in New Audio Public stoning of women In that audio clip, he promised to implement punishments used under the Talibans previous rule from 1996 to 2001, such as public stoning of women for adultery, sparking condemnation from rights groups and the United Nations. In a recent interview with Afghanistans Tolo News, Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said stoning was part of Sharia law and that it would be used again if the conditions for it arise. Taliban authorities have not officially commented on the audio clip. During the Talibans first rule, public executions were common, with only a handful carried out since their return to power. Corporal punishment has been common, however, and employed for crimes including theft, adultery and alcohol consumption. On Wednesday, five men and a woman were publicly flogged over charges of adultery and sodomy in eastern Logar province, the supreme court said in a statement. (With agency inputs) The US is on high alert and is preparing for an Iranian attack on Israeli or American assets in the West Asia region as Tehran mulls response to Israels strike on the Iranian embassy in Syria which eliminated a top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander. US officials believe that the attack could happen as early as next week. Were definitely at a high state of vigilance, one official was quoted as saying by US broadcaster CNN. Israel bombed the Iranian embassy in Damascus on Monday and killed Mohammad Reza Zahedi of IRGCs Quds force chief the Iranian IRGCs foreign spy and paramilitary arm. A separate report by the New York Times said that Israel has also placed its military on high alert. The Israeli army has cancelled leave for combat units and blocked GPS while recalling some reservists to respective air defence units. The report also said citing two Iranian officials that Tehran has placed all its armed forces on full high alert and it has decided that Iran must respond to the Damascus attack directly in order to create deterrence. Our brave men will punish the Zionist regime. 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, General Hossein Salami, commander in chief of Irans Revolutionary Guard, told a gathering in Tehran while attending the funeral of the officers. Iran said that seven Iranian military advisers died in the strike, including Zahedi and said it reserves the right to take a decisive response. US President Joe Biden discussed the threat from Iran in a phone call on Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Our teams have been in regular and continuous contact since then. The United States fully supports the defence of Israel against threats from Iran, a senior Biden administration official said. Iran has retaliated earlier to US military action. In 2020, when the US killed General Qassem Soleimani, Iran fired missiles at US bases in Iraq and injured more than 100 troops. New York City has agreed to pay USD 17.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by two Muslim women who were forced to remove their head coverings in 2017 to be photographed after they were arrested. The case was filed months later in 2018, by Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz who said they felt shamed and exposed when they were forced to remove their hijabs after they were arrested. The lawsuit said police officers threatened to prosecute Clark, who was sobbing after being arrested for violating a bogus protective order filed by her abusive former husband if she did not remove her head covering. I felt as if I were naked The lawsuit said Aziz, who also had been arrested because of a bogus protective order, felt broken when her picture was taken where a dozen male police officers and more than 30 male inmates could see her. 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, Clark, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press (AP), in a statement. Im so proud today to have played a part in getting justice for thousands of New Yorkers. Clark was arrested on Jan. 9, 2017, and Aziz was arrested on Aug. 30, 2017. New York 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. Later, 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 persons facial features. Mug shots The financial settlement was filed Friday and requires approval by Judge Analisa Torres of Manhattan federal court. In a statement, city law department spokesperson Nick Paolucci said that the settlement resulted in a positive reform for the police department and was in the best interest of all parties. Paolucci said the proceeds from the settlement will be shared by more than 4,000 people. O Andrew F Wilson, a lawyer who is representing the women, said, Forcing someone to remove their religious clothing is like a strip search. This substantial settlement recognises the profound harm to the dignity of those who wear religious head coverings that come from forced removal. Wilson said that once the settlement is approved, the funds will be divided equally among everyone who responds by a deadline set by the judge, with a guaranteed minimum payment of $7,824 for each eligible person. (With agency inputs) Get the news faster. Tap to install our app. Access Newser even faster. Click here to install our app on your desktop. X The body of a hostage taken from Israel during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel was recovered by the nation's military during an overnight raid in the Gaza city of Khan Younis, reports the BBC. "The body of ... Elad Katzir, who according to intelligence was murdered in captivity," has been returned to Israel, per a joint statement from the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Security Agency, which notes that Katzir was IDed by medical officials. Abduction: Katzir was taken hostage on Oct. 7 from Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with his 77-year-old mother, Hanna Katzir, who the Times of Israel notes was released on Nov. 24 with more than 100 other hostages as part of a temporary ceasefire deal with Hamas. His father, 79-year-old Avraham "Rami Katzir," was murdered during the initial attack. Katzir was taken hostage on Oct. 7 from Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with his 77-year-old mother, Hanna Katzir, who the Times of Israel notes was released on Nov. 24 with more than 100 other hostages as part of a temporary ceasefire deal with Hamas. His father, 79-year-old Avraham "Rami Katzir," was murdered during the initial attack. Abductors: NBC News reports that, per Israeli military intelligence, Katzir died in captivity not with Hamas itself, but with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a militant organization that participated in the Oct. 7 massacre. The PIJ is considered a terror group by both the US and the EU. NBC News reports that, per Israeli military intelligence, Katzir died in captivity not with Hamas itself, but with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a militant organization that participated in the Oct. 7 massacre. The PIJ is considered a terror group by both the US and the EU. Video: In December, the group released a recording of a man speaking from Gaza who IDed himself as Katzir, pleading for his release. In another video released in January, a man who appeared to be Katzir asked Israel to stop the war and bring himself and the other hostages home, per the BBC. In December, the group released a recording of a man speaking from Gaza who IDed himself as Katzir, pleading for his release. In another video released in January, a man who appeared to be Katzir asked Israel to stop the war and bring himself and the other hostages home, per the BBC. Sister's message: Carmit Palty Katzir reacted online after news of her brother's death broke. She called the IDF's rescue "brave," but she says her sibling "could have been saved if a deal would have happened on time," and she didn't have kind words for the "cowardly" Israeli leadership in general or for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu specifically. "Prime Minister, the war cabinet and members of the coalition. Look at yourself in the mirror and say if your hands didn't spill that blood," she wrote Saturday on Facebook. She also noted that the Israeli government has "no way to protect the kidnapped, even when they know where they are." (More Israel-Hamas war stories.) A gunfight at a suburban Miami bar has left two people dead and seven injured. Investigators said a fight broke out around 3:30am local time on Saturday at the Martini Bar at the CityPlace Doral mall in Doral, Florida, per the AP . When a security guard intervened, an unnamed man took out a gun and shot and killed the security guard, Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said. Two off-duty Doral police officers who were also providing security returned fire, with one of them killing the shooter. One of the officers, a four-year veteran of the force, was shot in the leg and applied a tourniquet to himself, Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez told reporters. Six other bystanders were also hit by gunfirefive men and a woman, Lopez said. The wounded officer has been released from a hospital, WTVJ-TV reports. The six bystanders remain hospitalized, with two in critical condition, Zabaleta said. A resident of a nearby apartment told WPLG-TV that he heard a hail of gunfire. "Around 3:15 or 3:30 in the morning, I heard three initial gunshots," said William Suedois. "Didn't really know where it was coming from. I thought it was fireworks. Then I heard probably 10 or 15 directly after thatvery, very fast and very loud. It was very scary." Zabaleta said it's "way too early to know" who shot whom. He said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shootings, while Miami-Dade Police are investigating the two deaths. Investigators also said Saturday they couldn't yet say why the fight broke out. Officers continued to interview witnesses at the bar well after sunrise Saturday, while parts of the mall remained roped off as crime scene technicians gathered evidence. The security guard who was killed hasn't yet been identified. (More shooting stories.) Mexico's government ended diplomatic ties with Ecuador after police broke into the Mexican Embassy to arrest a former Ecuadorian vice president, an extraordinary use of force that shocked and mystified regional leaders and diplomats. Ecuadorian police late Friday broke through the external doors of the embassy in the capital, Quito, to arrest Jorge Glas, who had been residing there since December. Glas sought political asylum at the embassy after being indicted on corruption charges, the AP reports. The raid prompted Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to announce the breaking of diplomatic relations with Ecuador, and his government said the move will be challenged at the World Court in The Hague. "This is crazy," Roberto Canseco, head of the Mexican consular section in Quito, told local press outside the embassy right after the raid. "I am very worried because they could kill him." On Saturday, Glas was taken from the attorney general's office in Quito to the port city of Guayaquil, where he will remain in custody at a maximum-security prison. People who had gathered outside the prosecutor's office yelled "strength" as he left with a convoy of police and military vehicles. Authorities are investigating Glas over alleged irregularities during his management of reconstruction efforts following an earthquake in 2016 that killed hundreds of people. He was convicted on bribery and corruption charges in other cases. The office of Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa defended the raid in a statement, saying "Ecuador is a sovereign nation" that will not "allow any criminal to stay free." Lopez Obrador fired back, per the AP, calling Glas' detention "a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico." Alicia Barcena, Mexico's secretary of foreign relations, posted on X that a number of diplomats suffered injuries during the break-in, which she said violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Diplomatic premises are considered inviolable under the Vienna treaties, and local law enforcement agencies are not allowed to enter without the permission of the ambassador. The action by Ecuadorian authorities was condemned by presidents, diplomats, and the Organization of American States. (More Ecuador stories.) TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Parliamentarians here are gearing up to vote on a proposal set to propel Bahrains economic prowess in global maritime trade. This proposal, a crucial step towards the Kingdoms accession to the International Maritime Traffic Agreement of 1965, promises a slew of benefits, including a big boost in container traffic, smoother transit operations, and an uptick in maritime trade activity. Scheduled for discussion in the upcoming parliamentary session alongside Decree No. 87 of 2023, the bill has already received a nod of approval from the Public Facilities and Environment Committee. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs echoes this sentiment, emphasising the profound impact of Bahrains accession on its international standing. Crafted against the backdrop of burgeoning international trade and the need for standardised regulations, this landmark agreement holds profound significance in facilitating safe and efficient maritime transportation across borders. This accession will yield substantial economic advantages for Bahrain, particularly in terms of enhanced container traffic, smoother transit operations, and increased trade activity to and from the kingdom, the Ministry emphasised. The significance of this move cannot be overstated, the Ministry declares. According to the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications, joining the agreement unlocks access to a ships pre-arrival information-sharing system for international voyages. This would significantly reduce the time required to complete the procedures for a ships entry into international ports, facilitating the procedures during the ships stay in the port and upon departure. Furthermore, the agreement paves the way for unified standards and procedures for ship clearance, goods inspection, and passenger processing. This harmonisation not only boosts Bahrains role in international maritime trade but also fosters a conducive environment for global commerce to thrive. International Maritime Traffic Agreement of 1965 The proposed legislation encompasses Bahrains adherence to the International Maritime Traffic Agreement of 1965, with specific reservations concerning the implementation of the provisions outlined in the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 United Nations Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees. These reservations are specifically articulated within Standard 104 of Paragraph A in Article 4 of the Agreements Annex. The proposed law aims to streamline maritime traffic for ships embarking on international voyages, endorsing recognised standards and regulations that streamline entry procedures into foreign ports. Additionally, it seeks to entice prominent shipping lines to Bahrains ports, positioning them as prime hubs for both regional and international investments. The bill represents Bahrains official commitment to joining the International Maritime Traffic Agreement, signalling a pivotal move towards deeper integration into the global maritime sphere. The Shura Council will deliberate on the proposal before proceeding to vote on it. AFP |Taipei The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Rescuers freed nine people trapped in a winding cave in Taiwans mountainous east yesterday, while locating two others who were feared dead, as they searched for those still missing after the islands biggest earthquake in 25 years. The official death toll from Wednesday s magnitude-7.4 quake still stood at 10, but the government in the hardest-hit area of Hualien county said two more people on a hiking trail were found with no signs of life. Crushed by a landslide, the two people were buried deep beneath massive boulders, making it difficult for workers to get to them. Their bodies have been found, but they have not been excavated yet. We will add them to the death toll after they are excavated and identified, said Interior Minister Lin Yu-chang. Hundreds more were still stranded around the mountains that flank the county yesterday, with roads blocked off by landslides and rockfalls. However, most were known to be safe as rescuers deployed helicopters, drones and smaller teams with dogs to reach them. Rescuers had found nine people alive in a cave popular with tourists called the Tunnel of Nine Turns yesterday. Lin said that progress was ahead of schedule. There are still aftershocks and rocks falling but in a very short period of about five hours today, we have managed to repair 10 kilometres of roads, he said. In the main city of Hualien, authorities allowed residents to enter a building with a crumbling facade in 15-minute intervals so that they could retrieve their belongings. Some opted to throw mattresses and bags of clothing out the window, while a young mother slowly carried a cot out for her 10-month-old baby. We are told the building has become dangerous and there probably wont be another chance to move our things afterwards, said the 24-year-old woman surnamed Chen. During the big quake... I was only thinking about protecting my baby at the time, she said. I didnt expect it to be so serious and the structure below has become like that. Ten minutes away, workers started demolishing a building named Uranus -- tilting at a 45-degree angle after half its first floor pancaked -- by first using a pink crane to smash its glass windows. The plan was to slowly take it apart -- a process that could take two weeks -- but an aftershock around 1 pm alarmed the construction team as the building appeared to lean more perilously forward. AFP | Moscow The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Russian investigators yesterday said one of the attackers behind last months massacre at a Moscow concert hall -- claimed by the Islamic State (IS) -- had pro-Ukrainian content on his phone. IS has claimed responsibility on multiple occasions for the March 22 attack which killed over 140 people, but Moscow has repeatedly tried to link Kyiv and the West to the attack, despite repeated denials. Ukraine and the West have accused Moscow of trying to exploit the tragedy by implying, without providing evidence, that Kyiv was behind the terror attack, the most deadly in Russia for two decades. Gunmen in camouflage stormed the Crocus City Hall venue on the outskirts of Moscow before setting the building on fire. More than a dozen suspects have been arrested including the four assail-ants, who are all from the Central Asian nation of Tajikistan. Russian investigators said yesterday that data from one of the suspects phones showed that on the morning of February 24 this year -- the second anniversary of Russias military campaign in Ukraine -- he had trawled for photographs of the Crocus City Hall and sent it to others. It said the suspect had confirmed all this in his statements. There have been questions raised about the validity of the interrogations of those Moscow has arrested, after the four gunmen were dragged into a Moscow court showing visible signs of having been brutally interrogated. Russias Investigative Committee also said it had found photos on the same phone showing men in camouflage holding the Ukrainian flag in front of destroyed buildings. This data may indicate a link between the attack and the conflict in Ukraine, it said. The United States said it had publicly and privately warned Russia in early March that extremists were planning an attack on a concert hall in Moscow. Unnamed US intelligence officials told American media outlets after the massacre that they had told Moscow it was the Crocus City Hall specifically that IS was planning to attack. The lobster larvae seized from a passenger on a flight from Singapore to Da Nang on April 3, 2024. Photo by Da Nang customs department Customs and other officials in Da Nang are investigating a man who tried to smuggle in 60,000 lobster larvae into the city on a flight from Singapore. Quach Dang Hoa, head of the city Da Nang customs department, said the larvae were found in two suitcases by the man on a Vietjet flight on April 3 by suspicious officials who opened to check them. The crustaceans were found in water-filled plastic bags with oxygen pumped in and wrapped in insulating material. They are estimated to be worth over VND5 billion (US$200,250) on the market. Hoa said lobsters could only be imported into Vietnam with proper permits and after health and safety inspections. The man failed to furnish a permit or declare them to customs, he said. "Authorities are keeping the lobsters at a facility while deciding further actions including potential criminal investigation." This is the first such attempt to smuggle live lobsters into Da Nang by air. The Singapore Food Agency (SFA), since Oct. 1 last year, requested that traders need to submit a health certificate issued by the country of origin of the live food animals. The health certificate should attest to the health/animal disease conditions of the re-exported live food animals. "Live food animals refer to any bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian or fish (including any species of fish and includes crustacea, shellfish, echinoderm, mollusc), and the young and eggs thereof, that are imported into Singapore. Exporters are reminded to put in place a system to ensure that the consignments to be re-exported comply with the standards and regulations of the destination country/region," according to the SFA. According to a Mongabay report last November, key destinations of smuggled lobster larvae are nearby Singapore, from where the larvae are often reexported to third countries like Vietnam and China, where they would be raised to maturity and sold at much higher prices. State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada Postal Code Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Vietnam has condemned the attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria and called for respect of international law. All the buildings of diplomatic representative and consular offices must be respected and protected according to international law, said Vietnamese Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang on Saturday while answering journalists question on Vietnams reaction to the attack. Vietnam calls on the sides concerned to practice restraint, refrain from the use of violence, settle differences by peaceful measures, avoid escalating tension in the region, and abide by international law, including the Vienna Convention 1961 on ensuring the life, security, and safety for the people, members of the representative offices and their families, the official stressed. An Israeli air strike on Iran's consulate in Damascus this week killed 16 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said two of its high-level commanders were among seven of its personnel killed. Russia, China and Muslim countries such as Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have condemmed the attack. It was raining buckets before dawn when investigators descended Wednesday on the ramshackle compound of trailers and kennels in South Jersey, where authorities say pit bulls were bred to fight to their deaths. They found more than a hundred dogs, many wounded and shivering in the cold who nonetheless greeted police and veterinarians with wagging tails, state Attorney General Matthew Platkin told reporters at a Friday news conference. What other hell these dogs endured, I honestly dont even dare to imagine, Platkin said, adding they had been tortured and abused. Now, alleged ringleader Bruce Hollywood Low, Jr., and seven others face accusations of racketeering, organized crime, animal cruelty and other charges following a years-long probe launched in December 2021 when state authorities first received complaints of dogfighting at the compound in rural Cumberland County. The inquiry turned into the largest seizure and takedown of a dogfighting ring in the history of the state of New Jersey, according to Col. Patrick Callahan, the head of the State Police. Low, age 44, did not return phone calls and emails seeking comment on the accusations. The other defendants could not be reached. In court records and other documents made public this week, state authorities described a sophisticated network of dog breeders, trainers and spectators who ran a brutal gambling operation rooted in animal cruelty. Pit bulls were allegedly dragged on leashes by vehicles, forced to fight each other for sport and dumped in a pit on the property when they succumbed to injuries. For Low, authorities claim, such abuse was a profitable family business. The pedigree of his fighting dogs is well-known and highly sought after in the dogfighting world, Dominick Quartuccio, a State Police detective, wrote in a sworn statement, adding that Low, Jr. generated a significant amount of income from the dogfighting. Authorities charged Lows mother and business partner Terri A. Low, 67; his son, Bryce J. Low, 20; and his son-in-law, Roosevelt Hart IV, 29, on a range of offenses including dogfighting, racketeering and money laundering. Also charged were: Coy Glenn Dickenson, 58, originally of Texas, a world-renowned game dog trainer. Travis J. Garron, 38, of Port Elizabeth, a trainer/handler Mark A. Runkle, 42, of Maurice River, a handler William McClinton, 68, of Maurice River, a breeder Authorities say Low and his co-conspirators discussed dogfighting on Facebook and traded videos of fights in private messaging groups later captured by police through a data warrant. They allege on multiple occasions, Dickenson was seen tethering dogs to an ATV and forcing them to run around the compound for long periods of time as part of their conditioning. Aerial footage captured by 6abc.com showed investigators digging pits at the compound, and authorities later said they found the remains of at least two dogs. The rest of the dogs are safe now, under the care of the national Humane Society, an animal welfare group, and are receiving treatment at an undisclosed location, officials said. The exact number of rescued animals was unclear court records say 103 dogs were seized, while the Humane Society estimated it was more than 120. The group said the dogs were undergoing x-rays and medical care and will eventually be placed in new homes. Despite the fact that it was pouring down rain, and many of the dogs were visibly shivering in the weather, they still came out of their shelters to come and greet us when we were coming up to remove them from the kennels, Adam Parascandola, one of the leaders of the rescue team, said Friday. That just speaks so strongly to the bond between dogs and people and, you know, we need to honor that bond. The compound, located on State Route 49 in Maurice River Township, is home to two businesses: Royal Bull Kennels, or RBK, and the Kisdir Group, a roofing contractor that conducts legitimate business but also is used to launder criminal proceeds for the dogfighting operation, charging documents alleged. Fighting dogs, big business RBK specializes in breeding and training American Pit Bull Terriers, the official name of the breed commonly known as pit bulls. Pit bulls were once considered among the most dangerous dog breeds, often associated with junkyards, drug houses and dog fights. Over the decades, theyve earned a softer image as the descendants of guard dogs began turning up in shelters and became common household pets. But their reputation persists among enthusiasts of dogfighting, which is illegal in all 50 states but flourishes in underground gambling operations often linked to organized crime. On its website, RBK takes pains to say everything about its operations is above board. We do not break any laws! reads a disclaimer. Court documents allege a South Jersey dogfighting ring advertised itself as a legitimate breeder while abusing the animals. Pictured inset is a promotion for the "Stud of the Week" from the group's website, along with charging documents against the owner.Canva for NJ.com All of our dogs are used in legal activities including but not limited to conformation, weight pull, obedience, treadmill racing, and other non-illegal activities, it later says. We do not own any dog that was knowingly used in any illegal activities before or after they were in our possession. We do not condone the use of any dogs in any illegal activities whatsoever. Charging documents paint a contrasting image. A search warrant turned up a large amount of dogfighting paraphernalia on the compound, court documents say, and investigators found suspected blood on a mural in an office and knock-down wooden walls used to construct the box/pit used for dog fights. On its website, RBK says they provide the very best care and living conditions money can buy. None of our dogs are on chains, the site says. They all live indoors in a climate-controlled atmosphere away from the nasty elements of Mother Nature. But Quartuccio, the State Police detective, wrote in a sworn statement that one of the trainers, Dickenson, kept dogs chained in the yard, living in barrels, and dogs in kennels around his trailer on the compound. During the investigation, surveillance observed Coy running dogs attached to an (all-terrain vehicle) on trails on the compound to condition them for fights, the cop wrote. The company claims to have worked with a Chinese biotechnology lab and cloned several of their dogs. It also offers puppies and dogs for sale, charging as much as $4,000 for pure pups. That business started tumbling down in February when Low began corresponding with a potential customer who turned out to be an undercover detective pretending to be interested in buying a dog. Low told the undercover he held 61 concerts a euphemism for dogfights, authorities claim last year alone, describing one such event in detail. A police affidavit describes him as one of the top 5 dogfighters/breeders in the country. Low previously served a federal sentence after pleading guilty to drug and weapons charges nearly two decades ago, in 2006, court records show. Authorities said at the time that he ran an extensive drug operation out of an underground bunker on the compound, bringing Low and both his parents, who owned the property, up on drug charges. They seized guns and more than 15,000 rounds of ammunition, along with 38 pit bulls, an alligator, and a parakeet, according to media accounts at the time. Authorities returned there this week, where over two days, swarms of investigators and animal welfare experts catalogued the contents of the compound and carted off dogs to receive care. Drones and helicopters, drawn by the flurry of law enforcement activity, captured rescuers cradling the animals in their arms. Platkin, the attorney general, declined to discuss specifics of the inquiry, saying this very much remains an ongoing investigation. If anybody has any leads, we encourage you to please come forward, he said. Officials at the press conference spoke in sometimes emotional terms about the alleged cruelty at the compound, comparing their own canine companions to the dogs rescued in Maurice River this week. Platkin invoked his dog, a goldendoodle named Toby, the first family member I see every morning who always brings a smile to my face. It is our responsibility in law enforcement to protect the most vulnerable of our society, not merely for their sake but for ours, as well, he said. Callahan, the State Police colonel, said the treatment of the animals was difficult to bear. Thats not an easy search warrant to execute, he said. And to see those dogs, coming from a pouring rain status into a warm place, does my heart well. Editors note: A previous version of this story misidentified Lows attorney based on erroneous information provided by law enforcement. Staff writers Matt Gray and Anthony G. Attrino contributed to this report. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X. Blustery weather couldnt keep hundreds of bicyclists away from races to open two weekends of events at Essex Countys 2024 Cherry Blossom Festival. Branch Brook Park, Park Avenue and Lake Street in Newark, hosts the festival scheduled around New Jerseys biggest display of cherry blossoms. A Philadelphia resident was arrested Friday after he allegedly attacked a man at a Monmouth County tire shop with a sledgehammer, police said. Officers were called to Crown Tire on State Route 36 in Middletown and found a a 64-year-old Edison man with significant injuries to his head, the Middletown Police Department said in a statement. Michael Gonzales, 36, of Philadelphia, had been detained by witnesses at the scene and was taken into custody by police, the department said. The man who was hit was flown to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for treatment. His condition as of 8 p.m. was unclear. Gonzales allegedly hit the man in the head multiple times with a handheld sledgehammer. He was also accused of pushing a woman down to the ground during the attack, investigators said. The extent of her injuries were not described by police but she was taken to Hackensack Meridian Health Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank. Detectives said the attack was not random and that Gonzales knew both victims. He was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and weapons-related offenses, police said. He is being held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institute pending a retention hearing. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. By Dr. William Austin Welcome to the threat of modern international spying: TikTok is getting the headlines right now, and Congress is acting. But what about Chinese-manufactured drones? If TikTok and its generally quirky posts are raising a red flag to the safety of our country, where does that leave drones? Chinese-made drones, which flood the U.S. market, have earned increased scrutiny for the extensive use of their products by individual pilots and commercial and governmental agencies. Even before TikTok took center stage, suspicions regarding Chinese drone involvement in espionage activities have cast a shadow over their dominance of the marketplace. Along with these well-reasoned and escalating concerns, advocates of U.S. national-security interests are now also pushing for laws requiring the replacement of Chinese drones with alternatives produced by American manufacturers. Unfortunately, this laudable goal is full of complexities and challenges but both can be met with research and innovation. Whether for recreational hobbyists or professional cinematographers, geographic-information-system experts, planners, mappers, entrepreneurs, first responders, or government agencies, Chinese drones provide a cost-effective quality solution. The affordability, advanced features and undeniable reliability of Chinese drones have ensured their adoption across most industries throughout the globe. Almost as quick as their adoption and proliferation, Chinese drones were plagued by persistent allegations of espionage and security risks. Notably, the Chinese communist governments tight grip on its corporations, coupled with suspicions and some evidence of backdoor access and data harvesting, have generated concern from many foreign governments particularly from the United States and its allies. As a response to these escalating concerns, many are advocating for greater action regarding national security by calling for the replacement of Chinese drones with alternatives from American or allied nation manufacturers. The rationale behind these calls for a ban are designed to supposedly mitigate the espionage risks associated with Chinese drones. The goals are to safeguard our sensitive information while preserving our national interests and safety. Many argue that the ban of Chinese drones would support domestic unmanned-aircraft systems (UAS) industries and enhance economic growth while encouraging strategic autonomy and technological independence for the United States. But is American manufacturing positioned and supported to meet this challenge? Unfortunately, the global UAS market already is embedded with and frankly, reliant on the Chinese dominance. Any attempt to outlaw Chinese drones would necessitate a simultaneous substantial investment in production research and development and in manufacturing infrastructure, and a renewed emphasis on fair regulatory frameworks that better cultivate a competitive domestic industry capable of matching the scale, affordability and innovation offered by Chinese competitors. Even though American manufacturers promise more stringent security protocols and assurances for data integrity, recent experience has taught us that no technology is impervious to vulnerabilities or exploitation by bad actors. Rather than emerging with knee-jerk reactionary legal requirements, legislators, policymakers and drone stakeholders will be better served by adopting a sensible and nuanced approach that balances competing priorities and interests. Allied governments should collaborate with their home-grown manufacturers to establish more security standards and compliance mechanisms that can better mitigate risks and enhance trust in drone technology. Investing in marketplace research and innovation is a better solution to propel the development of secure and resilient drone technologies in the U.S. Rather than overregulating the industry, Congress should allocate resources toward advancing drone-related industries of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and cryptographic solutions to help strengthen UAS systems against emerging threats and vulnerabilities. Encouraging collaboration between academia, industry and government agencies can generate breakthroughs in drone technology while also building a renewed system of innovation and entrepreneurship. In simpler terms, we are attempting to deal with complex realities with simplistic solutions: Just get rid of Chinese drones. We forget that we have no real reliable replacements, at least not at cost-effective pricing. And we are stuck with the same governmental body that as of yet is still trying to figure out Facebook. God help us all. Dr. William Austin is President of Warren Community College in Washington Twp., N.J., and Chief Pilot of Warren Unmanned-Aircraft Systems. NEW YORK At the plate, Juan Sotos first game in a Yankees uniform at Yankee Stadium was a ballgame to forget. The star outfielder didnt get the ball out of the infield in four at-bats, striking out twice in an uninspiring 3-0 loss to the Blue Jays. NEW YORK No, Aaron Judge was saying Friday after the Yankees lived through an earthquake and lost their home opener, he has not advised his new superstar sidekick on thriving during a walk season to free agency. I havent, Judge said after Juan Soto had a thrilling but disappointing first game in pinstripes at Yankee Stadium, 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a 3-0 Yankees loss to the Blue Jays. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE YANKEES NEWSLETTER: RESTORING THE GLORY Judge enjoys playing with Soto, who was traded to the Yankees last December, but doesnt want to interfere in personal business. Hes going to go out there and do his thing, Judge said. Hes one of the best players in the game. No one mastered impending free agency better than Judge, who bet on himself by turning down a seven-year, $213.5-million extension offer on Opening Day 2023 and then hit jackpot after belting an American League record 62 homers that season. His stock way up, Judge received a nine-year, $360 million offer from the Giants, then he opted to return to the Yankees on Dec. 7, 2022 when Hal Steinbrenner matched. Soto was offered a 13-year, $440 million extension from the Nationals in the summer of 2022. When he said no, he was promptly dealt to the Padres. Last winter, with Soto under team control for just one more season and the Padres realizing a long-term contract was out of their price range, they shopped him and wound up receiving a lot of young pitching back from the Yankees. Theres already been a lot of industry predictions that the Yankees wont give Soto a contract thats worth perhaps $200 million or more higher than Judges when they bid next winter, and thus hell be a one-and-done in the Bronx. Early speculation has the Mets as a favorite to sign Soto with the Cubs and Giants contenders and the Yankees potentially also in the chase. Hes going make the right decision for himself and his family, Judge said. So if he wants to be here, hell be here. If he wants to go somewhere else, hell go somewhere else. But for right now, Im focused on doing whatever I can to make sure he has a great season this year and goes out there and helps us win a lot of games. Thats what Soto wants. Take it day by day, Soto said. Forget about everything that is around it and all the noise and try to focus on the real goal that you want to do. Soto wants another ring. He won a World Series with the Nationals in 2019, his age 20 season. He wants another with the Yankees this season. Thats what keeps me focused on what I want, Soto said. Soto has cooled down after having a great opening series in the Yankees four-game sweep of the Astros at Minute Maid Park on Easter weekend. After Fridays hitless game, hes 1-for-16 with no RBI and two walks in his last four after going 9-for-17 with a homer, four RBI and three walks in his first four. Soto still had a blast playing his first home game at Yankee Stadium. He waved to the Bleacher Creatures running out to right field for the first inning, then he bowed to him during the roll call. Theres always a first time for everything, so I had to give them a little bit of thanks first, Soto said. They came to watch us and see what we can do. But definitely Im going to be doing the love sign to them because its all love from them to me and from me to them. Judge watched it all play out and loved it. Yeah, that was incredible, Judge said. Just from the very beginning, the roll call, even when he ran out there in right to start the game, the fans gave him a huge reception. The fans are excited. This is a generational player, and getting the chance for having him in pinstripes, have him on our side, its pretty special. So I think theyre just welcoming to the Bronx and showing him some love. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Six-day (Tuesday through Sunday) print subscribers of the Watertown Daily Times are eligible for full access to NNY360, the NNY360 mobile app, and the Watertown Daily Times e-edition, all at no additional cost. If you have an existing six-day print subscription to the Watertown Daily Times, please make sure your email address on file matches your NNY360 account email. You can sign up or manage your print subscription using the options below. Vietnamese Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc (L) and Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Pham Quang Dung at the conference. (Photo: VNA) Delegates at the meeting highlighted remarkable progress in the implementation of finance-banking cooperation initiatives, which have contributed to fulfilling targets of the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025. They agreed on the need to maintain public debt stability, consolidate fiscal policies, apply macro policies cautiously, and continue to pursue reform goals and sustainable growth given a host of challenges ahead. In their remarks, Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc and Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Pham Quang Dung expressed their support for initiatives raised by Laos, 2024 ASEAN Chair, with the theme of Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience. Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc praised the groups financial cooperation, and emphasised that Vietnam has contributed significantly to ASEAN connectivity through collaboration in customs and tax, taking the example of the 33rd Meeting of the ASEAN Customs Directors-General to be chaired by the General Department of Vietnam Customs this June in Phu Quoc, the southern province of Kien Giang. The minister applauded efforts and outcomes of ASEAN insurance cooperation in the past year and affirmed that the collaboration is on the right track with such activities as knowledge sharing and dialogue, thus ensuring a healthy insurance business environment. He suggested the enhancement of cooperation in green finance and transition finance both within the ASEAN, and between it and external partners, saying ASEAN countries should stay steadfast in their macro policy orientations and priorities. Participating delegations pose for a group photo. (Photo: VNA) A joint statement was issued at the end of the conference. The 12th AFMGM and relevant financial conference are scheduled for 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia./. NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue lauded the CPP's victory in the recent Senate election and expressed his hope for Cambodia's continued success under Hun Sen's leadership. He specifically mentioned achieving the goals outlined in the CPP's Political Platform for 2023-2028 and the Pentagonal Strategy Phase I, aiming to elevate Cambodia to a high middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2050. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (Photo: VNA) Vietnam, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue affirmed, views achievements of the CPP, State and people of Cambodia as a source of encouragement. Informing NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue about Cambodia's socio-economic situation and national development strategies, Hun Sen reaffirmed Cambodia's consistent foreign policy of giving priority to relations with Vietnam, adding that both the NA and Senate of Cambodia are promoting ties with the Vietnamese NA, an effort to connect the two legislative bodies together. He highlighted the thriving tourism cooperation between the countries, with Vietnamese tourists ranking second in Cambodia in the first quarter of this year. On the occasion, Hun Sen briefed NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue about his speech before the Senate, affirming his commitment to contributing to cooperation between the two governments and legislatures. He stressed that amid uncertainties in the region and the world, the two Parties, Governments and legislatures need to step up all-around collaboration. The two leaders agreed on the need to further strengthen traditional friendship and cooperation between the two countries through the party, parliament, government and people-to-people exchanges, especially via high-level meetings between the two Parties, the 13th session of the Vietnam-Cambodia Joint Committee on Economic, Trade, Investment, Cultural, Scientific and Technological Cooperation, and the conference of border provinces. They pledged to maintain effective coordination between relevant ministries, particularly those related to national defence, public security, and foreign affairs, to ensure a borderline of peace and development. The leaders also promised to support Laos' chairmanship of ASEAN and ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in 2024 and boost solidarity among member states. Hue wished that Hun Sen would continue directing the committees of the Cambodian Senate to work closely with the Vietnamese NA's committees to further enhance the role of the legislative bodies in mechanism and law fine-tuning, create a legal framework conducive to bilateral cooperation in various fields, monitor the implementation of agreements signed between the governments and ministries of both countries, offer mutual support at parliamentary forums such as AIPA, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF). Additionally, there was a shared commitment to accelerating the remaining 16% of land border demarcation between Vietnam and Cambodia as soon as possible. Regarding legal papers of Cambodians of Vietnamese origin, Hue thanked Hun Sen and the Cambodian Prime Minister for their utmost attention to this matter. He wished for continued attention to this issue to create favourable conditions for their long-term well-being. He expressed his desire that Hun Sen will support and direct the active and effective implementation of the cooperation agreement signed by the Cambodian Senates Secretariat and the Vietnamese NA Office in November 2022, further improve the effectiveness of exchange activities among young leaders, youths, female and friendship parliamentarians in order to uphold the tradition of solidarity, friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance between the two countries and legislatures./. Vital and unsung work helping Africas forgotten elderly will be the subject of two special presentations in Croyde and Braunton this week. A group of local ladies will be speaking about their visit to some of the more remote and rural areas of Uganda last autumn to help the charity ROTOM mark its 20th anniversary. The talks are at Croyde Baptist Church on Tuesday (April 9) at 7.30pm and to Braunton Caen Rotary Club at The Mariners Arms on Wednesday (April 10) at 7pm, with guests welcome. ROTOM (Reach One, Touch One Ministries) is a Christian organisation that provides support for the growing number of elderly people in Uganda, including health and medical or social as well as spiritual support. Helen Milton, Hilary Earnshaw, Adrienne Shaw, Lynn Talbot and Rose Thorn visited in October 2023 to help celebrate the anniversary, taking with them packed suitcases of provisions to share with their charges and the charity workers over there. The North Devon group sponsors various seniors in Uganda, which has no social care or support system, yet these older people still have a vital role to play in their communities. Above: Helen Milton with two of the seniors she sponsors in Uganda. Credit: Helen Milton ROTOM also works in Ethiopia and due to war, illness and early death in both countries taking working age parents, the orphaned children are often left in the care of grand parents or older relatives. Helen said: There is a huge sense of community in Ugandan villages but as you might imagine, there are few or no resources to support older people who are still perfectly capable of raising their grandchildren, but need a little support. When we consider that elderly social care is so often debated in this country and yet there is still never enough money to go around, you can appreciate how much harder it is in Uganda. ROTOM helps with practical measures such as home visits for medical and social care to enable older people to retain their independence, as well as fundraising for vital basics such as water tanks, mattresses, essential medication and school fees. Above: Without vital essentials such as water tanks, some Ugandans have to draw water from wherever they can, often risking disease. Credit: Helen Milton The charity also runs a school that provides places for the children and grandchildren of those who are sponsored. Above: Some of the children at the school set up by the ROTOM charity. Credit: Helen Milton The charity was set up in 2023 by a Ugandan man called Kenneth Mugayehwenkyi due to the lack of support and the growing number of elderly people in Africa. In North Devon, the Philip J Milton & Company Plc Charitable Foundation, of which Helen is a trustee, has also given ongoing support to ROTOM. All are welcome to attend the presentation at Croyde Baptist Church on Tuesday, April 9 at 7.30pm. If you are unable to make that, there is another presentation to Braunton Caen Rotary Club at The Mariners Arms on Wednesday (April 10) at 7pm. Anyone who would like to find out more about ROTOM or perhaps become a sponsor can do so at https://reachone-touchone.org 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 Vietnam 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. General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong (Photo: VNA) Vietnam 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 Vietnam 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 Vietnam 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 Vietnam congratulate Cambodia on great and important achievements across all fields over the years, he stated, underlining his belief that under the wise reign of King Norodom Sihamoni, the leadership of the Senate, the National Assembly and the administration 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, thus successfully implementing the CPP Platform for period 2023-2028 the, and successfully organising the election of the 4-tenure capital, provincial and district councils. The Party, State and people of Vietnam are very delighted at the growing Vietnam-Cambodia relations. Vietnam 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./. The authorities in Vermont said they were searching for a man who started a fire outside Senator Bernie Sanderss office in Burlington on Friday morning. The unidentified man walked into the vestibule of Senator Sanderss office and sprayed an apparent accelerant on the entrance door to the third-floor office, before lighting the accelerant and fleeing, the Burlington Police Department said in a statement. It was unclear exactly what the man sprayed on the door. A significant fire engulfed the door and part of the vestibule, which prevented staff members who were working inside the office from exiting, the Police Department said. The deadly Israeli strike on an aid convoy that killed seven workers for the relief group World Central Kitchen in the Gaza Strip shook official Washington this week. It prompted President Biden to issue his sharpest public criticism of Israel to date and spurred Israels military to make a rare admission of fault. It also revealed the power of something that is usually an afterthought in national and global politics: food. Jose Andres, the celebrity chef who built World Central Kitchen from a scrappy outfit feeding hurricane victims to a $500 million relief organization operating in war zones, dialed up political pressure on both Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. He spoke directly with Biden, White House officials said on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, in an interview with Reuters, he accused the Israel Defense Forces of systematically attacking the three-car convoy. On Thursday, Biden held a tense call with Netanyahu, threatening to place conditions on future support for the country. Hours later, Israel said it would permit more aid deliveries in Gaza. It also promised new steps to reduce civilian casualties and broker a temporary cease-fire in exchange for the release of hostages who are being held in Gaza by Hamas militants after they attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people. On most mornings before the war, Suhail Al-Asaad, a body builder, could be found at his kitchen counter in Gaza City, eating an omelet of eight egg whites before speed-walking along the waterfront and heading to the gym to lift weights. That waterfront now lies in ruins. Mr. Al-Asaad and his family, like so many others, were displaced from their home by Israels intense bombardment and invasion and now sleep in a tent in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. He spends his days struggling to find food for himself, his wife, their three children and his sick mother. Breakfast, of any kind, is elusive. Eggs are a luxury. As famine looms over Gazas 2.2 million people, their tenuous survival has become a little harder for many this week. World Central Kitchen, the charity group founded by the chef Jose Andres, suspended its relief efforts there after seven of its workers were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Monday. Since the start of the war in Gaza in October, the aid group said, it had delivered more than 43 million meals there. Mr. Al-Asaad knows many people relied on meals from World Central Kitchen, which often consisted of rice and beans and sometimes meat or chicken. His family rarely got the meals because the demand was more than the supply, Mr. Al-Asaad said in an interview on Friday. Those who received them regularly, he added, would struggle to find a replacement. The United Nations top human rights body adopted a resolution on Friday that calls for all countries to stop supplying arms to Israel and puts its key allies under international scrutiny for possible violations of international humanitarian law. The resolution adopted by the body, the U.N. Human Rights Council, in Geneva on Friday called on countries to halt supplies of arms and munitions to Israel in order to prevent further violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights. The Human Rights Council approved the resolution by a vote of 28 to 6, with 13 states abstaining. The United States and Germany, Israels two biggest arms suppliers, voted against the measure. The resolution has no immediate practical consequences, but it adds significant diplomatic weight to international demands to curb the supply of weapons being used in Gaza. It also lends weight to measures ordered by the International Court of Justice, which has demanded Israel comply with the Genocide Convention and allow more aid into Gaza. Israels ambassador, Meirav Eilon Shahar, condemned the passage of the resolution as a very dark day in the history of the council. Noting the resolution had failed to denounce Hamas for attacking Israel on Oct. 7, she said the council had turned a blind eye to acts of violence against Israelis. Later, the Israeli foreign ministry put out a statement noting the council had disregarded the supply of weapons to Hamas by Iran and its allies. I got my start in Germany, because of state-supported art, recalled Anderson, who exhibited at its national museums and performed with its symphony orchestras when she was still an emerging talent. She lived for a time in West Berlin. She met Lou Reed, her future husband and a sometime Berliner himself, in Germany in 1992. Fitting, then, that she would accept a prestigious guest professorship this year at a German art school. Then, in late January, a local blogger fulminated after finding her signature among 16,000 names on a two-year-old open letter that denounced apartheid in Israel and the Palestinian territories. The university then called, seeking explanations. Rather than distill her thoughts about this unbelievably tragic war into the kind of public statement they seemed to want, she withdrew. It did teach me that I didnt really want to have that kind of sponsorship, she concluded. If Id known they were going to ask things like that, I never would have accepted that job in the first place. Larry David has long defended the Seinfeld finale. Hes often been its lone champion as critics, fans and the cast, including Jerry Seinfeld, have continued to lament the conclusion of one of televisions most successful, enduring sitcoms. On Sunday, David the Seinfeld co-creator who left the show after its seventh season but returned to write the two-part finale, which aired on May 14, 1998 will wrap up his other popular show: Curb Your Enthusiasm, the on-again, off-again 12-season HBO comedy that started in 2000. And, if the signs are to be believed, the final episode may pay homage to the much-maligned Seinfeld send-off. If you didnt experience it, its a tall order to convey the hype that surrounded the end of Seinfeld, which took the gang out of New York City and landed them in a Massachusetts jail for violating a Good Samaritan Law. A trial included a parade of character witnesses, many of them wronged by the defendants over nine seasons, attesting to their unethical behavior. Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer were found guilty of, as the prosecutor put it, selfishness, self-absorption, immaturity and greed. On Monday, the moon will steal between the Earth and the sun, a total solar eclipse in North America. The path of totality, the strip of the continent where the moon will completely obscure the sun, begins in Mazatlan, Mexico, crosses over more than a dozen U.S. states, from Texas to Maine, and ends in Newfoundland, Canada. For umbraphiles (shadow lovers, in Latin), as eclipse enthusiasts are known, this is a big deal. Theyve had hotel rooms in Buffalo and Carbondale, Ill. booked for months if not years. Theyre following weather reports closely, praying for cloudless skies. The first time I heard of an eclipse, I was in sixth grade. My science teacher, too aptly named Mr. Lux (light, in Latin), described the mechanics of the event, but what stayed with me, an anxious child, was not the idea of a world plunged into daytime darkness but the risk of permanent retinal damage posed by looking directly at the eclipse. I couldnt believe I was permitted proximity to this much peril, this much responsibility over my safety. One glance skyward and I could damage my eyesight forever. Why was I just learning about this now? I didnt think much of eclipses again until the very branded Great American Eclipse of 2017, for which I procured safety glasses and witnessed a few moments of the sun mostly disappearing on a crowded street corner in Manhattan, near my office. The experience was brief, strange, uncoordinated. A quick astronomy interlude then back to work. Kate Coleman, an iconoclastic Bay Area journalist who began her career as a left-wing radical, writing about the patriarchy, politics and polyamory, then made enemies among her erstwhile comrades when her reporting cast a harsh light on the Black Panthers and the environmental movement, died on Tuesday in Oakland, Calif. She was 81. Carol Pogash, a close friend, said her death, in a memory-care facility, was caused by complications of dementia. For decades Ms. Coleman operated at the center of a fervid community of journalists and activists in and around Berkeley. Like her, most of them had attended the University of California in the 1960s, helping to define the campus as a hotbed of political and social activism. Her subsequent writing career, most of it as a freelancer for anti-establishment publications like Ramparts and The Berkeley Barb as well as national outlets like Newsweek and The Los Angeles Times, tracked the transit of the American left through its many phases, from early idealism through violent extremism to late-stage disenchantment. For years, New York City has employed a two-pronged approach to reducing gun violence, relying on the police and on the publicly funded conflict mediators known as violence interrupters, who try to defuse disputes before they escalate, including into gunfire. But the February arrests of two interrupters has caused simmering tensions with the police to boil over and threatens to undermine a key part of Mayor Eric Adamss approach to curbing shootings and murders. The two sides share a fundamental goal, despite their strikingly different methods. Where officers have the power to arrest, interrupters, often former gang members who in some cases have served prison time, rely on street credibility to steer people from crime. Over the past year, though, interrupters say officers have cursed at them; shoved them out of the way when they tried to break up fights; and arrested them for minor offenses. Then, on Feb. 9, two members of Save Our Streets, a longtime anti-violence group in Brooklyns Crown Heights section, said officers had handcuffed them after they tried to calm a man being detained for drug possession. This week, the world will again turn its eyes toward Rwanda. April 6 marks 30 years since the start of one of the most horrific events in modern history, the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Nearer in time but not unrelated, it has been just over one year since I left Rwanda and returned to the United States, released from prison after 939 days in captivity. I have not yet spoken at length about what those years in a Rwandan prison were like, or about the daily reality for Rwandan political prisoners who, like me, found themselves behind bars for exercising their freedom of expression. It has been a long year of physical and emotional recovery that has allowed me finally to put pen to paper again, and I expect the healing process will last the rest of my life. The experience of being kidnapped, tortured, imprisoned and silenced by those whom I had used my voice to criticize is difficult to describe. At many times during my captivity I believed I would be silenced for good, and that I would never again see my wife, my children and my grandchildren. But today I am a free man. And as we face this important and difficult milestone, I feel grateful to be able to join with my fellow Rwandans and reflect on what, if anything, we can take from this terrible chapter of our shared history. For me and for so many Rwandans, the 1994 genocide remains the focal point of my life. The months of April to July 1994 were a time of incomprehensible horror, in which our beautiful country was dragged into hell by brutal violence and killings on a scale previously unimaginable. At some points in the crisis, as many as 10,000 people were butchered in a day, primarily by machetes and other crude weapons. Even now, three decades later, and even for those of us who saw the killings firsthand, it is impossible to process the depravity and the gravity of the loss. The gay activist David Mixner and Senator Joe Lieberman died last month at the ages of 77 and 82, and were it not for the coincident timing, I would have no reason to reflect collectively on their legacies. Biographically, ideologically and temperamentally, they were very different men and, to my knowledge, never interacted. But I was fortunate to know them both, and after attending their funerals last week, Ive come to appreciate some important qualities they shared. In the summer of 1993, Mr. Mixner was at the height of his political influence. An old friend, Bill Clinton, was occupying the White House. In April, Mr. Mixner spoke to an estimated one million people assembled on the National Mall for the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi-Equal Rights and Liberation. And the next month, he featured prominently in a Vanity Fair spread celebrating Americas new gay power elite. As would become evident after Mr. Clinton reneged on a promise to repeal the ban on gay people serving in the armed forces, however, the trappings of power were not what attracted Mr. Mixner to politics. Even before Mr. Clinton entered the White House, military leaders had expressed strong support for the ban, and the administration eventually agreed to a compromise allowing gay people to serve, provided they kept their sexual orientation secret, a policy known as dont ask, dont tell. Mr. Mixner did not limit his displeasure with Mr. Clinton to words, leading a protest at the White House in which he was arrested along with 28 other people. I just have to do what is right, Mr. Mixner said. On a quiet street in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, just a few steps from my back door, is a vacant lot that my wife, Anne, and I share with our neighbors. This patch of dirty ground was once three single-family homes. Bit by bit, rains have washed away the soil, revealing corners of the buildings foundations and the occasional broken brick and shard of glass. Anne and I moved into our house in 2013. The neighbors on our street were extremely welcoming. At the time, the block was filled with very good people living among a very bad drug problem. It was obvious that the addiction epidemic brought everyone together, as the sense of community responsibility was palpable. One of the first things our new neighbors asked us was which car was ours so they could keep an eye out in case someone tried to break into it. In our collection of welcome materials was a yellow sticky note: Welcome to the hood, were hanging in the big backyard if you want to come out. An earthquake. An eclipse. A bridge collapse. A freak blizzard. A biblical flood. Donald Trump leading in battleground states. Apocalyptic vibes are stirred by Trumps violent rhetoric and talk of blood baths. If hes not elected, he bellowed in Ohio, there will be a blood bath in the auto industry. At his Michigan rally on Tuesday, he said there would be a blood bath at the border, speaking from a lectern with a banner reading, Stop Bidens border blood bath. He has warned that, without him in the Oval, there will be an Oppenheimer-like doomsday; we will lose World War III, and America will be devastated by weapons the likes of which nobody has ever seen before. And the only thing standing between you and its obliteration is me, Trump has said. An unspoken Trump threat is that there will be a blood bath again in Washington, like Jan. 6, if he doesnt win. That is why he calls the criminals who stormed the Capitol hostages and unbelievable patriots. He starts some rallies with a dystopian remix of the national anthem, sung by the J6 Prison Choir, and his own reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. Sarah-Mai Miller and Heath Miller lived in 10 different houses and apartments in 17 years. The couple owned three of those houses an 1800s saltbox in Greenport on Long Island and a modern cozy cabin and a glass cabin, both in a town called Milan in upstate New York. The couples ventures in real estate were a natural extension of their jobs as creative directors. Together, they founded Chalk 242, a creative ad agency theyd named after the address of their first apartment in New York City, a prewar building on the Upper West Side. For the Millers, the lines blurred between work, play and home. The two houses in Milan were nicknamed Maitopia and Mailan, a nod to Ms. Millers name. But they bore her husbands out-of-the-box touches, like a lap pool within two steps of the backdoor of Maitopia, and, most curious to Ms. Miller, a bathtub in the middle of the tiny home. I saw the designs for the tub and was like, Really? she recalled. Online data has long been a valuable commodity. For years, Meta and Google have used data to target their online advertising. Netflix and Spotify have used it to recommend more movies and music. Political candidates have turned to data to learn which groups of voters to train their sights on. Over the last 18 months, it has become increasingly clear that digital data is also crucial in the development of artificial intelligence. Heres what to know. The more data, the better. The success of A.I. depends on data. Thats because A.I. models become more accurate and more humanlike with more data. In the same way that a student learns by reading more books, essays and other information, large language models the systems that are the basis of chatbots also become more accurate and more powerful if they are fed more data. High winds and dry conditions in Texas and New Mexico posed a critical fire risk on Sunday, the National Weather Service said, while parts of Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma also faced an elevated risk of fires. Nearly three million people were under red flag warnings, which means that a combination of high temperatures, very low humidity and strong winds were creating, or were about to create, a heightened risk of fires that could spread rapidly. There were eight reports of wildfires in Oklahoma on Saturday, according to the states Department of Emergency Management. In northwest Oklahoma, a wildfire prompted officials to issue an evacuation order for the town of Sharon. The order was lifted hours later but firefighters were still trying to contain the fire on Sunday morning. Daniel P. Jordan, who as president of the foundation that owns Monticello, Thomas Jeffersons plantation in Virginia, broadened its educational mission and, perhaps most significant, commissioned a study that found that Jefferson had almost certainly fathered six children with Sally Hemings, one of hundreds of people he enslaved died on March 21 in Charlottesville, Va. He was 85. His daughter Katherine Jordan said the cause was a heart attack. Questions about Jeffersons relationship with Hemings had circulated among historians, and among her family, for two centuries. In 1993, when Mr. Jordan (pronounced JUR-dun) invited some of her descendants to a Jefferson commemorative event at Monticello, he was noncommittal on the paternity issue. If theres anything like a party line, its simply this, he told The Washington Post: We cannot prove it, we cant disprove it. But five years later, his position had to evolve. The results of DNA testing, published in the Nov. 5, 1998, issue of Nature magazine, appeared to confirm that Jefferson was the father of Eston Hemings, one of Sally Hemingss sons.The tests strongly indicated that Eston had the same Y chromosome mutations seen in the Jefferson lineage. Hillary Clinton returned on Saturday to her alma mater, Wellesley College, to celebrate the opening of a new research and study center that bears her name, more than half a century after she graduated and set off on the path that would make her its most famous alumna. She was met, as ever, by Wellesley faculty, students and alumnae who see her as a rock star, a kind of campus demi-deity who forever elevated the status of this small liberal arts college west of Boston. But as Mrs. Clinton moderated a panel on democracy at a crossroads at the new centers inaugural summit, a group of student protesters outside chanted and raised signs objecting to her presence, an angry display of the more critical way many in the latest generation of Wellesley women view her legacy. Near the end of the panel, a student attendee inside the event stood and started shouting, accusing Mrs. Clinton of indifference to violence against Palestinians. For decades, both Liberal and Conservative federal governments gradually eroded that once seemingly sacred concept with selective advance leaks. But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has taken it to a new level. Instead of leaks attributed to anonymous sources, the prime minister has been traveling the country to give Canadians a preview of a variety of major budget measures. Many of them appear to be intended to lure back younger voters to his Liberal Party, including spending to increase housing, expanding child care programs and introducing a national school food program. The Ecuadorean police on Friday night arrested a politician who had taken refuge in the Mexican Embassy in Quito, after what Mexico described as a forced entry that violated the countrys sovereignty. The move was a rare instance of one government entering anothers embassy to make an arrest. The episode prompted Mexico to suspend diplomatic relations with Ecuador and inflamed tensions, which were already high between the two countries. The politician, Jorge Glas, a former vice president of Ecuador, had been sentenced to prison for corruption, the countrys presidential office said in a statement, which added that there had been a warrant out for his arrest. Mr. Glas, who had been living at the embassy in Ecuadors capital since December, was granted political asylum by Mexico earlier on Friday. Mexico has severed diplomatic relations with Ecuador after Ecuadorean police officers on Friday arrested Jorge Glas, an Ecuadorean politician who had been granted refuge in Mexicos Embassy in Quito. That arrest, which Mexico described as a violation of its sovereignty, capped days of growing tensions between the two Latin American countries. Ecuador has considered Mr. Glas a fugitive and said its police force was acting on an arrest warrant for Mr. Glas. Heres what to know about the politician at the center of the dispute. Jorge Glas is a former vice president of Ecuador. Mr. Glas served in several ministerial roles under the longtime left-wing government of a former Ecuadorean president, Rafael Correa. Mr. Glass most notable role was as Mr. Correas vice president, a position he held from 2013 to 2017. His term as vice president in the subsequent government, led by Lenin Moreno, lasted only a few months. In 2017, he was forced from office and sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of receiving over $13.5 million dollars in bribes. Thousands of innocent people killed. Tens of thousands more pro-democracy protesters locked up. The return of military rule has wreaked havoc in Myanmar in recent years. Now the junta is growing increasingly brutal as a rebel uprising has gained ground in the countryside. It has put new effort into imprisoning dissidents and the men and women who refuse to join its forces. And it is meting out increasingly lethal treatment to those already in custody. In the first two months of the year, more than 100 prisoners perished, either from torture or neglect, human rights groups and former detainees say. Conditions in military-run prisons have deteriorated further, they say, with prisoners being deprived of food, proper sanitation and health care, and facing horrific torture. Since November, conditions have been getting worse and worse, said Myar Reh, a pro-democracy student activist who was released from a prison in Karenni State in January after being held for nearly three years. They punched me in the face, hit me with the butt of the gun. My whole body was covered in blood. They also threatened to shoot me in the head, and shot live rounds beside my head. The Israeli military said on Saturday that it had recovered the body of an Israeli hostage who was abducted during the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack, almost six months after he was taken hostage. The man, identified as Elad Katzir, 47, was a farmer in Nir Oz, a kibbutz near Israels border with the Gaza Strip that was one of the areas hardest hit in the attack on Oct. 7, in which 1,200 Israelis died and about 250 people were taken hostage, according to the Israeli authorities. His body was recovered by troops in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza where the Israeli army has been operating since December, and returned to Israel overnight, the military said. After the announcement of the recovery and return of Mr. Katzirs body, Mr. Katzirs sister, Carmit, bitterly denounced the Israeli government in a social media post for failing to secure her brothers release. He could have been saved if there had been a deal in time, she wrote. But our leadership are cowards, motivated by political considerations, and thus it did not happen. Viktor Savvinov had already been imprisoned several times for various crimes including robbery, auto theft and assault when he murdered a female drinking companion during a quarrel in 2020, stabbing her in the chest with four knives. A court in Russias Siberian region of Yakutia sentenced him to 11 years in a maximum-security prison. So when recruiters from the private Wagner mercenary group offered him freedom and a clean slate if he deployed to fight in Ukraine, Mr. Savvinov, a morgue orderly, seized the opportunity. By February, Mr. Savvinov had completed his service and was back in his native village of Kutana. That month, on Defenders of the Fatherland Day, he was staggering drunk around the snowy streets, residents said, complaining loudly that villagers showed him insufficient respect as a veteran. The next night, he murdered two of them, according to a law enforcement report, striking a male drinking buddy dead with a metal crowbar before killing his own estranged aunt, who lived next door, by axing her in the head, and then torching her wooden house. Russias practice of recruiting convicts has been the backbone of its success in Ukraine, providing an overwhelming manpower advantage in the war. But it is backfiring in tragic ways as inmates pardoned for serving in Ukraine return to Russia and commit new crimes. Russian rockets slammed into residential buildings in Kharkiv before dawn on Saturday, Ukrainian officials said, killing at least seven people and injuring at least 11 more in the latest assault on Ukraines second-largest city. Russian terror against Kharkiv continues, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said in a statement. Its crucial to strengthen the air defense for the Kharkiv region. And our partners can help us with this. Ukraines air defenses have come increasingly under strain since American military support stopped flowing into the country more than six months ago, and future assistance remains uncertain amid Republican resistance in Congress to a $60 billion aid package. Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, has hinted that he would soon bring the issue of military aid for Ukraine to a vote in the House, but has also said that he might tie the issue to unrelated matters like domestic energy policies that could complicate its passage. Voters in Slovakia on Saturday strengthened the grip of Russia-friendly political forces in Central Europe, handing victory in a presidential election to a candidate who opposes providing military and financial aid to Ukraine. With 99 percent of the votes counted, the official tally showed Peter Pellegrini, an ally of Slovakias populist prime minister, Robert Fico, the winner with 53 percent of the vote in a presidential runoff. Despite the presidencys limited powers in Slovakia, the election was widely watched as a test of strength between political camps with starkly different views on Russia. The defeated candidate, former Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok, is a stalwart supporter of Ukraine and critic of Mr. Fico, a pugnacious veteran politician who has aligned with Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary in opposing aid to Ukraine and challenging mainstream opinions within the European Union. With Mr. Fico at his side, Mr. Pellegrini declared victory early Sunday, soon after Mr. Korcok conceded defeat. There are precedents for a forceful response by Iran to the Israeli airstrike in Syria on Monday that killed senior commanders and other officers of Irans elite Quds Force. Four years ago, after the United States killed the chief of the Quds Force, Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, Iran fired missiles at U.S. bases in Iraq, injuring more than 100 troops. Though its proxy militias around the Middle East have launched a number of attacks on Israel since the war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7, Iran has taken care to avoid a direct conflict that could lead to full-fledged war. In the past few months, Israel has killed at least 18 members of the Quds Force, among them four senior commanders who were veterans of Middle East wars, according to the Iranian news media. But the airstrike in Damascus was far out of the ordinary, both in killing so many senior figures at once and in hitting a diplomatic building, normally considered off limits in conflicts. Israeli officials said the building functioned as a Revolutionary Guards base and was therefore a legitimate target. Dozens of Major Bridges Lack Shields to Block Wayward Ships Ben Franklin Bridge Crescent City Connection Dolphin Expressway Bridge Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge Lewis and Clark Bridge Memphis-Arkansas Bridge Mid-Hudson Bridge Newburgh-Beacon Bridge Robert C. Byrd Bridge Sherman Minton Bridge Tobin Bridge Veterans Memorial Bridge Aerial photos by Nearmap and Vexcel Imaging The collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore has prompted a reassessment of critical bridges around the country that may be similarly vulnerable to a ship strike. The Lewis and Clark Bridge has towered above the Columbia River for nearly a century, its rugged half-mile truss serving as a gateway for logging trucks and beach vacationers crossing between Washington and Oregon. Decades ago, to protect against wayward vessels that could threaten the structure, crews installed timber shields around the bridge piers that rise up out of the water. But even as the cargo ships chugging up the Pacific Northwests largest river began to grow in size, the timbers rotted away, leaving the bridge vulnerable to disaster. The MSC Flavia, a container ship larger than the one that hit the Key Bridge in Baltimore, passes under the Lewis and Clark Bridge between two piers with little protection. Grant Hindsley for The New York Times If a ship hits one of those piers, its gone, said Jerry Reagor, a semiretired contractor who lives near the bridge and has spent years pressing transportation officials to install new protections. The state views the risk of calamity as low and the cost of preventing it to be high. Bridges across the country carry similar deficiencies. At 309 major bridges on navigable waterways in the United States, inspections in recent years have found protection systems around bridge foundations that were deteriorating, potentially outdated or nonexistent, leaving the structures perilously exposed to ship strikes. Pier protections on major bridges No protection Potentially outdated protection Wash. Deteriorated protection Maine Mont. N.D. Minn. Vt. Ore. N.H. Idaho N.Y. Wis. Mass. S.D. R.I. Conn. Mich. Wyo. Pa. N.J. Iowa Neb. Nev. Ohio Md. Del. Ill. Ind. Utah W.Va. Colo. Va. Kan. Mo. Ky. Calif. N.C. Tenn. Okla. Ariz. Ark. S.C. N.M. Ala. Miss. Ga. Texas La. Fla. Pier protections on major bridges No protection Potentially outdated protection Deteriorated protection Maine Minn. Vt. N.H. N.Y. Wis. Mass. Mich. R.I. Pa. N.J. Iowa Conn. Ohio Md. Del. Ill. Ind. W.Va. Va. Mo. Kan. Ky. N.C. Tenn. Ark. Okla. S.C. Ala. Miss. Ga. La. Texas Fla. Wash. Mont. N.D. Ore. Idaho S.D. Wyo. Neb. Nev. Utah Colo. Kan. Calif. Okla. Ariz. N.M. Texas Pier protections on major bridges No protection Potentially outdated protection Wash. Deteriorated protection Maine Mont. N.D. Minn. Vt. Ore. N.H. Idaho N.Y. Wis. Mass. S.D. Mich. Wyo. R.I. Pa. Conn. N.J. Iowa Neb. Nev. Ohio Md. Del. Ill. Ind. Utah W.Va. Colo. Va. Kan. Mo. Ky. Calif. N.C. Tenn. Okla. Ariz. Ark. S.C. N.M. Ala. Miss. Ga. Texas La. Fla. Pier protections on major bridges No protection Potentially outdated protection Wash. Deteriorated protection Maine Mont. N.D. Minn. Vt. Ore. N.H. Idaho N.Y. Wis. Mass. S.D. R.I. Mich. Conn. Wyo. Pa. N.J. Iowa Neb. Nev. Ohio Md. Del. Ill. Ind. Utah W.Va. Colo. Va. Kan. Mo. Ky. Calif. N.C. Tenn. Okla. Ariz. Ark. S.C. N.M. Ala. Miss. Ga. Texas La. Fla. Source: National Bridge Inventory The New York Times A New York Times analysis of federal data and shipping traffic found dozens of these vulnerable bridges spanning waterways that serve as corridors for large vessels around places like Boston, New Orleans and Philadelphia. The review identified 193 bridges that each carry 10,000 vehicles or more a day that have no protections installed around the piers planted in river and seabeds that hold up the bridges. The potential risk became starkly apparent last month when a cargo vessel appeared to lose power and struck a pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing much of the 1.6-mile structure to collapse into the water and killing six people. But the Times review showed that bridges across the country have suffered similar catastrophic failures in recent decades, in places like Tampa Bay, Fla.; Mobile, Ala.; South Padre Island, Texas; and Webbers Falls, Okla. Those costly and sometimes deadly disasters have brought calls to enhance bridge protections. The Biden administration in 2021 pushed through legislation that will provide $40 billion to repair or replace bridges across the country. But the repairs are targeted at only about a third of an estimated 43,000 bridges deemed to be in poor condition. And states have struggled to pay for multi-million-dollar safety improvements, constantly balancing the cost against what may be seen as an isolated risk of disaster. Department of Transportation officials in Washington State have said they will be watching the Baltimore investigation to determine whether new pier protections on the Lewis and Clark Bridge might be needed but cautioned that the state has limited funds. This would be an improvement project that would cost tens of millions of dollars, said Kelly Hanahan, a department spokeswoman. Some states have focused less on upgrading their bridges and instead are working on plans to evacuate them quickly in the event of a ship strike or other problem. Some are concentrating on improving navigation and tugboat protocols to lessen the likelihood of collisions. Others are rolling the dice. The Crescent City Connection: Shortfalls near key ports Vulnerable bridges are standing in some of the busiest shipping waterways. One example: the Crescent City Connection in New Orleans. Crescent City Connection Pier Mississippi River Protection system may be inadequate Crescent City Connection Pier Mississippi River Protection system may be inadequate The New York Times; aerial photo by Nearmap The bridge has two spans, one built in 1958 and another in 1988. Both were completed before the adoption of more modern standards to mitigate the risk of a large vessel collision. A pair of private engineering researchers started looking at the bridge and two others nearby in the 1990s after a series of vessel accidents, including some involving ships that lost power, as was most likely the case with the ship in Baltimore. In findings published for their peers, they found that the protection systems around the bridges do not have the strength and energy absorption capacity to affect the consequences of major vessel collisions, and that the bridges foundations might not survive a head-on collision. Dolphin Expressway Bridge Pier Miami River Deteriorated pier protection Dolphin Expressway Bridge Pier Miami River Deteriorated pier protection The New York Times; aerial photo by Nearmap The Times analysis found bridges with similar documented flaws at a variety of other big ports. In Florida, where the Dolphin Expressway carries more than 50,000 vehicles per day across the Miami River, the bridge supports are protected by what inspectors have described as a deteriorating system. The transportation agency managing the bridge said it is working to replace the protection system. The Burlington-Bristol Bridge: Preparing for evacuations Many of the deficiencies found in bridges outside of the nations major ports are also a result of deteriorating barriers around the piers. It was a problem that inspectors identified at 98 major bridges those carrying at least 10,000 vehicles per day. In many cases, local officials are looking at alternatives to expensive new construction to help lower the risk. In 2015, a 600-foot freighter lost propulsion as it traveled along the Delaware River between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Seconds before the vessel reached the Burlington-Bristol Bridge, it crashed into the river bank instead, averting disaster. Burlington-Bristol Bridge Pier Delaware River Deteriorated pier protection Burlington-Bristol Bridge Pier Delaware River Deteriorated pier protection The New York Times; aerial photo by Nearmap The span is one of several along the Delaware River including the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge and the Ben Franklin Bridge, both gateways to Philadelphia where inspectors found deteriorated protection systems around the bridge piers. Michael McCarron, the director of operations at the Burlington County Bridge Commission, said repair work this year will involve some attention to the bridges protection system. At the same time, the county is focusing on how to evacuate the bridges in the event of a looming collision, using tower operators who are in constant communication with vessels and a police force always at the ready. Time is of the essence, he said. Farther down the river, at the Delaware Memorial Bridge, crews are building one of the nations most advanced protection systems. That $93 million project includes concrete dolphins, each 80 feet in diameter and rooted 45 feet deep in the riverbed, that will guide any troubled ships away from the bridge. Sunshine Skyway Bridge Tampa Bay Pier Island barrier Dolphin Sunshine Skyway Bridge Pier Tampa Bay Island barrier Dolphin The New York Times; aerial photo by Vexcel Imaging After a freighter knocked down Floridas Sunshine Skyway Bridge in 1980, killing 35 people, the rebuilt span also included a network of concrete islands for protection. The Tobin Bridge: New risk assessments In the days after last months disaster in Baltimore, officials in Massachusetts began taking a fresh look at Bostons Tobin Bridge, a truss span that carries more than 40,000 vehicles each day across the Mystic River but does not have a protection system for its piers. Maurice J. Tobin Memorial Bridge Pier No pier protection Mystic River Maurice J. Tobin Memorial Bridge Pier No pier protection Mystic River The New York Times; aerial photo by Nearmap Jonathan Gulliver, the highway administrator at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, said he is confident that the navigation protocols imposed on ships operating in the area, including tugboat escorts for large vessels, can assure safe operations. But in the aftermath of the Baltimore disaster, he said, his agencys engineers are re-evaluating the potential risks. If we think there is a serious public safety risk there, we will absolutely take action, he said. Other bridges are also getting fresh consideration. Outside of Philadelphia, the Delaware River Port Authority is expediting a safety review that had already been planned for the Commodore Barry Bridge. The authority buttressed the bridges piers with islands of rocks in 2008, but engineers will now examine whether more protections are necessary. Both the Tobin Bridge and the Commodore Barry Bridge have fracture critical designs, meaning that the failure of a key component would probably cause a wider collapse of the span. The Times found that about half of the major bridges with deficient pier protections were also fracture critical. But bridge design engineers note that the collapse of a pier would be sufficient to take out almost any bridge. I-40 Collapse: Crashes on inland waterways Just four days after the Baltimore bridge collapse, a barge that drifted off course on the Arkansas River rammed into a highway bridge near Sallisaw, Okla. The bridge survived, thanks in part to a more robust pier design that a bridge engineer said made the structure capable of handling a collision. Just up the river in 2002, freight barges struck a pier supporting Interstate 40, knocking a section into the river and killing 14 people. While inland routes such as the Arkansas River, the Missouri River and the Mississippi River do not get the larger container ships seen at coastal ports, they regularly carry barges large enough to take out a bridge. Many of the bridges on these large inland waterways do not have protection systems, inspectors have found, including the Sherman Minton Bridge that connects Indiana and Kentucky, the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge in Tennessee, and the Robert C. Byrd Bridge linking West Virginia and Ohio. Sherman Minton Bridge Pier No pier protection Ohio River Sherman Minton Bridge Ohio River Pier No pier protection The New York Times; aerial photo by Nearmap And the risks associated with large container vessels are also moving into new areas of the country, as smaller coastal ports take steps to accommodate them. In Louisiana, large cargo vessels now make their way up the Mississippi River, passing through two bridges that have been found during inspections to have flawed protection systems: the Veterans Memorial Bridge near Gramercy and the Sunshine Bridge a little farther upriver in St. James Parish. In New York, the Mid-Hudson Bridge near Poughkeepsie now sees a small but steady stream of large ships passing under its span. Mid-Hudson Bridge Pier Hudson River No pier protection Mid-Hudson Bridge Pier Hudson River No pier protection The New York Times; aerial photo by Nearmap There are other bridges along that same route, including the Kingston-Rhinecliff and the Newburgh-Beacon Bridges. Inspections have shown that all these bridges lack pier protection systems. Chris Steber, a spokesman for the New York State Bridge Authority, said all of the bridges are structurally safe, and noted that the ships that use that stretch of the river are not as large as the vessel involved in Baltimore. But John Lipscomb, a longtime patrol boat captain and a vice president of Riverkeeper, an environmental group, recalled a 2012 incident in which a 600-foot-long oil tanker ran aground near the Port of Albany. Accidents happen here at home, and in light of the Baltimore accident, we should be revisiting our existing bridges and determining whether they are safe, he said. A damaged bridge has enormous consequences. Theres the potential for high, high risk to the environment. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge: Protections may be insufficient The Francis Scott Key Bridge that was destroyed in Baltimore was officially listed in the National Bridge Inventory as having a protection system in place. But the shields were limited to concrete islands that were much smaller than more modern systems. Now, even on bridges deemed to have functioning protection systems, it is unclear whether the protections are sufficient. A good example is the four-mile-long Chesapeake Bay Bridge, also in Maryland. Chesapeake Bay Bridge Pier Chesapeake Bay Limited pier protection Chesapeake Bay Bridge Pier Chesapeake Bay Limited pier protection The New York Times; aerial photo by Nearmap The bridge is not protected the way it should be, said Vijaya Gopu, a civil engineering professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Maybe its protected in a very trivial fashion like the Key Bridge, but I didnt realize it does not have a robust protection system like dolphins or some rock island, he said. Thats something they have to do right away. The Maryland Department of Transportation said it was evaluating potential short-term and long-term mitigation strategies for the Bay Bridge. The department also said it would strongly consider any recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Boards investigation in Baltimore, where preliminary findings are expected later this month. Back in the Pacific Northwest, farther down the Columbia River, the Astoria-Megler Bridge has shields in place to deflect ships away from the piers, and inspectors have found them to be functioning. But vessel sizes have increased in recent years, state officials acknowledged. Capt. Jeremy Nielsen, president of the Columbia River Pilots, whose mariners are hired to guide ships through the sometimes treacherous waters of the lower Columbia and Willamette Rivers, said he has concern over both bridges, given that ships can and do break down on the river. The shields on the Astoria-Megler Bridge are capable of deflecting smaller ships navigating the river, he said. The structure thats there is not going to protect against a larger vessel. A power station in Offaly to be connected to natural gas network which Gas Networks Ireland says will further decarbonise the energy infrastructure while supporting the national energy grid at times of high demand. Bord na Monas Edenderry Renewable Energy Complex will be connected to the national gas network. The grid connection will enable the integration of both natural gas and renewable gas including biomethane and green hydrogen, into the fuel mix at the Offaly renewable energy complex. On completion, the transmission connection project will immediately facilitate a reduction of approximately 40% in CO2 emissions at the complex which supports the national energy grid in times of high demand providing 116MW of electricity to help balance the intermittency of supply from other energy sources in the country. This investment will see the construction of a steel transmission pipeline, approximately 22Km in length, that will connect Bord na Monas renewable energy complex in Edenderry, to Ireland's gas network. Initially the project will facilitate the transmission of natural gas, with a shift to renewable gases over time. The Transmission Connection project is currently in its preliminary planning and development phase, with construction expected to start in 2027 and the pipeline anticipated to be fully operational in 2029. Gas Networks Ireland intends to engage local communities and host public information evenings over the coming weeks to share more details about the project and its benefits. Emphasising the significance of the partnership, Gas Networks Irelands newly appointed Director of Assets & Infrastructure, Brian Sheehan said, "the gas network plays a critical role in Irelands energy landscape, and this connection for Bord na Mona marks a significant step towards a greener future. The gas network can be adapted to transport zero-carbon gases, such as green hydrogen. It has already transformed once, from carrying town gas to natural gas over 40 years ago, and more recently adapted to biomethane when it was first introduced onto the Irish network in 2019. Gas Networks Ireland is fully committed to this strategic infrastructure development project and has assembled a dedicated team to ensure its success. John Reilly, Head of Renewable Energy at Bord na Mona commented, we are delighted to announce this partnership with Gas Networks Ireland which will have a transformative effect on our Edenderry Renewable Energy Complex - enabling us to decarbonise our existing infrastructure by approximately 40% once the transmission connection is complete and natural gas is fully incorporated into our fuel mix. The project will facilitate the transmission of natural gas in the immediate term with an opportunity to shift to renewable gases like green hydrogen and biomethane in the future. Our existing diesel generation assets located at the Edenderry Renewable Energy Complex play a key role in supplying 116MW of electricity to the national energy grid during periods of high demand when solar and wind energy availability is limited, and this development will ensure these generation assets are operating even more sustainably, as one of the largest on-demand renewable electricity generators in Ireland. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for independent investigations into the deaths of all 196 aid workers killed in the Gaza Strip during the Israel-Hamas war and said he hopes Israel quickly and effectively boosts aid access. Global outrage at the humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory of 2.3 million people escalated after three Israeli airstrikes on Monday killed seven people working for US-based food charity World Central Kitchen. A view of a vehicle where employees from the World Central Kitchen (WCK), including foreigners, were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Photo: Reuters Israel is retaliating against Hamas in Gaza over a deadly October 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group, saying they killed some 1,200 people and took more than 250 people hostage. Gaza health authorities say Israel has killed more than 33,000 people since. The Israeli military on Friday said its inquiry into the strikes on the aid convoy found serious errors and breaches of procedure. "The Israeli government has acknowledged mistakes," Guterres said. "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 changes on the ground," he said, without specifying who should conduct the investigations. "196 humanitarian workers have been killed and we want to know why each one of them was killed." The 15-member UN Security Council met on Friday to discuss an imminent famine in Gaza and the attacks on aid workers. "Were we meeting in the north of Gaza, all 15 of us would be skipping meals," said Slovenia's U.N. Ambassador Samuel Zbogar. "10 of us would go entire days and nights without eating. Half of us would be in desperate need of humanitarian aid." Addressing the council, senior UN aid official Ramesh Rajasingham called on all countries to help stop violations of humanitarian law "through diplomatic and economic pressure, conditioning arms exports on compliance with the rules of war, and cooperation in combating impunity." Entirely avoidable Britain's UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward said aid workers should never be targeted, adding: "Israel must do much more to protect them and to ensure their safety so they can deliver urgently needed lifesaving humanitarian assistance." Israel has approved reopening the Erez crossing into northern Gaza and temporary use of Ashdod port in southern Israel after US President Joe Biden demanded steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying conditions could be placed on U.S. support for Israel if it did not act. "When the gates to aid are closed, the doors to starvation are opened. More than half the population over a million people are facing catastrophic hunger. Children in Gaza today are dying for lack of food and water," Guterres told reporters. "This is incomprehensible, and entirely avoidable," he said. Guterres also said he was "deeply troubled" by reports that the Israeli military has been using artificial intelligence to help identify bombing targets in Gaza. The Israeli military denies AI was used to identify suspected extremists and targets. "No part of life and death decisions which impact entire families should be delegated to the cold calculation of algorithms," Guterres said. "Over the last six months, the Israeli military campaign has brought relentless death and destruction to Palestinians in Gaza," Guterres added. "Lives are shattered. Respect for international humanitarian law is in tatters." I wonder if we can. I'm sitting in the airport in Bogota', heading back to the U.S., with only the hassle of a universal criminal x-ray/strip search/eyeballs photographing routine, delayed flights, bad food, etc., while my friends in Colombia cannot simply go through that standard global-travel routine (as they can to visit much of the world) to visit the United States, having instead to apply for permission and wait months or years. Presumably the United States wants visitors, and would just rather exclude 99 visitors to be sure of excluding 1 person who might decide to stay rather than visit. But why? What is being protected? There is almost nothing cultural that cannot and does not travel across every border. The massive border industry cannot keep out the wonderful Colombian music or food or political ideas. The notion of preserving an isolated culture is not only incoherent, but is typically cover for the ridiculous notion that people are not what they think and do but what they look like on the surface. How else can a rapist thief presidential candidate in one country characterize the people of another country as rapists and thieves? I know. I know. It's the economy, stupid! It's the jobs. Those people will steal these jobs, rape these paychecks. I have to admit that if that were true, I would not give a damn. Borders do far more harm than the fictional good of protecting jobs, even my job, even if this story were real. Borders don't just inconvenience; they kill. But it isn't true. The economic studies are clear, and the lessons from mass migrations and from regions that maintain open borders are clear: opening borders to human beings, not just smartphones, bottled water, and automobiles, benefits working people on both sides. That point is one of many well-documented in The Case For Open Borders by John Washington, who establishes how new, how ineffective on their own terms, and yet how deeply damaging borders are, to humans and also to the ecosystems on which we depend. Washington provides an interesting history (one of many) of the parallel false beliefs in separate, sedentary human "races" and separate non-migratory non-human animals and plants threatened by "invasive species." Studies show that human and non-human societies are enriched in cultural diversity and bio-diversity by migration, and that this has been so for millennia, outstripping the damage inflicted by invasive species. Something else that crosses the fanciest and nastiest of borders? Diseases! In fact, ICE detention centers made a significant contribution to increasing, not decreasing, cases of COVID in the United States. The military-border industry is mushrooming, driven first-and-foremost by the U.S. government, just as wars and climate destruction are escalating refugee crises. Much of the need to flee homes could be erased were wealthy governments like the U.S. to cease militarizing and impoverishing other parts of the world, and perhaps devote 5% of what goes into walling people off into helping them instead. But the need to flee homes is going to grow dramatically as the Earth is rendered less habitable. And right now the U.S. government spends 11 times on militarizing its borders what it spends on assisting poorer countries in handling the impacts of climate collapse. Borders not only kill and imprison, injure and traumatize those driven to cross them. They also create a system of second-class residents lacking basic rights and powers. Undocumented immigrants to the United States pay a higher average tax rate into the U.S. government than do billionaires, and take dramatically less out, being barred from most basic services, much less corporate welfare and Pentagon contracts. The second-class status of some workers -- not the people it is imposed on -- hurts all workers. State borders within the United States, and national borders within Europe, as well as national borders in many other regions of the globe, have not been made into war zones. This difference has an impact, to be sure, on what a state or a nation is, but it doesn't eliminate them, doesn't even eliminate anything good about them. It merely improves and enriches them. Two ways in which undoing walled-off borders would benefit the United States might be called untrumping and unbidening. You could have no Donald Trump as a political figure without the ability to blame everything on Mexicans. Nor could you have Joe Biden without the ability to blame everything on Donald Trump and on Russia (and to pretend that the two are the same). Of course, Mexico would prefer not to have the remaining half of its country taken by the U.S., and Russia's neighbors would prefer not to become Russia. But the U.S. controls countries without occupations, and fails to control countries with occupations, while Russia would be far less driven to attack any neighbors were those neighbors not walled off behind warlike borders, and were there not piles of U.S. weapons being lined up behind those borders. Eliminating borders sounds like a radical change, and I hope it would be. But as recently as the 1960s in the United States, there was almost no immigration detention. Now hundreds of thousands of people are charged with the crime of crossing a line that could not be a crime if there were no line, a crime that was invented in the United States in 1929 by enthusiastic racists of whom if there are any statues, I say, by all means tear them down. But tear down the border walls first. Gov. Tina Kotek asked the state ethics commission Friday to weigh in on how her wife and the partners of future governors can be involved in policy decisions. But the ethics commission had already received multiple complaints about Aimee Kotek Wilsons role and cant give the governor guidance until after it resolves those complaints, commission Executive Director Susan Myers told the Capital Chronicle Friday. She provided a copy of a letter she sent Koteks acting chief of staff, Chris Warner, on Friday afternoon. As you are aware, the Commission has received complaints relating to these issues and has opened a case in preliminary review, Myers wrote. Because the questions raised in your request relate to issues that may be addressed in the preliminary review case, the commission cannot provide any guidance, advice or opinions at this time. Myers said the commission received multiple complaints, but theyre basically duplicates of each other and resulted in only one preliminary review case. Under state law, commission staff have 60 days to conduct a preliminary review and present findings to the commission, which will decide whether to dismiss a case or proceed with a full investigation. Warner wrote in a letter to Myers, who heads the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, that Kotek has been trying to clarify the role of the governors partner, who is considered a public official under state law. We have learned that the modern role of the first spouse or partner envisions spouses and partners using their official positions to support the governors priorities or otherwise advance initiatives consistent with a governors vision, Warner wrote. Regardless of party affiliation or gender identity, the governors spouse or partner serves a role as a public official to serve all Oregonians. That role should be clearly defined and transparent. Kotek acknowledged in March that she was considering expanding her wifes role in the office, shortly after three high-level staff members abruptly departed. Chief of Staff Andrea Cooper left the office on March 29, Deputy Chief of Staff Lindsey OBrien went on leave on Friday and senior adviser Abby Tibbs returned to her previous role with Oregon Health & Science University last weekend. Through spokeswomen and during a press conference on Wednesday, Kotek repeatedly declined to comment on the nature of and reason for those departures. The governors office has not yet processed records requests from the Capital Chronicle and other outlets that could shed light on the departures. But multiple sources described disagreements over Kotek Wilsons role as an impetus. On March 25, a few days after Kotek confirmed the three senior staffers planned to leave, the legislative director for the Department of Administrative Services joined the governors office on a six-month rotation that will include planning for an Office of the First Spouse and assisting Kotek Wilson. Meliah Masiba will be paid nearly $72,000 during her six months with the governors office. Kotek Wilson also now has an office within the governors suite of offices at the state library. Kotek also ordered state police beginning in March to consistently provide security for Kotek Wilson when she attends events on behalf of the governors office, including a conference for first spouses that Kotek Wilson, Masiba and a state employee who manages the governors mansion attended last week. Those costs will be borne by the offices budget, which totaled nearly $31 million in the current two-year budget cycle. Kotek Wilson, who has a social work degree and shared last week that she struggles with an unspecified mental illness and is in recovery from alcohol use disorder, has also attended several of Koteks weekly meetings on behavioral health policy. Kotek has been vague about what her wifes role on policy issues will be, beyond saying that as governor all policy decisions are ultimately hers and hers alone. Fridays letter was Koteks first request to the ethics commission for guidance. Kotek said Wednesday that she didnt ask before because she was still figuring out which questions to ask. We are now expediting that because of the public interest and going to the Ethics Commission to try to figure that out, she said. I hope we can ask all the questions we need to have answered. Governors spouses have taken on more responsibilities in other states than they historically have in Oregon. One exception and one reason many Oregonians have been skeptical of Koteks plans was Cylvia Hayes, the fiancee of former Gov. John Kitzhaber. Hayes served as an unpaid adviser to Kitzhaber on economic and environmental policy beginning in his third term, and the ethics commission found that she used her official role to benefit financially from private contracts tied to the policies she pushed in the governors office. Kitzhaber resigned over the scandal. Unlike with Hayes, no one has suggested that Kotek Wilson hopes to benefit financially from her position in the governors office. -- Julia Shumway, Oregon Capital Chronicle; jshumway@oregoncapitalchronicle.com Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, the nations largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. Multnomah County will spend up to $50,000 to help keep 21 asylum-seeking families consisting of some 80 individuals in their rooms at a hotel near the Portland International Airport through April 30 as a stopgap measure to prevent them from sleeping on the streets. The county will also extend the motel stay for nine other asylum-seeking families consisting of about 32 individuals who were being housed through a winter shelter motel program, which is typically open from November 1 through March 31 of each year. Housing for those families will be extended through April 30, county officials said. Additionally, the state is working to quickly disburse $2 million approved during the short session earlier this year to help asylum seekers. State and county leaders are scrambling to help migrants after closing a state-funded Welcome Center that provided hotel accommodations to newly arriving families. The Oregon Department of Human Services spent $29 million beginning in November 2022 to operate the center but closed it Dec. 31 without a clear plan for how to help migrants going forward. Community organizations have filled the void and continued to house asylum seekers at the same hotel with private funds. The Portland Refugee Support Group is housing 73 other individuals, for example, and is not receiving the new stop-gap funding from the county, said Peter Newbegin, executive director for the organization. Everybody is scraping together whatever funds to help house asylum seekers, he said. The Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice had been assisting the 21 asylum-seeking families, but it ran out of funding. Centro Cultural, at an unknown point, picked up the costs to keep those families in their rooms until March 31, according to information obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive. The city of Portland then stepped in to cover housing for the families for a week and the county will pick up costs for the rest of this month, beginning Friday. In a Wednesday statement, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said she directed the county to extend support for a month and hoped the money would create time for thoughtful discussions about long-term planning with other government agencies and nonprofits. She also noted that, while the county originally offered families tents as a well-intentioned problem-solving measure, a long-term, coordinated response is required. The state-funded welcome center that launched under former Gov. Kate Brown had provided a stable safety net for asylum seekers, offering food, shelter and other services. Despite high demand, state officials under Gov. Tina Kotek abandoned the program after estimates showed operations could cost $41 million to $79 million over four years. When state officials decided to close the state-run program, the Department of Human Services entered into a $9.8 million contract with Multnomah County which subsequently contracted with community-based organizations to move 300 households out of the hotel and into community housing. The Legislature set the cap, limiting the number of households that could receive assistance. Advocates in January asked the Department of Human Services to allow them to help families beyond the 300-limit, with unspent money. Jake Sunderland, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Human Services, insisted last month that only the Legislature could lift the cap on how many families could be assisted. State officials and some lawmakers, however, have now changed their stance and lifted the cap without formal legislative approval. Hazel Tylinski, communications director for the Oregon House Speakers Office, said no formal legislative action was taken. The Speakers office, she said, and others in the Legislature worked with the Governors Office, the Department of Human Services and Multnomah County to make changes to allow additional asylum-seeking families to be served. Every family living in Oregon deserves access to the resources they need to stay safe and healthy, she said. Tylinski referred a question of how much funding is remaining to ODHS, which in turn, referred the question to Multnomah County. Julie Sullivan-Springhetti, a spokesperson for Multnomah County, said the county has no unspent funds from the project, but community organizations that the county contracted with may have some savings. While individual partners may indeed have unspent funds based on their contract allocation and expenditures, she said in an email late Friday, we do not anticipate we will have remaining funds due to an unexpected change in the household makeup (they are larger). Initial projections, she said, showed a smaller number of larger households. Newbegin last month estimated the three community organizations that contracted with the county, including his, could have up to $1 million in untapped funds. Meanwhile, legislation to create a long-term safety net for asylum seekers in Oregon was introduced during the short session earlier this year, but the bill died in a House committee. Instead, lawmakers approved $2 million for a pilot program to help asylum seekers. Sunderland on Thursday said the pilot program will provide short-term shelter, food, case management and housing support for asylum seekers. Four community-based organizations, he said, will receive grants of $500,000 to provide services under the pilot program. ODHS is working with these organizations to execute these grants as quickly as possible, he said in an email. Yesenia Amaro is an investigative reporter with a focus on social issues and communities of color. Reach her at 503-221-4395; yamaro@oregonian.com. Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com. A lawsuit that began in Grants Pass in 2018 will be argued in front of the U.S. Supreme Court this month, potentially paving the way for nationwide changes in the ways cities address certain elements of the homelessness crisis. Sitting at one of the counsel tables will be Ed Johnson, litigation director at The Oregon Law Center, a small legal nonprofit that filed the initial lawsuit against the southern Oregon town six years ago. The suit, brought on behalf of all unhoused individuals in Grants Pass, claimed that it was unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment to cite and fine people for camping or sleeping outside if they had nowhere else to go. Johnson, whose professional mission is to achieve justice for low-income Oregonians, will sit at the counsel table to support the Washington D.C.-based attorney who will argue Grants Pass v. Johnson in front of the countrys highest legal decision makers. It will be Johnsons first time back at the Supreme Court since he interned there as an undergraduate in the summer of 1989, giving hourly courtroom lectures and tours. Johnson said he feels privileged to bring his clients voices to the highest court. The question is whether or not cities can make it illegal and criminally punishable for people to try to survive on public property 24 hours a day, Johnson said. Whatever the Supreme Court does will be the law of the land. GRANTS PASS AN OUTLIER Dating back to 2013, Grants Pass officials brainstormed ways to push unhoused people out of their town, Johnson said. They discussed putting them in their old jail, creating an unwanted list, posting signs at the city border or driving people out of town, he said he learned from digging into historic City Council records. Michael Riley, an attorney representing Grants Pass, said those suggestions were made by a former city councilor and do not represent the views of the current City Council or city officials. Grants Pass has made significant investments in supporting the members of its homeless community and its commitment to lifting them up has never wavered, Riley said. In court documents, lawyers for Grants Pass have argued that the city is obligated to protect the health and safety of its residents and that the lower courts decisions stand in the way of solutions to this complex problem and harm the very people they were intended to help by allowing individuals to remain on the street. The attorneys cite another landmark decision, Martin v. Boise, a 9th Circuit Court ruling that found it unconstitutional to punish people for sleeping on the streets in the absence of alternative options. The attorneys argue that decision exacerbated the homelessness crisis, prevented comprehensive and swift responses to encampments, and undermined the core mandate for every municipality to keep its public space safe and accessible to all its residents. But Johnson contends that without enough shelter and housing, the threat of criminalization wont push people to safer places. Grants Pass has always been an outlier in terms of enforcement, Johnson said. No cities are allowed to do what Grants Pass is trying to convince the Supreme Court they are allowed to do. Ed Johnson, litigation director at The Oregon Law Center, will be sitting at one of the counsel tables at the U.S. Supreme Court. It will be Johnsons first time back at the Supreme Court since he interned there as an undergraduate in the summer of 1989.Natalia Amari Currently, officers patrol the city nearly every day, Johnson said, handing out citations to people who are camping or sleeping on public property or for having too many belongings with them. Attorneys for Grants Pass wrote in court documents that the city generally issued fewer than 100 citations per year to campers from 2013 to 2018. Johnson said Oregon cities are allowed to prohibit tents, regulate encampments and perform sweeps. Cities are allowed to sweep tents with 72 hours notice, he said. What they cant do is ticket, fine or jail people for living outside, which Grants Pass has done, Johnson said. What harms people is the hunting down in the middle of the night and putting in jail people who are trying to survive, he said. If we go down this road of criminalization, we will waste a lot of money. In 2020, the federal district court in Medford ruled the citys actions against its unhoused residents were unconstitutional. In 2022, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed. So, the city appealed to the Supreme Court, which agreed early this year to hear the case. Currently there are a handful of shelters in Grants Pass but nowhere near enough to serve the nearly 600 people experiencing homelessness within the city lines, Johnson said. If there were shelters people in Grants Pass could access, the city wouldnt necessarily be violating peoples constitutional rights, Johnson said. The case began when a woman named Gloria Johnson, whose name is in the title of the lawsuit and has no relation to Ed Johnson, was repeatedly cited by Grants Pass police. POOR, DISABLED, NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THERE Laura Gutowski, 55, who is part of the class action suit, has been experiencing homelessness in Grants Pass for just under three years. After her husband passed away in 2021, she could no longer afford housing with just her monthly disability check. She first stayed in her car for about eight months, then slept in a tent under a gazebo at one of the citys parks and briefly stayed at a shelter. She now lives in a tent in a different city park. Shes received multiple citations for camping, once twice in a single day and once upon being discharged from a local hospital. Im usually cited for camping when I am in the park when Im not supposed to be there, she said. But I am disabled so I need help moving to a different place each day. Gutowski says she has a range of physical disabilities that plague her with discomfort and pain. She has osteoarthritis, a floating patella, bone on bone splintering, degenerative disks in her spine, diabetes, emphysema and severe depression and anxiety, she said. Kat has been houseless for two years in Grants Pass and is close with Laura Gutowski, 55, who is also part of the class action suit. Kat views Gutowski as a mother figure on the street and refers to her as a "mama bear." Every Monday and Wednesday, police force people to relocate to a different park or area of the city, Kat said.Cate Battles In 2017, the Oregon Law Center learned police officers were waking up sleeping campers to issue them $295 tickets, Johnson said. It wasnt the first time the city tried to make their public spaces unwelcoming for those struggling to find housing, Johnson said. Riley said the city only enforces the camping ban during the day and only after multiple warnings. As Gutowskis many tickets go unpaid, they double in price. She has no money to pay the thousands of dollars in accumulated fines, and her account has been sent to a collections agency, which in turn harmed her credit score, she said. Gutowski also received at least four $265 citations for trash accumulation because she had an enclosed bag of cans and a bucket of rubbish outside her tent, she said. Grants Pass officials did not respond to questions about their trash citation policies. Riley said local judges often will reduce the fines if the individual appears in court. This past year, Gutowski was approved for a housing voucher worth $889 a month. She had four months to find a livable home in that price range. There were few options at that cost, and landlords declined her application due to her low credit score. As the four month deadline neared, Gutowski landed in the hospital and her chance at housing disappeared. Shes now back to surviving in a tent while answering phone calls about how the Supreme Court decision may impact her. For Johnson, the attention he and the nonprofit law center are receiving is a first. As a legal aid lawyer in Oregon, my most common experience is no one being particularly interested in what I was doing for years, he said. This has been a completely new experience for me. Johnson began as a lawyer at a big New York City law firm right out of Columbia University Law School. But after three years, he moved in Oregon in 1996 and became an AmeriCorps attorney in Portland. During his first year, it became clear to him that legal aid work was his passion. My favorite part is not that we are the voice for the voiceless, our clients have great voices, Johnson said. But we facilitate bringing those voices into the justice system. Our clients are unbelievably courageous and they believe the system could work better. Nicole Hayden writes about homelessness for The Oregonian/OregonLive. She can be reached at nhayden@oregonian.com. A guilty murderer on death row in Alabama says that he no longer wishes to delay justice for the families of the five people he killed eight years ago and is ready to face the final result of his crimes. Alabama Murderer Prepared for Ultimate Consequence of His Crimes In his inaugural interview with a reporter, Derrick Dearman, aged 36, revealed that he sent nine letters earlier this week to Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, Attorney General Steve Marshall, as well as the judges and others involved in the case, clarifying them of his resolution to abandon his appeals and seek punishment. Dearman stated that he is at peace with his choice, emphasizing, "Now it's time for the victims and their families to receive the justice they rightfully deserve to begin the process of closure." Although Dearman has not yet informed the victims' relatives of his decision, he intends to write them letters. Reflecting on his contemplation, he expressed, "I have spent many nights pondering what I would say to any of them if I ever had the chance, the opportunity to say something. That's part of the reason I've made my decision to have my sentence carried out. Words don't carry weight in this situation. The only thing I would say is that everyone hurt by my actions should forgive me, not for myself, but for them. That way, they will free their heart to truly heal." Dearman's announcement comes two months after the Alabama Supreme Court rejected an appeal application, upholding his six murder convictions. Notably, he was charged with six homicides because one of the victims, 22-year-old Chelsea Marie Reed, was five months pregnant, invoking Alabama's fetal homicide law. Dearman admitted that he had gone through the appeals process primarily for the sake of his family, acknowledging their plea to fight for his life. However, he now feels that he has given them a fair chance. Alabama Murderer Strives to Expedite Justice for Families of He Killed Regarding forgiveness, Dearman mentioned that Robert F. Brown, the father of one of the victims, had already forgiven him. Brown stated his forgiveness stating, "I can't bring my son back... I forgive this guy because he don't know no better. I feel for his family." Dearman's tragic sequence of events began on August 20, 2016, when, armed with an ax and firearms, he invaded a bungalow in rural Citronelle, Alabama. Under the influence of methamphetamine and furious that his estranged girlfriend had sought refuge in her brother's home, Dearman attacked the victims while they were asleep. He then abducted his girlfriend and another victim's infant son before fleeing to his father's home. Despite acknowledging his guilt, Dearman initially pleaded not guilty for his family's sake. However, he eventually accepted his guilt and was convicted by a jury in October 2018. Although the protocols for a prisoner seeking execution in Alabama are unclear, Dearman has opted for lethal injection. He expressed some apprehension about the execution process but stated that his primary focus is doing the right thing. Dearman has chosen a spiritual adviser, Reverend Dr. Jeff Hood, who expressed his opposition to the death penalty but affirmed Dearman's competency to make his own decisions. Dearman emphasized that his decision is not a reflection of his opinion on the death penalty for other inmates. He believes that dying is preferable to spending the rest of his life in Alabama's prison system and hopes that his decision will provide closure and facilitate healing for all parties involved. The remains of the French toddler missing for eight months have now been found. The recovery of his remains, located over 1km away, occurred shortly after law enforcement re-enacted the events leading to his vanishing. His mysterious disappearance in Haut-Vernet sent shockwaves across France last July. A statement from local prosecutors did not detail the specific bones recovered, although they were believed to comprise Emile's skull and certain teeth. Forensic experts are currently scouring the area for additional remains. Emile Soleil's Remains Found The discovery of a 2-year-old French boy's remains near his grandparents' home, eight months after he went missing, has been reported by various sources. On March 30, a hiker in the Alps stumbled upon a skull and teeth believed to be those of Emile Soleil. These remains were found approximately 25 minutes away from where Emile was last seen on July 8, 2023. Confirming the tragic news, DNA analysis matched the skull to Emile. Emile's parents expressed their sorrow in a statement, acknowledging the need for mourning, contemplation, and prayer. The incident occurred during a family reunion in Le Vernet, a small village in Alpes-des-Haute-Provence, with Emile disappearing while walking along the village's sole street, dressed in a yellow T-shirt and white shorts, as reported by the Independent. Mayor Francois Balique conveyed his sadness over the discovery, emphasizing the long road ahead for Emile's family to come to terms with their loss. Emile had just arrived at his grandparents' holiday home in Haut-Vernet when he vanished in the Alpine hamlet near the Massif des Trois-Eveches mountain range. The area, with a population of only 25 residents at an altitude of 1,200m (4,000ft), saw intensive search efforts following Emile's disappearance. Recent developments included investigators summoning 17 individuals, including family members, neighbors, and witnesses, to reconstruct the events leading up to Emile's disappearance. Despite previous searches in the area, it was not until a woman discovered the bones that forensic scientists confirmed the DNA match to Emile. Ongoing Investigation into the Tragic Incident Remy Avon, heading the investigation, stated that authorities are considering murder, kidnapping, or an accident as potential causes of Emile's death, as reported by the Independent. Jean-Luc Blanchon, a local prosecutor involved in the case, highlighted the ongoing uncertainties regarding Emile's demise. Blanchon emphasized the limitations of the evidence, stating, "These bones alone do not provide definitive insight into the cause of Emile's death," as quoted in the Independent. He added, "Whether it was a fall, manslaughter, or murder, no hypothesis can be favored over another." A significant breakthrough in the inquiry occurred when Emile's T-shirt, shoes, and shorts were recovered. These items were found scattered in a small area, approximately 500 feet from where the hiker discovered Emile's remains. Blanchon noted that Emile's skull exhibited "small fractures and cracks," with visible bite marks from an animal, as mentioned in the Independent. Despite the recovery of Emile's clothing, authorities remain uncertain about whether his death resulted from foul play or an accidental incident. A previous Natick preschool teacher has been found guilty for assaulting a child, an accusation dating back to May 2022. Former Natick Preschool Teacher Guilty of Child Abuse Sophie Varatharasa, aged 44, faced trial before a judge after the defense opted for this case. According to prosecutors, Varatharasa, who was employed at the now-closed Community Montessori School, allegedly caused bruising to the ears of a three-year-old child from Holliston. During the trial held on Friday, the judge heard testimonies from the parents of the affected child. Additionally, a child abuse specialist provided testimony, indicating that the injuries likely occurred during school hours. The judge discovered the testimonies to be compelling, noting that Varatharasa was the lone adult present in the basement toddler room with ten toddlers. Prosecutors have declared that they do not plan to seek imprisonment for Varatharasa, who is presently not in custody. She is expected to be sentenced in the upcoming week. Sophie Varatharasa, who served as a teacher in 2021 at the Community Montessori School in Natick, a daycare managed by her sister Lucie Varatharasa, faced an accusation of assault and battery. During the preliminary held in Natick District Court, the boy's parents testified, along with a child abuse expert who determined that the injuries to the child's ears likely happened while he was at the daycare. The preliminary was overseen by a judge rather than a jury. In delivering the decision, the judge considered the expert testimony and the absence of other adults in the classroom when the injury took place. Judge Matthew McGrath also took into account a child abuse expert's assessment that photographs taken throughout the day supported the conclusion that the injury occurred at the daycare. McGrath highlighted an unusual statement made by Varatharasa to the boy's father regarding the incident. Sophie Varatharasa and Lucie Varatharasa, who chose not to comment as they left court, were both present during the trial. Read Also : Oklahoma Officials Suspect Foul Play After Two Women Fail To Pick Up Children Parents of the Child Expressed Contentment with the Result Following the decision, the boy's parents, who wished to keep their identities secret, expressed satisfaction with the outcome. They emphasized the importance of holding abusers accountable and raising awareness about childcare vulnerabilities. They also called attention to regulatory deficiencies within the current system. In 2022, the boy's parents had voiced frustration with the state's investigation, during which Lucie Varatharasa denied knowledge of how the child sustained the injury. Lucie has not faced charges. The Community Montessori School, previously cited for regulatory violations, has since closed. However, Lucie Varatharasa's name is associated with another daycare, Robbin's Roost Daycare, at the same location, with no records of abuse. Regarding accountability for the school's actions, the boy's mother expressed dissatisfaction with the state's response, characterizing it as insufficient. Sentencing for Sophie Varatharasa is scheduled for next week, with the prosecutor indicating no intention to seek incarceration. The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care provides information online about licensed childcare programs, including inspection results and closed investigations. The master Nanyang Huizhong called to his attendant three times. And each time his attendant responded. The master said, I was about to say I was ungrateful to you. But, you are ungrateful to me. Gateless Gate, case 17 According to the Buddhist lunar calendar observed in most of Asia, the Buddhas birth will be observed this year in the middle of May. However, in the late 19th century, the Japanese officially adopted the Gregorian calendar. It was perhaps unintended but it became a genuine gift for many of us who struggle with consulting tables to track holidays floating through a lunar calendar. With that many of us in the West, and particular anyone following a Buddhist school rooted in Japan, the Buddhas birth is always celebrated on April 8th. The Japanese call it both the Kambutsu-e, or Nativity festival, and more often Hana Matsuri, the flower festival. In many Zen centers here its a family affair. For children its often the most memorable part of attending Buddhist religious festivals, being able to pour sweet tea over a small image of a child Buddha standing in a shallow bowl. You might picture the statue. Hes chubby and stands with one arm reaching down with a finger pointing to the earth and the other arm stretching up with a finger pointing to the heavens. The ceremony came from China to Japan at the beginning of the seventh century and has since been passed on to the West. I think of that baby Buddha, and I find myself reflecting on the koan of the National Teacher and those three calls. Ill come to that and why, but first some other thoughts. The Sixth Ancestor in Zens long mythical history now turning into history, Huineng, had five dharma successors. One of them was Nanyang Huizhong. He was born in the year 675 and died a hundred years later. At least those are our traditional dates. Often long lives are pious embellishments in hagiographies. In this case Robert Aitken suggests he had to have been at least in his nineties when he died. So, in this case genuinely a long life. After completing his formal training with Huineng he retreated to the countryside and tried to live in obscurity. With some success, he lasted there for forty years. But then he was called by imperial invitation to the capital. You can read order here, when an emperor invites, you are generally wise to accept. He spent many years there and would be treated as a personal teacher by two emperors. He was actually given the official title Teacher of two Emperors during his lifetime. After he died, Huizhong was given the title National Teacher. While there have been several National Teachers, when we hear the title without a specific name, it always means Nanyang Huizhong. We dont have life dates for his attendant, Danyun Yingzhen. We do know he was Huizhongs sole heir. And we know their Zen lineage died with Danyun. Although both very much continue to guide those of us who walk the koan way. Huizhong appears here in the Gateless Gate, and twice in both the Blue Cliff Record and the Book of Equanimity, three of the classic koan anthologies. While Danyun appears in two koans. Some commentators on this koan observe how the relationship between a teacher and a student can be fraught. And we can see how this might catch ones attention from a surface read of the dialogue. But not without merit. One comment I ran across found an analogue for how complex this relationship might be by citing the Buddhas relationship with his attendant Ananda. Ananda, the Buddhas cousin, was his faithful attendant for most of the Buddhas teaching life. He is also renowned for his prodigious memory. Ananda is the legendary source of the recorded sayings and doings of Gautama Siddhartha. Which he was called upon to recite before the gathered monastics after the master died. For a consideration of the relationship between teacher and student, he didnt have his own awakening under the guidance of the Buddha. It would come later, after the Buddhas death, just ahead of that first great council. So, yes. One can see many complexities for the teacher as well as the student. For the student, first to find their own way. To see into the matter deeply. To understand for themselves. It speaks to a sense of personal quest bound up with that relationship. Which over time is certainly wrapped up with other feelings. Wanting to please. Probably resenting failures of various sorts on the part of the teacher. Many things mixed up together. And for the teacher, as well. We like to make the teacher a perfect mirror to the student, a perfect master. We can do this especially if the teacher is long dead, and complexities of personality are shall we say polished. For both good and ill, our culture and our time tends to notice failure. Our shadows are on full display. And what gets mixed in for us as students, is figuring out where the line is when a teachers shortcomings or worse become genuinely problematic. How that line might be different for different people only adds to the complexities. A worthy consideration. And worth a moment. Maybe more. But it isnt what were really being invited into with this case. Here we have an exchange, those three calls. And then we have that enigmatic comment. Two points. So, first the calls. Three, of course, is a magic number. Beloved and used in folklore and religion. And not just the really large Christian Trinity or Buddhisms Trikaya. But they live in our mythic imagination in smaller but sometimes very important ways. For instance, three guesses, three wishes, and even, well, three bears. Here, three calls. Three is some kind of perfect number. And, importantly, here, we get three responses. Their own kind of perfect number. Attendant! Yes! Attendant! Yes! Attendant! Yes! Aitken Roshi points out that as the attendant was a mature practitioner each response was as fresh as the first. Which reminds me of one of those early brain wave studies of meditators. It was an attempt to compare yogic practice and Zen. The yogi was set to meditate, using a mantra. She was wired up. And then from behind at random moments a bell was sounded. Each time the biofeedback monitor showed no reaction. The yogi was one with the mantra. However, when the bell sounded for the biofeedback wired up Zen practitioner, each time there was a full startle response. And there was no diminution over time. Each bell strike was met with a full response. Attendant! Yes! Attendant! Yes! Attendant! Yes! (At least as I like to tell this anecdote. Jan seems to think Ive garbled the story over time. I guess that has its own lessons for the wise) For me the three calls are each like that proverbial box and its lid. A perfect match. A perfect fit. Not precisely one. But certainly not two. Then theres the gratitude thing. Here we move into particularly deep waters. Instead of ingratitude, another translation says, standing with my back to you. I find that image interesting. Of course, anyone who has been investigating the koan way for any time quickly notices that abuse is often in fact praise. So, ingratitude isnt a bad way to go when speaking of something where words begin to fail. This reversal of the ordinary, using abuse as praise is another of those pointers. Those invitations we encounter on the Zen way. Things are just as they are, and sometimes they deserve a little closer look. Heres where I find the connection to the Buddhas birthday. Its not a reach to hear those words about I thought I was ungrateful and now I see youre ungrateful, and hear the words attributed to the Buddha himself on the day of his birth. In that dream time, at his birth he stands and takes seven steps in each of the cardinal directions. Then he points one hand upwards and the other down, declaring Beneath the heavens, above the earth, I alone am the holy one. For me in the midst of all this I recall a comment on Huizhongs call of ingratitude from my koan teacher John Tarrant. I thought I was alone in the universe. And now I see you, too, are also alone in the universe. Its a powerful observation. On one hand a straight-forward pointing into the true deep. Where each of us is the center of the unfolding universe. And, of course, this line also exposes one of the shadows of our way, where seeing for ourselves can occasionally blind us to the fact there are many, many other centers to the great mess. No doubt the odd traveler on the intimate way will succumb to Narcissuss madness and perhaps share his fate. Ive seen some advanced Zen practitioners flirt with this demon, noticing they have plumbed the depth, but missing something. Its noticing the other at the same solitary place that explodes the danger and invites us all along. Toward something truly worth noticing. Robert Aitken once commented on the conclusion of the Fox koan, where theres a lovely and strange encounter between the teacher Baizhang and his student Huangbo. The roshi observes how Baizhang thought he was alone in the universe, but there he saw that Huangbo too is alone in the universe. Lots of centers in this universe, the great mess. My first successor Melissa Blacker offered her comment on this comment, Ive always assumed it was a reference to Shakyumunis words, In heaven above and earth below, Im the only one. And she concludes, It has a deep meaning for me, expressing that our heart/minds are the same. I can only add, for me, too. And for you, as well. This. Just this. Dangerous. Powerful. And all of it an invitation. Dont forget the meeting. Attendant! Yes! And the summary, we are each discovered within the great play of the mystery unfolding. Just this. Just you. Just me. Ordinary. And, well, quite extraordinary. So, what to do with all this? As it happens Nanyang Huizhong and Danyun Yingzhen appear in one more case together. Its repeated as case 18 in the Blue Cliff Record and case 85 in the Book of Serenity. The Emperor Suzong asked the National Teacher, What would you like from me when you die? Nanyang replied, Build me a seamless tomb. The emperor said, Please give me the tombs design. The master sat quietly for a time, and then said, Do you understand? The emperor said, no. I do not. The National Teacher responded, When the time comes, go to my successor Danyun. And ask him. After the National Teacher died the emperor sent for Danyun and told him about the encounter. Danyun replied with a verse: South of Xiang, north of Tan There is gold that fills the land. Beneath a shadowless tree, A ferry. In the crystal palace there is no one who knows. Here it all comes together. Master and disciple are totally different. And in the very same heartbeat, theyre one. The seamless tomb and the building are not two. In this world, there is a great treasure. It is a rich vein that runs through you and me. Find that shadowless tree. Discover the silence that the National Teacher presented to the emperor. With that a center of the universe appears, a tree with no shadow. Within the dream world you will discover that it is also a boat. The great ferry that carries each of us to a farther shore. All this, those calls and that talk of ingratitude takes us to our true home. Which is no place other than here, a fire cast upon the world. Always, its here, smoldering, coals everywhere waiting to ignite into flame. Shifting images show it is a meeting of all the centers of the universe. With another shift it is a gathering of the birds of heaven. Another shift and its a palace of many rooms. The true intimacy. Our common inheritance. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 6. Azerbaijani army maintains commandos combat capabilities at a high level, Trend reports via Defense Ministry. The ministry shared video footage from a special unit training session. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel The Elubo Sector Command of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has arrested a 32-year-old Ivorian murder suspect believed to have fled to Ghana from Cote dIvoire to escape prosecution. The fugitive, Nduoba Essoi Fulgence, was arrested on April 2, 2024, at Edwakpole, a village near Anyinase in the Ellembele District of the Western Region. The suspect, a taxi driver, allegedly slashed the throat of his girlfriend, one Nda Abekan Anne, aka Ella, in Cote dIvoire and fled into the country. A statement issued by the Western Regional Public Affairs officer of the GIS, Inspector Moses Manford Akakpo, disclosed that his arrest followed intelligence the Elubo Sector Command received from the Ivorian side of the Elubo Border and the Ivorian Police Commissaire to assist in arresting the fugitive. Preliminary information gathered revealed that the suspect could be with some relatives at Edwakpole village, about 50 kilometres from Elubo. The surveillance team were made up of Immigration Officers from the Elubo Sector Command, under the command of Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (ACI) Joshual Krakue. At about 1:30 p.m., a search party was dispatched to smoke the suspect out of his hideout. After about two hours of intensive operation, the suspect was identified and arrested in a house believed to be his family house at Edwakpole village, the statement read. Last Tuesday, the Elubo Sector Command of GIS handed over the suspect to the Ivorian Police Commissaire in Noe at the Elubo Border, at about 4 p.m. The GIS expressed gratitude to all those who collaborated with the service in apprehending the suspect. Source: graphic.com.gh 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 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 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 Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, has announced the resumption of sitting by the Court of Appeal in all regions across the country. The move is to bring access to justice closer to Ghanaians in all parts of the country, cutting down cost and time involved in travelling to either Accra or Kumasi for appeals in civil cases. Addressing members of the Judicial Press Corps in Accra yesterday, the Chief Justice indicated that the Court of Appeal started sitting around the country Tamale, Kumasi, Cape Coast, Ho and Koforidua and this had been going on for years until it was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This, she said, resulted in a major number of judges being sent to Kumasi, leading to the Ashanti Region now having a permanent sitting of the Court of Appeal in Kumasi. She said data available to the Judicial Service indicate that the cases emanating from the Central and Western regions were even more than the cases emanating from the northern part of Ghana, so there is a real need to resume the sitting of the Court of Appeal in the Central and Western parts of Ghana. The cases from the Volta and Eastern regions are, however lower, averaging 60 per year, but the Chief Justice said that notwithstanding, asking someone to come from Afram Plains to Accra, I dont think is right and so we will reopen the sitting of the Court of Appeal in Koforidua, we will reopen the sitting of the Court of Appeal in the Volta Region. Justice Torkornoo noticed a peculiar situation when it comes to the Court of Appeal in Tamale, indicating that although there are Court of Appeal judges in Kumasi, there is no direct flight between Kumasi and Tamale, and the journey between Tamale and Kumasi is quite arduous, hence it will be counterproductive for judges in Kumasi to be travelling to Tamale to hear cases on appeal. Arrangement Per the arrangement, structures are being put in place to have the Court of Appeal in Kumasi to sit virtually to attend to cases from Tamale and the Northern and Upper regions of the country. The Chief Justice said the Court of Appeal in Kumasi will serve Ashanti, Bono East, Bono and Ahafo regions, and cases on appeal from Western North will go to Kumasi because of proximity. The Court of Appeal for Central and Western regions would be reopened in Sekondi and not Cape Coast where the court used to sit, and this is because the court facilities in Cape Coast in the Central Region have deteriorated, Justice Torkorno indicated. She disclosed that a lot of consultations have gone into this decision, adding that we have spoken with Parliament, the Bar, with so many different stakeholders to arrive at this. She also indicated that the Court of Appeal for the Northern belt Savannah, Upper East, Upper West, North East and Northern regions would be reopened via a satellite registry in Tamale and they will be heard virtually from Kumasi. The Court of Appeal in Koforidua will be reopened to serve three regions Oti, Volta and Eastern regions and necessary administrative processes and procedures are being followed to ensure that all the reopened courts can start sitting sometime in April, Justice Torkornoo added. 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 Ghana Police Service has arrested six individuals, including four juveniles who are students of Presbyterian Boys Senior High School (PRESEC) in Legon, Accra, for orchestrating a fake kidnapping scheme. The two adults in the group were identified in a Police press release as Isaac Kissi Adjei, also known as Kofi Black, and Courage Teiko, known as Timmy. Preliminary investigations suggest that the motive behind the staged kidnapping was a desperate attempt by one of the juveniles to extort money from their parents to fund a trip abroad. The group demanded a ransom of GH340,000 from the parents of the alleged victim. They managed to extract GH20,000 from the ransom demand before being apprehended by law enforcement. The alleged victim of the fake kidnapping went missing on March 28, 2024, while on his way home from campus to Obuasi for vacation. As part of the plot, they threatened to sell the boy's body parts should the family refuse to send the money. The family negotiated the ransom down to GH20,000, which they sent via mobile money, but the kidnappers refused to release the boy until they were paid the full amount. As per standard protocol, the identities of the juveniles have been kept confidential, and their parents and guardians have been informed of the situation. Police investigations into the incident are ongoing. Read the entire press release below; PRESS RELEASE POLICE ARREST SIX PERSONS FOR STAGING THE KIDNAPPING OF A PRESEC STUDENT IN ACCRA 1. The Ghana Police Service, through an intelligence-led operation and investigation, has arrested six (6) persons including four (4) juveniles who are all students of Presbyterian Boys Senior High School (PRESEC), Legon, Accra, for staging a kidnapping incident. The two (2) adults among the six (6) are Isaac Kissi Adjei alias Kofi Black and Courage Teiko alias Timmy. 2. Preliminary investigations revealed that one of the juveniles, in an attempt to extort money from his parents to enable him travel abroad, conspired with the others to stage the kidnapping incident. In the process, they demanded an amount of Three Hundred and Forty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHC 340,000.00) as ransom from the alleged victim's parents. 3. The Investigation further disclosed that the juveniles, together with the two others, succeeded in collecting an amount of Twenty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH$20,000.00) of the total ransom demanded. 4. In line with best practice, the identities of the juveniles have been withheld and their parents and guardians have been duly informed, as Police Investigations into the incident continue. GRACE ANSAH-AKROFI ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF POLICE DIRECTOR, PUBLIC AFFAIRS Source: graphic.com.gh 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 Minister for the Interior, Henry Quartey, has urged Immigration officers to be professional in their conduct and not allow themselves to be patronised by politicians. We are to serve God and country and protect our borders at the entry and exit points. Please do me a favour, dont do politics here. If you want to do politics, tell us, so that we can go and register you with a political party, he added. The minister was speaking during a working visit to the Ghana Immigration Service Headquarters in Accra on Thursday to acquaint himself with the operations of the service ahead of the general election in December, this year. Unacceptable behaviour The minister also asked the officers not to assist travellers with their bags at checkpoints, including airports. He said: Some of you (immigration officers) pull passengers bags right from the car and walk them through checkpoints. That has to stop with immediate effect, and I mean with immediate effect. Do you know what that passenger is carrying? In the event where security agency personnel decide to carry a random search and you decide to carry that bag, what have you done to yourself and the image of the service, Mr Quartey queried. He said in other jurisdictions, immigration officers stationed at airports focus on their core duties and only carry bags of suspected travellers for further investigation. Commitment The minister further described the GIS as an integral part of the countrys security architecture, for which the government was committed to supporting the service carry out its duties effectively. In line with that, he said, the GIS had between 2017 and 2023 recruited more than 9,400 eligible citizens into the service, and also provided them with over 360 vehicles and 250 motorbikes. Mr Quartey added that following the increasing security threats confronting the continent and the West Africa sub region, there was the need for recruitment and training of additional personnel to man the countrys borders to ensure peace, safety and security. Also, he said the GIS in collaboration with the Ghana Statistical Service, had developed a border and permit management system under a harmonising and improving statistics in West Africa (HISWA) project. The project is being deployed to regional commands and 40 minor entry-exit points which are currently without electronic border management system to collect data of travellers. He commended management and staff of the service for their sense of discipline and hardwork over the years. Appreciation The Comptroller-General of GIS, Kwame Asuah Takyi, expressed appreciation to the government for the support it continued to offer to the service to ensure efficiency. He mentioned the establishment of a mid-country Immigration Training School at Tepa, a Tactical Training School at Kyebi, the establishment of Ghana Immigration Service Centre of Excellence at South Odorkor and the construction of Immigration Service Academy School (Cadet) at Assin Foso as some of the strides made since 2017. Source: graphic.com.gh 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 Manhyia Palace in collaboration with Royal Image Group of Companies and Kumasi Evangel Choir under the auspices of Lady Julia Osei Tutu have successfully organized the maiden edition of the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Composers Competition at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology ( KNUST) on April 5, 2024. The Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Composers competition at the Great Hall of KNUST saw seven choirs competing for the coveted award with Tamale Youth Choir from the Northern Region of Ghana and Obuasi Heralds Choir from Ashanti Region of Ghana acclaimed as the top Choirs on the day. The competition formed part of activities to mark the 25th enstoolment anniversary of the 16th Monarch of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene. Delivering the keynote address, Her Royal Majesty, Lady Julia appreciated the stunning leadership qualities of her loving husband, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and for his exceptional dedication to serve Asante Kingdom throughout the years. To her, Asantehene has earned great love and compassion from people across the globe because of his unflinching support to help humanity. "Today, we are gathered here to celebrate our great leader with joyful music and uplifting lyrics that will certainly touch our hearts. I take this occasion to congratulate our sovereign leader, my husband, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II as you celebrate this great milestone having attained a remarkable 25 years of service. You have served your people with unwavering dedication and shown great wisdom to earn the love of your people", Lady Julia said. Meanwhile, the CEO of the Royal Image Group of Companies, Dr. Amankwaa Agyeman delivering the welcome address expressed his proud gratitude to Asantehene, His Royal Majesty, Otumfuo Osei Tutu and his darling wife, Lady Julia for their steadfast support and commitment to the arts and culture by creating a conducive environment where creativity flourishes alongside tradition. He took the opportunity to urge that, the competition become an annual celebration in the spirit of creativity, tradition and unity. According to him, the competition will help unearth and preserve talent to promote the heritage of the Asante Kingdom. He also acknowledged the enormous contributions of Kumasi Evangel Choir, Dr. Agyarko-Poku, and Dr. Albert Adusei Dua, for their unwavering efforts to realize Otumfuo's vision. "I extend special gratitude to His Royal Majesty, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and Her Royal Majesty, Lady Julia. Your steadfast support and commitment to our arts and culture have nurtured an environment where creativity flourishes alongside tradition, fostering a collective pride and sense of identity", Dr. Amankwaa Agyeman noted. The competitors included; Tarkwa Crusaders Chorale, Tema Mass Choir, Tamale Youth Choir, Bantama Youth Choir, Obuasi Heralds Choir, Kasoa Youth Choir and Amammereso Youth Choir. ABOUT ROYAL IMAGE GROUP OF COMPANIES Royal Image Group of Companies is founded by Dr. Amankwaa Agyeman. His entrepreneurial portfolio includes Royal TV, Ask Media Training Institute, A&A Travel & Tours, Richcity Estates, A&A Driving School, and Royal Image Media Productions and now, Ask Foods ( Kokonte, Gari and Beans). A dynamic young entrepreneur and journalist, Dr. Amankwa boasts an educational background from KNUST, the London School of Journalism, and the Ghana Baptist University College. He embarked on his career journey as a Marketing Executive at MET FM (now Angel FM in Kumasi), where he was instrumental in launching the first-ever satellite TV in the northern sector of Ghana, a feat achieved with the support of colleagues and under the auspices of the National Communication Authority (NCA). Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) says it is yet to decide on its participation in the upcoming Ejisu by-election in the Ashanti region following the death of the Member of Parliament, Dr. John Kumah. The party which says its candidate is ready for the December 7 Parliamentary election is raising concerns of cost among other factors as reasons why it is uncertain about participating in the by-election which is a few months to December 7. As I speak to you now, the party is yet to firm up on our decision whether to contest or not to contest. Im sure that in the coming days, we will officially make a statement to declare our position on whether we are going in or not. We are considering other factors as well. In these elections there are costs, there is disruption in some of your calendar activities moving into the main election. The big catch for us is December 7 election, the Ashanti Regional Secretary of the NDC, Dr. Frank Amoakohene said in an interview with Starr News. He added: So we are looking, if time permits, the resources permit, if the indications permit that we go in full force and make a case out of the elections, and possibly win the election for the first time, our research team will report back to us in the coming week and once we have that research document from them and we are able to analyze it, then we will be guided by the data on why we would want to participate. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has criticised the government's decision to allocate funds for free tablets to senior high school students, labelling it as a strategic move to secure votes. During a special public lecture at Wisconsin International University College in Accra, John Mahama voiced his concerns, highlighting the government's neglect of essential ongoing educational projects to focus on tablet distribution. The former president emphasised the importance of directing state resources towards addressing more urgent needs within the education sector. "You bring a new curriculum, the children have [had] no textbooks in basic schools for the last four years, and you think that giving pre-tertiary students tablets is more important. Of course, everybody knows the political expediency," he said in a report by citinewsroom.com. Mahama also expressed skepticism regarding the timing of the tablet distribution, suggesting it is an attempt to sway the votes of pre-tertiary students who will soon be eligible to vote. "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," he stated. Mahama criticized the allocation of GH1.3 billion for providing laptops to pre-tertiary students, arguing that other urgent issues within the educational system need attention. "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," he reiterated. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video AGHDAM, Azerbaijan, April 6. The condition of Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) employee Anar Piriyev injured as a result of a detonator explosion in the Aghdam district is assessed as stable, a source in the central district hospital told Trend's Karabakh bureau. The source noted that Piriyev, hospitalized with minor shrapnel wounds to the upper anterior surface of his right leg and a cut to the inner surface of his right arm, was provided with first aid, and his treatment continues. 11:09 An employee of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA), Anar Piriyev, born in 2000, has been injured as a result of an explosion of a small detonator with an aluminum body in Sarijali village of the Aghdam district, a source in ANAMA told Trend. Piriyev suffered minor injuries to his arms and legs. He was taken to a local hospital for an examination. His life is out of danger. Previously, an employee of ANAMA Khayyam Aliyev, born in 1987, was injured as a result of a mine rupture in Sarijali village. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel 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 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 flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) have held discussions in Accra on his proposed policies and vision. The meeting, held on Friday, was interactive, open and frank with representatives of the over 80 traders associations under GUTA. GUTA President Dr. Joseph Obeng Darko opened the forum before inviting his members to the floor to share their concerns and make suggestions about their sector to Dr. Bawumia and his team. The Union commended Dr. Bawumia for his tax reforms which includes a tax amnesty and flat tax rate for businesses and individuals and form part of the NPP flagbearer plans to improve the economy under his Presidency in 2025. "We agree with your flat tax proposal because it will simplify things for us and our businesses...The reason why we like the tax amnesty and flat tax rate policy is that if you give us the amnesty and the flat tax rate, it will help our businesses. It means that we are going to do the right thing which will be benchmarked against the next 5 years as you have proposed", the GUTA President said. The GUTA President reiterated the concerns of businesses and traders regarding the harassment from tax officials in reaction to the current tax regime which Dr. Bawumia promises to overhaul. The members of GUTA from the various Regions embraced Dr. Bawumia's tax reforms and threw their support for him. Dr. Bawumia, responding to questions and suggestions by GUTA, assured them he is committed to creating a conducive business environment for businesses to thrive. "My major goal is to make Ghana one of the most business friendly economies in the world...My government will be a business-centered government. I want, thus, to move quite a number of government expenditure to the private sector. When this happens, government's expenditure will reduce and the private sector will also thrive", Dr. Bawumia told the GUTA members. Dr. Bawumia further noted that one of the biggest problems Ghanaian businesses face is the present complex tax system, which, to him, breeds non-compliance of tax obligations and corruption. "You find it even very difficult to calculate what you owe. You are only told what you owe without really knowing how it happened...In trying to find solution to this, I went to Estonia, one of the most business friendly countries in the world to study their tax system and I discovered that the key for them is the flat rate tax system they have which is clear, transparent and with a very high compliant rate...This is what I want to introduce in Ghana to make Ghana a business-friendly country and one of the most business-friendly nations in the world." Dr. Bawumia explained that his tax amnesty is aimed at giving businesses and individuals who owe taxes a clean slate. "Many of these unpaid debts are as a result of legacy problems we have with our existing tax system. We want everyone to start afresh so the tax amnesty will ensure everyone starts on a clean slate in 2025 by the grace of God and then the flat tax rate will apply." Dr. Bawumia also spoke on reviewing VAT, benchmarking Ghana's port charges with Togo to ensure parity and avoid smuggling as well as the proposal for flat rate import duties on containers to prevent fluctuations of import charges. Since his major policy address in February, Dr. Bawumia has been meeting key stakeholders of different sectors to explain his policies to them and seek their inputs. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video What a difference two years makes. In 2022, David McCormick arrived at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference as one of a group of candidates slogging through a five-way GOP U.S. Senate primary that included the unconventional celebrity wattage of Dr. Mehmet Oz. Police in western Pennsylvania have charged a man in a sexual assault that occurred near a college campus in early March. Pittsburgh police said in a statement on Friday that Javonne Thompson, a 35-year-old Pittsburgh resident, has been charged with sexual assault, aggravated assault, attempted rape, robbery, aggravated indecent assault, unlawful restraint, indecent assault, terroristic threats, possessing instruments of crime and tampering with evidence. Police said that Thompson was already in the Allegheny County Jail on charges unrelated to the sexual assault case. The two Republican candidates for Pennsylvania attorney general shared their visions for the role during a forum at the conservative Pennsylvania Leadership Conference in Camp Hill. If our communities are not safe then nothing else matters, York County District Attorney Dave Sunday, the state Republican Party-endorsed candidate, told moderator Alex Halper, the vice president of government affairs for the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry. The first day of trout season kicked off this morning with several central Pennsylvanians heading out to their favorite creeks and parks to go fishing. Due to the last few days experiencing heavy rainfall in the area, high levels of rain have led to flooding of many creeks and streams the region. Some rivers are close to flood levels but many have crested on yesterday morning. Several people were in attendance around 8 a.m. this morning for trout fishing at Childrens Lake in Boiling Springs. For those who plan on participating in fishing for trout this weekend the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission outlined a few notes for local fishers to be aware of before going out. Additional notes to know before participating in trout season: Fishing licenses are not required for anglers on May 26 or July 4 in public waters in Pennsylvania, but all other regulations apply. Also, anglers should take note between Nov. 1 through April 30 that a mandatory life jacket requirement is in effect for boats, canoes, kayaks and paddleboards under 16 feet long. There are a few updates to be aware of this year, both for new anglers and returning veterans. Several waterways have been added or removed to stocking program. In our region, this includes Childrens Lake in Boiling Springs, Cumberland County, and the Sheppard-Meyers Reservoir in York County, both of which were reinstated to the program. The Sheppard-Meyers Reservoir will be stocked on a preseason basis, but the Childrens Lake will be stocked both during preseason and in-season stocking periods. A complete list of the changed waterways for the season can be found here. Check out the photos and video for scenes from the first day of trout season. CAMP HILL - Vivek Ramaswamy got to give the campaign speech hed always hoped to give in Pennsylvania this year Friday evening. He just didnt give it for himself. The Supreme Court ruled in the Dobbs case that the Roe decision was in error, that there was not a constitutional right to privacy with respect to abortion. It ruled to let the states decide individually on reproductive rights. Good argument for states rights. Now comes the Colorado Supreme Court, which said that Donald Trump violated his oath of office by participating in an insurrection, citing section 3 of the 14th amendment. SCOTUS now rules that allowing states to remove an insurrectionist from the ballot would result in electoral chaos if a candidate was only on the slate for certain states and not others. Im no lawyer, but that logic is inconsistent with the states rights argument used for Dobbs, or at least it seems obvious to me. Could it be that the justices political views informed these decisions? I recall a 2021 news article in which Justice Amy Coney Barrett rejected claims that decisions by the court are driven by political views by saying ,The court is not comprised of a bunch of partisan hacks. Oh, really? BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 6. The West takes advantage of Armenia, which lacks independent policy, dean of the Faculty of Turkic World Economy at UNEC and professor at Uludag University Mehmet Yuce told Trend. According to him, the EU-US-Armenia meeting held in Brussels on April 5 is a step towards destabilization in the South Caucasus. It is a reflection of the West's classic policy of influencing the region through destabilization. "This policy, which the West has experienced in different regions, has not brought any benefit but only wreaked havoc. Nevertheless, the West, which prioritizes its interests, unfortunately continues this practice," Yuce said. He noted that this initiative will pave the way for turning the South Caucasus into a zone of geopolitical conflict. "As is known, third countries should consider the region's parameters in the steps taken in the context of the process and approach the parties from equal positions. However, the West speaks from a one-sided position, in the interests of Armenia. This has not only undermined neutrality, which should be taken as a basis for solving complex problems in the region, but has also led Armenia to launch illegal activities and create a terror threat in the region. Perhaps this was the aim of the West, fueled by instability," the expert said. He added that if the US and the West want to ensure peace and stability in the South Caucasus, they should put pressure on Armenia to assess the historical opportunity for peace in the region. "Armed support for Armenia by extra-regional states, particularly France, and the creation of war scenarios will harm both Armenia's security and the stability of the region. The EU's commitment to assist Armenia in the form of a 4-year loan of 270 million euros and US assistance of $65 million will not contribute to Armenia's economic development. First of all, it is unclear whether Armenia will direct this "economic" loan to the purchase of arms and ammunition. For investments in the country or existing investments to be productive, first of all, there must be an appropriate investment climate in the country. One cannot speak of a positive investment climate in Armenia, where there is currently no infrastructure for investment, with a significant part of the youth migrating to Europe and closed borders with Turkiye and Azerbaijan. Then what purpose does this process initiated by the US and the EU serve? The West, driven out of Africa, expelled from Afghanistan, and stuck in Ukraine, is looking for new 'adventures'. The most suitable state for this is Armenia, which has no independent policy. And the main actor in this 'adventure' is the short-sighted Macron," Yuce said. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel It was a race, and 91-year-old Rita Sadowski wasnt about to just walk across the finish line. She was going to sprint. Or at least run as fast as someone born during Franklin Delano Roosevelts early days in the White House can run today. With a few hundred feet left and Marion Square finally in sight, Sadowski along with her daughter, Gina Crowley, picked up the pace and crossed the finish line at the 47th Cooper River Bridge Run with a triumphant grin on April 6. Nine members of Sadowskis immediate family joined her in this years 10,000-meter event. More than 27,000 runners finished. Its wonderful to have my family come out and run and support me, said Sadowski, who has been running and walking in road races since the late 1980s. Im so glad to be able to come out do what everyone should be doing and that's enjoying the race and my family. Sadowski, who moved from Wichita, Kan., to the Lowcountry last year after the death of her husband, trains three days a week. Tuesdays and Thursdays, she walks about two miles with her grandsons, Clayton and Carter Crowley, and then on Saturdays will walk across the length of the Arthur Ravenel Jr., Bridge with her daughter. She inspires us all to get up off the couch and move around, Gina said. I tell people that I have to slow down because Im walking with her, but the truth is, its hard for me to keep up with her some days. The Bridge Run has grown from about 1,400 entrants its first year in 1978 to one of the largest 10K road races in the United States, peaking at 45,633 registered runners and walkers in 2006. Only the Peach Tree (50,000) and Bolder-Boulder (40,000) have more participants annually than the Bridge Run. The 6.2-mile course begins in Mount Pleasant, crosses the 2-mile Ravenel Bridge over the Cooper River and finishes on Meeting Street in downtown Charleston. The 2020 race was cancelled because of the pandemic. In 2021, the CRBR had 11,800 finishers, but was pushed back five months to September because of the pandemic. A year ago, there were more than 22,000 finishers. A Charleston-area defense contractor is laying off 98 workers after what it terms the sudden and unanticipated loss of funding for work it was doing for the military in Goose Creek. Logistics Support Inc., a division of Greenbelt, Md.-based Z Systems Corp., said the layoffs are expected to take place on June 7. Its not clear whether the companys Goose Creek site at 103 Guidance Road is closing. Logistics Support did not provide any further information in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filing provided to the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. A company spokesman did not respond to a request for comment Friday. On its website, the firm said it provides mechanics and material coordinators that support the maintenance of equipment aboard whats known as APS-3 vessels, which stands for Army Prepositioned Stock. Those ships transport and store military equipment and supplies. As part of this support, we coordinate all required deployment medical and dental screenings, drug testing and background checks, the companys website states. Once training is complete, we deploy each individual to a designated port for link up with the supported ship. The vessels are maintained by the Army Field Support Battalion-Charleston, which is located at Joint Base Charleston. APS-3 is the Armys only prepositioned equipment set afloat which provides the warfighter flexibility and agility, Lt. Col. Christopher Manganaro, commander of Army Field Support Battalion, said in a 2023 statement. Positions affected by the layoffs include motor vehicle and shipboard mechanics, supply technicians, site manager, material coordinators and others. Its possible that the employers could transfer to new employer up if the work they were performing was awarded to another defense contractor. From thousands without power to the loss of human life, these are a couple of sad snapshots of what people are dealing with in the mountains of western North Carolina. Yet, the Lowcountry continues to support our neighbors with supply drives and local relief efforts. Read morePeper column: Snapshots of the unspeakable destruction of Helene BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 6. Accusations by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia against our country in an intentional escalation of the situation, intending to distract attention from the military provocations of the Armenian side regularly committed against the units of our armed forces and from the steps of concentrating military forces in various directions over the past few days, are unacceptable and have no basis, Spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Aykhan Hajizada said, Trend reports. "Regarding the statement that the construction of military fortifications by Armenia in the bordering areas with Azerbaijan is part of their military reforms, and that the policy of mass militarization by Armenia is their sovereign right, it should be clear to everyone why these steps taken by Armenia are illegitimate and pose a threat to our country. Accordingly, the ongoing claims against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan in the Constitution of Armenia, as well as in a number of legislative acts, and the existence of revanchism attempts demonstrate the scale of threats from Armenia against our country. Moreover, taking into account that Armenia occupied the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan for 30 years when they had a military capability, the efforts to provide additional military power undoubtedly will create conditions for Armenia to become a new source of tension and a threat. Unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan has liberated its sovereign territories from occupation in accordance with international law with full military superiority and did not pose a threat to Armenias territories. Against the background of the mentioned challenges, the aggressive militarization of Armenia under various pretexts is a source of threat, and it is necessary to urge Armenia to refrain from this dangerous path. Expression of frivolous ideas such as arms control and non-aggression pact by Armenia, that for 30 years has grossly violated its obligations within the framework of the international agreements and arms control mechanisms to which it was a party, and during the occupation of our territories illegally deployed most of its military equipment and weapon systems on the territory of our country and concealed them from the international arms control mechanisms, and that does not respect Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty contrary to the Alma-Ata declaration, which it refers to many times today, is a political manipulation. In order to prove that Armenia is serious about the peace process, she has to refrain from contradictory statements and provocative steps, and respect the norms and principles of international law. Azerbaijan, for its part, will seriously prevent threats against it in the region, and will continue its peace and construction efforts," the statement reads. South Carolinas elected state treasurer made quite a spectacle of himself recently, demonstrating far better than state senators ever could why theyre worried that hes been shirking his duties and bullying the state auditor. As The Post and Couriers Alexander Thompson and reporters for several other news organizations report, Curtis Loftis tried to shout down senators when they questioned why he remained silent for seven years about $1.8 billion in unspent state funds whose source and purpose no one seems to know. He pounded the lectern. He repeatedly stepped away in anger, said he wasnt going to take any more, refused to answer some questions and at one point walked over to a table where reporters were seated to argue his case directly to them. Mr. Loftis denounced questions about his work as grossly unfair, disingenuous, shocking and highly irresponsible. He insisted a report he had provided to explain fund balances was right and the Senates report was wrong even though senators said the numbers were identical. He said that senators were endangering the states credit rating by grilling him in public about the state auditors decision to zero out a $456 million year-end deficit after talking with him. His most remarkable claim was that he was ambushed by the Senate Finance panel. In fact, senators have been signaling for months that theyre concerned about Mr. Loftis role in the states latest fiscal mess; the questions did sometimes cross the line into badgering, but if he didnt anticipate that, after watching the same panel grill then-Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom a year ago, Mr. Loftis is not smart enough to oversee even a tiny little state agency, much less the treasury. PR-Inside.com: 2024-04-06 05:02:39 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 953 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 LITTLETON, CO / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / Canopy Aerospace, recognized as a pioneering force in aerospace technology, has recently celebrated a significant milestone by obtaining two prestigious federal grants, setting a benchmark in the industry. These accolades, graciously awarded by AFWERX and NASA, not only underscore Canopy Aerospace's crucial role in pushing the boundaries of aerospace engineering but also underscore its steadfast dedication to driving progress within this ever-evolving field. This achievement is a testament to the company's innovative spirit and its ability to contribute meaningful advancements, reinforcing its position as a leader committed to shaping the future of aerospace technology."Canopy Aerospace is known for its innovation within the aerospace industry. They are driven by a pursuit of excellence and consistently challenge the status quo. The recognition from prestigious entities like AFWERX and NASA not only underscores Canopy's technical expertise and innovative edge but also cements its role as a key player in steering the future of aerospace technology. Canopy is not merely developing systems; they are crafting the future of air and space exploration, ensuring their place at the forefront of the sector," commented Nick Mirisis, Operating Partner at Fulcrum Venture Group.The collaboration with AFWERX, the United States Air Force's innovation hub, brings to light a new chapter for Canopy Aerospace through the AFWERX ARCT program. This initiative is designed to scout and foster technologies that are crucial for enhancing the Air Force's mission effectiveness and operational capabilities. Canopy Aerospace's involvement in this program is centered on advancing the robustness and efficiency of aerospace systems, reinforcing the company's resolve to bolster national defense and security through groundbreaking innovations.Equally significant is the grant received from NASA, a globally esteemed agency leading the charge in space exploration and technological innovations. This vital collaboration underscores NASA's strategic initiative to partner with avant-garde companies like Canopy Aerospace. It aims to harness cutting-edge technologies that bolster space exploration missions, ensuring progress toward ambitious goals. Canopy Aerospace's commitment to this venture involves crafting pioneering technologies designed to revolutionize space travel and push the boundaries of human exploration to uncharted territories. This endeavor not only emphasizes Canopy's dedication to advancing aerospace technology but also reinforces its position as an innovator at the forefront of navigating the future of space exploration.The dual recognition from AFWERX and NASA not only underscores Canopy Aerospace's unparalleled excellence in innovation but also vividly showcases the collective dedication, passion, and technical prowess of its team. These distinguished grants provide Canopy Aerospace with an unparalleled opportunity to dramatically broaden the horizons of aerospace technology. They catalyze the company's efforts in contributing to the advancement of air and space travel, focusing on enhancing safety protocols, improving operational efficiency, and championing sustainability. This support enables Canopy to undertake ambitious projects that promise to redefine the aerospace sector's future, affirming its role as a key player in shaping the next generation of aerospace achievements.Under the auspices of these grants, Canopy Aerospace is poised to undertake projects that will harness the latest advancements in aerospace engineering, materials science, and technology development. The project funded by AFWERX is set to enhance the performance and durability of aerospace systems, meeting the stringent requirements of military and defense operations. On the other hand, the NASA grant will support the company's endeavors in addressing some of the most daunting challenges in space exploration, including advancements in propulsion, life support, and habitat architecture.The accolades from AFWERX and NASA bestowed upon Canopy Aerospace represent a significant chapter in the company's narrative, reflecting not just on its historical achievements but also signaling a pathway for future endeavors. Nick Mirisis observed, "These grants are a powerful acknowledgment of the team's relentless effort, passion, and foresight. They propel Canopy to the forefront of ambitious aerospace projects that hold the promise not just of advancing technology but also of significantly bolstering the nation's stature in the aerospace domain. The support from such esteemed agencies underscores a bright future for Canopy, one where their contributions to the aerospace industry and beyond are both substantial and transformative." As Canopy Aerospace embarks on these pioneering projects, it remains dedicated to fostering openness and collaboration, sharing its breakthroughs and insights with the wider aerospace community. The company eagerly anticipates contributing its novel solutions to the progress of aerospace technology and to continue its fruitful collaborations with federal agencies that champion innovation and excellence in the aerospace domain.About Canopy Aerospace Established in late 2021 by founders Matt Shieh and John Howard, Canopy Aerospace was born out of a mission to address critical supply chain challenges within the space industry. The founders identified a crucial bottleneck in the availability of high-temperature materials essential for enduring the extreme conditions of space launch and re-entry. This realization spurred a commitment to revolutionize legacy manufacturing processes across various sectors, supporting humanity's quest to explore the cosmos. For further details about Canopy Aerospace and its groundbreaking projects, please visit https://www.canopyaerospace.com About Fulcrum Venture Group and Nick Mirisis Fulcrum Venture Group is an investment firm dedicated to advancing dual-use technologies critical to national defense and global security. With a focus on innovation and strategic growth, Fulcrum supports companies at the forefront of technological breakthroughs, ensuring the defense ecosystem is equipped with the tools necessary to protect America's interests on the global stage. Nick Mirisis serves as CEO and Board Member at HomeTown Ticketing, a leading EdTech SaaS firm that specializes in boosting revenues for educational institutions through a robust management platform. Dedicated to helping educators tackle challenges in event management, operations, and fundraising, Mirisis aims to improve financial resources for student programs. Since 2023, he has also contributed as an Operating Partner at Fulcrum Venture Group. Mirisis' two-decade career in growth-focused executi Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 6. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on amending the Regulations on the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan, Trend reports. According to the decree, the number of deputy ministers of energy appointed and dismissed by the President of Azerbaijan has been increased from three to four. PR-Inside.com: 2024-04-06 14:06:52 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 366 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Best Roofing Company in Birmingham, ALBIRMINGHAM, AL / ACCESSWIRE / April 6, 2024 / Capstone Roofing announces that it is now offering free roof replacement quotes in Birmingham, Alabama. Capstone Roofing is a go-to for top-quality roof fixes and new roofs for homes and businesses. They stand out for their great work and making sure their customers are happy.Capstone Roofing Capstone Roofing in Birmingham, ALThey know that a strong roof is super important, especially when the weather goes wild. That's why they have a team of experts ready to fix any roof problem, big or small, to keep your place safe.Owned by Tony Riddle, Capstone Roofing focuses on delivering dependable roofing services at affordable prices. Their team wants to make sure that the roofs they work on are sturdy, look good, and last a long time.When a roof is too damaged to fix, Capstone Roofing steps in to replace it with the newest materials and technology, making sure the new roof is not just strong but also looks nice. They carefully check the old roof, suggest the best stuff to use, and put on the new roof without causing too much trouble.Capstone also takes care of smaller roof issues, like fixing leaks or damaged shingles quickly. This helps stop small problems from getting bigger, saving the roof and keeping the whole building in good shape.Capstone Roofing is all about being safe, professional, and making sure their customers get what they need. They're fully licensed and insured, which means you can trust them. Plus, they're really clear about what they're going to do and how much it will cost.Besides fixing and replacing roofs, Capstone Roofing also helps out in the Birmingham community, showing they care about more than just roofs - they care about people, too.If you're near Birmingham and need help with your roof, Capstone Roofing is a solid choice. They've got the skills, are trustworthy, and focus on what their customers want. Getting in touch with them could be a great move to keep your home or business safe and looking good.Contact InformationTony RiddlePresident, CEObilling@ capstoneroofingco.com 205-453-1803SOURCE: Capstone RoofingView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-04-06 21:45:29 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 520 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 6, 2024 / Hagens Berman urges Sunnova Energy International Inc. (NYSE: NOVA) investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now.Class Period: Feb. 25, 2020 - Dec. 7, 2023Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Apr. 16, 2024Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/NOVA Contact An Attorney Now: NOVA@ hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895Sunnova Energy International Inc. (NOVA) Securities Fraud Class Action:The litigation focuses on Sunnova's disclosures about its business practices and the recent award by the Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO) of a $3 billion partial loan guarantee pursuant to a new solar loan channel named Project Hestia.The complaint alleges that Sunnova made misleading statements and failed to disclose that: (1) it routinely engaged in predatory business practices against disadvantaged homeowners and communities, the same groups that Project Hestia was purportedly intended to benefit; and (2) the foregoing conduct subjected it to a heightened risk of regulatory and government scrutiny, as well as significant reputational and/or financial harm.That loan guarantee and associated benefits to Sunnova were all placed at risk of not coming to fruition on Dec. 7, 2023, after the Chair of the US House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Ranking Member of the US Senate Energy and Resources Committee sent a letter to the LPO Director (Jigar Shah) regarding "disturbing reports" about Sunnova and demanding additional information and documents by no later than Dec. 21, 2023.The Chair and Ranking Member wrote that they were alarmed about: (1) "recent, credible reports that Sunnova has racked up numerous consumer complaints, including those alleging troubling sales practices, such as Sunnova pressing elderly homeowners in poor health to sign long-term contracts costing tens of thousands of dollars[;]" (2) "predatory sales strategies[;]" and (3) "[a]dditional reports suggest these troubling reports are not isolated incidents".This news sent the price of Sunnova shares down $2, or about 16%, on Dec. 8, 2023.If you invested in Sunnova and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firm's investigation, submit your losses now If you'd like more information and answers to frequently asked questions about the Sunnova case and our investigation, read more Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Sunnova should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email NOVA@ hbsslaw.com # # #About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation law firm focusing on corporate accountability through class-action law. The firm is home to a robust securities litigation practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com . Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.Contact:Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895Attorney advertising.Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices.SOURCE: Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP PR-Inside.com: 2024-04-06 12:47:43 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 561 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 CALDWELL, ID / ACCESSWIRE / April 6, 2024 / Self Employed Credit is now accepting the 2020 self-employed tax credit until May 1, 2024. The SEC program was established under the Families First Coronavirus Act and is designed to help self-employed workers and small businesses recover from the effects of the pandemic.Find out how much you qualify by visiting our website: www.selfemployedcredit.org Self-employed workers can apply for this credit, which grants up to $32,220 in tax credits, until May 1 this year. Self Employed Credit has a long history of championing small businesses and has successfully filed over $129 million in tax credits for its clients. With years of experience and a proven track record for success, Self Employed Credit is uniquely positioned to provide support for freelance workers and small businesses.Self Employed Credit handles the amendment of tax returns and resubmission to the IRS on clients' behalf, highlighting its dedication to convenience. Potential clients can take a 30-second quiz on the Self Employed Credit website to determine their eligibility for the tax credit. With just six simple questions, clients can quickly and easily find out if they qualify for the SEC tax credit. Common reasons why an individual might qualify include childcare, illness, vaccination, and quarantine.The Families First Coronavirus Care Act was implemented in March 2020 and was initially designed to extend paid sick leave and unemployment benefits for W-2 employees. As the pandemic continued, the FFCRA was expanded to include self-employed individuals including freelancers, independent contractors, and gig workers. For W-2 employees, the FFCRA provided paid sick leave, complimentary COVID testing, food assistance, unemployment benefits, and more. Self-employed individuals were invited to claim tax credits that would cover similar costs.Today, claiming the SETC could not be easier or more beneficial. Self Employed Credit has bank-level security to ensure that client's personal data will not be breached. There are no upfront costs and tax preparations are covered by Self Employed Credit if a client finds a bigger refund through a different company. The expert professionals at Self Employed Credit use more than ten years of experience to guarantee clients their maximum refunds. Self Employed Credit gets claims processed within two to three days, bypassing the sixteen-week wait that other companies contend with.It is estimated that although claiming this credit can be extremely beneficial, 80% of self-employed individuals are unaware of their eligibility for FFCRA tax credits. Self Employed Credit seeks to change that and help as many individuals claim this credit before the deadline on May 1. The Paycheck Protection Program is much more widely known. Still, while the PPP gives loans to small businesses, FFCRA is a completely separate program that allows self-employed individuals to claim their credits with no repayment necessary. FFCRA and Self Employed Credit are focused on assisting individuals rather than businesses.About Self Employed CreditSelf Employed Credit helps self-employed individuals get up to $32,220 back in tax credits if they were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and could not work in 2020 or 2021. If one could not work or had to take care of a family member, relative, or child then they qualify. Self Employed Credit allows these individuals to claim their tax credit through a fast and easy process online.Find out how much you qualify by visiting our website: www.selfemployedcredit.org Media Details Website URL: www.selfemployedcredit.orgCompany Name: Self Employed CreditEmail address: support@ selfemployedcredit.org SOURCE: Self Employed Credit 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. 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 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. ALSO READ: Court strikes out money laundering charges against Bobrisky 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. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has issued new directives to the electricity distribution companies (DisCos) on the implementation of the April 2024 Multi-Year Tariff Order. The directives were contained in a statement signed by NERCs Deputy General Manager of Market Competition and Rates, Abba Terab, on Saturday. 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. The official said the Band A consumers represent 15 per cent of the population but consume 40 per cent of the nations electricity. 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 Accordingly, he said, power distribution companies (DisCos) will be allowed to raise electricity prices to N225 ($0.15) per kilowatt-hour from N68. New Directives Mr Terab, in a statement on Saturday, said the commission has directed all DisCos to provide as much clarity as possible to all affected customers. According to him, all DisCos are directed to ensure that only the newly approved Band A feeders listed in their April 2024 supplementary orders are maintained as Band A for the purpose of vending to prepaid customers and billing for postpaid customers on their networks. He said all DisCos are required to immediately post on their websites the schedule of approved Band A feeders that have been affected by the rate review. All DisCos shall set up a portal by 10th April 2024 on their website that allows all customers to check their current Bands by entering their meter or account numbers. All customers wrongly billed at the new rate should be refunded through energy tokens no later than Thursday 11th April 2024, and file evidence of compliance with the commission by 12th April 2024. The commission shall monitor compliance with the requirements listed above and shall continue to provide support to all stakeholders as required, the statement said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Title: Ajakaju: Beast of Two Worlds Run time: 1 hour 10 minutes Date released: 29 March 2024 Directors: Odunlade Adekola and Adebayo Tijan Casts:Odunlade Adekola, Eniola Ajao, Sola Sobowale, Femi Adebayo, Lateef Adedimeji, Mercy Aigbe, Bimbo Akintola, Fathia Balogun, and Ibrahim Chatta. The film, Ajakaju: Beast of Two Worlds set out with grand ambitions but ultimately fell short of its mark, failing to live up to its potential. Despite brimming with A-list actors and a budget that could rival a small states GDP, the movie fell flat, clinging to nothing but wide controversy. Little wonder, the producer, sensing the looming disaster, attempted a publicity stunt that came crashing even before it even took flight. 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 However, as the backlash grew more substantial, talks about the movie grew bigger. Its probably a well-calculated move. But does that make the movie itself any better? Lets delve into what the movie offers. Lets unpack what Ajakaju: Beast of Two Worlds brings. The movies narrative seems plucked straight from the pages of fairy tales, or better yet, Yoruba folklore where the classic story of Beauty and the Beast takes a confusing twist. Here, however, the beauty is the male (in this case, the king), while a woman of mysterious origins is the beast. Ajakaju: Beast of Two Worlds is about King Towobola (Odunlade Adekola), surrounded by diabolic women, from his wives to his mother (Sola Sobowale). Faced with the threat of abdicating the throne for not having a male heir, he brought home a strange woman who spelt more trouble for him. Plot The movie narrates the story of a king, Towobola, whose reign was threatened because he had no heir to his throne despite being married to three wives. Although the kings three wives are all pregnant, everyone is intrigued and anticipates a son among the kings three wives. Even the kings mother, IyaOba, has warned the three pregnant wives to ensure they give the king an heir. To bring joy to the king, Oyenihun (one of the kings wives) meets her mother, who gives her a concussion with severe instructions that the mixture must not be touched. However, Oyenihun fails to keep this instruction. The kings wife tried all sorts of magic to make him happy and bear him a son, but this was almost impossible, and the sons were far coming, as they all bore daughters. One night, the king surprised the kingdom with a strange woman, Adaralewa, without a trace of her family. He married this new woman he became fond of, and there was so much joy in the kingdom. But this joy was short-lived. Strife soon began among the wives, and it didnt end there! Something seemed pretty off about this woman; she spoke to the king with no reverence. Adaralewa was able to conceive and bear the King a son, but immediately after giving birth, she threw the child into the fire. This upset the king, but he forgave her and gave her a second chance. She conceived and bore the king another son, but again, when she delivered her child, she threw him into the water. Outraged, the king unveiled Adaralewas secret: she was an Antelope beast! And as secrets unfurled, the palace held darker truths than the king ever imagined. Character Analysis The movie parades familiar faces, bringing with them their star power, intensity, and linguistic prowess in a noble quest to immerse viewers in the unfolding narratives. The cast for the movie includes Odunlade Adekola, Eniola Ajao, Sola Sobowale, Femi Adebayo, Lateef Adedimeji, Mercy Aigbe, Bimbo Akintola, Fathia Balogun, Ibrahim Chatta, amongst others. The performances span a spectrum from commendable to excessive, with some actors delivering captivating portrayals while others fell short. Odunlade and Eniola shine as the leads, infusing their roles with strength and conviction. Despite a reduced presence in the latter part of the film, the trio of Fathia, Mercy, and Bimbo left their mark. Odunlades depiction of the conflicted king balances authority and vulnerability, echoing his previous roles in King of Thieves and Orisa. However, there are instances where Odunlades performance leans towards melodrama, diluting the complexity of his character. Sola brings emotional depth to her portrayal of the kings mother and a witch, yet at times, her delivery teeters on the edge of overacting. On the other hand, Eniolas portrayal of Adaralewa and the vengeful beast, Ajakaju, fails to impress. As both an actor and the films producer, she lacked the fierceness required to embody a creature seeking retribution. Movie Analysis Recently, Yoruba filmmakers have embraced a formula that draws heavily from the cultures abundant folklore and ancient literary traditions. This approach attempts to immerse viewers in familiar Yoruba settings. While this formula has yielded a few standout productions that successfully merge tradition with a modern perspective, there have also been adaptations that grapple with finding the perfect equilibrium; one such is Ajakaju: Beast of Two Worlds. Narratively, as Ajakaju unfolds, it strays from its initial storyline of a kings quest for an heir, veering into an abrupt and disjointed flashback. This sudden shift reveals the new wifes past as an antelope and later as the vengeful beast, Ajakaju, who terrorised the village after her parents demise at the hands of a greedy hunter. The revelation of her true identity as a beast seeking vengeance for past atrocities slightly intensifies the plot, culminating in a clash between the supernatural and mortal worlds. While the revelation adds a layer of intensity to the plot, it lacks foreshadowing or context, disrupting the narratives flow and coherence. The sudden introduction of the flashback without prior groundwork raises significant issues with the storytelling approach. Flops The sudden flashback in Ajakaju lacks the necessary buildup or hints throughout the film, making it feel out of place and disrupting our connection to the main plot. This narrative shift creates a sense of disjointedness, pulling viewers out of the story. Furthermore, the story within the flashback, detailing the new wifes transformation into a vengeful beast, feels overly sensationalised. It seems like a contrived attempt to add depth to a character that hasnt been fully developed or justify her actions without properly exploring her motivations in the present timeline. A tighter integration of the past with present-day events could have improved the flow of the entire film; sadly, this was not done. Also, the subplot in which Lateef Adedimeji portrays a man yearning for a daughter despite his wife consistently giving birth to sons is intended to inject irony and humour into the storyline. However, Lateefs exaggerated acting fails to capture the emotional depth needed to entertain or advance the plot genuinely. Instead of enriching the narrative, his character fell shallow. This leads to missed opportunities for significant character growth. Moreover, the abrupt disappearance of his character without any reasonable explanation leaves viewers puzzled and underscores a narrative inconsistency that only the filmmaker can clarify. Technically, while the cinematography effectively captures the essence of the story, it lacks innovation and fails to explore creative angles or visual metaphors that could have elevated the storytelling. The soundtrack of Ajakaju consists of traditional Yoruba music that effectively sets an evocative tone, particularly during pivotal moments. Moreover, the special effects and makeup teams could use some fine-tuning. The unpolished animations and artificial beard on Odunlade Adekola stand out as noticeable flaws, taking away from the films overall impact. What also was not justified was the use of a goat when the movie speaks about an Antelope. Logical Inchorence The primary pitfall of this movie is the lack of logical coherence; it leaves many unanswered questions. Consider the following instances: The simultaneous pregnancies and births of the kings three wives on the same day may be an exaggeration or symbolic representation rather than a literal occurrence. As for Adaralewa, her nature is left ambiguous in the film, leading to confusion about whether she is part demon, part supernatural, or fully human and supernatural. The lack of clarity on her identity ends up complicating matters. Ajakajus return to the palace raises concerns about her safety and that of her children, especially considering her past actions. The film fails to address whether the palace is now safe for her and her family, leaving this aspect unresolved. The plot of Ajakaju indeed raises many questions, including why her first child was kept near such a dangerous element as fire. Additionally, clarity is needed on the timeline regarding the children and the kings remaining time on the throne to provide a coherent understanding of events. The fate of the kings other three wives is left unexplored in the film, leaving viewers wondering what happened to them. Verdict 5/10 BEAST OF TWO WORLDS (AJAKAJU) | OFFICIAL TRAILER (youtube.com) The movie is streaming in cinemas nationwide. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A 22-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly stealing a motorcycle in Enugu State, South-east Nigeria. The suspect, Musa Abdullahi, was said to have pretended to be a mechanic when a motorcycle belonging to a dispatch rider broke down along Agbani Road in Enugu on Sunday. The police spokesperson in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement on Friday night. Mr Ndukwe, a deputy superintendent of police, said the suspect was arrested at about 5:30 p.m. on Sunday in Ogbadigbo Local Government Area of Benue State, North-central Nigeria. The spokesperson said police operatives serving in Awkunanaw Police Divisional Headquarters in Enugu State arrested the suspect in response to a complaint from the rider (name withheld) about the incident. How it happened Mr Ndukwe said the rider, who works for an unnamed logistics company, had petitioned the police in the state about the incident. The rider, according to the statement, told the police that the suspect stole the motorcycle under the pretext of being a mechanic who could fix the motorcycle that broke down at about 3 p.m. on the same day, Sunday, along the Agbani Road in Enugu. 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 A preliminary investigation shows that the suspect, after presenting himself as a mechanic who could fix the motorcycle, asked the rider to go to the distant New Artisan (Market), Enugu, to buy a sprocket, which he said was responsible for the breakdown of the motorbike, Mr Ndukwe said. The rider complied, but when he came back the suspect had disappeared with the motorbike to the faraway Ogbadigbo Local Government Area of Benue State, where he was arrested by the operatives, Mr Ndukwe added. The police spokesperson advised residents and motorists in Nigeria to be careful about how they allow people to assist them in such a manner to avoid falling prey to criminals. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Emir of Dutse in Jigawa State, Muhammad Hamim-Sanusi, has conferred on a philanthropist, Nasiru Danu, the title of Sardaunan Dutse. The Dutse Emirate Council earlier announced the conferment on Mr Danu following the death of the title holder, former Nigerias Minister of Commerce, Bello Maitama, last October. Accepting the title, Nasiru Danu, through the Wazirin Dutse, Bashir Dalhatu, thanked the emir and his council members for finding him worthy of the revered title. The emir, in the invitation letter to the turbanning ceremony, said the official conferment of the title on Mr Danu will be held on 18 April at the uphill Emirs palace in Garu, Dutse. He said the event will have former President Muhammadu Buhari as the Special Guest of Honour and the Governor of Jigawa State, Umar Namadi, as the Guest of Honour. Until his elevation to the title of Sardauna and Kingmaker for Dutse Emirate, Mr Danu held the title of Dan Amanar Dutse conferred on him by the late Emir, Nuhu Muhammad-Sanusi, on 4 May 2017. Dutse, the capital city of Jigawa State, is one of the five emirates in the state led by first-class emirs. The others are Kazaure, Hadejia, Ringim and Gumel. 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 Who is Nasiru Danu? Nasir Danu is a renowned Nigerian businessman and influential figure in politics, and embodies leadership and philanthropy. He is the chairperson of Casiva Limited and the founder and CEO of Nasiru Danu Foundation. He was born into a family with a strong leaning towards business and politics. Mr Danus journey into politics began in 2002 when he joined the political group of future President Muhammadu Buhari, who was preparing to run for president in the 2003 presidential election. Mr Danus belief in the transformative power of education led him to support various educational initiatives aimed at empowering youth and uplifting communities in Nigeria. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigerian Army troops ambushed and killed a group of terrorists who were in transit to fix their motorbikes around Kidandan Village, Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Friday. This was disclosed in an unsigned statement posted on the X official account of the army on Saturday. According to the statement, the troops, in the successful counter-terrorism operation, tracked down the terrorists known to carry out their nefarious acts on motorbikes, through credible intelligence. The troop engaged in a gun battle with the terrorists leading to the killing of three members of the group. The army said the known group had been using the bikes to terrorise Kaduna, its neighbourhood and across the North-west region of the country. Consequently, it also recovered items including one Ak 47 Rifle, one stock Ak 47 Rifle, four motorbikes, and one Motorola Radio. Read the full statement below 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 TROOPS AMBUSH TERRORISTS ON TRANSIT TO FIX MOTORBIKES IN KADUNA, NEUTRALIZE 3, RECOVER ARMS In a recent successful Counter-terrorism operation, Nigerian Army troops have neutralized a group of terrorists in an ambush operation in Kaduna State. Acting on credible intelligence, the troops targeted the terrorist group, known for using motorbikes to carry out nefarious activities in the region. During the operation on Friday, 5 April 2024, around Kidandan Village, Giwa Local Government of Kaduna State, the troops engaged the terrorists in a gun battle, neutralizing 3 of them. The terrorist group was in transit to repair their motorbikes, which they used as mobility when unleashing their acts of terror on the populace in Kaduna State and across the Northwest region. The operation also led to the recovery of one Ak 47 Rifle, one stock Ak 47 Rifle, 4 motorbikes, and one Motorola Radio. The Nigerian Army remains committed to the ongoing Counter terrorism Counter insurgency Operations to ensure the safety and security of the populace. We therefore enjoin members of the public to continue to support Nigerian Army troops and other security operatives as they continue to strive to mitigate security challenges in the country. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A former Minister of Defence, Rabiu Kwankwaso, says the military has the capacity to end the current security challenges facing the country, given the necessary motivation. Mr Kwankwaso, also the National Leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), stated this when he spoke with journalists shortly after the partys National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja. He said that although it was the responsibility of the federal government to address the security challenge, Nigerians also had a crucial role to play by supplying vital information to security agencies. As former Minister of Defence, a former Security Officer of Kano State for eight years, somebody who has gone around and well exposed in this game of politics, I believe that tackling security challenge is now on the shoulders of the federal government. We have seen states forming some security outfits. Sometimes you laugh. The level at which it is today is at the level of Nigerian military and anything short of that wouldnt work. And everybody must work together to make sure there is peace in this country. Some of us who are from the villages and even towns can remember how our people were going to farms. Now people cannot go to the farm. They are also being chased from their villages and towns. 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 Our children are daily abused and taken away by criminals and bandits in hundreds, he said. Mr Kwankwaso, also the NNPP 2023 presidential candidate, said that his party had the formula to address the problem and other challenges facing the country if given the opportunity by Nigerians. He said the NNPP was the only hope for Nigerians, saying that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had failed the people. Speaking, Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State, urged party members to be total in their dedication to the party, saying there was nothing like 99 per cent loyalty to the party, but 100 per cent. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 6. Azerbaijan's Aghdam District Prosecutor's Office is investigating the injury of Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA) employee Anar Piriyev in liberated Sarijali village, a source in the office told Trend. The investigation has established that Piriyev, born in 2000, was injured as a result of an explosion of a flammable capsule during demining work in the area. "Employees of the Prosecutor's Office inspected the scene of the incident and carried out other necessary procedural actions. The investigation is carried out based on this fact in the Aghdam district prosecutor's office," the source added. Meanwhile, after the second Karabakh war in 2020, 77 percent of the people who died from mine incidents in Azerbaijan were civilians. Since November 10, 2020, 351 people have been victims of landmines in the liberated areas; 65 of them lost their lives, and 286 were injured. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has approved the postings of new police spokespersons to various commands and formations in the country. In a statement on Wednesday, Force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi announced the posting of Timfon John, an assistant superintendent of police, as the new spokesperson for the police in Akwa Ibom State. Ms John, who hails from Esit Eket Local Government Area of the state, takes over from Odiko Macdon, who has occupied the office for over three years. The new police spokesperson, a popular presenter at Nigeria Police Radio 99.1 FM in Abuja has also taken to Facebook to announce her new office to her fans. I am ASP Timfon John, an indigene of Akwa Ibom State, officially now the police public relations officer for Akwa Ibom State, she wrote. Her predecessor, Mr Macdon, who was recently promoted to the rank of a chief superintendent of police, also took to Facebook to welcome her to the state. I am now a federal chief. Behold my worthy beautiful successor. Welcome to the land of promise, ASP Timfon John, Mr Macdon wrote on Facebook. 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 Other appointments Other postings according to Mr Adejobi, are Isuku Victor, a chief superintendent of police, who has been posted to the Force Headquarters, Abuja, as deputy Force spokesperson. Ukandu Joshua, a deputy police superintendent, is posted to Ebonyi State as the new spokesperson for the police in the South-east state. Others include, Buhari Abdullahi, an assistant superintendent of police as spokesperson for Gombe State and Hundeyin Sewanu as the spokesperson, Ports Authority Police (Western) Lagos. The inspector general of police hereby reiterates his commitment to standardising and repositioning the Force in line with his vision statement while wishing the newly posted officers success in their new role, Mr Adejobi said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The University College Hospital (UCH) in Oyo State has pleaded with the management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) to grant it more time to clear its outstanding electricity bills. The hospitals Chief Medical Director, Jesse Otegbayo, made the appeal on Friday in a letter to the distribution company. It pleaded with IBEDC not to withdraw power services from its facility. Backstory The hospital was disconnected for several days by IBEDC due to an outstanding debt. An official at the electricity company said that the amount owed by UCH was N400 million. IBEDCs Chief Key Accounts Officer, Johnson Tinuoye, said that the drastic measure came after several attempts to engage with the hospitals management regarding the substantial overdue balance, which had persisted for over six years, had failed. UCH The hospital management, in its letter, appreciated the electricity company for reconnecting it to the grid on Thursday, noting that the gesture had reawakened activities in the hospital. Shedding light on the agreement that prompted the reconnection, Mr Otegbayo said that the management recognised that the balance of N52,439,217.94 (Fifty-two million, four hundred and thirty-nine thousand, two hundred and seventeen naira, ninety-four kobo) from the N112,349.217.94 (One hundred and twelve million, three hundred and forty-nine thousand, two hundred and seventeen naira, ninety-four kobo), representing 25% of the total outstanding bill, was meant to be paid within 48 hours. 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 He, however, noted that the 48-hour deadline falls on a Saturday and that the hospital would not be able to pay during the weekend. He promised that the payment would be made on Monday, 8 April. In the same vein, we also solicit your endurance for the payment of April bill plus the N50 million monthly repayment by 30 April, 2024. This is to enable the hospital to have ample time to source for funds. It shall be appreciated if the above requests are favourably considered, the CMD said. IBEDCs stand The electricity distribution company had urged UCH to honour the terms and conditions agreed to in its quest for reconnection. In a letter by Mr Tinuoye, IBEDC had noted that the balance of N52 million from the N112 million, which represented 25% of the total outstanding balance, was expected to be paid not later than 6pm on Saturday, 6 April, as agreed. It also reminded UCH that its April 2024 electricity bill would be out by Monday, 8 April, and that the institution was expected to pay in full, plus the N50 million monthly repayment from the total outstanding debt not later than 16 April. Mr Tinuoye reiterated that should UCH fail to meet the agreement that preceded the reconnection, IBEDC would withdraw power service, and that reconnection will only be done after the full payment of the total outstanding balance. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo has promised to conduct a free, fair and transparent primary election to choose its candidate for the 11 November governorship election in the state. The partys Deputy National Organising Secretary, Nze Duru, gave the assurance on Saturday in Abuja as the party drew the curtain on the submission of Expression of Interest and Nomination forms by aspirants. We assure aspirants that the party is interested and desirous of conducting a free, fair transparent primary election in Ondo State, he said. The primary election is scheduled to hold on 20 April to select a standard bearer from among 16 party members that have shown interest in the race. Saturday, April 6 marks the formal closure of the first step of electing the person that will fly the partys flag at the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo State. The next exercise will be the screening of aspirants on April 11 and April 12 and after that, the primary election will hold, he said. Mr Duru said also that aspirants would be formed into groups for the screening to ensure a smooth process. 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 He enjoined all aspirants to extend a hand of felicitation to whoever emerged as the partys candidate as was done in Edo State. He explained that Edo had become a reference point in the partys free process of choosing its candidates as even those not comfortable with the outcome came together to broker peace among party members. They came to the negotiation table; had a handshake and now we have a very formidable team; and we believe that APC will win in Edo. If we trust that APC will win in Edo, we have confidence that it will win in Ondo State, Mr Duru emphasised. Those in the governorship race are the incumbent governor, Lucky Aiyedatiewa, Funmilayo Waheed-Adekojo, Olusoji Ehinlanwo, John Odimayo, Jimoh Folorunsho, Duerimini Kekemeke and Samuel Akinfolarin, and Adewale Akinterinwa. Others are Olugbenga Edema, Olusola Oke, Felix Onwuyeye, Morayo Lebi, Diran Iyantan, Francis Faduyile, Judith Omogoroye and Ifeoluwa Oyedele. Aspirant speaks Mr Oyedele was the last of the aspirants to submit his Expression of Interest and Nomination forms. He said on Saturday while submitting the forms that Ondo State needed a leader with vision and capacity to lead it to the next level, and stressed that he was the candidate to do that. I am not new to this process. In 2020, I was the front runner against the late governor of Ondo State, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu. Following persuasions from party leaders, I willingly and unconditionally stepped down for Akeredolu to ensure that the party was not disunited. And for the first time in the history of party politics, all the aspirants rallied behind Akeredolu at the election that took place on October 10, 2020 and the APC won, Mr Oyedele said. He added that having sacrificed for the party over the years, and as one of its founding fathers, he was the most qualified aspirant because he had the vision and capacity to lead the state. He also said that Ondo State needed a governor to change its poor narrative in healthcare delivery and education and he was the ideal man. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) has called on the Federal and Nasarawa State Governments to carry out proper oversight functions to stop illegal miners now trooping into Uke district in Karu local government area of Nasarawa in search of solid minerals. RDI request is informed by findings from an investigation carried out by its field monitors in Uke district in Karu LGA where community members complained about the unchecked influx of foreigners into the community and the likelihood of insecurity in the district due to the illegal mining activities. They revealed that the situation has escalated following the recent announcement by the state government that it had obtained a licence from the federal government to mine gold and lithium in the district. Governor Abdullahi Sule had disclosed during the state executive council meeting in January 2024 that the state government had secured three licences for exploration of gold and lithium, and expressed optimism that the state will benefit immensely from the exploration of the mineral deposit in terms of revenue generation and job opportunity for its teeming youths. But RDI Board member, Tobias Dapam Lengnan said that the team that visited the district noticed that though the mining activities in the area were crude and lacked semblance of proper regulation, the miners stop anyone from coming into the environment with video recording equipment or those intending to use their phones for the same purpose. They also bar anyone who claims to be a journalist from entering the mining sites. The team also learnt that the horde of young miners consisting of mainly non-natives and nationals from other countries in West Africa do not respect the culture of the people, and display aggressive tendencies when they are challenged. It was alleged that aside from the poor state of the environment, prostitution is now a serious challenge in the district as the miners allegedly lure young girls away from their homes and schools with cash in exchange for sex, promises of procuring them mobile phones and other favours. 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 In a statement issued in Abuja, RDI Executive Director, Philip Jakpor said: The situation in Uke and surrounding mining communities in Nasarawa reflects a growing and disturbing pattern of violation of the environment in mining communities across the country from Zamfara to Kaduna, Plateau, Ebonyi and elsewhere allowing the miners to operate unchecked while the local landowners and farmers lose out. Mr Jakpor explained that the findings expose the stark reality that the kind of crisis in communities where fossil fuel extraction occurs is now being replicated in communities where the exploration and extraction of supposed green minerals like lithium are ongoing. He argued that the lack of proper oversight functions and monitoring of mining activities and its actors by the government are responsible for the challenges that locals near the mining sites are complaining about even as he added that suddenly all the mining sites in the country have become no-go areas. In some cases there is clear collusion between the miners and unscrupulous government officials who allow them to terrorise and force communities and farm owners from their ancestral lands so that they can continue their environmentally unfriendly practices. Going further, he demanded that the Nasarawa and Federal Governments compel the mining companies operating in Uke district to comply with regulations in Nigerias Minerals and Mining Act 2007 which stipulates that no reconnaissance activity shall be carried out and no mineral title shall be granted under the Act over any area that is designated as closed to mining. In the field report from the investigation, see here: https://renevlyninitiative.org/2024/03/25/how-lithium-and-gold-mining-fuel-insecurity-prostitution-in-nasarawa-community/ RDI urged government to carry out comprehensive environmental audit in Uke district to ascertain the level of destruction of the environment, pollution of farmlands and ground water that the locals consume to be followed by restoration of the environment and commensurate compensation for local community members. Unless these measures are taken, the fanfare that has greeted Nigerias recourse to green minerals will evaporate before our own eyes and the communities that had welcomed government initiatives in this regard will start experiencing what their counterparts in the Niger Delta are experiencing. We cannot allow that to happen, he stated. Philip Jakpor Executive Director Renevlyn Development Initiative Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Federal Road Safety Corps ( FRSC), Osun Command, says two persons have lost their lives in an accident that occurred on Ikire Ibadan expressway on 5 April. The Acting Sector Commander, Medinat Akanbi, disclosed this on Saturday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) in Osogbo. Ms Akanbi said a Toyota white commercial bus with registration number plate, DAH 77LG lost control on high speed, leading to an accident. She said that passengers involved in the accident were 10 females and seven males inside the bus We were able to rescue 15 passengers with severe injuries and they were all taken to an undisclosed hospitals. Some items recovered from the accident scene had been taken to the Nigeria Police Force , Ikire, Ms Akanbi said . According to her, motorists should inculcate the habit of using good tyres to avert any similar occurrence 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 She advised drivers to avoid excessive speed and drive within the prescribed speed limit. Ms Akanbi, however, said the command would not hesitate to deal with road users that go against the safety ordinance on highways. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed fresh charges, including alleged fraudulent foreign exchange allocation of $2 billion, against former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele. In the fresh 26-count charge filed at the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, the anti-graft agency said Mr Emefiele while being CBN governor arbitrarily allocated foreign exchange in the aggregate sum of $2 billion ($2,136,391,737.33) without bids, which act is prejudicial to the rights of Nigerians. The commission said Mr Emefiele allegedly committed the offences between 2022 and 2023, according to Channels Television, which reported Friday night that the fresh charges were filed on 3 April by the EFCC prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). The report added that Mr Emefiele would be arraigned before Rahman Oshodi, a judge of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, on Monday, 8 April. The alleged offences border on accepting gratification, accepting gifts through agents, corruption, receipt of property fraudulently obtained, and conferring corrupt advantage on his associates contrary to the Corrupt Practices Act of 2000. Count one of the charge reads, that you, GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE between 2022 and 2023, in Lagos, directed to be done in abuse of the authority of your office, as the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, an arbitrary act, to wit: allocating foreign exchange in the aggregate sum of $2,136,391,737.33 (Two Billion, One Hundred and thirty-six million, three hundred and ninety-one thousand, seven hundred and thirty-seven Dollars, thirty-three cents) without bids, which act is prejudicial to the rights of Nigerians. Emefieles troubles Meanwhile, Mr Emefiele faces other corruption charges at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja. 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 Abuja case, the anti-corruption commission EFCC accused the former CBN governor of criminal conspiracy, conferring undue advantage, and breach of trust, among others. Inthe anti-corruption commission EFCC accused the former CBN governor of criminal conspiracy, conferring undue advantage, and breach of trust, among others. But Mr Emefiele denied the allegations, originally captured in six counts. He was first arraigned on 28 November 2023 before the EFCC amended the charges necessitating a re-arraignment. The commission, in the amended charges, increased the number of counts from six to 20, and dropped a former co-defendants name, Saadatu Yaro, from the case. In some of the counts, EFCC alleged that Mr Emefiele, in January 2023, forged a document titled, Re: Presidential Directive on Foreign Election Observer Missions, dated January 2023 with reference number, SGF.43/L.01/201. The EFCC alleged that Mr Emefiele made the claim knowing the same to be false. In the case marked CR/577/2023, the prosecution alleged Mr Emefiele, on 8 February 2023, connived with one Odoh Ocheme, said to be on the run, to obtain $6.2 million from the CBN, claiming that it was requested by the office of the Secretary to the Governor of the Federation (SGF) vide a letter dated Jan. 26 2023 with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/201. The anti-graft agency also alleged that the contract for the renovation of the CBN Governors lodge, located at No. 2 Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, was awarded to a company named Messrs. Architekon Nigeria Ltd, wherein the duo are directors and majority shareholders. The offences, according to the EFCC, contravened the provisions of sections 17, and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, as well as sections 315, 363 and 364 of the Penal Code. The court allowed the defendant to continue with the bail he was earlier granted. The EFCC has called some witnesses in the ongoing case. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), has said that no fewer than 50,000 Nigerian intending pilgrims will perform the 2024 Hajj in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Executive Chairman of NAHCON, Jalal Arabi, disclosed this at a news conference held at Hajj House on Friday in Abuja. Mr Arabi said the commission was on course to conduct a successful Hajj operation, no matter the challenges. This years Hajj preparations is one of the most difficult and peculiar ones. You know in the past, we had the luxury of time to prepare at our own pace; But, this time around, the host which is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia came up with the timeline that we have to work within, he said Mr Arabi said the federal government had intervened in so many ways, especially with policies to support the commission to ensure that things did not go wrong. I made bold to say that there were series of interventions that government made in terms of policies to ensure that there is no unnecessary tension in the nation. 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 Government has a responsibility to keep the nation one, devoid of chaos and rancour, he said Mr Arabi noted that, going forward, the Hajj Savings Scheme would be the surest method to adopt. He assured that the commission would embark on adequate sensitisation and enlightenment to make sure that intending pilgrims key into it. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah had allocated 95,000 Hajj slots to Nigeria for the 2024 pilgrimage. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Nigeria has ratified the African Mineral Development Centre (AMDC) statutes as part of its commitment towards ensuring sustainable mining practices and leveraging Africas mineral wealth for economic progress and development. The Office of the Legal Counsel (OLC) received the ratification instrument in February, making Nigeria the fourth African country to ratify the statutes after Guinea, Mali and Zambia. This notable action underscores Nigerias dedication to advancing sustainable management of mineral resources and facilitating economic development. In a statement issued on the AMDC social media handle, the centre said it plays a pivotal role in coordinating and supporting African Union member states in harnessing the full potential of their mineral resources for the benefit of present and future generations. With Nigerias ratification, AMDC is one step closer to realising the collective vision of a prosperous and inclusive Africa driven by responsible mineral resource governance, AMDC noted. We applaud Nigeria for its proactive stance and unwavering dedication to advancing the goals of the AMDC. As we celebrate this milestone, we reaffirm our commitment to working hand in hand with all member states to address the challenges and opportunities in the minerals sector, promote sustainable development, and enhance Africas global competitiveness. Significance of ratification Speaking on the significance of the ratification, Tunde Arisekola, the senior advisor of Geological and Minerals Information, AMDC, told PREMIUM TIMES at the recently concluded 59th Annual International Conference and Exhibition of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) in Jos, that before Nigerias ratification, Guinea-Conakry, Mali, and Zambia had already signed and ratified the agreement. 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 Nigerias ratification marks the fourth commitment to the agreement. Additionally, eight or nine other countries have signed the agreement but are awaiting parliamentary approval. Our aim is to reach a total of 15 ratifications within the next two years, enabling us to allocate budgets directly from the initial funding source. This underscores the significance of Nigerias ratification, Mr Arisekola explained. He stated further that the ratification implies that Nigeria has carefully assessed the status, functionalities, expectations, and projections of the AMDC, which align with Nigerias objectives and interests. He said: The ratification indicates that Nigeria has officially approved our initiatives and is prepared to provide financial support through the AU budget. For example, if Nigeria initially contributed 12 units of currency, they will increase it to 15 units as they commit to funding from this year onward. However, we need to reach the threshold of 15 contributing countries before accessing the funds from AU. Nonetheless, all countries have pledged to reserve their contributions for us. Nigerias recent ratification holds profound implications for the nations solid minerals sector, signalling a commitment to align with international standards and the African Mining Vision (AMV). About AMV As a landmark initiative, the Africa Mining Vision (AMV), which originated from the African Union Summit in February 2009, represents a significant stride towards addressing the dichotomy of abundant mineral resources juxtaposed with widespread poverty across the continent. Unlike conventional approaches, the AMV takes a comprehensive stance, urging a departure from traditional mining paradigms. The desire for comprehensive development beyond just mining into industrialisation is strongly emphasised in the AMV. This is pivotal, underlining the advocacy for value addition. Beyond optimising tax revenues and ensuring responsible spending, the vision advocates integrating mining into broader local, national, and regional development policies. Central to the AMV is maximising local benefits from mining activities, ensuring communities and workers reap tangible rewards while safeguarding environmental integrity. It also emphasises equitable contract negotiations between nations and multinational mining corporations, aiming to secure fair resource rents and prioritise local inputs. At a regional scale, the vision underscores the integration of mining into broader industrial and trade frameworks. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Akwa Ibom State has been without power supply for two days now. The blackout which began on Friday morning has forced business owners and residents to resort to power generators. The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution (PHED) Company, which distributes power to the state, is yet to issue a statement on the power outage. Its been 24 hours of darkness in Uyo and @PHEDconnect doesnt have the decency to apologise and state why weve been kept in darkness, Rose Akai, a former radio-talk show host, wrote on X, on Saturday. So for yesterday 20hrs daily light was not supplied as promised for the insane amount B and A customers are now being charged, she added. Continuing, she asked the countrys electricity regulator, the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) how customers would be compensated for the blackout. @NERCNG You havent stated in your circular what happens if theres no power for a whole day. How would we be compensated for this? I need answers. How would DISCOs make up for this? You would not charge us this much and not keep your end of the deal. Never! she wrote. 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 We are working to restore power A staff member of the PHED, who did not want his name mentioned because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, blamed the outage on lack of power from the 132KVA transmission line which supplies power to the state. That line has been down since about 8 a.m., yesterday. That is where we get our supply from. The line feeds Itu, Uyo and some areas, he said. When asked if it would be restored soon, the staff member said the line has been going off and on and that the company was battling to restore it. The power outage occurred two days after the announcement of a new tariff for electricity nationwide. The Vice Chairperson of NERC, Musiliu Oseni, in a press briefing on Wednesday in Abuja, said the new tariff would only affect electricity customers in Band A. Band A customers are those who enjoy at least 20 hours of electricity supply daily, according to NERC. Mr Oseni said B and A customers represent 15 per cent of the population, but consume 40 per cent of the countrys electricity. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution (PHED) Company has explained the reason behind the current blackout in Akwa Ibom State, South-south Nigeria. The electricity distribution company made the explanation in a statement posted on its X handle on Saturday. Kindly be informed that the outage currently experienced in Uyo, Eket and Ikot Ekpene is as a result of a fault in Uyo/Itu 132kv line. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how Akwa Ibom has been without power supply for two days now. The blackout which began on Friday morning has forced business owners and residents to resort to power generators. This is the second time in less than two months that the distribution company has blamed a power outage in the oil-rich state on the same 132kv power transmission line. This newspaper in February reported how business owners in the state lamented the effect of power outage on their businesses. 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 In a statement on Saturday, PHED said the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) maintenance crew was working to restore power in the state. Customers are assured that power supply will be restored as soon as work is completed, the company said. Similarly, the distribution company has also released a statement on the power outage in parts of Port Harcourt, Rivers State. It said that the outage currently experienced on Alcon Road, Nvigwe, Woji Estate is a result of TCN load shedding (power transformer limitation) at the transmission station. This is the second time in three months that the PHED has announced power outage in parts of Port Harcourt. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 6. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on amendments to the Structure of the State Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Refugees and IDPs, Trend reports. According to the decree, parts 2 and 4 of the document have been abolished. Thus, the Department of Repatriation and the Department of International Relations, Information and Press Service were abolished. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel A truck laden with sand on Saturday crushed two persons to death at Idi-Mango area along Ore-Okitipupa road in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State. Yetunde Adesina, the Ore Unit Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Ms Adesina said that the accident involved a Mark truck with registration number RBC 05 XL and a Haojue Red Suzuki motorcycle with registration number GBA 254 QA. She disclosed that two yet-to-be identified persons died in the accident. According to eyewitness, the commercial motorcycle which the victims boarded, manoeuvred wrongly and the deceased fell off as the truck rammed on them. The deceased (two males) bodies have been taken to the Ore General Hospital morgue, she said. Ms Adesina warned commercial motorcyclists against recklessness and wrongful overtaking. 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 NAN learnt that the driver of the truck fled the scene of the accident, while the truck has been taken to the Ore Divisional Police headquarters. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The US itself is Violator-in-Chief of international conventions. It has ensured there are no international sanctions against Israel. It has, like Israel, carried out attacks on Iranian targets, including the January 2022 murder of Iranian General Qassim Suleiman. A US drone strike killed him and some Iraqis while on a visit to Baghdad. It has, in the last few weeks, threatened a number of countries, including Niger Republic, which asked it to remove its military base from the country If the claims of the Islamic State (ISIS) are to be believed, four of its members on Friday, 22 March, broke into the Crocus City Hall, Moscow. The complex housed a shopping centre and a music hall. The band, Picnic, was scheduled to play in the hall. The quartet opened fire with automatic weapons on defenceless people, threw an explosive and set the complex ablaze. At least 133 persons perished in the attack, with over 100 injured. Nothing justifies this level of barbarity and bestiality in which throats were slit. How did we get here? There may be divergent views; but there is no doubt that ISIS is the product of the Cold War. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the progenitor of the current Russia, was the power in Afghanistan, having been invited there by the government on 24 December, 1979. The United States (US) thought that a way of getting the Soviets out was to mobilise youths in the Arab countries on the basis of religion. It then cast the Afghan government and their Soviet backers as atheists and devils that must be removed. Accordingly, Arab youths were encouraged to travel to neighbouring Pakistan, where they received military training and weapons to carry out guerrilla warfare in Afghanistan. They were called the Mujahedeen or Afghan Arabs. The plan went on so well that the Soviets were forced out on 15 February, 1989 and the Afghan government collapsed. But what resulted was anarchy until students, called the Taliban, seized power in September, 1996. The Taliban, led by their teacher, Mullah Mohammed Omar, a pious gentleman who had been an Afghan Mujahideen general. The rest of the Afghan Arabs returned to their countries, only to be hunted by their governments. A wave of them, led by former US points man and darling, Osaman Bin Laden, fled to Afghanistan and called their group, the al Qeada. After the US and its allies invaded Iraq in 2003 and disbanded the Iraqi military, some of its officers joined al Qeada in Iraq (AQI). The AQI leader was the Jordanian, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was replaced in 2006 by the Egyptian, Abu Ayyub al-Masri. In 2010, he was replaced by Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi, who was to declare the Islamic Emirate. The mistake the US made in training and funding the Mujahideen in the 1980s, it repeated in the early 2000s by training and funding ISIS and another terrorist group, the al-Nusra Front. The ISIS was to spread its terrorism across the world, including in Africa, where it invaded countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Nigeria. Here, it is known as the Islamic States West Africa Province (ISWAP). In 2012, the US Central Intelligence Agency Director, David Petraeus, under the directive of President Barack Obama, trained thousands of AQI members, now renamed the Islamic State (IS), to invade Syria, whose government was perceived as communist and a stooge of Russia. The Islamic State added Syria to its name and became known as ISIS. 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 mistake the US made in training and funding the Mujahideen in the 1980s, it repeated in the early 2000s by training and funding ISIS and another terrorist group, the al-Nusra Front. The ISIS was to spread its terrorism across the world, including in Africa, where it invaded countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Nigeria. Here, it is known as the Islamic States West Africa Province (ISWAP). It was the ISIS faction known as Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) that carried out the attack in Russia. So, due to US myopia, parts of the world are under the ISIS scourge. Another scourge we are forced to live with is the Israeli state. Its gallant armed forces, which scored unparalleled success in world history by pitilessly fighting hospitals, scored another spectacular victory this Easter Monday, 1 April. On that day, a clearly marked three-vehicle aid convoy run by the World Central Kitchen (WCK) was in a deconflicted zone dropping off food supplies with the consent of the Israeli military, which also coordinated the convoys movements. On the outskirts of Deir al Balah, along the Al Rashid Street, designated for the passage of humanitarian aid by Israeli authorities, the military used what the CNN reported as highly accurate drone fired missiles to take out the first vehicle. It said that the Israeli military, in carrying out the strike, had total visibility of the cars, including the WCK logo. The shocked occupants of the two other vehicles quickly packed the occupants of the hit vehicle to speed off. Then a second missile was fired at the second vehicle. Later, 1.6 kilometres down the road, a third missile was fired to take out the third aid vehicle. Seven aid workers were killed in the attacks, which despite the so-called apologies of the Israeli government, was a deliberate act. The Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, said the military, although conscious it was an aid convoy, decided to launch the attacks because of suspicion that a terrorist was travelling with the convoy. The WCK aid workers are part of the about 200 aid workers killed in five months by the Israeli military. This is apart from the 484 medical staff and 136 journalists so far killed in Gaza, along with over 14,500 children. With the strikes, Israel violated the territorial integrity of Syria and Iran, and may simply be looking for ways to trigger another global conflict in the Middle East. Israel is lawless. It violates international conventions and principles primarily because it is protected and encouraged by the US and its allies, which supplies it, amongst others, with arms and funds. The obvious intention of Israel is to halt humanitarian aid to the starving Palestinians in Gaza. Israel has largely succeeded, as the WCK has suspended all aid in the place. The United Nations has also suspended its own aid programme for 48 hours. All these fit perfectly into the policy announced by Israeli Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, who declared that: We are imposing a complete siege on Gaza. There will be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything will be closed. We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly. This same Monday that Israel attacked the WCK aid convoy in Gaza, it also sent warplanes to fire multiple missiles at the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria. It levelled the consulate and killed seven persons, including two Iranian generals, Mohammed Reza Zahedi and Mohammed Hadi Haji Rahimi. With the strikes, Israel violated the territorial integrity of Syria and Iran, and may simply be looking for ways to trigger another global conflict in the Middle East. Israel is lawless. It violates international conventions and principles primarily because it is protected and encouraged by the US and its allies, which supplies it, amongst others, with arms and funds. The US itself is Violator-in-Chief of international conventions. It has ensured there are no international sanctions against Israel. It has, like Israel, carried out attacks on Iranian targets, including the January 2022 murder of Iranian General Qassim Suleiman. A US drone strike killed him and some Iraqis while on a visit to Baghdad. It has, in the last few weeks, threatened a number of countries, including Niger Republic, which asked it to remove its military base from the country; and pliant Ghana for daring to pass an anti-gay bill. One of the challenges to world peace today, is how to tackle or manage the terrorist Islamic State, the Apartheid Israeli State and the bullying United States. Owei Lakemfa, a former secretary general of African workers, is a human rights activist, journalist and author. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print MTN Nigeria has faced a number of regulatory challenges over the last decade, and it expressed a clear commitment to enhancing and ensuring compliance, investing significantly in its capacity to do so. Rather than assuming nefarious intentions, would it not be equally fair to conclude that the company is seeking strong, expert guidance on ensuring that it is beyond reproach in the future? Over the last few weeks, there have been contributions from a range of organisations on an important topic. This pertains to the rules that govern the appointment of directors to the boards of private sector companies, and whether or not it is appropriate for former government officials to move into such private sector positions following the completion of their tenures. This is an important discussion, and it is one that should be looked at carefully, without hype, insinuation or premature conclusions. It is a discussion that is not just relevant in Nigeria, but globally, where it is common practice for transitions to take place between the public and private sectors. The insinuation behind the current debate is clear. Companies that appoint former government officials or regulators are achieving some kind of inappropriate benefit or preferential treatment because of the relationships, connections or influence that these officials have. The potential for these conflicts to exist is something that has been acknowledged globally, and clear and consistent best practice has been developed to ensure that they are managed properly. However, at the same time, it is commonly accepted that there is need to be realistic and pragmatic. A decision by an individual to serve government in an official role should not act as a future restriction to his/her right to trade, or take up positions in the private sector. Were such a principle to be applied, would we have many young Nigerians choosing to enter government service? It is unrealistic to assume that a high-ranking member of the government will not operate outside of government at some point in their career. In fact, some of our most successful public officers have come from previous careers in the private sector. Do we block their transition into government on the basis that they might favour their former employers? That is why it is so important to have rules in place that govern the transition between the public and the private, and it is a mature space, with significant literature, and documented experiences and best practices. Transparency International (TI) says that the most common tool used globally to manage the potential for conflict when public employees leave office is the cooling off period defined as the period following departure from office that an official is prohibited from undertaking tasks in the private sector that relate to his/her previous duties. In Norway, this is six months, while in Cyprus it is two years and in the UK, members of the government are prohibited from engaging in lobbying activities for a period of two years after their departure from government. Similar rules exist in some institutions in Nigeria. For example, the Central Bank of Nigeria typically enforces a two-year cooling off period before former officials are allowed to take up positions in the private sector. 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 MTN has been used as an example of a company with a number of former public officials on its Board of Directors. But when we take a closer look, what we find is that there was a minimum of a four-year cooling off period, and up to a eight-year cooling off for some of these appointees. Not only are they compliant with the existing rules in place, but they significantly exceed the guidance on cooling off periods in Nigeria, and globally. There is a clear rationale for the time period involved. The more sensitive the position, the longer you are likely to need to cool off to ensure that your knowledge and influence is not used to unfairly benefit a particular private sector player. The generally accepted time period for senior officials is two years, after which it is assumed that your ability to benefit a new employer through relationships, or knowledge is deemed to have decreased significantly. So lets apply these best practice examples and principles to the recent noise about this in Nigeria. MTN has been used as an example of a company with a number of former public officials on its Board of Directors. But when we take a closer look, what we find is that there was a minimum of a four-year cooling off period, and up to a eight-year cooling off for some of these appointees. Not only are they compliant with the existing rules in place, but they significantly exceed the guidance on cooling off periods in Nigeria, and globally. It is equally important to realise the changes that took place in Nigerias political environment between 2010 and 2019, the period during which cooling off took place. In 2015, we saw a significant change in political control, with the transition from PDP to APC, and the presidency of Muhammadu Buhari. With that change came significant modifications across the regulatory ecosystem, and in the leadership of the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government. None of the relevant directors were members of the Buhari administrations cabinet, nor did they lead MDAs. MTN Nigeria has faced a number of regulatory challenges over the last decade, and it expressed a clear commitment to enhancing and ensuring compliance, investing significantly in its capacity to do so. Rather than assuming nefarious intentions, would it not be equally fair to conclude that the company is seeking strong, expert guidance on ensuring that it is beyond reproach in the future? The individuals appointed to the board are recognised nationally, if not renown global experts in their respective areas of responsibility, and they have extensive executive experience on the boards of local and international organisations. Given all this context, it is important to ask why this has become an issue now, more than four years after the appointments were made, and approved by the relevant regulatory authorities? It is clear that best practice has been followed, whether or not that practice is codified in Nigerian rules and regulations. Perhaps the most important outcome of this saga would be for the government to remove any ambiguity, establish clear, well-communicated and universal rules that draw on the best practice examples I have referred to, and ensure that the potential for misinterpretation, or misdirection, is removed completely. Wofai Jimmy Robert is a Lagos-based corporate law practitioner. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Innocent was an ideas man who wasnt fazed by any problems, political or otherwise. I wonder what he would make of the current state of Nigeria, a nation at war with itself as seen with the tragic killing of soldiers in the Delta State and the alleged reprisal attacks on civilians by the military, the unmitigated violence by state and non-state actors that has enveloped the country, and the abduction of children whose only crime is the quest for education in a country where our rogue elite have captured the state. On Tuesday, 6 February, family, friends, and associates gathered at a Virtual Stakeholders Meeting to mark the one year of operation of the Innocent Chukwuemeka Chukwuma Empowerment Foundation (ICCEF). Founded in April 2022 in honour of Innocent Chukwuemeka Chukwuma, to continue his impactful work and build on his numerous legacies, ICCEF commenced operation in January 2023 with five programme areas: Youth Innovation and Technological Start-ups; Mentoring and Intergenerational Dialogues (Big Brothers and Sisters Project); Community Youth Empowerment and Education; Our Daughters Project; and Legacy Projects. It was a fitting occasion to remember the man in whose honour ICCEF was named. If Innocent Chukwuemeka Chukwuma were alive, he would have been 58 on Tuesday, 6 February. It has been three years since I got the deeply disturbing call from Professor Chidi Odinkalu, thousands of kilometres away. Three years later, I still remember those terse words, We may have lost Innocent. Innocent, the immediate past West African Regional Director of Ford Foundation, was also the Founder of CLEEN Foundation; Network on Police Reforms in Nigeria (NOPRIN) and co-founder of several other organisations and networks. He was a renowned social justice crusader, human rights activist, and one of the leading lights within the civil society in Africa, who has been described as Africas leading expert on police and law enforcement reform. Innocent Chukwuemeka Chukwuma was a brother and friend. We were friends for more than three decades until his passing. We share the same birth year and he never stopped talking about how much older he was (with two months between us) and why he would pick kola nut before me in the council of elders. We were both active in the students movement. We were camp mates at Kashim Ibrahim College of Education during our one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in Maiduguri, Borno State, where his campaign against poor feeding in the camp led to punitive posting to our Place of Primary Assignment (PPA). We would reunite in Lagos after our NYSC, where he took up a job with Nigerias foremost civil society organisation, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) and would go on to found CLEEN Foundation. I remember and miss Innoma, as I called him. I remember him from our days of student activism; he at the University of Nigeria (UNN) and I at the University of Calabar, where he would seek refuge each time he was in trouble at UNN. I remember the camaraderie, courage and leadership he showed, to his detriment, at the NYSC orientation camp when those of us who were active in the students movement became targets of the establishment. We had been admonished to leave our activism at the entrance of the orientation camp. I miss Innocent with whom I often talked endlessly about the challenges of Nigeria and what to do, shared a good laugh and dinner on many occasions in Abuja or our favourite gizzdodo any time I was in Lagos and he was available. Each time I remember Innocent, I think of the great Comrades we have lost Chima Ubani, Emma Ezeazu, Olaitan Oyerinde, Biodun Revo Ogunade, Bamidele Aturu, etc. and the shrinking generation of Nigerian students and youth who were alive to their historic duty of confronting the brutal dictatorships I remember him from our post-NYSC days in Lagos, as young men supporting each other as we tried to make our marks in our careers. I remember him as the person who saved my doctoral research. Eight years ago, after the publication of the book, We Are All Biafrans, and three years into a doctoral programme at Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, I almost gave up because of mental fatigue and the lack of funding for a research that spanned two continents (Africa and Europe) and three countries (Nigeria, South Africa, and Spain). Innocent came to my rescue. He not only talked me out of quitting, he facilitated the funding support that enabled me complete my programme three years later. 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 I miss Innocent with whom I often talked endlessly about the challenges of Nigeria and what to do, shared a good laugh and dinner on many occasions in Abuja or our favourite gizzdodo any time I was in Lagos and he was available. Each time I remember Innocent, I think of the great Comrades we have lost Chima Ubani, Emma Ezeazu, Olaitan Oyerinde, Biodun Revo Ogunade, Bamidele Aturu, etc. and the shrinking generation of Nigerian students and youth who were alive to their historic duty of confronting the brutal dictatorships of Generals Buhari, Babangida and Abacha. It was Frantz Omar Fanon, the Martinique revolutionary and psychiatrist who noted that, Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it. Innocent was an ideas man who wasnt fazed by any problems, political or otherwise. I wonder what he would make of the current state of Nigeria, a nation at war with itself as seen with the tragic killing of soldiers in the Delta State and the alleged reprisal attacks on civilians by the military, the unmitigated violence by state and non-state actors that has enveloped the country, and the abduction of children whose only crime is the quest for education in a country where our rogue elite have captured the state. As the nation grieved and concerned Nigerians tried to make sense of the killing of soldiers from the 181 Amphibious Battalion based in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State by unknown assailants in the Okuama community of Ughelli South Local Government Area, which had been at loggerheads with the Okoloba community of Bomadi Local Government Area in Delta State, on Thursday, 14 March, a Nigerian friend who lives in China reached out, wondering why citizens would attack their countrys Army, and lay ambush for them. It is a question that has bothered me since I received the message. My friends solution was to change the name of our Armed Forces to the Nigerian Defence Forces (NDF) or to the Peoples Defence Forces (PDF) Army, the Peoples Defence Forces Navy and the Peoples Defence Forces Air Force. Something that can give our people the sense or indigeneship of our Armed Forces like they have in Botswana that calls their armed forces, Botswana Defence Force (BDF). What is in a name, we may ask? My friend argued that lack of patriotism is the reason citizens would attack their own countrys Armed Forces that came to broker peace in their warring communities. The trust building should, I think, start from change of namein Europe and in China the people love their Army. As I remember Innoma, I look forward to Bishop Kukahs intervention on the topic, The Power of One. Dreams and Nightmares: Thoughts on Innocent Chukwuma. It should be stimulating at a time of unmitigated national morass in a country, to quote Professor Okey Ndibe, conceived in hope but nurtured by its leaders into hopelessness. My friends intervention reminds me of the intervention of a former Chief of Army Staff and Minister of Defence. Exactly six years ago, on 24 March, 2018, at the maiden convocation ceremony of Taraba State University in the capital city of Jalingo, General Theophilus Aboki Danjuma (rtd.) called out the Nigerian military in a way that destroyed any shred of integrity or pretence to being a national institution. Danjuma accused the Nigerian military of prejudice, urging people to defend themselves, rather than rely entirely on the institution for protection, in reference to the spate of ethnic killings that had convulsed the North-Central zone of the country. He charged Nigerians to depend less on the Armed Forces, which according to him are now biased in their operations. He expressed regret that the institution, which used to be a shield for citizens, irrespective of religion, tribe or political party affiliation, has descended into partisanship. Last year, Oby Ezekwesili, a former minister of education, and founder of Fix Politics Initiative, spoke during the second memorial lecture for Innocent Chukwuemeka Chukwuma, which also coincided with the first annual Innocent Chukwuemeka Chukwuma Impact and Legacy Lecture Series. The event served as a powerful tribute to the legacy and ideas of Innocent, who left behind indelible marks in various fields. On 12 April, CLEEN Foundation and ICCEF will jointly host the Third posthumous memorial and the Second Impact and Legacy Lecture Series in honour of Innocent. One of Nigerias preeminent public intellectuals and Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Mathew Hassan Kukah, who has successfully combined pastoral, civic and intellectual roles to his monumental work in human rights, peace building and public service, is the guest speaker. As I remember Innoma, I look forward to Bishop Kukahs intervention on the topic, The Power of One. Dreams and Nightmares: Thoughts on Innocent Chukwuma. It should be stimulating at a time of unmitigated national morass in a country, to quote Professor Okey Ndibe, conceived in hope but nurtured by its leaders into hopelessness. To Josephine, Chidinma, Amarachi, and Nkechi, thanks for keeping the dream alive! Chido Onumah can be reached via @conumah. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print This is the plain and ungarnished message the General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) has told the world since: lost man must find his way to his Creator through Jesus Christ; he must be born again. Theres no salvation elsewhere. Not in platitudinous religion, wealth, education, science, technology, philosophy, civilisation, or any man-made contraption. Except a man be born againhe cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Jesus Christ. Dateline: IjebuOde, Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria, Sunday, 5 April, 1964. A preacher is delivering a message in a church. Among those hes addressing is William Folorunso Kumuyi, 23. The lad is almost like a moralist, as he listens and watches the cleric. The preacher is unrelenting as he insists that it isnt just our actions that make us unacceptable to God. Our wrong thoughts and wrong plans and leaving Him out of our programmes, as if He doesnt exist, also displease Him. After what must have been a battle within, young Kumuyi steps forward as the preacher asks those who have so contemned God to come out. They must be born again. Kumuyi says: I felt drawn to what he (the preacher) was saying. I went forward, I knelt down and prayed. In fact, it was such an important day for me that I still remember it to this day, even where I knelt, how it all happened and the peace and joy that came to my heart, that now I was reconciled (converted, born again) to God through Jesus Christ. It was very definite. This is the plain and ungarnished message the General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) has told the world since: lost man must find his way to his Creator through Jesus Christ; he must be born again. Theres no salvation elsewhere. Not in platitudinous religion, wealth, education, science, technology, philosophy, civilisation, or any man-made contraption. Related many times over the past 60 years by Kumuyi himself, this story has continued to don new relevance and added freshness because of the dizzying depths our values have plunged in our age. Pastor Kumuyis ministry has now reached a crescendo with an offshoot called Global Crusade with Kumuyi (GCK). A nondenominational organisation, it passionately takes the uncompromising born-again teaching to all parts of the world. When he holds his outreach in any country of the planet, the Deeper Life Bible Church leader lays hold on the levers of technology to access millions worldwide. Theres a complex web and layers of organisational structures that ensure record attendances at international, national, subnational, regional and local venues. Late March through to early April, GCK moved to Taraba, a provincial state northeast of Nigeria, bearing a new prong, a medical outreach for the poor and vulnerable. Those who receive the Word of God and become born again also have waiting for them Gods tenderness for their health challenges. Theres caring for the soul and the body. In India in December 2023, the world was treated to surging crowds hardly witnessed at Christian gatherings in the subcontinent. Such was the acclaim given the Gospel of Christ during the trip that a book on the African cleric, Kumuyi: Defender of the Faith, was translated into Telegu, a major Indian language, and presented to the public. Again, all the authors of the book project is what Kumuyi has stood for: except a man is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. Theres more, according to the pastor: if we dont teach that doctrine of Christ and believe and accept it, man cant enjoy stability and sanity in society. What, then, is it to be born again? It is simply salvation from sin and the supernatural power it gives to live above going against the laws of Heaven and constituted authority. It is to receive a new birth midwifed by Christ Who calls the shots, sets the terms and conditions, and teaches you that there should be no more focus on death-laden laws of the old world. In other words, after being born again and forsaking your sins, your loyalty is to Christ and His precepts on love for fellow human beings and country and community, holiness and consecrated preparation for the Heaven He has promised hereafter. 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 alluring take is its salutary and concomitant effects on society. If youre truly born again, you become light years away from antisocial activities that bring you into conflict with the law and your neighbours. Gods Kingdom is of peace, not of contention and violence. It doesnt accept greedy, selfish and manipulative leadership, either in the Church, home, workplace or in politics. You also abhor a competitive or vindictive spirit whose pursuit is fatal hatred for those you perceive as your enemies. Once, the Police in Lagos invited Kumuyi to their office, upon receiving a report that his church is preaching about being born again. He said he went and met the Police Commissioner. The evangelist recalls: I told him (Police boss) that I teach that ye must be born again and that when you are born again, your life will change; that we are the people (the born-again followers of Christ) changing (transforming) the country (the society)I emphasised that it is people like me who are helping to procure peace in the country Truly, a land that has experienced veritable transformation wouldnt breed thieving leaders and citizens, their iconic worship centres redefining the skyline notwithstanding. That their religious leaders are among the planets wealthiest is immaterial. Heaven doesnt recognise them by those metrics; ye must be born again. The world has fed on the religious philosophy disregarding the kernel of Gods demand for a complete break with ungodly acts or motives suggestive of them. This has landed all humanity in a miry meretricious mirage. Nigerias reliogiosity hasnt given us the acuity of fraternity promised by the Scriptures. We dont love one another as Gods Word commands. Why? Were not converted into new creatures in His way. Thats the missing link. Its the reason over there in Ethiopia, in the Horn of Africa, the other day, thousands of customers of a commercial bank exploited a system glitch to withdraw huge amounts far more than what they had in their accounts. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), over $40m (31m) had already been either withdrawn or transferred to other banks before the bank could freeze further transactions hours later. It was learnt that university students were mostly culpable as reports spread on the phone of the system error. Obviously, these fellows, even if theyre First Class resources dont have the God-being you possess when you are born again. They failed the main test, the Integrity Test. This is more of consequence in the sight of God and society. Being born again gives you the God-being that transforms you and leads you to change your character, community and country. In my opinion, thats what Pastor Kumuyi meant when he told the Police chief: permit more teachings and practice of being born again and stand by to see the emergence of a new Nigeria freed from insecurity, mans inhumanity to man, corruption, failing governance, mismanagement of our rich resources, greed-driven government policies and the other demons of the polity. Banji Ojewale is a writer in Ota, Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The stereotype of the Niger Delta as a region of poverty, insecurity and conflict is something many people have been made to believe over time. It will take a lot to challenge and counter it, but the situation on the ground suggests that some of these narratives are often exaggerated. Things have changed, but probably not at the pace that many people would expect when you take stock of the quantum of resources that has been extracted from the region. My recent visit to the Opokuma community in Bayelsa State was quite a memorable eye-opener. It was initially for a funeral. One of our colleagues, Pereowei, lost his father, Pa Ebiowei Percy Joses, and we all had to join him in solidarity. In truth, it was a trip I would have loved to avoid if I had a choice. But Mr Pereowei and I share a fascinating history and his community brings up mixed memories. I met him many years ago while working on a not-for-profit project with the late Mrs Augustina Alaere Alaibe. Aunty Alaere (as we fondly called her) is one of the most compassionate and visionary women I have ever come across. I worked with her closely and enjoyed her confidence and generosity. Looking back at the impact of the Family Reorientation Education and Empowerment (FREE), one could only imagine her kind of vision. My last visit to Opokuma was to commission a community library and self-esteem centre she built. Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka was a special guest at the event, which was widely attended. I remember joyfully accompanying Aunty back to Port Harcourt after the ceremony. We said goodbye to each other, but I did not know it was our last. Anyway, it has been fourteen years now since we lost this indescribable Amazon. I was away in Scotland during her funeral, although I visited her husband in London before her remains were taken home for burial. Somehow, I had not visited Opokuma since then. When my friend announced the death of his father and later the funeral, I knew that I had to be there. As part of my trip, I decided to first visit Trofani, Auntys community. It was my first time there, so I arranged for Ebiowei Koinyan to accompany me. Ebi is from the same community and promised to guide me. He did a bit more by giving me an elaborate historical insight into some of the landmark events that took place in these communities. We passed by Okordia-Zarama, Sampou junction, Kalama junction, Kaiama, Odi and Aduku, before heading to Trofani. The journey was smooth, but the state of the East-West Road slowed us down. My colleague, Gideon, who drove the car, did his best to avoid the damaged parts of the road. Flooding has hurt the road to the point that urgent attention is needed. Even with my drivers excellent skills, the journey took us longer than necessary. It was already dark when we got to Mbiama junction. The timing of our trip and the news about disturbances in some communities in the nearby Delta State, made me a bit nervous as the night drew near. However, I did not share my apprehension with Ebi or the driver, so we continued. Interestingly, solar streetlights illuminated most communities, making our journey easier. It was very refreshing driving through Kaiama and Odi, and later Opokuma. The lighting across the communities was both spectacular and distinctive. When I last visited, many of these communities were in utter darkness, as they were yet to be connected to the national grid. It was quite fascinating to note that the street lights were provided by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The lights provided sufficient illumination that bolstered our confidence as we drove around in the night. I was told that some of these street lights were used by students to read at night. Ebi pointed us to the blue and white painting on the poles, suggesting that the solar street lighting is part of a deliberate effort by the NDDC to contribute to fighting insecurity in the region. Our return back to Opokuma was hitch-free. We all assembled in the house of the former Managing Director of NDDC, Mr Timi Alaibe, before proceeding to Pereoweis house. Unsurprisingly, we were joined by the current Managing Director of NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, and his delegation. What was supposed to be a funeral vigil almost turned into a carnival, as guests were entertained with all sorts of music, especially reggae. By the time the vigil ended, it was way past midnight. We drove back to Yenagoa, where we found a hotel to spend the night. It has been more than a week since we returned from that event, yet the picture of the illuminated streets keeps flashing back in my mind. Those images permanently challenged my initial impression of the journey and helped conquer my fears. I can speak for these communities in Bayelsa State because I was there. When I shared this experience with some friends, they confirmed that the situation is the same in other states. Providing street lighting may not be all that is needed to develop the Niger Delta, however it is an important step in the right direction which must be applauded. The stereotype of the Niger Delta as a region of poverty, insecurity and conflict is something many people have been made to believe over time. It will take a lot to challenge and counter it, but the situation on the ground suggests that some of these narratives are often exaggerated. Things have changed, but probably not at the pace that many people would expect when you take stock of the quantum of resources that has been extracted from the region. Yet, I will argue that Niger Delta is probably one of the safest regions in the country today. The NDDC has its own share of criticisms and reputational baggage, but these footprints suggest that something different is going on under the new leadership in the agency. The infrastructural gap still remains. Solar street lighting interventions are valuable; however, there are opportunities to scale up these interventions to provision mini-grids to produce the required transformative impact on the livelihoods in these communities. 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 Uche Igwe is a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science(LSE). He can be reached at ucheigwe@mail.com Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Governor of Jigawa State, Umar Namadi, has suspended his Commissioner for Commerce, Aminu Kanta, over alleged fraud in the ongoing Ramadan Feeding Programme of the state government. Mr Kanta, from Babura Local Government Area, was asked to stand aside pending an investigation into the Iftar feeding programme in his LGA. The notice of his suspension was conveyed in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Bala Ibrahim, and issued by the SSGs spokesperson, Samaila Ibrahim. The statement said the move is part of the governments commitment to ensuring financial accountability and prudent management of public funds. The governor directed the issuance of suspension in a letter, conveyed by the Secretary to the Jigawa State Government, Malam Bala Ibrahim. The Commissioner was suspended for alleged involvement in mismanagement of the iftar feeding programme fund in Babura Local Government Area. The suspension is with immediate effect, the spokesperson said. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr Kanta was accused of hijacking the feeding programme in Babura LGA with food rarely being provided at the designated centres. 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 READ ALSO: Jigawa governor announces N1 million subsidy for each intending pilgrim The Jigawa State Government had initially set aside N2.8 billion for the programme which it said would provide meals for poor and vulnerable persons in the state. The government later reviewed downward the allocation to N1.3 billion, PREMIUM TIMES gathered. The programme is being implemented through 609 feeding centres, with a focus on providing three different food items to 182,700 poor and vulnerable people daily. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print PT: How many years did you spend flying airplanes before you went into airline management? OKON: I started, lets say. 1976 because when I was flying for Mobil, it was a corporate aviation, still a commercial flight. And then I did that until 1983. So, as you rise in the rank, you need to be given responsibilities. So I became a captain and within the year or the year after that I became a fleet captain. A fleet Captain is a managerial position. PT: It appears most Nigerian pilots have their roots in the defunct Nigeria Airways? OKON: Yes, most of us came from Nigeria Airways. Say 90 per cent of us. There were a few others that came from outside, they trained themselves in the United States or in the UK and then came to join us. PT: A career in aviation wasnt something common while you were growing up? OKON: I didnt start wanting to be a pilot, I wanted to be a captain in a ship. My uncle was a customs officer, he was on transfer from Calabar to Lagos. We went by boat. Somewhere along the journey, it was a three day journey, the captain invited me as a little boy to the cockpit and I was taken in by the job he was doing as a captain in a ship and the powers that he had. Everybody respected him, and I said I was going to be a captain. So that was the beginning. And then, during the Nigerian civil war, I was within the Biafra region and in the village. I lived in Calabar and then we moved to the village. First, we moved to Oron and then to the village. And the jet fighters would come and bomb, when they come, we will scamper to hide. That was a very humiliating experience. I said to myself, one day Im going to be a fighter pilot. Nobody is going to be pushing me around anymore, Im going to be the one in control of the situation. But I admired the work they were doing 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 PT: Even with the pains of OKON: You could see, one person had control, harassing everyone else and I didnt like being harassed. Even if I was going to be involved in such a situation, I should be the one harassing others. I thought that the person who flies the aeroplane at that time was an engineer. So I said I was going to be an aeronautical engineer. When I finished my last year in school, I applied to different universities abroad. I was given admission to Iowa Institute of Technology to study aeronautical engineering. During the war, my parents had no such money, the government was not in the position to send me abroad to go and study aeronautical engineering. So I applied to other institutions in Nigeria. I wrote to the Ministry of Transport, which was in charge of flying. No, lets go back a little bit. I was good at debating and I won a book, Careers in Nigeria. It was written by, I cant remember clearly, E.C.N. Okang. That was my prize for winning the debate in St Patrick School, Calabar first prize in a debate. So, in that book, I could see that the pilot was earning the highest salary. So, I wrote to the Ministry of Transport that I wanted to be a pilot because that suited my ambition, with my experience in the war. And also the financial reward was better than anything else. PT: What is thrilling about flying? OKON: It is, oh! Youll get addicted to it. There are some things that drive us. We want to seem to control things, to be in charge. You know adrenaline starts pumping and you get this feeling of power, you are put in charge of this airplane, you think you know how it flies. You have all these men behind you and you are to bring them up and down safely. So that drives you. You want to do it, and want to do it well. PT: Do pilots get emotionally attached to a particular aircraft? OKON: Your training takes that out of you. It doesnt matter the aeroplane. PT: Throughout your career, didnt you have an affinity towards a particular airplane which you loved so much? OKON: For me, that aeroplane was the Gulfstream II. It was a presidential jet at that time, I knew that aeroplane inside out. It had power. It was a small aeroplane, but the Gulfstream II could do things that the big jets couldnt do. PT: But that is a smaller plane? OKON: Yes, but it could do things, and the way we used it. It was during the wars in southern Africa. The liberation of southern Africa. It started with Angola, Southern Rhodesia, and then Mozambique PT: So you flew that way too? OKON: Yes, We were involved. You see Nigeria during the Murtala Mohammed regime and (Olusegun) Obasanjo regime, we were very aggressive. We had Africa as the centerpiece of our foreign policy. So, we had apartheid in South Africa, we had the Portuguese messing up Angola and Mozambique and Nigeria wanted them all free. PT: But you were not flying for the military? OKON: We were not. The military was not developed to that stage, so the government had an aeroplane, a cabinet office flying unit. So I was attached to the flying unit of the government, even though I was paid by the Nigeria Airways. The government had a fleet and a whole department. The Gulfstream II was reliable. It would take us higher and faster than any other airplane. We were able to go to 43,000 feet 43,000 feet was in the upper stratosphere. Most of the jets were operating, the commercial jets, maybe a one hour flight, theyll go to 27,000 feet, (and) 28,000 feet. But this one, we were able to go 41,000 feet, (and) 43,000 feet. I have flown Obasanjo so many times. The Gulfstream II was more of the workhorse. It was used by the number two man, and to go on long missions. There is something the F28 couldnt do. It did not have the range, and didnt have the height to go into enemy territory. All of southern Africa was enemy territory, so we needed to sit far above any gunship or anything that would disturb us. So well take off from Lagos and perch at 41,000 feet or 43,000 feet, depending on whether you are going east or west, and just stay there. You could afford not to talk to anybody until you were ready to go down. South Africa was definitely bad. Ian Smith in Southern Rhodesia had declared independence or unilateral decision of independence, this was enemy territory. Nigeria was funding all these freedom fighters, training them and we were taking our external affairs minister or somebody else there. PT: Apart from dignitaries, were you flying cash down that way? OKON: Of course, they were carrying cash. PT: No arms? OKON: No, it was too small to carry arms. If they did, they didnt tell me. PT: Apart from personal fulfilment and, lets say, monetary gains OKON: (Cuts in) Okay, let me tell you this, since youve mentioned monetary fulfilment. You get well-paid as a pilot, but what people dont know is that a pilot will gladly fly for free if you didnt pay him. You want to starve a pilot, just tell him you cant fly again. Youre grounded. He doesnt want to hear the word grounded. A pilot loves it when he is flying. Sex is the nearest thing to the feeling you have when flying. You feel good, you feel fulfilled. PT: Some people think the ADC airlines licence was withdrawn after the 29 October 2006 crash near Abuja while others think it was about recapitalisation, that the airline was unable to recapitalise? OKON: I had left the airline like 10 years before then. So I may not be able to speak directly. But after that, they did come back and they flew for a while. I left in 1998. The first one (the crash) was in 1996. I was (still) the CEO in 1996. I left in 1998. PT: Did the first crash contribute to your leaving? OKON: No! Because after that we built up the company again, and took it to great heights. The Pope (John Paul II) came (to Nigeria) in 1998. We carried the Pope. We were adjudged the best airline in Nigeria. And shortly after that I left. PT: You were a shareholder in ADC? OKON: Im a major shareholder, even now. PT: Were you pushed out? Was there some kind of power play? OKON: Can I refuse to answer that question? PT: Has the company been dissolved? OKON: I cannot answer that because I have been out of the board. PT: But you are a shareholder? OKON: All I can say is that I havent got returns for a while. Its in comatose, right now. PT: After ADC, you started Fresh Airline. How far did it go? OKON: We went very far. It was a very comfortable and quiet business for me a retirement business for me. I had one customer, one aeroplane. But Fresh Airline stopped operating when they complicated things. My one customer was the Central Bank of Nigeria. So I was carrying bullion for the Central Bank. It was quiet and simple. But when the government came in with multiple regulations, we could not fly, we couldnt have an airline. PT: After the limelight, you decide to OKON: When I left ADC, I decided to go away from aviation completely. I was a major shareholder in ADC and I didnt want to run anything in conflict with ADC. So I went away from aviation completely. I went into farming. In fact I already had some farms. PT: Before you went into Fresh Airline? OKON: Yes, I wanted to do Agric-aviation. Special-purpose, mapping. There were special areas that were not attended to, and agricultural aviation was one of them. But our government and regulations have been so one-track-minded. You see when Nigeria Airways was there, Nigeria Airways represented everything. If you think aviation, youll be thinking Nigeria Airways, as if the airline was aviation. So when the government was drafting regulations for the industry, they had only Nigeria Airways in mind. They did not think that the aviation economy can come from several sectors. When I left Nigeria Airways, for instance, I did not go into commercial aviation straight away. I was in the training arm of aviation. In fact, what does ADC stand for? ADC stands for Aviation Development Company. But a precursor to the Aviation Development Company was the Air Crew Development Centre. I used the Air Crew Development Centre, it was registered, to do some training. I train pilots, I run a flying club. I had a flying club in Kirikiri, Lagos. We went to Magbon. We did some training in Magbon. Magbon is on the west side of Lagos, and from there, I transitioned to Ibadan Ibadan flying club. Took over that flying club and ran it for like a year. I left Nigeria Airways and did all that training before my partners joined me, before I got these other guys and then we said lets call it Aviation Development Company. So not just air crew development, we were going to do aviation development, cargo. We were going to do other aspects of aviation. So we started with cargo and training. We just expanded on the training I was doing before. We were so successful in the training that the governments of other countries came to me that I should come and train some pilots for their airline and we did that. We made a lot of money. We stayed there for about three years, made a lot of money. That was the initial capital we used to come into mainstream flying. Mainstream flying is very expensive. To get the license is even very tedious. When the government came to make rules like an airline should have a minimum of two aeroplanes, now I think they say three or four that is a stupid rule! If your aviation business requires one crop-duster to do dusting, why should you have two? (To be continued) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 6. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has approved the law on partial changes in the administrative-territorial division of the Absheron district, Trend reports. In accordance with the law, the following changes have been made to the administrative-territorial division of the Absheron district: The newly formed settlement in the district has been named Shafag. It has been granted the status of a settlement and is included in the State Register of Territorial Units of Azerbaijan. The Shafag rural administrative-territorial district has been established with Shafag settlement as its center and is included in the state register of territorial units of Azerbaijan. The head of state has signed a decree on the implementation of the law "On making partial changes to the administrative-territorial division of the Absheron district". According to the decree, the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan must, within one month, take measures to organize the activities of the representative office of the head of the Absheron District Executive Power for the administrative-territorial district of Shafag in accordance with the "Model structure and staff units of the apparatus of the head of the Executive Power of the city, district, and urban district, the representative office of the head of the Executive Power for the administrative-territorial district, and the sectoral administrative-territorial district of Azerbaijan" and inform the President of Azerbaijan. BOGOTA, Colombia, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ecopetrol S.A. (BVC: ECOPETROL; NYSE: EC) announces the following senior management changes: Ana Milena Lopez, submitted her voluntary resignation as Corporate Vice President of Finance and Sustainable Value effective on April 12, 2024. Maria Catalina Escobar Hoyos, our current Value Maximization Manager, will temporarily take over this position effective April 13, 2024, until a new candidate is appointed to fill the position. Luz Elena Diaz, our Corporate Vice President of Compliance and Compliance Officer, will be leaving her current positions on April 19, 2024. Alberto Vergara Monterrosa, our current Corporate Manager of Ethics and Compliance, will temporarily take over these positions effective April 20, 2024, until a new candidate is appointed to fill these positions. Juan Diego Puerta, our Vice President of Exploration, will be leaving his current position on April 5, 2024. Ivan Camilo Higuera, our current Onshore Manager, will temporarily take over this position effective April 6, 2024, until a new candidate is appointed to fill these positions. Ecopetrol S.A. would like to extend its gratitude to Ana Milena, Luz Elena and Juan Diego for their valuable work and contributions to the achievements of the Ecopetrol Group, and wish them nothing but success in their new professional endeavors. ----------------------------------------- Ecopetrol is the largest company in Colombia and one of the main integrated energy companies in the American continent with more than 18,000 employees. In Colombia, it is responsible for more than 60% of the hydrocarbon production of most transportation, logistics, and hydrocarbon refining systems, and it holds leading positions in the petrochemicals and gas distribution segments. With the acquisition of 51.4% of ISA's shares, the company participates in energy transmission, the management of real-time systems (XM), and the Barranquilla - Cartagena coastal highway concession. At the international level, Ecopetrol has a stake in strategic basins in the American continent, with Drilling and Exploration operations in the United States (Permian basin and the Gulf of Mexico), Brazil, and Mexico, and, through ISA and its subsidiaries, Ecopetrol holds leading positions in the power transmission business in Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Bolivia, road concessions in Chile, and the telecommunications sector. This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current expectations and assumptions about future events and which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend", "continue", or "believe" or other words of similar import, and which forward-looking statements also include certain projections, forecasts, budgets and other estimates. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond the Ecopetrol's control. Ecopetrol does not undertake any obligation to provide any additional information or to update this press release or to correct any inaccuracies that may become apparent, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. For more information, please contact: Head of Capital Markets Carolina Tovar Aragon Email: [email protected] Head of Corporate Communications (Colombia) Marcela Ulloa Email: [email protected] SOURCE Ecopetrol S.A. Center will be a force "for women, for democracy, and for change." WELLESLEY, Mass., April 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Wellesley College today will announce the launch of the Hillary Rodham Clinton Center for Citizenship, Leadership, and Democracy , designed to prepare the next generation of citizens and civic leaders. Named for the 1969 Wellesley graduate who went on to serve as U.S. secretary of state (20092013), U.S. senator from New York (20012009), and first lady of the United States (19932001), the Hillary Rodham Clinton Center is designed to empower Wellesley students from all disciplines with the skills they need to live a civic life. Wellesley College President Paula A. Johnson will introduce the new center today during a summit at the College, " Renewing Democracy: Women Leading the Way ." This event will explore the challenges facing democracy in the U.S. and abroad, and highlight the many ways women leaders are working toward democratic renewal. Hillary Rodham Clinton will deliver remarks a the summit, which also will feature presentations and panel discussions with Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Nobel laureates Leymah Gbowee and Maria Ressa, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (a 1999 graduate of Wellesley), and Maria Teresa Kumar, CEO of Voto Latino, among others. In prepared remarks for the summit, President Johnson noted, "At a time when democracy is challenged, the Hillary Rodham Clinton Center will play a vital role in preparing the next generation of civic innovators and citizen-leaders that our world and our democracy needs. The future of democracy rests with young peopleand our hope is that the HRC Center will introduce our students to the habits and practices of active citizenship early in their time at Wellesley." "Central to Wellesley's legacy has always been bringing leaders and changemakers to campus who will inspire students to answer the call to civic duty," said Clinton. "With this Center, that legacy continues, and I could not be more proud to take part in this work and welcome our inaugural class of fellows to my alma mater." About the Hillary Rodham Clinton Center at Wellesley College The Hillary Rodham Clinton Center for Citizenship, Leadership, and Democracy at Wellesley College will be a force for women, for democracy, and for change. Designed to prepare students from all academic disciplines to lead civic lives , the HRC Center will give all sophomores the opportunity to engage in a yearlong program as Clinton Fellows, where they will learn the skills and tools necessary to listen and learn across difference and engage in constructive dialogue. More than 250 of next year's sophomores (nearly half of the class) have already signed up to be Clinton Fellows. About Wellesley College Wellesley College is one of the most academically challenging institutions of higher education in the country, and is widely acknowledged as the top women's college in the world. Wellesley prepares students to realize their own highest ambitions and aspirationsand they do. For nearly 150 years, Wellesley graduates have been a powerful force for good in the worldpioneering scientists, environmental revolutionaries, U.S. secretaries of state, civil rights activists, investment trailblazers, network news producers, and genre-defying artists. They are a community of changemakers fiercely dedicated to helping each new generation of students succeed. When it comes to finding a job or changing the world, Wellesley students never have to do it alonethey have a community to lift them up every step of the way. Wellesley is a private, undergraduate liberal arts institution that dedicates all of its academic resourcesits world-class faculty, beautiful campus, and research supportto its students. More information at www.wellesley.edu . SOURCE Wellesley College If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Moscow, April 6 : No injuries or fatalities were reported in the city of Orsk in Russia's Orenburg Oblast in the wake of a dam breach, which led to significant flooding and the submersion of homes, local authorities said on Saturday. The mayor's office in Orsk earlier said that the dam, which was designed to protect the city from the Ural River, had failed, affecting 4,258 homes and 10,987 residents, Xinhua news agency reported. A mass evacuation is currently underway from the old city, where several settlements now find themselves underwater. Six temporary accommodation points have been established to assist those evacuated from the flooded areas. The regional government, via its Telegram channel, announced that 94 individuals, including 40 children, have been moved to temporary shelters from the risk zones. Others have found refuge with relatives. Their lives and health are not in danger, and no medical assistance has been necessary. "Today, all necessary forces are concentrated in Orsk to assist people and address the consequences of the flood. The life and health of the residents is our top priorities. Emergency repair work on the damaged sections of the dam is underway, with all required materials delivered and teams and machinery deployed on site. This is the first time the dam has faced such a challenge," said Governor Denis Pasler, who chaired an emergency meeting on-site. During the meeting, a decision was made to cut off electricity in areas at risk of flooding if water levels reach a critical height, according to regional authorities. United Nations, April 6 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has 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, Guterres said on Friday. "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, Guterres was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying. 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 an 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. Guwahati, April 6 : Courting controversy, Assam BJP Minister, Jayanta Mallabaruah on Saturday called state Congress chief, Bhupen Borah, a "joker" and asserted that he is looking to join the BJP once the Lok Sabha elections are over. Guwahati, April 6 (IANS) Courting controversy, Assam BJP Minister, Jayanta Mallabaruah on Saturday called state Congress chief, Bhupen Borah, a "joker" and asserted that he is looking to join the BJP once the Lok Sabha elections are over. Mallabaruah told IANS on Saturday, "We should stop reacting to Bhupen Borah's comments. He is a joker in state politics. The Congress leader has been busy collecting donations in the name of polls. Once he is done with this job, Borah will join the BJP." Bhupen Borah had claimed recently that the top brass of the BJP would change the Chief Minister in Assam within the next four months. Reacting to this, the Assam minister said that one should not take Borah's comments seriously. "The situation of the Congress is pathetic in the entire state. They are set to lose every seat in Assam. That is why Bhupen Borah is making up things," Mallabaruah said. Mallabaruah has been campaigning in Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency for the BJP candidate Pradan Baruah. The Congress has fielded BJP turncoat Uday Shankar Hazarika from this seat instead of former MP Ranee Narah. Hazarika switched sides six months ago and got the ticket due to the active support of Bhupen Borah. Recently, Ranee Narah's husband and six-time Congress MLA, Bharat Narah resigned from the party after his wife was denied a Lok Sabha ticket. Samarkand, April 6 : The processing of paper-based trade documentation, such as permits and certificates, can lead to issues such as an increased risk of fraud, the time-consuming processing of manual permits, a lack of access to trade and transaction information, and poor data sharing between the parties involved in the clearance process. These issues are exacerbated for those seeking to trade internationally species regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as additional information is required to ensure the trade is legal and sustainable. In response to these challenges, the CITES Secretariat on Saturday said it has developed a comprehensive set of tools for electronic CITES permitting systems, or eCITES, that support the global greening of trade processes. On April 2, the CITES Secretariat received the Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum (APTFF) 2024 Trade Facilitation Innovation Award in recognition of the Convention's electronic permitting systems (eCITES). The prestigious APTFF Trade Facilitation Innovation Awards bestow recognition to innovative national or subregional trade facilitation cases reflecting the annual theme. CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero expressed her appreciation to the organisers and said: "The CITES Secretariat is honoured to accept this distinguished award. This global recognition brings awareness to the necessity and utility of a key digital innovation in the international wildlife trade, which I hope will inspire wider eCITES implementation among our parties." Electronic CITES Permitting Systems (eCITES) have catalysed a novel set of collaborative efforts for enhancing trace facilitation and leveraging digitalisation for legal, sustainable, and traceable international wildlife trade. To date, 31 Parties have made considerable strides in implementing eCITES, with an additional 12 Parties in the initial planning phases. Their dedicated efforts have significantly bolstered transparency, curtailed the exploitation of counterfeit permits, facilitated smoother cross-border transactions, and fortified international collaboration. In its submission, the secretariat highlighted the comprehensive set of standards, tools and guidance for eCITES implementation and their benefits to the Parties. It further elaborated how eCITES has contributed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) --namely, SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG15 (Life on Land) and SDG17 (Partnerships for the Goals) -- by increasing access to reliable wildlife data, improving the sustainability, legality and traceability of wildlife trade, and improving economic opportunities for indigenous peoples and local communities involved in trade. In accepting the award, CITES Secretariat Programme Officer and eCITES Focal Point Salehin Khan highlighted the contributions of the partners in developing eCITES making it a valuable source of framework for implementing permitting systems based on international standards and best practices. In particular, he pointed out the support provided by Switzerland in advancing eCITES among the CITES Parties, as well as to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Automated System for Customs Data for jointly developing an off-the-shelf digital eCITES solution. Mumbai, April 6 : Auteur Anurag Kashyap, who is known for 'Black Friday', 'Gangs of Wasseypur', 'Ugly', 'Dev.D' and others, appreciates people who are weird and eccentric. He thinks that such people have beautiful souls. On Saturday, the filmmaker took to the Stories section of his Instagram, and reshared a post about liking the people who have different thought process compared to the larger group of people. The post read, "I like weird people. The black sheep. The odd ducks. The eccentrics. The artists. The loners. The people who actually think for themselves. The kind of people whose morals are not swayed by groupthink. More often than not, these people have the most beautiful souls." Of late, the filmmaker has been quite active on Instagram. Earlier, he had shared on his Instagram story that he is done meeting newcomers in the industry who have nothing substantial to offer. The filmmaker has now put a price cap on people who seek his time for potential collaboration. He wrote on his Instagram story: "I wasted a lot of time trying to help newcomers and mostly ended up with mediocre s**t. So now onwards I don't want to waste my time with meeting random people who think they're creative geniuses. So I will now have rates." He further mentioned, "If someone wants to meet me for 10-15 minutes I will charge Rs 1 lakh, for half an hour Rs 2 lakh and for 1 hour Rs 5 lakh. That's the rate. I am tired of wasting time meeting people. If you really think you can afford it, call me or stay the f*** away. And all paid in advance (sic)." BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 7. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has appealed to the Dutch authorities, the ministry wrote on its X page, Trend reports. "We are disturbed by the detention of the prominent climate activist Greta Thunberg during peaceful demonstration in The Hague. As COP29 presidency we call on the Dutch authorities to respect the freedom of expression of climate protestors, and release those detained," the ministry said. Seoul, April 6 : Turnout for the parliamentary elections in South Korea topped 10 million during the second and final day of early voting on Saturday. According to the National Election Commission (NEC), 10,365,722 out of 44,280,011 eligible voters had cast their ballots as of 1 p.m. Saturday, for a turnout rate of 23.41 per cent, Yonhap news agency reported. At the same point for the previous parliamentary elections in 2020, the turnout was 19.08 per cent. Voters will have until 6 p.m. Saturday to cast their ballots at 3,565 polling stations. Those missing the opportunity this weekend will have to vote on Election Day on Wednesday. On Friday, about 6.9 million voters, or 15.61 per cent, went to the polls, a record for the first day of early voting for parliamentary elections. South Korea introduced the early-voting system in 2014. On the first day of early voting, turnout exceeded 10 per cent in all 17 major cities and provinces nationwide, led by South Jeolla Province with 23.6 per cent. The turnout in Seoul was 15.83 per cent. South Jeolla continued to lead the way Saturday with 32.96 per cent. The southeastern city of Daegu brought up the rear at 18.79 per cent. The quadrennial race is considered crucial for the ruling People Power Party as failure to regain a majority could potentially render President Yoon Suk Yeol a lame duck for the remaining three years of his single five-year term. The main opposition Democratic Party, which enjoyed a landslide victory in the previous elections, aims to retain its parliamentary majority. According to a survey conducted jointly by Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV earlier this week, 80 per cent of respondents expressed a definite intention to cast their votes. Among those intending to vote, 39 per cent planned to visit polling stations during the early-voting period, while 58 per cent intended to vote on Election Day. Patna, April 6 : After launching campaign for the Lok Sabha polls from Bihar's Jamui, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Nawada district on Sunday (tomorrow). Samrat Choudhary, deputy chief minister and state president of BJP's Bihar unit, confirmed the development on Saturday. "The Prime Minister will address a rally in Nawada at 10 a.m. This will be the second political rally of PM Modi in the state in the last three days," Samrat Choudhary said. "I appeal to the people of Nawada and adjoining areas and BJP workers to reach there in large numbers and support PM Modi and the party," the deputy chief minister said. Voting for Nawada will take place in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19 and the BJP has fielded Vivek Thakur from the seat. Vivek Thakur, the son of former union minister C. P. Thakur, will be contesting against RJD candidate Shrawan Kushwaha. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi came to Jamui on April 4 and addressed the rally. PM Modi appealed to the voters to vote for Arun Bharti, candidate of NDA's ally in the state Lok Janshakti Patry (Ramvilas). New Delhi/Sangli, April 6 : Adopting an aggressive stance for over two weeks, Congress MLA from Palus-Kadegaon, Vishwajeet P. Kadam, called on party President Mallikarjun Kharge and other leaders in New Delhi, reiterating the demand for the Sangli Lok Sabha constituency, on Saturday. Kadam, along with the prospective party candidate Vishal P. Patil, met Kharge and other senior leaders like K. C. Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala and Mukul Wasnik -- all for the second time in barely 10 days with the same plea. Speaking to the media, Kadam said: "There is absolutely no question of giving up Sangli LS, as 'even animals know that it belongs to Congress' and we have placed our claim before the party seniors". On April 1, Kadam -- the son of the late senior leader Patangrao Kadam -- had shot off a letter to Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on the same issue. The Sangli seat imbroglio flared up after the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ally Shiv Sena (UBT) President and ex-chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had unilaterally announced the name of top state wrestler Chandrahar Patil as its candidate. The MVA allies Congress and later even the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) pointed fingers at Thackeray for not adhering to the principles of alliance politics, and both parties have staked claim to the Sangli LS constituency. On its party, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders have openly warned that in case the MVA allies insist on the Sangli seat, then it will have repercussions on other constituencies being contested by the Congress-NCP (SP). Kadam said he was not aware of what Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders like Sanjay Raut (MP) and Bhaskar Jadhav (MLA) have been talking about. "However, we have presented our clear viewpoint on Sangli to the party high command, explained the implications and shall await their decision," said Kadam. To a query, in a potential softening of his stance, Kadam said that "if the Congress leadership and the MVA leaders jointly take a decision in the matter, then we shall abide by their directives". After Saturday's rounds of meetings, Vishal Patil made a telling tweet indicating "Soon there will be some good news on Sangli LS seat," and said that the aim is not just to contest but win it with a huge margin. A similar tug-of-war is on in the ruling MahaYuti alliance even as the last date for filing nominations in Sangli is April 19 and the constituency will go to polls in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 7. New Delhi, April 6 : An important trend in FPI activity is the big selling in the FMCG segment and big buying in telecom and realty, says V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Financial Services. There have been big swings in US bond yields this year in response to expectations regarding rate cuts by the Fed. The year started with the market discounting six rate cuts in 2024 and consequently, the yields drifted down. Then the market started factoring in only three rate cuts since the US labour market continued to be tight, he said. Now many experts think that there may be only two rate cuts and these will be backloaded in 2024. Consequently, the US 10-year yield has spiked to 4.4 per cent. This will impact FPI flows into India in the near term, he said. However, FPI selling will be limited despite the high US bond yields since the Indian stock market is bullish and has been setting new records consistently, he said. Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) recorded the eighth consecutive month of inflows in March 2024 at $.8 billion, the highest since April 2020, Motilal Oswal Financial Services said. FIIs too recorded strong inflows of $4 billion in March 2024. New Delhi, April 6 : As Microsoft warned India about China's plan to create and amplify AI-generated content to "benefit its interests" amid the seven-phase elections starting April 19, the Centre has come down heavily on global digital companies, asking them to fix their platforms as part of a new advisory around AI and its potential misuse during polls. New Delhi, April 6 (IANS) As Microsoft warned India about China's plan to create and amplify AI-generated content to "benefit its interests" amid the seven-phase elections starting April 19, the Centre has come down heavily on global digital companies, asking them to fix their platforms as part of a new advisory around AI and its potential misuse during polls. With major elections taking place around the world this year, particularly in India, South Korea and the US: "We assess that China will, at a minimum, create and amplify AI-generated content to benefit its interests," according to Clint Watts, General Manager, Microsoft Threat Analysis Center. According to exposure management company Tenable, misinformation spread through AI-generated deepfakes and fake content are the biggest threat to the upcoming polls. "The biggest threats to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are misinformation and disinformation as part of influence operations conducted by malicious actors against the electorate," Satnam Narang, Senior Staff Research Engineer, Tenable, told IANS recently. Alarmed at AI's potential misuse, the Centre last month said that social media intermediaries "must not permit any bias or discrimination or threaten the integrity of the electoral process." A new IT Ministry advisory now specifically deals with AI, which says that digital platforms have to take full accountability and cannot escape by saying that these AI models are in the "under-testing phase." "It is reiterated that non-compliance to the provisions of the IT Act and/or IT Rules would result in potential penal consequences to the intermediaries or platforms or its users when identified, including but not limited to prosecution under IT Act and several other statutes of the criminal code," according to the advisory. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a conversation with Microsoft Co-founder Bill Gates late last month, also expressed concerns about deepfakes in a democratic country like ours. "I have engaged with leading minds on AI and its risks. I suggested that we should start with clear watermarks on AI-generated content to prevent misinformation. Proper sources of AI-generated content should also be mentioned," PM Modi emphasised. "Someone can even misuse my voice to deceive people and such a deepfake can trigger widespread uproar. We need to think about creating robust dos and don'ts on deepfakes," the Prime Minister told the billionaire philanthropist. Bhopal, April 6 : Senior Congress leader and two-time MLA, Ramlal Malviya, along with several party workers, joined the ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday. Malviya was elected MLA from the Ghatia assembly segment under the Ujjain Lok Sabha constituency in 2018 on the Congress symbol, and earlier in 1998. He lost the assembly election in 2023 against BJPas Satish Malviya. Several other district-level Congress workers from Ujjain drove to Bhopal and they joined hands with the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in the state set to begin on April 19. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav along with Madhya Pradesh BJP chief VD Sharma and senior party leader, Narottam Mishra welcomed them at party headquarters. "Today is a historic day (foundation day of the BJP), and we welcome all of you. Under the leadership of PM Modi, the BJP has become the world's largest political party and will continue to grow," CM Yadav said. He further stated that the BJP will not compromise with the development works in Madhya Pradesh. "All those who have joined the BJP will be respected and will be given specific roles to play in the Lok Sabha elections," he added. Hyderabad, April 6 : The Congress, on Saturday, announced Narayanan Sri Ganesh as its candidate for the upcoming byelection to Secunderabad Cantonment Assembly constituency in Telangana. AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the candidature of Sri Ganesh, following his recent switch from BJP to the Congress party. Sri Ganesh had previously contested on a BJP ticket for the same seat in the November 30, 2023 elections but was unsuccessful. Scheduled to coincide with the Lok Sabha polls on May 13, the byelection to Secunderabad Cantonment, an Assembly segment of the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency, was necessitated by the tragic demise of sitting MLA G. Lasya Nanditha of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in a road accident on February 23. The 37-year-old was the daughter of BRS leader and five-time MLA from Secunderabad constituency, G. Sayanna, who passed away on February 19, last year due to illness. Nanditha was elected in the elections held on November 30, 2023. She defeated her closest competitor, Sri Ganesh, who was then with BJP, by a margin of 17,169 votes. Banking on the sympathy factor in the byelections to retain the seat, BRS is likely to field Nandithaas sister, Nivedita. The byelection is significant for the Congress party which has a slender majority in the state Assembly and will be looking to make inroads into Hyderabad as it failed to secure any seats in the state capital in the Assembly polls. The Congress party had won 64 seats in the 119-member Assembly in 2023 polls. However, it drew a blank in the Greater Hyderabad region, which sent 24 MLAs. The byelection is also crucial for Congress as Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has been representing the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat since 2019. New Delhi, April 6 : Even as cases of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are rising significantly, the focus of the healthcare industry as well as individuals must be on 'prevention-first," said renowned cardiologist Dr Devi Shetty on Saturday, ahead of World Health Day. New Delhi, April 6 (IANS) Even as cases of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are rising significantly, the focus of the healthcare industry as well as individuals must be on 'prevention-first," said renowned cardiologist Dr Devi Shetty on Saturday, ahead of World Health Day. World Health Day is marked every year on April 7. The theme this year is 'My health, my right', which aims to work for the "right of everyone, everywhere to get access to quality health services". Speaking to IANS, Dr Shetty, Founder and Chairman of Narayana Health, called for investing more in preventive healthcare measures even as cases of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are rising significantly in India, particularly among the youth. "Hospitals are designed so badly that a person who's not a patient wouldn't like to go to that building. So, we need to create a kind of a different approach outside the hospital. "It's time for the healthcare industry to pivot, placing greater emphasis on preventive measures, fostering proactive health management, and empowering individuals towards a healthier tomorrow," the doctor said. Besides the healthcare industry, even individuals must live with a 'prevention-first' mindset, as significantly in India, the cardiologist said. "Today, as we mark World Health Day, we confront a stark reality: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) claim a staggering 65 per cent of lives in India, with diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular issues, and cancers at the forefront. What's more alarming is the rise of these ailments among our youth, often due to a lack of early screening and awareness," Dr Shetty said. "The need of the hour is a 'prevention-first' mindset," he added. Emphasising the need for early screening, he also called on the healthcare industry to put more focus on preventive measures and not just care. The doctor explained that prevention should not be just a choice but a "necessity" for a healthy life. "Maintaining and nurturing our bodies should not stem from fear, but from a commitment to daily care. Investing in preventive healthcare measures isn't just a choice, it's a necessity that will drastically reduce our future disease burdens," he told IANS. New Delhi, April 6 : Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K. Kavitha on Saturday moved a Delhi court opposing the CBI's plea seeking to interrogate and record her statement in Tihar Jail in connection with a money laundering case related to the alleged excise policy scam. Notably, the court on Friday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to question Kavitha in Tihar Jail. On Saturday, Kavitha's counsel Nitesh Rana told the court that the probe agency thwarted the due process of law by filing the plea "behind her back". "I have grave apprehension that the CBI may not have divulged the true facts to obtain a favourable order from the court," Rana told the court, as he urged it to keep the order in abeyance until Kavitha's side is heard. The court is likely to hear her plea later on Saturday. Kavitha, who has been accused of being actively involved in the payment of kickbacks to the tune of Rs 100 crore and has been termed a kingpin of the 'scam' by the ED, is currently in judicial custody till April 9. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is also probing a case of money laundering related to the alleged liquor policy scam in the national capital, had arrested Kavitha on March 15 after searches at her residence in Hyderabad. It has been claimed that Kavitha was involved in establishing the money laundering ecosystem, i.e., M/s Indo Spirits, through her proxy, which generated proceeds of crime worth Rs 192.8 crore. Ahmedabad, April 6 : Aam Aadmi Party's Gujarat unit, led by state president Isudan Gadhvi, will hold a symbolic one-day fast on Sunday to protest against what they claim as the wrongful arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the excise policy case. The event will be held at the party's state office on Sunday. Manoj Sorathiya, the General Secretary of the AAP's Gujarat unit, said, "No matter how much the BJP 'misuses' the ED and CBI, Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP will never succumb to their pressure." The fast will be observed from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Agartala, April 6 : Terming CPI(M) and Congress sinking ships, Tripura Agriculture and Power Minister and senior BJP leader Ratan Lal Nath on Saturday said that candidates of both these parties would lose their security deposit in the two Lok Sabha seats of the state. Ratan Lal Nath, second in command in the BJP-led Tripura government after Chief Minister Manik Saha, said that everyone knows very well that Congress and CPI(M) are sinking ship and none would support them. "Now, a large number of supporters of Congress, CPI(M) and other parties have been every day joining the BJP and Tipra Motha Party (TMP) discarding the sinking ship. I believe our candidates in both Lok Sabha seats would win with a record vote margin," he told the media after opening a joint election party office at Lefunga, a tribal-dominated area at Mohanpur in West Tripura District. Ratan Lal Nath, who joined the BJP in 2017, a year before the party came to power in Tripura for the first time after defeating the Left parties, alleged that CPI(M) Tripura state Secretary Jitendra Chaudhury, who recently was made leader of the opposition, would not continue to hold the post after the Lok Sabha polls. He also expressed his doubt whether the three Congress MLAs a" Sudip Roy Barman, Birajit Sinha and Gopal Roy -- would remain in the party after the parliamentary poll. Nath, however, refused to spell out whether the three Congress legislators would join the BJP or not. "They (CPI(M)-Congress) want division and we (BJP-TMP-IPFT) want thansa (tribal language meaning unity). We all know who did the 1980s ethnic riot. So, no one wants the division among different communities of people in Tripura," he said. "I believe that aEk Tripura, Shrestha Tripuraa (one Tripura, best Tripura), would happen in future and this time, NDA would win 400 seats," he said. The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) is the old ally of the BJP-led government in Tripura. The two Lok Sabha seats -- Tripura West and East Tripura a" parliamentary constituencies would go for polls on April 19 and 26 respectively. The CPI(M) and the Congress won the state's two Lok Sabha seats several times since 1952, when the first parliamentary elections were held. The BJP won both the Lok Sabha seats for the first time in 2019, with Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik and teacher-turned-politician Rebati Tripura emerging triumphant from Tripura West and Tripura East, respectively. However, both Pratima Bhoumik and Rebati Tripura have been dropped this time, as the party has fielded Kriti Singh Debbarma and former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb from Tripura East and Tripura West seats, respectively. Bengaluru, April 6 : Congress candidate for the Bagalkot constituency in Karnataka Samyukta Patil on Saturday said that she is confident of winning as she hopes that people will support her in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. "I am not bothered who says what. I will be victorious. People will support me across the constituency," Samyukta said amid infighting rumours. Samyukta is a fresh face who is up against the formidable BJP candidate P.C. Gaddigoudar who is seeking election for the sixth time. Gaddigoudar is the sitting MP and has won the seat for BJP continuously since 2004. "My cousin-brother Harshagouda Patil's joining BJP may be a fresh issue for people and media. He has been identifying with the BJP for a long time. If you see his social media posts, he has shared only BJP leaders' and party's posts. His move has not come as a shocker to our family. His relationship with the BJP leaders was known," she said. She said that in a democracy, one can choose a political party which he or she likes. On Friday, Harshagouda Patil joined the BJP with his supporters in the presence of BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra. However, Harshgouda's father Shivasharanagouda Patil is canvassing for Samyukta. Veena Kashappanavar, wife of Congress MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar has also kept him away from canvassing for Samyukta. Veena was a ticket aspirant for Bagalkot from the Congress party. After the denial of the ticket, she said she would contest as an independent candidate. Congress MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar said that Veena is canvassing for Samyukta. However, Veena said that she is in Bengaluru and not taking part in any canvassing for the Congress candidate. Mumbai, April 6 : Actress Sunny Leone, who hosts the dating reality show 'MTV Splitsvilla X5: ExSqueeze Me Please' along with Tanuj Virwani, shared during a recent episode of the show that her ex-partner cheated on her. The actress revealed that she was engaged to the person and they were about to get married in two months when he told Sunny that he doesn't love her anymore. The episode takes an emotional turn when Sunny consoles Dewangini. She also pours her heart out while recalling her own heartbreaking story of a broken engagement and overcoming betrayal. She said, "I also was engaged once before I met my husband. I had a gut feeling that something was wrong, and something was really wrong... He was cheating on me! I just asked him if he loved me anymore, and he was like, 'No, I don't love you anymore'." Sunny eventually tied the knot with Daniel Weber and the couple has three children -- daughter Nisha, and a pair of twins, Noah and Asher. The actress added, "This was two months before our wedding. A destination wedding in Hawaii, the dress was picked, everything was done... And it was like the worst feeling ever. But then God does amazing things and sends an angel, my current husband who was there when my mom passed away, and also when my dad passed away. And he has been here since. There is a bigger, greater plan for you and you deserve the best." The episode spices up as Sunny proposes a 'Bicep Challenge', instantly ramping up the pulse in the Villa as Jashwanth effortlessly lifts Akriti, showcasing his impressive muscles. Elsewhere during the episode, Ameha's bold confession to be with Dev Karan is a perfect moment for Sunny to suggest a romantic dance for the duo. Making things even hotter, Tanuj introduces a twist with a hula hoop, intensifying the passion and closeness. 'MTV Splitsvilla X5: ExSqueeze Me Please' is available for screening on MTV and Jio Cinema. New Delhi, April 6 : For those who believe rags-to-riches stories are the stuff of fairy tales, Sash Simpson's life will make them wake up and dig into the caviar. It is 'Slumdog Millionaire' played out in real life. And it will bring back memories of 'Lion', the Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman-starrer based on the amazing story of Saroo Brierley and his search from Melbourne for his original home in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. The story of Sash Simpson, an orphan found off the streets of Coimbatore who's now one of Toronto's top chefs, is the subject of a documentary, 'Born Hungry', by Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich, which was just premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and then picked up by Priyanka Chopra Jonas's company, Purple Pebble Pictures. In the words of 'The New York Times', "Sash Simpson made his name as a chef for Canada's rich, preparing them chardonnay-poached lobster and $27 foie gras-smothered burgers" -- and vodka served with gold-encrusted ice. It's a magical world away from the dumpsters where he would forage for food when he was just another street kid. So, who is Sash Simpson and what is his roller-coaster story? Sash (or Sashi) was found on the streets of Coimbatore, a five-year-old orphan who only remembered that his mother had long hair and his father was a deaf and mute labourer, by volunteers of a Canadian charity named Families for Children. They gave him shelter at their orphanage in Tamil Nadu's textile city and it was there that he caught the attention of his adoptive mother (and Families for Children co-founder), Sandra Simpson. Remembering how she and her husband Lloyd ended up adopting Sashi when he was eight years old, Sandra told a local publication, 'Streets of Toronto', "Sashi persists in whatever he does. Every time I visited our Indian project, Sashi would be front row and centre asking, aCanada, mummy, please'." In a dramatic reversal of fortunes, Sashi ended up from the floors of the Coimbatore cinema theatre that he cleaned for the privilege of sleeping on them at night, to the upscale Toronto suburb of Forest Hill, where he started living in a 22-room mansion with 32 other children from South Korea, Spain, India, Vietnam, China, Cambodia and Bangladesh, according to 'Global Indian Times'. The mansion had been gifted to the Simpsons by a philanthropic banker. Not a gifted student, Sashi started delivering newspapers from the age of 12 and he was 14 when found his first full-time job as a dishwasher in a restaurant. Dropping out of school, he continued with his gigs at restaurants till he discovered North 44, which was to become his workplace for more than 25 years. Run by one of Canada's top chefs, Mark McEwan, North 44 was one of that country's leading restaurants when Sashi first tried to find a place in its hallowed kitchen. He was turned away twice before he showed up the third time, offering to work for free for three months so that he could be tested out. He did not have to wait for that long. Within a week, McEwan hired him. It was at North 44 where Sashi rose from peeling potatoes to chopping onions, as 'Global Indian Times' puts it, to becoming the restaurant's executive chef and running North 44 caterers. Sashi also helped McEwan launch ByMark, a popular restaurant in Toronto's financial district, and helped his mentor produce three seasons of episodes for the Food Network TV channel. North 44 closed in 2018 following the expiry of its rental lease. With North 44 shutting down, Sashi had to look out for himself all over again, and he did what he was best at -- he opened Sash to rave reviews in 2019, and the average check for a dinner for two was C$230. But if you go there looking for the welcoming whiff of Coimbatore, you'll be disappointed -- the international menu ("Modern American dishes with international twists" is how 'Toronto Life Magazine' described the offerings) has just two nods to Sashi's origins: Gunpowder Lamb Chops and Sambar with Masala Rice, and Masala Beef Short Ribs cooked with coriander seeds, mustard and curry leaves, served with heirloom carrots and broccoli. The Toronto Star gushed: "His two-month-old restaurant is as elegant and understated as a cashmere twinset and pearls. He slides foie gras into his burger, shaves Perigord truffles on to his pasta and bakes chocolate souffle to order." Talking to Nuvo Magazine, the self-taught, self-confessed workaholic chef had this to say about how he goes about putting together his menu: "Flavours come to me constantly and whatever hits my palate and I go -- wow, this is really good -- it could be Indian, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean -- it doesnat matter, if my crew, my colleagues and I feel it -- it's hitting that menu." Like a lot else in Sashi's life, Covid struck barely a year after the restaurant opened and so it had to be shut, forcing its owner to live off loans and government grants, and taking up small home catering assignments -- just enough to keep his home running. This phase, painful though it may have been, turned out to be a blip that lasted for two years. Sashi was back at work in his restaurant about as soon as Covid ceased to be a threat, and it's now doing as well as it did before the epidemic swept the world. Married to Robin Pitcher, an event manager he met in 2008, Sashi is 54 years old and a father of two children. He could have turned his back on his past and lived the good life, but in 2018, Sashi opened a professional kitchen at the Coimbatore orphanage where his story began. The idea was his adoptive mother's. Indian laws do not permit orphanages to keep young women who are not adopted by the time they turn 18. Once they leave their orphanages, these women often find themselves in very difficult circumstances. The kitchen is to help them develop skills that would equip them to find jobs in the hospitality or allied industries. In his own little way, Sashi is paying back the debt he owes the orphanage that changed his life, which is about to experience yet another seismic shift, now that his story has gone global, thanks to Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Bengaluru, April 6 : It is social justice versus Hindutva in the Udupi-Chikmagalur parliamentary seat, where the BJP's Kota Srinivas Poojari and the Congress' K Jayaprakash Hegde are facing off. Bengaluru, April 6 (IANS) It is social justice versus Hindutva in the Udupi-Chikmagalur parliamentary seat, where the BJPas Kota Srinivas Poojari and the Congressa K Jayaprakash Hegde are facing off. This constituency, which is a BJP stronghold now, holds historical importance as it was here that late Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, experienced a political resurgence in 1978 after she won the Chikmagalur seat in the Lok Sabha bye-election. She had been routed in the post-Emergency general elections of 1977 before contesting the bye-election from here. Indira Gandhi defeated Veerendra Patil, a Janata Party candidate by over 70,000 votes. Political experts say this seat was responsible for Indira Gandhias political rebirth as the late Prime Minister went on to become one of the most invincible leaders in the countryas political history. PM Indira Gandhias candidature and victory catapulted Chikmagalur Constituency into the national limelight at that time and election campaign trails and results were keenly followed across India. Then Chief Minister of Karnataka, D Devaraj Urs, played an important role in Indira Gandhias victory as political heavyweights like the late George Fernandes had campaigned against her. While the Congress raised the aEk sherni, 100 langura slogan, George Fernandes compared the late PM to a cobra who would bite voters. At present, Hindutva firebrand, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmersa Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje, is the sitting MP from the seat. The parliamentary constituency which is now called Udupi-Chikmagalur is known to be communally sensitive. The Baba Budangiri Dattatreya Peetha, which once symbolised Hindu-Muslim unity has now become a communal flashpoint and often witnesses riots and moral policing incidents. The Congress delivered a shock to the BJP in the last Assembly election by winning all seats in Chikmagalur District. Former BJP National General Secretary, CT Ravi, lost the Chikmagalur city segment to his right hand man, who was fielded by the Congress. The Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha seat came into existence in 2009 and former CM, DV Sadananda Gowda, had won from here after defeating K Jayaprakash Hegde, who was fielded by the Congress. However, K Jayaprakash Hegde managed to win the seat for the Congress in the bye-election in 2012. Shobha Karandlaje won the seat for the BJP in 2014 and 2019 general elections with a margin of 1.81 lakh and 3.49 lakh votes respectively. The parliamentary segment comprises Kundapura, Udupi, Kapu, Karkala, Sringeri, Mudigere, Chikkamagaluru and Tarikere Assembly constituencies. The BJP and Congress parties have won four seats each. While the BJP managed to win all seats in Udupi, the Congress party had won all seats in Chikkamagaluru District. Earlier, Chikmagalur Lok Sabha seat was won by the Congress party in 1971, 1977 and 1978. The seat was won by the Praja Socialist Party in 1967. BL Shankar from the JD(S) had emerged victorious in the 1996 general elections. Considering the backlash and ago backa campaigns against the candidature of Shobha Karandlaje by the BJP cadre, the party has picked MLC Kota Srinivas Poojari, the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council for the seat now. The Congressa move to field former Chairman of the Permanent Backward Class Commission, K Jayaprakash Hegde, who submitted a controversial caste census report has intensified the competition in the constituency. Both Kota Srinivas Poojari and Jayaprakash Hegde are known for their clean image, simple nature and people-friendly attitude. Both candidates are perceived as credible politicians, each representing different ideologies and strategies. The BJP high command had fielded Kota Srinivas Poojari to avoid infighting within the party, though CT Ravi, was an aspirant from the seat. The Congress party is banking on guarantees and its ideology of social justice. In the run up to the elections, the competition is getting intense and Jayaprakash Hegde took a swipe at his opponent saying that since the rival BJP candidate Kota Srinivas Poojari does not know Hindi or English, choosing him would not be a wise decision on the part of the voters. However, Kota Srinivas Poojari rebutted that language was not a barrier for him. Jaipur, April 6 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday criticised the Congress' election manifesto released on April 5, calling it a bundle of lies, while claiming that the grand old party will be unable to do anything for the country's interests. Speaking at a rally in Pushkar in Rajasthan, PM Modi said "each page of the Congress' election manifesto smells of dividing the nation". "This manifesto reflects the same ideology of the Muslim League. The Congress wants to impose the ideas of the Muslim League of the past era on the India of today. Leftists have dominated the part of this manifesto bearing the imprint of the Muslim League. "Today, the Congress has neither principles nor policies left. It seems that Congress has given everything on contract. The entire Congress has been outsourced. Such a party (Congress) cannot do any work in the interest of the country," PM Modi said. PM Modi further said that his third tenure is not far-off, and the BJP-led government is going to make bigger decisions in the first 100 days of his next term against corruption. "I am fully prepared... have started making preparations in this direction. The action that took place in 10 years is a trailer. There is a lot that needs to be done," PM Modi said. Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, PM Modi said: "There just cannot be any development wherever Congress is present because it does not care for the poor and deprived section of the society. First, it is a family-based party, and on top of that, it is a corrupt one. "The Congress never cared about women's power. After Independence, the lives of crores of daughters of the country were spent in misery from generation to generation. The Congress is responsible for this situation," he added. PM Modi said that "the Congress members should understand that the more mud you throw, the more the Lotus will bloom". "The Congress is not holding rallies to win the elections, but it is doing so to save the corrupt. The fight against corruption will continue," he said. Stating that "happiness, respect, security and prosperity of women power is Modi's Guarantee," the Prime Minister said that India has to be made a developed nation by 2047. "We need to make India the third-largest economic power. This will happen only when the participation of half of the country's population is increased. The happiness, respect, security and prosperity of mothers, sisters and daughters is 'Modi's Guarantee'," PM Modi said. "With the Women's Reservation Bill, reservation of seats for our mothers and sisters in Parliament have been confirmed. Women are handling big projects for ISRO. India has the highest percentage of women pilots in the world," PM Modi said. Saying that April 6 also happens to be the foundation day of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), PM Modi said: "It is a coincidence that today, I have the fortune to come to Pushkar. Lord Brahma is the controller and creator. The BJP is also committed to building a new India. "This region is related to Lotus and the identity of BJP is also Lotus.... Lotus is going to bloom in every corner of the country," he added. Critcising the Congress' Rajasthan unit, PM Modi said: "There used to be news of paper leaks, mafias, share of loot in the Congress government etc. Rajasthan was being discussed only for not so good reasons. Ever since the BJP came to power, discussions have been about action being taken against paper mafias. The noose is being tightened on criminals. The government has agreed on the ERCP which was pending for years. ERCP is going to end the water crisis in many areas of Rajasthan." Six killed in Russian shelling in Ukraine's Toretsk city.. Image Source: IANS News Kyiv, April 6 : At least 10 people were killed and dozens of others wounded in Russian strikes on Ukraine in the past 24 hours, local authorities said Saturday. Four people were killed and 23 injured in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia in missile strikes, said Zaporizhzhia Governor Ivan Fedorov, Xinhua news agency reported. More than 40 buildings, including 24 private houses and nine apartment blocks, were damaged in the attack, Fedorov said in a statement. Besides, six people were killed and 11 others wounded in overnight missile strikes on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov. The attack hit residential areas in the northern Shevchenkivskyi district, damaging nine apartment buildings, three dormitories, two kindergartens, two schools, and a gas station, Terekhov said in a post on Telegram. Russia launched six missiles and 32 Shahed combat drones at Ukraine overnight Saturday, said Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschuk. According to him, three missiles and 28 drones have been intercepted. The Kyiv region was also targeted, but reported no casualties, said the Kyiv Regional Military Administration. Thiruvananthapuram, April 6 : Even after Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan cleared the appointment of former Kerala High Court Chief Justice S. Manikumar as the Chairperson of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), the latter on Saturday informed the Governor that he won't be able to take up the new role. Manikumar said that due to personal reasons, he will not be able to take up the appointment, paving the way to end the controversy that erupted after the Congress party and Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan strongly opposed the appointment, even as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan batted for it. It was in September last year that Manikumar's name was cleared by Vijayan and the file sent to Khan. But Khan kept the file until last week, after which he cleared it. Satheesan on September 29 last year wrote to Khan not to approve the proposal to appoint Manikumar. Satheesan pointed out that he as a member of the selection committee of the SHRC had expressed strong reservations about the decision to appoint Manikumar. "As you are aware, the position of SHRC Chairperson requires the highest level of probity and must be free of any bias towards the government in power. However, some of Manikumar's decisions as Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court have raised serious concerns about his ability to function impartially and fairly, as required by the commission," said Satheesan in his letter. Former Leader of Opposition and Congress legislator Ramesh Chennithala also opposed the appointment and said that Manikumar was sitting on many of his cases against Vijayan. Hearing the news that Manikumar was not joining, Chennithala said it's nice that Manikumar is not taking up the post as all know this post was given as gratis for all the 'help' he gave to Vijayan. Vijayan, in an unprecedented gesture, last year gave a farewell to Manikumar along with a few of his cabinet colleagues, days before his superannuation and this had raised eyebrows. Mumbai, April 6 : Hours after his candidature was declared in the Kalyan constituency in Maharashtra by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the Shiv Sena sitting MP and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's son Shrikant Shinde said he would certainly win by a higher margin. Shrikant Shinde, who was elected in the 2014 and 2019 elections, said that he made every effort to transform Kalyan by implementing a slew of development projects with active cooperation and funding from the Centre and the state government. "There was clarity on the Kalyan seat. Already the meetings of MahaYuti leaders and workers have started there. Minister Ravindra Chavan, district and city presidents of BJP and workers of NCP have all started working together. The poll campaign has already begun. I welcome the announcement of my candidature made by DCM Fadnavis. I will win the seat with a huge margin,"' said Shrikant Shinde. To a question on the BJP legislator Ganpat Gaikwad's supporters' move not to work for him during elections, Shrikant Shinde said if those opposing him have any personal agenda they should implement it personally. "Do not spoil the atmosphere of the alliance by taking the name of the party. If someone is acting like a bully, it should be clear what their agenda is. There has been a great deal of development in Kalyan. The state government and Central government have helped. But, their agenda is to spoil the environment," he said. Meanwhile, Shinde faction Spokesman Naresh Mhaske said that Shrikant Shinde has worked hard for the development of Kalyan and he has been a notable example of how an elected representative should be. "Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis has made it clear that BJP is not opposed to Shrikant Shinde," he added. New Delhi, April 6 : The government's One Health approach is vital for both predicting as well as preventing any future zoonotic -- disease that jumps from animals to humans -- outbreak, health experts opined on Saturday, ahead of the World Health Day which is marked every year on April 7. This year's theme 'My Health, My Right' focuses on equal access to quality health care. "The government's focus on the 'One Health' approach, recognising the interconnection between human, animal, and environmental health, is vital for predicting and preventing future zoonotic disease outbreaks," Dr. Rohit Garg, consultant, infectious disease, Amrita Hospital Faridabad, told IANS. The experts noted that the country's response to recent outbreaks of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Nipah virus demonstrates its evolving capacity to manage infectious diseases. They noted that lessons from each event have helped the country to improve its preparedness for future pandemics, including the hypothetical Disease X. "India's response to recent disease outbreaks has been moulded by our experience with Covid-19. Recent moves to expand the existing network of biosafety-level 3 and 4 laboratories, to expand surveillance for respiratory viruses, invest in diagnostic infrastructure, and formulate a One Health approach towards emerging diseases are welcome and important steps towards tackling such challenges," Gautam Menon, Dean, Research and Professor of Physics and Biology, Ashoka University, told IANS. Besides ramping up testing facilities, expanding healthcare infrastructure, and contact tracing, during the Covid pandemic Indias significant measures included its vaccination drive. It was one of the largest globally, and was pivotal, with India developing an indigenous vaccine, Covaxin, alongside deploying other vaccines. "These actions highlighted the country's ability to mobilise vast resources and innovate under pressure," said Dr Rohit. Similarly, during the Nipah virus outbreaks, although more localised, India employed rapid response teams, enhanced surveillance, and implemented containment measures. "India, post-pandemic, is very different in terms of capacity for pathogen surveillance and pandemic prevention or control when compared to pre-pandemic times. This is partly infrastructural, in terms of greater scientific and health capacity, but mostly structural in terms of better-defined roles for existing organisations, and creation of new multi-stakeholder institutions e.g. for OneHealth," Anurag Agrawal, Dean of Bio Sciences and Health Research at Trivedi School of Biosciences at Ashoka University, told IANS. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 6. A meeting of Azerbaijan's Parliamentary Committee on Agricultural Policy has discussed an amendment to the law on "Tobacco and tobacco products", reflecting the establishment of conditions for registering importers of the products, Trend reports. The amendment envisions to establish the following conditions: - conducting activities for the manufacturing of tobacco products in Azerbaijan for not less than one year; - absence of overdue obligations for taxes and other mandatory payments in Azerbaijan, as well as the absence of a valid decision that the entity is a risky taxpayer according to the national Tax Code; - possession of a document confirming ownership, use, or lease of the object where business activity is carried out, registered with the tax authorities (if the activity of the entrepreneurship entity is related to a subject (object) of economic activity); - registration of entrepreneurship entities engaged in the import of tobacco products shall be canceled in cases of violation of the registration conditions established by this law (except in cases where they do not have overdue obligations for taxes and other mandatory payments in Azerbaijan), as well as in cases specified in Article 26.1 of the national law "On licenses and permits". To note, Azerbaijan reduced imports of tobacco and tobacco products by 4.9 percent from January through February 2024 compared to the same period last year, to $16.9 million. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Imphal, April 6 : Given the over 11-month-long ethnic strife being witnessed in Manipur, campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state is significantly subdued this time, with the political parties and the candidates yet to organise large public meetings, something which is unprecedented in the 75-year electoral history of the northeastern state. A small section of leaders of the major political parties campaigning at the individual level or the candidate himself or his party leader have been using the social media in a limited way. Leaders of the ruling BJP and its allies and the opposition Congress-led INDIA bloc are mostly using the traditional media print and electronic to highlight their views, statements, commentaries and narratives. Further, numerous civil society organisations including women's bodies have issued appeals to refrain from engaging in campaigning as witnessed in the previous years, characterised by grand displays of strength through flag hoisting, large public gatherings, road shows, and extravagant feasts and assemblies. Political pundits observed that the two phases of parliamentary elections to the Inner Manipur and Outer Manipur Lok Sabha constituencies would be held mostly on ethnic lines this time. "The current situation in Manipur is sharply divided between valleys, inhabited by the non-tribal Meitei community people and the hills, occupied by the tribals." "A ray of hope has appeared that with the successful holding of the Lok Sabha elections the ethnic crisis would be tamed to some extent," Manipuri writer Rajkumar Satyajit Singh told IANS. The BJP has fielded state education minister Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh for the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat and in the Outer Manipur constituency, reserved for the tribals, the saffron party has extended its support to its ally Naga People's Front (NPF) nominee Kachui Timothy Zimik, a retired Indian Revenue Service officer. Congress candidates Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, a Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) professor, and ex-MLA Alfred Kanngam Arthur are contesting the Inner Manipur and Outer Manipur seats respectively. Akoijam and Arthur are the consensus candidates of the 10-party INDIA bloc in Manipur. Ten tribal MLAs, including seven BJP legislators, Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), and Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), two leading tribal organisations have been demanding separate administrations for the tribals. The demand has been repeatedly rejected by the state and Central governments besides the ruling BJP and various Meitei organisations. No candidate has been put up by the tribals belonging to the Kuki-Zomi-Chin communities. Senior ITLF leader and spokesperson Ginza Vualzong said that so far no organisation has announced their support to any candidate. "ITLF and Kuki Inpi only announced that there will be no candidates from their sides. So far no restriction has been imposed on the tribals about which candidates to vote for," Vualzong told IANS. Comprising of 32 assembly constituencies, encompassing Imphal West and Imphal East, Thoubal, and Bishnupur districts, the Inner Manipur parliamentary constituency is one of the two Lok Sabha seats that Manipur has, which is slated to go to the polls in the first phase of the elections on April 19. The polling in the tribal-dominated Outer Manipur seat, where the remaining 28 assembly seats fell, would be held in two phases April 19 and April 26. With a demographic makeup spanning urban and rural areas, including the most populous regions in Manipur, the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat holds significant political significance. In the 17th Lok Sabha, Inner Manipur was represented by the BJP's Rajkumar Ranjan Singh who served in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet as the Minister of State for External Affairs and Education. The BJP this time has dropped Ranjan Singh and has fielded Education Minister Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh. As the electoral race intensifies, six candidates vie for this crucial Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat, including popular film stars Rajkumar Samendro Singh, known as Kaiku, and Maheshwar Thounaojam, likened to Bollywood's Mithun Chakraborty. Noteworthy contenders also include retired Colonel Haorungbam Sarat Singh and Social Worker Moirangthem Tomtomshana Nongshaba. However, the frontrunners in this electoral battle are Basanta Kumar Singh of the BJP and Angomcha Bimol Akoijam of the Congress, backed by the INDIA bloc. Thounaojam Basanta Kumar, a voluntarily retired IPS officer, inherits a political legacy from his father and former Union Minister Thounaojam Chaoba Singh, a BJP stalwart in Manipur. With exposure to national politics during his tenure as a Resident Commissioner and Officer on Special Duty to his father, Basanta Kumar pledges to prioritise the state's development and communal harmony. In contrast, Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, a newcomer to politics and a JNU associate professor, emerges as a vocal advocate against false narratives surrounding the unrest. He emphasises the urgency of addressing the state's existential threats and vows to champion the cause of the displaced populace, promising both physical and economic rehabilitation. Akoijam questions the delayed response to the ethnic turmoil and highlights the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's direct intervention, contrasting it with his swift action in other regions. At least 220 people have been killed, 1,500 injured and 60,000 displaced after the ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zomi community broke out on May 3 last year. (Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in) Guwahati, April 6 : Assam Police have dismissed a former Superintendent of Police (SP) from service for "gross malpractice" and disqualified him from future employment, Director General of Police, G.P. Singh, said on Saturday. Guwahati, April 6 (IANS) Assam Police have dismissed a former Superintendent of Police (SP) from service for "gross malpractice" and disqualified him from future employment, Director General of Police, G.P. Singh, said on Saturday. Taking to X, Singh said, "In pursuance of the policy of zero tolerance towards malpractices in Assam Police, Raj Mohan Ray, the then Superintendent of Police of Darrang district, has been awarded the penalty of dismissal from service, which shall ordinarily be disqualification for future employment, on April 1 by Assam government." The decision came as a fallout of an incident that took place in 2022 in the Dhula area of the district involving the death of a minor domestic help and the subsequent attempts to cover up the case. As a result, one executive magistrate, three senior police officers, and three doctors were arrested on suspicion of falsifying the inquiry. Initially thought to be a case of suicide, the matter took a turn after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma intervened and ordered the formation of a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe the case. After taking over the case, the CID disclosed that the doctors, the magistrate, and some police officers were trying to protect the accused, an SSB jawan named Krishna Kamal Baruah, who was allegedly involved in the murder and rape of his 13-year-old domestic help. Following the disclosures, the CID arrested three police officers -- Raj Mohan Ray, then SP of Darrang district, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rupam Phukan, and SI Utpal Bora, the officer-in-charge of the Dhula police station -- along with three doctors from the Mangaldai Civil Hospital, Arun Chandra Deka, Ajanta Bordoloi, and Anupam Sharma. Ashirbad Hazarika, the Executive Magistrate of Dalgaon Revenue Circle, was also arrested. The three police officers were later suspended from duty. Mumbai, April 6 : The Maharashtra Congress has slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the latter's ex-MP made certain revealing claims on how the Opposition parties' leaders were allegedly targeted in corruption cases, here on Saturday. State Congress President Nana F. Patole said the BJP has plummeted to very low levels by plotting to 'eliminate the Opposition with murderous and insidious politics'. The party General Secretary Sachin Sawant also attacked the BJP leaders for misusing the government machinery to harass and trap Opposition leaders. The trigger was a former Mumbai MP Kirit Somaiya's utterances to a private television channel in which he claimed that he was assigned the task of targeting opposition leaders like the Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Thackerays or Nationalist Congress Party's Hasan Mushrif and others. Patole referred to Somaiya who hurled the allegations of corruption against various leaders with BJP's Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and took action with the help of central probe agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or Income Tax Department (ITD). "Tired of such harassment tactics and blackmail, many chose to join the BJP. Then all the alleged corruption was washed away and they were rewarded with constitutional posts and respect. The real face of Fadnavis has been revealed before the people now," said Patole. He said that it is evident from Somaiya's statements that a systematic racket was being run by the BJP leaders like Fadnavis and even the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray's family members were made targets. Among other things, Somaiya claimed that he was given the go-ahead by Fadnavis for such cases against the Opposition, how the BJP had no base in Maharashtra before 2014, and the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party could have targeted them (BJP) and put their leaders in jail, admitted that he completed the 'tasks' as a loyal party soldier, the opposition leaders were then taken on their side, and said though he was not agreeable to it, "it was all a political compromise" in the interests of development without graft. Sawant referred to a recent statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi denying the Opposition's allegations on misuse of central investigating agencies, and "we neither obstruct nor direct ED," and said that Somaiya's claims "have directly proved even the PM false." "Somaiya has contended that all action taken against the MVA leaders was intended to crush them with the help of ED, CBI, and to blackmail the opposition parties Somaiya has directly attacked the PM with this. The BJP's blackmailing strategy has been laid bare, with the electoral bonds matter, 'chanda do aur dhanda do' and other issues," said Sawant. Patole said that the Congress has consistently raised its voice on these unethical and immoral style of BJP politics of coercion with the misuse of government agencies, and now Somaiya has revealed how his own party conspired to defame the opposition to paint them 'corrupt'. The duo warned that the people of the country have become aware of all these dirty tactics and "will make the BJP sit at home after the elections." However, the SS (UBT) and NCP (SP) which suffered vertical splits in June 2022 and July 2023, respectively, have not yet reacted to Somaiya's shocking claims though he had taken aim at several of their big leaders, many of whom are now cosy in the BJP. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in) New Delhi, April 6 : Union Minister for Railways, Communications and Electronics & IT Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday summed up India's growth journey in the last 10 years and explained what factors led to the expeditious growth, something that never happened in Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) eras. Addressing the gathering at Viksit Bharat Ambassadors meet-up program in the capital, the Union Minister said that country has moved from 'Fragile Five to Top Five Economies' of the world and is now headed for another milestone. He credited this to meticulous planning and focused execution, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "All this change didn't happen automatically. A lot of effort, planning and execution has gone to bring this change. If this change was to happen on its own, it would have happened in 1970s and 1980s," he said. The Minister said that four pillars have primarily driven this growth, which include Public investment in social & physical sectors, Inclusive growth, Simplification of goals and Manufacturing push. Elucidating the public investment and capacity building, he cited the example of his own ministry. "Earlier, an average of 1050 kms of railway tracks were built in a year, that went to 5,300 kms of tracks in a year (equivalent to the size of Belgium, Austria and Switzerland)," Vaishnaw told the audience. "During the first 60 years after Independence, railway electrification took place on 20,000 km track, in last ten years alone, over 40,000 km track was electrified," he added. He also enlightened the Viksit Bharat Ambassador participants about notable rise in number of topmost institutions including AIIMs, IITs, IIMs and also their capacity in nurturing talent over past few years. Underlining government's focus on inclusive growth, the Union Minister spoke on how ground-breaking initiatives like Swachchta Yojana and Jan Dhan accounts have brought a transformational change across the country. Citing growth numbers, he said: "Over 10 crore free LPG connections were distributed under Ujjawala Yojana, 80 crore people are being provided with 5 kg foodgrains every month while 25 crore people have been lifted out of multi-dimensional poverty in past 10 years." Describing simplification as the third pillar of growth, he put forth examples of Telecom sector and Law department and said that lot of endeavor and planning went into bringing the paradigm change. "India's telecom sector was governed by an Act enacted in 1985. Today, that has changed. It took two years to conceptualise, brainstorm and enact the new Telecom law and today, that is giving us good direction and pace in new-age world," he explained. Similarly, over 1,500 laws have been repealed over a period of time, that didn't happen overnight. It became possible because of meticulous planning and execution. He further said that the change in mindset is one of the key reasons behind this paradigm shift. "It's because of our belief in indigenous production and faith in our own manpower that the country is scaling new heights of success," he said while citing the example of the Chenab bridge, which is 100 feet higher than France's Eiffel Tower. He also said that Modi government has consistently focused on manufacturing and capacity building. "In 2015 itself, the Prime Minister envisioned to make India into a global manufacturing hub. Make in India was a key component of this vision. Today, country is taking lead in in many similar areas including technology," he said. The Minister also heaped praise on Prime Minister for reviving country's cultural consciousness and said that they form an important constituent of a strong nation. "Taking pride in our own culture is something we realised in NDA tenures. Earlier, we were made to look down upon us but that must change, if we have to ride ladders of success," he pointed out. Mumbai, April 6 : Actor Divyendu, who is currently receiving a lot of positive response for his film 'Madgaon Express', has shared that his character of Munna Tripathi from the streaming series 'Mirzapur' is a troubled soul. The actor also shared that he will not be a part of the upcoming 3rd season of the show. The actor told 'Human of Bombay', "I shall declare, I am not a part of Mirzapur Season 3." In an unexpected twist, at the end of the second season of the crime drama, his character Munna was killed. However, fans continued to speculate conspiracy theories that Munna Tripathi is in fact alive. But, the actor's statement cleared the air. Talking about his character, Divyendu said: "For me, Munna was a really troubled soul. I knew that this was a banger of a script and it would be iconic. It would explode. But, funnily enough, initially, I was approached for Babloo's character but then a couple of days later they realised I would be a much better fit for Munna." "When I was in character, it was affecting my personality a lot. We shouldn't over-romanticise going too deep into a character because it is not easy. At times it used to get really dark for me. I felt suffocated. It's so tricky that you don't even realise that you are in that zone. It's only when you come out of it you realise how dark it was," he added. Mumbai, April 6 : Deputy Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday slammed the INDIA bloc, terming it a broken (detached) engine without any compartment. "In Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), all the engines (referring to various parties and their leaders) are lined up. They raise their hands and say they are together but later take their engines in different directions. What is the purpose of such an engine? People no longer have faith in this broken engine," he said during his interaction with the media after attending a function on the occasion of BJP's Foundation Day. "Someone described the MVA very well. Be it Maha Vikas Aghadi or INDIA bloc, it is just an engine without any compartment," said Fadnavis. The Deputy Maharashtra Chief Minister also said that the BJP is focusing on the "Booth Chalo Abhiyan", and it is being carried out with the celebration of the party's foundation day. "BJP is the only party which is working while keeping the booth at the centre-stage that makes it easy to reach the last person," he noted. Devendra Fadnavis further said that as far as the MahaYuti is concerned, there are three parties -- BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, so it is equally important to respect the allies. "We (BJP) never claimed that we would contest 33 Lok Sabha seats. Our effort was that we should fight for the seats we get while respecting all the three and accordingly, we (BJP) have got the seats," he added. Kolkata, April 6 : Trinamool Congress has decided to approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) with complaints of "excesses" committed by a section of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in West Bengal. Kolkata, April 6 (IANS) Trinamool Congress has decided to approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) with complaints of "excesses" committed by a section of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in West Bengal. Sources said that Trinamool, instead of approaching the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer, will directly approach ECI in New Delhi. "We have already sought an appointment with the ECI. Two Trinamool Rajya Sabha members will submit a memorandum to the ECI," a senior Trinamool leader said. Moreover, a two-member delegation of Trinamool Congress including the West Bengal Minister of State in charge of Finance Chandrima Bhattacharya and the Trinamool General Secretary Kunal Ghosh will visit Bhupatinagar on Sunday and talk to people and learn what happened between the people and the NIA team. Earlier, the NIA team was attacked by local people in Bhupatinagar in the East Midnapore district when they were returning after detaining two Trinamool Congress leaders Balai Charan Maity and Monobrata Jana accused of involvement in a blast at Bhupatinagar in December 2022, in which three persons were killed. This was the second attack on the central investigating agency in three months in West Bengal. On January 5, ED and CAPF personnel were attacked by the locals in Sandeshkhali in which Trinamool leader Sheikh Shahjahan has been arrested Soon after the attack, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blamed NIA for the incident, saying that NIA harassed the women in Bhupatinagar. --IANS src/dan Guwahati, April 6 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday attacked Congress over its manifesto, saying that the party has prepared the manifesto in such a manner as if they are contesting the election in Pakistan and not in India. "It looks like Congress has prepared the manifesto to fight elections in Pakistan not in India," he told media persons. He said that Congress wants to have a divide-and-rule policy and the party's manifesto is full of appeasement politics. "No one in the country irrespective of Hindu or Muslim wants Triple Talaq to be brought back, child marriages to happen, or people marrying multiple times. Congress manifesto is all about these issues," he said. He said that contrary to the thinking of Congress, the BJP is doing developmental politics in the country. "We will not stop until we make at least 30 lakhs female as Lakhpati Didi in the state," he said while addressing an election rally in Jorhat. On Friday, Sarma questioned whether the Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls was designed by a foreign agency. Mumbai, April 6 : Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) President Prakash Ambedkar on Saturday cancelled the nomination of its Shirur Lok Sabha candidate, Mangaldas Bandal, after the latter was allegedly seen at a social meeting attended by BJP and NCP leaders part of the ruling MahaYuti in Maharashtra, a top official said here. State VBA spokesperson Farooque Ahmed said the tough move came under the direction of Ambedkar and state party chief Rekha Thakur, as Bandal violated party discipline and directives. "Bandal's candidature from the Shirur (Pune) LS seat stands cancelled. It was announced on April 2 along with the announcement that the VBA will not field a candidate from the Baramati LS seat and support NCP (SP) Working President Supriya Sule there," said Ahmed. However, Bandal was reportedly seen hobnobbing with the VBA's political opponents at a social call attended by BJP's Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis at the residence of industrialist Dashrath Mane, the Chairman of Sonai Group. Also present was Deputy CM and NCP President Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar, who is the party's LS candidate from Baramati, where she is pitted against her 'nanad' and sitting MP Supriya Sule. Facing severe flak over Bandal's 'indiscretion', the VBA has decided to take back his nomination, though it is not clear if Ambedkar will appoint a replacement candidate in Shirur for the nominations which open on April 18 for the May 13 elections. Meanwhile, Bandal's supporters claimed that he didn't attend the event to meet any rival leaders, but just bumped into them and reportedly left the venue soon after, even as some photos went viral on social media. They also claimed that the action was taken against Bandal ostensibly to divert attention from the ignominy suffered by Ambedkar after his brother and Republican Sena President Anandraj Y. Ambedkar filed his nomination from the Amravati (SC) Lok Sabha constituency. Not convinced by the arguments, the VBA -- which is struggling to shake off its 'vote-splitter' image -- immediately attempted to salvage its reputation by dropping Bandal from the Shirur Lok Sabha seat. Ahmedabad, April 6 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) marked its Foundation Day with the inauguration of a new office, Shri Dwarkesh Kamalam, in Devbhumi Dwarka in Gujarat. The Foundation Day was celebrated with a flag-hoisting ceremony and a booth worker conference. State BJP Chief C.R. Patil lauded the BJP workers for their pivotal role in leveraging power to serve the public effectively. He also acknowledged the substantial contribution of Gujarati workers to the party's monumental status and outlined the party's achievements under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, emphasising the upliftment of 25 crore people from poverty in the last decade. BJP MP Poonamben Madam also praised the collective efforts of the BJP workers and PM Modi's leadership in establishing the BJP as a global political titan. Dwarka is getting a lot of tourist attention this year. In February 2024, PM Modi engaged in a unique underwater visit to Dwarka, which is submerged in the Arabian Sea and revered as the legendary dwelling of Lord Krishna. During his visit to Dwarka, PM Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation for various developmental initiatives totalling over Rs 4,150 crore. Among these projects, the Sudarshan Setu is India's longest cable-stayed bridge, spanning 2.32 km and costs approximately Rs 980 crore. This bridge links Okha Port on the mainland to Beyt Dwarka Island. Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) participated in a job fair held on April 5 in the village of Agali, Zangilan District, by the Public Employment Agency under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population. AZAL presented 15 vacancies aimed at providing employment opportunities for residents of the Gubadli, Zangilan, and Jabrayil. The job openings included positions such as safety inspector, firefighter-rescuer, fire truck driver, internal combustion engine operator, technical equipment maintenance and repair engineer, mechanic-repairman, boiler room operator, and communications technician. AZAL representatives at the job fair informed visitors about the available vacancies, registered candidates, and conducted data analysis for efficient personnel selection. During the fair, about 20 citizens applied for the presented positions. All puplications will be thoroughly reviewed in a timely manner, and candidates who meet the requirements will be invited for interviews. Successful applicants will be offered employment upon completing the interview process. AZAL actively supports the "Great Return" program. Currently, there are two international airports operational in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan in Fuzuli and Zangilan, providing employment for approximately 80 individuals. The participation of AZAL in the job fair in Zangilan highlights the organization's significant role in creating job opportunities and fostering the socio-economic development of the liberated regions. 26 employers participated in the job fair in Zangilan, with 23 being private companies and 3 government agencies. A total of 253 job vacancies were available. New Delhi, April 6 : A Delhi court on Saturday reserved its order on the application of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Amanatullah Khan for non-compliance to the probe agency's summons in connection with the money laundering case linked to the Delhi Waqf Board regularities. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra of Rouse Avenue Court has listed the matter for hearing on April 9. The probe agency has alleged that Khan, previously a witness, later became an accused in the case by seeking anticipatory bail and evading investigation. Special Public Prosecutor Simon Benjamin, representing the ED, stressed on Khan's pivotal role in the matter, saying that his involvement surpasses that of other accused who have already been apprehended and charged. The ED cited Khan's non-cooperation as the hindrance in the conclusion of the investigation. On March 11, the Delhi High Court had refused anticipatory bail to AAP legislator Amanatullah Khan in connection with the money laundering case. The allegation was related to Khan's alleged wrongful appointment as Chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board. The ED had filed the chargesheet against Zeeshan Haider, his partnership firm Skypower, Javed Imam Siddiqui, Dawood Nasir, and Qausar Imam Siddiqui in the case. The case pertains to a property worth Rs 36 crore in Okhla being allegedly acquired with illicit funds, purportedly influenced by Khan, who reportedly handed over Rs 8 crore in cash. During the investigation, the ED considered FIRs filed earlier by the CBI, ACB, and the Delhi Police. The ED said that the property was bought at Khan's behest, and presented with evidence of Rs 27 crore cash transaction. Itanagar, April 6 : A top Arunachal Pradesh police officer on Saturday suggested utilising the services and support of 'Gaon Burahs' (village heads) to conduct a smooth simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in the northeastern state. Interacting with 'Gaon Burahs' and administrative officials at the Tawang Deputy Commissioner's office, Arunachal Pradesh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Take Ringu has emphasised utilising the services and support of 'Gaon Burahs' to deal with any situation during the election. In Arunachal Pradesh, the 'Gaon Burahs' are generally considered the most important village level functionaries, and they are responsible for all matters related to development, as well as law and order in the village. The 'Gaon Burahs' are the representatives of the government in the village and hence, are bound by all the government instructions issued from time to time. Take Ringu proposed the formation of committees by 'Gaon Burahs' at village level, involving the members of gram panchayats to extend necessary support to the election officials, maintaining law and order situation and preventing any troublesome elements before, during and after the polling on April 19. Ringu appealed to all concerned to help the flying squads and static surveillance teams in conducting checking of vehicles to prevent the carrying of cash amounts, drugs and other contraband to curb the 'money culture' and misuse of drugs during polls. He emphasised the collective responsibility to ensure free, fair, and smooth elections. Tawang Deputy Commissioner cum District Election Officer (DEO) Kanki Darang urged the 'Gaon Burahs' to play a neutral role and contribute to their all-out efforts to conduct free, fair, and peaceful elections. Senior district and police officials were also present at the meeting. 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 done on June 2, while the results of the Lok Sabha elections will be announced on June 4. New Delhi, April 6 : The Congress' proposed foreign policy in its 48-page manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections has triggered a huge social media debate, with netizens, many of them diplomatic experts, comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'impressive' stewardship of India's foreign policy with the "poor" track-record of the erstwhile Congress-led regimes on different key global issues. New Delhi, April 6 (IANS) The Congress' proposed foreign policy in its 48-page manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections has triggered a huge social media debate, with netizens, many of them diplomatic experts, comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'impressive' stewardship of India's foreign policy with the "poor" track-record of the erstwhile Congress-led regimes on different key global issues. The stand on Gaza is one of the crucial points included in the Congress manifesto, evoking massive reactions from global affairs experts on social media. As the grand old party says that it wants to "reverse the shift in India's foreign policy" citing the Gaza strife as an example, many experts on X wondered "what that shift is". Reacting to Congress' point that it will restore India's position on the Gaza conflict, they argued that "India has not changed its position on the two-state solution even under PM Modi". "Yes, India has condemned Hamas terrorism. Does the Congress want to reverse this," the experts asked taking a dig at the grand old party, reminding that PM Modi has zero tolerance for terrorism. In fact, the Congress said in its manifesto, "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 India's global reputation as a voice of peace and moderation in world affairs." What the Congress is referring to is PM Modi's message on X on October 7, 2023, condemning the "terrorist attacks in Israel", and expressing "solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour". The opposition, including the Congress, had said then that PM Modi did not mention India's stand on the two-state solution, which has been its position on the issue for many decades. But the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement soon after, reiterating India's call for the creation of a sovereign Palestine state. The MEA said that there was an "obligation" to uphold humanitarian principles. The ministry also clarified that India continues to abide by its "long-standing position" on the resumption of negotiations towards a two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict. PM Modi also spoke to the Palestinian leadership later and even got humanitarian aid dispatched for the war-hit people of Gaza. This was seen as a balanced approach towards the Gaza issue. In the backdrop of all this, the experts are questioning Congress' claim that "the Modi government has shifted" the stand vis-a-vis Gaza. Where is the shift, given all these details, they asked on X. Social media is also flooded with views alleging that "the Nehruvian idealism cost India its self-interest in many domains such as UNSC seat, Kashmir issue to UN, appeasement of China and so on not to mention the "slow economic growth", adding that and no one in their right mind wants any of it back. A diplomatic affairs expert said, "PM Modi's foreign policy is based on realistic principles where he is increasing India's comprehensive national power by leveraging relations with big powers as a part of multi-alignment. This is just what India needs in the 21st Century." Similarly, Congress' promise to conclude the pending negotiations on trade has come to be ridiculed on social media, with some X users alleging that what the UPA government had done led to the loss of producers in India. "Under the UPA, indiscriminate signing of trade agreements led to a loss for Indian producers," they said. Likewise, the experts are not impressed with Congress' promise that it will work with other countries to end terrorism. "This is nothing but a soft launch of talks with Pakistan," said an expert. Many also said that PM Modi's policies have dealt sternly with the terrorists. "This is a new India under PM Modi which believes in neutralising enemies inside their territory (Ghar mein ghus kar marte hai)," said a netizen. "What could the UPA government under the Congress leadership do after the Mumbai attacks? It failed to get the Pakistan-based masterminds and handlers punished," said another. On Congress' claim that "Modi has ruined India's image", experts said that it suggests that the grand old party is pedaling the narrative built by anti-India forces. It means if Congress comes to power, it will enable unwanted and unnecessary interference from the human rights lobby which is seen at regular intervals today. The Congress manifesto also says that when in power, the party will "adjust" its policy with China. However, many on social media believe that PM Modi had to devote a lot of time correcting the UPA government's policy of "giving China entry into the strategic economic sectors". The netizens also appreciated PM Modi's 'extraordinary' efforts to build border infrastructure, which was "ignored by the previous regimes led by the Congress". The Congress also says that it will help Sri Lanka solve the Tamil issue. However, this move will not be good for India's interest, feel experts, with many saying that doing so is fraught with the risk of bringing back the period of strained relations that had resulted from interference in internal affairs (Tamil-Sinhala issue in Sri Lanka) which cost India a Prime Minister's life. Ther Congress has also expressed its desire to "engage with Pakistan". However, experts are of the view that the national consensus does not approve of any such engagement with Pakistan. Hyderabad, April 6 : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday termed the party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections as 'revolutionary', which can change the face of the country. He said the manifesto could bring about a change in the lives of the poor, farmers, youth, and women of the country. The Congress leader was addressing a public meeting at Tukkuguda on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Saturday evening to release the Telugu version of the party's poll manifesto, which was unveiled in Delhi on Friday. Highlighting the five guarantees in the manifesto, Rahul Gandhi said they will be implemented in the country just like the party implemented the guarantees given in Telangana. "We have shown in Telangana that whatever Congress promises, it delivers," Rahul Gandhi said, as he recalled that a few months ago, the party had released the guarantees for Telangana from the same venue. AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, AICC in-charge for Telangana Deepa Dasmunshi, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, state ministers, and party leaders attended the public meeting on Saturday, the first addressed by Rahul Gandhi after the Congress came to power in Telangana in December last year. Addressing the gathering, the Congress MP said the party manifesto reflects the voice and aspirations of the people of India. "At a time when the unemployment rate in the country is at its highest in 40 years, the Congress regime in Telangana provided government jobs to 30,000 people, while another 50,000 people will get jobs soon," he said. Asserting that the Constitution of India protects all sections of people, including Dalits, tribals, backward classes, minorities, and the poor, he alleged that the BJP wants to repeal the Constitution. "But we will not allow this to happen. This is the fight to save the Constitution and democracy," he said. Rahul Gandhi also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of working for 3-4 per cent of the people with the media, money power, intelligence agencies, CBI, and ED by his side. Referring to the phone-tapping allegations against the previous BRS government in Telangana, Rahul Gandhi alleged that ex-CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao tapped the phones of thousands of people by misusing the intelligence agencies and the police. "As soon as the government changed, they threw government data and computers in the river," he claimed. The Congress leader also alleged that what KCR did in Telangana is being done by the Prime Minister and the BJP in Delhi. "The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has become the Extortion Directorate. The BJP is running the world's biggest washing machine. Most corrupt ministers and leaders are standing with the Prime Minister. He has also appointed his own people in the Election Commission," the Congress leader claimed. Terming electoral bonds as the world's biggest scam, he claimed that companies were given contracts in return for their donations to the BJP in the form of electoral bonds. "The CBI threatens a company and in the same month, the company gives crores of rupees to the BJP. Infrastructure projects worth thousands of crores are given to companies 15-20 days after they donate crores of rupees to the BJP," he claimed. Stating that all the bank accounts of the Congress have been freezed, Rahul Gandhi said, "We are not scared of them. We defeated BJP's B team here and in the coming elections, we will defeat the A team." Rahul Gandhi also said that 50 per cent of the country's population belongs to the backward classes, including 15 per cent Dalits, 8 per cent tribals, and 15 per cent minorities, among others. "But if you see institutions and top companies in the country, you will not see representation from these sections of the society," he claimed. The MP also said that there is no one from these sections among the owners of the top 200 companies in the country. He also reiterated that once voted to power, the Congress will undertake a caste census. "This X-ray of the country will reveal the truth. This will be followed by a financial and institutional survey to tell the country which section has the country's wealth in its hands. After this, we will start revolutionary work and give people their rights," he claimed. Alleging that the BJP is spreading hatred in the country by making one community fight against the other, he said Telangana has sent a message to the entire nation by opening lakhs of shops "to spread love in the market of hatred". Reiterating that his relationship with Telangana is not political, but that of family and love, he assured the youth of the state that he will stand by them for his entire life. Agartala, April 7 : Former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said on Saturday that the Communists who were in power in Tripura for 25 years cannot even find a candidate to contest the Tripura West Lok Sabha seat. Deb, the BJP candidate for the Tripura West seat, claimed while addressing an election rally at Anandnagar that the Left had to seek support from arch-rivals Congress to sustain its political existence. Tripura Congress President Asish Kumar Saha is contesting the Tripura West Lok Sabha seat as the INDIA bloc nominee. Deb, currently a BJP Rajya Sabha member, also alleged that the Left parties never worked for the welfare of the people, except for their own political gains. "The CPI-M led Left parties have become desolate after being ousted from power despite ruling Tripura for 25 consecutive years (1993-2018). The Communists have no ideals or principles," he said. The BJP leader also asked four-time Tripura Chief Minister and CPI-M politburo member Manik Sarkar to make it clear to the people of the state whether he is in favour of the Congress-Left alliance. "Why did Sarkar not talk about the alliance publicly? His silence proves that he was against this alliance. For the past few decades, these two political parties (Congress and CPI-M) have fooled the people of the state and staged a drama by levelling charges against each other," Deb said. Alleging that fear and terror were the only tools used by the Communists to stay in power in Tripura, the BJP leader claimed that even the children and elderly women were not spared from political violence during the Left rule. He also claimed that no political murder has been reported from Tripura after the BJP government came to power by ousting the Left in 2018. Worldwide sales for the four large trade publishers that publicly report their financial results were all up by double digits in 2023 over 2019, the last prepandemic year. Overall unit sales of print books, as measured by Circana BookScan, were also uproughly 8.8% higher in 2023 than in 2019, with 767.3 million copies sold compared to 705.6 million. So why do so many industry leaders feel uneasy about the state of the business in 2024? For one thing, the leveling out of the pandemic sales roller coaster has not come without pain. To meet the spike in sales in 2020 and 2021, publishers hired extra staff and in many cases overprinted while retailers overordered. When sales began to slow (sales are down 9% from the peak in 2021, when 843 million units were sold in BookScan outlets), a wake-up call was inevitable, which Amazon delivered in summer 2022 when it dramatically curtailed new orders. Nowhere was Amazons action felt more acutely than at HarperCollins. After a record fiscal 2022, HC sales fell 10% and profits plunged 45% in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023. In addition to the problems at Amazon, HC CEO Brian Murray attributed the poor results to the entire publishing industry taking longer than expected to work through pandemic-related issues. But like many executives in trade publishing, Murray took a long view of 2023 sales, noting that revenue remained higher than in 2019. Indeed, at HC, revenue in calendar 2023 was up 20.7% over 2019, while sales have increased 15.3% at Lagadere Publishing and 24.3% at Penguin Random House. At Simon & Schuster, information for 2023 is limited to the first 10 months of the year, before the private equity firm KKR completed its acquisition. But even with only 10 months of results reported to the public, revenue at S&S was already ahead of sales for all of 2019, and the company was on course to post its third consecutive year of sales topping $1 billion. Thats the good news. The not-so-good news is that while earnings also rose at all four companies, profit margins in 2023 were up over 2019 only at Hachette parent company Lagardere and S&S, slipping at HC and PRH. In his March letter to employees discussing PRHs 2023 results, CEO Nihar Malaviya said higher expenses were a major factor in the dip in the companys earnings and profit margin last year compared to 2022, despite a solid 7% sales increase. And executives at all four publishers point to the need to adjust to an environment where the higher costs of doing business (among them increased manufacturing and employee costs) are not expected to fall dramatically in 2024. In 2023, the need to rein in costs led to some tough decisions. The most high-profile actions were layoffs and buyouts at PRH and downsizing at HC, where parent company News Corp mandated a 5% workforce reduction. At Lagardere, HBG UK chief executive David Shelley was named CEO of a new English-language management unit at the end of 2023, while HBG US CEO Michael Pietsch was kicked upstairs to the chairmans office. Though Shelley hasnt made dramatic cuts, its clear he was brought into HBG to give the U.S. company a boost after sales fell nearly 7% in 2023. With sales leveling off, corporate publishers turned to a favorite tactic to increase sales and growth: acquisitions. In 2021, HC acquired the HMH trade division, which had sales of $182 million in 2019. Following its failure to buy S&S, PRH acquired 10 companies in 2023 alone, and upped its stake in Sourcebooks to 52%, which added more than $200 million to PRH US sales last year. So where does the publishing industry stand in 2024? No executive has said they expect significant sales gains this year, and the general view is that flat sales combined with more cost controls will result in a slight improvement in margins. Perhaps the forecast for 2024 was best summed up by Malaviya in his letter to PRH employees, in which he said he believed the tough measures undertaken in 2023 have put the company on solid footing. Six prominent individuals from Qatar have clinched coveted spots on Gulf Business Magazine's prestigious list of the '100 Most Powerful Arabs,' underscoring their significant influence in the global business landscape. Gulf Business Magazine meticulously curated the annual list, analyzing notable events spanning 2023-2024 and evaluating candidates based on four key metrics: financial capital, human capital, expansion initiatives, and personal renown. Here Are Qatari Power Players: Saad Sherida Al Kaabi: Holding the dual roles of President and CEO of QatarEnergy and Chairman and MD of Industries Qatar, Saad Sherida Al Kaabi secured the fourth spot on the list. Spearheading strategic initiatives to enhance LNG production capacity, he oversees pivotal projects like the North Field Expansion, positioning Qatar as a key player in the global energy market. Mansoor Ebrahim Al Mahmoud: As CEO of Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), Al Mahmoud ranks 12th on the list, managing assets worth $475 billion. His leadership has propelled QIA's foray into Qatar's inaugural VC Fund of Funds, targeting investments exceeding $1 billion. Abdulla Mubarak Al Khalifa: Claiming the 14th position, Al Khalifa, CEO of Qatar National Bank Group, steers the institution to new heights, with total assets surpassing QAR1.189 trillion. QNB's steadfast performance solidifies its status as a financial powerhouse in the region. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani: Ranked 32nd, Sheikha Al Mayassa serves as Chairperson of Qatar Museums, championing Qatar's cultural legacy through iconic institutions like the Museum of Islamic Art and the National Museum of Qatar. Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo: Managing Director and CEO of Ooredoo, Fakhroo secures the 51st spot, steering the telecom giant through strategic mergers and investments totaling $2.2 billion. Ooredoo's commitment to digital innovation under Fakhroo's leadership promises transformative solutions for millions across the Middle East. Badr Mohammed Al Meer: Newly appointed CEO of Qatar Airways Group, Al Meer debuts on the list at 71st place. Guiding one of the world's largest airlines, he navigates Qatar Airways through technological advancements and sustainable growth strategies, propelling the carrier to new heights of success. With these influential figures at the helm, Qatar continues to assert its position as a dynamic force in the global business arena, driving innovation, economic growth, and prosperity on both regional and international scales. You can check the full list here. For more lists, be the first to receive our newsletter straight to your inbox! Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate Subscription to paid content Gain access to all that Trend has to offer, as well as to premium, licensed content via subscription or direct purchase through a credit card. Property details: Lot # 91 Beautiful View of Playas De Tijuana south west on upper lot 9 X 20 meters buyer responsible for fees transfers title water hookup and electricity hookup. If seller pays $ 1,000 for electricity hookup buyer will reimbursement to seller for a total cost $ 1,000 fee and for land plus a $ 1,000 =$ 53,000 .HOA $ 20 monthly... Price: $ 52,000 Seller State of Residence: California Type: Homesite, Lot Property Address: # 91 Zip/Postal Code: 22506 Zoning: Residential City: playas De Tijuana State/Province: California Location: 921**, San Diego, California You will be redirected to eBay When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Nearby California 'Despite the animosity shown by some of the investors in pursuing uncalled for legal actions, we continue to show good faith towards all our shareholders.' IMAGE: Photograph: Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters Byju Raveendran, founder and CEO, Byju's, has offered its disgruntled investors the option to invest in the rights issue of the edtech company so that their shareholding is not diluted. Cash-strapped Byju's parent company, Think & Learn, is raising $200 million through the rights issue to all its equity shareholders at a 99 per cent discount to the firm's peak valuation of $22 billion in 2022. In a letter sent early on March 29, 2024, Raveendran informed shareholders that the company had secured more than 50 per cent of the vote through postal ballot -- first announced on March 7 -- to increase authorised share capital to account for the $200 million rights issue. 'Despite the animosity shown by some of the investors in pursuing uncalled for legal actions, we continue to show good faith towards all our shareholders and would like all of you to be part of our turnaround story,' Raveendran said in the letter, which Business Standard has reviewed. 'In good faith, the board is considering making an offer of renounced shares to existing shareholders to ensure that there is no more dilution to their shareholding. We will share more details with you shortly.' Raveendran said while the firm had received significant interest from third parties, its priorities remained with the existing shareholders. 'Even my critics know that I have invested my everything, and even more, in this company. I hope you will see value in continuing with Byju's in the same spirit with which you first joined our journey. 'I look forward to your response and to our continued partnership to transform the global educational landscape,' said Raveendran. Byju's held its extraordinary general meeting to increase authorised share capital on March 29. The shareholders raised no objection to this. The meeting started at 10 am with approximately 20 investor representatives in attendance, along with the Byju's Think & Learn management. A company source said: "Contrary to media reports, none of the miffed investors attended the EGM personally. They sent their legal representatives." A source on the investor side said authorised representatives of all shareholders were there. "Nobody boycotted it (unlike the management did with the last EGM)," the person said. The results of the voting, including the postal ballot, will be announced after the formal process is over. It is expected to be closed on April 6. Byju's and its investors are fighting at the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) over the company's rights issue of $200 million in a petition alleging oppression and mismanagement. The four investors -- Prosus, General Atlantic, Sofina, and Peak XV (formerly Sequoia) -- had sought a stay on the rights issue at less than 99 per cent enterprise valuation compared to Byju's' peak valuation of $22 billion. They fear the rights issue would wipe out the value of their investment. Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered disciplinary action against four senior police officials for their "negligence" after an inquiry committee probing the suicide attack which killed five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver submitted its report, the information minister said on Saturday. IMAGE: Vehicles pass through Abbottabad Tunnel No 1, which is part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) along Hazara Motorway in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan on October 15, 2023. Photograph: Akhtar Soomro/Reuters Last Tuesday, a vehicle-borne suicide bomber targeted the convoy of Chinese engineers in the remote Besham area of the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when they were being driven to a construction site of the Dasu Hydroelectric power station in Kohistan district of the same province. Five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed in the attack. Information minister Attaullah Tarar said that Prime Minister Sharif directed action against senior Khyber Pakhtunkhwa officials after the inquiry committee formed to probe the March 26 attack and identify the lapses in security protocol submitted its report, Geo News reported. "The prime minister has directed to take action against the regional police officer (RPO) Hazara Division; district police officer of Upper Kohistan and Lower Kohistan; director security, Dasu Hydropower Project and commandant special security unit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within 15 days," the report quoted Tarar as saying. We want peace in the region, but our desire should not be misconstrued as a weakness. We are taking the matter of the security of the Chinese very seriously," he said. "Prime Minister Shehbaz is himself overseeing the security of the Chinese projects and engineers, he added. On Friday, Sharif directed all Pakistani security agencies to ensure foolproof security arrangements for the Chinese nationals working on various projects in the country. According to an official 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. Meanwhile, China has also expressed concern about last Tuesday'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. An Indian student in the United States state of Ohio has died and police are investigating the case, India's Consulate in New York said on Friday, the latest in a string of tragedies to shock the community in the country. Image used only for representation. Photograph: Kyle Robertson-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters 'Deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of Mr Uma Satya Sai Gadde, an Indian student in Cleveland, Ohio,' the Consulate General of India in New York said in a post on X. The Consulate said that a police investigation into the death is underway, and it continues to remain in touch with the family in India. 'All possible assistance is being extended, including to transport Mr Uma Gadde's mortal remains to India at the earliest,' the consulate said. Since the beginning of 2024, there have been at least half a dozen deaths of Indian and Indian-origin students in the US. The alarming rise in the number of attacks has caused concern among the community. Last month, a 34-year-old trained classical dancer from India, Amarnath Ghosh, was shot dead in St Louis, Missouri. Sameer Kamath, a 23-year-old Indian-American student at Purdue University, was found dead in a nature preserve in Indiana on February 5. On February 2, Vivek Taneja, a 41-year-old Indian-origin IT executive, suffered life-threatening injuries during an assault outside a restaurant in Washington, making it the seventh death of an Indian or Indian-American in recent months in the US. The series of attacks on Indians and Indian origin persons/students had prompted the officials of the Indian Embassy in Washington and its consulates at various places to hold a virtual interaction with Indian students from across the US, discussing various aspects of student well-being and ways to stay connected with the larger diaspora. About 150 Indian Student Association office bearers and students from 90 US universities participated in the interaction led by Charge d'Affaires Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan. It was also attended by the Consul Generals of India in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Seattle. The Central Bureau of Investigation has busted a racket of child traffickers by arresting seven members who were selling children to childless couples through social media ads and rescued two infants during the operation, officials said Saturday. IMAGE: CBI team member with two rescued newborn babies from a house in Keshavpuram, New Delhi, April 6, 2024. Photograph: ANI on X Based on an input, the CBI on Friday evening started a search operation at seven locations in Delhi and Haryana when two infants -- 1.5 day old and 15 days old -- were found by the agency sleuths which the gang was planning to sell, they said. The CBI nabbed seven members of the gang who were later arrested by the agency. The arrested are Neeraj of Sonipat and Indu Pawar of Delhi's Paschim Vihar, Aslam of Patel Nagar, Pooja Kashyap of Kanhaiya Nagar, Anjali of Malviya Nagar, Kavita and Ritu. The gang allegedly contacted childless couples desirous of adopting babies through advertisement, on social media platforms like Facebook page and WhatsApp groups. "They allegedly purchase babies from real parents as well as surrogate mothers and thereafter sell the infant children at the prices ranging from Rs 4 to 6 lakh per child. These accused are also allegedly involved in duping many childless couples of lakhs of rupees by creating fake documents related to adoption," CBI spokesperson said about the operation. During searches, the CBI seized Rs 5.5 lakh cash and other documents. The agency has booked 10 people including the arrested accused under various penal provisions of IPC and also of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015 on allegations that a network of infant children traffickers are involved in buying and selling of infants across India for the purpose of adoption as well as for other illegal purposes. The shooting of a web series on the Emergency period in India in the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi was disrupted by the varsity's students' union on Saturday, even as the administration said that it has granted permission for the shooting to take place on campus premises. Image used for representational purpose only. Photograph: ANI Photo The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union objected to the shooting of the web series on campus at the administration block, terming it as "commercialisation" of the university space and demanded to know why permission was granted to film at the administration block when students are barred from protesting at the site. Nearly 500 crew members have been stationed on campus for the past two days setting up production facilities to shoot the web series on the Emergency period in India, a senior official told PTI. "The JNUSU has illegally obstructed and also tried to force film director Sudhir Mishra out of the JNU campus. The film director has taken due permission from the JNU authority to shoot a web series on the emergency period in India," the official said. Speaking to PTI, production manager of the web series Amar alleged, "A large group of students assembled and started disrupting while we were filming a scene near the administration block. They also hackled the director Sudhir Mishra and hurled abusive words against our team. We were forced to stop the shooting." An immediate reaction was not available from Mishra on the allegation. According to the production manager, the director tried to hold dialogue with the opposing students and convince them that the web series was not against the varsity. However, the students continued to disrupt the shooting. JNUSU president Dhananjay denied the claim and said, "We are not against the web series or its team. But we won't allow any kind of commercialisation to take place on campus," he told PTI demanding the administration to return to money taken for allowing the shooting. Earlier in the day, the students' body had written to the varsity administration opposing the web series shooting at the administration block on the campus. In an email to the JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit, the students union demanded to know why the shooting was allowed within 100 metre radius of the administration block while the students are barred from entering the space to stage protests. "We have come to know that a shooting of a film by Sudhir Mishra is happening at the administration block. It is appalling to know that it is the same place where students aren't allowed to gather for raising their rightful demands," the email read further stating that action is taken against students if they try to hold protests at the site. "We have been opposed to the commercialisation of our university space. This is a public university and this space should not be used for any kind of commercial purpose," it further read. The students' body demanded to know why the team was granted permission to gather students for shooting, claiming that it was involving students in the shooting of the web series. The students body also demanded to know details of the monetary transaction with the administration for the shooting. The last Friday prayers of Ramzan (Jumatul Vida) were not allowed to be held at the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar. Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who was scheduled to lead the prayers, was placed under house arrest. Friday prayers were held at the Hazratbal shrine on the banks of the Dal Lake and in different parts of the Valley. The day is also observed as Youm e Quds (Quds Day) and special supplications were made for the people of Palestine across mosques and shrines in the Kashmir Valley. All Photographs: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com IMAGE: A view of the deserted and closed Jamia Masjid on the occasion of the last Friday of Ramzan. IMAGE: Security forces' vehicles outside the closed Jamia Masjid. IMAGE: National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah, MP, and his son Omar Abdullah, right, offer prayers at the Hazratbal shrine. IMAGE: Friday prayers at the Hazratbal shrine. IMAGE: Women folk pray at the shrine. IMAGE: Worshippers raise their hands for dua. IMAGE: Namaaz, here and below, at the shrine. Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday accused National Investigation Agency officials of attacking villagers at Bhupatinagar in Purba Medinipur district and not the other way round. IMAGE: Protesters including women try to stop NIA officials probing 2022 blast case, in Bhupatinagar, West Bengal, April 6, 2024. Photograph: ANI on X The Bharatiya Janata Party termed the assault as a "state-sponsored attack" on the NIA officials in West Bengal and accused Mamata Banerjee of inciting the violence to create hurdles in the 2022 blast case probe to protect those involved in the incident. Claiming that officials of the central probe agency had barged into several houses in the early hours over an incident of "bursting of crackers in 2022", the West Bengal CM defended the villagers' response as self-defence. "The attack was not perpetrated by the women of Bhupatinagar, but rather by the National Investigation Agency team," she said at an election rally in Dakshin Dinajpur district's Balurghat. "Will the women sit back if they (NIA) go to their houses at night? They will try to defend themselves?" she asked. The NIA on Saturday arrested two key conspirators in a 2022 blast case amid an attack on the probe agency's team by a crowd in Purba Medinipur district, an official said. An NIA officer was injured and a vehicle belonging to the probe agency was damaged in the attack, a spokesperson of the federal investigating agency said. Later, the NIA team lodged a complaint at Bhupatinagar police station, an official said. Alleging a political motive in the NIA action and an attempt to intimidate Trinamool Congress workers, she questioned why the agency was arresting people days before the polls in a case dating back to December 2022. Reacting sharply to the incident, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "The attack on the NIA officials is Sandeshkhalli 2.0 orchestrated by the state to put hurdles to the investigation into the bomb blast case". "It was not just a coincidence but a well thought out experiment. It was a state-sponsored attack on the NIA officials. The attack was organised by the ruling TMC," he charged, urging the Election Commission to take cognizance of the incident. Poonawalla alleged that the pattern of attack on the NIA officials in Bhupatinagar area of West Bengal's East Medinipur district was similar to the attack on the ED officials, organised by the ruling TMC, in Sandeshkhali area in North 24 Parganas recently to "protect" Shahzahan Sheikh. "Two days ago, Mamata Banerjee, while addressing a rally in Cooch Behar, first gave inciting statements to provoke violence against the NIA officials. As soon as the NIA team was attacked today, Mamata swifty came in to justify the violence and gave the attackers a complete clean chit," he charged. The BJP leader alleged that the attack on the NIA officials in Bhupatinagar area on Saturday was "direct evidence of the TMC's Talibani mindset culture". "Political violence, violence against central probe agencies, corruption, protection to terror and radical elements have been clearly institutionalized under this Talibani mindset culture of Mamata Banerjee government," Poonawalla alleged. "TMC means too much corruption and too much chaos as well. 'Ma Mati Manush' slogan of the TMC government has changed and it has now become 'bomb blast and save rapists'," the BJP leader said. "Under Mamata Banerjee's rule in West Bengal, TMC means (stands for) Terror, Mafia, Corruption. Law and order is sliding down to a new low every day under the TMC rule. An atmosphere of fear has been created in the state. It's painful," he added. The Trinamool Congress chief accused the BJP government at the Centre of trying to use the central agencies to win the elections. "We want the Election Commission to work impartially, not turn into a BJP-run commission," she said. Questioning the transfer of state's police officers by the EC, she asked why Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation and IT officers have not been changed. "NIA, CBI are brothers of BJP; the ED (Enforcement Directorate) and Income Tax are funding boxes of BJP," Banerjee said. Stating that while the state police look after law and order throughout the year, central forces like the BSF, CRPF and CISF are brought in during the elections, she added. "If you (BJP) have the power, win the election by fighting in a democratic manner. Don't arrest my booth-level workers and election agents," she said at the rally. She condemned the arrests of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren by central agencies over cases related to excise policy and an alleged land scam, respectively. "There must be a level-playing field in the elections," she said. The chief minister said why should she introduce Ayushman Bharat scheme in Bengal when she is providing healthcare facilities to nine crore people under her pet 'Sasthya Sathi' programme, claiming that the central healthcare scheme will benefit only one crore people with equal share of funding from the state government. She said several schemes were introduced by her government for various categories of people such as Kanyashree, Sikshasree, agricultural produce insurance, old age pension, Lakshmir Bhandar for women, among others. In an oblique reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal guarantees on different issues, Banerjee said, "my guarantee is people." "The guarantee of Ma, Maati, Manush is Lakshmir Bhandar, Kanyashree, Sabuj Sathi and Sasthya Sathi schemes," she said. Maintaining that there was some unrest in Sandeshkhali over land grab issues, Banerjee said the state police and administration have arrested the accused and are returning land to the villagers. BJP has fielded Rekha Patra from Basirhat constituency, where Sandeshkhali is situated. Banerjee accused BJP's West Bengal state president Sukanta Majumdar, the party's candidate from Balurghat for a second consecutive term, of not doing anything for the people of Bengal and speaking against releasing central funds to the state. Addressing the rally in favour of TMC candidate Biplab Deb, the chief minister claimed that those accused of atrocities on women in BJP-ruled states were not brought to book. At another gathering in Raiganj (Uttar Dinajpur), Banerjee voiced her concerns, stating, "During his rally in Cooch Behar, Modi threatened to 'hunt down every opponent' using central agencies. Does he imply he's the only virtuous one, while everyone else is a wrongdoer?" She labeled the BJP as a party of "traitors, thieves, and cheats," accusing them of manipulating agencies like the CBI and NIA for their agenda instead of delivering justice. Banerjee demanded an impartial Election Commission, criticising its alleged bias towards the BJP's directives. "We want an independent EC. Not the one which will follow BJP's diktats," the TMC supremo said. She highlighted the targeted harassment faced by the TMC from central agencies, suggesting collusion between the BJP, CPIM, and Congress in West Bengal. On the Citizenship Amendment Act, she questioned the BJP's authority to decide citizenship and urged them to lead by example. "Who are you (BJP leaders) to decide on anyone's citizenship when that person is a citizen already? Why you (BJP) don't set an example yourself? Why don't you classify yourself as a foreigner and apply for citizenship under CAA first," she said. Accusing the Modi government of distorting the Constitution and twisting the country's history, she said, "You (BJP) have violated the ideals of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and your men had vandalised the bust of Iswarchandra Vidyasagar." Banerjee warned against BJP's alleged strategy to stoke communal tensions ahead of elections and cautioned people against falling into their traps. "They will conspire to polarise the electorate before the elections and use the NIA to make arrests of innocent people belonging to opposition parties. Please don't fall in the trap of BJP," she said. Referring to the storm in Jalpaiguri district in which five persons were killed, Banerjee said, "Modiji did not for once mention about the disaster during his recent visit to the region which shows BJP's lack of concern for the suffering people." The National Investigation Agency on Saturday carried out raids at multiple locations in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar against the Communist Party of India-Maoist in an anti-India conspiracy case, officials said. IMAGE: Security personnel at the site after at least ten police personnel and a driver were killed in a blast carried out by Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Photograph: PTI Photo The raids were carried out by NIA teams on the premises of accused and suspected persons at 11 locations in the Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh and one location in the Kaimur district of Bihar. An NIA spokesperson said several digital devices, including mobile phones, SIM cards and memory cards, along with incriminating documents like pamphlets of the proscribed Naxal outfit were seized during the searches. The NIA had on November 10 last year taken over the investigation in the case, relating to the arrest of five persons following the recovery of arms and ammunition, incriminating documents, literature and books of CPI-Maoist in Ballia. The agency had chargesheeted four accused in the case on February 9, 2024. According to the NIA's investigation so far, the banned outfit is making active efforts to re-energise its presence in the Northern regional bureau comprising UP, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Leaders, cadres and sympathisers, Over Ground Workers of CPI-Maoist are trying to revive the organisation's decrepit presence in this region, the spokesperson said. The NIA has been moving aggressively in recent months to steamroll the organisation's nefarious plans and the investigation in the case is continuing, the spokesperson said. Pakistan on Saturday said it stands resolute in its intent and ability to safeguard its sovereignty, a day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made it clear that India will enter Pakistan if terrorists run away to the neighbouring nation after carrying out terror strikes in the country. 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 A statement by the foreign office in Islamabad said that Pakistan has always demonstrated its commitment to peace in the region but its desire for peace should not be misconstrued. History attests to Pakistan's firm resolve and ability to protect and defend itself, the foreign office said in a statement while criticising India's ruling dispensation for resorting to hateful rhetoric for electoral gains. The foreign office's statement came in response to Singh's statement on Friday that if terrorists try to disturb peace in India or carry out terror activities, a befitting response will be given and if they (the terrorists) run away to Pakistan, India will enter the neighbouring country to kill them. Singh was responding to a question on a report by the UK daily, 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. The foreign office said that Pakistan stands resolute in its intent and ability to safeguard its sovereignty against any act of aggression and dismissed India's claims of military superiority. India's assertion of its preparedness to extra-judicially execute more civilians, arbitrarily pronounced as terrorists', inside Pakistan constitutes a clear admission of culpability. "It is imperative for the international community to hold India accountable for its heinous and illegal actions," the statement said, adding that such "irresponsible behaviour not only undermines regional peace but also impedes the prospects of constructive engagement in the long term. In his response, Singh also asserted that India always wants to maintain good relations with its neighbours. Whatever it is, they (Pakistan) are our neighbouring country. Look at the history. To date, we have neither attacked any country in the world nor tried to occupy an inch of the 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, Singh asserted. A high drama prevailed in Ahmedabad on Saturday when some women from the Kshatriya community threatened to perform "jauhar" (self-immolation) outside the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in Gandhinagar demanding the party withdraw Parshottam Rupala's candidature over "anti-Rajput" remarks. IMAGE: Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala speaks in Rajya Sabha during the Budget Session of Parliament, in New Delhi, February 10, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo The police detained five women and Shree Rajput Karni Sena president Mahipal Singh Makrana before he could meet them in Ahmedabad. In other parts of the state, members of the Kshatriya community organised a march in Rajkot while in Jam Khambhalia town in Devbhumi Dwarka district, protesters barged into an event attended by Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party chief CR Paatil, showed black flags, and shouted slogans against Rupala, a Union minister. The BJP candidate from Rajkot Lok Sabha constituency, Rupala had triggered a row by claiming that erstwhile 'maharajas' succumbed to the persecution by foreign rulers and Britishers and even married off their daughters to them. The Kshatriya community strongly objected to Rupala's remarks as the majority of the erstwhile royals were Rajputs and demanded that the BJP withdraw him from the poll fray. The five women had threatened to commit "jauhar" outside the state BJP headquarters "Kamalam" in Gandhinagar in the evening, according to Kshatriya community leaders, prompting the police to step up security. Makrana was detained before he could meet the women to persuade them against taking any extreme steps. "He (Makrana) was released in the evening. The women, who were prevented from leaving the house as heavy police force was deployed at the spot, later went back home," said ACP (M division) AB Valand. Before he was held by police, Makrana told reporters that he would meet the Kshatriya women to persuade them to not take any extreme step like committing "jauhar". Addressing a press conference, he said the stir against Rupala's candidature would be intensified in the state. "Rajputs are a traditional vote bank of BJP. If Brahmin and Bania have traditionally supported the BJP; Rajputs have also played a big role. So far Rajputs have voted for the BJP. But if for a single person, Modiji is ready to lose power at the Centre, then let it be so," he said. Meanwhile, in Rajkot, members of the Kshatriya community took out a rally to hand over a memorandum to the district election officer. Another round of meeting was held in Rajkot and it was decided that demonstrations will be staged across Gujarat under the campaign "Operation Rupala" until our demand is met, a community leader said. "The meeting decided that if Rupala goes ahead and files his nomination papers, then 400 members from the Kshatriya community will also file their nominations against him," Kshatriya leader Karansinh Chavda told media persons. He said voting should be held through ballot papers in the Rajkot constituency where Rupala is in the fray. "Leaders at the meeting decided to form a district-level committee to take protests across the state. The Kshatriya samaj is getting the support of members from various other communities," he claimed. Despite an apology from Rupala and the intervention of senior state leaders, the Kshatriya community is firm on Rupala's removal as a BJP candidate and strong action against him for his remarks. 'I was laughing and crying at the same time. Right now, just extremely happy that she will be out and amongst us soon.' IMAGE: During happier times, Koel Sen, left, with her mother Professor Shoma Sen at their home in Nagpur. Photograph: Kind courtesy Shoma Sen/Facebook It took a long time, almost six years, for Professor Shoma Sen to get bail. She was set to retire as head of the English department in Nagpur University, when she was arrested in June 2018. Known for her espousal of women's rights, the academician-cum-activist was among the first five to be arrested by the Pune police in connection with the Elgar Parishad case. Altogether 16 intellectuals were arrested in the case and charged under the UAPA. One of them, 84-year-old Jesuit priest Father Stan Swamy, passed away in custody in June 2021. Professor Sen is the eighth accused to get bail. However, two of these eight, tribal rights activist Mahesh Raut and writer Gautam Navlakha, are still behind bars and under house arrest respectively, since the Supreme Court extended the stay on their bail granted to the NIA by the Bombay high court. *** The Supreme Court order granting bail to Professor Sen spoke of her advanced age, her many ailments, her long incarceration, and the delay in framing charges against her. But the two-judge Bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Augustine George Masih also examined the bail plea on merits: 'The nature of allegations against her vis-a-vis the materials available before this Court.' The order said that there was no prima facie evidence to show that Professor Sen had committed or attempted to commit any terrorist act, or funded or received funds for any such act. Most of the materials against her, said the order, 'have emanated from recovery of documents from devices of third parties.; The judgment also relied on the Supreme Court's bail order passed in the case of Professor Sen's co-accused, Vernon Gonsalves, who, along with activist Arun Ferreira, was granted bail in July 2023. Justice Bose had headed that Bench. Professor Sen had indeed been at the Elgar Parishad, said the order, but had not made any speech there. The court dismissed the allegation that Professor Sen was 'an urban Naxal working for the CPI (Maoist).' As for the allegation that she was a member of various 'frontal organisations of the CPI (Maoist)', the order said that no proof had been provided linking those organisations to the CPI (Maoist). Noting that pre-conviction detention was necessary for a number of reasons, the order went on to say: 'Any form of deprival of liberty results in breach of Article 21 of the Constitution of India and must be justified on the ground of being reasonable, following a just and fair procedure and such deprival must be proportionate in the facts of a given case.' IMAGE: Koel Sen petitioned the chief minister's office for release of her mother, Professor Shoma Sen, June 6, 2019. Photograph: Kind courtesy Koel Sen/X *** Rediff.com spoke to the professor's daughter Koel Sen, 36, for her first reactions. The young film-maker confessed to being "overwhelmed". "Six years is a very long wait," she added. "These years have been a very long journey of ups and downs." This is not the first time Professor Sen had applied for bail. However, every time, it had been rejected or sent back to the NIA court. At one point, the NIA court had even remarked that 'The mere fact that she is suffering from some diseases cannot be a ground for interim bail.' That was in July 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Supreme Court had urged governments to release prisoners given the risks of contracting Covid due to overcrowding in jails. Professor Sen, in her application for interim bail, had pointed out that she was specifically vulnerable to the virus because of her age, her hypertension and her ortheoarthritis. "We've gone through so many hurdles, so many rejections," said Koel, "that after six years it's almost unbelievable that she got bail." IMAGE: Professor Shoma Sen. Photograph: Kind courtesy Koel Sen/X Recalling the tension she would experience every time her mother's bail application would come up for hearing, Koel said that this time, she was hopeful. "The arguments had gone quite well. Our lawyers have done a really fantastic job," she added. Senior Advocate Anand Grover argued Shoma Sen's case. In a surprising volte face, the NIA, which had opposed bail on every occasion, for the first time on March 15 told the Supreme Court that her custody was no longer required. Koel had been looking at the live feed as the judgment was being delivered. "I was laughing and crying at the same time," she said. "Right now, I'm just extremely happy that she will be out and amongst us soon." Koel will have to wait a day longer. Till late Friday night, Professor Sen's lawyers were busy with bail paperwork needed for filing in the NIA court on Saturday. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, April 6. Turkmenistan is ready to supply electricity and natural gas to Tajikistan through the territory of Uzbekistan, Trend reports. According to an official source, this was stated by Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov during a meeting with President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon. He stated that the energy sector is currently being considered as one of the possible areas of cooperation between the two countries, noting that it is, in particular, about the export of Turkmen electricity and natural gas to Tajikistan through the territory of Uzbekistan. It was noted that this topic had already been discussed with President Emomali Rahmon during a meeting in Ashgabat city last August within the framework of the summit between the presidents of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Berdimuhamedov stressed that Ashgabat is ready to carry out such cooperation on a systematic basis and discuss in detail technical, organizational, and other supply issues. If necessary, it is planned to organize a trilateral meeting with the participation of experts from Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. He also stated that both countries cooperate in the field of petroleum product supplies, in the context of which Turkmenistan's readiness to increase their volume depending on the needs of the Tajik side was confirmed. To note, Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov paid an official visit to the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe city, to hold meetings and negotiations at a high state level. During the visit, the parties reviewed a wide range of bilateral cooperation agreements and signed new partnership documents. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel The Vermont State Police is looking for information about a reported retail theft at the Sunoco station on Rockingham Road in Rockingham. Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Rain. Low 43F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.. Tonight Rain. Low 43F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook. Deborah Wright is a BFUHS director, chair of Rockingham Planning Commission, Justice of the Peace, Notary and business owner. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media. 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 Israel stepped up its massive air strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs in its drive to wipe out Hezbollah's capabilities and leadership, even as the world awaits with trepidation the October 7 anniversary of the bloody attack on Israel by Hamas -- which, like Hezbollah, is a U.S.-designated terror group with ties to Iran. Meanwhile, Tehran said it had lifted all flight restrictions after earlier announcing it was closing Iranian airports as of 9 p.m. on October 6 until 6 a.m. on October 7, citing "operational restrictions," at a time when Israel is weighing options for its response to Iran's recent massive missile strike on its territory. State media said the restrictions were lifted after ensuring favorable and safe conditions. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on October 6 threatened Iran that it might eventually find itself looking like Beirut or Gaza -- which has also been battered over the past year -- if Tehran attempts to further harm Israel. "The Iranians did not touch the air force's capabilities. No aircraft were damaged, no squadron was taken out of order," Gallant said in reference to the Iranian missile strike, which caused few injuries and slight damage to two air force bases. "Whoever thinks that a mere attempt to harm us will deter us from taking action should take a look at [Israels operations] in Gaza and Beirut, where Israel is battling fighters of Hamas, which has been deemed a terrorist organization by the United States and EU. Israel earlier said conducted a series of targeted strikes on weapons storage facilities and infrastructure sites that belong to Iran-backed Hezbollah. Hezbollah has been designated by the United States as a terror group, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political unit, which holds seats in the Lebanese parliament. Lebanon's official National News Agency said Hezbollah's stronghold in the area was hit by more than 30 strikes. A petrol station and a medical supplies warehouse were hit by the air raids. Video footage showed huge flames and plumes of smoke billowing into the night sky, as residents fled their homes in panic with explosions echoing in the background. Many observers said the attacks were the strongest yet of Israel's recent air strikes. "Last night was the most violence of all the previous nights," Hanan Abdullah, a resident of the Burj al-Barajneh area in Beirut's southern suburbs, told Reuters. "Buildings were shaking around us and at first I thought it was an earthquake. There were dozens of strikes -- we couldn't count them all -- and the sounds were deafening," Israel has bombed Beirut suburbs for days, killing Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and possibly his potential successor, Hashem Safieddine. Security sources have said Safieddine had been out of contact since October 4, after an Israeli air strike near Beiruts international airport that was reported to have targeted him. Hezbollah has not commented on Safieddine. Israel says Nasrallah was killed in a strike on the group's central command headquarters in Beirut on September 27. Two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters on October 6 that Ismail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force -- the overseas arm of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) -- also had not been heard from in recent days since traveling to Lebanon. Senior Hezbollah member Mahmoud Qmati, when asked about Qaani's whereabouts, told Reuters: "I have no information. We are also searching for the truth of this matter. Statements on October 6 out of the United States -- Tel Aviv's most important ally -- indicated some frustrations with the scope of Israel's military action. "Military pressure can at times enable diplomacy. Of course, military pressure can also lead to miscalculation. It can lead to unintended consequences," a U.S. State Department spokesperson said in statement. The spokesperson said Washington supported Israeli actions in going after extremist elements but added that U.S. leaders but did not approve of the targeting of civilian infrastructure. "Every civilian casualty is one too many," the spokesperson said. Israel said on October 5 that its forces had killed 440 Hezbollah fighters in ground operations in southern Lebanon and destroyed 2,000 Hezbollah targets. Nine Israeli soldiers had been killed in southern Lebanon so far, the authorities said. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, nearly 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon in the latest conflict, most of them since September 23. Israel says the attacks on Hezbollah are aimed at enabling the safe return of tens of thousands of citizens to homes in northern Israel, bombarded by the group since last October. The Israeli forces were on high alert ahead of the first anniversary of an attack on October 7 last year, which sparked the war and was carried out by Hamas. According to Israel tallies, some 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage in the unprecedented Hamas attack on southern Israel. Israeli police on October 6 said several people had been injured in a suspected shooting attack in Beersheba, a city in southern Israel. One attacker was killed, the ambulance service said. Separately, health officials in Hamas-run Gaza reported on October 6 that at least 41,870 Palestinians have been killed in the territory in the yearlong war between Israel and Palestinian militants. Palestinian officials said that an Israeli strike on a mosque in Gaza early on October 6 killed at least 19 people who were sheltering after being displaced from their homes near the town of Deir al-Bala. The Israeli military said the strike was targeting militants. The reports could not immediately be confirmed, but the Associated Press said one of its journalists counted the bodies at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital morgue. AP also reported that hospital records showed that the fatalities from the mosque strike were all men. Israel said its forces on October 6 surrounded the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza in response to indications that Hamas was rebuilding its operational capabilities in the area. Israel is also considering a retaliatory strike on Iran, which fired at least 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1. Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad visited Kharg island on October 6, amid concerns that Israel could target Iran's largest oil terminal there. "The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] Navy plays an important role in the security of oil and gas facilities," Paknejad was quoted as saying at the facility, from which around 90 percent of Iranian oil exports are shipped. In Syria, state media and local rights monitors said an Israeli air strike targeted three cars in the city of Homs, although details remained sketchy. Israeli forces have for years been striking Iran-linked targets in Syria and have intensified such actions since the October 7 attacks. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP ASTANA, Kazakhstan, April 6. Kazakhstan currently has 2,300 tons of gold reserves, said Chairman of the Geology Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Construction of Kazakhstan Yerlan Akbarov at a briefing, Trend reports. "These are geological reserves. Kazakhstan produces 90 tons of gold per year. The gold reserves will last for 2025 years. According to our forecast, gold reserves in the country reach 20,000 tons. This is a gold reserve that has been formed today and is being worked on," he said. In turn, the acting deputy chairman of the Geology Committee, Kanat Yerubayev, explained that during gold exploration, its reserves will continue to be replenished. "Gold reserves are constantly replenished during exploration by private subsoil users. That is, when gold is mined, at this moment its reserves are updated," he noted. According to the World Gold Council, gold reserves in the National Bank of Kazakhstan amounted to 294.2 tons as of the end of December 2023. This figure decreased by 16 percent, compared to 351.6 tons in 2022. The value of the gold reserves amounted to $16.454 billion, which is a 12-percent increase compared to $14.584 billion at the end of 2022. Chris McNulty A man has been charged with dangerous driving causing the death of a nine-year-old boy in Bundoran. Sergee Kelly appeared at Ballyshannon District Court on Friday in connection with the fatal road traffic collision, where Ronan Wilson (9), from Kildress in Co Tyrone, was killed. Bail was only granted to Kelly by Judge Monika Leech after a 10,000 cash lodgement was made. Kelly was charged with dangerous driving causing the death of Ronan Wilson on September 23rd, 2023 at Atlantic Way, Bundoran. The charge is contrary to Section 53 (1) of the Road Traffic Act, 1961 as substituted by Section 4 of the Road Traffic Act (No. 2) Act, 2011. Detective Garda Shane Maye gave evidence of arresting Kelly at 10.43am on Friday before charging him at 11.03am at Ballyshannon Garda Station. When charged, Kelly, a 23-year-old with an address at Upper Mullaghmore, County Sligo, replied: No An Garda Siochana sought to have Kelly's bail revoked. Kelly's solicitor, Mr Gerry McGovern, said his client has abided by all bail conditions laid down by the court. He has obeyed everything that has been asked of him, Mr McGovern said. An application for Kelly's bail conditions to be varied in order to enable work at sea on a fishing trawler was withdrawn. Kelly was accompanied to court by his parents. At a previous court sitting, Kelly was granted bail in his own 2,000 bond while an independent surety of 5,000 was approved. Judge Leech directed that a further 10,000 cash lodgement be provided, while existing bail conditions are to remain. Judge Leech said she considered the nature and the degree of the seriousness of the charges and the nature of and strength of evidence in the case in making the decision. A charge of dangerous driving causing death carries a maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment. Under the terms of his bail, Kelly is prohibited from entering Bundoran and has also been ordered to stay out of Northern Ireland. Previously, Kelly was charged with having been the driver of a vehicle, which was involved in the occurrence of injury to Ronan Wilson, did fail to offer said person assistance. He has also been charged with failing to stop and with failing to remain at the scene after the incident, which occurred at around 9.20pm on September 23rd, 2023. Kelly was remanded on bail to appear again before Ballyshannon District Court on April 19th, 2024. The Roscommon Civil Defence has been called out to Lough Funshinagh in South Roscommon as Storm Kathleen batters the county with heavy rain and winds. At last one home in the area is now under flood waters. At least one home in the Lough Funshinagh area is experiencing heavy flooding. Pic. RTE The Roscommon Civil Defence has just sent a dispatch to Ballagh after receiving a call from a concerned local in relation to their fear for an elderly persons safety. They will remain in place for the duration of the storm, said the Lough Funshinagh Flood Crisis group. The Civil Defence are on standby in case of emergency needs as much more flooding is now imminent. Flooding too has almost reached a dwelling in Gortfree/ Lisphelim where the depth is increasing daily, the committee told the Herald. The committee said there is now a real threat to life with deep dangerous waters right around the lake. Water levels at the South Roscommon lake continue to break records, they are now 69.3 metres about sea level. The previous record, 69.01, was reached in April 9th 2021. When contacted in March by the Herald, the Geological Survey of Ireland, which has been monitoring the lake since August 2016, said it has generated an up-to-date six month future estimate for water levels at the South Roscommon lake. The assessment suggested that there was only a 5 % probability that water levels will reach approximately 69.35 m in 2024, 32 cm above the then current level. on March 8th ASTANA, Kazakhstan, April 6. President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov will pay an official visit to Kazakhstan, Trend reports via Akorda. Zhaparov said this during a phone conversation with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Additionally, in their telephone exchange, Tokayev expressed gratitude to Zhaparov and the citizens of Kyrgyzstan for the supportive assistance provided during the floods in Kazakhstan. The Kazakh president underscored that this act further demonstrates the genuine friendship, solidarity, and strong allied relations between the two nations. The heads of state expressed contentment with the dynamic progress of Kazakh-Kyrgyz relations across various domains. During the conversation, the leaders discussed prospects for further strengthening cooperation in trade and economic, investment, cultural, and humanitarian spheres. They also exchanged views on regional and international agendas. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel The Canadian market ended on a strong note on Friday, with stocks from across several sectors moving higher on sustained buying interest. The mood was quite positive right through the day's session with investors digesting the jobs data from the U.S. and Canada. The benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index ended with a gain of 212.59 points or 0.96% at 22,264.38 a new closing high. The index touched a new intraday high of 22,316.92. It gained about 0.43% in the week. Materials, consumer staples, , energy, healthcare, consumer discretionary and real estate stocks were among the major gainers. Newmont Corporation (NGT.TO) gained about 5.5%. Methanex Corporation (MX.TO), Kinaxis Inc (KXS.TO), Dollarama Inc (DOL.TO), Franco-Nevada Corporation (FNV.TO), Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM.TO), Constellation Software (CSU.TO) and EQB Inc (EQB.TO) gained 2.5 to 4%. George Weston (WN.TO), Fairfax Financial Holdings (FFH.TO), goeasy (GSY.TO), Royal Bank of Canada (RY.TO), Loblaw Companies (L.TO) and FirstService Corporation (FSV.TO) advanced 1 to 2%. Canopy Growth Corporation (WEED.TO), B2Gold Corp (BTO.TO), Lundin Mining Corporation (LUN.TO), Barrick Gold Corporation (ABX.TO), Kinross Gold Corporation (K.TO), Royal Bank of Canada (RY.TO) and Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ.TO) moved up sharply on strong volumes. Data from Statistics Canada showed employment in Canada edged down by 2,200 jobs in March, following a 40,700 gain in February. Economists had expected an addition of 25,000 jobs in March. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in Canada jumped to 6.1% in March from 5.8% in the previous month. The 6.1% reading is the highest since October of 2021. Economists had expected the unemployment rate to come in at 5.9%. Average hourly wages in Canada rose 5% in March, after rising 4.9% in the previous month. A report from the Ivey Business School said the Ivey Purchasing Managers Index in Canada increased to 57.5 in March, up from 53.9 in February, rising for the eighth consecutive month. The figure was also the highest in a year. The U.S. Labor Department said non-farm payroll employment spiked by 303,000 jobs in March after surging by a downwardly revised 270,000 jobs in February. Economists had expected employment to jump by 200,000 jobs compared to the addition of 275,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month. The report also said the unemployment rate edged down to 3.8% in March from 3.9% in February, while economists had expected the unemployment rate to come in unchanged. The Labor Department said the annual rate of wage growth slowed to 4.1% in March from 4.3% in February, in line with estimates. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Of the 3.7 lakh passenger cars sold in the Indian markets in March 2024, Maruti Suzuki sold 1.52 lakh units to command a 41.3 percent market share Maruti Suzuki continued its pole position as the best-selling car brand in India in March 2024, selling more units than Hyundai, Tata and Mahindra combined. Maruti sales stood at 1,52,718 units in March 2024, up 15 percent YoY though it suffered a 4.7 percent MoM decline. March 2024 also marked a historic month for Maruti Suzuki as the company achieved a 3 crore milestone since production began in December 1983. Maruti Sales Breakup Mar 2024 As we break down these sales model wise, we find that sales were particularly boosted by UVs among which were Brezza, Ertiga, Fronx, Grand Vitara, Invicto, Jimny, S-Cross and XL6 which have registered combined 58,436 unit sales, a 57.7 percent YoY growth. In a model wise breakup of Maruti cars sold in the past month, we see that WagonR has posted a YoY and MoM decline to 16,368 units but yet it was the model that headed the list. Sales had stood at 17,305 units and 19,412 units in March 2023 and February 2024 respectively. Maruti DZire sedan was at No. 2 with a 19 percent YoY growth to 15,894 units in March 2024 while MoM sales remained flat. Along with the WagonR and Swift, 6 of Maruti Suzuki models made their way onto the top 10 car list in March 2024. As Maruti Suzuki gears up for launch of the 2024 Swift later this month, the current generation model continues to attract buyers. Sales stood at 15,728 units in March 2023 and while it was a 10 percent YoY decline, MoM sales grew significantly by 19 percent. Lower sales were reported for the Maruti Baleno which dipped to 15,588 units last month from 16,168 units sold in March 2023. It was also a MoM decline from 17,517 units sold in February 2024. Maruti Ertiga sales saw a remarkable growth by 65 percent in March 2024 to 14,888 units, up from just 9,028 units sold in March 2023. Sales however, fell MoM by 4 percent. Maruti Brezza failed to see increased sales last month as it posted a 10 percent and 7 percent YoY and MoM decline respectively to 14,614 units. Maruti Fronx (12,531 units), Eeco (12,019 units) and Grand Vitara (11,232 units) also added significant numbers to sales in March 2024. Maruti Sales at Sub-10,000 Units Lower down the sales list was the Alto hatchback, sales of which grew marginally by 2 percent YoY to 9,332 units. It was however a huge MoM decline by 20 percent from 11,723 units sold in February 2024. XL6 sales saw a massive improvement by 157 percent YoY to 4,505 units from just 1,754 units sold in March 2024. Celerio, in the hatchback segment, saw sales fall both YoY and MoM to 3,478 units. However, posting YoY growth was the Ignis (2,788 units) and S-Presso (2,497 units) while Ciaz sales grew nearly two fold by 97 percent to 590 units in March 2024 from 300 units sold in March 2023. Maruti Invicto (348 units) and Jimny (318 units) trailed the sales list with lower MoM sales. Overall, the March 2024 sales report reflects Maruti Suzukis continued dominance in the Indian automotive market, driven by a diverse portfolio of vehicles catering to varied consumer preferences. With consistent innovation and customer-centric approach, Maruti Suzuki continues to strengthen its position as a market leader in the automotive industry. Ahead of the full fledge manufacturing plans in India, Tesla has commenced production of cars for Indian market to be shipped in from Germany In a bid to make a name for itself in the worlds third largest automotive market, Tesla has commenced production of RHD vehicles. Unlike initial speculations suggesting shipments from China, a recent report suggests Tesla intends to ship RHD vehicles to India from its manufacturing facility in Germany. Production Of Tesla Cars For India Commenced Worlds leading electric car maker, Tesla, is poised to enter the Indian automotive scene and establish a manufacturing presence here. Initially, there were setbacks to Tesla from Indian Government regarding the reduction in taxation for establishing a retail chain with units shipped into the country from China. After a brief pause, Tesla changed its approach towards Indian market. The growing economy and India climbing the ladder to become the worlds third-largest automotive market certainly helped in these regards. One of the nudges could be Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to USA and dialogues exchanged with Tesla founder, Elon Musk. Because India is a market for RHD vehicles, initial speculations suggested an imminent import from Teslas Shanghai plant. RHD Tesla cars are primarily manufactured here and are exported to all RHD markets like UK, Japan, Australia and others. Recent report suggests Tesla has commenced production of RHD vehicles for India in its Berlin plant in Germany. Considering the proximity between Germany and UK, there is a possibility that Berlin-made RHD Tesla cars might be sold in UK, replacing Shanghai-made units. As of now, there are no confirmations regarding which vehicles Tesla has on the cards for Indian markets. Teslas Berlin plant currently manufactures Model Y. Considering Indian road conditions and market perception, high-riding Tesla vehicles like Model Y could be a good fit. Companys roadmap Electric vehicle juggernaut, Tesla, has pledged to establish manufacturing facilities in India. The company is about to finalise the location for the manufacturing facility. A team from Tesla is expected to fly into India and decide between three prospective locations Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Ahead of that, Tesla is bringing vehicles manufactured in Germany to India via CBU route. These developments surfaced following the revised taxes by Indian Government on certain electric vehicles whos manufacturers invest a minimum sum of USD 500 million and commence production within the next three years. As per the revised Indian policy, manufacturers can import up to 8,000 units into the country under the revised taxation policy at a lower tax rate. In the grand scheme of things, Tesla intends to increase its reliance on Indian providers for sourcing various components, making India a bigger sourcing hub. Source Tata Punch took the top spot for the 2nd consecutive month In Top 10 Cars Mar 2024, there were 6 Maruti cars, 4 others were all SUVs Top 10 cars registered sales of 1,56,294 units in March 2024, marking a notable growth of 13.13% compared to the same period last year. With an increasing focus on compact SUVs and electric vehicles, automakers are gearing up to meet the evolving demands of Indian consumers in the coming months. Lets take a look at the top 10 cars sold in India for March 2024. Top 10 Cars Mar 2024 vs Mar 2023 YoY comparison Tata Punch and its electric counterpart dominated the market with an impressive sales figure of 17,547 units, marking a significant increase from the previous years performance. This surge represents a remarkable growth of 61.07%, indicating a strong preference for compact SUVs among Indian consumers. Securing the second position, the Hyundai Creta maintained a formidable presence with 16,458 units sold in March 2024. While experiencing a growth of 17.34% year-on-year, the Creta continues to be a popular choice in the SUV segment. Despite facing a slight decline compared to the previous year, Maruti WagonR remained a consistent performer with 16,368 units sold. Its versatile design and fuel efficiency appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers, contributing to its enduring popularity. Maruti Dzire retained its position among the top contenders, registering sales of 15,894 units in March 2024. With a growth rate of 18.67% year-on-year, this compact sedan continues to attract buyers with its blend of style, comfort, and affordability. While experiencing a marginal decline in sales, the Maruti Swift secured the fifth spot with 15,728 units sold. Maruti is getting ready to launch new gen Swift in India in a few weeks.. With 15,588 units sold, the Maruti Baleno maintained its position as a popular premium hatchback in the Indian market. Although witnessing a slight decrease in sales, the Baleno continues to offer a winning combination of style, features, and value for money. Making a significant leap in sales, the Mahindra Scorpio/N climbed to the seventh position with 15,151 units sold in March 2024. This surge represents an impressive growth rate of 72.41% year-on-year, reflecting renewed interest in mid-size SUVs. Maruti Ertiga maintained its appeal among Indian families, recording sales of 14,888 units. With a growth rate of 64.91% compared to the previous year, the Ertiga continues to lead the MPV segment with its spacious interiors and fuel-efficient performance. Despite experiencing a slight decline in sales, the Maruti Brezza remained a popular choice among compact SUV enthusiasts, with 14,614 units sold. Its rugged design and feature-packed interiors contribute to its enduring popularity in the market. Rounding off the top 10 list is the Tata Nexon and its electric variant, with 14,058 units sold in March 2024. Despite facing a marginal decline in sales, the Nexon continues to appeal to eco-conscious buyers seeking a blend of performance and sustainability. Top 10 Cars Mar 2024 vs Feb 2024 MoM comparison Compared to Feb 2024, top 10 cars sales grew by 6.17% in March 2024. At the top is Punch in March 2024. However, Punch marked a decrease of 4.83% from the previous months figures. Hyundai Creta posted a positive growth of 7.74% compared to February 2024. Maruti WagonR recorded 16,368 units sold in March 2024, marking a decrease of 15.68% from February 2024. Maruti Dzire witnessed marginal growth, with 15,894 units sold in March 2024, representing a modest increase of 0.36% compared to the previous month. Maruti Swift secured 15,728 units in March 2024, marking a significant growth of 19.47% from February 2024. Maruti Baleno maintained its position with 15,588 units sold in March 2024. However, this marked a decrease of 11.01% compared to the previous month. Mahindra Scorpio/N saw consistent performance with 15,151 units sold in March 2024, reflecting a marginal increase of 0.66% from February 2024. Maruti Ertiga experienced a slight decrease in sales, recording 14,888 units sold in March 2024. This marked a decrease of 4.07% compared to the previous month. Maruti Brezza registered 14,614 units sold in March 2024, marking a decrease of 7.30% from February 2024. Tata Nexon experienced a slight decrease of 2.34%, from February 2024. Written By Publisher and Editor she/her | Bridget is the Messengers editor and publisher. She oversees the newsroom and covers the Maple Run Unified School District and education at large. She also pays attention to recreation, food and the arts and is an avid cyclist and skier. | ASTANA, Kazakhstan, April 5. Czech Skoda Transportation plans to open a representative office for Central Asia in Kazakhstan, said Chairman of the Board of the company Petr Novotny during a meeting with the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the Czech Republic Bakyt Dyussenbayev in Plzen, Trend reports. During the meeting, the parties also discussed the prospects for the participation of the Czech company in projects to modernize urban and suburban public transport in Kazakhstan. In turn, Dyusenbayev invited the head of Skoda Transportation to take part in the Astana International Forum. Dyussenbayev also held a meeting with the Chairman of the Board of the Economic Chamber of the Plzen region, Petr Papez, where he presented the investment potential of Kazakhstan and its individual regions. He noted the country's unique geographical location, wealth of resources, and wide range of government support measures for foreign investors. Dyussenbayev invited companies from the Plzen region to consider the possibility of locating production facilities in Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, the volume of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic in 2023 amounted to $627 million. The structure of trade turnover is dominated by imports, which amounted to $479.3 million, while the volume of imports amounted to $147.7 million. Industrious and hard-working, giving their all for the good of the community thats how people describe bees. That description also fits the late Brother Blaise Heuke, Oceansides beekeeping Benedictine monk. Heuke, noted for his ability and expertise in all things apiary, died June 21 at age 80 at Prince of Peace Abbey. His death was noted in the August edition of the Southern Cross, the newspaper of the Roman Catholic diocese of San DIego. Services were held June 29 and 30 at the abbey, where he made his home for nearly 50 years. He was buried in the abbey cemetery. Heuke was diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer in 2015 after being successfully treated earlier, but chose not to have further treatment. He was so serene about the whole thing, recalled Father Abbot Sharbel Ewen, who presides over the abbey. He didnt complain. He said, Im ready to go home. I think thats pretty positive. He was just a gentle person, actually. He was easygoing, so compassionate with people if someone was irate about something, after they talked to him, they had settled down. Heuke was born Joseph Francis Heuke in 1938 in Louisville, Ky., the son of Charles (Carl) and Florence Hurst Heuke. He had seven siblings, all of whom survive him. He knew early on that he wanted the religious life, and began his novice training in 1958 at St. Meinrad Archabbey in southern Indiana. He took his first vows in 1959, receiving the religious name Blaise. In 1962, he took his solemn vows and became a Benedictine monk. While studying in Rome, Heuke began learning about beekeeping and was stung so severely on his first efforts that his whole body swelled up. But after that experience, he had no problem with bee stings and seemed to be immune to allergic reactions to them. His expertise eventually led him to be called whenever people had swarms landing on their property, or especially, when they had hives that needed tending or relocating. The bees also provided honey that was used at the abbey and sold in the gift shop. For 30 years, he also taught Bible classes for children at Camp Pendleton bee-ology, as he called it. I used the bees as a way to explain how Christ came down to give his life and imbue the church with his spirit, Hueke said in a 2015 interview with the San Diego Union Tribune. I think its a really beautiful message. At the abbey, he was not only a beekeeper but the main plumber and handyman, skills he had acquired at St. Meinrads. Any problem, he could fix, said Ewen. He was very knowledgeable, and he loved to work. Will Jones has volunteered at the abbey for four years and lived there for two, helping Heuke with the hives. The first time I met him, he invited me to go get a swarm with him, recalled Jones, 73. I thought I was going to be an observer, but instead I got stung. Not only does it hurt, but it itches afterward! But we started talking right away and became friends. Their bond was so strong that it was Jones who nursed Heuke when the brother became ill. I elected to be his caregiver, Jones said. Thats what I did that (last) year and a half. He was just an all-around guy. He could do anything. I could barely believe that such a man was so full of love and joy and happiness. Brother Peter Khoa has been designated as the abbeys beekeeper, said Jones, but he will still work with the hives. Im just happy that were continuing on with it, he said. Jones admired Heuke and everything he did at the abbey. His faith was so strong. He gave everything he had for living a life as a monk. He was living his dream. He was a little guy with a big heart and was a good friend to his brothers and to the community. And a friend to the bees, though they may not always have realized it. About 13 years ago, said Jones, a huge die-off nearly put an end to all the beekeeping. Heuke theorized that cellular signals from two newly installed towers had disoriented and disturbed the bees, hastening the hives collapse. He scouted the property until he found a place where cellphone reception was poor, and moved the remaining hives there, where they began again to thrive. An infusion of nutritious syrup donated by another beekeeper is also helping keep them healthy. And I can tell you that the last time we went out to visit the hives, Brother Blaise got stung, said Jones. laura.groch@sduniontribune.com Dennis Potts knew a lot about computers and cell phones, but it may have been his technological savvy that led to his undoing, a San Diego judge said yesterday before sentencing the double murderer to life in prison. The 25-year-old Bonita man was linked to the 2006 deaths of his infant son and the babys mother through text messages, computer searches and information from cell phone towers. Superior Court Judge Bernard Revak said yesterday that Potts was skilled with electronics, but it wasnt enough to fool investigators. Borrowing a line from Shakespeares Hamlet, Mr. Potts was hoist with his own petard, Revak said. He was injured by his own devices he had used to injure others, specifically his computer and his telephone. Beforesentencing Potts to two consecutive terms of life without parole, Revak said he imagined the infants last moments, staring up from his playpen and possibly recognizing his fathers face. (It) raises the hair on the back of my neck, Revak said. I can only ask of Mr. Potts, What were you thinking? Neither Potts nor his family members made statements to the judge in court. Potts was convicted in September of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice, stemming from the deaths of Tori Vienneau, 22, and her 10-month-old son, Dean. The bodies were found July 26, 2006, in a San Diego apartment where the mother and childwere staying. Vienneaus family members and friends clapped loudly in court yesterday after the judge ordered the prison sentence. Moments earlier, her parents had tried to describe the emotional pain they had endured since the murders. Her mother, Dayna Herroz, said grief caused her and her husband, Roy, to lose their jobs and their home. Herroz said she now takes medication to help her function throughout the day and sleep at night. We not only lost Tori and Dean, we lost everything we worked our entire lives for, Herroz said, her body trembling as she spoke. During the trial, prosecutors said Potts killed Vienneau and the baby to protect his lifestyle and avoid paying child support. At the time of the murders, he had not told his parents or fiancee he had a son. Dean was what? An inconvenience? A secret to be kept? Deputy District Attorney Per Hellstrom said yesterday. The prosecutor said Potts manipulated the results of a mail-in paternity test by substituting a friends DNA for his own. When the tests showed incorrectly that Potts was not the babys father, Vienneau decided she wanted a court-ordered test. Potts and Vienneau had plans to go out to dinner and talk the night of the killings, the prosecutor said. Her body was foundin the living room of the South 45th Street apartment, the cord of a hair-straightening iron wrapped around her neck. The baby was found in a nearby bedroom, hanging from the cord of a cell phone charger. Later, investigators recovered text messages from Potts on Vienneaus cell phone. Prosecutors said Potts deleted the messages to distance himself from the crimes. Authorities also learned that in the weeks before the killings, Potts conducted several Internet searches on his computer on topics including getting away with murder and getting out of child support. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, April 6. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has addressed the population regarding the severe flood disaster, Trend reports, referring to the president's statement published on Akorda. "I am addressing you regarding the challenging situation following the spring floods triggered by heavy snowmelt. We are facing a natural disaster of unprecedented magnitude, possibly the most severe in over 80 years. As a result of these floods, emergency regimes have been declared in ten regions of the country: Abay, Akmola, Aktobe, Atyrau, West Kazakhstan, Karaganda, Kostanay, Pavlodar, North Kazakhstan, and Ulytau. In response to my directives and criticisms, the government has intensified its efforts to mitigate the consequences of the flooding. A Republican headquarters, led by the Prime Minister, has been established. Government officials, including the Prime Minister, his deputies, and the Minister for Emergency Situations, are visiting the affected regions. I personally oversee all rescue operations on the ground. The Ministry of Emergency Situations, along with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Guard, the Armed Forces, and the National Security Committee, has mobilized all available resources to combat this disaster. Regional authorities are working tirelessly, supported by tens of thousands of volunteers. While the situation is challenging, we must remain steadfast and resolute. Our primary focus is on preventing the loss of life. To those affected by the floods, I assure you that the state will provide financial and other necessary assistance to compensate for your losses. We must learn from this catastrophe. The government and local authorities must continue to coordinate effectively in flood control efforts. Law and order must be maintained in affected areas. Additional military units will be deployed to assist in the response. The government will disperse state reserves and promptly develop a mechanism for compensating damages, ensuring transparent and fair distribution. Deputy prime ministers will be dispatched to regions with ongoing flood situations to oversee governmental efforts until normalcy is restored. The information headquarters will provide continuous updates to keep citizens informed. I urge the media, opinion leaders, and bloggers to verify information before dissemination, as spreading panic is counterproductive. In times like these, unity and solidarity are paramount. I extend my gratitude to all involved in the rescue operations. Together, we will overcome this disaster," the statement reads. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Aureia rerehua had unique teeth which might have formed a cage around small fish; these teeth, along with a weak vertex, flexible neck, and the smallest size among its relatives would make it a capable hunter in shallow waters, according to a team of paleontologists from the University of Otago. The newly-described species of dolphin lived in the Oligocene-period seas, approximately 22 million years ago. Dubbed Aureia rerehua, the species was around 2 m (6.6 feet) in length and very likely echolocated. It had a weak skull, flexible neck and unique lateral tooth orientation, suggesting it scanned shallow waters to capture small prey in a basket of teeth. It had widely splayed teeth which are thought to have clasped around fish, like a wide basket, which is unusual because other ancient dolphins in the area usually used their teeth to strike prey, said University of Otago paleontologist Shane Meekin. When looking at the teeth of dolphins, its natural to think the large teeth at the front and center of the mouth would be the main tools for catching prey, stabbing or slashing unfortunate fish. This is how related dolphins did appear to hunt, but Aureia rerehua looks to have taken a totally different approach, using these teeth in a more delicate manner. The fossils of Aureia rerehua skull, teeth, ear bones, mandibles, vertebrae, and ribs were found in a quarry in the Hakataramea Valley, New Zealand. From 22 to 27 million years ago, New Zealand sank, leaving between 1% exposure above sea-level and total submergence, during which marine life thrived, the paleontologists said. The deposits from that time represent many of the cetaceans present in the collections of the University of Otago Geology Museum. One such is Aureia rerehua which was collected from a Limestone Quarry in Hakataramea Valley, South Canterbury, known as Haughs Quarry. The discovery of Aureia rerehua shows there were many fossil dolphins in one small area, which varied greatly in form. This shows that seemingly similar animals can coexist if they explore different ecological niches, Meekin said. It also further indicates that early prehistoric dolphins used many different feeding strategies to explore different niches, which is why so many different types of extinct dolphins have been retrieved from fossil localities such as Hakataramea valley. The findings were published on February 21, 2024 in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. _____ Shane Meekin et al. Aureia rerehua, a new platanistoid dolphin from the Oligocene of New Zealand with a unique feeding method. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, published online February 21, 2024; doi: 10.1080/03036758.2024.2314505 BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, April 6. Kyrgyzstan has sent humanitarian aid to Kazakhstan, Trend reports. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kyrgyzstan, 300 tons of humanitarian aid have been sent to aid those affected by the floods in Kazakhstan. The aid includes essentials such as sunflower oil, sugar, rice, pasta, and confectionery items, as well as locally produced mattresses, clothing, and tents. Previously, Kazakh authorities had reported significant material damage caused by the spring floods across the country. Approximately 16,000 people, including over 6,000 children, have been evacuated from flood-affected areas, while more than 4,000 people, including about 2,000 children, are currently residing in temporary shelters. In a significant diplomatic move, Australia's High Commissioner to India, Philip Green, engaged in extensive discussions with Gautam Adani, the Founder and Chairman of the Adani Group. The meeting, which took place, delved into various aspects of collaboration between Australia and the Adani Group, spanning existing investments and future prospects across multiple sectors. Green took to social media to share insights from the meeting, describing it as an 'extended meeting' that encompassed a broad spectrum of topics. The discussions primarily revolved around the Adani Group's ongoing investments in Australia, particularly focusing on sectors such as renewable energy, critical minerals, and rooftop solar initiatives. Highlighting the existing investments, Green acknowledged Adani Australia's operational stronghold at the Abbot Point Terminal. The terminal, boasting a legacy of over 35 years, has been responsibly exporting Queensland coal, underscoring its significance in Australia's export landscape. With its modern infrastructure and high throughput capacity of up to 50 million tonnes per annum, the port stands as a crucial hub facilitating trade. Adani Group's commitment to sustainable energy solutions. Generating 65MW of renewable energy, the solar farm caters to the power needs of approximately 23,000 Queensland homes, showcasing a tangible shift towards cleaner energy alternatives. Furthermore, the dialogue touched upon Adani Renewables Australia's pioneering efforts in the renewable energy sector. The inauguration of the Rugby Run solar farm in October 2019 stands as a testament to thecommitment to sustainable energy solutions. Generating 65MW of renewable energy, the solar farm caters to the power needs of approximately 23,000 Queensland homes, showcasing a tangible shift towards cleaner energy alternatives. Additionally, discussions extended to Adani Mining Private Ltd's flagship venture, the Carmichael mine and rail project. Operating out of regional Queensland, this thermal coal project aims to facilitate coal transportation from the Galilee Basin to various Asian countries, including India. Notably, the project holds the promise of generating thousands of job opportunities for Queenslanders, thereby contributing significantly to the regional economy. The meeting between Green and Adani underscores the growing bilateral cooperation between Australia and India, particularly in vital sectors like energy and mining. As both nations pivot towards sustainable development goals, such engagements pave the way for mutually beneficial collaborations, fostering economic growth and environmental stewardship. DEAR ABBY: Five years ago, I was diagnosed with GAD (generalized anxiety disorder). It manifests itself with sudden outbursts of anger when Im stressed, which is often. I have three sisters, two of whom are bossy and try to take over and control every little thing. I have always had a difficult relationship with one of them. When she stresses me out, I tend to blow up at her easily. The other day, we were in a stressful situation, and I blew up at her. I later apologized and explained about my anxiety. She replied that it wasnt my anxiety but that I want to be the boss and dont want to accept her help with anything. She then proceeded to order me to do certain things the way she wanted them done. I want to cut ties with her because of how she affects my mental health and sanity. But, after all, shes my sister, and there are situations in which I will have to be around her. Please advise. ANXIETY-RIDDEN IN WEST VIRGINIA DEAR ANXIETY-RIDDEN: You arent going to change your sister. Her compulsion to control is ingrained in her. Avoid her as much as possible. However, if there are situations in which you cant do that, be polite and keep some distance. Do not argue with her, and remember: Just because someone tells you to do something does not mean you have to do it. Having been diagnosed with GAD, I hope you realize there are treatments for it -- medication and talk therapy. If your condition affects your other relationships, consider talking about it with the medical professional who gave you that diagnosis. ** ** ** Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. ** ** ** What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in What Every Teen Should Know. Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Friday was like a rollercoaster for some New York City and New Jersey residents who felt a series of aftershocks after a 4.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the Northeast. Said to be the areas most significant earthquake in 140 years, the quake, which originated in New Jersey, roughly 45 miles west of Manhattan, rattled the city at about 10:25 a.m. Friday, 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. While U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data says there have been a total of 31 aftershocks throughout the region as of Saturday morning, the strongest felt across Staten Island registered at a magnitude of 4.0 just before 6 p.m. on Friday. NYC officials sent an alert at 7:10 p.m Friday bracing New Yorkers for the possibility of more earthquake aftershocks. Many Staten Islanders reported the strong Friday evening aftershock felt just as intense as the initial earthquake. My house doesnt rattle too bad thank god, but it felt so weird, said Allyson Rowland of New Springville. Almost like standing on top of a subway grate. I heard the rumble start. So weird. Said a Huguenot resident: We felt an aftershock that was similar to what we felt this morning during the quake. Everything in my dishwasher was shaking. We thought it was another full blown earthquake. MORE AFTERSHOCKS POSSIBLE The USGS reported on its website that there is a chance for at least one aftershock stemming from Friday mornings earthquake within the next week, with a 16% chance of an event measuring at a magnitude between 4 and 5. Throughout the day Friday, the NYC alert system issued warnings of aftershocks, some advising residents to stay indoors. The USGS has a number of interactive maps on its website, earthquake.usgs.gov, where residents can track aftershocks and pinpoint the exact location of each. For full coverage of how the earthquake impacted Staten Island, read more here: silive.com/topic/ny-earthquake. FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and X Editors note: This story is part of a series of stories exploring New Yorks controversial proposed Medical Aid in Dying Act. At stake is how the law defines what is permissible as people face heart-wrenching decisions about how to spend their final days. Are you a Staten Islander who supports or opposes medical aid in dying? Email this reporter at llovallo@siadvance.com. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. For close to a decade, a growing blend of New York residents and lawmakers have pushed to make medical aid in dying also known as M.A.i.D legal in the state. First introduced in the New York State Senate by former Staten Island Sen. Diane Savino, a Democrat, the Medical Aid in Dying Act has failed to advance in every two-year legislative session since 2015. As a result, countless New Yorkers have died in agony from their terminal illnesses, including 24-year-old Manhattan resident Ayla Eilert. She was diagnosed with sarcoma of the tongue, and died less than seven months later. Throughout her excruciating battle with a relentless cancer one that would eventually express tumors through her neck, and waste away her body until it was a skeletal 80 pounds Eilert repeatedly begged for relief by way of medical aid in dying, according to her parents. Heres what New Yorks proposed Medical Aid in Dying act entails. WHAT IS NEW YORKS MEDICAL AID IN DYING ACT? The Medical Aid in Dying Act, which counts Staten Island state Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton as its co-prime sponsor, would allow mentally competent, terminally ill patients over the age of 18 the choice of self-administering prescribed life-ending medication. WHO COULD USE M.A.i.D ONCE ITS LEGAL? Only those with medically confirmed terminal illnesses and conditions who have fewer than six months to live would be able to request medical aid in dying. A person wouldnt qualify solely because of age or disability, and there is no list of qualifying medical conditions. Additionally, the person requesting M.A.i.D must be deemed to have the mental capacity to make an informed decision about taking life-ending medication; and the person must be able to self-administer the medication, without aid. The bills language is specific to note medication must be ingested; lethal injection and lethal infusion are not allowed under the proposed law. This means those in comas or vegetative states, and those in the late stages of Alzheimers, for example, would not qualify for M.A.i.D. If its determined at any point in the process that the individual who is requesting the medication under M.A.i.D. does not have the mental capacity to make an informed decision, has impaired judgment, or is being coerced to ask for the medication, doctors are required to refrain from writing the prescription. CAN SOMEONE ELSE REQUEST M.A.I.D FOR A LOVED ONE? Short answer: No. Under New Yorks proposed legislation, only the terminally ill person seeking to end their life under M.A.i.D. can request the prescription; health proxies, surrogates, family members and others cannot make the request on an individuals behalf. DO DOCTORS HAVE TO PARTICIPATE IN M.A.i.D Health care providers who dont wish to participate in the M.A.i.D. process can opt out without fear of retribution. No doctor has to prescribe [the medication], said Corinne Carey, senior campaign director for pro-M.A.i.D. group Compassion & Choices in New York and New Jersey. No facility has to allow it on their premises, no pharmacist has to fill a prescription. Its an entirely voluntary process, which ensures that everyone can make their own choice in the end. Medical professionals who act in good faith in accordance with the provisions of the bill would be afforded protections from civil and criminal liability, as well as professional disciplinary action. IF M.A.i.D IS REQUESTED, DOES THE PERSON HAVE TO TAKE IT? No, a person who requests, and receives, life-ending medication will not be forced to take it. IS M.A.i.D LEGAL IN OTHER STATES? M.A.i.D is legal in Oregon, Washington, Vermont, California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Jersey, Maine, New Mexico and Washington, D.C. Montana also permits physician-assisted death per a 2009 state Supreme Court ruling, although there is no official law on the books. Legislation introduced in eight other states over the years Alaska, Connecticut, Arizona, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Nevada has failed to advance. Per a 1997 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, there is no constitutional right to aid in dying, and states may therefore prohibit it. WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD IS M.A.i.D LEGAL? Medical aid in dying occasionally referred to as physician-assisted death is legal under certain circumstances in 10 countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. While courts in Colombia, Germany and Italy have legalized aid in dying, those countries governments have not legislated it. IS M.A.i.D CONSIDERED SUICIDE? The proposed New York legislation is clear to distinguish that the death of a person who employs M.A.i.D. would not be deemed suicide, or constitute as suicide, assisted suicide, or homicide, among other designations. Additionally, the cause of death on death certificates would be listed as underlying terminal illness or underlying terminal condition. WHO SUPPORTS M.A.i.D? According to a recent 2024 poll released by research group YouGov which was commissioned by M.A.i.D. proponent Death With Dignity 72% to 73% of New Yorkers statewide support medical aid in dying. A Sienna College poll from November 2023 put New Yorkers support closer to 60%. The proposed legislation has gained the endorsements of several large groups, such as the New York State Bar Association, the New York State Public Health Association and the New York Civil Liberties Union. WHO IS AGAINST M.A.i.D? Namely, some religious institutions, right-to-life groups and disabilities rights groups. A memorandum of opposition released by the New York State Catholic Conference in February reaffirmed the churchs stance against M.A.i.D., and claimed those most at risk of being taken advantage of and discarded by the health system will be endangered further should the legislation pass. The New York Association on Independent Living, too, has repeatedly voiced its opposition. The nonprofit, which promotes the independent living and rights of New Yorkers with disabilities, is concerned about the possibility for coercion and abuse of the law. WHAT DO STATEN ISLANDS ELECTED OFFICIALS ON THE STATE LEVEL THINK? Its unclear how Scarcella-Spantons political peers from Staten Island would vote for the legislation in Albany, and whether Gov. Kathy Hochul would actually sign the bill should it come across her desk. Mid-Island Assemblymember Sam Pirozzolo, a Republican, previously admitted to the Advance/SILive.com he was torn on whether to support medical aid in dying in New York. Its a complicated subject, said Pirozzolo. ... Its something that I think about fairly often, and I havent come to a conclusion. Previous requests for comment submitted to Democrats Hochul and Assemblymember Charles Fall, and state Sen. Andrew Lanza, Assemblymember Mike Reilly, and Assemblymember Michael Tannousis, all Republicans, were not returned. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. An aftershock earthquake was felt in New York City just before 6 p.m. Friday, according to the citys Notify NYC alert system. Residents are advised to remain indoors and to call 911 if injured, according to Notify NYC. 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 The Advance/SILive.com received reports of the aftershock from Dongan Hills, Oakwood, Midland Beach, New Springville and Charleston. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), preliminary information indicates a 4.0 magnitude earthquake originated in Gladstone, N.J. Notable quake, preliminary info: M 4.0 - 7 km SW of Gladstone, New Jersey https://t.co/0tzbU76PGe USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) April 5, 2024 In a follow-up post, USGS classified the 4.0 quake as an aftershock of the earthquake felt early on Friday Gov. Kathy Hochul posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, acknowledging the Gladstone earthquake and noting that the administration continues to review critical infrastructure. A 4.0 magnitude aftershock from this mornings earthquake in New Jersey just occurred. We are continuing to review critical infrastructure and there are no reports of significant damage at this time. Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) April 5, 2024 This follows on the heels of a 4.8 magnitude earthquake Friday morning and a series of smaller aftershocks throughout the afternoon. Smaller aftershocks have been felt in New Jersey and the New York state region throughout the day. Following the 4.0 quake, Notify NYC warned that further aftershocks may be felt, but New Yorkers may proceed with usual activities. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Rain and lightning and earthquakes, oh my! Its no secret that recent weather has been nothing short of eventful. With an eclipse still to come, some might ponder the possibility of some cataclysmic event on the horizon. However, according to meteorologists, the only unusual occurrence in the week ahead looks to be unseasonably warm temperatures. But after that brief break from wet weather, its right back to spring showers. SUNNY WEEKEND INTO A WARMUP The month of April kicked off on the cool end with a string of rainy days bringing 2 to 4 inches of rain across the region, as reported by AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys. Were supposed to be seeing highs in the mid to upper 50s, lows in the low 40s, Roys said. And for much of this past week, you got a high on Wednesday, a high of 45. Add whipping gusts up to 51 mph, as measured by the Advance/SILive.com weather station, and you get a rather unfavorable start to the month. Despite this initial chill, the days to come hold the promise of some more pleasant conditions. This weekend will see some sunshine move into the area, although Roys notes that temperatures will still remain below the historical average. Winds will shift from this weekend, which are going to be largely out [to] the north, to a more westerly wind, starting on Monday, Roys said. And thats going to allow temperatures to rebound to above the historical average. Those looking to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse on Monday can bank on some comfortable conditions, as Roys forecasts temperatures in the low to mid 60s. An AccuWeather graphic shows cloud coverage in New York the day of the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024. (Courtesy of AccuWeather)(Courtesy of AccuWeather) Then on Tuesday, temperatures elevate with a high into the low 70s, the low resting in the upper 40s, according to AccuWeather and the National Weather Service (NWS). RAIN IN THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEK The brief bounce-back will be fleeting as a rainy system begins to makes its way into the region towards midweek. The dry weather is not going to last, Roys said. Youre going to see a front come through, a cold front, on Wednesday, thats going to keep temperatures back - bring it back down to the mid-50s. Winds are going to be out of the east, so again, an ocean influence. On the heels of this cold front is a potent storm coming out of the Ohio Valley which will impact the East Coast beginning on Thursday, Roys says. An early outlook on the storm does not rule out rainfall amounts of 1-2 inches, however, Roys notes that there are too many determining factors at play to make any conclusive estimates. What Roys does foresee is a heavy round of rain Thursday into Friday following Thursdays initial rainfall. Once this system passes, Roys anticipates a decent weekend. This is how cancel culture ends. All it takes is one person. JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, has defied a hate speech law introduced by the Scottish government. The law, introduced on Monday, makes it an offence to stir up hatred based on disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or the fact of a person being intersex. Critics of the law believe the omission of biological sex means that women born female are not protected if their rights come into conflict with the claims of trans women. I look forward to being arrested . JK Rowlings challenge to Scotlands authorities. Credit: Getty Since Scotland introduced self-identification laws in 2022, rapists, who had committed their crimes as men, have used the law to identify as women and be transferred to womens prisons. One of these is Isla Bryson, who had raped two women and began identifying as a woman a year after being charged. Another is Tiffany Scott, who stalked a 13-year-old girl, before identifying as a woman after being caught. People who oppose the latest law believe its formulation will mean that it will be potentially criminal to publicly object to people such as Bryson and Scott being accommodated in female-only spaces, by virtue of their self-identification. Communities on the NSW south coast are bracing for flash flooding as the weather pattern that brought intense rainfall in some parts of Sydney moves south. Residents in parts of Sydney were told this morning to evacuate or prepare to leave as an overnight deluge broke rainfall records and the Warragamba Dam, which supplies Sydneys drinking water, spilt after reaching full capacity. The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for the South Coast just after 2pm, saying the deep trough would move south, bringing heavy rain and gusty showers and a few thunderstorms. Warragamba Dam has begun to spill. Credit: Nine News It is expected to become more widespread south of Batemans Bay including over the ranges and tablelands. When Tyrone and Lynne Townsend purchased a large block of vegetation-dense land in NSWs Upper Hunter region, they had no idea how environmentally significant it was. The pair, who live in Sydney, purchased the land in 2020 with plans to build a home as a retirement project, and were taken by the regions beauty. Its all bush and rainforest, and there are massive trees, like 11 metres wide. I thought, how bad would it be if it got cleared?, Tyrone said. The last thing you would want up there would be four-wheel drive tracks, dirt bikes, and empty beer bottles and ciggie butts it would just ruin the ambience. Eastern suburbs public schools with declining enrolments including Double Bay, Paddington and Vaucluse received more taxpayer funding per student than some schools in Penrith, Liverpool and Campbelltown. A Sun-Herald analysis of the financial data of a sample of 52 government primary schools across Sydney shows large disparities in funding, prompting NSW Education Minister Prue Cars office to flag improvements to how public school funding is distributed. Eastern suburbs primary schools have seen total enrolments shrink in recent years, as thousands of families across the state opt out of public education. Smaller schools are typically more expensive to run on a per-student basis due to fixed costs and do not benefit from economies of scale. Five former Brisbane lord mayors from opposing political parties back the Queensland governments decision not to build a $3.4 billion stadium in Victoria Park for the 2032 Olympics. Premier Steven Miles ruled out the recommendation last month for a new stadium in the parkland, instead opting for the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre at Nathan to host the Games track and field competition. The decision sparked a blaze of dissent and derision. Odd man out: Tim Quinn, Jim Soorley and (right) Campbell Newman oppose the suggestion by Graham Quirk (second from right) for a Victoria Park stadium. Credit: Samantha Horton Now the former mayors have united to call for an end to speculation and promotion of the stadium proposal. Campbell Newman, who served as LNP mayor from 2004 to 2011, said calls for a Victoria Park stadium were a body blow to the vision of the citizens of 1870s who had set aside the space for parkland. Police have charged a 16-year-old boy after another teen was allegedly stabbed outside a McDonalds north of Brisbane on Saturday, when several people were taken into police custody. The Deception Bay 16-year-old has been charged with one count of acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm, and is expected to appear at Redcliffe Childrens Court today. A teenager was allegedly stabbed outside a McDonalds at Deception Bay, north of Brisbane. Emergency services were called to reports of an alleged assault outside the McDonalds at Deception Bay about 9.40pm on Saturday. Paramedics said they treated a teenager in a serious condition, with wounds to his face, neck, and chest following an alleged stabbing. ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, April 6. Turkmenistan and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) discussed prospects for the development of inter-parliamentary cooperation, Trend reports. According to an official source, these issues were discussed during a meeting between Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Myakhri Byashimova and a delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly for Central Asia headed by Special Representative Farah Karimi. During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the state and prospects for further development of inter-parliamentary cooperation, which is an important component of interstate dialogue on a bilateral and multilateral basis, primarily within the framework of international organizations and structures. To note, the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE (OSCE PA) is an institution of the organization for security and cooperation in Europe. The primary task of the 323-member Assembly is to facilitate inter-parliamentary dialogue, an important aspect of the overall effort to meet the challenges of democracy throughout the OSCE area. On Thursday, about 27,000 people watched the online stream of the defamation trial brought by Bruce Lehrmann against Network Ten and its former star journalist, Lisa Wilkinson. Truth is stranger than fiction, and often more entertaining, although the objective truths of the Higgins/Lehrmann matter grow ever more obscure with each fresh piece of litigation. The defamation trial was dramatically reopened just days before a judgment on the matter was expected from Justice Michael Lee to hear evidence from former Channel Seven producer Taylor Auerbach. Artwork Kathleen Adele Credit: Its hard to imagine how the evidence could have been any more sordid. Auerbach told the court that Seven paid for prostitutes, dinners and even cocaine in an effort to secure an exclusive interview with Lehrmann. Seven put out a statement denying any corporate knowledge of the unusual expenses. Lehrmanns barrister attacked Auerbachs credibility and motivations. If youve lost the narrative thread, dont beat yourself up. Its hard to remember how any of it is relevant to the original defamation action, let alone the matter Lehrmann is suing over Higgins claim in a February 2021 television interview with Wilkinson that she was raped by a colleague in Parliament House. Three quarters of the Great Barrier Reef has been hit in a widespread coral bleaching sparked by a marine heatwave, with aerial survey results revealing a major bleaching event is unfolding all the way along the 2300 kilometre ecosystem. The world is now on the precipice of a global bleaching event, which is expected to be announced following these survey results. Coral bleaching on the southern Great Barrier Reef. Credit: Grumpy Turtle Designs / Australian Marine Conservation Society Global warming is an existential threat to all coral reefs, driving more frequent and intense marine heatwaves. Its alarming how extensive and severe this current coral bleaching event is, said Australian Marine Conservation Society reef campaign manager Lissa Schindler. Schrinner was seen back into the separately voted mayoral role with barely a change to his previous 6.3 per cent two-party preferred margin, with 48.6 per cent of first preference votes going his way. Labors Tracey Price had 26.3 per cent and the Greens Jonathan Sriranganathan had 19.5 per cent. The results will see the LNPs two-decade hold on City Hall reduced by one from the 2020 vote, to 18 of the 27 positions, with Labor unchanged on five, the Greens lifted to two, and independent Nicole Johnston also re-elected. While the electoral commission does not publish a council-wide breakdown of the vote by party, the ABC has estimated it at 46.9 per cent to the LNP (down 1 per cent), 26.9 per cent for Labor (down 5.9 per cent) and 23.3 per cent for the Greens (up 5.3 per cent). After a campaign that featured significant attention on the Greens chances, or upsetting of the old two-party dynamic, the party managed to push past Labors primary vote in three new wards (Hamilton, Enoggera and The Gap) to a total of nine. For the uninitiated, Crocs are a casual clog-like shoe made of foam. They were initially sold as a boating shoe, but have since become popular with young people all over the world because they are comfortable and can be customised with pins and badges. Purple Crocs are a far cry from the black robes, barrister wigs and silver-buckled shoes parliamentary officials were forced to wear until 2002. Under todays standing orders, business attire is still technically required, meaning T-shirts and casual shoes could breach parliamentary rules in either chamber. Ive obviously pushed the boundaries a little bit in what I wear, Purcell said last week. Politics doesnt have to be boring, or men wearing grey suits all saying the same thing. Judge us on the way we do our jobs, not just the way we dress. Fellow first-term MP Aiv Puglielli, from the Greens, also prefers to dress down to signal to younger voters that hes there to prosecute their key issues. He often appears in parliament without a collared shirt or tie, speaking in favour of rental freezes or a pill testing trial. How can we expect young people to have faith in politics when they dont see themselves represented? Puglielli asks. Upper house Liberal MP Nick McGowan tends not to wear a suit jacket in the chamber and was even spotted without a tie, albeit with a collared shirt on, during the final sitting week before the autumn break. McGowan says he eschews jackets because hes more of a tracksuit pants and T-shirt kinda guy in the real world. But I know that [parliamentary outfit] would impress no one on this earth, he said. The Liberal MP was quick to add, though, that he has no problem with colleagues dressing down a little: It bodes well for all of parliament when we have people who reflect their backgrounds and constituents. Not everyone in parliament takes such a relaxed view. One upper house MP from the government benches, who declined to be named, said: There should be a standard. You want to portray to people youre doing serious work making laws. Loading This might be why two of Labors most colourfully dressed MPs Lee Tarlamis and Sonja Terpstra have a habit of dressing creatively but havent done away with blazers. Terpstra has been spotted wearing cowgirl boots and white runners in the chamber, while Tarlamis has bright orange and purple suits among his collection, all made by his wife. Both MPs declined to comment for this article. Asked why he hadnt enforced a stricter dress code, Legislative Council president Shaun Leane said it was because, in his view, a relaxed environment created a better atmosphere for MPs to do their job. If someones advocating for a new school or an improvement to a hospital, those stakeholders that are invested in that, I dont think theyre too fussed on what type of shoe wear that particular advocate is wearing, Leane said. However, MPs in the upper house arent the only ones raising eyebrows inside parliaments hallowed halls. The Sunday Age spoke to two Coalition MPs who said they were aware of a woman in their ranks who had received an internal complaint relating to her fashion choices. The MPs, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, believed the complaint an internal caucus matter and not dealt with by the Speakers office related to the wearing of a sleeveless dress in the chamber. But a spokesperson for Legislative Assembly speaker Maree Edwards said there were no specific rules around womens clothing and that sleeveless dresses were fine, particularly on hot days. The standard of dress in the chamber is a matter for the individual judgment of each member, although ultimate discretion rests with the Speaker. It is a custom for members to wear business attire in the chamber. Verheijen said just one investor fronted up to the auction as first home buyers continued to dominate the entry-level market. I, personally, think this is because there are some good salaries out there and kids are staying at home longer so they can put more away, she said. The Newtown home used to be an investment property. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos And for first home buyers who can afford it, were starting to see more using buyers agents, too, because its getting harder, and they keep missing out. The Newtown home was previously an investment property that last transacted eight years ago. Verheijen said it was the homes location, light and potential that sparked the result. In Leichhardt, the lure of daily croissants and coffee from a nearby hot new bakery helped a three-bedroom, two-bathroom Federation classic at 119 Moore Street not only fetch a reserve-smashing $2.33 million but make its vendors an almost $1 million profit. Selling agent Alex Mastoris, of CobdenHayson Annandale, said that, despite the home being originally marketed with a price guide of $1.8 million, sheer buyer interest fuelled by the opening of nearby Son of a Baker allowed them to raise the guide just days out from the event with feedback indicating the home would fetch $2.1 million. He said the homes cracking location near parks and shops also spurred the interest. We told the sellers it should crack the $2 million so we set the reserve at $2.2 million. We had seven registered bidders and five were active and they were a real mix of first home buyers, downsizers and upsizers, Mastoris said. I think thats because it presented exceptionally well and location wise you were [in] walking distance to everything including the bakery that just opened up that in itself generated a bit of a buzz. Loading Mastoris said bidding opened at $1.8 million from a woman looking to downsize and rose in $25,000 increments until it slowly hit the $2.2 million mark. It then came down to two bidders; one was a first home buyer and the other an upsizer and it was slowly competitive until the upsizer got it. Theyre expecting a baby in the next few weeks, and they just managed to muscle out the first home buyer by $10,000, he said. I actually sold the home to the vendors in 2019 for $1.76 million and it was right before the boom, so they were really stoked thats good money. Over at 123 Reservoir Street in Surry Hills, a three-level converted warehouse sold for almost half a million dollars over the reserve after a pair of upsizers from Wollongong muscled out a Chinese investor to seal the deal. The pair paid $3.445 million for the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home, which last sold in 2018 for $2.7 million. Selling agent Charles Touma, of Ray White Touma Group, said that, despite an attempted low-ball bid of $2.5 million, bidding officially kicked off at $3 million and quickly sailed past the reserve, which he would only say was just over $3 million. While six registered bidders fronted up to the 9am auction, he said five were active and it was mainly between the underbidder and the buyer, who answered every offer with an aggressive counter. One bidder would throw down a $25,000 but then the eventual buyers would offer up $75,000 on top that. But when we reached $3.3 million, it was in dribs and drabs, Touma said. I also had a guy from Melbourne bidding on the phone who was looking to buy for his kids, a couple from Balmain and another investor this one was highly sought [after] and it had a great mix of buyers thanks to the industrial warehouse vibe. Loading It had high ceilings and exposed brick and exposed piping and also development potential. Touma said some buyers were beginning to pull back despite a strong start to the year. Across at 49 Ross Street, in Epping, a four-bedroom, two-bathroom classic brick home sold for $2.768,000 in post-auction negotiations after two bidders battled it out until the home was passed in at $2.6 million. A local family was then able to secure the home, paying just over the $2.75 million reserve. It was actually very sweet as they had come from a townhouse and they had their little girl there who was just so excited to get a house and told us, I can now have sleepovers, selling agent Catherine Murphy, of The Agency North, said. She said it was the buyers who kicked off bidding at $2.4 million, with $50,000 increments offered between them and the underbidders another family until it stalled at $2.6 million. Both parties had been looking for months, Murphy said, with the home attracting strong buyer interest thanks to its location in one of Eppings most sought-after school catchments. Specialty coffee house Okkio Le Loi is renowned for its egg coffee. Credit: Katherine Scott When you try egg coffee, you will see it clearly; North and South Vietnam, says 35-year-old Quynh Tran, founder and host of Vietnam Coffee Journey: What Locals Drink, a coffee masterclass based out of his private coffee lab on the buildings ninth floor. The man knows his beans, having previously run The Workshop, one of the citys leading specialty coffee venues. Egg coffee, invented in the former French-occupied North, soared to prominence internationally amid pandemic TikTok mania; its devotees seduced by its creamy texture and fetching look. For the poorer working class in the South, the better-known ca phe sua da (iced coffee with condensed milk) was the original energy drink. Why did it become the icon of coffee in Vietnam? Quynh asks, before answering himself. South Vietnam lost the war; those who fled took their coffee to the world. Our coffee-curious band of four are huddled around a table on Quynhs enclosed (but air-conditioned) balcony sipping icy coconut coffees a heavenly blend of drip coffee, condensed milk, coconut cream and ice, though some variations use coconut sorbet (a revelation). Views from the balcony stretch across the promenade, trailing up to the ornate peach-hued Paul Gardes-designed City Hall building, a reminder of its French colonial past. The city, like its coffee, wears its chequered history on its sleeve. Vietnams coffee evolution traces a turbulent timeline: the arrival of French colonies in the 1900s sprouting the first bean plantations; the introduction of condensed milk in the South by way of American soldiers; the Communist Partys cessation of Western trade in 1975, causing annual coffee production to plummet 80,000 metric tons to 18,000, almost overnight. The industrys decline continued until the 1986 Doi Moi economic reforms, which saw the nation switch gears again. At that time there was coffee fever if you wanted money, you moved to the highlands and produced coffee, says Quynh, as we sip some pre-prepared cold brew, which I tactically vow not to finish, despite its agreeably delicate flavour. Phin drip coffee requires patience. Credit: iStock Quynh continues, explaining how it was little surprise farmers preferred the resilient and higher yield robusta coffee plants to the fussy (but higher quality) arabica. Within five years, Vietnam was the worlds third-biggest coffee exporter. Today, its second, behind Brazil, which produces about 70 per cent of the worlds arabica supply. Vietnams coffee obsession has reached new heights domestically, too; demand for its novelty offshoots salt coffee, yoghurt coffee, egg coffee, smoothie coffee is huge, and adds to a burgeoning third-wave movement of pour overs, Chemex, syphon, Aeropress and cold drip. At this point, Quynh slides a traditional metal drip filter (phin) in front of each of us. Theres a lazy way of making drip coffee and the Vietnamese way; he shows us both. The latter involves pouring just enough boiling water in the chamber to soak the grounds, leaving the granules to bloom over several minutes before adding the remaining water and letting the drip mechanism to do its thing. Its an exercise in patience, but the payoff is astonishing skip this step and you get a whiplashingly bitter brew. Its an approach both North and South can agree on, at least. In fact, Hanoians even have a slogan that roughly translates to in Hanoi, dont hurry. This ethos certainly applied when Nguyen Van Giang, a barista at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, invented egg coffee in 1946. He wanted to share this posh French style of coffee with his community and, in the face of a milk shortage, he whisked in egg yolk as a substitute to achieve the same creamy consistency. We give it a go; brown sugar, Himalayan pink salt and egg yolks go into steel cocktail shaker. Using a hand mixer with one beater, we whisk the ingredients, while dipping the shaker in a scalding pot of water. The heat pasteurises the egg as it whips into a rich, velvety yellow foam. It takes around three minutes to get the desired consistency, before we assemble and give it a final dusting of chocolate powder. Its thick, creamy and not too eggy. Sky-high buzz: Blank Sky Lounge on level 75-76 of the Landmark 81 high-rise. Quynhs demonstration concludes on a lighter note, with coffee tea made with by-products of the extraction process; dried cherry skins and pulp, called cascara. This brew is light, wonderfully fruity and, crucially, much lower in caffeine. Later that evening, still buzzing, I venture to Ho Chi Minh Citys tallest skyscraper the 461-metre-high Landmark 81, also home to the citys highest terrace bar, Blank Sky Lounge. Ive no idea why its called that drinks take cues from the countrys rich heritage. Its unsurprising to find coffee cocktails stand out among the signatures. The Phin-tini, inspired by Ho Chi Minh Citys coffee culture. Credit: Katherine Scott My eyes are drawn to a familiar contraption on the bar; a trendy grey, matte phin drips a red-tinged liquid over a rocks glass with an orange wedge. I take a sip; the Phin-tini is an intoxicating wash of coffee, Aperol, gin, orange and menthe-pastille (clear mint liqueur). Is that dizzying feeling the caffeine, sugar, or startling views from the 75th-floor glass-hemmed terrace? The sun sinks further, and the gritty metropolis below sparkles to life in gentle waves. When I return to the bar, its the egg coffee martini topped with a singed brulee egg cream that calls to me. But my heart quickens at the mere thought; yep, Ive hit my limit. THE DETAILS Fly Jetstar flies between Ho Chi Minh City and Melbourne four times a week, and Sydney three times a week. Its the only Australian carrier operating direct flights between Australia and Vietnam. See jetstar.com.au Tour Vietnam Coffee Journey What Locals Drink runs for 2.5 hours and includes five coffee-based drinks from $36. Bookings through Airbnb Experiences. See airbnb.com.au Half-Day Local Breakfast Tour in Ho Chi Minh (by Saigon Happy Tour) takes guests on a motorbike food tour to sample 7-8 classic breakfast dishes and traditional coffee, including Ho Chi Minh Citys oldest coffee business in Phung Hung Market. Bookings through Expedia Activities. From $59 a person. See expedia.com.au Stay Silverland Yen Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City is centrally located in District 1. Rooms from $183 a night, including Wi-Fi and select minibar items. See silverlandhotels.com Six spots in Ho Chi Minh City for a coffee fix NEW WAVE The Workshop Coffee Saigons specialty coffee mecca The Workshop Coffee. Credit: Katherine Scott V60 pour overs and Chemex filters? Seemingly more Melbourne than Ho Chi Minh City, this industrial cafe is a stickler for specialty brews and artisanal beans. Grab your morning pick-me-up to go, or linger over a bowl of pasta. 27 Ngo Duc Ke, Ben Nghe, District 1. Phone: +84 28 3824 6801. See facebook.com/the.workshop.coffee Okkio Caffe, Le Loi This roaster and cafe chain is renowned for its egg coffees, but youll find all types of traditional and new-wave brews within the stylish, heritage open-bricked walls of its original Le Loi site. Follow the beautiful red spiral staircase to the top where a staggering drinks list awaits; cold brews, taro lattes, matcha coffees theyve got it all. 120 - 122 D. Le Loi, Ward Ben Thanh, District 1. Phone: +84 848 011 118. See okkiocaffe.com Hummingbird Cafe and Roastery Tucked off a major traffic artery Vo Thi Sau Street, this swish contemporary cafe with indoor and outdoor seating is an oasis of calm away from the blare of motorbikes. Unwind with a cold brew (beans are roasted onsite), and just try to resist that Earl Grey butter cake with orange jam and yuzu sorbet. 103BIS D. Vo Thi Sau, Ward 6, District 3. See thehummingbirdsaigon.com TRADITIONAL Ca Phe Do Phu (secret weapons bunker) Ca Phe Do Phu: Coffee in a former Viet Cong secret weapons bunker. Credit: Katherine Scott Part cafe, part living museum, Ca Phe Do Phu is easily one of Saigons most fascinating spots for a cuppa its walls and floors hide a former secret Viet Cong war bunker, which once stored two tonnes of weaponry eventually used in the famous 1968 Tet Offensive (the vintage Citroen used to smuggle the weapons remains on display at the front). Buy a coffee to explore the museum and bunker for free. 70 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Phuong 5, Quan 3. Ca Phe Vot, Phan Dinh Phung Hemmed in by motorbikes and customers (always a good sign), this well-priced and locally adored bolthole is where Saigonese go for their caffeine fix. Tucked down an alley on Phan Dinh Phun Street, you wont find too many tourists at this third-generation cafe, so named for the fabric vot (fish) net used to make the traditional filter coffee. 330/2 Phan Dinh Phung, Phuong 1, Phu Nhuan. Former Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop says she is deeply honoured to have been named by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as his special envoy on Myanmar. Bishop, who is currently Australian National University chancellor, will take up the post left vacant by the departure of Singaporean diplomat Noeleen Heyzer last June. Former foreign minister Julie Bishop last year. Credit: AAP I am deeply honoured to be appointed Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations on Myanmar to help deliver on the mandate of the General Assembly and the Security Council Resolution of December 2022, she said in a statement on Saturday. Announcing the role, the UN noted one-time deputy Liberals leader had extensive policy, legal and senior management experience. Washington: US President Joe Biden has written 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, a day after he 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 Bidens national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, would 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-Sissi and Qatars ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, come as Biden has deployed CIA Director William Burns to Cairo for talks this weekend about the hostage crisis. Anti-Zionist Orthodox Jewish children shout at pro-Israel supporters at a march on Al Quds Day on April 5. The day is celebrated worldwide on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan to show support for the Palestinians. Credit: Getty Images David Barnea, the head of Mossad, Israels spy agency, and negotiators from Egypt and Qatar are expected to attend. The Hamas side of the talks is indirect, with proposals relayed through third parties to Hamas leaders sheltering in tunnels beneath Gaza. Iran pays homage to Guards killed in Syria strike, vows revenge Tehran, April 5 (AFP) Apr 05, 2024 Thousands of people chanted against Israel and the United States at Friday's funeral 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." Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said Israel "will be punished" for the killings. Israel said Thursday it was strengthening its defences 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. burs/kir/hkb/gv/rox Iraq tightens grip on autonomous Kurdish region Baghdad, April 6 (AFP) Apr 06, 2024 Iraq is using a period of relative stability to assert more control over the oil-rich autonomous Kurdistan region that has long had fraught relations with federal authorities, analysts and politicians say. Long-simmering disputes between Baghdad and Arbil, the capital of the northern region, came to a head recently after several Supreme Court rulings seen by the Kurds as an attempt to weaken the region's autonomy. Regional prime minister Masrour Barzani warned last week of "conspiracies aimed at undermining and dismantling the Kurdistan region" with "internal support within Kurdistan". The pressure is aimed at Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) which has been locked in a never-ending rivalry with the other main party the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Kurds in Iraq were persecuted under the Sunni Arab-dominated regime of the late dictator Saddam Hussein but the 2005 constitution formalised their autonomy after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam. But mending the volatile ties between the central government in Baghdad and Kurdistan has been a persistent challenge. Consecutive federal governments have long been preoccupied with "crises and complex challenges", said a senior official in Baghdad in reference to years of war, the fight against the Islamic State group and anti-government protests. "That is why they never looked into the mistakes made by Kurdistan... (such as) oil deals and exports, the region's financial system and several illegal decisions that have been taken", he added on condition of anonymity. But, he added: "Now is the time to fix these mistakes." - Oil, salaries, elections - Despite facing the same problems as Baghdad, such as endemic corruption, fractious politics and entrenched ruling elites, the US-backed Kurdistan region has portrayed itself as a hub of stability and economic growth in contrast to the conflicts and crises that have besieged federal Iraq. Last year, civil servants and lawyers from the city of Sulaimaniyah, the PUK stronghold, had taken the regional and national authorities to court over unpaid salaries in Kurdistan, where officials have long accused Baghdad of not sending the necessary funds. In February, the Federal Supreme Court in Baghdad ordered the federal government to pay public sector salaries in Kurdistan directly instead of via the regional administration under a previous long-standing arrangement. It also demanded that Arbil hand over all "oil and non-oil revenues" to Baghdad. In a separate case, the court issued a ruling to reduce the number of seats in the Kurdish parliament from 111 to 100, effectively eliminating a quota reserved for Turkmen, Armenian and Christian minorities. In response, Barzani's KDP, the largest party in the outgoing parliament with 45 seats against 21 for the PUK, said it would boycott legislative polls due to take place in June. The tussle with the federal court has aggravated an already tense disagreement over oil exports. In March 2023, the federal government won international arbitration, recognising its right to control Kurdish oil exports through Turkey. The ruling led to the suspension of exports, which blocked a significant source of income for the regional administration. Arbil later agreed in principle that sales of Kurdish oil would pass through Baghdad in exchange for 12.6 percent of Iraq's public spending, but the agreement's implementation has stalled. - 'Political vengeance' - When Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani first came to power in 2021, Baghdad and Arbil enjoyed better relations than they had seen in years. But experts say that some pro-Iran Shiite Muslim parties that brought Sudani to power are now determined to weaken the autonomous Kurdistan region. "There is a desire among some Shiite politicians to undermine the constitutional state of the Kurdistan region out of political vengeance," said Ihsan al-Shammari, a political scientist at the University of Baghdad. Although court decisions concerning Kurdistan are "constitutional" they are of a "political nature", Shammari said. The recent tension not only undermines Arbil's relationship with Baghdad but also aims to "politically" weaken the KDP, Shammari added. Political bickering between the KDP and its main rival the PUK, which enjoys friendlier ties with the federal government, has always shaped politics in the autonomous region. PUK chief Bafel Jalal Talabani announced his support for the Supreme Court's decisions -- an institution he said helped "protect the political system in Iraq". But Sabah Sobhi, a KDP lawmaker, said the decisions undermined Iraq's current political system. He said some political parties wanted to replace "the federal and decentralised" system with a "centralised and authoritarian" rule. "Disagreements among Kurds would undoubtedly" worsen the situation, Sobhi warned. Australia says Israeli information on aid worker death 'not sufficient' Sydney, April 6 (AFP) Apr 06, 2024 Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Saturday that information from Israel about the death of an Australian aid worker killed in a Gaza air strike was "not sufficient". US-based World Central Kitchen -- founded by Spanish-American celebrity chef Jose Andres -- said a "targeted attack" by Israeli forces on Monday had killed seven aid workers. The group included 43-year-old Australian national Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom, as well as British, Palestinian, Polish and US-Canadian employees. After being briefed by Israeli authorities, Australia had "made clear that we have not yet received sufficient information to satisfy our expectations" about Frankcom's death, Wong told reporters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later admitted that his military had "unintentionally" killed the group -- who had helped feed communities affected by conflict and disaster -- in an air strike. "We expect full accountability for her death and for the World Central Kitchen colleagues who also perished with her," Wong said. "We believe these deaths are utterly inexcusable and clear practical action is needed to ensure these tragedies are never repeated." Wong acknowledged that Israel has confirmed that two individuals involved in the air strike have since been "stood down". "We reiterate that appropriate action must be taken against the individuals who are responsible for these tragic accidents," she added. Wong described the air strike as a "deadly failure of deconfliction" -- the process by which humanitarian agencies engage with military forces to ensure their safety in conflict zones. She says Australia wants full answers from the ongoing investigation by Israel. "It cannot be brushed aside and it cannot be covered over," Wong added. "Our expectation is that there is full transparency. People have been raising concerns for some time about what is occurring in relation to humanitarian workers," she said. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rang his Israeli counterpart Netanyahu on Wednesday to express his "anger" over the tragedy. Television clips and posts on social media painted a picture of Frankcom as an intrepid aid worker who did not shy away from the frontlines of disaster. In September last year, she travelled to Morocco to help World Central Kitchen relief efforts in the wake of a devastating earthquake. World Central Kitchen is one of two NGOs spearheading efforts to deliver aid to Gaza by boat from Cyprus. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, April 6. The European Union (EU) and Uzbekistan have signed a memorandum of understanding on the development of a strategic partnership for the promotion of sustainable value chains in the field of critical raw materials, Trend reports. According to the office of the European delegation to Uzbekistan, the document was signed by the Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, and the Uzbek Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade, Laziz Kudratov. The agreement will help to ensure a diversified and sustainable supply of critical raw materials for the green and digital transition in both the EU and Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, according to the deputy prime minister of Uzbekistan, Jamshid Khodjaev, the country's trade turnover with the EU continued to increase by 32 percent in 2023. He also noted that Uzbekistan's exports to the EU market almost doubled. "The trade and economic ties between Central Asia and Europe are dynamically developing. The research shows that the total trade between the EU and Central Asia increased by almost 40 percent over the past decade, from 34 billion euros in 2012 to 48 billion euros in 2022," he said. * FIRST NAME * LAST NAME * EMAIL Your email address * PASSWORD Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Show * YEAR OF BIRTH You must be at least 18 years old to create an account 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1938 1937 1936 1935 1934 1933 1932 1931 1930 1929 1928 1927 1926 1925 1924 1923 1922 1921 1920 1919 1918 1917 1916 1915 1914 1913 1912 1911 1910 1909 1908 1907 1906 * Required fields I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice CREATE ACCOUNT I'LL TRY LATER Already have an account? SIGN IN By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, April 6. Uzbekistan and Toyota Tsusho Corporation discussed the development of a wind energy project in the country, Trend reports. According to Uzbekistans Ministry of Economy and Finance, the issue was reviewed between the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov, and representatives of Toyota Tsusho Corporation. The sides also discussed the development of the digital economy. Both parties paid attention to the issues in the field of ecology and the development of promising projects that aim to improve environmental protection and the effective management of natural resources. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power signed a Power Purchase Agreement on implementing the 200 MW Nukus-2 wind power project and associated battery energy storage system (BESS) in Uzbekistan. According to the Saudi Stock Exchange, the cost of the project is estimated at $262.7 million. The duration of the contract is 25 years. 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Saadia Abdalah, Kenisha Adams, Zakia Ahmadi, Joy Blount, Codiedra Burns, Kori Mayfield, and LaToya Mosby have completed their apprenticeship and are now equipped with the skills and credential to embark on careers in early education. The Successful Pathways program, developed by YWCA Metro St. Louis to address the critical shortage of qualified early education professionals, offers an accelerated, pre-credentialing pathway for individuals interested in entering the field. Through a combination of paid on-the-job training and comprehensive support services, the program provides participants with the necessary tools to succeed in their roles and advance in their careers. We are thrilled to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our inaugural graduating class of Successful Pathways, said Angel Clower, curriculum instruction manager. Our graduates have shown exceptional dedication and perseverance throughout their apprenticeships. Their commitment to learning and growing in the field of early education is truly inspiring. The Successful Pathways apprenticeship addresses the shortage of staff in YWCA Metro St. Louis Early Education Program and provides participants with a career pathway and economic empowerment. A Department of Labor registered apprenticeship, Successful Pathways was recently honored with a Whats Right with the Region award for Demonstrating Innovative Solutions by FOCUS St. Louis. For more information about YWCA Metro St. Louis and the Successful Pathways, please visit ywcastl.org. BEL-NOR The police department here will shut down later this month. The municipality, home to about 1,400 residents, will disband its department effective April 25. The city announced the closure in a news release on Friday. Despite our best efforts to avoid this, due to workforce shortages and budgetary issues the Board of Aldermen of the City of Bel-Nor has made the difficult decision to discontinue having its own police department, the city said in the release. The city said it began considering the move after several officers took positions in other departments. The police department in St. John will take over patrolling Bel-Nor, at least until the city finds a permanent solution. The city has had an agreement to share resources with St. John since November 2022. Bel-Nor, home to Incarnate Word Academy, is the latest small north St. Louis County municipality to disband its police department. Velda Citys police department shut down abruptly last month after three officers and its chief resigned. And in recent years, Charlacks police department shut down in 2015, Pine Lawn followed suit in 2016, and Kinloch did the same in 2018. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 6. The Council of Europe (CoE) is developing a policy toolbox to enhance artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted teaching and learning, Trend reports. According to the CoE portal, the council's experts on AI and education gathered to refine scope, structure, and content, as well as outline the next steps for the policy toolbox. The Toolbox will include a roadmap for policy developers and constitute the background document for the development of a recommendation. Following collaborative discussions, the group drafted the outline of the Policy Toolbox, which features three main domains, each with specific tools. The preparatory work is expected to conclude at the upcoming Working Conference on 'Regulating AI in Education', which will take place on October 2425, 2024, in Strasbourg. During this event, the group will engage in multistakeholder consultations through parallel workshops and gather feedback and insights on the proposed tools. It is emphasized that the Policy Toolbox will be a key instrument towards leveraging AI's potential in education while upholding human rights, democracy, the rule of law, and the best interests of the learners. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Richard K. Schneidewind, 41, is facing three counts of making a terrorist threat and one count of cyberstalking after prosecutors say he created a Facebook profile with the name "Mary Doolin" and used it to say he'd have someone put a bomb in the school, shoot up the building with an AR-15 and shoot a bus driver. April 6, 2024: Norinco, a Chinese weapons export company with $83 billion in annual sales, introduced a new SH15 truck mounted 155mm artillery system. The unmanned 14-ton automated turret is mounted on the back of a 6x6 truck. The complete system weighs 31 tons. The turret contains 27 155mm shells and a system that can provide different combinations of propellant charges depending on how far the shell is to be fired. When the vehicle halts to fire, two stabilizer mechanisms are lowered in the rear of the truck while the two man crew enters data into the fire control system about where the target is and how many shells will be fired. The gun fires, then the stabilizer mechanism is retracted, and the truck can drive away to avoid any return, or counterbattery, fire. The autoloader mechanism can be quickly reloaded from resupply trucks. The SH15 is an upgrade of the older PLC-181 which has been used by the Chinese military since 2019. Currently 620 PLC-181 systems are in service with the Chinese army. The 30-ton SH15 is for export and the Chinese army will continue using the PLC-181, which is lighter, at 25 tons. The PLC-181 can fire four to six rounds a minute at ranges of 40 kilometers. Using a rocket boosted 155mm shell the range is 72 kilometers. So far, the Sh15 has been exported to Pakistan, which received 320 vehicles, Ethiopia, which received 32 and Myanmar (Burma) which is awaiting delivery of 150 vehicles. PLC-181 is similar to the French Caesar artillery systems that was sent to Ukraine by NATO. There Ukraine found that this novel truck-mounted 155mm howitzer was more effective than towed or conventional self-propelled artillery systems that ran on tracks, like a tank. That led Ukraine to purchase more Caesar systems from the French manufacturer. The French had already increased production of Caesar systems to six a month and are preparing to increase that to eight a month. The manufacturer has also made several improvements and upgrades. These are often based on feedback from Ukrainian users. The changes include adapting Caesar for use on different types of trucks and upgrades to the fire control system that allow the use of different types of 155mm shells, including some that can hit targets fifty kilometers away accurately. This required upgrades to the fire control system to increase effectiveness of regular missions and as well as the accuracy of long-range missions. A semi-automatic loading system increases the rate of fire and requires less physical effort from the crew. Ukraine found that their first Caesar systems were the key to developing a more effective counterbattery, aka destroying enemy artillery. NATO was able to help with that because NATO also supplied very effective counterbattery radars that are used to calculate where enemy shells and rockets were coming from. This enabled the Ukrainians to fire back quickly, often while the Russian artillery was being moved to avoid counterbattery fire. Ukraine did this by developing a better fire control system that was much quicker to react using multiple well-dispersed individual guns and artillery rocket launchers, as well as their own UAVs that specialized in detecting targets, especially enemy artillery systems that were not firing. The Russians have nothing as effective as this and neither does NATO. We apologize. A page no longer exists or an error has occured on our server. Return to Our Home Page Russia may be considering Kazakhstan as its next victim. It is with this country that the Kremlin may start another war after the end of the war with Ukraine or even in parallel with the fighting on Ukrainian soil. ADVERTISIMENT The Kremlin has allegedly already made the decision. At least, this was stated by Russian State Duma deputy Andrei Gurulov, and an audio recording with his voice was probably published by the Russian edition of the VChK-OGPU. "The VChK-OGPU has a voice message that Russian State Duma deputy Lieutenant General Andrey Gurulov sent to his colleagues from the State Duma Defense Committee. In it, he assures that after Ukraine, Russia may attack Kazakhstan and there is already a corresponding "excuse," the publication explained the origin of the recording. ADVERTISIMENT In the published audio, a man with a voice similar to that of the odious Russian deputy discusses how much Kazakhstan fears war with Russia and, he adds, they are right to fear it. "The Kazakhs, having seen Ukraine, are very much f*cked that they are next. Just f*ck, f*ck, f*ck. But they will be next. They're f*cking around now. In principle, I think there is already a solution," the man said in the audio. Earlier, back in the spring of 2023, Russian State Duma deputy Gurulov called for the bombing of the Belgorod region. He also dreamed of a nuclear strike in Zaporizhzhia, called for the physical elimination of those who disagreed with the war against Ukraine, and put forward a number of other equally "binding" initiatives, including the "revival of the Gulag." Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber . Do not fall for fakes! ADVERTISIMENT Fatime Letifova The Azerbaijani Ecology and Natural Resources Minister, Mukhtar Babayev received the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to Azerbaijan, Kayrat Osmonaliyev, Azernews reports. The meeting discussed the opportunities for future cooperation in the field of environmental protection, and COP29 within the framework of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Note that COP29 will be held in Azerbaijan in 2024. The decision was made at the plenary session of COP28 on December 11. Azerbaijan successfully participated in the COP28 held in Abu Dhabi last year. Besides, Azerbaijan confirmed its commitment to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by 35 percent by 2030 and increase this target by 40 percent by 2050. Fulfilling the commitments under the Paris Agreement adopted in 2015 and actively working in this regard are priority issues for the government of Azerbaijan. The Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has been held annually since 1995. The event aims to assess the progress made in combating climate change around the world. On Saturday, April 6, Kharkiv said goodbye to three rescuers killed by Russian terrorists. Chief Master Sergeants of the Civil Defense Service Vladyslav Lohinov, Serhiy Baidalinov, and Volodymyr Matiushenko were killed in the line of duty. ADVERTISIMENT The aggressor country, the Russian Federation, cynically killed them in violation of all existing conventions and doctrines. This was reported by the press service of the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kharkiv region. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine noted that the killed rescuers had extensive experience. Each of them had children, wives, and parents. Relatives, friends, comrades, and colleagues came to pay their last respects to those killed by the Russian occupiers. The rescuers were buried to the farewell sounds of fire sirens. "We will remember our fallen colleagues as true friends and true professionals. Our sincere condolences to the families of the victims. Heroes do not die!" the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said. ADVERTISIMENT ADVERTISIMENT On the night of April 4, the Russian occupiers attacked Kharkiv with Shahed kamikaze drones. Explosions were heard in the city, and air defense forces were working on enemy targets. The enemy hit residential buildings, killing four people and injuring 12. Earlier, US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said that Russia should be held accountable for crimes against civilians. Repeated rocket attacks with a short interval between them are aimed at killing first responders and journalists who arrived at the scene. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! A woman walks past a television screen showing a news broadcast with an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attending a military parade held in Pyongyang to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, at a railway station in Seoul on July 28, 2023. (Jung Yeon-je/AFP/Getty Images/TNS) (Tribune News Service) After decades of empty threats, much of the world tunes out when North Korea vows to unleash destruction on its enemies. But in the past few months, some prominent analysts began warning that Kim Jong Un may actually be serious about preparing for war. Now in his 13th year running North Korea, Kim is more aggressively testing the boundaries of what his adversaries will tolerate. Backed by rapid progress in his nations nuclear capabilities and missile program, the 40-year-old dictator began 2024 by removing the goal of peaceful unification from North Koreas constitution and declaring he had the right to annihilate South Korea. While such bellicose rhetoric would normally be dismissed Kim could just be posturing ahead of South Korean elections on April 10 two prominent analysts set off a round of discussion among North Korea watchers with an article suggesting that this time Kim isnt bluffing. Like his grandfather in 1950, Kim Jong Un has made a strategic decision to go to war, former CIA officer Robert Carlin and nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker wrote in early 2024 on the website 38 North, which focuses on North Korea. They didnt forecast how soon that could take place. Carlin and Heckers views are not universal: Most analysts argue that any full-scale attack would be a move of desperation or suicide, inviting a response from South Korea and the US that would end the Kim familys nearly eight-decade-long rule. But with multiple conflicts raging in Ukraine and the Middle East, its just the kind of war the world could stumble into with potentially devastating consequences for not just the Korean Peninsula, but the global economy and, particularly, the chip supply chain. Seouls response to all the speculation has been blunt: The Kim regime will meet its end if it pursues all-out war, South Koreas Defense Ministry said in January. Here are the potential scenarios if Kim Jong Un decides to make good on his threats to attack South Korea. How it begins Back in 1950, North Korean troops invaded South Korea, catching the US off guard. The forces of Kim Il Sung Kim Jong Uns grandfather took over much of the peninsula before US and South Korean forces counterattacked. Chinas intervention led to a stalemate that resulted in a cease-fire but no formal peace treaty, and the Korean Peninsula has remained split at around the 38th parallel ever since. Kim Jong Un is unlikely to risk a similar invasion. But he has shown an appetite for smaller provocations that could spin out of control a trait shared by his father, Kim Jong Il. One flashpoint is the Yellow Sea border islands that are part of South Korea but located in waters claimed by Pyongyang. In 2010, some two years before Kim Jong Un took power, Yeonpyeong Island was the scene of a deadly artillery bombardment that killed two South Korean soldiers and two civilians, while setting houses ablaze. About six months earlier, South Korea accused North Korea of torpedoing its warship Cheonan near the island, killing 46 sailors an allegation Pyongyang denied. South Korea has since pledged that another attack in the Yellow Sea would be met by an even stronger response, raising the chance for miscalculations on both sides that could quickly escalate. If North Korea makes a provocation, we will punish it multiple times over, conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol said in January after North Korea conducted artillery drills near a border island. The South Korean leader has taken a tough line with Kims regime and responded to its provocations with military drills, often enlisting the US in shows of force. Attack on Seoul Any peripheral attack that escalates would immediately turn the spotlight onto greater Seoul, home to about half of the countrys 51 million people. North Korea has spent decades stockpiling millions of rounds of artillery and thousands of rockets in the terrain north of the demilitarized zone, which sits some 40 kilometers (25 miles) away from South Koreas largest city. That border region is also home to about 70% of South Koreas $1.67 trillion economy, the base for some of the worlds top technology and manufacturing powerhouses, including Samsung Electronics Co., LG Electronics Inc. and Kia Corp. Even a brief conflict would reverberate throughout global supply chains, disrupting the global economy. In a display typical of his more aggressive stance, Kim watched his forces in March fire off the weapons that could be used in an attack on the South Korean capital. Just a one-minute artillery and rocket barrage against Seoul could result in nearly 15,000 casualties, according to a 2020 analysis by Rand. A one-hour barrage would see that number rise to more than 100,000. In either case, a larger conflict would be inevitable. Full conflict If Kim goes all-in on a war, he would likely kick it off with an artillery barrage at key military, political and economic targets in Seoul. North Korea keeps its howitzers, mortars and rocket artillery in hardened positions and ready to fire on short notice for exactly this purpose. At the same time, an estimated 200,000 soldiers in Kims special operations units part of a 1.1 million-strong active-duty army would try to cross the border by land, sea, air and even tunnel, according to South Koreas Defense Ministry. One goal would be to target bridges on the Han River that flows through the center of Seoul, cutting the city in half and making it difficult for millions of people to flee to the less-populated southern end of the peninsula. Kim would also seek to impose huge economic costs as quickly as possible. The Rand war game analysis determined that a five-minute North Korean artillery strike on one LG-run factory in Paju, north of Seoul, would put an $8.9 billion investment at risk and cause thousands of casualties. But North Koreas advantages in striking first wouldnt last long. South Korea is also ready to fight: It has Patriot defense systems to intercept incoming missiles, 555,000 active-duty troops and a military budget thats larger than North Koreas entire sanctions-ravaged economy. And theres also 28,500 US troops based in South Korea, along with American spy satellites constantly monitoring the Korean Peninsula. Although North Korea has a manpower advantage, the bulk of its forces rely on increasingly obsolete equipment dating back to the days of the Soviet Union, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said in its 2023 review of the worlds militaries. North Koreas few Soviet-era fighters and its squadrons of single-propeller An-2 biplanes developed in the 1950s and with a top speed of about 160 miles per hour (260 kph) would be easy pickings for South Koreas surface-to-air missiles and modern F-35A jets, which can travel at speeds exceeding 1,200 mph. The United States and South Korea would essentially, instantly, from the very first moments of the war, have absolute air superiority in every way that could be imagined, said Michael Mazarr, a senior political scientist at Rand. Its the same when it comes to other weapons systems: Pyongyangs submarines are mostly small underwater clunkers that cant stray far from the coast because they are easily detected. Its tanks are Soviet-era, and easily destroyed by Stinger missile systems used in Ukraine to stop Russia. What South Korea doesnt strike in the first few waves would likely be subject to air and missile attacks in the days that follow, leaving North Koreas cities vulnerable to destruction as happened in the original Korean War. Inadequate availability of fuel and transportation assets, poor maintenance of ground lines of communication, and insufficient training all constrain North Koreas ability to sustain large-scale conventional offensive operations, the US Defense Intelligence Agency said in a recent report. Bloody nose strike Another possibility is a bloody nose strike against North Korea by the US and South Korea, an option discussed during the Trump administration. This scenario would only be on the table if the allies believed a large-scale North Korean attack was imminent, with the intent to show force and remind Kim that his antiquated military is no match for Americas might. But the move was always seen as risky, likely leading directly to a bigger conflict. Moreover, in recent years, many of North Koreas liquid-fuel rockets which take time to fire off have been replaced by solid-fuel versions that Kim can quickly shoot from train carriages, lake beds and launchers hidden in caves with little to no warning. If Kim misjudged and thought the US and South Korea were looking to end his regime instead of just deliver a message of deterrence he might preemptively use a nuclear weapon, said Duyeon Kim, an adjunct senior fellow in Seoul at the Center for a New American Security. A US National Intelligence Estimate that was declassified last year said Kim would probably only use his atomic arsenal if he believes he and his regime are in peril. Our analysis right now is, effectively, that he will engage in increasingly provocative behavior but not is not interested in escalating this into a full-on war and that there is a kind of a limit on this, US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told Congress in March. If a broader North Korean attack looked likely, South Korea would aim to deploy new bunker-buster missiles and squadrons of fighter jets based south of Seoul. US bombers in Guam and ships and fighters based in Japan could also come to South Koreas aid. The South Korea-US alliance would use air superiority to target command centers, weapons storage sites, rocket launchers, radars, military bunkers, missile silos and nuclear storage facilities in hopes of wiping out as many of North Koreas assets as possible. Targeting Kim Also on the target list: North Koreas leaders, including Kim. Yoon has not been shy discussing his countrys so-called Three Axis plan that includes preemptive strikes, full-scale assaults and taking out Kim. Pyongyang propaganda apparatus has denounced South Korea for organizing decapitation units and pledged to destroy the puppet warmongers with a nuclear attack if they tried. The question of nuclear weapons is the most harrowing. Various estimates indicate North Korea may have 40 to 90 warheads. The Seoul-based Korea Institute for Defense Analyses said Kim seeks to have between 100 to 300 over the long term. A strike on the Seoul region with one of North Koreas more powerful bombs could cause about 400,000 fatalities and 1.5 million casualties, Rand estimated. North Korea could also strike out against US ally Japan, or target American facilities in Guam or even in North America, although opinion is divided on whether Kims regime has the ICBM technology to hit targets on the US mainland. North Korea has yet to demonstrate its capability to launch a nuclear attack against the United States, with questions lingering about its proficiency in reentry vehicle technology, said Lami Kim, a nonproliferation expert at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu. North Korea has also sought to deploy lower yield tactical nuclear weapons for the battlefield, perhaps to slow down a US-led counterattack. But use of nuclear weapons would expose Kim to a far more powerful response, with the US being able to hit back quickly, and overwhelmingly. In that case, the death toll for an all-out strike could reach into the millions. A full-blown war could knock the global economy off the rails, leading to trillions in dollars of damage. And Kims regime would almost certainly be finished. We assess that through 2030, Kim Jong Un most likely will continue to pursue a strategy of coercion, potentially including non-nuclear lethal attacks, aimed at advancing the Norths goals of intimidating its neighbors, extracting concessions, and bolstering the regimes military credentials domestically, said the latest US National Intelligence Estimate report. Is conflict inevitable? The biggest questions now are whether the die has already been cast and what could prevent it. Most analysts say Kims more heated rhetoric is just amped-up saber-rattling, meant to influence South Koreas elections, unsettle the West or win more concessions. Kim has staged provocations ahead of every election held in South Korea during his time in power, and he has more of an incentive to deal Yoons conservative party a blow in the April 10 vote for parliament. The fundamental goal of the regime is regime preservation, said Rands Mazarr. Another variable to consider is China historically Pyongyangs closest partner, which came to the aid of Kims grandfather during the first Korean War. Beijing has every reason to prevent a conflict from starting or getting out of hand. A nuclear exchange on the peninsula, or a conventional war that results in North Koreas defeat, would go against Chinas long-term interests, potentially leaving American and South Korean troops near the Chinese border and the global economy in tatters. But Chinas influence over North Korea has long been limited, despite being the countrys most important trade partner. Even when Beijing was cooperating with the US on the UN Security Council to condemn North Korean nuclear developments during the Trump years, the measures failed to change Pyongyangs behavior. Kim is also working to diversify his economy away from China, selling some of his artillery stockpiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine. That economic windfall which could be in the low billions of dollars may be one factor that helps keep Kim in line, along with his own desire for self-preservation. The fact that hes selling millions of artillery shells to Russia may be another signal that Kim doesnt actually want a war, given he would risk running short of arms to defend himself. Moreover, there is now a chance that Donald Trump, who met Kim three times and generally sought better relations with North Korea, will again win the US presidency. Either way, Kim has already shown he has a long-term plan for his family to continue to rule the nation his grandfather founded in 1948, signaling that his daughter could take the reins of power decades from now. Kim wouldve already invaded South Korea if he was actually preparing for war, according to Daniel Pinkston, an international relations lecturer at Troy University in Seoul and a former Korean linguist with the US Air Force. A simpler explanation, he said, is that North Korea is deterred from doing so. The North Korea leadership is waiting for a restructuring of the world order and the collapse of the US-led alliance system in East Asia, said Pinkston. Unless that happens, I dont see a theory of victory for North Korea. 2024 Bloomberg News. Visit at bloomberg.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches off the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the South China Sea, March 27, 2024. The United States and three of its Pacific allies planned a military exercise in the South China Sea, a move to demonstrate their rights to navigate and overfly the region freely, according to a statement from all four defense chiefs. (Aaron Haro Gonzalez/U.S. Navy) TOKYO The United States and three of its Pacific allies planned a military exercise in the South China Sea on Sunday, a move to demonstrate their rights to navigate and overfly the region freely, according to a statement from all four defense chiefs Friday. The U.S., Australia, Japan and the Philippines planned a maritime cooperative activity in the Philippines exclusive economic zone involving naval and air force units, according to the statement posted on the U.S. Department of Defense website. China apparently responded Sunday with its own joint naval and air strategic patrol in the South China Sea, according to the official China Military Online website. All military activities disrupting the South China Sea situation and creating buzzes are under control, according to the brief report, which cited a statement from the Chinese militarys Southern Theater Command on Sunday morning. The DOD release did not specify where the exercise would take place, which assets would be involved or what capabilities they would demonstrate. Email queries to U.S. 7th Fleet at Yokosuka Naval Base and U.S. Forces Japan did not draw an immediate response Sunday morning. Ultimately, the statement reads, the exercise will strengthen the four powers ability to work together using one anothers military training methods, equipment and tactics. Every country should be free to conduct lawful air and maritime operations. These activities with our allies Australia, Japan, and the Philippines underscore our shared commitment to ensuring that all countries are free to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in the statement. Our operations together support peace and stability at the heart of our shared vision for a free and open region. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippines Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr. endorsed the announcement with individual statements of their own. The series of bilateral and multilateral [maritime cooperative activities] is a step in building our countrys capacity for individual and collective self-defense, Teodoro wrote. Japan believes the issue concerning the South China Sea is directly related to the peace and stability of the region and is a legitimate concern of the international community, Kihara wrote. Japan opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo by force, such attempts as well as any actions that increase tensions in the South China Sea. The U.S. is committed to the Philippines defense, along with Japans, according to their mutual defense treaties. None of the defense chiefs statements mentioned China as a threat to lawful air and maritime operations but the setting and timing provide context to the exercise. The exclusive economic zone is generally an area within 230 miles of a countrys territorial seas in which it claims jurisdiction over all the resources, living and nonliving. The Philippines EEZ is contested by China, which claims nearly all the South China Sea over several other rival nations. That contest has played out in a series of escalating altercations between Philippine resupply ships and the Chinese and Filipino coast guards at Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippines maintains an outpost in a rusting World War II-era vessel, the BRP Sierra Madre. Chinese coast guard vessels have intercepted or blocked attempts to resupply the Sierra Madre, colliding with or using water cannons to deter the Philippine ships. Injuries to Filipino crew members and damage to resupply vessels have resulted. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said his government would act against the continuing attacks by Chinas coast guard and its suspected militia ships, saying Filipinos do not yield, The Associated Press reported March 28. The defense chiefs statements reaffirmed a 2016 decision by a United Nations tribunal upholding the Philippines claim to maritime territory in the South China Sea, a decision China disregards. We have made clear Chinas position on the issue many times, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a routine press conference Wednesday. Let me say again that what caused the maritime disputes between the two countries to heat up is that the Philippines, backed by external forces, has been going back on its words and provoking China. China remains unwavering in safeguarding our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, he said, according to a transcript on the Foreign Ministry website. On the afternoon of April 6, Russian troops attacked Kharkiv again. They attacked the Shevchenkivskyi district of the city with air bombs. ADVERTISIMENT One victim and wounded are known. This was reported by the head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, Oleh Synehubov, and Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov. "The occupants attacked the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kharkiv. According to preliminary data, one person was killed and another was injured. There was damage to civilian infrastructure and a car caught fire. The specialized services are inspecting the area," Synehubov wrote at 16:07. At 16:08, the mayor of Kharkiv reported that several people were injured. "There is information about one person killed as a result of a strike on a residential area of the city. There are also wounded," Terekhov wrote. ADVERTISIMENT He added that, according to preliminary data, the enemy attacked a residential area of the regional center with KABAMs. The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine warned at 15:10 that Russian troops had launched guided aerial bombs at Kharkiv region. "Launches of guided aerial bombs by tactical aviation in Kharkiv region," the message said. At 15:47, Synehubov reported on the strikes on Kharkiv and called on Kharkiv residents and residents of the region to take cover. ADVERTISIMENT On the morning of April 6, it became known that during a nighttime enemy combined attack on Ukraine, air defense forces shot down 28 UAVs and three missiles. However, it was not without arrivals. In particular, Russian troops attacked the Kharkiv region with missiles and UAVs; as of 8 a.m. on April 6, there were 6 dead, 10 wounded, and significant damage, with the number of casualties later rising to 7. The invaders attacked Zaporizhzhia for two days in a row: in the afternoon of April 5 and at dawn on April 6. Yesterday's attack left more than 20 people injured, including children, four people dead, and caused significant damage. The second attack targeted industrial enterprises in the region and resulted in no casualties. ADVERTISIMENT In addition, Putin's army attacked a resort in Sloviansk with missiles in the middle of the night, destroying one of the buildings. A fire broke out in the Kyiv region as a result of falling debris. An agricultural enterprise in the Kherson region was also on fire after being hit by an enemy drone. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber . Do not fall for fakes! Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, inspects the fortification lines in Chernihiv region, Ukraine, on Friday, Apr. 5, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office) KYIV - As Russia steps up airstrikes and once again advances on the battlefield in Ukraine more than two years into its bloody invasion, there is no end to the fighting in sight. And President Volodymyr Zelenskyys options for what to do next much less how to win the war range from bad to worse. Zelenskyy has said Ukraine will accept nothing less than the return of all its territory, including land that Russia has controlled since 2014. But with the battle lines changing little in the last year, militarily retaking the swaths of east and south Ukraine that Russia now occupies about 20% of the country appears increasingly unlikely. Negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war something Zelenskyy has rejected as long as Russian troops remain on Ukrainian land is politically toxic. The Ukrainian public is hugely opposed to surrendering territory, and Putin shown no willingness to accept anything short of Ukraines capitulation to his demands. The status quo is awful. With the fight now a grinding stalemate, Ukrainians are dying on the battlefield daily. But a cease-fire is also a nonstarter, Ukrainians say, because it would just give the Russians time to replenish their forces. Ukrainian and Western officials view Zelenskyy as largely stuck. Aid from the United States, Ukraines most important military backer, has been stalled for months by Republicans in Congress. Previously approved modern fighter jets the U.S.-made F-16 are expected to enter combat later this year but in limited quantity, meaning they will not be a game changer. NATO countries are still exercising restraint in their assistance, evidenced by the recent uproar after French President Emmanuel Macron said European nations should not rule out sending troops. How will Zelenskyy get out of this situation? I have no idea, said a Ukrainian lawmaker who, like other officials and diplomats interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid about the highly sensitive politics. And of course it concerns me. Most tricky for Zelenskyy will be managing his own countrys expectations. Support for him among Ukrainians remains high, but after two years of war and steep casualties, the solidarity is fraying, a Western diplomat in Kyiv said. Tymofiy Mylovanov, a professor at the Kyiv School of Economics and former government minister, said the fight could drag on for many years. This is an unpleasant thought but when some people say it might take decades, no one challenges that, Mylovanov said. This was supposed to be an election year for Zelenskyy, but Ukraines constitution prohibits elections under martial law, and some officials here worry that Russia will try to cast Zelensky as an illegitimate ruler once he is serving longer than his elected five-year term despite the inherent hypocrisy in Putins own repeated disregard for term limits. Zelenskyy will also have to live up to his own promise which he restates regularly of returning Ukraine to its 1991 borders, including Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that Russia illegally invaded and claimed as its own 10 years ago. Smart people know thats not realistic, the Ukrainian lawmaker said, adding: The political leadership needed to adjust this rhetoric at some point. Pessimism about Ukraines battlefield chances has increased in recent months as Russian forces have regained the initiative on the battlefield, largely because Ukrainians are short on troops and ammunition. Ukraine is reliant on its Western partners for weapons, but a $60 billion security package from the United States has been stalled in Congress for six months. Meanwhile, Ukraines government is struggling to address its personnel shortages as measures to mobilize more soldiers have divided society. Kyiv is now bracing for the possibility that aid from the United States could be cut off. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said recently that the package could be put to a vote next week but it is expected to face revisions, such as perhaps providing the money as a loan, which would add to Ukraines already huge debt. Even if the aid is approved soon, the delay has sent a clear signal that future assistance is not guaranteed, especially with the U.S. presidential election this year. Officials also worry that Europe lacks the production capacity to compensate for a U.S. shortfall, especially in artillery and air-defense ammunition Ukraines biggest needs. Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is prioritizing domestic production but so far makes only a small fraction of its needs. Russian forces are now firing six times as much as the Ukrainians along the front line. Look, we have been without ammunition for half a year already. Not enough of it, at least, a senior Ukrainian official said. Well okay, it will get worse. And so what? What other options are there? If partners who have promised to give us ammunition dont give it, of course the situation gets worse. But the image of the U.S. will get worse in the world. A year ago, the mood in Kyiv was cautiously optimistic as Ukraine readied a large counteroffensive with modern tanks and fighting vehicles freshly provided by Western partners. But that assault failed to make significant gains, and the new weapons did not prove decisive. Ukrainian strikes deep into Russia targeting military infrastructure and logistics such as oil depots have increased, but Kyivs forces are still under pressure along the front line and lately have been pushed backward. Ukrainians have resigned themselves to a long war. Some have been fighting since 2014, when Russia first stoked conflict in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine does not have the power to make another offensive, said one Western ambassador. There are two scenarios. One scenario is they get the support to maintain defensive lines. The second is there is not enough support and Ukraine will defend itself anyway, desperately and with less manpower. If Kyiv faces Russian forces with inadequate support this year, the ambassador said, there will be increased casualties and territorial losses, putting Ukraine on the back foot. Ukraine and its partners must prepare for 2025 as another year of war, not peace talks, the ambassador said. If [the] West wants peace, it should not only respond to current Ukrainian needs, but use 2024 to provide Ukraine with everything thats necessary to enter into offensive mode and make substantial gains in 2025. But Ukraine must meet some needs on its own. Field commanders have reported troop shortages along the front line, especially infantry who deploy at the forwardmost positions. Military commanders have pushed for a large-scale mobilization but Zelenskyy has voiced doubt even as Kyiv says Moscow is planning to conscript 300,000 more soldiers. Zelenskyy recently signed a law that lowered Ukraines minimum draft age to 25, but he has said mobilizing some 500,000 more troops, as Ukraines former commander in chief suggested, wont happen. Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, the new military chief, has said the 500,000 figure was significantly reduced after a personnel audit. Meanwhile, a draft law in parliament to widen the parameters of who can be conscripted has undergone thousands of amendments. A second Western diplomat in Kyiv said Zelenskyys administration and Ukraines parliament are playing political ping pong on mobilization because it is unpopular. While thousands volunteered to fight early in the war, few who have not already signed up want to now. Nobody wants to really bear the responsibility at this point, said the diplomat, who was not authorized to speak publicly. But it will have to be done, the diplomat said. I mean, you cannot go on like this. I hear about people who are at the front who just cant take it anymore. And then when they come back here on leave and they see all these young guys who could be there, I would be resentful of that. So you get social tensions surrounding that as well. A large-scale mobilization would also pose economic challenges. The money for soldier salaries cannot directly come from foreign aid, and some industries already face labor shortages. Ukraines economy is under strain from repeated missile and drone attacks targeting energy infrastructure, which also scare away foreign business investment. So how long can Ukraine withstand being at war? The Ukrainian lawmaker said the country will not survive the status quo for another 10 years. Others, however, think the fight could go on even longer. No one will concede territory, but people understand that getting it back might take a long time, said Mylovanov, the economics professor. What form can that take? Views differ here. A long war with eventually a victory? A sudden collapse in the Russian power structure? A successful counteroffensive? But that requires a very different type of support than what Ukraine has now. The senior Ukrainian official said: Everyone wants quick solutions, but everyone has come to understand that there wont be quick ones. Siobhan OGrady, David L. Stern and Anastacia Galouchka contributed to this report. Posters depicting victims of an airstrike on the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, Syria, are displayed during a memorial service at the premises on April 3, 2024. (Louai Beshara, AFP/Getty Images/TNS) (Tribune News Service) Iran said it asked the United States 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 U.S. 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 U.S. should step aside so that you dont get hit. In response, the U.S. asked Iran not to hit American targets, Jamshidi said. The U.S. hasnt commented on the alleged message Iran had sent. CNN reported that the United States 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 U.S. official. NBC, citing two unnamed U.S. 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 U.S. was unaware Mondays strike in Damascus would happen, Bloomberg reported. That suggested the U.S. 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. 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. 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. 2024 Bloomberg LP Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC People inspect the site where World Central Kitchen workers were killed in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on April 2, 2024. (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) CAIRO For months, aid groups in Gaza warned that the system used to coordinate their deliveries with Israels military was broken, putting the lives of relief workers at risk. Then, on Monday, Israeli forces killed seven employees of the nonprofit World Central Kitchen, six of whom were foreign nationals, as they traveled in their convoy in central Gaza movements the organization had coordinated with Israel in advance. The strike, which Israel said was a serious violation of its military procedures, stirred global outrage and prompted President Joe Biden to tell Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the United States would reassess support for Israel if it didnt take immediate steps to facilitate aid. It also highlighted what aid workers say is a faulty process for deconflicting humanitarian operations with the Israeli military in Gaza, one that has endangered staff, is rife with mistrust and prevents lifesaving assistance from reaching starving civilians there. Over the past six months, humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders and the U.N. relief agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), have publicized at least nine accounts of aid convoys or buildings coming under attack, despite their routes or coordinates being shared with Israeli authorities in advance. Nearly 200 Palestinian aid workers have been killed, according to Humanitarian Outcomes, an organization that tracks aid worker deaths. Whats increasingly clear is that the deconfliction process is a fiction, said Ciaran Donnelly, a senior vice president at the International Rescue Committee, which operates in Gaza. It doesnt provide any guarantees of safety. From the start of the conflict, when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, Israeli officials pledged to limit aid to Gaza, cutting off water, power, fuel and other supplies to the territory. Under U.S. pressure, Israel on Oct. 21 began allowing aid trucks to enter southern Gaza as its military pummeled the north. But in recent months, it has severely curtailed supplies to northern Gaza, where the worlds leading body on food emergencies says famine could already be underway. Those restrictions, plus growing insecurity, have complicated further efforts by the United Nations and others to get aid to those in need. In interviews this week with U.S. and U.N. officials, as well as former Israeli military commanders and aid agency employees, a picture emerges of a dangerous, opaque and inefficient system for coordinating aid deliveries, that, while nominally in place, has never really worked and is disconnected from the reality on the ground. On the humanitarian side, the process is run chiefly by a dedicated unit of the United Nations, through which U.N. agencies and other organizations submit the coordinates of humanitarian sites such as offices, clinics, warehouses and guesthouses. The process for notifying Israeli forces about aid workers movement around Gaza depends on where they intend to go, aid officials said. The United Nations shares a regularly updated map based on battlefield dynamics and in areas where supposedly active fighting is not taking place, aid organizations are advised to share broad sketches of their travel plans in advance. But for swaths of Gaza, where fighting continues to rage between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants, a much more intricate level of coordination is required. At least a day before planned travel, organizations must submit coordinates of their start and destination points, and details about vehicles, drivers and passengers in the convoy, said Nahreen Ahmed, medical director for the health nonprofit MedGlobal, who has been on two missions to Gaza this year. The United Nations then sends the information to COGAT, the branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that is responsible for coordinating with aid agencies, which is supposed to share it with relevant Israeli forces and respond with a map of an approved route for the convoy. But its here where aid organizations say they have little insight into the process and how the information they pass to COGAT ultimately reaches ground troops, drone operators or fighter jet pilots. That is the million-dollar question, and Ive been trying to figure that out for 15 years, said Scott Anderson, deputy director of UNRWA in Gaza, who has worked for the agency there on and off since 2008. Its clear theres a disconnect. According to retired Brig. Gen. Amir Avivi, a former deputy commander of the IDFs Gaza division, COGAT representatives are embedded in each brigade and charged with making sure that this coordination is on the war map. But a lack of trust between the IDF, the United Nations and other aid organizations has impacted deconfliction channels, said Grisha Yakubovich, a retired Israeli colonel who was head of the COGAT civil affairs department until 2016. During past rounds of conflict in Gaza, COGAT would meet almost daily with U.N. officials to discuss plans for the coming 24 hours, he said. I think that now its way more complicated, he said, citing what he said was the Israeli militarys reluctance to work with UNRWA. Israeli officials have accused UNRWA of being infiltrated by Hamas, a charge the agency denies. The United Nations internal oversight body is investigating Israeli allegations that a dozen UNRWA employees participated in the Hamas attack on Oct. 7. In February, UNRWA said that Israeli naval gunfire directly hit one of its food convoys and that it sends notifications about all aid convoys and coordinates all movements with Israeli authorities. Before that, in November, sniper fire hit a Doctors Without Borders convoy traveling on a deconflicted route in northern Gaza, killing a volunteer and a relative of a staff member, the organization said, adding that all elements point to the responsibility of the Israeli army for this attack. And last month, a logistics coordinator for American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) was killed when Israel bombed a house where he was sheltering with his family despite the fact that the coordinates for the property were repeatedly shared with the IDF, according to Sean Carroll, the organizations president. The IDF did not respond to a request for comment about the Doctors Without Borders convoy, but said in a statement that the incident involving ANERA was under review. In response to an earlier request for comment on the UNRWA convoy, the IDF said the strike was not aimed at the convoy, adding: The incident was examined and conclusions and lessons were drawn accordingly. Among the problems aid officials cite: A lack of direct contact with Israels Southern Command, which oversees Gaza; delays at checkpoints on north-south routes; and poor communications infrastructure inside the territory. Aid workers arent allowed to take radio equipment in; instead, theyve been forced to rely on satellite phones during their forays through Gaza, which dont always work. Weve been asking for direct contact with the IDF and for the communications equipment for months, and its only now since the incident [Monday] we are starting to see traction, said Jamie McGoldrick, U.N. humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories. Some aid organizations, including World Central Kitchen (WCK), coordinate with Israeli authorities bilaterally, rather than through the U.N. system, McGoldrick said. In an op-ed in The New York Times, WCK founder Jose Andres said his organization has communicated extensively with Israeli military and civilian officials in the course of its work in Israel and Gaza during the war. Ahead of Mondays attack, the team had coordinated with Israeli military officials and had clearance to drive the coastal route, WCK said. Israels probe of the WCK attack found that operators of the unmanned aerial vehicle tracking the convoy were not made aware of its coordination plan. The airstrike targets were confirmed only by seeing an armed man, which the IDF said was an insufficient standard. The current war is much more intense and complex than previous rounds of fighting, said Avivi. We have to remember that because Hamas is fighting across hospitals, schools and U.N. sites, Hamas doesnt wear a uniform. Hamas drives civilian cars. Its very hard to distinguish between terrorist and civilian, he said. An IDF official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues, said the rules of engagement and targeting during the war are unchanged from previous conflicts and that units in the field have no more authority than in the past to greenlight airstrikes on their own. But according to Emily Tripp, director of the civilian casualty watchdog group Airwars, the IDFs tolerance for civilian casualties appears considerably higher than in past campaigns in Gaza and than the level accepted by other militaries in recent conflicts. At least 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel says 13,000 of the dead are militants and Gaza health officials say 70% of the casualties are women and children. Israel has repeatedly attacked hospitals and used massive bombs to level high-rise apartment blocks. The WCK attack touched a nerve in Washington, where Biden, who considers Andres a friend, released a pointed statement Tuesday and noted that one of the aid workers killed, Jacob Flickinger, 33, was American. Their deaths are a tragedy, Biden said of the WCK workers on Tuesday, calling for a swift, public investigation that would bring accountability. Even more tragically, this is not a stand-alone incident, Biden said. This conflict has been one of the worst in recent memory in terms of how many aid workers have been killed. The situation has prompted exasperation in the Pentagon, considering WCKs standing as a force for good and its professionalism and familiarity in handling such missions, a senior defense official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday pledged to open a joint situation room for coordination between the IDFs Southern Command and international organizations and to support distribution mechanisms by allocating appropriate resources, according to a statement from his office. We have had conversations in the last 24, 36 hours about what we need and weve had some more reception on those issues, McGoldrick, the U.N. aid coordinator, said Wednesday. We are hoping now as we take stock we can prevent something happening again. On Thursday, Israel announced measures to ramp up the provision of aid in Gaza, including the opening of a new border crossing. Two officers were removed from their positions following the WCK attack, the IDF said Friday, and three other officers are being formally reprimanded, including the head of the Southern Command. The family of Australian aid worker Lalzawmi Frankcom, a WCK employee who was killed in Mondays strikes, called this week for Israel to be investigated for war crimes. Separately, attacks on humanitarian workers form part of South Africas genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. But such legal processes can take years. In a statement Friday responding to the results of Israels probe, WCK said the disciplinary actions represented important steps forward. But without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families, it added, calling for an independent investigation. Steve Hendrix, Dan Lamothe and Cate Brown in Washington, Kareem Fahim in Istanbul, Michael E. Miller in Sydney, and Lior Soroka in Tel Aviv contributed to this report. Israeli tanks at the Erez crossing on the Israel-Gaza border on Jan. 20, 2024. (Heidi Levine for The Washington Post) Facing pressure to get more aid into the Gaza Strip, Israel said this week it is working toward opening the Erez crossing, a major checkpoint between Israel and northern Gaza. Jamie McGoldrick, U.N. humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, said in a statement Saturday that Israel plans to open Erez Crossing temporarily to move much needed food, water and sanitation items, shelter and health materials from Ashdod port in southern Israel, north of the Erez crossing. But the timing of the reopening remains unclear. McGoldrick said on Friday that Israel had not yet ratified the decision to open the crossing, and that once approved, the checkpoint would not be operational for a few weeks. The reopening could help move assistance into hunger-stricken northern Gaza, but may face the same challenges seen throughout the war. Heres what to know. Why is the Erez crossing important? Reopening the Erez crossing on the border between northern Gaza and Israel could provide an entry point for aid into northern Gaza, which has been particularly devastated by the war since Oct. 7. A report last month warned that famine was imminent there. Israel disputed the reports findings. Before the war, northern Gaza was the strips most populous region. But much of Gazas population has now fled south to Rafah, on the border with Egypt. Palestinians been repeatedly forced to evacuate different areas as Israel has expanded its offensive. Israel has said it intends to see through its military campaign in Gaza by invading Rafah and rooting out Hamas forces there. The United States and others have raised concerns about such an operation, warning that the humanitarian consequences would be severe. If northern Gazas former inhabitants were to return, they would face a flattened landscape with little food, water or shelter. The reopening of the Erez crossing could provide a channel for deliveries of those resources. What has Erez been used for in the past? The border crossing, known to Palestinians as the Beit Hanoun crossing, was a key checkpoint between the Gaza Strip and Israel before the war, primarily used for foot traffic rather than the transport of goods or aid. Those typically allowed through included Palestinian patients, workers and a limited number of international and local organization employees, as well as international staff of diplomatic missions and institutions. To pass through the checkpoint, pedestrians traversed a long, enclosed walkway bracketed by a lattice of metal bars, under strict security. Israel determined which categories of people were permitted to enter and exit through Erez, while Hamas occasionally exercised authority over the entry of certain Palestinians and foreigners. Commercial goods were generally prohibited from entering via the Erez crossing, except for limited allowances such as imported cars on specific days of the week. Commercial traffic was primarily directed through the Kerem Shalom crossing in the southern Gaza Strip. What happened to the crossing on Oct. 7th? Erez was one of 14 places along Gazas border with Israel that Hamas militants breached on Oct. 7, according to a Washington Post investigation. Photos taken after the attack showed damage to the facility, with a large section of the covered footpath destroyed. According to satellite imagery and an on-the-ground report by Al Jazeera, a road at the crossing has been razed, raising questions about how quickly infrastructure could be repaired to facilitate the transit of aid in to Gaza. Will opening the Erez crossing be enough? The United States warned Israel Thursday that it needs to do more to get aid into Gaza, vaguely threatening that U.S. aid policy to Israel could change if it does not. The terse words from the United States came after seven aid workers were killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes. Even if Erez reopens, aid delivery could face the same hurdles seen at the other two points of entry by land into the Gaza Strip - Rafah and Kerem Shalom, both in southern Gaza. Aid groups and the international community, including the United Nations, have said that onerous checks and arbitrary rules by Israel have slowed and hampered efforts to get aid into Gaza. A small portion of the trucks waiting to deliver aid into Gaza are allowed in. Once they do enter Gaza, they face security issues as Gazan police have been struck by Israel, leading aid groups to hesitate to deliver aid as their safety is not guaranteed. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel needs to reduce delays at crossings as the United States monitors whether Israel can produce results in improving aid deliveries to Gaza. He said Friday that the United States would be watching the number of aid deliveries entering Gaza on a sustained basis, and not just getting in but then getting around, and the aid being distributed through Gaza, including critically northern Gaza. Loveday Morris, Beatriz Rios and Victoria Bisset contributed to this report. From a beach in southern Gaza, displaced Palestinians look out at an Israeli gunboat in February. (Loay Ayyoub for The Washington Post) The Biden administration is scrambling to finalize essential components of its plan to install a floating pier off the Gaza coast for processing food deliveries and other desperately needed humanitarian aid, as famine looms and some U.S. officials doubt whether the military operation is even necessary. Four Army ships, deployed from southeastern Virginia in mid-March, are due to arrive in the eastern Mediterranean within days. But evolving conditions amid the war have cast new uncertainty over how the effort will play out. Among the challenges is the precarious security situation in the region, with Irans pledge to retaliate for Israels deadly strike on a diplomatic compound in Syria raising fears that deployed American personnel face heightened risk. U.S. officials have denied that Washington was involved in the attack, but Tehran maintains that as Israels principal supporter, the United States must be held accountable. Another variable is Israels recent attack on a World Central Kitchen humanitarian convoy, which killed seven aid workers. While Israel has accepted blame for the strike and said the workers should not have been targeted, the tragedy has complicated U.S. efforts to secure an arrangement for distributing the estimated 2 million meals to be offloaded from the pier daily. Officials say there also is a lack of clarity about how quickly Israel may follow through on its promise, announced Thursday under pressure from the Biden administration, to open an Israeli port and an additional border crossing to northern Gaza so more aid can get in. One U.S. official, who like some others spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid about the administrations internal deliberations, summarized the predicament this way: Were building the plane as we fly it. A senior U.S. defense official cautioned that it is too early to speculate whether, ultimately, the pier may not be used, but acknowledged the plan for food distribution remains unsettled. The security plan for the pier, however, has been reached in principle, this official said, with Israeli forces assuring U.S. counterparts they will provide significant protection. Another defense official said the pier operation is proceeding, at least for now, but questioned whether initial forecasts will hold. After the plan was announced by President Biden during his State of the Union address in March, the Pentagon suggested the pier could be in use for several months. While some officials said that remains the expectation, that timeline may no longer be necessary if other means of aid delivery become available, the defense official said. Another senior U.S. official disagreed, saying the pier absolutely has utility still. To get to the order of magnitude of aid that we think is needed, it will require an all-hands-on-deck approach, this person said. So we will need not only the ground routes, but also the pier for some duration of time. The Biden administration, facing strident criticism over its unflinching support for Israel, has intensified its pressure on Israeli leaders to not only protect civilians in their military campaign but to dramatically increase the amount of food allowed into Gaza. A failure to heed those demands, the White House warned Thursday, could force a change in U.S. policy toward the war. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has grown increasingly dire, with people facing extreme hunger and the World Health Organization declaring that parts of the Palestinian enclave could spiral into full-blown famine by May. The classification means that many people have almost no food, bringing about starvation and death. Officials have said that approximately 1,000 U.S. personnel would build the floating pier and an 1,800-foot two-lane causeway connecting it to a beachhead secured by the Israel Defense Forces. No American service members are expected to go ashore, but they will probably be on the causeway, putting them within range of militants rockets and other forms of attack. Operations are expected to begin about May 1. For the last month, the U.S. Agency for International Development has discussed with aid organizations how the pier could be used, what security it will have and how the operation might complement broader humanitarian efforts in Gaza, another U.S. official said. But those talks have been complicated by the World Central Kitchen tragedy on April 1, which occurred as the charitys aid workers were delivering food. About 200 aid workers have been killed in the West Bank and Gaza since the war began in October, according to the United Nations. The strike on World Central Kitchen was especially jarring because the aid workers had coordinated their route with the Israeli military in advance. People are really scared now, the official said, adding that the heads of major humanitarian organizations have relayed to the U.S. government deep concern that Gaza is not suitably safe enough to deploy their staffs. Israeli officials have called the strike a case of mistaken identity, announcing Friday the removal of the commanders involved and plans to examine their targeting processes to avoid future mistakes. Israel also disclosed Thursday that it would open the Erez border crossing into northern Gaza and the Israeli port of Ashdod, about 20 miles away, potentially boosting the volume of aid let into Gaza significantly. U.S. officials welcomed the decision, but have taken a wait-and-see approach to whether Israels promises are fulfilled. The Israeli Embassy in Washington could not be reached for comment. A senior administration official said the United States wants to build redundancy into the aid system so that if one port of entry to Gaza is cut off, required supplies can still flow in elsewhere. Anything additional that the pier can provide is still much needed, this person said. The United Nations is seen as the primary recipient and distributor of aid coming off the pier, the senior administration official said, adding that other groups will be welcome to use the pier to bring in their own food but that Israel must regain trust with those organizations after the World Central Kitchen attack. Theres no doubt, the official said, that the strike has a chilling effect. Police cruisers are stationed before the roundabout inside CityPlace Doral on Saturday, April 6, 2024. () (Tribune News Service) A gunman and a security guard were shot dead and seven others were injured including an Army-trained Doral police officer who wrapped a tourniquet around his injured upper thigh in a shootout involving police at a Doral nightclub early Saturday. According to Miami-Dade police, a dispute broke out at Martini Bar at CityPlace Doral around 3:30 a.m. Saturday. A security guard intervened and was shot and killed by the gunman. Two Doral police officers who were at Martini Bar on security detail exchanged gunfire with the shooter. Nine people in total were shot. In addition to the security guard, the gunman was killed in the exchange, and six people at the bar were injured during the shootout, along with a Doral police officer. One of the officers, the one who was struck, with four years of service, applied a tourniquet on himself immediately after being struck. Even after he discharged his firearm, the extensive training that our police officers undergo is a testament to why that officer is alive today, Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez said during a news conference Saturday morning. Coincidentally, one year ago to the day, we conducted a mass casualty and multi-agency active shooter drill here at the same establishment, Lopez said. Lopez told the Miami Herald that the officer had military training and knew what to do. Both discharged, Lopez said, speaking about the gunman and the two officers on duty. One of the officers shot the gunman. There were only three firearms. They went in without delay. He not only saved the life of patrons, but he saved his own life by using the tourniquet. The officer was taken to Jackson Memorial, where he is reported in stable condition, Miami-Dade Det. Alvaro Zabaleta said. Of the six bystanders who were wounded, two were critically injured and four were in stable condition, and all were transported to trauma centers at Jackson and HCA Kendall, Zabaleta said. Two of the victims are women, four are men, Zabaleta told the Herald, updating initial reports. Police have not identified the officers involved, the fatally wounded security guard or the gunman. The initial fight at Martini Bar involved two patrons the shooter and another individual, who has not been identified. A multi-agency investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Miami-Dade Police Department and Doral Police Department is underway. Detectives are interviewing witnesses. There have not been any arrests. At this time its too early to tell who was shot by who, but were actively investigating that incident, Lopez said. We will be shut down here for the next few hours while police conduct the investigation, but the scene and the surrounding areas are safe and secure at this time. Miami Herald staff writer Charles Rabin contributed to this report. 2024 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Pakistan has denounced the provocative remarks made by the Indian defence minister during a recent televised interview. In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan stands resolute in its intent and ability to safeguard its sovereignty against any act of aggression, as demonstrated by its robust response to India's reckless incursion in February 2019, which laid bare India's hollow claims of military superiority. The spokesperson said India's ruling dispensation habitually resorts to hateful rhetoric to fuel hyper-nationalistic sentiments, unapologetically exploiting such discourse for electoral gains. Such myopic and irresponsible behaviour not only undermines regional peace but also impedes the prospects of constructive engagement in the long term. Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan has always demonstrated its commitment to peace in the region. However, our desire for peace should not be misconstrued. History attests to Pakistan's firm resolve and ability to protect and defend itself. The spokesperson recalled that Pakistan has provided irrefutable evidence, elucidating India's campaign of extrajudicial and transnational assassinations on Pakistani soil. She said India's assertion of its preparedness to extra-judicially execute more civilians, arbitrarily pronounced as "terrorists", inside Pakistan constitutes a clear admission of culpability. She urged the international community to hold India accountable for its heinous and illegal actions. Yesterday, the Foreign Office had said that the Indian network of extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings was now a global phenomenon that required a coordinated international response. In the Friday statement, the FO had said that Indias assassination of Pakistani nationals on Pakistani soil was a clear violation of the countrys sovereignty and a breach of the UN Charter. These cases exposed the increasing sophistication and brazenness of Indian-sponsored terrorist acts inside Pakistan, with striking similarities to the pattern observed in other countries, including Canada and the United States, the FO said. It is critical to bring to justice the perpetrators, facilitators, financiers and sponsors of these extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings. India must be held accountable internationally for its blatant violation of international law, the FO had said. Russia must be held accountable for its crimes against Ukrainian civilians. Repeated missile attacks with a short interval between them are aimed at killing first responders and journalists who arrive at the scene. ADVERTISIMENT This was stated by US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink on Twitter. She called such actions of the occupiers a "horrific pattern". "Today, Russia attacked Zaporizhzhia, killing three people with missile attacks 40 minutes apart - a horrific pattern that was apparently intended to kill first responders and journalists at the scene," the ambassador said in a statement. As reported, on Friday, April 5, Russian occupation forces once again attacked Zaporizhzhia, a city near the frontline. The strikes hit a residential area, killing and injuring civilians. "On April 5, 2024, the Russian Armed Forces fired missiles at the infrastructure of Zaporizhzhia. After the first missile attack and the work of law enforcement, emergency services and media representatives at the scene, the same area was shelled again. According to preliminary data, 4 civilians were killed and more than 20 people were injured. Among the injured are a child, journalists and a police officer," the regional prosecutor's office said. ADVERTISIMENT On the night of Thursday, March 28, the troops of the Russian aggressor country attacked Zaporizhzhia with Shahed kamikaze drones. As a result of the enemy attack, there were victims in the city. He noted that the invaders hit private homes of local civilians with Shahed drones. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Officers from the Garda Dublin Crime Response Team based at Dublin Castle arrested father-of-four Philip Lawless on Wednesday A DHL worker has been accused of having a central role in a sophisticated operation following the seizure of just over 3m worth of cannabis and cocaine in Dublin. Officers from the Garda Dublin Crime Response Team based at Dublin Castle arrested father-of-four Philip Lawless (47) on Wednesday and held him at Kevin Street station. The courier firm employee, with an address at Forest River Park, Leixlip, Co. Kildare, was charged on Friday evening with possessing cannabis and cocaine for sale or supply at a storage facility in Ballymount Industrial Estate and having cannabis for sale or supply at a property on Beresford Street in the north inner city. Mr Lawless was refused bail when he appeared before Judge Marie Quirke at Dublin District Court on Saturday. Garda Tara Higgins told the court Mr Lawless, who was supported in court by his wife and elderly father, made no reply to the Misuse of Drugs Act charges. Objecting to bail, the officer said that drugs worth an excess of 3m were located at multiple locations, and samples had been tested, confirming they were cannabis and cocaine. Garda Higgins alleged that 115 kilos of cannabis worth 2.3m were recovered at a storage unit in Ballymount Industrial Estate, along with ten kilos of cocaine valued at 700,000 and another 6,000 worth of cannabis was also recovered at the second location. Garda Higgins alleged that the accused had a key and a unique code to the storage facility, and there was excellent CCTV evidence of him carrying boxes containing cannabis and cocaine into the unit. The garda maintained there was strong evidence; the accused was arrested on the grounds where he had the key in his possession. It was also claimed that he was the leaseholder. Garda Higgins agreed with defence counsel Kevin McCrave (instructed by solicitor Niall OConnor) that the accused still had the presumption of innocence and he could face a lengthy wait until the trial. The court heard that Forensic Science Ireland, which conducts drug analysis for the criminal justice system, has already tested some of the seizure. The garda also said a file would be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions, the case would likely be upgraded, and a further charge was possible. She added that it would get priority given the value of the substances. Under cross-examination, Garda Higgins acknowledged that two other people had been charged with connected offences. However, she alleged that the accused played a central role in this sophisticated operation and no bail conditions would satisfy her concerns. Pleading for bail, counsel submitted that his client, who did not address the court, had lived at his current address for 17 years and had four children and a grandchild. The judge heard that his arrest had upset his family, which depended on Mr Lawless, the sole provider in the household. The defence said he would obey various conditions, including surrendering his passport and phone and a curfew order. Mr McCrave also stressed that his client had no history of convictions or warrants and had not come to Garda attention. He said there was a presumption of innocence and a presumption in favour of bail and submitted that there was no evidence given that he would not turn up for trial or that he was involved in a crime cycle. The court heard that Mr Lawless, yet to indicate a plea, had worked for DHL but risked losing his job. Judge Quirke said he was still presumed innocent but described the charges as serious and noted the Garda objections. She denied his bail application and remanded Mr Lawless in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on Tuesday. The judge also deferred granting legal aid to allow gardai to examine the defendants statement of means. Two other men were charged and appeared in court on Friday. The man, who listened to the proceedings with the assistance of an interpreter, is to be held in prison pending his next appearance The man was arrested at Dublin Airport. Stock image A SPANISH man arrested over a seizure of 260,000 worth of cannabis at Dublin Airport has been remanded in custody. Siquen Buangiovanni, 35, whose charges stated no specific address other than Spain, appeared before Judge Marie Quirke at Dublin District Court on Saturday. She noted there was no application for bail. The accused who was arrested on Friday will be allowed legal aid, provided he furnishes the court with a statement of his means. He has yet to enter a plea. Gardai must also seek directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions. Mr Buangiovanni is accused of unlawful possession and importation of cannabis and having it for the purpose of sale or supply following a suitcase search on April 5. The offences are contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act. The man, who listened to the proceedings with the assistance of an interpreter, was held in prison pending his next appearance, which is scheduled for Thursday at Cloverhill District Court. Almost a year after Gerry The Monk Hutch was acquitted of Regency murder, easing tensions mean security measures have been relaxed Jonathan Dowdall (right) whose conversations with Gerry Hutch were played at Hutch's murder trial last year David Byrne, who was gunned down in the Regency Hotel in 2016 Members and close associates of the Hutch organised crime gang are no longer on a protection regime in prison, the Sunday World can reveal. Sources said this is one of many examples of how the gangs deadly feud with the Kinahan cartel, which has claimed 18 lives, is now in its most stable and calm situation since it began in 2015. On Wednesday week, it will be a year since Gerry The Monk Hutch was found not guilty at the Special Criminal Court of murdering cartel gangster David Byrne in the Regency Hotel bloodbath on February 5, 2016. Since being acquitted by the non-jury court, Hutch has been spending time between Lanzarote and Dublin and was photographed earlier this week enjoying a pint of beer at an open-air bar in the resort of Puerto del Carmen. A source said last night that Hutch is unlikely at this stage to face fresh charges for directing an organised crime gang as part of an investigation by detectives from the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI). David Byrne, who was gunned down in the Regency Hotel in 2016 For around eight years after the Regency attack, jailed Hutch gang members and associates were held under a protection regime in the high-security 3G wing of Wheatfield Prison. The 16-cell landing was isolated from the rest of the west Dublin jail and had its own exercise yard, which other prisoners could not access. This was because of the significant threat posed by the cartel to anyone associated with the Hutch mob. However, the 3G wing has now been effectively disbanded. The 3G wing, of course, does still exist and there are still members of the Hutch faction on it, but its no longer a jail within a jail thats closed off from all the other inmates with massive security measures in place, a source said. The Hutch associates are no longer in isolation, and a number of the dozen or so of these individuals are actually serving their time in the general prison population. The reason these changes have happened is because intelligence assessments deemed that the threat level against these prisoners is nowhere near the same level that it was when this feud was at its height. When photographed this week in Lanzarote, The Monk looked relaxed as he sat at a bar enjoying a pint. He was an inmate when there was a high-security regime on the 3G landing at Wheatfield, where he was on remand from September 2021 until his acquittal in court on April 17 last year. Jonathan Dowdall (right) whose conversations with Gerry Hutch were played at Hutch's murder trial last year A number of Hutchs relatives who are serving time for serious offences as well as taxi driver Paul Murphy (62) and builder Jason Bonney (53), who went on trial with him, but were convicted and jailed for facilitating the killing of David Byrne are all serving under a far more normal prisoner regime as the security situation has de-escalated in recent months. It is understood that Bonney, who has a history of heart complaints, had a health scare in prison last year, but sources said he is now in good health and good form. Special security measures have not been eased for one former Hutch gang criminal, who remains under the severest threat level possible after he gave evidence against The Monk in one of the most high-profile trials in the history of the Irish criminal justice system. Former Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall (45) is serving a four-year sentence for facilitating Byrnes murder at the Regency. Dowdalls release date is in November next year, but the discredited state witness is expected to be out of Limerick Prison before then as he has been accepted into the witness security programme and is likely to be moved out of the jail and the country at very short notice as part of this deal. Dowdall remains in a special protection wing of Limerick Prison, which has 10 cells but just five occupants, who have a completely restricted regime. The most high-profile of the four other prisoners on Dowdalls secure landing is transgender inmate Barbie Kardashian (22), who is serving time for making threats to torture, rape and murder her mother. Patrick Hutch Another prisoner on the secure landing is a man aged in his mid-40s who is on remand and cannot be named as he is facing a murder charge. Sources said all five prisoners on Dowdalls landing are allowed to interact with each other, but are not allowed to mix with other prisoners. All their meals are delivered to their individual cells and the prisoners can only take their hour of exercise time when other inmates are on their meal breaks. Sources said gardai monitor Dowdalls regular prison visits from his wife. When he receives personal visits, special security arrangements involving armed gardai are imposed. Convicted torturer Dowdalls father, Patrick (67) served his two-year jail sentence for his role in Byrnes murder on the same secure wing in Limerick Prison before being released last April. He also has been accepted into the witness security programme after his son gave evidence in The Monks trial. While the future remains uncertain for the Dowdalls, things are looking a lot better for The Monks older brother Patsy (61) and Patsys son Patrick (31), who were prime targets of the Kinahan cartel after it blamed them for the Regency attack. An unarmed garda unit had provided protection at Patsy Hutchs home in Dublins Champions Avenue for years during the worst of the feud violence, but a security assessment led to this being withdrawn last year. Last week, Patsy and Patrick Hutch looked relaxed and carefree when they were photographed as they bought a second-hand car at a Dublin dealership. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris This was the first time the pair had been pictured in public since February 2019, when Patsy drove Patrick away on his motorbike after his Regency murder trial collapsed. The gangland landscape has changed significantly since then, and tensions in the feud have eased. However, garda and prison sources said there is no room for complacency, despite no incidents for several years. The last murder linked to the feud was in 2018. At this stage, the pressure from law enforcement appears to be primarily on the leadership of the Kinahan cartel, who are based in Dubai and subject to sanctions and a multi-million dollar bounty imposed by the United States nearly two years ago Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch leaving court after his acquittal last year. Photo: Mark Condren In his latest public comments on the international investigation into the cartel, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said last week that the authorities in Dubai are committed to working with gardai in the probe against the gang. He said he had been in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last month and had met senior police officers. Contacts are continuing, Mr Harris said, adding that An Garda Siochanas relationship with authorities in Dubai has developed a lot further from where it was a year ago. Asked about the delay in the extradition of senior cartel figures, including Sean McGovern, who is wanted for murder in Ireland, Mr Harris said the UAE has a different legal process to this jurisdiction. An industrial hydraulic press, a large vacuum packing machine, blenders and a weighing scales were also located and seized Cannabis, cocaine and other gear seized by gardai last night A man has been arrested after cocaine and cannabis worth an estimated 135,000 were seized in a shed behind a house in Crumlin, Dublin 12 last night. The man, in his 20s was arrested at the scene of the bust on Kildare Road and is currently being held at a Garda station in the Dublin region. The search operation carried out as part of Operation Tara by gardai from the Crumlin District Drugs Unit, with assistance by regular units from Crumlin and Sundrive Road Garda Station and the Garda Dog Unit. Gardai said the operation is part of ongoing investigations into the sale and supply of drugs in the Dublin 12 area. During the search, suspected cocaine worth an estimated 87,000 and suspected cannabis worth 48,000 were seized, gardai said. An industrial hydraulic press, a large vacuum packing machine, blenders and a weighing scales were also located and seized. All of the seized items were located in a shed at the rear of the property, concealed behind larger items. A man in his 20s was arrested at the scene, gardai added. He is currently being detained at a Garda Station in the Dublin Region under the provisions of Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996. Meanwhile, the seized drugs will be sent to Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) for analysis while investigations are ongoing. This seizure forms part of Operation Tara, the enhanced national anti-drugs strategy, which was launched by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in July 2021. The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks, at all levels - international, national, local - involved in the importation, distribution, cultivation, production, local sale and supply of controlled drugs. "And in the eyes of republicans, he's not a republican TWO SENIOR Sinn Fein TDs have disavowed Garda killer and wife-stabber Pearse McAuley saying the killer lost his standing in the Republican movement following the attack on his estranged wife Pauline Tully. Their statements came after we revealed how McAuley had been threatened he wouldnt be the first man to disappear in a bog if he returned to Cavan after his release from prison for stabbing Sinn Fein TD Ms. Tully. Speaking to reporters outside Leinster House, the partys housing spokesperson Eoin O Broin said: Ive never met Pearse McAuley but in my view, particularly given his treatment of my party colleague Pauline Tully, hes not a Republican. Hes not somebody I have any time for or any respect for. Obviously during the Peace Process there were important negotiations including around the release of political prisoners and the work Sinn Fein did during that time was essential to consolidate and secure the Peace Process. But I have to say, given how events transpired laterally, Pearse McAuley isnt somebody who I have any time for whatsoever. I certainly wouldnt see him as Republican or somebody of any standing, the Dublin Midwest TD added. On Tuesday, Donegal TD Pearse Doherty echoed his party colleagues claim stating: McAuley had nothing to do with Sinn Fein for "many, many, many years". "And in the eyes of republicans, he's not a republican "In relation to the funeral of Pearse McAuley we had no hand, act or part in it. "In relation to the placement of a tricolour, if it was our decision, one would not be on the coffin." In the aftermath of the funeral of McAuley in Strabane, Fine Gaels new party leader Simon Harris took aim at the placing of the tricolour over the criminals coffin. Harris received a standing ovation from Fine Gael members when he spoke about it being a shame to see McAuleys coffin draped in the tricolour. McCauley, who was almost 60 years old at the time of his death, walked free from prison in 2022 after serving his time for a brutal knife attack on his ex-wife. He stabbed Pauline Tully 13 times in 2014. McCauley had previously served a sentence for killing Detective Garda Jerry McCabe in 1996, for which he was released from prison in 2009. Last week, we reported on how McAuley was no longer considered a Republican figure during his second stint behind bars. And that McAuley was warned he wouldnt be the first man to disappear in a bog if he returned to Cavan on completing his sentence for the horror assault on Pauline Tully, Two separate prison sources confirmed the threat was made to McAuley in Castlerea Prison in 2021 - approximately 12 months before his June 2022 release. There is no suggestion whatsoever that Sinn Fein or Pauline Tully knew anything of the threat. After McAuley did regain his freedom he moved back to Strabane. It was about 12 months before he got out and McAuley was basically doing his homework, a source told the Sunday World. He was setting out his stall for what he was going to do when he got out when he got a visit to the prison during which he was informed he would not be welcome back in Cavan. It was to the effect, if he was seen in Cavan again, he wouldnt be the first man to disappear in the bog. In the aftermath of this meeting, its understood McAuley entered into correspondence with officials in Northern Ireland in a bid to ensure he would have no difficulties setting up home in the north after his release. Shacklady and his partner Melville were found counting cash inside a bedroom surrounded by multiple bags containing thousands of pounds Some of the drugs that were seized Elastic bands and cash on a bed in the bedroom A Merseyside crime gang that had been dealing in class A drugs, including heroin, cannabis and hundreds of kilos of cocaine, have been jailed for a total of 61 years in the UK. Ian Shacklady (67), his partner Gillian Melville (66) and her son Alan Causer (45) were arrested following an investigation by the specialist Merseyside Organised Crime Partnership (OCP), a joint National Crime Agency and Merseyside Police unit. They and their co-conspirators John Germaine (35) and Daniel Heeley (32) were handed prison terms totaling 61 years at Liverpool Crown Court this week. Shacklady and Causer had been using a van containing a purpose-built compartment controlled by hydraulics that were activated from the cup holders to transport the drugs around the country. Following a period of surveillance, OCP officers arrived at an address in Skelmersdale on September 15 2021, where ANPR data showed that the van had made over 40 trips across the UK. Shacklady and his partner Melville were found counting cash inside a bedroom surrounded by multiple bags containing 254,695, as well as a number of elastic bands. A search of the rest of the property uncovered a further 146,869 in cash, as well as cannabis with a wholesale value of 16,000. However, further investigations revealed how his discovery was only a proportion of the total amount made by the group. Two ledgers were found at the address, containing lists consistent with the supply of at least 360kg of cocaine and 25kg of heroin. There were also entries showing the collection and delivery of more than 1.4 million in cash. Germaine was identified partly through text messages, calls and the written logs. These showed that he had managed the supply of at least 12kg of class A drugs either by arranging delivery or directing others to carry it out. Elastic bands and cash on a bed in the bedroom Shortly prior to the police arriving at the Skelmersdale address, he had responded to a request from Shacklady to provide some elastic bands to count and band cash. His fingerprints were found on money seized at the location. Heeley was said to have played an integral part in the supply of large quantities of drugs to Morecambe and Barnard Castle, using three separate phone numbers to keep in contact with Shacklady, Causer and Germaine. Causer, Shacklady, Melville and Germaine all pleaded guilty to offences relating to the supply of drugs and the possession of criminal property. Heeley pleaded guilty on the first day of trial at Liverpool Crown Court on February 19, 2024. Causer was sentenced to 18 years, Germaine was sentenced to 16 years, Shacklady was sentenced to 12 years and Heeley was sentenced to 15 years in prison on April 3. Some of the drugs that were seized Melville received a 23-month suspended sentence. Germaine was already in prison, serving nine years and two months in relation to the seizure of nine kilos of cocaine and over six kilos of cannabis by officers from the OCP. The drugs were stored in a unit in Burscough, and almost 18,000 in cash was found in his white Ford Kuga by officers from the OCP on 28 September 2021. The new sentence will be added on to the existing one. Shacklady had previously served time in jail for his role in a separate conspiracy to supply cocaine. Richard Harrison, Regional Head of Investigations North at the National Crime Agency, said this was a significant crime group that according to its own records was trading in class A drugs worth millions of pounds. These criminals think nothing of the harm that the class A drugs trade brings to communities in the north west and all around the country, Mr Harrison said. The NCA and Merseyside Police will continue to employ every possible tactic to target and disrupt organised crime groups, and ensure their members face justice. This would leave Cork North Central TD Colm Burke in line for a ministerial promotion, however, Mr Coveney said the promotion would be for a junior minister and not to Cabinet. Outgoing Enterprise Minister SImon Coveney has said he wasnt shafted by Simon Harris but has said he wants to see a Cork junior minister in next weeks reshuffle. This would leave Cork North Central TD Colm Burke in line for a ministerial promotion, however, Mr Coveney said the promotion would be for a junior minister and not to Cabinet. When asked if he would like to see a Cork minister in next weeks reshuffle, he said: I would. Might be in the junior minister ranks, well see. He said he wasnt shafted by Simon Harris before announcing earlier this week he is stepping down from his Cabinet portfolio. The Irish Independent reported previously how a key meeting between the two men last week is being viewed as crucial to Mr Coveneys decision to resign. Fine Gael parliamentary party sources believe Harris swung the axe at the meeting, however, this has been rejected by the ministers spokespeople. Mr Coveney said he didnt know if he would be kept in Cabinet after the reshuffle and that he spoke to Mr Harris about this. I don't know whether I would have been in the Cabinet next week. I did speak to Simon about it a number of times. Youll have to ask him whether you know what his view is on that, he told reporters at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis today in Galway. Honestly, my decision wasn't about being shafted or anything like that. It was kind of a deeper one for me. I've had 26 years in politics. It's been an extraordinary privilege. I've basically done nothing else in life from a working perspective. I've been 13 years, the longest-serving along with Leo Fine Gael minister ever. I felt it was time to give somebody an opportunity. He said he thought about his role in the renewal of the party over Easter after Leo Varadkar announced he was stepping down as leader. He said Fine Gael needs to look and feel fresh and said he decided to make life a little bit easier for Mr Harris when deciding on his new Cabinet and junior ministers. Peter Burke, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Martin Heydon and Patrick ODonovan are some of the names tipped for Cabinet promotion. Emer Higgins, Colm Burke and Alan Dillon are some of the TDs rumoured to be in line for junior ministerial portfolios. There are two vacancies in Cabinet - Mr Harris own portfolio of Further and Higher Education, as well as Mr Coveneys Department of Enterprise. Josepha Madigans portfolio of Special Education is also up for grabs. A number of households are currently without power in the southwest of the country, with Cork and Kerry in particular experiencing outages. A tourist poses for a photograph on the Burren, near Black Head lighthouse, County Clare in the Republic of Ireland as Storm Jocelyn hit in January (Niall Carson/PA) Storm Kathleen has arrived, with Status Orange weather warnings in effect for five counties and a countrywide wind warning in effect throughout today. Blustery conditions have the potential to bring very difficult travel conditions, fallen trees and coastal flooding. A number of households are currently without power in the southwest of the country, with Cork and Kerry in particular experiencing outages. Around 80 flights have so far been cancelled between Ireland and the UK and Europe today due to the storm. Meanwhile, many thousands of households are without power as Storm Kathleen tracks across the country, with ESB customers in every province, and most counties, affected. Crews are working to restore power to the network, with updated information available on powercheck.ie. Trains to and from Heuston station are also significantly delayed this morning due a tree on the line near Monasterevin and the line will remain closed until 10:30am at the earliest as crews work to clear it. The countrys crisis management team yesterday warned the public that Storm Kathleen is a dynamic storm and to stay away from all coastal areas for the duration of the Met Eireann warnings. Counties Cork, Kerry and Waterford are currently under a Status Orange wind warning due to gale force southerly winds, with some severe and damaging gusts. It came into effect at 7am and remains in place until 2pm, while a Status Orange wind warning for Galway and Mayo will come into force between 9am and 6pm today. The entire country is under a Status Yellow wind warning from 5am until 8pm this evening as strong, gusty southerly winds sweep across the country. Northern Ireland has been issued with a similar warning from the UK Met Office, where very windy conditions are expected between 8am and 10pm. Strong gales are expected along the coasts with flooding and wave overtopping likely, while frequent showers will move eastwards across the country and continue into this evening. Dublin Airport has confirmed it is open and operational today as Storm Kathleen hits Ireland. Its windy, but the early wave of departures and arrivals has moved well, it said in a post shared to X. As always, passengers flying today are advised to check with their airline directly for updates regarding specific flights. Ryanair has already warned passengers of potential disruptions to flights to and from the country due to Storm Kathleen, while Aer Lingus has also told passengers that there may be some delays and cancellations this weekend. A number of ferry services have also been cancelled this weekend due to adverse weather conditions. A mix of clear spells and scattered heavy showers will follow tonight, when it will remain windy and reach near gale force on West and northwest coasts and in the southeast at times. Road users have been urged to check local traffic and weather conditions before setting out on any journey, with the Road Safety Authority advising motorists to beware of falling debris and the chance of vehicles veering across the road in windy conditions. Drivers should expect the unexpected and remain aware that the control of a vehicle can be affected by strong crosswinds, with high-sided vehicles and motorcyclists particularly vulnerable to strong winds. Fallen trees have obstructed a number of roads in Kerry, with Kerry County Council urging the public to avoid travel in Killarney due to a downed tree partially blocking the bypass. Others have fallen at Rathmore on the N72, the Ardfert to Banna Road, Ballygamboon on the N70 and other locations across the county. Electricity poles have partially fallen at Annadale near Killorglin and Stradbally in west Kerry. Cork County Council has confirmed that flood barriers will be erected on Sunday in Fermoy and Mallow as a result of expected weather conditions, with the county also impacted by a small number of fallen trees across the road network. A number of weather warnings are in place today after Storm Kathleen hit the coast of Ireland this morning. There will be gale-force southerly winds, with some severe and damaging gusts, and impacts could include some power outages, coastal flooding, difficult travel conditions, fallen trees and wave overtopping. People should be aware that Storm Kathleen is a dynamic storm and there will be updates to weather warnings, the countrys crisis management team have warned. Storm Kathleen set to arrive this weekend as Met Eireann issues Status Orange wind warning The Russian occupation army has recently increased the pace of offensive operations in Ukraine. This is likely to lead to a significant increase in enemy losses of both manpower and equipment. ADVERTISIMENT At the same time, Russia's military and political leadership continues to conceal real losses at the front. This is stated in the analysis of the Institute for War Studies. Over the past week, Putin's troops have conducted several mechanized attacks at the platoon, company and battalion level west of Bakhmut in the Chasovyi Yar area, west of Kreminna and west of Avdiivka in the Berdychiv, Semenivka and Tonenke areas. The analysts noted that the previous pattern of Russian infantry attacks did not involve large-scale use of armored vehicles. The ISW emphasized that the aggressor country has successfully used its current mobilization efforts to compensate for the large losses of manpower. Vadym Skibitskyi, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, previously stated that Russia recruits about 30,000 personnel every month, who are used to replenish personnel losses and form tactical and operational reserves. ADVERTISIMENT According to analysts, the new trend of Russian troops using more equipment than before suggests that the occupiers are no longer so constrained or concerned about the loss of their armored vehicles and tanks. In turn, the British International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank reported that Russia is likely to be able to maintain the current rate of equipment losses for at least two or three years. Today, the terrorist country Russia can still produce 250-300 new and modernized tanks per year and repair about 250-300 damaged tanks per year. At the same time, ISW believes that the Kremlin is unlikely to resort to unpopular mobilization efforts in the short term unless the losses of manpower and equipment significantly exceed the level that the current mobilization campaign and its defense production capacity can provide. ADVERTISIMENT As a reminder, Russia's new offensive in Ukraine is expected to begin in late May or June. Now our army needs maximum military assistance from our partners as it is very difficult to resist the well-equipped Russian army. Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that according to his information, Russia would announce a new mobilization of 300,000 soldiers on June 1. Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! As members of the Clonduff club were coming to terms this week with Lorcan Branagans death, news also emerged of another young club member having been assaulted during a night out The funeral arrangements have been released for a talented GAA player who sadly passed away in Australia. Lorcan Branagan, 26, suddenly passed away in Sydney on March 24, with the young man's family being hit with the loss of a second brother and son following the passing of 23-year-old Pearce from a cardiac incident in June 2018. Police have appealed for information about an alleged bar altercation, after which GAA player Charlie Brown was admitted to intensive care for treatment to a head injury. The Co.Down Village of Hilltown were Charlie Brown and the late Lorcan Brannigan come from. Members of a heartbroken GAA club will gather tomorrow for the funeral of a young player as prayers continue for the recovery of another. Lorcan Branagan, 26, died in Australia last month. The popular member of the Clonduff GAA club in Co Down had travelled to Sydney in November 2023 and was due to return home in the coming weeks. Lorcan, who is believed to have died from a cardiac seizure, will be buried tomorrow afternoon following a service at St. Johns Church Ballymaghery, Hilltown. As members of the Clonduff club were coming to terms this week with Lorcans death, news also emerged of another young club member having been assaulted during a night out in Rostrevor, Co Down on Easter Sunday. Charlie Brown Charlie Brown, 21, is reported to have fallen to the ground following an incident at a pub in the Bridge Street area of the town. Police said he was taken to hospital where he is still being treated for his injuries. On Friday afternoon, the PSNI said a 24-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent in connection with the incident. He has been released on police bail to allow for further police enquiries. The PSNI have appealed for anyone with information about the incident to contact them. In a message on its Facebook page, Clonduff GAC asked people to pray for Charlie and his family. Charlie and his brother Eamon were part of Ulster Universitys Sigerson Cup winning team in February of this year. In a statement. Ulster University GAA club also asked people to pray for Charlie and his family at this very worrying time. "Charlie remains in intensive care in an induced coma after an assault. We pray that Charlie makes a full and speedy recovery, the university team added. Meanwhile, a fundraising campaign in honour of Lorcan Branagan has so far raised more than 70,000. The money will be donated to support the work of the Kevin Bell Repatriation Fund, which helped bring Lorcans body home from Australia. Lorcans uncle, Mark Hollywood, set up the online appeal, which has received more than 2,000 donations. Our loss of Lorcan is immeasurable, the pain is indescribable, and we know he is simply irreplaceable, said Mark. The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust has helped the family navigate the intricacies of returning him back to the County Down and we'd like you to help support the amazing work they do, at this exceptionally difficult time. If you can help by donating to the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, however small or big, it is massively appreciated by our family and by this wonderful charity. Its the number none of us ever thought wed have to ring, but we are so grateful for their help at this traumatic time for our family. OHagan, from Old Court Manor in Craigavon, faces a total of seven charges alleged to have been committed between 10-15 June last year One of the worlds strongest men and an alleged domestic abuser has had his bail varied to allow him to travel to the Caribbean to compete this weekend. Following a defence application at Newry Crown Court last week, Judge Paul Ramsey KC relaxed the bail conditions for 34-year-old Sean OHagan to allow him to travel to Martinique to compete in the Strongmans Champions League. On a raft of charges all alleged to be aggravated by domestic abuse OHagan, from Old Court Manor in Craigavon, faces a total of seven charges alleged to have been committed between 10-15 June last year including harassment, dangerous driving, assault, robbery, domestic abuse and two counts of criminal damage. The particulars of the offences accuse OHagan of damaging his ex-partners car, robbing her phone, engaging in a course of conduct which amounted to harassment and engaging in a course of behaviour that was abusive of a person to whom he was personally connected at the time and the course of behaviour is such that a reasonable person would consider the course of behaviour to be likely to cause her to suffer physical or psychological harm. OHagan has denied each of the offences and is to go on trial for them next month. In the meantime, fans of strongman OHagan can watch him on Amazon Prime TV as he competes against ten other men in the Strongman Champions League. The competition in Fort-de-France on the rugged and beautiful Caribbean island of Martinique is the first of a dozen rounds of the SCL and could potentially see OHagan travel around the world to compete in Holland, Portugal, Serbia, Cyprus, England, Finland and South Africa before the final in November. If he manages to top the league, OHagan stands to win $350,000. Hailing from Loughgbrickland and standing at just under 7 tall, OHagan is widely considered to be the tallest of the worlds active and competing strongmen. O'Hagan's first major success was becoming Ulster's Strongman Man in 2014 when he was 24-years-old, making him the competitions youngest winner and he followed that up by winning Ireland's Strongest Man in 2015. In 2016, O'Hagan began competing in an international strongman competition, finishing 31st in the Strongman world rankings. In 2017, he qualified for the Strongman Champions League World Finals in Mexico. After 18 matches in various locations across the globe, with his best finish being 4th, he finished 9th in the world final and jumped to 20th strongest man in the world rankings with 71 points. O'Hagan won the 2020 World's Strongest Viking competition in Fefor, Norway. 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. Her lawyers claim Pitt made the sale of their French winery conditional on his ex-wife signing a NDA that prohibited Jolie from speaking [other than in court] about Pitts abuse Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage 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 an 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. 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. (Telegraph Media Group Ltd 2024) The Rotorua business community is in for a great line-up of businesses and non-profits pitching at the Rotorua Pitch Night on 10 April. Four organisations will pitch from a range of industries, including fin tech, e-commerce, educational aids, and a youth leadership programme asking for equity investment, lending investment or sponsorship. Maria Ngawati is returning to pitch her company Indigishare again after pitching in 2021. She is pitching a fin tech product Te Waharoa, a NZ designed web-based payment gateway. Maria Ngawati - Indigishare. Photo supplied. Currently, payment processing is a 6 trillion-dollar industry. Most merchant and payment processing fees go to offshore banks. In addition it is a significant cost to businesses eating up their profits. We want to offer New Zealand businesses better payment processing rates as well as keeping the revenue in our country and our communities, she says. The Rotorua Pitch Night event aims to introduce businesses and non-profits to prospective investors. It fosters an active local investor community in Rotorua. The event is being run by Firestation, Rotorua X and Rotorua NZ. Event Director Darren McGarvie says the event provided an important and much-needed platform for local businesses. Pitch Night has been developed to enable local organisations another avenue to fund their growth and raise their profile, whether that be equity investment, lending investment or philanthropic investment. We are looking forward to an entertaining evening with a wide range of industries covered and a mix of equity, lending and sponsorship investment opportunities available. Other pitches on the night include Education STEM Kits from Ministry in Inspiration; e-commerce business The Mum Collections that Maori inspired designs for mum and baby items including bags, pods, blankets and swaddles; and NexGen Academy which has a unique youth leadership programme for year 12-13 students. Each pitch has 15 minutes to compel potential investors to find out more. There will be an opportunity for an expert panel and the audience to ask questions after each pitch. The audience is a mix of individual and corporate investors, pitch team supporters and event partner sponsors and members. People interested in attending must register to attend to receive event details. Audience registrations will be accepted until venue capacity is reached. To register to attend go to www.firestation.nz/pitch-night Dutch Minister of Defense Kajsa Ollongren has said that Ukraine needs to increase weapons production. According to her, this can only be achieved if Ukraine works on all possible options. ADVERTISIMENT Ollongren emphasized that Europe and the United States should also take care of increasing arms production. She said this in an interview with Ukrinform. The head of the defense ministry said that Ukraine's European partners understand how difficult the situation at the front is due to the lack of ammunition for the Ukrainian military. However, she expressed confidence that the arms shortage would be overcome. She paid special attention to air defense. Ollongren stated that the terrorist country Russia uses a lot of missiles, drones, and aerial bombs, from which Ukraine has to defend its cities and civilians. According to her, the Netherlands is already working to increase the production of various weapons systems. "On the part of the Netherlands, we are very actively cooperating with our industry, with our manufacturers, to make sure that they increase production, that we open new production lines, that we make joint purchases, which are large orders for Ukraine," Ollongren said. ADVERTISIMENT At the same time, she emphasized that the most effective way to overcome the ammunition shortage is to increase weapons production in Ukraine. "I think we should try everything. We must work on production in Ukraine, we must work on production in Europe, the United States, and other countries. We also have to see if we can find more existing stocks that can be used. So we are working on all possible options," Ollongren said. Earlier it was reported that Ukraine will soon use long-range drones against Russia, which can attack the Urals and the Arctic. UAVs with a range of up to 2,000 km and even 3,300 km should make up for Kyiv's shortage of medium- and long-range missiles. As a reminder, the Dutch government will allocate another 2 billion euros for military aid to Ukraine in 2024. Of this amount, 250 million euros will go to the Czech Republic's initiative to purchase artillery shells for the Ukrainian Defense Forces. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! rrsteer Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: 144022 Posts: 1,256 Thanked: 3,329 Times Carnival - 50k service update There is good news though. The dealer finally opened a new service center. In my last update I had mentioned how weary I was taking the car to the dealer because of the cramped spaces. This concern is no longer relevant now. The new facility is quite large, well designed and looks quite modern too. The new service center: But cant help thinking, it seems to be in sync with Kia Indias general philosophy (my opinion only) more focus on the outside look and feel, but less on the inside. Coming to the car itself, it has now completed over 50k kms in 31 months of ownership. That translates to a monthly running of about 1500kms. It is a sharp reduction compared to the car it replaced -the Innova, which averaged about 2500 kms per month. A part of this is attributable to the mindset shift post Covid. People are more amenable to doing business over video calls or transacting virtually, reducing the need to travel. But a good deal is because the Carnival has brought about a specialisation to our garage which didnt exist before. Due to its shape and size, we are following an unsaid rule that Carnival=highways. This specialisation has been further cemented with the recent purchase of Tiago.EV a most suitable car for city runabouts. As mentioned above, the car recently faced its first mechanical/electronic part failure. The bearings of the tensioner assembly failed at 46k kms and 28 months into the ownership period. The new part was ordered and fixed in two weeks. The assembly itself was replaced under warranty. However, the belt, being a wear-and-tear item, wasn't covered. I ended up paying for half the cost of the belt, the other half was waived off as a goodwill measure after some negotiations. Disappointingly, the replaced part too failed within three months. The new part is expected to arrive by next week. Same part failing twice is not confidence inspiring, but for now I am willing to look pass it as a case of bad luck, as generally the car has been quite reliable and drives as good as new. I have both read and heard from a few owners, complaints about early brake wear somewhat understandable, as its a heavy vehicle with an auto gearbox. But am happy to report that at 50k, the brakes of my car were reported to be good for another 10k kms at least. Apart from the brakes, I am also much inclined towards preventive upkeep of the auto transmission. Going against the tide, Kia prescribed a transmission oil change at the 90k km mark in the owners manual. I brought this up with the service advisor as part of a discussion, to which he said and I quote as per the latest advisory from Kia, the transmission is sealed for life and we are not authorized to do a transmission oil change. If thats the case, I will get the oil changed from an able outside garage at 60k kms. I recently also purchased a Scangauge for the car, and its a good way of keep a tab on transmission temperature. The transmission temperature mostly stays below 70 degree Celsius, but take the car to the hills and the temperature shoots up to 90-95 degrees in no time, although I have yet to see it go past 100. I am no expert in this, but I generally stop the car by the side for some rest if the transmission temperature continuously stays over 95 degrees for a longer duration. The other thing I have noticed is that the temperature increase gradient is less steep if driven in the manual mode. Generally too, I enjoy driving more in the manual mode, while driving on the hills. Overall, as mentioned in earlier posts, the space and practicality that accompanies the design of a full size MPV, the lusty engine programmed to an intelligent 8 speed auto and the great highway fuel economy that the car is capable of, are its biggest draws for me. Some pictures to go along with this update. Above, I talked about practicality, didnt I? Some demonstrations below: Here we are carrying about 60-70 tree saplings. Transporting all sorts of things. An update will be incomplete, without me flaunting some fuel economy figures. Below are the stats of a recent drive from Delhi to back home Jalandhar. It was done on a long weekend, meaning heavy traffic throughout, while also having to deal with road diversions and interruptions caused by the farmers protest. I was very pleased with the figures in the end. The lifetime average fuel economy too is a very good 12.9kmpl. It has not been all highways for the car, when presented with a chance and if conditions allow, I do carefully take it offroad. I have also been adding accessories, bit by bit. In the last 10k kms, I have added the following: 1) An external tyre pressure gauge. It has proved very helpful in keeping the tyre temperature around the intended values. 2) Scangauge II (got it from US through a visiting relative). It throws a range of data- not all of which I understand or even need, but its greatest use is keeping an eye on transmission temperature. The other thing I found out is that the eco mode in the car is an eyewash. I have not seen any change in the engine rpm, air fuel mixture or the engine load while using it. 3) A neat trunk organizer helps me keep the tyre puncture repair kit and other things neatly tucked in. 4) A funnel for pouring DPF. Again, of great use, no more spilling of DPF fluid. 5) Some ambient lighting I arranged them around the perimeter of the front seats, and it gives a nice effect at night, although there is just one color. 6) Rubber door beadings have a real tight garage and this helps in protecting the door edges. Thats it, for now. Hopefully would provide the next update at 60k kms. Recently completed our Carnivals 50k/ 5th service. Apart from a resurfaced squeaking sound that was addressed 3 months back by replacing the tensioner assembly, I had no other concerns to report. I can say that the overarching story of my ownership remains intact. The car performs well, but service support has been very poor. It would not be wrong to say that apart from the failed bearing of the tensioner assembly, all other issues have had the dealers stamp. Earlier they spoilt the tyres of the car, last service they damaged the front bumper, and this time they provided me an inside view of their terrible work processes. I had placed an order for a part replacement for the cars cardboard type underbody cover which had a slight tear. This request was placed in September last year. Six months on, I am still waiting for the correct part to arrive. To begin with, the dealer personnel forgot to place the order, later, thrice they ordered the wrong part, of which twice the same wrong part was ordered in succession.There is good news though. The dealer finally opened a new service center. In my last update I had mentioned how weary I was taking the car to the dealer because of the cramped spaces. This concern is no longer relevant now. The new facility is quite large, well designed and looks quite modern too.The new service center:But cant help thinking, it seems to be in sync with Kia Indias general philosophy (my opinion only) more focus on the outside look and feel, but less on the inside.Coming to the car itself, it has now completed over 50k kms in 31 months of ownership. That translates to a monthly running of about 1500kms. It is a sharp reduction compared to the car it replaced -the Innova, which averaged about 2500 kms per month. A part of this is attributable to the mindset shift post Covid. People are more amenable to doing business over video calls or transacting virtually, reducing the need to travel. But a good deal is because the Carnival has brought about a specialisation to our garage which didnt exist before. Due to its shape and size, we are following an unsaid rule that Carnival=highways. This specialisation has been further cemented with the recent purchase of Tiago.EV a most suitable car for city runabouts.As mentioned above, the car recently faced its first mechanical/electronic part failure. The bearings of the tensioner assembly failed at 46k kms and 28 months into the ownership period. The new part was ordered and fixed in two weeks. The assembly itself was replaced under warranty. However, the belt, being a wear-and-tear item, wasn't covered. I ended up paying for half the cost of the belt, the other half was waived off as a goodwill measure after some negotiations. Disappointingly, the replaced part too failed within three months. The new part is expected to arrive by next week. Same part failing twice is not confidence inspiring, but for now I am willing to look pass it as a case of bad luck, as generally the car has been quite reliable and drives as good as new.I have both read and heard from a few owners, complaints about early brake wear somewhat understandable, as its a heavy vehicle with an auto gearbox. But am happy to report that at 50k, the brakes of my car were reported to be good for another 10k kms at least. Apart from the brakes, I am also much inclined towards preventive upkeep of the auto transmission. Going against the tide, Kia prescribed a transmission oil change at the 90k km mark in the owners manual. I brought this up with the service advisor as part of a discussion, to which he said and I quote as per the latest advisory from Kia, the transmission is sealed for life and we are not authorized to do a transmission oil change. If thats the case, I will get the oil changed from an able outside garage at 60k kms.I recently also purchased a Scangauge for the car, and its a good way of keep a tab on transmission temperature. The transmission temperature mostly stays below 70 degree Celsius, but take the car to the hills and the temperature shoots up to 90-95 degrees in no time, although I have yet to see it go past 100. I am no expert in this, but I generally stop the car by the side for some rest if the transmission temperature continuously stays over 95 degrees for a longer duration. The other thing I have noticed is that the temperature increase gradient is less steep if driven in the manual mode. Generally too, I enjoy driving more in the manual mode, while driving on the hills.Overall, as mentioned in earlier posts, the space and practicality that accompanies the design of a full size MPV, the lusty engine programmed to an intelligent 8 speed auto and the great highway fuel economy that the car is capable of, are its biggest draws for me.Some pictures to go along with this update.Above, I talked about practicality, didnt I? Some demonstrations below:Here we are carrying about 60-70 tree saplings.Transporting all sorts of things.An update will be incomplete, without me flaunting some fuel economy figures. Below are the stats of a recent drive from Delhi to back home Jalandhar. It was done on a long weekend, meaning heavy traffic throughout, while also having to deal with road diversions and interruptions caused by the farmers protest. I was very pleased with the figures in the end. The lifetime average fuel economy too is a very good 12.9kmpl.It has not been all highways for the car, when presented with a chance and if conditions allow, I do carefully take it offroad.I have also been adding accessories, bit by bit. In the last 10k kms, I have added the following:1) An external tyre pressure gauge. It has proved very helpful in keeping the tyre temperature around the intended values.2) Scangauge II (got it from US through a visiting relative). It throws a range of data- not all of which I understand or even need, but its greatest use is keeping an eye on transmission temperature. The other thing I found out is that the eco mode in the car is an eyewash. I have not seen any change in the engine rpm, air fuel mixture or the engine load while using it.3) A neat trunk organizer helps me keep the tyre puncture repair kit and other things neatly tucked in.4) A funnel for pouring DPF. Again, of great use, no more spilling of DPF fluid.5) Some ambient lighting I arranged them around the perimeter of the front seats, and it gives a nice effect at night, although there is just one color.6) Rubber door beadings have a real tight garage and this helps in protecting the door edges.Thats it, for now. Hopefully would provide the next update at 60k kms. Last edited by rrsteer : 5th April 2024 at 23:51 . Ms. Tesla Newbie Join Date: Jul 2022 Location: Mumbai Posts: 5 Thanked: 257 Times A big thank you for all the responses on this thread, because without reading this thread, I would not have known about this special service at all! And though I know this thread is only for Tips and advice, I wanted to add a step-by-step journey, using this service, so that you can see it from a Minor's point of view! Enjoy! The beginning of all flights is at the airport, which is where the journey starts. We were confused as to where we would go for the verification, and where the staff would come to pick me up! But then we asked a staff member, and he pointed to an office box. (!DISCLAIMER!) - According to which Airport you are using, the location of the office box varies. The flight says the Office box must be from the same airline. We reached The Office Box( Ours being Vistara) and had to pay Rupees 5,000 for all these services. After waiting a good 10-15 minutes, The staff came. There was one porter, and one adventure female staff member, who came to collect me, after taking all 4 copies of the form(which you had to print out and bring from home). I said bye to my family, took a photo with the staff, and headed towards an enormous adventure! At the entrance of the airport, I got my Aadhaar card and flight ticket shown and we progressed inside. Then, we went towards the baggage check-in area, and instead of checking it in, I got to sit in a comfy chair inside the office area, where the staff sat, and had to wait a great deal, but in about 15 minutes, my bag was checked in, and I was going for security check. Now, I am sure you are wondering, how can they manage a kid in such a crowd, when they have to do a security check themselves? Simple! The staff member would do the check with us! After that, we had to quickly scan our boarding passes and we were free with about 1 hour on our hands. I went for a frappuccino( no coffee) and we left for the boarding gate. The best part was, instead of the crowded waiting area, we got to sit in a colorful Lounge area, where only we were allowed. The view was amazing!! Finally, the flight started to board!!! we skipped the whole line, and I got a few looks We did not enter the plane first but we skipped many people, and finally, we were in the plane. Though we had booked seat 12A, they had to move me, because 12A was directly next to the emergency exit. The flight was smooth and once we landed, they told me to wait after everyone (including wheelchair users ) was off the plane. As I got off 2 people were waiting to escort me to the exit after baggage claim. They took me to the bag carousel, got my back, and in the next five minutes, I met my grandfather outside the airport. They needed his ID and a photo of us. After that, we were free to go!! I spent one fun (holi) )-filled week in Delhi, spent with my friends and family and soon enough, it was time for my trip to Bombay. I left my nanus house filled to the brim with excitement and satisfaction. It has been an amazing vacation! My grandfather and I went to the box office, this time inside the airport, and though it took a lot of time, the female assistant finally came and took me and my suitcase. We headed off to the baggage check-in office, like last time, sat there for 10-15 minutes, got my bag checked in, and then a different staff member came and collected me. we went for a security check and guess what? For MUA,( Minor Un Accompanied )we had a separate setup area for security check-in! So we got done with that and, the best part, I got to sit in the VIP Air India Lounge!! It was lovely! There was even food and drinks! And after that experience, we went to my gate and boarded. The flight was smooth, and in the end, I had to wait for all the passengers to get off the plane before I could deplane. As I exited the plane, There were 2 staff to escort me out! We went to the baggage claim, and in under 1 minute, I was out of the airport, With my suitcase in hand! I finally spotted my mom in the crowd, took a nice picture, and we were on our way. As I went home, I realized that there is nothing like home sweet home. Overall, The service was top-notch!! I loved it and it was one mighty experience. I hope you enjoyed reading it! Thank you! Pictures are below Me saying bye to my family! A glorious view Waiting for the assistant Another amazing view Finally!! The exit! So many people on my case!!! The grand VIP lounge A fantastic treat! The Delhi box office Yum More breath taking views: Staff member ( Delhi arrival ) Yet more views! Attachment 2589461 Staff break! Me in the office! Staff leading me to boarding I had to wait till every one was off!!! Baggage claim Back in bombay! Me and my dog, Diva Happy Holi!! Hi Everyone!A big thank you for all the responses on this thread, because without reading this thread, I would not have known about this special service at all!And though I know this thread is only for Tips and advice, I wanted to add a step-by-step journey, using this service, so that you can see it from a Minor's point of view!Enjoy!The beginning of all flights is at the airport, which is where the journey starts.We were confused as to where we would go for the verification, and where the staff would come to pick me up!But then we asked a staff member, and he pointed to an office box.(!DISCLAIMER!)- According to which Airport you are using, the location of the office box varies.The flight says the Office box must be from the same airline.We reached The Office Box( Ours being Vistara) and had to pay Rupees 5,000 for all these services.After waiting a good 10-15 minutes, The staff came. There was one porter, and one adventure female staff member, who came to collect me, after taking all 4 copies of the form(which you had to print out and bring from home). I said bye to my family, took a photo with the staff, and headed towards an enormous adventure!At the entrance of the airport, I got my Aadhaar card and flight ticket shown and we progressed inside.Then, we went towards the baggage check-in area, and instead of checking it in, I got to sit in a comfy chair inside the office area, where the staff sat, and had to wait a great deal, but in about 15 minutes, my bag was checked in, and I was going for security check.Now, I am sure you are wondering, how can they manage a kid in such a crowd, when they have to do a security check themselves?Simple! The staff member would do the check with us!After that, we had to quickly scan our boarding passes and we were free with about 1 hour on our hands. I went for a frappuccino( no coffee) and we left for the boarding gate. The best part was, instead of the crowded waiting area, we got to sit in a colorful Lounge area, where only we were allowed.The view was amazing!!Finally, the flight started to board!!!we skipped the whole line, and I got a few looksWe did not enter the plane first but we skipped many people, and finally, we were in the plane.Though we had booked seat 12A, they had to move me, because 12A was directly next to the emergency exit.The flight was smooth and once we landed, they told me to wait after everyone (including wheelchair users ) was off the plane.As I got off 2 people were waiting to escort me to the exit after baggage claim. They took me to the bag carousel, got my back, and in the next five minutes, I met my grandfather outside the airport. They needed his ID and a photo of us.After that, we were free to go!!I spent one fun (holi) )-filled week in Delhi, spent with my friends and family and soon enough, it was time for my trip to Bombay.I left my nanus house filled to the brim with excitement and satisfaction. It has been an amazing vacation!My grandfather and I went to the box office, this time inside the airport, and though it took a lot of time, the female assistant finally came and took me and my suitcase. We headed off to the baggage check-in office, like last time, sat there for 10-15 minutes, got my bag checked in, and then a different staff member came and collected me. we went for a security check and guess what?For MUA,( Minor Un Accompanied )we had a separate setup area for security check-in!So we got done with that and, the best part, I got to sit in the VIP Air India Lounge!!It was lovely! There was even food and drinks! And after that experience, we went to my gate and boarded.The flight was smooth, and in the end, I had to wait for all the passengers to get off the plane before I could deplane. As I exited the plane, There were 2 staff to escort me out! We went to the baggage claim, and in under 1 minute, I was out of the airport,With my suitcase in hand! I finally spotted my mom in the crowd, took a nice picture, and we were on our way.As I went home, I realized that there is nothing like home sweet home.Overall, The service was top-notch!! I loved it and it was one mighty experience.I hope you enjoyed reading it!Thank you!Pictures are belowMe saying bye to my family!A glorious viewWaiting for the assistantAnother amazing viewFinally!! The exit!So many people on my case!!!The grand VIP loungeA fantastic treat!The Delhi box officeYumMore breath taking views:Staff member ( Delhi arrival )Yet more views!Staff break!Me in the office!Staff leading me to boardingI had to wait till every one was off!!!Baggage claimBack in bombay!Me and my dog, DivaHappy Holi!! Why it matters: Researchers at Berkeley Lab have created the largest 3D map of the universe, with a precision of 1 percent. But what they discovered is startling in its implications and raises questions about everything science knows about the universe, starting with the premise that maybe dark energy is not constant throughout time as was previously thought. Over the past few years the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, or DESI a scientific research instrument for conducting spectrographic astronomical surveys of distant galaxies has repeatedly mapped the distance to 35 million galaxies and 2.4 million quasars across one third of the area of the sky. In ideal conditions, DESI cycles through a new set of 5,000 galaxies every 20 minutes, or more than 100,000 galaxies a night, explain researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), which manage the project. That's years of 5,000 robotic positioners pointing DESI's fiber-optic eyes at preselected sets of galaxies to measure their spectra, from which one can gauge how much the universe expanded as the light from them traveled to Earth. And the end result? Well, we haven't gotten to that point yet, but researchers at Berkeley Lab have achieved a significant milestone: the largest 3D map of the universe ever made as well as the most accurate one, with a precision of better than 1 percent. Or more specifically, DESI's overall precision on the universe's expansion history across 11 billion years is 0.5 percent, and the most distant epoch, covering 8-11 billion years, has a record-setting precision of 0.82 percent. With the light from these far-flung objects in space just now reaching DESI, scientists can map the cosmos as it was in its youth, thus uncovering one of the biggest mysteries in physics: dark energy, the unknown ingredients causing the universe to expand faster and faster. The map confirms that the expansion of the universe is speeding up, the scientists say and also raises the possibility that dark energy is not constant throughout time as has previously been suggested. "What we are seeing are some hints that it has actually been changing over time, which is quite exciting because it is not what the standard model of a cosmological constant dark energy would look like," Dr Seshadri Nadathur, a co-author of the work and senior research fellow at the University of Portsmouth's Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, told The Guardian. What this could possibly mean is that scientists may have to start from scratch in their understanding of the universe, Professor Carlos Frenk, from Durham University and a co-author of the research told The Guardian. This includes "revising our understanding of basic physics, our understanding of the big bang itself, and our understanding of the long-range forecast for the universe." Researchers shared the analysis of their first year of collected data in multiple papers and in talks at the American Physical Society meeting in the US and the Rencontres de Moriond in Italy. With one year of data, the researchers can already measure the expansion history of the universe at seven different slices of cosmic time, each with a precision of 1 to 3 percent, says Nathalie Palanque-Delabrouille, a Berkeley Lab scientist and co-spokesperson for the experiment. This is what the researchers see as they study DESI's map: strands of galaxies clustered together, separated by voids with fewer objects. It is quite the contrast to the very early universe, which was a hot, dense soup of subatomic particles moving too fast to form stable matter, they explain. Among those particles were hydrogen and helium nuclei, collectively called baryons. Tiny fluctuations in this early ionized plasma caused pressure waves, moving the baryons into a pattern of ripples. As the universe expanded and cooled, neutral atoms formed and the pressure waves stopped, freezing the ripples in three dimensions and increasing clustering of future galaxies in the dense areas. Billions of years later, we can still see this faint pattern of 3D ripples, or bubbles, in the characteristic separation of galaxies a feature called Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAOs). By measuring the apparent size of these bubbles, researchers can determine distances to the matter responsible for this extremely faint pattern on the sky. Mapping the BAO bubbles both near and far lets researchers slice the data into chunks, measuring how fast the universe was expanding at each time in its past and modeling how dark energy affects that expansion. The European Union and the United States are set to employ artificial intelligence (AI) in their quest to discover alternative chemicals for chip development, as outlined in a draft statement obtained by Bloomberg. This initiative is a significant aspect of the conclusions drawn from the joint U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council held in Leuven, Belgium, this week. "We plan to continue working to identify research cooperation opportunities on alternatives to the use of per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) in chips," the statement reads. "For example, we plan to explore the use of AI capacities and digital twins to accelerate the discovery of suitable materials to replace PFAS in semiconductor manufacturing." The EU and US Team Up to Seek Alternative Chemicals for Chip Production According to Bloomberg's report, the draft statement highlights the commitment to identifying research opportunities for substitutes to per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) commonly used in semiconductor manufacturing. Specifically, the document mentions the exploration of AI capabilities and digital twins to expedite the discovery of suitable materials to replace PFAS in chip production. It is worth noting that PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, have raised environmental and health concerns in both the U.S. and Europe due to their persistence in the environment and potential adverse effects on human health. Moreover, the draft statement confirms previous reports of the EU's intention to collaborate with the U.S. in assessing the security risks associated with legacy chips in their supply chains, as noted by Bloomberg. Read Also : Compact Accelerator Tech Achieves Significant Energy Milestone, Holds Promise for Semiconductor Industry Legacy Semiconductors Legacy semiconductors, which encompass mature or lower-end chips, play a crucial role in various industries worldwide. Concerns have arisen regarding market distortion and potential dependencies resulting from China's substantial investments in increasing the supply of these chips. To address these concerns, the U.S. and EU aim to share non-confidential information and market intelligence regarding non-market policies and practices, according to the draft. Additionally, they plan to consult each other on planned actions and may develop joint measures to mitigate distortionary effects on the global supply chain for legacy semiconductors. Under the Trade and Technology Council, both parties aim to prolong their collaboration on an early-warning mechanism for identifying supply-chain disruptions for an additional three years. Furthermore, they seek to continue sharing information on public support provided to the semiconductor sector through established mechanisms. "We intend to, as appropriate, continue to collect and share non-confidential information and market intelligence about non-market policies and practices, commit to consult each other on planned actions, and may develop joint or cooperative measures to address distortionary effects on the global supply chain for legacy semiconductors," the draft statement reads. Microsoft has released a report warning that China intends to use AI-generated content to sabotage elections this year in the US, South Korea, and India. Research released on Friday by Microsoft's threat intelligence team states that the US tech company expects North Korea and Chinese state-sponsored cyber organizations to attack prominent elections in 2024. Microsoft cybersecurity researchers expect Chinese and North Korean cyber actors to attempt to influence elections in India, South Korea, and the US as voters prepare for them. Microsoft predicts that to strengthen its position in these important elections, China will, at the very least, produce and share AI-generated material on social media platforms. Beware of AI-Generated Content Microsoft cautions that although AI-generated material is not yet very successful at swaying audiences, China is increasingly experimenting with adding effects to memes, videos, and audio files. "We assess that China will, at a minimum, create and amplify AI-generated content to benefit its interests," stated Microsoft in its blog. "Although the likelihood of such content affecting election outcomes remains low, China's continued experimentation in enhancing memes, videos, and audio could potentially become more effective over time." The Microsoft report also shows that China conducted an AI-generated misinformation campaign during the January Taiwan presidential election, the first time a state-backed body did so. During the Taiwanese election, Storm 1376, a Beijing-backed organization, was quite active, distributing AI-generated jokes and phony audio on YouTube, targeting William Lai, the candidate who ultimately won. Microsoft points out that Chinese organizations are still influencing operations in the US by posing contentious questions and identifying the subjects that separate US voters on social media. This strategy may teach Beijing about crucial voting demographics before the US presidential election. Read Also : Google Takes Legal Action Against Crypto Scammers in Landmark Case As AI technology develops, the possibility of disseminating false information increases dramatically. Governments and government-backed cybercriminals can now reach more people with believable material by creating fake images, videos, and other content. This picture shows the Microsoft logo at the International Cybersecurity Forum (FIC) in Lille on January 28, 2020. (Photo : DENIS CHARLET/AFP via Getty Images) North Korea to Continue Its Money-Making Schemes Furthermore, Microsoft stated in its report that North Korea's participation in these initiatives is more about making money for the nation than influencing elections. The nation is well-known for its involvement in supply chain software hacks and bitcoin theft, per ZDNet. Microsoft stated: "Notably, Microsoft and OpenAI have seen how the North Korean actor known as Emerald Sleet uses AI-powered large-language models (LLMs) to power tools that improve their operations' effectiveness and efficiency. Microsoft and OpenAI collaborated to deactivate Emerald Sleet-related accounts and assets." The tech giant also noted that the UN "estimates that North Korean cyber actors have stolen over $3 billion in cryptocurrency since 2017," adding that "heists totaling between $600 million and $1 billion occurred" in 2013. Furthermore, in the forthcoming year of massive elections, key digital corporations have committed to fighting misleading AI material. According to The Guardian, Microsoft was recently chastised by an official review group formed by the White House for "a cascade of errors" that let state-backed Chinese cyber operators access the email accounts of top US officials. This follows years of US and UK official accusations that China-backed hackers targeted politicians, journalists, corporations, and even the UK's election watchdog. Meta has requested a federal court dismiss the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) antitrust lawsuit against the company. The FTC, Meta asserts, has failed to uncover substantial evidence to support its allegations. Meta Challenges FTC Lawsuit Meta contends that the lawsuit lacks merit, citing the FTC's inability to establish the relevant market or demonstrate any adverse effects on consumers resulting from its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC will have the opportunity to respond, leading to further legal proceedings and exchanges of arguments in court filings before the judge decides on how to proceed. Should the court rule in Meta's favor, it could result in the dismissal of the lawsuit. However, if unresolved factual issues persist, the judge may schedule a trial to address them. This development underscores Meta's ongoing legal battle against allegations of monopolistic behavior and acquisition-related controversies. In 2021, DC District Court Judge James Boasberg granted the motion of Meta to dismiss the complaint, but he also allowed the FTC to submit an amended complaint, which he deemed sufficiently improved to proceed. Boasberg acknowledged the revised complaint's enhanced detail and depth, suggesting that the FTC might face formidable hurdles in proving its claims in subsequent proceedings. In its motion for summary judgment, Meta contests the FTC's market definition, arguing it is too narrowly defined. FTC characterizes the relevant market as personal social networking services (PSNS), encompassing platforms where users engage with friends and family on personal topics like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and MeWe. Allegations, Counterarguments Meta's filing argues that the FTC's initial complaint lacked a plausible claim, leading to its dismissal. While the amended complaint progressed, it relied on the FTC's commitment to provide evidence supporting a PSNS-relevant antitrust market, Meta's monopoly power, and harm to competition and consumers from Meta's acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. Also read : Instagram's AI Image Generator Faces Racial Representation Errors After extensive discovery, Meta asserts that the FTC cannot substantiate any of the necessary elements of its Section 2 claim. The FTC's relevant market definition excludes TikTok and YouTube, as it argues these platforms serve distinct purposes. According to the amended complaint, TikTok's usage is not driven by users' connections with friends and family. At the same time, YouTube primarily facilitates the passive consumption of specific media content to a broad audience. However, Meta disagrees with this assessment. It contends that the court should consider how users interact across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, particularly through features like short-form videos. Meta argues that the FTC's market classification overlooks content interchangeability among platforms, questioning its approach. Meta challenges the FTC's ability to assert monopoly power by advocating for a broader market definition. As the legal battle unfolds, the FTC has until May 24 to respond. Amid growing concerns, Microsoft's latest report flags potential AI-driven interference in upcoming elections, with China at the forefront. Chinese Election Interference Beyond US Borders Microsoft warns that Chinese state cyber groups are gearing up to manipulate elections not only in the US but also in South Korea and India this year. The threat intelligence team also points to North Korea's possible involvement in these disruptive activities. The Guardian reported that this revelation follows the team's previous warnings, including the espionage activities of a Russian-backed hacker group targeting senior leaders' email accounts. The proliferation of AI technologies capable of generating realistic content raises significant apprehensions about spreading misinformation online. Recent accusations by US and UK authorities against China-backed hackers further underscore the seriousness of the threat, with journalists, businesses, and politicians among the targeted entities. As elections around the globe draw near, with half of the world's population poised to vote in 2024, the potential ramifications of such interference loom large. With China purportedly seeking to exploit this opportunity, the integrity of democratic processes remains a pressing concern. Also read : Local Newsletter Creates AI Deepfake of Kari Lake to Warn Voters, Viewers Microsoft has revealed that China employed AI-generated content in a disinformation campaign during the Taiwanese presidential elections earlier this year. The campaign was orchestrated by a group known as Storm 1376, based in Beijing, and also recognized by aliases such as Spamouflague or Dragonbridge. The group reportedly created counterfeit audio recordings of a candidate and disseminated them. However, the platform promptly removed the content before it could reach a wide audience. Ultimately, the candidate withdrew from the race in November. Despite this setback, Storm 1376 continued its efforts by producing memes targeting William Lai, a pro-sovereignty candidate who eventually emerged victorious in the election. These memes accused Lai of financial mismanagement, aiming to tarnish his reputation. Additionally, the group utilized AI-generated personas, including a fabricated TV anchor, to propagate allegations about Lai's personal life. Microsoft's report indicates that Storm 1376 operated with Beijing's backing, marking the first instance of a state-sponsored entity utilizing AI to influence foreign elections. Microsoft suggests that the Taiwanese election served as a test for China's future endeavors in this strategy, indicating a potential escalation during significant electoral events. The company anticipates that China's tactics may involve disseminating AI-generated social media content favoring its interests. Posing Threat to US Elections In the United States, Chinese entities have conducted influence operations on various social media platforms, posing divisive queries to the public. These inquiries touch upon contentious topics such as investments in the US-Mexico border and aid packages for countries like Ukraine and Israel, aiming to provoke strong reactions and sow discord among voters. Moreover, these endeavors might serve the dual purpose of gathering intelligence on voter demographics ahead of the US presidential elections. While the immediate impact of such content on audience sentiments remains limited, ongoing experimentation and advancements in this realm could alter this scenario in the future. Coincidentally, the release of this report follows revelations from a White House-appointed review board. The board highlighted Microsoft's errors, which allegedly facilitated China-backed hackers' access to the email accounts of top US officials. On March 28, Russian air defense system shot down its own Su-27 military aircraft over the temporarily occupied Crimea. This happened when the occupiers' air defense on the peninsula was put on high alert. ADVERTISIMENT Officially, the invaders claimed a "technical malfunction" that led to the downing of the aircraft, but it is much more likely that the downing was due to the fear and tension experienced by the Russian occupiers in anticipation of further attacks by the Ukrainian Defense Forces. This is stated in a new report by the UK Ministry of Defense based on British intelligence. After Ukraine's repeated accurate and effective strikes on Sevastopol and the occupiers' military facilities in other Crimean settlements, Russian air defense was put on high alert. And it did not take long to see results. In recent months, there have been reports of Russian air defense shooting down its own aircraft over the occupied peninsula. British intelligence believes this gives some idea of the morale of the invaders in Crimea. ADVERTISIMENT The last known case of "friendly fire" by Russian air defense against its aircraft, the British Defense Ministry reminded, was recorded on March 28: when the Russians shot down their Su-27 over Crimea. The official statement on the matter was made by the governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, who said that there was a technical malfunction and that the pilot survived. However, British intelligence questioned the technical factor. "There is a real possibility that it is not so much a technical problem as increased pressure and tension among Russian air defense operators caused by fear of further Ukrainian action that is causing them to inadvertently engage their pilots and aircraft," the report said. The British defense ministry also emphasized that this is not the first report of Russians shooting down their own aircraft. However, it was not possible to obtain 100% confirmation. All that is known for certain is that reports of such incidents have been made after periods of activity by Ukrainian forces against the Russian military in the occupied territory of Crimea. ADVERTISIMENT "This incident and others, if confirmed, are likely to highlight a lack of awareness and coordination between elements of the Russian armed forces, while demonstrating the secondary impact of Ukraine's actions," the British Ministry of Defense emphasized. Earlier, British intelligence described how Russia is trying to protect its aircraft from strikes. To this end, the Russians, for example, continue to draw silhouettes of fighter jets at airfields. However, Russian pilots immediately disavow all the tricks of their colleagues: Russian helicopters still regularly land on the painted silhouettes of fighters, thwarting attempts to deceive them. This also reveals the real combat order and number of aircraft at these air bases. Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber . Do not fall for fakes! ADVERTISIMENT 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 Development and security should be pursued with both hands! Government work report delivers new signal for real estate 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. On Friday, April 5, the self-proclaimed "Transnistrian Moldovan Republic" reported a new kamikaze drone attack. At 14:35 a military unit in the Ribnita District of the "TMR", six kilometers from the border with Ukraine, was allegedly attacked. ADVERTISIMENT This is stated in a message on the website of the so-called Ministry of State Security of the "TMR". It is stated that the target of the attack was a radar station, which sustained minor damage, and there were no casualties. "An investigative team is working at the scene. A criminal case has been opened," the "ministry" said. The Moldovan Bureau of Reintegration Policy reported that it had analyzed the information about the possible incident and stated that "a number of challenges in the region aimed at causing panic and tension continue. This is done, in part, to draw attention to the region. "Clarification of circumstances and qualified investigations can only be carried out by legally competent authorities, which, however, do not have access to the target perimeter," the statement said. Meanwhile, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine stated that our country was not involved in this incident and would definitely "not waste valuable drones for such petty provocations." Andrii Yusov, a representative of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, said this in a commentary to Suspilne. ADVERTISIMENT "In general, we can say that there are forces interested in destabilizing the situation in the region under the pretext of allegedly preparing the "TMR" for an attack on Odesa. They are sowing panic and organizing provocations, but the situation is being monitored and controlled," he added. On March 17, Transnistria reported a kamikaze drone attack on a military unit in Tiraspol. There were explosions and a fire broke out, which burned down a helicopter at the airfield. The Moldovan government said at the time that it did not confirm the attack, and called the incident an attempt to cause fear and panic in the region. The incident, during which the helicopter burned down and no one was injured, occurred against the backdrop of the Kremlin's ongoing hybrid operation aimed at destabilizing Moldova from within, ISW noted. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Afghan kids learn in makeshift schools six months after major quake Zindah Jan, Afghanistan, April 6 (AFP) Apr 06, 2024 Children sit shoulder to shoulder crammed in rows on the floor of a shipping container with lesson books in their laps, the remains of their school unrepaired in the six months since a major earthquake devastated their village in western Afghanistan. Hundreds of schools are still damaged since a series of strong quakes jolted Afghanistan's Herat province in October, with many students returning to lessons in tents and containers in March, according to the Herat education department. Girls and boys in the village of Nayeb Rafi in Zindah Jan district studied in a packed container tucked between tents and small, blue homes newly built on a barren stretch of land. "I really want to study, to have a school, and become a teacher to teach my friends," said 11-year-old Siyah Gul. She wants to make the most of her lessons in the makeshift classroom before she is soon excluded under Taliban government rules which bar girls and women from secondary education and universities. The October quake killed more than 1,500 people and damaged or destroyed more than 63,000 homes, according to an assessment published in February by the United Nations, the European Union and the Asian Development Bank. Many people are still living in tents and temporary shelters, the World Health Organization said in February. Education is the second-most affected sector, the report said, with nearly 300 public schools and other learning centres damaged and 180,000 students facing learning disruptions. - 'Completely destroyed' - In the village of Chahak, deep cracks scar the walls and ceilings of its pale blue schoolhouse. Broken windows still hang from their hinges and piles of dust fill the corners of classrooms. "Chahak village was completely destroyed by the earthquake and we still haven't been provided with permanent shelters," said teacher Mohammad Naseem Nasrat. "Our school too, which was wrecked by the earthquake, has not been restored so far. I don't know if there are plans to or not," said the 25-year-old, adding that the village's children "face an uncertain future" without proper schools. Decades of conflict have devastated Afghanistan's education system, with an estimated 3.7 million children out of school, 60 percent of them girls, according to the UN children's agency UNICEF. Poverty and access to schools in remote areas are major hurdles, while cultural norms often prevent girls from attending school. One in five children aged between five and 17 are engaged in child labour, according to the United Nations, in a country facing deep economic, humanitarian and climate crises. Eleven-year-old Sefatullah's school in Kashkak village was destroyed by the recent quakes. "We don't have books and notebooks to study and write in," he said. Four children were killed when the school collapsed, said teacher Mohammad Dawood, who now gives lessons in a framed tent with a large UNICEF logo on the outside. The makeshift school serves two villages, six classes and has only one teacher -- Dawood. "On days when it is windy or raining, we are in big trouble, we can't carry on with this situation for much longer," he said. Taiwan slams Bolivia for quake solidarity with China Taipei, April 6 (AFP) Apr 06, 2024 Taiwan's foreign minister lashed out at Bolivia Saturday for expressing solidarity with China following an earthquake that struck the island Beijing views as its own. At least 10 people were killed and more than 1,100 injured by the magnitude 7.2 quake that struck Taiwan Wednesday, with strict building codes and widespread disaster readiness credited with averting a bigger catastrophe. On Friday, Bolivia's foreign ministry issued a statement saying the country "expresses its solidarity with the sister People's Republic of China, in the face of the loss of life and severe material damage caused by a large earthquake that occurred in recent hours off the coast of Taiwan". "You shouldn't be the evil, expansionist PRC's pathetic puppet that jumps when Beijing says jump," said a post on X Saturday by Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. "Just like Taiwan, Bolivia is NOT part of communist China. No more, no less," he added. Separately, the foreign ministry also condemned the Bolivian statement, saying it was "following the Chinese authoritarian government to spread false remarks internationally that belittle our country's sovereignty". Beijing claims democratic Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the self-ruled island under its control. Taiwan has just 12 diplomatic allies and accuses Beijing of using threats or promises of economic aid to prevent other countries from acknowledging it. Russia evacuates over 4,000 people after dam burst Moscow, April 6 (AFP) Apr 06, 2024 Russia said Saturday it had evacuated more than 4,000 people in the Orenburg region, which lies near the Kazakhstan border, due to flooding after a dam burst. Emergency services had been working through the night after a dam burst in the city of Orsk, near the border with Kazakhstan. The press service of the Orenburg governor said "4,208 people, including 1,019 children" had been evacuated and more than 2,500 homes were affected by the flooding after a dam burst on Friday following torrential rain. Russia opened a criminal case on "negligence and violation of construction safety rules" into the burst of the dam, built in 2014. Authorities said the situation was difficult throughout the region, warning of a dangerous water level on the Ural river in the main city of Orenburg. Governor Denis Pasler said the flood had reached its "peak", saying the situation was especially difficult in Orsk. Russian emergency services published images of rescue workers going through villages on boats and hover crafts. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the floods were one of the worst natural disasters in Kazakhstan in 80 years. He called for authorities in the Central Asian country to be ready to help those affected. Several regions in the Urals and western Siberia have been affected by floods at the start of spring. Vietnam province declares state of emergency over drought Hanoi, April 6 (AFP) Apr 06, 2024 Thousands of people in Vietnam are suffering a "severe" shortage of fresh water because of drought and salinisation, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency on Saturday. A weeks-long heatwave has brought drought and saline intrusion to an area of Tien Giang province, 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of business hub Ho Chi Minh City. The province's Tan Phu Dong area -- with 12 kilometers of coastline along the South China Sea, crisscrossed by waterways -- has been particularly badly hit. Salinisation -- the intrusion of salt water from the sea -- has severely affected crops and thousands of households among the 43,000 people living in the area, the state-controlled Vietnam News Agency said. A state of emergency over the shortage of water for domestic use was announced Saturday for the Tan Phu Dong district, it added. Relevant agencies have been asked "to transport fresh water to ponds and reservoirs in the district to maintain fresh water supply to people there," the report said. During this dry season, prolonged drought and deeper saline intrusion in the upper Tien river have surrounded communities with salty water. The Mekong Delta faces saltwater intrusion every year, but more intense hot weather and rising sea levels -- both driven by climate change -- are increasing the risk. Research published last month said Vietnam's Mekong delta, which provides food and livelihoods for tens of millions of people, faces nearly $3 billion a year in crop losses as more saltwater seeps into arable land. Around 80,000 hectares of rice and fruit farms could be impacted by salinisation, according to the study from the Water Resources Science Institute under the environment ministry. In 2016, which saw the worst drought in 100 years, 160,000 hectares of soil were impacted by salinisation. Russia evacuates over 4,000 people after dam burst Moscow, April 6 (AFP) Apr 06, 2024 Russia on Saturday said it had evacuated 4,000 people in the Orenburg region, in the southern Urals near Kazakhstan, due to flooding after a dam burst. Emergency services had been working through the night after a dam burst in the city of Orsk, near the border with Kazakhstan. The press service of the Orenburg governor said "4,208 people, including 1,019 children" had been evacuated and more than 2,500 homes were affected by the flooding after a dam burst on Friday following torrential rain. Russia opened a criminal case for "negligence and violation of construction safety rules" over the burst dam, which was built in 2014. Orenburg regional governor Denis Pasler said specialists assessed that the dam was built "for a different weight" and that the level of rainfall was "exceptional". Authorities said the situation was difficult throughout the region, warning of a dangerous water level on the Ural river in the main city of Orenburg. The mayor of the city of half a million people, Sergei Salmin, said authorities would forcibly evacuate people from flooded zones if they refused orders to leave. He said the water level of the Ural river had risen to 855 centimetres and "will rise" further. He named several districts of the city and nearby villages likely to be affected. "The situation leaves you no choice. At night, the river can reach a critical level," he said. "I call on everyone in the flooded zone to leave their houses immediately. "There is no time for convincing," he added, saying that "those who refuse to leave the danger zone voluntarily, we will forcibly evacuate with the help of police officers". Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the floods were one of the worst natural disasters in Kazakhstan in 80 years. He called for authorities in the Central Asian country to be ready to help those affected. Russian emergency services published images of rescue workers going through villages on boats and hovercrafts. Several regions in the Urals and western Siberia have been affected by floods since the start of spring. Farmers dump sheep killed by wolves in front of Swiss government building Geneva, April 6 (AFP) Apr 06, 2024 Swiss sheep farmers on Saturday dumped the bodies of animals killed by wolves in front of a regional government building, demanding more action against the predators, Swiss media reported. Around a dozen breeders came from the Saint-Barthelemy area in the western Swiss canton of Vaud to lay out the carcasses of 12 sheep in front of the regional government headquarters in Lausanne, the Chateau Saint-Maire. "These sheep were killed last night," Eric Herb, a member of a Swiss association demanding the regulation of big predators, was quoted as saying by the Keystone-ATS news agency. "It is really time to act." "We are sick of this. We want the wolf killed," agreed Patrick Perroud, a farmer and butcher from the nearby municipality of Oulens. "Cohabitation is not possible. Our territory is too small," he told Keystone-ATS. The protesters told the news agency that wolves had killed 17 sheep in the same area late last month, two earlier this week and 13 overnight to Saturday. "The breeders have played nice until now, but this time it was too much," Herb said. The protesters were planning to increase the pressure on the Vaud government environment minister, Vassilis Venizelos of the Green Party, he said. One of the protesters' banners read: "Vassilis step down", Keystone-ATS reported. The breeders had briefly negotiated with regional police before being allowed to lay down the animal carcasses on tarpaulin in front of the Chateau. Participants in the protest, which was supported by the regional chapter of the far-right Swiss People's Party -- Switzerland's largest party -- lamented that they were losing sleep. "We have to check on our animals every night," one was quoted as saying. After being wiped out more than a century ago, wolves have in recent decades begun returning to Switzerland and to several other European countries. Since the first pack was spotted in the wealthy Alpine nation in 2012, the number of packs swelled to 32 last year, with around 300 individual wolves counted. Nature conservation groups have hailed the return as a sign of a healthier and more diverse ecosystem. But breeders and herders complain of attacks on livestock and have been ramping up demands to cull more wolves. Swiss authorities last year relaxed the rules for hunting the protected species, and decided to allow large preventative culls in the most affected cantons but swift legal actions put those plans partially on ice. The debate in several parts of Europe about wolves rose up the political agenda in September. In an open letter to the European Commission, eight leading conservation groups said there were ways to make coexistence easier between humans and large wild animals like wolves. "Damage to livestock is often linked to the lack of adequate supervision and/or physical protection," they said. They pointed to strategies such as "the training of dogs to protect herds, education of herders, tools and technical solutions to deter wolves". Russia evacuates almost 4,500 people after dam burst Moscow, April 6 (AFP) Apr 06, 2024 Russia on Saturday said it had evacuated almost 4,500 people in the Orenburg region in the southern Urals due to flooding after a dam burst. Emergency services worked through the night after a dam burst in the city of Orsk, near the border with Kazakhstan, on Friday. The press service of the Orenburg governor said "4,402 people, including 1,100 children" had been evacuated and more than 6,000 homes were affected by the flooding after torrential rain. President Vladimir Putin ordered Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov to the region, a Kremlin spokesman said late Saturday. Authorities also opened a criminal case for "negligence and violation of construction safety rules" over the burst dam, which was built in 2014. Authorities said the situation was difficult throughout the region, warning of a dangerous water level on the Ural river in the main city of Orenburg. The mayor of the city of half a million people, Sergei Salmin, said authorities would forcibly evacuate people from flooded zones if necessary. He said the water level of the Ural river had risen to dangerous levels and will rise further. "The situation leaves you no choice. At night, the river can reach a critical level," he said. "I call on everyone in the flooded zone to leave their houses immediately. "There is no time for convincing," he added, saying that "those who refuse to leave the danger zone voluntarily, we will forcibly evacuate with the help of police officers". Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the floods were one of the worst natural disasters in Kazakhstan in 80 years. He called for authorities in the Central Asian country to be ready to help those affected. Russian emergency services published images of rescue workers going through villages on boats and hovercrafts. Several regions in the Urals and western Siberia have been affected by floods since the start of spring. To say that young people avoiding heat stroke, and being picky on what they spend on during a cost of living crisis, is simply indication of them becoming soft is unfair. Music festivals have always been a stomping ground for youth, but no other generation passing through has had their festival experiences, and ability to pay, challenged quite like this one. Loading During COVID, we said we were all in this together. But the music industry has been taking it a little too far with their significant run of mergers since well before the pandemic. Typically, when economic conditions get tough, you see businesses merge with each other to create a new, bigger business, or one firm buying or taking over another that is about to go under. Often, bigger firms are more efficient because they can make things in bulk or buy materials at a lower cost. But too much of a good thing is bad. Having just a handful of major companies in an industry means theyre more likely to charge higher prices simply because they can and may become more complacent when it comes to innovating and upholding quality. Industries such as finance and utilities are especially concentrated in Australia, meaning a few big firms dominate the market. Golden Plains Music Festival in 2024. Credit: Vicki Bell We have watchdogs including the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) which are supposed to crack the whip when they think an industry is getting too concentrated. But the music industry, perhaps because of its lower profile compared with the banks or supermarkets which have come under fire recently, seems to have flown under the radar. Now, its in the spotlight. Two years ago senior music industry figures sounded the alarm over the takeover of the Australian live music industry by US-based corporate giants, but to little avail. Over the past decade, Live Nation has bought up more than a dozen Australian music festivals, ticketing companies, music agencies and venues. On its receipt are Splendour in the Grass and Falls Festival: both of which have been canned this year. Having just a handful of major companies in an industry means theyre more likely to charge higher prices simply because they can and may become more complacent when it comes to innovating and upholding quality. Live Nation, TEG and AEG controlled roughly 85 per cent of Australias live music market in 2022 according to industry insiders. That has given companies such as Live Nation a truckload of power when it comes to negotiating with artists, often leading to deals that are worse for performers. Some artists were left out of pocket when the first day of Splendour was cancelled in 2022 due to flooding after new contracts put much of the burden of risk on performers if the event didnt go ahead. Those terms have since been revised. But there have been other unfavourable terms such as artists having to agree to exclusivity periods of up to three months that prevent them from playing their own shows before or after a festival, except in specific venues. That means emerging artists in particular, who lack the weight to push for a better deal, are worse-off and some may find it too difficult to participate. Its an experience that isnt just limited to festivals, but also the entire music industry from signing on and investing in talent, with a tendency for big corporations to prioritise a handful of megastars guaranteed to rake in big bucks. Loading Festivals certainly benefit from a few big headline acts to draw the crowds. But when the entire music industry is dominated by a few companies, it limits the discovery and development of emerging local talent (an important input and output of music festivals). Cost of living and climate issues have undoubtedly made music festivals less appealing. But allowing a handful of large corporations to take over large swathes of the Australian music industry certainly plays a part. It creates high barriers for any smaller players hoping to challenge them and help emerging artists get a foothold. A pipeline linking two ageing ExxonMobil oil platforms off the Gippsland coast is being investigated as the source of a suspected hydrocarbon spill in Bass Strait. The West Kingfish and Kingfish A platforms sit in more than 75 metres of water, about 70 kilometres off the Victorian coast from the internationally significant Ramsar-listed Gippsland Lakes. Essos Kingfish A production rig in Bass Strait. Credit: Esso Australia Ltd The pipeline, which sits on the sea floor, leaked suspected condensate a low-density mix of hydrocarbons present in the extraction of natural gas into the water. ExxonMobil subsidiary Esso Australia Pty Ltd operates the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture which supplies about 40 per cent of eastern Australias natural gas use on behalf of a 50-50 joint venture with Woodside Energy. Flood-ravaged communities in Sydneys west will be offered disaster assistance after their seventh flood in 18 months, while travellers are being warned to expect disruptions as authorities work to repair damaged transport routes. Thousands of residents north-west of Sydney were evacuated from their homes and more than 140 people were rescued from floodwaters on Saturday night, while about 150 people in the Megalong Valley remain cut off due to landslip damage to Megalong Road the only route in and out of the valley. Fire crews work to clear an old gum tree that fell over Darling Street in Balmain, outside the London Hotel, following wild weather. Credit: Dylan Coker In Balmain, a massive old gum fell across Darling Street outside the London Hotel around 3.30pm on Sunday. It brought down wires and damaged one car, but spared two vehicles across the street when it managed to fall between them. [The tree] almost hit the London balcony luckily no one was injured, one patron told 9News. Local Government Minister Melissa Horne who is also the local member for the area on Saturday said the council had been working hand in glove with the states Environment Protection Authority on the matter. Horne said the advice provided to her was that the risk to the public was low because the asbestos product found was bonded, not fibrous. However, it doesnt diminish the concern that we do need to get this remediated, she said. New fencing was erected at GJ Hosken Reserve on Saturday morning, Credit: Joe Armao Wilson said the government had been warned last year it was no longer collecting information to stop illegal asbestos dumping, after a key government program collapsed earlier this year. 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. Moira Deeming, the Upper House MP for the Western Metropolitan Region, on Saturday demanded mandatory testing of materials sent to recycling facilities and said they should be independently tested for hazard materials. The Labor Government has presided over a catastrophic regulatory failure by failing to deal with the simple fact that if contaminated materials enter into the stockfeed at recycling plants, then the products that come out the other end will also be contaminated, she said on Saturday. On Saturday, the EPA issued an update saying Hobsons Bay council had been unable to supply the name of the mulch producer for an area within GJ Hosken Reserve where asbestos had been found, but that it understood the mulch was supplied in 2017. It said it was still investigating fragments at Crofts Reserve. The EPA said it believed that asbestos fragments found at PJ Lynch Reserve were likely to be the result of illegal waste dumping. Shore Reserve in Pascoe Vale South, in Melbournes northern suburbs, was also inspected by the EPA on Saturday after a concerned resident reported seeing suspicious fragments, but it has not been confirmed as asbestos. The authority was also inspecting Hosken Reserve in Coburg North, where asbestos-contaminated soil from a redevelopment unrelated to mulch was also discovered on Friday. Donald McLean Reserve in Spotswood was taped off on Wednesday after asbestos-containing material was found. The Age revealed last week that CityWide Service Solutions had been awarded the contract for the Donald McLean Reserve play space and associated community park upgrade in Spotswood. There is no suggestion CityWide undertook works at any of the three additional reserves named on Friday night. A letter from the Australian Services Union to CityWide, seen by The Sunday Age, demands the company explain how its workers are trained in the handling of and protection from hazardous substances. ASU write to you with serious concerns regarding asbestos ... identified in a mix of mulch laid around a public playground in Hobsons Bay City Council, the letter addressed to Citywide CEO Chris Campbell reads. Loading The letter states that union members may have been impacted and/or exposed to asbestos in the process of laying this mulch and requests a written explanation to how the company has and will protect its employees from asbestos. It also sought a clear outline of the precautions has Citywide implemented since this exposure became apparent. Citywide was approached for comment on the letter. The EPA has said it believes the source of asbestos and other contaminants at the site was illegal dumping of construction and demolition waste after the mulch was delivered. On Friday, CityWide released a statement stating that while the company does manufacture its own mulch, the mulch used at Donald McLean Reserve had come from elsewhere. For this project, Citywide used mulch provided by external providers, who were registered and accredited for such activity, delivered to site, and laid in a manner consistent with the scope of the contract, a statement said. Citywide worked closely with Council during this period, and our staff did not observe any issues or irregularities outside of those raised with Council in relation to the site. Caity Haniver, who runs a fitness club in Melbournes west, says Hobsons Bay Council needs to take more responsibility. Credit: Joe Armao On Saturday morning, Altona North residents who arrived at parks to find them barricaded urged Hobsons Bay council to do more to inform locals about the asbestos-contaminated mulch. Caity Haniver, the owner of the nearby Melbourne West Barbell Club, said the discovery was concerning. We run a health and fitness business, so to hear theres something that significantly impacts peoples health so close to where we are, thats pretty negligent, she said. Haniver said she would no longer walk in the areas where asbestos had been spotted. We get so many dogs down here, they get into the mulch and scruff around, and it would be devastating for pet owners to come across something like that. The four reserves found with the contaminated mulch had all received some upgrades in recent years three of which were funded in partnership with the state governments West Gate Tunnel project. But despite state money provided for the upgrades, Horne said the contracting was the councils responsibility: The parks throughout Hobsons Bay Council are assets, and theyve been built and maintained by Hobsons Bay. So all contracts with the mulching providers and those sorts of things have been delivered by council. The Albanese government is pressing Israel to take further action against the troops responsible for the killing of Australian Zomi Frankcom and six fellow aid workers if they are found guilty of wrong-doing after being left unsatisfied by the initial probe into their deaths. It is also urging Israel to co-operate with an Australian review which an international law expert described as unprecedented in modern times of the Israeli Defence Forces investigation into the strikes on the aid convoy in Gaza. Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said the killing of the aid workers cannot be swept aside. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Foreign Minister Penny Wong decried the operation that killed the aid workers as a deadly failure. It cannot be brushed aside, and it cannot be covered over, Wong said at a press conference in Adelaide on Saturday. I was expecting it to go for more. The underbidders, also first home hopefuls who did not give their names, were philosophical. Three hopeful buyers bid for the property, Credit: Joe Armao It was probably less than what it was worth, she said. He added: I dont think they necessarily overpaid. BigginScotts Crotty said the reserve was $1.05 million the middle of the range. The market forces took it up to the finished price, he said. Loading Crotty said the market in his area was tracking well, and interest rates had become a moot point after last rising in November and staying on hold since. Were seeing numbers through opens increase, were seeing competition at all of our auctions, or the vast majority, he said. Its good, Richmonds always the last one to get affected and the first one to bounce back. Houses are going really well. Apartments, particularly smaller one bedrooms, are a little bit tougher at the moment. In Niddrie, more first home buyers, this time a young couple, purchased a property for $785,000 after returning to Melbourne from living overseas. They also paid less than expected. The first home buyers, who grew up in the neighbouring suburb of Essendon, bought the three-bedroom townhouse at 7/77 Coghlan Street after it was passed in at auction. Jellis Craig listing agent and auctioneer Kieran Moloney said there was another interested buyer along with the couple, and bidding kicked off at $750,000. It passed in to the couple for $775,000. They came inside and bought it for $785,000, Moloney said. Loading The price guide was $750,000 to $820,000, so the first home buyers managed to nab the property for less than expected. Moloney said the couple was thrilled to finally have secured something after spending the last few months searching for the right property. They grew up in the area and had been living abroad in the UK, and theyve just recently come back home and are excited to get their first place, he said. They grew up in the Essendon area, went to school in Essendon, all their family is in Essendon and Niddrie is basically Essendon to some people so theyre thrilled to be back home and close to all their family. In Melbournes outer east, a local investor couple secured a two-bedroom fixer-upper in Forest Hill for $495,000 after battling it out with seven other bidders at auction on Saturday morning. The property at 3/26 Lasiandra Avenue sold for $170,000 over its $325,000 reserve, with a mix of first home buyers and investors vying for the stripped back unit. Ray White listing agent and auctioneer Hugh Francis said the units renovation potential and low price guide attracted 15 parties to the auction, eight of which were active bidders. The final bids came down to a single buyer and a couple with young children from the neighbouring suburb of Mitcham. Loading The auction opened at $250,000 and jumped in $10,000 increments, and it just kept going all the way until it was on the market at $325,000, Francis said. It was a very attractive opportunity because people could add value to it the reserve was at the bottom of our advertised price range. Francis said the buyers purchased the home as an investment and were excited to renovate the property. They were talking about it as a family how they were going to renovate the property as an investment I thought that was really cool to see the kids being involved in that conversation, Francis said. In my 15 years of auctioning property, I have never had a home thats been stripped back to the studs. The seller, government body Homes Victoria, completely gutted the unit after renting it out for the last two decades. The investors hope to renovate the property. Credit: Ray White In Prahran, a single buyer looking to move from Geelong to the inner city secured a two-bedroom single-fronted home for $1.67 million after it was passed in at auction. Belle Property auctioneer Walter Summons placed a vendor bid of $1.58 million for 48 Andrew Street, before the same buyer bid $1.59 million. The Prahran home was passed in after a single bid, with the vendors hoping to reach the top end of the propertys $1.55 million to $1.65 million price guide. Following a negotiation, Summons said the vendors were pleased to sell their home for $20,000 more than expected. It was above the range we were quoting, so they were pretty happy to get that result particularly after passing in, Summons said. ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH 2024 In a couple of weeks Long Beach, California will be hosting the 200 mph beach party better known as the 49th running of the Long Beach Grand Prix featuring the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Race on Sunday, April 21, 2024 at 12:35 P.M. PT. In addition to INDYCAR there are numerous other races including IMSA WeatherTech, GT America Race (aka gentlemens racing series), Super Drift Challenge and Robby Gordons Stadium SUPER Trucks. The Historic INDY Car Challenge makes another appearance this year and you never know who is going to be driving these vintage race cars. These cars are usually privately owned by collectors and, or vintage racers. Since not all vintage car owners are drivers they seek out licensed race drivers to drive their race cars and its a usual practice. Last year there were at least two drivers with special credentials. Patrick Long, a multiple Porsche champion driver and Zak Brown, former pro driver champion who is the CEO of McLaren Racing, McLaren Formula 1, took time out of their hectic schedules to drive. The Stadium SUPER Truck races and the Super Drift Challenge are always major fan favorites. There is a stark difference between watching these races in person versus seeing them on television. Everyone loves them, including the kids. Mothers Car Care Products will host another exotic car parade, one lap around the 1.3 mile track. If were lucky, maybe someone will show up driving an Aston Martin DBS 770 Ultimate (last of the V12s), a Koenigsegg or a Pagaini Zonda HP Barchetta. I hope so. ACURA will demonstrate hot laps with the ACURA TypeS/NSX. In addition, youll find some of their vehicles on display in the Lifestyle Expo which is all part of the race festivities. But, there is so much more to experience during the 3 days of racing and festivities. The indoor Lifestyle Expo offers a variety of things to see at no charge with a race ticket. Inside the arena you can find video games, race cars on display, new vehicles, snacks and food to purchase, artwork to enjoy or buy and last year a vendor was giving away beautiful t-shirts. One year there was a zip-line inside the arena. There is a concert outside the main entrance to the Grand Prix on Saturday night around 6:00 P.M. If you happen to be in Long Beach on On April 18th the annual Motorsports Walk of Fame Ceremony takes place at 11:00 AM on South Pine Avenue next to the Long Beach Convention Center and is open to the public at no cost and no ticket is required. Just show up. This years inductees are Katherine Legge, a very talented driver who has competed in the NASCAR Infinity Series, IMSA SportsCar as well as IndyCar. In fact, last year she became the fastest female ever to qualify at the Indianapolis 500 Race. Speaking of the INDY 500, the other inductee for the 2024 Long Beach Walk of Fame is Takuma Sato from Tokyo, Japan, who has won the INDY 500 twice, in 2017 and 2020. And this fierce competitor knows his way around the Long Beach track just fine. You guessed it. Takuma won the ACURA Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2013. The event is short, one hour, but fun. You may have the chance to say hello to both of these drivers. The Acura Grand Prix is quite easy to get to. For example, it is 18 miles south of LAX, Los Angeles International Airport and 22 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. If youre driving, the freeway access is very good. There are numerous parking lots nearby and hotel parking lots. Rates vary but are at least $30.00 - $50. per vehicle. For ticket information and all the details you can search, ACURA Grand Prix of Long Beach 2024 and it will take you to the website. Make sure youre viewing the 2024 schedule. The ACURA Grand Prix of Long Beach is a fabulous event. The President and CEO of the LBGP Association, Jim Michaelian, his staff, all of the sponsors and hundreds of volunteers make creative and valuable contributions to entertain us. The weather is always good in Long Beach in April, the facility is friendly and safe. There are a few dozen restaurants across the street from the event or nearby. Book a reservation if youre going to a restaurant, but little bistros can take walk-ins. Wear comfortable shoes and take lots of photos. Bring a friend, bring your family or come alone - youll have a great time. This writer has attended the LBGP event about 30 times. Ill see you there at the races. Sandra Bartley Sandra Bartley was a member of the PPG CART Indy Car Pace Car Team. She has driven on this race track at the former Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Laman Ismayilova The Azerbaijan State Academic Russian Drama Theatre has successfully performed at the 26th International Festival of Russian Theatres. This year, the festival titled "Meetings in Russia" marks the 225th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, Azernews reports. The Azerbaijan State Academic Russian Drama Theatre opened the festival with the play "The Captain's Daughter", directed by St. Petersburg director Igor Konyaev. The theatre's performance of the play "The Captain's Daughter" was met with resounding success and acclaim, showcasing the troupe's exceptional talent and skill in bringing classic literature to life on stage. The Captain's Daughter is a historical novel by the Russian writer Alexander Pushkin. The novel is a romanticised account of Pugachev's Rebellion in 17731774. The title "The Captain's Daughter" has also been used to refer to a collection of stories, one of which was the actual novel. The premiere of the play in Baku took place in June 2023. The performance was staged within the international project "St. Petersburg Theatre Workshops", organised jointly by the Committee for External Relations of Saint-Petersburg, the Association of Russian Theatre Workers Abroad, and the Baltic House Theatre Festival. The Azerbaijani actors managed to transfer all the emotions and feelings of their characters. The actors were greeted with thunderous applause and received many positive reviews. Speaking about the play, director of the Azerbaijan State Academic Russian Drama Theatre, Honoured Cultural Worker Adalat Hajiyev, said at a press conference that it was a great pleasure for Azerbaijani actors to work with Igor Konyaev. He added that the play "The Captain's Daughter" brought together full houses in the Azerbaijan State Academic Russian Drama Theatre. The meeting at the Russia Festival welcomes theatre troupes from Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and other countries. The large-scale annual festival is held under the motto "Pushkin forever", and therefore most of the performances shown at it are dedicated to the Russian poet and are based on his prose, poetry, and literature. The State Russian Drama Theatre, named after Samad Vurgun, plays a major role in the cultural life of the country. Charismatic and extraordinarily talented theatre actors always surprise the audience with wonderful performances. Many works of Russian literary figures such as Lev Tolstoy, Alexander Pushkin, Anton Chekhov, Nikolai Gogol, and Mikhail Lermontov, works of world classics such as Shakespeare, Schiller, Moliere, Dumas, Hugo, and Balzac, as well as plays based on works of Azerbaijani literary figures such as Jafar Jabbarli, Mirza Fatali Akhundov, Ali bay Huseynzade, Najaf bay Vazirov, and Huseyn Javid, are staged in the theatre. The theatre team pays special attention to young viewers, and plays a significant role in introducing theatre art to children. BJPs Foundation Day today Chandrashekhar Bawankule addressing mediapersons. Mohan Mate, Ashish Jaiswal, Pintu Zalke, Anandrao Raut, Anil Nidhan, Dinesh Thakre, Chandan Goswami, Pravin Bhisikar and others also are seen. Staff Reporter : Party to contact, communicate with voters Super Warriors Fadnavis, Gadkari, Bawankule to visit polling booths The foundation day of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has come ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, will be celebrated by all the party leaders, functionaries, MLAs, MPs and ministers at 97,325 booths across the State. Along with the booth reinforcement, all the voters coming under the booth will be contacted and communicated on this occasion. For three hours, everyone is going to celebrate the foundation day, informed Chandrashekhar Bawankule, BJP State President while interacting with mediapersons at Patrakar Club of Nagpur on Friday. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will be present at two booths in Nagpur. State President Chandrasekhar Bawankule informed, 33,369 Super Warriors in the State will salute the flag and at the same time, a large number of party entry programmes will be held. The speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be broadcast live at the booth level across the State. Beneficiary contact campaign and bike rally will be organised. BJPs 32 lakh workers will work for the Lok Sabha elections and are working full-time to ensure that Mahayuti will get 51 per cent votes in each booth. Gudhi Padwa, Mahatma Phule birth anniversary, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar birth anniversary will be observed at every booth. Devendra Fadnavis from booth no 5 and 6 of Nagpur South West Assembly Constituency, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari from Central Nagpur will participate at booth no 219 and 220. Several people will be joining BJP in presence of Bawankule. He will attend the foundation day programme at the booth number 28 and 29 of Kamptee Assembly Constituency. MLA Ashish Jaiswal, MLA Tekchand Savarkar, Adv Dharmpal Meshram, Sudhakar Kohale, Mohan Mate, Dinesh Thakre, Anandrao Raut, Pravin Bhisikar, Chandan Goswami were present. Ban Thakre from contesting LS polls Bharatiya Janata Party has lodged complaint against Vikas Thakre, Congress candidate for Nagpur Lok Sabha for sharing derogatory video. In its complaint lodged by City President Jitendra alias Bunty Kukde, BJP has demanded strict action against Thakre and to ban him from contesting 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Thakre shared a video on social media where he says, BJP is going to finish the Constitution prepared by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and BJP will also finish Deekshabhoomi. Pointing at this, the complaint by Kukde says, Deekshabhoomi is a pious place, significant not only for Buddhist and Scheduled Caste community but for entire Maharashtra and India. This place is historically and culturally valuable. His statements are part of his false and baseless propaganda to seek votes but is a clear violation of model code of conduct. He has violated the provision in The Representation of The Peoples Act, 1951. The provision says - No appeal for votes by a candidate or his agent or by any other person with the consent of the candidate or his election agent to vote or refrain from voting for any person on the ground of religion, race, caste, community or language. The complaint says, By sharing derogatory and inflammatory video, Vikas Thakre, the Congress candidate of Nagpur Lok Sabha has violated the provision in The Representation of The Peoples Act, 1951 and mandatory guidelines as directed by Election Commission of India during the time when Model Code of Conduct is in force. Allowing Thakre to continue with his illegal act would have far reaching effect in maintaining peace in the constituency especially during election period and also for conducting free and fair election. Ban Thakre from contesting 2024 Lok Sabha elections and further polls. Identifies 266 LS seats with lower voter turnout NEW DELHI, 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. In the meeting, the Election Commission said, it has identified 266 parliamentary constituencies, including 215 in rural areas, with low voter turnout and is planning t argeted intervention to enhance voting percentage in Lok Sabha polls. Municipal Commissioners from major cities and select district election officers (DEOs) from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh discussed enhancing voter engagement and participation in identified urban and rural Lok Sabha seats. Eleven States and Union Territories, including States like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, 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 Lok Sabha elections. Addressing the participants, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar stressed that one size fits all approach will not work and different strategies have to be worked out for different areas and segments. A booklet on Voters Apathy was also unveiled by the Chief Election Commissioner on the occasion. Indian Coast Guard rescues27 Bangladeshi fishermen NEW DELHI, THE Indian Coast Guard has rescued 27 Bangladeshi fishermen whose fishing boat had drifted inside Indian waters after its steering gear suffered a breakdown rendering them stranded at sea, officials on Friday said. The swift rescue operation took place on Thursday, they said. At about 1130 hrs on April 4, 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, the ICG said in a statement. The ICG ship launched a boarding team to investigate. During investigation it was found 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, it said. The BFB had 27 crew/fishermen onboard. The Indian Coast Guards 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 Indian Coast Guard and Bangladesh Coast Guard, the statement said. In the meantime, the Indian Coast Guard regional headquarters at Kolkata established communication with Bangladesh Coast Guard and informed them about the incident and plan of action, officials said. 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 on April 4. ICGS Amogh handed over the 27 Bangladeshi fishermen along with their boat to BCG ship Kamaruzzaman, the statement said. The operation reflects the commitment of Indian Coast Guard towards safeguarding precious lives at sea against all odds. Such successful search and rescue (SAR) operations will not only strengthen the regional SAR structure, but also enhance the international cooperation with neighbouring countries. This is in keeping with the motto of the Indian Coast Guard Vayam Rakshamah which means We Protect, it added. States, UTs get 26.55 lakh vials of indelible ink By Anjali Pillay BENGALURU, 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 companys 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. Though Rwanda has come a long way since the 1994 genocide, scars of the past still haunt the nation Kigali, Apr 6 (AP) Rwanda is preparing to mark the 30th anniversary of the East African nation's most horrific period in history the genocide against its minority Tutsi. To this day, new mass graves are still being discovered across the country of 14 million people, a grim reminder of the scale of the killings. Delegations from around the world will gather on Sunday in the capital of Kigali as Rwanda holds sombre commemorations of the 1994 massacres. High-profile visitors are expected to include Bill Clinton, the US president at the time of the genocide, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog. In a pre-recorded video ahead of the ceremonies, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France and its allies could have stopped the genocide but lacked the will to do so. Macron's declaration came three years after he acknowledged the overwhelming responsibility of France Rwanda's closest European ally in 1994 for failing to stop the country's slide into the slaughter. Here's a look at the past and how Rwanda has changed under President Paul Kagame, praised by many for bringing relative peace and stability but also vilified by others for his intolerance of dissent. WHAT HAPPENED IN 1994? An estimated 800,000 Tutsi were killed by extremist Hutu in massacres that lasted over 100 days. Some moderate Hutu who tried to protect members of the Tutsi minority were also targeted. The killings were ignited when a plane carrying then-President Juvenal Habyarimana, a member of the majority Hutu, was shot down on April 6, 1994, over 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. Many victims including children were hacked to death with machetes. Kagame's rebel group, the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front, managed to stop the killings, seized power and has since, as a political party, ruled Rwanda. Kagame's government and genocide survivor organisations have often accused France of training and arming militias and troops that led the rampage, sometimes saying they expect a formal apology. A report commissioned by Macron in 2019 and published in 2021 concluded that French authorities failed to see where Habyarimana's regime, which France supported, was headed and were subsequently too slow to acknowledge the extent of the killings. However, the report cleared France of any complicity in the massacres. WHAT CAME AFTER THE GENOCIDE? After Kagame seized power, many Hutu officials fled into exile or were arrested and imprisoned for their alleged roles in the genocide. Some escaped to neighbouring Congo, where their presence has provoked armed conflict. In the late 1990s, Rwanda twice sent its forces deep into Congo, in part to hunt down Hutu rebels. Some rights groups accused Rwanda's new authorities of revenge attacks, but the government has slammed the allegations, saying they disrespect the memory of the genocide victims. Kagame, who grew up as a refugee in neighbouring Uganda, has been Rwanda's de facto ruler, first as vice president from 1994 to 2000, then as acting president. He was voted into office in 2003 and has since been reelected multiple times. WHAT'S THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE LIKE? Rwanda's ruling party is firmly in charge, with no opposition, while Kagame's strongest critics now live in exile. Kagame won the last presidential election, in 2017, with nearly 99 per cent of the vote after a campaign that Amnesty International described as marked by suppression and a climate of fear. Critics have accused the government of forcing opponents to flee, jailing or making them disappear while some are killed under mysterious circumstances. Rights groups cite serious restrictions on the internet, as well as on freedom of assembly and expression. Some claim Kagame has exploited alleged Western feelings of guilt over the genocide to entrench his grip on Rwanda. Now a candidate in the upcoming July presidential election, Kagame has cast himself in the role of a leader of a growing economy marked by technological innovation, with his supporters often touting Rwanda as an emerging business hub in Africa. WHAT ABOUT RECONCILIATION? Rwandan authorities have heavily promoted national unity among the majority Hutu and the minority Tutsi and Twa, with a separate government ministry dedicated to reconciliation efforts. The government imposed a tough penal code to punish genocide and outlaw the ideology behind it, and Rwandan ID cards no longer identify a person by ethnicity. Lessons about the genocide are part of the curriculum in schools. However, a leading survivors' group points out that more needs to be done to eradicate what authorities describe as genocide ideology among some Rwandans. WHAT DOES RWANDA LOOK LIKE TODAY? The streets of Kigali are clean and free of potholes. Littering is banned. Tech entrepreneurs flock here from far and wide. Stylish new buildings give the city a modern look and an innovation center aims at nurturing local talent in the digital culture. But poverty is rampant outside Kigali, with most people still surviving on subsistence farming. Tin-roofed shacks that dotted the countryside in 1994 remain ubiquitous across Rwanda. The nation is young, however, with every other citizen under the age of 30, giving hope to aspirations for a post-genocide society in which ethnic or tribal membership doesn't come first. Corruption among officials is not as widespread as among other governments in this part of Africa, thanks in part to a policy of zero-tolerance for graft. ARE THERE TROUBLES ON THE HORIZON? Though mostly peaceful, Rwanda has had troubled relations with its neighbours. Recently, tensions have flared with Congo, with the two countries' leaders accusing one another of supporting various armed groups. Congo claims Rwanda is backing M23 rebels, who are mostly Tutsi fighters based in a remote area of eastern Congo. The M23 rebellion has displaced hundreds of thousands in Congo's North Kivu's province in recent years. Rwanda says Congo's military is recruiting Hutu men who took part in the 1994 massacres. UN experts have cited solid evidence that members of Rwanda's armed forces were conducting operations in eastern Congo in support of M23, and in February, amid a dramatic military build-up along the border, Washington urged Rwandan authorities to withdraw troops and missile systems from Congo. In January, Burundi, whose troops are fighting alongside the Congolese military in eastern Congo, closed its border with Rwanda and started deporting Rwandans. This happened not long after Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye accused Rwanda of backing Congo-based rebels opposed to his government. Rwanda denies the allegation. Rwanda has also been in the news recently over a deal with Britain that would see migrants who cross the English Channel in small boats sent to Rwanda, where they would remain permanently. The plan has stalled amid legal challenges. In November, the UK Supreme Court ruled the plan was illegal, saying Rwanda is not a safe destination for asylum-seekers. Educational exposure of ideas, assumptions or hypotheses, based on proven facts" (which need not be strictly current affairs) Value in judgments are excluded, and the text comes close to an opinion article, without judging or making forecasts , just formulating hypotheses, giving motivated explanations and bringing together a variety of data When faced with another adaptation of Tom Ripley, the character, the very human villain created by Patricia Highsmith, the writer who tried to understand the evil that nests in each one of us, one wonders what was the need for it? I mean, hadnt Anthony Minghella nailed the idea of such a charming, queer criminal in The Talented Mr. Ripley, a luminously dark film that became an instant classic in the 1990s? You might ask if the present is so lacking in ideas. But let me tell you that it suffices to watch a few minutes of Steven Zaillians Netflix miniseries Ripley to think quite the opposite (Zaillian is also the creator of The Night Of). That is, one wonders why hadnt anyone done this before, how Minghella could have stayed so far away, so much on the surface of the character, really? The feeling that, from the beginning, Ripley has been much more than an apparently seductive guy, that he actually never was for Highsmith, he was always a strange guy who nevertheless managed to make others trust him because, by observing them, he gave them exactly what they wanted, at all times. What they wanted was attention, to feel understood. The sense that through Ripley the world and the human being everything that someone is capable of doing to get what he wants, and what he wants is not necessarily a good thing, you will see why can be explained and has been there from the beginning, but it would seem that what we knew about him was that he was a fake, a trickster, a perpetual mask. And why, how did he experience that mask, where did he leave the rest? Well, Zaillian answers all those questions one by one and raises a few more. And Ripley does so thanks to a hypnotic and fascinating narration that brings back the best film noir, inhabited by a present in which subjectivity reigns. Thus, there is an excellent intention in the use of black and white and not only because of the classic air it gives, the tribute to noir from high neo-noir because there is no color in Ripleys world, everything is governed by Good and Evil, and the nuance is painful because no one in the society of the time (1961) is seeing it. And it is also there in the third person who constantly becomes the first person that is, the viewer is both outside and inside the character, because what he is seeing is not only what is happening, but how Ripley himself feels what is happening. And how does Zaillian achieve this? With the sublime use of sound and fixed shots, objects and an environment that only seems to stalk the protagonist. The calm before any storm. Andrew Scott in an image from 'Ripley'. Lorenzo Sisti The way the crimes are told is the best example of that latent and immersive subjectivity that achieves what Highsmith set out to do, time and again, in her novels by telling how darkness, the damned, nestles in each of us: to empathize. They know the story. The writers recently divorced mother drinks a full glass of turpentine when she finds out that she is pregnant. And yet little Pat survives. And she grows up to become a writer who wants nothing more than to understand what her mother did. Her mother must have loved her; but she tried to get rid of her: did that make her horrible? It was through villains who were nothing more than ordinary guys with one foot on the edge of the abyss that Highsmith tried to understand her mother. And Ripley, her most perfect, her most polished, creation. Remember the story. Tom Ripley (here, Norman Bates-like, played by Andrew Scott with a coyly sinister touch) is a small-time con man who lives by intercepting mail that isnt his and forging identities to collect small sums. He is hired by a shipping magnate to bring his wayward son, Dickie Greenleaf (a magnetic and superb Johnny Flynn) home. Dickie lives in Atrani, a small Italian seaside town, with his girlfriend Marge (played by a cold and suspicious Dakota Fanning), where the two lead a small bohemian life. Ripley and Dickie are supposed to have been friends at some point Dickie doesnt remember him and the attempt to convince him will turn into an impossible impersonation that Ripley painstakingly improvises as he goes along, criminally eliminating one obstacle after another. Dakota Fanning as Marge Sherwood and Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf in 'Ripley.' Courtesy of Netflix On screen, the subtlety with which Zaillian portrays the fine line that separates Good from Evil or what we should not have done from what we have done is drawn by the narratives attention to detail and symbols. Theres a narrative beneath the narrative were contemplating, which Minghella overlooked; here, they give the character abysmal depth. Those stairs that Ripley climbs, which are at first intricate, labyrinthine, and then cease to be so; they remind us of Sisyphus, in his repeated ascent, the effort, the awareness of the Evil that weighs heavier and heavier. The annoying, insidious clock that marks the race against time that we will never win. The oppressive silence. The silence of death. Ripley is alone with himself when he kills, and the viewer is inside him. Tom Ripley is nobody, and so he can be anybody, Patricia Highsmith herself said of her character. In that sense, hes an impostor. Hes someone who gets under someone elses skin, and so he reflects us a little bit because were all a mask in a way, she added. Yes, Tom Ripley is a mask. He is an animal destined to be someone else, who survives by being someone else, and here each twisted monologue in front of Andrew Scotts mirror takes another step toward some kind of abyss. Because, as we said, Ripley and any Highsmith villain is capable of doing anything to get what he wants, and what he wants is not always, as we also said, a good thing. Not even for him. And heres the thing that every one of Highsmiths creations hides: an imperiously savage desire to destroy his world. Zaillians miniseries pure suspense, an intellectually superior suspense, youll see shows that desire better than anyone else. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The morning interview with Mariana Enriquez, 51, takes place just a few hours before the end of her eight-city book tour in Spain. In her new collection of stories Un lugar soleado para gente sombria (or, A Sunny Place for Shady People) she returns to the disturbing world of ghosts and paranormal phenomena. The Argentine author best known for Things We Lost in the Fire (2016) and The Dangers of Smoking in Bed (2009) manages to insert genius and humor into everyday reality. Enriquez has legions of devotees. During her interview with EL PAIS, she wears a t-shirt that a fan made for her, which bears an image of Orpheus. She speaks enthusiastically about the off-circuit Easter Week processions in Seville (those not recognized by the Catholic Church), which another of her readers took her to see. In the coming months, she has talks and meetings scheduled with readers in the United States, Puerto Rico, Lithuania, Ireland, Finland, France, Greece and Norway. She also plans to return to Madrid and Barcelona at the end of May. Question. There are posters in the streets about your book tour. They seem to be advertising concerts rather than literary talks. Are you determined to prove that writers can be rock stars? Answer. The publisher had this idea and I accepted. Theres a tradition of writers who made these tours: Oscar Wilde, Garcia Lorca, Dickens... before this tour, I spent a whole year doing readings in theaters in Argentina. The show was called Dont Bring Flowers and it was done with a cartoonist [who made the slides]. Q. Are you surprised by the fandom phenomenon that surrounds your literature? A. I understand that more popular [or commercial] writing generates that. But in my case, it seems strange to me, because beyond the horror books Ive written a biography on [the Argentine writer] Silvina Ocampo, an entire collection of journalistic work and about visits to cemeteries, strange things. But I dont have any overbearing fans for now. Its very exciting. An image of one of the promotional posters for Mariana Enriquez's book tour. Cedida por la editorial Anagrama Q. In Mis muertos tristes (My Sad Dead) the first story in your new book the protagonist tells her ex-husband that fascism generally starts with fear and turns into hatred. A. I wrote and published it in English a year-and-a-half ago, but the text dialogues with the present. This tendency towards the conspiratorial right began many years ago. There are ghosts that cannot be appeased. Q. Do you believe in ghosts? A. No, but only because I havent seen any. They must exist. Those in the story are of that social dissolution. Q. Does literature allow us to understand the dynamics that push a person to their limits from a different perspective? A. Each author is free to write about what they want, but this is a bit inevitable. Look at Hamnet (2020), a book about Shakespeares wife that ends up talking about the problems faced by some contemporary women. Q. Is horror the best way to portray the present, or is it just your way? A. Its my way, but, as a popular genre, it has to talk about contemporary fears. Otherwise, it wouldnt work. Q. Is it premonitory? A. Yes, because its digging into unconscious currents. Fear is an elusive sensation when you touch upon it, you find something that ends up happening later. Q. In the story Metamorfosis (Metamorphosis), you write about menopause. For women, is the body cause for fear? A. A womans body has very particular fears. [Menopause] is a very long stage of life. What happens with aging, how your skin feels, what happens with sex, what happens with mood swings, what happens with hot flashes there are many changes. Your body stops having the capacity to give birth: youre carrying death. It announces the end to you in a much clearer way. Q. Should this be spoken about more? A. I think so, because were very focused on the period of motherhood and youth, but this only lasts until age 40. I also understand those who dont want to talk about it, because its a moment that has something terrifying about it an element of mourning thats difficult to face. Q. After Javier Mileis victory in the Argentine presidential elections a politician who cloned his dog and uses a mystic to talk to his deceased mastiff it appears that theres actually some realism in your novel Our Share of the Night (2019). A. You see? Its the second time [in Argentina] that we have a spiritualist political leader. The first was Jose Lopez Rega, who was known as Brother Daniel in his private circle. Juan Peron died and his minister was left governing with Isabel Peron [during her presidency in the 1970s]. That was my model of Argentine politics and folkloric esotericism. And, suddenly, its happening again. Clearly, theres something in my work about capturing Argentine idiosyncrasies. But this [coincidence between reality and the novel] is very explicit: the dog, cloning, transferring a mind to another body. Of course, Milei is a phenomenon that was created during the pandemic, with social media. Q. What do you feel is going on with social media? A. Its going through a difficult moment. To speak is always to expose yourself to misunderstandings, but on social media, it is to expose yourself to a [virtual] lynching. I feel some anxiety about it, but I eventually forget it and I start thinking about the new album thats about to come out. Q. Which album are you waiting for? A. Im really looking forward to three: the one by actor and musician Caleb Landry Jones, the one by Taylor Swift and the one by Nick Cave. Q. Are you a Swifty? A. Pretty much. She has lyrics that are better than stories. Her song Tolerate It (2020)... I hadnt heard such incisiveness in years! Joni Mitchell had this ability too, but shes a counterculture icon and Swift is in a stadium filled with 70,000 people singing a subtle heartbreak song. Its elegant: shes read F. Scott Fitzgerald and it shows. Q. And what are your thoughts on Nick Caves work? A. Thats religion. All of his esthetics, all of his search for transcendence. He hates being called Gothic, but thats what he is, because hes cathedral-like. Translated by Avik Jain Chatlani. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition At the end of October last year, Egypts Pyramids of Giza hosted the Mirror Gate outdoor art exhibition. The work was an immense portal of limestone the same limestone the pyramids are made of and contained metal spheres painted an iridescent violet in honor of the sacred Egyptian scarab beetle, a symbol of regeneration and birth, and gold, for the sun. It also included eggs, the symbol of creation, in which visitors were reflected, evoking the magical crystal balls where it was claimed the viewer could glimpse their future. All this is very much in keeping with its creator Pilar Zeta, who since her childhood has felt a deep attraction for the pyramids, Ancient Egypt and its symbology. She is also drawn to portals, which for her symbolize the power to enter a new reality where you can alter the current one or experience others simultaneously, according to the principles of quantum physics. Her monumental portals of geometric shapes have been a consistent feature since Hall of Visions, a project she exhibited at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2022, which became a highlight of that years art fair. It is estimated that 80,000 people paid it a visit, an incredible feat, with even Deepak Chopra himself sitting down to meditate. This is typical of the multiverses so present in the work of Zeta, who completed a 21-day meditation challenge during the Covid-19 pandemic. Mirror Gate, the installation at the Giza Pyramids in Cairo in late 2023. Alberto HV This was the first time she brought her digital creations to reality, and especially in that scale. However, an internet search on her throws up works such as collaborations with Camila Cabello, Lil Nas X, Kim Petras, the set design of Katy Perrys Teenage Dream for her 2017 tour, the direction of Spanish fashion firm Bimba y Lolas most recent campaign (something she previously did with Carolina Herrera) and, most notably, her collaboration with Coldplay, which began a decade ago and earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Recording Package in 2021. Her work with the British band, contrary to what many think, goes far beyond designing their album covers. It is a matter of artistic direction that serves as a channel between their music and an aesthetic and symbolic language. Chris Martin struck up a great bond with Zeta, and she seems to have become indispensable to him. The manner in which this collaboration came about is a testament to her character. Her agent sent out a bulk email to a large list of band representatives featuring a tarot card design with a drawing of a meditating colorful head. The email landed in the spam folder of Phil Harvey, Coldplays manager and creative director, who thought Martin, who was about to release A Head Full of Dreams, might like it. It was the dream of my life. The previous New Year, I made a wish list that I put under a pyramid [the same one she still keeps in her home and under which she keeps many more lists today], and one of them was to work with the biggest band in the world. At the time I thought, I dont know, Depeche Mode, many others, but when I got that email back two weeks later to meet Coldplay at Soho House I said, Stop! This is the biggest band in the world. "What I want now is to travel around the world, taking my work to museums and galleries where it hasnt yet reached. But, above all, to flow," says Pilar Zeta. Alberto HV As Virgil said: fortune favors the bold. And Zetas story is testament to this. At the age of 19, after only two months of studying graphic design and coming to the conclusion that the traditional education approach did not suit her, she left her native Argentina and moved to Miami. There she began working in a hotel doing all kinds of jobs that she found horrible and lasted only a short time because she was fired. She had no job, no money, no cell phone of her own, no computer and a limited CV that only included the three jobs she had had during college. What she did have was a burning desire and above all the conviction to pursue her dreams. She also had considerable computer skills and went in search of a job in every printing house in the city. In one. she was asked to make a flyer in front of them. They liked it. In fact, they liked it more than the one by the graphic designer they employed. From that moment, Zeta started earning $50 per flyer for parties and weddings while making a name for herself. Soon after, she was designing the flyers for all the electronic music parties in Miami. Escritorio Portal (Portal Desk) and Huevo de la Reflexion(Reflection Egg). Alberto HV When she finished her stint in Miami, she considered going to Mexico, but a tarot reader told her that it was not yet the right time, and as a friend was heading to Berlin, she tagged along with her for a week and ended up staying for five years. There she pursued graphic design in the electronic artists scene, designing album covers and taking over the artistic direction of the legendary Berghain club for a month. Afterward, she moved to Los Angeles and followed her intuition, which told her she had to be there and meet certain people, such as the representative who sent the fortuitous email that resulted in the meeting that would forever change her life just a week after her arrival in the city. When she felt that Los Angeles had given her what it had to, feeling that the people there were not happy with her presence there and that she was in need of more greenery, she moved to Portland, in the state of Oregon. From there, she had the luxury of working remotely with the musicians with whom she collaborated. This allowed her to conceive the idea of creating her own art pieces and having a home where she could create a universe of her own for the next five years. What she thought would be a holdup in her plans because of Covid-19 proved to be the catalyst: it was during the pandemic that a huge interest in digital art (NFTs) erupted. I thought, Ive been making digital art for years! I was already designing my pieces in 3D, but I had no idea how I was going to produce them or make them tangible. During the pandemic I did thousands of meditations, exercises every day, I watched 500,000 videos and I implored the universe to find something that was mine and that I could continue to recreate it. Piramide en las Nubes (Pyramid in the Clouds). Alberto HV In 2022, it was finally the time for Mexico. There, with her two cats, Matrix and Music, as guardians, she has created her next projects. These include the artwork for Coldplays new album, the pieces she presented at Art Dubai the first week of March and a portal that will be exhibited at one of the Moco Museums venues. Some of her NFTs are already in Barcelona as part of the exhibition called The New Future, which is currently running. To make sure she is heading in the right direction, she starts her days with meditation, often the Silva method, immediately upon waking up. The state between the theta wave frequency, a dreamy state, to alpha, when you are more awake but not yet relaxed and before beta, which is when you are fully awake, is the sweet spot where your brain has the purest information from your subconscious and is ideal for visualizing and programming incredible things to happen in your day. Afterward, she practices Qigong and reads over a cup of coffee. Some of the mystical objects that fill the artists house. Alberto HV When asked what she might wish would happen, having done so much, she replies: What I want now is to travel around the world taking my work to museums and galleries where it hasnt yet reached. But, above all, to flow. She answers when questioned about her wishes for the future. She knows better than anyone that doing things and enjoying the present is the best way to project a bright future. However, she keeps sowing seeds and mentions that she might like to do something in the Al-Ula desert in Saudi Arabia, where artists such as James Turrell and Agnes Denes have staged mammoth installations. Incidentally, there is a giant portal with stairs. After learning about Zetas creative process, it is evident that this is a sign that, sooner or later, this is going to come to pass. For the time being, she will certainly follow the Nietzsche quote, which she keeps on her fridge, every day: Today I transmute everything into gold. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Popular Ghanaian actor, Kwadwo Nkansah, best known as Lil Win, was asked his reasons for featuring three Nigerian stars in his movie A Country Called Ghana. The actor was in an interview where he was asked to clarify his reasons for using three Nigerian stars in a movie with such title. He replied; The total film crew for A Country Called Ghana is about 150, with only three Nigerians, so why are people still complaining?" Lil Win further revealed that he has been using Ghanaian actors in many of his movies, yet he has not been getting the desired result therefore one of the reasons he decided to feature Nigerian stars in the movie. The Ghanaian actor featured three Nigerian stars in person's of ; Ramsey Nouah, Victor Osuwagu and Charles Awuram in his new movie A Country Called Ghana. The use of Nigerian actors will strengthen the exchange between the two movie nations, he said. The Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Dr Tunji Olowolafe, has disclosed the launch of a N1bn Innovation Fund set aside to empower agro-tech enterprises founded by the universitys students and graduates. According to a statement, this was disclosed by Olowolafe at the 28th convocation of the Ekiti State University, which took place on April 3-4, 2024. While speaking, Olowolafe stressed the urgent need to drive innovation and enterprise in agriculture to bolster food security across Nigeria. According to him, Agriculture stands as the backbone of our nation, and it is here that I see the greatest potential for innovation and economic prosperity. The N1bn Innovation Fund is designed to empower agro-tech companies founded by present graduands and students of our great Ekiti State University. The chancellor further proposed the optimisation of the universitys fertile lands for agricultural purposes, which would enable students to lease small plots and gain hands-on experience in farming, while simultaneously earning a living. He said, Today Your Excellency, the general discussion in Nigeria is about cost of living and food security. All of us eat. But many of us do not spend time thinking about what we eat, how it is produced and how it gets to our table. These are very important questions. Each student can lease a small plot of land for production. As we learn to pass our exams, we can also use these farms to eat and earn a living. My view is regardless of what we are studying at university, we must all think about how we can do our bit to produce food. This means both the academic and student faculties must come together to think and act. The Chinese automotive Build Your Dreams (BYD) has stepped on the accelerator in Mexico. Less than two years after its first foray into the country with the sale of imported vehicles, the electric car company has set new, ambitious goals for Mexico. Eight model launches this year, more than 50,000 cars to be sold by 2024 and the BYDs crown jewel: the construction of a manufacturing plant with capacity to produce up to 300,000 vehicles. Although Chinese executives have not yet revealed how much will be invested in the factory or where it will be located, BYDs general director in Mexico, Jorge Vallejo, provides some insight on what is on the horizon. Between meetings with the Mexico City team and upcoming trips to China, Vallejo, 51, makes time in his busy schedule to talk about the plans of a company that boasts without giving specific sales figures for Mexico triple-digit growth month after month. When asked about the evident proximity of this new Mexican plant to the U.S. market and future plans to enter the United States, Vallejo insists, time and again, that he is completely focused on consolidating the sales, distribution and production lines in Mexico. Manufacturing will be 100% focused on the Mexican market, he says. Question. After nearly four months as general director of BYD Auto Mexico, how have you approached the position? Answer. Im very proud to represent the number one selling brand of new energy vehicles in the world. In this first quarter, I had the opportunity to launch two new models. We launched Song Plus DM-i in January, Mini Dolphin in February, and in April, the King DM-i will be released. And we are already preparing the global launch of a new model. Due to BYDs vertical integration, we manufacture practically 100% of the product. Except for the windshields and tires, the technology, design and equipment is developed and manufactured by us, which allows us to have an accessible product in the Mexican market. Mini Dolphin is the brands most economical vehicle, with a selling price of 350,000 pesos [$21,270]. Q. What are you betting on for your next launch? A. It is the first PHEV sedan with DM-i technology that is 100% electric. It could be a persons first car, a vehicle for medium-sized families, a work car, a ride-hailing vehicle and it has a price of around 498,000 pesos [$30,300]. Q. At this dizzying pace, how many models will be launched this year in Mexico? A. We had planned between six and eight national launches this year. Q. How many units has BYD sold in Mexico? A. We are doubling sales month after month. I am growing 100%, month over month. BYD cars exhibited in the Perisur shopping center, in Mexico City, in October 2023. Mariceu Erthal (Bloomberg) Q. What do you think is driving the accelerated growth of the Mexican marker? A. I dont think its just the appetite for an electric car, its because of the BYD brand, because of its engineering, design, technology, the quality of the product and its affordability. BYDs growth worldwide has been overwhelming, we have grown 147.8% in the month of March compared to last year, selling more than 300,000 units per month worldwide, breaking the barrier of seven million new energy vehicles on the market. Q. What is the progress in car manufacturing in Mexico? A. As already announced by our boss Stella Li, Mexico will manage a manufacturing plant, with the definitive location likely to be announced in the following weeks or months. We are working to be able to supply the Mexican market. A market that has a universe of 1.5 million annualized units, and we are focused on manufacturing for the Mexican market. This year I am planning to sell 50,000 units in Mexico, opening 50 distribution points nationwide. Q. What progress is being made to achieve this goal? A. April is going to be the fastest month of distribution openings. This month, dealerships are being opened in Aguascalientes, two in Monterrey, one in Guadalajara and one in Mexico City, plus the 18 that were already in the works. Q. Its been revealed that Mexican states such as Nuevo Leon are being considered for the site of this manufacturing plant... A. Yes, we have talked to several states that have the infrastructure, the business environment, the labor force, the training, and we have analyzed, of course, the manufacturing landscape in Mexico. Q. How much money will be invested in this new plant? A. I do not have that information, but in our first stage, the plan is to have capacity to manufacture 150,000 units, moving on to a second stage of another 150,000 units. Q. Will construction of this new plant begin this year? A. Yes, Im sure it will. Q. What will be the challenges to continue with this ambitious sales and manufacturing plan in Mexico? A. The issue of training, labor and management. That is why we are betting on this country, we believe that Mexico has the necessary qualities in infrastructure, ports, labor and design to allow us to have this growth. Q. However, the cost of buying an electric car in Mexico is still very high compared to an internal combustion vehicle. Have you considered lowering prices to increase your market share? A. Lowering prices is no longer possible, we are being extremely aggressive and innovative in terms of positioning and price, and we are not sacrificing other elements such as digital technology, safety, airbags, ABS brakes in order to have an accessible price all the equipment is involved. Each of our models has meets global safety and design standards and the consumer is seeing this. BYDs function is to democratize the use of electric vehicles in Mexico, so that we can reach various segments that previously did not have access to an electric car. Q. At the end of last year, BYD surpassed Tesla in the global sale of electric cars, do you think you will be able to maintain this trend this year? A. Leadership is not shared, and BYD leadership is here to stay for many years. Q. Is BYD Mexico interested in sending cars manufactured in Mexico to the United States? A. Today we are focused on the Mexican market, we are growing at a rapid rate at triple digits month after month, we are doubling sales, we are launching new products. We are focused 100% on the Mexican market both for marketing, the creation of the distributor network and, of course, manufacturing will be 100% focused on the Mexican market. Q. And in the medium term, you are not interested in entering the U.S. market? A. We are focused today on the Mexican market; I do not have the capacity to neglect this highly competitive market that has 50,000 units to be delivered. All my energy, all my efforts, are focused on the Mexican market. Q. What do you think of American manufacturing associations claims that there is a risk that Chinese cars will enter the U.S. via Mexico? A. I have not had time to review the criticism, we are focused on the Mexican market. Q. Do you plan for BYD Mexico to become an automotive hub for Central and South America? A. This is likely part of the strategy that the bosses are developing. But the job and the focus they have given me is Mexico: grow in Mexico, develop Mexico. Q. With that goal in mind, are you worried about Teslas plans to open a plant in Santa Catarina, Nuevo Leon? A. Any brand that pushes new technology, design and management forward is more than welcome, and I think BYDs technology is incomparable. Q. Do you think the Mexican government needs to introduce incentives to increase the use of electric cars in Mexico? A. You have to understand that it is a new business model that can not only be accompanied by a fiscal, administrative or economic incentive. I would instead look at the accessibility of charging stations, both in residences and in buildings. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Will not vote: Meira Paibis | IMPHAL, Apr 6: Showing solidarity with people who have lost homes and members of their families, Nupi Khunnai Meira Paibi Apunba, Heirangoithong has vowed not to participate in the Lok Sabha elections on April 19. At Manipur Press Club, Imphal today, the Meira Paibi Lup's advisor, P Sashimukhi said thousands of people have been made homeless by the current conflict and are taking shelter in relief camps. "The conflict which started on May 3, 2023 has forcefully displaced thousands of Meiteis from Churachandpur, Moreh, Torbung and other areas. Their houses have been burnt and they are now seeking shelter at relief camps. We can't participate in the elections when people are suffering in the relief camps," she said. Notably, many women organisations/Meira Paibis and displaced people in relief camps have vowed to stay away from the Lok Sabha elections. Displaced people at Kakching Khunou relief camps had recently stated that they would not vote in the elections unless they are allowed to return home to their villages. Manipur will vote in two phases. Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency and some segments of Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency will vote on April 19. Remaining segments of the Outer Manipur Constituency will vote on April 26. 5 MT chak-hao sent to Kerala | IMPHAL, Apr 6: The demand for Chak-hao is increasing as Manipur sent 5 metric tonnes (MT) of the black aromatic rice to Kerala today. Flagged off from freshieshfresh, Nahakpam Food and Beverages at Chingmeirong by the Agriculture Department and Economic and Resource Development Organisation (ERDO), the chak-hao will reach Organic Foods, Kerala. As many as 20 MT of Chak-hao may be exported to Europe soon. ERDO's secretary and entrepreneur, Nahakpam Shanta said the black rice is being sent outside States thanks to the joint efforts of the ERDO, Sangailand Farmers Producer Company and Imphal West Farmers Producer Company. The chak-hao cultivated this year is of superior quality and its export to outside State and Europe may fetch high prices, he said, adding ERDO is assisting Chak-hao cultivators earn substantial income. He said preparations are on to send 20 MT of Chak-hao to Europe. At the event, Agriculture Department's Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD-NER) Project Officer Dr Kh Nimaichand urged farmers to maintain quality of the Chak-hao. He said Chak-hao, this year, has found good market. At present, around 4-5 entrepreneurs of the State are exporting Chak-hao to outside States and countries, he added. Dr Kh Nimaichand said Chak-hao cultivation is being encouraged in Manipur to increase production. He said areas under chak-hao cultivation have increased by around 900 Paris. ERDO president Takhellambam Sanajaoba said the Economic and Resource Development Organisation was formed to improve the economy of the farmers. Farmers, under the organisation, have produced gingers, turmeric and potatoes. To assist the farmers find markets and earn income, ERDO is also engaged in procuring and selling of the produce, he added. Gustavo Petro was enthused by Pedro Castillos ascension in Peru. The story could be a Julio Ramon Ribeyro plot: a primary school professor, son of enslaved farmers that General Juan Velasco set free, who was brought up in an Andean town that sits more than 13,000 feet above sea level. Castillo began to convene political events in the town squares of remote communities, and little by little, began to generate momentum that eventually brought him to the Casa de Pizarro, the Peruvian presidential residence. There, he sat in an office behind a mahogany desk, surrounded by busts of national heroes, an atmosphere that unnerved him. He missed milking the cows and feeding corn to chickens. He tried to govern, but his initiatives clashed with Congress. He couldnt even get approval to travel abroad. Little by little, he was poisoned by the idea that the powers that be were trying to trip up a humble man like him. The day came when he erupted. In a televised address, he declared a state of emergency and ordered the dissolution of the legislature. This was political suicide, lacking the support of the military, business leaders and the people themselves. He was alone. Over the next few hours, he was arrested and imprisoned and is now locked up in prison, where his brother brings him bags of food to cook on a small stove. The president of Colombia sympathizes with Castillos plight. Petro made excuses for his actions, despite the fact that it was clear that Castillo had attempted a self-coup detat. He was replaced by his vice president, whom Petro considers a usurper. In the Palacio de Narino, Petro met with Castillos Argentinean lawyer and told him that they had his support. Petro argue that the teacher was elected by the people and that Castillos mandate was stolen from him. Petro does not give much importance to the fact that Castillo was erratic, absolutely incapable. In his eyes, the Peruvian people had voted for him, and he had the right to rule. Castillos clash with Congress drove him mad, led him to take desperate measures. But Castillo had no regard for institutions or democratic functioning, according testimony from his own cabinet members. Petros political stature is doubtlessly different, and he has always respected institutional protocol. But now, there is something that links him with Castillo: a full-on clash with Congress. At the beginning of his administration, the president negotiated his way to a few victories. But even these were somewhat diluted, and today, his war with the legislature is total. Petro, who does not shy from Biblical references, made accusations of Congress on Thursday that recalled Jesuss words against the Pharisees. A healthcare reform initiative that failed on Wednesday has unleashed Petros demons. Wounded by the fall of his administrations most important proposal, the president claimed that senators who voted against the proposal did so because they had received money from Keralty, a multinational corporation that owns the insurer EPS Sanitas, which was recently taken over by the state health system. We were defeated by no small number of legislators financed by foreigners. We were defeated by a flagrant violation of the constitution and the law. However you look at it, public health resources financed campaigns, or foreign resources financed campaigns and parties, the president wrote on social media network X. And, he added, This is forbidden by the constitution and the law. It is of immense danger for Colombian democracy, because it signals not just the corrupt privatization of politics, but also the loss of national sovereignty. Senators Jose Alfredo Marin, Alirio Barrera, Norma Hurtados, Miguel Pinto Hernandez, Lorena Rios Cuellar, Honorio Enriquez, Berenica Bedoya and Nadia Blel Scaff on March 12. Comision Septima del Senado Petros harsh statements evoked an immediate reaction from Senate president Ivan Name. In a speech, he defended senators and asked the president for respect. The statement from President Petro is unacceptable. According to him, the Seventh Committee of the Senate of the Republic decided to shelve the healthcare reform law due to illegal and corrupt influences. In addition, Name said that Petros declarations were slanderous and libelous, and constituted an attack on the dignity of the legislators. He reminded Petros that the senate committee that sank the healthcare reform approved his pension reform a few months ago. The senator issued a final warning: Continuing to raise ones voice against our members of Congress will only contribute to the deterioration of harmonious relationships between the branches of political power. Lawyer and University of the Andes professor Ramiro Bejarano says that, for the good of democracy, the Senate should not accept Petros incredibly serious accusation: A dignified Senate would refuse to deliberate and legislate until Petro recants. That would mean taking things to the next level of conflict. The president has not stood idly by while his reform was being defeated, taking control of the countrys two largest EPS public-private health entities who are intermediaries between the state and hospitals both of which he wishes to put out of business. He sees them as for-profit organizations, and that through them, part of the money that should be invested in healthcare ends up in the hands of business executives. Petro has seized on the fact that these companies do not have sufficient funds to act as insurers. Name also spoke harshly regarding the presidents policy of implementing reforms by force. I deeply regret the intervention of EPS Sanitas and Nueva EPS, they enjoy a wide prestige among Colombians and cover more than 15 million individuals. We will thoroughly review the causes that led to the takeover of these entities, said the Senate president in a brief speech. The showdown between Petro and Name has gone through various phases, and kicked off the day that Name was elected as Senate president. Among the Alianza Verde [in English, Green Alliance]s four candidates for the most important position in the legislative branch, Name was, ideologically, the most distant from the Petros administration, and represents the most traditional, cronyist kind of politicians, who have opposed the presidents reforms most vehemently. Name was elected thanks to the votes of all opposition parties, including those of Centro Democratico [Democratic Center] and Cambio Radical [Radical Change], winning over Angelica Lozano, who had been supported by Petro. From that moment on, Name has insisted that the presidents reforms will not be approved by Congress in their original form. A few weeks ago, after learning of Petros proposal to create a Constituent Assembly, Name said during a Senate plenary session that the president was a threat the democracy and Congress. At that point, he challenged Petro to use institutional methods to create the Constituent Assembly, as is his constitutional mandate, rather than town councils and popular committees. President, bring us the law that would convene a national Constituent Assembly, as is the constitutional mandate, do not invent methods that we do not accept. Do not debase democracy, he said, threateningly. He concluded the speech with a warning: The weapons of our armed forces belong to the nation, not to a government administration; just in case you are thinking about rattling the sabers. Hours later, the president responded in a speech delivered from the capital of the Colombian state of Cordoba, Monteria: The president of Congress need not fear the nations weapons, because right now, I am the commander and chief. The nations weapons will never be pointed at the people, nor Congress. This was a more conciliatory Petro, though he made it clear who was in charge, that he is the commander-in-chief, which explains why he had been wearing the presidential military headwear that had aroused so many speculations. His confrontation with Congress was just beginning. The clash promises to be tremendous. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Bogota / Guayaquil - The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, has forcefully challenged his Mexican counterpart, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The Ecuadorian police raided the Mexican Embassy in Quito on Friday night, entering with armored cars and masked officers to forcibly remove former vice president Jorge Glas, who had received political asylum from the Lopez Obrador government just hours before. Glas former president Rafael Correas right-hand man was once one of the most powerful politicians in Ecuador. Correismo even considered naming Glas as its candidate in the last presidential elections in 2023, which were won by Noboa. Glas, however, declined the nomination. In the hours following the 2023 election, he was to receive safe passage from Ecuadorian authorities that would allow him to fly to Mexico City, but instead Noboa ordered his immediate capture. Glas who in December sought refuge in the Mexican embassy when a judge requested his arrest has two convictions for corruption, of which he has served five years in prison. On Friday, the police stormed the embassy, breaking the bars with bolt cutters and shaking a Mexican diplomat who was trying to prevent the violation of consular space, which is protected by international law. The agents took Glas away in a black van with tinted windows. The head of the embassys Foreign and Political Affairs Department, Roberto Canseco, was inside the building when the police burst in. At the risk of my life, I defended the honor and sovereignty of my country. This cannot be, it is unbelievable that something like this has happened. I am very worried because they could kill him [Glas]. There is no basis to do this. We were about to leave and suddenly we were met with police, with thieves who entered the embassy at night, he said. In response to the embassy raid, Lopez Obrador announced almost immediately that Mexico was breaking diplomatic ties with Ecuador. This is a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico, for which I have instructed our foreign minister to issue a statement on this authoritarian act, proceed legally and immediately declare the suspension of diplomatic relations with the government of Ecuador, Lopez Obrador wrote in a message on social media. Mexicos Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Alicia Barcena, added that the right to asylum is sacred and asked all Mexicos diplomatic personnel to leave the country. Mexico will go to the International Court of Justice to denounce Ecuadors responsibility for violations of international law, she said. The Vienna Convention establishes that embassies are territories of national sovereignty and are inviolable. Roberto Canseco, head of Foreign Affairs and Political Affairs at the Mexican Embassy, struggles with police outside the embassy. Jose Jacome (EFE) Glas who was vice president under Correa took refuge in the Mexican embassy to avoid going to prison again. He has already served five years for two corruption cases. Correa lives in Belgium and cannot return to his country, as he faces an eight-year prison sentence and ban from office over a corruption conviction he says is a case of political persecution. Correas supporters claim that the cases against Glas and Correa are an example of lawfare. The tension between Mexico and Ecuador intensified this week after Noboas government declared the Mexican ambassador to Ecuador, Raquel Serur, persona non grata in response to remarks by 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 Mexico responded by granting political asylum status to Glas, who was awaiting a special authorization that would allow him to leave the country. Noboas government flatly refused and argued that such asylum was illegal. His next step was the raid on the embassy, which has further strained Ecuadors relationship with Mexico and will likely affect the countrys relations with other nations in the region. Journalists film police officers as they enter the Mexican Embassy grounds. Jose Jacome (EFE) The two protagonists of the diplomatic spat could not be more different. Lopez Obrador has been in elected office all his life and has been part of several left-wing political parties until he founded his own, Morena, which now has a majority in Mexicos Congress. Noboa, in contrast, is the son of Ecuadors richest businessman and did not think he would win the presidential elections in 2023. But the campaign shifted following the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio, creating conditions that favored Noboa and catapulted him to the presidency. Since taking office, he has adopted the iron-fist policies that Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has used to curb gang violence. But Noboa and Lopez Obrador are linked by one factor: they both have widespread popular support. There is a good chance that an ally of the Mexican president will win this years election, and if there is no change in Ecuador, Noboa is on track to be re-elected in 2025. Correismo would like to come to power to review the cases of Correa and Glas, but now Noboa is standing in the way. Now he has fallen from grace, but Glas became one of the most powerful politicians in Ecuador during the 10 years that the Citizen Revolution, the leftist socialist movement led by Correa, was in power. He began coordinating the electricity and telephone companies and then took charge of the Coordinating Ministry of Strategic Sectors, one of the most important in the state structure. He was responsible for Ecuadors public policy on oil, mining, electricity, telecommunications and water resources. At that time, Ecuador was seeing great development thanks to oil and raw materials. Back then, it came out that he plagiarized his thesis to graduate as an engineer and that his father, a school principal, was sentenced for raping a 13-year-old student whom he left pregnant. A vehicle reverses into the Mexican embassy in Quito on April 5. Dolores Ochoa (AP) In his rise to power, Glas was twice appointed vice president, first with Correa and then with Lenin Moreno. It was his moment of greatest glory, but also the beginning of the end. Glas was convicted for illicit association in the Odebrecht case, in which he was sentenced to six years in prison. Shortly after the sentence, he was also found guilty of bribery in the Bribery case, for which he was sentenced to eight years in prison. Both investigations placed Glas at the head of a corruption network that, together with Correa and several other government officials, negotiated contributions from multinational companies for Alianaza PAIS, the political arm of the Citizen Revolution. In addition to the two sentences for corruption that he should be serving in the Cotopaxi prison, the former vice president is also currently being investigated for embezzlement. According to the Public Prosecutors Office, he diverted public funds that should have been gone towards works to reconstruct the provinces of Manabi and Esmeraldas, which were affected by the 2016 earthquake. Prosecutor Diana Salazar argued that the framework for the earthquake emergency was used to circumvent public procurement procedures, with at least $368 million spent on non-urgent works. At an arraignment hearing, she convinced the judge to order Glas to be held in preventive detention. Before the court order was issued, Glas took refuge in the Mexican embassy. He thought he was safe there, and Correa even celebrated the move on social media. But no one was expecting that Noboa would try to arrest him at any cost, even if it meant destroying relations with a country as powerful as Mexico. The diplomatic conflict between Noboa and Lopez Obrador has only just begun. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated action against two other corporate entities linked to the suspended Trinamul Congress leader, Sheikh Shahjahan in a money-laundering case. Sources said that these two corporate entities are Mesars Magnum and Mesars Arup Som. How much money were they giving to whom? The investigators got the answer after questioning. ED officials, sources added, have identified the bank accounts linked to these two corporate entities and have directed the bank authorities concerned to immediately stop the facilities of all inward and outward transactions in those accounts. So with these two a total of three corporate entities linked to Shahjahan, also the accused mastermind behind the attack of ED and CAPF personnel at Sandeshkhali on 5 January, have come under the scanner of the central agency. Earlier, the ED sleuths directed the bank authorities concerned to immediately freeze the bank account linked to the fish exports entity Mesars Sheikh Sabina Fish Supply Only, which is registered in the name of Shahjahans daughter Sheikh Sabina. The central agency sleuths have also initiated the freezing of the personal bank account of Sheikh Shahjahan. These actions by ED, sources added, have been initiated following definite clues that these accounts were used as shell companies meant for diverting ill-gotten proceeds in different money laundering cases, especially the ration distribution case. Advertisement In fact, in all the money laundering cases being investigated by the ED in West Bengal, it has been noticed that such shell companies played a very important role in the fund diversion process. The ED has filed two separate enforcement case information reports (ECIR) against Shahjahan. The first ECIR is related to his involvement in the ration distribution and the second is related to using his fish exports business for money laundering. Meanwhile, ED officials started investigating the account book of the Shahjahan to establish his links with several businessmen, who could help him in money laundering cases. ED sources said that they got a lot of information from the account book of Sheikh Sahhjahan. According to ED sources, all the corruption allegations against Shahjahan are not accounted for in the bank records. Allegedly, Shahjahan used to take over the land of the villagers and sell it to launder the money through the shrimp trade. As a result, there was no account of black money in any official document. However, the central agency claims that the transaction account of Rs 137 crore has been found in the bank account of Sabina Enterprises, a company named after Shahjahans daughter. The Delhi BJP unit led by its president Virendra Sachdeva on Saturday celebrated the partys foundation day, offering floral tribute to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay and Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. Extending his wishes to all the party workers on the occasion, Sachdeva said that when this party was born on April 6, 1980, the venerable party leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee had given the mantra of nationalism, placing the nation above all, and today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National President Jagat Prakash Nadda, every worker of the BJP is striving to take this mantra forward. Our political journey began with just two seats, today we have crossed 300 and now with a resolve to cross 400, we are moving forward, said Delhi BJP chief. Advertisement Sachdeva unfurled the party flag at the Delhi unit office in presence of the saffron partys New Delhi Lok Sabha candidate Bansuri Swaraj and other state office bearers including Vikram Bidhuri, Vikram Mittal, CL Meena and others. Praising the senior BJP leader and PM Narednra Modi, Sachdeva further claimed that due to his policies, the people of the country have decided to elect him as their leader and countrys PM for the third time. Meanwhile, on the occasion of the partys foundation day, the Youth Wing of the Delhi BJP released a QR code for digital dissemination of the Modi governments achievements and organized bike rallies across all assembly constituencies of the national capital. The QR code was released by Sachdeva and developed by the youth wing under the Modi Transforming India program, and upon clicking will provide complete information about the achievements, guarantees, and schemes of the government to the public. Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved the suspension of an Assistant Professor for allegedly sexually assaulting MBBS students at a medical college run by the city government. LG VK Saxena has approved the suspension of an Assistant Professor in the Dr Baba Sahib Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital in the case of alleged sexual harassment, with immediate effect, the LG office said on Saturday. It further said, Although the initiation of disciplinary proceedings in cases like these can be done only by the National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA), which is the competent authority, Saxena despite not being competent, invoking the intimidating atmosphere for the women students, and the unprecedented circumstances where the Chairman of the NCCSA / Chief Minister (Arvind Kejriwal) is in judicial custody, has approved the suspension of the accused Assistant Professor Dr Salim Sheikh. Advertisement The LG office informed that Saxena has, however, noted on file that the initiation and decision on disciplinary proceedings should be taken up by the NCCSA. It may be mentioned that last month, Delhi Health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj urged Saxena to take urgent and stern action against the accused Assistant Professor. Indias legal landscape is marked by a myriad of ongoing developments and pressing issues. These legal developments encompass many areas, from legislative changes to judicial decisions, shaping the countrys legal framework and societal dynamics. Senior Advocate Sanjoy Ghose of the Supreme Court of India and the Delhi High Court sat in conversation with Anwesha Santra of The Statesman, where he delved into a few of the key legal developments and issues facing India today. Ghose is also the author of a semi-autobiographical book, How Gourango Lost His O: A Non-story, where he provides insights into the lives of litigants, lawyers, judges and the judicial system. Excerpts: Q: The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam are poised to supplant the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act. This overhaul, replacing the Britishera laws, is slated for implementation on 1 July this year. What are your thoughts on these impending changes and their potential impact on the legal landscape of the country? A: The recent changes in criminal laws are expected to have a predominantly negative impact rather than a positive one. These laws seem to have been made primarily for the sake of making, to create a narrative of revolutionary change. The longevity and widespread adoption of the existing criminal laws across countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Mauritius indicate their well-thought-out nature. Upon closer examination, the changes implemented appear mostly cosmetic, with sections merely renumbered or reshaped in many cases. However, there are certain significant changes that are quite concerning. For instance, the definition of a terrorist act in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) closely mirrors that of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). This similarity increases the risk of potential misuse of the law, as it grants discretion to a superintendent of police to charge a person under either the UAPA or the BNS. Moreover, the retention of outdated practices in criminal procedures, while neglecting opportunities for meaningful reform, is disappointing. This lack of substantial reform is unlikely to bring about revolutionary changes in the legal system. Instead, it is bound to create confusion and chaos among the legal community, police, and judiciary, who are accustomed to the existing laws and procedures. Retrospective application of new laws will only affect future offences, not past cases. The new criminal procedure law is likely to be followed for future offences, but it remains debatable. Advertisement Q: How has the role of technology and digital platforms influenced courtroom proceedings in India, especially in light of recent cases? A: The issue can be likened to a surgeons scalpel: it can be misused, but that doesnt mean we should discard it altogether. Similarly, there are positives and negatives to consider. On the positive side, transparency has increased with live streaming of legal proceedings, allowing the public to witness court actions and arguments. However, this transparency has led to challenges. Judges may hesitate to ask probing questions or make deliberate controversial statements due to public scrutiny, affecting the natural course of judicial proceedings. Likewise, lawyers may feel pressure to maintain a strong stance throughout proceedings, impacting fair representation in court. Despite these concerns, overall transparency is beneficial for the justice system and public engagement with the judiciary. Q: In your opinion, what are some of the key challenges facing the Indian judiciary today, and what reforms would you propose to address them? A: The judiciary faces a significant credibility challenge today, unlike any seen since independence. Recent events, such as lawyers withdrawing petitions due to predictability in certain bench decisions, highlight this crisis. Despite concerns, positive judgments like the one on electoral bonds help restore some credibility, though there is a long way to go. This progress should be acknowledged as a step forward. Q: Given the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code Bill in Uttarakhand, which now requires the registration of live-in relationships (with penalties of a 3- month jail term and/or a Rs 10,000 fine for non-compliance), concerns have arisen about the possible infringement on couples privacy rights. Could you share your perspective on it? A: The Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code largely borrows from existing laws like the Hindu Marriage Act, with minimal original additions such as provisions on live-in relationships. However, the clause mandating the reporting of live-in relationships to parents if either of the partners is below the age of 21 by the Registrar infringes on privacy, dignity and the freedom to marry. Furthermore, this requirement can particularly affect inter-caste and inter-community couples, creating hurdles similar to those faced under the Special Marriage Act. The law criminalising unregistered live-in relationships further impacts couples rights to choose their relationships freely and may discourage marriage among those facing familial opposition. These implications warrant greater attention and discussion. Q: Could you shed some light on any emerging trends or areas of law that are gaining prominence in India, and how lawyers can prepare to navigate these developments effectively? A: The emerging field of technology is witnessing significant growth in various legal branches. Arbitration law is being promoted to establish India as a major arbitration hub. Mediation and intellectual property rights also offer vast opportunities for young lawyers. However, the future lies in artificial intelligence (AI) and technology law, given Indias global leadership in software and IT sectors. Dealing with emerging technologies, cybercrimes and AI will be key legal sectors gaining prominence in India over the next decade. Q: Speaking of arbitration, what are your views on the increasing importance of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as mediation and arbitration in resolving legal disputes, and their impact on the traditional court system? A: Arbitration in India has sometimes been seen as a remedy due to perceived failures in the mainstream legal system. However, arbitration should be a preferred choice in its own right, not just because the traditional legal system is lacking. Additionally, mediation has emerged as a crucial alternative, given the rising costs and complexities of arbitration. With parties spending significant amounts on arbitration proceedings in luxurious settings, mediation and conciliation have become attractive alternatives. Mediation, in particular, is expected to gain significant prominence in the legal landscape, with specialised mediators becoming sought-after professionals in the coming decades. Q: There is a lot of diverse commentary surrounding the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act. Could you please explain it in simple terms for the general public? A: Every country has the right to grant citizenship to non-citizens, as weve seen with cases like Adnan Sami. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) aimed to expedite citizenship for minorities like Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from certain countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, reducing their waiting period from 12 years to five years if they arrived by 31 December 2014. However, delayed implementation from 2019 to 2014 has nullified this benefit. The issue extends beyond CAA alone; the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) could render many, including Hindus and Muslims, stateless if they lack proper documentation. While CAA itself may not discriminate against Indian Muslims, the combination of CAA and the impending NRC raises concerns about exclusion and detention based on documentation like it was seen in Assam. The opposition argues that excluding Muslims from CAA contradicts Indias secular values and humanitarian principles of granting refuge based on persecution fears, regardless of religion. One can take the instance of Taslima Nasreen from Bangladesh. This perceived exclusion has fuelled debates about communal biases and intentions behind such laws. Q. As a senior legal professional, how do you perceive the issue of junior lawyers and interns being predominantly underpaid or unpaid in our country? Many senior lawyers justify this situation by referencing their own challenging learning experiences. However, for first-generation lawyers, surviving on minimal or inadequate pay can prove to be quite challenging. This scenario often leads some individuals to opt for corporate roles instead of pursuing a career in litigation. What are your thoughts on this matter? A: When I started practising law in Calcutta, senior lawyers told me that we would only receive a nominal allowance of Rs 400, which is insufficient to sustain a legal career. This underpayment creates an oligarchic system where only those with family connections or financial stability can thrive in the profession. First-generation lawyers, especially those burdened with student loans after years of education, struggle to make ends meet with such low pay of around Rs 5000. Its unacceptable to expect young lawyers to work for minimal wages or even for free, while other office staff earns more. This disparity highlights the need for decent living wages for young lawyers, a topic often ignored by Bar Associations focused on established lawyers interests. The lack of a unified voice for young lawyers further compounds the issue. Many lawyers face financial difficulties and are forced to choose corporate roles instead of litigation due to the financial strain. While some opt for corporate roles for different reasons, the challenges in litigation push many talented individuals away from pursuing their passion for courtroom advocacy. Q. As a seasoned legal practitioner, what advice would you offer to young lawyers and law students aiming to steer the dynamic legal environment in India successfully? A: Two words: Be patient. I can understand their desire for quick progress. In this era of rapid social media and technological advancements, the pace of everything has accelerated, including aspirations for success in the legal field. However, our legal processes often move slowly, leading to inefficiencies. Its common to see recent law graduates and those with limited trial court experience applying for associate roles in law firms. Nevertheless, its crucial to maintain perseverance and patience, as success will eventually come your way Lashing out at BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, Telangana Congress leader and Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday claimed that another 25 BRS MLAs are ready to join the party. BRS leader T Harish Rao then reminded the Congress of its own manifesto, which has suggested disqualification for public representatives seeking to defect from one party to another. Two of BRS MLAs Danam Nagender and Kadiyam Srihari have already defected to the Congress. Former Chief Minister Rao on Friday severely criticised the Congress government for leading the state into water crisis, claiming that the drought was a man made one. He also accused the Congress government of allowing 50 TMC of water from Godavari to flow to the sea just to prove that Kaleshwaram was a dud project. Advertisement Irrigation Minister Reddy hit back today saying that every word uttered by KCR was a lie. You were so arrogant that people brought you down from 104 to 39 and out of that 25-26 will join the Congress, said Reddy. Predicting that the regional party will not win even a single seat in the upcoming polls, he said both BRS and KCR will have no relevance left after the Lok Sabha elections. He lambasted KCR, saying that he was making such bogus claims for the sake of political survival. Assuring that Telangana had sufficient water for drinking and generation of power, the minister admitted that water for irrigation was, however, slightly short in supply. BRS leader T Harish Rao promptly chose to remind Reddy that the Congress manifesto spoke about disqualifying defectors. Didnt Congress manifesto talk of disqualifying whoever jumps the party, asked Harish Rao. BRS working president KT Rama Rao has also demanded that both BRS MLAs who defected to the Congress must resign immediately. The visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Assam has been cancelled. He was supposed to address election rallies in upper and central Assam on Sunday. This is the second time the Union home ministers visit to the state has been cancelled in a month. With the Lok Sabha elections drawing close political activities are gaining momentum across the country. Assam Tourism Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah announced on Friday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Assam on April 17. Advertisement Modi will address a rally in Nalbari in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, as announced by minister Mallabaruah. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Prime Minister Narendra Modis mantra to dedicate himself for the service of the people is the reason why every BJP worker is working with full commitment to implement his vision by becoming a symbol of trust among the common people in the country. We are also building the future of the coming generations within the new India, he said. CM Yogi Adityanath while addressing a public meeting in Saharanpur in favor of BJP candidate Raghav Lakhanpal and Kairana candidate Pradeep Chaudhary, congratulated millions of workers on the holy land of Mother Shakumbhari on the foundation day of BJP. Advertisement CM said that Saharanpur is the number one Lok Sabha of Uttar Pradesh. He expressed hope that this sequence will be seen in the election results also. CM said that we are fortunate that we have seen a changing India. We are seeing an India which is being known on the global stage as a global leader and for its world class infrastructure. This India is giving the world a model of development and poor welfare programme. This model of India is giving guarantee of livelihood and respect to faith to the youth. Earlier, under the leadership of PM Modi, there is no hindrance in doing that work which people used to hesitate in discussing. CM said the world has acknowledged that terrorism is a challenge. There must be freedom from this. Under the guidance of PM Modi, India will lead the world to deal with this challenge. CM said that Modi ji has given us the concept of developed India in Amritkal. A new debate has started in the country. Every vote of the public can prove to be helpful in changing the destiny and picture of the country. Its basis is the continuous changes that have taken place in the country after 2014. Let us vote not on the basis of caste-sect, appeasement or any ideology, but for the concept of developed India and the bright future of the future generation, so that we all will see the concept of developed India coming true under the leadership of PM Modi, he said. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Maneesh Garg has underlined the need to capitalize on the wide network for spreading awareness regarding voting in upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly bye-elections in Himachal Pradesh. He said this while chairing a meeting of Systematic Voters Education and Electoral participation here on Saturday, focusing on collaboration done by Election Commission of India (ECI) with partner departments and corporations. While addressing the senior officers, he said that the election department has taken many innovative steps under the guidance of ECI to encourage the voters to come out in greater numbers in the state. Advertisement He directed the collaborating partner departments to promote voter education programs and initiatives to make the electoral process more inclusive, informative and participative by optimally utilizing their huge infrastructure across the state. Presentations on various initiatives suggested by ECI were also showcased in the meeting. The CEO asked the Food and Civil Supplies Department and the Civil Supplies Corporation to be more focused on voter awareness programmes to educate prospective voters by installing hoardings and banners at all petrol pumps and their Fair Price Shops. Garg asked Indian Oil Corporation to install hoardings at all its 700 plus petrol pumps in the state at the earliest and also direct LPG distributors on the usage of danglers on the gas cylinders containing voter awareness messages. The Bus Stands, Railway Stations can play SVEEP themed messages on their public announcement systems along with routine announcements, he added. Additional CEO Dalip Negi also gave valuable inputs during the meeting. Director Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Ram Kumar Gautam, Additional CEO Neelam Dulta, Senior officers of Food and HP State Civil Supplies Corporation, Indian Oil Corporation were also present among others in the meeting. Chief Justice of the High Court of Manipur Siddharth Mridul interacted with internally displaced people of violence-hit Churachandpur region of the state. He visited Thingkangphai community hall and Lanva TD block relief camps in Churachandpur district on Friday. High Courts judge justice Golmei Gaiphulsillu, Manipur State Legal Services Authority (MASLSA) member secretary Alek Muiyah and other legal officials were also among the visiting delegates who were accorded warm welcome at the district court complex before proceeding to Thingkangphai and Lanva relief camps. Advertisement Mridul said the purpose of his visit is to bring people together and to make sure that all the displaced people return to their respective homes. He also assured the gathering that his team will ensure that the displaced people return home at the earliest and prevent further loss of lives and divisions of institutions. The Chief Justice said the legal fraternity is with all the people including those displaced and currently sheltered in relief camps in these difficult hours and shall always be with the suffering people as an institution and conscientious citizens of the country. During his visit to Lanva TD block relief camp, he met with displaced medical (MBBS) students from various institutions like RIMS, JNIMS and others. They brought up their problems including inability to continue online classes after they were allowed to do so at Churachandpur Medical College for one month only. They also expressed their fear of losing academic career. Israel officially fell silent after the call between Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, in which the U.S. president warned the Israeli prime minister that U.S. support for the war in Gaza depended on whether he took immediate steps to protect civilians and guarantee humanitarian aid. It was an unusual step: Netanyahu Israels longest-serving prime minister tends to boast about his relations with foreign leaders. Indeed, his 2019 election campaign used a poster of Netanyahu shaking hands with former U.S. president Donald Trump, along with the message: Netanyahu, in a different league. But just hours after his call with Biden, the Israeli prime minister had bowed to pressure the same pressure that he promised to resist in a speech to the Israeli Parliament. On Friday, the Netanyahu government announced that it will open the Erez border crossing with northern Gaza and that the Israeli port of Ashdod will once again receive humanitarian aid. It was his first major concession to the White House since the start of the war in Gaza, which will mark its six-month anniversary on Sunday, ending a week in which Netanyahu has tried to keep a low profile. Biden welcomed the news, but the White House said it will be watching closely to see whether Israel keep its word, takes real steps to protect civilian lives and reaches a ceasefire agreement in the negotiations taking place in Egypt. In addition to the aid announcement, Israel announced on Friday the results of an internal investigation into the Israeli army strike which killed seven aid workers from the NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK, founded by the America-Spanish chef Jose Andres) in Gaza. Israels chief military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said: Its a serious event that were responsible for, and it shouldnt have happened. In a statement, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described the strike as a grave mistake and said that two military officers had been dismissed for their actions, such as assuming an armed man was in one of the cars they had seen before in another vehicle and mistakenly identifying a person guarding a warehouse as a Hamas terrorist. The investigation did not clarify how the troops failed to recognize that the three bombed vehicles belonged to the NGO, given the cars had the WCK logo and the organization had notified the IDF of their movements. Nor is there any explanation as to why the army continued to strike the vehicles when it could be seen that the survivors who were trying to save their lives by moving from one car to another were not armed. WCK has called for an independent investigation. Washington welcomed Israels aid announcement, but maintained a cautious tone. I asked [the Israelis] to do what theyre doing, Biden told reporters at the White House before traveling to Baltimore to visit the bridge that collapsed last week. We have seen some welcome announcements from the Israelis, John F. Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, told reporters on a briefing call, adding that Washington was willing to collaborate to accelerate the distribution of humanitarian aid. These were just announcements. Weve got to see results. Weve got to see sustainable deliverables here over time. Its not enough just to announce it, but they have moved on some of the very specific requests that the president made, he added. Kirby also welcomed the findings into the strike on World Central Kitchen, but said that the United States would carefully examine the conclusions to decide its next steps. He said that Washington has no plans to open it own investigation. What really matters here, for us, is two things: one, that something like this does not happen again and, two, that there are concrete, verifiable, achievable and, again, sustainable changes to their processes in the way they conduct these kinds of missions so that the safety of civilians on the ground and humanitarian aid workers is top of mind, Kirby said. The senior official added that the United States was still pushing Israel to reach an immediate ceasefire for the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, as took place in the beginning of November. Its very important that Israel is taking full responsibility for this incident, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday from Belgium. Its also important that it appears to be taking steps to hold those responsible accountable. According to Blinken, Netanyahu told Biden that Israel would be making further changes to its procedures to make sure aid workers and civilians are protected. He added that the United States will look very carefully at what those steps are. [Civilian] safety has to be a priority, and military operations need to be designed around their protection, not the other way around, said Blinken. The U.S. emphasis on seeing how the situation on the ground develops in the coming days makes it clear that the attack on WCK has led to a fundamental shift in Washingtons stance on the war in Gaza. Earlier this week, Kirby himself insisted that the U.S. stood by its support for Israel in the war. Months ago, the U.S. loudly celebrated Israels announcement that it would allow aid through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, in the south of the Gaza Strip. This time, however, the announcement comes amid the Biden administrations growing frustration over Israels tactics in Gaza and its numerous obstacles to the entry of humanitarian aid. Bidens support for Israel has also taken a heavy political toll, as seen in the uncommitted protest vote at the primaries and the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that are held at all of Bidens public event outside the White House. Even some of the most pro-Israel politicians in the Democrat Party have openly called for conditions to be placed on the military aid given to Israel. Without this aid, Israel would be in a much weaker position, especially if its assassination of a high-ranking Iranian military commander in the ambassadors residence in Damascus ends up triggering an open war with Iran or Hezbollah, Irans allied militia in Lebanon. The U.S. gives more military aid to Israel than to any other country: $3.8 billion annually. In fact, despite Biden and Netanyahus differences over strategy of the war in Gaza, Israels plans to launch a ground invasion of Rafah and the entry of humanitarian aid, the U.S. government has been quietly authorizing the transfer of billions of dollars in weapons to Israel: 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs, 500 MK82 500-pound bombs and 25 F-35A fighter jets, according to the newspaper The Washington Post. We cannot approve the sale of arms to a country that is in violation of our own laws on [on the protection of civilian], Senator Elizabeth Warren told CNN on Thursday, adding that she will try to block the arms sales to Israel in the Senate. This is a moral question; it is also a legal question. Congress has responsibility here, and Im willing to take that responsibility, she said. Indeed, Israeli concessions may be too late, too little. The Biden administration is taking, rather late, some steps to exert pressure to make humanitarian aid to the Palestinians a higher priority than it was at the beginning of the war. It remains to be seen whether these measures and the new open corridors will be enough to solve the increasingly dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, said analyst Brian Katulis, an expert on U.S. foreign policy at the Washington-based Middle East Institute. Even former president Donald Trump the current Republican presidential candidate who, when in power, broke with decades of U.S. foreign policy and with the international consensus by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel believes that Israel is losing the public relations battle and must end the war as soon as possible. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition After Congress President Mallikarjun Kharges objection to Prime Minister Narendra Modi not raising the issues of farmers and instead mentioning the abrogation of Article 370 during his recent rally in Rajasthans Churu, BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that it was the Italian culture of the grand old party for not understanding the very idea of India. It is shameful to hear that the Congress party is asking, Kashmir se kya waasta hai (What is the relation with Kashmir)? I would like to remind the Congress party that J&K is an integral part of India, and every state and citizen has the right over J&K, just as the people of J&K have the right over the rest of India, Shah said in a lengthy social media post on X. He further said: The Congress doesnt know that many brave sons of Rajasthan have sacrificed their lives for peace and security in Kashmir. But it is not merely the fault of the Congress leaders. It is mostly the Italian culture of the Congress party that is to blame for not understanding the very idea of India. Advertisement The Home Minister said that such remarks by the Congress party hurt every patriotic citizen who cares for the unity and integrity of the nation. What Kharge said? Addressing a gathering in Jaipur, Kharge today hit out at PM Modi for not raising the issues of farmers during his Churu rally. He said, Yesterday PM Modi addressed a rally in Rajasthans Churu. There are a lot of issues related to the farmers. The farmers are suffering and thousands of them have died by suicide. Instead of speaking about their issues, PM said he removed Article 370. What do the people here have to do with it? You go to Jammu and Kashmir and say about Article 370 abrogation. But here, tell us what you did for the farmers, the Congress president added. Alleging that the BJP and the RSS are out to change the Indian Constitution and to kill democracy, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge reminded the public that the Lok Sabha Polls-2024 is an opportunity to defeat the nefarious designs of the saffron party. The way the BJP government played with democracy and their leaders are pledging to change the constitution it becomes clear that if they come to power, both these institutions will be in jeopardy, he said. Hence, he gave a call to the people to wake up and save your rights with the democracy. Advertisement Kharge was addressing a mammoth Congress rally here at Vidhyadhar Nagar stadium. On the occasion, the Congress president released the partys Nyay Patra (manifesto). On the PMs slogan of combating corruption, Kharge said, Two CMs are in jail. It is being said there is an attack on corruption, but everyone is corrupt in their party (the BJP). They are taking all the parties with them by inviting the corrupt and no one is raising questions on them. On the prime ministers everyday assurance, Kharge said, He (Modi) is calling everywhere my guarantee this (guarantee) is our word which Modi stole. Congress has used the guarantee word in Himachal Pradesh (praised Priyankas efforts), then in Telangana and Karnataka. The party CMs fulfilled their guarantees. This time, he (Modi) has brought a new song and drama. Modis guarantee he does not take the name of his party, the BJP. If there is Modi, then it is possible If there is Modi, then it is guaranteed, he pointed out. In a very personal remark on Modiji, Kharge said, It has been said he (the PM) has a 56-inch chest which is very strong. I would ask him to call a tailor and get it measured. China crossed the border, built houses inside (our territory), changing the names of places, but he (Modi) is not worried. How is it then that the chest could be strong? In another direct jibe at Modi, Kharge said, This man says everywhere I did this, I did that. Congress, in its 55-year regime, built all the infrastructures, IITs, AIIMs, dams, and IGNP in Rajasthan. Nowadays the railway line is in discussion. This line is from the time of the British till the time of Nehruji. What is Modi doing now? Modi is flagging off Vande Bharat to run on the very railway lines. We have prepared the infrastructure and you are taking credit for it. Simply go to the station and give the green signal, this is Modis ploy to take credit. We never were among those who lie like Modi. Every time they (the BJP) come up with a new lie. How many guarantees have they given to us before? Modi is the sardar of lies. I do not know why he does so. Listing Modis public assurances during the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Veteran congress leader asked the public, What about the 20 crore jobs promised by the BJP? Did the youth of the country get 20 crore jobs in 10 years? What about the black money? Has he brought it from abroad and transferred Rs 15 lakh each to the accounts of the Indians? BJP leaders and Modi ji are living in a hollow world. In music, in fame, you only see good things, big events. All this is to hide the truth, he remarked. Kharge assured that the Congress Nayay Patra would ensure the implementation of all the guarantees of the Congress if voted to power. Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modis speeches and allegations made against her party, Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Mrs Sonia Gandhi said here on Saturday that no one was above the country, but Modi considered himself great. The country is not the property of a few but belongs to all of us, she asserted, adding that our ancestors watered it with blood. It is the courtyard of our children. Addressing an election rally in support of the party candidates of two parliamentary and adjoining seats of Jaipur, Mrs Gandhi accused the BJP and its allies of trying to instill fear in the minds of people by violating the basic democratic norms. Advertisement She further said, Our great ancestors had searched and found the sun of the countrys independence with the strength of their struggle. After so many years, the great light has dimmed. The injustice of darkness has increased all around. Our resolve should be that we will fight against it and find the light of justice. Recounting the Modi governments two terms (2014 and 2019), she said, Our country has been in the hands of a government which has left no stone unturned in overseeing unemployment at its peak and the worst economic crisis. Whatever the Modi government has done is in front of us. Through there is frustration, but along with it there is hope. I have full faith in our colleagues in the Congress. They will light the lamp of justice with the fire of their hearts and will move ahead braving the storms of thousands. This country is not the property of a few people, it belongs to everyone. Our ancestors have watered it with blood, she reminded. She alleged conspiracy to destroy the democratic institution by blatant misuse of state machinery against the Opposition parties and their leaders, and the fear of changing the Indian constitution by them (BJP) looming. She appealed to the public to cast their votes in favour of Congress for Nyay (justice) to all. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday demanded exemplary punishment for those behind the alleged attack on National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials in West Bengals East Medinipur district. Reacting to the incident, BJP leader Rahul Sinha came down heavily on the state government, claiming there is no law and order in the TMC-ruled state. This sort of attack on the agency indicates that there is nothing called law and order in the stateIn the name of rule, Mamata Banerjee is doing tanashahi (dictatorship) and has left the future of the state in the hands of extremists. Therefore, we demand exemplary punishment against whoever has committed this, Sinha said. Advertisement His stinging remarks came after a team of NIA officials that had gone to Bhupatinagar to investigate a 2022 blast case, was heckled by locals. In a purported video of the incident shared by news agency ANI, locals, including women, are seen gathering around a vehicle, trying to stop the NIA team from taking the suspect along with them. According to reports, stones were pelted at the NIA vehicle, leaving at least one official injured. The alleged attack took place while the accused was being picked up in connection with the blast case. Reacting to the incident, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the raids were conducted at midnight and locals reacted. She also alleged that the NIA is helping the BJP ahead of Lok Sabha elections. Why did they raid at midnight? Did they have police permission? Locals reacted in the way they would have if any other stranger had visited the place at midnight. Why are they arresting people right before the elections? What does the BJP think, that they will arrest every booth agent? What right does NIA have? They are doing all these to support the BJP. We call upon the entire world to fight against this BJPs dirty politics, she said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hit the Lok Sabha election campaign trail in Uttar Pradeshs Saharanpur and Ghaziabad, and Rajasthans Ajmer on Saturday. PM Modi will reach Saharanpur at around 11:30 a.m. to address a public meeting, which will be also attended by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, state BJP President Bhupendra Chaudhary, and RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary. After the Saharanpur meeting, the PM will take a special flight to Ajmer district. His plane will land at Kishangarh airport, from where he will leave for Pushkar in a helicopter. Advertisement At around 2:30 p.m., PM Modi will address a public meeting at Pushkar Mela Ground in support of the BJP candidate from the Ajmer Lok Sabha seat. From there, PM Modi will return to Uttar Pradesh to hold a roadshow in Ghaziabad at around 5:15 p.m. Major political events that will unfold across the country today: * Congress will hold mega rallies in Jaipur and Hyderabad on Saturday. The Jaipur rally, which will primarily focus on the partys manifesto, will be addressed by Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi and General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The Congress leaders will also launch a copy of its Lok Sabha poll manifesto Nyaya Patra during the rally. In Hyderabad, Rahul Gandhi will shed light on Congress poll promises during a public meeting. The party has claimed that more than 10 lakh people are expected to attend the public meeting. * The BJP will celebrate its 45th foundation day on Saturday. For this, the party has made special preparations across the country. It will hold special programmes at more than 10 lakh booths across the country. * Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will address a public meeting in Nagina in support of BJP candidate Om Kumar. * BRS MLA Tellam Venkata Rao will join the Congress on Saturday. * Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will hold roadshows in Pandhurna and Sausar on Saturday. * Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma will hold a public outreach programme in Alwars Mundawar assembly constituency on Saturday in support of BJP candidate Bhupendra Yadav. * BSP will start its Lok Sabha poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. The responsibility for campaigning has been entrusted to BSP supremo Mayawatis nephew Akash Anand. He will hold a rally in Nagina on Saturday. Mayawati may also join him there. The recent impressive victory of Vladimir Putin for the presidency of the Russian Federation was expected and it is generally believed that even in a Western type of competitive democratic politics he would have won by a comfortable majority. It is a moot question whether he rules for the coming six years or would extend beyond 2030 as the Russian constitution stipulates the election of the president for a period of six years with a limit of two consecutive terms. Any change to this provision would require, as in any other constitutional democracy, an amendment to the constitution, which is an ongoing process. A more important question is what explains the unusually long period of Putins rule which is an exception even in the postStalin Soviet Union and rarely replicated except in places like North Korea. Procedural democracies with rotational systems mainly are practised in Great Britain and USA regularly. In the latter it required an amendment to the constitution to restrict the presidential term to two terms which was a convention strictly observed till Franklin D. Roosevelt became president during the crisis-situation of the New Deal and the Second World War. In France, two terms of presidentship in a semi-presidential system is for an unusually long period of fourteen years. Even in a representational parliamentary system in Germany, Angela Merkel governed uninterruptedly for sixteen years. As such, even in the well-established democracies exceptions abound to a strictly eight-or tenyears rotational nature of the top position. In analysing the phenomenal success of Putins endurance, one must consider both the post Second World War evolution of the erstwhile Soviet Union and its subsequent collapse and the mishandling of the transitional process under Gorbachev and Yeltsin as these facilitated the rise of Putin. Gorbachev was in unnecessary hurry when he attempted perestroika and glasnost simultaneously without taking note of the internal situation within the then Soviet Union and the hidden Western agenda. Advertisement That messed up the process so much that Gorbachev today is a popular face in the West but forgotten in Russia and held responsible for the disintegration of the former Soviet Union and the loss of its superpower status. Yeltsin did not do any better. He too mishandled the Russian economy allowing Western economic penetration without protecting the interests of the average Russian. In the process, he created a situation where the life of an average Russian citizen became difficult with increase in alcoholism, and drastic reduction in life expectancy, contributing to the collapse of the entire economic system. Putin succeeded Yeltsin in 1999. A new period began in Russian history demarcating Putins rule with that of his predecessors. In the initial period, till 2008, he was genuinely interested in accommodation with the West as he tried to join the EU and NATO. He hoped for equal treatment from the West, expecting from the latter a second Marshall Plan like the one extended to Western Europe by the USA, in the post Second World War reconstruction. Meanwhile, enjoying supremacy in a unipolar world, the US-led NATO developed a new doctrine of regime change bypassing the UN which alarmed both Russia and China who were unable to do much as they were in a situation of relative helplessness. NATO began its eastward expansion in the mid-1990s with the inclusion of the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland, despite a commitment given to Gorbachev by the USA that there would be no such expansion. The second round, in 2004 included Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Moscow opposed the expansion and NATOs bombing of Bosnia and Serbia. Russia was in no position to challenge. The turning point was the 2008 Bucharest summit of NATO where Ukraines proposal to join NATO was endorsed. Putin was enraged at Ukraines proposal and declared that this was unacceptable to Russia. In 2007 Putin pointed out the unfairness of unipolarity and drew the red line for NATO expansion which included Ukraine and Georgia. He declared Russias re-entry as a great power and included both China and India as the new emerging powers who were desirous of a more equitable world order. He repeated his warning to the West in 2008 that any further NATO expansion to include Ukraine and Georgia would be tantamount to crossing the red line. This was the first major assertion of Russia signalling to the West that the days of the unipolar world, which had lasted for two decades, were coming to an end and it was time to recreate the balance of the Cold War period. The unipolarity and unilateralism followed by the US was seen as destabilizing and inimical to Russian interests. Putin and his associates have accepted Yevgeny Primakovs doctrine based on pragmatism and Russias self-interest. The possibility of a mutually beneficial situation with close cooperation with the West seemed misconceived. It was a zero-sum game with the West led by the US winning and Russia losing. To reduce US power and influence and to resist NATO expansion became the cornerstone of Primakovs policy. Putin realized the need for drastic internal economic reordering since the West mocked Russia for being a gas station masquerading as a nation. He also realized that the isolationist policies followed during the Soviet era led to disastrous consequences as both in economic management and scientific innovation Russia lagged the West in a big way. An important aspect of Putins tenure is continuous economic development raising standards of living and providing quality education in the frontier areas of science and technology. This has made the Russian economy the largest in Europe despite the western sanctions. Russia, as part of the Primakov doctrine, also activated BRICS along with China and India, consolidated its position with its enormous natural resources, improved technology, and modernized its armed forces. In addition, it has begun collaborations with China with which it has developed a new partnership. This has accelerated the de-dollarisation process in the world and challenged the Bretton Woods order (1944) ushering in a new kind of economic multipolarity in the world today. Its partnership with the BRI of China has enabled Russia to extend its influence and power in many of the francophone countries in Africa. An alarmed France saw Macrons desperate announcement of sending French troops to Ukraine. Germany expectedly vetoed it, and Macrons bluff came out in the open along with massive internal opposition to the proposal. NATOs unwise policy to initiate a proxy war in Ukraine has been one major reason that has consolidated Putins position in Russia. Ukraine is a buffer between Russia and the West. Mearsheimer, rejecting the claim that it was Putins unilateral decision, argued that any other Russian leader would have done the same. He commented great powers are always sensitive to potential threats near their home territory. It is shocking that Merkel and Hollande admitted that the 2014 MINSK agreements were agreed only to buy time and to prepare the Ukrainian army along with its fascist component. Putin made it clear that Ukraine and Georgia were the red lines and once the Western deception came to light limited army operations had begun in Ukraine. Putin, a moderate, rejected the extremist demand for a massive action. His moderation came out of strategic considerations and most importantly because ethnic Ukrainians were also Slavs. The 2022 Istanbul Conference presented a golden opportunity to settle the issues of neutrality and autonomy for Ukraine but the Ukrainian government, backed by the West, withdrew from it. Every nation at a particular juncture prioritises security before liberty and prefers order before disorder. After the 9/11 terror attacks in the US, the average American accepted intrusions into their civil liberties by the Patriot Act. The Monroe doctrine of the Americans and the Cuban Crisis are great examples of great power obsession with its national security, area of influence and power and to think otherwise for Russia was a colossal mistake of the West. The rise of China and the relative decline of the US has led Russia, armed with a formidable nuclear arsenal and a veto in the Security Council to call for a readjustment of the contemporary world system and to move it from unipolarity to multipolarity. Putin resurrected the historical antecedents of a great Russian civilization and united its people which no other leader before him attempted. His supreme achievement lies in providing proper leadership and direction to Russia at a critical juncture of its history, something that eluded both Gorbachev and Yeltsin. (The writer is a retired Professor of Political Science, University of Delhi) The global oil market has become a battleground of sanctions and strategic manoeuvres. Amidst escalating tensions and economic warfare, recent statements by US Treasury officials shed light on the intricacies of these measures and their impact on key players like India. The United States, in its bid to cripple Russias economy following its invasion of Ukraine, has implemented a multifaceted approach that includes sanctions targeting Russian oil exports. However, amidst these measures, a crucial distinction emerges: while Washington aims to limit Moscows revenue, it is not imposing direct restrictions on countries like India regarding their purchases of Russian oil. This nuanced approach reflects a delicate balancing act. On one hand, theres the imperative to maintain stable global oil supplies, crucial for the functioning of economies worldwide. On the other hand, there is the strategic goal of undermining President Vladimir Putins regime by depriving it of crucial revenue streams. Eric Van Nostrand, the US Treasury Departments assistant secretary for economic policy, emphasised the importance of keeping oil supply flowing while simultaneously restricting Mr Putins profits. This dual objective underscores the complexity of contemporary economic warfare, where the interplay between market dynamics and geopolitical interests shapes policy decisions. The imposition of a $60 per barrel price cap by the Group of Seven (G7) nations, the European Union, and Australia further illustrates this complexity. While ostensibly aimed at curbing Russian revenue, the cap also introduces new variables into the equation. Buyers now have the option to purchase Russian oil at deeper discounts if they bypass Western services, thus creating a maze of incentives and disincentives for market participants. Moreover, the sanction of Russian state-run shipper Sovcomflot (SCF) and its crude oil tankers adds another layer of complexity. These measures not only target specific entities but also ripple through the global maritime industry, affecting shipping routes and logistics. In the context of India, a significant importer of Russian oil, these developments carry profound implications. While not explicitly asked to reduce purchases, India must navigate a landscape where adherence to sanctions comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities. Advertisement The statements by US Treasury officials underscore the need for nuanced and adaptive policymaking in response to evolving geopolitical dynamics. As Anna Morris, acting assistant secretary for terror financing, noted, the option to review the price cap depending on market conditions highlights the fluidity of the situation. Ultimately, the intricacies of sanctions and their impact on the global oil market defy simplistic narratives. As countries like India weigh their options, they must navigate a terrain marked by uncertainty and complexity. In doing so, they not only safeguard their own interests but also shape the contours of global economic diplomacy in the 21st century. When all is said, all countries act from enlightened self-interest. No injuries or fatalities were reported in the city of Orsk in Russias Orenburg Oblast in the wake of a dam breach, which led to significant flooding and the submersion of homes, local authorities said on Saturday. The mayors office in Orsk earlier said that the dam, which was designed to protect the city from the Ural River, had failed, affecting 4,258 homes and 10,987 residents, Xinhua news agency reported. A mass evacuation is currently underway from the old city, where several settlements now find themselves underwater. Six temporary accommodation points have been established to assist those evacuated from the flooded areas. Advertisement The regional government, via its Telegram channel, announced that 94 individuals, including 40 children, have been moved to temporary shelters from the risk zones. Others have found refuge with relatives. Their lives and health are not in danger, and no medical assistance has been necessary. Today, all necessary forces are concentrated in Orsk to assist people and address the consequences of the flood. The life and health of the residents is our top priorities. Emergency repair work on the damaged sections of the dam is underway, with all required materials delivered and teams and machinery deployed on site. This is the first time the dam has faced such a challenge, said Governor Denis Pasler, who chaired an emergency meeting on-site. During the meeting, a decision was made to cut off electricity in areas at risk of flooding if water levels reach a critical height, according to regional authorities. Days after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan, approximately 400 people are still stranded and waiting for their rescue, CNN reported while citing the islands fire department on Saturday. Authorities have, however, clarified that those listed as stranded are considered safe, but are cut off by landslides and other blockages on rural roads in the heavily impacted East Coast region. Meanwhile, the death toll from the quake has increased to 13, Taiwans National Fire Agency (NFA) said, after three bodies were recovered from a walking trail through the mountainous region. Of them, two bodies were recovered on Friday and the other on Saturday, the NFA said, while adding that the teams were still working to confirm the identities of those recovered, CNN reported. Advertisement This seismic event, Taiwans most powerful earthquake in a quarter-century, struck the entire island on April 3 (Wednesday) and was felt as far away as Hong Kong and Shanghai. More than a thousand people are being treated for injuries, and six people are still missing, officials said, as quoted by CNN. According to CNN, in Hualien County, the worst-affected region, buildings buckled and landslides were triggered. Survivors told CNN that many local shops and businesses, some operating for over a decade, were gone in one morning. Taiwanese authorities reported on Saturday that rescue operations persisted amid challenging weather conditions. Plans to deploy a technician and a low-orbit satellite to enhance rescue efforts were underway but were hindered by the ongoing adverse weather conditions. Wednesdays earthquake shook more parts of Taiwan with greater intensity than any other earthquake since 1999, when a tremor of 7.7 magnitude hit the middle of the island, killing 2,400 people and injuring 10,000 others. This weeks relatively low death toll has been credited to the governments push for preparedness after lessons it learned 25 years ago. Victims of the earthquake have been mostly killed outdoors by falling rocks or landslides. Authorities reported that four individuals perished while hiking in Taroko Gorge, while another four lost their lives on mountainous highways. Additionally, one individual was fatally injured while working at a remote quarry. So far, only one person has been killed in a collapsed buildingthe Uranus Building in downtown Hualien. She initially escaped but went back to rescue her pet cat, CNN reported. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a paradigm shift in Israels military strategy in Gaza and in aid delivery to save lives. Following this weeks appalling killing of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, the Israeli government has acknowledged mistakes and announced some disciplinary measures, Guterres said on Friday. 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. Advertisement 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, Guterres was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying. 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 an 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. Its 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. Opinion articles written in the style of their author. These texts are to be based on verified facts and must be respectful towards people, even though their actions may be criticized. All opinion articles written by individuals from outside the staff of EL PAIS shall feature, along with the authors name (regardless of their greater or lesser renown), a footer stating their office, academic title, political affiliation (if any) and main occupation, or the occupation related to the topic being assessed In 1974, when two idealistic young Americans decided to spend their honeymoon in Haiti, they could hardly have imagined what would become of this small Caribbean country. Bill and Hillary Clinton always had a soft spot for Haiti. Like them, dozens of humanitarian organizations, international development agencies, and multilateral institutions have set up in Port-au-Prince, making Haiti one of the most aid-dependent countries in the world. Billions of dollars have been spent to help the country, to make up for the shortcomings of a state that has gradually been fading away. The result has been a nation plunging deeper into misery, under a failed state that has left the streets in the hands of armed gangs meting out blind violence to maintain their control over a terrified population. Cuba is some 400 miles from Haiti. In sharp contrast with Haiti, the island has a government so overbearing that it has taken everything from its people, including the most basic things: food, electricity, transportation. Haiti suffers from too little government, leading to chaos, and Cuba suffers from too much government, which suffocates it. Haiti exhibits many of the malignant trends that are shaping todays world. Climate change, perpetually on the international backburner, has hit this nation with force. Its effects result in more frequent and devastating hurricanes and in soil erosion that exacerbates food insecurity. Drug trafficking provides criminal cartels with plenty of money, which they use to buy state-of-the art weapons for the gangs that terrorize the population. Without a minimum of personal safety, there is little or nothing that civil society can achieve. The international community, through the huge number of non-governmental organizations operating on its soil, has turned Haiti into a paradox: it is a world leader in humanitarian assistance that continues to sink into ever greater misery. Migration, driven by poverty and lack of opportunities, has become a palpable symptom of peoples despair. The illicit trafficking of drugs, weapons, and people only entangles Haiti in a web of transnational crime that impedes economic development. Today, Haiti has a GDP per capita that barely exceeds $1,700 and a scandalously low score on the Human Development Index: a country trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty and inequality. Cubas problems have different causes, but are just as deep. The Castro regime wields exhaustive control over all aspects of life, stifling economic and personal freedom. The scarcity of basic necessities such as food and electricity has brought Cubans to a state of palpable despair. Recently, spontaneous protests erupted in Santiago de Cuba and other cities. While the protests have been ferociously censored by the government, the popular discontent and the urgent demand for change is palpable. The regimes response has been, predictably, repression. In Haiti, the absence of a functional state leaves its citizens clamoring for an order that the international community does not know how to impose. In Cuba, its the opposite: an omnipresent state suffocates any glimpse of social or economic dynamism. In both places, migration emerges as the preferred escape valve for those who can manage it, leaving behind an increasingly dispossessed population. In both cases, the seismic fault that divides society is between those who have relatives abroad able to send them remittances and those who do not. As always, those who leave the country are young people at the peak of their working lives. Those left behind are children, the disabled, and the elderly. These two are also demographically disfigured societies. Inequality in both countries lies not only in the distribution of resources but in access to opportunities, freedoms, and even hope. Haitians would like to protest as the Cubans do, but they have no one to complain to. In the place where there should be a state, a swarm of killers has entrenched itself, seizing more territory every day in Port-au-Prince, the capital. The collapse of these two nations leaves many lessons. None, however, is more important than tragically demonstrating that the lack of a state can be as devastating as its excess. @moisesnaim "13AD stood out for their near-perfect rendition of songs by artistes on both sides of the Atlantic. With no recourse to YouTube tutorials, or other such to understand the method to making music, the band figured out how to perform those songs. They had two generations of music lovers hooked on to them." Musician Joe Peter thus recollected the impact of the rock music band 13AD in its prime. Had Peter written the piece today, he'd have mentioned how the band managed to enthral the representatives of the current generation as well. 13AD, which ruled Kerala's rock music scene in the 1980s and 90s, managed another memorable performance in Kochi on Saturday. They set the stage on fire at Thevara Sacred Heart College's Lakeview Ground during their second performance after the band's official comeback earlier in January. The crowd went crazy as they sang Queen's "We Will Rock You", among other epic songs. However, the highlight of the show was the release of their new single, Nothing Has Changed. It was written and composed by Mollywood music icon Deepak Dev. Rock band '13AD' perform at a packed Thevara SH Lakeview Ground | Vishnudas K.S. During the event, the band also remembered to thank director Amal Neerad who featured the band's name during a song in his 2022 flick 'Bheeshma Parvam'. The scenes of the hit song Parudeesa included walls with the name of 13AD painted on them. Founded by guitarist Eloy Isaacs in 1977, 13AD initially focused on singing covers at Sealord Hotel in Kochi. However, the group became a fan-favourite across the country following the release of their first album Ground Zero The band, which disintegrated in the mid-1990s, currently comprises Pinson Correia, Jackson Aruja, George Peter, Eloy Isaacs, Floyd Libera and Pauly Joseph. The line-up earlier included Anil Raun, Petro Corriea, Ashely Pinto and Stanley Luzi. Months after Enforcement Directorate officers on duty were attacked in West Bengal, a team of National Investigation Agency officers were attacked in the state, sources told THE WEEK. The incident happened in Bhupatinagar in East Medinipur district, where they had gone to probe a 2022 bomb blast case and were on the way back to Kolkata with two persons they had arrested in connection with the case. A mob of around 100 people gathered, preventing the NIA officers from taking the two accused into custody. The crowd pelted stones at the NIA team's vehicle, sources said. "The NIA has said one of its officers was injured," a senior police official said. The agency has lodged a police complaint in this regard, he said. A huge contingent of central police force has reached Bhupatinagar, where the NIA team is present along with the two arrested persons, police said. Three persons were killed when in explosion in a kutcha house in Bhupatinagar on December 3, 2022. The investigation was later handed over to the NIA. The attack comes after the ED teams were attacked twice in the state in January this year. In Sandeshkhali in South 24 Parganas district, three ED officers were injured after a mob vandalised their vehicles during a raid at the residence of TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh. The mob also snatched their personal belongings such as mobile phones and wallets. A similar scene was witnessed when the ED arrested Bongaon Municipality's former chairman Shankar Adhya in connection with the alleged ration scam. His supporters allegedly tried to block the officers from taking him with them, and hurled stones at their vehicles. The CRPF personnel who were accompanying the ED team had to baton-charge the mob to bring the situation under control. (With inputs from Salil Bera) In a tragic addition to the ever-increasing list of deaths involving Indian or Indian-origin students in the US, a student has died in Ohio, India's Consulate in New York said on Friday. Police are investigating the case. Deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of Mr Uma Satya Sai Gadde, an Indian student in Cleveland, Ohio, the Consulate General of India in New York said in a post on X. The Consulate said it continues to remain in touch with the family in India. All possible assistance is being extended, including to transport Mr Uma Gadde's mortal remains to India at the earliest. There has been an alarming rise in the number of attacks on Indian and Indian-origin students in the US in the recent months, causing widespread concern in the community. This year alone has seen at least half a dozen deaths of Indian and Indian-origin students in the USsome reports put the number as 10. In March, Amarnath Ghosh, a 34-year-old trained classical dancer from India, was shot dead in St Louis, Missouri. Another Indian student, Mohammed Abdul Arafat, 25, from Hyderabad, went missing from the Cleveland area. His family then received a ransom call of $1200. Arafat went to the US for his masters in IT from Cleveland University in May 2023 but has been missing since March 7. On February 2, Vivek Taneja, a 41-year-old Indian-origin IT executive, was fatally injured in an assault outside a restaurant in Washington. Three days later, Sameer Kamath, a 23-year-old Indian-American student at Purdue University, was found dead in a nature preserve in Indiana. On January 29, Vivek Saini was brutally killed with a hammer by a homeless man inside a store in Lithonia, Georgia, while Neel Acharya, a student at Purdue University, was found dead after being missing for days. In January, Shreyas Reddy Beniger, a 19-year-old student at the Lindner School of Business in Ohio State was found dead, while another Indian student Abhijeeth Paruchuru died in Boston in March. However, initial investigation ruled out any foul play in both the cases. Akul B. Dhawan, an 18-year-old at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was found dead last month with signs of hypothermia. Earlier this year, Syed Mazahir Ali from Hyderabad, was brutally attacked in Chicago, leaving him severely injured. The series of attacks on Indians and Indian origin persons or students has sent shockwaves among the Indian diaspora in the US. The incidents had prompted the officials of the Indian Embassy in Washington and its consulates at various places to hold a virtual interaction with Indian students from across the US, discussing various aspects of student well-being and ways to stay connected with the larger diaspora. About 150 Indian Student Association office bearers and students from 90 US universities participated in the interaction led by Charge d'Affaires Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan. It was also attended by the Consul Generals of India in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Seattle. Despite a strong protest raised by the ruling CPI(M) and Congress in Kerala, Doordarshan on Friday aired the controversial Bollywood movie 'The Kerala Story'. The movie was telecast at the autonomous public service broadcaster at 8pm. Meanwhile, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the CPI(M) screened a video, 'The Kerala Story True or Fake?' by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, at various places across the state to debunk the movie. The youth Congress expressed strong protest and staged a protest march to the Doordarshan office here at around 8.30pm against the broadcast of the movie. Earlier in the day, the CPI(M) and the Congress in Kerala lodged separate complaints with the Election Commission of India against Doordarshan's decision to air the controversial movie, alleging it could potentially polarise society along religious lines and urged the poll panel to intervene and stop its screening. However, the BJP claimed that the theme of the movie was real and wondered why the Left and the Congress were opposing it. The Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, V.D. Satheesan, sent a letter to the Election Commission today, 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 Parivar's poisonous agenda to divide the country along communal lines," Satheesan said in his letter. He said the decision by the Central government to telecast the movie through Doordarshan before the Lok Sabha election was 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 the model code of conduct, which forbids any effort to divide society on religious lines," the senior Congress leader said. CPI(M) state secretary, M.V. Govindan said the timing of the proposed telecast, on the brink of elections, that too when the campaigning is gaining heightened momentum, gives rise to genuine doubts, as it has the propensity to garner/generate votes for candidates pursuing sectarian ideologies. Telecasting such a controversial film with a divisive plot at this juncture will certainly create mutual hatred between different religious groups and cause tensions, Govindan said in his complaint letter sent to the ECI. He said the widely advertised screening of such a film through the DD National Channel will aggravate the situation. Govindan said the Doordarshan was subjected to deep and pervasive control of the union government, and the movie "with a divisive theme" will impair free and fair elections. The senior CPI(M) leader said that in order to avoid creating communal hatred and not provide an opportunity to appeal for votes on religious grounds, necessary directions need to be issued to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Prasar Bharati Corporation and the Doordarshan not to telecast the film "The Kerala Story" through any of its channels. Meanwhile, BJP state chief K. Surendran targeted the Left and the Congress and alleged that both parties were playing vote bank politics. "ISIS recruitment is not a fake story. Hundreds of such recruitments took place in Kerala. There was a case in Kerala high court involving students and their parents where the DGP himself filed an affidavit.This is happening in Kerala, especially in Kannur, Kasaragod and Ernakulam. Many young women converted to Islam, sent to Syria. This is a real story, not a fake Story. Why are they afraid of it? It's only for vote banks. Once there was a drama called 'Kakkukali' which was against Christ. It was a big controversy in Kerala. What was the stance of Congress and CPM then?," Surendran asked. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had on Thursday condemned Doordarshan's decision and asked the public broadcaster to withdraw from screening the controversial movie, saying it would only "exacerbate communal tensions" ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Vijayan had 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'. In a statement, the ruling CPI(M) asked the Doordarshan not to stand with the "BJP's attempt to polarise" the secular Kerala society. 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) has examined the movie and found that it is suitable for public exhibition.The movie's trailer was severely criticised and challenged before the court for "falsely" claiming that 32,000 women from Kerala got converted and radicalised and were deployed in terror missions both in India and the world. The BJP had alleged that there was an unofficial ban on the movie in the theatres of the state. Strong protest was held by the CPI(M) and the Congress against the movie when it was released in 2023. In a blistering attack on the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi termed the electoral bond scheme as the worlds biggest scam. Addressing an election rally in Hyderabad, Rahul said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kept his people in the election commission. The Supreme Court, in a crucial ruling in February, had struck down the electoral bond scheme and directed the State Bank of India to hand over all details of the donations to the political parties to the Election Commission. In his address, Rahul raked up the farmers issues and alleged that nearly 30 farmers are committing suicides in India every day. PM Modi has waived loans to the tune of Rs 16 lakh crore of the rich, while not even one rupee of farmers' loans was waived, said the Congress leader. Rahul said the Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections reflects the voice of the people of India and it that the party prepared it after listening to millions of people. Highlighting the five guarantees that the party has promised in its manifesto, Rahul said: "When we gave you guarantees, we called them the guarantees of the Congress Party but in reality, they were the guarantees of the people. When we talked about Rs 500 cylinder, 200 units of free electricity, Greh Lakshmi, and free bus travel, we heard the voice of the people and prepared these guarantees. The Congress leader noted that, if voted to power, the Congress will bring in an apprenticeship law in which every youth in India will be guaranteed a one-year apprenticeship. This will be applicable in the public sector, private, education and all sectors, he said. Mentioning the Nari Nya Law in the manifesto, Rahul said this would be a revolutionary step which would change the face of the whole country. Just imagine, the Congress Party government is going to give at least Rs 1 lakh directly to the bank account of the poorest families in India. This means that there will not be a single-family in India whose income will not be Rs 1 lakh per year," he said. A day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh remarked that India will enter Pakistan to kill terrorists if they run away, Islamabad has finally responded. Pakistan alleged that the Indian government "habitually resorts to hateful rhetoric to fuel hyper-nationalistic sentiments, unapologetically exploiting such discourse for electoral gains." Singh's remarks came in response to The Guardian claiming that India executed 20 terrorists in Pakistan since 2020 in a bid to thwart a Pulwama-like attack in the future. The report claimed that India's pre-emptive anti-terror policy got nod from the Research and Analysis Wing after being inspired by Israeli and Russian counterparts. Rajnath Singh said the enemy knows that this is new India, which enters into enemy territories to give a befitting reply to them Before Singh's remarks, the Ministry of External Affairs dismissed the UK outlet's allegations as "false and malicious propaganda," citing Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar's statement that targeted killings on foreign soil are "not the policy of the Indian government." Pakistan, on its part, has not publicly acknowledged the killings as many of the targets were members of banned terrorist outfits whom the country had earlier claimed are not sheltered by its government or military. China, Thailand to cooperate in lunar exploration missions Xinhua) 09:22, April 06, 2024 Photo taken by the rover Yutu-2 (Jade Rabbit-2) on Jan. 11, 2019 shows the lander of the Chang'e-4 probe. (China National Space Administration/Handout via Xinhua) 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. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Zhong Wenxing) Ulviyya Shahin 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. The word asthma comes from Greek, and one of the first references in literature alluded to the shortness of breath that the heroes of the Iliad suffered after fighting. A few millennia later, the cause of asthma attacks a sudden closure of the airways that can be fatal is far from clear. A study published on Thursday in the journal Science has just revealed a new cause of asthma attacks and suggests a path towards new treatments that could not only alleviate the symptoms, but also prevent the serious damage they can cause to the health of the people who suffer from it. Until now, it was thought that asthma was a disease of the immune system against an internal, genetic or external agents, such as pollen or pollution. This immune reaction produced suffocation, inflammation of the respiratory tract, mucus, cough and the rest of the symptoms that characterize the disease. Current treatments are based on this idea and are aimed at opening inflamed airways with inhalers that dilate the bronchi, but do not attack the underlying cause of the disease. The new work, led by researchers in the United Kingdom and the United States, explores the sudden contraction of the airways, especially their branches within the lungs, the bronchi. The team has analyzed this compression at the cellular level in the lungs of mice suffering from asthma and in respiratory tissue of patients. The results describe a phenomenon known as extrusion, which appears to be to blame for all of asthmas subsequent airway effects. Bronchoconstriction results in pathological overcrowding of cells in the airway epithelium, squeezing out (extruding) epithelial cells and thus damaging the epithelial layer enough to trigger inflammation, says the study. Elena Ortiz-Zapater, a researcher at the biochemistry department of the University of Valencia in Spain, developed the animal models for the study. We have seen that after the constriction caused by asthma, the airways become very small very quickly, which affects the epithelial cells that line the inside of these airways, explains the scientist. We are talking about a type of cells that are not as flexible as muscle cells and that are not prepared for such an attack. As a result of the compression, the epithelial cells run out of space and end up dying and disappearing, she adds. After the attack, the airways remain exposed and allow pollutants or allergic agents to penetrate the body, which explains why asthmatics are more prone to suffer respiratory infections and how the vicious cycle of inflammation, obstruction and shortness of breath that characterizes asthma attacks. Treatment for the causes Our discovery is the culmination of more than ten years work, notes Jody Rosenblatt, cell biologist at Kings College London (United Kingdom) and lead author of the work, in a statement provided by the institution. As cell biologists who watch processes, we could see that the physical constriction of an asthma attack causes widespread destruction of the airway barrier. Without this barrier, asthma sufferers are far more likely to get long-term inflammation, wound healing, and infections that cause more attacks. By understanding this fundamental mechanism, we are now in a better position to prevent all these events. The study also tested an experimental treatment that could be the first to attack the causes of asthma and not just relieve its symptoms. Researchers have shown how to prevent the widespread destruction of the cellular barrier of the airways using gadolinium, a compound used as a contrast in MRIs. Researchers have shown that this compound prevents the extrusion of epithelial cells after an airway contraction event, which in turn prevents the inflammatory response, mucus and other symptoms associated with asthma attacks. Current treatments do not prevent cell destruction. An inhaler such as Albuterol opens the airways, which is critical to breathing but, dishearteningly, we found it does not prevent the damage and the symptoms that follow an attack. Fortunately, we found that we can use an inexpensive compound, gadolinium which is frequently used for MRI imaging, to stop the airway damage in mice models as well as the ensuing inflammation and mucus secretion. Preventing this damage could then prevent the build-up of musculature that cause future attacks, adds the statement. It would have to be done, Ortiz-Zapater points out, by looking for a compound that imitates the activity of gadolinium, since this element can be toxic if administered too frequently. This finding could stop the inflammatory cycle and even revolutionize current treatments for asthma, say Jeffrey Drazen and Jeffrey Fredberg, environmental health experts at Harvard University, in a commentary on the study also published in Science. The same mechanism, they point out, could be relevant to understanding and treating other diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, also characterized by damage to epithelial cells due to sudden constrictions similar to those caused by asthma in the airways. The epithelial layer of the airways provides a first line of defense against foreign antigens and is essential for maintaining tissue homeostasis, explains Jose Gregorio Soto Campos, director of the Pulmonology and Allergy Clinical Management Unit at the Hospital de Jerez in southern Spain, in statements to Science Media Center Spain. It has previously been proposed that this loss of epithelial integrity that compromises the barrier function in asthma would not be secondary, but rather a cause of the pathogenesis of the disease, having important implications for the development of asthma. It remains to be elucidated why this sudden compression of the airways typical of asthma occurs. It is likely, Ortiz-Zapater points out, that it is due to several factors. The mystery of the original cause of the disease that the Greeks described continues. A shooting of a web series on the 'Emergency period in India' in the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi was disrupted by the varsity's students' union on Saturday, even as the administration said that it has granted permission for the shooting to take place on campus premises. The JNUSU objected to the shooting of the web series on campus at the administration block, terming it as "commercialisation" of the university space and demanded to know why permission was granted to film at the administration block when students are barred from protesting at the site. Nearly 500 crew members have been stationed on campus for the past two days setting up production facilities to shoot the web series on the Emergency period in India, a senior official told PTI. "The JNUSU has illegally obstructed and also tried to force film director Sudhir Mishra out of the JNU campus. The film director has taken due permission from the JNU authority to shoot a web series on the emergency period in India," the official said. Speaking to PTI, production manager of the web series Amar alleged, "A large group of students assembled and started disrupting while we were filming a scene near the administration block. They also hackled the director Sudhir Mishra and hurled abusive words against our team. We were forced to stop the shooting." An immediate reaction was not available from Mishra on the allegation. According to the production manager, the director tried to hold dialogue with the opposing students and convince them that the web series was not against the varsity. However, the students continued to disrupt the shooting. Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president Dhananjay denied the claim and said, "We are not against the web series or its team. But we won't allow any kind of commercialisation to take place on campus," he told PTI demanding the administration to return to money taken for allowing the shooting. Earlier in the day, the students' body had written to the varsity administration opposing the web series shooting at the administration block on the campus. In an email to the JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit, the students union demanded to know why the shooting was allowed within 100 metre radius of the administration block while the students are barred from entering the space to stage protests. "We have come to know that a shooting of a film by Sudhir Mishra is happening at the administration block. It is appalling to know that it is the same place where students aren't allowed to gather for raising their rightful demands," the email read further stating that action is taken against students if they try to hold protests at the site. "We have been opposed to the commercialisation of our university space. This is a public university and this space should not be used for any kind of commercial purpose," it further read. The students' body demanded to know why the team was granted permission to gather students for shooting, claiming that it was involving students in the shooting of the web series. The students body also demanded to know details of the monetary transaction with the administration for the shooting. Accusing the administration of turning Leh into a "war zone" ahead of its march to the China border on April 7, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) on Saturday said it is withdrawing the proposed event to "avoid any sort of confrontation with the law-enforcement agencies". Addressing a press conference here, LAB leaders, including its chairman Chering Dorjay and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, said they have already achieved their objective of creating awareness among the people of the country about the plight of farmers, who are allegedly losing prime pasture land to huge industrial plants in the south and to "Chinese encroachments" in the north. The LAB, along with the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), is spearheading an agitation to demand statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The LAB leaders said they will continue with their struggle in a peaceful manner through chain hunger strikes and protests. "Looking at the prevailing situation (in Leh), this government acts like a mad elephant having no care for national security or people's sentiments and their problems. Its only concern is winning elections and it can stop people from marching even at the cost of using violence. "We are concerned about national security and the peaceful atmosphere. Secondly, our aim to generate awareness in the country about the ground situation in Ladakh has been achieved, so we are withdrawing the proposed border march in the interest of people and to avoid confrontation with the law-enforcement agencies," Wangchuk told reporters. The LAB had announced the "border (Pashmina) march" to Changthang, near the China border, to highlight the condition of grazers. In a move apparently aimed at countering the march, Leh District Magistrate (DM) Santosh Sukhadeve said on Friday that prohibitory orders issued under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) would be in force on April 7 and directed that no procession, rally or march should be taken out without his prior approval. The DM said the senior superintendent of police has reported about reliable inputs indicating a possible breach of peace and public tranquillity in the district. "No one shall use vehicle-mounted or other loudspeakers without prior approval from the competent authority. No public gathering without prior approval of the competent authority shall be allowed. No one shall make any statements which have the potential to disturb communal harmony and public tranquillity and which may lead to law-and-order problems in the district," the DM's order said. "All persons shall ensure that they follow the Model Code of Conduct and that all the activities are according to the law," it added. In a separate order, Additional Director General of Police S D Singh Jamwal ordered the scaling down of the speed of internet and mobile data services of 3G, 4G and 5G connections and public 5G Wi-Fi facilities to 2G within a 10-kilometre radius of Leh city for 24 hours from 6 pm on Saturday. In another order, the DM prohibited the posting or sharing of such messages on social media that have the potential to disturb communal harmony, peace and tranquillity and may lead to a law-and-order situation in the district. "It shall be the responsibility of the admins of WhatsApp groups or social media platforms to monitor and filter such content immediately," the order read. Wangchuk said they were expecting the government to stop the march as "there are many things to keep under the wraps. The restriction ahead of the border march is an overreaction". He said the deployment of police and paramilitary forces with full riot gear, calling volunteers to police stations and threatening them, besides causing inconvenience to people after turning Leh into a "war zone" show that there are chances of a clash under a well thought out conspiracy to sabotage the agitation of Ladakhis for their democratic rights. Wangchuk, who held a hunger strike for 21 days till March 26, said they strongly believe in peace and peaceful ways to highlight their demands, including those connected with the prevailing conditions of the Pashmina grazers. The LAB demanded immediate withdrawal of the prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services to normal speed to avoid any inconvenience to people, especially patients, tourists and students. The Delhi Rouse Avenue Court extended Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Manish Sisodias remand in a money laundering case till April 18. AAP leader Sanjay Singh also appeared in Court in connection with court proceedings. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja extended Sisodia's judicial custody after he was produced before the court on the expiry of the judicial custody granted earlier. Sisodia has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case registered in connection with the scrapped Delhi liquor policy. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also been remanded in the case. Sanjay Singh, a co-accused who was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court in the case, also appeared before the court for the proceedings on Saturday. Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26, 2023, for his alleged role in the scam. The ED arrested Sisodia in a money-laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9, 2023. The CBI as well as the ED have alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Delhi excise policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, licence fee was waived or reduced and licences were extended without the competent authority's approval. Sisodia wrote a letter from the Tihar jail on Friday and said, Will meet you soon outside. The British rulers also had the arrogance of power and sent people to jail in false cases." Sisodia said Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, who spent many years in prison, were his inspiration. -with agency inputs. The nomination of the Samajwadi Party candidate Meera Yadav has been rejected in Khajuraho, giving the BJP candidate and State President Vishnu Dutt Sharma a walkover in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. In 2019, Sharma won from Khajuraho Lok Sabha seat by 4.92 lakh votes. The rejection of Meera Yadavs candidature has also fanned rumours that an understanding was reached between the BJP and the SP candidate. Yadav though has vehemently denied it. The returning officer had checked the papers when they were submitted. If there was a problem, I should have been notified then, she said. The nomination was rejected citing the candidates signatures were missing from a few places in the form and also because of a signature mismatch. Sharma said, Contesting elections is a challenge. Why would I want to lose the opportunity for a contest? Akhilesh Yadav, SP chief, has demanded a judicial probe into the whole matter, terming it a murder of democracy by the BJP. The Congress chief Jeetu Patwari has also demanded an inquiry into the whole matter. Interestingly, Yadav wasnt the primary choice of Samajwadi Party, an INDIA bloc ally and it had first announced the name of Manoj Yadav as its candidate. Four days later, this was changed despite the candidate expressing his conviction of a win. There is rampant casteism under the present MP, we shall wipe it out, he had said. Meera Yadav is a one-time MLA from the SP and she hails from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. Among the 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh, SP is contesting only from Khajuraho. Thursday was the last day for filing nominations for the seat which will go to the polls on April 26. The Bahujan Samaj Party has also fielded a candidate in Khajuraho- and a triangular contest would have kept the BJP on edge. However, that seems unlikely now. The rejection of the nomination is reminiscent of 2009 when Sushma Swaraj was the BJP candidate from Vidisha in MP. The papers of her main opponent Rajkumar Patel from the Congress were rejected, thus assuring her victory. Swaraj had gone on to win the seat with a four lakh plus margin. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday blamed NIA officials of attacking villagers at Bhupatinagar in East Midnapore district and not the other way round. She claimed that the probe agency team had gone to the houses of villagers in the early hours over an incident of "bursting of crackers in 2022". "The attack was not carried out by women of Bhupatinagar, it was by the National Investigation Agency (NIA)," she said at an election rally in South Dinajpur district's Balurghat. "Will the women sit back if they are attacked?" she said, adding that they had only protested after NIA officials went to some of their houses over the December 2022 incident. A vehicle carrying NIA officials was on Saturday attacked by villagers in Bhupatinagar, where they had gone to investigate a 2022 bomb blast case in which three persons were killed, police said. The investigation was later handed over to the NIA. The probe team arrested two persons in connection with the case and when they were on the way back to Kolkata, their vehicle came under attack. Later, the NIA team lodged a complaint at Bhupatinagar police station, an official said. The Trinamool Congress chief accused the BJP government at the Centre of trying to use the central agencies to win the elections. "We want the Election Commission to work impartially, not turn into a BJP-run commission," she said. Questioning transfer of state's police officers by the EC, she asked why the officers of ED, CBI and IT have not been changed. NIA, CBI are brothers of BJP; the ED and IT are funding boxes of BJP," Banerjee said. "If you (BJP) have the power, win the election by fighting in a democratic manner. Don't arrest my booth-level workers and election agents," she said at the rally. She condemned the arrests of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren by central agencies over cases related to excise policy and an alleged land scam respectively. "There must be a level playing field in the elections," she said. Soon, the flora and fauna of the Sukhna wildlife sanctuary can heave a sigh of relief. After years of dilly-dallying by Haryana, the Centre has finally issued the draft notification demarcating an area of 1 km up to 2.035 km around the sanctuary on the Haryana side as an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ). Envisaged in 2002 as part of the Wildlife Conservation Strategy, ESZs are areas with natural resources of incomparable values requiring special attention for conservation. They act as shock observers for protected areas and its inhabitants. Their role has also been found to be instrumental in stymieing environmentally detrimental development activities in such areas and reducing human-animal conflict. The protected areas constitute 5.11 per cent of India's geographical area in the form of 106 national parks and 573 wildlife sanctuaries. More than 350 ESZs exists in India spanning 29 States and five Union territories. Together, protected areas and the ESZs cover more than 8.5 percent of Indias land. The Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary, spread over 25.98 square km, falls under the administrative control of Chandigarh and shares its boundaries with Haryana and Punjab. Located in the fragile Shivalik foothills, the ecologically sensitive sanctuary envelops Chandigarhs iconic Sukhna Lake and its catchment area. It is home to at least seven Schedule I animal species of the Wildlife Act, including leopard, Indian pangolin, sambar, golden jackal, king cobra, python and monitor lizard. The Schedule I species are considered endangered needing immediate protection. Besides, there are Schedule II animal species like reptiles, butterflies, trees, shrubs, climbers, herbs and 250 birds species that inhabit the sanctuary. ...it is necessary to conserve and protect the area for its biodiversity, states the Centre's draft notification. This comes in the backdrop of years of delaying tactics by the state governments of Haryana as well as Punjab in demarcating appropriate area under ESZ. Both Punjab and Haryana have been adamant on restricting the ESZ at 100 metre. It has become a widespread practise and general tendency of states and Union territories to try and limit the ESZ to bare minimum to avoid stringent regulatory provisions for their developmental projects around the protected areas, said a source. In 2020, the Punjab and Haryana High Court declared Sukhna Lake a living entity and directed the environment ministry to declare at least 1 km area from the sanctuarys boundary in both states as the ESZ within three months. In 2019, the Supreme Court had scrapped an infrastructure project on the Punjab side citing the project land was in close vicinity of the wildlife sanctuary. The apex court in 2022 also placed the minimum ESZ at 1 km from the demarcated boundary of (all) protected areas. Later, however, demarcation of ESZs were made area-specific by the top court while maintaining a blanket ban on mining. Despite such directions, both Punjab and Haryana have been slow in sending proposals to the enviornment ministry to notify ESZs around Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary. As far as Haryana is concerned, the environment ministry reprimanded the state in 2021 for inordinate delay in submitting the proposal. Haryana pitched for a 100 metre ESZ towards their side in January 2023. However, the Union ministry asked the state authorities to revise the proposal as per Punjab and Haryana High Court judgement. Haryana in February 2024 finally proposed to issue final notification in conformity with the court order. An area of 1 km up to 2.035 km around the Sukhna wildlife sanctuary on the Haryana side has now been proposed as eco-sensitive zone, which will be notified if no objections are raised. The draft notification, issued on March 22, states, The total area of the ESZ is 24.60 sq. km. and divided into four zones. The villages that fall in the ESZ are Prempura, Sokhomajri, Damala, Lohgarh, Manakpur Thakardas, Surajpur, Chandimandir Kotla, Darra Kharauni, Rampur and Saketari/Mahadevpur. The activities that will be prohibited as a consequence of the final notification are commercial mining, stone quarrying, crushing units, sawmills, industries causing water, air, noise and soil pollution, commercial use of natural water resources including groundwater, wood-based industry etc. Besides, no new commercial hotels and resorts shall be permitted in two zones except for accommodation for temporary occupation of tourists related to ecotourism activities. No new constructions of any kind shall be permitted within the catchment, it states. Mindful of the drying springs, the notification also asks the state government to identify natural springs in the area and chalk out rejuvenation plans in such a manner that prohibits development activities at or near these areas. Eclipse fever has gripped North America, where many people are talking, worrying and obsessing about the April 8 total solar eclipse. The eclipse itself is beautiful and moving, and is an incredible opportunity to excite and involve the community in the scientific advances that eclipses have brought to us, and all the potential discoveries that we might see in the future including possibly discovering life on other worlds. In a solar eclipse, the moon passes in between Earth and the sun, casting its shadow on Earth. The amazing coincidence is that the moon about 400 times smaller than the sun also happens to be about 400 times closer to us than the sun, and so they appear the same size from Earth's surface. When the sun, moon and Earth all line up, the shadow cast by the moon follows a narrow path that moves across the globe as the Earth rotates and the moon and Earth continue their orbital dances around the sun. Palpable excitement Most of North America will have a partial eclipse on April 8. Totality will occur along the diagonal path of total shadow for a precious few minutes. The excitement around the eclipse is palpable, coming from kids to adults, locals to visitors. Municipalities are worried: Niagara Falls predicts up to a million people visiting and Kingston predicts up to 500,000. This is in part because of the rarity of a total solar eclipse they happen about 375 years apart at a given location on average, and the next one anywhere in Canada isn't for 20 years. But the hype also stems from how beautiful a total eclipse can be. A partial eclipse is interesting. Everyone should use a solar filter or pinhole camera to safely watch the moon gradually cover the sun's disk. But along the narrow path where the sun-moon-Earth alignment is perfect, we'll see a few fleeting minutes of darkness during the day, be able to see the sun's wispy corona and see a sunrise in all directions. Experiencing a total eclipse allows everyone to be both an astronomer, thinking about our place in the solar system, the Milky Way and the universe, and an aesthete marvelling at the beauty of the sky. Astrological contributions For millennia, many societies considered eclipses as dangerous omens a reasonable fear given how strange it is to see darkness during the day. Predictions of when the next eclipses would occur became important for leaders. Babylonians thought the eclipse could foretell death for the king, while Mayans believed diabolical spirits would come out to attack people. Today's scientists may scoff at astrology, but it was this potential astrological doom that led to ancient civilizations making increasingly accurate models of how the sun, moon and planets moved. As measurements became more accurate, the old Earth-centric solar system model was replaced by Johannes Kepler's depiction of the sun at the focus of elliptical orbits, which led to Isaac Newton's theory of gravity. Careful measurements originally meant for astrology and in part because of the worry about eclipses contributed to our understanding of the universe and how it works. Historical spectacles In 1842, with a total eclipse through Europe, the narrative changed and solar eclipses became tourist draws. Astronomers like British Francis Baily and George Biddell Airy travelled to see the eclipse. But it was the vivid descriptions from writers like Austrian Adalbert Stifter that captured the world's attention: Never, ever in my entire life was I so shaken, from terror and sublimity so shaken, as in these two minutes it was nothing other than if God had all at once spoken a clear word and I had understood it. The interest in eclipses increased for both the public and professional astronomers. It was by studying the light from the sun's wispy corona only visible during eclipses that the element helium was discovered. It was by looking at the bending of light from distant stars that Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity was confirmed, bringing him to worldwide fame. A shared passion The global passion to witness and experience the eclipse is one that science educators can't ignore. Across the continent, astronomers and teachers are educating people on how to watch safely using pinhole cameras or eclipse glasses. Science educators explain to a fascinated audience how the sun, moon and Earth all must line up perfectly for a total eclipse to happen. We are all hoping for clear weather so we can see the corona and explain that it is somehow hotter than the surface of the sun. Today, eclipses aren't necessarily studied for new discoveries. However, astronomers use a similar dimming of distant stars as evidence that an exoplanet must have passed in front of it. We've discovered thousands of worlds, confirming that exoplanets are common. We can now measure the slight change in light colour during an extra-solar eclipse-like transit to detect water and signs of life in an exoplanet's atmosphere. So the hype for the total solar eclipse on April 8 is worth it. For us, it isn't just sublime beauty. It is the chance to connect to huge crowds as excited as we are. It is the opportunity to link what we are seeing to the vastness of space, the millennia of history and the promise of understanding our wider universe all in three minutes in the moon's shadow. (The Conversation: By Robert Knobel and Kristine Spekkens, Queen's University, Ontario) Daibai, a 99-year-old from India, has begun an extraordinary new chapter in her life following the approval of her US citizenship. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), while making the announcement, described her as a "lively" individual. USCIS posted a picture of Daibai sitting in a wheelchair along with her daughter, while she was handed over the certificate. "They say age is just a number. That seems true for this lively 99-year-old who became a #NewUSCitizen in our Orlando office. Daibai is from India and was excited to take the Oath of Allegiance. She's pictured with her daughter and our officer who swore her in. Congrats Daibai!" USCIS posted on X. They say age is just a number. That seems true for this lively 99-year-old who became a #NewUSCitizen in our Orlando office. Daibai is from India and was excited to take the Oath of Allegiance. She's pictured with her daughter and our officer who swore her in. Congrats Daibai! pic.twitter.com/U0WU31Vufx USCIS (@USCIS) April 5, 2024 USCIS is a government agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States. The department also deals with refugee applications, green cards, issuing employment authorisation documents (EAD) and H-1B visas under the Immigration Act. Daibai currently resides with her daughter in Orlando, Florida. Iran has asked the US to "step aside" as it vowed to retaliate following a suspected attack by Israel on its Syrian consulate in Damascus. Iranian presidential aide Mohammad Jamshidi wrote on X, "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 won't get hurt." "In response US asked Iran not to target American facilities," he added. The US is yet to publicly respond to Iran's alleged message. Tehran's proxy Hezbollah also warned Tel Aviv that it's ready for war as the latest attack marks a "turning point" since October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel. The alleged Israeli strike killed seven members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, including Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of the Quds Force. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, a Lebanese cleric and the secretary-general of Hezbollah, said, "Be certain, be sure, that the Iranian response to the targeting of the consulate in Damascus is definitely coming against Israel." Tel Aviv has cancelled the leaves for all combat units and mobilised more troops for air defence units. "The enemy is badly hit in all places and is therefore looking for ways to respond. We are ready with a multi-layered defence," said Israel Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. -- with inputs from agencies The Israeli military on Saturday said its special forces had recovered the body of a hostage killed while being held captive in Gaza during an overnight raid on Khan Yunis. Elad Katzir, a 47-year-old Israeli farmer, was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 Hamas attack. He was abducted along with his mother Hanna, 77, who was later released in November under a truce deal. In a joint statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli Security Agency (ISA) said: "The body of the abductee Elad Katzir, who according to intelligence was murdered in captivity by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation, was rescued overnight from Khan Yunis and returned to Israeli territory." According to officials, Katzir's father was murdered in the kibbutz. There are around 130 hostages still in Hamas captivity. With a delay in the new truce deal, protesters including angry family members of hostages are on the streets seeking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's resignation. Katzir's sister, Carmit Palty Katzir, lashed out against Israeli authorities and said that her brother would have been alive if they agreed to a new truce deal. "Our leadership is cowardly and driven by political consideration, which is why this deal has not happened yet," she wrote on Facebook. "Prime Minister, war cabinet, and coalition members: Look at yourself in the mirror and say if your hands didn't spill blood." Reportedly, Katzir was killed by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an ally of Hamas, militant group. A video was released by Islamic Jihad in January showing Katzir speaking from captivity in Gaza. In the video, Katzir was heard asking the Israeli government to stop the war and bring him and other hostages home. Around 250 hostages were taken into captivity by Hamas. According to IDF, they are working in full coordination with security bodies to locate and rescue the hostages. Meanwhile, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, 33,137 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war. Another set of truce talks to begin in Cairo Hamas has said that it would send a delegation to Cairo on Sunday for a new round of truce talks. A delegation headed by the group's deputy chief in Gaza, Khalil Al-Hayya is set to attend the mediation talks. Hamas reiterated its demands issued in a March 14 proposal prior to a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip that was passed on March 25. The demands include a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, a return of the displaced, and a 'serious' exchange deal of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, the statement said. The first interstellar intruder detected passing through the solar system, 1l/'Oumuamua, came within about 38 million kilometers of the Sun in 2017. NASA, ESA, JOSEPH OLMSTED (STSCI), FRANK SUMMERS (STSCI) On October 17 and 18, 2017, an unusual object sped across the field of view of a large telescope perched near the summit of a volcano on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The Pan-STARRS1 telescope was designed to survey the sky for transient events, like asteroid or comet flybys. But this was different: The object was not gravitationally bound to the Sun, or to any other celestial body. It had arrived from somewhere else. The mysterious object was the first visitor from interstellar space observed passing through the solar system. Astronomers named it 1I/Oumuamua, borrowing a Hawaiian word that roughly translates to messenger from afar arriving first. Two years later, in August 2019, amateur astronomer Gennadiy Borisov discovered the only other known interstellar interloper, now called 2I/Borisov, using a self-built telescope at the MARGO observatory in Nauchnij, Crimea. While typical asteroids and comets in the solar system orbit the Sun, Oumuamua and Borisov are celestial nomads, spending most of their time wandering interstellar space. The existence of such interlopers in the solar system had been hypothesized, but scientists expected them to be rare. I never thought we would see one, says astrophysicist Susanne Pfalzner of the Julich Supercomputing Center in Germany. At least not in her lifetime. With these two discoveries, scientists now suspect that interstellar interlopers are much more common. Right now, within the orbit of Neptune alone, there could be around 10,000 Oumuamua-size interstellar objects, estimates planetary scientist David Jewitt of UCLA, coauthor of an overview of the current understanding of interstellar interlopers in the 2023 Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Researchers are busy trying to answer basic questions about these alien objects, including where they come from and how they end up wandering the galaxy. Interlopers could also provide a new way to probe features of distant planetary systems. But first, astronomers need to find more of them. Were a little behind at the moment, Jewitt says. But we expect to see more. 2I/Borisov appears as a fuzzy blue dot in front of a distant spiral galaxy (left) in this November 2019 image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope when the object was approximately 200 million miles from Earth. NASA, ESA, Y D. JEWITT (UCLA) Alien origins At least since the beginning of the 18th century, astronomers have considered the possibility that interstellar objects exist. More recently, computer models have shown that the solar system sent its own population of smaller bodies into the voids of interstellar space long ago due to gravitational interactions with the giant planets. Scientists expected most interlopers to be exocomets composed of icy materials. Borisov fit this profile: it had a tail made of gases and dust created by ices that evaporated during its close passage to the Sun. This suggests that it originated in the outer region of a planetary system. where temperatures were cold enough for gases like carbon monoxide to have frozen into its rocks. At some point, something tossed Borisov, roughly a kilometer across, out of its system. One potential culprit is a stellar flyby. The gravity of a passing star can eject smaller bodies, known as planetesimals, from the outer reaches of a system, according to a recent study led by Pfalzner. A giant planet could also eject an object from the outer regions of a planetary system if an asteroid or comet gets close enough for the planets gravitational tug to speed up the smaller body enough for it to escape its stars hold. Close approaches can also happen when planets migrate across their planetary systems, as Neptune is thought to have done in the early solar system. Oumuamua, on the other hand, is not what scientists expected. Observations suggest it is quite elongated perhaps 240 meters long and as narrow as 40 meters. And unlike Borisov, it didnt show any gas or dust activity, raising the possibility that it originated closer to its star where it was too warm for ices to form. If this was the case, a stellar flyby or giant planet probably would not have been able to pull the object out of its system. Instead, it may have been ejected during the death throes of its star: Pulses of gas from a dying star could push planets and planetesimals outward, destabilizing their orbits enough to send some of them flying into interstellar space. Its possible, however, that Oumuamua did form in the cold outer reaches of its system and, as it neared the Sun, developed a gas tail that was not detected by telescopes. One clue is that the object sped up more than would be expected from the gravity of the solar system alone. A recent study suggests that such a boost could have come from small amounts of hydrogen outgassing that the telescopes didnt detect. Several asteroids in our solar system may have gotten a similar boost from outgassing of water vapor, according to another study. Future observations by the James Webb Space Telescope, and by the JAXA Hayabusa2 Extended Mission (which will rendezvous with one of these solar system asteroids, known as dark comets, in 2031) may detect low levels of outgassing. Well have to wait and see, but they could be analogs of Oumuamua, says planetary scientist Darryl Seligman of Cornell University, coauthor with Jewitt of the review of interstellar interlopers. Searching for nomads More data, from more interlopers, may help resolve some of these questions. In order to gather these data, scientists will need better odds of detecting the objects when they pass through the solar system. If Pan-STARRS1 didnt observe where we did that particular night, its likely that Oumuamua would never have been found, says astronomer Robert Weryk, formerly of the University of Hawaii, who discovered the interloper in the telescopes data. The upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is expected to increase astronomers chances of finding these fast movers: beginning as soon as 2025, the observatorys telescope will image the entire visible southern sky every few nights, and its primary mirror has a diameter nearly seven meters larger than Pan-STARRS1, enabling it to see fainter objects, farther away. Once interlopers are detected, ground- and space-based telescopes will image them to try to determine what they are made of. And if a reachable target is discovered, the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agencys Comet Interceptor, slated to launch in 2029, could be redirected to image the visitor up close. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in northern Chile will host the decade-long Legacy Survey of Space and Time, set to begin in 2025. The Observatorys 8.4-meter Simonyi Survey Telescope will collect images at a rate that covers the entire visible sky every few nights, potentially allowing for the detection of more interstellar interlopers. RUBINOBS / NSF / AURA / H. STOCKEBRAND Eventually, astronomers hope to build a catalog of interstellar objects similar to the inventory of exoplanets, which has grown to over 5,500 entries since the first discovery in 1992. That future inventory could help researchers answer the long-standing question of how typical Earth and the solar system are. The compositions of a large sample of interstellar objects could yield clues about the makeup of objects in exoplanetary systems including ones that might support life. Planetesimals are the building blocks of exoplanets, says astronomer Meredith Hughes of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. This means they can provide information about the diversity of environments, including ones that could be habitable. Now, Oumuamua is beyond the orbit of Neptune, and comet Borisov is almost as far. They will continue their journey back into interstellar space, where its anyones guess what will happen next. Perhaps they will spend an eternity wandering the vast voids of space, or maybe they will be captured by a star. Or they could collapse into a disk of evolving gas and dust in a new planetary system and begin their journeys all over again. Astronomers estimate there could be more interstellar objects in the Milky Way than stars in the observable universe. Finding more of them will offer a new way to probe the mysteries of the cosmos. The really cool thing, Pfalzner says, is that interstellar objects come to us. Theo Nicitopoulos is a freelance journalist covering Earth and space science news. This article originally appeared in Knowable Magazine, a non-profit publication dedicated to making scientific knowledge available to everyone. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The diplomatic rift between Mexico and Ecuador widened after police raided the Mexican embassy in Quito. President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador announced the suspension of diplomatic ties with Ecuador after Ecuadorian former Vice President Jorge Glas was detained. Jorge Glas has been seeking political asylum in Ecuador since December, a request granted by Mexico. Glas is facing multiple investigations including corruption and bribery. He was one of the 'most wanted' men in Ecuador. The police forcibly broke the external doors of the Mexican diplomatic headquarters in the Ecuadorian capital and entered the main patio. Ecuador is a sovereign nation and we are not going to allow any criminal to stay free, wrote Ecuador's Presidency in a statement Friday night. Ecuador's presidency accused Mexico of "having abused the immunities and privileges granted to the diplomatic mission that housed the former vice president, and granting diplomatic asylum contrary to the conventional legal framework." Lpez Obrador called Glas' detention an authoritarian act and a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico. Meanwhile, Alicia Brcena, Mexico's secretary of foreign relations, added that several diplomats suffered injuries in the incident and said it violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Even experts pointed out the act was a bold violation of the Vienna Conventions on Consular Relations. This is not possible, it cannot be, this is crazy, said Roberto Canseco, head of the Mexican consular section in Quito, outside the embassy, reported The Associated Press. While speaking about Glass situation and detention, Canseco said I understand that yes, I am very worried because they could kill him; there is no basis to do this, this is totally outside the norm. Heavy police forces were deployed outside the Mexican embassy in Quito on Friday night. Tensions between both nations escalated after Obrador made statements that Ecuador considered very unfortunate about the last elections in which the Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa won. In reaction, the Ecuadorian government declared the Mexican ambassador persona non grata. Glas was vice president under the leftist government of Rafael Correa between 2013 and 2017. Earlier, Ecuador had sought permission from Mexico to enter the embassy and arrest Glas, who was sentenced to six years in prison in 2017 after he was found guilty of bribery. (With PTI inputs) The uncritical support of the current Indian government for Israel stems from two reasons. One is personalthe friendship between Narendra Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu. The other is ideologicalthe admiration that hindutva propagandists have for Israels fusion of state and its demonisation of the other. Ramachandra Guha historian If he plays, I will bad-mouth him all day, all night. R. Ashwin cricketer, on what his reaction would be if Ravindra Jadeja is picked over him for the Test series in Australia I consider the 1980s to be the darkest time for Hindi cinema. People were either writing double-meaning songs or songs with no meaning at all. I avoided films that, in any way, had lyrics that I found absurd or vulgar. Javed Akhtar lyricist The biggest casualty under the Narendra Modi government is the failed attempt to reduce inequalities. Crony capitalism, public investment in capital intensive industries, reduction in corporate tax, taxes on goods of mass consumption, high fuel prices, inadequate minimum wages, neglect of tenant farmers, bias against services consumed by the poor and other policies have increased the economic inequalities between the top 1 per cent and the bottom 20 per cent. P. Chidambaram Congress leader The month of March heralded the celebration of the largest number of products in India being awarded the prestigious Geographical Indications (GI) tag. With an overwhelming 60 products being given the award, we have come a long way from Darjeeling tea being the first to be bestowed this honour two decades ago. Currently, 635 products in India have a GI tag and many more are aspiring for the same. These geographic markers remind me of studying topography maps in geography class back in school. Shading, outlining and marking parts of India best known for its natural minerals and raw materials, it certainly helped me identify a product or resource with a place. GI tags seem to have a similar aim. GI tagging is recognised internationally under the Paris Convention and is a form of Intellectual Property rights. A way of branding, it helps in identifying a product and giving it a unique identity. This form of identification also aids in legal protection, aiming to regulate the standards and quality of a product. But can the tag preserve cultural products from extension and replication? We live in an era where it is ridiculously easy to fake and replicate. Be it the art we consume, the music we listen to or the movies we watch. All around us, ideas are being plagiarised and cheaper, lower quality, knock-off products are being sold. There is a continuing debate on the importance of copyright. At a critical time such as this, GI tags are gaining greater importance and recognition. Instilling in the consumer the trust of a product and allowing the authentic seller to gain their due credit. The place of origin further serves as the trademark of that product on a global and international level. This further enhances the market value of the product. GI tags were originally popular and a common practice with agricultural and consumption-based items. Nagpurs oranges got a new market with their geographic identity as did Darjeelings tea. Just as people and community make a place, so does the art, culture, cuisine, dance and music blend in to create an identity of every village on the global map. A large number of artisan-made products are now striving to be part of the GI list, coveting this badge of honour. Would Mysores rich silk, which is a traditional, staple favourite of the ladies, an integral part of every bridal trousseau and also a favourite with tourists, have the same brand identity were it not for the GI tag? Similarly, do Kangras delicate miniature paintings, on which the late art historian B.N. Goswamy has done such deep research, owe their current popularity and distinct geographic identity to the tag? It is now universally known that the Taj Mahal was carved out of pristine marble from the Makrana mines in Rajasthan. The weavers who arduously create Patans Patola would still be relatively anonymous were it not for the tag that catapulted them to different heights. To a self-aware society where documentation, archiving and provenance is key, the GI tag does help with preservation, protection and promotion of cultural heritage. The tag gives a product a cultural identity, promoting quality control and artisan empowerment. For example, the craft cluster creating musical instruments in Miraj applied for the GI tag when they realised that many dubious characters were getting away with creating instruments under the Miraj name. With no authenticity or quality checks, the growth of a parallel, fake market would potentially threaten their age old craft and practice. The region is already famous for sitar and tanpura making and did not particularly need the tag to build a brand or narrative. However, the artisans of the region applied for the tag with the hope that this would get rid of inauthentic products as well as cheaper replicas, which were reducing their authenticity and value. Armed with the tag, the artisans aim to promote the traditional practice as well as attract tourists to witness the building and creation of an instrument right from inception to the final product. While a GI tag can have several benefits, how does one go about enforcing the legal rights or intellectual property rights of these products? The Kolhapuri chappal for example, handcrafted leather slippers, tracing their GI to eight regions between Maharashtra and Karnataka. The slippers faced a rather unforeseen fate when the tag received became a double-edged sword. To begin with, the chappals (slippers) are originally made from leather in a state where cattle slaughter has been banned. In a time where animal cruelty concerns are being raised, there is a cornucopia of material mimicking the look and feel of genuine leather. The artisans of a mere eight districts are not equipped to follow through with the checks and balances, control the fake market and also purchase affordable, original leather from tanneries. I do wonder if the GI tag in instances such as this would be a bane or a boon? The process of applying for a tag is also tedious and complicated (like most paperwork in India). Simultaneously, it requires an extensive amount of research on the product. There are times when disputes arise and questions are raised over the place of origin of a product. Odisha was rather disappointed when West Bengal won the GI tag for the famous sweet dish Roshogulla. After two long years, several arguments, cultural debates and bitter battles, Odisha too was granted a tag for their version of this delicacy. While this delectable and joyous end to the story kept both states happy, it also highlighted that there are many complications and several indicators and markers, which give a product its distinctiveness. In a country as culturally diverse as India, how many products does one GI tag? And how successfully will the tagging system be followed through, as the number of tagged products increase? New Delhi (India), April 6: Indian Institute of Fashion and Design (IIFD), a beacon of excellence in design education, proudly announces its stellar achievement in the India Institutional Ranking Framework (IIRF) 2024. Securing the prestigious 8th position among the top 40 design colleges in India (Private), this remarkable feat underscores IIFD's unwavering commitment to academic distinction, innovation, and industry relevance. With a legacy of excellence spanning decades, IIFD has consistently strived to redefine the boundaries of design education. The institute's unwavering dedication to fostering creativity, nurturing talent, and providing students with a world-class learning environment has garnered recognition from one of India's most respected ranking frameworks. The India Institutional Ranking Framework (IIRF) is a comprehensive assessment tool that evaluates higher education institutions based on various parameters including academic excellence, faculty expertise, infrastructure, research output, and industry interface. In the highly competitive landscape of design education, securing a top position in the IIRF rankings is a testament to an institution's commitment to excellence and its ability to meet the evolving needs of the industry. IIFD's journey to the 8th position in the IIRF 2024 rankings is a testament to its relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation. The institute's curriculum is designed to empower students with the knowledge, skills, and expertise needed to succeed in the dynamic field of design. From fashion design to interior design, textile design to graphic design, IIFD offers a diverse range of programs that cater to the diverse interests and aspirations of aspiring designers. Commenting on this significant achievement, [Director's Name], Director of IIFD, expressed his delight, stating, "We are honored to be recognized as the 8th top design college in India by the India Institutional Ranking Framework 2024. This achievement is a testament to our unwavering commitment to providing world-class education and empowering the next generation of designers. At IIFD, we strive to nurture creativity, foster innovation, and equip our students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the competitive world of design." In addition to its academic excellence, IIFD is also known for its industry-oriented approach and strong industry partnerships. The institute collaborates with leading design firms, fashion houses, and industry experts to provide students with real-world exposure and practical experience. Through internships, workshops, seminars, and industry visits, students at IIFD gain invaluable insights into the workings of the industry and emerge as industry-ready professionals. As IIFD celebrates its achievement in the IIRF 2024 rankings, the institute remains committed to its mission of shaping the future of design education in India and beyond. With a focus on innovation, creativity, and excellence, IIFD continues to inspire, educate, and empower the next generation of designers, thinkers, and innovators. For more information about Indian Institute of Fashion and Design (IIFD) and its programs, please visit www.iifd.in (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 New Delhi, Apr 6 (PTI) Conducive weather conditions in both India and Pakistan are helping them to achieve record wheat output this year, but India is better prepared than the neighbour to handle climate change impact as it has developed many indigenous heat-resistant and short-duration seed varieties, according to agri-scientists. India is the second and Pakistan is the eighth largest wheat-producing country in the world. While India is self-sufficient in wheat output, the latter imports 2-3 million tonnes. One of the reasons behind Pakistan still being dependent on imports to meet domestic requirements is its failure to develop indigenous varieties of climate-resilient seeds. Presently, the harvesting of wheat crops is underway in both countries. India has projected wheat output to touch a new record of 114 million tonnes in the 2023-24 crop year (July-June), while Pakistan has set an ambitious target of 32.2 million tonnes from an area of 8.9 million hectares. While the two countries have been facing the adverse impact of climate change on wheat crop since 2010 onwards, the current year has been exceptionally favourable as there have been no events of terminal heat waves nor unseasonal rains affecting the crop. "Climate has been favourable this year. During the crucial period of mid-January and February, there were no incidents of sudden heat waves, unseasonal rains, and lodging. We are expecting a bumper crop," ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (ICAR-IIWBR) Director Gyanendra Singh told PTI. He highlighted that climate-resilient wheat varieties have been sown in more than 80 per cent of the total wheat area of 34.15 million hectares this year because of the availability of newer seed varieties and also greater awareness among farmers. Out of 600 indigenous wheat varieties released so far in India, Singh said as many as over 100 climate-resilient varieties are in the seed chain now. Around 14 new varieties were released in the current year itself. According to Naresh Kumar, Principal Investigator at ICAR's National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA), India is doing much better when compared to other countries in taking various agronomic measures such as changing planting dates and short-duration varieties besides promoting raised bed cultivation, sprinkler irrigation, and soil-water-nitrogen management. Wheat crop is highly sensitive to temperature increases. Hot and unseasonal warm weather cut India's wheat output in 2022 and 2023, leading to a drawdown in state reserves. It is reported a 5.5 per cent decrease in wheat yield during the past 30 years (1980-2010) occurred due to a decadal temperature increase of 0.13 degree Celsius. With further predicted rise in temperatures, many studies have reported a decline in wheat production in the world. Rajbir Yadav, wheat breeder and Principal Scientist at Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), said the climate-smart seed varieties that India has developed can be easily grown in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. "It can fit well in some areas as agro-climatic conditions are the same," he said. The situation of wheat farmers in Pakistan is different despite sharing similar agro-climatic conditions for growing wheat. Since 2021, Pakistan's agriculture department has released as many as 31 wheat varieties through international collaborations to help cultivated fields become more productive, climate-resilient and disease-resistant. While Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) has acquired over 4,000 wheat germplasm varieties from various international sources for evaluation and utilization in national breeding programmes, it has yet to indigenously produce quality seeds and species with the ability to absorb climate shocks. Ejaz Rao, a progressive farmer from Bahawalpur, said, "Pakistan's agriculture authorities have failed to improve seed quality for over 20 years. The hybrid seeds from countries with different climate present dual challenge i.e. non-compatible with local agro-climatic conditions and disease-carriers. "During late 20th century, a hybrid seed from US carried a pest, locally named as "AmrikanSundi", which could not be eradicated," Rao said. Stating that climate change has necessitated changes in sowing and harvesting seasons, he suggested adapting to new realities. "The availability of seeds, inputs, fertilizer and water must be ensured on time to ward off la nina and elnino effects." Dr Zahir A Zahir, Professor of Institute of Soil & Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, said the University in collaboration with Washington State has developed and acclimatized germplasm, a hybrid seed variety, which requires less water and gives more yield. "Pakistan has turned from net exporter of wheat to net importer of wheat in a short period of just five years, thanks to the formidable twin challenge of climate change and population explosion affecting in tandem," says Mushtaq Ahmad Gill, Chief Executive, South Asian Conservation Agriculture Network (SACAN). Highlighting the importance of water amidst raging global warming, Gill who is also former Director General of Water Management, Punjab, Pakistan said Pakistan sadly only has water storage capacity for 30 days. "Half of the year, we face drought, the other half, floods," Gill said and called for increasing water storage and saving precious water worth billions of dollars from going into the sea every year. "We, the agricultural scientists and farmers from India and Pakistan, regularly stay in touch with each other and hold online/Youtube sessions to benefit from each other's experiences. We exchange technology, expertise and products to help each other get optimum yields," Gill said, while stressing on the need to maintain regular contacts. Punjab's Minister for Agriculture Syed Ashiq Hussain Shah ruled out any climate impact on wheat crop. "We are expecting a bumper crop this year." (This cross border story was done by Laxmi Devi Aere, Assistant Editor of news agency PTI, New Delhi, and Amer Malik, an investigative journalist with the News International, Pakistan, as part of the US-based East West Centre's initiative on reporting issues on mutual concern.) Washington, Apr 6 (AP) 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, one day after Biden called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to redouble efforts to reach a cease-fire in the six-month-old war in Gaza. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private letters, said Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will meet 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-Sisi and Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, come as Biden has deployed CIA Director Bill Burns to Cairo for talks this weekend about the hostage crisis. White House officials say 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 cease-fire into effect and boost the flow of badly humanitarian aid into the territory. 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 Biden underscored the need to get a hostage deal done during the Thursday conversation with 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. Biden had expressed optimism for a temporary cease-fire and a hostage deal during the runup to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but an agreement never materialised. The White House said in a statement Thursday following Biden's call with Netanyahu that the US president said reaching an immediate cease-fire in exchange for hostages was essential and urged Israel to reach such an accord without delay. White House officials acknowledge that Biden has become increasingly frustrated with Israel's 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 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 Syria's Aleppo between 2012 and 2016, Ukraine's Mariupol or, proportionally, the Allied bombing of Germany in World War II. It has killed more civilians than the US-led coalition did in its three-year campaign against the Islamic State group. (AP) SCY SCY Lahore, Apr 6 (PTI) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered disciplinary action against four senior police officials for their "negligence" after an inquiry committee probing the suicide attack which killed five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver submitted its report, the information minister said on Saturday. Last Tuesday, a vehicle-borne suicide bomber targeted the convoy of Chinese engineers in the remote Besham area of the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when they were being driven to a construction site of the Dasu Hydroelectric power station in Kohistan district of the same province. Five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed in the attack. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that Prime Minister Sharif directed action against senior Khyber Pakhtunkhwa officials after the inquiry committee formed to probe the March 26 attack and identify the lapses in security protocol submitted its report, Geo News reported. "The prime minister has directed to take action against the regional police officer (RPO) Hazara Division; district police officer of Upper Kohistan and Lower Kohistan; director security, Dasu Hydropower Project and commandant special security unit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within 15 days," the report quoted Tarar as saying. We want peace in the region, but our desire should not be misconstrued as a weakness. We are taking the matter of the security of the Chinese very seriously," he said. "Prime Minister Shehbaz is himself overseeing the security of the Chinese projects and engineers, he added. On Friday, Sharif directed all Pakistani security agencies to ensure foolproof security arrangements for the Chinese nationals working on various projects in the country. According to an official 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. Meanwhile, China has also expressed concern about last Tuesday'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. Islamabad, Apr 6 (AP) The Taliban's reclusive supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada urged his officials to set aside their differences and serve Afghanistan properly, according to a written statement released Saturday ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of Ramadan. Public dissent within the Taliban is rare, but some senior figures have expressed their disagreement with the leadership's decision making, especially the bans on female education. Akhundzada, an Islamic scholar who almost never appears in public, rarely leaves the Taliban heartland in southern Kandahar province. He and his circle have been instrumental in imposing restrictions on women and girls that have sparked an international outcry and isolated the Taliban on the global stage. His message was distributed in seven languages including Uzbek and Turkmen the Taliban are courting cash-rich Central Asian countries for investment and legitimacy and it touched on diplomatic relations, the economy, justice, charity, and the virtues of meritocracy. Akhundzada said Taliban officials should "live a brotherly life among themselves, avoid disagreements and selfishness." He said the war against the Soviet invasion and communism failed due to disagreements within the Taliban and that they could not implement Shariah in Afghanistan as a result of these divisions. While he mentioned education, he said nothing about reopening schools and universities for girls and women. Nor did he refer to recent unconfirmed reports about him saying there would be a resumption of stoning Afghan women to death for adultery, a punishment previously carried out during the Taliban's first period of rule in the late 1990s. Akhundzada in Saturday's message said security did not come from being tough and killing more; rather, security is aligned with Shariah and justice." Hassan Abbas, a professor at the National Defence University in Washington D.C. and author of the Return of the Taliban," said Akhundzada's message sounded largely reasonable and was focused on governance and anti-corruption matters. I believe this message is carefully crafted to dispel the negative impression created by a recently released audio of his that gives a very dogmatic and regressive message, especially about public punishments and women rights, Abbas told The Associated Press. I think this new message is also intended as damage control. Also on Saturday, the Taliban-controlled Supreme Court said six people, including a woman, were publicly flogged on adultery charges in eastern Logar province. (AP) GSP Washington, Apr 6 (AP) Boeing CEO David Calhoun received compensation valued at $33 million last year, nearly all of it in stock awards, but his stock payout for this year will be cut by nearly one-fourth because of the drop in Boeing's share price since the January blowout of a panel on one of its planes in midflight. The company said Friday that after the accident on the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max, Calhoun declined a bonus for 2023 that was targeted at nearly $3 million. Calhoun announced this month that he will step down at the end of the year as Boeing deals with multiple investigations into the quality and safety of its manufacturing. The company said in a regulatory filing that Calhoun got a salary of $1.4 million last year and stock awards valued at $30.2 million. Including other items, his compensation totalled $32.8 million, up from $22.6 million in 2022. Boeing stock has dropped since Jan 5, when a door-plug panel blew off an Alaska Airlines Max jetliner flying 16,000 (4,800 metres) feet above Oregon. The Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board and Justice Department have launched separate investigations into the company. (AP) SCY SCY Cairo, Apr 6 (AP) Israel's military said Saturday it had recovered the body of a 47-year-old farmer who was held hostage in Gaza, while negotiators prepared to begin another round of talks on brokering a cease-fire and securing the release of the remaining hostages, six months into the war. Israel's army said it had found the body of Elad Katzir and believed he was killed in January by militants with Islamic Jihad, one of the groups that entered southern Israel in the October 7 attack, killed more than 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. Katzir had been abducted along with his mother, Hanna, who was released in November. His father, Avraham, was killed during the attack in Nir Oz, a border community that suffered some of Israeli's heaviest losses. The discovery renewed pressure on Israel's government for a deal to get the remaining hostages freed, as families have long feared time is running out. At least 36 hostages in captivity have been confirmed dead, while about half of the original number have been released. Meanwhile, the toll of Israel's ongoing offensive in Gaza is measured in tens of thousands of deaths and more than a million Palestinians displaced. We have arrived at a terrible milestone, the UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said in a statement marking six months and noting the immediate prospect of a shameful man-made famine. Griffiths added: We face the unconscionable prospect of further escalation in Gaza, where no one is safe and there is nowhere safe to go. An already fragile aid operation continues to be undermined by bombardments, insecurity and denials of access. Israelis are divided on the approach by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government after multiple rounds of stalled cease-fire negotiations. A week ago, tens of thousands of Israelis thronged central Jerusalem in the largest anti-government protest since the country went to war. The negotiations will resume on Sunday, according to an Egyptian official and Egypt's state-owned Al Qahera TV. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the negotiations. US President Joe Biden has sent CIA Director Bill Burns to Egypt for additional talks about the hostages, a cease-fire and securing the country's border with Gaza. A Hamas delegation will arrive on Sunday to join the talks, the militant group said. Hamas has insisted on linking a phased end to the war not a temporary cease-fire to any agreement releasing hostages. It has said it will agree to release 40 hostages as part of an initial six-week cease-fire deal that would include the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Hamas also has demanded the return of displaced people to devastated northern Gaza and an increase in the delivery of humanitarian aid throughout the territory. Israel has offered to allow only 2,000 displaced Palestinians mainly women, children and older people to the north daily during the proposed six-week cease-fire. The efforts to revive negotiations come days after international condemnation of Israeli airstrikes that killed seven humanitarian workers with the World Central Kitchen charity. The Israeli military has described the strike as a tragic error. Aid groups say the mistake is hardly an anomaly. The killings halted aid deliveries on what had been seen as a crucial new sea route for humanitarian aid directly to Gaza as the UN and partners warn of famine. In Jabaliya, a refugee camp near Gaza City, families scrounged for mallow leaves to make a thin broth to break the daily Ramadan fast. Life has become miserable. They (daughters) tell me, Father, you are feeding us mallow, mallow, mallow every day. We want to eat fish, chicken, canned food. We are craving eggs, or anything,' said Wael Attar, who shelters in a school as part of the 1.7 million people displaced in Gaza. The war's death toll in Gaza is now 33,137, the territory's Health Ministry said. Its toll doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants, but it has said women and children make up the majority of the dead. The ministry said the bodies of 46 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes had been brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours the lowest such daily tally in months. Israel has blamed Hamas for civilian deaths in Gaza, accusing it of operating in residential communities and public areas like hospitals. Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah now holds more than half of the territory's 2.3 million people, and Israel's vow to carry out a ground offensive there has caused weeks of dread and warnings even from Israel's top ally, the United States. An Egyptian official on Friday called Israel's most recent proposal to evacuate civilians from Rafah an unrealistic and unworkable plan." Egypt rejected it and again threatened to suspend parts of the 46-year-old Camp David Accords that facilitate security cooperation between the states. (AP) NPK NPK KYODO NEWS - Apr 6, 2024 - 22:57 | All, World The death toll of a deadly earthquake that tilted buildings and caused landslides in Taiwan rose to 13 on Saturday, while search and rescue efforts continued after the critical 72-hour period for survival passed in the morning. Six people are still unaccounted for in the hardest-hit eastern county of Hualien following the Wednesday quake that registered magnitude 7.2 according to Taiwan authorities. The temblor is reported to be the biggest to hit the self-governed island since 1999. The rise in the death toll was announced after search and rescue workers discovered three more bodies over the last two days on a trail at the national park. After the first 72 hours of a disaster, the victim survival rate is said to drop sharply. According to the latest statement issued by authorities, over 1,100 people have been injured. Hundreds of people continue to shelter in and around the Tianxiang area in the Taroko National Park with helicopters airlifting people to safety as aftershocks continue. Lori Hoy, a 68-year-old American woman from California, who was airlifted out from Tianxiang on Saturday, told Kyodo News that the people who are sheltering in the area remain relatively healthy. The authorities have been delivering food and water, as well as other items necessary for survival, by helicopter. "I'm from California. So, I've been in earthquakes before but that was the strongest one I'd ever been in," Hoy said. Taiwan said it has decided to accept a seven-member team from Turkey, making it the first foreign rescue squad brought in to support the search efforts following the latest quake. The team from Turkey, a quake-prone country, includes experts in the use of drone technology, which should help with the search in mountainous areas, according to Taiwan officials. Related coverage: 2 more bodies found after Taiwan quake as 72-hour window nears end Japan to extend $1 million aid to quake-hit Taiwan Taiwan quake injured toll rises to 1,100 with 15 missing, 10 dead Cairo, Apr 6 (AP) Israel's military said on Saturday it had recovered the body of a 47-year-old farmer who was held hostage in Gaza, while negotiators prepared to begin another round of talks Sunday on brokering a cease-fire and securing the release of the remaining hostages, six months into the war. Israel's army said it had found the body of Elad Katzir and believed he was killed in January by militants with Islamic Jihad, one of the groups that entered southern Israel in the October 7 attack, killed more than 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. Katzir had been abducted from Nir Oz, a border community that suffered some of the heaviest losses. The discovery renewed pressure on Israel's government for a deal to get the remaining hostages freed, as families have long feared time is running out. At least 36 hostages in captivity have been confirmed dead. About half of the original number have been released. Meanwhile, the toll of Israel's ongoing offensive in Gaza is measured in tens of thousands of deaths and more than a million Palestinians displaced. We have arrived at a terrible milestone, the UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said in a statement marking six months and noting the immediate prospect of a shameful man-made famine. He called the prospect of further escalation in Gaza unconscionable. Israelis are divided on the approach by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government after multiple rounds of stalled cease-fire negotiations. A week ago, tens of thousands of Israelis thronged central Jerusalem in the largest anti-government protest since the war began. Negotiations will resume on Sunday, according to an Egyptian official and Egypt's state-owned Al Qahera TV. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the talks. US President Joe Biden has sent CIA Director Bill Burns to Egypt. And a Hamas delegation will arrive on Sunday to join the talks, the militant group said. Hamas has insisted on linking a phased end to the war not a temporary cease-fire to any agreement releasing hostages. It has said it will agree to release 40 hostages as part of an initial six-week cease-fire deal that would include the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Hamas also seeks the return of displaced people to devastated northern Gaza and more aid. Israel has offered to allow only 2,000 displaced Palestinians mainly women, children and older people to the north daily during a six-week cease-fire. The new talks will come days after international condemnation of Israeli airstrikes that killed seven humanitarian workers with the World Central Kitchen charity. The Israeli military has described the strike as a tragic error. Aid groups say the mistake is hardly an anomaly. Some Israel allies are now considering halting arms sales. Biden warned Netanyahu that future US support for the war depends on swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers. We need security guarantees for us as humanitarians but also for the people we serve, said Marika Guderian with the World Food Program, speaking inside Gaza. The killings halted aid deliveries on what had been seen as a crucial new sea route for humanitarian aid directly to Gaza as the UN and partners warn of famine. In Jabaliya, a refugee camp near Gaza City, families scrounged in the rubble for mallow leaves to make a thin broth to break the daily Ramadan fast. Life has become miserable. They (daughters) tell me, Father, you are feeding us mallow, mallow, mallow every day. We want to eat fish, chicken, canned food. We are craving eggs, or anything,' said Wael Attar. They shelter in a school as part of the 1.7 million people displaced in Gaza. The humanitarian group Oxfam says people in northern Gaza have survived on an average of 245 calories a day since January. Israel has promised to open more border crossings into Gaza and increase the flow of aid. The war's death toll in Gaza is now 33,137, the territory's Health Ministry said. Its toll doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants, but it has said women and children make up the majority of the dead. The ministry said the bodies of 46 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes had been brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours the lowest such daily tally in months. Israel has blamed Hamas for civilian deaths in Gaza, accusing it of operating in residential communities and public areas like hospitals. Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah now holds more than half of the territory's 2.3 million people, and Israel's vow to carry out a ground offensive there has caused weeks of dread and warnings even from Israel's top ally, the United States. An Egyptian official on Friday called Israel's most recent proposal to evacuate civilians from Rafah an unrealistic and unworkable plan." Egypt again threatened to suspend parts of the 46-year-old Camp David Accords that facilitate security cooperation between the states.(AP) RUP RUP Islamabad, Apr 6 (PTI) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday embarked on his maiden foreign visit to Saudi Arabia to meet the Saudi leadership and discuss issues of mutual interest. The prime minister departed for Saudi Arabia in a commercial airline for a visit from April 6 to 8, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said. Sharif, who assumed office as Pakistan's prime minister for a second time last month, is accompanied by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and other ministers and senior officials. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also accompanied the prime minister, the report said. Sharif will also perform Umrah (in Makkah) and offer prayers at the Masjid Nabwi Al-Sharif (in Medina) during the visit from April 6 to 8 during the last days of Ramzan. The Prime Minister is expected to meet the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammad bin Salman and discuss issues of mutual interest. The leaders will also exchange views on regional and global developments. During his stay, multiple development projects would be finalised, whereas bilateral cooperation in several sectors including agriculture continues between the two countries, Dawn.com said, quoting sources. They said Saudi Arabia was expected to invest USD 1 billion in the Reko Diq project as well. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long-standing fraternal relations rooted in religious and cultural affinity. The leadership of both countries is committed to advancing their fraternal ties and mutually rewarding economic and investment relations, according to the Foreign Office here. Bhopal, Apr 6 (PTI) The opposition INDIA bloc on Saturday said it will support one of the candidates in the fray in Khajuraho Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh, the announcement coming a day after the nomination form of Samajwadi Party's Meera Yadav was rejected. The seat was given to the SP by the Congress as part of its Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance agreement. The BJP has fielded its state unit chief Vishnu Dutt Sharma. "We will support one of the candidates against the BJP. We will teach the BJP a lesson," a Congress leader said. The INDIA bloc had met during the day to chalk out a strategy against the ruling party. Meanwhile, leaders of the Congress, SP and other INDIA constituents slammed the returning officer, who happens to be the Panna collector. "He was not on his seat for three hours while the SP candidate waited on Friday. MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari said Meera Yadav was present in the collector's office from 12 noon but he did not arrive. She also made several calls to the collector but in vain," the Congress leader alleged. Backing the claim, MP Samajwadi Party chief Manoj Yadav slammed the BJP for the turn of events. The SP candidate's nomination form was rejected by the Returning Officer on Friday as she had failed to sign at one place and had also submitted an old voters' list copy. Rajnandgaon, Apr 5 (PTI) A case was registered on Friday against senior Congress leader Charan Das Mahant in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district for his alleged objectionable remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a public rally earlier this week. The FIR was registered against Mahant at Kotwali Police Station here based on the complaint of the District Election Officer, a senior police officer said. He was booked under section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC for his alleged remarks during a public rally here on April 2, the official said. The state BJP had lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer of Chhattisgarh against Mahant, accusing him of inciting Congress workers and the public to commit violence against the prime minister. Later, Mahant in a video statement said he respected the prime minister, and his statement was misinterpreted. If anyone was hurt by it, he expressed regret, he said. Pune, Apr 6 (PTI) Contract recruitment in government departments must stop, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said on Saturday while addressing students preparing for competitive exams. Pawar also said seats in such exams should be increased, adding that the government must work hard to address problems of students, who are putting in lot of hard work to improve their future. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised two crore jobs per year but only seven lakh youth have got jobs. There is need to reduce corruption, develop social institutions and build factories," he said at the 'Aswasth Tarunai Ashwaasak Saheb' event at Bal Gandharv auditorium here. During the question-answer session at the event, he told one student there must be a struggle if the Union and state governments do not listen to their woes. Asked about the role of women in politics and decision making, he said women can excel in every sector if given the opportunity. Bhubaneswar, Apr 6 (PTI) Former Odisha law minister Raghunath Mohanty on Saturday resigned from the BJP, sparking speculations of his return to the BJD, which has been searching for a suitable candidate in Balasore Lok Sabha seat, which is his stronghold. In his resignation letter sent to Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal, he said, "I do hereby inform you that I and my family members tendered resignation from the primary membership of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with immediate effect. There is a vast difference of ideologies between BJP and me. So, it became impossible for me to remain in the party anymore." Asked about his next move, the former minister said he would consult his relatives, well-wishers and supporters before deciding the future course of action. A five-time MLA from Basta constituency, Mohanty was removed from the BJP following his arrest in a dowry case slapped by his daughter-in-law Barsa Sony Choudhury. Though he was readmitted to the party in 2018, Mohanty resigned from it ahead of the 2019 polls and joined the BJP. However, he unsuccessfully contested from the seat in 2019. He was first elected to the state assembly from Basta seat under Balasore Lok Sabha Constituency in 1990 on a Janata Dal ticket. He retained the seat in 1995, 2000, 2004 and 2009 elections. Speculations are rife that the BJD may nominate either Mohanty or any of his family members, particularly daughter-in-law Barsa Sony Choudhury, from the Balasore Lok Sabha seat. Though the ruling party has so far announced the names of its candidates for 20 Lok Sabha seats, it is yet to nominate anyone from Balasore district. The BJP has already re-nominated its sitting MP Pratap Sarangi as its candidate for the seat. The Congress is likely to field former Union minister Srikant Jena in the seat, sources said. Bokaro, Apr 6 (PTI) Around 15 workers of SAILs Bokaro Steel Plant have been kept under medical observation after a fire broke out on Saturday morning, an official said. This is a precautionary measure and all of them are out of danger, he said. There was no report of any fatality, the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) official said. The incident took place when maintenance work was underway in the mixed gas pipeline of the Bokaro plant, he said. There has been no leakage of any gas from the pipeline, and the situation is completely under control, the official said. The fire has been extinguished and senior officials are camping at the spot, he added. Guwahati, Apr 6 (PTI) An Assam Police Service (APS) officer has been dismissed from service and disqualified for future employment in a case related to the sexual assault and murder of a girl in Darrang district, of which he was the superintendent of police at the time of the incident, DGP GP Singh said on Saturday. "In pursuance of policy of zero tolerance towards malpractices in @assampolice, Sri Raj Mohan Ray APS, the then Superintendent of Police Darrang, has been awarded penalty of dismissal from service, which shall ordinarily be disqualification for future employment on April 1st 2024 by @mygovassam," the Director General of Police posted on X. Ray was the SP of Darrang when the sexual assault and murder of the 13-year-old girl, who was working as a domestic help in the house of one Krishna Kamal Baruah, in June 2022 created an outrage and led to allegations that the police displayed extreme dereliction of duty in collecting photographic and videographic evidence of the incident. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had visited the girl's family two months later and, on his instructions, the body was exhumed and a second post-mortem conducted, which established sexual assault and murder of the victim. Several people were arrested in the case subsequently, including Ray, employers of the victims, Darrang additional SP Rupam Phukan, Dhula police station officer-in-charge Utpal Bora and the three doctors who had conducted the first postmortem of the girl. Kolkata, Apr 6 (PTI) People of southern West Bengal are likely to get a respite from the sweltering heat with the Met Department on Saturday forecasting thunderstorms owing to the formation of a cyclonic circulation over north Bangladesh. Heatwave conditions are prevailing over several districts in the region, with Panagarh recording the highest temperature in the state at 41.7 degrees Celsius, closely followed by Bankura at 41.5 degrees Celsius, the weather office said. It forecast thunderstorms with lightning and gusty wind in the region till Monday, and in northern West Bengal till Wednesday owing to a cyclonic circulation lying over north Bangladesh and strong moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal. Southern West Bengal, which has seen a steady rise in day temperatures over the last one week, is set to see a fall in the mercury level by three to four notches, the forecast said, providing people of the region with hope of a respite from the sweltering heat. Kolkata recorded 38.3 degrees Celsius, while Asansol, Purulia and Barrackpore crossed the 40 degrees mark, it said. Kolkata, Apr 6 (PTI) Following are the top stories from the Eastern Region at 5 pm. CAL 15 WB-LD MAMATA *NIA officials attacked villagers in Bengal, not other way round: Mamata Balurghat: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday accused NIA officials of attacking villagers at Bhupatinagar in East Midnapore district and not the other way round. CAL 14 JH-STEEL PLANT-LD FIRE 21 SAIL employees under medical observation after fire breaks out at Bokaro plant Bokaro: All 21 employees of SAILs Bokaro steel plant, who were kept under medical observation after a fire broke out on Saturday morning, are stable, an official said. CAL 13 WB-NIA-ATTACK-GUV Very serious situation, has to be dealt with all seriousness: Bengal guv on attack on NIA team Kolkata: Describing the attack on NIA officers as a "very serious issue", West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Saturday said the matter should be treated with the "all seriousness that it deserves". CAL 12 ELECTIONS-AS-GOGOI-SONOWAL Dibrugarh opposition candidate visits rival Sonowal's family home Dibrugarh: Lurinjyoti Gogoi, the candidate backed by the United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA) for Assam's Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency, visited the family of his BJP rival Sarbananda Sonowal at their residence in Muluk Gaon on Saturday. CAL 10 OD-FIRE-LD NTPC Fire breaks out at NTPC's Kanhia power plant Bhubaneswar: A fire broke out at NTPC's Kaniha plant in Odisha's Angul district on Saturday, fire service officials said. CAL 4 ELECTIONS-AS-TOPON GOGOI-INTERVIEW Will win by over 2 lakh votes against Gaurav Gogoi in Jorhat: Assam BJP MP Jorhat: Sitting BJP MP from Jorhat Lok Sabha seat, Topon Kumar Gogoi, on Saturday exuded confidence of retaining the constituency by trouncing his rival Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress by a margin of over two lakh votes. CAL 3 ELECTIONS-WB-SHANTANU THAKUR-INTERVIEW CAA ensures Matuas' legal citizenship, protects against future NRC: Union Minister Shantanu Thakur Kolkata: Union Minister and Matua leader Shantanu Thakur believes that the CAA will safeguard those belonging to the community by granting them "legal citizenship", thus preventing them from being labelled as foreigners in the event of "a potential NRC exercise in the next 100 years". CAL 2 WB-NIA-ATTACK NIA vehicle attacked in Bengal: Police Kolkata: A vehicle carrying NIA officials was on Saturday attacked by villagers in Bhupatinagar area of West Bengals Purba Medinipur district, where they had gone to investigative a 2022 bomb blast case, police said.* KYODO NEWS - Apr 6, 2024 - 16:41 | All, Japan The government has removed Nissan Motor Co. from its list of companies eligible for a tax break to promote wage increases, after the antitrust watchdog issued a warning to the automaker for illegally reducing payments to dozens of subcontractors, a source familiar with the matter said Saturday. Major companies such as Nissan are required to commit to appropriate business dealings with subcontractors on a government website when they apply for the tax break. Once delisted, companies cannot be listed again for at least a year. The removal of Nissan from the list comes after the Japan Fair Trade Commission said last month that the automaker reduced payments to 36 subcontractors after contracts were signed, in violation of the subcontract law. The reduced payments, considered as an abuse of its dominant position, totaled more than 3 billion yen ($20 million) over around two years. The FTC's warning came at a sensitive time when the government was urging companies to increase wages to help consumers deal with rising prices. Nissan agreed with its union on a 3.4 percent pay increase at wage negotiations last year and a 5.0 percent hike in talks with the union this year. The corporate tax break system was implemented in fiscal 2013 and expanded in fiscal 2022, when the tax reduction amounted to a record 515 billion yen. Related coverage: Japan firms offer 5.28% wage hike, biggest in over 30 years: survey Nissan mulls EV cooperation with Honda to take on overseas rivals New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI) Top Congress leaders met here on Friday to discuss the party's Lok Sabha poll candidates for the three seats it is contesting in Delhi, with sources saying an announcement on it would be made very soon. The Congress is in an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi and fielding candidates in three of the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital. The Congress Election Committee meeting was also held for the states of West Bengal and Haryana with most of its senior leaders in attendance. The meeting was chaired by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by former party chief Sonia Gandhi, general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, senior leaders Salman Khurshid and P L Punia, among others. The party has so far declared over 230 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls that are scheduled to commence on April 19. Saharanpur (UP), Apr 6 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said Muslim women will bless him for centuries to come as he has removed the "sword" of triple talaq hanging over them and their families. Addressing an election rally in Saharanpur, Modi reached out to the Muslim community, which has a sizeable population in the Lok Sabha constituencies of western Uttar Pradesh, saying real secularism is when all get the benefit of government welfare schemes irrespective of their caste and religion as has been seen during the BJP rule. "The BJP government has ended the evil practice of (instant) triple talaq. We enacted a strong law in the interest of crores of Muslim sisters" and protected their families, he said. Some are saying Muslim women have benefitted but "they do not have a complete understanding. It is not that only Muslim women have benefitted" but also their parents and brothers who were always worried as to what would they do if their daughter or sister had to go through triple talaq, Modi said. "By ending this practice of triple talaq, we have saved the entire Muslim family and liberated it from the fear of the sword hanging over them. For centuries to come, Muslim daughters will continue to bless Modi," the prime minister said. The Lok Sabha constituencies in western UP with a sizeable Muslim population are Rampur (42 per cent), Amroha (32 per cent), Saharanpur (30 per cent), Bijnor, Nagina and Moradabad (28 per cent each), Muzaffarnagar (27 per cent), Kairana and Meerut (23 per cent each) and Sambhal (22 per cent). Apart from this, the Muslim voters constitute 19 per cent of the electoral population in Bulandshahr, Baghpat and Aligarh. Around 15.34 crore people are eligible to vote in Uttar Pradesh - a politically crucial state with 80 Lok Sabha seats where the elections will be held in seven phases beginning April 19. According to the election schedule, eight parliamentary constituencies will vote in the first phase on April 19. These are Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. In the 2019 general elections, the BJP won 62 seats and its ally Apna Dal (S) two seats, brushing aside the challenge of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance. The BSP was the biggest gainer in the alliance with 10 seats. Akhilesh Yadav's SP won five seats while the RLD couldn't open its account in the polls. The Congress won the lone Raebareli seat from where Sonia Gandhi had contested. This time RLD has joined hands with the BJP while BSP is going it alone. New Delhi, Apr 6 (PTI) A 25-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly cheating people on the pretext of selling machine tools and spare parts by posing as a wholesale trader and posting fraudulent advertisements on social media, police said on Saturday. The accused Raushan Kumar, a resident of Bihar, was arrested on Friday from Chhatisgarhs Raipur, Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey said. Kumar posed as a wholesale trader and posted advertisements on social media, for selling machine tools and spare parts for cheaper rates. He would provide fake invoices from reputed firms in Raipur to the victims, the DCP said. The matter came to light when Amzad Ali filed a complaint in August last year against Kumar for duping him of Rs 5.7 lakh under the pretext of selling him machine parts. According to the complaint, Ali paid Rs 5,70,050 in five instalments for different charges including advance, packaging and transportation. While Kumar provided him with the invoices, courier slips and acknowledgement, he allegedly never received the tools, police said. During the investigation, the police found that Kumar had cheated over 20 people in the past year and had earned Rs 20 lakh from the proceeds. They also recovered seven mobile phones, seven SIM cards, four ATM Cards, forged stamps and other documents from his possession, DCP said. A case under sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at the district's cyber police station, he added. New Delhi, Apr 6 (PTI) The Delhi High Court is likely to hear on Monday a plea seeking the transfer of a 1994 triple murder case, in which former Punjab police chief Sumedh Singh Saini is an accused, from one trial court judge to another. The petition is listed for hearing on April 8 before Justice Jyoti Singh. The petition has sought the transfer of the case from the court of Sunena Sharma, special Prevention of Corruption Act judge, to the court of Additional District Judge Naresh Kumar Laka, who had heard the matter at length on various dates before being transferred to his present roster. The case is going on in the Tis Hazari Court here. "The present case is one of the oldest identified cases (FIR is of the year 1994) being 30-year-old matter and because of the transfer, the new judge will have to rehear the matter again, which would result in further delay," according to the petition which is filed through advocate Adarsh Priyadarshi. The transfer petition has been filed in the high court by Ashish Kumar, brother of one of the three victims. According to the plea, the criminal case is at the stage of final arguments in the trial court. It said that judge Laka had heard final arguments for five days when the case was transferred to another court on March 19 this year and the new judge will now hear the matter. "The record of the case is voluminous running in thousands of pages and the court of Naresh Kumar Laka has gone through the entire record of the case The FIR is of year 1994 and a lot of witnesses have died or were given up due to prolonged trial, the delay is solely attributable to the accused. Any further delay would gravely prejudice and harm the complainant who has been sincerely and diligently pursuing the complaint for the last three decades," the petition claimed. The case pertains to alleged involvement of Saini, the then SSP of Ludhiana, in the kidnapping and murder of three persons - Vinod Kumar, Ashok Kumar and their driver Mukhtiar Singh -- in 1994 in Ludhiana. The CBI has alleged that the three men were murdered at the behest of Saini who hatched a conspiracy in connivance with other accused policemen Sukh Mohinder Singh Sandhu, Paramjit Singh and Balbir Chand Tiwari to settle a personal score against the owners of Saini Motors, an automobile dealership in Punjab. Vinod and Ashok were chief financiers to Saini Motors. The case was registered by the CBI on April 18, 1994 against Saini and others on the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and was transferred to Delhi by the Supreme Court in 2004. Saini was chargesheeted along with others in a case of abduction, wrongful confinement and criminal conspiracy. Kannur (Kerala), Apr 6 (PTI) Four persons were arrested on Saturday in connection with the blast near Panur here a day ago that claimed one life and caused injuries to three others, police said. Police said that the arrested accused, the three injured persons and the one who died, all of them were CPI(M) workers or supporters, a claim that has been denied by the Left party. A senior officer of Panur police station said that they have arrested Shebin Lal, K Atul, K K Arun and Sayooj all of whom were allegedly present when the country-made bomb being made had exploded. Sayooj was caught from Palakkad while allegedly trying to escape to Coimbatore in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, police said. Three others -- Vineesh, Vinod and Ashwanth -- who were also injured in the blast are undergoing treatment, it added. CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said that the party has no connection with those involved in the incident as they had attacked party members in the past. He said there was no need for the party to make weapons during the election time and such allegations against the CPI(M) were false propaganda. Govindan was apparently referring to the Congress-led UDF allegations that the bomb was being made by CPI(M) workers to disrupt the election process. Congress MLA Shafi Parambil, who is contesting from the Vatakara Lok Sabha seat and RSP MLA K K Rema, together carried out a peace march during the day in Vatakara in protest against the blast incident. They both alleged that CPI(M) workers made the bomb on the directions of the party. The blast on Friday in this north Kerala district had stirred up the political waters in the state with both the Congress and the BJP blaming the CPI(M) for it, while the Left party denied any involvement in the incident. Sheril, 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, according to the police. Jammu, Apr 5 (PTI) Authorities on Friday issued a show-cause notice to a sub divisional police officer, ordered an inquiry against a station house officer and recommended the suspension of a head constable for not maintenance of police records, officials said on Friday. Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Jammu-Samba range, Dr Sunil Gupta paid a surprise visit to the police station in Janipur, inspected the record room and malkhana, they said. On checking, most registers were not found to be maintained properly, an official said. A show-cause notice is being issued against SDPO, Bakshi Nagar on the directions by the DIG, a departmental enquiry is ordered against SHO, Janipur for his poor supervision, and a head constable of Janipur Police Station is recommended for suspension, the official said. During the inspection, the DIG stressed upon the SDPO and SHO, other staff to maintain extra vigil in their area due to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He also directed the SDPO and SHO to redress public grievances in a time-bound manner. Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh), Apr 6 (PTI) The Andhra Pradesh IPS officers body on Saturday made a representation to the Chief Election Commissioner in which they claimed leaders from NDA in the state were indulging in a sustained misinformation propaganda to tarnish their reputation. The body observed leaders of TDP, BJP and Janasena were making baseless allegations against the members of the Indian Police Service (IPS) as part of a malicious campaign. They took the names of TDP leader V Ramaiah, state BJP chief D Purandeswari and others, along with the names of some media houses and also cited specific news articles. "In the last two months, more than 30 IPS officers of Andhra Pradesh cadre have suffered because of the orchestrated propaganda being made by such vested groups. The sustained negative propaganda...was well orchestrated by political parties and media houses," said the officials in a letter addressed to the CEC. Identifying a pattern in their modus operandi, the All India Service (AIS) officers noted initially some political leaders come up with wild allegations and make a representation to the Election Commission. Later, the parties address the media to talk ill about the police by alleging corruption, partisan attitude, inefficiency and others, which get amplified in certain media houses and later made viral on social media through the handles of those respective parties and leaders. The police officers highlighted that false petitions devoid of supporting evidence is demoralising the police force. Recently, the poll body stripped a bunch of district collectors and superintendents of police (SP) of election duties and the officers attributed this development as a success of the maligning done by those vested interests. As police officers are bound by the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), the officials said there are limitations for them to refute or counter such a continuous onslaught. "Instead of representing to the Election Commission on matters related to the conduct of the elections in a free and fair manner, they are unfortunately trying to defame the officers so as to keep them in a defensive mode and to influence the Election Commission accordingly," said the body. Recalling the yeoman services rendered by the Andhra Pradesh police in battling Left Wing Extremism (LWE), terrorism, organised crime and other unlawful activities, along with humanitarian aid during floods and Covid-19 pandemic, the IPS officers said the department is selfless to safeguard the interests of the society. Claiming that unfounded accusations have the potential to disrupt the electoral process by diverting attention from substantive issues, especially at a time when Maoists gave a call to boycott polls, the police officers appealed to the Election Commission to initiate appropriate measures in curbing such malicious propaganda against them. As many as 19 IPS officers sent individual letters to the Election Commission calling for action while Vijayawada police commissioner Kanthi Ratan Tata personally met the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and submitted the representation. Assembly elections will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls in Andhra Pradesh on May 13. Viewed of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. IDF commandos rescued the body of Elad Katzir, Hyd, who was abducted by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group on October 7th and murdered in Gaza, in a dramatic operation on Friday in the heart of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. According to the IDF, Katzir, Hyd, 47, was murdered by his captors in January. IDF commandos from the Egoz unit found his remains in Khan Younis based on Shin Bet and military intelligence Katzir, zl, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz. His mother, Chana, 76, was also abducted from the kibbutz by PIJ and was released in November in serious condition due to the harsh conditions she was held in. His father, Avraham, Hyd, was murdered at the kibbutz on October 7th. According to a statement from Kibbutz Nir Oz, Katzir, zl, was murdered after suffering physical and mental torture for months. Hashem Yikam Damo. (YWNs Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis haShabbos in Israel) KYODO NEWS - Apr 6, 2024 - 19:59 | World, All The United States and China have agreed to launch talks on "balanced growth" in their domestic economies as well as globally that will address U.S. concerns over China's excess manufacturing capacity of electric vehicles and other items, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Saturday. The world's two largest economies also decided to expand their cooperation against financial crimes, announcing the start of exchanges aimed at clamping down on the laundering of money, she said during her visit to the Asian country. The agreements were reached following two days of talks through Saturday between Yellen and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Guangzhou, southern China, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. Yellen reaffirmed with He the "important foundations" of the U.S.-China economic relationship, which the two sides agreed to in November, including the need to intensify communication and the shared objective of a healthy economic relationship that provides a level playing field, the department said in a press release. On the launch of talks on balanced growth, Yellen said in a statement that they will facilitate a discussion around macroeconomic imbalances, citing her particular concerns about the impact of Chinese industrial overcapacity in sectors such as EVs and solar panels as a result of government support. Criticizing China for exporting large quantities of goods at "artificially depressed prices," Yellen said, "I firmly believe a shift away from policies that drive overcapacity would benefit the American, Chinese, and global economies." The issue of overcapacity in some Chinese manufacturing sectors has come to light as domestic demand remains sluggish in the Asian powerhouse with its economy slowing amid the prolonged property sector crisis. China's official Xinhua News Agency said Saturday that He and Yellen had "candid, pragmatic and constructive discussions" on the macroeconomic situations of the two countries and the world. The report confirmed the launch of the two new talks on balanced growth and efforts to counter money laundering. The Chinese side "expressed grave concern over U.S. economic and trade measures restricting China and responded fully to the issue of production capacity," Xinhua said without elaborating. In a commentary Saturday, Xinhua said Washington has "grown increasingly agitated" over China's booming green industries and criticized the United States for "rehashing the old 'overcapacity' rhetoric and threatening to impose higher tariffs." "Suppressing China's EV-related industries won't help America grow its own. Only cooperation can," the news agency said. In another commentary Friday, Xinhua also lashed out at Washington's "double standard" as Western nations have "embraced for centuries" a basic economic principle that surplus products find markets abroad. "Instead of resorting to fear-mongering and protectionism, Washington should focus on fostering innovation and competitiveness within its own borders," the commentary said. Among other topics, Yellen emphasized during her talks with He that Chinese companies must not provide material support for Moscow's war against Ukraine, including assistance to the Russian defense industrial base. She warned the firms will face significant consequences if they do so, according to the Treasury Department. Yellen also underscored that the United States is not seeking to economically decouple from China, the department added. 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. She is scheduled to hold talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Finance Minister Lan Foan and People's Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng in Beijing before concluding her six-day visit on Tuesday. Related coverage: U.S., Chinese forces resume maritime talks, 1st since 2021 Janet Yellen voices concern about EV overproduction to China's vice premier Eye of the storm: Neil Woodford's fund lost money for thousands of investors who now seek justice When victims of financial wrongdoing are identified, justice is rarely fair and invariably far too late in coming. You don't need to scratch your head too hard to remember examples. Think Equitable Life, think Waspi (Women against state pension inequality) and of course think those sub-postmasters and postmistresses still waiting to be compensated for being wrongly accused of financial impropriety by the bullying Post Office. We should also add Woodford to the list. In the past few days, the first redress payments have been made to 300,000 investors who lost money as a result of the near meltdown of investment fund Woodford Equity Income in 2019 a 4billion investment vehicle badly mismanaged at the death by Neil Woodford, once considered the Messi of the fund management industry. How the mighty fall. Although this 230 million of redress agreed between the City regulator and Link Fund Solutions (the fund's at-sleep overseer) is viewed by most recipients (and experts) as inadequate, there is a further horrible twist in the tale. Some investors have now been told a big chunk of this compensation could be swallowed up in claims management fees, insurance costs and related taxes. Understandably, they feel rather sore. Justice? Fat chance. Harcus Parker was one of the main claims management companies which encouraged disaffected Woodford investors to join a group action against Link. In the wake of the break-up of Woodford Equity Income, it argued with great merit that Link had failed in its duty to safeguard the financial interests of investors. Link, it said, had allowed Woodford to invest in illiquid assets unbecoming of a fund designed to deliver income for investors. Link, it added, also failed to ensure that the fund had sufficient liquid assets to meet redemption requests from investors. Indeed, it was a multi-million pound redemption request from an institutional investor that brought the house of cards collapsing around Woodford's head. Aggrieved investors signed up to Harcus Parker's group action in their thousands while other companies launched similar actions. Yet they were all stopped in their tracks in February this year when the High Court approved a redress scheme thrashed out between the regulator and Link. A scheme binding on all investors knocking into touch all the work done by the claims companies. The bulk of this redress is now finding itself into the pockets of investors and although the scheme was approved by Woodford investors, the consensus view is that it is 'settlement on the cheap'. Yet for participants in the Harcus Parker action, it's settlement on the cheap with a sting in the tale. In its recent letter to those who joined its now defunct group action, Harcus Parker gives worked examples of how the redress will be whittled away by fees (35 per cent), VAT, insurance costs and insurance premium tax (IPT). It doesn't make for easy reading an estimated 60 per cent of the initial redress paid will have to be handed back once Harcus Parker's invoices start landing in clients' email inboxes. Those who have received the mailing are unimpressed. 'I am appalled,' says Ian Forbes, a pharmaceutical consultant from just outside London. 'At least, Neil Woodford in his warped way tried to make money for investors and failed. Harcus promised us proper compensation, did not deliver and now wants a slice of a redress payment that had nothing to do with them.' Charlie, a teacher, is similarly unhappy. 'Harcus Parker? More like Hocus-Pocus,' he says. 'They are not quite the knights in shining armour that I thought they were.' Late last week, Harcus Parker said it was striving to get the overall charges lowered. It also said that as further compensation payments were made, it should increase the percentage return that clients receive. It added that claimants contractually agreed to any redress being counted as claim proceeds. It also said the redress scheme was a 'bad deal' for Woodford investors and undermined consumer protection by blocking a path to compensation via the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. If investors had been able to pursue this route, Harcus Parker said they would have received up to five times more money. Given the paucity of the redress scheme and the fact that some investors will still walk away from this messy investment episode with overall losses in the region of 40 per cent, there is only one conclusion to draw. Justice is rarely fair. Andrea's small but vital Philips Trust victory Although she might not be in the same league as Alan Bates the sub-postmaster who brought the Post Office Horizons scandal bubbling to the surface the admirable Andrea Hindley is not frightened to take on the financial establishment. She has broad shoulders. Andrea is one of the linchpins behind a campaign to get financial justice for those 2,300 people who have lost money as a result of being introduced to unregulated will writing and trust fund services by their local building society. Many of those who took up the offer ultimately ended up with their home and investments sitting inside a trust controlled by Philips Trust Corporation, a wrong 'un (the police are investigating) and now in administration. While customers have since got back ownership of their homes, their investments are worth peanuts and administrator Kroll is trying to salvage what remains (at some considerable expense). It's a sorry affair. Last month, the regulator (the Financial Conduct Authority) washed its hands of the matter. After much procrastination, it said it could not hold the building societies responsible for the actions of Philips Trust because it did not exist at the time they recommended customers to use the services of the Will Writing Company and Family Trust Corporation (both, part of Estate Planning Group). Philips Trust only came on the scene when the Will Writing Company went bust and customers transferred assets from Family to Philips Trust. Like all those who have lost a big chunk of their life savings, the FCA's decision has dismayed Andrea (in her case, it was her parents who were the victims). Yet she isn't giving up the fight. A few days ago, she got Kroll to force the FCA to amend its statement on Philips Trust. Originally, it said: 'Our understanding, supported by the administrators [Kroll], is that it was the actions of Philips Trust, not the building societies, which caused customers to experience investment losses.' Later on, it said that some of the building societies were 'engaged with the administrators' over 'some possible support to affected customer on a voluntary basis'. Yet Kroll had no contact with the FCA ahead of the statement's publication. As a result, Andrea successfully got Kroll to get the FCA to remove 'supported by the administrators' and 'engaged with the administrators' from the statement. A small victory, yes. But Andrea, a retired publican from Devon, is determined not to let the FCA wash its hands of the scandal. She will continue to hold its feet to the fire until those building societies involved in this dreadful affair are held to account for their actions. She is right to do so. After all, without the involvement of these societies, for which they received undisclosed commission payments, there would be no Philips Trust scandal. Ask anyone over the age of 60 to name a significant memory and many will say they say recall watching the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 16, 1969 when Nasa astronaut Neil Armstrong made history, along with his fellow spacemen Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. With the 55th anniversary of the landing this year, there's a surge in interest by collectors for space memorabilia from the Golden Age of Space (1950s-1970s) who want their own piece of history. Think equipment, photographs and autographs. While you might think this niche market would see few genuine artefacts in circulation, this is not necessarily the case. For in September 2012, the U.S. government introduced a bill to give former Nasa astronauts full rights of ownership over mementoes they had amassed during their missions. Nasa employees all 400,000 of them at the time of the landing were also able to acquire Apollo souvenirs when the program ended. Adam Stackhouse, senior specialist in History of Science & Technology at auctioneer Bonhams says that Apollo Program anniversaries as well as recent achievements in space exploration have all contributed to attracting more collectors to the field, adding that, 'Prices have risen since we first held our Space History auction in 2009. Space souvenirs: Top right, Buzz Aldrin's selfie on Gemini-12. Above right, a portrait of the Apollo 11 astronauts (from left) Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. Inset: an Apollo 16 medallion 'When looking for items of space memorabilia provenance is key. Buyers should be able to trace the history of the item in question. For items produced in quantity, such as Nasa photographs, condition is a major factor and value will follow accordingly.' Look out for items that were used on the Apollo missions, especially Apollo 11, as they are always in demand, Stackhouse says. An information sheet which was used by Apollo 11 pilot Buzz Aldrin to land the lunar module 'Eagle' on the moon in 1969 was sold by Bonhams for $44,800 (35,468) last year. A star chart used by Buzz Aldrin during the same mission fetched $38,400 (30,355), while a signed copy of History Of Rocketry & Space Travel by rocket scientist Wernher Von Braun was snapped up for $10,240 (8,097). Next month, a collection of space photographs including a signed picture of Apollo 7 astronaut Wally Schirra taken in 1962 will be put up for sale with Bid Again Auctions in aid of the American Space Museum in Titusville, Florida. More than 100 items including a silver 1972 Apollo 16 medallion once owned by U.S. physician and astronaut Story Musgrave will go under the hammer with Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas, on June 14. 'Flown items can connect the collector with their respective mission like nothing else,' Stackhouse says. 'The supply is limited as many of the important artefacts from the missions were sent to the Smithsonian Museum.' For anyone content to see space memorabilia rather than buy at auction the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC houses the world's largest and most significant collection of aviation and space artefacts. Rare items can come up at auction though. In 2019, a gold medal Neil Armstrong carried in his personal kit was sold for $2 million (1.6 million). The medallion was one of a set made for astronauts at their request and had been in the Armstrong family for more than 50 years. Two years earlier a buyer paid $1.8 million (1.4 million) for the bag Armstrong used to collect rock samples from the lunar surface. Florian Noller, a space dealer and founder of German space collectibles retailer Been In Space, says: 'We currently see a lower supply in new items as most of the early astronauts are unfortunately gone and their collections sold.' While new items may not come up, it does increase competition among buyers, causing the value of items to skyrocket. Noller added: 'With the upcoming Artemis program next year, there will always be a historic demand for the first lunar flight and landings Apollo 11 through to 17.' Original Nasa photographs are also valuable as they allow people to connect to the missions as they convey the emotions and achievements of the space program. Contemporary prints in good condition have become rare over the years as photographs can be easily damaged. The first selfie taken in space, captured by Buzz Aldrin in 1966, was sold for $19,125 (15,113) in 2022. Meanwhile, the first photograph of a human in space, taken in 1965 by James McDivitt of Ed White during the first American spacewalk, was expected to fetch 6,000 at auction but went under the hammer at Christie's for 10,625 in 2020. Avoid items that were mass-produced as they are unlikely to retain their value, advises Daniel Wade, of Jersey-based auctioneer Paul Fraser Collectibles. 'There are masses of toys, keepsakes, costumes, books, models and so on to add to your collection,' he says. 'Much of this material is mass-produced and so not likely to be hugely valuable.' Instead, opt for personal items such as autographs. 'Competition is fierce for quality signatures. Complete in-period sets of signed photos from the Apollo 11 crew sell for an average of 15,000,' says Wade. Armstrong reduced his signing over time and put his pen down in 1993, in protest at the growing market for his autograph. 'For single signers, Neil Armstrong is at the top of the market. An Armstrong signed photo is worth an average of 10,000,' says Wade. 'My general advice to collectors is to buy what you like and regardless of where the market goes, you will always have something you enjoy,' says Stackhouse. Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below. P.T. writes: HM Revenue & Customs informed me that I had paid too little tax in 2022-2023, because I had received over 14,000 in untaxed interest on savings. The savings figure was supplied to HMRC by National Savings. Unfortunately, I have no such account or interest. It is fictional. I contacted the tax office, but now I have been told the Pay As You Earn tax code for my work pension is being changed, leaving me worse off by about 500 a month and cutting my pension by about a third. Tony Hetherington replies: Once the tax juggernaut starts rolling, it is very hard to apply the brakes. Your first inkling that anything was wrong came when you received a demand for 2,751, which was said to be tax due on interest of 14,750. All the taxman could tell you was that the figure had been supplied by National Savings, but officials there were no help either, as you could not give them the account number of the account you did not have in the first place. Cash grab: The taxman wrongly left our reader worse off You wrote to National Savings & Investments (NS&I) and received a written reply saying there was no account in your name. But, by then, the tax office had changed tack and decided to collect an extra 500 a month from your pension. Staff assured you that you would not lose out in the long run if the tip-off from NS&I turned out to be wrong. But this is little comfort when you are losing such a huge slice of your pension for no reason. I asked HMRC to look into this and they moved with commendable speed. Three days after I contacted them, you received a call from the tax office, apologising and offering 75 compensation, as well as issuing you with a new PAYE code. Instead of 2,751, you owe 1.80p. NS&I routinely tells the Revenue about large interest earned by savers, and tax staff then link the tip-off to the taxpayer's records. In a nutshell, someone really did get 14,750 interest but HMRC linked this to you by mistake I've been waiting over a year for my pension lump sum Ms A.S. writes: I was due to receive a pension plan lump sum of 19,417 from Phoenix Life on my 75th birthday, which was in January last year. I was also due to receive 3,010 in January this year. I have not received a penny. I now have a thick file of correspondence and emails, in addition to phone calls I have endured over the past year or so. Every time, I am assured someone will phone me back, but it never happens. I have a terminal lung condition. Time is not on my side. I am desperate. Pathetic: After weeks of waiting and fruitless phone calls, it turned out that Phoenix had actually sent its enquiry to its own address Tony Hetherington replies: In so many large companies it is hard to find someone who will actually take responsibility for sorting out a problem instead of handing it over to someone else in a never ending game of pass-the-problem. You told me that at one stage, Phoenix claimed to be waiting for a reply from the trustees of your old employer's pension scheme. After weeks of waiting and fruitless phone calls, it turned out that Phoenix had actually sent its enquiry to its own address and not to your old employer. On another occasion, you told me, Phoenix sent forms to you. You completed them and returned them, only to have Phoenix tell you that the forms should have gone to the trustees of the pension scheme. This happened last August, but in October exactly the same forms landed on your doormat again, and again they were meant for the trustees. The final straw before you contacted me came when you called Phoenix three times, and each time you were told that the person handling your claim was on another call and would get back to you. He never did, and when you called for a fourth time you were told he had gone off on a training course for two months and would contact you on his return. I contacted Phoenix on your behalf and, four days later, 23,391 landed in your bank account. This was both your overdue payments, less income tax deducted at source. Phoenix initially offered 200 by way of an apology, and 20 to cover all your calls and any other costs. This was pathetic. It did not even scratch the surface of what you could reasonably expect, and I said so. Phoenix has reconsidered. It has now paid you 1,652 as interest on the late payments, with a further 1,025 as compensation for the upset. But adding a final rather bizarre twist to all this, you received one last letter from Phoenix, thanking you for your recent request to change your name. You told me you had held the same name since you got married 56 years ago, and you have no intention of changing it now. Phoenix explained to me that it had just spotted that its records had never noted your middle name, so the records had been changed, but you should never have been contacted or bothered about this. A spokesperson told me: 'It is clear from the findings of our investigation that the service we have provided to Ms S has fallen considerably short of what she should expect, especially at a time when she needed our help, and we are very sorry for the upset and distress this has caused her at an extremely difficult time.' If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned. There was a bunfight in Britain's start-up scene last week with a ready meal firm claiming another business was trying to piggyback off its appearance on BBC 1's Dragons' Den. Hilary Kennedy, founder of vegan meal kit maker Planthood, took to LinkedIn to accuse rival Simmer of using footage from her pitch in the Den last year. Simmer, she said, had nicked it to advertise its own food on social media. A bad taste: Hilary Kennedy, founder of vegan meal kit maker Planthood, took to LinkedIn to accuse rival Simmer of using footage from her pitch in the Den last year 'It hurts to see another business steal and profit off that hard work and sacrifice,' Kennedy wrote, adding that she was 'shocked' by the ads. Simmer founder Simmy Dhillon issued a mea culpa on Friday, admitting 'mistakes were made', but said the ads were intended to be 'harmless fun' and were quickly removed once the issue came to light. But in a pointed barb to his critics, Dhillon wrote: 'If I have an issue with a fellow business-owner, I don't drag their name through the mud.' BBC out of touch 'oop North' When it moved to Salford a few years ago the idea was to put the BBC more in touch with things 'oop North'. So there were red faces last week when one of Radio 4's Today programme presenters quizzed Co-op boss Shirine Khoury-Haq about 'job losses' at the Manchester-based bank of the same name. 'It's no longer part of the group,' she gently reminded the hapless hack. Oops! Daniel Kretinsky's coal empire turning green? He is best known for his holdings in Royal Mail and West Ham Utd, but Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky is also a coal baron. But last week there were signs the tycoon's coal-blackened empire could be turning green. On Wednesday, his EP Corporate Group said five of its coal-fired power plants in Germany and Slovakia had been shut, eliminating 15 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year. Kretinsky, dubbed the Czech Sphinx for his inscrutable approach to investing, previously snapped up fossil fuel plants on the cheap to cash in on a rush to decarbonise. So what prompted the change of heart? The riddle remains to be solved. Sutton Harbour in row with Plymouth council Disputes over development are a national pastime in the UK, or so it seems for AIM-listed property group Sutton Harbour. Last week it updated the market on a lengthy row with Plymouth council over its ownership of the city's derelict airport. The council previously said Sutton breached leasing arrangements for the 113-acre site, threatening to take over the land. But on Wednesday Sutton, which plans to build houses there, demanded the council withdraw its notices. It is probably hoping to resolve the dispute soon and revive its share price, which has slumped by over 30 per cent so far this year. One to watch. Contributor: Patrick Tooher High earner: AstraZeneca boss Pascal Soriot AstraZeneca's chief executive is in line to become the FTSE 100's first 150 million boss. The drugs giant is asking its shareholders to approve a performance-based pay policy that could hand Pascal Soriot rewards of up to 18.7 million this year. That would take his total earnings to 153 million since he took over in 2012. To date, the businessman has been paid more than 135 million. Soriot, 64, is widely hailed for reviving the fortunes of one of Britain's biggest drug companies and providing millions with a life-saving Covid-19 vaccine. He also fought off an unwanted takeover bid from US rival Pfizer. However, some investors are bridling at the size of his pay and bonus package. The French-Australian executive faces a battle to win the support of investors for his bumper earnings. Two influential shareholder advisory groups, Glass Lewis and ISS, are urging investors to vote against pay plan at the annual meeting this week, branding it 'excessive'. Under the proposal, Soriot (pictured) could earn a bonus worth up to 300 per cent of his nearly 1.5 million base salary plus performance-related share awards worth up to 850 per cent of base pay. This is an increase on the previous pay deal , which permitted a 250 per cent bonus and awards worth 650 per cent of his base salary. AstraZeneca has argued that the increase is 'necessary to increase the competitiveness' of the business compared with its rivals in the US and Europe. Soriot has complained in the past about being underpaid compared with other global pharmaceutical bosses. But Glass Lewis says there is an 'absence of compelling evidence' that the AstraZeneca boss is underpaid. Emma Walmsley, chief executive of UK rival GSK, was paid 12.7 million last year compared with Soriot's 16.9 million. Albert Bourla, head of Pfizer, took home 17 million. Europe's largest drugs group, Danish firm Novo Nordisk, maker of weight-loss drug Ozempic, paid its boss Lars Fruergaard Jrgensen 7.8 million. One of the top earners worldwide in the drug sector is David Ricks, boss of Eli Lilly, who was paid 21 million in 2023. Leading business figures in the City, including Julia Hoggett, head of the London Stock Exchange Group, are pushing for executives to receive higher salaries. Hoggett called for a 'constructive discussion' around executive pay, saying that Britain needed to attract top talent and discourage firms from decamping overseas. Soriot's pay has stirred controversy with shareholders in the past. Nearly 40 per cent of votes cast at AstraZeneca's 2021 shareholder meeting were against its pay plan, which is set every three years. Companies where more than 20 per cent of shareholders vote against bosses' pay are put onto a 'list of shame', which is compiled by trade body, The Investment Association. 'Given the concern that's previously been expressed about the extreme levels of executive pay at AstraZeneca, it's disappointing that the company has opted to give its chief executive an even higher pay package,' said Andrew Speke of think-tank, the High Pay Centre. He added that no chief executive 'deserves to be paid over 500 times the typical UK worker'. AstraZeneca investors may be minded to reward Soriot for his stellar record at the drugs giant. He has had one of the most successful careers in British corporate history, spearheading the development of one of the first Covid-19 vaccines and repelling Pfizer's hostile takeover bid in 2014. Under his leadership, AstraZeneca's market value has more than tripled to 164 billion, putting it ahead of HSBC and second only to Shell on the London Stock Exchange. Astra now has a market value higher than its one-time suitor Pfizer, at 120 billion. Risky move: Nationwide boss Debbie Crosbie A petition calling on Nationwide to give members a say in its takeover of Virgin Money is on track to hit the target needed to call a special meeting. The building society, led by Debbie Crosbie, insists there is no need to consult its 16 million members who own the mutual on its bid for the High Street lender. Nationwide argues any consultation risks delaying the 2.9 billion deal. But some members say swallowing Virgin Money, which will increase Nationwide's size by a third, is risky and want the building society to explain what is in it for customers. One of them, Mikael Armstrong, says the decision not to give its owners any say on the Virgin deal is 'an outrageous show of arrogance'. There is 'absolutely no guarantee' that buying Virgin would 'benefit members in any way', he adds. Armstrong has set up a petition on the change.org website, which has so far garnered over 400 of the 500 signatures required to a call a special meeting of the society's members. If the target is reached he says he will 'organise the paperwork' and take the petition to Nationwide's head office. Members who sign must also pay a deposit of 50 each. Experts say the 500 signature rule, which was introduced long before social media was invented, is a low bar. Being forced to hold a one-off meeting would be a setback for Nationwide as it could blow the Virgin deal off course. A court hearing to approve the Virgin has been set for April 18. If approved, offer documents will be sent to Virgin Money shareholders who do get a vote by the end of this month. Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, the bank's biggest shareholder, stands to net 400 million for its 14 percent stake, plus up to 300 million in add-ons. Nationwide chairman Kevin Parry has already contacted 16 million members outlining the terms of the deal, which takes the building society into business banking for the first time. Insiders say even if a special members' meeting is organised, the Nationwide board would oppose any vote on the Virgin deal. Crosbie suffered a setback last week when an advert starring The Crown actor Dominic West was banned for misleading customers into thinking the building society was not closing any branches. The Advertising Standards Authority received 281 complaints about the ad, including one from rival Santander, which said that Nationwide had recently shut or reduced opening hours at a number of outlets. The watchdog also found Nationwide had not been clear enough that a promise not to close any more branches would end in 2026. That pledge has since been extended to 2028. 'Unfathomable': Iain Duncan Smith Iran's state-backed banks should be sanctioned by the UK so they cannot be used to funnel money to terror groups, according to a former Conservative party leader. Iain Duncan Smith said it was 'unfathomable' that two major Iranian lenders, Melli Bank and Bank Saderat, still had branches in London despite allegations from US security officials that they have been used to give cash to terrorists. He told The Mail on Sunday that as both banks are owned by the Iranian government, they are by extension linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC is a branch of the country's armed forces whose members support Iran's overseas allies, including terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah. The US has banned the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. But the UK has not yet done so, despite repeated pleas by MPs and peers in Parliament. Duncan Smith said: 'Our policy is quite ridiculous. You have Iranian banks operating in the UK one of the world's premier financial centres with impunity, alongside the IRGC.' Last month he wrote to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Home Secretary James Cleverly asking what steps have been taken to 'investigate Iranian financial institutions based in the UK', including Saderat and Melli. Melli Bank's UK base is on Kensington High Street, in one of London's most upmarket neighbourhoods. Bank Saderat's offices sit in the City just behind the Bank of England. The presence of Iranian banks in the UK follows allegations in February that some of Britain's biggest financial institutions had been used by the Islamic theocracy in a vast plot to evade US sanctions. Lloyds, HSBC, and Standard Chartered are among those alleged to have provided banking services for front companies linked to the Iranian regime. Duncan Smith and other MPs are pushing for the UK to align itself more closely with the US and sanction both banks. Veteran Labour MP Margaret Hodge, an anti-corruption campaigner, said earlier this month it was 'completely barmy' that Iran's banks and the IRGC were allowed to operate in Britain. A Foreign Office spokesman said rules had recently been introduced 'which gives us new and enhanced sanctions powers to counter Iran's hostile and destabilising activities.' Survivor: Lionel Shriver wrote We Need To Talk About Kevin Lionel Shriver is the author of 16 novels, including the international bestseller We Need To Talk About Kevin (2003), writes Alex Peake-Tomkinson. It was made into a film of the same name for which Tilda Swinton was nominated for a Best Actress Bafta Award and a Best Actress Golden Globe Award in 2011. Her books have been translated into 28 languages. Now 66, she lives outside Lisbon with her husband, jazz musician Jeff Williams. What did your parents teach you about money? Not to spend it! They were very frugal. In the latter part of my life, what has been difficult for me is learning to spend money. The problem with the saving mentality is that it is fundamentally based on a misconception of immortality, especially as I don't have any children and at a certain point, you have to realise that it's merely a means to an end. When you're a saver, that's hard to understand. Did you think being an author would be well-paid? No, I wasn't that dumb. I went in with my eyes open. I felt very fortunate early in my career, even though I wasn't getting big advances, to get anything at all. I'm reluctant to wallow in how lucky I am because I think women have a tendency to apologise when they do well with something: 'Oh, I'm just lucky'. And male authors never say that so it's not just that I'm lucky. But it was a big risk. It was a financial risk in addition to every other kind of risk. Have you ever struggled to make ends meet? I struggled for the first half of my career, certainly. I was doing okay to begin with. But then I lost my US publisher and I went through 12 years in the wilderness, only publishing in the UK, and getting paid very little. All that frugality that my parents taught me came to my rescue in some ways, because I was able to live on little money and still do what I wanted. I ate a lot of carrots and learned to drink Bulgarian wine. Apologies to Bulgarians! What is the most expensive thing you bought for fun? I bought a Movado watch for about 500. I fell out with someone who proved to be rather an unpleasant person. And she had given me a Movado watch. I didn't ask for it but this was the kind of person who gave you presents to make you feel indebted. Once the relationship came to an ugly conclusion, she wanted the watch back. I posted her the watch and then I went right out and I bought myself a nicer Movado watch that was bigger, which meant that it had a watch face that I could read without my glasses on that's very important as you get older. She had intended the withdrawal of this terribly valuable, wonderful thing to sting. Instead I used it as an occasion to upgrade. What is your biggest money mistake? It was to take a chunk of money and to give it to a good friend of mine to invest. He had at that time been beating the market. He writes financial documents professionally, so it wasn't completely crazy to let him invest this money. Well, it's been a catastrophe. I have less of that money now. Enough time has passed that, you know, if I just stuffed it in an index fund, it would have doubled in value. It's awkward and the mistake is not so much losing the money as the fact it involves a friendship and money that's to be avoided if you can, at all costs. Ideally use a financial adviser, with whom you can have a purely professional relationship. What is the best money decision you have made? Ironically, it was to become a writer. It has paid off, literally. Sometimes you take a risk and it works out. But this decision was not without some considerable suffering along the way. The 12 years I mentioned were not happy years they were full of frustration and disappointment. But it came right in the end. And if I had allowed myself to be discouraged then I would be poorer now. What would you have done if you hadn't become a writer? I might have been drawn to something even more impractical and that's figure sculpture. Growing up, I was as passionate about art as I was about writing. Do you save into a pension? Of course. I don't trust America's social security to go the distance. I get a tiny UK pension. It never occurred to me to save for my retirement until my late 40s, at least. I was living hand to mouth so there was no question of saving for later, it was hard enough to make it through the month. It is one of the things that becoming more affluent made possible. Hit: We Need To Talk About Kevin was made into a film of the same name for which Tilda Swinton was nominated for a Best Actress Bafta Award and a Best Actress Golden Globe Award How many properties do you own? My husband and I have a dishevelled little house in Brooklyn and we've had that for 20 years and we also own this house in Portugal, just outside Lisbon which overlooks the sea it's not suffering. We bought it at the end of 2022. It's a ludicrously big house with five bedrooms. What was the best year of your financial life? It was 2007, which is not when my book We Need To Talk About Kevin came out, it's when it came in. It was not to my advantage, actually, as everything that book made, it made in a single year so as a result the real beneficiary was the US government. I lost half of the book proceeds in tax. Do you donate money to charity? Not very much, though I did once. I was paid silly money by the BBC in the Covid era, about 2020. They wanted to do an interview for some complicated project. My instincts were absolutely dead on, that the project would never come to fruition so, long story short, I felt a little weird about getting paid 18,000 for four hours. And I gave 12,000 of it to a food bank and then when you subtracted off the additional taxes I had to pay on that donation to charity, I lost 20 per cent of 12,000: two and a half grand basically. But that still left a generous reward for an afternoon of my time. What is your number one financial priority? Surviving an upcoming fiscal apocalypse. I also think it is going to be impossible to protect yourself against international fiscal collapse. I think we're all going to be in the same boat. KYODO NEWS - Apr 6, 2024 - 12:24 | All, World, Japan Japan, the United States, Australia and the Philippines said Saturday they will conduct their first full-scale joint naval exercises in the South China Sea, in an apparent show of unity against China's maritime assertiveness. The Maritime Cooperative Activity will be held in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone on Sunday to demonstrate the "collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific," the four countries' defense ministers said in a joint statement. Since holding the first meeting of their defense chiefs in June last year, the United States and its three allies have been beefing up their bilateral or multilateral ties. China has become increasingly assertive in the resource-rich South China Sea. In the most recent incident, China's coast guard used water cannons against a Philippine ship near a disputed shoal late last month. "We stand with all nations in safeguarding the international order based on the rule of law," which is the "foundation" of regional peace and stability, the four ministers said in the statement. The joint drills will take place off the Philippines' Palawan Island, Philippine government sources said. The drills are aimed at strengthening the "interoperability" of their forces' "doctrines, tactics, techniques and procedures," the ministers said. The exercises are expected to include anti-submarine warfare drills and maritime patrols, a Japanese Defense Ministry official told reporters, adding "no specific nations" are targeted. In the water cannon attack by the Chinese Coast Guard near the Manila-controlled, Beijing-claimed Second Thomas Shoal, a Philippine vessel on a supply mission to a grounded navy ship was heavily damaged and Filipino servicemen were wounded. In the statement, the ministers reaffirmed their position that a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that invalidated China's claim of sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea was "a final and legally binding decision on the parties to the dispute." In August, the four nations also held joint training for offshore replenishment off the northwestern Philippines, but the participants only exchanged salutes and assembled for a photo session. Related coverage: U.S., Chinese forces resume maritime talks, 1st since 2021 Japan, U.S., Australia, Philippines to hold drill in South China Sea China coast guard blasts Philippine boat with water cannon Hubbell (NYSE:HUBB Free Report) had its price objective raised by Barclays from $368.00 to $400.00 in a report published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the industrial products companys stock. Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Hubbell from $383.00 to $385.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Hubbell in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an equal weight rating and a $407.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Hubbell from $397.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Hubbell from a hold rating to a buy rating and lifted their price target for the company from $431.00 to $441.00 in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Stephens reissued an overweight rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Hubbell in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $408.88. Get Hubbell alerts: Check Out Our Latest Report on Hubbell Hubbell Price Performance Shares of HUBB opened at $427.70 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $22.96 billion, a PE ratio of 31.89, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.90. The firms 50 day moving average price is $388.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $390.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.81. Hubbell has a twelve month low of $248.37 and a twelve month high of $433.03. Hubbell (NYSE:HUBB Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. Hubbell had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 28.98%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.07 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Hubbell will post 16.45 EPS for the current fiscal year. Hubbell Dividend Announcement The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were given a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Hubbells dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.39%. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, Director Carlos M. Cardoso sold 450 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $364.54, for a total transaction of $164,043.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,670 shares of the companys stock, valued at $608,781.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Hubbell news, CEO Gerben Bakker sold 15,677 shares of Hubbell stock in a transaction on Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $374.34, for a total transaction of $5,868,528.18. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 66,415 shares in the company, valued at $24,861,791.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Carlos M. Cardoso sold 450 shares of Hubbell stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $364.54, for a total transaction of $164,043.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,670 shares in the company, valued at approximately $608,781.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hubbell A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Hubbell by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,696,582 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $2,202,707,000 after buying an additional 918,808 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Hubbell by 16.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,035,596 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $743,970,000 after purchasing an additional 291,850 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Hubbell by 16.9% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,980,456 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $821,989,000 after purchasing an additional 286,134 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Hubbell by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,335,218 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $487,995,000 after purchasing an additional 46,813 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FIL Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Hubbell by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 1,115,510 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $366,925,000 after purchasing an additional 6,526 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.16% of the companys stock. Hubbell Company Profile (Get Free Report) Hubbell Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells electrical and utility solutions in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Electrical Solutions and Utility Solutions. The Electrical Solution segment offers standard and special application wiring device products, rough-in electrical products, connector and grounding products, lighting fixtures, and other electrical equipment for use in industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities by electrical contractors, maintenance personnel, electricians, utilities, and telecommunications companies, as well as components and assemblies. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Hubbell Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hubbell and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. LUSAKA, April 6 (Xinhua) -- A Zambian bank has commended the contribution of Chinese investment and businesses to the country's economic development. Zambia National Commercial Bank (Zanaco) PLC said investment figures show that Chinese investment and businesses were playing a vital role in the country's economy, contributing significantly to growth, job creation and infrastructure development. "The partnerships between Chinese companies and Zambian entities have fostered economic development and enhanced trade relations between our two nations," said Mukwandi Chibesakunda, the bank's chief executive officer, while hosting dinner for its Chinese clients on Friday. The bank, she said, recognizes the importance of the partnership and was committed to supporting Chinese businesses in Zambia to thrive. According to her, Chinese investments have not only contributed to fostering economic development but have also resulted in skills and technological transfer. The bank, she noted, currently has a total of 219 Chinese companies banking with it across the business corporate and investment banking and business banking with a total 66 corporate accounts. "In addition, our total loan book in the Chinese business currently stands at 176.7 million U.S. dollars with most active participation from manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and transport sectors," she added. MOSCOW, April 6 (Xinhua) -- No injuries or fatalities were reported in the wake of a dam breach in the city of Orsk, Russia's Orenburg Oblast, which led to significant flooding and the submersion of homes, local authorities said on Saturday. The mayor's office in Orsk earlier said that the dam, which was designed to protect the city from the Ural River, had failed, affecting 4,258 homes and 10,987 residents. A mass evacuation is currently underway from the old city, where several settlements now find themselves underwater. Six temporary accommodation points have been established to assist those evacuated from the flooded areas. The regional government, via its Telegram channel, announced that 94 individuals, including 40 children, have been moved to temporary shelters from the risk zones. Others have found refuge with relatives. Their lives and health are not in danger, and no medical assistance has been necessary. "Today, all necessary forces are concentrated in Orsk to assist people and address the consequences of the flood. The life and health of the residents is our top priorities. Emergency repair work on the damaged sections of the dam is underway, with all required materials delivered and teams and machinery deployed on site. This is the first time the dam has faced such a challenge," said Governor Denis Pasler, who chaired an emergency meeting on-site. During the meeting, a decision was made to cut off electricity in areas at risk of flooding if water levels reach a critical height, according to regional authorities. TEHRAN, April 6 (Xinhua) -- A top Iranian military commander on Saturday vowed a decisive retaliation with "maximum damage" following a deadly Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Mohammad Baqeri, made the remarks during the funeral in the central province of Isfahan for Mohammad-Reza Zahedi, a veteran commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) who was among the seven Iranians killed in the Israeli attack on the consular section of Iran's embassy in Damascus on Monday. "Our brave men will take the necessary revenge," said Baqeri, adding Iran will "determine the timing, type, design and plan of the operations." He also accused the United States of being an accomplice in the Israeli attack, adding that Washington bears the "main responsibility" and must be held accountable. The missiles, launched from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, hit the Iranian consulate building at around 5:00 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) on Monday, according to the Syrian Defense Ministry. The attack also killed a number of Syrian citizens. The attack has drawn criticism from regional countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkiye. Both Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi have vowed "retaliations" for the attacks. This latest local killing matches the 2022 pace of homicides in KCMO as Springtime violence ramps us. Here is the first report and more from TV news afterwards . . . Homicide 8500 blk of Wallace On 04/05/24 at about 9:50 PM officers were dispatched to the 8500 blk of Wallace on an ambulance en route. Upon arrival they located an adult male victim suffering from unknown bodily trauma. EMS was summoned to the scene and pronounced the victim deceased. This is being investigated as a homicide. Preliminary investigation indicated the victim had an interaction with the suspect that led to the victim being injured. 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 . . . KCPD investigating homicide on east side of Kansas City: police KCPD is investigating a homicide that killed a man at the 8500 block of Wallace Ave, east of I-435 in Western Blue Township. Kansas City, Missouri, police investigate Friday night homicide in 8500 block of Wallace Avenue The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department is investigating after a man was found dead Friday night in the 8500 block of Wallace Avenue. KCPD investigating man's death from 'unknown bodily trauma' as homicide A man in the Western Blue Township, just east of I-435, was pronounced dead Saturday night from an apparent homicide. Developing . . . Follow-up reporting deserves another look on Friday . . . As always, we consider the alternative perspective . . . Outrage over felons amongst the ranks of KCFD overlooks this longstanding debate for local workers without pensions. This controversy is only a reflection of a "social justice" movement which has garnered widespread local support over recent KCMO history. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Criminal Past Not a Game Changer at Kansas City, MO, Fire Department The driver of the engine involved in a crash that killed three is slated to return while another convicted felon was arrested again this week. Developing . . . And they're wrong. For certain . . . They're gone from Jackson County. But here's part of the reasoning which believes the team is bound to their current location . . . "The Royals arent moving to Nashville because one of the biggest stumbling blocks for them in Kansas City was their failure to negotiate a good Community Benefits Agreement with the people of Jackson County. The community organizations that attempted to negotiate with the Royals tried to use two previous CBAs as a template, one from Milwaukee and one from Nashville. That means theyre extremely unlikely to get a better deal in Nashville than they get in KC with considerably less difficulty. "I know Salt Lake City has been brought up by a few people as well, but do you really think either team wants to try to compete with Mormons on Sundays? Ive known a few Mormons in my time and that doesnt sound like a winning proposition, either." Sure. BUT THIS PERSPECTIVE OVERLOOKS MORE MONEY & BIGGER MARKETS!!! Calling somebody's bluff is a comforting feeling that, historically, almost always a bad idea. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Spools of kelp unfurled across the surface of the water in front of my kayak. I easily paddled over their yellow-green blades, peering down into the clear water for orange garibaldi or the grey, shadowy body of a leopard shark. The scenery along Anacapa Island was unexpected: sea arches, rocky cliffs spattered with bird guano, squadrons of pelicans dive-bombing the water for food. It was hard to believe I was off the coast of California, just about 160 kilometres from Los Angeles, exploring Channel Islands National Park with my husband and teenage son. Dubbed North Americas Galapagos because of its diversity of plants and animals including endemic species you wont see anywhere else Channel Islands is one of Californias least-visited national parks. Only about 300,000 tourists come annually, partly because its only accessible by boat. In the coastal city of Oxnard, we boarded our vessel, the Sunfish, in the Channel Islands Harbor, and settled in for the hour-long ride across the Santa Barbara Channel to the park, which is also a marine sanctuary that protects 3,807 square kilometres of ocean water surrounding the parks five islands. Our destination was small Anacapa Island, where wed launch our kayaks and paddle along the north coast while hugging volcanic cliffs to observe seabirds and explore caves formed by the relentless erosive force of waves. Soon, our captain Garrett Kababik, co-founder of Channel Islands Expeditions, spotted a humpback whale. Mesmerized, we watched it exhale forcefully through its blowhole and then dive, dismissing us with that characteristic whale-tail wave. In fall, humpbacks fatten up in the nutrient-rich Santa Barbara Channel, which was designated a Whale Heritage Area last fall. Theyre one of 27 species of whales and dolphins found in these waters a migration route so important, its been dubbed a whale superhighway and they keep company with other marine mammals like harbour seals and California sea lions. Easier to spot were the seabirds, whose clamorous calls filled the air and whose guano imbued it with a pungent, earthy odour as we drew closer to land. Anacapa has always been pretty much owned by the birds, says guide and trip leader Spencer Frey. Its home to the largest breeding colony of California brown pelicans in the Western U.S., for example, and the largest breeding colony of western gulls in the world. But the most surprising natural treasure didnt come into view until we had reached our put-in spot and eased into the kayaks. A few strokes from the Sunfish and we were floating over the canopy of a thriving kelp forest. Waving trees of California giant brown kelp plunged 100 feet or more to the rocky bottom, anchored by a holdfast too far down to see. Over 1,000 marine plants and animals rely on kelp beds for food and protection, making them one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, along with coral reefs and rainforests. The size and health of the kelp forests are part of what makes this place a marine reserve, says Frey. Kelp forests are also important climate stabilizers they produce oxygen and hold carbon, and slow the swell energy of waves, which protects the land and prevents erosion. But theyre also susceptible to climate change and feel the impact when nature gets thrown off balance an overabundance of sea urchins, caused by a decline in sea otters, can destroy a kelp forest, for example. (Channel Islands Expeditions is a certified B Corp that has supported sea urchin culling efforts to help curb kelp degradation.) We took it all in as we paddled east, kayaking beneath sea arches and braving the choppy water inside dark, echoey caves. Along the way we picked up floating flotsam, including Mylar balloons, which break down in the sun and turn into microplastics that fish mistake for food. We aim to retrieve any trash or plastic on every expedition, Kababik explains back on the boat. Finally, I took my own plunge, putting on a mask, snorkel and fins before jumping in. Soon, an astonishing sight made me forget the waters chilly bite: hundreds of kelp giants swaying in symphony with the current. Beneath the surface I saw what eluded me from the kayak: fish like kelp bass and garibaldi playing hide and seek between the maze of fronds. I let myself drift with the seaweed, feeling calm, serene and very, very small. To end the day, there was one more experience that could only be described as surreal: a pod of hundreds of common dolphins accompanied us on the ride back to Oxnard. They swam ahead of the prow and to either side of the vessel, cavorting in the wake, escorting us back to civilization and away from this special, protected place. Just the facts Visit nps.gov/chis for the National Park Services trip-planning tips for the Channel Islands, including when to go and what to do. Public boat transportation is operated by Island Packers, which travels year-round to Santa Cruz and Anacapa, and seasonally to the outer islands of Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Santa Barbara. Private boat companies specializing in the area include Channel Islands Expeditions, which runs its Epic Sea Caves of Anacapa Combo trip between May and November. Lisa Kadane travelled as a guest of Visit California and Visit Oxnard, which did not review or approve this article. MEXICO CITY, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Mexico suspended its diplomatic relations with Ecuador after Ecuadorian police broke into the Mexican embassy in Quito and arrested former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, who has been taking refuge in the embassy since last December. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced the suspension of diplomatic ties with Ecuador on X Friday night local time (GMT 0431 Saturday), calling the Ecuadorian move "a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico." Less than 10 minutes earlier, the Ecuadorian president's X account affirmed Glas was detained by police in a statement at 11:22 local time (GMT 0422 Saturday), saying that "Ecuador is a sovereign country and we are not going to allow any criminal to go unpunished." Mexico's diplomatic personnel in Ecuador will leave that country immediately and will appeal to the International Court of Justice to "denounce Ecuador's responsibility for violations of International Law," said Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena on X at 11:23 local time (GMT 0423 Saturday) In his morning conference, Lopez said he had not considered breaking relations with Ecuador. Around 10:30 pm local time (GMT 0330 Saturday), Ecuadorian police in armored cars forcibly entered the Mexican embassy in Quito and detained Glas, who was granted political asylum by the Mexican government earlier in the day and was waiting for safe passage to Mexico. Hours earlier, the Ecuadorian government warned that it would not permit Glas to leave the country by way of political asylum. Police deployment started in the afternoon around the Mexican embassy, according to local media. The head of the Mexican consular mission in Ecuador, Roberto Canseco, was inside the building when the police broke in. This occurred one day after the Ecuadorian government declared Mexican Ambassador to Ecuador Raquel Serur Smeke a "persona non grata" following days of tension between the two countries. The Mexican government regretted the decision, considering it "disproportionate" and "clearly of a political nature." It instructed the diplomat "to return to Mexico to protect her safety," while expressing opposition to the increased presence of Ecuadorian police forces outside the Mexican embassy in Quito. Glas is subject to two sentences of 14 years in total in Ecuador for corruption. He had served five years in prison and was granted precautionary measures in 2022. He received the arrest warrant in December 2023 and took refuge in the Mexican embassy. On March 1, the Ecuadorian government requested allowing its security forces to enter the Mexican Embassy to arrest Glas but was rejected by Mexico. The father of the man killed by police on Friday says his son needed help for a mental illne The Russians do not hide the fact that Kharkiv is a desirable target for them, but Kharkiv is currently protected. Ukraine has strong defense lines, and the enemy will face resistance in case of an attack. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with the United News nationwide telethon, commenting on enemy fakes about the so-called 'attack on Kharkiv', Ukrinform reported. "Kharkiv is protected today. As far as the defense lines are concerned, as far as our army is concerned, Kharkiv is not in danger today. The fact that it is a desired target... Well, the Russians do not hide the fact that the entire east, and not only the east, but also the south of our country, and cities like Kharkiv and Kramatorsk are their desired target. But today we are defending the Kharkiv region with absolute confidence," Zelensky emphasized. He noted that Russia conducts a powerful disinformation policy, and can deploy troops in certain areas, then withdraw them, and disseminate this information through Western and even Ukrainian media. Read also: President honors defenders who proved themselves on frontline during these days "Sometimes we don't even know that we are helping. Of course, the Ukrainian media do not want this, but we must understand that the Russians are spreading this through our media, through Telegram channels. This panic has a wave of such an explosion, sometimes thanks to us. Everything has to be checked very carefully. All the details. No one is reassuring, we are at war, but we should not exaggerate," Zelensky said. He emphasized that it is no secret that Ukraine is building defensive lines in the Belarusian direction, and the enemy should know that Ukraine has powerful defense lines and troops in this direction. "They should know that there will be resistance. And our society, for example, Chernihiv region, should know that there is a powerful defense here," Zelensky said. As the head of state added, so far there have been no threats from Belarus. By Azernews Fatime Letifova Since the end of the second Garabagh War, Azerbaijan has repeatedly proposed to the Armenian authorities peace talks around the table and, at the same time, urged that they adhere to the November 10 agreement. However, in addition to reneging on its obligations, by involving the Western forces in the processes in the South Caucasus, official Yerevan has done its best to slow down the peace process with its provocations on the border with Azerbaijan. Following the Brussels meeting, Armenia's violation of the ceasefire on the conventional borderin the direction of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and Tovuz regionand the concentration of the army in the direction of Eastern Zangazur overshadow the 'calls for peace' voiced by the Pashinyan government. It seems that Yerevan's goal is to create a new hotbed of war in the region, in addition to forcing Baku to take retaliatory measures. Military expert Emin Hasanli, touching on the subject in a comment for Azernews, said that these provocations by Armenia were imminent. Thus, official Yerevan has never fulfilled its obligations. "Armenia has never fulfilled its obligations. Neither during the period of Tsarist Russia nor during the period of Bolshevik Russia, nor Kocharyan, nor Sargsyan, nor Pashinyan did this country stand behind its word. The expert noted that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan always makes different excuses for the provocations on the border. "Every year, the Armenian authorities declare that there are great hopes for peace this year. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan makes encouraging speeches for peace, but somehow the opposite is happening. He blames the soldiers for every provocation on the border, allegedly saying that the generals in the Armenian army serve the fifth column of some country and do not obey his orders. But he does not disclose the names of the generals. Sometimes he claims that those who violated the ceasefire were drunk or mentally ill. Emin Hasanli drew attention to the special tactics that Armenia is trying to implement. He said that official Yerevan is trying to draw the attention of other countries by further deteriorating the situation in the region. "Armenia has been gathering troops to the front in recent days and is spreading disinformation that Azerbaijan will attack Armenia. The tactics of this country are as follows: to intensify the situation in the region and draw the world's attention to it," added Hasanli. The expert also touched on the issue of people of Armenian descent who moved voluntarily from Garabagh. He said that the main goal here was to create prejudice against Azerbaijan in the Christian world. "People of Armenian descent were taken out of Garabagh themselves. With this, they wanted to direct the pressure of the international community, especially the Christian communities, against Azerbaijan and make the country unjust in its rightful cause. Thus, sanctions would be applied against official Baku. However, they could not achieve their goals, and no sanctions were applied." Emin Hasanli also recalled that all countries in the world recognised Garabagh as the territory of Azerbaijan. "The international world did not see any strangeness here when Azerbaijan ensured its territorial integrity. Because the UN had decisions on this issue. Also, the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Organisation of Islamic Countries, and other institutions knew that Garabagh is the territory of Azerbaijan and confirmed it." The expert noted that despite 4 years of the Second Garabagh War, Armenia cannot accept defeat and is currently trying to put pressure on Azerbaijan with all available means. "With these steps, Armenia is pursuing two goals. The first and main goal is to focus the attention of the international community on Azerbaijan. Pashinyan's government is trying to describe itself as helpless and show Azerbaijan as an aggressive state. In addition, Yerevan denies the provocations committed on the border and tries to portray any retaliatory step by Azerbaijan as a threat to its sovereignty. With this, state officials also create anxiety among their citizens and form a topic for pointless discussions." He noted that another goal of Armenian provocations is to obtain financial aid. The expert said that the decisions made during the Brussels meeting prove this. "Armenia intends not only to pressure Azerbaijan but also to beg money from the West. It's no secret that this country has been financed by various institutions for years and is asking for help at every opportunity. SHIBERGHAN, Afghanistan, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Afghan authorities distributed China-donated humanitarian aid to 56 families in the northern Jawzjan province, Mawlawi Sirajuddin Siraji, provincial director for natural disaster management and humanitarian affairs, said Saturday. "We distributed China-donated humanitarian assistance to 56 families who were affected by recent floods and snowfall," Siraji said. The aid packages, including wheat, beans, blankets and clothes, were distributed by authorities in the provincial capital of Shiberghan on Saturday afternoon, the official added. Welcoming the humanitarian aid, recipient Sid Hakim told Xinhua, "In such a critical situation, the aid is very important for us. My house got damaged and we don't have enough food. We do thank China for helping us." China has supported Afghanistan over the past years with COVID-19 vaccines, winter clothes, tents and foodstuff, which had been distributed among poor and flood-affected families in the war-torn country. Lithuania delivered to Ukraine on April 5 a batch of M577 armored personnel carriers. Thats according to the press release of the Ministry of National Defense, Ukrinform reports with reference to LRT. "Continuity of support to Ukraine is our strategic goal. The weapons and equipment supplied by us and our allies make a decisive contribution to Ukraine's struggle for independence and the security of Europe as a whole. We will provide support to Ukraine for as long as it takes," said the Minister of National defense of Lithuania, Laurinas Kasciunas. As reported, Lithuania handed Ukraine another batch of military aid, which included 155mm artillery shells. In addition to the transfer of military equipment and armaments, Lithuania also actively trains the Ukrainian military, provides treatment and rehabilitation to Ukrainians, organizes expert consultations, and allocates funds to international funds to support Ukraine. Lithuania has already developed a long-term support plan for Ukraine: in 2024-2026, the nation intends to transfer a military support package worth EUR 200 million to Ukraine for new acquisitions. In total, since the start of the war, Lithuania has provided military aid to Ukraine in the amount of nearly EUR 605 million. On April 5, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, discussing, among other things, the issue of Russia sanctions and seizure of Russian assets. South Korea will provide Ukraine with a medium and long-term aid package in the amount of $2.3 billion starting this year. This was announced by South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul during a meeting of NATOs Indo-Pacific partner countries, Ukrinform reports, referring to Yonhap. Also, Seoul will offer $12 million for the rehabilitation of wounded Ukrainian soldiers through the NATO trust fund for assistance to Ukraine. At the meeting, Cho also promised to continue supporting Ukraine. Read also: Ukraine receives 70 ambulances from South Korea In addition, the head of the South Korean Foreign Ministry said North Korea's weapons support for Russia affects not only the security of Europe, but also that of the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region, adding that the transfer of military technology by Moscow and the supply of refined oil to Pyongyang will threaten the global nonproliferation regime. The meeting was held with the participation of representatives of NATO partners in the Indo-Pacific region, including Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. As, Ukrinform reported earlier, Ukraine received 70 more ambulance vehicles from the Korean government. U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, commenting on Russia's overnight attack on Kharkiv, called for continued support for Ukraine. She took to X to address the issue, Ukrinform reports. Overnight Russia launched another attack against Kharkiv - Ukraines 2nd largest city - killing 6 civilians, injuring others & damaging homes & schools. There is not a second to lose to support Ukraines fight to defend its people from such horrific and unprovoked attacks," Brink stressed. Read also: Ambassadors honor victims of Russian terror in Bucha As reported by Ukrinform, six people were killed and ten were injured in Kharkiv as a result of a night drone attack. Shahed drones hit residential buildings - at least nine apartment blocks and three dormitories as well as a number of administrative buildings, a shop, gas station, service station, and a number of cars were damaged. MEXICO CITY, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday that he will not break diplomatic relations with Ecuador, after the South American country declared Mexican ambassador Raquel Serur "persona non grata." During his regular daily press conference, the Mexican president said he had instructed Serur to return to Mexico following the Ecuadorian government's declaration, adding that even with Serur's return, Mexico will maintain representation at its embassy in Quito. "We will not break off relations, nor will we do the same with the Ecuadorian ambassador," Lopez Obrador told journalists at the National Palace in Mexico City. The Ecuadorian government declared the Mexican ambassador "persona non grata" on Thursday. The measure was taken after the Mexican president made statements during his Wednesday press conference about the general elections in Ecuador in 2023 and the assassination of former presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The declaration of "persona non grata" implies that the Mexican ambassador must leave Ecuador within a short period, but does not signify the rupture of diplomatic relations, according to the Ecuadorian government. It also occurred amid a dispute, after the Mexican government rejected Ecuadorian authorities' demand to enter the Mexican embassy in Ecuador to arrest former Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Glas, who has been in refuge there since December and faces charges of alleged embezzlement. SINGAPORE, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said Saturday it arrested 36 people involved in drug offences in a recent operation. The arrests were made on Tuesday in a CNB operation targeting drug activities using online chat applications such as Telegram, it said in a statement. The CNB also seized 333 grams of cannabis and 13 grams of Ice, among other drugs, with an estimated street value of 19,000 Singapore dollars (14,000 U.S. dollars). In a surprising turn of events, the U.S. Department of Education has declared its intention to reprocess student aid applications that were adversely affected by a recent calculation error and inaccuracies stemming from incorrect tax data. This decision, unveiled on Thursday, is anticipated to impact roughly 20 percent of the 6.6 million applications processed thus far, potentially leading to further delays in determining financial aid eligibility for affected students. Initial Decision and Criticisms Initially, the Education Department had planned to reprocess only the Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) in cases where students would receive reduced financial aid due to the identified error, affecting approximately 5 percent of processed applications. ISIRs serve as the cornerstone for colleges in assessing aid eligibility and formulating financial aid packages for students. However, this selective approach faced swift criticism from college administrators who raised valid concerns about the potential ramifications of not addressing cases where students might actually receive more aid as a result of the error. According to the administrators, the department's original stance would have forced colleges to extend financial aid offers based on flawed information, potentially favoring some students unfairly while disadvantaging others. This critical feedback prompted a wave of advocacy from colleges urging the department to reconsider and reprocess all affected ISIRs. READ ALSO : Tax Data Issues Threaten FAFSA Processing Again, Delaying Aid Delivery Department's Latest Announcement In light of the mounting pressure from stakeholders within the education community, the Education Department has revised its approach. The latest announcement indicates a significant shift in strategy, with the department committing to reprocess a larger portion of applications affected by the error. While more than 80 percent of processed applications remain unaffected by the tax-related issues, the decision to reprocess a substantial subset underscores the gravity of the situation and the department's commitment to rectifying inaccuracies in aid determination. Reprocessing is scheduled to commence in the first half of April, with colleges encouraged to utilize the original ISIRs for initiating aid packaging. However, colleges will retain the flexibility to choose which ISIR to employ in the process, providing them with greater autonomy in navigating the complexities of financial aid administration. Implications and Moving Forward The reversal of the department's initial decision marks a significant milestone in addressing the fallout from the calculation error. By opting to reprocess a larger pool of applications, the department aims to restore integrity to the aid determination process and uphold fairness in the distribution of financial assistance. This decision comes at a crucial juncture for students and families grappling with the uncertainties surrounding financial aid, offering a glimmer of hope for a more equitable resolution to their challenges. As colleges await further guidance on the reprocessing timeline and procedures, there remains a palpable sense of urgency in rectifying the errors and mitigating their impact on students' educational pursuits. Moving forward, the Education Department must remain steadfast in its commitment to transparency, accountability, and equity in the administration of student aid programs. By prioritizing these core principles, the department can help foster a more inclusive and accessible higher education landscape for all. Ultimately, the reprocessing of student aid applications signifies a concerted effort to address the systemic flaws that have jeopardized the integrity of the financial aid system, reaffirming the department's dedication to ensuring equal opportunities for students pursuing higher education. An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police was martyred when his vehicle was targeted with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Mamund area of Bajaur district on Saturday PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Apr, 2024) An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police was martyred when his vehicle was targeted with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Mamund area of Bajaur district on Saturday. According to police, an improvised explosive device targeted police officials in Lwee Mamund in Bajaur, injuring police sub-inspector and a constable. Later, the assistant sub inspector, who was critically injured, succumbed to injuries at the hospital.The police collected evidence from the scene and started investigation into the incident.Police cordoned of the area and started search operation. APP/fam (@ChaudhryMAli88) ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Apr, 2024) The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has strongly condemned the occupation authorities for disallowing Jumatul Wida prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, saying the Kashmiri Muslims have been deprived of all freedoms including religious freedom in Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. According to Kashmir Media Service, the APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas in a statement in Srinagar said that barring Kashmiri people from offering Jumatul Wida prayers at Srinagars historic Jamia Masjid, imposition of enforced lockdowns on Jamia Masjid and house arrest of Mirwaiz by the BJP regime were brazen violations of religious and other basic rights of the people of the territory. The statement said curtailment of religious freedom of Kashmiri Muslims is yet another illustration of Hidnutva BJP/RSS regimes ongoing assault on religious freedoms which constitute serious violation of applicable international human rights law. He lamented that the Jamia Masjid has been subjected to regular bans & lockdowns by Indian authorities in the last over 3 decades, adding not allowing congregational prayers at the grand mosque represent deep-rooted prejudice on the part of Indian authorities for Muslim sentiments in IIOJK. Referring to the recent killing of two innocent youth by the Indian troops in Uri area of Baramulla, the APHC spokesman said the Modi regime has intensified the genocide of Kashmiris after abrogating the special status of IIOJK. However, he maintained, the Kashmiris are determined to resist Hindutva regimes nefarious plans meant to snatch away their rights, identity and homeland. The APHC urged UN and other world peace and freedom loving countries to hold India accountable for its suppression of religious rights & other freedoms of the people in IIOJK. LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Apr, 2024) Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday that the incumbent government was taking all possible measures to strengthen the national economy and the economy and the industry both were showing positive signs. In a press conference at the PML-N's Secretariat here he that Bloomberg stated it clearly that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had a good experience of talking to financial institutions and bringing economic reforms. "The previous 16- month government saved the country from default and helped stablize the Pakistani rupee and even during the tenure of the interim government the rupee remained stable. The stability of the rupee helped stabilize the country's economy and positive news were coming with regard to the stock exchange as well," he maintained. He said all these positive indicators were showing that business confidence had increased in the country. He said it was very unfortunate that anti-state elements which could not digest the country's progress were stuck to their negative agenda. "Chinese engineers were attacked in Dasu and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Dasu and met Chinese engineers and expressed grief over the incident besides offering condolences," he added. He said that Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Chaudhry Salik Hussain went to Wuhan, China, on a special flight that carried mortal remains of five Chinese personnel, who had died in the terror attack and expressed condolences with the Chinese government and officials. He said that the PML-N government had always given importance to Pak-China friendship. He said, "After the incident, the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the Chinese Embassy and met the Chinese Ambassador. The premier also visited Dasu to boost the morale of the Chinese engineers and give a message that Pakistan gives high importance to its friendship with China." Attaullah Tarar said that the Prime Minister had presided over many meetings on Chinese security and an committee was formed for an inquiry into the Dasu incident as Chinese. He said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had ordered action against RPO Hazara division, DPO Upper Kohsitan district, DPO Lower Kohistan district, Dasu Hydropower Project Security Director and KP Special Security Unit Commandant in fifteen days. The information minister that the quick action was a proof that no compromise would be tolerated on the security of the Chinese in future. He further said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was personally supervising security matters pertaining to Chinese projects and the Chinese and an effective system was being evolved in this regard. He said, "We pay homage to all those who sacrificed their lives in war against terrorism." He said that the Pak armed forces and law enforcement agencies of the country were determined to root out terrorism and would not allow anybody to harm the country's peace. Regarding a Guardian report on extrajudicial killings by India in different countries, Attaullah Tarar said that today the Foreign Office had also issued a statement in which not only rejected the statement of the Indian defence minister but condemned it. He said that the international community should also take notice of the extrajudicial killings. He said, "Pakistan is fully alert and capable of defending itself but we want peace in the region." He said yesterday he had visited Karachi and met journalist organizations including PBA, APNS, CPNE and problems facing the media industry were also discussed. Problems of journalists and media workers had been highlighted and pending dues of media workers and reporters would be paid prior to Eid-ul-Fitr, he added. He said an all-out effort would be made to ensure payment of pending dues in the next two days as per the direction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, adding that all approvals in this regard had been completed. He further said, "Today we would leave for a visit to Saudia Arabia along with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The delegation visiting Saudi Arabia consisted of the family members of the primer besides members of the cabinet. The delegation would leave for Saudi Arabia on a commercial flight and all members of the delegation would bear their expenses and no burden would be put on the government kitty." He said that the delegation besides him included Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Economics Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema. He hoped that positive news related to this visit would come, adding that besides performing Umrah, special meetings were also expected. He said being Information Minister he would keep the Pakistan media updated about the developments taking place there. (@FahadShabbir) ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Apr, 2024) Pakistan on Saturday denounced the provocative remarks made by the Indian Defence Minister during a recent televised interview, in response to a media revelation regarding India's clandestine operations within Pakistan. Pakistan stands resolute in its intent and ability to safeguard its sovereignty against any act of aggression, as demonstrated by its robust response to India's reckless incursion in February 2019, which laid bare India's hollow claims of military superiority, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement. On January 25, 2024, Pakistan provided irrefutable evidence, elucidating India's campaign of extrajudicial and transnational assassinations on Pakistani soil. India's assertion of its preparedness to extra-judicially execute more civilians, arbitrarily pronounced as "terrorists", inside Pakistan constituted a clear admission of culpability. It is imperative for the international community to hold India accountable for its heinous and illegal actions, it asserted. India's ruling dispensation habitually resorted to hateful rhetoric to fuel hyper-nationalistic sentiments, unapologetically exploiting such discourse for electoral gains. Such myopic and irresponsible behaviour not only undermines regional peace but also impedes the prospects of constructive engagement in the long term, it added. The foreign office further said that Pakistan had always demonstrated its commitment to peace in the region. However, its desire for peace should not be misconstrued. History attests to Pakistan's firm resolve and ability to protect and defend itself, it was reiterated. (@ChaudhryMAli88) PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Apr, 2024) Two Police officials, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), were martyred on Saturday after an attack on their vehicle in Lakki Marwat, Police Control Lakki Marwat while confirming the incident, said. The police vehicle was ambushed at night by the militants. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Gul Muhammad Khan and his gunman Constable Naseem Gul received fatal injuries while another police official was injured, the Police Control said. The victims of the incident were shifted to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Sarai Naurang and the area was cordoned off for investigation. According to details, DSP Gul Muhammad Khan and another official, Naseem Gul, were martyred in an attack by miscreants near Manjiwala Chowk, Lakki Marwat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa late Friday night. DSP Gul Muhammad Khan was on his patrol duty in the area when he was attacked. A policeman has been injured in the attack and is undergoing treatment in the hospital. Following the attack, law enforcement agencies swiftly responded, collecting evidence from the scene. Additionally, efforts have been initiated to apprehend the perpetrators responsible for this cowardly act. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has strongly condemned the attack on the police vehicle, and expressed his grief over the martyrdom of DSP Gul Muhammad Khan and his gunman in the incident. He also prayed for the martyred, and demanded necessary action for the immediate arrest of the elements involved in the firing. The families of the martyrs will not be left alone, and they will be fully supported, Gandapur remarked. He also announced financial assistance for the families of the martyrs under the Shuhada Package. Steps should be taken for timely payment of the martyrs' package to the families of the martyrs, the CM instructed the police officials. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali also condemned the firing on the Police vehicle in Lakki Marwat and expressed grief over the martyrdom of the two police personnel. He expressed sympathy and condolences to the families of the martyred officials and prayed for the departed souls. KP Information Advisor Barrister Dr. Muhammad Ali Saif also condemned the attack and extended his condolences to the families of the martyred Policemen. "The morale of the police cannot be lowered by such cowardly actions", Barrister Dr. Saif said. "Targeting the police who are responsible for protecting the people is a cowardly act", Barrister Dr. Saif added. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police have made eternal sacrifices to protect the lives and property of the people, Barrister Dr. Saif maintained. Sydney, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Apr, 2024) Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Saturday that information from Israel about the death of an Australian aid worker killed in a Gaza air strike was "not sufficient". US-based World Central Kitchen -- founded by Spanish-American celebrity chef Jose Andres -- said a "targeted attack" by Israeli forces on Monday had killed seven aid workers. The group included 43-year-old Australian national Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom, as well as British, Palestinian, Polish and US-Canadian employees. After being briefed by Israeli authorities, Australia had "made clear that we have not yet received sufficient information to satisfy our expectations" about Frankcom's death, Wong told reporters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later admitted that his military had "unintentionally" killed the group -- who had helped feed communities affected by conflict and disaster -- in an air strike. "We expect full accountability for her death and for the World Central Kitchen colleagues who also perished with her," Wong said. "We believe these deaths are utterly inexcusable and clear practical action is needed to ensure these tragedies are never repeated." Wong acknowledged that Israel has confirmed that two individuals involved in the air strike have since been "stood down". "We reiterate that appropriate action must be taken against the individuals who are responsible for these tragic accidents," she added. Australia's prime minister Anthony Albanese rang his Israeli counterpart Netanyahu on Wednesday to express his "anger" over the tragedy, which happened Tuesday. Television clips and posts on social media painted a picture of Frankcom as an intrepid aid worker who did not shy away from the frontlines of disaster. In September last year, she travelled to Morocco to help World Central Kitchen relief efforts in the wake of a devastating earthquake. World Central Kitchen is one of two NGOs spearheading efforts to deliver aid to Gaza by boat from Cyprus. NANNING, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Friday stressed the continuous strengthening of the construction of border ports and continuously injecting new impetus to promote Guangxi's high-level opening-up and China-ASEAN cooperation, and facilitate the building of dual circulation of domestic and international markets. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour of South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. During the inspection, Wang visited relevant projects of China-ASEAN and China-Vietnam cooperation. Wang said that it is necessary to actively serve the building of a China-ASEAN community with a shared future, jointly promote the Belt and Road cooperation, continuously polish the golden brand of the China-ASEAN Expo, and build a major international channel open to ASEAN. Wang stressed that Guangxi should strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Vietnam, consolidate the public opinion and social foundation for China-Vietnam friendship, continuously improve cross-border infrastructure connectivity, strive to build a border port featuring wisdom and convenience, complex development, friendly exchanges, and comprehensive security, and make greater contributions to building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance. Wang said that more efforts will be made to help Guangxi promote external connectivity, train more foreign affairs talents, strengthen international exchanges and cooperation, and help Guangxi accelerate high-quality development. Quito, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Apr, 2024) Ecuadoran authorities stormed the Mexican embassy in Quito on Friday to arrest former vice president Jorge Glas, who was taking refuge there, prompting Mexico to sever diplomatic ties after the "violation of international law". Images taken by AFP showed police special forces massed outside the embassy and at least one of them scaling its walls, which were already surrounded by police and military. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said authorities "forcibly entered" the building to arrest Glas. "This is a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico," he said on social media platform X. Foreign minister Alicia Barcena later wrote on X that "given the flagrant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the injuries suffered by Mexican diplomatic personnel in Ecuador, Mexico announces the immediate breaking of diplomatic relations with Ecuador." She added that Mexican diplomatic personnel will immediately leave the South American country and asked Quito to "offer the necessary guarantees" for their movement. Mexico had complained earlier in the day of "harassment" due to an increased police presence outside its Quito embassy. The former Ecuadoran vice president -- who served under leftist President Rafael Correa -- sought refuge in the Mexican embassy last December after authorities issued a warrant for his arrest for alleged corruption. But his asylum request was formally granted on Friday, angering Quito and deepening the diplomatic dispute between the two Latin American nations. Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa's government calling the move an "illicit act". Mexico said it had granted political asylum to Glas "after a thorough analysis" of the situation. Ecuador's presidential communications department said in a statement that Glas, "has been arrested tonight and placed under the orders of the competent authorities." Local media showed Roberto Canseco, head of the Mexican diplomatic mission, running behind vehicles believed to be transporting Glas from the site, shouting: "It's an outrage!" - 'Not legal to grant asylum' - Agents prevented Canseco from approaching one of the cars and in the ensuing struggle he is seen falling to the ground. Earlier on Friday, Ecuador said that according to international conventions, "it is not legal to grant asylum to people convicted or prosecuted for common crimes and by competent ordinary courts." Lopez Obrador had irked Quito a day before Mexico granted the asylum request with comments equating political violence in the two countries. On Wednesday he drew a comparison between 2023 election violence in Ecuador, in which a presidential candidate was murdered, and crime in Mexico ahead of the June 2 legislative and presidential elections. Lopez Obrador said violence and "manipulation" by some media caused a drop in the popularity of leftist candidate Luisa Gonzalez and the rise of Noboa. The Ecuadoran government criticized his comments as offensive and said the country was still in "mourning" for the slain candidate, Fernando Villavicencio, a fierce opponent of corruption. Glas was released from prison in November after serving time for corruption in a vast scandal involving the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. He faces another arrest warrant for allegedly diverting funds that were intended for reconstruction efforts after a devastating earthquake in 2015. Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Friday appeared before prosecutors for questioning over her Rolex watches, expensive jewelry and unexplained bank deposits, in a scandal that has shaken the country's fragile government Lima, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Apr, 2024) Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Friday appeared before prosecutors for questioning over her Rolex watches, expensive jewelry and unexplained bank deposits, in a scandal that has shaken the country's fragile government. Boluarte spent five-and-a-half hours at the office of Attorney General Juan Carlos Villena, who had been charged with taking her statement. Prosecutors had earlier said that she would be required to present the undeclared luxury timepieces and explain their origin as part of the probe into illegal enrichment. The questioning comes after the police raided Boluarte's home and presidential office on March 30 in search of the alleged collection, which is said to include at least three high-value Rolex watches, according to photographs published by local media. Small groups of protesters gathered outside the prosecutor's office as Boluarte gave her statement, including a group of mainly women who expressed their support for the president. A separate group shouted: "Dina, jail awaits you!" The government hopes Boluarte's statement will put an end to a scandal that provoked two motions to impeach her, both defeated by the right-wing majority in Congress on Thursday. "I presume that after this explanation there will be no choice for the prosecutor's office but to close this investigation," Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen said Thursday. He said Boluarte "will know how to explain what happened." (@FahadShabbir) Kyiv, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Apr, 2024) An overnight Russian drone attack on Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv killed six people and wounded 10 others, national emergency services and the city's mayor said Saturday. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine said in a Telegram post that "six people were killed and at least 10 injured as a result of an enemy strike". Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov gave the same death toll and number of injured in a Telegram post, adding the attack had targeted Shevchenkivskyi, a northern area of the city. Terekhov said Iranian-made drones had carried out the attack, hitting at least nine high-rise buildings, three dormitories and a petrol station. Oleg Synegubov, the region's governor, said earlier two men were killed in Shevchenkivskyi. Police confirmed the deaths and said a further eight people were hospitalised "with blast injuries and shrapnel wounds". "Among the wounded are two women aged 25 and 52, and six men aged 23 to 76," police said. Police added that there were no casualties in a separate attack on Mala Danylivka, a village on Kharkiv's northwest outskirts. Photos released by police on Telegram showed several fires in civilian areas, including near a high-rise apartment building. Authorities said several buildings were damaged in the attack, including residential blocks and a petrol station. The attack came as Ukraine's air force reported multiple groups of Russian drones across the country. Gaza Strip, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Apr, 2024) American and Israeli negotiators are expected in Cairo over the weekend for a renewed push to reach a ceasefire-hostage deal in a war that reaches the half-year mark on Sunday. The attempt comes after Israel made a rare admission of wrongdoing during its war against Hamas in Gaza. The military said it was firing two officers for the killing of seven aid workers -- most of them Westerners -- in the territory where humanitarians say famine is imminent. Israel's admission, however, did not quell calls for an independent probe. The killing of the workers from US-based World Central Kitchen (WCK) on April 1 led to a tense phone call between United States President Joe Biden and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Biden urged an "immediate ceasefire" and for the first time hinted at conditioning American support for Israel on curtailing the killing of civilians and improving humanitarian conditions. One of my favorite projects is Eclipse Soundscapes. This NASA project captures the sound variations of creatures such as bees, birds and bugs during an eclipse. As sunlight diminishes, their circadian rhythm is impacted, and they behave differently. The project offers a multisensory avenue for people to experience eclipses, and it connects NASAs science with learners of all ages and abilities. Another exciting project is making the eclipse more inclusive. The LightSound project uses cellphone-size devices to translate the intensity of light into sound. On a normal sunny day, the LightSound boxes issue high-pitched tones. During an eclipse, though, as the moon begins to move in front of the sun and the intensity of the suns light decreases, the tone gets deeper. This spectrum of tones enables people who are blind and those with low vision to experience eclipses through changes in sound. In the last year, the University of Texas at San Antonio has built and donated more than 30 LightSound devices as part of a nationwide effort. The idea began with Harvard Universitys Allyson Bieryla, who helped develop the project for the 2017 Great American Eclipse. The eclipses have also provided opportunities for UTSA researchers to get involved with schools across South Texas that are in the path of totality. Sul Ross State University education professor Jennifer Miller-Ray, for example, invited UTSA researchers to the Sul Ross campus in Uvalde for a STEM literacy workshop. The university also has campuses in Alpine, Del Rio and Eagle Pass. While in Uvalde, we met Sul Ross students in the Noyce Scholars en la Frontera program, which trains future STEM educators in school districts along the Texas-Mexico border. We discussed the learning opportunities eclipses provide to young students. We also shared Eclipse Soundscapes educational resources and encouraged the teachers to have their students participate. On a trip to Eagle Pass, we introduced the Eclipse Soundscapes project to another group of future teachers and helped them develop eclipse-related lessons. Their students are participating in the Soundscapes project, too. Weve even worked to involve younger children by providing thousands of eclipse glasses and coloring books to schools in South Texas. Our eclipse-related collaborations are connecting astronomy-minded students from across the state, especially those in smaller communities that do not have astronomy classes. Climate activist Greta Thunberg was among dozens of people detained Saturday by police in The Hague as they removed protesters who were partially blocking a road in the Dutch city. Thunberg was seen flashing a victory sign as she sat in a bus used by police to take detained demonstrators from the scene of a protest of Dutch subsidies and tax breaks to companies linked to fossil fuel industries. The Extinction Rebellion campaign group said before the demonstration that the activists would block a main highway into The Hague, but a heavy police presence, including officers on horseback, initially prevented the activists from getting onto the road. A small group of people managed to sit down on another road and were detained after ignoring police orders to leave. Extinction Rebellion activists have blocked the highway that runs past the temporary home of the Dutch parliament more than 30 times to protest the subsidies. The demonstrators waved flags and chanted: We are unstoppable, another world is possible. One held a banner reading: This is a dead-end street. In February, Thunberg, 21, was acquitted by a court in London of refusing to follow a police order to leave a protest blocking the entrance to a major oil and gas industry conference last year. Her activism has inspired a global youth movement demanding stronger efforts to fight climate change since she began staging weekly protests outside the Swedish parliament starting in 2018. She has repeatedly been fined in Sweden and the U.K. for civil disobedience in connection with protests. The past 2 years have been very tough for 28-year-old Maryam Maroof Arvin, as she has been deprived of all her rights under the Taliban in Afghanistan. Arvin was a masters degree student in a private university in Kabul in December 2022 when the Taliban, the de facto government of Afghanistan, barred women from universities. It has created in me a feeling of depression. I am under mental and psychological pressure, and I feel very angry, said Arvin who dreamed of becoming a politician to raise the voices for Afghan women. A U.N. report, released in September 2023, stated that under the Taliban, who seized power in 2021, the mental health of women in Afghanistan deteriorated. According to the report, more than two-thirds of women in Afghanistan reported feelings of anxiety, isolation and depression between April and June. Women spoke of psychological issues, including depression, insomnia, loss of hope and motivation, anxiety, fear, aggression, isolation and increasingly isolationist behavior, and suicidal ideation, the report stated. The Taliban have steadily imposed repressive measures against women in Afghanistan, banning them from the workplace, secondary and university education, long-distance traveling without a close male relative, beauty salons, gyms and public parks. Arvin said that she cant believe that all her freedoms and two decades of gains in womens rights were lost in the past 2 years of the Talibans rule. I wish it was a dream. And I could wake up and go back to the university, she said. Before the Talibans takeover, about 3.5 million girls out of roughly 9 million students were going to school. Thirty-three percent of about 450,000 students enrolled in universities were young women. About 30% of the civil servants and 28% of parliamentarians in Afghanistan were women. Mawloda Tawana, an Afghan womens rights activist, told VOA that the exclusion of women from the workplace and society adversely affected most womens psychological and emotional well-being. Women are locked up at home, and the unhappiness and frustration from this could promote domestic violence and suicide attempts, said Tawana. Media outlets also reported a surge in suicides by women in Afghanistan. The Taliban have not published any data on suicide rates, and they have prohibited Afghan health officials from providing information on the topic. Sahar Fetrat, a researcher with the Womens Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, or HRW, told VOA that womens mental health in Afghanistan has deteriorated because of the repressive restrictions imposed on them. Women feel as if they have essentially been banned from participating in life. They have become stripped of basic rights, such as receiving health care, said Fetrat. In a report released in February, HWR said the health care crisis in Afghanistan has disproportionately affected women. The Talibans restrictions on womens freedom of movement and employment with humanitarian and other organizations have gravely impeded women and girls access to health services, while bans on education for women and girls have blocked almost all training of future female health care workers in the country, stated the HWR report. Fetrat said the international community should acknowledge and understand the gravity of the situation. She says the world must listen to the Afghan women and other individuals who have risked their lives to share their messages. Women in Afghanistan are fighting for their basic rights, said Arvin, urging the international community to stand behind them. Roshan Noorzai from VOA's Afghan Service contributed to this report, which originated in VOA's Afghan Service. Leandro Rivera says he chanced upon the cave in Peru's remote Nazca region that contained hundreds of pre-Hispanic artifacts including human bodies with elongated heads and what appeared to be only three fingers on each hand. The plateau is famous for the Nazca lines, incisions on the desert floor forming birds and other animals visible from the air. The ancient geoglyphs have long intrigued anthropologists and exert a powerful fascination over some believers in extraterrestrials. Nazca is also known for salt flats that dehydrate and preserve human and animal remains, making it the site of important archeological finds that have deepened modern understanding of ancient cultures and attracted grave robbers. Rivera was convicted in 2022 of assault on public monuments for unearthing the artifacts. He received a four-year suspended sentence and was fined about 20,000 Peruvian soles ($5,190), short of the maximum penalty of an eight-year prison term. His haul was thrust into the spotlight last year when two of the mummies ended up in Mexico as the centerpiece of congressional hearings on UFOs and extraterrestrial life. Mexican journalist Jaime Maussan presented the bodies as a sign of life beyond Earth a claim dismissed by scientists. In an interview with Reuters, Rivera said he removed as many as 200 sets of remains from the cave, and some bodies had been smuggled out of Peru to France, Spain and Russia. The presentation of bodies in Mexico as well as Rivera's claims to have dozens more have prompted some experts to ask whether Peru is losing the battle to stop the plunder of its archaeological sites to feed a lucrative black market for mummies and other pre-Hispanic artifacts. "Peru has done a lot of work to try and control this trade," said Christopher Heaney, a Latin American history professor at Penn State University and author of a book on Peruvian mummies. "But this implies that these claims for government success need to be re-examined a bit if objects like (the bodies in Mexico) can leave the country." Peru's Culture Ministry did not respond to questions about the effectiveness of its efforts to control trafficking. Reuters was granted rare access to the ministry's anti-smuggling unit at Lima's international airport and spoke to four government officials who said stricter penalties, more resources and better coordination were needed to fight the looting. Tomb raiders trade tips online Archaeological materials including human remains command high prices on a black market controlled by well-organized criminal groups, experts said. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, trafficking in cultural goods has exploded around the world, according to UNESCO and the World Customs Organization (WCO). Antiquities stores that had previously relied on in-person shopping turned to online sales to survive. Black-market sellers took advantage of the greater privacy online or resorted to encrypted channels. The shift to an online black market also allowed buyers to seek out illegal goods rather than wait for invitations to in-person events, as the trade was typically run pre-pandemic, a WCO official told Reuters. And tomb raiders went online to share information about how to locate and raid vulnerable sites. "Social networks have become spaces for the sale of works of art and antiques of illegal origin, and unfortunately this traffic has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic," said Enrique Lopez-Hurtado, who was until recently the coordinator of the culture sector of UNESCO Peru. The sheer volume of online sales and the demands of pandemic safety protocols presented challenges for customs officials inspecting shipments and trying to intercept illegal goods, the WCO official said. Guido Lombardi, a medical doctor and anthropologist at the Peruvian University of Cayetano Heredia who specializes in mummy studies said he has received anonymous texts on WhatsApp offering looted objects for sale including terracotta figurines that are hundreds of years old. Flavio Estrada, an archaeologist at the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences in Lima who assisted in the 2017 investigation of Rivera, said smuggling networks also market fakes, constructed out of animal bones and papier-mache. In some cases, alien enthusiasts exploit a lack of understanding of cranial remodeling, a documented social practice in Pre-Colombian times that involved binding a child's head to manipulate the shape, Lombardi said. "There were no people who were born like this, as some of the theorists of 'ancestral aliens' also try to make us believe," he said. "There's a whole contemporary mythology around this topic, and that generates a market." While cranial modification was a practice in some of Peru's ancient cultures, Estrada said it is likely that grave robbers altered the Nazca remains to make it look like they had only three fingers on their hands in a bid to appeal to those who subscribe to the notion of extraterrestrials. Changing attitudes In recent years, there has been a global change in attitudes toward displaying the remains of Indigenous people. Reputable museums have begun to repatriate bodies to their countries of origin. But there is still demand for remains and other artifacts from private collectors in the United States and Europe looking for status symbols and alien enthusiasts, 10 experts interviewed by Reuters said. The WCO official also cited a social media market for buying skeletons and scalps, which has been growing in popularity over the last 10 years. Stopping looted items from leaving Peru is challenging. Peru shares borders with five countries and has 27 border crossings. At Lima's international airport, experts from Peru's culture ministry monitor security checkpoints for suspected cultural material picked up by x-ray scanners. Officials seize between four and 10 items a year, compared to 200 a month in 2008, said Rolando Mallaupoma an archeology analyst in the recovery unit of the culture ministry. Mallaupoma attributes the decline to the ministry's work educating vendors in tourist areas on how to identify authentic culture goods. "In most cases what they [tourists] are going to say is that they didn't know, and there will not be any criminal action," Mallaupoma said. The item will be confiscated and turned over to the ministry. A rising challenger to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban mobilized tens of thousands of supporters in Hungary's capital Saturday, outlining a plan to unite the country and bring an end to the populist leader's 14-year hold on power. At the center of the demonstration, the latest in a recent series of protests against Orban's right-wing nationalist government, was political newcomer Peter Magyar, a former insider within Hungary's ruling Fidesz party who has shot to prominence in recent weeks through his allegations of entrenched corruption and cronyism among the country's leaders. Magyar addressed a crowd that filled the sprawling square near the parliament building in Budapest, announcing his creation of a new political community aimed at uniting both conservative and liberal Hungarians disillusioned by Orban's governance and the fragmented, ineffectual political opposition. Step by step, brick by brick, we are taking back our homeland and building a new country, a sovereign, modern, European Hungary, Magyar said, adding that the protest was the biggest political demonstration in years. Magyar, 43, was once a member of Orban's political circle and is the ex-husband of former justice minister and Orban ally Judit Varga. But he broke ranks in February in the wake of a political scandal that led to the resignation of his ex-wife and the president and has amassed a large following with frequent media appearances where he portrays Hungary's political life as having been taken over by a privileged group of oligarchs and anti-democratic elites. He has argued that Orbans government operates as a mafia, and advocated for a moral, political and economic transformation of the country that would rein in corruption and create a more pluralistic political system. More than 20 years have passed as our elected leaders have incited the Hungarian people against each other. Whether the fate of our country went well, or we were close to bankruptcy, we were pitted against each other instead of allowing us to band together, Magyar said. We will put an end to this now. Hungary's government has dismissed Magyar as an opportunist seeking to forge a new career after his divorce with Varga and his loss of positions in several state companies. But his rise has compounded political headaches for Orban that have included the resignation of members of his government and a painful economic crisis. Last month, Magyar released an audio recording of a conversation between him and Varga that he said proved that top officials conspired to manipulate court records to cover up their involvement in a corruption case. He has called on Orban's government to resign and for a restoration of fair elections. Orbans critics at home and in the European Union have long accused him of eroding Hungarys democratic institutions, taking over large swaths of the media and altering the countrys election system to give his party an advantage. The EU has withheld billions in funding to Budapest over alleged democratic backsliding, misuse of EU funds and failure to guarantee minority rights. One demonstrator on Saturday, Zoltan Koszler, said he wanted a complete change in the system, which is now completely unacceptable to me. I want to live in a normal, rule-of-law state where the principles of the rule of law are really adhered to, not only on paper, but in reality, he said. Magyar has said he will establish a new party that will run in EU and municipal elections this summer. Dieudonne Boutrin is a descendant of people enslaved in the Caribbean. Pierre Guillon de Prince's ancestors, from Nantes, were ship-owners transporting those enslaved. Although contrasting, their families' histories are linked. They met in 2021 in Nantes, which was France's largest port for transatlantic slavery, and have since been working together to raise awareness about the past and its legacy in today's society. Originally from the Caribbean island of Martinique, 59-year-old Boutrin moved to Nantes in the 1980s. It was only then that he fully learned about the true extent of slavery. From the 15th to the 19th century, at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported by mostly European ships and sold into slavery. Researchers estimate at least 2 million people died in the grueling "Middle Passage" voyage across the Atlantic. France trafficked an estimated 1.3 million people to the Americas, including the Caribbean. "The more I got into the story, the more anger there was," Boutrin said. "(So) I decided to put all my energy into paying tribute to these men and women." Boutrin is the president of the Nantes-based Coque Nomade-Fraternite, an association that wants to "break the silence" around slavery through education. In 2001, France officially recognized transatlantic slavery as a crime against humanity but, according to the French Foundation for the Remembrance of Slavery, racism persists. Several cases of police using excessive force against Black people in recent years have highlighted accusations of systemic racism in the French police by human rights groups. Boutrin's association is raising funds to finish a 2018 project to build a replica of a 18th century ship that transported captive Africans enslaved by people such as Guillon de Prince's ancestors. The replica will work as a learning center. "People will be able to understand the conditions the captives lived in," he said. Through the association, Boutrin joined forces with Guillon de Prince, 83, to give guided tours that explore Nantes' links to slavery. One of the stops is the city's slavery memorial. Guillon de Prince has always known his ancestors were involved in slavery as ship-owners, but he made the decision to look deeper into the past in 2015. They are now encouraging other descendants to join a group they have created to continue what they have described as "memory work." "I feared this would be forgotten so I wanted to pass it down to my grandchildren," Guillon de Prince said. "We will not solve issues of racism if the two (descendants of enslaved and enslavers) do not talk to each other." BEIJING, April 6 (Xinhua) -- China Railway, the nation's railway operator, said it plans to add 1,163 more trains on Saturday to cope with rising travel demand as passengers start making return trips following the three-day Qingming Festival holiday that ends on Saturday. The company predicted that on Saturday 17.9 million passenger trips would be made via the country's railways. This compared to 13.31 million trips registered on the previous day, according to the company. The Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a traditional Chinese festival focusing on paying tribute to the dead and the worship of ancestors. During the festival period, Chinese people also tend to indulge in outdoor activities and sightseeing. Russian microchip company AO PKK Milandr continued to provide microchips to the Russian armed forces at least several months after Russia invaded Ukraine, despite public denials by company director Alexey Novoselov of any connection with Russias military. A formal letter obtained by VOA dated February 10, 2023, shows a sale request for 4,080 military grade microchips for the Russian military. The sale request was addressed from a deputy commander of the 546 military representation of the Russian Ministry of Defense and the commercial director of Russian manufacturer NPO Poisk to Milandr CEO S.V. Tarasenko for delivery by April 2023, more than a year into the war. The letter instructs Milandr to provide three types of microchip components to NPO Poisk, a well-established Russian defense manufacturer that makes detonators for weapons used by the Russian Armed Forces. Each of these three circuits that you have in the table on the document, each one of them is classed as a military-grade component and each of these is manufactured specifically by Milandr, said Denys Karlovskyi, a research fellow at the London-based Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies. VOA shared the document with him to confirm its authenticity. In addition to Milandr CEO Tarasenko, the letter is addressed to a commander of the Russian Defense Ministrys 514 military representation of the Russian Ministry of Defense named I.A. Shvid. Karlovskyi says this inclusion shows that Milandr, like Poisk, appears to have a Russian commander from the Defense Ministrys oversight unit assigned to it a clear indicator that a company is part of Russias defense industry. Milandr, headquartered near Moscow in an area known as Soviet Silicon Valley, was sanctioned by the United States in November 2022, for its illegal procurement of microelectronic components using front companies. In the statement announcing the 2022 sanctions against Milandr and more than three dozen other entities and individuals, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said, The United States will continue to expose and disrupt the Kremlins military supply chains and deny Russia the equipment and technology it needs to wage its illegal war against Ukraine. Karlovskyi said that in Russias database of public contracts, Milandr is listed in more than 500 contracts, supplying numerous state-owned and military-grade enterprises, including Ural Optical Mechanical Plant, Concern Avtomatika and Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant, or IEMZ Kupol, which also have been sanctioned by the United States. It clearly suggests that this entity is a crucial node in Russias military supply chain, Karlovskyi told VOA. Novoselov, Milandrs current director, told Bloomberg News last August that he was not aware of any connections to the Russian military. I dont know any military persons who would be interested in our product, he told Bloomberg in a phone interview, adding that the company mostly produces electric power meters. The U.S. allegations are like a fantasy, he said. The United States State Department, they suppose that every electronics business in Russia is focused on the military. I think that is funny. But a U.S. defense official told VOA that helping Russias military kill tens of thousands of people in an illegal invasion is no laughing matter. The company is fueling microchips for missiles and heavily armored vehicles that are used to continue the war in Ukraine, said the defense official, who spoke to VOA on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivities of discussing U.S. intelligence. Milandrs co-founder Mikhail Pavlyuk was also sanctioned during the summer of 2022 for his involvement in microchip smuggling operations and was caught stealing from Milandr. Pavlyuk fled Russia and has claimed he was not involved. Officials estimate that 500,000 Ukrainian and Russian troops have been killed or injured in the war, with tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians killed in the fighting. There are consequences to their actions, and the U.S. will persist to expose and disrupt the Kremlins supply chain, the U.S. defense official said. Warning that the war in Sudan risks triggering the worlds worst hunger crisis, the World Food Program said Friday that it finally has managed to bring desperately needed food aid into the war-wracked Darfur region for the first time in months. The U.N. food agency said two convoys crossed the border from Chad into Darfur late last week, carrying food and nutrition assistance for about a quarter-million people in north, west and central Darfur. It said the long-delayed mission was given the go-ahead following lengthy negotiations to reopen convoy routes after the Sudanese Armed Forces had revoked permission for humanitarian corridors from Chad in February. Cross-border operations from Chad to Darfur are critical to reach communities where children are already dying of malnutrition, said Leni Kinzli, the WFP communications officer for Sudan. Speaking in Nairobi, Kenya, she said that All corridors to transport food must remain open, particularly the one from [the city of] Adre in Chad to West Darfur, where levels of hunger are alarming. While expressing relief that lengthy negotiations to reopen the routes have paid off, she warned that unless the people of Sudan receive a constant flow of aid through all possible humanitarian corridors, the countrys hunger catastrophe will only worsen. Since the rival Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces plunged the country into war nearly one year ago, the United Nations says more than 8.5 million people have become displaced 6.5 million within the country. The WFP says 18 million people are facing acute hunger, 90% of them in hard-to-reach areas. A World Health Organization Public Health Situation Analysis of the Sudan conflict finds a record 24.8 million people almost every other person need urgent humanitarian assistance in 2024. This is 9 million more than in 2023. So, how catastrophic is that, said Margaret Harris, a WHO spokesperson. People have been forced to flee their homes due to the humanitarian situation and the destruction of essential infrastructure, such as roads, hospitals, medical facilities and schools. Also, power, water, communication services, everything all the infrastructure you need to lead a normal life has been destroyed, she said. The WHO says at least 14,600 people have been killed and 33,000 injured. It says two-thirds of the population lack access to medical care, noting that disease outbreaks, including cholera, measles, malaria, poliovirus type 2 and dengue, are increasing. Food insecurity is also at a record high, with nearly half of children acutely malnourished, said the WHO, underscoring that urgent action is needed to prevent further catastrophe. The WFPs Kinzli said it was critical that aid be quickly and easily delivered to needy people in Darfur through the Tine border crossing or across conflict lines from within Sudan. She said, however, that fierce fighting, lack of security and lengthy clearances by the warring parties have led to delays in the distribution of assistance. She noted it was impossible for aid workers to provide help to people trapped in Sudans conflict hotspots. The WFP needs aid to be consistently reaching war-ravaged communities through every possible route, Kinzli said, warning that hunger in Sudan will increase as the lean season starts the period of the year when food stocks are at their lowest. Our greatest fear is that we will see unprecedented levels of starvation and malnutrition sweep across Sudan this lean season, and that the Darfur region will be particularly hard hit. She pointed out that crop production is at an all-time low because the fighting is preventing farmers from harvesting their crops. Recent crop reports show that the harvest for cereals in Darfur this year was 78% below the five-year average, she said. That is why WFP is deeply concerned about how serious the hunger crisis will get this lean season. Kinzli expressed deep concern that the lean season, which normally runs from May to September, could begin as early as next week and last much longer than usual. Israel opens more aid routes and delivery access to Gaza, a day after U.S. President Joe Bidens call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatening a shift in U.S. policy towards Israel unless it reduced harm to civilians in Gaza. Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Edward P. Djerejian, Senior Fellow for the Harvard Kennedy Belford Centers Middle East Initiative gives his take on what he believes needs to happen. The deaths of seven World Central Kitchen staffers have shaken the humanitarian community as groups now weigh the safety risks of their own workers. Janti Soeripto, President and CEO of Save the Children who just returned from Gaza talks about the serious impacts even a short pause in aid would mean for millions of starving civilians. Tensions heat up as Iran accuses Israel of carrying out an airstrike in Syria that killed some of its top military commanders and threatens to retaliate. With no sign yet of a transitional council or the appointment of an interim prime minister, Haitians who can are trying to flee the country. The airport and maritime ports at Port-au-Prince closed a month ago because of gang activity. The airport in Cap-Haitien, on the northern coast, restarted flights to Miami last week. Chaos has taken hold in Haiti as violent gangs now control much of the capital, killing thousands, and forcing millions into acute hunger. U.N. figures indicate that more than 53,000 Haitians have abandoned the countrys capital, Port-au-Prince. Most of them are seeking refuge in rural areas of southern Haiti, which the U.N. warns cannot sustain such a large influx of displaced people. "Every day is a matter of life or death," Pierre Joseph, a 34-year-old Save the Children worker, was quoted as saying in a statement. The charity said he had been forced to leave two homes with his wife and 6-month-old baby and was struggling to find basic supplies. "For the first time, we are facing a crisis where nothing works, where the government is simply not functioning," he said, adding that food and power supplies have collapsed. Neighboring countries have bolstered border security measures. The Dominican Republic, which shares a land border with Haiti, has ruled out refugee camps on its territory and deported tens of thousands. In remarks released by the Dominican government Thursday, Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez told the BBC that about 10,000 military personnel had been deployed to its nearly 400-kilometera border. Criminal gangs control not only the main port in Port-au-Prince but also many of the city's access roads, making it difficult to transport medical supplies. Access to health care, which was already severely restricted, has become even more difficult after armed men looted a hospital in the Delmas 18 neighborhood and the Saint-Martin health center last week. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, said aid organizations in Haiti continue to deliver emergency assistance to people affected by recent violence, despite security and funding challenges. The World Food Program and its partners on Thursday delivered 21,500 hot meals to displaced people in the capital Port-au-Prince and 216,000 school meals in Cap Haitien, Gonaives, Jeremie and Miragoane. The WFP and its partners deliver hot meals every day, with more than 500,000 distributed across Port-au-Prince since February 29. However, funding shortfalls are jeopardizing WFPs ability to maintain and expand its operations a grim reality now facing other humanitarian organizations, according to OCHA. "Our humanitarian partners also distributed more than 48,000 liters of water in three displacement sites across the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. However, displaced families in the capital continue to live in appalling conditions and struggle to receive and access assistance to meet their most basic needs," OCHA says. Despite hundreds of millions of dollars in international pledges, few funds have been handed over to the U.N. dedicated security mission trust fund. Gangs, meanwhile, benefit from extortion, ransom payments and alleged backing from corrupt elites that have allowed them to amass large arsenals. Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his resignation on March 11 as worsening violence blocked his return from abroad, pending the installation of a transitional council brokered by regional leaders to install his replacement. For decades the country has been wracked by poverty, natural disasters, political instability and gang violence. The assassination of Haitis 43rd president, Jovenel Moise, on July 7, 2021, in Port-au-Prince set off months of spiraling insecurity and violence in the country intensifying during February's clashes a few weeks before Henrys resignation announcement. Unelected and unpopular, Henrys decision to step down as part of an internationally brokered plan has not calmed the violence. His replacement due to be named by the so-called transitional council remains in limbo. The council has yet to be officially formed and installed amid disagreement among the political parties and other stakeholders because of doubts over the very legality of such a council. Some information for this report was provided by Reuters, The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. Iranian police have arrested three suspected members of the Islamic State group who were plotting attacks at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, state media reported Saturday. Those arrested in the city of Karaj in the northwestern province of Alborz included Mohammed Zaker, who was identified as "a senior member" of the group, according to the official IRNA news agency. "The police in Alborz province arrested three members of the Islamic State group who were planning a suicide attack during the end of Ramadan celebrations," IRNA said. It was not immediately clear when the arrests took place or whether they included foreign nationals. IRNA also reported the arrest of eight "accomplices" but did not elaborate. Local media reported Tuesday about the arrest of two alleged IS members in the holy city of Qom. In January, IS claimed responsibility for twin bombings in the southern Iranian city of Kerman that killed more than 90 people. The attacks took place at a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the death of Qasem Soleimani, a top Revolutionary Guards general killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq in 2020. Iran has been battling jihadi and other militant groups for years. On Saturday, IRNA reported that the number of "martyrs" killed in recent attacks by jihadis near the border with Pakistan had risen to 16, all members of the security forces. It said the toll, one of the deadliest in years, includes members of law enforcement, Guards, and paramilitary Basij forces. State media had earlier reported that 10 security personnel and 18 members of the Jaish al-Adl jihadi group were killed in the clashes. The Sunni Muslim rebel group Jaish al-Adl was formed in 2012 and is listed by Iran and the United States as a "terrorist" organization. Observers are expressing concern that deliveries of aid under Thailands new humanitarian aid program for war-torn Myanmar will be misused because of the role of the junta-run Myanmar Red Cross which is distinct from the International Committee of the Red Cross. U.N. agencies say fighting since the February 2021 coup has displaced some 2.4 million people and that a quarter of them are at risk of acute food insecurity. In a country of 54 million, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says 18.6 million need aid. Myanmars military has been accused of "brazen" war crimes and crimes against humanity in its war against the resistance, and researchers estimate it has killed thousands of civilians. The 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries endorsed Thailands proposal for a "humanitarian corridor" to deliver aid to Myanmar through Thailand in January and the first convoy of 10 trucks, bearing 4,000 aid packages of mostly food and water crossed into Myanmar on March 25 at the Thai border town of Mae Sot, where the Thai Red Cross handed the shipment over to its Myanmar counterpart. Thai officials said at the handover ceremony the packages would reach some 20,000 people displaced around three towns in eastern Myanmars Karen state and that the program could expand to other areas if the first delivery went well. However, aid groups and experts say relying on the military regime and affiliates, including the Myanmar Red Cross, to distribute aid to victims of the fighting puts the aid program at risk. "This organization is handpicked and instructed by the military regime, so it is not a good idea [for them] to hand over the assistance to ... the victims of the military regime," said Sann Aung, executive director of the New Myanmar Foundation, a charity on the Thai-Myanmar border that helps families that have fled the fighting. Thailands Foreign Affairs Ministry, which is spearheading the program, refused VOAs requests for an interview. Its reliance on the Myanmar Red Cross to dispense the deliveries inside Myanmar has many aid experts worried. Adelina Kamal, a former head of ASEANs aid agency, the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance, said any aid outfit run by Myanmars military regime could not be trusted to dispense the aid fairly. "In a conflict and crisis like Myanmar, how the aid is being given and who is behind the aid are often much more important than the aid itself. And if it is actually delivered by the one who initiated the crisis in the first place, there is a big probability that it is actually used as a tool in gaining popularity or ... showing that theyre trying to help the population that theyve tried to kill," she said. Kamal and others fear the junta may also "weaponize" the aid by directing it to communities it favors and away from those it does not. Many if not most of the displaced have taken shelter in parts of the country under the control of the armed groups the junta is fighting. "When we talk about weaponization of aid, it can actually come in various forms ... for example blocking access for aid, which actually was done by the military after Cyclone Mocha hit Rakhine state, or selecting who actually should receive the aid or targeting how and where the aid should be actually provided," Kamal said. A month after Cyclone Mocha slammed into western Myanmars Rakhine state in May of last year, the U.N. said the regime abruptly cut off humanitarian access to the area, "crippling life-saving aid distributions to affected communities." Sann Aung agreed that Myanmars Red Cross lacks the independence needed to ensure the aid will reach those who need it most. "Humanitarian assistance ... must be sent to the targeted areas without bias, without preference to any organization or anybody. But the Burma Red Cross, they are biased, they have to follow the instructions of the military regime," he said, calling Myanmar by its former name. "So, we are very afraid that humanitarian assistance can be used, for example, [for] the people that are supporting the military regime or ... cronies," he added. Thailand has said ASEANs aid agency would monitor the deliveries to ensure the aid is doled out fairly. Kamal, though, who ran the agency for four years until 2021, said it is ill-equipped for the role by design. She said the agency is geared toward responding to natural disasters, not political crises like the one in Myanmar. Having ASEAN state officials on the agencys governing board, including officials from Thailand and Myanmars junta, she said, means it is unlikely to be critical if significant problems arise. Thailand says its aims for the aid corridor include encouraging peace talks between the junta and resistance. Both sides have rejected any compromise to date, and the key role of the Myanmar Red Cross in the aid corridor is unlikely to turn the thinking of the resistance around, said Surachanee Sriyai, a visiting fellow at Singapores ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute based in Thailand. "Theyre saying this is for humanitarian purposes, for humanitarian assistance. But when you do that and working with the Myanmar Red Cross which everybody knows by now that this is part of the junta-controlled apparatus how are you going to facilitate trust from the ethnic groups or what you would now call the resistance ... forces?" she said. "That trust cannot be created and it cannot be forced by external actors," she added. Myanmars so-called National Unity Government, a shadow government mainly including political leaders ousted by the coup and aiming to oust the junta, said in a statement to VOA that they "truly appreciate" Thailands new aid corridor. However, lasting peace will come to Myanmar only when most of the populations "fundamental grievances against military dictatorship are credibly addressed," the NUGs Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs added. It did not suggest kicking the Myanmar Red Cross out of the aid corridor entirely but proposed a "parallel" plan involving the full cooperation of resistance groups as well to make sure the aid is distributed based strictly on need. Aid groups and experts have echoed the need to involve the NUG, armed resistance and nongovernment charities on both sides of the border to ensure the aid reaches the most desperate and vulnerable. Ukrainian officials are cultivating closer ties with India, pursuing mutual economic benefits while hoping to nudge the Asian giant away from its historic close ties with Kyiv's war enemy Russia. Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba visited India on March 28-29, the first visit of a top Ukrainian diplomat to the country in seven years. Days before that, the countries' presidents spoke by phone. The primary task for Kuleba`s visit Ukrainian Ambassador to India Oleksandr Polishchuk said in an interview with VOA was to restore high-level political cooperation. The parties agreed that a high-ranking Indian official will participate in a Global Peace Summit set for this summer in Switzerland with the goal of supporting Ukraine. India also will work on a possible visit to Ukraine by its external affairs minister and organize other top-level mutual visits, he said. The parties also agreed to resume the work of the India-Ukraine Inter-Governmental Commission, inactive since 2018. The two countries "agreed to restore the level of cooperation between our countries that existed prior to the full-scale war launched by Russia," Kuleba wrote on X. "Our immediate goal is to get trade back to earlier levels," wrote his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. In an interview with the Financial Times, Kuleba said that India could greatly benefit from expanding trade and technological ties with Ukraine and participate in post-war reconstruction. Kuleba noted that India's close ties with Russia are based on a "Soviet legacy" that is "evaporating." One such legacy is India's imports of Russian weapons, the share of which dropped from 76% in 2009-2013 to 36% in 2019-2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Polishchuk said that since Russia cannot fulfill all of its obligations to supply new equipment and spare parts, India is trying to establish its own military production based on Western standards. "Ukraine can partially meet the needs of the Indian armed forces, particularly the navy, since many warships use gas turbine engines produced in Ukraine," said the ambassador. In an interview with The Times of India newspaper, Kuleba also softened Ukraine's position toward India's import of Russian oil, saying that Ukraine doesn't object to it because the deal was structured in a way that Russia can't invest the profit "in the production of tanks, missiles, and weapons." Paradoxes of India-Ukraine relations Mridula Ghosh, a lecturer at the Ukraine National University of Kyiv-Mohyla and a native of India, pointed to two paradoxes in the relations between the two countries. First, she told VOA that ties between India and Ukraine are strengthening while the U.S. Congress is unable to approve aid to Ukraine and the U.S. and some European countries use the assistance to Ukraine as a bargaining chip in electoral politics. In India, she said, foreign policy is not part of the electoral debates because it is of little interest to the voters. Second, the warming of relations between the two countries on the highest level happened while Russia increased its propaganda and influence on Indian society. "When the full-scale war began, society was ready to condemn this aggression," Ghosh said. "The authorities, on the contrary, reacted restrainedly. Now, many people in power and intellectual circles clearly and correctly understand what is happening in Ukraine. But the media began actively disseminating Russian propaganda." Mediator between Russia and Ukraine? In New Delhi, Kuleba called on India to play a more active role in the peace process. "With India's more active involvement in this process, we expect that the number of countries looking at India and its role in this process will also grow," Polishchuk said. However, observers doubt that India could mediate between Ukraine and Russia or influence Moscow to end the war. While India leaned closer to the U.S. and the West in recent years, it "will not undertake steps that would significantly affect Russia strategically, just as Russia would not take an adverse position to affect India strategically in favor of China or Pakistan," Nandan Unnikrishnan, a distinguished fellow at the Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, said to the South China Morning Post. Former U.S. consul general in Hyderabad, India, Katherine Hadda doubts that India would act as a mediator in a peace process where one of the parties is absent Russia does not participate in summits based on the peace formula proposed by Ukraine. "India has stressed that it will serve as a mediator [only] at both sides' request," Hadda said in the same article. In a column for the Indian NDTV news outlet, Harsh V. Pant, a professor of international relations at King's College London, writes that achieving peace in Eurasia is not India's job. "New Delhi would like to see a resolution to the Russia-Ukraine war soon. But ultimately, it is for the main protagonists in this conflict Russia, Ukraine, and the West to decide what kind of Eurasian security architecture they can live with." Since the beginning of the full-scale aggression, India has not condemned Russia's actions, has abstained from voting for Ukrainian initiatives at the U.N., and has not joined the sanctions against Russia. Still, Ghosh believes India is moving away from Moscow. "The Indian elephant is slow but steady in reacting," said Ghosh. "At the beginning of the full-scale war, it was reluctant to make strong positional statements, but now it is reviewing many things. There is a decoupling from Russia." Many Yanomami, the Amazon's largest Indigenous tribe in relative isolation, have been contaminated with mercury coming from widespread illegal gold mining, according to a report released on Thursday by Brazil's top public health institute. The research was conducted in nine villages along the Mucajai River, a remote region where illegal mining is widespread. Mercury, a poison, is commonly used in illegal mining to process gold. The researchers collected hair samples from nearly 300 Yanomami of all ages. They were then examined by doctors, neurologists, psychologists and nurses. The vast majority, 84% of Yanomami tested, had contamination equal to or above 2 micrograms per gram, a level of exposure that can lead to several health problems, according to standards by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization. Even more worrying, a smaller part of this group, 10%, surpassed the 6 micrograms per gram threshold, a contamination level often associated with more severe medical conditions. Research teams also tested fish in the area, finding high levels in them. Eating fish with high mercury levels is the most common path of exposure. Exposure studies usually test for methylmercury, a powerful neurotoxin formed when bacteria, in this case in rivers, metabolize inorganic mercury. Ingestion of large amounts over weeks or months damages the nervous system. The substance also can pass through a placenta of a pregnant woman, exposing a fetus to developmental abnormalities and cerebral palsy, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health effects can include decreased sensitivity in the legs, feet, and hands, overall weakness, dizziness, and ringing in the ears. In some cases, a compromise of the central nervous system can lead to mobility issues. "Chronic exposure to mercury settles in slowly and progressively," Paulo Basta, an epidemiologist with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, which led the testing, told The Associated Press. "There's a wide spectrum of clinical actions that range from mild to severe symptoms." Concerted global efforts to address mercury pollution led to the 2013 Minamata Convention, a U.N.-backed agreement signed by 148 parties to curb emissions. The treaty is named after the Japanese city of Minamata, whose population was contaminated by decades-long emissions of mercury dumped along with wastewater. Brazil and the United States were among the signatories. The Brazilian government report has not been peer reviewed but synthesizes three papers published recently in the journal Toxics, all based on the same field work. One of the studies noted that determining what long-term mercury exposure levels constitute a significant risk for health remains a challenge. The study's findings align with prior research in other areas of the Amazon, said Maria Elena Crespo Lopez, a biochemist at the Federal University of Para who was not involved in the report and has studied the subject for 20 years. "The mercury problem is widespread throughout the Amazon," she told the AP. "Since the 1970s, when the first major gold rush happened here, mercury has been released for decades and ends up being transported over long distances, entering the food chain." A global review of mercury exposure in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives in 2018 identified Amazon river tributary communities as one of four communities of most concern. The World Health Organization ranks small-scale gold mining as the single largest source of human-led contamination. The Yanomami territory, which spans the size of Portugal and has a population of 27,000, has endured decades of this illegal activity. The mining problem significantly expanded during the four-year term of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, which ended in 2022. He defanged Brazil's environment protection agencies amid rising gold prices. The combination caused a rush of thousands of miners onto Yanomami lands. Basta said that during the fieldwork, which took place near the end of Bolsonaro's term, Mucajai was teeming with illegal miners. Upon arrival by plane, the 22-strong team had to wait for about hours to proceed by boat due to heavy gold barge traffic in the Mucajai River. During ten days of testing, researchers were guarded by four military police carrying machine guns and grenades. Basta recalls counting 30 to 35 small planes flying to and from illegal mining sites each day. "The tension was present throughout our entire stay in the village. I have been working in Indigenous villages for 25 years, and it was the most tense work I have done," he said. Current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pledged to expel gold prospectors from Yanomami territory and improve health conditions, but the task is far from complete. "Mining is the biggest threat we face in Yanomami land today," Yanomami leader Dario Kopenawa said in a statement. "It's mandatory and urgent to expel these intruders. If mining continues, so will contamination, devastation, malaria, and malnutrition. This research provides concrete evidence of it." Militia gunmen attacked a village in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing at least 15 people, local officials and residents said. Scores of civilians have been killed this year in attacks blamed on the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) armed group, which rival groups accuse of mining gold in the region. The latest attack was on the village of Galay in Ituri province. "They just started firing on everybody," Innocent Matukadala, an administrative official for Banyali Kilo district, that includes the village, told AFP. Matukadala said there were at least 15 people dead, but the toll could rise as many people jumped into the Ituri River to escape the attack and were missing. One emergency services official who requested anonymity said 16 bodies had been brought to the village square, including seven women. The Action Against Hunger (ACF) aid group this week suspended its work in parts of the Ituri province because of increased attacks blamed on CODECO and other groups. The ACF director for DR Congo, Florian Monnerie, said the armed groups had threatened his workers. A United Nations peacekeeping force for DR Congo that is meant to leave by the end of the year still has hundreds of troops in Ituri seeking to prevent violence. CODECO has thousands of fighters with the declared aim of protecting the Lendu ethnic group from rivals among the Hema, but it has also fought the DR Congo army. A conflict between the two communities between 1999 and 2003 left thousands dead. After more than a decade of relative calm, fighting surged again in 2017. Thousands have died and more than 1.5 million people have fled their homes, according to the U.N. When Morocco 's King Mohamed VI visited Havana in 2017, Cuban-American gallery owner Alberto Magnan impressed him with a "full immersion" in the Caribbean island's art and culture, drawing a line between the cultural and historical themes tackled by Cuban artists and those from across Africa. Seven years after that encounter, one of the first exhibitions of Cuban art at an African museum is showing at Morocco's Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. It's part of an effort to give visitors a view beyond the European artists who often remain part of the school curriculum in the North African nation and other former French colonies, museum director Abdelaziz El Idrissi said. "The Moroccan public might know Giacometti, Picasso or impressionists," El Idrissi said. The museum has shown them all. "We've seen them and are looking for other things, too." The Cuba show contains 44 pieces by Wifredo Lam a major showing of the Afro-Cuban painter's work more than a year before New York City's Museum of Modern Art will honor him with a career retrospective show in 2025. "We're kind of beating MoMA to the punch," Magnan said. The Morocco show also marks the first time that the work of another luminary, Jose Angel Toirac, is being displayed outside Cuba. Previously, his paintings depicting the country's late anti-capitalist president Fidel Castro in the iconography of American advertisements and consumer culture were not allowed off the island. Other works in Cuban Art: On the other side of the Atlantic open until June 16 show prevalent themes in Cuban art ranging from isolation and economic embargo to heritage and identity. In Cuba, almost half of the population identifies as mixed race and more than 1 million people are Afro-Cuban. The island's diversity is a recurring subject for its painters and artists, including Lam. That's why it was important to show his work including paintings of African-inspired masks and use of vibrant color in Africa, Magnan said. Morocco is among countries that have shown new interest in Cuban art since the United States restored diplomatic ties with Cuba in 2014 and Castro died in 2016. American art dealers and major museums flocked to the previously difficult-to-visit island. But the intrigue was curbed by the COVID-19 pandemic and former U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to redesignate the country as a "state sponsor of terrorism," Magnan said. Meanwhile, Morocco has increased funding for arts and culture in an effort to boost its "geopolitical soft power" in North Africa and beyond. In both Morocco and Cuba, 20th century artists responded to political transition decolonization in Morocco, revolution in Cuba by drawing from history and engaging in trends shaping contemporary art worldwide. But the current show does not touch on Moroccan-Cuban diplomatic relations, which were restored following King Mohamed VI's 2017 visit to Cuba. The countries had cut ties decades ago over Cuba's position on the disputed Western Sahara, which Morocco claims. Cuba has historically trained Sahrawi soldiers and doctors and backed the Polisario Front's agenda at the United Nations. KABUL, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan caretaker government has released 406 detainees from the central jail of the country, the state-run Bakhtar news agency reported on Saturday. The inmates were freed based on a decree issued by the government's Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada on the arrival of Eid al-Fitr, Bakhtar said. Based on the decree, many prisoners will be released from jails in different provinces, the report said. The largest dam removal project in U.S. history was completed Wednesday, marking a major victory for tribes in the region who fought for decades to free hundreds of miles of the Klamath River near the California-Oregon border. Through protests, testimony and lawsuits, local tribes showcased the environmental devastation due to the four towering hydroelectric dams, especially to salmon, which are culturally and spiritually significant to tribes in the region. The dams cut salmon off from their historic habitat and caused them to die in alarming numbers because of bad water-quality conditions. Without the tribes' work "to point out the damage that these dams were doing, not only to the environment, but to the social and cultural fabric of these tribal nations, there would be no dam removal," said Mark Bransom, chief executive of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, the nonprofit entity created to oversee the project. Power company PacifiCorp built the dams to generate electricity between 1918 and 1962. But the structures halted the natural flow of the waterway that was once known as the third-largest salmon-producing river on the West Coast. They disrupted the life cycle of the region's salmon, which spend most of their life in the Pacific Ocean but return to the chilly mountain streams to lay eggs. At the same time, the dams produced only a small fraction of PacifiCorp's energy at full capacity enough to power about 70,000 homes. They also didn't provide irrigation, drinking water or flood control, according to Klamath River Renewal Corporation. Since breaching the dams, salmon regained access to their habitat, water temperature decreased and its quality improved, said Michael Belchik, senior water policy analyst for the Yurok Tribe. But tribal advocates and activists see their work as far from finished, with some already refocusing their efforts on revegetation and other restoration work on the Klamath River and the surrounding land. Here's a look at just a few of the many tribal members at the center of this struggle for dam removal: 'I really felt an urgency' When Karuk tribal member Molli Myers took her first major step into the fight for Klamath dam removal, she was six months pregnant, had a toddler in tow and was in a foreign country for the first time. It was 2004 and she had organized a group of about 25 tribal members to fly to Scotland for the annual general stockholders meeting for Scottish Power, PacifiCorp's parent company at the time. For hours, they protested outside with signs, sang and played drums. They cooked fish on Calton Hill over a fire of scotch barrels and gave it out to locals as they explained why they were there. "I really felt an urgency because I was having babies," said Myers, who was born and raised in the middle Klamath in a traditional fishing family. "And so for me I was internalizing the responsibility to take care of their future." The initial trigger for her to act came two years before that when she saw some of the tens of thousands of salmon die in the river from a bacterial outbreak caused by low water and warm temperatures. "Looking back on it now I wonder where would we be if that hadn't happened," said Myers, 41. "Looking back on it now I can say, 'Was this our creator's call to action?' " She spent the next two decades protesting and flooding state and federal meetings with tribal testimony, including waiting with other tribal members at the doors of a Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting at 4 a.m. in 2007 to ask Warren Buffett what he was going to do about the dams. PacifiCorp was at that point part of Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. conglomerate. Today, those same children with her in Scotland are 21 and 19, and with the dams gone Myers said she sees the hope they and her other three children have about the future. "They can do whatever needs to get done because they saw it happen, they lived it, so now there's no impossible for them," she said. 'His vision became reality' For Yurok elder Jacqueline Winter, her feelings on the newly free-flowing river are more complicated. The 89-year-old's son, Troy Fletcher, was the tribe's point person for dam removal for two decades, testifying in front of the U.S. Congress and presenting to state and federal regulatory committees. But his true power came through his ability to bring people with radically conflicting viewpoints from farmers to commercial fishers to tribal members together. Winter said that came from his belief that everyone living along the river are relatives and deserve to be heard. "We're all family. None of us can be left hurting and all of us have to give a little," she said was his message. But at 53, the former executive director for the Yurok Tribe died unexpectedly from a heart attack, nearly a decade before that vision of a free-flowing river would finally be realized. Winter said when she saw the dams breached last month, it felt like his spirit was there through those he touched and she could finally let him go. "His vision became reality and I think he never doubted it," she said. "He never doubted it. And those who worked closely with him never doubted it." 'Protect those fish' Former Klamath Tribes Chairman Jeff Mitchell's work since the 1970s for dam removal came out of the belief that the salmon are their relatives. "They were gifted to us by our creator and given to us to preserve and to protect and also to help give us life," said Mitchell, chair of the tribe's Culture and Heritage Committee. "As such, the creator also instructed us to make sure that we do everything in our power to protect those fish." The Klamath River's headwaters lie on the tribe's homelands in Oregon, and members once depended on salmon for 25% of their food. But for more than a century their waters have not held any salmon, he said. Mitchell and other tribal members' fight to bring them back has cycled through several forms. There were the years of protesting, even gathering carcasses of fish after the 2002 fish kill and leaving them on the doorsteps of federal office buildings. There were his days of walking the halls of the state Legislature in Salem, Oregon, meeting with lawmakers about the millions in funding needed to make dam removal happen. Today, he said he feels like they achieved the impossible, but there's still more work to do. "I'm happy that the dams are gone and we have passage," he said. "But now I'm thinking about what are those fish coming home to. And that's really the focus now, is how do we get the parties to start taking restoration actions and making that the top priority in all of this?" Negotiators began arriving in Cairo on Saturday for renewed negotiations for a cease-fire and the release of hostages as the war in Gaza reaches the six-month mark. U.S. CIA Director Bill Burns arrived Saturday. Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and an Israeli delegation were expected to take part in the talks as well, Egypt's Al Qahera news reported Saturday. Hamas said in a statement that it is sending its deputy chief in Gaza, Khalil Al-Hayya. It also reiterated its core demands: a complete cease-fire in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. U.S. President Joe Biden wrote letters to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi 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," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said. Biden also told Netanyahu to empower his negotiators in Cairo so that a deal can be reached as soon as possible, allowing more humanitarian aid to get into Gaza. Deadly, destructive war The Israel-Hamas war is considered one of the most destructive, deadly, and relentless conflicts of the 21st century. "Six months on, the war in Gaza is a betrayal of humanity," said Martin Griffiths, undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator at the United Nations. In a statement Saturday, Griffiths acknowledged the pain and suffering of both Palestinians and Israelis since Hamas staged its October 7 terror attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and claimed more than 240 hostages. "For the people of Gaza, the past six months of war have brought death, devastation and now the immediate prospect of a shameful manmade famine," Griffiths said, noting that for the people affected by the lasting horror of the Hamas attacks, "it has been six months of grief and torment." In his plea for a cease-fire, Griffiths said that "every second counts" as the war claims more civilian victims and "continues to sow the seeds of a future so deeply obscured by this relentless conflict." Griffiths said any further escalation of the war in Gaza is an "unconscionable prospect." More than 33,000 dead Since October 7, Israel has pummeled the enclave, killing 33,137 people, including more than 13,000 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and The Associated Press. Gaza's health ministry doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but it says women and children have made up about two-thirds of those killed. Famine on horizon Seventy percent of the Palestinian population in Gaza has been displaced within the enclave, and about half of the population is clustered into Gaza's southernmost city, Rafah. With humanitarian aid barely trickling into Gaza, food is scarce. According to the U.N., famine is approaching, and few Palestinians have been able to leave the besieged territory. Thirty-one percent of children younger than 2 are acutely malnourished in northern Gaza. Meanwhile, Hamas still refuses to free the estimated 100 hostages it and its allies hold. As of February 14, 112 hostages were returned alive to Israel, with 105 being released in a prisoner exchange deal four released by Hamas unilaterally and three rescued by the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF confirmed that 36 hostages have died in Hamas captivity. Some information for this report was provided by Reuters, The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. Pakistan on Saturday denounced Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singhs provocative remarks threatening to enter Pakistan and kill suspects who escape over its border after carrying out terrorist attacks in India. Singh made the controversial remarks in an interview with an Indian TV news channel that aired Friday when asked for his reaction to a recent British media report accusing the Indian government of killing some 20 people in Pakistan since 2020. "India's assertion of its preparedness to extrajudicially execute more civilians, arbitrarily pronounced as terrorists,' inside Pakistan constitutes a clear admission of culpability," said a Pakistani foreign ministry statement. It said the Indian ministers claims backed Islamabads irrefutable evidence linking New Delhi to an alleged campaign of extrajudicial and transnational assassinations on Pakistani soil. Islamabad cautioned that Indian officials' myopic and irresponsible behavior could put regional peace at risk. Singh said in his interview that his government would give a befitting reply to any terrorist from a neighboring country who tries to disrupt peace or conducts "terrorist activities in India. If he escapes to Pakistan, we will go to Pakistan and kill him there, he said. Britains Guardian newspaper reported earlier this week, quoting interviews with Pakistani and Indian intelligence officials, that New Delhi had been plotting the assassinations of individuals in Pakistan as part of a wider strategy to eliminate anti-India terrorists living on foreign soil. The newspaper said the killings were carried out by operatives of the Research and Analysis Wing, the Indian spy agency, which is directly controlled by the office of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi is running for a third term in office in elections later this month. Last year, Canada and the United States accused India of killing or attempting to kill people in their respective territories. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in September that his government was pursuing credible allegations linking the Indian government to the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada. New Delhi rejected the charges as "absurd and motivated. In November, Washington said it had thwarted an Indian plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader and announced charges against a person U.S. officials said had worked with India to orchestrate the attempted murder. New Delhi has pledged to investigate any information it receives on the matter. Pakistans traditionally troubled relations with India have deteriorated since a 2019 suicide bombing of a military convoy in the Indian-administered part of the disputed Kashmir region that killed 144 Indian soldiers. The attack was reportedly claimed by a Pakistan-based outlawed militant group, prompting India to carry out aerial strikes against what it said were militant bases in the Pakistani-administered portion of Kashmir. Islamabad rejected Indian claims of sheltering militants and denounced the Indian military attack. It then carried out retaliatory airstrikes against several targets in Indian-controlled Kashmir. During an ensuing skirmish, Pakistan shot down an Indian fighter jet and briefly held its pilot captive before returning him to India. Following Thursday's meetings in Brussels, NATO's 32 member states are getting to work on an expanded role in providing military aid to Ukraine. At the session marking the 75th anniversary of the alliance, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg pledged NATO's support for Ukraine, now and for the long haul. Myroslava Gongadze visits a Ukrainian air base to see how military aid has already strengthened the country's air force. Camera: Yuriy Dankevych Two basic mistakes, according to the Israeli military. First, officers overlooked a message detailing the vehicles in the convoy. Second, a spotter saw someone boarding a car, carrying something possibly a bag that he thought was a weapon. Officials say the result was the series of Israeli drone strikes that killed seven aid workers on a dark Gaza Strip road. The Israeli military has described the deadly strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy as a tragic error. Its explanation raises the question: If that's the case, how often has Israel made such mistakes in its six-month-old offensive in Gaza? Rights groups and aid workers say Monday nights mistake was hardly an anomaly. They say the wider problem is not violations of the militarys rules of engagement but the rules themselves. In Israels drive to destroy Hamas after its October 7 terror attacks, the rights groups and aid workers say, the military seems to have given itself wide leeway to determine what is a target and how many civilian deaths it allows as collateral damage. More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israels offensive, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel says that it is targeting Hamas fighters and infrastructure and that it tries to minimize civilian deaths. It blames the large number of civilian casualties on militants and says it's because they operate among the population. Israel says each strike goes through an assessment by legal experts, but it has not made its rules of engagement public. Other strikes In the thousands of strikes Israel has carried out, as well as shelling and shootings in ground operations, it's impossible to know how many times a target has been wrongly identified. Nearly every day, strikes level buildings with Palestinian families inside, killing men, women and children, with no explanation of the target or independent accountability over the proportionality of the strike. Sarit Michaeli, spokeswoman for the Israeli human rights group BTselem, said the World Central Kitchen strike drew world attention only because foreigners were killed. The thought that this is a unique case, that its a rare example its an insult to the intelligence of anyone who has been following the situation, she said. She said a broader investigation is needed into the rules of engagement. The relevant questions arent asked because the investigations only deal with specific cases, rather than the broader policy. Israels chief military spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, acknowledged, Mistakes were conducted in the last six months. We do everything we can not to harm innocent civilians, he told reporters. It is hard because Hamas is going with civilian clothes. Is it a problem, is it complexity for us? Yes. Does that matter? No. We need to do more and more and more to distinguish. But the military hasn't specified how it will achieve this. Brigadier General Benny Gal, who was part of the investigation into the World Central Kitchen strikes, was asked whether more questions should be asked before a strike is authorized. This was not our standards, he said. The standard is more questions, more details, more crossing sources. And this was not the case. White flags Palestinian witnesses have repeatedly reported people, including women and children, being shot and killed or wounded by Israeli troops while carrying white flags. Several videos have surfaced showing Palestinians being fired at or killed while seeming to pose little threat to Israeli forces nearby. In March, the military acknowledged it shot dead two Palestinians and wounded a third while they were walking on a Gaza beach. It said troops opened fire after the men allegedly ignored warning shots. It reacted after the news channel Al Jazeera showed footage of one of the men falling to the ground while walking in an open area and then a bulldozer pushing two bodies into the garbage-strewn sand. It said at least two of the three men were waving white flags. Aid groups have also reported strikes on their personnel. Medical Aid for Palestine said its residential compound in the southern area of Muwasi which the military had defined as a safe zone was hit in January by what the United Nations determined was a 1,000-pound bomb. Several team members were injured and the building damaged, the group said. The group said the Israeli military gave it multiple explanations denying involvement, saying it was trying to hit a target nearby and blaming a missile that went astray. The variety of responses highlights a continued lack of transparency, the group said. The medical charity Doctors Without Borders said a tank shelled a house sheltering its staff and their families in Muwasi in February, killing one staffer's wife and daughter-in-law. Both groups said they had informed the military repeatedly of their locations and clearly marked the buildings. Israeli admissions of mistakes are rare. In December, after a strike killed at least 106 people in the Maghazi camp, the military said buildings near the target were also hit, likely causing unintended harm to additional uninvolved civilians. It also admitted soldiers mistakenly shot to death three Israeli hostages who were waving white flags after getting out of Hamas captivity in Gaza City. The pattern In Israels ground assaults, troops are operating in urban environments, searching for Hamas fighters while surrounded by a population hunkering in their homes and in motion, trying to flee or find food and medical care. Some Israeli politicians and news outlets regularly proclaim there are no innocents in Gaza. And in some videos circulated online, soldiers talk of getting vengeance for the October 7 Hamas terror attacks that sparked the war. In that atmosphere, Palestinians and other critics say, soldiers on the ground appear to have wide liberty in deciding whether to target someone as suspicious. Residents and medical staff in Gaza say they see the result. Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a doctor with Medical Aid for Palestinians who just returned from two weeks at a Gaza hospital, said staff regularly treated children and elderly shot by snipers. Its not an anomaly. Its actually the pattern, she told journalists in a briefing this week. I dont think its that children in particular are singled out as targets. The understanding and kind of the conclusion you reach is that everybodys a target. Chris Cobb-Smith, a former British army and weapons expert who's done research and security missions in Gaza, said that if there was a breakdown in communication in the case of the World Central Kitchen strike, for a professional army, this is inexcusable. There seems to be a consistent pattern of utterly reckless behavior, said Cobb-Smith, who helped investigate the Doctors Without Borders shelling. Russia said Saturday it had evacuated 4,500 people in the Orenburg region, in the southern Urals near Kazakhstan, because of flooding after a dam burst. Emergency services had been working through the night after a dam burst in the city of Orsk, near the border with Kazakhstan. The press service of the Orenburg governor said 4,402 people, including 1,100 children had been evacuated and more than 6,000 homes were affected by the flooding after torrential rain. President Vladimir Putin ordered Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov to the region, a Kremlin spokesman said late Saturday. Authorities also opened a criminal case for "negligence and violation of construction safety rules" over the burst dam, which was built in 2014. Orenburg regional governor Denis Pasler said specialists assessed that the dam was built "for a different weight" and that the level of rainfall was "exceptional." Authorities said the situation was difficult throughout the region, warning of a dangerous water level on the Ural River in the main city of Orenburg. The mayor of the city of half a million people, Sergei Salmin, said authorities would forcibly evacuate people from flooded zones if they refused orders to leave. He said the water level of the Ural River had risen to 855 centimeters (about 28 feet) and "will rise" farther. He named several districts of the city and nearby villages likely to be affected. "The situation leaves you no choice. At night, the river can reach a critical level," he said. "I call on everyone in the flooded zone to leave their houses immediately. "There is no time for convincing," he added, saying that "those who refuse to leave the danger zone voluntarily, we will forcibly evacuate with the help of police officers." Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the floods were one of the worst natural disasters in Kazakhstan in 80 years. He called for authorities in the Central Asian country to be ready to help those affected. Russian emergency services published images of rescue workers going through villages on boats and hovercrafts. Several regions in the Urals and western Siberia have been affected by floods since the start of spring. The Taliban's reclusive supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada urged his officials to set aside their differences and serve Afghanistan properly, according to a written statement released Saturday ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of Ramadan. Public dissent within the Taliban is rare, but some senior figures have expressed their disagreement with the leadership's decision making, especially the bans on female education. Akhundzada, an Islamic scholar who almost never appears in public, rarely leaves the Taliban heartland in southern Kandahar province. He and his circle have been instrumental in imposing restrictions on women and girls that have sparked an international outcry and isolated the Taliban on the global stage. His message was distributed in seven languages including Uzbek and Turkmen the Taliban are courting cash-rich Central Asian countries for investment and legitimacy and it touched on diplomatic relations, the economy, justice, charity and the virtues of meritocracy. Akhundzada said Taliban officials should "live a brotherly life among themselves, avoid disagreements and selfishness." He said that the war against the Soviet invasion and communism failed due to disagreements within the Taliban and that they could not implement Shariah in Afghanistan due to these divisions. While he mentioned education, he said nothing about reopening schools and universities for girls and women. Nor did he refer to recent unconfirmed reports about him saying there would be a resumption of stoning Afghan women to death for adultery, a punishment previously carried out during the Taliban's first period of rule, in the late 1990s. Akhundzada in Saturday's message said security did not come from being tough and killing more; rather, security is aligned with Shariah and justice." Hassan Abbas, a professor at the National Defense University in Washington and author of the Return of the Taliban," said Akhundzada's message sounded largely reasonable and was focused on governance and anti-corruption matters. I believe this message is carefully crafted to dispel the negative impression created by a recently released audio of his that gives a very dogmatic and regressive message, especially about public punishments and women rights, Abbas told The Associated Press. I think this new message is also intended as damage control. Also Saturday, the Taliban-controlled Supreme Court said six people, including a woman, were publicly flogged on adultery charges in eastern Logar province. The universe is still expanding at an accelerating rate, but it may have slowed down recently compared with a few billion years ago, early results from the most precise measurement of its evolution yet suggested Thursday. The preliminary findings are far from confirmed, but if they hold up, it would further deepen the mystery of dark energy and likely mean there is something important missing in our understanding of the cosmos. These signals of our universe's changing speeds were spotted by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, or DESI, which is perched atop a telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in the U.S. state of Arizona. Each of the instrument's 5,000 fiber-optic robots can observe a galaxy for 20 minutes, allowing astronomers to chart what they have called the largest-ever 3D map of the universe. "We measured the position of the galaxies in space but also in time, because the farther away they are, the more we go back in time to a younger and younger universe," Arnaud de Mattia, a co-leader of the DESI data interpretation team, told AFP. Just one year into its five-year survey, DESI has already drawn up a map that includes 6 million galaxies and quasars using light that stretches up to 11 billion years into the universe's past. The results were announced at conferences in the United States and Switzerland on Thursday, ahead of a series of scientific papers being published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics. DESI is on a mission to shed light on the nature of dark energy a theoretical phenomenon thought to make up roughly 70% of the universe. Another 25% of the universe is composed of the equally mysterious dark matter, leaving just 5% of normal matter such as everything you can see. An inconstant constant? For more than a century, scientists have known that the universe started expanding after the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago. But in the late 1990s, astronomers were shocked to discover it has been expanding at an ever-increasing rate. This was a surprise because gravity from matter both normal and dark was thought to have been slowing the universe down. But obviously something was making the universe expand at ever-faster speeds, and the name "dark energy" was given to this force. More recently, it was discovered that the acceleration of the universe significantly sped up around 6 billion years after the Big Bang. In the push-and-pull between matter and dark energy, the latter certainly seems to have the upper hand, according to the leading model of the universe, called the Lambda CDM. Under this model, the quickening expansion of the universe is called the "cosmological constant," which is closely linked to dark energy. DESI director Michael Levi said that so far, the instrument's early results were showing "basic agreement with our best model of the universe." "But we're also seeing some potentially interesting differences, which could indicate that dark energy is evolving with time," Levi said in a statement. In other words, the data seem to show "that the cosmological constant Lambda is not really a constant," because dark energy would be displaying "dynamic" and changing behavior, De Mattia said. Slowing down in old age This could suggest that after switching into high gear 6 billion years after the Big Bang the speed at which the universe has been expanding has been "slowing down in recent times," DESI researcher Christophe Yeche said. Whether dark energy does in fact change over time would need to be verified by more data from DESI and other instruments, such as the space telescope Euclid. But if it was confirmed, our understanding of the universe will likely have to be changed to accommodate for this strange behavior. For example, the cosmological constant could be replaced by some kind of field linked to some as-yet-unknown particle. It could even necessitate updating the equations of Einstein's theory of relativity "so that they behave slightly differently on the scale of large structures," De Mattia said. But we are not there yet. The history of science is full of examples in which "deviations of this type have been observed then resolved over time," De Mattia said. After all, Einstein's theory of relativity has withstood more than a century of scientific poking and prodding and still stands stronger than ever. The United States and China have agreed to hold talks and create two economic groups focused on a wide range of issues including addressing American complaints about Chinas economic model, growth in domestic and global economies and efforts against money laundering according to a statement released Saturday by the U.S. Treasury Department. The agreement comes on the second day of an official visit to China by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, during which she has urged Chinese leaders to change their domestic manufacturing policies. The two sides are set to hold intensive exchanges on cultivating more balanced economic growth and combating money laundering. Yellen said the efforts would establish a structure for Beijing and Washington to exchange views and address Chinese industrial overcapacity, its ability to supply more product than is demanded. I think the Chinese realize how concerned we are about the implications of their industrial strategy for the United States, for the potential to flood our markets with exports that make it difficult for American firms to compete, she told journalists after the announcement Saturday. Yellen was en route to Beijing after beginning her five-day visit in the southern city of Guangzhou, which is a key manufacturing and export center for China. While the issue of Chinas industrial overcapacity will not be resolved instantly, Yellen said Chinese officials understand its an important issue for Americans, adding that her exchanges with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will facilitate a discussion around macroeconomic imbalances and their connection to overcapacity. Chinas state-run Xinhua news agency reported Chinese officials comprehensively responded to the issue of industrial overcapacity raised by the Americans. Both sides agreed to continue to maintain communication, an official readout said. The announcement came a day after Yellen urged Beijing to reform its trade practices and create a healthy economic relationship with the U.S. It also follows Chinese state medias warning that Washington may consider rolling out more protectionist policies to shield U.S. companies. Some analysts say the announcement reflects Yellens effort to push forward on collaboration in areas the U.S. and China agreed on during U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinpings San Francisco summit last November. When Xi met Biden in November, they agreed to set up working groups, so Yellen is continuing to push that forward with the meeting, Dexter Roberts, director of China affairs at the University of Montana's Mansfield Center, told VOA by phone. While he called the announcement a positive development, Roberts said he does not think Beijing and Washington will reach agreement on contentious trade issues during Yellens trip. There could be temporary things like China easing off on subsidizing electric vehicles a bit, but its unclear how either side is going to change what's happening in a way that allows the tension over trade to lessen, he said. Beijings displeasure While Washington highlighted threats posed by Chinas industrial overcapacity, Beijing focused on its concerns about U.S. export controls on Chinese companies during the meeting between Yellen and He. The Chinese side expressed serious concerns over Washingtons restrictive economic and trade measures against China, read the Chinese readout published by Xinhua. Some experts say the United States and China could make progress on U.S. export restrictions on Chinese companies. Some U.S. businesses are calling for the government to remove some of the export restrictions, especially for chips [integrated circuits], Victor Shih, director of the 21st Century China Center at the University of California in San Diego, told VOA by phone. Since China is either already making, or is on the cusp of making, some of the computer chips on the sanctions list, Shih said he thinks restricting U.S. companies from selling some of the chips to China will only hurt American interests. Its really not hurting China that much, he said. In addition to U.S. controls on exports to Chinese entities, Shih said the other big topic Chinese officials are likely to raise in meetings with Yellen is potential tariffs Washington may impose on Chinese products. Since China is the largest exporter in the world, its not in its interest for there to be a lot of tariffs around the world, especially for major importers like the U.S., he said, adding that talking to Washington about lowering tariffs and not enacting new ones will be an important agenda item for Beijing. While she has not explicitly promised to impose new sanctions on Chinese products, Yellen said she would not rule out the possibility of adopting more measures to safeguard the American supply chain for electric vehicles, batteries or solar panels from heavily subsidized Chinese green energy products. During a phone call Tuesday with Biden, Xi warned that if the United States is adamant on containing China's high-tech development and depriving China of its legitimate right to development, China is not going to sit back and watch. Bilateral communication Despite persistent differences over contentious trade issues, Yellen and He underscored the importance for China and the U.S. to properly respond to key concerns of the other side to build a more cooperative economic relationship. It also remains crucial for the two largest economies to seek progress on global challenges like climate change and debt distress in emerging markets in developing countries, and to closely communicate on issues of concern such as overcapacity and national security-related economic actions, Yellen said Friday. Based on Yellen and Hes comments and signals from the Biden-Xi call Tuesday, some analysts say the U.S. and China will continue to put guard rails around the bilateral relationship to prevent it from further deteriorating. The two sides have come to the realization that they will have to live together, perhaps uncomfortably at times, said Zhiqun Zhu, an expert on Chinese foreign policy at Bucknell University. While the relationship will remain highly competitive, Zhu said he thinks Beijing and Washington will stay engaged and seek cooperation in areas of common interest. Maintaining stability is the priority for both Xi and Biden now, he said. Yellen is scheduled to have meetings with other senior officials Sunday and Monday in Beijing. In recent weeks, the United States, Britain and the European Union have issued the strictest regulations yet on the use and development of artificial intelligence, setting a precedent for other countries. This month, the United States and the U.K. signed a memorandum of understanding allowing for the two countries to partner in the development of tests for the most advanced artificial intelligence models, following through on commitments made at the AI Safety Summit last November. These actions come on the heels of the European Parliaments March vote to adopt its first set of comprehensive rules on AI. The landmark decision sets out a wide-ranging set of laws to regulate this exploding technology. At the time, Brando Benifei, co-rapporteur on the Artificial Intelligence Act plenary vote, said, "I think today is again an historic day on our long path towards regulation of AI. The first regulation in the world that is putting a clear path towards a safe and human-centric development of AI." The new rules aim to protect citizens from dangerous uses of AI, while exploring its boundless potential. Beth Noveck, professor of experiential AI at Northeastern University, expressed enthusiasm about the rules. It's really exciting that the EU has passed really the world's first binding legal framework addressing AI. It is, however, not the end; it is really just the beginning. The new rules will be applied according to risk level: the higher the risk, the stricter the rules. It's not regulating the tech, she said. It's regulating the uses of the tech, trying to prohibit and to restrict and to create controls over the most malicious uses and transparency around other uses. So things like what China is doing around social credit scoring, and surveillance of its citizens, unacceptable. Noveck described what she called high-risk uses that would be subject to scrutiny. Those include the use of tools in ways that could deprive people of their liberty or within employment. Then there are lower risk uses, such as the use of spam filters, which involve the use of AI or translation, she said. Your phone is using AI all the time when it gives you the weather; you're using Siri or Alexa, we're going to see a lot less scrutiny of those common uses. But as AI experts point out, new laws just create a framework for a new model of governance on a rapidly evolving technology. Dragos Tudorache, co-rapporteur on the AI Act plenary vote, said, "Because AI is going to have an impact that we can't only measure through this act, we will have to be very mindful of this evolution of the technology in the future and be prepared." In late March, the Biden administration issued the first government-wide policy to mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence while harnessing its benefits. The announcement followed President Joe Bidens executive order last October, which called on federal agencies to lead the way toward better governance of the technology without stifling innovation. This landmark executive order is testament to what we stand for: safety, security, trust, openness, Biden said at the time, proving once again that America's strength is not just the power of its example, but the example of its power. Looking ahead, experts say the challenge will be to update rules and regulations as the technology continues to evolve. CAIRO, April 6 (Xinhua) -- China's development of new quality productive forces and its continued openness to the outside world will bring new opportunities for foreign investors and companies, an Egyptian expert has said. In a recent interview with Xinhua, Ahmed al-Husseini, a researcher at the Faculty of African Studies of Cairo University and an expert in Chinese affairs, stressed that foreign investment matters to all countries, whether they are rich, industrial, or developing countries. "China attracted direct foreign investment amounting to approximately 1.1 trillion yuan (about 160 billion U.S. dollars), and more than 53,000 foreign companies invested in China during 2023, the scale of which is still at a historical high," al-Husseini said. And so with Egypt, which is striving to attract foreign investments, he said, adding that Egypt's Vision 2030 and China's new quality productive forces greatly enhance the opportunities for bilateral cooperation and contribute to attracting mutual investments in different productive sectors. The strategic vision of Egypt 2030 can be considered a direct reflection of the concept of China's new quality productive forces, which highlights the depth and strength of Egyptian-Chinese relations and common understanding of many topics and issues, he said. "There is a very high degree of convergence between the new Chinese concept of new quality productive forces and Egypt's 2030 vision, which relies on sustainability, technology, and innovation," the expert said. Egypt, in its vision, has become more concerned with the localization of modern industries, high-quality technologies, and new and renewable energy, al-Husseini said, noting that Egypt has also ventured into the field of manufacturing electric cars, in cooperation with Chinese companies. Many Egyptian companies and investors, he said, are seeking to be present in the Chinese market, especially in agricultural manufacturing. And that Chinese investments in Egypt can also work to provide production requirements for Egyptian factories that rely on technology and innovation. He also stressed the importance of the positive impact of the concept of new quality productive forces on the "Belt and Road" Initiative. "The Belt and Road Initiative is based on cooperation, the exchange of benefits, and joint win-win for both parties, not for one party at the expense of the other...it depends on investing in infrastructure such as roads, ports, airports, high-speed trains, electricity, water, energy, etc., all of which are significant investments to increase production income rates," al-Husseini said. Over the past four years, he said, the world has witnessed many challenges, starting with the COVID-19 pandemic, then Russia-Ukraine crisis, and the Palestine-Israel conflict, and tensions at the Red Sea. "Despite all of this, China witnessed very large growth rates in 2023, so I consider this year to be a new beginning for China to take off again, and with the return of an economically strong China, all economic and trade partners will be strengthened as it is the engine of global growth and global economy," the expert said. China's GDP exceeded 126 trillion yuan (17.51 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2023 at a growth rate of 5.2 percent, ranking China among the fastest-growing major economies in the world. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called on China Friday to address its industrial overcapacity, reform its trade practices and create a "healthy economic relationship" with the United States. "The United States seeks a healthy economic relationship with China that benefits both sides," Yellen said in remarks in the industrial southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. "But a healthy relationship must provide a level playing field for firms and workers in both countries." Yellen also met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and other high-level central bank officials Friday. During the meeting, Yellen told Chinese officials that their industrial overcapacity, particularly in green energy sectors, threaten American production of electric vehicles and solar panel parts. China has supported its solar panel and EV makers through subsidies, building production capacity far beyond the domestic market's demand and exporting its products globally. Although this production has massively cheapened prices for these green products crucial in efforts to fight climate change American and European governments worry that Chinese products will flood the market and put their own domestic production at risk. During a meeting Friday with Guangdong province Governor Wang Weizhong, Yellen said the U.S. and China must communicate regarding areas of disagreement, including green industrial policy. "This includes the issue of China's industrial overcapacity, which the United States and other countries are concerned can cause global spillovers," she said. China has sought to downplay these concerns, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin noting earlier this week that China's green production is a positive in global efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Wang said U.S. reluctance to export technology to China, a policy related to U.S. fears of industrial overcapacity, meddles with global supply and demand. "As for who is doing nonmarket 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." Beyond addressing overcapacity, Yellen also expressed concerns about Chinese trade practices. Yellen said China has pursued "unfair economic practices, including imposing barriers to access for foreign firms and taking coercive actions against American companies." She urged Chinese officials to reform these policies. "I strongly believe that this doesn't only hurt these American firms," Yellen said in a speech at an event hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Guangzhou. "Ending these unfair practices would benefit China by improving the business climate here." Yellen's visit to China, her second, marks the first visit by a senior U.S. official to China since November meetings between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Both He and Yellen said the U.S. and China need to, in He's words, "properly respond to key concerns of the other side" to form a more cooperative economic relationship. Yellen said, "It also remains crucial for the two largest economies to seek progress on global challenges like climate change and debt distress in emerging markets in developing countries and to closely communicate on issues of concern such as overcapacity and national security-related economic actions." She added that U.S. efforts to push Chinese policies are geared toward reducing global risk. "This is not anti-China policy," she said. "It's an effort for us to mitigate the risks from the inevitable global economic dislocation that will result if China doesn't adjust its policies." 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Contents of N81 - 5 April 2024 EDITORIAL 0865 The Von Der Leyen case AMERICAS 0866 Canada horrified by bombing of World Central Kitchen aid workers 0867 Congress calls on President Joe Biden to testify 0868 Americans no longer support Israel 0869 Pentagon supplies Israel with bombs that destroy the Gaza Strip 0870 U.S. worried about complicity in genocide 0871 Joe Biden outraged and heartbroken by death of US aid worker 0872 According to CBS, Havana syndrome is a Russian attack 0873 CNN wants NATO or AUKUS to protect Hawaii 0874 U.S. will not assist Russia in investigation of Crocus City Hall terror attack 0875 SouthCom and CIA set up shop in Guyanese Essequibo EUROPE 0876 Pope Francis Easter address 0877 UK may be complicit in genocide 0878 UK government warned of complicity in genocide by 600 legal experts 0879 IDF attacks Sky News offices in Gaza 0880 Rishi Sunak and the Death of World Central Kitchen Workers 0881 By condemning the 17 October 1961 massacre in Paris the French National Assembly would like to condemn France 0882 Where we talk about Edith Bouvier again 0883 The Canary Islands come to the rescue of the former Spanish Sahara 0884 Huge scandal in Germany: IRK protocols prove that the Covid 19 panic was organized without any scientific basis 0885 German Commission Justifies States Right to Restrict Individual Freedoms 0886 Poland withdraws from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe 0887 Donald Tusk warns of return to war in Poland 0888 Polish-Israeli incident 0889 Romania plans to go to war with Russia 0890 Finland signs Security Treaty with Ukraine 0891 Huge costs for Western companies that left Russia AFRICA 0892 Human Rights Watch accuses Russian-aided Mali of summary executions ASIA 0893 Israel acknowledges famine in Gaza but denies responsibility 0894 Israel will reveal the whole truth about the deaths of World Central Kitchen aid workers 0895 Israels High Court sees no reason to declare Netanyahu unfit for office 0896 Israel Attacks Families of Hamas Leaders 0897 Anti-Netanyahu protest in Jerusalem 0898 Benjamin Netanyahu wants to increase arms production 0899 Tel Aviv police call for investigation against MK Naama Lazimi 0900 Families of hostages against Benjamin Netanyahu 0901 Knesset authorizes 120-day ban on visits by lawyers to Arab prisoners 0902 Knesset authorizes censorship of foreign media 0903 The Jewish diasporas support for the Jewish state 0904 Israeli police allow Arab protest 0905 New Government of the Palestinian Authority 0906 Hamas accuses Israel of stalling negotiations 0907 Israeli bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus 0908 United Arab Emirates outraged by bombing of World Central Kitchen 0909 Hamas and Islamic Jihad received by Ayatollah Khamenei 0910 Taliban expel Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 0911 Ukraine fails to break Indo-Russian alliance 0912 Imran Khans release moves forward 0913 Philippines prepares to retaliate against China 0914 Malaysia arrests Israeli spy INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS 0915 Russia vetoes resolution against North Korea 0916 UN Security Council still fails to put the Yugoslav war on its agenda 0917 Antonio Guterres worried about the consequences of Israeli bombing of an Iranian diplomatic mission Mary and George The Second Son Season 1 Episode 1 Editors Rating 5 stars * * * * * Previous Next Previous Episode Next Episode Photo: Starz Starz is finally emerging from the dense Philippa Gregory woods full of historical nonsense and giving us some solid period dramas. Between Mary & George and The Serpent Queen, I am quite pleased with the network. This show is a delight. I thought it was just going to be Stuartian sexcapades, and its not not that, but the writing is sharp and funny and Veep-like without being too jarring. (I love it.) I will say right now that there is a large trigger warning for attempted suicide in both this show and the recap. It happens multiple times in the show and is made light of by Julianne Moores character, so if that does not work for you, be warned. We begin in 1592! Mary Villiers (Moore) gives birth, and the servant immediately drops the baby. Mary tells baby George that he is a second son and, therefore, will inherit nothing of any human value. She also refuses to let them cut the cord, so hes just literally attached to her for who knows how long. Foreshadowing! We flash to 1612, and George is 19. He has hanged himself in the forest, and Mary comes up to him, cuts him down, and says, Good morning, George. This appears to be a regular situation that she takes in stride. George has a lot of feelings, and Mary has a lot of ambition, and she will make her feelings-ridden son go places. Places that arent banging the maid, because thats mainly what hes doing right now. He and Jenny, the maid, are in LOVE, he says, and he will be with her. Mary tells him, Thats not how it works; thats not how a single thing fucking works. (I love it so much.) Having George for a son is what I imagine having a Romantic-era poet for a son must have been like. The fact that Mary can make him do anything except lie in a field of daisies is astonishing. George is very upset because he has to go to France to learn to be a gentleman, and Jenny is not in France. In the midst of this argument, Mary says, If I were a man and I looked like you, Id rule the fucking planet, and I believe her. Should this whole recap just be Mary quotes? Maybe. Also, thank God theyre still casting Julianne Moore in things. Remember when Bette Davis put out an ad right after Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? looking for work? She was 54 when that movie came out. Moore is currently 63. Fantastic. Georges father dies, and no one is sad because he was terrible. He was angry that he elevated Mary from her position as a servant, and then she gave him a firstborn son with an intellectual disability. That son, John, is lovely and really likes giraffes. Again, no one is sad about this man dying. To really cap off his awfulness, he left Mary and his children with nothing, and even left their house to a cousin in order to insulate it from his debt. So her only option is to remarry. The 1600s, am I right? But also pretty recently? So Mary is out on the prowl two weeks later, wearing an amazing hat with pheasant feathers and donkey ears. Shes at a Jacobean party! Everyone is wearing animal-related outfits. I have no idea why Mary is combining a pheasant and a donkey, but Im not complaining. (It is perfect.) She introduces herself to Sir Thomas Compton as his next wife. A bold move, and it works. Now that Mary has money, George is off to France! In France, he meets Jean, who I thought was John after I did some research, but IMDb says Jean, so were going with that. Jean is that character whos like, Let me teach you the ways of the world, innocent one, and thats what happens. George also learns to fence and dance and bang dudes. In the course of all this, we get a scene with extensive full frontal from a very random man! I dont know if hell be showing up again, but I suspect not. Good for him, he does a great job casually standing there with it all hangin out. This is a good move forward for George, too, as before this, he was just sitting in stairwells, playing the recorder. While George is learning the ways of French orgies, Mary is trying to get an in for him at the court of James I. James comes to stay with Sir Thomas and Mary, and when Sir Thomas asks her if she thinks she can seduce the king like she did him, he says, I fear youve got one too few penises and two too many tits. Pure poetry, right there. Mary is eager to see the king in person, but his favorite, the Earl of Somerset, keeps saying that James is indisposed or does not want to be around people. Mary finally wanders the halls at night and moseys on over near the kings room, where she runs into a shirtless Somerset, and then, finally, the king. Hes Vincent Van Gogh from that Doctor Who episode! He and Somerset make out in front of Mary. And look. People disagree about whether James I was gay/bisexual/queer/straight, but if youre watching this show, youve gotta just lean into him being into men. Also, Im so sorry, but if there were so many rumors in the early 17th century that its still very much discussed today, coupled with what he wrote in letters, Im going to say, yeah, its probably true. My wife did not know this and finds it very funny that this is the same King James of the King James Bible fame. Mary finds an ally in Jamess entourage, who will give George an opportunity to be seen by James. Everyone around George is very confident in his handsomeness. He returns from France, very self-assured for a moment, but then hes handed the chance to serve the king at dinner, and when a fellow server trips him, George punches the guy in the face many times. Somerset tries to chop off Georges hand for fighting in front of the king (yeah, okay, sure), but James intervenes. Also: George, you just went to France to learn how to be a gentleman, and when you come home, you immediately jump on a guy? I mean, yeah, it was embarrassing that you fell and spilled food everywhere, and yeah, Somerset and his wife laughed at you, but nevertheless. Maybe he used to channel all his emotions into his recorder, but now he has no way to vent. At Marys house, George sneaks into her room and takes a knife from her drawer. Im assuming there are knives in the kitchen, but he probably wants Mary to know he has taken it. She goes out and finds George sitting against a tree, threatening to cut his wrist. She shows him a better way of doing it. AGAIN, BE AWARE OF ALL THIS. When George tells her what happened and how he feels like he disgraced the family, Mary tells him that they face the world together, and she had plans for him since she first held him. I wonder how long before she had them cut the cord. Also, that cord is only so long, so its going to get annoying. Anyway, she tells George that James saw him, and he stopped Somerset because hes interested. So now they have to find a way to get George in front of James again. Will it succeed? Yes, it will, because it did in history. But what a presumably fun journey well have along the way! Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix Watching sexy scenes with your parents around is already embarrassing enough, but Bridgertons Nicola Coughlan has taken it a step further to prevent that from happening (again). In an interview with SiriusXM Hits 1, Coughlan explained that Netflix is contractually obligated to send her parents a PG version of the show. Its literally written into my contract. People think Im like saying it as a joke. I just dont want to. I grew up Irish Catholic. Thats just not how we vibe, she explained thoroughly when all she really needed to say was Im Irish Catholic. Weve seen Derry Girls; no explanation is needed. Do not mistake her familys conservative nature for not liking the show. She continued that while her mother didnt know the show gonna be so saucy, especially when the first two minutes of the series showed Jonathan Baileys lovely bottom. Coughlan went on to explain that the show won her mother over, but she keeps talking about bottoms. Someone should warn her mom ahead of time that if she wants to see Baileys performance in Wicked, shell probably wont be seeing any butts (sad!). Sugar Olivia Season 1 Episode 1 Editors Rating 3 stars * * * Previous Next Previous Episode Next Episode Photo: Apple TV+ The lost finding the lost. Whats a hard-boiled detective story if not that? Every case is the case: one lost soul hired to solve the mystery of another. If youre a movie buff like me or John Sugar (Colin Farrell), and youve spent enough time in Los Angeles, chances are youve driven past some Hollywood landmark or another and found yourself caught between the real world and the movie world, if only for the briefest of moments. You pass through these spaces and are met with a hundred cinematic associations and emotions at once. The many faces of the American Dream life. Are these clues? Do they lead to a deeper understanding of who we are in this life? Who were not? John Sugar is a film addict and private investigator. His words, not mine. And its clear from Sugars gorgeous black-and-white in media res opening that our point of view is deeply rooted in our narrating detectives movie-addled subjective reality. We open in Tokyo, where Sugar rescues a yakuza bosss kidnapped son like James Bond crashing through a Kurosawa film (he even manages to leave with a well-placed Daniel Craig bicep wound and a neat little tear in his Savile Row suit). I dont like hurting people, its true, Sugar says in voice-over. This world has more than enough suffering without extra contributions from me. Finding people that are lost, bringing them back to those that miss them. That part of the job I like. In a flash, were back in Los Angeles, and Mark Protosevich and Fernando Meirelless off-kilter neo-noir begins in earnest. En route to his next appointment, Sugar casually picks up on his drivers phone conversation (in Arabic). Many years ago, I spent time in Damascus, he tells the driver. At the drop-off point, he gives the driver the name of a doctor who will take care of his daughter. A jaded gumshoe Sugar is decidedly not instead taking a tall, dark, and handsome with a heart of pure gold cue from the likes of Dr. Richard Kimble and other square-jawed put-upon Boy Scout heroes from 60s70s television and taking every opportunity to do a good deed, leaving a net-positive mark on the world. Now hes at the home of Jonathan Siegel (James Cromwell, always a welcome prestige-TV presence), a legendary Hollywood producer pitched to the tune of John Huston in Chinatown. So youre a film buff? Siegel asks rhetorically. Hes more interested in Johns day job. Word on the street is that John Sugar does one thing and one thing only: find the missing for people who value discretion. Our central case is Siegels granddaughter Olivia (Sydney Chandler), 25. Shes been missing two weeks now, not necessarily out of the ordinary. Olivia has had drug problems and is no stranger to vanishing for days, weeks, even months. But shed always called her grandfather for money in the past. This time, theres been no sign of her. Well, thats his problem, says Ruby (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), Sugars handler and something of a den mother to a mysterious group to which they both belong. See, Sugar was supposed to report to Ruby immediately on arrival back in L.A., but he took Siegels invitation instead. When a client reaches out to you directly, its disrespectful, she reminds him. Youre my business. Not to mention, theyd agreed that when Sugar got back to Tokyo, hed take a much-needed break. But the case brought forth an itch he had to scratch. Its this girl, he says. She reminds me of Jen. He means it, and dropping that name is enough to win Ruby over. She accepts the case and whips all the essentials Sugar needs out of a nondescript drawer: renewed California private investigator license, drivers license, and a concealed-carry permit for the gun Glenn Ford used in The Big Heat. Like John Sugar, Im not much for guns in real life, but put Clint Eastwoods .44 Magnum from Dirty Harry in my hand, and Ill be peacocking with that thing all day. Sugar heads out from Rubys in his freshly uncovered, baby-blue vintage Corvette. His next stop: Olivias condo. No one there, and surveillance footage from the garage indicates her car hasnt moved in the two weeks shes been missing. From the looks of the place, Olivia wasnt planning on being gone this long. Enter her older brother (half-brother, as he soon points out) David Siegel (Nate Corddry), child star turned struggling adult nepo baby. Hes arrived unexpectedly with an armed buddy, Kenny (Alex Hernandez). Sugar calms the nervous pair down pretty quickly and identifies himself as working for Davids granddad. But whats David doing here? Hes supposed to check in on the place every day to see if Olivias back, or so he claims. Hes there on behalf of his father, Bernie, who also has a key to the condo. I dont know how much you know about Olivia, but once a junkie, always a junkie, David tells Sugar. Youre a terrible liar, Davie, Sugar responds. Maybe the worst liar ever. But he doesnt press the issue. David and Kenny leave, and Sugar finds Olivias luggage, which does not have much in it except pictures and clippings of Olivias late mother, actress Rachel Kaye. He also finds a photo-booth set of Olivia and Melanie Matthews (Amy Ryan), Olivias former stepmom and a legendary rock star in her own right. Melanie isnt home, so the bar from the picture, the Step-Hi, is Sugars next stop. Ryan is one of the most prolific and dynamite character actors of the last 20 years, and right away she brings a lively mix of pathos, humor, and gracious vulnerability to this aging rock-star characterization. Youre drawn to her the second you see her throwing out a quick croon to the jukebox from the bar. Sugar rolls up to the bar with a touch of Sterling Hayden swagger (my favorite old-movie-clip insert thus far has been Hayden in classic western mode, slammin a shot o whiskey like it might be his last), offers to buy Melanie another $100 shot of single-barrel bourbon, and orders one for himself. I usually drink Scotch, but this could change things, he says, sparking a conversation about rye and the romance of drinking and sci-fi movies. Several drinks later, Melanies sloshed and Sugars doing just fine. My body processes alcohol at a rate 50 times faster than normal. From any other private detective, thatd sound like a put-on for I hold my liquor well. But Sugar seems like he really means it. His eyes are sharp and still beaming with empathy. Even a drunk Melanie proves a formidable interlocutor, though. She reads this cat like a book: Theres more to you than meets the eye. You have secrets, and you keep things secret. Sugar takes Melanie home, where she offers him another drink and the option to stay the night with her (apparently, Virgos and Tauruses are very sexually compatible). Not going to learn much from Melanie tonight, other than what shes shown us about Sugar and how he moves among the haunted populace of L.A. You choose to be alone, she tells him. But theres hope for you yet, John Sugar. Sugar takes advantage of the late hour and breaks into Olivias car to see if her past movements provide any answers. Lo and behold, theres a dead body in her trunk. Thankfully, its not Olivias, but the plot is thickening fast. Sugar marvels at how accustomed hes become to the violence of this world after all this time. What does that say about he is? Who he isnt? Back home at the Del Corazon hotel, Sugar gets a room-service dinner and a party invite from Societe Polyglotte Cosmopolitaine, his and Rubys mysterious secret club. Itll be good to see everyone, I guess, Sugar thinks. So why he so often avoids the others is a question one could ask. He combs over clues from Olivias luggage, watches a tape of Rachel Kaye, and then finds a video of Olivia doing the same monologue. The bleeding starts when he finds some old, mildly compromising Polaroids of Kaye. Sugar passes out in the shower, then wakes up to find he hasnt actually bled from his arm at all. Its still wrapped up, and his shirt is all white and in a pile on the floor. As he falls asleep on his bed, having just injected himself with something from a strange crystalline syringe, all those images from the movies he loves are replaced with images of Olivia. Accepting these cases has triggered some weird events, both externally and internally. But the missing have been identified. Now is the time to find them. Clues, Cues, and Close-Ups Hey, its your humble noir recapper, fresh off a stint with Tokyo Vice and back in sunny L.A. for a sleek, hard-boiled detective joint. Even I didnt know how comically in the bag I would be for this series when I took the assignment. Practically had to ask myself if I had hallucinated the show when it started in Tokyo in black-and-white, then shifted to color with a neon flash of 007 across the screen. But, listen, Im coming into this thing with a head full of cinematic clues from which we can draw some usable intel, both in thematic and boots-on-the-ground narrative terms, and ultimately see how Sugar holds up as a pristine piece of neo-noir. Youre a good man, Karl. Sugars most warmly felt Good Samaritan side quest of the week: treating unhoused Karl and his dog Wiley like human beings. Wiley, in particular, seemed to make some sort of extrapsychic connection with Sugar. Colin Farrell couldnt be more perfectly cast to imbue this character with a warmth and supernatural connection while also being cool as hell. As hes playing it, a guy who loves the seedy noirs of yesteryear while giving mad Clark Kent is a totally buyable and intriguing notion (where it couldve come off as merely trite or one-note). BEIJING, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Gu Yue, 29, serves as a maternity matron at an internet-based maternity and childcare company in Chengdu in southwest China's Sichuan Province. Even after parting ways with families after rendering her services, she continues to receive heartwarming photos of the babies she once cared for, capturing precious milestones such as their first crawl, first steps, first birthday, and even their journey into kindergarten. "Seeing these adorable newborns, who I once tended to, grow stronger gives me a great sense of accomplishment," Gu said. Maternity matrons, also known as "yuesao" in Chinese, provide postpartum care to mothers and newborns during the first month or longer after childbirth. With a nursing background, Gu has previously worked as a nurse in hospitals and postpartum care centers. Following the birth of her own daughter, she had also worked in an early education center for a period. "Mother and infant care requires a high level of expertise as it involves postpartum recovery for mothers, breastfeeding guidance, care and massage for the newborns, early education and many other aspects," Gu explained. More professional skills correspond to higher incomes, she said, adding that senior professional maternity matrons can currently earn an annual income of over 100,000 yuan (about 14,095 U.S. dollars). As the number of newborns in the Year of the Dragon increases in China, there is a growing demand for maternity matrons and nannies. "If you don't book a few months in advance, it becomes difficult to find a suitable maternity matron close to the due date," says a resident from Beijing surnamed Liu, who is expecting her baby in August this year. Following her friend's advice, she has started interviewing maternity matrons, hoping to secure a reliable one early on. According to data from ayilaile.com, a household service platform, the number of new orders has risen by 72 percent lately compared to the period before the Spring Festival. Orders for maternity matrons and nannies have grown 99 percent and 67.2 percent, respectively. Growing along with the rising demand are the expectations of mothers towards domestic helpers. According to Wu Wei, a maternity and childcare trainer at Ainong, a domestic service chain brand in Beijing, mothers nowadays are increasingly concerned not only about household affairs but also about their children's education and psychological health. When looking for domestic service workers, they prefer young and highly qualified individuals, she said. Yu Xiangmei, 28, has just finished training to become a nanny working for an Ainong outlet. Yu's background as a kindergarten teacher, coupled with her outgoing personality, made a strong impression on her employer during the interview. China's domestic service industry has experienced rapid growth in recent years due to factors such as smaller family sizes, an aging population, and the implementation of the third-child policy. A report by iiMedia Research shows that the market size of the domestic service industry has nearly quadrupled from 277.6 billion yuan in 2015 to 1.015 trillion yuan in 2021, with a projected upward trajectory. The industry currently employs over 30 million workers nationwide. Qian Yu, an official from the Beijing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, explained that the development of the industry has given rise to new occupations like professional organizers, door-to-door cooking services, maternity and childcare specialists, early education providers, and home maintenance professionals, thus, creating more employment opportunities. Yan Ling, 28, started her career around a decade ago, working as a workplace sanitation worker by day and an elderly caregiver at night in Chengdu. A self-motivated person, she continuously expanded her skill set and worked her way up to become an administrative staff member at her company. Then she got herself trained to become a professional organizer, an in-demand occupation in which she helps clients in organizing their belongings, especially during seasonal changes or house moves. Despite the rapid growth of China's domestic service industry, it still faces a supply-demand imbalance. In major cities, shortages of maternity matrons, nannies and elderly caregivers are particularly evident. The demand for young and high-end workers has risen significantly. The country rolled out measures in 2019 and 2023 to boost the high-quality development of the industry, demanding efforts to establish more employment-based enterprises that provide social insurance and training to employees. Qian said he believes that while ensuring workers' rights and interests, it is also important for businesses to provide promotion opportunities for employees to draw more educated and qualified young people to engage in the sector. Dining chat: A waiter gave our anniversary bubbly to the table next to us. What should we have done? 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. 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement RecipesCookbook extracts How to make Neil Perrys cracking curried egg sandwich Having honed his skills in some of the countrys top restaurants, Mike Russell wants to encourage home cooks to give breadmaking a shot. Mike Russell March 11, 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 This recipe appears in the most popular recipes of April 2024 collection. See all stories . Mike Russell didnt set out to become a baker. But after finishing a media arts degree and spending two years as an advertising copywriter, he was looking for something more soulful and hands-on. Today, Russell and wife Mia own bakeries in Hawksburn and Caulfield North in Melbourne and in Sydneys Double Bay, and supply bread to some of the restaurant industrys biggest names, including Neil Perry, a partner in their Sydney bakery. Mike and Mia Russell with Neil Perry (centre) outside their Sydney bakery. Rhett Wyman Tapping into those dormant writing talents, hes penned Baker Bleu: Bake It Till You Make It, which spills the secrets to making dark-crusted sourdough loaves and other baked goods, then putting them to use, right down to the last crumb. Fresh bread is undoubtedly one of lifes great joys but there pretty much always comes a time when youve got an awkward final sixth of a loaf sitting in your cupboard, Russell writes. Advertisement Dont worry. Hes shared one of his favourite uses for stale bread, panzanella salad, with Good Food readers. Roslyn Grundy This riff on Welsh rarebit makes a delicious supper or ballast for drinking. Parker Blain English tapas (aka easy Welsh rarebit, or amazing cheese on toast) The British answer to tapas might just be Welsh rarebit. Ive cut a few corners here, keeping in mind that the time I most feel like eating rarebit is when Ive had a few drinks. Its so comforting, but theres no way Im pulling out saucepans to make a roux or waiting for things to cool. This is my shortcut. Enjoy it just before you hit the hay or as a light dinner to soak up you know what. As essential as good bread is to this recipe, so is the grill setting of your oven. This allows you to toast the bread but also melt the cheese. If yours doesnt have this capability, you may not enjoy this sandwich at its fullest. I recommend slicing your bread to about 2.5cm thick to best soak up the oil and butter. Advertisement INGREDIENTS 2 slices rye-caraway or country loaf, sliced to your desired thickness 30-40g unsalted butter, for spreading 1 tsp hot English or Dijon mustard, or to taste 80-90g aged cheddar (clothbound, if possible), coarsely grated cayenne pepper, to taste worcestershire sauce, to taste METHOD Heat your oven grill to high while you prepare your ingredients. You want them all ready to go once your bread is toasted. Once the grill is piping hot, place your slices of bread on a pizza pan or tray (things will get messy later). Toast the bread for 1-2 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden on both sides, then remove from the grill and butter very liberally. Keep the grill on. Allow the butter to melt and sink into your toast, then liberally apply your mustard. Finally, add the cheese and return each slice of bread to the grill until the cheese has completely melted. You want it bubbly and blistered, so dont pull it out too soon, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the grill and allow to cool for 1 minute, then use a small paring knife to score the melted cheese in a large crisscross pattern. Dust the cheese with cayenne pepper, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper, then douse liberally with worcestershire sauce, which will soak in between the crisscrosses. Serve immediately. Serves 1 Advertisement The filling for Neil Perrys curried egg sandwich is also delicious in a baguette. Parker Blain Neil Perrys curried egg sandwich This sandwich filling is from the kitchen of Neil Perry. Its pretty hard to beat the combination of eggs, mayonnaise and rye bread. I love these curried egg sandwiches at any time of day, but if you wish to make them for breakfast and would like something less full-flavoured in the morning, leave the curry powder out, Perry says. INGREDIENTS 10 eggs 8 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise 2 tsp Keens curry powder 8 slices very fresh rye-caraway loaf (or high-quality sourdough of your choice) softened butter, as desired iceberg or baby cos lettuce, as desired, shredded finely Advertisement METHOD To boil the eggs, place them in salted boiling water for 8 minutes, then remove and run under cold water to cool. Crack the eggshells well and leave the eggs to soak in a bowl of water for 10 minutes before peeling; this makes them easier to peel. Its also easiest to start peeling from the bottom of the egg. Add the peeled eggs, mayonnaise and curry powder to a bowl and mash together with a fork until evenly mixed but still slightly chunky. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lay the slices of bread on a chopping board and butter them evenly. Place equal amounts of the egg mix in the middle of four slices of bread, then spread the mix out evenly to cover the whole slice. Top with lettuce and the remaining pieces of bread, and serve immediately. Makes 4 sandwiches Variations This filling is also great on a rustic baguette. To make it a little lighter, add some watercress as well as lettuce. To go in the other direction, its not out of the realm of possibility to add an assertive cheese like gruyere or perhaps cheddar or provolone; lay a few slices on top of the egg mix before you top with lettuce. To make this vegan, a tasty hummus can replace the mayonnaise and you could use fried strips of eggplant or zucchini instead of the egg, or perhaps roasted and marinated capsicum. Whatever the route you choose, slice them into finger sandwiches for a fantastic canape. Nectarines make this panzanella salad extra summery. Parker Blain Advertisement Panzanella This could almost be called a bakers salad it takes your hard work baking a beautiful rustic loaf and showcases it, even when the bread might be past its prime. This recipe is made extra summery with the addition of ripe nectarines. To showcase the jumble of colours and textures in this salad, its best to use a big serving plate, rather than a deep bowl. INGREDIENTS 4 slices day-old country loaf, 2cm thick olive oil, for drizzling 3 ripe heirloom tomatoes 3 ripe nectarines (optional; they need to be in peak season) pinch of pink salt 100ml extra virgin olive oil (the highest quality you can afford) 80ml ( cup) white balsamic vinegar (alternatively, white wine vinegar) 1 tbsp honey 1 bunch of basil, leaves picked 47.5g can Ortiz anchovies METHOD Advertisement Heat a chargrill pan or an oven grill to high. Drizzle the bread liberally with olive oil and then grill it, turning once, for up to 1 minute a side until the bread is crisp but not burnt, with visible grill marks. Once its cool enough to handle, break up each slice into bite-sized chunks over your serving plate. Cut each tomato in half and place cut-side down on the chopping board, then cut the tomatoes into uneven segments (all the rough edges are going to accelerate the amalgamation of flavours). Scrape them, along with all their juices, onto the plate. Halve the nectarines, remove the stones, then cut the fruit lengthways into wedges. Scrape them and their juices onto the serving plate, too, then sprinkle everything with the pink salt. Combine the extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and honey in the bowl of a food processor, add most of the basil leaves (reserve some for garnish), and blitz to make a dressing. Avoid making this more than an hour before serving, or the dressing can discolour. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and gently toss it all with care and love so you dont squash your tomatoes and fruit. Finally, arrange the anchovies evenly over the salad, scatter with the remaining basil leaves and serve. Serves 4 as a side Mildura-grown pistachios are the key ingredient in these crunchy cookies. Parker Blain Pistachio, white chocolate and cherry cookies We love the pistachios that we get from Eric Wright at Go Just Nuts, grown on a farm in sunny Mildura, hundreds of kilometres north of Melbourne. He brines his pistachios so theyre super crunchy. These cookies show them off fabulously. Advertisement INGREDIENTS 220g plain flour 80g rye flour 5g baking powder 8g bicarbonate of soda 8g fine salt 135g unsalted butter, at room temperature 105g pistachio paste (see note) 265g soft brown sugar 65g caster sugar 65g eggs (about 1) 40g egg yolks (from about 2 eggs) 95g white chocolate, roughly chopped 95g dried cherries, roughly chopped 195g shelled unsalted pistachio nuts, roughly chopped METHOD Place the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl and combine with a whisk. Set aside. Place the butter, pistachio paste, brown sugar and caster sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the ingredients on medium speed for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Switch to low speed and add the whole eggs and yolks in two batches, scraping down the sides of the bowl and making sure the first batch is fully incorporated before adding the next. Mix until all the egg is incorporated. Add the bowl of dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the white chocolate, cherries and 95g (3oz) of the pistachios and mix briefly until evenly distributed. Use a spoon or quarter-cup to scoop out pieces of the cookie dough about 60g in weight. Roll each piece into a ball, then press to flatten into discs. Place the discs on baking trays or in a proofing tray lined with baking paper and cover with a tea towel or a lid, then refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to rest. Half an hour before baking, preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional) and spread the remaining 100g of chopped pistachios onto a plate or baking tray. Remove the cookies from the fridge 10 minutes before baking. Press one side of each cookie into the chopped pistachios, then place the cookies on a baking tray lined with baking paper (you may need a few trays) about 5cm (2 inches) apart, with the nuts facing up. Bake for 7 minutes, at which point remove the trays from the oven and gently tap them on a bench before placing them back in the oven for a final 3 minutes or so until the cookies are browned around the edges. (The tapping will give you nice flat cookies with a chewy texture.) Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the trays for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Makes 20 Advertisement The best recipes from Australia's leading chefs straight to your inbox. Sign up Advertisement Tips & adviceWine & spirits Raise a glass to the bagnum, the plastic wine pouch thats made cask wine cool again Theres a growing thirst for wine in alternative packaging, from pouches and cans to the new-school goon bag. Katie Spain 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 A new wave of innovative packaging is making wine more accessible, portable, cheaper, and ultimately, more sustainable. Topping the list is the bagnum, a 1.5-litre bag of wine that is proving a hit at the bottle shop. The large pouch, generally made from laminated polymer material lined with aluminum to keep the wine fresh, is light but tough enough to stand upright. Holes at the top act as the handle, and the equivalent of two bottles of wine (a magnum) are dispensed through a tap at the bottom. Essentially, its cask wine without the box. Light but tough enough to stand upright, the bagnum holds the equivalent of two bottles of wine. The first time I heard about it, I thought, This is brilliant. I cant believe somebody has come up with the word bagnum, says Andrew Shedden, head of fine wine at Endeavour Group, which owns the Dan Murphys brand. Thats literally what it is: a magnum in a bag. Advertisement The bags have a 12-month shelf-life, and last four weeks after opening. Although not readily recyclable, when analysed against single-use glass, they have a lower carbon footprint. The bagnum format hit retailer Dan Murphys in 2022 and has increased in popularity ever since. This year to date, we are 150 per cent up on bagnum sales year-on-year, Shedden says. Andrew Shedden says bagnums and alternative packaging are fuelling growth at Dan Murphys. Initially, he predicted the format would appeal most to traditional cask wine buyers. Instead, the main buyers are bottled wine drinkers. When we look at their profile, the customer who buys into bagnums as a concept spends slightly more on wine. Theyve already rusted on to this format. Shareability is part of the appeal. If youre out and about with a group of friends, you know the 1.5-litre format is a far more appropriate share quantity. It goes further and plays the same role as magnums at a party or a small to medium gathering. Advertisement Portability also makes bagnums a popular choice for picnics, camping and outdoor shindigs. Frugality plays its part, too. Weve tested them, and they stay fresh for up to 30 days after you open them, Shedden says. It means that if you dont want to open a 750ml bottle tonight when youre by yourself and only want one glass, you can do that with this format. The two things fuelling growth in the last six months are bagnums and alternative packaging. Andrew Shedden, head of fine wine at Endeavour Group Dan Murphys shelves stock wines from 11 producers, including Squealing Pig, Wolf Blass, Churchill Estate, Cupio, and Vino Verse. White wines are the most popular, with pinot gris, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay leading the charge. Reds, pinot noir and shiraz in particular, make up just under a third of sales. And rose brings up the rear, possibly because colour plays such an important role in its shelf appeal. At the moment, theyre more mainstream brands, so were looking for opportunities to expand that to different varieties or expand into more premium products, Shedden says. The only thing thats held us back so far is the minimum order quantities on this technology to actually get things bagged. Were working on how to reduce the minimum order quantities so that we can do more boutique or niche drinks. Advertisement Sommelier Shanteh Wales collection of wines in single-serve pouches for A Glass of. Wine-in-a-pouch delivery service A Glass of is supplying the niche market, engaging renowned sommeliers, including former Quay head somm Shanteh Wale, to curate collections of five Australian wines packaged in 200ml pouches. A Glass of has targeted some seriously impressive, quite high-end Australian producers and I think a smaller format definitely plays into that, Shedden says. These play into moderation and that just one occasion beautifully. If it lands on the shelf at $8.99 a pouch for 200ml, youre talking about a pretty sizable glass of wine for nine bucks. Shedden hopes to see more boutique wines available in bagnum format in the next 12 to 18 months. At Endeavour, the two things fuelling growth in the last six months are bagnums and alternative packaging. Wine in a can is another growth area. Canned still wines havent taken off, but spritzers are catching on. Three people at my four-year-olds birthday party on the weekend brought different forms of wine spritzer, Shedden says. I thought that was fascinating. Weve been banging on for a while about innovation in wine and certainly in terms of our results, the only things driving growth are the people who are innovating. Advertisement Greenskin sells premium Western Australian-grown wine in fully recyclable 750ml pouches. Supplied Six forms of alt packaging to try Wine in a pouch Theres much to love about single-serve wine in a squishy, recyclable pouch, especially if you like a beverage at the end of a long walk. Chuck it in your backpack and youre good to go. Try top-notch wine from A Glass of in 200ml recyclable, BPA-free pouches ($47/five-pack, aglassof.com). Or, try Greenskin Wine, premium Western Australian-grown wine in fully recyclable 750ml pouches. From $106.50/six, greenskinwine.com. Advertisement Casks of Gonzo Vino wine come in psychedelic boxes. Bag in a box Cask wine, aka goon, is often considered second-class booze but Victorias Gonzo Vino challenges that view. In 2020, sommelier Marcus Radny reinvented the wine pillow when he found himself with excess quality pinot noir and banged it in a box. Now, Gonzo has a changing line-up of utterly quaffable wines (sourced from vineyards across Australia) in psychedelic packaging. $66/3 litres, gonzovino.com. Cult Cru Wine Company launched in February with six varieties. They strive for sustainable production, using cardboard boxes made from 72 per cent recycled materials, and are working on a bag return process in partnership with Sustainable Infrastructure Systems. $39.99/2 litres, cultcru.com.au. Winesmiths x Pelli have collaborated on an insulated bag to carry two-litre premium casks. Advertisement Wine in a cooler bag Wine-on-tap producer Winesmiths has collaborated with Australian lifestyle bag brand Pelli to create an insulated bag to carry their two-litre premium casks. Chill the wine and pop it in the bag, pulling the tap through the opening. Add an ice brick to keep the wine cool for hours. The bag is made from recycled materials, plant-based insulation and biodegradable materials. $59.95/reusable bag, $15.99/2-litre cask, smithswinestore.com.au/winesmiths/pellibag/. Flask-shaped EcoBottles are made from recycled PET. EcoBottles They look weird, but theres purpose behind the flat EcoBottles made in Victoria by Visy using 100 per cent recycled PET. The unbreakable 750ml bottles are shaped like flasks and are about the width of a novel. Brands such as Banrock Station and Taylors have been on this bandwagon for a couple of years. From $10/bottle at Liquorland and First Choice Liquor. Advertisement Canned spritzers are gaining a greater share of sales. Wine in a can For friendly fizz, try the Tread Softly Prosecco in a can. For every case sold, the brand commits to planting an Australian native tree. Find them on special for $10/four-pack at BWS, or $156/case at fourthwavewine.com.au. Melbourne-based accessory company _Three Litres creates backpacks and bumbags that resemble silver goon bags. Kristoffer Paulsen Wine you can wear Advertisement The best recipes from Australia's leading chefs straight to your inbox. Sign up 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. He Lifeng, Chinese vice premier and Chinese lead person for China-U.S. economic and trade affairs, holds talks with U.S. Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen, also U.S. lead representative, in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, April 5, 2024. He Lifeng held several rounds of talks with Yellen here on Friday and Saturday. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian) GUANGZHOU, April 6 (Xinhua) -- He Lifeng, Chinese vice premier and Chinese lead person for China-U.S. economic and trade affairs, held several rounds of talks with U.S. Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen, also U.S. lead representative, on Friday and Saturday in the city of Guangzhou in south China. Focusing on the implementation of the important consensus between the two countries' heads of state, the two sides had candid, pragmatic and constructive discussions on the macroeconomic situation of the two countries and the world, the economic relationship between China and the United States, and global challenges. The two sides agreed to discuss issues such as balanced growth of the United States, China and the global economy, financial stability, sustainable finance, and cooperation in countering money-laundering under the China-U.S. economic and financial working group. The Chinese side expressed grave concern over U.S. economic and trade measures restricting China and responded fully to the issue of production capacity. Both sides agreed to continue to maintain communication. The April 6 Edition THERES SOMETHING delicious, conceptually and for the tastebuds, about the idea of a restaurant that serves just four people on any given evening. Or six, or eight, or - lets really push the boat out here - 10. In an era where many say its too hard to run a restaurant and make a living, when consolidation into big corporate entities is becoming the norm, a small but growing number of chefs and restaurateurs are going the other way opening tiny eateries that allow them to serve their customers in the manner in which theyd like, while retaining a good work-life balance in the process. Dani Valent explores this trend in todays Food & Wine issue; her story is on the cover of our Victorian edition. And on the NSW cover: Can one restaurateur transform a suburb? Neil Perry is certainly trying. He opened his restaurant Margaret in Sydneys Double Bay in late 2021. The following year he opened a second eatery next door, literally called Next Door, as well as a local outpost of the Melbourne baking institution that is Baker Bleu. All three have been credited with reinvigorating a bayside area last considered really rocking in the 1980s. And theres more to come, with a new Perry eatery, plus a bar, slated to open up the road from Margaret in August. So, can food transform a suburb? The Perry Experiment suggests it can. Elsewhere in todays issue, dont miss our annual 52 Top Wineries list, published in partnership with wine website The Real Review. Cheers! Katrina Strickland, Editor 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. 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. New York: On Thursday, astronomers who are conducting what they describe as the biggest and most precise survey yet of the history of the universe announced that they might have discovered a major flaw in their understanding of dark energy, the mysterious force that is accelerating the expansion of the cosmos. Dark energy was assumed to be a constant force in the universe, both currently and throughout cosmic history. But the new data suggest that it may be more changeable, growing stronger or weaker over time, reversing or even fading away. In an artists rendering, light from quasars passes through intergalactic clouds of hydrogen gas. The light offers clues to the structure of the distant cosmos. Credit: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Marenfeld and DESI collaboration. As [Joe] Biden would say, its a BFD, said Adam Riess, an astronomer at Johns Hopkins University and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, referring to the US presidents big f-ng deal expression. Riess shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics with two other astronomers for the discovery of dark energy, but was not involved in this new study. It may be the first real clue we have gotten about the nature of dark energy in 25 years, he said. That conclusion, if confirmed, could liberate astronomers and the rest of us from a long-standing, grim prediction about the fate of the universe. If the work of dark energy were constant over time, it would eventually push all the stars and galaxies so far apart that even atoms would be torn asunder, sapping the universe of all life, light, energy and thought, and condemning it to an everlasting case of the cosmic blahs. Instead, it seems, dark energy is capable of changing course and pointing the cosmos towards a richer future. LILONGWE, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Malawi will host the first ever international mining investment forum on April 23-24 in the capital of Lilongwe, the Ministry of Mining announced Friday. Minister of Mining Monica Chang'anamuno told local press that the inaugural forum will showcase the country's mining potential to attract more investments as the country looks to increase the mining sector's economic contribution to 20 percent from the current 1.2 percent by 2030. The event will be part of a week set aside to promote agriculture, tourism and mining sectors in a bid to transform the country's economy. "Through constructive discussions, informative showcases and networking opportunities, participants will explore strategies and solutions to unlock the enormous greenfield mineral potential that Malawi is endowed with," the minister said. She added that several companies from outside the country have already registered to participate in the event which is expected to attract over 300 participants from around the world and will be presided over by President Lazarus Chakwera. Malawi discovered several mineral resources in a 2015 aerial geophysical survey supported by the World Bank, and among the discovered minerals were uranium, coal, rutile, niobium, rare earths, oil, bauxite and graphite. Some companies are at different stages of developing large scale mines that are hoped to accelerate economic growth of the southern African economy. Armenia could not find an answer to its most important question in Brussels. Azernews reports that Sergey Markedonov, a scientific employee of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and political scientist, said this. He said that the issue of Yerevan's security is still up in the air. According to the expert, some promises made to Armenia have not been fulfilled yet. It should be noted that on April 5, a meeting was held in Brussels between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Josep Borrell. According to the Armenian mass media, the ruling "Civil Contract" party was dissatisfied with the outcome of the meeting. Because less funding was allocated to Armenia than expected. In addition, according to the opinions of many experts, Armenia's complete inclusion in the Western union calls into question its future in the South Caucasus. Armenia, which once depended only on Russia and ensured its economic existence under its patronage, has chosen a completely different direction and is fighting for an uncertain outcome. Armenia is also unable to achieve possible results in the normalisation of relations with Azerbaijan. Because his choice does not allow it. A staff member cooks malatang at a store in Maiji District of Tianshui City, northwest China's Gansu Province, April 3, 2024. Tianshui has garnered considerable attention in the cyber world thanks to the popularity of Tianshui's malatang, a numbing-spicy hotpot. When it comes to the real world, the city received 309,000 and 348,600 tourists on April 4 and 5, the first two day of the three-day Qingming holiday, with tourism-related revenue of 177 million yuan (about 24.47 million U.S. dollars) and 198 million yuan (about 27.37 million U.S. dollars), respectively. (Xinhua/Ma Xiping) Customers are pictured in a store serving malatang in Maiji District of Tianshui City, northwest China's Gansu Province, April 3, 2024. Tianshui has garnered considerable attention in the cyber world thanks to the popularity of Tianshui's malatang, a numbing-spicy hotpot. When it comes to the real world, the city received 309,000 and 348,600 tourists on April 4 and 5, the first two day of the three-day Qingming holiday, with tourism-related revenue of 177 million yuan (about 24.47 million U.S. dollars) and 198 million yuan (about 27.37 million U.S. dollars), respectively. (Xinhua/Ma Xiping) Tourists pose for photos at Fuxi Temple scenic area in Qinzhou District of Tianshui City, northwest China's Gansu Province, April 4, 2024. Tianshui has garnered considerable attention in the cyber world thanks to the popularity of Tianshui's malatang, a numbing-spicy hotpot. When it comes to the real world, the city received 309,000 and 348,600 tourists on April 4 and 5, the first two day of the three-day Qingming holiday, with tourism-related revenue of 177 million yuan (about 24.47 million U.S. dollars) and 198 million yuan (about 27.37 million U.S. dollars), respectively. (Xinhua/Ma Xiping) A drone photo taken on April 5, 2024 shows tourists visiting the Maiji Mountain Grottoes in Maiji District of Tianshui City, northwest China's Gansu Province. Tianshui has garnered considerable attention in the cyber world thanks to the popularity of Tianshui's malatang, a numbing-spicy hotpot. When it comes to the real world, the city received 309,000 and 348,600 tourists on April 4 and 5, the first two day of the three-day Qingming holiday, with tourism-related revenue of 177 million yuan (about 24.47 million U.S. dollars) and 198 million yuan (about 27.37 million U.S. dollars), respectively. (Xinhua/Zhang Zhimin) A drone photo taken on April 5, 2024 shows tourists visiting the Maiji Mountain Grottoes in Maiji District of Tianshui City, northwest China's Gansu Province. Tianshui has garnered considerable attention in the cyber world thanks to the popularity of Tianshui's malatang, a numbing-spicy hotpot. When it comes to the real world, the city received 309,000 and 348,600 tourists on April 4 and 5, the first two day of the three-day Qingming holiday, with tourism-related revenue of 177 million yuan (about 24.47 million U.S. dollars) and 198 million yuan (about 27.37 million U.S. dollars), respectively. (Xinhua/Zhang Zhimin) Volunteers greet tourists at Tianshui South Railway Station in Tianshui City, northwest China's Gansu Province, April 3, 2024. Tianshui has garnered considerable attention in the cyber world thanks to the popularity of Tianshui's malatang, a numbing-spicy hotpot. When it comes to the real world, the city received 309,000 and 348,600 tourists on April 4 and 5, the first two day of the three-day Qingming holiday, with tourism-related revenue of 177 million yuan (about 24.47 million U.S. dollars) and 198 million yuan (about 27.37 million U.S. dollars), respectively. (Xinhua/Ma Xiping) Tourists visit Fuxi Temple scenic area in Qinzhou District of Tianshui City, northwest China's Gansu Province, April 4, 2024. Tianshui has garnered considerable attention in the cyber world thanks to the popularity of Tianshui's malatang, a numbing-spicy hotpot. When it comes to the real world, the city received 309,000 and 348,600 tourists on April 4 and 5, the first two day of the three-day Qingming holiday, with tourism-related revenue of 177 million yuan (about 24.47 million U.S. dollars) and 198 million yuan (about 27.37 million U.S. dollars), respectively. (Xinhua/Ma Xiping) Customers enjoy malatang at a store in Qinzhou District of Tianshui City, northwest China's Gansu Province, April 4, 2024. Tianshui has garnered considerable attention in the cyber world thanks to the popularity of Tianshui's malatang, a numbing-spicy hotpot. When it comes to the real world, the city received 309,000 and 348,600 tourists on April 4 and 5, the first two day of the three-day Qingming holiday, with tourism-related revenue of 177 million yuan (about 24.47 million U.S. dollars) and 198 million yuan (about 27.37 million U.S. dollars), respectively. (Xinhua/Ma Xiping) An aerial drone photo taken on April 5, 2024 shows tourists visiting the Maiji Mountain Grottoes in Maiji District of Tianshui City, northwest China's Gansu Province. Tianshui has garnered considerable attention in the cyber world thanks to the popularity of Tianshui's malatang, a numbing-spicy hotpot. When it comes to the real world, the city received 309,000 and 348,600 tourists on April 4 and 5, the first two day of the three-day Qingming holiday, with tourism-related revenue of 177 million yuan (about 24.47 million U.S. dollars) and 198 million yuan (about 27.37 million U.S. dollars), respectively. (Xinhua/Zhang Zhimin) DAMASCUS, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Seven children were killed and two others, including a woman, were injured on Saturday in an explosion of an improvised explosive device "planted by terrorists" in the southern Syrian province of Daraa, state news agency SANA reported. The explosive device went off in the southern neighborhood of the city of Sanamayn in northern Daraa, SANA said, without providing further details. The incident highlights the fragile situation in Daraa, the birthplace of the Syrian civil war that broke out in 2011. While the Syrian military regained control of Daraa in 2018 after driving rebel forces to the northwestern province of Idlib, the region continues to witness sporadic security incidents and attacks. GAZA, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian death toll in Gaza Strip from ongoing Israeli attacks has risen to 33,137, Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a press statement on Saturday. During the past 24 hours, Israeli army killed 46 Palestinians and wounded 65 others, bringing the total death toll to 33,137 and injuries to 75,815, since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the ministry. Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage. BAGHDAD, April 6 (Xinhua) -- A Shiite militia in Iraq claimed responsibility on Saturday for a drone attack targeting the Haifa oil refinery in Israel. The group, known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, stated in an online announcement that its fighters conducted the drone strike at dawn on Haifa's oil refinery. However, no details regarding casualties were provided. The statement emphasized that the attack was carried out "in solidarity with the people of Gaza" and underscored the group's commitment to continue targeting "enemy strongholds." Since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has conducted numerous attacks on Israel and U.S. bases in the region. NEW DELHI, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Three Naxals were killed in a fierce gunfight with government forces Saturday in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, police said. The gunfight between Naxals and contingents of police broke out in the dense Dolliguda jungles in the Bijapur district of the state. According to police, the gunfight broke out as the police forces were in a search operation in the area. "Today an exchange of fire between Naxals and police broke out near the Dolliguda jungles of the Usoor Police station area. During the stand-off three Naxals were killed," a police official said. "From the spot three assault rifles and a huge quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered." Officials said the police contingents have reported no casualties. In the last 10 days, 14 Naxals were killed in two similar gunfights in the state. Currently, Naxals are active across the central and eastern parts of India. The Naxal insurgency reportedly has claimed hundreds of lives besides displacing thousands of poor inhabitants. Israels military says it made grave mistakes in killing seven aid workers in Gaza. Heres what we know Welsh Ambulance Service transitions to University Trust Status with new name This article is old - Published: Saturday, Apr 6th, 2024 The Welsh Ambulance Service has undergone a rebrand after being awarded University Trust status. The sought-after status was granted by Welsh Government in recognition of the Trusts commitment to develop its current and future workforce and to drive research and innovation. As of the start of this month the Trusts new name will be the Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust. Chief Executive Jason Killens said: Were delighted to have secured University Trust status, but this is much more than just a name change. Its an exciting opportunity to formally recognise the role we play in the education and development of ambulance workers and the world-class research we undertake to improve public health and advance treatments in the NHS, making a difference to peoples lives. Jo Kelso, the Trusts Head of Workforce Education and Development, said: We are committed to ensuring colleagues have the very best education and development opportunities, and our partnership with universities is key to this. Hundreds of colleagues across the organisation, in every area of the service, have been supported to expand their capabilities and knowledge through the many and various career pathways in place. Thats not to mention the plethora of clinical colleagues that have been supported to develop their skills currently, more than 250 student paramedics are being trained with more than 100 more about to enter full-time study. Securing University Trust status will only serve to strengthen our links with universities in Wales and the wider university network. Professor Nigel Rees, Assistant Director of Research and Innovation, said: WAST was amongst the first ambulance services internationally to embrace academia and has a longstanding reputation for developing and delivering high quality research and innovation. University Trust status is a fitting recognition of the efforts our people, and national and international partners who are collaborating to develop world class efficient, effective and sustainable healthcare. Non-Executive Director Hannah Rowan, who is Chair of the Trusts Academic Partnerships Committee, added: The move to become a University Trust articulates, emphasises and recognises the work that we undertake with universities and shows the ever-greater focus on training and research. Were grateful to Welsh Government for supporting us to navigate this journey, which has been several years in the making. Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Eluned Morgan, said: I am very pleased to grant University Trust status for the Welsh Ambulance Service. This represents a commitment by the Trust to ensure university expertise and activity is improving the quality of care and outcomes for patients. University Trust status is unique to Wales and is based on a robust assessment of a broad range of evidence across our three criteria Research and Development; Training and Education; and Innovation. The Trust has embarked on a phased re-branding exercise to reflect University Trust status, as well as its new Crown Badge following the coronation of King Charles III. On Thursday, hundreds of students and staff at the University of Michigan (U-M) protested against a new policy being imposed by the administration to effectively ban protests on campus. The policy, announced on March 26, is aimed at stifling all opposition to the ongoing US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza, but has far broader implications in its sweeping assault on the First Amendment rights to free speech and freedom of assembly. Rally at the University of Michigan, April 4, 2024 The universitys new policy proposes to effectively ban all protest in the guise of preventing the disruption of public order and economic life on campus. This includes any activity obstructing lines of sight, making loud or amplified noises, projecting light or images, or otherwise creating substantive distractions. Students, faculty and staff who violate these rules will be subject to arbitrary disciplinary action, including expulsion or firing, while visitors can be charged with violating state trespass law. The policy is so outrageous that the Michigan chapters of both the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) issued lengthy condemnations, with the NLG condemning the Climate of Neo-McCarthyist Repression at University of Michigan. The ACLU concluded its letter by insisting the university abandon its efforts to adopt this policy at the expense of the freedom of speech. On Tuesday, April 2, U-M President Santa Ono issued a campus-wide email making clear his intention to carry out the authoritarian ban on campus protests. The letter was sent out to the campus before the end of a community feedback period in which campus members have undoubtedly expressed overwhelming hostility to the new policy. With oily cynicism, Ono wrote that the responses thus far have demonstrated passion and rigor while hypocritically claiming that we welcome dissent and the expression of the broadest array of ideaseven those perspectives that could be unpopular, upsetting, or critical of the university. In the very next sentence, Ono made clear the university would pursue his policy no matter what, essentially implying the proposal was already university protocol: At the same time, no one is entitled to disrupt the lawful activities or speech of others [Our current] Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities makes clear that disrupting speakers and events is not protected speech under the law and is a violation of university policy. The feedback mechanism employed by Ono and the Board of Regents is a cynical fraud, aimed at giving the authoritarian measure a democratic sheen of consent. The entire premise is deeply right-wing and repressive. There is broad support among U-M students and faculty for the opposition to genocide. Ben, an undergraduate at U-M, commented to the WSWS: To state that no one has the right to infringe on the exercise of others speech and activities by disrupting the normal celebrations, activities, and operations of the University is an obvious attempt at flipping the script on the protesters, accusing those protesting of infringing on the exercise of others speech through their protests. Threatening demonstrators with expulsion or termination is an open statement that President Ono intends to restrict free speech and the right to protest against the war. This policy essentially states that the war crimes and atrocities committed every day in Gaza are acceptable, but protests against them are not. Thursdays protest was the second organized in the past week by the TAHRIR Coalition, an umbrella group which includes over 90 student organizations on campus. Turnout was roughly half that of the first protest, which was attended by roughly 1,000 people. The organizers followed the same pattern of speeches, followed by marching, chanting and briefly occupying various buildings on campus. Politically, the outlook of the TAHRIR Coalition is entirely parochial and reformist, aiming its appeals and denunciations solely at Ono and the Board of Regents. None of the speeches given by students and staff even referenced US President Genocide Joe Biden or the Democratic Party, which largely controls the U-M administration and Board of Regents. As with last weeks protest, organizers affiliated with the TAHRIR Coalition refused to allow Socialist Equality Party (SEP) vice presidential candidate Jerry White to address the audience. Instead, White spoke after the rally, raising the central political role of the Democratic Party in carrying out the genocide in Gaza and the need for students to turn to the working class as the only social force capable of putting an end to war and the capitalist system. WSWS reporters were warmly welcomed by rally attendees, including an Ann Arbor teacher who agreed to be interviewed. Opposing the role of pseudo-left politicians associated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the teacher agreed with the central need to mobilize the working class to stop the genocide in Gaza. The ongoing protests at U-M and campuses across the US and internationally will not succeed in forcing their administrations to divest from Israel, let alone stop the genocide, so long as they remain isolated on the campuses. Over the past six months, Ono and the U-M administration have repeatedly made clear their ruthless hostility to students and unwavering support for the US and Israeli militaries. In November 2023, U-M administration intervened to suppress a Central Student Government (CSG) resolution that urged the university to acknowledge the genocidal character of Israels war in Gaza and to divest from companies profiting from the slaughter. The resolution had already been voted on by over 10,000 students when the university stepped in to shut it down. Students marching through the University of Michigan campus. The university swiftly banned any further anti-genocide resolutions from the CSG. It also did nothing to defend two pro-Palestinian students who were doxxed by Zionists and falsely accused of violating election email rules, which was the fraudulent pretext used by the university to shut down the resolution vote. That same month, university police arrested 40 student protesters for staging a peaceful sit-in to demand Ono and the Board of Regents divest from and take a clear position against genocide. In March, the TAHRIR Coalition organized a Peoples Referendum to put forward a resolution to call for U-M divestment from companies doing business with Israel and dropping the charges against the 40 students. The International Youth and Students for Social Equality at U-M issued a statement of support calling for a critical yes vote on the resolution, while warning against any illusions that protest resolutions addressed to university officials will halt the war crimes being carried out jointly by the fascist Netanyahu and his military supplier, Genocide Joe Biden. The IYSSE also warned about the dominant role of the pseudo-left organizations in the coalition, such as the DSA and its youth arm, the YDSA, who use left rhetoric to block the development of an independent movement against US imperialism and channel the opposition of workers and youth back behind the Democratic Party. The Peoples Referendum took place parallel to the March 27-28 CSG elections and drew over 4,200 votes of support. In addition, students who ran on a Shut It Down platformwhich pledges to shut down student government until the university divests from Israeli military connectionswon nearly half of the available assembly seats in the CSG, including president and vice president. Students in opposing parties are now initiating a lawsuit against the Shut It Down candidates, along the same right-wing lines employed in shutting down the November 2023 anti-genocide resolution, claiming alleged minor election code technicalities should have their victories disqualified. The turn to increasingly authoritarian measures by U-M to suppress the protests is directly connected to the sharp escalation in the genocidal war in Gaza and the risk of larger world war. A new stage of genocidal murder is being implemented in Israel, supported by the Biden administration, as a barbaric siege is looming against the southern town of Rafah, where nearly 1.5 million Gazans are seeking refuge from Israeli attack. Earlier in the week, reports revealed that over 400 people were massacred by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at the Al-Shifa hospital in the north. Many Palestinians in Gaza are facing starvation, including children who make up nearly half of the population. The United Nations and World Bank are now warning that famine is imminent in Gaza. On Monday, the IDF murdered seven international aid workers from the World Central Kitchen bringing food to the starving population. These horrific events were followed by Israels assassination of three senior military officials at the Iranian embassy in Damascus on the same day, an act of war that could trigger a broader regional war. At every step, the Biden administration has supported and ensured that the genocide continues, including resupplying Israel with 1,800 bombs, each weighing more than 2,000 pounds, this same week. This aid follows the nearly $1 trillion allocated for the US military in the most recent budget approved by Biden on March 23. This is funding aimed at preparing US imperialism for world war, with Russia, Iran and China as primary targets. All of this barbarism is being met with enormous opposition in the working class and on campuses around the world. Everywhere around the world the ruling class is seeking to suppress growing opposition to war and genocide. The critical task is to turn to the international working class, the only social force capable of halting the production and distribution of war materiel, and whose objective interests are for the socialist reorganization of society. Mehring Yaynclk is pleased to announce the publication of the Turkish edition of The Logic of Zionism: From Nationalist Myth to the Gaza Genocide by David North. We encourage all readers of the World Socialist Web Site in Turkey to buy the book, available here. The volume features four lectures given by David North in response to Israels NATO-backed genocide in Gaza. North is the chairperson of both the Socialist Equality Party in the United States and the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site. He has played a leading role in the international socialist movement for more than a half century. Norths first lecture, delivered at the University of Michigan on October 24, 2023, placed the Israeli onslaught against Gaza in the context of the Zionist oppression of the Palestinian people. The second lecture, given at Birkbeck, University of London on November 18, 2023, reviewed the history, dating back to the 19th century, of socialist opposition to Zionist politics and ideology. In the third lecture, presented at Berlins Humboldt University on December 14, 2023, North subjected the claim of the German government that opposition to Zionism is antisemitism to withering criticism. In the fourth lecture, delivered at the University of Michigan on March 12, 2024, North draws the political lessons of US Air Force member Aaron Bushnells self-immolation in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., chanting Free Palestine. North concluded his lecture: We are confronted with great political questions and challenges. They can be solved. But to solve them, we must build a revolutionary party. This party must win the allegiance of the great masses of the working class. Thats the basic, fundamental lesson we must draw from the death of Aaron Bushnell and from a comprehension of the crisis of our times. Professor of Sociology at the University of California, San Diego, Charles Thorpe wrote of an earlier edition of the book: David Norths three lectures, delivered amidst the war, are a remarkably concise, historically informed, and politically devastating indictment of Zionism and the Israeli assault on Gaza. The Logic of Zionism also includes the presentation made of the Turkish edition of Norths book Leon Trotsky and the Struggle for Socialism in the Twenty First Century at the Istanbul Book Fair on November 5, 2023. Following a week of protests, HOME, one of Britains major arts venues, has been forced to reinstate the production, Voices of Resilience: Celebration of Gazan Writing. The Manchester event had been cancelled on March 27 in a cowardly capitulation to pressure from local Zionist backers of Israels Gaza genocide. Originally scheduled for April 22, Voices of Resilience was due to feature readings of Palestinian writings from acclaimed actors Maxine Peake and Kingsley Ben-Adira, award-winning author Kamila Shamsie, and others. Screenshot of HOME's announcement reinstating Voices of Resilience [Photo: homemcr.org] On Thursday afternoon, eight days after the ban, HOME announced its climbdown, saying its initial cancellation of the Voices of Resilience event was a difficult decision for HOME and adding, we recognise that there is work to be done now, to restore the well-earned confidence that our audiences and artists have always held in HOME We stand with all innocent victims of this conflict, and call for a humanitarian solution. The decision by HOME to reinstate the production is a political victory over the supporters of Israels war on the Palestinians, and the attempts of Zionists to silence opposition by levelling bogus allegations of antisemitism. Among the readings that were listed in the initial publicity for the event was Dont Look Left, a new diary of the genocide by Atef Abu Saifthe Palestinian Authoritys culture minister. Readings from the work of those killed by Israels war machine, including Refaat Alareer and Hiba Abu Nada, were also planned. The event, initially announced on March 25, was already sold-out by March 27 when the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester (JRCGM) wrote to HOME, Manchester City Council, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester to denounce Voices of Resilience as antisemitic. The JRCGM demanded, This event must be cancelled. HOME immediately cancelled the event, claiming it was politically neutral and citing its concern for the safety of the team at HOME, our audiences and artists. JRCGM falsely stated that Atef Abu Saif, the Palestinian Authority Minister of Culture has engaged in shocking and antisemitic Holocaust denial and risked increasing antisemitism against the Jewish community. The organisers of the production, Comma Press, threatened legal action against this libel. Another letter demanding censorship of Palestinian voices and hurling slanders of antisemitism had been sent by local tour guide Ed Glinert. Following HOMEs initial move to ban Voices of Resilience, Glinert was cock-a-hoop, declaring on social media, Success! [HOME] have cancelled the Jew-baiting programme of events. I put it down to my letter. Not so fast. While the Zionists can rely on the backing of the major imperialist powers and the corporate media to sanction the war crimes being unleashed against a defenceless population by the Israel Defence Forces, a far more powerful forcemillions of workers and youth in Britain and hundreds of millions internationallyoppose them. The mass movement against the Gaza genocide which has erupted globally over the last six months has had more than enough of the big lie that opposition to the fascistic policies of the Israeli government is antisemitism. This is why HOMEs decision to ban Voices of Resilience met an immediate and forceful popular backlash. Last Saturday, around 1,000 protesters marched through Manchester as part of the weekly protests against Israels genocide, choosing to end with a rally in Tony Wilson Square outside HOMEs building. Many thousands of artists in Britain and internationally stand in solidarity with and have been emboldened by this movement and are taking a stand against the censorship of pro-Palestinian views. Close to 600 culture workers, theatre and film artists signed an open letter demanding Voices of Resilience be reinstatedamong them Peake, HOME patron and Academy Award-winning director Asif Kapadia, theatre director Pooja Ghai, playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, and dramatist April De Angelis. On Wednesday, over 70 Exhibiting Artists from the Manchester HOME Open Exhibition 2024 joined the fightback with another letter explaining, we as a cohort have decided to withdraw our artworks from the Home Open 2024 in protest of your decision. It added, We hope this letter is a reminder that we as artists that are currently being represented by HOME will not comply with this censorship and actively oppose it; we will raise our voices on behalf of those whom you have tried to silence. The artists involved acted on their pledge within hours, with around 100 going en masse to HOME on Wednesday evening, taking around 70 of their artworks off gallery walls, and stating that more would be taken away in the coming days. Bringing a large banner reading HOME MANCHESTERStop Censoring Palestinians, the artists replaced their works with copies of a statement calling for an apology from HOME and the reinstatement of Voices of Resilience. A video of the art works being removed from HOME can be viewed in this Guardian article. Freya Wysocki, one of those involved in the removal of their work, told the Manchester Evening News, Many Manchester artists are deeply upset about HOMEs decision to cancel Voices of Resilience and we are removing our art pieces to support the event producers and more importantly to support the Palestinian people whose stories must be told. Even after HOME reinstated the event, a further protest with hundreds in attendance took place outside its building Thursday evening, despite the pouring rain. Titled Voices Unheard, the one hour event heard poems with the aim of amplify[ing] the voices that need to be heard. Protesters outside HOME during the Voices Unheard vigil, April 4, 2024 A speaker at the event said to cheers, We know the only reason that HOME changed their decision was because of our protests and also the artists who withdrew their work yesterday. He added, We know that the staff at HOME, in their huge numbers, were against that decision [to cancel Voices of Resilience]. The organiser of the production issued a statement reading in part: Comma Press and the producers behind Voices of Resilience welcome HOMEs decision to reinstate the event. This is a potential watershed moment in the campaign against the intimidation that arts venues face for showcasing Palestinian artists and voices. We want to express our solidarity with HOME staff. For all of us involved in the showing of this work it has been a distressing time, on top of the news we are seeing from Gaza and the ongoing genocide being committed against Palestinian people. Weve been deeply moved and overwhelmed by the solidarity shown to us by the artist community in Manchester, whose actions in protest and support of Voices of Resilience stand as a testament to the strength of our collective voice. We hope that other venues and institutions can initiate fresh conversations with artists, speakers, and creators whose work has previously been side-lined or cancelled. We believe this is a critical step towards upholding values of artistic expression and inclusivity. Events at HOME are an indication that the tide is turning against the Zionist witch-hunters of opponents of the imperialist-backed Israeli genocide. This week, a YouGov poll found that 59 percent of UK voters believed that Israel is violating human rights in Gaza, with just 12 percent to the contrary. A majority of 56 percent to 17 percent against favoured a UK ban on the export of arms and spare parts to Israel. Taiwan was hit by a major earthquake estimated at magnitude 7.2 on the Richter scalethe most severe since 1999 when the island was devastated by a quake measuring 7.3. As of Friday afternoon, 10 people had been killed, 13 were still missing and more than 1,000 had been injured. Hundreds remained trapped in remote areas due to damaged and blocked roads. Debris surrounds a titled building a day after a powerful earthquake struck, in Hualien City, eastern Taiwan, Thursday, April 4, 2024. [AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying] The earthquake struck the less populated east coast of the island at around 8 a.m. on Wednesday morning, impacting the city of Hualien, damaging buildings and sending people fleeing into the streets. Schools and workplaces were closed across large areas of the city and thousands of homes were without power. According to the Central Weather Administration (CWA), there had been 502 aftershocks up to noon on Friday, including two exceeding a magnitude of 6, and 18 ranging from magnitude 5 to 6. Emergency workers have begun to repair dozens of damaged buildings and demolish four deemed impossible to save. These include the 10-storey red-bricked structure, known as the Uranus building, shown in many news reports leaning at a precarious angle. Much of the city, however, appears to be largely unscathed. To date, most of the deaths occurred in rural areas outside of Hualien. Citing local authorities, CNN reported that four people had been killed while hiking in the remote Taroko Gorge, another four died on mountain roads and one was working in a quarry. One person was killed in the collapsed Uranus Building when she returned to retrieve her pet cat. Rail services which were suspended have mostly returned to normal after workers removed huge boulders from the tracks. Taiwans Centre for Science and Technology (CST) said that initially people and vehicles had been trapped in the Dachingshui tunnel. The fire agency reported that 64 workers were trapped in one coalmine, and six in another. Food and supplies have been air dropped to people trapped in remote areas. In Taipei, the capital located in the north of the island, news footage has shown damaged buildings, smashed cars and businesses disrupted by damage. On Wednesday, the earthquake also triggered tsunami alerts in Japan and the Philippines, but these were later downgraded. International news reports have contrasted the relative low level of death and destruction compared to the devastation caused by the earthquake of comparable magnitude that hit the island on September 21, 1999, as known as 921 quake. It caused 2,415 deaths and severe injuries to 11,305 people as well as extensive destructionwith 51,711 buildings completely destroyed and 53,768 severely damaged. Power was lost for days due to damage to power stations, transmission lines and the automatic shutdown of the islands three nuclear power plants. Anger over the extent of the destruction and chaotic rescue and relief efforts was reportedly a factor in the defeat of the ruling Kuomintang in the presidential election in March 2000. Following the 1999 quake, stricter building codes were instituted to ensure greater quake resistance. A program began to strengthen existing public buildings and encourage private owners to do the same. While earthquakes cannot be predicted with any precision, an early warning system was established that sends messages to mobile phones and automatically cuts into live TV programs if a large tremor is detected. The warning is just a matter of seconds, but can give people near the epicentre enough time to get outside to safety. The Western media has painted a rosy picture of Taiwans earthquake protection measures. One obvious difference between the quake this week and in 1999 was that the later occurred in the middle of the night when most people were asleep and unaware of what was happening. It is undoubtedly true that tougher building codes have made a difference. The shoddy buildings at the time became death traps. Prior to the 1999 quake, only buildings over 50 metres tall underwent a process of peer review. None of those collapsed while many just under 50 metres in height did. Nevertheless, as in every aspect of capitalist society, profit rules. Tai Yun-fa, a structural engineer who runs Taiwans Alfa Safe that develops quake-resistant building materials, told the Japan Times that some developers were still cutting corners. The focus when it comes to development is still the lowest price, so in that case you cant have the best quality, he said. Taiwan, which lies on the fault lines of the Pacific Rim of Fire, is prone to earthquakes and major companies have spent heavily on quake protection. In 1999, the Hsinchu Science Park, housing the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and other companies that produced a significant portion of the worlds computer memory chips, shut down for six days causing a trebling of prices on the world market. TSMC, which has expanded to manufacture around half of the worlds computer chips and 90 percent of the most advance ones, instituted a long-term program to protect its plants and was quick to announce that it was back in production after this weeks quake. While its plants were some distance from the epicentre, TSMC did suspend some operations. A small number of tools were damaged, but there was no harm to critical tools, it said. As has been the case with earthquakes around the world, the areas of Taiwans Hualien city worst affected are most likely to have been in poorer areas where older buildings have not been strengthened and newer shoddy ones have been constructed by developers cutting corners. While the Central Weather Administration suggested on Friday that aftershocks were moderate, there is still the possibility of further large tremors. An earthquake in one area of the island has the potential to destabilise faults in other parts. One area of particular concern was Chiayi County in southern Taiwan, where the Meishan Fault is nearing its once-in-a-century activity cycle. Quaker Oats on display in a grocery store. [AP Photo/Paul Sakuma] On Wednesday, the Quaker Oats Company announced it will permanently close its factory in Danville, Illinois. The plant will close in early June, eliminating 510 jobs. The Danville Quaker Oats plant is one of the major employers in the small city of less than 29,000 people. The closure will mean that nearly 2 percent of the towns population will now be without work. Danvilles unemployment rate already stands higher than the statewide and national average. In January, Danville reported an unemployment rate of 6.6 percent compared to the 4.7 percent recorded for Illinois as a whole. Nationwide the current unemployment rate stands at just below 4 percent. According to the latest census data Danville currently reports that over 25 percent of its residents live below the poverty line. The per capita income of the town is just $24,786 per year. Historically, Danville has been impacted heavily by economic crises. In the years following the 2008 recession, unemployment in Danville reached nearly 14%. The city once was home to nearly 43,000 in the 1970s, when it was a hub for manufacturing. The area was home to a major General Motors foundry that employed over 2,700 workers as well as a General Electric plant and a Hyster forklift factory. All are now closed. Quaker Oats claimed in a statement that a recent product recall involving potential salmonella contamination was to blame for the closure of the plant. Following the Quaker recall in December 2023, we paused production at the (Danville) facility. After a detailed review, we determined that meeting our future manufacturing needs would require an extended closure for enhancements and modernization. In order to continue the timely delivery of Quaker products trusted by consumers since 1877, we determined production would need to permanently shift to other facilities. The news comes as four other manufacturing companies in Illinois have also announced layoffs since the start of the new year. In addition to the Quaker plant, the electric car company Rivian, Blommer Chocolate Company, and Monterey Mushrooms have all announced layoffs totaling more than 1,000 workers. In 2023, PepsiCo, which owns Quaker Oats, recorded a net income of over $9 billion. Its 2023 4th quarter financial report laments that the Quaker recall caused the operating profits for that branch of the company to decline by 19 percent. But even with the recall, the Quaker division still recorded nearly $500 million in profits in 2023. The workers of Danville, many of whom have spent decades working at the factory, will now struggle to find new work to survive. In the aftermath of the closure announcement many workers posted statements on Facebook explaining how the closure of the plant has affected them. One worker wrote, As someone who works in the area, this is 510 of some of the best jobs locally. Most factory workers wanted jobs at Quaker at some point. Going to cause a lot of issues for an already economically depressed community. Kimberly Ellison, a worker at the Danville plant posted a statement on her Facebook page detailing the mass firing by Quaker: On Wednesday, April 3rd, I attended a crucial meeting at Quaker in Danville IL that would determine our future at the plant. As I looked around the room and spoke with my friends, it was clear that not everyone saw this day coming. Despite seeing this day approaching for months, its impact still hit hard as we listened to the Lady speaker deliver devastating news: no answers or job security left many of us in tears as we exited the conference building. After hearing about the uncertain fate the mood turned somber; there were streams of tears falling down faces when people had no choice but leave without getting any answer they neededmyself included since by then all feelings got intensified making me feel heartbroken. I loved Quaker Oats. I loved my Job. This will be a day I will never forget. Ellisons post was met with a mass outpouring of support from coworkers and members of the Danville community. One Quaker worker responded, When its been my life for 20 years, its going to be hard to transition to something else. Especially when you loved your job so much. Another said, I kept telling myself it wouldnt happen, but I think in reality I knew. I loved my job, but I loved the people more. Thats been the hardest part of all of this for me so many wonderful people Im going to miss everyone, but they will never break the bonds that were formed. Are you an autoworker at Ford Oakville? Contact us by filling out the form below to let us know what you think about the extended retooling and layoffs. All comments will be kept anonymous. Ford announced on Thursday that it will delay the resumption of production at its Oakville, Ontario, assembly plant after planned retooling for electric vehicle (EV) production from 2025 until 2027, adding two years to an expected six-to-eight-month shutdown and layoff for thousands of workers in the Greater Toronto Area. Ford Oakville plant [Photo: Invest Ontario ] Current production of the traditional gas-powered Ford Edge at the plant will end in early May. While some will remain to work on the transition, which is still set to commence this year, much of the plants 3,200 workers, members of Unifor, will be laid off for up to three years. This is well beyond the originally announced timeline and the end of the current contract, which expires in 2026. An April 4 letter from plant management justified the delay by citing the fact that the market for EVs continues to evolve and shift; that the falling cost of EVs has put significant pressure on EV profitability; and that the retiming will allow for reducing the cost of materials and the adoption of more efficient battery technology. The transition to EV production by the auto companies is being used to carry out far reaching attacks on workers jobs and living standards in pursuit of ever greater profits. It is expected that hundreds of thousands of jobs across the current global production and supply chain will be destroyed by auto companies, with fewer labour hours and parts needed to produce each vehicle. Their aim is to use EV production as an opportunity to boost shareholder profits at the expense of autoworkers, who face real wage cuts and job insecurity. This process has already been co-signed by Unifor, which is among the most eager boosters of the EV transition. Canadas largest private-sector union, Unifor is a key pillar of support for the pro-war, pro-austerity Liberal government, and has pushed provincial and federal governments to provide the corporate giants with billions of dollars in subsidies to entice them to retool their facilities and build new battery plants. In 2020, the Liberal federal government and Conservative Ontario provincial government agree to provide Ford with CAD$590 million in subsidies to retool Oakville for EV production. Unifor President Lana Payne had been informed of the extended layoff in a meeting on Tuesday, April 2 with Ford CEO Jim Farley and other executives at the companys headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. She declared Thursday that she was extremely disappointed by the decision but that the union would work with the company to lessen the impact on workers and their families. The sellout contract pushed through at Ford by the Unifor apparatus led by Payne last year over widespread worker oppositionincluding an outright rejection by Oakville production workers and skilled trades workers company wideplaces no limits on the companys ability to extend the planned downtime for the Oakville plant. And there are no provisions to extend income security provisions if the company delayed retooling, apart from vague company promises to hold consultations with union officials. After using anti-democratic maneuvers to get the contract passed, including violating the unions own ratification rules by declaring the contract approved despite the opposition of skilled trades, Payne and the Unifor bureaucracy arrogantly proclaimed priorities met, pattern set. These priorities were clearly those of Ford management and their Unifor accomplices, not those of the rank-and-file. Under the terms of the current contract, autoworkers on layoff will receive just 70 percent of their normal wages through Supplemental Unemployment Benefits (SUB). The length of payouts is based on seniority, with those workers with 20 years experience getting payments for up to 2 years. Workers with one to three years on the job can expect SUB support for just 9 months. Laid off workers will face extreme uncertainty and financial stress as they wait for the plant to resume operations, forcing them to look for other work and rely on food banks to make ends meet. The insecurity that is in store for workers at Oakville, during and even after the three-year shutdown, can be seen at the GM CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. The plant, which builds all-electric delivery vans, resumed operations this week after a six-month shutdown due to a battery shortage. During the switch over of the plant from traditional auto production to EVs, workers had to rely on food banks while trying to survive on reduced pay. The extended delay in retooling at Oakville follows on the heels of the announcement of 1,400 layoffs at Fords flagship Rouge plant in Dearborn, Michigan. Half of the workers who had been assembling the Ford F150 Lightning truck, the companys largest current EV, will eventually be reassigned to another plant, while 700 are being forced into early retirement. The Ford layoffs, along with the firing of hundreds of supplemental employees by Stellantis, have further exposed the fraudulent nature of the UAWs stand-up strike last year, along with President Shawn Fains militant posturing about record contracts. The UAWs strike against the Detroit Three, which called out workers at a few plants across Ford, GM and Stellantis, never stopped production and barely dented corporate profits. The latest moves by the Detroit Three in the US and Canada reveal the utter bankruptcy of Unifor and the UAWs nationalist bargaining strategies. The automakers, operating on every continent, take their decisions on a global scale, depending on sales, access to raw materials, shifts in regulatory costs, and public subsidies. The union bureaucracies keep workers bound to a national framework, while they pit workers in one country against another to offer the most competitive conditions for the auto giants. Despite the coincidence of the Detroit Three contract expirations last year, the UAW and Unifor worked together to keep the contract struggles separated by the US-Canada border, profoundly undermining workers power. Fords latest announcement on Oakville underscores that the only ones who benefit from the unions nationalist bargaining strategies are the corporate executives, who have a free hand to adjust and reduce production as they see fit to boost profits, and the union bureaucrats, who cement their corporatist ties with management and governments. The defence of workers jobs and living standards during the EV transition necessitates a new strategy, the construction of rank-and-file committees to place power in the hands of workers on the shop floor. Through the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees, these committees will coordinate the struggle for jobs and protections in the EV transition on a world scale regardless of international boundaries. Fill out the form below for more information on building a rank-and-file committee at your plant. In the aftermath of Mondays targeted killing of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers by the Israel Defence Forces, the White House and media outlets internationally have gone into overdrive to convince everyone that a significant shift in Israels policy towards Gazas Palestinians is taking place. Fridays announcement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that an additional border crossing for aid deliveries to the north of the Gaza Strip will be opened and temporary deliveries will be allowed to depart Israels Ashdod port was widely reported as a newfound humanitarian commitment to 2.3 million starving Gazans. Members of the Abu Draz family hold the bodies of their relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, at their house in Rafah, southern Gaza, Thursday, April 4, 2024. [AP Photo/Fatima Shbair] In reality, the move is a face-saving gesture aimed at quelling an eruption of popular outrage around the world to Israels barbaric war crimes, while allowing US imperialism to hypocritically posture as a restraining force in the ongoing genocide. Netanyahus announcement was closely coordinated with Washington, coming just hours after a phone call between Biden and Netanyahu. Media reports presented the call as tense, with Biden supposedly urging the adoption of specific, concrete and measurable steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. However, leading Biden administration officials, including National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, made clear that there would be no change to the supply of weaponry to Israel and that Washingtons support was iron clad. Referring to Netanyahus announcement later Friday, Biden bluntly told a reporter, I asked them to do what theyre doing. The opening of an extra border crossing and a temporary maritime route into Gaza is a moot point if there are no aid workers to deliver desperately needed food and medical supplies. The Israel Defence Forces stopped all aid deliveries to northern Gaza by the UN Relief Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) last week. Following the massacre of the World Central Kitchen aid workers, WCK, American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have suspended aid operations in Gaza. WCK was supposed to have played a central part in the maritime aid corridor from Cyprus that was touted by the Biden administration in March, when it announced plans to construct a floating dock off the enclaves coast. The Cypriot government stated Monday that a ship organised by WCK returned from Gaza without offloading the 332 tons of humanitarian aid it was carrying. Data from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the Israeli government agency that controls access to Gaza, reveal that WCK was responsible for 60 percent of non-governmental aid deliveries in Gaza before it suspended its operations. ANERA reportedly delivered an average of 150,000 meals each day since October. The UAE has supplied 25 percent of all aid from foreign countries. Other aid organisations still operating have underscored that it is more or less impossible to maintain their activities. We go on a mission where we are told we would be safe and then we are delayed for hours, our staff is interrogated, they are put in harms way or they are killed and thats not acceptable, commented Tess Ingram, a spokeswoman for UNICEF, the UN childrens agency. Even if one accepts Israels propaganda about aid deliveries under Netanyahus latest announcement, they will continue to fall well short of what is required. Israel Army Radio reported that 350 aid trucks could now reach Gaza each day, up from the current level of 200. This would amount to just 70 percent of the 500 aid trucks that arrived in Gaza each day prior to Israels assault. The claim that 200 trucks are currently arriving each day is rejected by independent sources, with Oxfam stating that an average of 105 trucks reach Gaza daily. Since the beginning of Israels genocidal onslaught, government officials have made no secret about their intention to ethnically cleanse Gaza and use starvation as a weapon of war. From Defence Minister Yoav Gallants infamous remark describing Palestinians as human animals, to former Israeli National Security Council head Giora Eilands statement that severe epidemics in the south of the Gaza Strip will bring victory closer and reduce casualties among IDF soldiers, and Finance Minister Bezalil Smotrichs demand for the voluntary emigration of the Gaza Arabs to the countries of the world, the Zionist regime has left no doubt about its determination to kill a large portion of Gazas population and forcibly expel the rest. In this context, the most plausible explanation is that the massacre of the WCK workers was a carefully considered decision taken at the highest levels of the Israeli state in consultation with Washington aimed at sabotaging aid supplies into Gaza and thereby escalating the genocide. The three clearly marked vehicles were struck separately along a 2.4-kilometre stretch of road. Biden and Netanyahu are now trying to manage the diplomatic fallout. According to Oxfam, the approximately 300,000 people believed to be stranded in northern Gaza have been surviving on just 12 percent of the recommended daily calorie intake since January. The 245 calories consumed on average equate to less than a can of fava beans. For the Gaza Strip as a whole, aid deliveries allowed in by Israel since the start of its bombardment account for just 41 percent of the recommended calories required by the entire population. The aid organisations 3 April press release noted: The Israeli government has known for nearly two decades exactly how many daily calories are needed to prevent malnutrition in Gaza, calculating this according to both age and gender within its Food Consumption in the Gaza Strip - Red Line document. Not only did it use a higher calculation of 2,279 calories per person, it also took into account domestic food production in Gaza, which the Israeli military has now virtually obliterated. Figures from the UN and Palestinian Red Crescent Society estimate that 50,000 children are acutely malnourished. Malnourishment has claimed the lives of 31 children so far, with the figure expected to rise as famine sets in. Oxfam International executive director Amitabh Behar stated what is becoming increasingly obvious to millions of people around the world: Israel is making deliberate choices to starve civilians. 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. All whilst displaced, with little to no access to clean water or a toilet, knowing most medical support has gone and under the constant threat of drones and bombs. The bombs supplied to Israel by US imperialism and its European allies continue to rain down on Gaza. At least 54 Palestinians were confirmed dead in the previous 24 hours Friday, taking the official death toll to 33,091. A strike that demolished a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza later in the day killed three. According to UNRWAs latest figures, 62 percent of all residences in Gaza have either been destroyed or damaged since the genocide began. Amid such horrific crimes, the imperialist powers remain fully committed to participating in the final solution of the Palestinian question. American imperialism supports the genocide as part of a broader plan to wage a region-wide war with Israels support against Iran with the aim of consolidating its dominance over the energy-rich Middle East. At a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council Friday, both the United States and Germany voted against a resolution calling for a halt of arms sales to Israel. The non-binding declaration, which passed by 28 votes to 6 with 13 abstentions, also urged that Israel be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Washington and Berlin cannot support such propositions because any genuine war crimes tribunal would have to include President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, Chancellor Scholz, and Foreign Minister Baerbock alongside Netanyahu in the dock. While the Biden administration has delivered over 100 shipments of high-powered weaponry to Israel since October, Germany increased its weapons shipments ten-fold to Israel after Netanyahus fascistic government launched the genocide. On Monday and Tuesday next week, the International Court of Justice in The Hague will hold hearings in a case brought by Nicaragua accusing Germany of complicity in genocide due to its arms shipments to Israel and declarations by government officials of unconditional support for the Zionist regime as it massacred civilians. All my life Ive questioned why I should do something. I had contempt for authority. I would resist it, I would trick it, I would outmaneuver it, I would do anything rather than be treated like a cipher. I am really moved and motivated by things that occur that are unjust. Ive always hated people trampling on other people. Marlon Brando April 3 marked 100 years since the birth of actor Marlon Brando in Omaha, Nebraska. He died in July 2004. Brando was a film and stage actor who enjoyed at certain points immense popular and financial success, but, above all, he was someone who strove for artistic and social truth in everything he did. The conditions, in the postwar American film world in particular, were not often favorable to the level of commitment he demanded of himself and of others. This brought down upon his head much abuse and slander and alsoalong with a series of personal tragediesdisappointed and wore him down in the end. He truly fell upon the thorns of life and bled. On one of the audiotapes Brando left behind at the time of his death, he explained, I wanted very much to be involved in motion pictures, so I could change it into something nearer the truth. And I was convinced that I could do that. (Excerpts from the tapes are presented in Stevan Rileys remarkable 2015 documentary, Listen To Me Marlon.) Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) If Brando did not succeed as he would have liked, if he even took on occasion serious missteps, it was not for a lack of will. No one in postwar American cultural life was more determined to change the prevailing conditions or exhausted him or herself more in that effort. His life and struggle verify once again Marxs well-known observation that human beings make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances. It is a paradox that Brando was perhaps the finest screen actor of his time, or any time, yet never appeared in a genuine artistic masterpiece. The films he is perhaps best known for, directed by Elia Kazan, A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) and On the Waterfront (1954), are intensely problematic works, artistically and, in the second case, also morally and politically. Kazan infamously ratted in April 1952 to the House Un-American Activities Committee about his former Communist Party comrades. He directed On the Waterfront to elevate the informer to the status of a social hero. The film concerns a longshoreman who eventually agrees to testify before a crime commission against a local union leadership. In his autobiography, Brando makes the remarkable but no doubt sincere claim that I did not realize then ... that On the Waterfront was really a metaphorical argument by Kazan and screenwriter Budd Schulberg [also an informer] to justify finking on their friends. Brando also explained in his memoirs that when shown the completed version of On the Waterfront, I was so depressed by my performance I got up and left the screen room. I thought I was a huge failure. On another occasion, he explained, I was so embarrassed, so disappointed in my performance. In fact, despite its immense notoriety, Brandos performance is overwrought and, at times, almost a caricature of Method acting. Unhappily, Kazan succeeded in communicating something of his own lack of principle, self-pity and intense bad faith through Brando and other performers. Last Tango in Paris (1972) has interesting moments of Brando revealing something about his own life, but it is a pretentious, dubious work overall. He appeared in two films directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather (1972) and Apocalypse Now (1979). The former has intriguing and forthright elements, depicting organized crime as a division of American big business. Brando saw the story as being about the corporate mind, because the Mafia is the best example of capitalists we have (cited in Stefan Kanfers biography, Somebody). However, the film glamorizes and romanticizes the Mafia thugs, also one of Brandos concerns prior to filming. His portion of Apocalypse Now, a film that includes striking imagery of American military violence and madness during the Vietnam War, sadly, is the works weakest and murkiest. On another of the tapes, the actor later commented bitterly, I didnt make any great movies. Theres no such thing as a great movie. In the kingdom of the blind, the man with one eye is the king. There are no artists. We are businessmen, were merchants. And there is no art. Agents, lawyers, publicity people. ... Its all bullshit. Money, money, money. If you think its about something else, youre going to be bruised. Marlon Brando and Christian Brando in Listen to Me Marlon (2015) Brando involved himself to the best of his power and ability in the civil rights movement, opposition to nuclear arms and the death penalty, the cause of Native Americans. Author James Baldwin recalled that Brando was totally unconventional and independent, a beautiful cat. Race truly meant nothing to himhe was contemptuous of anyone who discriminated in any way. The actor himself said, Im standing up, not for the black race, Im standing up for the human race. All men are created equal. Notably, when Brando won an Academy Award for The Godfather in March 1973, he sent Native activist Sacheen Littlefeather to take his place and reject the award because of the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry. At the time, some 200 Oglala Lakota and followers of the American Indian Movement (AIM) were occupying Wounded Knee, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. In fact, Brando emerged in the late 1960s in particular as a severe critic of American capitalist society. The FBI had kept him under surveillance since the 1940s. Two letters to the Los Angeles Times in July 2004, at the time of his death, express something about Brando as a human being and social personality. The late professor Susanne Jonas, a scholar in Latin American studies, explained that in response to an op-ed piece she had written criticizing US actions in Guatemala, Brando contacted me and initiated an hourlong discussion about the history of U.S. operations there. Outraged at U.S. military training and CIA manuals on killing in Central America, he wanted to understand how it was possible to turn normal American boys into killers and torturers abroad. The second Times letter came from one Jon Dosa, who had been the producer of a television talk show in the Bay Area in 1968. Two Black Panther leaders, Bobby Seale and Eldridge Cleaver, had been booked to appear. Brando was accompanying them. Although his reclusive nature and disdain for public attention was well established by then, Dosa wrote, I approached him with the request that he join the two dissidents on the show. He declined the invitation. I said, Of course, you must realize that if you appear, everybody will watch. Without any further hesitation, he agreed. The show got the press attention and, of course, everybody watched it. Brando grew up in an unhappy family. His father, a salesman, who had his own history of family neglect, was tough, according to his son. He was a bar fighter. He was a man with not much love in him. Staying away from home, drinking and whoring all around the Midwest. He used to slap me around, and for no good reason. The actor described his mother, who was an aspiring actress, as the town drunk. She began to dissolve and fray at the ends. When my mother was missing. Gone off someplace, we didnt know where she was. I used to have to go and get her out of jail. Memories even now that fill me with shame and anger. On one occasion, Brando recalled, my old man was punching my mother and I went up the stairs and I went in the room. And I had so much adrenaline, and I looked at him and I fucking put my eyes right through him and I said, If you hit her again, I am going to kill you. Brando and sister Jocelyn in The Chase (1966) Brando was sent to military school, to make a man of him. He despised it. It was a cruel and unusual punishment. The mind of the military has one aim: to be as mechanical as possible. To function like a human machine. Individuality simply did not exist. I had a lot of loneliness. At 19, he headed to New York City, eventually coming under the wing of famed acting teacher Stella Adler, whom Brando credited with transforming his life. I arrived in New York, he explains on one of his audiotapes, with holes in my socks and holes in my mind. I remember getting drunk, lying down on the sidewalk and going to sleep. Nobody bothered me. I was always somebody who had an unquenchable curiosity about people. I liked to walk down the street and look at faces. Brando brought this unquenchable curiosity into his acting. He electrified audiences from his first performances on stage with his naturalness and honesty. His performances in The Men (1950), A Streetcar Named Desire, Viva Zapata! (1952), Julius Caesar (1953), The Wild One (1953) and On the Waterfront turned him into a film star, an international celebrity, something he was extremely uncomfortable with. He refused to discuss his stardom or his acting with anyone. His children would later learn that questions about his performances only angered him. Brando represented something meaningful and inspiring for a generation searching for an alternative to deadening Cold War, Eisenhower America. It was pre-sixties, he said. People were looking for rebellion, and I happened to be at the right place at the right time with the right state of mind. In a sense, it was my own story. However, Brando quickly encountered the reality of 1950s Hollywood. In the wake of the anticommunist blacklist (which devoured the careers of his mentor Stella Adlers brother, Luther, and Brandos own sister, Jocelyn, an actress and a supporter of various left-wing causes), the intense realism of the 1940s had become something dangerous and forbidden. He found himself performing in the mid- and late-1950s in a series of bloated, generally mediocre films (Desiree, Guys and Dolls, The Teahouse of the August Moon, The Young Lions). Brando had become sufficiently discontented by the end of the decade to form his own production company and produced, directed and starred in One-Eyed Jacks (1961), a revenge Western, which has compelling moments. As we noted in an obituary in 2004, Brandos radical social views no doubt influenced his unhappiness with the increasingly conformist character of the film roles he was offered. After sharp disagreements with director Lewis Milestone on Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), during which Milestone claimed Brando used to stuff cotton in his ears so as to block out the directors instructions, the actor became known as difficult. Burn! (1969) Brando asserted on one his tapes that Mutiny on the Bounty was perhaps my very worst experience in making a motion picture. I never want to do that kind of picture again as long as I live. Certain directors, he argued, dont know what the process is. How delicate it is to create an emotional impression. They cover up their sense of inadequacy by being very authoritative, commanding things. On Mutiny, There was a great deal of friction, confusion and desperation, disappointment and disgust, there were fist fights. Brando hoped for better things with Charlie Chaplin on A Countess From Hong Kong (1967), but that also proved an unsatisfying experience. Released the same year, Reflections in a Golden Eye, based on Carson McCullers, about a repressed homosexual military officer, is another muddy psychological study, a Southern Gothic, but at least Brando and director John Huston saw eye to eye. Huston later told French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier that it was a pleasure working with Brando. I was told he was very difficult. On the contrary, he was great. He spent his time trying to deepen his character, trying to find little touches that reinforce the meaning of the film. It would take me hours to say all the good things I think of him. I think hes the best actor Ive ever worked with. And Huston had worked with Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Edward G. Robinson, Sterling Hayden, Jose Ferrer, John Garfield, Gregory Peck, Clark Gable, Montgomery Clift, Kirk Douglas and numerous others. Brando has an exceptional power, he added. He can take a small detail and make it his own, integrating it as if it were a part of himself. In 1969, he featured in Burn! (Queimada), directed by Gillo Pontecorvo (The Battle of Algiers), as a British agent provocateur sent to encourage a slave revolt on a Caribbean island against Portuguese rule. A puppet regime emerges dependent on a British powerful sugar company, and later Brandos character returns to brutally suppress a second revolt. The Chase (1966), directed by Arthur Penn, is another one of Brandos more promising film ventures. The Godfather (1972) The last decades of Brandos life, by which time he had grown obese, part of his revolt against his own glamorous image, were not happy ones. But then neither were they for the American cinemaor the American population. Family disaster added to his artistic woes. In 1990, his son shot and killed the boyfriend of his daughter, after she falsely asserted that the latter had abused her. Misery has come to my house, he painfully told the media. Brandos daughter killed herself some years later. To the end, he remained an enemy of official American society. He could only say about the powers that be: They lie. Congressmen, presidents, all of them. They lie when theyre alone, they lie when theyre asleep. We never see faces without lies anymore, except the dead ones. Theyre the true assassins, the true murderers. Speaking of the responsibilities of artists, Brando argued that everything that we do should reflect the atmosphere of our lives. Were living now in this mad, crazy, murderous world. He referred on one of his tapes to Shakespeare addressing all artists [in Hamlets speech to the actors]: Suit the action to the word, the word to the action. To hold the mirror up to nature; to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time its form and pressure. There are tragic elements to Brandos life and career, but he set an example and a high standard of artistic and moral principle. Even many of his mistakes are fascinating and illuminating. Given Brandos level of artistic and social steadfastness, it doesnt seem inappropriate to conclude with the language Mary Shelley used in regard to her husband, the poet Shelley. After his death, she referred to the eagerness and ardour with which he was attached to the cause of human happiness and improvement. To purify life of its misery and its evil was the ruling passion of his soul; he dedicated to it every power of his mind. Whatever faults he had, she continued, ought to find extenuation among his fellows, since they prove him to be human. On April 4, the NATO military alliance marked its 75th anniversary. NATO was founded in 1949 less than four years after the end of World War II, in the initial years of the Cold War, as an alliance aimed against the Soviet Union. Today, it is plunging mankind into a Third World War. A general view of the round table meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, April 4, 2024. [AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert] The anniversary was marked by a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels that was devoted to a major new escalation of the war against Russia in Ukraine. Only a few weeks after French President Emmanuel Macron proposed to send ground troops to Ukraine to fight Russian forces, NATO is preparing to take over the Ukraine Defense Contact Group that coordinates aid to Ukraine. Ukraines war against Russia is emerging as an operation commanded by NATO. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said NATO support for Ukraine was rock solid and vowed, Ukraine will become a member of NATO. The foreign ministers of Germany, France and PolandAnnalena Baerbock, Stephane Sejourne and Radosaw Sikorskistated in Politico that NATO powers have given Ukraine over 200 billion. They pledged: Our support will continue for as long as it takes and as intensively as needed. The NATO powers are presently backing Israels genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza, which has killed over 40,000 people. This is seen as part of an expanding global war. We know that our security is not regionalit is global, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in his anniversary remarks. The war in Ukraine illustrates this clearly. Russias friends in Asia are vital for continuing its war of aggression. China is propping up Russias war economy. In return, Moscow is mortgaging its future to Beijing. North Korea and Iran are delivering substantial supplies of weapons and ammunition. In return, Pyongyang and Tehran are receiving Russian technology and supplies that help them advance their missile and nuclear capabilities. The claim that NATO serves the defence and security of Europe has been a propaganda lie since its foundation. As the Trotskyist movement always insisted, NATO was from the outset a war alliance of the great imperialist powers. When NATO was founded 75 years ago, the magazine Fourth International, which at the time was published by the American Socialist Workers Party under James P. Cannon, declared: The North Atlantic Pact is not just another military alliance. The immense significance of this event transcends by far its effect on the cold war for which it is immediately designed. The crisis of the old imperialist powers of Europewhose efforts to pacify the insurgent peoples of the East is proving one of the most costly and colossal failures in history; for whom it has become well-nigh impossible to achieve stability at home with their own resources alone; and who are admittedly impotent without outside help, either individually or collectively, to cope with the power of the Soviet Unionhad obliged American imperialism to become the caretaker of world capitalism. But it can only fulfil this role effectively on a global scale, the editorial of the Fourth International warned. For this reason, we have predicted time and again that the road to world domination must be the road to world war. These lines are once again of burning relevance today. Seventy-five years after its foundation, NATO is closer to triggering a third world war than ever before. At NATOs foundation in 1949, as the division of Germany was sealed and revolution triumphed in China, NATO pursued a violent, counterrevolutionary policy. The US, France and other NATO imperialist powers waged brutal colonial wars in Indochina, Korea, Algeria and beyond. NATO went on to back coups in Greece and Turkey and against left-wing, nationalist governments across Africa and Latin America to curb the influence of the Soviet Union. In the American ruling elite, however, a conflict broke out over whether to fight the Soviet Union through containment or through a military rollback, risking nuclear war. In the initial period of the Cold War, those in favour of containment gained the upper hand. However, US imperialism never gave up its long-term goal of reversing the achievements of the October Revolution and destroying the Soviet Union. The Cold War ended, however, in 1991, when the Stalinist bureaucracy took the final step in its historical betrayal and liquidated the property relations created by the October Revolution, restored capitalism and dissolved the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union. NATO, which had always justified its existence with the danger allegedly posed by the Soviet Union, did not dissolve itself. As the Fourth International had written in 1949, the founding of NATO transcends by far its effect on the cold war for which it is immediately designed, and that the road to world domination was the road to world war. American imperialism saw the dissolution of the Soviet Union as an opportunity to re-establish its world domination and reverse the defeats it had suffered in Korea, Vietnam and elsewhere. Not satisfied with the fact that Gorbachev, Yeltsin and later Putin had opened up the Soviet Union to exploitation by international capital, they wanted Russias colonial subjugation. Americas European allies, pursuing their own imperialist interests, followed its lead. NATO is the instrument with which they pursue this goal. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, NATO or its members have been waging war practically without interruption. The US first attacked Iraq in 1990. In 1999, NATO bombed Serbia without a UN mandatein violation of international lawand forced the secession of Kosovo. In 2001, NATO invoked the mutual defence clause, for the first and only time, and occupied Afghanistan, conducting a war that lasted 20 years and ended with the destruction of the country and the return of the Taliban. Although subsequent wars against Iraq, Libya and Syria took place outside the official NATO structures, they were supported by most NATO member states. Parallel to the wars in the Middle East, NATO systematically advanced towards Russia and incorporated the whole of Eastern Europe andwith the Baltic statesparts of the former Soviet Union. The worlds most powerful military alliance grew from 12 to 32 members. Last year, it spent $1.3 trillion on defense, or 60 percent of global military spending. The US military budget alone totalled $905 billion, more than the next 15 countries combined. In contrast, China only spent $220 billion and Russia $109 billion on defense. NATO has systematically prepared for war with Russia since 2014, when the US and Germany backed a coup to install a pro-Western puppet regime in Kiev. NATO relentlessly armed Ukraine, ultimately provoking the desperate, reactionary attack by the Putin regime in 2022. NATO then waged a war on Russia using Ukrainians as cannon fodder, at the cost of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian lives, that threatens to escalate into nuclear conflict. This madness is rooted in the insoluble contradictions of the international capitalist system. Private ownership of the means of production and the bourgeois nation-state based upon it cannot be reconciled with the global character of modern production, which unites billions of workers in a single social process. The only answer imperialism knows to this is the violent redivision of the world. To wage this war, the NATO imperialist powers must build fascistic police-state regimes at home, to suppress mounting opposition in the working class at having to bear the vast costs of militarism and the consequences of the war. The rise of Trump, Meloni, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and other neo-fascists is only the sharpest expression of the rightward development of all bourgeois parties. But the crisis of the capitalist system also creates the conditions for socialist revolution. Fourth International magazines April 1949 editorial ended with the words: The general staffs have carefully calculated all contingencies and eventualitiesall but one. That one is the alliance of the peoples of the world who above all want peace. Not the manoeuvrings of the Kremlin, but the class struggle in Shanghai and Indonesia, in Milan, the Ruhr and Detroit will prove the Achilles heel of this unholy compact of death, reaction and dictatorship. These words are as relevant today as they were then. Only an international mass movement of the working class, combining the struggle against war with the struggle against capitalist exploitation, can stop the path to world war and nuclear catastrophe. President Joe Biden, aboard Marine One, takes an aerial tour of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Friday, April 5, 2024. [AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta] US President Joe Biden took an aerial tour of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge on Friday before delivering comments to the media about the disaster that killed six immigrant construction workers and halted shipping in the Port of Baltimore. Bidens comments were entirely predictable and based largely upon what the administration has said previously about the catastrophic collapse. The disaster was caused by the container ship Dali, which struck one of the bridges primary support structures in the Patapsco River on March 26. He began by feigning sympathy for the families and loved ones of the workers who died as they were fixing potholes on the bridge when it went down at 1:30 a.m. Using well-worn phrases that he has delivered at every avoidable US disaster that has killed people, Biden said he knows a little bit about what its like to lose a piece of your soul. While the president was scheduled to meet with families of the deceased Latino workersthe bodies of three have yet to be recovered after they were buried alive in the debris under the waternothing was reported in the media about it. Bidens real sentiments were on display as he joked before the assembled politicians and media and by the fact that he timed the stop in Baltimore to coincide with his trip from the White House to his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, for the weekend. The three deceased workers whose bodies have been recovered are Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, 26, from Guatemala; Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, from Mexico; and Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, 38, from Honduras. The others whose bodies remain in the wreckage are Miguel Luna from El Salvador, Jose Mynor Lopez, 35, from Guatemala and a sixth worker whose name and age have not been determined. The president then quickly moved on and said, [w]e will not rest until the cement has dried on a new bridge and boasted about the administrations response to the disaster. He also claimed without going into details, were going to continue to have your backs every step of the way, I guarantee it. The two priorities of the US ruling establishment regarding the Key bridge collapse were conveyed by Biden, the first by what he did say and the second by what he did not say. He said, Our first priority is to open the port, that is, to overcome supply chain disruptions and resume shipping through the harbor so that capitalist profit-making can be resumed as quickly as possible. President Joe Biden speaks at the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, Friday, April 5, 2024, in Dundalk, Maryland. [AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta] Biden emphasized that the port had to be reopened because it is costing US corporations money. He said, But, folks, we all need to step up. Amazon, Home Depot, Domino Sugar, and many other companies all rely on this port. And they have committed to keep workers and payrolls on theirand their businesses in Baltimore and [as we] move as quickly and clearly as possible to clear the channel. At the same time, Biden did not say anything about a federal government investigation into the cause of the bridge collapse or discuss any of the details about how it happened. Through his silence on this question, the president made it clear that the cover-up of the disaster will continue, and the White House has no intentions of holding anyone responsible for it. Even though experts have exposed over the past 10 days that a combination of corporate profit-making and government negligence is responsible for the disaster, Biden presented the bridge collapse as a positive thing. He said, Were the only nation that has gone through every crisis that weve hadwe come out stronger than we went in. And were going to do it here as well. While he was preoccupied with the concerns of the multibillion-dollar corporations, he had nothing to say about the impact of the bridge collapse on the working class. He did not mention the crew members of the Dali who are still on the 984-foot container ship with its bow partially smashed by a collapsed bridge section. There are 21 crew on board20 from India and one from Sri Lankawho are continuing to perform ship duties while answering questions from investigators about what happened on the morning of March 26. One of the crew members was injured during the bridge collapse and was taken to a local hospital for treatment before he was released and transported back on board the Dali. The ship was on its way to Sri Lanka and had on board at least 56 containers (764 tons) of hazardous material, including corrosives, flammables and lithium ion batteries. When the ship was damaged by the bridge collapse, some of these HAZMATs spilled into the water. The container ship and several others stranded around the port were without internet service for four days, until a salvage ship delivered Wi-Fi hotspots donated by the Baltimore International Seafarers Center so the crew members could communicate with their loved ones back home. Biden also said nothing about the layoffs that have already taken place and the impact on workers who relied on the Key Bridge each day to get to and from work. Last week, an Amazon worker told the WSWS that some workers at the Port of Baltimore have been furloughed, citing one of his relatives. He did not know exactly what positions were laid off, but he said it is possibly longshoremen. The worker said some workers at Amazon are worried about potential shift eliminations or the closing of the Tradepoint Atlantic facility, or one of the three Amazon facilities in the southeastern region of Baltimore. Since Amazon busses many workers from Anne Arundel County over to Sparrows Point, without the bridge, the buses will have to take alternate routes, through the traffic-snarled I-95 or I-895 tunnels or through the city of Baltimore. A second worker said Amazon was being lenient with unpaid time off last week. She said Amazon would just change the shift times once it sorts out the shuttle situation or rely on voluntary time off to deal with any slack in things coming through. The Tradepoint Atlantic section of the port is operational and started receiving ships as of last week, because it is on the Chesapeake Bay side of the wreckage, as opposed to the Port proper located inside the Patapsco River and trapped by the wreckage. This worker estimated it will take 5-7 years before the bridge is rebuilt. She said something like 20 percent of staff was using the bridge to get to her Amazon facility, and now traffic is a mess. She said, One guy said he was just called into overtime. All he does is drive cars off boats and park them. But if the boats cant get through, they got to find other ways, so now theyre working overtime to compensate to accommodate different ways. They just called a bunch of mandatory overtime for some of the dockworkers because now they have to accommodate differently. The day after the collapse, a coworker of mine was two hours late to work because there was a truck that broke down in the tunnel, and it stopped traffic for both lanes. They had to wait for someone to come and get it and tow it out. Another worker discussed the traffic situation and how it has added time to his commute. Asked about the workers who died in the bridge collapse, this worker said they were from Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico, Just imagine, that is a port, and everything that comes out of that port, and just imagine all that stuff thats on the boats, and one carrier, and they load it up to the top. Those carriers go all the way around the world, so this is going to impact not just us, but the whole world. Since Israel murdered seven aid workers in Gaza on Tuesday, including Lalzawmi Zomi Frankcom, an Australian, the federal Labor government has engaged in a cynical pantomime of concern, upset and anger. The posturing over Frankcoms tragic death is a transparent attempt to cover up Labors complicity in a genocide that it has supported politically, diplomatically and militarily for the past six months. Foreign Minister Penny Wong, a callous war hawk, posted pictures of herself to X/Twitter placing flowers for Frankcom at a monument to fallen aid workers. Wongs social media team turned off comments on the post, knowing that it would otherwise be inundated with denunciations of the foreign ministers hypocrisy and insincerity. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong taking flowers for Zomi Frankcom to a monument for fallen aid workers [Photo: X/Twitter Senator Penny Wong] To the extent that the government has taken tangible actions, they have aligned entirely with Israels own damage-control operation, which is being carefully calibrated with the Biden administration. Labor has called for a transparent investigation to ensure accountability. But all of its statements have indicated that such an investigation can and should be undertaken by Israel itself. As with police killings in Australia and deaths in custody, the perpetrators are to investigate themselves. Labor also called for the Israeli soldiers directly involved in the drone strikes to be stood down from the military. Israel obliged yesterday, because such action dovetails with its attempts to present the attack as a mistake which can be palmed off on relatively junior figures within the army. More generally, the calls for an investigation are premised on there being a mystery as to what occurred. The details, however, are already well known. Israeli forces, using drones, conducted separate strikes on three clearly marked vehicles of the World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid group. The WCK convoy had been through an Israeli checkpoint and received clearance to travel along the roads where it was bombed. This was a deliberate act of state murder. Its aim was to block food supplies from reaching the Gazan people, as part of what UN officials and rights groups have documented to be an Israeli strategy of starving the entire population. WCK and multiple other charity groups have been compelled to suspend their operations. The response of Australia, along with the US and other Israeli allies, has at times descended into a through the looking glass absurdity. An Australian media article, for instance, reported that US President Joe Biden had expressed anger at the attack on the WCK. He also noted it was not isolated given nearly 200 [aid workers] have been killed so far since the war began last year. Yet no outrage was expressed over the earlier deaths. In a similar vein, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brushed off the murders as something that happens in war, Wong blandly stated: These responses suggest the gravity of the death of seven humanitarian workers is yet to be appreciated by the Israeli government. For the past six months, the Australian government and virtually the entire political and media establishment, have proclaimed Israels right to defend itself. The Zionist regime has been presented as waging a difficult, though just war, against an existential terrorist threat. Opposition to its actions has been slandered as a manifestation of antisemitism. But now, half a year later, Wong can blurt out that the Israeli government does not appreciate the gravity of its own killing of aid workers. Despite the posturing and the statements of anger, Wong has made plain that in practice, there will be no deviation of support for Israels war. Along with ruling out sanctions, a withdrawal of aid or any other concrete measures, a spokesperson for Wong told the media: As the Foreign Minister has said consistently, the Australian government believes Hamas has no place in the future of governance of Gaza. That is, the government supports the entire pretext of Israels genocidal assault on Gaza, and accepts that it will continue indefinitely. Given that Israeli officials have frequently described the entire Gazan population as Hamas or potential Hamas, that is a green light for an onslaught that will only end when the entire Gaza Strip has been ethnically-cleansed. As with the Biden administration, Labor has, since late November, sought to obscure its role in the genocide with crocodile tears over civilian deaths and suggestions of humanitarian ceasefires. It has never deviated, however, from the line that a sustainable ceasefire requires the complete defeat of Hamas and Israeli victory, under conditions where Zionist leaders declare that their aim is to annex Gaza. The response to the WCK massacre, together with postures of concern over civilian deaths, are shifts in rhetoric, not substance. Their political character is evident from Labors record throughout the genocide, which has at times included more open and aggressive support for the Israeli assault. On October 16, Labor and the Liberal-National Coalition joined hands to pass a motion proclaiming that Australia stands with Israel and recognises its inherent right to defend itself. To that point, at least 2,750 Palestinians had been killed and 9,700 wounded, as Israel carpet-bombed the strip. Throughout October and into November, Albanese and other government leaders brushed off the massive Palestinian casualties. Albanese repeatedly described the deaths as the exclusive responsibility of Hamas, repeating the Israeli line that civilians were used by the group as human shields. Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong, left, and Defense Minister Richard Marles, December. 9, 2022. [AP Photo/Philip Fong/Pool Photo] Government leaders explicitly justified acts by Israel that were clear war crimes in violation of international law. On October 9, Israel cut off all water supplies to the Gazan population. The next day, Labors Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles responded to a question about this by declaring: Well, I think Israel is justified in acting to defend itself in this moment. Asked if that extended to inflicting collective punishment on the Gazan population, a war crime under the Geneva Convention, Marles said: We are not sitting in the chair of the Israeli Defence Minister now. And so, the particular judgments as to how this is pursued is really a matter that Israel is executing as we speak. Wong caused outrage. Asked a similar question, about whether withholding water and essential supplies from more than two million people while bombing them constituted collective punishment, she said that it was difficult to judge from afar, and reiterated Israels right to defend itself. The extent of Australias military involvement remains shrouded in secrecy, with Labor concealing the details of 350 approved defence exports to Israel since 2017, including 52 in 2023. It is known, however, that F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets have played a key role in Israels bombardment of Gaza, which they could not without Australian involvement in the global supply chain necessary for their production. As reported by Declassified Australia in November, no bombs could be dropped on Gaza by an F-35 without parts manufactured for the F-35s by Melbourne company, Rosebank Engineering (RUAG Australia). The company is the sole global producer of the F-35s uplock actuators that open and close the weapons bay doors to drop its payload. Frankcom and her colleagues were killed by missiles fired from an unmanned Hermes 450 drone, produced by Elbit Systems, the main Israeli weapons manufacturer. Australia has extensive ties to Elbit. In February, Labor awarded the company a $917 million contract to provide advanced protection, fighting capabilities and sensors for Australian army infantry vehicles. Elbit has a Centre of Excellence for Human-Machine Teaming and Artificial Intelligence in Melbourne, established with funding from the Victorian state Labor government. AI is playing a crucial role in Israels targeting of mass air strikes. It is highly likely that the joint US-Australian Pine Gap spy base is involved as well. The facility in central Australia collects data from US satellites covering vast swathes of the globe, including the Middle East. Statements by a former employee to Declassified Australia in November, that Pine Gap would undoubtedly be providing targeting information for Israeli strikes, have never been refuted by the government or the military. Labors support for the genocide is one component of its participation in the broader eruption of US-led imperialist militarism, from the US-Israeli threats against Iran, to Washingtons proxy war against Russia in Ukraine and its preparations for a catastrophic war against China. No one should be taken in by the posturing over several civilian deaths by a government that is involved in a war drive that threatens the existence of all of humanity. Whether you believe in psychic abilities or not, it's hard to ignore the intrigue surrounding their forecasts for the future. Renowned psychic Baba Vanga has astounded the world with her eerily accurate predictions over the years, and now some of her 2024 predictions are proving to be accurate. Despite passing away over 25 years ago, the Bulgarian mystic made forecasts that still seem to be unfolding today. Baba Vanga lost her sight in childhood, yet she remarkably foresaw numerous world events, including a solar storm she claimed would occur on December 1. Interestingly, Earth was indeed hit by a solar storm on December 1, 2023. Baba Vanga is reputed to have predicted major events such as 9/11 and Brexit. Now, several of her 2024 predictions have already manifested, one of them being the economic turmoil in the UK. She predicted that the world would "face an economic crisis" this year - and now both the UK and Japan are grappling with such a scenario. The Office of National Statistics confirmed that the gross domestic product (GDP) fell by a larger-than-expected 0.3 per cent in the three months leading to December in the UK. This decline is attributed to a "fall in all main sectors of the economy and a collapse in retail sales." In Japan, the Yen has hit a 34-year low, weakening to 151.97 against the US dollar. Consequently, the country has slipped to fourth position in global standings, being surpassed by Germany in third place. Another prediction made by the psychic was that there would be "drastic developments" in healthcare this year, and recent weeks have indeed seen confirmation that a lung cancer vaccine is in progress. Scientists from the University of Oxford, the Francis Crick Institute, and University College London are collaborating on 'LungVax', having received 1.7 million ($2,139,225) from major UK charities to fund 3,000 vaccines. But it's not just Baba Vanga's predictions that are coming to fruition in 2024. Dubbed "The Living Nostradamus," Athos Salome warned that this year would mark a "new chapter in human history." One of his 2024 predictions was the occurrence of "three days of darkness." 5 Weirdest Things in the World That Will Blow Your Mind NEW YORK Alex Edelman is feeling a lot right now. Most surprising of all, relief. In March, the comedian played the final performance of his hit stand-up show Just For Us, which recounts his startling experience as a Jewish man crashing a white nationalists meeting. Over the past six years, Edelman, 35, has performed the incisive set more than 500 times around the world. An HBO special, filmed during the shows Broadway run last summer, is streaming on Max. (On Sept. 15, it won the Emmy Award for outstanding writing for a variety special.) I always thought it was going to get stale, Edelman says, wandering through the Museum of Natural History on a rainy afternoon in early April. But when I got through it without ever mailing it in, I was like, OK, well youve gotta know when to fold em. Ive been listening to that song a lot, actually, The Gambler. Its a great Kenny Rogers song, he adds, crooning the chorus as we stroll past dioramas of rhinos and antelope. I guess I got to walk away. More: Broadway's 10 best musicals and plays of 2023, including 'Merrily We Roll Along' Alex Edelman credits his sense of humor to his grandpa, who was very wry and had a bunch of sayings. He was always like, Get your shoes on, Lucy! I was like, Whos Lucy? 'Comedy should not be journalism' The seeds of Just For Us were planted in 2017, when Edelman received an avalanche of antisemitism from online trolls. He stumbled on an invite for a get-together of white supremacists at an apartment in Queens, and feeling emboldened, decided to infiltrate the mixer. His mission was to uncover the root of their hatred and bigotry. But through comedy, Edelman uses the experience to spark bigger conversations about identity, whiteness and the limits of empathy. Just For Us is Edelmans third solo show after 2014s Millennial and 2015s Everything Handed to You. The set has earned him widespread critical acclaim and A-list fans, including his comedy heroes Jerry Seinfeld, Billy Crystal and Steve Martin. Despite the sold-out runs and late-night TV appearances, Edelman has not heard from the Nerf Nazis he met at the meeting. I feel very powerfully that comedy should not be journalism, Edelman says. And yet, if he ran into any of them now, my curiosity would be about how they feel about the liberties Ive taken. Id want to ask, What part of your worldview do you think is important to communicate? Because Im communicating what I think is important. Alex Edelman attends the 2024 Nova Ball in New York in February. Edelman is fascinated by the stories we tell about ourselves: what we do and dont remember, and the details we flourish or omit. Adam Brace, Edelmans best friend and the shows director, died of a stroke last spring at 43, weeks before Just For Us opened on Broadway. Brace was one of the first people Edelman told about the meeting, and he wrote it down for posterity as they conceived the show together. But those notes were lost with his death. One of the things that bugs me about Adam is that theres a little notebook somewhere with the story that is closest to the reality of it, Edelman says. Sometimes I mourn the loss of the real story, as its replaced by the version of a thing Ive told 500 times; this real-life experience that was adjusted and comedian-ized. But that versions nice, too. I like that version. "I love narrative closure," says Alex Edelman, who was inspired by "Arabian Nights" while writing the show. 'People were worried that antisemitism is too niche' Edelman was born in Boston; his mother was a lawyer and his father a physician. He started doing stand-up as a teen, which was "really rocky" save for one good joke about The Godfather that always got laughs. (I was describing the scene where Sonny Corleone gets gunned down at the toll booth and I go, If thats not the best commercial for E-ZPass Ive ever seen!) His Orthodox Jewish upbringing is a source of much of his comedy. He brought a friends bar mitzvah to a screeching halt performing Don McLeans American Pie. (His own bar mitzvah theme was, simply, Judaism.) Staring out the window of a palatial museum library, hes eager to talk about guilt, a common theme in Judaism. (I feel like theres no such thing as a free lunch, and everything needs to be really hard.) And like many of us, his religious practice is constantly evolving. (I think I believe in God, but we also need a conversation before were going to be back on good terms.) In recent months, he has increasingly been asked in interviews to weigh in on rising antisemitism and the Israel-Hamas conflict. Edelman is willing to engage in those discussions, but also is quick to remind people: This show is meant to be funny, above all else. Everyones like, Oh, youre an expert on antisemitism, but I never claim any sort of expertise,'" Edelman says. That said, I like that people are talking about this now. People were worried that antisemitism is too niche a concern, but now it's kind of mainstream. Its so weird to be identified as a Jewish comedian," Alex Edelman says. "Even though I talk about it, Ive always written my comedy for everyone." 'The show was like a conversation piece with him' Early in our visit, Edelman makes a beeline for a case of Korean pots and bowls. Im mad into pottery, he says, recalling how he traveled to a small town in Japan late last year to make ceramics. I have a bad habit of accumulating hobbies. Comedy is one of those, I guess. Hes also a big Broadway nut and was particularly moved this season by Stephen Sondheims Merrily We Roll Along, which charts the end of a creative partnership. For the past year, Just For Us has been his tether to Brace, and the show's ending has brought up complex feelings of grief. The longtime collaborators met when Edelman was 21, and everything he wrote was to impress Brace. "He was the smartest, funniest friend," Edelman says. "After he died, the show was like a conversation piece with him. It made me feel very close to him. When I say Broadway was hard, that was a big part of it. Every day, I would have one moment when I would feel completely torn apart. There was a bit of magical thinking with me doing the show, being like, Oh, hell come back for closing. Touring the U.S. became similarly taxing: Toward the end of it, I was just like: Hey man, Im talking to you every night. Please come back. Edelman credits Braces family for supporting him, along with theater folks including Alex Timbers, who directed the HBO taping. The special is dedicated to Brace: I just miss him, Edelman says. I feel really close to Timbers now. But still, ending the show, I'm kind of relieved to move on. Like I said, that was my biggest surprise emotion. He has little interest in adapting Just For Us into a TV series or memoir, although he is writing a movie based on an unexpected family Christmas he recalls in the special. Hes already back to doing stand-up sets and testing out new material, but hes not sure what the next solo show will be. The idea of coming down a mountain and trying to climb another one I need to climb around in the boulders and see if theres something, Edelman says. I need to get my feet back a little bit; I need a long nap. I just need to let go of this one completely. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alex Edelman talks Emmy-winning HBO special, Just For Us Islamabad: Pakistan's Prime Minister has taken decisive action following the tragic suicide bombing that claimed the lives of five Chinese engineers at a dam site in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province last month. In response to the attack, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the punishment of at least five senior police officials for negligence in their duties, as confirmed by the country's Information Minister on Saturday. The bombing, which occurred at the construction sites of the Dasu and Diamer Bhasha dams, resulted in the suspension of work by Power China and the China Gezhouba Company. The blast killed five Chinese workers and a Pakistani driver, leading to heightened security concerns for the hundreds of Chinese nationals employed at these projects. Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar stated that a committee appointed by Prime Minister Sharif has identified a regional official, three district officials, and the director of security at the Dasu dam project for their negligence. The Prime Minister has ordered immediate action against these officials, with a promise to personally oversee the security of Chinese nationals. Tarar emphasized that any lapses in security will not be tolerated and those responsible will be held accountable. While operations by Power China have resumed at the Diamer Bhasha dam, work at the Dasu site remains suspended. Pakistani authorities have detained over 12 individuals, including Afghan nationals, in connection with the bombing. The relationship between Pakistan and China is characterized by strong economic ties, with China investing significant sums in Pakistani infrastructure projects. However, there have been longstanding grievances among Pakistanis regarding the distribution of jobs and wealth from these projects. Ensuring the security of Chinese workers has become a top priority for both nations, particularly in light of frequent attacks by militants opposed to foreign influence. The recent bombing follows a foiled attempt by militants to breach security at the Gwadar deepwater port, a crucial hub for Chinese investment in Pakistan. Unconventional Training: Pakistani Cricket Team's Military-Style Drills Delhi Court Grants CBI Time to Respond to K Kavitha's Application Opposing Interrogation Himanta Biswa Sarma Energizes Election Campaign with Dance Moves Cole Brings Plenty, star of 'Yellowstone' spinoff '1923,' was found dead after being reported missing following a domestic violence investigation Cole Brings Plenty, who starred in "Yellowstone" spinoff "1923," has died at the age of 27. The nephew of "Yellowstone" star Moses Brings Plenty was reported missing earlier this week. He had been wanted by Kansas police in connection with an alleged domestic violence incident. Cole Brings Plenty, an actor who starred in the "Yellowstone" spinoff "1923" and was reported missing earlier this week, has died at the age of 27. Brings Plenty was found dead on Friday (April 5) in Johnson County, Kansas, according to the Johnson County Sheriff's Office. According to a press release shared on behalf of Sheriff Calvin Hayden, deputies were called to a property about an unoccupied vehicle and "discovered a deceased male in a wooded area away from the vehicle," who was later identified as Brings Plenty. A cause of death has not been shared, and according to the sheriff's office, the case remains under investigation. Brings Plenty was reported missing on Tuesday. He was last seen in Lawrence, Kansas, on Sunday, March 31, according to his uncle, "Yellowstone" star Moses Brings Plenty. The elder Brings Plenty took to social media earlier this week to ask the public for assistance finding him. The following day, the Lawrence Kansas Police Department identified the young actor as the suspect in an alleged domestic violence incident at an apartment complex on Sunday morning. Cole Brings Plenty photographed in November 2023 at the RNCI Red Nation Awards. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Brings Plenty left the scene before officers could arrive and was identified on traffic cameras driving away from the city, according to a statement released by Lawrence Police. "Officers responded to reports of a female screaming for help, but the suspect fled before officers arrived," Lawrence Police said in a statement, adding that traffic cameras showed Brings Plenty leaving the city. No further details about the incident were released to protect the victim. In an update posted on Friday, authorities in Lawrence said they were at the scene in Johnson County "supporting family and investigators" following Brings Plenty's death. Following the news, Moses Brings Plenty shared a statement to Instagram on Friday evening on behalf of the family, written by his brother, Joe Brings Plenty. "I am deeply saddened to confirm that my son, Cole, has been found and is no longer with us," it read. "We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone for the prayers and positive thoughts you sent for Cole." "We would also like to thank everyone who came to walk beside us as we searched for my son and provided the resources we needed to expand our search areas. I learned this week how many people knew the goodness in Cole's heart and loved him," the post said. Brings Plenty was introduced as Pete Plenty Clouds in the final two episodes of Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone" prequel series, "1923," aired last year. A burgeoning relationship between his character and the show's indigenous main character, Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves), was teased, heavily hinting that he would reprise his role in the yet-to-be-filmed second season. Read the original article on Business Insider FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) Cyprus Hills B Real is bringing his own brand of marijuana dispensary to Fresno, a city he describes as a very tight-knit place and very California. Dr. Greenthumbs dispensary will be hosting its grand opening and ribbon cutting on Saturday, April 6, featuring the Cypress Hill frontman himself. B Real first launched his line of Dr. Greenthumbs branded products in 2018. His most recent expansion with his brand has led to the opening of the location, which will be in Fresnos Tower District on Wishon and Fern Avenues. B Real says the feeling of opening up his new location is a lot like putting out an album. You spend all this time working on it and put it out into the world and you dont know what kind of impact it might have, B Real said. Though his Fresno store is not his first dispensary, B Real says there is something special about the new location thanks to the energy of the people of Fresno. Im excited to go up there. B Real says the grand opening will feature a meet and greet with him, and he plans to release a new exclusive strain of flower, specific to the Fresno store. This particular drop is called Lithium and we love this strain, he said, so we thought if were going to open up in Fresno lets make it exclusive to Fresno on the day of the drop. According to B Real, the Tower District location was perfect for the tight-knit community-oriented operation he wants Dr.Greenthumb to be known for. Some of our dispensaries have done food drives, toy drives, blood drives, and we want to serve the communities that were coming into. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47. Blue Lights burst onto the screen last year as a rare, electrifying word-of-mouth hit, recommended by both critics and colleagues with an urgency you must see this. It was terrifying, hard-edged, touching, funny and beautiful to watch, hurling away the rules of the police procedural by following three green recruits through the mean streets of Belfast, where violent death could and did take out even the most beloved character. The three rookies Grace (Sian Brooke), a former social worker and single mother in her early 40s; Annie (Katherine Devlin), a hard-partying young woman; and Tommy (Nathan Braniff), an earnest fast-track swot were mentored by Richard Dormers tough but loveable Gerry. And spoiler alert Gerry died, gunned down at the end of episode five. Social media erupted in protest, fans wept and begged the writers to let him live. Youd better incorporate some manner of supernatural elements into series two and bring my Gerry back! one tweeted. Sitting in a cinema bar with the writers Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn the first thing I ask them is why they did it. A lot of people ask this question, and some people with a large degree of disdain for us, says Patterson, giving a wry smile. It can become a bit heated. We didnt do it to shock. Were trying to represent Northern Ireland with a level of authenticity, and sometimes the good ones just dont survive. Blue Lights, the duo stress, is about the consequences of violence especially a mundane violence that the police in Northern Ireland encounter every day. Season two is built on the consequences of Gerrys death, bringing a poignancy to the story beyond the typical cop show. Its this raw sense of jeopardy that underpins almost every scene in the show. If you watch a cop getting into their car in Blue Lights, youre always half expecting them to get blown up when they start the engine. Blue Lights writers Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson - Clara Molden/The Telegraph Season two starts with what seems to be all our heroes in mortal danger as rioters torch their car. Then, after a swift reveal, it takes the pressure off the boil and on to simmer, with a wave of deadly new drugs on the streets and a dark return to crimes committed during the Troubles. Where series one was based in nationalist West Belfast, series two is rooted in the loyalist East, with bloodcurdling gangsters, bleak estates and Union Jack festooned murals. If were doing a cop show in Belfast, we cant just do a story of a crime family, because the crime families will be colourfully represented, literally, by flags, Patterson points out. If youre going to do it honestly, and this is what were trying to do, then the Irish tricolour and the Union Jack are the symbols those families truly believe in. Were making a contemporary drama, so in order to make it authentic, we put these things in. Authenticity is critical, they explain, partly because before turning to drama they were both journalists making documentaries for Panorama their biggest hit before Blue Lights was the docu-drama The Salisbury Poisonings but mostly because theyre both from Northern Ireland and, If this hadnt been done well, wed have to leave the country, Patterson says with a light laugh. As writing partners, they represent both communities. Lawn grew up a nationalist Catholic in Derry-Londonderry. His parents worked in a bank and would sometimes be home late because of a bomb scare. When he was nine years old, he became conscious that every time they went to work there was a chance they might not come home. Pattersons family were Protestants and his father was a prison officer. Its a testament to the hold the past has on the present that he asks me not to mention his name, even now. When he was growing up, his father had a that gun hed keep under a cushion on the sofa and beside his bed at night in case he was ever targeted. I feel like I grew up in a very normal world, he begins. But it wasnt. Having bulletproof glass in your windows and your dad with a gun under the couch, thats not normal. But my parents instilled in me a willingness to be open to all people across the community. Im very proud of my family and the sacrifices they made, and thats why we can relate so much to the police officers. I think of my mother at home, thinking, Hes not back from work yet. How does that impact on her and her psychology? This was really good grounding for us. This empathy carried risks. The consequence of character drama is to humanise the face behind the uniforms, and the police service is not an easy institution to represent in our home, Lawn nods. It has a dark past. Its much more progressive now, but theres a lot of people who think about it through the old RUC days. And people will really tell you what they think, which is, paradoxically, why we love our country. Then they explain why it was important that local people approved of the show, and it briefly takes my breath away. Its not just because theyll be mocked or shunned they write and direct, meaning theyre behind the camera on location. And those locations are the nationalist and loyalist estates themselves, where the cast turn up wearing police uniforms, and it isnt wise to be provocative in those parts of the city. We literally get people from the area together in town-hall meetings, explain why were doing it and ask their permission, Lawn explains. You tell them what you can about the story, so that they dont feel theyre being hoodwinked. But we used to do that all the time in journalism, so its fine, thats just what needs to be done. They tolerate us, and we have to show those communities respect. For series two, they sometimes asked for a selfie with the stars and that was the ultimate sign we were doing OK. Their commitment to Belfast extends to an almost scene-stealing return to the screen for Derek Thompson, aka Charlie from Casualty, who plays a retired RUC Special Branch officer with a dark secret in his past. Amanda Black, their producer, became aware that he was leaving Casualty. We were instantly interested in that because hed been in [Belfast drama] Harrys Game, says Lawn, leaning forward eagerly. For the first time in 37 years, hes doing his own original Belfast accent. For the first 10 seconds, when he opens the door, you think, theres Charlie from Casualty. By the next episode, you forget, which is testimony to how he inhabits the role. They wont say if Thompson makes it into the third season but they are delighted to have the commission to finish their grand story arc. They wont be drawn on it, beyond Lawn saying, Its about idealism versus pragmatism, which runs through every scene, every character. And thats the central theme of Northern Ireland. But Grace is always at the heart of it. I assume that Grace is English to help outsiders in to the strange world of post-Troubles Belfast, but, in fact, says Patterson, the part was written as a local. It was Sians incredible audition that made us think, what if she was English? he smiles. Please tell me she doesnt die, I beg. They tell me to have hope. The seditious nature of hope is interesting to us, adds Lawn. We live in a world that, especially in television drama, is extremely cynical. Everythings bad, everyones corrupt, everythings dark. But its not the whole story. There is hope. How could you not be hopeful if you grew up in Northern Ireland and now see the physical, social and political change. How could you possibly not be optimistic? Whatever you think about Blue Lights, I think its the most optimistic show on television. Blue Lights series two begins on BBC One at 9pm on Monday 15 April 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. Daniel Day-Lewis and Rebecca Miller got married in November 1996 Stephen Lovekin/Getty Rebecca Miller and actor Daniel Day-Lewis attend Juilliard's 108th Commencement Ceremony on May 24, 2013 in New York City. Daniel Day-Lewis met his wife Rebecca Miller in 1996, a year after his oldest son was born, when he visited the home of her father, the famous playwright Arthur Miller. The pair married the same year they met and went on to welcome two sons together. Both Day-Lewis and Miller have been private about their personal lives and the lives of their children. They split their time between the United States and Ireland, and own homes in each country, despite the fact that, as The Washington Post reported, Day-Lewis was born and raised in neighboring England. The two were drawn together after Day-Lewis was cast in The Crucible, which was based on the play of the same name, written by Arthur Miller. They later worked together on 2005s The Ballad of Jack and Rose, and Day-Lewis insisted that he live separately from his wife and their children while they were working on the movie to immerse himself in the films overwhelming theme of isolation. Miller told The Washington Post that this didnt bother her. As she put it, Every actor does what he feels he needs to do to keep that reality intact, and that was his way of doing it. It's a kind of focus, which he has about everything. When he's tying his shoes, he's tying his shoes, and nothing can distract him from that. Since working on that project, Day-Lewis has retired from acting and Miller has continued her work as a writer and director. Here is everything to know about Daniel Day-Lewis wife, Rebecca Miller. Shes a director and writer Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Daniel Day-Lewis and Rebecca Miller attend the'She Came to Me' New York Screening on October 03, 2023 in New York City. Miller is an accomplished writer and director. Her husband starred in her 2005 movie The Ballad of Jack and Rose, and some of her additional credits include Maggies Plan, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, and She Came to Me, which stars Anne Hathaway. In an interview with PEOPLE, Hathaway praised Miller, saying, Rebecca brings so much to the table, and I've loved all of your movies, and this one is a really special addition to the canon of your work. While speaking to Matthew Toffolo in 2016, Miller admitted that she doesnt always know whats next for her professionally. She said, My motivation to make movies is so I can keep learning and keep the learning curve steep. I dont know whats next but I want to keep surprising myself and I want to keep learning. They met and married in 2006 Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty Daniel Day-Lewis and Rebecca Miller attend 'The Crucible' Beverly Hills premiere on November 20, 1996. In 2003, The Guardian reported that Day-Lewis and Miller were first introduced at the home of her father, playwright Arthur Miller. Day-Lewis starred in the film adaptation of her fathers play The Crucible. They got married in November of the same year. They have three children together Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Daniel Day-Lewis and Rebecca Miller attend the 80th Annual Academy Awards on February 24, 2008 in Los Angeles Day-Lewis and Miller are parents to three sons: Lewis son from another relationship, Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis, as well as the two children they welcomed together, Cashel Blake Day-Lewis and Ronan Day-Lewis. In 2008, the actor told the Daily Mail that he and Miller agree entirely when it comes to raising their family, and we enjoy each others company. A 2023 profile of Miller in The Guardian revealed that the family lives in the United States and in Ireland. She volunteered at a womens shelter to overcome writers block Amy Sussman/Variety/Penske Media/Getty Daniel Day-Lewis and Rebecca Miller Miller has been open about her process as a writer, and in 2023 she admitted to several outlets that she once experienced a bad case of writers block while attempting to work on a project. While speaking to Forbes, Miller explained that she solved her situation by volunteering at a womens shelter. After the experience, she wrote the first short story for her book Personal Velocity. She explained, I had left filmmaking at that point, I had decided to just write stories and become a writer, because it was so hard to make money, and it brought me back. So in a funny way, writer's block kind of brought me back to filmmaking. Her parents were also famous creatives Kevin Mazur/WireImage Daniel Day-Lewis and Rebecca Miller arrive at the Oscars on February 24, 2013 in Hollywood, California Apart from her talented husband, Miller is also the product of two famous creatives. Her father, Arthur Miller, was a well-known and beloved playwright, and her mother, Inge Morath, was a renowned photographer. Miller spoke about each of her parents in a lengthy interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2023. Of the documentary she made about her father, Arthur: Writer, she shared that the process of making the film was freeing. She explained that on one level, she was able to finally make the decision to sell her childhood home. On the other, she added, It was also about me understanding and coming to terms with him more as a man. I almost feel that everybody should make a documentary about their parents, no matter who they are even if its 20 minutes long because it makes you think about them in a way that isnt just as their child. Miller also credited her mother with teaching her about composition and taking her to museums, which has impacted her work as an adult. Personally, she added, She was a very generous mother and I think that was a great gift to me, and something that I hope Ive continued with my own kids. She would like to direct theater Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis/Getty Rebecca Miller poses the'She Came to Me' photocall during the 73rd Berlinale International Film Festival on February 16, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. Miller has career aspirations that extend beyond directing documentaries and feature films she told the Los Angeles Times that at some point, she would like to direct theater. I would love to direct theater, produce theater. I think theater is a wonderful art and, in fact, very relevant for our future the more AI stands over us," she said. "Seeing a person actually sweat and cry right in front of you actually feel things is very powerful. Miller was also careful to make it clear that she doesnt expect to ever follow in her fathers footsteps and write plays. As she put it, Ive had enough to just make something of myself under that shadow that I wouldnt invite more difficulty on myself. She and her husband worked together in 2005 Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Daniel Day-Lewis and Rebecca Miller pose at the 'The Ballad of Jack & Rose' Photocall during the 55th annual Berlinale International Film Festival on February 15, 2005. Its no real surprise that Miller and Day-Lewis have worked together. Miller directed and Day-Lewis starred in the 2005 movie The Ballad of Jack and Rose, which she described to the Los Angeles Times as a very lyrical film that has a lot of wistfulness. IGN later wrote in 2012 that Day-Lewis wasnt sure he wanted to take on the part at first, and spent months deciding. He also revealed that he hadnt met Miller when he first read the role. Day-Lewis said, When I first read it, it was nine years ago, before I'd met Rebecca. So all I knew of her was this story initially I had a strong sense of the demands that that story would make upon me or anybody who took it on, and I just didn't feel up to the task at that moment. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. The longtime CNN anchor, now with his own program 'The Don Lemon Show,' tied the knot with Malone on April 6 in front of 140 guests in New York City TONY VALADEZ Don Lemon (left) and Tim Malone at their New York City wedding on April 6 Don Lemon and Tim Malone are now husbands! The longtime CNN anchor, who now has his own streaming program, The Don Lemon Show, married his longtime partner Tim Malone, a real estate broker, on April 6 in New York City. Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE a few days before the wedding, the grooms revealed they weren't stressed about the big day. I'm a last-minute person, Lemon, 58, says, and most things I just don't worry about. TONY VALADEZ Don Lemon (left) and Tim Malone at their New York City wedding on April 6 However, his wedding is proving to be an exception to the rule. But this one I'm secretly worried about, but I'm letting Tim take the reins because he's a good planner," he continued. "I'll be writing questions for like the U.N. ambassador and he'll be saying, Oh, when are they going to put the buttons on our jackets? It's an important question, but I'm just like, 'Huh? What? So he has a million questions, but usually he gets it done without me even answering. Related: Don Lemon Tells All: CNN, Nikki Haley, His Battle with Elon Musk and Who You Wont See on His New Show (Exclusive) The ceremony at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in midtown Manhattan was officiated by the United States ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield in front of roughly 140 guests. "She's a friend, and it means that much to us," Lemon says of having Thomas-Greenfield as their officiant. For the service, the grooms who wore custom suits by Suit Supply and exchanged rings designed by Mark Lash incorporated marriage traditions inspired by each of their families into their unique ceremony. Tim is from a big Irish family, so we planned a big Irish blessing in there in his ceremony," Lemon says. He also notes the blessing was led by Malones two sisters. Tim Malone Instagram Don Lemon (left) and Tim Malone Lemon adds that at the end we jump over a broom. This, Lemon and Malone say, pays respect to the once symbolic way for enslaved people in the American South to recognize their marriages, noting that today this tradition is a way to honor those who did it before them. The road to the altar has been a long one for Lemon and Malone, who have been engaged for five years, but it was important to the couple that they have a big, traditional wedding day. We wanted to make a public statement, Malone says, and we wanted to involve our loved ones. We obviously could have easily gone to city hall. We could have used Covid as a perfect excuse to do something really quiet. But I think this is also a message. For I don't know what percent of our guests, on both sides, but for a lot of them it's going to be their first gay wedding. Related: Don Lemon Is Getting Married! CNN Anchor Announces Engagement to Tim Malone Tradition was important to the grooms right from the start. Malone was raised in a Catholic family and Lemons family is Baptist, so the news anchor knew he "wanted to have a religious service. I wanted to get married in the church. So Tim made that happen," Lemon says. 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. However, when it came time to prepare their vows, the couple opted for a mixture of traditional and new elements. I have not been nervous about anything except writing the vows," Lemon reveals. "We are saying our own personal vows and then we're doing the traditional wedding ceremony vows. Related: Who Is Don Lemons Fiance? All About Tim Malone Music was also an important part of the ceremony. Lemon and Malone entered the church to the tune of "What a Wonderful World and exited to "Signed, Sealed, Delivered." At the end of the ceremony, the grooms also lit a unity candle with their mothers. The happy event was watched by a star-studded guest list, which included legendary music executive and producer Clive Davis, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro-Cardenas and Sunny Hostin from The View. Additional guests included former Today show anchor Matt Lauer and girlfriend Shamin Abas, Real Housewives of New York City alum Luann de Lesseps, Sex and the City and Emily in Paris creator Darren Star, Tamron Hall and Alec and Hilaria Baldwin. CNN's Kate Bolduan, Erin Burnett and Dana Bash also attended. After the ceremony, guests formed a New Orleans-style second line and marched from the church to Ralph Laurens Polo Bar, behind the Gotham Kings band in honor of Lemon, who grew up in Baton Rouge. The location served a special menu including chicken-under-a-brick and petit fours and was decorated with photos taken throughout the couples time together, providing a full-circle moment for the newlyweds. We had our first date at the Polo Bar, Malone says. It was election night in 2016. We had gone to a viewing party downtown. Isnt that where you tipped a table over? Lemon asks, to which Malone replies with a laugh, "Yes!" So, that night we went to this party at Cipriani, Lemon continues, "and all these fancy people were there, stars, Martha Stewart. They put these plywood pieces on the table to make them bigger. And when Tim sat down, he hit the edge, and flipped the entire table. All the glassware, all the candles, everything went flying. And I was like, Alright, well thats our first date right there.' " At that point in the evening, Malone and Lemon remember, it seemed clear Hillary Clinton was going to win. I looked at my CNN email. I was like, Let's get out of here. It's not going to be pretty,' " Lemon shares. "And so we went uptown to the Polo Bar. The restaurant is subterranean, "so we were sort of in a bunker, Lemon says. He recalls being given the night off as his primetime slot had been taken over by election coverage. I was kind of glad because it would've been a surreal thing to watch [on camera]," he adds. Throughout the meal, he and Malone got intermittent updates via spotty cell service and other diners. Tim and I looked at each other and I said to him, I don't want to be alone tonight. It was so weird. We went back to my apartment in Harlem and then he never left. Over the years, the two have become well-known Hamptons-summer entertainers (We have an annual LGBTQ+ Pride party that Tim plans, Lemon says) and dog dads to rescues Boomer, Barkley, and Gus, who were all three in attendance at the wedding. In lieu of gifts, the grooms asked that donations be made to Southhampton Animal Rescue, where they adopted their dogs. Related: Don Lemon Says His Talk Show Deal with X Was Canceled After Tense Interview with Elon Musk: 'He's Mad at Me' Don Lemon Instagram Don Lemon (left), Tim Malone and their three rescue dogs At the reception, guests dined on the restaurants famous bone-in ribeye (which they ate on their first date), plus Dover sole, salmon and cauliflower steak. The grooms changed into Nike Dunks and celebrated, with music provided by DJ Tokyo Rose, also known as Erica Hamilton. Up until their wedding day, the idea of marriage hit each of the grooms differently. I never thought that I would get married, Lemon says. I mean, maybe Tim's generation, he's 18 years younger than me. So for him maybe it was more of a possibility. He continues, The legal part of it is a big deal because I didn't think it could happen. And for so many years of my growing up and hiding things, I never thought it could happen legally. But when you consider all the rights that people are trying to take away, I wanted to make sure that we get this done right. Don Lemon Instagram Don Lemon (left) and Tim Malone We were pretty traditional over all, Lemon says. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue Tims tuxedo is blue. Lemon's is green, both velvet and double-breasted. "Ill have one something blue," Lemon jokes. "You just wont be able to see it! For the couple, marriage means "a confirmation of our love and our commitment to each other," says Lemon, adding that "it's also about celebrating our relationship, and our relationship with the people who are most important to us in our lives." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Gypsy Rose Blanchard Says Cosmetic Surgery Went Great: 'I Want to See It So Bad' (Exclusive) Blanchard, 32, was discharged on Friday around 1:30 p.m. following her procedure in Louisiana Jamie McCarthy/Getty Gypsy Rose Blanchard is anxious to see her new look after she underwent cosmetic surgery on Friday, April 5. The 32-year-old exclusively tells PEOPLE the operation "went great." She adds, "I come in and out of sleep. I was in pain at first but I am on pain medicine." "I can't breathe through my nose because of the packing but that comes off on the 10th," she says of her recovery process before expressing excitement over the final look. "I want to see it so bad! Blanchard was released from her procedure around 1:30 p.m. Friday. It took place in Lafayette, Louisiana. Related: Gypsy Rose Blanchard Says Shes Not Looking for Fame: 'I'm Infamous, and Then I Came Out Famous' The Munchausen by proxy victim exclusively told PEOPLE early Friday that she was preparing to undergo rhinoplasty to change the shape and appearance of her nose. "Im going through a personal transformation journey currently and that includes a physical one, too," she said in an exclusive statement. "Wish me luck with my surgery and watch the whole thing this summer on Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up." According to Blanchard's close friend Nadiya Vizier, the procedure is something she has been wanting for a while. "She said she's a bit nervous, but she's happy it's going to be done," Vizier tells 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." Related: Gypsy Rose Blanchard Shares First OOTD Out of Prison, Shifts to Style Influencer Lane: 'I Look Pretty Cute' And, says her pal, making that change is Blanchard's prerogative. "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. Let her learn from it. I feel like in a way, people are still trying to control her." The surgery came shortly after Blanchard announced her separation from her husband of nearly two years, Ryan Anderson. In the wake of their split Blanchard has been spotted spending quality time with her ex-fiance Ken Urker, who joined her in getting matching tattoos earlier this week. 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. "They're very cool," Urker's mother Raina Williams told PEOPLE of the pair, after confirming they'd reconnected following Blanchard and Anderson's split. "Ken is just being a supportive friend to her." This year has brought one huge change after another for Blanchard, who was released from prison in December of 2023 after serving eight years of her 10-year prison sentence for conspiring to murder her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, with her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn. "I'm ready to expand, and I think that goes for every facet of my life," she previously told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview just before her release. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Percival Everett reveals a lot about his reworking of Mark Twains Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) with his stark choice of title: James. Twains scrappy child protagonist has been usurped, in terms of storytelling responsibilities, by the character most talked about and criticised by teachers, parents groups and censors, through waves of controversies, bannings and retellings. And one of the first things that character wants us to know? His name isnt Jim: its James. Nor is this an adventure in the naive and thrilling way of a childrens book. Its the story of an enslaved man struggling to liberate his wife and daughter, his self, and the people he picks up along the way. Were in the 19th-century American South, where James, owned by Hucks aunt, Miss Watson, hears that hes to be sold and separated from his family; he runs off to a nearby unoccupied island in the Mississippi. There, his story collides with Hucks: the latter has faked his own murder to escape from his abusive, alcoholic father. James knows that the coincidence of his disappearance and Hucks death is likely to make the search for him frenzied. Hes no longer just a runaway: hes now a suspect in the murder of a white child. Everetts story follows the flow of Twains Adventures, albeit without the convenient happy ending. It also insists that James exists outside of Hucks understanding of him. For starters, James has been hiding his ability to read and write, unsure what his owners might do if they knew. When he finds some paper and a pencil, it plants the idea that he could write out his own story a notion of authorial control that Everett has already introduced to the reader by renaming his protagonist James instead of Jim. Not that such control, however, will grant James complete power over his destiny: hes still bought and sold several times in different contexts, some amusing and others terrifying, and he spends most of his time reacting to others, running away from danger or trying to survive an attack. But hes aware that controlling the narrative gives him power, whether or not he yet knows how to define or use it. The history of the slave narrative is rife with imposters and frauds. What 19th-century white American readers seemed to want both supporters and abolitionists was the experience of slaves distorted through a white persons perspective. Fake memoirs proliferated. Take Mattie Griffith, for example, an abolitionist who, in 1856, published Autobiography of a Female Slave. She had inherited and emancipated slaves from her Kentucky family, but then she published a pseudo-memoir by Ann, an educated mixed-race servant who was abused, until eventually being freed, by her owner. For all Griffiths heartfelt desire to shine a light on the horrors of slavery, she like many such writers protected the delicate sensibilities of her genteel white audience, and focused on the slaves lack of personal freedom, while leaving out any depiction of sexual assault, forced breeding or other common tortures. The realities of slavery were thought too gruesome to discuss in polite society, even for those who supported abolition. (Some American schoolbooks today keep those realities secret; in Florida, students are taught that black slaves learnt valuable skills.) Everett gives a shrewd dramatic presentation of the split consciousness of enslaved people. James is careful to speak in slave talk around his white peers, the language Twain used for Jims original dialogue. He teaches this language to his daughter Lizzie in an early scene, as a survival strategy for when she has to pretend the cornbread given to their family by their owner was good instead of inedible. Lizzie comes up with: Dat be sum of conebread lak neva I et. James agrees: That would be the correct incorrect grammar. In private, away from what white people want to hear, their language shifts, as it historically did, in what today would be called code switching. The good intentions of abolitionists and the unconvinced are shown slantwise by Everett. At one point, James is bought by a minstrel show and asked to sing in blackface a light-brown black man painted black in such a way as to appear like a white man trying to pass for black. The minstrel show is run by a fictional version of the real-life entertainer Daniel Decatur Emmett, the composer of such songs as Dixie and The Blue Tail Fly; he claims a sympathy with slaves and refuses to own one outright. Yet while his songs claim to vocalise the slave experience however romanticised and infantilised for the audience the moment James betrays him, he turns into any other violent and outraged white man. And James, through it all, is still James, no matter what confounding situation he finds himself in. As he and Huck travel down the Mississippi on a raft, they encounter many a conman and neer-do-well, and are pulled into all manner of scenes. In each new town and setting, James is renamed and misunderstood and mistaken for someone else. But his language and consciousness change as circumstances do, and beyond the language for white people and for fellow slaves, theres a third shift: into the language of posterity. James struggles to decide how to tell his story, but he knows its key that he does. He has been denied authority and authorship over his own existence, and is fighting to establish it. Its thrilling, across Everetts novel, to see him understand this about himself. Percival Everett's James is published by Mantle - Dan Tuffs Everett is playfully unfaithful and disloyal to Twains original text in a way that places James far from the contemporary trend of retelling classic works from the perspective of an alternative protagonist. (Last year alone, for example, we saw two novel-length reimaginings of George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four.) That trend is more a nostalgic retreat into fantasies of helplessness as a way of avoiding the complications and compromises of the present. Too many works, for instance, merely retell Shakespeare, Greek myths or other classics with a new, non-white, non-male or non-straight protagonist, whose context is romanticised and whos blessed with a modern sensibility. They can seem brave and bold in the face of oppression simply by acting as stand-ins for their 21st-century audience. James, by contrast, is more in line with Everetts own novel Erasure, which played with the gap between what a writer wants to communicate and what the audience and institutions that mediate that relationship want to hear. Theres a whole PhD thesis to be written on how Everetts adaptation of Twains Adventures compares to American Fiction, the Hollywood adaptation of Erasure, which made choices that, to my mind, rendered the story more palatable for a white audience. (One characters death, for instance, was changed from being caused by pro-life violence to a heart attack.) Much as in Twains original work, Everett mixes the sweet with the bitter and horror with hilarity. Death stalks the Mississippi, and its waters are the source of food, tragedy and freedom, in both reality and fantasy. But Everetts approach to violence is less oblique than Twains, as he dives through politeness and societys pretences; Twains allusions to the brutality of white slave owners become graphic representations of whippings and other punishments. James insists upon its position as both interlocutor and subject, and the result is a challenge to both readers and the canon. Everett has long been the overlooked genius of American letters, writing work thats too tough, too smart and too exact for widespread admiration. But now, by wrestling so well with one of the literary angels, he demands to be recognised. James is published by Mantle at 20. To order your copy for 16.99, call 0808 196 6794 or visit Telegraph Books. Percival Everett will be in conversation with Ben Lawrence at the Oxford Literary Festival on April 13. Info: oxfordliterary festival.org 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 following story contains frank discussion and spoilers for Ripley Episode 3, III Sommerso. Ripley Episode 3, III Sommerso, is when things for brilliant conman Tom Ripley and actor Andrew Scott start kicking into high gear. When Dickie (Johnny Flynn), Marge (Dakota Fanning) and employer/father Herbert Greenleaf (Kenneth Lonergan) all begin seeing through Toms ruse to elongate his stay in Italy, Dickie takes him north to Sanremo, an Italian Riviera coastal getaway just south of Nice, France. Dickies plan to let Tom down gently and distance himself from his increasingly leech-like behavior is thwarted, however, when Tom continues to be one step ahead. As is now a notorious betrayal from Patricia Highsmiths 1955 psychological thriller and 1999s The Talented Mr. Ripley novel adaptation, Tom takes Dickie out on a boat, secluded in the middle of the ocean. As Dickie begins laying the groundwork to effectively end their friendship, Tom violently murders him, bashing him upside the head with the boats wooden oar. In Netflixs Ripley from writer-director Steven Zaillian, the sequence devolves into a dialogue-less, nearly 20-minute stretch. Tom kills Dickie, disposes of the body, nearly drowns himself after falling out of the boat with the motor running, then burns the evidence and sinks the boat. To hear Scott tell it, filming the events over the course of several days was essentially an action sequence an exhausting one that required a huge amount of physical and mental stamina at that. Plus, hes not a big fan of blood myself, Scott told TheWrap. Its just an extraordinary sequence and it wasnt a day [of filming]. It was a really long period of time, Scott said. He added with a laugh, It was an action sequence by somebody who you wouldnt neither the character or the actor associate with being an action hero. But nevertheless, thats exactly what it is. As far as letting the scene breathe with such drawn-out ferocity, Scott explained that it wasnt just important to see Tom slay Dickie and work through the best next steps, but it was essential to see him flail and make mistakes one in particular that nearly leads to his own drowning. Until that point, Tom had always been one step ahead. To watch him fail on his mission after getting found out by the Greenleafs, then to nearly blow his chances of getting away with murder, leaves viewers wondering if they can really trust that hell get himself out of this corner after all. Just understanding the thought process behind that was really interesting. And to get all those things right, because audiences really they start to become fascinated and put themselves in the minds of the characters and what they might be thinking, Scott said. To make the audience second-guess, I think to see the character failing and to see the character making mistakes, and the character just not being as sure-footed as we might see sometimes represented was really, really exciting. Thats something which we definitely talked about. The most physically daunting part, Scott said, came when Tom, after falling out of the boat and being struck in the head by its anchor, needs to pull his full body weight up out of the water and back into the boat to finish disposing of Dickies corpse. Just trying to get on a boat from an ocean, when you are exhausted, is exhausting. Youre truly, truly exhausted, Scott said. And youre having to do that not once, but you have to do it, you know, countless times. So it really required a huge amount of physical and mental stamina. Ripley is now streaming in full on Netflix. The post Ripley Star Andrew Scott Breaks Down That 20-Minute Murder Sequence: Not a Big Fan of Blood Myself appeared first on TheWrap. Australian pop-rock band Underground Lovers has announced their Dream it Down 30th Anniversary Tour to mark the 30th anniversary of their beloved album Dream it Down with a tour across Australia. The band will be joined by a special guest and their fellow Australian rock band Youth Group on their tour. Fans can expect a nostalgic journey performance from the bands iconic 1994 release. The album features hits like Losin it, Las Vegas, and Beautiful World, and all are the Triple J Hottest 100. But the excitement doesnt stop there; the setlist will also showcase other timeless tracks from their extensive repertoire. Underground Lovers Unbearable Underground Lovers are returning to the stage with their original lineup from the early 90s, including Richard Andrew, Philippa Nihill, Maurice Argiro, Glenn Bennie, and Vincent Giarrusso, alongside long-time member Emma Bortignon, who first joined in 1999. also will include instrumentalists Zoe Barrie and Amanda Brown (from Go-Betweens), who will add their magic to the performances. In celebration of this milestone, Universal Music Group has also released a special gatefold, double white vinyl edition of Dream it Down, available online and in select record stores from here. So, mark your calendars and get ready to immerse yourself in the timeless sounds of Underground Lovers as they take you on a journey through three decades of musical excellence. Dont miss out on this unforgettable celebration of Dream it Down grab your tickets now! Underground Lovers Australian Tour 2024 Saturday, 27th July Corner Hotel, Melbourne Friday, 2nd August Manning Bar, Sydney Friday, 9th August The Zoo, Brisbane Tickets via this link Further Reading Lane Pittman Announces 2024 Lets Get Lost Australian Tour DICE Release New Single Quick to Judge Ahead Of Their Australian Tour RVG Announce 2024 Australian Tour The post Underground Lovers Announce 2024 Dream it Down 30th Anniversary Tour appeared first on Music Feeds. The "1923" actor had been sought by Kansas police in connection with an alleged domestic violence incident. Cole Brings Plenty, the actor known for appearing on the Yellowstone prequel series 1923, has been found dead at 27 after going missing and being sought by Kansas police in connection with an alleged domestic violence incident. The Johnson County Sheriff's said in a news release Friday that deputies had been dispatched to an unoccupied vehicle in the area of 200th and Homestead Lane. "Deputies checked the area and discovered a deceased male in a wooded area away from the vehicle," authorities said. "The deceased male has been identified as Cole Brings Plenty, 27." Investigators and the medical examiner were on the scene Friday afternoon, and the investigation is ongoing. A spokesperson for the sheriff's office told Entertainment Weekly that no additional information was available. "I am deeply saddened to confirm that my son, Cole, has been found and is no longer with us," said Joe Brings Plenty Sr., Cole's father, in a statement to EW on Friday evening. "We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone for the prayers and positive thoughts you sent for Cole. We would also like to thank everyone who came to walk beside us as we searched for my son and provided the resources we needed to expand our search areas. I learned this week how many people knew the goodness in Coles heart and loved him. During this incredibly difficult time, we ask for privacy as we process our grief and figure out how we move forward. Please know we appreciate you and appreciate your understanding, Frazer Harrison/Getty Cole Brings Plenty On Tuesday, the the Lawrence Police Department announced that it had "submitted an affidavit to the District Attorney for the arrest of Cole Brings Plenty after an incident Sunday morning at an apartment in Lawrence. We've identified him as the suspect, have probable cause for his arrest, and issued an alert to area agencies." The department said that officers initially responded to reports of a woman screaming for help, but the suspect fled before they arrived at the scene. Because the matter involved an allegation of domestic violence, authorities did not provide further details so as to protect the alleged victim. Brings Plenty's family members, including his uncle Moses Brings Plenty a fellow actor who plays Mo on Yellowstone had also reported Cole as a missing person and sought help finding him on social media. Emerson Miller/Paramount+ Cole Brings Plenty on '1923' Michelle Shining Elk, a spokesperson for the Brings Plenty family, said Wednesday in a statement to EW that they had been unable to contact Cole, and that his disappearance was "uncharacteristic" and "deeply concerning," but urged the public not to jump to conclusions. "Regardless of the speculations, concrete evidence that Cole is on the run does not exist, and we urge everyone to refrain from making unfounded claims," the statement said. "We must allow the legal system to determine truth and justice assigning guilt because someone is missing is not helpful to either party or the due process to which each of us has a right." In addition to playing sheep herder Pete Plenty Clouds in two episodes of 1923, Brings Plenty's TV credits included The Tall Tales of Jim Bridger and Into the Wild Frontier. Related content: Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly. The establishment of a new environment authority by Dubai to boost the emirates green drive, has been welcomed a senior business leader. Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority, established by an order of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has been tasked with promoting sustainable practices, safeguarding biodiversity and expanding the number of green spaces and natural reserves. The authority reinforces Dubai's goal to become one of the world's most environmentally-resilient cities, and setting a sustainable urban development model to emulate. Ahmed Mohammed bin Thani has been named director general of the newly launched body. Engi Jaber, CEO and Managing Director of Climatize, a Serco company, said: This move is a major climate win for both humans and the planet. We applaud this proactive initiative, which is driving a forward-thinking approach towards addressing environmental challenges and fostering a more sustainable future for all. We believe it would set a global benchmark in environmental stewardship and inspire cities worldwide to accelerate the transition to sustainability. Additionally, it is anticipated to foster business and job opportunities that contribute to the Emirates economic development, therefore impacting a better future for residents as well as for the environment. "Taking bold steps and making commitments, underpinned by clear timelines is the only way that we will be able to create a more resilient, clean, healthy and sustainable city, inspiring others to follow the plans that our forward-thinking leadership set out. She said Dubais targets for clean energy, enhancement in air quality and expansion of green cover are ambitious, and to achieve this, companies must play their part in helping the Emirate to become a major player in sustainable urban development. Its no surprise that well planned cities, neighbourhood communities, buildings and interiors can reduce the cumulative impact of human activity on the environment through efficiencies of scale and appropriate environmental management, said Jaber. Regulating the built environment at a local, regional and global level is therefore vital as this helps to protect what was good from the past, enabling us to plan wisely for the future. Some of the specific initiatives companies should look at are green building, communities and cities management, regenerative strategies, greening and biodiversity policies, as well as climate resiliency and future-planning as part of their roadmap towards zero carbon, energy, water and waste. By offering sustainable strategies and solutions, and by helping companies to deliver on these strategies and seeing them through, we are proud to walk the talk and preach what we practice in the move towards creating resilient urban environments. She extended the companys support for the Emirates journey towards a net zero future while promoting healthier environments, sustainable development, and resilient ecosystems for present and future generations. Doing the right thing by the planet is not a tick box exercise to comply with ESG goals; it is a moral imperative, and with the establishment of a new Authority to drive home the citys sustainable ambitions, the time is now for every company to prioritise its climate protection efforts, Jaber said. TradeArabia News Service Tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated following Israeli airstrikes that killed senior Iranian military commanders. Iran has vowed retaliation, raising fears of open conflict. Both Israel and the US are on high alert, anticipating potential Iranian strikes. The recent airstrike in Damascus, targeting Iranian officers, has intensified the situation. Iranian officials have placed their armed forces on full alert, while Hezbollah's leader warns of a response. Despite previous attacks, Iran has avoided direct conflict with Israel, but the current situation remains volatile. The funeral of the slain officers in Tehran coincided with a Quds Day rally, marked by anti-Israel and anti-US sentiments. Iranian President Raisi and military leaders attended the procession, emphasizing Iran's readiness to respond. The coffins of the officers were honored by Ayatollah Khamenei, indicating the significance of the event to Iran's leadership. The situation is closely monitored for any further escalation or potential retaliation. Escalating Tensions: The tensions between Iran and Israel have heightened after Israeli airstrikes targeted and killed senior Iranian military commanders. This has significantly raised concerns about the possibility of a broader conflict between the two nations. Iran's Vow for Retaliation: Iran has publicly vowed to retaliate against Israel for the airstrikes. Iranian officials have indicated that they are preparing for a direct response to the attacks, although the exact nature and timing of this retaliation remain unclear. High Alert Status: Both Israel and the United States are on high alert, anticipating potential retaliation from Iran. Military forces in the region have been placed on heightened readiness, and precautionary measures have been taken to prepare for any possible attacks. Airstrike in Damascus: The recent Israeli airstrike in Damascus, targeting Iranian officers, has exacerbated tensions further. This strike was notable for its impact on multiple senior Iranian military figures and its targeting of a location within the Iranian Embassy complex. Iranian Preparedness: Iranian officials have stated that their armed forces are on full alert in response to the situation. The country's military leadership is reportedly considering various options for retaliation against Israel. Hezbollah's Warning: Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has warned of a potential response from Iran. He emphasized the need for preparedness and stated that Iran's retaliation could come at any time. Avoidance of Direct Conflict: While Iran has previously avoided direct confrontation with Israel, the current situation remains volatile. Despite engaging in proxy conflicts through allied groups like Hezbollah, Iran has refrained from direct military engagement. Funeral and Rally in Tehran: The funeral procession for the slain Iranian officers in Tehran coincided with the annual Quds Day rally, which saw anti-Israel and anti-US sentiments expressed by attendees. Iranian President Raisi and military leaders participated in the event, reaffirming Iran's resolve in the face of perceived aggression. Ayatollah's Tribute: Ayatollah Khamenei personally honored the coffins of the slain officers, underscoring the significance of their sacrifice and signaling Iran's determination to respond decisively. Monitoring for Escalation: The situation is being closely monitored for any further escalation or potential retaliation from either side. Military analysts and officials are assessing the developments to anticipate future actions and mitigate the risk of a broader conflict. Israel-Gaza-Way-Day-182: Israel Admits Mistakes in Gaza Strike That Killed Aid Workers UN Weighs Arms Embargo on Israel Amid Gaza Crisis Aerial Attack Hits Israeli City of Eilat; Militia Claims Responsibility, Details Here Ground turkey is one of those ingredients that seems straightforward -- until you try to cook with it. The meat product's popularity has increased massively in recent years, especially in dishes where it acts as a substitute for ground beef. However, although it can seem like a straight swap for its beefy brother in a host of recipes, ground turkey has its own flavor and nutritional composition, which can lead to a lot of chefs making some rookie errors when cooking with it. One of the main reasons why ground turkey is so popular -- its low fat content -- is also one of its main sources of mistakes. Because it's so lean, it's highly prone to becoming tough and crumbly, particularly when not enough fat is added or it's handled incorrectly. Ground turkey can also present its own challenges around food safety, requiring you to adhere to specific cooking styles and temperature minimums. That's all before you consider how easy it is to end up with no flavor in your ground turkey and produce a meal that's flat and unappetizing. Luckily, we're here to help you avoid all of these errors. Read more: 15 Tips For Making The Best Meatloaf Choosing Ground Turkey With The Wrong Fat Content Ground turkey on wooden board - Mironov Vladimir/Shutterstock Ground turkey is renowned for its leanness, but not every pack has the same fat content. Some ground turkey blends can have as low as 1% fat, due to being made primarily with breast meat. The majority of the time, though, ground turkey has around 7% fat, with some varieties having up to 15% fat, thanks to having a higher proportion of dark meat mixed in. This variation can present a real problem when it comes to cooking it, and failing to check your fat content can leave you with a tough, mealy result. If you mistakenly pick up a 1% fat variety and forget to put in additional oil or moisture, your turkey will remain way too lean, and while this may be beneficial if you're trying to cut down on fat, it will also negatively affect the meat's flavor and mouthfeel. Cooking with higher-fat turkey, meanwhile, can present the opposite problem. Adding too much additional fat to fatty ground turkey will make your dish too greasy and cause you to have to drain it more thoroughly -- or else endure a pretty heavy meal. Avoiding all this, however, is pretty simple: You just need to figure out which blend of turkey you need for your meal and check the packaging carefully in the store before buying. Assuming It Will Taste The Same As Ground Beef Turkey burger with spinach and salsa - Lauripatterson/Getty Images Ground turkey is a common substitute for ground beef -- but while their appearances might be similar, their tastes are worlds apart. Ground beef is red meat and has a strong, iron-rich taste that can give a meal heft but also dominate its flavor profile. Ground turkey, meanwhile, is poultry and generally has a mild, subtle taste. This flavor becomes milder when the ground turkey is lower in fat due to a lower concentration of dark meat, which supplies it with richness. Swapping one for the other, therefore, will never give you exactly the same result, even if you're using the same ingredients and seasonings around them. The best thing to do is to try to honor the natural taste of the turkey itself and aim for a lighter overall flavor profile in your meal. If you're craving the taste of beef but only have ground turkey at hand, adding some umami-rich Worcestershire sauce can help it emulate the red meat. This is an especially good trick for turkey burgers, which you can cook on the grill for added smokiness. Adding beef bouillon can also help to give it a beef-like taste and is a great trick for stews and ragu sauces. Cooking It Straight From The Fridge Ground turkey on wooden board - Wiktory/Getty Images If you're in a hurry to make dinner, waiting for your ground turkey to come up to room temperature is pretty annoying. Failing to do so, though, and cooking it straight from the fridge, will give you an uneven result. When you add cold ground meat to a hot pan, you bring the overall temperature down. This can mean that your ground turkey takes longer to cook through, and while this isn't a huge issue because the individual pieces of meat are so small, it can result in you moving forward to the next step in your recipe before your turkey is fully cooked. Lowering the pan's temperature can also create issues with browning your meat properly, stopping it from achieving a proper sear. This can both reduce flavor and cause your ground turkey to become overcooked as you crank up the heat to try and brown it. Luckily, you can avoid this entirely by pulling your meat out of the fridge shortly before cooking. You don't need to do this too far in advance, either: Around 15 minutes should do the trick. Forgetting To Use A Binder Breadcrumbs in wooden spoon - Savany/Getty Images Ground turkey is used in a lot of recipes, but turkey burgers might be the most common. Unfortunately, though, turkey burgers can become crumbly and dry exceptionally quickly. This is because of their lower fat content, which can make them both more prone to falling apart and less moist. When you combine this with the hot heat of a sizzling grill, your turkey burgers can become loose very quickly. The best way to avoid this is by using a binder. A sprinkling of dried breadcrumbs and a beaten egg can work wonders here, with the breadcrumbs soaking up the fat from the egg and holding your meat together. This will stop your meat from falling apart when it hits the grill and will also imbue it with extra moisture. To help your meat out even more, try adding in some extra fat. A couple tablespoons of chicken or turkey fat per pound of meat is ideal. Because the fat is solid and pliable at room temperature, it will help the burgers hold together and stop them from becoming too wet. Bear in mind, though, that this works best for lean ground turkey: Higher-fat blends may not require any extra fat. Overmixing Your Turkey Meat Mixed minced meat - Mehmet Hilmi Barcin/Getty Images Whether you're making turkey burgers, turkey meatloaf, or turkey meatballs, at some point you'll have to get hands-on with your meat. You can overdo things, though, by overmixing your meat blend with its seasonings. When you mix ground turkey, this causes a protein in the meat, called myosin, to toughen up and make everything more chewy. This can be exacerbated by adding salt to the meat, which causes myosin to release even more. The more you mix it, the more your meat gains a chewy, dry consistency, taking away any tenderness whatsoever. Remember, when it comes to mixing meat, less is more. You should only mix your meat blend until it's just combined with its seasonings, and then form it into your chosen shape. To avoid the temptation to mix your meat too much, make sure your seasonings are distributed evenly over your ground turkey before you start the mixing process. If you dump them all into one spot, you'll have to work the meat even more to ensure that it's distributed properly. Underseasoning Your Meat Ground turkey on black plate - Drong/Getty Images Of all the mistakes you can make with ground turkey, the ones that ruin its flavor hit the hardest. Underseasoning your meat is probably the quickest way to leave you with a dry, tasteless turkey-based meal. The issue with ground turkey is that its flavor is especially mild and, dare we say, somewhat bland. This isn't always a major problem, as it means that the meat doesn't dominate your dish and overpower any other flavor, but it does mean that unless you bolster it with significant amounts of seasoning, it may as well not be there. What you need to try to avoid, though, is just using salt to boost its flavor. Doing this will make your ground turkey taste (you guessed it!) overly salty, and it won't give the meat any depth or extra dimensions. Instead, try to use a combination of spices, herbs, salt, and pepper, all of which deliver flavor in different ways, to make your ground turkey sing. Try to match your seasoning blend to the flavor world of your dish. If in doubt, though, a blend of Italian seasoning, paprika, and onion and garlic powder, along with salt and pepper, will normally make it taste pretty darn good. Failing To Cook Your Ground Turkey To The Right Temperature Ground turkey cutlets - Natkinzu/Getty Images Ground turkey, like all ground meat, tends to cook way quicker than other cuts. However, that doesn't mean it's ready instantly -- and undercooking it can pose some serious health issues. Unlike some red meats, poultry needs to be cooked fully, leaving no pink spots, due to its potential to have bacteria running all the way through it. Turkey in particular is prone to contamination from several types of germs, including Salmonella and Campylobacter, which can cause food poisoning. This means that while you might be able to get away with leaving a beef burger slightly rare on its inside, you definitely won't be able to do so with a turkey burger. As such, take extra care to cook it all the way through, ensuring that it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit at its thickest point. If you're not used to cooking with ground turkey, don't be tempted to guess here. Grab a meat thermometer and stick it into the center of your burger, from the side. Make sure it reaches the middle of the burger and leave it there for a moment or two, to get the most accurate read possible. Forgetting To Use Your Potato Masher Potato masher - Chezzzers/Getty Images Are you sick of toiling over a dish containing ground turkey, only to end up with big, chewy chunks of it in your meal? If so, you're likely not doing enough to break up the pieces. Ground turkey, like all ground meat, has an annoying propensity for staying stuck together, and while you can break it up using your spoon, its thin edges and relative lack of surface area can make this pretty annoying. That's why you should break out the potato masher the next time you're cooking ground turkey. These wide, flat utensils are perfect for applying pressure to ground meat, forcing it apart in the pan and preventing it from remaining clumped up. It's always best to use your potato masher to break up your meat before you've added too many other ingredients, to avoid breaking them down. We would recommend using it relatively early on in your cooking process, while your turkey is still browning. Just press it on top of your meat chunks lightly (making sure not to pulverize them, as this can make your ground turkey mushy), and they should separate easily. Not Stirring It Often Enough Ground meat in pan with onions - Inna Reznik/Getty Images Ground turkey has a real knack for sticking to your pan. While this can happen with all types of ground meat, it's especially likely with ground turkey due to its generally low fat content. Because a relatively small amount of fat is being released as the turkey heats up, it doesn't lubricate the pan as it cooks, and as a result, it will adhere to the metal and scorch if it isn't stirred. While adding more fat to keep it moist and well-oiled is a good move, stirring it often enough is also necessary. By keeping the meat moving, you stop it from dwelling too long in one spot and becoming glued to the surface. You may also want to consider using certain types of pans to cook ultra-lean ground turkey. Nonstick and Teflon-coated pans can be a great option, as they prevent even foods with the smallest amounts of fat from sticking. Other materials, like stainless steel, may be less useful for ground turkey, due to the metal's porosity, which can cause food to stick to it more easily. Overcooking Ground Turkey Raw ground turkey patties - Mironov Vladimir/Shutterstock Ground turkey is pretty delicate, y'all. Not only does it have a particularly mild flavor, but it can also overcook very quickly. As with many problems when it comes to ground turkey, this is because of its lower fat content. Because there's less fat to lubricate it and stop it from drying out, it can turn from just cooked to dry and gritty very quickly. The solution is to be very careful when cooking ground turkey and avoid blasting it with heat for too long. Ground turkey takes around four to five minutes on the stove, and slightly longer on a lower heat, to cook through fully. In the oven, it can take longer (around 15 to 20 minutes), and turkey burgers and turkey meatballs can vary considerably depending on their size. The main thing to look out for is whether the turkey has any pinkness: Once it's pale white throughout (and at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit), it's done, and you should take it off the heat or go to the next stage of your recipe. If you want to develop brownness on your turkey meat, the key is not to cook it for longer but to hit it with a higher heat straight off the bat. Not Draining Your Meat Ground turkey meatloaf - Lauripatterson/Getty Images You might think that ground turkey doesn't require the same draining treatment as ground beef, and a lot of the time, you might be right. Ground beef is notorious for releasing too much grease while cooking, and if you're using a lean ground turkey, there may not be enough fat to release grease in the first place. If you've added too much fat, however, or you're using a higher-fat ground turkey blend, it can become oil-logged very quickly. Unless you drain it, all of that fat will end up in your food. As such, if your ground turkey looks greasy or wet after you've cooked it, you should drain it. Start by pushing your meat to one side of your pan, angling it slightly so that the grease drips into the empty side. You can then extract the grease by spooning it out or using a turkey baster to suck it up. You can also use a piece of paper towel to blot out the excess oil, but be very careful when you do this that you don't get hot grease on your hands or touch the pan's surface. Cooking With Expired Ground Turkey Woman smelling expired food - Tommaso79/Getty Images If you don't cook with ground turkey very often, it can be hard to tell when it's gone bad. Unfortunately, though, you may have less time than you think to use it up. Ground turkey starts to go bad between 24 to 48 hours after purchase, even when it's being stored in the fridge. If left at room temperature, you may only have two hours before it starts to develop bacteria. Cooking and eating expired ground turkey can pose some serious risks and cause food poisoning. Therefore, you should always assess whether it's spoiled before you start cooking with it. Don't trust the sell-by or use-by date printed on the package implicitly, as you don't always know the conditions that specific package has been kept under. A sour smell can be the first giveaway: Fresh turkey meat shouldn't smell of anything, and if it has an unpleasant scent, it's probably started to go bad. Spoiled ground turkey can also have a tacky and slimy surface, and it may also develop a grayish or brownish color. Pushing Down On Your Ground Turkey Burgers While Grilling Mini turkey sliders - Lauripatterson/Getty Images Making burgers is a hands-on experience that invites you to poke, prod, and press them when they're on the grill. Unfortunately, the mistake you might be making when it comes to turkey burgers is pushing down on them unnecessarily while they're cooking. Turkey burgers can easily end up dry and flavorless, and they need all the moisture they can get. When you press them with your spatula while they're grilling, you push their moisture out, and it ends up dripping onto your grill. To sidestep this, the trick is to leave your burgers alone. Once they're on the grill, try to touch them as little as possible, moving them only to turn them over. By avoiding poking and pushing them, you'll also help them develop a proper sear and those all-important grill marks, as well as allow them to maintain a proper connection with the metal, delivering them consistent heat. As turkey burgers have a real habit of drying up, ensure that your grill is always well-greased before adding your patties: Otherwise, they may well break apart when you flip them, due to them getting stuck on the metal. Forgetting To Add Moistening Ingredients turkey meatballs with sweet chilli sauce - Mariha-kitchen/Getty Images Figuring out how to add moisture to ground turkey is something people have been working on for generations. Luckily, a few good tricks have been discovered along the way, and while you can ignore these and do your own thing, we'd heavily recommend trying them out. One of the best ways to prevent ground turkey from drying out is by incorporating some minced mushrooms. Thanks to their combination of high water content and pleasant, meaty taste, finely chopped mushrooms add both moisture and flavor, incorporate well with the turkey meat, and bulk out your meal. If you're making turkey meatballs or burgers, a tablespoon or two of grated butter can also give your meat some extra moisture. Butter will also give your ground turkey a silkier mouthfeel and bolster its taste. To add moisture without incorporating extra fat, try throwing in some grated zucchini. This is a great way to add a touch of greenery to your burgers, as well as vitamins A and C, while keeping them juicy. Just make sure to squeeze the zucchini well before adding it, to drain off excess water. Read the original article on Daily Meal For much of human history, preserving food was a literal matter of life and death: If you didn't, you'd be at risk of starvation. With modern refrigeration and food transportation, that's not the case anymore, but we still preserve food. Why? Because these cured, dried, smoked, fermented, and pickled foods are some of the most loved and intensely flavored foods. Consider cured meats. You'd be hard-pressed to name a culinary culture anywhere in the world that doesn't have a handful of local specialties, each showcasing local ingredients and local preferences. That charcuterie board you set out at your last party represents the end result of thousands of years of refinement and the efforts of thousands of brilliant but unremembered artisans. As a trained chef and former restaurateur, I'm well acquainted with the cured meats of the world and have cured meats for my own restaurant (I still miss that boar bacon!). Doubtless, each of you has favorites of your own, but here are 23 cured meats some familiar favorites and some less so that you should know. Read more: The Best Meat For Your Charcuterie Board Isn't One You'd Expect Saucisson Sec 'Rosette de Lyon' saucisson sec - Picture Partners/Shutterstock The French might not be the first people you think of in connection with salami-style dry-cured sausages, but their expertise goes back at least to Roman times. You'll find French saucissons secs in a variety of sizes, shapes, and styles to meet any taste. Every region has its distinct specialty: A saucisson sec from Lyon is relatively coarse and has large pieces of fat (lardons) through it, while the Alsatian style is more finely minced and salami-like. Whichever style you choose, it's definitely a type of meat that belongs on your charcuterie board. Speck speck and bread in Alpine setting - Karl Allgaeuer/Shutterstock In North American supermarkets, it's easy to distinguish between bacon and ham, but elsewhere, the line sometimes blurs. That's the case with speck. In Germany, it's used as a sort of catch-all term for bacon, but in its heartland the Alpine regions where Austria, Switzerland, southern Germany, and northern Italy meet it refers to a dry-cured slab of pork from the hog's thigh, salted, dried, and smoked in the thin, cold mountain air. Enjoy it thinly shaved and uncooked, like prosciutto, or crisped and rendered to add flavor to your recipes. You may even decide it's better than bacon. Biltong sliced biltong - Thao Lan/Shutterstock Most of us love jerky, though we don't necessarily equate it to the kind of cured meats we'd see at the deli. The popular snack food has its equivalents all over the world, and one version that's begun to catch on in America is biltong. This is the South African version of jerky, and like jerky, it is typically made with beef (although traditionally, game meat is also used). There are a few distinct differences between biltong and jerky: Biltong is always air-dried and not dehydrated, and it's first given a vinegar-based marinade, which lends a tang to the finished product. Yunnan Hams thin-sliced Xuanwei ham - xiaoxiao9119/Shutterstock Europe has several famous dry-cured hams, but pork-loving China is no slouch in this department either. That sprawling country's best-known ham-producing region is Yunnan province, and its top-tier hams, like Xuanwei and Nuodeng, can go toe-to-toe with anything coming from Spain or Italy. In China, these hams (and the equally famous Jinhua ham, from Zhejiang province) are used to add flavor to cooked dishes, as Americans do with country hams. They can also be shaved thinly and eaten raw, like prosciutto, but you'll need to try them when traveling; import restrictions mean they can't be sold in America. Lap Cheong lap cheong sausage - lhluo8/Shutterstock If you love the flavors of Chinese food and also love the deep, nuanced meatiness of dry-cured sausages, we have good news for you: You can get both in one package. This style of sausage is called lap cheong. It's a relatively skinny sausage, long and thin, made with coarsely chopped pork and pork fat. Its texture is chewy, and like a good salami, the longer you chew it, the more flavor is released. There's sugar in the curing mixture, so it brings the same sweet-and-savory balance along with the added depth and complexity that come with dry aging. This one isn't eaten as-is; but you can steam it to enjoy on its own or cook it to render out its savory fat and act as a flavoring ingredient. Jamon Iberico Jamon Iberico whole and sliced - Mediterranean/Getty Images Prosciutto may be the world's best-known example of dried ham, but Italians proclaiming it the world's best will hear many arguments from other countries. One is Spain, which boasts an equally long history of ham production. The very best is jamon Iberico, produced only in one designated region of Spain from its heritage breed Iberico hogs. They live in the area's oak forests, gorging themselves in autumn on high-calorie acorns, giving them their distinctively fatty finish and signature flavor. Sadly those oak forests are faltering in the face of climate change, so enjoy jamon Iberico while you can. Basturma (Aka Pastirma Or Bastirma) basturma on cutting board - New Africa/Shutterstock Dry-cured hams are some of the world's most cherished food products, but not everyone eats pork. Throughout the Middle East and into Asia, the alternative to prosciutto and other cured pork products is a form of dry-cured beef called basturma. It's thought to be Turkish or Armenian in origin, and during Turkey's centuries as a major empire, it spread across most of what is now the Islamic world. Lean beef is rubbed with spices, including salt, pepper, and fenugreek, and then dried to a firm texture. Then, it's sliced thinly and eaten raw or cooked like bacon to flavor other foods. It's also thought to be the historical inspiration for modern pastrami. Guanciale guanciale on cutting board - Elio Guidi/Getty Images Prosciutto may be the best-known of Italy's dry-cured pork products, but the country makes bacon as well as hams. The one you'll see frequently in stores is pancetta, but there's a richer version called guanciale that's worth seeking out. Unlike most other forms of bacon, it's made from the cheeks of the animal (that's right, Southerners, we're talking about hog jowls over here!). Like pancetta, guanciale isn't smoked. Instead, its long curing time gives it a deep and distinctive funk, which because guanciale is rich and fatty the flavor releases as it cooks, flavoring classic dishes like carbonara. Bresaola sliced bresaola on cutting board - Liudmila Chernetska/Getty Images Most charcuterie is traditionally made with pork, but there are exceptions, even in countries where there are no religious motivations to avoid pork. In the rich, rolling valleys of Lombardy, where cattle are traditionally raised, there's a prized form of dry-cured beef called bresaola. It carries the flavors of the local wines and spices, such as black pepper and juniper berries, and has a distinctively rosy-red color. It can be thin-shaved and eaten like prosciutto, and it's an equally good pairing with melons, but you can also treat it as a dry-cured carpaccio with crusty bread and a drizzle of oil and lemon juice. Sopressata sliced sopressata on a plate - BW Folsom/Shutterstock If you're looking for an alternative to the same old handful of salamis you usually serve your guests (or yourself), consider giving soppressata a shot. It's an interesting alternative to those usual options and brings in some visual contrast. It's a coarse-textured sausage, using relatively big chunks of lean pork and fat, but what makes it visibly distinct is that it's pressed (hence the name), often giving it an unusual flattened or oblong cross-section. Like Brie cheese or many of the other meats on this list, it develops a "bloom" of beneficial white mold on the outside that helps to cure the pork and add flavor. The best-known version of soppressata is the Calabrian, which adds dried red peppers to the meat for a bit of oomph. Droewors South African droewors sausage - Aninka Bongers-Sutherland/Shutterstock South Africa's culinary scene remained a mystery to most Americans for decades, when that country was an international pariah because of apartheid, but it's coming to be appreciated now. South Africa's famous boerewors sausage, for example, is increasingly available here. The cured version of boerewors is called droewors, and it's worth seeking out if you can find it. Like the fresh sausage it's typically made with beef or game, but it's thinner so the links will cure reliably without spoiling. The meat mixture is flavored with vinegar and spices, and then hung until leathery-dry. It's hard to find in North America, but enthusiasts can make their own or look for it anywhere there's a South African butcher. Lonza And Lonzino lonzino on cutting board - luca pbl/Shutterstock If you look at cured meats in general, they tend to fall into two categories. Sausages are made with unloved tough cuts and leftovers, while whole-muscle cured meats skew toward tenderer cuts, which won't give your jaw such a workout. That's the case with lonza and lonzino, two kinds of cured pork made from the loin or tenderloin of the hog. They're not unlike capicola, which is logical. Capicola is the part of the loin muscle that extends into the shoulder. Regional variations come in many shapes, from cylindrical to oblong to oddly irregular, and in varying degrees of leanness, but they're all worth trying if you see them. Bundnerfleisch Bundnerfleisch whole and sliced - Peter Hofstetter/Shutterstock Bundnerfleisch is another memorable example of charcuterie made from beef rather than pork. It hails from the German-speaking Swiss canton of Graubunden and is somewhat similar to the bresaola of nearby Lombardy. The herbs, spices, and wine used in the cure are slightly different from those used in bresaola, but the biggest difference is that Bundnerfleisch is pressed as part of the curing process to help remove moisture from the flesh more quickly. This gives it a firmer texture and a deeper, more concentrated flavor. It's shaved paper-thin and eaten on bread, served with raclette, or occasionally added to soups and other dishes as a flavoring element. Prosciutto prosciutto on cutting board - Fcafotodigital/Getty Images Prosciutto needs little introduction. Aside from homegrown country hams, it's the dry-cured ham most Americans are likely to encounter first. It's worth noting that there can be a wide difference in quality between ordinary supermarket brands and the ones you can find in specialty Italian or gourmet shops. Some are aimed at the mass market, but the very best ones the ones that carry Italy's DOP or IGP certifications, meaning they're produced in specific regions using traditional methods are genuinely memorable. Prosciutto di Parma and di San Daniele are the best-known of those and the most generally available in the US, but other regional versions from Tuscany, Modena, and the Veneto are also worth trying if you have the opportunity. Bayonne Ham Bayonne hams hanging - Delpixel/Shutterstock The French bristle at the idea of taking a back seat to anyone in culinary matters, and they also produce especially fine dry-cured hams. These hams have a long history; they're thought to trace back to pre-Roman Gaul. We know them as Bayonne hams, though they're not produced in that port city but in the Basque country on the French side of the Pyrenees. It's a region drained by the Adour River, which meets the Atlantic at Bayonne in France's southwestern corner. The hams are cured with locally-produced salt and pork under stringently controlled conditions, and their quality is exceptionally high. If you see it at a local deli, buy some: It will make a nice upgrade for your next charcuterie board. Spanish Chorizo And Portuguese Chourico Spanish chorizo on cutting board - Ingrid Balabanova/Shutterstock Spanish chorizo doesn't get as much love as it should. Mostly, you'll read about it in articles explaining that, no, it's not at all like the Mexican kind. That's a shame because it's a fine sausage worth frequently using. Like its Portuguese counterpart, chourico, Spanish chorizo is a dry-cured sausage created with coarsely ground pork and pork fat mixed with copious quantities of garlic and paprika. In short, it's a flavor bomb. It's beautiful on its own, just sliced thinly and eaten with bread or cheese, but it really comes into its own when it's cooked, and the rendered fat infuses the rest of the dish with richness and flavor. Hungarian Salami Hungarian salami on cutting board - grafvision/Shutterstock Hungary is known for a lot of things, and one of the quirkiest is its hogs. You'll know them on sight because the heritage Mangalitsa breed has a distinctively long, tousled coat of fur. They yield a flavorful pork with plenty of fat, which is what's used in Hungarian salami. In top brands, the pork is hand-chopped rather than ground and seasoned with a broader range of spices than you'll find in many better-known salamis. Key among them is paprika: Hungary grows some of the world's best, and the city of Szeged is a center of both paprika and salami production. Landjager German Landjager sausage - Bernd Schmidt/Shutterstock The Germans have no lack of interesting sausages, and you could easily make a case that they're the world's greatest sausage lovers. Landjager is one of those sausages, though it's not exclusively German; it's made in Austria, Switzerland, and Alsace as well. It's a narrow pork sausage made in links about 8 inches in length, and it's both smoked and dry-cured, so it can remain edible at room temperature. Like bundnerfleisch, it's pressed during the curing process, giving it a squared cross-section and dense texture. As the name suggests, it was a popular food for hunters (jager means hunter), and it remains a great hiking snack due to its durability and light weight. Genoa Salami salami slices with rosemary - Yury Smelov/Shutterstock The flabby, limp mass-market salami sold at supermarkets for sandwiches or pizza topping bears little resemblance to the good stuff from Italy. Almost every region has its distinctive version of dry-cured salami, but the best known and the most available here the one you likely tried first is Genoa salami. It's made with coarsely ground pork, with a distinctive combination of added flavors from garlic, fennel, and the local wine. Then, it's dried and fermented, gaining a coat of beneficial white mold that helps extract moisture and concentrate its flavors. Other Italian deli meats may cost more and have bigger reputations, but Genoa salami is always worth including in your trays or sandwiches. Schwarzwalder Schinken ham in forest setting - Fouad Vollmer/Shutterstock Almost any deli counter you visit will have something called "Black Forest ham." It's slightly less watery than normal supermarket ham slices and has a black rind around the outside, but it's not...special. Schwarzwalder Schinken is the real deal, originating in the Black Forest region which extends east from the university town of Freiburg in Southern Germany. It's a dry-cured ham, like those from Spain or Italy, but unlike those, it's heavily smoked for a deep and potent flavor. Smoking also gives it a blackened exterior, which is what the supermarket versions mimic. It's hard to find but worth seeking out. Country Ham country ham on biscuit - ButtermilkgirlVirginia/Shutterstock America has its own dry-cured hams, which can be just as interesting in their way as Italy's prosciutto or Spain's Serrano hams. Those are country hams, which share little with the more common water-brined city hams. Country hams, in contrast, go through an elaborate curing process that leaves them dense and flavorful, like their foreign counterparts. They've traditionally been soaked to tone down their saltiness and then cooked in the same manner as their city ham counterparts, but they can also be thin-shaved and eaten raw like prosciutto. There's been a chef-driven trend over the past few years to do just that. Mortadella mortadella on cutting board - GK1982/Shutterstock Some of the meats in deli cases look tasty even to the untutored eye, with deep hues that show long and careful curing. Others bologna, olive loaf, and their like are the opposite, looking like mass-produced sandwich fillers they are. Mortadella may look like it belongs in the second category, but in truth, it decidedly ranks among the "good stuff." This is the original "Bologna sausage," the inspiration for the American kind, but it's very different from the familiar lunchbox staple. Good mortadella has a finer texture and a much more refined flavor, and it's studded with large pieces of intact fat (and occasionally pistachios as a garnish). Don't let memories of grade school turn you off: Mortadella fully deserves a place on your plate. Kabanos kabanos (kabanosy) Polish sausages - JacZia/Shutterstock If you live in a city with a strong ethnic Polish heritage, take a look through Polish delis and butcher shops for kabanos sausages. They're a pork sausage made in a relatively small sheep casing and with an unusual production process: They're smoked and then cooked fully (traditionally in the smokehouse) and only then, once cooled, hung to dry. The result is a sausage that will last for a long time at room temperature, with the bold flavors of garlic, black pepper, caraway, and a hint of nutmeg. Like landjager, it's a great lightweight snack to carry along on trail hikes or other expeditions. Read the original article on Tasting Table 90% of US Airbnbs in the path of totality are booked. See some prime spots for eclipse views If you're like this reporter, you may have just heard about the total eclipse a few weeks ago. But there are many people who have been planning on traveling to the path of totality for years. One Airbnb host told USA TODAY she received an inquiry to book her rental in Arkansas three years ago. Searches for Airbnb listings didn't peak until March 26 of this year, the company told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. But as of Thursday, 90% of Airbnbs in the path of totality in the U.S. were booked. Overall, searches for Airbnb listings in the path of totality in North America for April 5 through April 8 were up 1,000% compared to the same weekend in 2023, Airbnb said. Other places came online to try to fill the demand, with more than 1,000 properties joining the platform in 2024, the company said. Some lucky travelers found a spot with a nice deck or backyard, anywhere to look up at the sky for this rare event. Here are some of those coveted spots in the path of totality we found on Airbnb: Eclipse: Solar eclipse cloud forecast means anxiety for totality tourists hoping for clear skies A treehouse in Fredericksburg, Texas The Acorn treehouse at HoneyTree in Fredericksburg, Texas, which lays in the path of totality for the April 8, 2024 eclipse. This treehouse in Hill Country, Texas is one of five at The Meadow by HoneyTree, a collection of treehouse getaways designed, constructed and operated by Jacob Rhodes and his wife Katie, a native of the area. The Acorn treehouse at HoneyTree in Fredericksburg, Texas, which lays in the path of totality for the April 8, 2024 eclipse. Located in Fredericksburg, less than two hours west of Austin, these getaways have plenty of outdoor space and treehouse decks for views of the eclipse. The Acorn treehouse at HoneyTree in Fredericksburg, Texas, which lays in the path of totality for the April 8, 2024 eclipse. Rhodes told USA TODAY in an email that several of their "Treehomes" were booked out exactly one year from the eclipse, the day they became available. People booked them so quickly, one couple beat the pricing software and bypassed the holiday surcharge. The Acorn treehouse at HoneyTree in Fredericksburg, Texas, which lays in the path of totality for the April 8, 2024 eclipse. All 17 of the units between The Meadow and their second location, Blue Sage, were booked for the eclipse by the end of December. Rhodes said that is about how far out people book for Valentines Day, but these travelers paid a premium for it. Eclipse rates ranged from $650 to $1200 per night. HoneyTree guests for the eclipse will get a pair of glasses and a sheet of fun facts put together by Rhodes's 12-year old son. Upscale tents in Hot Springs, Arkansas Cheryl Strack Bryson got a call three years ago from someone asking if she could book one of her upscale glamping rentals in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The event wasn't even on her radar and she declined the reservation, she told USA TODAY in an interview. But she found plenty of other people excited to see the eclipse from one of The Covey Tents at The Nest Properties, located approximately an hour outside of Little Rock. While she usually books three to four months out at an average nightly rate of $350, her guests for the eclipse booked eight months to a year in advance. Some are traveling from Minnesota. Strack Bryson called Hot Springs a "funky little town" that will likely see lots of visitors with this event. But she says her guests may just want to stay put. "I think the best place to view it from our properties is going to be the little docks that are associated with each unit and being out there on the loungers," she said. "Just sit back with your little glasses!" A 185-year-old lighthouse in Pulaski, New York Salmon River Lighthouse & Marina, home of the Selkirk Lighthouse first built in 1838. It is now a rental cottage usually booked up for King Salmon season, but this year will be home to travelers hoping to see the eclipse. Tower leading to lighthouse at Salmon River Lighthouse & Marina in Pulaski, New York. It is one of many rental properties in the path of totality for the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse. Abe and Kathy Ellis have been running the Salmon River Lighthouse & Marina for 10 years, but are in the process of turning it over to new owners. Typically the lighthouse and the three cabins on the property are winterized in April, but when they got their first inquiry a year in advance, they figured they would open a couple of them up for visitors. The entire lighthouse costs $400 per night Sunday through Thursday, Ellis said. Abe Ellis told USA TODAY that he thought Lake Ontario would be the best place to view the eclipse. But at other times, visitors can venture up into the lighthouse tower. He expects it will be busy out there, as he keeps hearing from people looking for eclipse lodging. "Word spread fast ... in the last week I've probably received at least five more inquiries for this weekend," Ellis said. "But of course, I don't have any room!" Interior at the Salmon River Lighthouse & Marina. Owners Abe and Kathy Ellis de-winterized the cottages early ahead of the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse. Tower leading to lighthouse at Salmon River Lighthouse & Marina in Pulaski, New York. It is one of many rental properties in the path of totality for the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse. A lucky last-minute booking in Starksboro, Vermont The Spring Hill House Airbnb in Starksboro, Vermont. It will be in the path of totality for the April 8, 2024 eclipse. The Spring Hill House Airbnb in Starksboro, Vermont. It will be in the path of totality for the April 8, 2024 eclipse. One last-minute eclipse tourist got lucky with this spot in the hills of Starksboro, Vermont, located approximately 30 minutes outside of Burlington. Host Paul Reynolds had planned to stay in The Spring Hill House during the eclipse, so he blocked off the dates for himself. But his plans changes last minute, and he opened up the dates the Saturday before eclipse weekend, just to have it booked for Sunday and Monday within 30 minutes. Nightly rates for this spot average around $320 on weeknights and $350 on weekends. The small, usually tranquil state is expecting a quarter of a million visitors to see the eclipse. The northern part of the state, including Starksboro, falls in the path of totality. The Spring Hill House Airbnb in Starksboro, Vermont. It will be in the path of totality for the April 8, 2024 eclipse. The Spring Hill House Airbnb in Starksboro, Vermont. It will be in the path of totality for the April 8, 2024 eclipse. Contributing: Megan Stewart; Burlington Free Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Eclipse Airbnbs are 90% booked. See getaway photos in the path of totality Alaska Airlines' Newest Rewards Program Offers 50% Off Flights to the Maldives, Caribbean, and More in Miles The airline's new Global Getaways program offers up to 50 percent off award flights to a list of destinations that will change quarterly. Levente Bodo/Getty Images Travelers dreaming of aspirational destinations like Bali and the Maldives can now get there more easily with airline miles. Alaska Airlines has announced the launch of its new Global Getaways program, offering up to 50 percent off award flights to a list of destinations that will change quarterly. This time around, travelers can take advantage of discounted one-way fares to the following destinations: Bahamas: Starting at 15,000 miles Fiji and Tahiti: Starting at 20,000 miles Zanzibar, Bali, and the Maldives: Starting at 30,000 miles The current promotion is valid for economy and premium economy flights booked by April 30 for travel between September 1 and November 30. Travelers will need to pay carrier and government-imposed taxes and fees starting at $5.60 one-way but can charge at least $100 for international flights. Travelers will also allowed to add one stopover destination for up to 14 days on international itineraries, stretching the value even further by offering two trips for the price of one. Alaska partners with a long list of international partners, so travelers can book award flights at a steeply discounted rate on Fiji Airways and Japan Airlines, among others. That once-in-a-lifetime trip is even closer with our quarterly Global Getaways promotion for discounted award travel to fabulous, far-flung locales, said vice president of loyalty, alliances, and sales, Brett Catlin, at Alaska Airlines in a statement. Were continuing to invest in making Mileage Plan the most rewarding loyalty program with the industrys most valuable currency. These award flights are automatically discounted on Alaskas website and can be found by looking up flights to eligible destinations with the Use Miles function. Travel + Leisure tested out this deal by searching for a round-trip flight between Los Angeles and the Maldives. There were plenty of eligible travel dates, and the final cost came to 60,000 miles round-trip and roughly $650 in taxes to fly via Doha on Qatar Airways. Alaska Airline Mileage Plan miles can be earned by flying Alaska and its partner carriers, spending on a cobranded card, or transferring points from the Bilt Rewards program at a 1:1 ratio. For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Travel & Leisure. Best private colleges in Ohio, according to Niche Best private colleges in Ohio, according to Niche View a related report on an Ohio private college being the most expensive in the U.S. in the video player above. Almost all the oldest universities in the United States are private colleges. Harvard and St. Johns College, for example, were founded before the 18th century and boast alumni and founders, respectively, who signed the Declaration of Independence. Stacker compiled a list of the best private colleges in Ohio, using data from Niche released in 2024. Niche ranks schools based on a variety of factors including academics, value for money, professors, campus, and diversity. Private institutions today remain distinguished from other types of institutions by their source of funding. While public colleges and universities are at least partially subsidized by state government funding, private institutions are funded by tuition dollars, endowments, grants, and donations. As a result, private schools tend to be more expensive: The average tuition for full-time in-state undergraduate students at public four-year colleges was $11,260, and $29,150 for out-of-state students in 2023, while average tuition for students attending private four-year institutions was $41,540, according to the College Boards 2023 Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid report. Private and public schools play important roles in the postsecondary landscape, offering top-tier education and valuable opportunities outside the classroom. But some characteristics of private institutionsnamely size, reputation, and flexibilitymake them more appealing to prospective students. Private colleges, which tend to be more selective, generally offer smaller class sizes and, by extension, more direct instruction and support. Large lectures with around 100 students are more of an exception at private schools when compared to public colleges. Private colleges may also attract more distinguished faculty based on prestige. While the quality of education received at private institutions is not necessarily better than what students receive at public schools, graduates from more selective colleges with name recognition generally tend to have higher earnings, according to a study on earnings outcomes by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. The study also notes, however, that within specific majors, the institution that a student attends can have a significant effect on earnings outcomes. For students entering college without a well-defined idea of what discipline they want to pursue, the flexibility to explore various subjects at a liberal arts institution often makes private colleges an appealing option. Read on to see the highest-ranked private colleges in Ohio. A group of college students having a discussion under a tree on campus. 1 / 10 Motortion Films // Shutterstock #10. Walsh University Location: North Canton, OH Acceptance rate: 80% Net price: $20,350 SAT range: 990-1220 Niche grade: B A student wearing a backpack holding two books as they walk to a college class. 2 / 10 mangpor2004 // Shutterstock #9. Baldwin Wallace University Location: Berea, OH Acceptance rate: 79% Net price: $26,577 SAT range: 1040-1250 Niche grade: B College students laughing and having fun at a tailgate party. 3 / 10 Sean Locke Photography // Shutterstock #8. Oberlin College Location: Oberlin, OH Acceptance rate: 34% Net price: $44,689 SAT range: 1300-1460 Niche grade: B+ Bookshelves forming a hallway in a college library. 4 / 10 DavidPinoPhotography // Shutterstock #7. Cedarville University Location: Cedarville, OH Acceptance rate: 62% Net price: $25,380 SAT range: 1120-1350 Niche grade: B+ A student taking notes in a library. 5 / 10 Jacob Lund // Shutterstock #6. Ohio Northern University Location: Ada, OH Acceptance rate: 69% Net price: $25,006 SAT range: 1090-1300 Niche grade: B+ An empty college dorm room with bunkbeds. 6 / 10 Canva #5. College of Wooster Location: Wooster, OH Acceptance rate: 61% Net price: $24,934 SAT range: 1220-1430 Niche grade: A- A college professor giving a lecture. 7 / 10 Canva #4. Denison University Location: Granville, OH Acceptance rate: 28% Net price: $38,833 SAT range: 1230-1430 Niche grade: A- A group of college students working together on a group project in a library. 8 / 10 Jacob Lund // Shutterstock #3. University of Dayton Location: Dayton, OH Acceptance rate: 81% Net price: $29,933 SAT range: 1130-1330 Niche grade: A An empty college classroom. 9 / 10 Canva #2. Kenyon College Location: Gambier, OH Acceptance rate: 37% Net price: $38,927 SAT range: 1340-1500 Niche grade: A A group of college students working on their laptops. 10 / 10 Canva #1. Case Western Reserve University Location: Cleveland, OH Acceptance rate: 30% Net price: $38,166 SAT range: 1410-1530 Niche grade: A+ This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin, additional writing by Lauren Liebhaber, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 46 states. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. Yolanda, 61, owns a home in the predominantly Black 7th Ward neighborhood in New Orleans. To fix her leaking roof in 2020, she had to borrow money. Its one of them credit card loans, she said. Like interest of 30% and all that, you know. I was kind of backed up against the wall, so I just went on and made the loan, a high-interest loan. As a sociologist who has spent the past 10 years studying housing conditions in the U.S., I led a research team that conducted interviews with homeowners who are struggling with basic maintenance such as rotting wood siding and floors, mold, crumbling brickwork, outdated plumbing and leaking ceilings. Our first paper from this project is currently under peer review. Like Yolanda, our interviewees whom we gave pseudonyms to protect their privacy were almost all Black women over the age of 60 who lived in old buildings in neighborhoods that have borne the brunt of discrimination such as redlining and inequitable land use decisions and disinvestment. Once a lively district of Black businesses and homes, the 7th Ward has become an area of high poverty since the I-10 expressway was built during the 1960s directly through its heart. Yolanda had already been living there for a decade before the highway was built. Though brightly painted, Yolandas home is separated from I-10 only by an empty lot, and the constant noise and higher rates of pollution make it hard to imagine Yolanda would be able to sell her home for a profit or use its declining value as equity. Did Yolanda take out a high-interest loan for nothing? Was she throwing good money after bad? These are not easy questions to answer. Like other Black female homeowners whom we interviewed, Yolanda had to choose between debt and disrepair. As she explained, she was backed up against a wall. The racist and sexist history of disrepair According to a 2022 analysis of federal census data by Harvards Joint Center for Housing Studies, nearly a third of homeowners who earn less than US$32,000 about 4.8 million people spent nothing on maintenance or improvements. I have noticed worrying trends in the circumstances of those who live in housing in disrepair. In my book, Stacked Decks, I explore the connections between urban housing, race, gender and income inequality. Since at least the 1970s, real estate agents and lenders have exploited the precarious financial positions of Black women and sold them mortgages on homes in poor condition. Today 50 years later these homes pose even greater health and safety risks to their owners than when they first bought them. The I-10 interstate highway cuts through residential neighborhoods in New Orleans shown here after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Jerry Grayson/Helifilms Australia PTY Ltd/Getty Images Studies show that after less than two years of ownership, disrepair makes maintaining a livable home difficult for low-income homeowners. Unaddressed repairs such as leaky roofs or broken pipes frequently result in code violations and court cases, which prompt liens, foreclosures and the possibility of homelessness. The situation is worse for Black women, who have much less wealth, on average, than their white or male counterparts. Without money to pay for repairs, female homeowners face incurring more debt if they make repairs. Climate change means that these problems are getting worse as a result of increased rainfall and extreme temperatures. Doris, a homeowner in Chicago, told us in 2021 about her old and leaking roof and the flooding in her basement. She explained that the flooding was partially due to the overflowing of nearby city-owned drainage pipes. Every time it rains, the water comes in, she said. By the sewer not being clean so much water came in my basement that my washer and dryer was floating up on the water. An insurance claim covered some of the costs of this repair for Doris, and the city is experimenting with new ways to tackle floodwater, but water still gets in when it rains hard. Racism and sexism in the housing industry The racism pervading the housing industry is now well known. The real estate industry has, at different points in history, excluded Black Americans from homeownership, included them through predatory loans and deals and reinforced racial segregation by denying loans to Black and other minority residents. Known as redlining, the practice became a self-fulfilling prophecy of disinvestment and declining values. But real estate agents and mortgage brokers were sexist as well. These real estate agents and mortgage brokers knew Black women had limited options and assumed they would be likely to default on their mortgages. Black women were consistently sold homes that needed repairs. A lot can happen to a house in 50 years. Buildings naturally deteriorate over time, because of the combination of aging construction materials and weather. At some point, all homes need repairs and preventive maintenance. A damaged building roof covered in plastic tarp. Douglas Sacha/Getty Images Chicagoan Kimberly cares for her grandson almost full time and told us about her concerns about the rotted wood that has made her back porch dangerous to stand on. We dont go out of the back door at all, Kimberly said. We have not used that in years. Four years now. Four years we have not used the back porch at all. Disrepair and environmental injustice Disrepair is an issue of environmental injustice. The government has a responsibility to help with repairs because of its role in the housing discrimination that has created such racial disparities in housing conditions. But, like disaster relief, assistance to homeowners is uneven and hard to obtain. U.S. cities often use lotteries to distribute funds for repairs, barely scratching the surface of the number of homes in need of repair. Although all homes need repair work over time, disrepair disproportionately affects people with the fewest resources, because maintenance is expensive. Disrepair also causes health and safety issues, as do other environmental injustices, such as the placement of highways and location of polluting factories. Disrepair can also force people to leave their homes because they cannot afford repairs. But making repairs can exacerbate debt. What all this means is that owning a home, or even paying off a mortgage, does not guarantee that homes remain affordable, an asset or a safe shelter. Recognizing disrepair as environmental racism could be one step in ensuring homes are all these things. 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: Robin Bartram, Tulane University Read more: Robin Bartram 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. There was a sort of frenetic energy at Da Nang Station, a rail hub about halfway down Vietnams tropical coast. People lugging suitcases and duct-taped polystyrene boxes were streaming in and out of its utilitarian entrance, but none looked like they were on holiday. And then I spotted Koah out front. Dapper in a beige linen suit, the young attendant was holding a wooden paddle with The Vietage embossed in gold and scanning the horizon for lost guests like me. Ms Qin? he asked as I approached. He already knew of course, because in a slick minute I was inside with a cold drink in hand. Qin Xie boards The Vietage - Qin Xie Dreamt up by the Anantara hotel group, this was Vietnams first foray into luxury rail travel. It was designed to shuttle guests between its resorts in culture-packed Hoi An (20 miles south of Da Nang) and the coastal city of Quy Nhon in utter comfort. But its also a standalone experience, showcasing central Vietnams vivid landscapes alongside a three-course meal, complimentary massage and free-flowing drinks over six-and-a-half hours all included in the price of a ticket, which starts from 250 each way: a fraction of what you might pay for a ride on the likes of the British Pullman or the Orient Express. The Vietage is Vietnam's alternative to the British Pullman The Vietage is unique in that its a single carriage attached to the Reunification Express, the government-run service connecting capital Hanoi and the countrys southern metropolis, Ho Chi Minh City. This little quirk means the timing is not what you might consider holiday-friendly hours the departure south from Da Nang is an almost-bleary-eyed 8.15am, while the service north from Quy Nhon gets in at 12.53am. But the experience more than makes up for it. A few minutes before departure, I was whisked to my seat. From the outside, the carriage had looked just like the rest of the train: a pale, concrete grey streaked with blue, red and white. The interior, on the other hand, was a revelation a modern take on Indochina aesthetics that sang with warm wood and rattan. The 12 plush seats were more like armchairs, really, and the tail end of the carriage was taken up by a half-moon bar where cocktails were shaken to order, as well as a treatment room for complimentary massages, and a bathroom that wouldnt have looked out of place in a five-star hotel. Passengers can head to the treatment room for complimentary massages As the carriage pulled out of the station and began its rhythmic sway winding through urban Da Nang past motorbikes and track-side homes Koah was suddenly at my side with warm pastries and the drinks list, as another attendant appeared with a bottle of Taltarni T Series Brut, a zippy sparkling wine from Australia. As I sipped, the cityscape slowly melted away, replaced by fluttering banana palms, egrets wading in grassy rice paddies and toiling farmers in conical non la hats. Occasionally we would pass lotus ponds where the first buds had just emerged, usually accompanied by a lone grazing water buffalo. In the distance, there would always be some forested mountain, veiled by haze. The train journeys through the Vietnam countryside - Qin Xie After breakfast, Koah came to fetch me for my 15-minute massage, where soothing spa music drowned out the clatter of the tracks, then it was back to my window seat for a long, indulgent lunch. I had pre-ordered from a menu of Western and Vietnamese dishes (all of which are prepared at Anantaras resorts then finished on board), and my duck terrine and braised wagyu neck, accented with local ingredients such as Da Lat strawberries and green tea, could easily have been that of a Michelin-starred restaurant. Qin dined on duck terrine and braised wagyu neck - Qin Xie As we drew close to Quy Nhon, I moved to the bar where cocktail shakers were rattling with urgency while guests most of whom, I noted, were British traded tips on where theyd been and where they planned to head next. Someone had ordered a bitter-sweet cocktail that perfumed the carriage with curling cinnamon smoke, so I quickly did the same, sipping it slowly, lulled into a contented daze by the whisky and the trains gentle rocking. By the time the guestbook came round, my handwriting had turned into a languid scrawl. When I scribbled I wish the journey was longer, I meant every word. Essentials Qin Xie travelled as a guest of Audley Travel (01993 838140; audleytravel.com), which offers a tailor-made 10-day Vietnam trip from 3,995 per person, including flights, the Vietage train experience, two nights in Hanoi, one night in Hue, two nights in Hoi An, two nights in Quy Nhon, two nights in Ho Chi Minh City, and transfers. 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. Read the full story on Backfire News Exotically Dangerous: Overlanding Through Honduras For most Americans, Honduras is just a name of some place in Latin America. Most couldnt point it out on a map, with many mistakenly believing its located in South America. While its only about the size of Tennessee, much of the country is notoriously rugged, thanks to the many mountains and relatively untouched wilderness areas. But there are other dangers lurking in a country called The Depths. The Ford Raptor has reclaimed its V8 throne. While its easy to become captivated by the beauty of Honduras natural landscape, making for a dream overland trip, one must not venture into the country naive and unaware of the risks. After all, the country has quite the reputation, with some claiming its the most corrupt in Central America, perhaps all Latin America. It boasts one of the highest homicide rates in the Western Hemisphere with gang violence, crooked cops, and drug cartel members everywhere. During an overland adventure, youre not likely to spend much time in Honduran cities, especially Tegucigalpa, the capital. Thats not a bad thing per se considering many of the human-induced dangers increase precipitously in urban settings. But that doesnt mean sticking to the wilderness is a guarantee of safety and serenity. ADVERTISEMENT Having lived in and traveled around the country myself, including some quite remote areas few Americans have ever seen, I know firsthand the fascinating draw and the shocking brutality of Honduras. Being out in the middle of nowhere isnt a protection against the cartels. In fact, as YouTuber Alone On Adventure found out, wilderness spots can be popular places to do deals and run drugs, making them quite hazardous. If you dont speak Spanish at a conversational level or above, going overlanding in Honduras is probably not a great idea. Most people there dont speak a lick of English and those who do have a limited vocabulary, so you might not be sufficiently warned about pitfalls as the locals try communicating them. Police wont have much patience for your lack of verbal skills. Story continues There is garbage everywhere people go, a sad reality for a culture where most think this isnt a big deal. In the past the government has tried discouraging littering, but the highways are lined with a thick blanket of trash, with the cities often being just as bad if not worse. Youll find some refuse on beaches, in wilderness areas, etc. since many Hondurans think carrying a garbage sack and leaving the area better than when they arrived a foreign or even silly concept. One danger many foreigners dont even anticipate in Honduras is the wildlife. While you might not encounter much thats dangerous in your journeys, many infamous predators do call the Honduran countryside home. Among them are jaguars, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, vipers, crocodiles, boas, scorpions, eagle rays, and an occasional anaconda. As far as your vehicle, youll want something that can handle a variety of terrain including steep mountain passes, crawling over boulders, fording rivers (a snorkel is recommended), sand, mud, etc. Many vehicles you see outside of the capital are Land Rovers, Land Cruisers, Monteros, and other off-road rigs with at least some modifications. Most river crossings, and there are plenty in the country, dont have any sort of bridge. If you do plan on going overlanding through Honduras, do plenty of homework about whats going on with crime and politics in the country in the months leading up to your trip. Also, be prepared for a long, frustrating border crossing as Honduras is notorious for those. However, the natural beauty of the country is breathtaking, all dangers and obstacles aside. Images via YouTube Iowa Safe Schools' annual LGBTQ youth event took place Friday, welcoming more than 800 students, educators and families from across the state to the Meadow Events & Conference Center in Altoona. The event fell just days after the 15th anniversary of Varnum v. Brien, a 2009 Iowa Supreme Court case which led to the legalization of same-sex marriage and Trans Visibility Day. Since 2005, the all-day affair known as the Governor's Conference on LGBTQ Youth serves as a way to celebrate and empower students as well as equip them and other allies with various resources, workshops and activities. It's about creating a safe space for young people, community members and advocates to "show their pride" and learn how to better support their communities, said Damian Thompson, director of external affairs at Iowa Safe Schools, the largest organization in the Midwest serving LGBTQ youth. From making zines and buttons to learning about mental health services, the conference was lined with members of nonprofit, medical, faith and higher education organizations, ready to answer questions and share information. Their tables were piled with handouts, business cards and other items such as pride bracelets, pins and condoms. "It's really a holistic event targeted towards every issue, or concern, or something that an LGBTQ student in Iowa might have on their mind," Thompson said. Thompson and Iowa Safe Schools Executive Director Becky Tayler led fireside-like chats with keynote speakers Mercury Stardust and Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr. Here's a rundown of the event: Stardust, Zephyr build careers on speaking up Stardust and Zephyr traded personal stories and advice with Iowa Safe Schools' Damian Thompson and Becky Tayler on the center's stage. For about an hour, Stardust and Zephyr whose appearances bookended the event spoke candidly about how they became the people they are today. Stardust is a Wisconsin native, Zephyr from Montana. Stardust is a TikTok star who rose to prominence for her home repair tutorials. Zephyr is Montana's first openly transgender lawmaker who made national headlines last May after being barred from speaking on the chamber floor. Zephyr had told opponents of legislation on banning gender-affirming care that they would have "blood" on their hands. TikTok star and transgender activist Mercury Stardust chats with Iowa Safe Schools Executive Director Becky Tayler April 5 during the organization's 19th annual Governor's Conference on LGBTQ Youth. "It turns out that sort of marriage of prayer and guilt did not go over well," she said to Thompson and the crowd. Zephyr, in conversation with Thompson, recalled difficult moments after the incident, as well as opened up about what it means to her to be a lawmaker. "Representation obviously matters," she said. "And I know it sounds like an easy catchphrase to say but really, it changes the way we have the conversation." Stardust also shared with audience members the purpose of her social media platform. "I am famous because I wanted to help someone online, and I helped somebody," she said, adding she built her platform on that mission alone and came away with a large following, or rather a community. "I didn't get famous because I was really good at putting lipstick on or really good at dancing and there's nothing wrong with those things," she continued. "That's wonderful. That's beautiful, right? But rarely do have we ever had the opportunity for purity of like just being radical and queer. And it just happens to be someone who can fix something." Youth say event makes them feel seen, less 'alone' Peter McCann woke up at 5 a.m. Friday morning just to get ready for the conference. McCann, a senior at Roosevelt High School, said he promised his peers he would attend the event in drag. The 18-year-old took more than two hours to complete his look, which he says drew inspiration from his love of horror films, cartoons and '90s icon Winona Ryder. And his work paid off. Students from other schools approached McCann throughout the day to compliment him on his attire, their faces lighting up as he turned to thank them. McCann's brightly-colored, spiky hair, sparkly corset and neon yellow tulle skirt stood out against his striped orange and black sweater and long black skirt. "Growing up, I just always to the best of my ability dressed like this and liked horror," he said, his make-up almost reminiscent of the character Sally from the animated movie "Nightmare Before Christmas." "Now that I'm older and I have the ability to do it, it's pretty straight trajectory." McCann, who is transgender, said he's attended the conference since middle school and has looked forward to it ever since. Over the years, the teen has met new people and made new friends. The conference, he says, has often reminded him that "queer people exist" in his home state. Landon Hoadley, a 13-year-old from John Addams Middle School, and Janiesha White, a 15-year-old from Hoover High School, shared similar sentiments. Hoadley, who is transgender and uses they/them pronouns, arrived to the event with the transgender pride flag and pansexual pride flag pinned behind their ears. Hoadley, who attended the event last year, said they enjoyed seeing "people like ourselves" come together and share their experiences. As White made her way through the conference lobby, she told the Des Moines Register she felt immense support by just being at the event. White and her girlfriend, Bessie Clemons, were both new to the event and visited several tables, grabbing pamphlets and free giveaways. The couple said they each have had trouble coming out to friends and family and feared being judged. White said she found the conference to be "beautiful," while Clemons pointed to the resources she thought were helpful. They also said coming the event together and hearing Stardust open up about her own experience made them feel less isolated. "I'm not alone," White said. Safe spaces in Iowa Bailey Stone, co-founder of the "I Am Me" project, was among the dozens of local leaders who attended the event. At her table, Stone sprayed streaks of temporary blue and purple dye on strands of teens' hair while sharing details on an upcoming event for trans and nonbinary students. The "I Am Me" project is comprised of several hairstylists from the Des Moines metro eager to teach others how to make their salons welcoming for LGBTQ customers. Asking pronouns and providing gender-neutral bathrooms are just some of those ways, Stone said. "A haircut is a very important part of the gender-affirming process and coming out in general," said Stone, whose organization will be offering free haircuts for trans and nonbinary students on April 7 and 8. Those interested are encouraged to book an appointment at iammeiowa.com. Across the lobby, Julie Swiftbird was spreading the word about Tanager Place's LGBTQ youth center. Swiftbird, who goes to Metro High School, said she was 12 years old when she first went to the youth center and, she says, her experience has changed her life. She said she's become more confident and found lasting friendships. At Tanager, she said young people can come and hang out. There they can knit or play Dungeons & Dragons. Other than that, she said, they can also learn about mental health services or health education or partake in financial literacy classes. F. Amanda Tugade covers social justice issues for the Des Moines Register. Email her at ftugade@dmreg.com or follow her on Twitter @writefelissa. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Trans lawmaker Zooey Zephyr speaks at annual Iowa LGBTQ youth event 'Joint Collaboration.' Delaware's new weed beer now available to help celebrate 4/20 If you've ever had really hoppy IPA craft beer, you may have thought it tasted like marijuana. That's because both are from the plant family Cannabaceae, also known as the hemp family, helping to cause the mini mind game. And if you gulp Delaware's new Joint Collaboration IPA, your taste buds will really be playing tricks on you. Crooked Hammock Brewery's newest beer, Joint Collaboration IPA, is made with cannabis terpenes. While it gives the beer a marijuana flavor, it won't get you high. It's pretty close to the real deal. What is Joint Collaboration IPA? The 6.5% ABV New England IPA brewed by Crooked Hammock Brewing in an exclusive collaboration with Taco Reho restaurants was made with non-cannabis-derived terpenes, named Pineapple Express by California terpenes supplier Abstrax Tech. It's named after Pineapple Express, a sativa-dominant hybrid marijuana strain with strong citrus flavors. The beer has plenty of buzz, but perhaps not the kind you think. Larry Horwitz, with Crooked Hammock Brewery, holds a glass of Joint Collaboration IPA. The beer is made with terpenes. While it gives the beer a marijuana flavor, it won't get you high. The terpenes, a naturally occurring chemical compound that gives marijuana its flavor and aroma, is replicated to provide the beer with a strong marijuana flavor. Even marijuana-derived terpenes do not contain the cannabinoids that would make a drinker high from the drug and neither do the ones used by Crooked Hammock for Joint Collaboration. While the beer is a nod to Delaware's legalization of marijuana last April, the legislation is not what allowed Crooked Hammock Director of Brewing Operations Larry Horwitz to get a little wacky with weed flavors: making beer with non-cannabis terpenes was already allowable in the state. Marijuana terpenes, however, are not allowable because Delaware defers to federal regulations and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau does not permit it. Joint Collaboration IPA isn't the state's only terpene-infused brew, actually. Taco Reho currently has two locations in Delaware. This location is in Middletown. In 2022, Bellefonte Brewing Co. first released a line of beers called Farout Fusions with eight different varieties so far, including Mosaic Melon, Creamy Lotus, Trainwreck and Cascade Haze. A glass of Bellefonte Brewing Co.'s new Bellefonte Bubbles hard seltzer, which is infused with terpenes. The new seltzer line is currently in development, but test batches are available on tap at both of the brewery's locations. While those beers are not currently available, they are also developing a line of hard seltzers with terpenes called Bellefonte Bubbles for release this summer. If you want to try one, its on tap at both Bellefonte Brewing locations (3605 Old Capitol Trail in Prices Corner and 1851 Marsh Road in Brandywine Hundred) as they test flavor profiles. Cans of Bellefonte Bubbles will debut May 11 at Bellefonte Brewing's eighth anniversary party, held at their original location in Prices Corner. What does Joint Collaboration IPA tastes like? So how much of a marijuana smell and flavor does Joint Collaboration IPA give off? Let's be blunt: the smell from taking a whiff of the top of a pint of Joint Collaboration IPA just might be enough for a police officer to have probable cause to investigate further if your car smelled like it during a traffic stop. Taco Reho chef and owner Billy Lucas in the original Taco Reho food truck in 2014, the year it opened. He now has two brick-and-mortar locations in Rehoboth Beach and Middletown. And when you take that first sip, the taste is similar to burrowing your nose into a bag of bud. The terpene extract oil dovetails with the Talus and Mosaic hops used to make the dry hopped hazy IPA, delivering the dank flavor paired with strong citrus and tropical fruit notes from the Pineapple Express. Taco Reho chef/owner Billy Lucas, whose business partners include La Vida Hospitality own Crooked Hammock, remembers the day the beer was brewed and he smelled the terpenes for the first time. A video of his reaction is posted on their Instagram page. "You can see my eyes just go as wide as they can," Lucas says. "I was like, 'Yeah, this is what I'm talking about.'" Horowitz explains the effect of the terpenes: "I'm stoked about the way the terpenes not only push up the aroma, but gives it some staying power. Sometimes a beer loses a bit of that bright, fresh flavor as it ages and this one is really holding onto it." Where to find Joint Collaboration IPA The limited edition beer Crooked Hammock made about 10 U.S. barrels, which equates to 20 half barrel kegs officially began pouring at Taco Reho locations in Rehoboth Beach (18784 Coastal Highway) and Middletown (100 Sandhill Drive) on Friday. A chicken fajita taco (left) along with a ground beef taco are paired with Crooked Hammock Brewery's new Joint Collaboration beer at Taco Reho in Middletown. It costs $8 a pour a reflection of the extra cost of using the pricy terpenes in the brewing process. "It's expensive, but it's worth it in my opinion because it just makes the beer smell so beautiful," says Horowitz, who has been in the brewing industry since 1992. "After we added the terpenes to the fermenter, one of my operators turned to me and said, 'Hey, my hand smells like weed now." Light fixtures were built into microphones that are situated over the table of Taco Reho in Middletown as seen in this photo on Wednesday April 3, 2024. The beer will be available through April 21 or whenever it runs out. While it is only available on draft at the Taco Reho restaurants now, it will also be served on tap at Crooked Hammock's Rehoboth Beach and Middletown locations later this month, as well. An exact date has not yet been announced, but it will be promoted on the brewery's website and social media pages. If the beer is well-received, it will likely be back next April and perhaps with a portion available in cans to go, Horowitz says. Taco Reho's Joint Collaboration 4/20 celebration The 4/20 holiday lands on a Saturday this year, which means an all-day bud bash at the twin rock 'n' roll-themed Taco Reho restaurants where Lucas serves up handcrafted tacos, burritos, nachos and more. An art installation featuring speakers await customers as they enter the Taco Reho in Middletown. Both locations will be greened out for the pot party with decorations and 4/20 music playlists will be playing to harmonize with the high holiday. From 4 to 8 p.m., vendors will be at each Taco Reho, which started as a modest food truck nearly a decade ago in Rehoboth Beach. In Rehoboth Beach, you'll find Luckie Glass (glass blowing), The Nifty Pickle (records) and First State Skate Truck (skateboards and retail) while Middletown will host Whole Lotta Vinyls...and more (records), HurriKane Tie Dyes (tie-dye apparel), Croi an Ti Crochet (crochet lighter and bowl pouches) and Roo's Resin (rolling trays & jars). A pizza tostada is currently a limited edition offering at the Taco Reho's locations in Rehoboth Beach and Middletown. And at both locations, Lucas has baked up something special for the 17-day promotion. It's a limited edition pizza tostada ($10) that will be on the menu, putting Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza to shame a rich crunchy 'n' gooey mix of seasoned beef, refried beans, enchilada sauce, chihuahua cheese and diced tomatoes on flour tortillas, topped with slices of fresh jalapenos. It can be purchased while dining in, via delivery or at the drive through window at each location. Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (@ryancormier). This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Terpenes give the beer a weed flavor, but you won't get high Old age isnt a modern phenomenon many people lived long enough to grow old in the olden days, too Every year I ask the college students in the course I teach about the 14th-century Black Death to imagine they are farmers or nuns or nobles in the Middle Ages. What would their lives have been like in the face of this terrifying disease that killed millions of people in just a few years? Setting aside how they envision what it would be like to confront the plague, these undergrads often figure that during the medieval period they would already be considered middle-aged or elderly at the age of 20. Rather than being in the prime of life, they think theyd soon be decrepit and dead. Theyre reflecting a common misperception that long life spans in humans are very recent, and that no one in the past lived much beyond their 30s. But thats just not true. I am a bioarchaeologist, which means that I study human skeletons excavated from archaeological sites to understand what life was like in the past. Im especially interested in demography mortality (deaths), fertility (births) and migration and how it was linked with health conditions and diseases such as the Black Death hundreds or thousands of years ago. Theres physical evidence that plenty of people in the past lived long lives just as long as some people do today. Bones record the length of a life One of the first steps in research about demography in the past is to estimate how old people were when they died. Bioarchaeologists do this using information about how your bones and teeth change as you get older. For example, I look for changes to joints in the pelvis that are common at older ages. Observations of these joints in people today whose ages we know allow us to estimate ages for people from archaeological sites with joints that look similar. A researcher can count the layers within a tooth that were added over time to determine how old a person lived to be. Benoitbertrand1974/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA Another way to estimate age is to use a microscope to count the yearly additions of a mineralized tissue called cementum on teeth. Its similar to counting a trees rings to see how many years it lived. Using approaches like these, many studies have documented the existence of people who lived long lives in the past. For example, by examining skeletal remains, anthropologist Meggan Bullock and colleagues found that in the city of Cholula, Mexico, between 900 and 1531, most people who made it to adulthood lived past the age of 50. And of course there are many examples from historical records of people who lived very long lives in the past. For example, the sixth-century Roman Emperor Justinian I reportedly died at the age of 83. Analysis of the tooth development of an ancient anatomically modern Homo sapiens individual from Morocco suggests that our species has experienced long life spans for at least the past 160,000 years. Clearing up a math misunderstanding Given physical and historical evidence that many people did live long lives in the past, why does the misperception that everyone was dead by the age of 30 or 40 persist? It stems from confusion about the difference between individual life spans and life expectancy. Life expectancy is the average number of years of life remaining for people of a particular age. For example, life expectancy at birth (age 0) is the average length of life for newborns. Life expectancy at age 25 is how much longer people live on average given theyve survived to age 25. In medieval England, life expectancy at birth for boys born to families that owned land was a mere 31.3 years. However, life expectancy at age 25 for landowners in medieval England was 25.7. This means that people in that era who celebrated their 25th birthday could expect to live until they were 50.7, on average 25.7 more years. While 50 might not seem old by todays standards, remember that this is an average, so many people would have lived much longer, into their 70s, 80s and even older. Life expectancy is a population-level statistic that reflects the conditions and experiences of a huge variety of people with very different health conditions and behaviors, some who die at very young ages, some who live to be over 100 years old, and lots whose life spans fall somewhere in between. Life expectancy is not a promise (or a threat!) about the life span of any single person. What some people dont realize is that low life expectancy at birth for any population usually reflects very high rates of infant mortality. Thats a measure of deaths in the first year of life. Given that life expectancies reflect averages for a population, a high number of deaths at very young ages will skew calculations of life expectancy at birth toward younger ages. But typically, many people in those populations who make it past the vulnerable infant and early childhood years can expect to live relatively long lives. Advances in modern sanitation which reduce the spread of diarrheal diseases that are a major killer of infants and vaccinations can greatly increase life expectancies. Consider the effect of infant mortality on overall age patterns in two contemporary populations with dramatically different life expectancies at birth. In Afghanistan, life expectancy at birth is low, at just over 53 years, and infant mortality is high, at almost 105 deaths for every 1,000 children born. In Singapore, life expectancy at birth is much higher, at over 86 years, and infant mortality is very low fewer than two infants die for every 1,000 who are born. In both countries, people do survive to very old ages. But in Afghanistan, because so many more people die at very young ages, proportionally fewer people survive to old age. Living a long life has long been possible Its incorrect to view long lives as a remarkable and unique characteristic of the modern era. Knowing that people often did have long lives in the past might help you feel more connected with the past. For example, you can imagine multigenerational households and gatherings, with grandparents in Neolithic China or Medieval England bouncing their grandchildren on their knees and telling them stories about their own childhoods decades before. You might have more in common with people who lived long ago than you had realized. 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: Sharon DeWitte, University of South Carolina Read more: Sharon DeWitte receives funding from the National Science Foundation. In 1993, the first Texas Roadhouse popped up in Clarksville, Indiana. As Beyonce might say, "This ain't Texas." Entrepreneur Kent Taylor made a strategic branding move when he established a restaurant that welcomed families and served steaks, ribs, and homemade sides at affordable prices. After securing investment, Taylor set to work creating an environment different from other contemporary restaurants. With wooden details and rustic decorations, the place felt like Texas. Country music played in the background as meals were gulped down and line dancing took place. Even the restaurant's mascot, an armadillo, hails from the Lone Star State. Taylor was captivated by Texan culture during his travels. He was drawn to the concept of big, friendly, roadside service -- and of course, hearty, good-tasting meals. Plus, beef and Texas are both words that have infiltrated steakhouse lingo. Before he opened the first location, Taylor got a P.O. box in Texas to help build trust in his concept by using the address on marketing collateral. For Taylor, naming the business Texas Roadhouse was key in cementing an image long before customers walked through the swinging doors. With experiences at Bennigans and KFC and having opened Buckhead Mountain Grill before outlining plans for the Roadhouse, Taylor had an idea of what worked and what didn't. He wasn't wrong: With hundreds of locations in the United States and around the world, Texas Roadhouse has captured the imagination of those craving Texan cuisine. Read more: Restaurant Foods That Always Taste Better Than What You Make At Home A Taste Of Texas, Regardless Of Location Texas Roadhouse restaurant - Joe Hendrickson/Getty Images The descriptive name may have helped Texas Roadhouse find favor among hungry guests, but Kent Taylor backed up the name with substance. At the Roadhouse, Taylor made sure customers were well-attended by assigning waitstaff only three tables instead of the typical four or more. His decision to offer free peanuts and rolls might've raised eyebrows from other restauranteurs, but he was committed and his ideas paid off. "He didn't like rules. He didn't like being told what to do," Texas Roadhouse's Travis Doster told FSR Magazine. Taylor's unorthodox leadership -- banning coats and ties at the company's office, encouraging line-dancing among employees, and shying away from those with advanced degrees -- helped cement the Roadhouse's reputation. Each restaurant has unique murals to reflect the local area and shrines dedicated to Willie Nelson can be found in each location. Whether you're visiting a Texas Roadhouse in Indiana or Texas, a dependable menu of loaded baked potatoes, freshly baked bread with honey cinnamon butter, rattlesnake bites, and steak can be found. Their frozen margaritas have achieved a kind of legendary status. Plus, with ample portion sizes and plates that may require some maneuvering to fit onto tables, it's the rare visitor who leaves hungry; the more likely scenario is of diners bringing a taste of Texas home with them after the meal is finished, no matter which state they are in. Read the original article on Tasting Table Fake news sites are falsely claiming the King has sold his royal residence Highgrove House to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for 20 million (Getty Images) A Russian disinformation network has made a series of false claims about the British royal family in its ongoing information war with Ukraine. Among the incorrect allegations being made by pro-Kremlin campaigners is the suggestion circulating on fake news sites that King Charles has sold his royal residence Highgrove House to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky for 20m. The bizarre report was initially made in a YouTube video that featured someone who claimed to be the estate agent behind the made-up sale. However, security experts told The Times the character, named Sam Murphy, appeared to be AI-generated. The news was then spread by a fake British outlet before it was circulated by a number of English, French, German and Italian bots on X, formerly Twitter. A website called The London Crier published an article featuring a supposed interview with Charles former butler Grant Harrold. In it, Mr Harrold is claimed to have confirmed the sale of Highgrove as having been completed through Mr Zelenskyys wife Olena on 29 February, and that staff at the royal residence had been laid off. Even an official Russian embassy account then tweeted the fake news to its thousands of followers. However, Mr Harrold, who is now a royal commentator, told The Times that the story and the interview it claimed to be based on was entirely made up. His spokeswoman said: This story is completely false and Grant has made no comment on this. There was no interview that took place. Kyiv was even forced to publicly refute the Highgrove tale, which bears similarities with other attempts, ungrounded in any fact, to imply the Zelenskyys are financially benefiting from the Ukraine war. Ukrainian state media reported: This is a fake. There is no information in the British media about Zelenskys purchase of the mansion, and there are no official statements on the matter. It is the latest in a series of attempts by Russian propaganda to target the British royal family, as stories about the monarchy dominate headlines. A group of public health experts and scientists is calling on the Food and Drug Administration to rescind its controversial approval of a DNA test that promises to predict genetic risk of opioid addiction. In a letter sent to the agency on Thursday, 31 experts in genetics, addiction, psychiatry and medical-device regulation called the approval of AvertD a mistake that relied on faulty science and puts patients at risk. The group sent a separate letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services urging the agency, which oversees government health insurance programs, to deny coverage for the prescription-only test. Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. The Washington Post last month highlighted concerns about the tests reliability and the unintended consequences of false results. The letters said a negative test could give patients a false sense of security, or lead doctors to refrain from prescribing opioids to patients who test positive, even in situations where opioids are beneficial. The harmful consequences of an invalid genetic test for [opioid use disorder] are clear, the experts wrote. The tests developer, SOLVD Health, said in a statement Thursday it was reviewing the letters and that the FDAs approval represents a significant step forward in helping doctors and patients discuss alternatives to opioids. In the hands of physicians, the test results can be a critical tool to help combat opioid use disorder, the company said. The FDA, in a statement, declined to comment on the letters. But it stressed that the agency found reasonable assurance of the tests safety and effectiveness given the totality of available evidence and the urgent need for medical devices that can make a positive impact on the overdose crisis. CMS, in a statement, said it has received the letter and will respond directly to the experts. The FDA authorized AvertD in December against the backdrop of a crushing overdose crisis killing more than 100,000 people in the United States each year, mostly from illicit synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. The unprecedented public health crisis began in the late 1990s as doctors increasingly prescribed addictive pain pills aggressively marketed by pharmaceutical companies. The test is aimed at patients who may be prescribed opioids before surgeries. SOLVD Health and the FDA have stressed that the test doesnt predict if someone will develop an opioid addiction but instead shows if someone is at an elevated genetic risk. They say doctors should use the test as part of a comprehensive evaluation of a patients risk. SOLVD Health, in its statement, emphasized that the test was validated by a clinical trial consistent with regulatory guidelines and standards. Questions about the reliability of AvertD were publicly raised in October 2022 when an FDA advisory committee composed of independent experts met. The panel voted 11-2 against recommending approval, prompting the FDA to require more analysis of study data, add strict labeling and impose requirements to educate doctors and patients about the tests limitations. The letter writers echoed concerns raised at that committee meeting about the science underpinning AvertD, the first FDA-approved test that relies on polygenic genetic testing, which analyzes small variations in multiple genes that might affect susceptibility to a disease. The company analyzes swab samples from inside a patients cheek, evaluating DNA for 15 genetic markers associated with opioid use disorders, then runs the results through an algorithm trained on genetic data from more than 7,000 people, some of whom were diagnosed with opioid use disorder. The result is a score of between zero and one, with 0.33 or higher considered elevated genetic risk. This test is based on an approach that has been abandoned by mainstream genetics, the scientists wrote in the letters, posted Thursday on the website of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, a group that educates about the dangers of the prescription medications. The scientists say the sample size of the data used by AvertD to predict opioid risk is not large enough to predict opioid use disorder in a clinically useful way, and the genetic data can potentially skew results for minority populations or those of mixed heritage from different parts of the world. Controlling for ancestry means the algorithm doesnt predict opioid addiction any better than chance, they wrote. The company fell into known pitfalls that give the appearance of predicting genetic risk, without being a true measure of genetic risk, the letters states. Related Content Far-right politics could hurt business in North Carolina, some fear. Again. As obesity rises, Big Food and dietitians push anti-diet advice Wes Moore envisioned economic revival. Then the Key Bridge collapsed. Whether You Wear Underwear To Bed Or Sleep Commando, Doctors Say You Might Want To Rethink It Here's Why Growing up, maybe you were told that youre supposed to sleep sans underwear to let your nether regions air out overnight. Or perhaps youve just never been a fan of going to bed commando. But is there a right answer when it comes to your health and does it differ by sex? We talked to doctors to find out. Zeleno / Getty Images/iStockphoto First, know that the underwear versus no-underwear debate is not one thats backed up by much research, said Orange County, California, urologist Dr. Aaron Spitz. The topic of going commando under the sheets is not routinely discussed in academic conferences, and a literature review will not turn up any erudite studies on the topic, Spitz, author of The Penis Book: A Doctors Complete Guide to the Penis, told HuffPost. Dr. Sherry Ross an OB-GYN and the author of She-ology: The Definitive Guide to Womens Intimate Health. Period. said that it really comes down to personal choice. There is no right or wrong answer whether you decide to sleep with or without underwear, she told HuffPost. And while theres no scholarly consensus on the matter, there are some factors to take into account when deciding whats right for you. We talked to a handful of experts to get their take. You may want to wear underwear to bed if... Swissmediavision / Getty Images If youre someone who has a lot of vaginal discharge or youre on your period, sleeping in undies may be your best option to prevent a nighttime mess in the morning, Ross said. Those with male genitals, on the other hand, may experience discomfort particularly in their testicles if they go commando due to compression that may occur from their thighs or the mattress while they toss and turn in their sleep, Spitz said. If thats an issue for you, he recommends sleeping in a pair of supportive underwear to prevent any uncomfortable squashing. Another thing to consider: Wearing underwear to bed means your genitals arent making direct contact with your pajamas or your sheets. So you can wash these items a little less frequently which is a plus if you hate doing laundry. Sleeping in underwear can also protect the urethra, the tube that connects the bladder to the outside of the body, from irritants or infection, Spitz noted. For instance, bed sheets in hotels and friends houses may be washed with detergents that may cause irritation to the urethra of some individuals, he said. Underwear, even the loose-fitting kind, will serve as a protective barrier to the urethra. Spitz also warned that its possible for the urethra to get contaminated by bacteria on the bedding where a persons bare butt has been rubbing against the sheets. Since most people dont change their sheets daily, its good to have underwear on, playing defense for the sheets, not only for bacteria, but for leakage of urine or nocturnal emissions of semen that may occur for some, Spitz added. Not every pair of underwear in your drawer is well-suited for sleep, though. Youll want to choose an option that is both comfortable and made of breathable materials. Cotton and bamboo are good choices for underwear, as they are soft, absorbent and breathable, said Dr. Aanand Geria, a dermatologist at Geria Dermatology in Verona, New Jersey. For sleep, Ross said she recommends full-coverage underwear over thongs because a thongs anatomically unfriendly design makes it easier for harmful bacteria of the colon to find their way into the vagina and bladder, which can increase the risk of infection. If youve ever worried that tight-fitting underwear might affect your fertility, a 2018 Harvard University study found there may be some benefit to wearing loose-fitting boxers instead of briefs that tend to heat up the scrotum. (Researchers looked at mens general underwear-wearing habits, not specifically their overnight undergarments.) But other research has suggested that choice of underwear makes no appreciable difference on fertility outcomes. Frank Rothe / Getty Images And hopefully this goes without saying, but if youre sleeping in underwear, make sure its a clean pair not the one you went for a jog in earlier or a pair you pulled from the hamper. Since underwear comes in close contact with the skin, it is exposed to sweat, oil, dirt, microorganisms like bacteria or fungus, and even bodily fluids, dermatologist Dr. Joshua Zeichner, associate professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, told HuffPost. Sleeping in soiled underwear can contribute to skin irritations or even infections. And you may want to sleep commando if... Miljko / Getty Images If you sweat a lot in your sleep or are prone to certain skin or genital conditions, then it may be better to sleeps sans underwear to keep things drier and more comfortable below the belt, Geria explained. Wearing tight or nonbreathable underwear can trap moisture in the genital area, creating a damp environment where bacteria and fungi thrive, he said. For example. if youre dealing with jock itch a fungal infection of the groin area then going commando might be a good idea, said Zeichner, as it may allow the area to dry out and not retain moisture that promotes overgrowth of fungus. And if you have a history of vaginal infections or itching, then you are better off sleeping commando to allow the skin of the vulva and vagina to breathe, Ross said. Even if youre not prone to skin or genital issues, you may find it just feels nice to sleep without underwear, as it gives this sensitive area of the body a break from being covered by fabric all day long. Plus, doing so can prevent bacterial buildup that may lead to pimples or unpleasant odors down there, Ross said. The sweat glands and hair follicles are prone to dirt buildup just as any other area of the body with hair and sweat, she explained. Its worth reiterating that if youre sleeping without underwear, you should consider washing your pajamas and bedding more frequently to keep things hygienic. All of that said, what you wear to bed (or dont) ultimately comes down to what feels good to you and helps you get a good nights sleep. If what youre doing currently is working for you, then theres no need to make a change. But if its not working, it cant hurt to switch things up. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. I was in the ninth grade when I first went to Washington, D.C. My class from Lake Shore Junior High School made the trip by train from Jacksonville. Having never been on a train or on a trip out of town without my family, I recall it felt so grown-up. What I did not realize until I was an adult, it was also such a privilege. Our nations capital is a remarkably beautiful and meaningful place, which is why I was eager to share it with our 15-year-old grandson, Rowen, who knows far more about the history of our country than I have ever learned or forgotten, combined. Part of the joy of any trip is the planning and anticipation, and Rowen, my husband, Bruce, and I have been preparing for this trip for over a year. I imagine it might be the last year that we will be cool enough to be his traveling companions for some time and feel so grateful that it worked out. Rowen and Bruce McKibben at the Lincoln Memorial during Rowen's Spring Break 2024. Cherry blossoms and the national mall Immediately after our back porch Easter Sunday sunrise service and breakfast, we hopped (no pun intended) into the car to head for DC. We made it as far as Santee, South Carolina, where we enjoyed a nice walk and meal before bedtime. We were up early the next morning and reached DC in time to visit the National mall and see the monuments in their lovely nightly illumination. The full moon and the last of the cherry tree blossoms, which peaked only two weeks prior, gently floating in the wind, made for a magical evening. Fifteen-year-olds on spring break are not early risers, and it was after 10 a.m. before we were on our way by Uber back to the mall for our second day of exploring Washington, D.C. Something we had not understood soon enough in our planning is that many of the museums now require free tickets for specific time slots reserved months in advance, unlike on our previous visits years ago. We were unable to schedule many museums at the last minute, but there is so much to see in DC it did not impinge upon our joy, and neither did the rain or unseasonably cold temperatures. My grandson, who enjoys photography and has a deep appreciation of architecture, was impressed by the beauty and scale of the buildings on the mall. And rightly so. But what captured my heart was the vision and values of so many honored by the buildings and structures we visited. The Washington monument is seen in the distance behind cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC, on March 24, 2024. Some 140 cherry trees will be removed as part of an upcoming seawall rehabilitation project. Nation's values etched in stone The consistency of our nations values is proudly expressed in the gorgeous monuments and memorials that line the mall. Consider the words inscribed in the wall to the left of the majestically seated Abraham Lincoln, With malice toward none with charity for all with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nations wounds. And at the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial, one of many granite panels engraved with his eloquent words reads, Every nation must develop an overriding loyalty to mankind as a whole in order to preserve the best in their individual societies, spoken by Dr. King in New York in 1967. Refuge of museums and architecture When the rain was threatening, we made our way to the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. The museums sweeping curvilinear architecture, its indigenous landscaping, and its exhibitions, were all designed in collaboration with native tribes and communities. In the excellent Robert Houle: Red is Beautiful collection, I was moved that a set of four works within the collection that I had found most meaningful was the very one I later saw my grandson photographing. These works in blue, not red, celebrate shamans as healers and are hung in the gallery in proximity to paintings depicting the issues of forced removal of native children from their homes, attempts to destroy Native language, and the violence perpetrated on Native Peoples in Canada between 1870 to 1990 in Canadian Indian Residential Schools. I am grateful that Rowen has such a sensitive heart as to be moved by these particular pieces of art. Dodging the rain, we spent a good deal of time in the National Gallery of Art, where Rowen seemed less impressed by the most famous art on display and more attuned to those that he himself found interesting for some particular reason. They say that children have great wisdom, and I felt the truth of that when motivated by Rowen to consider each piece of art on its own merit rather than its notoriety. On our last day in DC, despite the rain, we saw the Holocaust Museum, Ford Theater, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Holocaust Museum is always powerful, but it was even more so this visit, as our grandson is Jewish. While I strive to be empathic in all situations, I know that my empathy was deepened by sharing the experience with Rowen. Lovely cherry trees lining the mall in Washington, D.C., were friendship gifts from Japan to the United States in 1912. Earth Month in our beautiful country Our Uber drivers added to our education. Each from a different country, they have all lived and worked in the U.S. for years. Abu from Sierra Leone, Africa, was the most engaging. He spoke of the war that drove him from his country and his keen desire to see the United States upon his arrival, not realizing its enormity. As a young single adult, he understood he could not afford to realize his dream of seeing the US without working hard, and wisely determined to get his truck driving license in order to tour our amazing country while earning his living. He worked for Covenant Trucking for three years, during which time he saw more of the U.S. than many of us who were born here. When his wanderlust was quenched, Abu settled in DC, where the world comes to him through his taxi and now Uber driving. April is Earth month, with a week of celebration for our National Parks, April 20-28, that coincides with Earth Day on April 22. We were reminded by Abu of the beauty of our National Parks across the nation. What we realized in DC is the diversity of our park system as we visited one of the more than 30 National Parks in DC, and perhaps the most unique National Park in our country, the National Mall and Memorial Park. As I age, I think realistically more than morbidly, of the possibility of meaningful experiences potentially being my last experience of the kind. I wonder if I will ever visit the nations capital again in my lifetime. If not, this joyous time with my husband and grandson, Rowen, has been a grand finale! Abu said it well. This country is a great and beautiful country. How nice to be reminded of this with people I love in an incredible place that reminds us of all the love, loss, and labor of building a nation. I pray that together we can bind up the nations wounds and remain committed to its core values so that my grandsons grandson might one day be impressed by it all on a spring break to remember. The Rev. Candace McKibben is an ordained minister and pastor of Tallahassee Fellowship. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: A spring brealk to remember with grandson in Washington DC Teen repurposes Legos destined for the trash into unique custom sets: 'It's been getting bigger' A California teenager and lifelong Lego enthusiast was dismayed to see his friends tossing their old sets, so he decided to do something about it. "They just go into a landfill," Charlie Jeffers, 17, told The Washington Post in January. Unfortunately, Legos are incredibly difficult to recycle using standard methods. But Jeffers had another idea: simply repurpose them. Not only would salvaging and repurposing Legos keep the plastic pieces out of landfills, it would bring the joy of play to a new generation of children. "Legos are expensive," Jeffers said to the outlet. "A lot of people don't get access to them." After spreading the word in his neighborhood, Jeffers was inundated with donations of old Lego sets, dropped off or delivered directly at his doorway. After receiving a set, he would sanitize it and then re-sort its bricks. Since most kits generally come to him with missing pieces, he began repackaging them into new kits so that not a single piece would go to waste. Now, the kits he makes through his organization which he named Pass the Bricks are funky and unique, with sets like "Chewbacca's Housewarming Party" and "Iron Man Goes to the Car Wash." "We're trying to make them really fun," he said. After repackaging the sets, Jeffers donates them to local nonprofit organizations that work with children, often delivering them by hand. His organization, which was founded in 2020, has donated more than 3,000 sets. "The Lego sets were a great complement to our impactful STEM programming," said Jamin McVeigh, SVP of Development at Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco, per the Post. "We appreciate the opportunity to share them with the youth and families we serve." It's a satisfying mission for Jeffers, who explained that Legos played an important role in his own growth and encouraged his curiosity. "I was so lucky to have access to a toy like that," he said. "I want to give other kids the same opportunity." Many others felt the same. Word of his efforts quickly spread, and Pass the Bricks now has 25 volunteers across California, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Michigan, and Florida. Each volunteer follows the same model as they collect, sanitize, sort, repackage, and donate bricks in their own communities. "The ball got rolling and it's been getting bigger since," Jeffers said. And as for the future? More cities, more volunteers and more Lego fun for all. Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet. One Texas city is going big (and sweet) for the upcoming solar eclipse, baking the worlds largest moon pie to celebrate the momentous occasion. The public will get a chance to try a slice at Total Eclipse in the Park, a viewing event put on by Irving, a city over 200 miles north of Austin. The event is set to eclipse all the rest, giving visitors and residents alike the opportunity to not only experience four solid minutes of totality, but also get a slice of the Worlds Largest Moon Pie, according to a Visit Irving news release. Irving Convention Center Executive Chef Eduardo Alvarez, Maria Mora and Angel Parra complete a test run of making the "world's largest" moon pie. Tom Meehan, a general manager of the Irving Convention Center at Los Colinas, said in a statement that the city wanted to do something out-of-the ordinary for a once-in-a-lifetime event. When I brought the idea to our chef, he shook his head and said Never in my career did I think Id do something like this, Meehan said. Heres what we know about the largest moon pie, including the ingredients used and how much it weighs. When is Total Eclipse in the Park? The cosmic celebration will be held at Heritage Park and Levy Event Plaza from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, April 8. Live music, eclipse glasses, space-themed food and refreshments, gondola cruises and pedal boating will be available for all attendees. And a free slice of the Worlds Largest Moon Pie if you are interested. Solar eclipse: Don't get blinded by these 2024 solar eclipse food deals, specials in Texas Why make the worlds largest moon pie? Well, for one, it's on theme. Diana Pfaff, Irving Convention & Visitors Bureau Marketing & Communications vice president, told USA TODAY Friday that most, if not all, ideas brainstormed involved moon pie. A slice of the "world's largest moon pie" will be available at Total Eclipse in the Park, a total solar eclipse viewing event planned for Monday, April 8, 2024. They also thought this once-in-a-lifetime event was a good opportunity to showcase Eduardo Alvarez, the ICC executive chef's work. Pfaff said the marketing team eventually decided to recreate a moon pie recipe from Chattanooga Bakery, a Tennessee bakery that mass-produces the beloved Southern snack. They [Chattanooga Bakery] actually has a recipe for the worlds largest moon pie if you want to recreate it. So, we decided to make it just a little bigger than what it is. Pfaff says Chef Alvarez used his own recipe, completing five test runs to get the pie looking and tasting exactly right. The first couple of batches werent great, but he perfected it. And it's actually pretty good, Pfaff said. Solar eclipse weather update: Cloud coverage will 'most likely' impede eclipse viewing in Texas, NWS reports How big is Irvings version of the worlds largest moon pie? This gigantic dessert is set to weigh between 150-180 pounds, measure five feet in diameter by four inches thick, and contain 1,400 servings. The worlds largest moon pie, which will be made over the weekend, is set to weigh between 150-180 pounds, measure five feet in diameter by four inches thick, and contain 1,400 servings, according to the Visit Irving news release. It will also take quite a few ingredients to make the gigantic dessert. Heres a look at how many marshmallows, eggs, butter, flour, and chocolate it will take to make the 365,042-calorie dessert. 64 pounds of marshmallows 128 eggs 36 pounds of unsalted butter 16 pounds of brown sugar 60 pounds of all-purpose flour 45 pounds of marshmallow cream 60 pounds of melted chocolate 42 pounds of graham cracker crumbs Its pretty basic, but its very difficult to make, Meehan told The Dallas Express. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Irving, Texas celebrates solar eclipse with 180-pound moon pie Credit - Illustration by TIME A total solar eclipse will sweep across North America on Monday, April 8, offering a spectacle for tens of millions of people who live in its path and others who will travel to see it. A solar eclipse occurs during the new moon phase, when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, casting a shadow on Earth and totally or partially blocking our view of the sun. While an average of two solar eclipses happen every year, a particular spot on Earth is only in the path of totality every 375 years on average, Astronomy reported. Eclipses themselves aren't rare, it's just eclipses at your house are pretty rare, John Gianforte, director of the University of New Hampshire Observatory, tells TIME. If you stay in your hometown, you may never spot one, but if youre willing to travel, you can witness multiple. Gianforte has seen five eclipses and intends to travel to Texas this year, where the weather prospects are better. One fun part of experiencing an eclipse can be watching the people around you. They may yell, they scream, they cry, they hug each other, and thats because its such an amazingly beautiful event, Gianforte, who also serves as an extension associate professor of space science education, notes. Everyone should see at least one in their life, because theyre just so spectacular. They are emotion-evoking natural events. Here are 10 surprising facts about the science behind the phenomenon, what makes 2024s solar eclipse unique, and what to expect. The total eclipse starts in the Pacific Ocean and ends in the Atlantic The darker, inner shadow the moon casts is called the umbra, in which you can see a rarer total eclipse. The outer, lighter second shadow is called the penumbra, under which you will see a partial eclipse visible in more locations. The total eclipse starts at 12:39 p.m. Eastern Time, a bit more than 620 miles south of the Republic of Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean, according to Astronomy. The umbra remains in contact with Earths surface for three hours and 16 minutes until 3:55 p.m. when it ends in the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 340 miles southwest of Ireland. The umbra enters the U.S. at the Mexican border just south of Eagle Pass, Texas, and leaves just north of Houlton, Maine, with one hour and eight minutes between entry and exit, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) tells TIME in an email. Mexico will see the longest totality during the eclipse The longest totality will extend for four minutes and 28 seconds on a 350-mile-long swath near the centerline of the eclipse, including west of Torreon, Mexico, according to NASA. In the U.S., some areas of Texas will catch nearly equally long total eclipses. For example, in Fredericksburg, totality will last four minutes and 23 secondsand that gets slightly longer if you travel west, the agency tells TIME. Most places along the centerline will see totality lasting between three and a half minutes and four minutes. The path of April 8's total solar eclipse through the U.S. Lon Tweeten More people currently live in the path of totality compared to the last eclipse An estimated 31.6 million people live in the path of totality for 2024s solar eclipse, compared to 12 million during the last solar eclipse that crossed the U.S. in 2017, per NASA. The path of totality is much wider than in 2017, and this years eclipse is also passing over more cities and densely populated areas than last time. A part of the sun which is typically hidden will reveal itself Solar eclipses allow for a glimpse of the suns coronathe outermost atmosphere of the star that is normally not visible to humans because of the suns brightness. The corona consists of wispy, white streamers of plasmacharged gasthat radiate from the sun. The corona is much hotter than the sun's surfaceabout 1 million degrees Celsius (1.8 million degrees Fahrenheit) compared to 5,500 degrees Celsius (9,940 degrees Fahrenheit). The sun will be near its more dramatic solar maximum During the 2024 eclipse, the sun will be near solar maximum. This is the most active phase of a roughly 11-year solar cycle, which might lead to more prominent and evident sun activity, Gianforte tells TIME. We're in a very active state of the sun, which makes eclipses more exciting, and [means there is] more to look forward to during the total phase of the eclipse, he explains. People should look for an extended, active corona with more spikes and maybe some curls in it, keeping an eye out for prominences, pink explosions of plasma that leap off the suns surface and are pulled back by the suns magnetic field, and streamers coming off the sun. Streamers are a beautiful, beautiful shade of pink, and silhouetted against the black, new moon that's passing across the disk of the sun, it makes them stand out very well. So it's really just a beautiful sight to look up at the totally eclipsed sun, Gianforte says. The corona of the sun visible around the moon during a total solar eclipse, 1999. Space FrontiersHulton Archive/Getty Images Two planetsand maybe a cometcould also be spotted Venus will be visible 15 degrees west-southwest of the sun 10 minutes before totality, according to Astronomy. Jupiter will also appear 30 degrees to the east-northeast of the sun during totality, or perhaps a few minutes before. Venus is expected to shine more than five times as bright as Jupiter. Another celestial object that may be visible is Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, about six degrees to the right of Jupiter. Gianforte says the comet, with its distinctive circular cloud of gas and a long tail, has been really putting on a great show in the sky ahead of the eclipse. The eclipse can cause a 360-degree sunset A solar eclipse can cause a sunset-like glow in every directioncalled a 360-degree sunsetwhich you might notice during the 2024 eclipse, NASA said. The effect is caused by light from the sun in areas outside of the path of totality and only lasts as long as totality. The temperature will drop When the sun is blocked out, the temperature drops noticeably. During the last total solar eclipse in the U.S. in 2017, the National Weather Service recorded that temperature dropped as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit. In Carbondale, Ill. for example, the temperature dropped from a peak of 90 degrees Fahrenheit just before totality to 84 degrees during totality. Wildlife may act differently When the sky suddenly becomes black as though nighttime, confused animals, dogs, cats, birds do act very differently, Gianforte says. In the 2017 eclipse, scientists tracked that many flying creatures began returning to the ground or other perches up to 50 minutes before totality. Seeking shelter is a natural response to a storm or weather conditions that can prove deadly for small flying creatures, the report said. Then right before totality, a group of flying creatures changed their behavior againsuddenly taking flight before quickly settling back into their perches again. There will be a long wait for the next total eclipse in the U.S. The next total eclipse in the U.S. wont happen until March 30, 2033, when totality will reportedly only cross parts of Alaska. The next eclipse in the 48 contiguous states is expected to occur on Aug. 12, 2044, with parts of Montana and North Dakota experiencing totality. Contact us at letters@time.com. 1945 in reverse: What will happen if the US turns its back on Nato A man has been shot in the chest and needs a valve to stop his lungs being crushed. A Russian grenade has shredded the legs of the squads best fighter. Two Russian brigades are closing in and theyve got tanks. The Ukrainian squad has 13 men including the wounded and one improvised anti-tank weapon made of an ordinary mortar round, bolted to a rocket. Their request for drone support has been refused. Give me a rifle and f off, mutters the man with the bloodied legs from the floor of the trench. He says give him a rifle and f off, the medic relays to the commander. Theres nowhere to f off to, replies the commander. Get ready for a fight. In the end, they came through saved by the inexperience of the Russian infantry and the timely arrival of a pair of Bradley fighting vehicles. But this lucky escape on the outskirts of Avdiivka, about 500 miles south-east of Kyiv, powerfully illustrates the imbalance of force on Ukraines battlefield that is being exacerbated by delayed American military aid. Weeks after this fight, a Republican decision to block a $60 billion US aid package in Congress led directly to the fall of Avdiivka. An apartment block is destroyed by a Russian missile when Avdiivka fell in February, 2024 - Julian Simmonds Now, nearly two months after that defeat, the aid package is still blocked and the Russians are still advancing. Ukraine has lost territory it would undoubtedly have retained with a sufficient number of air defence systems and artillery shells, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraines military chief, said last week. Yet Avdiivka is not just a warning to Ukraine. For European nations, and many other countries around the world, so long used to shielding under the umbrella of American power, the story of Avdiivka should ring alarm bells. Even more so, after the Kremlin warned this week that relations between Russia and Nato countries have now slipped to the level of direct confrontation, and Emmanuel Macron revealed a bizarre and threatening phone call between Moscows defence minister and his Parisian counterpart. Because Pax Americana that is, the concept of post Second World War global stability overseen by a hugely powerful United States is under threat. Its end would represent a revolution in global affairs. And like so many revolutions in modern politics, change rests with the potential second presidential term of Donald Trump. Mr Trump has vowed to stop the war in Ukraine in one day. The former president has given few specifics about how he would do so, but Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary, said last month [March] that Mr Trump had told him that he planned cut aid to Ukraine entirely something that would lead to a Russian victory and directly opposes the stated security interests of Americas closest allies including Britain. Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban says that Trump told him he would cut off aid from Ukraine entirely - AFP That prospect is forcing a reassessment of one of the fundamental assumptions of security planning since 1945. From Canberra and Seoul to London and Paris, security thinkers are asking whether the United States is still a reliable ally. Is any country that built its strategic security after 1945 around American power safe? Or are we suddenly on our own? You would have to be pretty foolish not to ask the question, says Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations. As a veteran US diplomat, he has advised four presidents. America is going through one of those cyclical periods of isolationism, Haass continues. Its like a recessive gene its always been there and sometimes it comes back. What is different about this debate is that it has hijacked one of the two main parties and its not just about neo-isolationism its also filled with a kind of romance about authoritarians. Richard Haass, pictured in 2020 at the Foreign Affairs Committee, says 'America is going through one of those cyclical periods of isolationism' - Getty If I was advising US allies Id say they should definitely have a document, a policy in a glass case that says break glass in emergency. Pax Americana It is difficult to overstate the role of America in European and global security. This week sees the 75th anniversary of Nato. Since 1945 Britain, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea have built their security arrangements around mutual defence pacts with the US. Several of these allies notably European Nato members; Japan, South Korea and Australia shelter directly under what is often called the American nuclear umbrella, which aims to deter several countries from building their own bombs. Donald Trump, centre, at a Nato summit in December 2019, Hertfordshire, England - AP US power is the deterrent meant to stop China from invading Taiwan, or Russia invading Nato members in Eastern Europe (Natos defence plan here, essentially, is for regional armies to hold up the Russian advance long enough for America). It is the same power that underwrites both Israeli security and acts as a nuclear deterrent for Arab allies. If Pax Americana is truly over, the potential consequences are almost too large to comprehend. Except public discussion of this has remained slim. And yet, says Andriy Zagorodnyuk, a former Ukrainian defence minister, I know for a fact there is a huge movement of analysis in Europe asking: what will we do if this is the end? There is a massive intellectual effort to assess, if the US is pulling out, how to preserve peace and stability in this part of the world or to restore peace and security, if youre talking about Ukraine. It would be such a catastrophic change, says Professor Justin Bronk, a senior fellow for airpower at the Royal United Services Institute. It is difficult to talk about it without sounding like an alarmist lunatic. The problem it presents is so vast: where do you begin? American Retreat The immediate impact of an American retreat is already being felt. In US Congress, Speaker Mike Johnsons refusal on Donald Trumps instruction, say senior Western officials to bring a bill to the US House of Representatives is starving Ukraine of badly needed kit. Above all, they are lacking shells and the artillery barrels to fire them from. Mr Johnson hinted this week that he may finally bring the bill to a vote on April 9, when US Congress returns from Easter recess. In the meantime, less artillery support to break up Russian attacks will lead to more close-quarters, high-casualty trench fights like the one at Avdiivka. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has hinted that he may bring forward the bill that would sponsor Ukraine's artillery - REUTERS Ukraine will also see more men packed into the trenches, which means more targets for Russian artillery, and with fewer shells, they will have less counter battery fire. Ultimately, it means more dead, more wounded. That doesnt mean immediate defeat. The fight described earlier took place in October, a week into Russias assault on Avdiivka. It was three more months of unequal fights and heavy Russian losses before the Ukrainians had to give up the town. Yet tenacity has a breaking point. Unless decisions are made rapidly, some analysts fear the Russians could in the second half of this year achieve a breakthrough similar to the Ukrainian successes of late 2022. On the current trajectory, the result of this is not a stalemate. It is a Russian victory, says Prof Bronk. Defeat The potential consequences of such a victory are immense. Europe would be flooded with up to 15 million refugees and Natos eastern members would be face-to-face with a massive, experienced and battle-hardened Russian army backed by a booming military-industrial complex. Boris Pistorius, the German defence minister, warned last month that Russia could attack Nato in five to eight years. But that prediction is predicated on the war in Ukraine ending so Russia can regroup. For Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister of Poland, war is no longer a concept from the past, as he told the BBC last weekend. Its real and it started over two years ago. The pressing issue is that American reluctance to back Ukraine could weaken Natos security as a whole, particularly given Mr Trumps comments that non-paying Nato members would get no protection. Time's Up: President Donald Trump at a Nato Summit, 2018 - AP Contrary to popular belief, Article Five, the mutual defence clause in the North Atlantic Treaty, does not oblige America or any other ally to go to war in defence of another. It only requires them to consider a response. So any sign that the US is unwilling to back the commitment with force is a potentially fatal hole in its deterrent effect. I honestly think a lot of politicians in the West dont understand what Nato is, and Im speaking as a former Nato officer, says Ed Arnold, a research fellow for European Security at RUSI. Russia could take the whole of Estonia and the US could send an AWACs. It could impose sanctions. It could move an aircraft carrier around in the North Atlantic, and they would live up to the letter if not the spirit of Article Five. Europeans really need to understand that. Donald Trump doesnt have to leave Nato to destroy it politically. He can just give one press conference saying he is not going to defend it. There would also be a knock-on international effect were America to retreat. The very worst case scenario is a kind of 1945 in reverse: defeat for the West in Ukraine, followed by a move by China on Taiwan that, if not resisted, would deal a body blow to American influence in the Pacific. Even short of that, the likely takeaway is simply more instability and more conflict. People would derive lessons from this. I think adversaries or foes might be more willing to challenge us. I think we would certainly invite more tests or probes by North Korea, Iran, and even China. And I know from my recent travels and conversations that our allies are worried about this, says Dr Haass. If the United States is seen as not so much being unable to do certain things, but unwilling to ensure things, it will be tested by adversaries and friends will suddenly face some extraordinarily difficult decisions, he added. Solutions Dr Haass proposes three cornerstones for US allies to get up to scratch: greater self reliance, finding new security partners, and some form of accommodation with adversaries. In Europe and the Western Pacific, new security partners means existing Nato members might make more of their own alliances with one another and reach out to like-minded countries elsewhere. For example, on Wednesday, Nato foreign ministers discussed a plan drafted by Jens Stoletenburg, the Secretary General, for a $100 billion five-year aid plan designed to Trump-proof assistance for Ukraine. The Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pictured with Mr Trump in London, 2019 - AP It would also give Nato not the United States control of the Ramstein arms support program started in 2022, according to the Financial Times. The global security shifts may also force non-aligned countries to pick a side. Some are looking much more favourably towards Moscow or Beijing, whether for ideological reasons, or economic and political self interest, further eroding American influence and the coherence of the Western alliance. In African countries theres particular sympathy for the message pushed by Moscow that this is a structural reforming of world events. We are the vanguard and we want your support because were taking on Western colonialism, points out Mr Arnold. Russia is already pumping military, political, and economic capital into relationships on the continent. In the Pacific, a potential American retreat may prompt a rethink about which great power it is more prudent to please in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan, says Professor Bronk. He mentions Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines as possible examples. Rearming Greater military self-reliance, most people agree, would be a good thing. But equally, there is consensus that a world in which multiple countries simultaneously arm themselves to the teeth is not a safer one, especially when it comes to nuclear weapons. This winter even saw a brief until now unthinkable public debate in Germany about Berlin acquiring the bomb. Youve already got a heated debate in South Korea, warned Dr Haass. [If] the United States is not there in Ukraine and then someone like Donald Trump is elected, he would potentially pull US forces off the Korean peninsula. I would be surprised if the debate in South Korea about acquiring nuclear weapons did not move to the front of the queue in national security decisions. Even in Japan such a debate could arise. In the Middle East, if Iran continues to move towards a nuclear capability and the United States is seen as pulling back even more from the region, then I think its inevitable that the Saudis or the Egyptians of the Turks or others would say Ok, how do we look out for ourselves because we dont want to accommodate much less appease. So, American retreat is likely to signal not fewer weapons but the reverse a proliferation of new alliances, where nations are more likely to be forced into pragmatic concessions with aggressive neighbours, and dozens of heavily armed states could race for the bomb. It is a grim picture. But while defence and foreign policy intellectuals are ringing every alarm bell they can reach, Western governments seem strangely reluctant to take the danger seriously. The problem that I think were having at the moment is that there is still that caucus out there who actually believe it will be alright on the night because Joe Biden will win, says Mr Arnold. That is actually the real risk that we dont start to get serious about this stuff until the second week in November. And that is what I am picking up that there is very little in Europe at the moment, government-to-government closed meetings saying: How do we manage this eventuality? The positive Trump affect Officials in allied governments who may have to work with a second Trump administration are wary of voicing criticism in public or, indeed, in private. Ukrainian, British, and European officials voice three mitigating arguments to counter doom mongering about the possible end of Pax Americana. The first is that Mr Trumps rhetoric about Nato allies who do not pay their own way may be fiery, but reflects nothing more than a long-standing and bi-partisan US frustration with Europe which is, many admit, perfectly justified. There is a case to be made that his bad cop act was more effective in persuading allies to increase spending and thus strengthening Nato than politer criticism. The same goes for the consensus in Washington that China, rather than Russia, is the greater systemic challenge that the US needs to focus on. Europe will end up shouldering more of the security burden for the Atlantic Basin regardless of who wins in November. Second, they say, Mr Trumps foreign policy record is hardly one of timidity. In 2017 he was the first US president to supply Ukraine with meaningful military supplies when he approved the sale of Javelin anti-tank weapons. In 2018, he bombed Syrian government forces in retaliation for a suspected chemical weapons attack enforcing a red line that Mr Obama infamously drew, then abandoned. He also robustly challenged Iran, authorising the controversial strike that killed IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani. Thirdly, they say, his unpredictability might be annoying, but it also makes it more difficult for adversaries to anticipate and manipulate US intentions. After all, Vladimir Putin himself told Russian media in February that Joe Biden would be the better choice for Russia his traditional leadership style making him easier to deal with. Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky meets with US President Joe Biden in Dec 2023, whom Vladimir Putin has named as a preferred presidential candidate - AFP Look at it this way, officials say: Donald Trump thinks in terms of strength and weakness. He doesnt like America to look weak or like it has been beaten. And thats not necessarily a bad thing for American allies. Those soothing words brush over the surprising but very marked shift in domestic American politics, warns Dr Haass. Im uncomfortable with predictions, he says. But were at a really important moment in history. Three-quarters of a century after the end of World War Two, and roughly three-and-a-half decades after the end of the Cold War, I feel that the debate in this country is putting in motion some big questions for the global order. He points to many reasons for this moment: the rise of Donald Trump, the polarising effects of social media, the failure of successive governments to address domestic issues, poor history teaching in schools, lack of a military draft, and above all 75 years without a great power conflict. The result is that American public debate has shifted in a way that has taken Americas allies and many Americans themselves by surprise. The public takes peace for granted. To some extent we are paying the price for our own success. In several generations now we have not had to deal with certain types of situations, or only very narrow slices of generations have had to deal with them since weve eliminated the draft. And so increasingly America is just in a very different place psychologically, says Dr Haass. In other words, Trumpism will not die with Trump, argues Mr Arnold, and betting British security on 300,000 swing voters every four years is not a viable long term policy. Trump is unpredictable. As military people say, hope cannot be part of the strategy. We have to understand there is a risk and we need to be ready for this risk, says Mr Zagorodnyuk. And as such we need to understand what we are going to do to be self-sufficient. And it is actually possible. It is difficult but it is possible, especially with this massive technical transformation of the landscape of the world. What is to be done? Collectively, European countries including Britain are now supplying more hardware to the Ukrainians than the United States, and they are taking steps to expand production. The Czech Republic is leading an initiative to buy up to 1.5 million shells on the international market. The first rounds should reach the front by June. Petr Pavel, the Czech president, said in March that he expects European arms companies to soon produce enough rounds for both Europe and Ukraine. If agreement can be reached on Mr Stoltenbergs mission for Ukraine proposal at Natos 75th anniversary summit in Washington in July, it could lock in aid for Ukraine before any potential return for Mr Trump to the White House. But plugging the gap left by the United States will be hard. Some items like M777 Howitzer barrels and spare parts for Bradleys are made exclusively in the United States. No one else has quite the same capabilities in intelligence, logistics, and economies of scale. In the longer term, none of Europes three biggest military powers Britain, France and Germany are currently in a position independently to generate anything like the conventional weaponry needed for a second echelon force to reinforce the Baltics in case of a Russian invasion. To do so will require not only investment in hardware, but man power. It will require governments to be honest with the public about why young people should serve and possibly fight and die. Ultimately, says Mr Arnold, it means talking about the social contract between state, public, and armed forces in a way that has not been done in decades possibly since the Beveridge Report of 1942. Chief of the General Staff Gen Patrick Saunderss comments in January that a land war would be a whole of nation undertaking appear as an attempt to start that debate. There will also, inevitably, need to be discussion about non-conventional defence. In this part of the world, that probably means the British and French nuclear deterrents playing a greater role in European security. Yet few politicians are willing to publicly make the case for increased spending. In Britain, Government insiders agree Britain will have to spend a lot more on defence and expanding its military industrial base. Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, delivered a speech in January warning that we are moving from a post-war to a pre-war world. This week, he warned in an article for The Telegraph that Nato countries that failed to spend two per cent of GDP on defence were playing Russian roulette with the Wests future. Yet Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, cut rather than expanded defence spending in the 2024 budget last month. The justification seems to be that you need to return to growth before you can make big investments. That does not impress defence experts, however. The current prime minister his five priorities dont include defence and security. The leader of the opposition has five missions none of them are defence and security, noted Mr Arnold. Theres an election here and quite frankly theres other things to consider from their point of view. Professor Bronk is less kind: he uses words like mad, insane, and irresponsible to describe the Budget. This week Labour and Conservative MPs signed an open letter to both partys leaders calling for defence spending to be raised to 2.5 percent of GDP in the next parliament. But its not a peculiarly British problem. The Germans spend more on aid to Ukraine than any other country after the United States and have promised big investments in defence since Olaf Sholzs 2022 landmark Zeitenwende speech, in which he pledged a historic shift in Germanys historically cautious defence policy in recognition of the new threat from Russia. But they are still loath to do anything without a US lead, says Mr Arnold. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has pledged to spend more on defence with a new threat from Russia - Anadolu Their strategy is pretty much an ostrich strategy theyve pegged everything to the US for so long, they cant even comprehend a second Trump presidency and what that will do, says Mr Arnold. Frances president Macron has spoken extensively about alternative security arrangements, but faces domestic challenges and annoys allies by saying more than he does. France is a relatively modest contributor of military aid to Ukraine, and Macrons government has also repeatedly blocked European Union plans to replenish Ukraines dwindling artillery shell stocks. Instead, theyve demanded munitions be manufactured inside the bloc a bizarre act of business-as-usualism for someone alert to a profound shift in global security. The lack of urgency is immensely frustrating, says Mr Arnold, precisely because it is manageable. Theres two ways to look at this. We can either approach it in a positive, lets do something about this and recognise the problem way, or we dont and we look at it in a very pessimistic, doom-and-gloom, whats-the point-way, says Mr Arnold. But I dont think youre getting the sense of how dramatic this could be. The sharp end Perhaps policy makers could draw lessons from those at the sharp end of the crisis. The trench fight outside Avdiivka turned into a disaster in four hours of fighting, Max, one of the survivors, told me. His squad was outnumbered, outgunned, and certain to be overrun. After the second tank passed I understood, thats it, they will just smash us into the ground, so I just placed my AK magazine in the ground and started shooting semi-auto, he recalled. And yet the footage taken on his and other soldiers body cams is remarkable for the calmness of all involved. He still doesnt put much stock in warnings of imminent disaster at the front. The further you get from the front, the more hysteria you encounter, he reflects. Maybe disaster can be averted, provided we dont freeze at the scale of the task. 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. DORAL, Fla. (WFLA) Two people were killed and seven others were injured in a mass shooting at a Florida mall Saturday morning, according to police. NBC affiliate WTVJ reported that the shooting happened at about 3:30 a.m. at Martini Bar in CityPlace Doral. Anything could have happened to them: Florida parents angered after children left at fair during field trip Police said a dispute at the bar turned deadly when a security guard tried to intervene, only for a shooter to gun him down. Six other bystanders, two women and four men, were also injured in the chaos, according to WTVJ. Doral police Chief Edwin Lopez said an officer was also injured in a shootout with the suspect, which ended in the suspects death. Another officer also opened fire in the shootout but was not injured. The one who was struck, with four years of service, applied a tourniquet on himself immediately after being struck even after he discharged his firearm, the chief said. Two of the victims were said to be in critical condition. The officer was stable and released from a hospital after being treated, police said. According to Lopez, the mall was the site of a multi-agency shooter drill a year ago, which prepared his officers for this exact situation. The extensive training that our police officers undergo is a testament as to why that officer is alive today, he said. The nightclub issued a statement, saying the death of the security guard was a tragedy. Our hearts are broken by the tragedy that unfolded at our venue early this morning that took the life of a dedicated security guard and injured several others. Our staff, patrons, and this community are like family to us, and we are completely shaken by this senseless act of violence. Were working diligently to ensure that all those affected by this feel supported in every way possible. We are conducting our own internal investigation, as well as cooperating fully with all authorities. This trauma will be felt deeply by us all for a long time to come, and we are here for our community today, and always. Martini Bar Ownership This is a developing story. Stay up to date on the latest from News Channel 8 on-air and on the go with the free WFLA News Channel 8 mobile app. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. DORAL Two people are dead including a gunman and seven people were injured after a fight broke out into a shooting at a Miami-Dade shopping center early Saturday morning. According to police, a dispute between patrons in the patio area at the Martini Bar in CityPlace Doral prompted a security guard to intervene. Around this time, one of the patrons in the fight suddenly pulled out a gun, shot the security officer and killed him. As a result, the rest of the establishment's security detail then began to exchange gunfire with the suspect and killed him as well. During the shooting, six other people at the scene were also injured: two women and four men, along with a Doral Police officer who was shot in the leg. Police said during a news conference just before 8 a.m. that two of them were critically injured and transported to Jackson Trauma and HCA Kendall Regional Trauma, respectively; the other five, including the officer, were said to be in stable condition with one of them was also transported JMH and the remaining victims were transported to HCA Kendall. At JMH, a man whose cousin was among those injured told CBS News Miami that they suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen. A witness of the shooting told CBS News Miami that they saw another security guard almost lose a finger. Police also said that the police officer shot in the gunfire was a member of the force for four years and applied his tourniquet during the incident. CBS News Miami managed to see the officer get transported to JMH and physically carried by his fellow officers into the emergency room early Saturday morning. Doral Police told CBS News Miami on Sunday morning that the officer is now at home and expected to fully recover. Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez also noted that exactly one year ago, his officers had an extensive training session for a mass casualty incident at this location, and he and Doral Mayor Christi Fraga were grateful that officers had this type of training beforehand. Fraga shared a statement on X regarding the incident, saying that the shooting occurred around 4 a.m. and that she praying and thinking about the victims and their families. Statement regarding the recent incident that occurred at Cityplace Doral. pic.twitter.com/JfwWsOSoDq Christi Fraga (@ChristiFraga) April 6, 2024 "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and individuals affected by this terrible incident," she stated. "I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the police officers who swiftly responded to the call." Doral residents who spoke to CBS News Miami said they were stunned to learn what happened in their city on Saturday. "We were shocked that it happened, especially in a safe place like CityPlace Doral," said resident Luis Colon. The owners of the Martini Bar provided the following statement to CBS News Miami: "Our hearts are broken by the tragedy that unfolded at our venue early this morning that took the life of a dedicated security guard and injured several others. Our staff, patrons, and this community are like family to us, and we are completely shaken by this senseless act of violence. We're working diligently to ensure that all those affected by this feel supported in every way possible. We are conducting our own internal investigation, as well as cooperating fully with all authorities. This trauma will be felt deeply by us all for a long time to come, and we are here for our community today, and always." Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava also shared a statement on X, saying in part that she hopes the Doral Police Department and community will recover from the tragedy. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is further investigating the circumstances leading up to the shooting. CBS News Miami had a crew on the scene of the shooting and the hospital where some of the victims were transported to gather more information throughout Saturday. 2024 Eclipse: What to expect, from the awe-inspiring to the "very strange" "Civil War": Depicting an America at war with itself NYC officials face criticism for earthquake response Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated. Russian forces launched an attack on Kharkiv during the early hours of April 6, killing seven people and injuring 11 others, according to the latest update by Serhii Bolvinov, the head of the investigative department of the regional police. Seven people were reportedly killed, and 11 others received medical assistance following an attack on the city that began around midnight. Among the injured, the youngest victim was a 23-year-old man. A 25-year-old and 71-year-old also received injuries, along with six men between the ages of 35 and 85. At least nine high-rise residential buildings, three dormitories, several administrative buildings, a service station, private vehicles as well as the buildings of local businesses were reportedly damaged or destroyed. According to Bolvinov, Russian troops again carried out the so-called double-tap attack, in which there is an initial strike followed by a second - with a delay - so that it can potentially wound or kill first responders. The second strike on Kharkiv occured less than in 30 minutes after the first one, Bolvinov said on Facebook. He added that Russia had used Soviet-era S-300 missiles to attack the city. At around 1:23 a.m. local time, the governor announced via Telegram that a missile had struck a store in the city and several nearby cars had caught on fire. No casualties were reported. Earlier in the night, explosions were recorded near a residential building in the area. Due to its proximity to the border, Kharkiv Oblast and the regional capital have faced near-daily attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion. Part of the region was also occupied in early February 2022 before its liberation in early September. More than 20,000 buildings have been destroyed in Kharkiv since Feb. 24, 2022, according to Ukrainian government figures. 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. 2 people killed and 8 hospitalised in Kharkiv due to Russian attack photo Two civilians have been killed in Kharkivs Shevchenkivskyi district as a result of a Russian attack at around 00:20 (6 April). Source: Kharkiv Oblast Patrol Police; Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration Details: The civilians who sustained injuries were taken to hospital. Among the injured are two women and five men. Photo: Kharkiv Oblast Patrol Police The identities of the men who were killed are being established. High-rise buildings were damaged and a shop is on fire. Photo: Kharkiv Oblast Patrol Police All relevant services are operating at the scenes of the attacks. Police officers are documenting evidence of these latest crimes committed by Russian military personnel. Photo: Kharkiv Oblast Patrol Police Updated: The number of injured people has increased to eight. They were taken to hospital with blast injuries and shrapnel wounds. Two women aged 25 and 52, and six men aged 23 to 76, are among them. Six high-rise buildings, a petrol station, a shop and a car were damaged as a result of the attack in Kharkiv. There were no casualties in the village of Mala Danylivka, but private residences were damaged. Investigators, forensic experts and bomb disposal experts are working at the scenes of the attacks. They are collecting material evidence and documenting the aftermath of the Russian strikes. Investigators have started a criminal case under Article 438.2 (violation of laws and customs of war) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Background: Explosions occurred in Kharkiv on the night of 5-6 April. There were strikes near residential areas in the city. Support UP or become our patron! Yahoo Life Shopping Also on our deals radar: Save on a cozy Ugg blanket, snag a robovac for just $60, score a 50-inch TV for just $190 and more. 4.0 aftershock rocks town near NJ quake epicenter and sways chandeliers at City Hall in Manhattan Earthquake map, left. People pointing at a house with structural damage from the quake, upper right. A seismograph of earthquake, lower right. A 4.0 magnitude aftershock hit a town near the epicenter of Fridays quake in New Jersey hours after the morning temblor and was strong enough to rock the chandeliers at City Hall in Manhattan. The early-evening aftershock struck in Gladstone, NJ, close to the 4.8 magnitude morning quake in Lebanon, NJ, which occurred near an ancient crack in the Earths crust known as the Ramapo fault. A City Hall worker came running into the press room in Manhattan to check on journalists because of the aftershock, which occurred about 50 miles away and caused the municipal buildings majestic light fixtures to sway. The US Geological Survey estimates theres a 38% chance of experiencing up to 10 magnitude-3.0 aftershocks in the region within the next week. Experts warned there is a nearly 40% chance that a slew of other significant tremors hitting 3.0 magnitude could also occur in the region within the next week. The Ramapo fault, which runs from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, is the longest in the Northeast. Friday evenings substantial aftershock near it also could be felt in Brooklyn, shaking buildings and renewing fears by residents. Follow The Posts coverage on the NYC and tri-state earthquake The mornings 4.8 magnitude quake had already rattled the New York metro area when it hit near Lebanon about 10:30 a.m. The quake was felt relatively far and wide because of the Earths crust in that area, experts said Earthquakes on the East Coast are felt four to five times further than a similar-strength quake on the West Coast. The rock is harder, and seismic waves travel further before they attenuate, so more people will feel it than if it was a similar earthquake in California, said USGS seismologist Paul Earle. Dr. Shannon Graham, assistant physics professor at The College of New Jersey, told The Post that quake was likely the result of stored-up stress in the Earths crust along ancient plate boundaries, which formed hundreds of millions ago when the African and North American land masses combined and then broke apart. Christine Goulet, the director of the USGS Earthquake Science Center, said its not a huge concern for large aftershocks and that earthquakes happen all the time around the world. Christine Goulet/Facebook Dr. Shannon Graham told The Post that Fridays quake was likely the result of stored-up stress in the Earths crust along ancient plate boundaries, which formed hundreds of millions of years ago when the African and North American land masses combined and then broke apart. TCNJ Think of it like bending a stick. Youre storing energy in the center of the stick, and once your strength overcomes it, it snaps, she said. Thats what happens in the Earth. You pick a zone of weakness, which is where slip will occur along rocks. Graham said an earthquake with the potential to cause significant damage on the East Coast is not impossible, but unlikely. Residents in a Newark, NJ, building had to evacuate after the quake causes structural damage to the home. At least 10 more minor aftershocks had already also happened in areas near the epicenter of Fridays quake, including a 2.0-magnitude one in Bedminster, NJ, around 1 p.m., the USGS said. Borys Hayda, managing principal at the structural engineering firm DeSimone Consulting Engineers, told The Post that Fridays quake was a significant earthquake, especially for the region. DeSimone Graham said an earthquake with the potential to cause significant damage on the East Coast is not impossible, but unlikely. Getty Images Ten more minor aftershocks have already happened in areas closer to Fridays quake epicenter, according to the government agency. AP New York Post cover for April 6, 2024. New York City sent out an emergency alert about the earthquake. Previously weve only seen earthquakes of magnitude 2, which is 100 times less severe than this one, said Borys Hayda, managing principal at the structural engineering firm DeSimone Consulting Engineers, to The Post on Friday. Its a significant earthquake, especially for this region, he said of Fridays temblor. The earthquake was the strongest to originate around the New York area since 1884. The United States Geological Survey estimated that there is a 38% chance of experiencing up to 10 aftershocks of 3.0 magnitude in the region within the next week. There is a 8% chance for up to one magnitude 4.0 and a 1% chance of a magnitude 5.0, according to its website. There is a 46% chance of a 3.0 magnitude aftershock to hit within a month. 4.0 Magnitude Aftershock Rattles New York Area With More Likely, Experts Say The aftershock followed a 4.8 magnitude earthquake Friday morning centered in New Jersey Spencer Platt/Getty Images New Jersey and New York City felt a 4.0 magnitude aftershock hours after an earthquake jolted the region on Friday morning, April 5. The aftershock struck about 7km (4.3 miles) southwest of Gladstone, N.J., per the U.S. Geological Survey, which classified it as a "notable quake" on X (formerly Twitter). Gladstone is roughly 50 miles from Manhattan. The quake rumbled through NYC and New Jersey around 6 p.m. local time, per The New York Times. Local officials advised residents to stay indoors and alert police if they are hurt. They noted that so far, there are no major damage reports," the outlet added. Related: NJ's Earthquake Could Be the Result of Uranus in Taurus and It's Just the Beginning, Per an Astrologer According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there's a 78% chance of a 3.0-magnitude aftershock in the next week, and a 16% chance of a 4.0-magnitude aftershock. The USGS advised residents of the areas to be ready for more earthquakes. The Empire State Building's official X account cautiously tweeted, "NOT AGAIN" to which Uber's account replied, "coming to check on you!" On Friday morning, a rare 4.8-magnitude earthquake was felt across the East Coast, 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. According to the Associated Press, more than 42 million people were affected by the quake with shaking felt in New York City, Boston and Philadelphia and surrounding areas, The Weather Channel reported. Related: Man Was in the Middle of His Vasectomy When Earthquake Struck: A Story to Tell for Years to Come 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. 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." 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. 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. 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. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. The death toll of Russian missile attacks against Zaporizhzhia in the afternoon of April 5 has risen to four, Governor Ivan Fedorov reported on April 6. Twenty-three people were injured. The victims who were killed included two men and two women. Two of them died in the hospital, the governor said. Eight of the injured have been hospitalized, four of whom are reportedly in serious condition. Among those hospitalized are two children aged nine and 17, Fedorov reported. According to the latest information, more than 40 buildings were damaged, including 24 houses, nine multi-story buildings, a dormitory, and a kindergarten. Zaporizhzhia, a city with a population of around 710,000, lies in Ukraine's southeast. Zaporizhzhia is subjected to regular Russian attacks due to its proximity to the front line. The city came under renewed missile attacks overnight on April 6, which inflicted no casualties but damaged industrial enterprises and a humanitarian assistance center. Read also: Air Force: Ukraine downs 28 drones, 3 missiles launched by Russia overnight Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. CANTON, Minn. Water shoots up from the hills of Vance and Bonnie Haugen's idyllic dairy farm here in a valley close to the Iowa border. That's why they named it Springside Farm in the '90s. Unfortunately, the nitrate shoots up here, too. Nitrate levels in the Haugens' water have steadily increased for the past 30 years, now ranging somewhere from 6 to 9 milligrams per liter of water every time they test their private well. The federal limit is 10 milligrams any more and the pollution becomes dangerous for humans, especially infants. Minnesota promised the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in December that it would act quickly to help residents in southeast Minnesota with dangerous levels of nitrate in their wells after the EPA urged the state to take action to protect people with polluted water. State efforts are underway to inform farmers and landowners of the dangers in their water, and agencies have put together a timeline to address the issue. But four months after the promises, Minnesota has yet to deliver clean drinking water to people most in danger. Moreover, some residents worry about how seriously the state will treat nitrate pollution in the future. "I want to have good, safe drinking water for myself and my children and grandchildren," Vance Haugen said. "And I want to farm, to be able to do both of those things. And I don't think they should be mutually exclusive." Nearly 100,000 private well owners in the region are waiting for Minnesota to make good on its promises to the EPA. The state is finalizing a contract to provide drinking water over the next few months to residents who are pregnant or have infants. Officials say they were initially hampered by funding issues but have since allocated about $25,000 toward the water. Starting in July, state agencies plan to provide free well testing and inventory all known private wells in the region. They'll also provide emergency fixes in areas where nitrate pollution is highest, meaning filtration systems and possibly new wells for landowners in some cases. All of that depends on funding. Minnesota's Health and Agriculture departments, as well as the state Pollution Control Agency, need more than $7 million from the Legislature this session to realize those goals. "We have never had a program like this before," said Tannie Eshenaur, director of the Department of Health's Water Policy Center. The state's efforts aren't good enough for many of the residents who petitioned the EPA to address nitrate pollution last year. They argue that Minnesota has had decades to solve the issue but hasn't made meaningful progress. A coalition of Winona County residents and organizations sent a letter to state leaders in February urging them to act more quickly, saying the delay in providing drinking water until summer was unacceptable. "We've heard 50 years of promises, all of them broken," said Jeff Broberg, a St. Charles resident and head of the Minnesota Well Owners Organization. "So we're taking a totally different stance on behalf of well owners now." Complex flows Minnesota has measured nitrate water pollution since 1990, though nitrate levels have largely risen across the state since then. While cities and towns have wastewater treatment plants to address pollutants in their water, private well owners aren't regulated. They have to treat water on their own. Nitrate pollution stems from large-scale agriculture manure and fertilizer about 90% of the nitrate in southeastern Minnesota's water comes from farming fertilizers spread on croplands, a state study found in 2013. The problem is where the fertilizers end up. The land in southeastern Minnesota is particularly porous and filled with sinkholes that allow runoff from fields to end up in groundwater. There are 10,000 sinkholes in Fillmore County alone, where more than 90 residents gathered March 27 to hear reports about nitrates from state officials. Some residents at the meeting in the tiny city of Fountain's community center expressed concerns over nitrate levels in their water; others dismissed nitrates as part of farm life. Ross Kramer of Fountain said he was paying attention to the issue but wasn't necessarily concerned about his property; nitrate levels there, he said, haven't been too high. But Kramer said does plan to have his well tested soon, once the state funding is available. "I haven't done it in a while," he said. "Plus, it's free." Many welcomed free well testing and more information from health, agriculture and environmental officials. But they were also cautious of the state's future work a task force to address current nitrate measures and feedlot rules among other environmental concerns. That could mean more regulations that could damage the small farms in the region, they said. The farmers drink the water here, too, they told officials, but they're operating on razor-thin profit margins, and further rules could hurt the local economy. It could take decades to reverse the region's nitrate pollution, state officials said. They told farmers that they plan to create new nitrate strategies that can be replicated for other parts of Minnesota facing similar issues. "The idea is just to make sure that we're hearing all perspectives, knowing that there's varying perspectives in this area," said Margaret Wagner of the Department of Agriculture. "An effective change" Minnesota officials want residents to participate in well testing, apply for water deliveries, if needed, and offer input on proposed changes such as bans on winter manure and fertilizer spreads. "We have an incredible track record in Minnesota of protecting customers of public water supplies," Eshenaur said. "Now it's time to turn attention to the people that depend on private wells." Some residents say the state is focusing on the wrong issues. Hydrologist Paul Wotzka said that Minnesota has taken too many "meaningless actions" that haven't stopped farm pollution from getting worse. "If you've been at it for 35 years and you can't show positive results ... forgive my impatience and dismay, but they never saw this coming?" he said. Wotzka owns about 10 acres in Weaver in Wabasha County, a mile or so from the Mississippi River. He and his wife grow crops on about a half-acre and keep a fruit orchard on another 7 acres. After eliminating the use of commercial fertilizer, Wotzka said, their water nitrate levels fell from 6 or 7 milligrams per liter when they bought the property in 1997 to about 1 milligram per liter today. He said Minnesota is too quick to blame nitrate issues on old wells built before federal pollution regulations were enacted. Instead, Wotzka said, the state must focus more on addressing water sources. "If we start cleaning up the aquifers through changing the land-use practices, the first water that's going to be impacted is the shallowest water and that's where the old wells are," he said. "We don't have an old well problem; we have a contaminated aquifer problem." At their farm in Canton, Vance and Bonnie Haugen work about 270 acres with their son, Olaf. They haven't used commercial fertilizer in more than a decade, and they rarely use spot pesticides. They also encourage neighbors to use cover crops and other alternatives to help keep the nearby land in good health. Still, they worry after reading newer research linking adverse health effects to drinking water with even lower levels of nitrate than the current 10 milligram standard: colorectal cancer, thyroid disease and neural tube defects. The Haugens said they hope the state will move faster on addressing nitrates, even if it ruffles farmers like themselves. They say farmers care about the environment because it's their livelihoods. "We're so interrelated and I think people are finally beginning to understand this," Bonnie said. "We've got to work on changing the narrative to get people to work together and make an effective change." Asawin_Klabma / Getty Images/iStockphoto When searching for somewhere to call home, you might consider costs for necessities like housing and food. But healthcare is also an important area to consider, with U.S. per-capita spending on healthcare being higher than in any other developed country, according to a World Economic Forum and Statista analysis of OECD data. Check Out: Pocket an Extra $403 Per Month With This Simple Hack Read Next: 3 Ways To Recession-Proof Your Retirement However, these high costs include a mix of government, private, and voluntary healthcare spending, and within the U.S., youll find that some states have much lower healthcare costs than others. In other words, you dont necessarily have to spend a ton of money on healthcare while still having necessities like health insurance. If youre looking to save money, consider the following states with the lowest healthcare costs, based on GOBankingRates research: JT Crawford / Getty Images/iStockphoto Kentucky With an average annual employee contribution of $4,307 for a family health insurance premium for employer-based health insurance, Kentucky has the lowest healthcare cost of living in the U.S. If you live in Kentucky and are looking for great healthcare too, you might visit the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital in Lexington. Its nationally ranked in several categories, such as ranking seventh in the U.S. for Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery, according to U.S. News & World Report. Learn More: 8 Rare Coins You Should Not Spend Check This: 9 Things the Rich Never Buy During the Holidays Sponsored: Credit card debt keeping you up at night? Find out if you can reduce your debt with these 3 steps Larry Fleury / iStock.com Arkansas Next on the list, Arkansas has an average annual employee contribution of $4,471 for family health insurance. Yet lower costs dont always mean residents can afford coverage; 8.4% of Arkansas population was without health care coverage in 2022, higher than the U.S. average, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Trending Now: 9 Things the Rich Always Buy During the Holidays Alexander Farnsworth / Getty Images/iStockphoto Maryland This state on the Eastern Seaboard has an annual average annual employee contribution of $4,781 for family health insurance. Plus, its home to one of the top hospitals in the country, Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, based on U.S. News & World Report rankings. DenisTangneyJr / iStock.com Alabama At $4,885 for an annual average annual employee contribution for family health insurance, Alabamas annual healthcare costs are one of the lowest in the U.S. However, Alabama is home to some of the unhealthiest cities in the U.S., like Montgomery and Mobile, according to a WalletHub report. Story continues Sabrina Gordon / Getty Images Tennessee Another southern state also makes the list, with Tennessees average annual employee contribution for family health insurance at $4,901. Although these costs are low, 9.3% of the population in Tennessee are uninsured, above the national average, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Read More: 10 of the Most Valuable Pennies Zillow Oklahoma The Sooner State has an average annual employee contribution for family health insurance of $4,972, which is lower than most U.S. states. They boast the Oklahoma Childrens Hospital OU Health, which has earned high marks in the U.S. News and World Reports rankings, such as for Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery. f11photo / Getty Images/iStockphoto Utah Just surpassing the $5,000 mark, Utahs average annual employee contribution for family health insurance comes to $5,010. In addition to having some of the lowest annual healthcare costs in the nation, Utah is home to five national parks the third most of any state in the country which can give residents a healthy outlet. However, Utah has the lowest number of primary care physicians per 100,000 residents, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Missouri While Missouris healthcare costs are relatively low, with an average annual employee contribution for family health insurance at $5,032, keep in mind that 111 of Missouris 114 counties are considered to be partial health professional shortage areas, according to the Cicero Institute. Translation: costs may be lower compared to other states, but finding care might be challenging in some instances. Read This: If You Find a Rare Doubled Die Penny, It Could Be Worth $1.14 Million welcomia / Shutterstock.com Idaho Idahos average annual employee contribution for family health insurance is $5,076, but this is another state facing a shortage of healthcare workers. According to the AAMC, Idaho has the lowest number of physicians per 100,000 residents, compared to every other state. Sean Pavone / iStock.com Georgia At an average annual employee contribution for family health insurance of $5,158, Georgia ranks #10 on the list of states with the lowest healthcare costs. However, Georgia has the second highest rate in the nation of uninsured adults under age 65, at 19.2% of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 10 US States With the Most Affordable Healthcare TOPEKA (KSNT) A group of workers for Topeka 501 are pushing for the right to unionize this week. The union would consist of special education bus drivers and the paras who help USD 501 students wither their school bus transportation. Teamsters Local 696 spokesman Matthew Hall says workers first brought their concerns forward in November 2023. Lack of respect at their workplace, lack of wages and a lack of pay at their workplace as well, Hall said. There wages have been stagnant and low in this industry. Were waiting on a response from the school board. we hope they make the right decision. We hope they extend the same rights that the city workers in Topeka have, Shawnee county workers, state workers as well. $150,000 Kansas lottery ticket waits for winner to claim it The USD 501 School Board met Thursday, April 4 to address the unionization but no confirmed decision was made on how to proceed. 27 News has reached out to the USD 501 School Board and the district for comment but has yet to receive a response. Topeka bus workers deserve to organize and collectively bargain for fair wages, safe working conditions, and better benefits, Hall said in a press release on April 5. These workers are simply asking for the same rights as workers have in the City of Topeka and Shawnee County. We appreciate the opportunity to make the case to the school board about why Topeka bus workers should be able to decide on union representationand we urge the school board to act swiftly in granting them that right. Teamsters Local 696 represents workers in northern Kansas including UPS workers, public employees, school bus drivers, sanitation workers and more. The organizations website can be found by clicking here. Defective laundry detergent packages recalled nationwide due to serious injury risk 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. 6 dead, at least 11 injured in Russian strikes on Kharkiv: Regional officials At least six people have died and 11 are injured after two Russian strikes hit Ukraines second-largest city Kharkiv Saturday, local officials said online. According to a post from Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, Russian rockets hit the city at midnight, while the people of Kharkiv were sleeping peacefully. Six people died. Another eleven civilians are currently in hospitals in the city, Terekhov said on Telegram, translated to English. Terekhov said at least nine apartment buildings, three dormitories, two kindergartens, two other schools, a gas station and other shops were all damaged in the strike. More than 3,600 windows were broken at once, he said. Local emergency officials, law enforcement and volunteer organizations are working at the destruction sites. Water has been restored to all houses in the area, he said. Russia is a killer state! And sooner or later she will answer for every life she destroyed, Terekhovs translated post said. U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink posted on X, formerly Twitter, about the strikes. Overnight Russia launched another attack against Kharkiv Ukraines 2nd largest city killing 6 civilians, injuring others & damaging homes & schools, Brink said in the post. There is not a second to lose to support Ukraines fight to defend its people from such horrific and unprovoked attacks. The strikes, first reported by Reuters, were partially intercepted by Ukraines military. The Ukrainian military posted on Facebook that its air defenses destroyed 28 of 32 drones and three of the six missiles launched their way. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. 73-year-old Utah woman faces charges after threatening to shoot workers, police say SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) A woman has been charged after allegedly threatening to shoot three workers in Summit County last week, pulling a pistol on them. Malinda Karn Deleone, 73, was charged Friday with three counts of aggravated assault, all third-degree felonies. READ NEXT: Experience Utah wildlife like never before at new, multi-million dollar Hogle Zoo exhibit The incident happened on March 27, when a Kamas City Police Officer said he responded to complaints of a woman with a gun, the affidavit states. Those who made the call reportedly told officers they were doing stonework near the roadway when a woman, later identified as Deleone, pulled up to them in her vehicle and confronted them about speeding. When one of the victims disagreed, Deleone allegedly screamed she would shoot them. She then allegedly pulled out a silver pistol and threatened again, according to the affidavit. On Wednesday, April 3, Deleone reportedly confirmed the incident with officers. Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. Abortion rights supporters have been on a hot winning streak in state ballot initiatives since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. Now here comes Florida. The Florida Supreme Court issued a pair of decisions earlier this week that upheld a strict abortion ban in the state and also cleared the way for Amendment 4, a November referendum on whether to enshrine the right to abortion in the Florida Constitution. Anna Hochkammer did much of the heavy lifting to get Amendment 4 on the ballot as executive director of the Florida Womens Freedom Coalition, but the job is getting only trickier amid the swirl of 2024 politics. Changing the Florida Constitution via referendum requires a 60 percent majority, which means Amendment 4 will need support from a lot of Floridians who would never back Joe Biden. Still, Hochkammer is optimistic about winning a bipartisan coalition of support after studying the 11 post-Dobbs elections that have centered on abortion rights; she found that a message promoting freedom succeeds. Floridians are interested in freedom personal freedom and that became one of the North Stars of the entire petition, she said in this weeks episode of Playbook Deep Dive. I sat down with Hochkammer for POLITICO Magazine to discuss the delicate relationship between abortion rights activists and the Biden campaign, why she thinks politicians need to use the a word when talking about abortion and whether she would want Donald Trump to endorse Amendment 4 and be an ally for her cause. This transcript has been condensed and edited for length and clarity. Florida's law on constitutional amendments is that they require 60 percent support. If Im not mistaken, the abortion issue hasn't hit 60 percent in any red state so far. How do you get to 60 percent in Florida? You get to 60 percent in Florida by being really focused about who you're talking to, how youre talking about abortion access and getting people to understand that it's an issue that transcends politics. You basically have to give people who are independents and Republicans permission to agree with you on this thing, to disagree with their individual candidate or their party, and to split that ticket if thats what they feel they need to do. Yes, 60 percent can be an intimidating threshold. Florida has passed referenda at the 60 percent threshold over and over again over the last decade. The Biden campaign this week argued after the Supreme Court's decisions that Florida was suddenly winnable. You just said that voters need to split the ticket. Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Bidens campaign manager, doesnt want people to split the ticket. She wants people to support your amendment and vote for Joe Biden. How does that complicate things? My election is to pass Amendment 4. I do not live in a hole in the ground. Were going to be on the November 2024 ballot in Florida, and all sorts of people and candidates in all kinds of races are looking at this as an opportunity for synergy. But Im not trying to be naive when I say that more people support abortion access than probably support Santa Claus. It would be a crazy thing in 2024 in Florida to not support Amendment 4. I dont look at it as threatening. I look at it as smart people who are reading the room and realizing that 75 percent of Floridians reject the six-week abortion ban. I would never look at any candidate who agrees with me on this issue and say, Please don't talk about Amendment 4 because you're running in a partisan race. I say: The more the merrier. Just make the tent as big as possible on this particular issue, and let individual candidates and campaigns find their own way. Would it help your campaign if Donald Trump came out and supported your amendment? I hope everyone who supports our amendment comes out and says so on the record, no matter who they are. Were in this situation because the Florida Legislature passed a 15-week ban, and then went back a year later and passed a six-week ban. We are just closing up another session of the Florida Legislature. If they had wanted to take this off the table, they could have simply undone it during the legislative session. In fact, Gov. Ron DeSantis could call a special session tomorrow on this issue, repeal the six-week ban, announce they got it wrong and take it off the table if they wanted to. Thats in their power to do. It seems to me that it would be good for your campaign if Trump came out in favor of Amendment 4. I want everybody who supports Amendment 4 to come out and say so whoever you are, whatever your name, whatever your party affiliation, whatever your religious background, if you support Amendment 4, I would hope that people would have the courage to say so and say so on the record. Im trying to tease this out of you because the politics are so tricky. This isnt an easy one for you, right? I think the politics are really straightforward on this because I'm lucky enough that Im working on an issue. Im not working on a campaign, per se. Im not working for a political party. Its one of the reasons why the Florida Womens Freedom Coalition has been doing such good work as part of the coalition to get Amendment 4 on the ballot and to get it to pass is that we are a single-issue PAC. We are a bipartisan PAC. We have advisers on board like our former [state] House Rep. Carlos Lacasa, whos come out very strongly in favor of Amendment 4. He can make very persuasive political arguments from his perspective as a conservative, Cuban, Catholic Republican, former elected official in Florida about why he thinks Amendment 4 is the right thing to do and why hes going to be voting for it. And keeping my arms wide open has done nothing except help this initiative. What is the relationship between voters who are enthusiastic about going to the polls and supporting Amendment 4, but who may not like Joe Biden? What does your polling say about this? Is the Biden campaigns enthusiasm warranted? Its really complicated. I would say that there are some elements of the moment here that are unique to November 2024. So its hard to draw conclusions about what Florida voters will do and what the voter universe will do inside the ballot box, because this is the first time that weve had the confluence of a statewide referendum on an issue in Florida that has coincided with a statewide or nationwide campaign that has chosen to focus on that exact issue. And I think that is probably the thing that makes this situation so hard to get a handle on. I think abortion access is the most compelling domestic political issue in America right now. Everyone in America is talking about it. I think that through a bunch of different actions at the local, state and national level, the presidential election has become a proxy election about abortion. That is really the thing that makes it different. I think youre going to have candidates, whatever their position on abortion, telling their voters, whether theyre in California, New York state, Texas or Florida, A vote for your presidential candidate is a vote on access to abortion. Its either banning abortion at the state level or wanting abortion access protected at a national level. And thats a pretty stark political choice to give people at the top of the ticket while simultaneously asking them to vote about an abortion amendment at the bottom. I dont know whether the bottom is going to push the top, or the top is going to push the bottom, but I certainly think that more people feel positively about access to abortion than they do about any particular political candidate. Let's talk about the amendment language. Theres an art to writing these things. Heres the language: No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patients health, as determined by the patients healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislatures constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion. How did you come up with those two sentences? The first thing I have to acknowledge is that a lot of the heavy lifting was done on writing that language by working groups. Most of them were people that were associated with Planned Parenthood and the ACLU or had worked on other statewide referenda at other times in Florida. Every state is its own universe when it comes to this sort of thing whats the law in the state where we are? Whats the process for getting something on the ballot? Whats the process for getting something to amend the constitution? Whats the legal history of the issue in our state? Then you have to figure out what you want to say, what you want to do. And then you have to poll it. When you have a disagreement between one noun and another noun, one verb and another verb, you really do have to spend the time and money polling these things to see whether moving a comma or changing an adverb changes what voters perceive of this language. And so you really do have a data-informed process. We didnt officially launch this petition drive until June 1. And the first half of 2023 was really spent circling the horses, organizing and figuring out what we wanted to do so that we could avoid some of the problems that other referenda have had across the country. We had the great advantage in Florida of being able to learn from other states. Tell us about that. What did you learn from the other post-Dobbs referenda? I looked at that Wisconsin Supreme Court race that got a ton of national attention and a huge amount of money was put into it. That was basically a proxy election about abortion access in Wisconsin. I think anybody who reads that election differently is choosing not to see whats right in front of them. So, I went through these 11 different elections that I considered either direct or proxy elections about abortion, and I tried to look for some common themes. I looked at the data not only in what their polling told them about their messaging and about the voter universe that they expected, but we were lucky enough to be able to do an autopsy afterward. My hypothesis about Florida is that as much as we like to underscore, you know, #FloridaMan, all the crazy stories out of Florida, Floridians do tend to follow some national trends. Were not so far off the median American voters point of view that that data isnt useful to us. One thing that became clear from the get-go was Floridians are interested in freedom personal freedom and that became one of the North Stars of the entire petition. The top takeaway from those 11 campaigns is that abortion access is really popular with Americans. A lot of us had been trained in the political world, even in the reproductive rights and human rights world, to kind of dance around the word abortion. Joe Biden recently did that. Yeah. For a long time in politics, reproductive health care and women's health care and women's rights sort of became synonymous with access to abortion. I think the evidence shows, at least in the way that voters behave across America, that abortion is not a dirty word. And that holds true everywhere whether its Kentucky, Ohio or California. And that holds true in Florida as well. The other thing we learned is that people find abortion somewhat ethically fraught. The idea that if you support abortion access, you are hardened to the human stories to the complicated feelings that people have about abortion does not bear out. And in fact, I would say most Americans acknowledge that abortion is complicated. Not just medical abortion, but elective abortion. The circumstances around each and every one of these abortions can be something that gives people pause. And interestingly, it seems to me that what we need to do in politics around abortion is lean into that by saying, It is complicated. It is fraught. Were not having a referendum about pap smears. Were not having a referendum about breast examinations. Nobody goes to a womens clinic and says, I need care. You walk in, and you ask for something very specific because you need it and thats an abortion. And so we need to be able to say the word, and have conversations with voters assuming that they are functional grown-ups. Because when we do that on this issue, we find that time and time again across America, they vote yes. Did it bother you that Joe Biden didn't use the word abortion in the State of the Union? One part of me says, Yes, I wish he'd used the word abortion in the State of the Union. And the other part of me, the grown-up, whos not selfish and is able to see the bigger picture, is amazed that about a minute-and-a-half of the State of the Union was about abortion access. Whatever euphemisms he chose to use, he talked about my issue in ways that I have not heard a president talk about abortion, ever. You know, the president of the United States is saying the issue thats my No. 1 priority is a No. 1 priority for him. I cant complain too much about that, frankly, even if it wasnt exactly the way I would want it to happen. Let's go back to the language. Help us understand the two sentences. Why this language? Its 49 words. Its two sentences. Its plain language. You know, viability has been defined under Florida statute since 1979. Its the Roe standard. So it is the most straightforward way, at least from a Floridian perspective, to talk about abortion access. And interestingly, its also the way that polls the best. People who find themselves in these circumstances with their doctors talk about the issue of viability, which is a very straightforward thing. Its the point at which you understand that the fetus will survive outside the womb without extraordinary medical intervention. And that is a fungible place. It depends on whats wrong with the fetus, whats wrong with a woman, and what sort of medical care is available. The opponents like to underscore that is a weakness in the issue. I actually think its a strength. I think its all the more reason why its a decision that should be made by a doctor, made by a medical team, made by a patient and her family with their health care provider and not arbitrarily defined somewhere far, far away by people who dont understand the context of any particular situation or case. So the first part of the sentence is about viability. And then the second part of the sentence is to protect the patient's health as determined by a health care provider. Correct. And the second sentence is a very straightforward sentence. Under the Florida standard, a constitutional amendment has to be single-subject. There is language in the Florida Constitution that grants the authority to the Legislature to require parental notification before a minor receives abortion services. And so we included that second line to make sure that it was clear to the Florida Supreme Court and to voters that this was a single issue, and it didnt affect that authority. Ironically, it also makes it poll better, because it makes it very clear to people that were not asking them to throw up their hands and give up any sort of parental oversight over the lives of their children, and people in their families. And its a fabulous thing to be able to tell people so clearly what we want for them in such a succinct language. I want to ask you about the opponents and what they are seizing on in the language. The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops is making two arguments. First, that abortions would be allowed at a point when a fetus can feel pain. And second, that it would legalize full-term abortions. How do you respond to that? Theres a lot of misinformation that were going to have to make sure that people understand. And once people understand the biology and the sociology behind pregnancy and childbirth, most people end up supporting our amendment. I dont want to go too far down the gynecological-obstetric route here. But I can say that those are not concerns that we have. We dont think that theres science to support those positions. And then the abortion up to birth thing is really just a misrepresentation of exactly what happens during pregnancy and childbirth. Third trimester abortions are just exceedingly rare. Theyre well under 1 percent of abortions that are conducted in this country. They are always the result of truly tragic circumstances. So the only response I can have to anybody faced with the issue of a possible third trimester termination is that we all need to mind our businesses and have tremendous compassion for those people because they are dealing with an outrageous human tragedy, and they should have the privacy to do so with their medical team and their family and their faith leader. And I hope it never happens to me or anyone that I love. Explain the other decision that the Florida Supreme Court issued on Monday, and what that means on a practical level for people in Florida. So, interestingly, the same day that they published the ruling on our abortion access referendum, the Florida Supreme Court published its ruling on the constitutionality of the 15-week abortion ban that was passed by the Florida Legislature about 18 months ago. It does not include any exceptions for rape or incest. It was challenged immediately on the grounds that it violates the state of Floridas right to privacy. Not content with the 15-week abortion ban, the Florida Legislature reconvened for the following session, and passed a six-week abortion ban. Now, a six-week abortion ban is, for all intents and purposes, a total abortion ban. The vast majority of women have no idea that theyre even pregnant at six weeks. And so in the middle of this statewide referendum, we are given the opportunity to paint a pretty clear political picture about what the choice is. The choice is either total abortion ban or access to abortion before viability and when necessary to protect the patients health. And I think its a winner for us. Its a human tragedy. I would imagine over the next eight to 10 months, were going to start hearing horror stories like those we've been hearing out of Tennessee and out of Texas, where they have similarly banned abortion at these very, very early stages. And youre going to hear stories of people bleeding out on the bathroom floors. Youre going to hear stories of women having to flee the state in order to get medical care. I have no particular desire to see the women of Florida suffer from these barbaric circumstances. But I do have to acknowledge that it does help my movement show people in no uncertain terms exactly what the options are in front of them. It is a tremendous political opportunity on top of a horrifying human crisis. When the six-week ban kicks in, what will the availability of medical abortions be in Florida? Thats still very to-be-determined. Of course, we have this entire group out there now that wants to revive the Comstock Act back from 1873 and make the mailing of anything it considers pornographic which, traditionally, includes birth control illegal. The six-week abortion ban contains language in it that is somewhat vague, but does make anybody who facilitates an abortion an accessory to a crime. So the question then becomes, whos facilitating? How are they facilitating? What counts as facilitating? One of the consistent strategies that Im seeing come out of this very extreme Florida branch of politics is writing these laws in ways that are quite broad and quite vague in order to intimidate people into not acting. Of course health care providers dont want to be arrested for serving their patients; husbands dont want to be arrested for driving their wives to a clinic or to a doctors appointment; and anybody who really cares about not ending up inside a courtroom and being accused of a terrible crime while providing healthcare to somebody is, I think, necessarily going to be stumped here. They want to make it as confusing, as frightening and as intimidating as possible. I think its entirely likely that were going to see people arrested, were going to see people accused of and defending themselves for simply helping their family members. Listen to this episode of Playbook Deep Dive on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. One evening early in Dan Oblingers career with the Wichita Police Department, he responded to a call he was unprepared for a woman dangling over the guardrail on the top floor of the Bank of America parking garage downtown, intent on ending her life. She felt alone, without hope. He didnt know what to do. He tried to tell her how she should feel and what she should do. That didnt help. That lasted probably 15 minutes, which doesnt sound like a long time but in that situation it feels like a lifetime, the 42-year-old said, reflecting back on a career that was greatly influenced by the events of that night. Then I shut up and started listening to her. She had some stuff to say so once I stopped trying to convince her and I couldnt say anything, because I didnt know what to say she actually started talking. Then I figured out you just have to ask some questions. She started to warm up to him, feeling like she wasnt all alone. This young, stupid cop, at least hes listening to me, he said. I got one guy. I got an audience of one. And what Ive found is that for most people, thats enough. It certainly was for her that night. That night changed the course of his life and career. Oblinger now knew his calling. He began studying negotiating and dealing with people in a mental-health crisis. Oblinger retired in February after nearly 22 years with the department, much of it in crisis negotiation and combating human trafficking. That career which has included implementing training for crisis negotiation and mental-health related calls that touches every officer in Kansas largest police department almost didnt happen. Oblinger had planned to be a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Wichita. But a quarter of the way through seminary, he felt pulled in a different direction. He left, got a criminal justice degree from Wichita State University and joined the police department. Its all about feeling called, he said. I felt called to go to seminary and then after discernment, after all the studying realized, I wasnt supposed to continue in the seminary. Just listening to the Holy Spirit. It was that night in the Bank of America parking garage about two years into his career that made him realize his calling. His faith came into play throughout his career, including in 2014 when he talked a woman out of jumping off the bridge at I-135 and Kellogg, then took her to pray at her childs grave before taking her to the hospital. Capt. Christian Cory said Oblinger is a practitioner of listening. The guy can relate to anybody, said Cory, who worked alongside Oblinger as a crisis negotiator for a decade. Theres instances where these people were ready to pull the trigger or jump off the building and Dans been able to talk to them and intercede and listen to them. Now he has a legacy thats going to continue to last and there is a lot of great young and old negotiators that can say, Hey, I was trained by Dan, I worked with Dan and now Im continuing this process of crisis negotiation and deescalation with the Wichita Police Department, Cory said. Oblinger, a 1999 Mulvane High School graduate, said hes proud of the small part he played in the police department, but every call is a team effort. When the woman was looking to jump from the Bank of America parking garage, other officers helped with family who arrived and rerouting traffic. When he responded to the woman in a similar situation on I-135 and Kellogg, a SWAT officer was by his side to protect him. When he successfully talked a man into uncuffing his roommate, dropping the gun and coming outside, other officers were there helping to relay details. And when he did undercover stings for human trafficking, he had a partner. Human trafficking In one instance, Oblinger and his partner, Travis Easter, now a captain, gathered enough evidence that police simultaneously raided 10 massage parlors, a house, an apartment and another business. It was 2010. Oblinger and Easter were following up on community tips as officers of the recently resurrected vice detective unit aimed at disrupting the burgeoning sex trafficking industry. Capt. Randy Landen, now retired, gave them radios and cars and said go figure things out, what needs to be done, Oblinger recalled, adding Landen told them they would have to build their case from scratch. Three people were indicted and sentenced in those cases. Oblinger and Easter also worked stings on businesses that led to prosecutions. Oblinger testified at cases of human traffickers both as a detective and later as a sergeant over detectives working those cases. Human trafficking, he said, includes children, massage parlor workers and prostitutes people see on the streets. The internet has made it more prevalent than ever, he said, both in Wichita and cities around the country. People are being recruited and enticed into human trafficking so they can be worked into the commercial sex industry, he said. Oblinger helped get three women out of the industry while working as the lead detective he oversaw more successful cases working as a sergeant over the unit for the last 10 years he was with the department. That was some of the most rewarding work I did for the police department, right alongside the hostage negotiator stuff, he said. Because thats long-term stuff. They get their life back. In one of those cases, a woman was being made to work as a prostitute by a violent man; another case involved an older woman who went from a sex worker to facilitating other sex workers before she had enough. If you have enough interactions with them over time, they begin to believe you when you say, You can get out if you want and I can help you, Oblinger said. They rarely believe you the first time you say that. But for one lady it was the second time and for (the older woman) it was like the 10th time. He added: This work is gentle persistence: Leave them better than you found them every time. Be different and have a clear contrast between you and their trafficker. Where what we do is based on consent, what they do is based on power and control. Oblinger said they also raided night clubs and did different stings, including on Broadway. He also helped get a city ordinance passed that allows officials to better regulate massage parlors. Weve gotten people into recovery, weve taken off traffickers, he said. Weve arrested a ton of buyers. Its important work and it continues after I leave. Training officers Oblinger helped write the curriculum to teach crisis negotiation and mental health training for cadets in the police academy. He also helped teach those courses to cadets and longer versions to officers who wanted to get certified in those areas. Those trainings equip every existing officer, many former and many more to come to better respond on calls. The Wichita Police Department is the largest in the state with over 600 officers. Oblinger and John Ryan, now a sergeant, in partnership with different organizations around the county, brought the mental health training to the police department in the late 2000s. The training, called Crisis Intervention Team, started in Memphis after a young Black man was killed there by police in 1987. The man, who had a knife, had a history of mental illness and cutting himself. The training has been proven to increase officer awareness of mental health, lower incidents with use of force, injuries and arrests by helping the officers steer the person to community resources, according to the Center for Police Research and Policy University of Cincinnati. Ryan, a 30-year veteran of the department, said the training saves lives. As sirens went off in the background while he worked a night in March, he said the training is more important than ever with drugs being more potent and cheaper than ever. About 500 officers in the county have taken the week-long class, Ryan said, adding that officers always gave the course great reviews. They are kind of a tough audience on ya. Dan was always well spoken of by the officers in training. If they dont think its relevant they come right out in telling you, Ryan said. Dan is a great teacher. I helped out with scenarios, role playing and all that, but Dans strength is talking to people and teaching and really getting people interested in something. Oblinger and Cory also helped train crisis negotiators and grew the team from four when they started to around 14 today. The team now includes a psychologist that helps diagnose what barricaded people might be suffering from. Its one of the best negotiator teams in the country, Oblinger said. Oblinger also trained others to teach a crisis negotiation course. The passion to learn more about crisis negotiation started with that call on the Bank of America parking garage early in his career. It was an intense situation to do by yourself as an officer with very little training and realizing that I had so much to learn. I felt totally inadequate, he said. She didnt jump, she chose to live That was a great feeling. That led me to start studying negotiations and mental health and de-escalation and the act of listening. Crisis negotiation Oblinger took the woman to the hospital and stayed with her until she got the help she needed. They talked about life. She mentioned she wanted to write a book. In a town of almost half a million people, theres people who feel all alone, he said. And probably everyone in town feels that from time to time. And how strange is that, right? She died several years later of a drug overdose, Oblinger said. About 10 years after the parking garage call, Oblinger responded to a similar call about a woman on the I-135 bridge over Kellogg. He had been a crisis negotiator for a few years at that point. She was on the phone and straddling the guardrail when he arrived. The woman, whose child had died, had called family to tell them she was going to end her life. Police rerouted traffic on I-135 and Kellogg as Oblinger talked to her for an hour. Its like the lowest level of ask for another human being is Hey, I will listen to you, he said. She wondered if ending her life would bring her closer to her child. Oblinger had gained her trust and offered up a suggestion: She could be with her child and he would take her there and pray alongside her. She came off the guardrail. They went to the grave and prayed. Oblinger told her to take all the time she needed. Then, he took her to the hospital. Oblinger got an email from her more than a year later, thanking him for what he did that day. I know she got to a better place, he said. Oblinger responded to hundreds of calls as a crisis negotiator. Calls, which have been increasing over the years, come on nights, weekends and holidays, he said. You have to have true passion to sustain that, Oblinger said, adding he stayed in it longer than most people do. In retirement, he will have more time to spend with his family his wife and six children. He plans to continue his business consulting with construction and engineering companies in listening and negotiating. The same principles apply in both police situations and business, he said, including managing emotions and working collaboratively. You dont get to choose how it ends During his police career, Oblinger also oversaw calls where intervention didnt succeed. Some people are just committed and they get to choose, he said. Fundamentally what makes crisis negotiation work hard is you dont get to choose how it ends. Just the nature of it, somebody else is choosing how it ends. Thats why your role is to listen, build a relationship, persuade. Everybody is on a sliding scale of cooperation in that process. Some people have a story to tell. Once they realize you are a genuine listener, things go pretty smoothly. Some people dont trust the police, they have ulterior motives, theyre up to stuff, theyre trying to prevent you from finding it out and they know they have to talk to you to keep SWAT at bay, but theyre engaged in complex deception. Crisis negotiators get thrown into the middle of a story and quickly try to gather details and get the person on the phone, which takes their focus off of any hostages. Any call they go to is a bad situation, but some are worse than others. One of the worst scenarios Oblinger responded to was a man holding his roommate hostage at gunpoint. The man had handcuffed the roommate to a banister after thinking the roommate stole his methamphetamine. He had fired a round before officers arrived at the home in 2015 near Harry and Oliver. The man had a history of mental health problems, had shot at someone the night before and had been in a chase with police days before. The veteran didnt have any respect for laws, Oblinger said. This one was all bad, he said. Your heart sinks as a negotiator when you find out it is that. Its super complex. After hours on the phone, including a three-way call with the 24-year-old suspect and 19-year-old hostage, Oblinger talked the man into freeing his roommate. But then the man barricaded himself inside after seeing SWAT. He tried to convince Oblinger that the police needed to leave, that they were violating his rights. Oblinger said, in this unique incident, the man wanted to know the exact charges he would be arrested on so Oblinger verified with his boss what those would be. The man agreed to put down the gun and surrender an hour after freeing his roommate. Its not all just holding hands and like youre amazing to people, Oblinger said. A lot of it is reality checks and setting expectations that are reasonable for people. In the beginning, its listening but once they know you are serious and they know that you are treating them like a human being and being fair with them, you tell them the truth. Otherwise, youll be there forever. People loved to be listened to. Air defence systems were responding to a Russian air attack in Kyiv Oblast on the night of 5-6 April. Source: Kyiv Oblast Military Administration Quote: "An air-raid warning continues. There is an ongoing missile attack. We ask everyone to stay in shelters. Air defence is responding in the oblast. Under no circumstances should you take photos or videos of our Defence Forces downing air targets or the fall of the targets." Support UP or become our patron! Ukrainian forces shot down 28 Shahed-type "kamikaze" drones, two Kh-101/555 cruise missiles, and a Kalibr cruise missile launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported on April 6. In total, Russian troops launched 32 Shahed-type drones from Kursk and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, three S-300 anti-aircraft missiles from Belgorod Oblast, two Kh-101/555 missiles from strategic bombers over Saratov Oblast, and one Kalibr missile from the Black Sea, according to the Air Force. The S-300 missiles targeted Kharkiv shortly after midnight, where they killed six people and injured 11, local authorities said. Nine residential buildings, a kindergarten, a cafe, and other buildings and civilian property were reported as damaged. Russian cruise missiles and drones targeted Kyiv Oblast but were all shot down, reportedly inflicting no casualties. Fallen debris started a fire in a non-residential building in one of the settlements of the oblast, the regional military administration reported. The city of Zaporizhzhia also came under a Russian missile attack. Governor Ivan Fedorov said that no people were injured, but the strike reportedly damaged an aid center for displaced residents of occupied Melitopol and industrial enterprises. Ukrainian cities saw an uptick in Russian missile and drone attacks in the past weeks as Kyiv faces air defense ammunition shortages. Moscow's troops have been intensifying strikes namely against the country's energy infrastructure. Read also: UPDATE: 6 killed, 11 injured in Russian attack on Kharkiv Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Airplane passenger fined for urinating in a cup and then spilling it on a flight attendant, says report Airplane passenger fined for urinating in a cup and then spilling it on a flight attendant, says report An Air New Zealand passenger has been fined for urinating into a cup, Stuff reported. The flight was held on the tarmac at Sydney Airport for some 20 minutes while waiting for a gate. A mother said she and her daughter, 15, were sitting next to the man when he exposed himself. A passenger aboard an Air New Zealand flight from Auckland to Sydney has been fined for urinating into a cup during a delay in deplaning. The incident occurred in December but only recently became public knowledge after Stuff, a New Zealand news website, reported that a passenger in the same row, identified as Holly, said she had reported the behavior to the flight attendants. Officials told Stuff on Friday that a Sydney court had fined a 53-year-old man 600 Australian dollars ($395) for the offensive behavior. It was the latest episode of a growing trend in bad behavior on planes. Holly and her 15-year-old daughter had been sitting in the aisle and middle seats when the unidentified man, sat in the window seat, began urinating into a cup, Stuff reports. Upon landing, the flight spent around 20 minutes waiting on the tarmac to be assigned a gate. Holly told Stuff: "There was no mistaking what the sound was, and I just looked straight at my daughter, and my daughter looked straight at me. He pulled his naked penis out next to us at least three times." She and her daughter then went to the back of the plane to inform the flight attendant what was going on, Stuff reports. The man followed them, supposedly to dispose of the urine down the toilet, said Holly, who believed he had had too much alcohol. But "as he was walking, he was obviously quite drunk by this point; he spilled a good amount of his urine onto the flight attendant at the end of the plane as well because he tripped," she said, per Stuff. After the incident, the plane was further delayed to wait for Australian Federal Police to arrive. The police escorted the man off the plane, as well as Holly and her daughter. "We were humiliated," Holly said, per Stuff. According to a Business Insider report in December incidents of unruly and anti-social behavior on planes are trending upward. Globally, there was one report of a passenger incident per 568 flights in 2022, up from one per 835 flights in 2021, according to the most recent data released by the International Air Transport Association. Aviation security expert Jeffrey Price told BI's Natalie Musumeci that the "stress of air travel," grueling flight delays "where passengers aren't being consistently informed about what's happening," not having enough leg room in airplane seats, travelers reclining their seats all the way back, and "in some cases, arbitrary rules invented by crew members" can all "contribute to the problem." On Sunday, in another report of unruly behavior, a man aboard a KM Malta Airlines flight from Berlin to Malta urinated on the floor of the plane after ignoring the cabin crew's orders to wait until the seatbelt had been switched off to go to the toilet. Andreas Heize, 49, was arrested when the plane touched down. He has pleaded guilty in court and said he regretted his drunken actions. An Air New Zealand plane. DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images Holly has also made a formal complaint to Air New Zealand who responded three months later after numerous follow-ups saying that compensation was not an option, Suff reports. She said her daughter now no longer feels comfortable flying alone. Air New Zealand's chief operational integrity and safety officer, David Morgan, told Business Insider, "We will not stand for abhorrent behavior that impacts other customers and our staff." Morgan said Air New Zealand bans between five and 10 customers monthly for disruptive and unacceptable behavior, including intoxication. Vance Hilderman, CEO of aviation consulting firm AFuzion, told BI that bad behavior by airline passengers is "unfortunately" the "new normal." Correction: April 11, 2024 An earlier version of this story misstated the name Air New Zealand as New Zealand Air. Read the original article on Business Insider Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, turns to listen to a proposed amendment to the state budget on Monday, April 3, 2023, at the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) The Alaska House of Representatives on Friday voted down a proposal by Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, to create a universal health care system open to all residents without regard to cost. Speaking on the House floor, Gray said, The time has come for drastic action. We need to blow up the Alaska health care system. Grays proposal, introduced as an amendment to an unrelated health care bill and billed as a single-payer system, was ruled out of order by Speaker of the House Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, and Tiltons ruling was upheld by a 23-14 vote. The decision denied legislators a chance to speak on the merits or negatives of the proposal. Its extraordinarily unusual for the House to make major policy changes via floor amendment, but it has happened before. Earlier this year, the House voted to raise the states age of sexual consent via a handwritten floor amendment. That decision has not been finalized. Speaking after Fridays vote, Gray said he viewed the health care amendment as the first step toward legislative action in 2025 and that he offered it with an eye toward this falls legislative elections. Im a freshman legislator. There are many things that I want to do that I just havent found the right approach to. I have told lots of folks that if I get reelected, I want to work on health care, he said after the vote. Grays amendment would have required the Alaska Department of Health to design and implement a single-payer health care program that would offer full health care, including but not limited to vision, dental, mental health treatment, prescription drugs and hospice care. Sen. David Wilson, R-Wasilla, is chair of the Senate Health and Social Services Committee and the sponsor of the bill targeted by Grays amendment. Wilson noted several technical flaws with the wording of Grays amendment, including what he called a fundamental misunderstanding of how the state currently offers Medicaid. Before implementing universal care, Alaska would have to first switch from a fee-for-service model of health care to one of managed care, Wilson said. The United States is the only developed country in the world without a universal health care system, and no American state has implemented one despite dozens of proposals. Vermont passed a single-payer law in 2011, but that states governor canceled the proposal over cost concerns in 2014. California legislators have repeatedly considered the concept, but the latest idea has also lost support amid a state budget deficit. According to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and published by Kaiser Family Foundation, Alaskans spent an average of $13,462 per person for health care in 2020. Gray said that based on a 2022 estimate of Californias single-payer health care costs, a single-payer system in Alaska would cost about $10,000 per person. The post Alaska House rejects universal health care proposal from Anchorage Democrat appeared first on Alaska Beacon. Almost half of Tory councillors think Government is too Left-wing Just one in five councillors is satisfied with the performance of Rishi Sunak's Government, according to the poll - Danny Lawson/AFP Almost half of Tory councillors believe the Government is too Left-wing, a poll has found. More than two thirds 65 per cent are dissatisfied with the national party, according to the survey of 391 Conservative councillors across the country. The findings come amid warnings that the local elections on May 2 will be a bloodbath, with councillors fearing they will pay the price for the Governments failings. The poll, conducted by Savanta, found that just one in five councillors is satisfied with the Governments performance, while the majority 54 per cent are dissatisfied. Claire Bullivant, the chief executive of the Conservative Democratic Organisation, which represents grassroots Tories, said the true level of disenchantment among councillors was likely to be far higher than the poll suggests. In my experience, most Conservative councillors follow the Ronald Reagan principle and will never berate a fellow Conservative or talk down our party publicly, she said. So even though these figures paint a bleak picture, Im sure theyre actually even bleaker in reality. The research was commissioned by Labour Together, a think tank that is contributing to Labours election strategy. It found that 47 per cent of those polled believe the Conservative party is too Left-wing, compared to just 24 per cent who say it is too Right-wing. Twenty-six per cent said the party has the balance about right, and three per cent said they did not know. Ms Bullivant, who also edits Conservative Post, a grassroots publication, said: I have a lot of readers who are councillors, and I hear their dissatisfaction on a daily basis. You have to remember these guys are our Conservative army who are in the trenches day in and day out, pounding the pavements, doing the donkey work and talking to the public on the doorsteps for very little reward or compensation. However, off the record they tell me they are sick of defending Rishi, who isnt stopping the boats and isnt delivering on key conservative issues. Many tell me they know May 2 will be a bloodbath and theyre devastated theyll lose their positions. They know theyre in the firing line paying the price for Rishis failings. Grassroots running out of patience Josh Simons, director of Labour Together, said: Just weeks from the local elections, this polling underscores the scale of discontent among Conservative councillors. Unhappy with the direction the country is going in, fed up with leaders too weak to lead, and tired of self-defeating budget cuts imposed by Whitehall, the Tory grassroots is running out of patience. Chris Hopkins, the political research director at Savanta, said the views of councillors tended to be a proxy for grassroots sentiment, adding: Ultimately, there is just not a lot of satisfaction with how things have gone for the Conservative Party. We are definitely seeing in national polling a real switch towards Reform at the moment from Conservative voters there is an idea that the Conservative Party dont really represent conservative values as much as before. The issue of immigration is absolutely driving a significant proportion of voters to Reform. It is not necessarily that the Conservative party are seen as pro-immigration, but that they havent delivered on their anti-immigration rhetoric. One former Cabinet minister said they were pleasantly surprised by the results of the poll which show how well the Government is doing, all things considered. They added: Councillors are looking at losing their seats. I think we are in the business of expectation management at this stage, and the lower we manage expectations, the better. There arent any rabbits to be pulled out of hats. It is that lack of oomph in the Government that is a real problem? Can it get oomph between now and the May elections? No. Can it get oomph between now and the general election? Possibly. A Government source said it can be judged on its actions, adding: The alternative is Keir Starmer, who has no plan, only a French-style wheeze to attack business and destroy jobs, and would take us back to square one. 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. In this article, we will go over the 25 countries with the highest GDP growth rate in the world. If you want to skip our discussion about the global economy, go to 11 Countries with the Highest GDP Growth Rate in the World. While the global economy is starting to recover from the effects of the pandemic, political crises seem to hinder the recovery. The Russian-Ukraine conflict has added to countries' vulnerabilities to food supplies as both countries are major global suppliers of grains and edible oil. For perspective, in 2019, the two together produced almost 30% of durum wheat, 25% of non-durum wheat and 25% of refined sunflower oil. In addition, they together produced 71% of crude sunflower oil during that year. Russia's invasion of Ukraine also drove unprecedented turmoil in international energy markets as supply restrictions were imposed. Natural gas prices peaked in mid-2022 when they were as much as ten times the normal price. The Israel-Hammas conflict has also created an atmosphere of uncertainty throughout the world. According to experts, this conflict can disrupt the world economy and even tip it into recession if more countries get involved. Despite all the concerns and economic headwinds, Asian economies and markets collectively performed well compared to other economies. However, the property market crisis in China has started to impact global markets and might affect Asian economies negatively as well. As per Bloomberg's report on February 9th, Chinese investors and their creditors are selling their real estate holdings across the globe as they are in dire need of raising cash. In addition, Barry Sternlicht, the chairperson of Starwood Capital Group already reported that more than $1 trillion had already been wiped off of office property values due to borrowing cost hikes worldwide. According to a report by the IMF, the global economy is projected to grow by 3.1% in 2024 and 3.2% in 2025. While the growth rate is expected to increase in 2025, it will remain below the historical average of 3.8%. This slowed growth is attributed to the worldwide monetary policy tightening, among other factors. The GDP growth rate for advanced economies is expected to decline slightly from 1.6% in 2023 to 1.5% in 2024. However, these economies are expected to rise again in 2025 with a 1.8% growth rate. For longer term forecasts you can see the 25 Largest Economies in the World by 2040. High-interest rates amid rising inflation have affected many industries negatively. This is particularly true for the real estate sector, as high mortgage costs and a weaker business environment drove down the demand for houses. In addition, the retail sector suffered from decreased demand as consumers had less disposable income. Technology, media, and telecommunication industries are also highly dependent on debt and face higher borrowing costs, which negatively affect their profitability. Rising interest rates are good news for banking companies, such as Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC). The bank and its subsidiaries offer banking and financial services worldwide. Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) reported on January 12 that its revenue for the fiscal year 2023 reached $98.58 billion, up from $94.95 billion in 2022. Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) also reported that its net interest income reached $56.93 billion in 2023, up from $52.46 billion in 2022 Another bank benefiting from high-interest rates is Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC). It offers a range of banking, investment, mortgage, and commercial and consumer financial products. Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC)'s revenue for the year 2023 reached $82.59 billion, up from $74.36 billion in 2022. The net interest income of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) grew by 16.5% year over year, earning the company $52.37 billion. African and Asian countries constitute the majority of the countries on our list of the 25 countries with the highest GDP growth rate in the world. Except for a few, these countries have less than half a trillion GDP, and a substantial number of countries are among the poorest in the world. This is in accordance with the idea of convergence in economics. It is a hypothesis that poorer economies' per capita income tends to grow at faster rates than the richer economies. It implies that developing countries have the potential to grow at a faster rate than developed countries because of diminishing returns in developed economies. With that backdrop, let's look at the 25 countries with the highest GDP growth rate in the world. 25 Countries with the Highest GDP Growth Rate in the World Jirsak/Shutterstock.com Methodology To curate our list of the 25 countries with the highest GPD growth rate in the world, we relied on data from the International Monetary Fund. We utilized the latest figure of the real GDP growth rate for each country and selected the top 25 countries for our list. As a tie-breaker, we used the overall GDP of the country. So, if countries A and B have the same GDP growth rate but country B has a higher GDP, it ranks higher on our list. By the way, Insider Monkey is an investing website that tracks the movements of corporate insiders and hedge funds. By using a similar 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 looking for the best stocks to buy you can benefit from the wisdom of hedge funds and corporate insiders 25 - Kenya Real GDP Growth Rate - 5.3% Kenya is one of the countries with the highest GDP growth rate. The country recorded an average growth rate of 4.5% for the decade ending in 2022, which was higher than the 3% average of Sub-Saharan Africa. 24 - Antigua and Barbuda Real GDP Growth Rate - 5.4% Antigua and Barbuda is experiencing a high GDP growth rate, thanks to the tourism and construction activity in the country. The country has a primarily service-based economy. 23 - Uzbekistan Real GDP Growth Rate - 5.5% Uzbekistan is 23rd on our list of the 25 countries with the highest GDP growth rate in the world. The country has a relatively closed economy, but its economy has been growing steadily because of its vast natural resources of oil, natural gas, and gold. 22 - Guinea Real GDP Growth Rate - 5.6% Although Guinea is one of the poorest countries in the world, it is part of our list. The country has one of the largest bauxite reserves in the world, along with significant iron, gold, and diamond reserves. However, much of the potential of the country remains untapped because of underdeveloped infrastructure. 21 - Uganda Real GDP Growth Rate - 5.7% Uganda is primarily a service sector country, as it accounts for more than half of its GDP. Other significant sectors in the country include Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, which account for 27% of the GDP. 20 - Vietnam Real GDP Growth Rate - 5.8% Vietnam is 20th on our list of the countries with the highest GDP growth rate. Its economy saw a high 8% growth rate at the end of 2022, but falling exports because of monetary tightening in developed countries slowed down the growth rate in 2023. 19 - Philippines Real GDP Growth Rate - 5.9% The Philippines' GDP growth rate in 2023 outpaced major Asian economies such as China and Malaysia. In 2024, its government projects a faster growth rate of as much as 7.5%. 18 - Burundi Real GDP Growth Rate - 6% Burundi is one of the countries with the highest GDP growth rate in the world. However, it is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a high dependence on foreign aid as it accounts for half of the government's budget. 17 - Djibouti Real GDP Growth Rate - 6% Although Djibouti is one of the poorest countries in the world, with 75% of the population living below the poverty line, it is one of the countries with the highest GDP growth rates. The country is highly dependent on the tax revenue from in-transit trade flow as it is located in one of the busiest maritime trade routes. 16 - Bangladesh Real GDP Growth Rate - 6% Bangladesh ranks 16th on our list of the 25 countries with the highest GDP growth rate in the world. The country has seen remarkable growth recently, with an average of 7% growth over the last decade. Bangladesh has relied on its textile industry as a growth engine for the economy. However, it is a net oil-importing country which led to the slowdown of economic growth in 2023 amid fuel price hikes. 15 - Cambodia Real GDP Growth Rate - 6.1% Cambodia's economy has been growing at an average annual growth rate of 6.9% from 1994 until 2023. Its economy mostly depends on agriculture, but in recent years the importance of manufacturing has been growing. The country is also taking advantage of its fast-developing tourism sector. 14 - Tanzania Real GDP Growth Rate - 6.1% Tanzania is 14th on our list of the 25 countries with the highest GDP growth rates. It is among the largest economies in Africa, with a heavy reliance on the agricultural sector. 13 - Gambia Real GDP Growth Rate - 6.2% Although Gambia is among the poorest countries in the world, its economy has been growing steadily in recent years. The growth is brought about by the development of the tourism sector and the inflow of remittances. However, the country is still heavily reliant on agriculture, and 75% of its population depends on crops and livestock. 12 - Ethiopia Real GDP Growth Rate - 6.2% Ethiopia is 12th on our list of the 25 countries with the highest GDP growth rate in the world. In recent years, the country has succeeded in opening the economy to foreign direct investments, which has resulted in the expansion of commercial agriculture and manufacturing industry. Click to continue reading and see the 11 Countries with the Highest GDP Growth Rate in the World. Suggested articles: Disclosure: none. 25 Countries with the Highest GDP Growth Rate in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey. Florida voters will decide this November whether recreational marijuana should be legalized for adult use. But if the measure passes, what happens next? The state Supreme Court signed off Monday on ballot language for the proposed constitutional amendment. If at least 60% of voters approve the measure, it will usher in an expected multibillion-dollar industry and open the marijuana market to consumers beyond those who have gotten a referral from a doctor as the law currently requires. If passed, Florida will join 24 states that have legalized recreational pot. Here are seven key questions about Amendment 3, answered. Will it smell like weed everywhere if the amendment passes? Top Florida officials say one of the major concerns with the ballot initiative now before voters is marijuanas pervasive stench. This is going to be part of your community, Gov. Ron DeSantis said recently. Ive gone to some of these cities that have this everywhere. It smells. The extent of marijuanas odor is really a question of where Floridians will be allowed to smoke. Will recreational marijuana actually be everywhere should it become legalized in November? Supporters of the amendment say the Florida Legislature can create smoke-free zones, as they have with tobacco. In 2022, for example, lawmakers passed a bill allowing local communities to ban smoking and vaping at the states beaches. Measures like these followed a 2002 state constitutional amendment approved by voters banning smoking in most enclosed indoor workspaces. The Florida Constitution and the proposed amendment expressly empower the Florida Legislature to enact time, place, and manner regulations of marijuana usage in public places, a spokesperson for Smart & Safe Florida, the group sponsoring the ballot initiative, said in a statement. A portion of the amendment says that nothing in its language prohibits the Legislature from passing laws consistent with the amendment. Marijuana will also remain illegal at the national level, meaning smoking will still be forbidden on federal lands and college campuses that get federal funding. But DeSantis said he interprets the amendment to mean the Legislature cant regulate the personal recreational use of marijuana at all. Marijuana use, which under the proposal would be allowed for those 21 and older, would not be subject to any criminal or civil liability or sanctions under Florida law, the amendment says. Possession of up to 3 ounces for personal use would be permitted. Will the number of marijuana users rise? Yes, its likely. A 2021 study examined marijuana consumption patterns in states that had legal medical marijuana, then added recreational pot. Researchers found that the odds of cannabis use in the past month rose among white and Hispanic people ages 21 and older in states that legalized recreational use. However, Black residents did not see their odds of use increase, according to the researchers, who analyzed national survey data on more than 838,000 people. Nor did it rise among those ages 12 to 20, who were still barred from recreational use. In a 2022 study of identical twins, researchers found that people living in states that legalized recreational marijuana used cannabis 20% more frequently than those living in states where it remained illegal. Could car crashes increase? Possibly. Researchers have yet to come up with a definitive answer on whether legalizing recreational marijuana causes an increase in traffic injuries. A 2017 study found that three years after Washington and Colorado legalized weed in 2012, their fatal crash rates were not statistically different from those in similar states with no recreational marijuana. But the same researchers in a larger 2019 study found that Washington and Colorado did see significant increases in fatal crash rates after commercial dispensaries opened in 2014. Experts at the Virginia-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in a 2022 study found that Colorado, Washington, Oregon and California saw increases in injury crash rates after legalization and the start of marijuana sales, while Nevada experienced a decrease. Yet only Colorado and Oregon recorded a bump in their fatal crash rates: a 1.4% increase and 3.8% increase, respectively. The other three states saw small declines. Scientists know that marijuana can cause drivers to have difficulty judging the distance between vehicles, which leads them to slow down, said Charles Farmer, one of the studys authors and vice president of research at the institute. But they have yet to determine the blood level of THC, marijuanas main psychoactive ingredient, that results in impairment, he said. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles says driving while impaired by drugs is illegal, but, unlike with alcohol, there is no specific impairment limit with marijuana. Some states, including Colorado, have launched public campaigns to warn drivers not to get behind the wheel while high, Farmer said. Whether its worked or not, I dont know, he said. Why has marijuana policy been left up to voters? The Legislature has historically been hostile to legal marijuana. Even after voters approved an expansion of medical cannabis via a 2016 constitutional ballot initiative, it took lawmakers more than two years to pass legislation allowing for smokable medical pot. Since then, lawmakers have looked to restrict the potency of marijuana in numerous bills, and the Legislature has never seriously considered passing a law legalizing cannabis for recreational use. The DeSantis administration has also been slow to award companies the medical marijuana licenses required by statute. To date, there are nearly 878,000 patients and 25 licensed treatment centers with more than 600 dispensaries. Twenty-two additional licenses are reportedly expected to be awarded this year. Where can you buy recreational weed if voters approve the amendment? State medical marijuana licenses are awarded to companies that are required to handle every part of the marijuana supply chain from seed to sale. Its an expensive but highly lucrative proposition for the companies lucky enough to get a piece of the action. Some Florida licenses have been sold to other firms for tens of millions of dollars. The initiative before voters which has been funded almost entirely by the largest Florida medical marijuana company, Trulieve would, at least initially, give licensed medical marijuana companies the exclusive rights to sell recreational pot. Theyd likely start selling out of existing medical marijuana dispensaries. Floridas combined medical and recreational marijuana industry will make an estimated $8 billion to $10 billion in annual revenue, said Nic Easley, chief executive officer and founder of 3C, a national and international cannabis consulting company in Denver. This really is a way to let a small number of people make a lot of money, said state Rep. Randy Fine, a Brevard County Republican who opposes the ballot initiative. Could the Legislature change the way the market works? Other states like Colorado dont force marijuana companies to grow, process, manufacture and sell pot the way Florida currently does. Were voters to approve the recreational marijuana measure, the Legislature could always tweak the law, opening the market to smaller companies. But Fine, whos running for state Senate this November, said he doesnt expect the Legislature to take up any sweeping regulatory changes that would affect the structure of the marijuana market. Instead, he expects his colleagues to focus on any safety concerns associated with legalized recreational pot. In the world of recreational cannabis, big medical marijuana companies will likely continue to dominate the market, said Easley, the cannabis industry consultant. Another Russian attack on Kharkiv claims 1 life, leaves more injured The banner reads: Kharkiv is a Hero City. Photo: Dmytro Larin. Ukrainska Pravda Russian forces attacked the Shevchenkivskyi district of the city of Kharkiv on Saturday afternoon (6 April), claiming one life and leaving more civilians injured. Source: Oleh Syniehubov, the Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration; Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov on Telegram Quote from Syniehubov: "The invaders attacked Kharkiv's Shevchenkivskyi district. Early reports indicated that one person had been killed and another injured. There is damage to civilian infrastructure, a car caught fire. Specialised services are inspecting the area." Details: Terekhov referred to early reports indicating that the Russians had used guided bomb units (GBUs) for the attack. The mayor also noted that, apart from one dead person, "there are injured in the strike". He provided no details on the number of injured. Updated: Syniehubov later reported that two civilians, a 66-year-old man with an acute injury and a 12-year-old girl with an acute stress reaction, sought medical assistance following the Russian attack on Kharkiv. An educational establishment and residential buildings were damaged. Background: Seven people were killed and 11 injured in a Russian nighttime attack on Kharkivs Shevchenkivskyi district. Support UP or become our patron! The anti-Ulez protest took place near Sadiq Khan's home - Jamie Lorriman for The Telegraph Multiple anti-Ulez protesters have been arrested near Sadiq Khans home after police ordered them to disperse. There were chaotic scenes on Saturday as officers pinned a number of demonstrators to the ground at the scene, marching down the street in a line to force people to leave the area. It came after campaigners hostile to the London Mayors ultra-low emission zone announced plans to stage a KHANAGE @ KHANS demonstration near Mr Khans home in Streatham, south-west London. The event was part of a campaign to highlight what they said was the damage done to motorists by the policy in the run-up to the London mayoral election next month. Around 100 demonstrators, with accompanying vehicles including a bus and a fire engine, waved banners and used loudhailers but were swiftly issued with a S42 dispersal order by police, who were there in large numbers. They were told to disperse on the basis they were causing alarm and distress. It comes amid heightened concerns about demonstrations outside politicians homes. Police marched down the street in a line to force protesters to leave the area - Jamie Lorriman for The Telegraph Police gave the protesters 10 minutes to disperse. They also imposed conditions under S14 of the Public Order Act. Some time after that window, the protest leader told colleagues they should leave, but by that stage some appeared to be close to the advancing police line and were dragged to the ground and arrested shortly afterwards. Seven were arrested in total, six under the Public Order Act and one for obstructing a highway. An officer could be seen putting out a smoke bomb with a fire extinguisher. One eyewitness, who asked not to be named, said: The police were coming from every direction by the time it kicked off, dozens and dozens of them. As London Mayor, Mr Khan is the equivalent of an elected police and crime commissioner for the Metropolitan Police. Before the commotion, Claire Dyer, one of the protesters at the demonstration, told The Telegraph: Were not causing anyone alarm and distress. Were just standing round making our message heard. Were not going anywhere near Sadiqs house. An officer could be seen putting out a smoke bomb with a fire extinguisher - Jamie Lorriman for The Telegraph In December, Just Stop Oil protesters who gathered outside the Islington home of Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, to sing climate change-inspired Christmas carols were ordered to move on. There has also been outrage in recent months over the tactics of pro-Palestinian protesters who have targeted MPs family homes, including that of Tobias Elwood in Bournemouth. Mr Khan, who is campaigning for an unprecedented third term as Mayor, has a team of roughly 15 police officers protecting him around the clock. He recently said in an interview that he receives threats from a number of sides. In March a man was given a suspended prison sentence after calling police and saying that the Mayor was going to get shot in the head. Commander Colin Wingrove said: Protests outside or in the vicinity of peoples homes are not acceptable. Public figures and their families should be able to go about their daily lives without feeling threatened or intimidated. There are plenty of appropriate places to protest in London. Anyone who chooses to target a private home or nearby can expect to be dealt with by officers. 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. MEMPHIS, Tenn. A California man was arrested on drug charges after a Crittenden County traffic stop revealed nearly 300 pounds of marijuana. On March 27 at 5:30 p.m., Arkansas State Police pulled over a tan freightliner motorhome near the 278-mile marker in Crittenden County, Ark., for a traffic violation. While searching the motorhome, troopers discovered several duffle bags containing 298 pounds of marijuana. (Photo courtesy of the Arkansas State Police) (Photo courtesy of the Arkansas State Police) The driver, 55-year-old Antranik Keshisian, is a resident of North Hollywood, California. Reports say he claimed to be traveling from California to Florida when he was stopped. Keshisian was taken into custody and transported to Crittenden County Detention Center. 3 arrested, accused of firing shots at Lafayette County deputy He is facing charges such as Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Failure to Register a Vehicle with Expired Tags. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. The former Vice President of Ecuador, Jorge Glas, sits in front of the national flag in his office. Daniel Tapia/dpa Security forces in Ecuador forced their way into the Mexican embassy in Quito and arrested former Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Glas, prompting Mexico to suspend bilateral ties. Mexico is breaking off diplomatic relations with Ecuador with immediate effect and will bring a case before the International Court of Justice, Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena said on Friday evening. Glas, who is wanted for corruption, had been residing for months in Mexico's embassy in the Ecuadorian capital. The Mexican Foreign Ministry announced earlier Friday it would grant Glas asylum, enraging Ecuador. Ecuador's presidency said Mexico was violating international agreements, and said that Glas was the subject of an arrest warrant for embezzlement that needed to be acted upon and would not be authorized to leave Ecuador. Foreign Minister Barcena accused Mexico of committing a "flagrant and serious violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations" by forcibly entering the Mexican embassy to get Glas. Glas was vice president of Ecuador during the second term of office of left-wing president Rafael Correa, who left the post in 2017. Correa was convicted in absentia in 2020 as part of a sweeping political corruption investigation and now lives in Belgium. Glas was already found guilty in late 2017 of accepting bribes in exchange for awarding public contracts to the Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht. He was sentenced to a total of eight years in prison, but was released early two years ago due to the poor security situation in Ecuador's prisons. For the past several months he has been ensnared in a separate embezzlement case for which an arrest warrant was issued. Relations between Mexico and Ecuador have soured over the past week. On Thursday, Ecuador's conservative government under President Daniel Noboa declared the Mexican ambassador persona non grata. This was prompted by left-wing Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador saying that the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in Ecuador last August had contributed to Noboa's election victory in October. A suspect is on the run after an arson attack at the Vermont office of Independent Senator Bernie Sanders. A significant fire engulfed the door and part of the vestibule while staff were inside the Independent senators Burlington headquarters on Friday morning. A man sprayed a possible accelerant on the office door, set the fire and fled, according to Vermont State Police. No one has been arrested and no motive established, authorities said. Police released a photo from surveillance footage of the suspect wearing an orange beanie hat, white sneakers, black jacket, and dark pants. 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. Police are seeking to identify a suspect who allegedly set Sen Bernie Sanderss Vermont office on fire (Burlington Police Department) Mr Sanders was not at the office during the attack. The Burlington Fire Department reported that the fire broke out in an area between the vestibule, elevator, and entrance to Mr Sanderss office on the buildings third floor. Firefighters were called to the scene at about 10.45am on Friday. The buildings sprinkler system had put out most of the fire by the time of their arrival. The door was moderately damaged, and large parts of the building suffered water damage. Mr Sanders office and others nearby were evacuated. We are grateful to the Burlington Fire and Police Departments who responded immediately today to a fire incident that took place in our office building, Kathryn Van Haste, Vermont state director for Mr Sanders, said in a statement, according to The New York Times. Senator Bernie Sanders, pictured on 3 April, was not at the office at the time of the fire (Getty Images) We are relieved that no one on our staff and, to our understanding, no one in the building was harmed, she added, according to Vermont outlet Seven Days. Thank you as well to the Vermont State Police for their assistance and the efforts of the US Capitol Police and the Senate Sergeant at Arms, who are working in coordination with local first responders. Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak said that she was grateful for the quick action of the Burlington Fire and Police Departments in responding to the fire at One Church Street. My office continues to be in close communication with both departments as the investigation is carried out, she added. The brick building, valued at about $5.9m, was constructed in the late 1890s and previously served as a Masonic Temple, the local outlet noted. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Independent has contacted the office of Mr Sanders, the Burlington Police Department, and the US Capitol Police for comment. Mr Sanders has faced threats in the past Long Beach police arrested a man in 2019 after he allegedly posted an online threat against a rally featuring the senator that was set to take place in the city. In 2018, a Maryland teenager was indicted after he sent death threats to Mr Sanders and then-California Senator, now-Vice President Kamala Harris. Also in 2019, a man was convicted in Orlando, Florida for sending death threats to Mr Sanders. The Associated Press contributed to this report TYLER, Texas (KETK) At Tyler Junior College on Thursday, Astrophysicist Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi spoke with students ahead of Mondays Total Solar Eclipse. City of Tyler offers eclipse viewers opportunity to get mooned Oluseyi has seen five total solar eclipses in his life and for his sixth hell be watching it all unfold on Good Morning America from the Dallas Arboretum. If the clouds and the weather are nice to us, youre going to see things youve only seen in the movies. First, if youre in a place thats flat and broad, youre going to see the shadow of the moon rushing toward you across the landscape, and then youll see the sky begin to darken a little bit. Then, it will get really dark, you will feel the temperature drop, and then youll see the corona of the sun just pop out, and then youre just mesmerized. And then it goes in reverse. The shadow of the moon will race away in the other direction, and youll just be left thinking, What just happened?! Its going to be amazing. Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi Oluseyi, who has his PHD in Physics from Stanford University, also spoke about his own career in academia to inspire TJC students. Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi speaks to students during his TJC Powerful Voices presentation Thursday on the TJC central campus. Photo courtesy of Tyler Junior College. From left: Dr. Juan E. Mejia, TJC president and CEO; Caitlin Drahem, TJC student life coordinator; Mitch Andrews, TJC vice president for institutional advancement; Dr. Beau Hartweg, TJC Earth and Space Science Center director; Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi; Dr. Larry Anderson and Lauren Tyler, TJC director of student life. Photo courtesy of Tyler Junior College. I hope that by telling my story, people will also see themselves and find a way through academia and achieve their dreams, Oluseyi said. Oluseyi explained his journey into physics in his book A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars. Texas eclipse map: Which cities will have the best view? You see someone like me and you think Ive always had it good, he said. But I made it with hope, help from others, and a lot of hustle. If you believe in yourself and you believe in your dreams and people are willing to help you, you can make it. TJC will have viewing locations for the eclipse set up at the following locations on Monday: TJC central campus Noon to 3 p.m. Community Viewing Party at Pat Hartley Field Telescopes and other viewing options 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. TJC Spring Fling and Viewing Party at the Intramural Field Free crawfish, hot dogs, nachos and live music 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. TJC Earth and Space Science Center Outdoor viewing party and livestream in the planetarium 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rogers Student Center 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Rogers Nursing & Health Sciences Center Livestream locations Apache Rooms in the Rogers Student Center Rogers Palmer Performing Arts Center Rogers Nursing and Health Sciences Center TJC Earth and Space Science Center TJC West 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Viewing party at the RTDC Patio/Front Lawn Free Dairy Queen Blizzards, drinks, games and more Theres plenty of fun festivities happening all across the country on Monday. For a list of local events visit KETKs list of eclipse events happening in East Texas online. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com. Atlanta police working to identify suspects who robbed store with employee at gunpoint The Atlanta Police Department is working to identify three suspects believed to have robbed a store at gunpoint back in February. According to the APD BOLO, the Robbery Unit is investigating the incident, which happened in the early morning on Feb. 20. APD said officers were called to a gas station on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Southwest in response to a reported business robbery. When officers arrived, they spoke to the stores employee, who told them that several unidentified men entered the store with guns. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: The employee told police he was forced to the floor at gunpoint, and the suspects took several boxes of cigarettes, a savings box and money from the cash register. Then, the suspects left in a black pickup truck with black rims, according to the investigations preliminary details. Anyone with information that can help identify the suspects or more about the case is asked to call APD. Crime Stoppers Atlanta is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information and tips can be submitted anonymously to 404-577-8477 or online. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: (NEXSTAR) On Friday, one local Texas celebrity received a major honor yes, the fabled Chilis location at West 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard got official recognition from Austin Mayor Kirk Watson himself. Now, Therefore, I, Kirk Watson, a particular fan of the Santa Fe Salad with grilled chicken and Mayor of the City of Austin, Texas, do hereby proclaim April 5th, 2024 as Chilis at 45th & Lamar Day, Mayor Watson said in a Friday announcement at the establishment. The U.S. most uptight city is in Texas Now if youre not an Austinite or someone who spends time online you may be wondering: Whats so special about the Chilis at 45th and North Lamar? Back in 2022, Nexstar actually did a deep dive on the internet-famous eatery. The restaurants reputation as a meme and now, a bona fide local celebrity, began on Reddit though Redditors themselves cant seem to remember when or in which thread it specifically it began, its birthplace is generally agreed to be in the r/Austin subreddit. While many Reddit threads attempting to find its origin exist, one from seven years ago (yes, the joke has been bubbling for that long), provides a decent grouping of some of the oldest early mentions and possible origins of the meme. Austin Mayor Kirk P. Watson poses with employees of the Chilis at 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard in Austin as part of his proclamation of April 5, 2024 Chilis at 45th and Lamar Day. (Courtesy of the Office of Mayor Kirk Watson) The thread Here it is, the origin of 45th and Lamar Chilis joke points to several instances, including an 11 year-old Reddit thread when someone answered the location to the question: Whats your favorite hidden treasure/hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Austin? Chilis on 45th has the best burgers in town, said one user. Another user in a post just a year later (2012) recommends the restaurant to an incoming Austin visitor, saying it has a real nice ambiance and a good bargain. Ripley review: Netflix limited series reinvents crime classic Many Redditors agreed the jokes original proliferator is a now inactive account by user u/anonymous10101010, whose profile (which hasnt been updated in eight years) includes several replies promoting the location. The user even suggested the booth by the bathrooms at Chilis, 45th and Lamar as a spot for a marriage proposal. For his part, Mayor Watson even shouted out u/anonymous10101010 for their impact, saying in his proclamation: Whereas, most, if not all, Austin historians or, at the very least, the historians of Chilis at 45th & Lamar agree that the location became popularized as a restaurant, live music venue, and even marriage proposal spot with promotional posts from redditor u/anonymous10101010, who, while lost to time, served our community well by spreading the joy of this restaurant to so many Watson said he often frequents the restaurant, saying this renowned gathering spot for University of Texas students and Austin as a whole embodies the spirit of Austin and its special kind of weirdness. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. In this article, we will take a look at the 25 most religious states in the US. If you would like to skip our discussion on the religious landscape of the US, you can go to the 5 Most Religious States in the US. A Pew Research Center survey released in January 2024 revealed that 28% of American adults claim no religious affiliation, marking a 12-percentage point increase since 2007. Millennials are driving this increase in non-affiliation. Furthermore, there's been a notable rise in the number of individuals praying less frequently, with 32% of survey respondents in 2021 stating they rarely or never pray, an 18% increase from 2007. These trends reflect the declining religiousity of American society. However, despite the rise in non-affiliation, a majority of respondents still express belief in a higher power or God while having negative sentiments towards organized religion. Those identifying as "nones" or labeling themselves as atheists or agnostics are not necessarily opposed to religion and acknowledge its potential benefits. This trend is concerning, given the widespread belief among Americans that the nation was intended to be Christian by its founding fathers. According to a 2022 study, 45% of adults believe the US should be a Christian nation, while 33% perceive it as already being one. Many Americans perceive the decline of religion as a negative trend, as individuals with no religious affiliations tend to participate less in voting, volunteering, and public affairs compared to those affiliated with a religion. Interestingly, despite this sentiment, 77% of US adults surveyed by Pew believe that religious institutions such as churches should refrain from supporting individuals running for public office, while 67% feel that these institutions should not be involved in political matters altogether. This perspective is interesting considering the declining church attendance and the 12% decrease in the percentage of people who prioritize religion in their lives over a span of thirty years, from 1992 to 2022. Even in traditionally religious states across America, there has been a decline in church and synagogue attendance. According to Gallup, twenty years ago, on average, 42% of adults in the United States attended religious services nearly every week, whereas this figure has dropped to 30% currently. The Intersection of Religion and the Workplace Despite the waning influence of religion on American society, many individuals still hold certain beliefs close to their hearts. Social tensions related to religion don't just affect communities; they also have significant repercussions in workplaces. Employees often bring their personal beliefs and religious convictions into the workplace, which can either enhance performance or lead to conflicts. As outlined in a report by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), there has been a sixfold increase in the number of charges of religious discrimination filed by employees compared to previous years. The number of religious discrimination complaints rose from 2,111 in 2021 to 13,814 in 2022. Keeping these issues in mind, companies in the US are actively creating space for religious diversity within the workplace. In the yearly analysis of faith-friendly workplaces conducted by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) secured the top position in the 2023 Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) Index. According to Patricia Oliverio, a spokesperson for the company, Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) provides seven faith-based Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) with over 8,250 members globally. Other popular companies that were among the top 10 faith-friendly organizations included Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM). Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) emphasizes that everyone plays a part in achieving equality, and they actively promote this belief by urging employees to support each other as allies. The company has established Faithforce, an employee-led interfaith community within the organization. Through Faithforce, Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) has created an inclusive and welcoming culture to maintain a diverse workforce. Similarly, Google, owned by Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL), has dedicated significant resources to creating over 16 employee resource groups. The companys Inter Belief Networks allow employees worldwide to connect with others who have similar values and religious convictions. 25 Most Religious States in the US Milkovasa/Shutterstock.com Our Methodology To compile the list of the 25 Most Religious States in the US, we utilized data from the Pew Research Center's Religious Landscape Study. The study collected information from 50 states regarding the populations' beliefs and practices, religious affiliations, as well as social and political perspectives. This data was analyzed using several metrics, including religious attendance, frequency of prayer, belief in God, and self-assessment of the importance of religion. Each state was assigned an overall religiosity score based on these metrics, forming the basis for our rankings. We have also discussed the survey findings to provide an overview of the varying levels of religiosity across states. You can also check out the 20 Most Religious Countries in the World here. 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. 25 Most Religious States in the US 25. Nebraska Percentage of Religiosity: 54% In Nebraska, there are approximately 1.99 million people, with 54% of adults identifying as highly religious. The predominant religion is Christianity, with Protestants comprising the largest Christian denomination at 51%, followed by Roman Catholics at 23%, Mormons at 1%, and other religions at 4%. 24. Maryland Percentage of Religiosity: 54% In Maryland, around 50% of adults consider religion to be important in their lives. On the other hand, 31% attend worship services weekly, 51% pray daily, and 64% express absolute certainty in their belief in God. These statistics indicate that 54% of adults in the state are highly religious. 23. Indiana Percentage of Religiosity: 54% Around 54% of adults in Indiana are classified as highly religious. With a population of 6.89 million, Christianity is followed by 72% of the state's residents. Among Christians, the largest denomination is Protestants, accounting for 52%, followed by Roman Catholics at 18%. Moreover, 26% of Indiana's population does not adhere to any faith or religion, while 2% follow non-Christian-based beliefs. 22. Florida Percentage of Religiosity: 54% In Florida, 53% of adults consider religion very important in their lives. Additionally, 35% attend services at least once a week, 56% pray daily, and 64% express absolute certainty in their belief in God. As a result, 54% of adults among the population of 22.98 million are categorized as highly religious. 21. New Jersey Percentage of Religiosity: 55% Around 55% of the population in New Jersey is considered highly religious. With a population of 9.32 million, Christianity is embraced by 67% of residents. Among Christians, the largest denomination is Roman Catholics, comprising 34%, followed by Protestants at 31% and Mormons at 1%. Furthermore, 18% of the population does not follow any faith, while 14% follow other non-Christian-based religions. 20. Kansas Percentage of Religiosity: 55% In Kansas, the overall religious score stands at 54%. Out of its 2.94 million adults, 50% consider religion very important to them, while 37% report attending worship services at least once a week. Additionally, 53% claim to pray daily, and 66% express absolute certainty in their belief in God. 19. Iowa Percentage of Religiosity: 55% Christianity is the dominant religion in Iowa, with 78% followers. Among Christians, the largest denomination is Protestant, constituting 60%, followed by Roman Catholics at 18%, Mormons and non-Christians each at 1%. Meanwhile, 21% of the population is classified as unaffiliated with any specific religion. 18. New Mexico Percentage of Religiosity: 57% The overall religiosity is at 57% in New Mexico. The largest Christian denomination in the state is Protestantism, representing 32% of the population, followed by Roman Catholics at 28%. Furthermore, Mormons comprise 2% of the population, while Jehovah's Witnesses account for 1%. 17. Ohio Percentage of Religiosity: 58% Ohio is among the top 20 most religious states in the US. Among adults across the state, 56% say religion is very important in their lives. Meanwhile, 22% of the population does not follow or adhere to any faith or religion, while 4% follow other non-Christian-based religions. 16. South Dakota Percentage of Religiosity: 59% Around 57% of adults regard religion as very important in South Dakota. Out of the state's 0.93 million population, Protestants make up the majority at 57%, followed by Roman Catholics at 22%. Non-Christian faiths represent around 3% of the population, while 18% are unaffiliated. 15. Missouri Percentage of Religiosity: 60% In Missouri, with a population of 6.22 million, 60% of adults are highly religious. Protestants are the largest Christian denomination, accounting for 58%, followed by Roman Catholics at 16%. Additionally, 20% of the population does not follow any religion. 14. Virginia Percentage of Religiosity: 61% In Virginia, 60% of adults consider religion very important in their lives, while 44% attend worship services at least weekly. Approximately 18% of the population does not follow any faith or religion, and 3% follow other non-Christian-based religions. Virginia is among the top 15 most religious states in the US. 13. Kentucky Percentage of Religiosity: 63% In Kentucky, 39% of adults attend religious services at least weekly, and 63% pray daily. Meanwhile, 75% of respondents believe in God with absolute conviction. 12. Utah Percentage of Religiosity: 64% In Utah, 61% of people express absolute certainty in their belief in God. The largest Christian denomination in the state is the Mormons/LDS Church, with 55% followers, followed by Protestants at 13% and Roman Catholics at 5%. 11. Texas Percentage of Religiosity: 64% Texas is the second largest state in the US in terms of population, with 30.98 million people. Around 63% of adults in Texas say religion is very important in their lives, while 69% say they believe in God with absolute certainty. The largest Christian denomination in Texas is Protestant at 50%, followed by Roman Catholics at 23%. 10. North Carolina Percentage of Religiosity: 65% In North Carolina, 62% of people express that religion is very important to them, while 66% report praying daily. Additionally, 39% attend worship services at least weekly, and a significant 73% claim to believe in God with absolute certainty. 9. Oklahoma Percentage of Religiosity: 66% Around 64% of people in Oklahoma say that religion is very important in their lives. The largest Christian denomination in Oklahoma is Protestant, comprising 69% of the population, followed by Roman Catholics at 8%. Meanwhile, 18% of the population does not follow any faith or religion. 8. Georgia Percentage of Religiosity: 66% In Georgia, 18% of the population does not follow or adhere to any faith or religion, while 3% follow other non-Christian-based religions. The largest Christian denomination in Georgia is Protestant, accounting for 67% of the population. 7. West Virginia Percentage of Religiosity: 69% West Virginia is at the seventh position on our list of the most religious states in the US. Nearly 46% of people across the state attend worship services at least weekly, and 68% pray daily. Likewise, 64% express that religion is very important in their lives, while 77% believe in God with absolute certainty. The state is predominantly Protestant, with almost 70% following this denomination. 6. South Carolina Percentage of Religiosity: 70% In South Carolina, 74% of the adult population expresses absolute certainty in their belief in God. Meanwhile, 18% of the population does not follow any faith or religion. Click to continue reading and see the 5 Most Religious States in the US. Suggested Articles: Disclosure: None. 25 Most Religious States in the US is published on Insider Monkey. Officials said the boy had been in a car seat when the back of the car he was in was struck by a cement truck Getty STOCK PHOTO A baby died in a multi-vehicle car crash in South Carolina this week. The Anderson County Coroners Office said in a press release shared on social media this week that a 3-month-old identified as Jakai Govan from Anderson was killed in a 10 car crash that occurred on Thursday on Highway 29 near Williamston around 1:45 p.m. local time. The coroners office said in the release that the infant was restrained in a car seat inside of a 2013 Chevy Impala that had been stopped due to roadwork in the area" when a cement truck traveling too fast for conditions hit the back of the vehicle. "The impact caused the cement truck to overturn down an embankment and pushed the Chevy Impala into the back of a Dodge Pickup truck which then caused a pile-up effect," the press release said. Related: 1 Dead, 2 Taken to Hospital After Part of a Crane Falls onto Florida Bridge Emergency crews extricated the baby from the car, and he was airlifted to Greenville Memorial Hospital, though he eventually succumbed to his injuries from the crash and died at the hospital on Friday morning, per the coroner's office. The coroners office determined that his cause of death was a subdural hemorrhage to a skull fracture, and that his manner of death was accidental. Related: 4.8 Magnitude Earthquake in New Jersey Jolts the East Coast Here's the Latest Information Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway told WYFF that the driver of the sedan was also airlifted to the same hospital, while the driver of the pickup truck also had to be extricated from his car. He was transported to the hospital with back and neck injuries, the outlet said. Ridgeway added to WRTV that the driver of the concrete truck, who was from Honea Path, had not been injured in the crash. 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. The coroners office noted in its release that the car crash incident is being investigated by the Anderson County Office of the Coroner, South Carolina Highway Patrol and the South Carolina Highway Patrol Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation (MAIT) Team. Troopers with the South Carolina Highway Patrol told Fox News Carolina that charges will be filed in regards to the crash, but did not release further details. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) Holston Valley Medical Center and Indian Path Community Hospital will host a healthcare hiring event on Monday, according to a release from Ballad Health. Ballad Health leaders will discuss available roles within the two facilities, meet with hiring managers, and potentially provide on-the-spot job opportunities. The release said hopeful job-seekers are encouraged to bring their resumes. The event will be held in the Heritage Conference Room, 130 W. Revine Road, from noon to 4 p.m. Junior Leagues to host annual food drive at 15 Food City locations in the area We want to create opportunities to connect with passionate individuals who share our dedication to healing and compassion, said Rebecca Beck, chief executive officer of Holston Valley and Indian Path. Hosting this hiring event is not just about filling positions; its about holistically building a team that will continually raise the quality of care we provide. Our teams are already providing top-notch care across the Appalachian Highlands, and were looking for passionate, talented individuals to continue elevating that level of care. The hiring event is specifically looking for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, transporters, call center specialty and more, the release said. Whether this will be your first job in healthcare or youre looking to continue your career, we are excited to welcome applicants who are committed to providing compassionate, empathetic care to our patients, said Adnan Brka, chief nursing officer of Holston Valley and Indian Path. Interested candidates should come prepared with a resume, and all certifications and licenses. Those interested in the hiring event but are unable to attend can view open positions at balladhealth.org/careers. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. A dive team has recovered a third body from the water following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore. The worker was identified as 38-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, according to a statement on Friday from Unified Command, who is handling the recovery operation. The bridge collapsed at 1.30am on 26 March after a cargo ship collided with a supporting pier. Six men, all of whom were Latino immigrant workers, were on the bridge at the time and are presumed dead, authorities have said. Suazo-Sandoval, a native of Honduras, was married with a son, 18, and five-year-old daughter. He also leaves behind his siblings, who live in both Honduras and Maryland. Carlos Alexis Suazo-Sandoval, Maynors brother, told The Washington Post that he was relieved the body had been found. The body of Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval was recovered from the site of the Baltimore bridge collapse on Friday (Supplied) That was the #1 goal, he wrote in Spanish, via WhatsApp. Thank God. The workers nephew, Hector Guardado, told the paper in Spanish that the news was hard, but at the same time comforting. Suazo Sandoval left Honduras at 18 for the United States and never returned due to his immigration status, according to USA Today. His brother, Martin Suazo, described Maynor as a generous man and an entrepreneur who traveled to the US in search of a better life, NPR reported. Suazo-Sandoval and his wife raised their children in Maryland, and he contributed to his community by working with the nonprofit CASA. In addition to volunteer work, he also donated money to youth soccer leagues in his hometown of Azacualpa, family said. Carlos Suazo Sandoval, another brother, described Maynor as a joyful person who had a vision, according to CNN en Espanol. Suazo-Sandovals family is planning to repatriate his body to Honduras for burial. Wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rests on the container ship Dali (AP) The bodies of two other victims were covered in the immediate aftermath of the collapse from a vehicle that had fallen into the Patapsco River. Dorian Castillo Cabrera, a 25-year-old from Guatemala, and Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, from Mexico. Three more workers are still missing in the river. The collapse of the Key Bridge is undoubtedly one of the most challenging tragedies we have faced as a law enforcement agency. Along with our local, state and federal public safety partners, we will not give up, Colonel Roland L Butler, Jr, Superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police, said. There are families still waiting to hear if we have found their loved one. I can promise you, we are fully committed to finding closure for each of these families. A dive crew prepares to send a diver beneath the water surrounding the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland (EPA) President Joe Biden visited the site of the bridge disaster on Friday where he vowed that he and his administration will not rest until a replacement is built. Were going to move heaven and earth to rebuild this bridge, the president said. Mr Biden also paid tribute to the hard-working, strong, and selfless workers who lost their lives while working on the bridge. The president has called on Congress to fund the cost of a new bridge, arguing it will speed construction. Republicans have said that the money should come from the owner of the Dali, the container ship which struck the bridges support after it lost propulsion on 26 March. The Biden administration has steered $60m in emergency funds into the initial federal salvage and recovery effort. Andrew Feinberg contributed reporting to this story Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval's body is the third that divers have recovered since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on March 26 Maynor Suazo/Facebook Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval Divers have recovered a third body following the deadly Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. A press release from the Key Bridge Response Team issued Friday, April 5, said that the body of Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval was found around 10:30 a.m. local time. He was 38. Divers discovered "what they believed to be the missing construction worker and notified the Maryland Department State of Police," officials continued in the release. The state police's Underwater Recovery Team then deployed multiple dive teams who found Suazo-Sandoval. Officials later told his family. "The collapse of the Key Bridge is undoubtedly one of the most challenging tragedies we have faced as a law enforcement agency. Along with our local, state and federal public safety partners, we will not give up," Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police, said. Related: Uber Driver Was Ready to Cross Baltimore Bridge When She Was Stopped by Police and Told It 'Was Gone' He added, "There are families still waiting to hear if we have found their loved one. I can promise you, we are fully committed to finding closure for each of these families." Suazo was an employee of Brawner Builders, which was doing maintenance work on the structure before a container ship collided with it at 1:30 a.m. local time, his loved ones told Noticias Telemundo, per NBC News. The Honduran native is dad to an 18-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter, his brother Carlos Alexis Suazo Sandoval revealed to the outlet. He is also survived by his wife, Maria del Carmen Castellon. He fought day after day for our family to get ahead. He looked for a way to make a living, his sister Norma Suazo told the Spanish-language outlet, as his other brother Fredy Suazo described the victim as someone who was smiley, the type of person that always fought for the well-being of the family. Two of the six construction workers who had been doing work on the bridge were recovered the day after the bridge collapsed. Authorities identified them as Hernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk. The victims also include Miguel Luna, a father of three from El Salvador who was a Maryland resident for about 20 years, according to nonprofit organization CASA. Join us for live updates on our ongoing response to the Key Bridge collapse: https://t.co/7DkdgS3atX Governor Wes Moore (@GovWesMoore) March 28, 2024 According to the Associated Press, officials said they need to clear away the mangled debris so the bodies of the other missing workers can be found. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said at a press conference after the collapse that the freighter lost power before the crash, prompting crew members to issue a mayday call. That advance warning allowed officials to stop the flow of traffic so that more cars were not on the bridge at the time of the crash and collapse, Moore said. Chip Somodevilla/Getty View of the Baltimore Bridge collapse Related: 6 Baltimore Bridge Collapse Victims Remembered as Fine People by Construction Company The Dali contained nearly 4,700 metal shipping containers, 56 of which had hazardous materials inside, according to the AP. Thirteen of those were destroyed, but the evaluated contents were perfumes and soaps, the Key Bridge Joint Information Center said. Engineers and the builders of the bridge looked over the bridge's design on Thursday to determine how much each piece weighs to predict how the metal will react to being cut up and hauled out, per USA Today. We can't leave any concrete, any pieces of containers, any reinforcing bar," Commander and Chief of Engineers for the Army Corps of Engineers Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon told the outlet. It's got to be a complete clean bottom for safe transit of vessels. Scott Olson/Getty Signs in front of bridge collapse Related: Baltimore Bridge Collapse Survivor Described Watching Ship Get Closer, Says Maryland Gov. 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. "Our hearts are with the families," Moore said at a news conference before the Orioles' home opener, per CNN. "And to all the families, we are so sorry for this tragedy." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. The Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Orioles announced they have donated $10 million towards a fund for those impacted by the collapse of the city's Francis Scott Key Bridge. The National Football League and Major League Baseball teams contributed $5 million each to the Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong Key Bridge Fund. The fund provides support to families, port workers, small businesses, first responders and the communities impacted by last month's disaster. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said in a joint statement released on Friday, "We are thankful to our first responders for their bravery and tireless work. The Ravens are honored to support the Francis Scott Key Bridge recovery efforts and affected Maryland families and businesses. We are confident that Baltimore and Maryland will keep displaying tremendous spirit and strength during this time of great need." PHOTO: Wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rests on the container ship Dali, as President Joe Biden takes an aerial tour of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, April 5, 2024, as seen from an accompanying aircraft. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP) Six construction workers were killed when a cargo ship slammed into the Baltimore bridge in the early hours of March 26, causing a near total collapse of the span in the Port of Baltimore. The bodies of three workers have been recovered, while three others remain missing. "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," Orioles owner David M. Rubenstein said. MORE: Biden visits site of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse The Orioles owner honored first responders during the third inning of the opening day game with the Los Angeles Angels last week. The Baltimore Community Foundation established the fund to ensure that Baltimore residents can safely donate money to the recovery efforts, according to the philanthropic foundation's website. President Joe Biden on Friday repeated his intention for the federal government to cover the entire cost of rebuilding the Key Bridge, calling on Congress to authorize that effort "as soon as possible." Baltimore Ravens, Orioles donate $10 million to Key Bridge relief fund originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Click here to view the video Monday's total solar eclipse is approaching fast and the forecast is increasingly clear on which towns will score a perfect view of this once-in-a-lifetime event. Several minutes of nighttime darkness will slide across millions of people lucky enough to fall under the path of totality in the mid-afternoon hours on Monday, April 8. Tweaked cloud cover outlook for Eastern Canada April 7 Even though the total eclipse only covers a tiny strip of land, just about everyone across Canada and the U.S. will see a partial eclipse. Witnessing a chunk of the sun seemingly slip away behind our natural satellite is still a thrilling experience for nature lovers of all ages. Heres where forecasters see the best odds of spotting the eclipse and areas that might miss out. DON'T MISS: Everything you need to know for April's spectacular and rare solar eclipse Ontario may fight through clouds Monday will start with a sprawling low-pressure system over the northern half of the United States. This storm will spill mid- to high-level clouds over southern Ontario during the eclipse. Ontario cloud cover forecast April 7 By mid-afternoon, as we countdown the minutes to the eclipse, the atmosphere will be in the process of clearing across extreme southwestern Ontario. During that time, there are signs that peeks of sun will be emerging in Hamilton and Niagara, even, so heres hoping for the perfect timing. Good news: The Port Stanley to Leamington corridor is becoming a higher-confidence sunny zone. Ontario cloud cover forecast timing for Monday, April 7 MUST SEE: Why clouds aren't a solar eclipse deal breaker Well continue to see clouds from the stateside low streaming into eastern Ontario, with mostly cloudy skies and occasional breaks of sunshine. Its not an ideal location to take in the eclipse if youre looking for an unobstructed view of totality, but its possible a break could emerge around the big moment. Eastern Ontario solar eclipse coverage, April 6 For die-hard eclipse chasers, eastern Ontario would not be your first choice. WATCH: Could cell service be impacted by the total solar eclipse? Click here to view the video Quebec and New Brunswick get a front-row seat Some of the best odds of seeing a crisp eclipse with all the celestial trimmings will fall across eastern Quebec and New Brunswick. A ridge of high pressure over the region will keep clouds to a minimum and offer mostly sunny skies on the day of the eclipse, keeping that region as our go-to spot anywhere in North America. New Brunswick solar eclipse coverage, April 6 Sherbrooke, Saint-Georges, Hartland, and Fredericton look to be in fine shape for Monday. The province is rewarded with the best viewing in all of Canada. Clear skies and simple sunshine are forecast across the path of totality. Quebec solar eclipse coverage April 6 Newfoundlands odds seem to be improving a bit Trends in recent computer guidance have shown more favourable odds for good viewing conditions across portions of Newfoundland. A trickier setup is in the cards here as the island falls between a slow-moving low-pressure system to the northeast of the island and a ridge of high pressure to the west. MUST SEE: Totality, corona, Baily's beads: Do you know your solar eclipse terminology? Newfoundland solar eclipse coverage, April 6 This slow-moving system could bring thick low-level clouds, onshore winds, and possibly even some precipitation on the afternoon of the eclipse along Newfoundlands eastern shores, including around Bonavista and St. Johns. If youre eager to see this once-in-a-lifetime spectacle, consider heading down toward Port aux Basques on the southwest coast or even a last-minute hop across the Gulf to New Brunswick. WATCH: A great view of the partial eclipse on the way for some across the Prairies Click here to view the video Western Canada stands the best chance of seeing the partial eclipse Even though the path of totality crosses the eastern half of the country, just about everyone in Canada has an opportunity to safely watch on Monday afternoon. North America maximum solar eclipse coverage, April 6 The low over the northern U.S. will make for poor viewing across a wide swath of northwestern Ontario and southern Manitoba. Alberta will score the most optimal view of the partial eclipse with nothing but sunshine in your forecast for the event. Unfortunately, most folks in B.C. will miss out as onshore flow and showers rain on your view of the partial eclipse. You can follow the action on Monday with our livestream across all of The Weather Networks platforms. WATCH: Tens of millions in the path across the U.S., but clouds may hamper views Click here to view the video U.S. viewing also trends better for some This is the second eclipse in the past decade to traverse the United States from one border to the other, drawing millions of visitors to the path of totality from southern Texas to northern Maine. The best eclipse-watching conditions in the U.S. will follow the same pattern as well see here in Canada, with folks in northern sections of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine expecting a crisp view of the event. North America cloud cover outlook, April 6 Clouds may obscure the view for those around the Great Lakes, while opportunities for clearing offer decent odds of catching most or all of the eclipse along its path through the Midwestern states. Folks on the southern Plains might have a tough time seeing any of the eclipse as stormy weather is expected along the path of totality across Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Breaks may offer occasional views, but folks in cities like Austin, Dallas, and Little Rock risk missing the big moment. Stay with The Weather Network for all the latest on this once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse. Header image courtesy of Stephen Leonardi via Pexels. WATCH: Could cell service be impacted by the total solar eclipse? Click here to view the video A low-income 22-unit housing and support services center for survivors of domestic violence in Bellingham is receiving state grant funding to help make repairs and preserve the facility. The Washington State Department of Commerce is awarding Dorothy Place $1 million as part of a $19.8 million total investment to preserve 873 affordable housing units in 14 counties across the state. The funds specifically supported existing Housing Trust Fund properties in need of major repairs or system replacements. Applications were evaluated based on eligibility and the urgency of physical repairs. Projects with urgent potential health and safety issues that could not self-finance were prioritized, according to a release about the awards from the Department of Commerce. Dorothy Place had previously received state funding in 2021 to resurface the walkways on the second and third residential floors. When this first repair project was started, deteriorating components of the walkway structures were determined to require a full replacement. The project turned from resurfacing to a full replacement and came in this funding round 2023 for the remainder of the funding for the full replacement, Department of Commerce Publications Manager Amelia Lamb in an email to The Bellingham Herald. The new replacement included creating a new build system to replace the existing wooden frames and beams with a permanent steel structure that would provide the most cost-effective long-term solution. The new build system will include updated flashing and weatherization barriers to prevent future issues with deterioration as well as bring the building up to code, Lamb said. The Department of Commerce awarded funding to 31 applicants. Dorothy Place was one of six applicants to receive the largest funding amount of $1 million. It was the only facility in Whatcom County to be awarded funding. Bellinghams Opportunity Council operates Dorothy Place. The facility offers support services including case management, vocational classes and goal setting in addition to housing. Repairs and maintenance costs play a bigger role than ever in preserving affordable housing, said Department of Commerce Director Mike Fong in a release about the awards. Housing Preservation Program investments are an important way to extend the service of affordable housing that is already available, ensuring these projects can serve communities around the state for generations. The Department of Commerce estimates Washington State will need to build 1.1 million new housing units over the next 20 years to meet projected population growth and housing demands at all income levels. More than half of those units need to be affordable for residents at the lowest income levels. By 2044, Whatcom County is estimated to need almost 35,000 new housing units. About 22,000 of those units, more than 60%, need to be affordable, according to previous reporting by The Bellingham Herald. Bellingham makes up about 48% of the housing production in the county. So the city needs to produce almost 17,000 total housing units to help meet the goal. More than 10,000 of those need to be affordable. To stay on track, the city needs to build more than 500 affordable housing units every year. Affordable housing is generally defined as housing in which the occupant pays no more than 30 percent of gross income for housing costs, including utilities. Recent federal data suggests approximately 30% of Washingtonians are cost-burdened, meaning they pay more than 30% for housing. FILE - Visitors look at sunset from a hill in Hong Kong, Friday, March 22, 2024. Two weeks after Hong Kong introduced a new national security law, life in the city appears unchanged. A 2020 law drew thousands of protesters to the streets when it was enacted. Now, that's seen as too risky.(AP Photo/Louise Delmotte, File) HONG KONG (AP) On the surface, life in Hong Kong after a broad new national security law recently took effect appears unchanged. A 2020 security law drew thousands of protesters to the streets when it was enacted. Now, thats seen as too risky. This time, no arrests made headlines. There were no newsroom raids. Instead, theres a deeper, quieter wave of adaptation underway among Hong Kong residents who are living under the threat of more extensive restrictions after the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance took effect on March 23. At an immigration expo during the law's first two days, immigration consultant Ben Li's booth was constantly busy, its small white tables all occupied. Inquiries about moving abroad jumped about 40% from last year's expo. More than half of those asking cited the new ordinance, known locally as Article 23, as a reason to consider emigration. The Article 23 legislation has brought a significant catalyzing effect, Li said. China promised to keep Hong Kong's relative freedom and way of life unchanged for 50 years when Britain handed over control of its former colony to Communist-ruled Beijing in 1997. Those Western-style civil liberties, such as free speech and a free press, were the cornerstones of the citys status as an international financial hub. But since the 2020 law was imposed by Beijing after months of anti-government protests, they have been sharply curtailed. Many pro-democracy activists have been arrested, silenced or forced into exile. Dozens of civil society groups have been disbanded. Outspoken media like Apple Daily and Stand News have been shut down. And many disillusioned young professionals and middle-class families have emigrated to Britain, Canada and Taiwan. Hong Kong's Basic Law, or constitution, mandated that the city enact a national security law, but for 27 years the Legislative Council didn't pass one, with widespread opposition to an earlier attempt to enact such a law in 2003. The Hong Kong government asserts the law is needed to prevent a recurrence of the tumultuous 2019 protests. It says the law balances national security with safeguarding freedoms. Still, many fear falling afoul of the law which targets colluding with external forces to endanger security, unlawful disclosure of state secrets, sabotage and espionage, among others. Grave acts such as treason and insurrection are punishable by up to life in prison. Some provisions allow criminal prosecution for acts committed anywhere in the world. Facing those risks, some people have opted to play it safe. An independent bookstore owner said it took about 30 books off the shelves, fearing it might be accused of distributing seditious publications. The titles were about the 2019 protests, Tibet and Xinjiang, all politically sensitive topics in mainland China. The books will be trashed. The owner, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fear of government retribution, said they removed the books because of the harsher provisions of the new law, which allows police to seek court approval to extend the detention of suspects without charges and prohibit suspects from consulting certain lawyers. The bookseller worried they would not have a fair trial if charged. It's a pity," the bookseller said. This is an unnecessary infringement of freedom of speech. Under the law, sedition offenses carry a sentence of up to seven years, or 10 years if a person is convicted of working with foreign governments or organizations to carry out the activities. The government maintains that criticism intended to improve its policies will not be prosecuted, but there has been less leeway for public dissent since the 2020 law took effect. The League of Social Democrats, one of Hong Kong's few remaining pro-democracy parties, will be more careful about its publicity materials to avoid being considered seditious, said its chairwoman, Chan Po-ying. When things are uncertain, anyone would get worried, she said. John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong, said residents are adopting coping strategies seen on mainland China, avoiding voicing opinions that might get them in trouble. But Hong Kong still has more space for dissent than the mainland, he said. So caution rules, he said. Days after the law took effect, the U.S.-funded news outlet Radio Free Asia announced it was closing its Hong Kong bureau because of safety concerns under the new legislation and pointed to criticism by authorities. It was yet another narrowing of the space for press freedom at a time when local journalists are struggling with how to adjust to potential new risks. Ronson Chan, an editor at online media Channel C HK, is personally handling sensitive stories to minimize risks for his colleagues due to the wider scope of the law's definition of state secrets. The defintion echoes the one used in mainland China, which covers economic, social and technological developments and criminal investigations, beyond traditional areas of national security. The law also is also prompting adjustments in the legal and business communities. Dominic Chiu, a senior analyst at the Eurasia Group, said some companies, including law firms, already had taken the precaution of restricting access for their Hong Kong staff to their global databases. That might not involve an all-out ban, but instead might require special approval to access foreign clients' files, he said. Those steps, taken even before the first draft of the new law was made public, were prompted by a belief that Hong Kong will eventually align its data security policies with those in mainland China. So the companies aligned their data policies with those of mainland China, Chiu said. Banks and technology companies have not yet made plans to leave Hong Kong, said George Chen, Hong Kong-based managing director for The Asia Group, a Washington-headquartered business and policy consultancy. After all, many of them operate in other Chinese cities. But some companies are internally reviewing whether certain sensitive roles, such as those handling user data, should be moved elsewhere, he said. In an emailed response to questions from The Associated Press, the government said it strongly condemned all scaremongering and smearing remarks about the law. It said other countries have similar laws and that the law just improves Hong Kong's legal framework for safeguarding national security, thereby creating a more stable business environment. To single out Hong Kong and suggest that journalists and businesses would only experience concerns when operating here but not in other places would be grossly biased, if not outrageous, it said. Officials say the law only targets an extremely small minority of people who jeopardize security, similar to what mainland Chinese officials say about Beijing's own expanding national security precautions. George Chen would like to hear less about the topic. Hong Kong has been through a lot over the past few years and now we hear more and more clients telling us can Hong Kong now move on? Chen said. Lets talk less about national security every day but focus more on the real economy and business. ___ Associated Press writer Zen Soo contributed to this report. GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) Sen. Michael Bennet and 18 senate colleagues recently sent President Biden a letter urging the president to provide legal protection and pathways to residency or citizenship for undocumented immigrants and DACA recipients in the U.S. Bruce Talbott, co-owner of Talbotts Mountain Gold, relies on immigrant labor during the peach harvest season. He tells WesternSlopeNow that the government needs to change current laws to help those seeking citizenship. Its been 30 years since the last amnesty run. And weve got people that have been here that long that really do need to have an adjustment of status. We reached out to Sen. Michael Bennets office in Denver and received a statement reading Dreamers and greencard holders married to U.S. citizens face daily uncertainty about their legal status. This uncertainty can prevent them from finding or keeping jobs, planning for their future, or starting a family. This uncertainty also harms our economy. Senator Bennet believes we need to fix our broken immigration system in a way that honors our heritage as a nation of immigrants, boosts our economy, complies with the rule of law, and secures the border, and he continues to push Congress to pass common-sense immigration reform. Meanwhile, President Biden introduced a comprehensive plan creating a way for millions of undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. to gain citizenship and amnesty while slowing the flow of migration into the U.S. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com. snyferok / iStock.com Spring is here and Costco has you covered on many items. The warehouse retailer definitely has all the housewares need for spring cleaning, redecorating, entertaining and beyond, but every product isnt worth your hard-earned money. Explore More: 8 Healthy Grocery Items Frugal People Buy at Costco Find Out: How To Get $340 Per Year in Cash Back on Gas and Other Things You Already Buy From vacuums and bedding to dinnerware and kitchen utensils, Costco is filled with deals on quality home items. However, its always wise to read online reviews of these products when available so you can find out what other members thought of their purchase. This is a great way to either affirm your product choice or find out your desired item has left many purchasers disappointed. Heres a look at five home items currently available at Costco to avoid spending money on. Costco undefinedundefinedundefined Sponsored: Credit card debt keeping you up at night? Find out if you can reduce your debt with these 3 steps Costco undefinedundefined Costco undefined Costco undefined Costco undefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefined This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 5 Home Items To Avoid Buying at Costco This Spring (KRON) While many have benefitted from Californias Vote-By-Mail program, a Berkeley non-profit filed a lawsuit on Thursday alleging that the program excludes and discriminates against blind voters. Guide Dogs for the Blind to host easter egg hunt for kids in San Rafael The lawsuit was filed on Thursday by Disability Rights Advocates, a Berkeley-based non-profit. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit were several individuals with visual impairments who normally vote either by mail with assistance or at in-person voting locations using accessible voting machines. Disability Rights Advocates, along with the plaintiffs, allege that Californias Vote-By-Mail program discriminates against blind individuals because it requires them to rely on an assistant to return their ballots, compromising the privacy and independence of their votesa hallmark of voting in the United States. The ability to vote independently should be a guaranteed right for all voters, said Christopher Gray, a plaintiff in the lawsuit. However, because California fails to employ a fully accessible system of voting, this is not a guarantee for blind voters and others with print disabilities like me who must forgo their independence and privacy when engaging in a fundamental part of the democratic processvoting. Although certain voters with print disabilities who have access to the required technology may receive, read, and mark their ballots independently using their countys remote accessible vote-by-mail (RAVBM) system, there currently is no option in California for them to privately and independently return their ballots. Some of the plaintiffs have had to miss out on the benefits of the Vote-by-Mail Program and instead have voted at an in-person voting location. Despite the additional burdens of needing to take time off work or paying for transportation, the lawsuit says that is currently the only voting method that allows them to vote privately and independently. To comply with the lawsuit, plaintiffs are asking California to provide voters with print disabilities with an accessible electronic method for returning their vote-by-mail ballots (e-return). Fortunately, California already has a system in place for that method: ballot return by fax. Fax-based ballot returns are already available to certain California military and overseas voters. According to the lawsuit, all of the individual plaintiffs have assistive technology that would enable them to return their ballots privately and independently via fax transmission for the November 5 general election. We receive complaints to our voting hotline from voters with print disabilities every major election asking why they are not able to return their ballot electronically, like their counterparts in other states can. We filed the complaint to end the discrimination resulting from what amounts to a requirement that voters with print disabilities waive their right to vote privately and independently in order use the popular Vote-by-Mail Program. In order to ensure that the November 5, 2024, Presidential General Election is more accessible to voters with print disabilities, we are seeking only the minimum level of accessible ballot return. Fred Nisen, Managing Attorney, Disability Rights California ACC-Final-Complaint.03.08.2024_749625Download A hearing is scheduled for May 20, 2024, at 9:30 am in the courtroom of the Hon. Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim, located in San Francisco Courthouse For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. Almost all the oldest universities in the United States are private colleges. Harvard and St. Johns College, for example, were founded before the 18th century and boast alumni and founders, respectively, who signed the Declaration of Independence. Stacker compiled a list of the best private colleges in Florida, using data from Niche released in 2024. Niche ranks schools based on a variety of factors including academics, value for money, professors, campus, and diversity. Private institutions today remain distinguished from other types of institutions by their source of funding. While public colleges and universities are at least partially subsidized by state government funding, private institutions are funded by tuition dollars, endowments, grants, and donations. As a result, private schools tend to be more expensive: The average tuition for full-time in-state undergraduate students at public four-year colleges was $11,260, and $29,150 for out-of-state students in 2023, while average tuition for students attending private four-year institutions was $41,540, according to the College Boards 2023 Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid report. Private and public schools play important roles in the postsecondary landscape, offering top-tier education and valuable opportunities outside the classroom. But some characteristics of private institutionsnamely size, reputation, and flexibilitymake them more appealing to prospective students. Private colleges, which tend to be more selective, generally offer smaller class sizes and, by extension, more direct instruction and support. Large lectures with around 100 students are more of an exception at private schools when compared to public colleges. Private colleges may also attract more distinguished faculty based on prestige. While the quality of education received at private institutions is not necessarily better than what students receive at public schools, graduates from more selective colleges with name recognition generally tend to have higher earnings, according to a study on earnings outcomes by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. The study also notes, however, that within specific majors, the institution that a student attends can have a significant effect on earnings outcomes. For students entering college without a well-defined idea of what discipline they want to pursue, the flexibility to explore various subjects at a liberal arts institution often makes private colleges an appealing option. Read on to see the highest-ranked private colleges in Florida. A group of college students having a discussion under a tree on campus. 1 / 10 Motortion Films // Shutterstock #10. Keiser University Fort Lauderdale Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Acceptance rate: 96% Net price: $31,984 SAT range: Not available Niche grade: B+ A student wearing a backpack holding two books as they walk to a college class. 2 / 10 mangpor2004 // Shutterstock #9. Florida College Location: Temple Terrace, FL Acceptance rate: 83% Net price: $20,538 SAT range: 900-1160 Niche grade: B+ College students laughing and having fun at a tailgate party. 3 / 10 Sean Locke Photography // Shutterstock #8. Stetson University Location: Deland, FL Acceptance rate: 92% Net price: $20,278 SAT range: 1090-1280 Niche grade: B+ Bookshelves forming a hallway in a college library. 4 / 10 DavidPinoPhotography // Shutterstock #7. Rollins College Location: Winter Park, FL Acceptance rate: 49% Net price: $30,229 SAT range: 1100-1290 Niche grade: B+ A student taking notes in a library. 5 / 10 Jacob Lund // Shutterstock #6. Everglades University Location: Boca Raton, FL Acceptance rate: 60% Net price: $29,341 SAT range: Not available Niche grade: B+ An empty college dorm room with bunkbeds. 6 / 10 Canva #5. Nova Southeastern University Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Acceptance rate: 93% Net price: $26,530 SAT range: 1040-1310 Niche grade: B+ A college professor giving a lecture. 7 / 10 Canva #4. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach Location: Daytona Beach, FL Acceptance rate: 72% Net price: $35,923 SAT range: 1140-1330 Niche grade: A- A group of college students working together on a group project in a library. 8 / 10 Jacob Lund // Shutterstock #3. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide Location: Daytona Beach, FL Acceptance rate: 70% Net price: $15,600 SAT range: Not available Niche grade: A- An empty college classroom. 9 / 10 Canva #2. Florida Institute of Technology Location: Melbourne, FL Acceptance rate: 66% Net price: $32,314 SAT range: 1140-1340 Niche grade: A- A group of college students working on their laptops. 10 / 10 Canva #1. University of Miami Location: Coral Gables, FL Acceptance rate: 28% Net price: $34,492 SAT range: 1300-1460 Niche grade: A+ This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin, additional writing by Lauren Liebhaber, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 46 states. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. Best time to watch the solar eclipse in Kansas City? Heres when to look up , The sky will go darkon Monday as a solar eclipse passes through the United States. Whether youre going to a watch party or putting on your eclipse glasses at home, there are many ways to experience the astronomical phenomenonin Kansas and Missouri. And were in luck the weather is expected to be clear on Monday. Here is when you can watch the solar eclipse from Kansas City. What is a solar eclipse? A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking the suns light on Earth. When the moon obscures some of the sun, that is called a partial solar eclipse. On April 8, all of the contiguous United States will experience at least a partial eclipse. People in areas that experience a total eclipse might see the outer atmosphere of the sun or the corona. This years eclipse will have a wider path and a longer totality up to 4.5 minutes and will cross over more populated areas of the United States than the 2017 event. The last solar eclipse that crossed the United States was in October. It was an annular event, which means the moon is not large enough in the sky to block out the sun, causing an effect referred to as a ring of fire. What will be visible from Kansas City? Kansas City will experience a partial solar eclipse on April 8. In the metro area, the sun will be about 90% covered by the moon at the peak. Where can I see totality? Unlike 2017, the Kansas City area will not completely darken during the solar eclipse. However, if youre up for a road trip, you can visit these urban areas less than a six-hour drive from downtown Kansas City to see it. . Cape Girardeau, Missouri (5 hour drive) Carbondale, Illinois (5 hour, 30 minute drive) Conway, Arkansas (5 hour, 50 minute drive) Where can I get eclipse glasses? While you may be tempted to look at the eclipse with your bare eyes, dont. It can cause eye damage. Even observing through dark sunglasses, a camera or a standard telescope is dangerous. Several area grocery and hardware stores are selling eclipse glasses. Make sure the glasses comply with the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard. If you cant get glasses, watch the eclipse from home with a simple pinhole camera made out of paper. Do you have more questions about nature in Kansas City? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com. Best time to watch the solar eclipse in Fresno? Heres when to look up Fresno will be witness to a rare astronomical event on Monday: a partial solar eclipse. The moon will fully block the sun as it passes over a significant swatch of Mexico, the United States and Canada, according to NASA. It will be the last total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until 2044, NASA said, although only some areas will see the full eclipse. Mexicos Pacific Coast will be the first location in North America to see a total solar eclipse, at 11 a.m. Monday. The path of totality will then sweep up the United states, traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The eclipse will end in Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. local time or 12:46 p.m. Pacific Time. When can I see the solar eclipse in Fresno? Parts of the United States will get to see a total solar eclipse on Monday, while many California spots will get a partial view. Fresno will experience a partial total eclipse of about 40.9%, according to an interactive map by National Solar Observatory. The moon will cover a sliver of the sun starting at 10:12 a.m., reaching maximum effect at 11:14 a.m. Itll leave the sun and end the partial eclipse around 12:21 p.m. Check out our graphic for the best time to see the eclipse in Fresno. Best time to watch the solar eclipse in Olympia? Heres when to look up Washington residents will be treated to a partial solar eclipse on Monday when the sun passes between the Earth and the sun, casting a shadow over much of the United States. Residents in the countrys eastern half will have the best view of the eclipse as the path of totality where the moon will completely block the sun starts in Texas and takes a northeast path through Appalachia and into the northeast U.S. But that doesnt mean those in the countrys western half cant get in on the action. Olympia will see 20% of the sun eclipsed by the moon, according to Time and Date. Check out the graphic below for a timeline of Mondays celestial event. Washingtonians will see the moon first start eclipsing the sun at 10:37 a.m. From Olympias perspective, the moon will slowly move across the lower half of the sun, peaking at the maximum eclipse of 20% at 11:27 a.m. Following the maximum eclipse, the moon will continue shifting across the sun before the eclipse officially ends in Olympia at 12:19 p.m., resulting in a total duration of 1 hour and 42 minutes. Olympia residents looking to safely view the eclipse should take proper precautions such as wearing ISO-approved eclipse glasses. Mark Roy Anderson collected millions from investors in his hemp farm. But there was a big problem. (Kristen Wyatt / Associated Press) A convicted Beverly Hills con artist with a long history of swindles pleaded guilty to another one Friday, admitting that he duped investors out of more than $18 million by concocting a sham cannabis empire while completing a sentence in a prior criminal case. Mark Roy Anderson, 69, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, the U U.S. attorney's office said. He duped his victims with false claims that he ran companies invested in hemp farms and cannabis-infused retail products, as well as a sham bottling business. Anderson, his investors discovered, is a convicted con artist who started swindling people at least three decades ago. He launched his purported hemp business immediately after his May 2019 release from the federal prison in Texas where he had served more than 11 years for an oil investment scam, federal authorities said. In the first scheme he pleaded guilty to Friday, Anderson tricked investors in 2020 and 2021 into providing funding for his company, called Harvest Farm Group, to harvest and process hemp grown on his farm into medical-grade cannabidiol (CBD) isolate a chemical found in marijuana to be sold for a substantial profit. Anderson persuaded investors to invest in Harvest Farm Group by falsely representing that, through the company, he owned and operated a hemp farm in Kern County. He also lied that he had already completed successful and profitable harvests of hemp from the farm, which the FBI said did not exist. He also falsely said he was using his own machinery and equipment to convert the hemp into CBD isolate and Delta 8, a psychoactive substance that, like CBD isolate, could be used in consumer products such as olive oil and body cream, federal officials said. In the second scheme, Anderson deceived investors from April 2021 to May 2023 by soliciting money for sham companies Bio Pharma and Verta Bottling by claiming that these businesses successfully manufactured, bottled and packaged commercial products. Read more: Fresh out of prison, Beverly Hills con artist launches $9-million hemp scam, FBI says Anderson falsely stated that his bottling companies owned and possessed millions of dollars worth of assets, including hemp biomass, CBD isolate, CBD oil, manufacturing equipment and a lease for a warehouse to manufacture and sell its products. Anderson used some of the money to buy a $1.3-million gated residence surrounded by citrus groves in Ojai, according to the FBI. He diverted an additional $2.3 million to personal expenses, including more than $650,000 for vintage and luxury automobiles, $13,000 for chartered private jet flights and $142,000 for merchandise from Williams-Sonoma, Ferragamo, Crate & Barrel and other retailers, the FBI alleged in a criminal complaint. He has agreed to forfeit his ill-gotten gains from these schemes, including 15 cars one of them a Ferrari and his Ojai real estate. Anderson, a disbarred lawyer, has a federal court hearing set for Aug. 23. He faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count. Former Times staff writer Michael Finnegan contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The killing of seven international aid workers providing food assistance to starving Palestinians in Gaza has put President Biden in a bind over his policy on Israel, even as the president seethed over what he called a lack of discretion to protect civilians. Biden this week issued his sharpest tone yet toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warning that U.S. policy as it relates to Gaza would now be determined by immediate steps Israel must take to mitigate an unacceptable humanitarian situation. That did little to bridge the gulf growing between Biden and Netanyahu. Their rhetoric in recent weeks suggest growing strains between the two leaders, despite the U.S.s insistence that their relationship is no different than it has been over several decades. The errant strike pushed the White House to a critical point and left it navigating a thorny diplomatic situation that has become a sustained humanitarian disaster caused in part by a blockade on aid sent to help Palestinians, alongside a death toll pushing past 30,000. All the while, the U.S. remains Israels key supplier of lethal weapons. What some are characterizing as a contradiction has put the administration in an awkward spot of having to both defend Israel while calling for more parameters on its military operation amid its increasingly public frustrations with Netanyahu. That comes despite the climbing Palestinian death toll one that Biden himself has contested and this weeks deaths of the aid workers, who are now counted as among the 200 humanitarian workers killed in Gaza since the start of the war. Things have been especially delicate on the matter of Rafah, the southern Gaza city in which some 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltered, having heeded calls from Israel to leave their homes in the northern Strip while the military hunted down Hamas militants in retaliation for the killing of 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7 and the taking of hundreds of hostages. The U.S.s ground game in supporting Israel compared to its public pleas tilting toward humanitarian concerns including its abstention of a United Nations Security Council resolution that called for a cease-fire gives the appearance the administration is pursuing two different things, posing a problem of perception, said Lester Munson, a former longtime staff director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including during years Biden served on the panel. Those two activities, while you can argue theres a continuity there that makes sense, it does occasionally look like the administration is speaking out of both sides of its mouth and that perception is growing the longer the conflict goes on, Munson said. Asked how that might make Biden look to the rest of the world, Munson said, The risk is that the president looks weak. Firm tone, weapons transfer Bidens tone in addressing the attack that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers was markedly more tense than previous tragedies that took the lives of United Nations staff, as well as attacks on hospitals and refugee camps where people were sheltering. But Biden acknowledged that the killing of celebrity chef Jose Andress staff was not a stand-alone incident. This conflict has been one of the worst in recent memory in terms of how many aid workers have been killed, Biden said. This is a major reason why distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza has been so difficult because Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians. Incidents like yesterdays simply should not happen. But at the same time, his administration on Monday, the same day as the attack, approved another major weapons transfer to Israel, albeit one it contends was greenlighted by Congress years before the war began as part of a decadelong security agreement. The weapons transfer, despite the unfortunate timing of its approval on the same day as Israels strike on the aid worker convoy, is not directly connected to the conflict and will take years to reach Israel, a State Department spokesperson said. That hasnt placated criticism from within the presidents own party, with pressure mounting to start considering placing conditions on aid. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and who speaks to Biden often told CNN Thursday that Israels war tactics dont reflect the best values of Israel or the United States. Were at that point, in terms of supporting conditioning aid to Israel should it have no provisions for civilians and make good on its intentions to launch a massive incursion on the southern city of Rafah, Coons said. Ive never said that before. Ive never been here before. 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, he said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Tuesday the Israeli military assistance, to the tune of $3 billion a year, does not need additional notice or approval of any kind even if circumstances change, asserting the weapons go to self-defense. Weve been focused on trying to make sure that Oct. 7 can never happen again, Blinken said. But having said that, the security relationship we have with Israel is not just about Gaza, Hamas, Oct. 7. Its also about the threats posed to Israel by Hezbollah, by Iran, by various other actors in the region, each one of which has vowed one way or another to try to destroy Israel. Possible policy shift, but few details Blinkens tone became sharper Thursday, too, when he indicated the U.S. would be open to changing its policy if calls to better protect civilians arent heeded but, like the White House, was scant on details on what that would entail. The timing of the latest weapons transfer as well as Bidens shift in leaving open changing U.S. policy on Israel left administration officials doing a delicate dance while fielding tough questions about what such a change would look like in light of the latest weapons transfer. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby, during a tense exchange with a reporter Thursday, maintained that Bidens support of Israel was still rock solid. How is [Bidens] support unwavering, but youre also reconsidering policy choices? Kirby was asked. Both can be true, Kirby responded. They cannot be true. Theyre completely different things, the reporter shot back. Kirby waved off the question, responding, Come on. Come on, now. Our support is ironclad and consistent. Its not going to not going to stop. Its not going to waver, but will there perhaps be some policy changes we might have to make if we dont see policy changes out of Israel? Yes, Kirby said. The tough talk between Biden and Netayahu seemed to have moved the needle. By Friday, Israel had agreed to open border crossings to allow more aid into Gaza and released the findings of an investigation into the World Central Kitchen aid workers that resulted in the dismissal of two military officers. The White House would not make a definitive correlation between those changes and Bidens talk with Netanyahu the day before. While the U.S. welcomed the changes, Kirby told reporters Friday that a lot of work is ahead and were prepared to continue to work as we have to see that these things are put in place in a sustainable way. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 15: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a lunch hosted by the Economic Club of New York on September 15, 2016 in New York City. Sitting behind Trump is John Paulson (left), an American hedge fund manager, and Mike Pence, Trumps Vice Presidential candidate. According to a report by Oxford Economics, if Trump is elected to the White House growth in the US would be about 5 per cent lower than would otherwise be expected by 2021. - Photo: Spencer Platt (Getty Images) The whos who of wealthy MAGA Billionaires are reportedly heading to Palm Beach, Fla. this weekend for a massive fundraiser for former President Donald Trumps presidential campaign, hosted by hedge fund founder John Paulson. According to CNN News and other reports, notable fundraiser guests will include Robert and Rebekah Mercer, Robert Woody Johnson, Wilbur Ross, John Catsimatidis, and Todd Rickets. While they all share their passion for another Trump presidency, another bond connects some of Trumps most avid supporters. Over the last several years, many of them have landed in hot water for allegedly controversial statements and actions related to race. Billionaire Robert Woody Johnson is a prime example. In 2020, CNN reported that Johnson, a top donor who was serving as Trumps ambassador to the United Kingdom, was being investigated by a State Department watchdog organization for racist comments about Black men. Sources reportedly told CNN News that ahead of a Black History Month event, Johnson was agitated to have be around a whole bunch of Black people and said the real challenge for the Black community was Black fathers who didnt want to stay with their families. For his part, Johnson denied making insensitive remarks. I have followed the ethical rules and requirements of my office at all times. These false claims of insensitive remarks about race and gender are totally inconsistent with my longstanding record and values, he tweeted from his then-account. Johnson isnt the only guest with a controversial story. Hedge Fund billionaire Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah Mercer have come under fire for their multi-billion dollar investment in Breitbart, whose founder Steve Bannon called the website a platform for the alt-right. Paulson, who is reportedly throwing the event, also faced criticism after he denounced his daughters school for teaching about racism, arguing that they were engaging in anti-white indoctrination. Then there are folks like John Catsimatidis, who said it was reverse racism that Black Americans voted for former President Barack Obama in large numbers. And Wilbur Ross, who came under fire for reportedly attending an annual secret society dinner where in year past, a guest wore on a confederate flag hat and danced around to the Tune of Dixie. For their part, The Biden campaign blasted the fundraiser in an exclusive response to The Root. Donald Trump is holding a dinner with a few of his closest billionaire friends who danced around wearing the Confederate flag, advocated for stop and frisk, and said it was racist for Black voters to support President Obama, said Biden-Harris Campaign Senior Spokesperson Sarafina Chitika. This is more of what weve already seen from Trump, who smeared Barack Obama, dined alongside a white supremacist, said there were very fine people on both sides of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, and spent his time as a landlord screwing Black tenants out of housing. Black voters are watching as Trump is making it clear who he is and who hell fight for if hes given a second term and it isnt them. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. US President Joe Biden (2nd L) speaks at a press conference after taking an aerial tour of the wreckage site of Francis Scott Key Bridge. Jerry Jackson/TNS via 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 workers who were carrying out routine construction at the time. A third body was located and recovered from the wreckage on Friday, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said. "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," Scott said in a statement. "We will continue to do everything in our power to support these families, and provide whatever they need to persevere through this unthinkable tragedy. Biden took an aerial tour to survey the wreckage earlier 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 US President Joe Biden (2nd L) speaks at a press conference after taking an aerial tour of the wreckage site of Francis Scott Key Bridge. Christy Bowe/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa NEW YORK (AP) The reposts and expressions of shock from public figures followed quickly after a user on the social platform X who uses a pseudonym claimed that a government website had revealed skyrocketing rates of voters registering without a photo ID in three states this year two of them crucial to the presidential contest. Extremely concerning, X owner Elon Musk replied twice to the post this past week. Are migrants registering to vote using SSN? Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, an ally of former President Donald Trump, asked on Instagram, using the acronym for Social Security number. Trump himself posted to his own social platform within hours to ask, Who are all those voters registering without a Photo ID in Texas, Pennsylvania, and Arizona??? What is going on???" State election officials soon found themselves forced to respond. They said the user, who pledges to fight, expose and mock wokeness, was wrong and had distorted Social Security Administration data. Actual voter registrations during the time period cited were much lower than the numbers being shared online. Stephen Richer, the recorder in Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes Phoenix, refuted the claim in multipleX posts while Jane Nelson, the secretary of state in Texas, issued a statement calling it totally inaccurate." Yet by the time they tried to correct the record, the false claim had spread widely. In three days, the pseudonymous users claim amassed more than 63 million views on X, according to the platforms metrics. A thorough explanation from Richer attracted a fraction of that, reaching 2.4 million users. The incident sheds light on how social media accounts that shield the identities of the people or groups behind them through clever slogans and cartoon avatars have come to dominate right-wing political discussion online even as they spread false information. The accounts enjoy a massive reach that is boosted by engagement algorithms, by social media companies greatly reducing or eliminating efforts to remove phony or harmful material, and by endorsements from high-profile figures such as Musk. They also can generate substantial financial rewards from X and other platforms by ginning up outrage against Democrats. Many such internet personalities identify as patriotic citizen journalists uncovering real corruption. Yet their demonstrated ability to spread misinformation unchecked while disguising their true motives worries experts with the United States in a presidential election year. They are exploiting a long history of trust in American whistleblowers and anonymous sources, said Samuel Woolley, director of the Propaganda Research Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. Story continues With these types of accounts, theres an allure of covertness, theres this idea that they somehow might know something that other people dont, he said. Theyre co-opting the language of genuine whistleblowing or democratically inclined leaking. In fact what theyre doing is antithetical to democracy. The claim that spread online this past week misused Social Security Administration data tracking routine requests made by states to verify the identity of individuals who registered to vote using the last four digits of their Social Security number. These requests are often made multiple times for the same individual, meaning they do not necessarily correspond one-to-one with people registering to vote. The larger implication is that the cited data represents people who entered the U.S. illegally and are supposedly registering to vote with Social Security numbers they received for work authorization documents. But only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote in federal elections and illegal voting by those who are not is exceedingly rare because states have processes to prevent it. Accounts that do not disclose the identities of those behind them have thrived online for years, gaining followers for their content on politics, humor, human rights and more. People have used anonymity on social media to avoid persecution by repressive authorities or to speak freely about sensitive experiences. Many left-wing protesters adopted anonymous online identities during the Occupy Wall Street movement of the early 2010s. The meteoric rise of a group of right-wing pseudonymous influencers who act as alternative information sources has been more recent. It's coincided with a decline in public trust in government and media through the 2020 presidential election and the COVID-19 pandemic. These influencers frequently spread misinformation and otherwise misleading content, often in service of the same recurring narratives such as alleged voter fraud, the woke agenda or Democrats supposedly encouraging a surge of people through illegal immigration to steal elections or replace whites. They often use similar content and reshare each other's posts. The account that posted the recent misinformation also has spread bogus information about the Israel-Hamas war, sharing a post last fall that falsely claimed to show a Palestinian crisis actor" pretending to be seriously injured. Since his takeover of Twitter in 2022, Musk has nurtured the rise of these accounts, frequently commenting on their posts and sharing their content. He also has protected their anonymity. In March, X updated its privacy policy to ban people from exposing the identity of an anonymous user. Musk also rewards high engagement with financial payouts. The X user who spread the false information about new voter registrants has racked up more than 2.4 million followers since joining the platform in 2022. The user, in a post last July, reported earning more than $10,000 from X's new creator ad revenue program. X did not respond to a request for comment, which was met with an automated reply. Tech watchdogs said that while its critical to maintain spaces for anonymous voices online, they shouldnt be allowed to spread lies without accountability. Companies must vigorously enforce terms of service and content policies that promote election integrity and information integrity generally, said Kate Ruane, director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology. The success of these accounts shows how financially savvy users have deployed the online trolling playbook to their advantage, said Dale Beran, a lecturer at Morgan State University and the author of It Came from Something Awful: How a Toxic Troll Army Accidentally Memed Donald Trump into Office. The art of trolling is to get the other person enraged," he said. "And we now know getting someone enraged really fuels engagement and gives you followers and so will get you paid. So now its sort of a business. Some pseudonymous accounts on X have used their brands to build loyal audiences on other platforms, from Instagram to the video-sharing platform Rumble and the encrypted messaging platform Telegram. The accounts themselves and many of their followers publicly promote their pride in America and its founding documents. It's concerning that many Americans place their trust in these shadowy online sources without thinking critically about who is behind them or how they may want to harm the country, said Kara Alaimo, a communications professor at Farleigh Dickinson University who has written about toxicity on social media. We know that foreign governments including China and Russia are actively creating social media accounts designed to sow domestic discord because they think weakening our social fabric gives their countries a competitive advantage," she said. "And theyre right. ___ The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about APs democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___ This story has been corrected to reflect that the name of the Texas secretary of state is Jane Nelson, not Janet Nelson. ABILENE, Texas (BigCountryHomepage.com) Tragedy, crime, and city news continues to trend in local headlines. Keep reading for a full look at the trending local articles of the week. LAST TIME Big Country Beat: Mourning 3 young lives & Abilenes most wanted take over This weeks top 5 in BCHs Big Country Beat 5. Driver accused of seriously injuring passenger while doing donuts, evading police in south Abilene arrested Abilene driver, Demarcus Kelley, was arrested last weekend. Hes accused of doing donuts on Buffalo Gap Road in South Abilene, seriously injuring his passenger in the process, and evading arrest. 4. Abilene Assistant District Attorney charged with DWI Kelsey Huddleston, an Abilene Assistant District Attorney, was booked into the Taylor County Jail Thursday morning. Shes accused of driving while intoxicated. 3. School bus hits car, crashes into north Abilene yard For several weeks now, weve gotten breaking news on Thursday afternoons and evenings that take the community by storm and rocket into the top five list. This week was no different when a bus driver crashed into a stationary vehicle then ran into a residential lawn. No injuries were reported. 2. Left in Disrepair: Abilene commercial structure could be torn down A building which was once used to manufacture defense products, like mission systems and items to support aeronautic business, was condemned by the City of Abilene this week. As reporter Tobin Smith explains in his article, the factory has been vacant for nearly 30 years, and has continuously been broken into. 1. Motorcycle crash in Abilene claims one life, leaves another injured A motorcycle crash took the life of an Abilene woman just after midnight Saturday. Authorities later identified her as Shanna Bowman, 35. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Thurday denied Donald Trump's dismissal motion in his Florida federal criminal case, tossing out the former president's argument that the Presidential Records Act (PRA) turned classified records into his personal documents after he left office. But Cannon, in her decision, also declined to rule on special counsel Jack Smith's request for clarity on the jury instructions she asked the parties to submit and did not signal whether she believed the PRA could constitute a permissible defense that Trump could raise later, according to The Washington Post. Her refusal leaves open the possibility for the PRA to come back to bite during trial and legal experts warn that could lead to problems down the line. The "good news" for the special counsel is that Cannon rejected Trump's motion to dismiss the case based on the PRA argument, Barbara McQuade, a University of Michigan law professor and former U.S. attorney, told Salon. But the "bad news" is that Cannon indicated her decision is a "pretrial ruling only" and that she could dismiss the case later on those grounds should Trump raise it as a defense. "That would actually be a worse outcome for Jack Smith because he would be unable to appeal once a jury has been sworn in," McQuade said. The judge's decision came three weeks after she held a hearing on the presumptive GOP nominee's PRA motion and two days after Smith rebuffed the presumed thinking underlying her request for proposed jury instructions. On Tuesday Smith urged Cannon in a court filing to decide "promptly" on whether the interpretation of the PRA the jury instructions were based on, which seemed to align with Trump's perspective of the act, represents her position. He warned that, should that be the case, he would appeal her before trial, noting that such a viewpoint stems from a "fundamentally flawed legal premise." Cannon, in her latest, three-page order, rebuked Smith's request, writing that "to the extent the Special Counsel demands an anticipatory finalization of jury instructions prior to trial, prior to a charge conference, and prior to the presentation of trial defenses and evidence, the Court declines that demand as unprecedented and unjust. Her request for the proposed jury instructions last month "should not be misconstrued as declaring a final definition on any essential element or asserted defense in this case, the judge said Thursday. "Nor should it be interpreted as anything other than what it was: 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's response, the Post notes, reveals her discontent with Smith's "characterization" of her order requesting the instructions. But even with the explanation she provided, her response to Smith is "bizarre" because she introduced the issue to begin with, former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Salon. "Normally you don't talk about jury instructions until well into trial, and we don't have a trial date, not a confirmed trial date yet. So the fact that she's entertaining this nonsense, number one, doing it when she's doing it, well before trial, and refusing to issue a final ruling on it it's just either bizarre or just outright biased depending on your view of things," he said, adding that he would expect that "when a judge asks for something that he or she rule on it." In seeking the proposed jury instructions, Cannon described two scenarios for the parties to consider in their responses, both of which misstated what the PRA does, according to legal experts. In one scenario, Cannon requested instructions that assume the PRA empowers the president to claim any documents as personal at the end of a presidency, which Trump has claimed. She also directed the parties to write instructions for a scenario in which the jury has to determine whether the documents Trump is accused of illegally retaining are presidential or personal. Trump faces 32 felony counts of violating the Espionage Act, which governs classified materials, each for a specific document prosecutors say he illegally retained at his Florida resort club after leaving office. The former president has pleaded not guilty to those charges and the other eight felony counts against him in connection with alleged attempts to obstruct government efforts to retrieve the sensitive records. Cannon's ruling against Trump's motion based on the PRA "a civil law that has no relevance to the criminal charges could signal that she wont inject it into a wacky jury instruction," writes Jordan Rubin, a former New York prosecutor and the legal blog writer for MSNBC's "Deadline." By declining to rule on the jury instructions matter, Cannon could be "punting" the matter "for now," David Schultz, a Hamline University professor of legal studies and political science, explained, noting that that approach reflects a "more typical" pattern because judges "traditionally" do not address jury instruction issues "upfront." Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. But Cannon neglecting to address Smith's objections raises "a little bit" of concern for how she may conduct the trial and what she may consider with respect to the PRA, he said. "It could potentially speak to how it still might guide the judge in terms of conducting the trial, in terms of, perhaps, how she might rule on future motions or objections during the trial," Schultz speculated, reiterating that her waiting to rule on jury instructions, as is typical, could be a good sign. Waiting to issue a decision could also benefit the special counsel "in the sense of saying that they get to present their case closer to what they think the triers of fact should be thinking about in terms of what the law is regarding the Presidential Records Act," Schultz added. Trump "clearly would love" for the judge to accept one of those two jury instructions because of how, based on Cannon's approach, it could have determined the course of the trial. Her ruling, though "maybe not a home run" for Smith, is "a good development on one level for the prosecution's case," Schultz said. On another level, however, Cannon's decision not to rule on the legal premise underlying the instructions puts Smith at a disadvantage because, without a "definitive ruling," he can't appeal to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals before trial should he find it necessary, Rahmani explained. Even if the judge were to issue an "incorrect ruling, it's better than no ruling at all because it does give him the opportunity to go to the 11th Circuit," he said. "What you don't want is incorrect jury instruction in the middle of trial or at the end of trial that goes to the jury and then there's an acquittal. That's a problem. You can't really appeal an acquittal because of double jeopardy." Without a ruling on the jury instructions, it's "unclear what, if anything" Smith will do about the matter, Rubin writes, speculating that Smith may "decide to take the win (such as it is) and live to fight another day." Rahmani expects Smith to continue pushing Cannon to issue a ruling and seek a writ of mandamus from the appellate court, which would order her to fulfill her official duties and "follow the law essentially," if the judge doesn't make a decision. At this stage, McQuade added, Smith's "best option" may be to file a motion in limine, asking Cannon to "preclude any reference whatsoever" to the PRA ahead of trial so that he can appeal to the 11th Circuit if she rules against him. "This is a big deal because the judge is going to entertain this argument that the records are personal and not presidential and allow jurors to consider this issue, which really, it's a legal issue that should be decided by the judge," Rahmani argued. "That's a problem." MEMPHIS, Tenn. Just three days away from history, a total eclipse of the sun is set to take place on Monday, April 8. The event promises to have a major economic impact on several states in the path of totality one of them is Arkansas. Were expecting visitors here in Blytheville and we want the city to look good. It takes teamwork to make the dream work, said Yvette Guyton, Blytheville, Arkansas clean-up volunteer. More than seventy Blytheville city employees gathered together on Friday morning volunteering to clean up. How city leaders are preparing for the solar eclipse Our job today was to simply prepare for the coming, if you will, to prepare for the coming and were excited to do it, said Melissa Logan, Mayor of Blytheville. For us, it means an inflow of traffic, an inflow of tourism and so we should have a very lucrative weekend. With Mississippi County positioned to be a prime area for eclipse watching, Blytheville is anticipating a major economic boost. A lot of people have never been to Arkansas or to the South and this is our chance to make a great impression so they come back soon and often, said Abby Houseworth, Houseworth Hotels and Restaurants Manager. Houseworth manages four hotels and two restaurants, all situated close to Interstate 55 where a stream of eclipse viewers is expected to start arriving Saturday. Pack your patience: Airlines expect delays amid solar eclipse We expect a full house. Everything is booked. We have just a couple of rooms left, weve even got Moon Pies that were giving out to our guests, Houseworth said. Were really excited. Weve got our glasses, weve got t-shirts and were ready. As a kid, youd use a hole in a piece of paper to see a partial eclipse, but never seen a full eclipse before, said Doug Maxson of Jacksonville, Florida. If you are planning to drive to see the eclipse, you should allow plenty of time as highways are expected to be packed. Make sure you have protective eyewear and dont pull over to the side of the road to watch the eclipse. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. The body of one of the four construction workers who remained missing following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse was recovered on Friday, authorities said. The recovered individual was identified by the Unified Command as 38-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval. His family has been notified, authorities said. PHOTO: Maynor Yasir Suazo Sandoval is seen here in an undated file photo. (Courtesy of Family) Unified Command salvage dive teams located what they believed to be the missing construction worker around 10:30 a.m. ET on Friday and notified the Maryland Department of State Police, authorities said. State police deployed a recovery team along with dive teams from law enforcement partners and recovered Suazo-Sandoval. The father of two migrated from Honduras over 17 years ago, according to Gustavo Torres, the executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), a group that works with immigrants. He dreamed of starting a small business and brought joy and humor to his family, Torres told reporters last week. MORE: Baltimore Key Bridge collapse: Victims include dad of 5 Suazo-Sandoval was one of six construction workers killed when a cargo ship crashed into the Baltimore bridge early on March 26, causing a near-total collapse of the span in the Port of Baltimore. The bodies of two workers were covered a day after the collapse. Divers found them trapped in a red pickup truck that was submerged in approximately 25 feet of water near the middle span of the bridge, Maryland State Police said. The workers were identified by police as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, a native of Mexico who lived in Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, a native of Guatemala who lived in Dundalk, Maryland. PHOTO: Wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rests on the container ship Dali, as President Joe Biden takes an aerial tour of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, April 5, 2024, as seen from an accompanying aircraft. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP) Three workers remain missing and are presumed dead. They include Miguel Luna, a father of five from Usulutan, California, in El Salvador, his family told ABC News. A 35-year-old from Camotan, Chiquimula, in Guatemala, and a worker from Mexico also remain missing, according to their respective country's foreign ministry. "There are families still waiting to hear if we have found their loved one," Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police, said in a statement on Friday. "I can promise you, we are fully committed to finding closure for each of these families." Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said the recovery of the third victim "brings us one step closer to closure," though added that "my heart continues to be with all the families still waiting anxiously for their loved ones." "I am grateful for the first responders who have maintained focus on recovering the remaining victims and continued their work to clear the channel with the utmost care," he said in a statement. "We will continue to do everything in our power to support these families, and provide whatever they need to persevere through this unthinkable tragedy." MORE: Biden visits site of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse The recovery of the victim occurred the same day that President Joe Biden visited the site of the collapse. Biden thanked first responders for their efforts and later was scheduled to meet with family members of the six workers killed in the bridge disaster. "They were hard workers laboring in the middle of the night to repair potholes on a bridge that tens of thousands of travelers crossed every day," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a briefing Thursday. Body of construction worker missing after Key Bridge collapse recovered: Unified Command originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) clinched the first spot on the ballot for her Colorado GOP primary after securing the highest percentage of delegate support on Friday at the district assembly. Boebert, who is running for the full two-year term in former Republican Rep. Ken Bucks eastern Colorado district, received 41 percent support from the 527 delegates gathered at the assembly, according to the Colorado Sun. That allows her name to be placed first on the GOP ballot in June. The process to make the primary ballot is wonky and allows candidates different avenues to achieve it: Candidates can choose to simply collect at least 1,500 signatures from their district; they can choose to only go through the assembly process, where they need to earn at least 30 percent of the delegate vote; or candidates can do a mix of both clearing the 1,500 signature threshold and earning at least 10 percent of the delegate vote, the Colorado news outlet noted. Boebert is doing a mix of both the signature and assembly process. The Colorado Secretary of States office said last month she had gathered enough signatures to make the ballot. On Friday, Boebert only needed 10 percent to qualify through the hybrid system. Meanwhile, former state Sen. Ted Harvey (R) received 26 percent of support among delegates, while former state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg (R) received 18 percent and state Rep. Richard Holtorf (R) received 15 percent, the Colorado Sun reported. Because Harvey had chosen to qualify solely through the assembly process, he fell short of making it onto the ballot by not receiving the 30 percent minimum needed. Sonnenberg and Holtorf are looking to qualify through a hybrid system and needed at least 10 percent of the delegate vote. Other candidates have simply gone the signature route. Its the latest twist in an ever-evolving saga to win Bucks seat. Boebert currently represents the 3rd Congressional District in western Colorado but is choosing to run in Bucks district the 4th Congressional District in eastern Colorado to avoid a repeat of last cycles expensive House race. Boebert has also said shes looking for a fresh start since finalizing the divorce with her ex-husband. Buck announced in November that he would not be seeking another term in the House, opening up his seat. But he threw in a curveball last month when he announced he would be retiring early, setting up a special election to fill the remainder of his term. That initially complicated Boeberts path to winning Bucks seat, as it creates two elections: a special election to fill his term out and a GOP primary for the full two-year term starting in January, both of which would take place on the same day on June 25. Boebert couldnt leave her seat to run for the GOP nomination in the special election, which would have triggered a special election for her seat and jeopardized Republicans slim majority in the House. But the Colorado Republican notched a win when former Parker , Colo. Mayor Greg Lopez (R) was selected to be the GOP nominee for the special election. Lopez said he only wanted to run for the remainder of Bucks term, giving Boebert a chance to win the June GOP primary. Given the red leanings in Colorados 4th Congressional District, whoever wins the GOP primary in June for Bucks seat will be the heavy favorite to win in November for the full-year term. Boebert in a statement on X said she was honored following the vote. Honored to have won the support and trust of CD4 Delegates as the ONLY Republican to qualify through the Assembly process today! I kept my word and I will make you proud! she said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, seen here Sept. 10, 2022, during the Club 20 Western Colorado Candidate Debates at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, won top-line placement on the 2024 Republican primary ballot in the 4th Congressional District race. (William Woody for Colorado Newsline) U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert nabbed the top spot on the Republican primary ballot for Colorados 4th Congressional District race at a GOP nominating assembly in Pueblo on Friday. Boebert won 41% of the delegate vote, according to multiple new outlets, and was the only candidate who passed the threshold required to earn a spot on the ballot through the assembly process. Republican delegates met at the Pueblo Convention Center Friday to decide which candidates, in addition to candidates who earn nominations by collecting petition signatures, will appear on the primary ballot in multiple races. Republican nominations for several congressional races such as in the 5th, 6th and 8th districts occurred earlier this month. Candidates hoping to see their names on the June 25 primary ballot have two options. They can win the support of at least 30% of the votes cast through their partys assembly or collect enough valid signatures to petition for their names to appear on the ballot. They may also do both collect petition signatures and campaign for delegate votes. In that case, they need to win at least 10% of the votes cast during an assembly. Assembly winners earn top-line name placement on primary ballots. The 4th District had nine Republicans bidding for a spot on the ballot after former U.S. Rep. Ken Buck announced he wouldnt seek reelection. He later resigned before the end of his term. The announcement of his retirement brought a flood of Republican hopefuls to the race, including Boebert, who ditched the 3rd Congressional District, which she currently represents, in favor of the 4ths more Republican-friendly odds. Boeberts win kept former state Sen. Ted Havey from collecting enough votes to make the ballot, and his congressional bid is over. Deborah Flora of Douglas County will also appear on the 4th District primary ballot since she qualified by turning in enough valid signatures. To date, Flora and Boebert are the only candidates to qualify by petition, according to the Colorado secretary of states office. Flora chose not to campaign for delegate support during Fridays assembly. Former state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg and state Rep. Richard Holtorf of Akron both failed to achieve 30% of the 4th District delegate vote. However, both are waiting to hear if they have enough valid signatures to make the primary ballot, as are Republican state Rep. Mike Lynch and several other 4th District candidates. 3rd Congressional District Boeberts win came during a two-day GOP event in Pueblo that also features the Colorado Republican state assembly Saturday. Friday activities included nominating contests for state House and Senate, judicial district and several other congressional races. In the 3rd District assembly, State Board of Education member Stephen Varela and former state Rep. Ron Hanks both made the primary ballot. Varela got 33% of the delegate vote and Hanks got 32%. Republican Jeff Hurd, who did not compete in the assembly, has filed a petition to appear on the ballot but is waiting to hear on its approval. El Paso County Republican assembly delegates overwhelmingly chose 5th Congressional District hopeful Dave Williams, chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, during their March 23 meeting in Colorado Springs, according to Colorado Politics. He will face Jeff Crank, a conservative podcaster and executive at Americans for Prosperity, who qualified by petition in March. State Sen. Bob Gardner of Colorado Springs is waiting to hear if his petition signatures met the requirements to earn a spot on the ticket. Delegates from the 6th Congressional District, which encompasses much of the eastern part of the Denver metro area, held their caucus on April 1. The group unanimously selected John Fabbricatore to face Democratic incumbent Jason Crow in November, according to Colorado Public Radio. Republican delegates representing Colorados newest congressional district, the 8th, which includes sections of Adams, Larimer, and Weld counties, chose state house Rep. Gabe Evans of Fort Lupton and Janek Joshi, a former state representative from Colorado Springs, according to Colorado Politics. Evans earned 63% of the delegate vote, while Joshi just qualified with 30.4%. A special election to fill Bucks former congressional seat through the end of the year is scheduled for the same day as the primary election. Special Democratic and Republican nominating conventions selected Democrat Trisha Calvarese to face Republican Greg Lopez in that election. Colorado Democratic congressional candidates in every district except the 5th will compete in assemblies April 11. Democratic candidates in the 5th District will participate in an assembly Saturday. The Republican party has until April 17 to submit the official paperwork for assembly results to Colorados secretary of state. Newslines Quentin Young contributed to this report. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Boebert wins delegate vote as Colorado Republicans gather for assembly appeared first on Colorado Newsline. Boyfriend Fatally Stabbed by OnlyFans Model Feared for His Safety in Toxic Relationship: Is Love Going to Kill Me? Courtney Clenney claims she killed her boyfriend Christian Obumseli in self-defense and has pleaded not guilty Hawaii Police Department/AP Courtney Clenney mugshot, left, and aerial view of One Paraiso condominium On Saturday, April 2, 2022, Miami police entered One Paraiso condominium to find OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney, then 25, near the front desk, her bleached blonde hair extensions draped over one shoulder. The front-desk attendant, who called the police, said Courtney and her boyfriend, Christian Obumseli, were causing a disturbance, which was one of many during their four months of living at the condominium. Courtney told police that she broke up with Christian, 27, but he refused to leave. Hes been literally sleeping in my elevator room without my permission, Courtney told the officers. I want a restraining order. But after police told her that Christian was a legal resident of the building who hadnt apparently committed a crime, they left, and Courtney returned to her condo. On Sunday, April 3, Courtney fatally stabbed Christian with a kitchen knife inside of their 22nd-story apartment. When police enter her condo, she is seen on body-camera footage cradling Christians head on the blood-soaked floor. Baby, baby, baby, baby, wake up, she screams. Detained and handcuffed while medics tried to save Christian's life, Courtney sat on the balcony of the $10,000-a-month waterfront apartment as her boyfriend's blood dried on her face, chest, stomach, arms and sweatpants. Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office Blood and knife at the crime scene in Courtney Clenney's apartment During questioning, she claimed she threw the knife at Christian from 10 feet away in self-defense. However, the Miami-Dade medical examiner ruled Christian's death a homicide caused by a knife that punctured three inches into his shoulder in a downward direction a fatal injury they said was inconsistent with Courtney's account. Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office Courtney Clenney learned that Christian Obumseli died from his stab wound while being questioned by police Four months later, Courtney was arrested at a Hawaii rehab facility and charged with second-degree murder. In an arrest warrant, police cite years of text messages and videos recorded by Christian that allegedly prove Courtney was the aggressor. Sipa USA/Alamy Live News Miami-Dade County State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announcing Courtney Clenney's arrest Because of this, I wont be able to grow old with my brother, Christians older brother Jeffrey Obumseli, 32, tells PEOPLE. Still to this day, the family is hurting. We are in deep grief, and its just too painful to talk about. Related: Video Footage Shows OnlyFans Model Courtney Clenney Hitting Boyfriend a Month Before His Murder For more on Courtney Clenney's murder case, subscribe now to , or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands Friday.PEOPLE Courtney, now 27, has pleaded not guilty, and is currently behind bars awaiting trial. The Texas-native grew a large social media following after she began posting on OnlyFans, a subscription platform that often hosts sexual content. In late 2020, Courtney and Christian began their tumultuous relationship. Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office Courtney Clenney and Christian Obumseli They met at a very financially vulnerable stage in his life, Karen Egbuna, Christian's cousin, tells PEOPLE. He had been laid off during the pandemic, and I think Courtney's job took her several places and out of the country. In support of their relationship he would often travel with her. One of the trips was an OnlyFans content trip to Palm Springs in summer 2021, which fellow OnlyFans creator Patrycia Kratiuk, 27, attended. Kratiuk tells PEOPLE that when she met Courtney, she was very bubbly, always smiling until she started partying. Kratiuk claims she saw Christian provide Courtney with drugs, which seemed to set off a different personality in Courtney. Christian was really nice, quiet, but he was just always lingering around, Kratiuk says. He was always watching her. You never really saw them separated. Courtney Clenney and Christian Obumseli After Christian's killing, police allege they discovered a history of drug use and domestic violence in the relationship. On Feb. 28, 2022, Christian texted Courtney and said that in the relationship, he was slapped, spat on, stabbed and called a racial slur. Is love going to kill me? he wrote in part. Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office Courtney and Christian fighting in an elevator. Christian was the baby in his close-knit family, Egbuna, 35, says. Thats what made it especially shocking when a medical examiner called his mother asking if she would consent to donate his organs before anyone in the family knew he had been killed. It sent this frenzy through the family, Egbuna says. We were trying to call him. We tried to reach out to Courtney. We were desperate to figure out what exactly had transpired. In January 2024, Courtney was charged with an additional felony alongside her parents, Kim and Deborah Clenney, on accusations of unauthorized use of a computer after allegedly accessing Christians laptop after his death. Kim and Deborahs attorney, Jude Faccidomo, denies that the parents committed a crime. All three have pleaded not guilty to the charges. In a statement to PEOPLE, Courtney's defense attorney, Sabrina Puglisi, called the relationship "unhealthy" and "marked by aggressive conduct from both parties," but claims that Courtney was the victim of domestic violence. Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Courtney Clenney in court on Sept. 6, 2022 "Courtney endured Obumseli's mistreatment, clinging to hope that someday he would cease harming her," Puglisi said in the statement. "Regrettably, that day never arrived, and Courtney's actions reflected those of a young woman desperate to save herself from dying at the hands of her abuser." The Obumseli family attorney, Larry Handfield, says the evidence is inconsistent with the self-defense claim, and Christian's family believes that he was the victim of domestic violence. We've had no experience with domestic violence, Egbuna says. And so, it's something we never imagined that anyone in our family would experience, let alone lose their life from. 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. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Brazil's Krenak Indigenous group gets literary esteem and an apology for dictatorship-era crimes Writer Fernanda Montenegro holds Indigenous writer and environmental activist Ailton Krenak during his admission ceremony at the Brazilian Academy of Letters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Friday, April 5, 2024. Krenak is the first Indigenous person to be elected to the academy. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado) RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) It was a historic week for Brazils Krenak people, getting both literary esteem and an apology for dictatorship-era crimes both firsts for the Indigenous people of the country. On Tuesday, the indigenous group received a formal apology for human rights abuses they suffered during the military dictatorship (1964-1985) a first in Brazil. Then on Friday one of their leaders, renowned writer and environmentalist Ailton Krenak, earned a seat at the Brazilian Academy of Letters, the country's most exclusive literature body. During Friday's ceremony, Krenak received a sword, a necklace and a diploma from his peers. Wearing an Indigenous headband and the academy's traditional green vest adorned with golden embroidery, he said he had come to bring more languages to the room. My relatives have come from different parts of Brazil to be here. I can't mention every ethnicity here, there are many, Krenak said in his speech. I am here. I am Guarani, I am Kayapo, I am Xavante, I am them all. Earlier, Krenak told the academy he wants to create a platform to make the institution's documents and books available in Indigenous languages, many of which are on the verge of disappearing. We could do this for every native tongue. It is completely up to the Brazilian Academy of Letters to include another 170 languages beyond Portuguese, Krenak said. The idea is to prioritize spoken language, and not text. What threatens these (Indigenous) languages is the lack of speakers, he added. Among notable members of the Brazilian academy are Grammy-award winner Gilberto Gil and actress Fernanda Montenegro, who was nominated for best actress in the 1999 Academy Awards. Tuesday's apology was also a ceremonious event. On a stage featuring Brazilian states' flags and in a crowded room packed with Indigenous people, some of whom were wearing traditional headdresses and black body paint, law professor Enea de Stutz e Almeida knelt before Indigenous leader Djanira Krenak. In the name of the Brazilian State, I want to ask forgiveness for all the suffering your people have gone through, said de Stutz e Almeida, the president of the amnesty commission attached to the human rights ministry responsible for investigating the dictatorship's crimes. Those crimes included forcing the Krenak off their land in southeastern Minas Gerais, where a so-called reformatory site was built. There, Indigenous peoples were tortured, beaten and forbidden to speak their languages. The military also created a rural guard made up of Indigenous people, who were taught torture techniques. The commission also extended an apology to the Guarani Kaiowa Indigenous people, who were also chased off their land in Mato Grosso do Sul state to make way for farms run by non-Indigenous Brazilians. Ailton Krenak fled his home territory when he was about 11 years old, only to return as an adult. The military thought that Brazil could deal with native peoples in a paternalistic way and could prepare them for civilization, Krenak told The Associated Press in an interview following Tuesday's apology. The cases about the Krenak and the Guarani Kaiowa Indigenous groups were first rejected by the amnesty commission in 2022, when members appointed by former President Jair Bolsonaro's government were in place. Prosecutors appealed both decisions. The Bolsonaro presidency (2019-2022) facilitated mining, logging and large-scale agriculture in Indigenous territories. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has long advocated for Indigenous peoples' rights and created eight new Indigenous-only territories since taking office for a third, non-consecutive term in 2023. He climbed the presidential ramp alongside Indigenous chief Raoni. In Lula's first year, the amnesty commission changed its rules to allow for apologies to be issued not only to individuals but entire groups, paving the way for Tuesdays ceremony and potentially many more. The state's first-ever apology regarding the persecution of Indigenous peoples during the dictatorship echoes the request for forgiveness by Bank of Brazil for its role in the capture and enslavement of millions of Africans. All of the more than 300 Indigenous groups that exist in Brazil have a story to tell about the military period and, unfortunately, from my understanding, its not a good one, said Rubens Valente, author of The Rifles and the Arrows, a seminal book about the military regime's impact on Indigenous communities. Indigenous peoples in contemporary Brazil continue to face threats to their livelihoods. A right-leaning Congress is seeking to pass legislation that does away with protections of Indigenous peoples land rights. The country's top court is set to rule on the matter. Ailton Krenak also said that an apology doesn't change the deep-seated social and economic problems faced by Indigenous peoples. I keep thinking about the situation of the Guarani Kaiowa who continue to be decimated by agribusiness. Will an apology stop the violence against them? he said. Indigenous peoples' memory, rites, culture and tradition have already suffered irreparable damage, Krenak said. If the old die, how will the young invent culture? This is the subject of my work. Thats why I write," he added. ___ A previous version of this story misidentified Indigenous rights activist Shirley Djukurna Krenak as Ailton Krenak's daughter. She is not. ___ Savarese reported from Sao Paulo. Gabriela Sa Pessoa contributed to this report from Sao Paulo. ___ Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america Leon Black told Puck this week that he never added up how much he paid Jeffrey Epstein. LUCY NICHOLSON/Reuters Why did billionaire Leon Black pay Jeffrey Epstein $158 million for estate-planning advice? Black has an answer: He wasn't keeping track of it; $158 million doesn't mean much to him. Black is reportedly worth $14.4 billion. You know how when you're feeling flush, you sometimes pay a little less attention to how much things cost? Turns out billionaires are like that, too. Or, at least, that's what financier Leon Black says about his relationship with disgraced pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Black's long-standing connection to Epstein the billionaire has said he consulted with Epstein on estate planning raised all kinds of questions and press coverage in the wake of Epstein's arrest on federal sex trafficking charges in the summer of 2019 and his death weeks later. The biggest question: Why had Black, a sophisticated and successful Wall Street boss, the cofounder of Apollo Global Management who could work with anyone he wanted to, paid Epstein tens of millions of dollars for advice? Black, it turns out, has an answer for that, which he related to William Cohan in Puck this week. He never added up how much money he sent Epstein's way which he now says was $158 million over several years because it was just a rounding error against his huge wealth. The man who once paid some $130 million for Edvard Munch's The Scream then tried to put the Epstein fees into perspective. "My family and I now own 93 million shares of Apollo," he continued. "So every time, which is every day, going back 15 years, the stock moves up or down by $1, that's either plus or minus $93 million." In other words, $158 million over a number of years wasn't material, especially since the Dechert report revealed that Epstein's advice "conferred" between $1 billion and $2 billion "in value" to Leon. So that kind of sounds reasonable? On the other hand, some math: Black's net worth is a reported $14.4 billion, while the median net worth of an American family is $192,900. So when Black is talking about a $93 million swing in his family's fortunes and shrugging it off, he's describing a change of plus or minus 0.6 percent. For the average American family, that would mean adding or subtracting $1,152 in a single day. So maybe the richest people in the world really are quite a bit different from the rest of us. Read the original article on Business Insider Brian Dorsey, a Missouri man scheduled to be executed on 9 April, isnt arguing hes innocent. He isnt arguing that police hid evidence, targeted him out of racial animus, coerced a confession, or any of the other myriad problems that show up in capital appeals. Rather, he argues that the since-discontinued state practice of paying appointed public defenders a flat fee in capital cases left him with such bad legal representation it violates the 6th Amendment, and condemned him to death after a trial in which evidence of mental health and drug issues were never given proper scrutiny. And in another unlikely turn, a group of bipartisan lawmakers and corrections employees have joined his pleas to the governor and US Supreme Court to stop the case. Dorsey was sentenced to death for the 23 December 2006 killing of his cousins Sarah and Ben Bonnie, who had welcomed Dorsey into their home for the night in New Bloomfield, Missouri, as he struggled with drug issues. Prosecutors also allege that after Dorsey killed them, he sexually assaulted Sarah and poured bleach on her, though these allegations werent fully considered in court because Dorsey pleaded guilty. Dorseys lawyers say he has no memory of the crime and committed the murders in a drug-induced state of psychosis. That is, his current lawyers argue this. According to advocates, Dorseys original attorneys failed to bring forward key pieces of evidence, a potential result of being paid a $12,000 flat fee each to defend him, a practice legal observers say can encourage hasty resolutions of cases to maximize value. The practice of paying flat fees in capital cases has long been considered improper by the American Bar Association because of its potential to discourage lawyers from doing more than what is minimally necessary. The Independent has contacted his original attorneys, Chris Slusher and Scott McBride, for comment. Dorseys long-time struggles with drugs and depression, the latter for which he sought in- and outpatient treatment, were not investigated by his attorneys or presented to the jury. Instead, his defenders told him to plead guilty with no assurances regarding the death penalty. Now, the Missouri man is arguing he did not receive his constitutional rights to adequate representation. On 1 April, he petitioned the US Supreme Court to take up his appeal, arguing that flat fees should fall under past precedent for whats considered illegally compromised legal assistance. Earlier this year, the Missouri man also petitioned Governor Mike Parson to convert his death sentence to life without parole. His appeal campaign has attracted a notable group of supporters from within the criminal justice system. In a March letter to the governor, Michael Wolff, a former Missouri Supreme Court judge who once upheld Dorseys death sentence, said this was one rare cases where those of us who sit in judgment of a man convicted of capital murder got it wrong and added that the flat fee arrangement, which Missouri has since ceased to use, undoubtedly influenced everything. A group of over 70 current and former corrections officers, including those who personally know Dorsey, have also advocated on his behalf, pointing to his spotless record behind bars and longtime service as a prison barber, sometimes even cutting the hair of prison offices. Generally, we believe in the use of capital punishment, the officers wrote the governor. But we are in agreement that the death penalty is not the appropriate punishment for Brian Dorsey. Dorseys lawyers also argue he could be subject to a painful procedure to place an IV during his potential execution, a process they claim would interfere with his religious rights to receive last rites from his spiritual adviser. Family members of the victims are split on whether Dorsey should be executed, with some supporting clemency, and others joining the attorney general of Missouri in calling for the state to go ahead with the execution. All of these years of pain and suffering we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, a group of relatives said in a statement earlier this year. Brian will get the justice that Sarah and Ben have deserved for so long. The governor, a former sheriff who hasnt blocked an execution since taking office in 2018, is still reviewing the clemency request, a spokesperson told the Associated Press on Friday. Missouri executes more people than almost all other US states. The state has executed 97 people since 1976, trailing only Texas, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Florida, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Last year, it was one of only five states to carry out executions, killing four people. Lawmakers are pushing to both end and expand the death penalty in the state. In January, a group of Republicans filed legislation to abolish capital punishment. I think morally, I feel obligated, Rep Chad Perkins, a Republican from Bowling Green, said of the effort. Anyone who says theyre pro-life should feel a little conflicted on this topic because if youre pro-life then I think youve got to look at it and say youre that way from the beginning to the very end. Meanwhile, another GOP group is pushing to expand the list of crimes punishable by death to include child sex trafficking and statutory rape. Whats more evil than taking the innocence of the child during the act of a rape? Children are in large part defenseless and an act such as rape can kill the child emotionally, Senator Mike Moon, a sponsor of the bill, said in March. And so I believe a just consequence, after a reasonable opportunity for defense, is death. As Russia continues to bombard Ukraine, with an emboldened madman at the helm; as Hezbollah continues to fire rockets at the northern border of Israel, making it uninhabitable to its tens of thousands of residents, and threatens regional war, and as Iran continues its nefarious plotting to strengthen the Wests mortal enemies, here in Britain the focus this week has been on one tragic accident: the killing by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of seven aid workers, three of whom were British, employed by the World Central Kitchen in Gaza. This was a terrible, deeply upsetting blunder and it should not have happened. The aid workers loved ones are doubtless distraught and angry. Israel agrees that its army should be held to account, and the IDF lost no time in launching an inquiry, with two soldiers already sacked. I want to be very clear the strike was not carried out with the intention of harming the WCK and workers, said the IDFs Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi. It was a mistake that followed a misidentification at night during a war in very complex conditions. It shouldnt have happened. While the grief and anger surrounding this tragedy will understandably remain strong, the IDF inquiry, sackings and statement is where the matters geopolitical ramifications ought to end. It seems rare to find an armed forces responding as honestly and fully in the heat of war, and shows that the IDF has already factored in the far more exacting expectations applied to it than perhaps any other army on earth. It is also rare for armed forces to fight in such a hellishly complex battlefield. We seem to forget that its nature is unprecedented, given the sheer extent of Hamass booby traps and tunnels (a network larger than the London Underground), not to mention the constant threats on ground level. The sheer range of weaponry required to break Hamass infrastructure is staggering. Then theres the fact that these terrorists are bestial, sadistically mocking every rule of engagement while Israel scrupulously tries to keep to them. Given this, the response to the accident has been more intense than I could have imagined. The false accusations of Israeli malice and international-law flouting, and the prominent so-called statesmen maligning Israels war effort, have been hysterical. This, sadly, is par for the course. What even I have found startling is the madness of calls for Britain and America to reconsider their policy of supplying arms to Israel. Whether the UK does or does not embargo the sale of arms to Israel makes little material difference to the Jewish state (the US is a different story), but it would be a malicious and craven direction for our government to go in. The Tories should not even allow whisperings of this to continue let alone roars. They must recognise that it is bizarre and foolish to allow a tragic casualty of war to shape our strategic outlook. The urge to show keenness for punishing Israel to essentially align ourselves with those who dont want the Jewish state to win increasingly appears stronger than the urge to do right, and make Britain and the West safer with it. For, as weve seen in the past, failure to defeat Islamist terrorists may have ramifications for our own cities: fail to destroy Hamas and people in London, Paris, Berlin and New York could be at risk. A Hamas plot to kill Jews in Europe has already been foiled by German and Danish police. Cutting off their ideological source would seem a no-brainer. We ought to be thanking Israel for doing such a nightmarishly difficult job. It is one of our absolutely key allies strategically, emotionally, historically and in every other way and this is how we treat it in its hour of need? Many of those demanding an arms embargo appear to be using the World Central Kitchen tragedy as an excuse to further their long-standing anti-Israel agenda. In other warzones, it seems to be acknowledged that tragedies happen. Among many examples, there was an occasion when the US bombed a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan (Biden was vice president: no ceasefire demanded). In Kabul some years later, a US drone strike killed civilians including children. Yet the headline in the New York Times ran: No US Troops Will Be Punished for Deadly Kabul Strike, Pentagon Chief Decides. In betraying Israel we are betraying ourselves. Not only will Israel win this war, posted Hillel Fuld, an expert on Israels tech industry, but Israel is establishing itself as we speak as the global authority on urban warfare. All countries will be turning to Israel in the future to learn how to find a war in the 21st century. If Britain continues like this, Israel may very well choose not to teach us. And our lives will be nastier, more brutish and shorter because of it. 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 57-year-old man stepping out of his car near a Brooklyn corner was killed by a hit-and-run driver early Friday, cops said. The victim had parked his Infiniti FX 35 SUV on Wortman Ave. west of Georgia Ave. in East New York just before 6 a.m. when he was mowed down, police said. The man died at the scene, the drivers door still open. His name was not immediately released as cops track down relatives. Police said they were looking for surveillance images to help them track the car and driver, who sped off east on Wortman Ave. (KRON) The San Francisco Fire Department responded to a large fire on Treasure Island on Friday night. Nobody was inside the building, SFFD said. Video from the Citizen app (above) shows a building at 434 Howlett Court engulfed in flames with heavy smoke billowing out. Multiple fire trucks arrived at the scene. The San Francisco Fire Department responded to the call of a fire at 7:40 p.m. Firefighters arriving on the scene saw fire blowing out of windows on the second floor of a two-story home. The house was believed to be abandoned, but firefighters found evidence of squatting and hoarding. One person was hospitalized for smoke inhalation. SFFD said this person was a bystander who was trying to help. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. Cal Poly says it cannot be sued for any alleged failures in the handling of Kristin Smarts murder decades ago, the university claimed in a new court filing. The Smart family sued the university in January, saying Cal Poly is partly responsible for Kristins murder in 1996. The lawsuit claims Paul Flores, who was convicted of her murder in October 2022, was reported to the university at least four times preceding Kristins death. According to the Smart familys lawyers, the lawsuit was sparked by Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrongs first public apology, which he gave to The Tribune in an exclusive May 2023 interview. The Smart familys lawyers told The Tribune the apology was the first time the family realized Cal Poly may have additional information about the mishandling of Kristins case. Cal Poly claimed in an April 2 court filing that the lawsuit was not viable for multiple reasons, including no proof of liability and a statute of limitations. It also claims because the Smart family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the university in 1996, which the family lost in 1997, it cannot sue the university a second time for the same reason. The judge in 1997 found that Cal Poly had immunity for liability because Smarts murder was not foreseeable in light of the absence of prior similar incidents of violent crime at the university. While President Armstrongs acknowledgment of their failings is a step in the right direction, it cannot erase the pain and injustice we have endured, the family told The Tribune in a January statement. Kristin was not just a statistic; she was a vibrant, intelligent young woman with a promising future. We cannot bring Kristin back, but we can demand accountability and ensure no other family suffers the same fate. Kristin Smart lawsuit filed too late, university is immune, Cal Poly claims Cal Poly alleges every claim in the lawsuit violates the statute of limitations, which is two years after Smarts disappearance. The family is arguing a new statute of limitations opened with Armstrongs apology in 2023, a claim the university disputes, saying the facts the lawsuit is based on occurred more than two decades ago. The complaint simply alleges that it was the point that the Smart family began to understand Cal Polys failings, the filing said. However, the alleged failings are not attributed to the 2023 statement. The lawsuit did not show a clear connection between Armstrongs apology and the facts alleged in the complaint and did not cause the alleged failure to investigate the murder, the university said. Rather, the statement expressed understandable regret from the president about the situation in general, the filing said. There are no factual assertions to establish liability beyond the presidents own personal feelings regarding the tragedy of Kristin Smarts death. Because the university believes the lawsuit violates the statute of limitations, it denied the familys initial claim and denied the application for a late claim. The university says the Smarts did not file a petition with the court for late claim relief and filed the complaint anyway, which violates court procedure. The lawsuit is also not viable because it argues the same claims as the lawsuit filed in 1996, the university says. The basis of the claims and issues in the current lawsuit were already disputed, the filing said, which according to court records was dismissed in favor of Cal Poly because the family failed to state any cause of action against the university and the university is immune to liability under California law two points Cal Poly repeated in its current filing. The question is not whether the causes of action are named and phrased the exact same way, but instead whether they seek to recover for a violation of the same primary right, the university argued in the filing. According to the filing, the Smart family did not prove a statutory basis for liability and is making generalized allegations. The university also claimed the family could not sue for negligence or negligent infliction of emotional distress because the harm was suffered by Kristin not family members. The university also argued only Kristins parents could file a wrongful death lawsuit and that her siblings could not join it. The next hearing in the lawsuit is scheduled for Aug. 15. New calculations have raised concerns popular eclipse maps might be off. Heres what scientists say If youre planning to see the epic total solar eclipse that will dance across the skies of North America on Monday, you should aim to travel as close to the center of the celestial spectacles path as possible. New map calculations have raised some concerns that the path of totality where its possible to see the moon completely block out the sun is slightly narrower than NASA calculated. That means some cities on the edge of the route that were expecting to experience a second or two of total darkness might be left out. NASA has not changed its predictions, but the space agency advises that there is some uncertainty involved in mapping the eclipses path. Calculations that use a slightly larger radius for the size of the Sun yield an eclipse path that is slightly narrower, said NASA spokesperson Karen Fox in an emailed statement. This difference would only affect cities on the very edge of the path of totality, where blanket predictions are difficult regardless a few city blocks one way or the other could mean 20, 10, or 0 seconds of totality. And for viewing purposes, NASA scientists and other experts recommend that spectators head for the middle, rather than the perimeter, of the path anyway. I would never, never be near the edge of where that totality is because its a difference between night and day, said Dr. Edward Guinan, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Villanova University. Mapping the moment Recent questions around a potentially shifting path have focused on a new map calculated by Guildford, England-based software developer John Irwin and published to a webpage called Besselian Elements. The research hasnt been thoroughly reviewed by scientists, Guinan said. And even if the NASA map is wrong, Irwins calculations indicate its only off by a couple thousand feet on the edges. A woman views a map showing the eclipse path during the Solar Eclipse Festival at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, California, on August 19, 2017, two days before the total eclipse on August 21. - Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images Irwin did not immediately respond to an email request for comment Friday. But few things in science are ever certain. And NASA also acknowledges that exact measurements of the eclipse path are difficult to pin down. (P)recise eclipse prediction has brought new attention to a tiny but real uncertainty about the size of the Sun, NASAs statement reads. Uncertainty in the Earths rotation can also affect eclipse predictions on this level. Guinan explained that its extremely difficult to determine an exact measurement of the suns size because its a fuzzy surface. He noted that the sun could be slightly enlarged right now because the our star is currently going through a period of maximum magnetic activity, which could cause the sun to swell out a bit. But the uncertainty accounts for only a few hundred feet, while the sun is nearly a million miles across. Still, even slight adjustments in the suns size could gently alter the edges of the moons shadow on Monday. Edge effects The Besselian Elements website advertises that people should consult Irwins alternative eclipse map if theyre hoping to travel to the edge of the path where the length of total darkness may be extremely brief but onlookers could catch a prolonged glimpse of various other eclipse-related phenomenon. Guinan notes that eclipses do offer edge effects. You wouldnt see the total eclipse, but you would see this diamond ring effect flashes of the sun going in and out behind mountains and coming through valleys on the moon, he said. That would be kind of cool to do if you have seen a lot of eclipses. The solar eclipse creates the effect of a diamond ring during the 2017 solar eclipse, as seen from Clingmans Dome, which at 6,643 feet (2,025 meters) is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. - Jonathan Ernst/Reuters But I dont recommend people do this, he said. NASA also said in its statement, Traveling towards the center of the path of totality even a mile or two will quickly increase the length of totality that people can see. And totality is the real show, Guinan emphasized. This phase of the eclipse will plunge the area into darkness. The temperature will drop. Animals will behave as if its nightfall. The suns corona or its blazing hot, outer atmosphere will be visible. Bright stars and planets will shine in the surrounding sky. When you see the total eclipse, you cant go back, Guinan said. Its spectacular. Dont miss out on upcoming eclipse and space stories! Follow the Astronomy topic to see the latest stories in your personalized feed with your free account. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com "Its not good news. Hes given me three months to live if I dont do anything. And then maybe 18 months after that if we do surgery." This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle. Geoff Boc and his girlfriend, Lauren Anderson. The Calgary couple are raising money for Boc, who was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2022, to travel to the U.S. for clinical trials. (Image supplied by Lauren Anderson. Photography by Emily Walcot) Scrolling through TikTok, you might come across the story of Geoff Boc and his girlfriend Lauren Anderson. Unlike the scores of couples who become content creators to dance and play pranks on each other, the Calgary couples videos are something else; part love story, part call to action as they rally to raise funds for potentially life-changing treatment for 32-year-old Boc, who is currently living with brain cancer. In October 2022, after years of friendship and two years of dating, the pair decided to take the next step in their relationship and move in together. Although moving comes with a certain amount of stress, things took a turn when Anderson began noticing changes in Bocs behaviour. All of a sudden Geoff became super forgetful, Anderson told Yahoo Canada. He was having these headaches and I was unpacking everything and getting so frustrated. I was like, What is going on? As soon as we move in together, youre like a different person. Bocs doctor had prescribed him medication for migraines, but when the debilitating headaches continued, the couple went to the emergency room at Peter Lougheed Centre in Calgary for answers. After a CAT scan, the then-30-year-old knew something was wrong when a nurse directed him to a separate area of the hospital, away from the rest of the patients. Its not good news. Hes given me three months to live if I dont do anything...Boc to girlfriend, Lauren Anderson They put up the CAT scan and Im not a doctor, but I immediately see this mass and its massive. My stomach dropped, Boc said. Although they could identify the lime-size mass in his brain, Boc was sent to nearby Foothills Medical Centre for an MRI later that night. The next morning, Boc was awoken by his surgeon to learn the mass was a grade 3 anaplastic astrocytoma, a rare form of brain cancer that accounts for approximately two per cent of all brain tumours. Boc immediately called Anderson to share the devastating news. Lauren, Geoff and their dog, Pickles. (Image supplied by Lauren Anderson) He said, The brain surgeon just left me. I have a brain tumour. Its not good news. Hes given me three months to live if I dont do anything. And then maybe 18 months after that if we do surgery, she recalled. "I had to stop the car to gather myself. I was such a mess." Anaplastic astrocytomas, also referred to as high-grade gliomas, are formed from a type of star-shaped glial cells in the brain called astrocytes that make up a majority of cells in the central nervous system. According to the Canadian Brain Tumour foundation, anaplastic astrocytomas have tentacle-like projections that make them difficult to completely remove. In November 2022, Boc underwent a nine-hour awake brain surgery where doctors were able to remove approximately 99 per cent of the tumour, located near the language centre of the brain. Dr. Rolando Del Maestro, the William Feindel Professor Emeritus in Neuro-Oncology at McGill University, who did not treat Boc, told Yahoo Canada that awake surgeries are particularly useful when tumours are located close to parts of the brain that control vision, speech or movement. Because the brain has no pain fibres, Del Maestro, who also founded the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, says surgeons are at an advantage when performing an awake brain surgery. You can ask the individual while youre operating to move their hand or to move their leg or ask if anything is affecting their vision in any way, he explains. Theres all kinds of different ways we can try to maintain as much intellectual function as we possibly can during an operation. Facing the unexpected together Although the procedure was uncomfortable, Boc said his recovery process was painful. A month later her began radiation and chemotherapy, all the while knowing that the tumour would come back he just didnt know when. Boc, who has a nine-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, kept his diagnosis close to his chest. The affable and self-effacing restaurant manager was eager not to draw too much attention to himself or his struggles and did his best to remain optimistic in the midst of treatment. The pair strikes a balance between levity and solemnity, with Anderson giving Boc space to reflect on the seriousness of their situation. Anderson said there have been many times where the fear of their uncertain future became overwhelming. My parents keep saying they want to switch places with me.Geoff Boc I think you identify loss and grief with someone passing away, but theres a lot of loss in life and grieving without death, she said. Were going through the motions and figuring things out. Its a loss of us being so excited to move in together, or being able to plan for a future. Thats been the hardest part for me. Boc, now 32 and Anderson, 27, are at an age where their friends are moving into a different phase of life of planning weddings and having children. The couple feel as though theyve skipped several steps, and have been thrust into dealing with issues before their time. My parents keep saying they want to switch places with me, Boc said, adding that his parents have played a pivotal role in helping him with treatment and care after surgeries. By June 2023, just as Boc felt well enough to return to school and work, the tumour returned. Bocs chemotherapy was upped from weekly to daily, with MRIs booked for every two months to monitor the tumour, which didnt appear to be growing. The path forward was unclear; should Boc have another surgery or wait to see if the tumour grew bigger? According to Del Maestro, its not uncommon for patients to have multiple tumour resections, however there are important factors to consider. Depending on where the tumour is located, it may not be possible to take out more of the tumour without risking vital functions. Unlike most cancers, brain tumours almost never spread to other areas of the body. However, they can spread to other parts of the brain, which may make it difficult or impossible to remove. The key, Del Maestro said, is developing personalized medicine not just to target the tumour and its genetic mutations but for the patient and understanding their wants and whats important to them. Without a definitive suggestion from his doctor, Boc and Anderson tried to find a new sense of normalcy until January 2024, when they learned that the tumour had grown faster than expected and had spread. It falls on us as a patient to decide what we should be doing, Anderson said. Its hard not to look back and think that maybe we should have taken it out in June or July, and gone back to school and have done all of those things. It is what it is we had the surgery regardless. In need of time On Feb. 5, surgeons removed only 70 per cent of Bocs tumour. With limited options available to treat the remaining tumour, the pair made the decision to look into clinical trials in the United States for what has developed into a glioblastoma, an advanced kind of brain tumour. The trials utilize CAR T-cell therapy that uses the patients own T-cells to target and kill cancer cells. You develop a virus that will sort of target the abnormal mutation thats present in tumour cells but not present in normal cells, Del Maestro, who is not affiliated with the trials Boc has applied to, explains. In glioblastomas there are multiple different mutations, so there are many different cells that have different mutations. And if you have a virus that is only going to attack one type of mutation, it mostly is involved in slowing down the tumour rather than eradicating it its important it could certainly extend your life a substantial amount of time. Anderson and Boc are pursuing clinical trials in the United States to treat Boc's brain cancer. (Image supplied by Lauren Anderson) There was one hurdle that stood in the way of Boc receiving treatment in the clinical trials: money. With the help from Andersons sister, Alida, she set about creating GoFundMe and TikTok accounts to help raise money to offset the costs that come from traveling living expenses. Videos sharing the couples story have amassed more than 1.5 million views, and helped the couple raise $81,000 of their $200,000 goal. Although Boc admits he was hesitant to set up the GoFundMe, the couple needs more time together. It really got to me, Boc said. It made me cry a lot. Its just so generous what everyones giving. Its so nice. I'm literally blown away, Anderson agreed. Im overwhelmed with the support we've received from loved ones and strangers and creating a community around us that has really rallied and wants to follow our story. The biggest thing I've learned is that you should always give a helping handI just would hope that one day I can repay that favour. In a March 27 update to GoFundMe, the couple announced that they were in the stages of applying to trials in North Carolina and Houston, Texas. The consultation fees alone have been quoted at $29,000 USD. Despite the obstacles, Bocs greatest ally is Anderson, who remains determined to make their dreams of marriage and finishing school come true. Miracles do happen. Remembering that has given me a lot of hope, she said. Click here to learn more about Geoff Boc and Lauren Anderson and donate to their GoFundMe. Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Californias Attorney General has a message for Elk Grove: You are not off the hook | Opinion Sure seems like Californias Attorney General Rob Bonta is going to make an example out of Sacramentos little sister to the south, Elk Grove. In a column I wrote back in February, I speculated that Bonta may decide to drop his lawsuit against the city of Elk Grove now that the city had come to a compromise with Excelerate Housing Group, an affordable housing developer it denied permits to in July 2022. Opinion But when I spoke with Bonta in Sacramento this week, he had a message for Elk Grove: You are not off the hook. I believe they violated the law, Bonta said of Elk Grove. The city situated just south of Sacramento might have settled with the developer, but not with him and his office. Excelerate wanted to build a 67-unit low-income housing complex for families transitioning out of homelessness, called the Oak Rose Apartments. It was planned for an undeveloped sliver of property at the eastern edge of the citys Old Town district 9252 Elk Grove Blvd. but the city rejected the project in 2022, claiming that the project was the proposed project was too dense, and that the ground-floor residences did not comply with neighborhood zoning requirements. That decision was a violation of several laws, including the Housing Accountability Act and Senate Bill 35, which requires a streamlined approval process for infill developments in cities or counties that have failed to meet regional housing needs. Excelerate sued accordingly, followed swiftly by the state. At a press conference on Tuesday where Bonta was supporting new affordable housing legislation, Bonta said the states case against Elk Grove is still active, they have not come to a resolution with the city, and his office is not satisfied with the compromise the city brokered with the developer earlier this year. I understand why the developer may seek to resolve the case and move forward with the project a bigger project by the way, with more units and create more affordable housing but it doesnt satisfy us, he said. According to Bonta, a win for the state is having an affordable housing complex built on that original location. We think its important that (in) the original location and area where they should have approved the project, they should approve a (new) project, Bonta said. If so, it would be a rightfully-earned slap to the city and its officials, who have previously said they want to turn that property and an adjoining lot into a city library. And while Im generally in favor of libraries, the states preferred outcome would send a strong and clear message to any California city that tries to pull the same stunt. The compromise with the developer, according to a press release from the city of Elk Grove, is that the city will provide the (Oak Rose) project a $5 million grant using funds designated to support affordable housing. It will also purchase the Old Town property at its appraised value, transfer ownership of the new property at no cost to the Oak Rose developer, reimburse the developer $850,000, pay damages of $860,000 and pay the developers legal fees for another $600,000. Under this agreement, the city has until June 30 to approve the new site for the Oak Rose apartments. If, for whatever reason, that doesnt happen, Elk Grove will have to pay the developer another $2.2 million. So instead of just allowing an affordable housing complex in the heart of the city, Elk Grove taxpayers are out several million dollars, and maybe more. But this is the modern cost of classism, a lesson Elk Grove is learning the hard way. Theres simply no room left for these kinds of games, not with millions more units of housing needed. The city may have settled its lawsuit with this particular affordable housing developer, but it has not settled its dispute with the Attorney General. Bonta is right to stick up for new affordable housing and fight against stereotypes that keep poor people out of the heart of their own cities, while Elk Grove remains on the wrong side of history. Apple's recently announced initiative to develop home robots could be a setback for the company, Wedbush's Dan Ives said. He says leaning into artificial intelligence should by the company's priority. "If they went after robots, that would be a black eye moment for Apple," Ives said to CNBC this week. Apple's recently announced foray into developing home robots could end up being a "horror show" for the company, according to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. Speaking to CNBC this week, Ives referenced a Bloomberg report that Apple is exploring the creation of home robots, with an eye on that becoming the tech giant's "next big thing." The news came not long after the iPhone-maker dashed plans to roll out a self-driving car, a decade-long project known as Project Titan. Ives thinks such a shift would be detrimental to Apple, which should instead be primarily focused on leaning into artificial intelligence. "It would be a horror if they actually spent money on robots. Look at the failed EV initiative, Project Titan," Ives said. "For Cook, his legacy is going to be AI. If they went after robots, that would be a black eye moment for Apple." Other strategists on Wall Street have also sounded doubts over Apple's robot development. Gene Munster, who has been bullish on the iPhone maker for years, noted that the company has shelved plenty of projects over the years before ever rolling them out to the public. "I 100% agree it makes sense for Apple to have a small skunkworks project exploring a deeper dive into home automation. That said, I put the probability that we see a product in the next five years at slim to none," Munster said in a post on X. Apple has faced a number of negative headwinds and headlines over the last year, stemming from restrictions in China, an anti-trust lawsuit from the Department of Justice, and recent layoffs. Shares of its stock have slid 12% from levels at the start of 2024. Even amid his concern around Apple's home robots, Ives remains bullish on the company's stock trajectory over the medium-term. In Wedbush's latest note on Apple, the firm maintained its "outperform" rating on the stock and 12-month price target of $250, implying shares will rise 47%. But that projection hinges on Apple continuing to put its AI at the forefront of its priorities, the analysts suggested. "We have seen Apple's back against the wall before and we view this period as just another chapter in the Apple growth story with AI now on the doorstep of coming to Cupertino," the note said. Read the original article on Business Insider Call 911 if you see this stolen car with purple wheels DENVER (KDVR) The Greeley Police Department is asking the public for help finding a car stolen twice last year. The car, a white Hyundai Sonata with purple wheels, was stolen from Greeley last July. It was recovered in Fort Collins about a month later, but police said the flaw in the vehicle that allowed it to be stolen in the first place was not fixed, and it was stolen again in September. Report: Colorado auto thefts decreased by 21% in 2023 Greeley police released photos of two people they said are known to be associated with the stolen vehicle, but the department said officers do not know who those people are. The Greeley Police Department is asking the public for help in finding a white Hyundai Sonata with purple wheels that was stolen twice last year. (Photo: Greeley Police Department) The Greeley Police Department is asking the public for help in finding a white Hyundai Sonata with purple wheels that was stolen twice last year. (Photo: Greeley Police Department) The Greeley Police Department is asking the public for help in finding a white Hyundai Sonata with purple wheels that was stolen twice last year. (Photo: Greeley Police Department) The Greeley Police Department is asking the public for help in finding a white Hyundai Sonata with purple wheels that was stolen twice last year. (Photo: Greeley Police Department) The Greeley Police Department is asking the public for help in finding a white Hyundai Sonata with purple wheels that was stolen twice last year. (Photo: Greeley Police Department) One female suspect has a tattoo on the back of her left shoulder and hair described as magenta or purple. Anyone who recognizes either suspect is asked to contact Detective Zong-Liscum at Andi.Zong-Liscum@GreeleyPD.com or 970-350-9605. The car may have unique identifying features beyond the purple wheels, such as a possibly broken back driver-side quarter panel window and a possible Kansas license plate, but police do not know if there is a plate on the car at all. Police are actively looking for the vehicle and ask anyone who sees it to call 911 immediately, whether theyre in Greeley or elsewhere. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. DENVER (KDVR) Its National Public Health Week, and cancer survivors are warning Colorado residents about radon. It was in 2018 when Joanie Ryan went in for a routine scan. As a nonsmoker, I was shocked to find out that I had lung cancer and I was asymptotic I had no symptoms at all. I was fine, working, traveling all over the country. I had a breast MRI, because breast cancer runs high in my family. And so it was shocking to find out there was something suspicious in my lungs that turned out to be cancer. Ryan said. Motorcyclists can soon pass between cars in Colorado Shortly after, members of the cancer community told her to test her home for radon. Her current home had normal levels, but she had lived in her previous home for 13 years. So she reached out to the people who bought their old home to get testing underway. I called the folks that purchased our home and explained to them what we were looking at and did testing there, and it was through the roof, shockingly high levels, and so it was the obvious conclusion that that was the cause, Ryan said. Joanie Ryan Radon found in 65% of Denver-area homes Experts say high radon levels can easily go undetected because there are no signs until its too late. And its more prevalent that one may think. Radon expert Kyle Hoylman, Protect Environmental CEO, broke down some statistics. The metro Denver area, it is approximately 3-9 times higher than the national average. So about 20% of lung cancer mortality in the state of Colorado is attributable to exposure to radon, Hoylman said. Inhaling radon from indoor air at average levels measured in Denver and surrounding counties is compared to 200-590 chest X-rays a year, or smoking nine to 24 cigarettes a day. In Colorado and more specifically the Denver metro area in general, radon is a Class A human carcinogen. Its cancer-causing, and it is naturally occurring. It is prevalent in about 50% of the homes in Colorado, but radon is found in 65% in the Denver metro area, Hoylman said. Lauren Boeberts blood clot raises awareness about May-Thurner syndrome Ryan has now been in remission since June 2021. Since then, she has advocated for radon testing, even speaking to the Colorado House of Representatives last year on Senate Bill 23-206, which made it a law for landlords to test and disclose radon levels. Shes had a few new adventures along the way too. In 2022, she became Ms. Colorado Senior, using her platform to advocate further. You know, cancer, if I survived that, I can do anything. I really felt invincible, and I think thats something that those of us who survive get to feel, Ryan said. To increase testing, Project Environmental is giving away free radon test kits. To get your kit to ensure you and your familys safety, visit their website. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. Case of 1 Seven Deadly Sins murder suspect continued, other has hearing set for Monday MORGAN COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) The case of one of two men charged in a septuple homicide in Valhermoso Springs has been continued while the other is set to appear in court Monday. John Michael Legg and Frederic Rogers were both charged with six counts of capital murder after investigators say they killed seven people after a dispute involving their motorcycle club known as 7 Deadly Sins. Judge resets gag order hearing in murder case of former Decatur officer Legg originally had a status hearing set for early next week, but it was continued to June 24, 2024 by a Morgan County judge. Legg requested the hearing be continued so he could complete the mental health examination he was ordered to have done by the court. Rogers, however, is set for a status hearing on Monday, April 8. The victims ranged from 17 to 45 years old. Multiple agencies assisted in processing the crime scene and searching for those responsible. Legg and Rogers were eventually caught in Oregon, almost three weeks after the murder. Once extradited back to Morgan County, Rogers said in an interview that he and Legg had started a motorcycle club called the 7 Deadly Sins, and they served as president and vice president, according to testimony. Moulton mom charged with murder of 7-year-old son ordered to have mental health exam Authorities said both suspects were originally from Morgan County and knew everyone in the house. They did not have a criminal record at the time. Morgan County Sheriff Ron Puckett described it as a crime that shocked the community and tore families apart. Rogerss trial is set for August 14, 2024. Legg doesnt have a trial date set at this time. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. Swaraj Patel takes a photo of the eclipse on his smartphone through a pair of solar glasses at an eclipse-viewing party at Penn State Behrend on Aug. 21, 2017. Patel was a sophomore computer engineering student from India at the time. Hundreds turned out at Behrend to see what, in Erie, was a partial eclipse. School districts that plan to remain open for Mondays rare total solar eclipse will provide students the chance to view the celestial event safely, according to Central Texas school officials. Districts that plan to remain open Monday have an array of activities planned for students to view the eclipse. In the Hutto district, every campus has plans to be outside during a portion of the eclipse Monday, said Brittany Swanson, associate superintendent for instruction and innovation. We are just wanting parents to be assured that it will be an engaging experience and a memorable day, Swanson said. More: Taking your kid out of school for the solar eclipse? Absences won't be excused, AISD says The district also plans to station additional staff at different campuses to help students with their eclipse viewing glasses special glasses that allow people to view an eclipse without damaging their eyes. We're hoping that parents will choose to send their students to school to experience it with their peers and class, Swanson said. Some districts, like Eanes, have enlisted volunteer parents to help students safely view the eclipse. Although a similar event took place seven years ago, this rare phenomenon will be a couple thousand miles closer to Earth than previous occurrences. It will be partially visible in all 48 contiguous states and will be the last total solar eclipse until Aug. 23, 2044, according to NASA. Several districts, like Round Rock, are also preparing for traffic issues. Round Rock district officials noted theyre in constant communication with city and county leaders, plan to run bus routes as normal and have prepped bus drivers and supervisors for the potential traffic. Students who are absent Monday will receive an unexcused absence in most area schools, if the district plans to remain open. Districts have also created opt-out policies for parents who dont want their children to view the eclipse outside, and alternate plans inside will be available. Austin area school districts open Monday for eclipse Austin Bastrop Eanes Elgin Georgetown Hutto Leander Pflugerville Round Rock Austin area districts closed Monday Del Valle Dripping Springs Hays Lago Vista Lake Travis Manor This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Central Texas schools plan student solar eclipse viewing activities FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) The eclipse happening on Monday will be the last total eclipse crossing the United States for the next 20 years, according to NASA. The Central Valley will experience a partial eclipse, but at what time will the eclipse be at its maximum in the valley? NASA officials say the sky will appear slightly darker than it was before the eclipse for those who will experience a partial solar eclipse, depending on how much the Moon blocks the Sun in their location. Eclipse 2024: YourCentralValley.coms complete coverage According to an interactive map by NASA, the Central Valley will see the beginning of the eclipse around 10:10 a.m. (10:14 a.m. seems to be the latest) and will experience the eclipse maximum point around 11 a.m.: Visalia, Hanford, Porterville, Madera, Chowchilla, Merced, Los Banos, Dos Palos, Mendota, Kerman, and Lindsay will experience the maximum point of the eclipse at 11:14 a.m. Fresno, Sanger, and Planada will be able to see the eclipse at its maximum point at 11:15 a.m. The Yosemite Valley, Mariposa, and Oakhurst will experience the maximum point at 11:16 a.m. Although this will be a partial eclipse, it is still recommended for anyone who wants to look at it to use proper eyecare. In Fresno, officials encourage residents to visit their local libraries to receive free solar viewing glasses while supplies last. Fresno County libraries are giving away free solar glasses for the partial eclipse Officials say sunglasses, eyeglasses with tinted lenses, and others are not sufficient to shield an individuals eyes during a solar eclipse, and the only way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through glasses designed for viewing solar eclipses or hand-held solar viewers manufactured for international safety standards. For those who want to take a picture of the eclipse with their smartphone, NASA officials recommend having a specialized eclipse filter between their phone camera and the Sun. Click here for more detailed instructions. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47. The Tavistock clinic was shut down following the publication of the Cass review's interim report Transgender children face grave psychological consequences if they are allowed to socially transition, a landmark review is expected to say this week. The warning comes amid a huge rise in the number of children identifying as transgender, and deep concern that schools have been allowing pupils to change gender without their parents knowledge, despite Government guidance to the contrary. The Cass review into gender identity services for children, which will be published on Wednesday, has promised to consider the important role of schools and the challenges they face in responding to gender-questioning pupils. The review, led by Dame Hilary Cass, will include an analysis of scientific literature on the effects and outcomes of social transitioning. It is expected to say that children may experience psychological repercussions as a result of being allowed to change their name and pronoun to the gender of their choice. The interim report released in 2022 noted that changing a childs name and pronouns was not a neutral act. Prepubescent children should not be put on the same pathway as older adolescents who wish to identify as the opposite gender, the final review is expected to say. The reviews findings are likely to be reflected in the Department for Educations (DfE) official guidance for teachers on how to deal with transgender children, the final version of which is due to be published later this year. Following the publication of the interim review in 2022, it was announced that the Tavistock transgender clinic would be shut down after it was deemed to be unsafe for children. NHS England said it would instead move young people who believed that they were trans into regional centres that take a more holistic approach to treatment and look at other mental health or medical issues they may have. Concern over schools to clinics pipeline Since the publication of the interim review, concerns have been raised with Dame Hilary about the schools to clinics pipeline, in which children are allowed to live as the opposite gender, thereby creating demand for more serious medical interventions later. Earlier this week, the biggest survey of its kind revealed that primary school teachers were letting pupils change their name and pronoun without informing their families. An analysis of more than 600 school equality and trans policies reveals that up to three-quarters misrepresent laws protecting sex and gender, with some implementing rules that allow boys to use girls lavatories and changing rooms if they say they are a girl. It also emerged this week that a group of Church of England schools told teachers that they would probably be breaking the law if they said a person cannot change their biological sex. Maya Forstater, the chief executive of the charity Sex Matters, who has spoken to Dame Hilary and her team, said: Doctors are having to deal with gender-confused children who have already been socially transitioned at school for years, and are, as a result, very disturbed by the idea of going through puberty, which will develop their secondary sex characteristics. If social transitioning in schools is stopped, it will take the pressure off clinics. The Department for Education needs to say there is no way to keep children safe in schools while you are pretending that a boy is a girl, or that a girl is a boy. You are putting children through a psychological experiment with no clinical oversight. The whole thing is a fantasy being sold to children by adults who should know better. Prof Michael Biggs, a sociologist at Oxford University, said: We do know from a longitudinal Dutch study that there is compelling evidence that socially transitioning does lock in transgender identity. It measured gender dysphoria before puberty and then came back several years later. You cannot treat it as an innocuous measure. I am hoping that the review will acknowledge that this was a major intervention which prepared the ground for medical interventions. We have to at the very least understand that this is the beginning of the process of physical transition. Role of puberty blockers Last month, the NHS announced an immediate ban on prescribing puberty blockers to under-18s unless they are part of a clinical trial. Ministers said the landmark decision was in childrens best interests and would help to ensure youngsters who feel their gender is not the same as their sex are treated using medical evidence. But campaigners warned of a loophole since there is nothing to stop transgender children getting hold of puberty blockers from private clinics. The Cass review is expected to note the dangers of obtaining such drugs from private doctors and also raise the prospect that this could restrict their access to future NHS care for gender dysphoria. In 2021-22, the NHS reported more than 5,000 referrals to the Gender Identity Development Service run by Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, up from just under 250 who were questioning their gender a decade earlier. Draft guidance from the DfE, published at the end of last year, told schools to presume that a child could not change gender. Under the new parent-first approach, head teachers must tell parents if their child wants to change gender. The guidance had been promised since 2018 but was delayed amid a disagreement within the Government over how to respond to the rise in the number of children who say they are trans. Some gender-critical campaigners have said it does not go far enough because it does not ban social transitioning completely. Ministers had considered an outright ban on social transitioning, but Victoria Prentis, the Attorney General, advised that such a move would be unlawful under the Equality Act 2010. A Government source said: We are absolutely clear about the importance of biological sex, particularly in the context of safeguarding, and the role parents must play in decisions about their children. Our guidance for schools is clear that in nearly every case they should not support the social transition of primary-aged children, including not using pronouns that do not align with the childs sex. 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 California Highway Patrol has arrested a man suspected in a freeway shooting March 20 on Highway 99 in Turlock. Turlock resident Samuel David Leinweber, 26, was on parole when the non-injury shooting took place. He was taken into custody March 26 at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation parole office in Merced, according to a CHP news release. Around 2:30 p.m. March 20, officers responded to a report of shots fired on southbound Highway 99, north of Fulkerth Road, the CHP said. A second shooting took place on Turlock city streets as the suspects vehicle chased another vehicle. The victims flagged down a CHP officer and provided information about the suspect. The officer soon spotted the suspects vehicle traveling at high speed on Dianne Drive. A warrant was obtained for Leinwebers arrest after he was identified as the suspect in the shootings, and a search warrant was executed at his residence, according to the release. Investigators found a loaded pistol with a high-capacity magazine. The suspects girlfriend, 44-year-old Rebecca Lee Tallon, also was arrested. Leinweber was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on three counts of attempted murder, three counts of assault with a firearm, discharging a firearm at an occupied vehicle, being a felon in possession of ammunition and violation of parole. Tallon was booked on charges of being accessory to a felony, possession of a loaded firearm and knowingly supplying a firearm to a prohibited person. Leinweber pleaded not guilty March 28, according to court documents. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 23. Suspect had been arrested in 2021 shooting incident Leinweber had previously been arrested in the New Years Day 2021 shooting of a woman at the Venice Motel in the 1100 block of North Golden State Boulevard, according to a news release from the City of Turlock. The victim was seriously injured and treated at a hospital. Police said Leinweber fled the scene before they got there. He was arrested on Jan. 5, 2021. On Feb 17, 2021, Leinweber accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to six years in prison for assault with a firearm, according to court documents. A California Highway Patrol officer fatally shot a man at Los Cerritos Center on Friday. The incident happened shortly before 4 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. (KTLA) A California Highway Patrol officer fatally shot a man Friday outside a mall in Cerritos, authorities said. The incident occurred about 4 p.m. at Los Cerritos Center, a large shopping mall next to the 605 Freeway in southeast Los Angeles County, according to Deputy Veronica Fantom, a spokesperson for the L.A. County Sheriff's Department. The man who was struck by gunfire was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Fantom said. It's unclear what led to the shooting, and a CHP spokesperson did not provide any information. KTTV reported that the shooting came after a CHP pursuit. Detectives with the Sheriff's Department were called Friday evening to assist the investigation, but that agency was not involved in the incident, Fantom said. The sound of gunfire prompted shoppers at Los Cerritos Center to run from stores and into the parking lot, according to video footage posted on social media. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Citizens of the free village Christiania jointly dig up the cobblestones at Pusher Street, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Saturday April 6, 2024. After the cobblestones are removed, new water pipes and a new pavement will be laid on Pusher Street and nearby buildings will be renovated. That is the first step in an overall plan to turn the hippie oasis into an integrated part of the Danish capital area, although the free state" spirit of creativity and community life is to be maintained. (Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) The now-aging hippies who took over a derelict naval base in Copenhagen more than 50 years ago and turned it into a freewheeling community known as Christiania want to boot out criminals who control the community's lucrative market for hashish by ripping up the cobblestoned street where it openly changes hands. Over the years, there have been many attempts to halt the illegal hashish sales which have often ended in violent clashes between criminal gangs and police, with trading then quickly resuming. On Saturday, residents started digging up Pusher Street, after which they can receive government money earmarked for the area's renovation. Just after 10 a.m., two children living in Christiania, Emilia and Sally, lifted the first cobblestone from the infamous street in a symbolic move. A large crowd gathered at the scene erupted in applause as the heavy stone was showed around. Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard, who was present at the ceremony, said he believes that the excavation of Pusher Street and the individual cobblestones has high symbolic value. For more than 40 years, Christiania and the illegal sale of drugs out here has been a huge thorn in the side of the established society, Hummelgaard told Danish broadcaster TV2. But now we have reached the point where the Christianians have also had enough of the (criminal) gangs. The plan is to create a new Christiania without the criminal hashish market, said Mette Prag, coordinator of a new public housing project in the enclave. Prag, who has lived in Christiania for 37 years, likened it to a village. "We dont want the gangsters anymore, said Hulda Mader, who has lived in Christiania for 40 years. Once the illegal trade is gone, there might be some people selling hashish afterward, but its not going to be in the open. After the cobblestones are removed, new water pipes and a new pavement will be laid on Pusher Street and nearby buildings will be renovated. That is the first step in an overall plan to turn the hippie oasis into an integrated part of the Danish capital area, although the free state" spirit of creativity and community life is to be maintained. For years, Danish authorities have been breathing down the necks of the downtown community. In 1971, squatters took over the abandoned military facility and set up a neighborhood dedicated to the flower-power ideals popular at the time of free cannabis, limited government influence, no cars and no police. Since then, successive Danish governments have wanted to close Christiania because of the open sale of hashish, among other things, often leading to tense relations. To begin with, the residents, called Christianites, disregarded laws by building houses without permits and often ignoring utility bills. Outsiders could only move into the community if they were related to someone already living there. The residents eventually were given the right to use the land, but not to own it. After more than four decades of locking horns with authorities, they were given control over their homes in 2011, when the state sold the 84-acre (24-hectare) enclave for 125.4 million kroner ($18.2 million) to a foundation owned by its inhabitants. Currently, nearly 800 adults and about 200 children live there, according to Prag, with up to 25% of the residents above the age of 60. The following year, it was decided to erect public housing for up to 300 people. Construction is expected to start in 2027. Prag said they want younger people, more families" to move in who are willing to participate in community activities to keep the spirit of Christiania alive, complete with buildings painted in psychedelic colors and stray dogs. Over the years, Christiania has become one of Copenhagen's biggest tourist attractions, a magnet for Danes as well as foreigners. Some come to be offended by the open sale of hashish authorities for years tolerated the hashish trade on Pusher Street and others to buy weed. Christiania banned hard drugs in 1980. In 2004, police began cracking down on drug-related activities worth millions according to police controlled by the Hells Angels and the outlawed Loyal to Family. Even when police arrested dealers and fined customers, the illegal sales resumed soon afterward. In August of last year, drug-related tensions escalated when when a turf war apparently led to a shooting in which one man died and several people were wounded. Residents also have tried to stop the sales on Pusher Street themselves by tearing down the dealers' booths, but they mushroomed back. Residents blocked access to the street with huge shipping containers, but masked men removed them. Fed up with criminals, residents decided in August that something had to be done, knowing that the government had said that getting rid of the organized hashish sales was an important prerequisite" before Christiania could get 14.3 million kroner ($2.1 million) earmarked for the renovation work. Now, Christiania hopes that, by inviting ordinary people to come and help dig up Pusher Street, the sales will stop once and for all, and the community can remain an alternative yet legal part of Copenhagen without criminals. You can come and have a cobblestone as a souvenir, Mader said with a smile. ___ Associated Press writer Jari Tanner in Helsinki contributed to this report. Ecolab, a global sustainability leader offering water solutions and services, announced on United Nations World Water Day that it has helped customers in the IMEA region save 47.9 billion litres of water in 2023. This is equivalent to the annual drinking water needs of more than 43 million people. Ecolabs IMEA water savings in 2023 highlight the companys region-wide commitment to addressing the urgent issue of water scarcity by mobilising industry and businesses to adopt water-saving strategies, aligning with Saudi Arabias National Water Strategy 2030. Water scarcity is one of the most pressing concerns facing the world, particularly for Saudi Arabia (KSA), one of the most water-stressed countries on the planet. As part of Vision 2030, the KSA government aims to improve access to clean and safe water for all by promoting sustainable water management practices and encouraging greater private sector participation. Sustainable business growth Water is a critical component of business operations, and in 2023, Ecolab continued to grow its Ecolab Water for Climate programme, which is designed to help customers advance sustainable business growth while meeting climate and water goals. Water must be moved, cooled, heated and treated in order to be fit for commercial use, all of which requires energy. The Ecolab Water for Climate program combines Ecolabs expertise, technologies and resources to help companies better manage their water and in turn lower energy consumption, avoid greenhouse gas emissions and lower costs. As part of its climate and water scarcity work, Ecolab recently released the Ecolab Watermark Study to measure the state of water stewardship across 15 countries worldwide, including Saudi Arabia. The study found that 66% of Saudi consumers believe clean and safe water will be an issue within the next 5 years, while 74% of Saudi consumers believe manufacturers and businesses lack clear guidance and/or plans to combat water scarcity, underscoring an urgent call for action. Raising awareness It is against this backdrop of heightened awareness and critical demand for solutions that Ecolab is taking the lead in driving water savings and raising awareness about smart water management. By 2030, Ecolab aims to help customers worldwide save the equivalent to the annual drinking water needs of 1 billion people. Stefan Umiastowki, Ecolab's Senior Vice President India, Middle East and Africa, said: Ecolabs regional water-saving impact complements Saudi Arabias robust efforts to combat water scarcity, raising awareness of this critical issue and highlighting the potential of collaboration and technological innovation to ensure a water-secure future. This achievement underscores our belief that innovation drives growth and can lead to substantial positive impacts on communities and the environment alike. Ecolab leverages advanced data-driven insights and technologies to help businesses across the region enhance operational efficiencies while safeguarding our planet's most vital resource. The Ecolab Global Intelligence Centre is leading the way in utilising the latest technologies to combat water scarcity. With six regional centres worldwide, including one in Saudi Arabia, it provides 24/7 monitoring and analytics for thousands of water systems globally using 3D TRASAR technology, powered by the ECOLAB3D platform. Actionable insights This secure, cloud-based digital platform translates operating data into actionable insights to help manage performance, mitigate risk, and capture value for customers. It includes water conservation, energy saving, and cost reduction data, making it an essential tool in the fight against water scarcity. Umiastowski added: By investing in the latest water management practices, harnessing the power of data and technology, and engaging in meaningful collaborations, companies can not only meet their environmental targets but also improve their bottom line. Ecolab not only aims to lead by example but also to inspire a wave of change across the region and beyond, encouraging the private and public sectors to prioritise water and take part in safeguarding our water for future generations.--TradeArabia News Service The Clayton County Sheriffs Office announced the death of a detainee brought to the jail on Friday afternoon. According to the sheriffs office, Jason Shad Sanford was brought to the Clayton County Jail around 12:25 p.m. by the Clayton County Police Department after being charged with giving a fake name. At the jail, Sanford was initially assessed by jail medical staff and given clearance to enter the facility, according to the sheriffs office. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Soon after, Sanford was again seen by medical staff, complaining of back and wrist pain at 1:12 p.m., the sheriffs office said. Sanford was taken to an intake holding cell to complete the booking process and began to have a medical emergency, becoming unresponsive, according to a statement from the sheriffs office TRENDING STORIES: The sheriffs office said jail staff administered Narcan to Sanford, attempted CPR and other life-saving efforts before he was taken to Southern Regional Hospital by Clayton County Emergency Services. While medical personnel continued life-saving procedures, Sanford died at 7:18 p.m. Then, the sheriffs office said they notified the Clayton County Medical Examiner, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, as well as the sheriffs offices CID and IA units. Sheriff Levon Allen and the Clayton County Sheriffs Office expressed their condolences to the Sanford family after his death. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: They're between 16 and 23 years old, we don't know how many are going to vote, but the priorities of the most politically engaged seem pretty clear: climate, equality and security. 'Climate change keeps us awake at night' Climate change "is an imminent threat", according to Kevin Van Hevel, 22, from Belgium. "If I think about myself having children in the somewhat near future, I want to be able to put them into a world that's going to thrive and be healthy." Gabriel Georgiou, 18, from Cyprus, says that the climate emergency is one of those things that keep him awake at night: "It really makes you think about the future, if we have one." Sofie Ingrid Stor, also 18, from the Czech Republic shares the same concerns: "We should focus more on the Paris climate agreements. Too many countries are ignoring them". A recent Euronews/IPSOS poll across 18 EU countries confirmed that climate is a key issue to tackle for youngsters. Fifty-three percent see it as a top priority, while 83 percent consider it at least important. A session from the Ghent International Forum this year - Ghent International Forum 2024 On and offline threats: Russia and cyberbullying If global warming keeps some awake at night, for others it's the Russia-Ukraine war. "Europe is at a crossroads right now. There is a new threat coming from the east, with Russia more aggressive than ever since its invasion of Ukraine," says 18-year-old Finn, Niko Juntunen. Many young voters don't feel much safer on the Internet either, says Maria Politi, a 16-year-old from Greece who believes the new EU Parliament should immediately look at cyberbullying against minorities. "Young people spend a lot of time on the Internet, they should be informed about the dangers they may face online, and the impact they can have on their mental health and everyday lives. We should talk about this more." What is the European Youth Parliament? The European Youth Parliament (EYP) is an organisation recognised and partially funded by the EU to help increase youth political engagement. It has around 30,000 members and branches in all European countries as well as in some non-member states, such as Ukraine and Serbia. Each country elects delegates who discuss and make proposals about specific topics, such as finance, security or climate change. The Youth Parliament's resolutions are then submitted to the EU, which in 2018 drew up a list of 11 goals to pursue for the next generation. EYP's Anastasia Zhuckova is positive on what's been done so far but adds that more could be done. "There are still a lot of marginalised communities and people that are being discriminated against for gender, race, sexual orientation..." "There are still a lot of social issues, a lot of people that don't make it to the end of the month. A lot of young people that cannot find employment. So, of course, while, we appreciate and we know that efforts are being made by politicians, there's still also a lot to do." Anastasia Zhuckova, Spanish, 24 (left) and Thetis Georgiou, Cypriot, 22, co-presidents of the Ghent International Forum 2024 - Ghent International Forum 2024 Searching for stars to mobilise voters As was the case in 2019, the vote of the younger generations could prove to be crucial in increasing the turnout in June's EU elections. In this age category it's generally not very high. European leaders hope the final phase of the campaign will also feature international stars to draw as many young people as possible to the polls. Taylor Swift, Rosalia, Maneskin, Angele and Stromae are some of the names that are being discussed. Viewing of the first total solar eclipse in North America since 2017 could be impeded by cloudy weather, especially in regions along the 'path of totality' - REUTERS/Jason Redmond Cloudy skies forecast for Monday could spell disappointment for many of the millions of North Americans hoping to glimpse the continents 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 per cent 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. Im pretty disappointed, Gary Fine, 81, a retired photographer from Los Angeles who booked airfare and hotel reservations for Dallas several months ago, said on Friday as he 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. Well 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 United States upper Midwest and an associated cold front, according to Josh Weiss, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center, a branch of the weather service. Tourists take a photo at Niagara Falls, ahead of the Solar Eclipse that will take place across parts of Mexico, the US and Canada on April 8 - Brendan McDermid/REUTERS 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 its 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 suns 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 US states, then into Quebec and four more provinces of Canada. This is incredible. From @Jamie_Lane where AirBnBs are fully booked next week. pic.twitter.com/ITKZJaGfY8 Mike Simonsen (@mikesimonsen) April 4, 2024 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 US 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 US 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. Across North America, notable cities in the path of totality for the 2024 solar eclipse include Mazatlan and Torreon, Mexico; San Antonio, Austin and Dallas, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Cleveland, Ohio; Buffalo and Rochester, New York; Burlington, Vermont; and most of Montreal, Canada. Nasa will livestream the solar eclipse at 6pm UK time. The stream will end three hours later. 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. College student hailed a hero after he took control of bus after crash College student hailed a hero after he took control of bus after crash A University of South Carolina student is being hailed a hero after he took control of a charter bus following a crash Friday in Hancock County, Mississippi, according to authorities. Eleven people onboard the bus were injured. The driver of the bus, 55-year-old Tina Wilson, and a student were airlifted from the scene in critical condition, according to police. The charter bus, carrying 56 students from the University of South Carolina, was traveling west on Interstate 10 around 3 p.m. local time when it collided with a center concrete barrier, police said. PHOTO: A charter bus crashed in Hancock County, Mississippi, on April 5, 2024. (Mississippi Highway Patrol) "The bus is still moving, now it's on all wheels on the ground, still moving out of control without a driver," Bay St. Louis Police Chief Toby Schwartz said. "So heroically the second hero of the day, a young man, a student with Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, Paul Clune, grabs that steering wheel and regains control of the bus until it came to a final stop." The bus, according to the University of South Carolina, was transporting fraternity members and guests to an event in New Orleans, Louisiana. PHOTO: A charter bus crashed in Hancock County, Mississippi, on April 5, 2024. (Mississippi Highway Patrol) PHOTO: A charter bus crashed in Hancock County, Mississippi, on April 5, 2024. (Mississippi Highway Patrol) "Our thoughts go out to the students involved in the accident and those affected by it," the university said in a statement. MORE: At least 2 dead, including student, in crash involving school bus on Texas highway: Authorities The remaining students at the crash site were transported to a nearby school building, where they arranged for further transportation, police said. Authorities are not sure what caused the crash, but preliminary information suggests that a mechanical failure may have caused the incident, Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper Cal Robertson said. This crash remains under investigation by the Mississippi Highway Patrol. College student hailed a hero after he took control of bus after crash originally appeared on abcnews.go.com WASHINGTON President Joe Biden's reelection team touted the success of their celebrity-filled fundraiser in New York City last week to the tune of $26 million. But some former donors who served on his finance committee told USA TODAY they are withholding their dollars. Two prominent donors said they skipped the March 28 fundraiser held at Radio City Music Hall which was headlined by former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton in protest of Israel's war in the Gaza Strip. One donor, who was also a high-level former official in the Obama administration and has helped raise north of $5 million for the party, described it as 'morally wrong' to join the campaign staff, donate or volunteer until the Biden administration changes course on its approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "The president and vice president feign sadness while continuing to supply Israel with weapons and money to carry out the indiscriminate murder of Palestinians," the donor, who asked for anonymity in order to speak freely, told USA TODAY. The influential Democrat, said there is enough time for those disturbed by the staggering humanitarian crisis in the Gaza to further pressure the president to shift course, including putting strict conditions on U.S. military aid to Israel when there are human rights violations. Biden and Harris have "damaged American credibility" said the donor, who added that the killing of civilians in Gaza funded by "our tax dollars and weapons can't be normalized as merely the price of good things like universal health care, climate resilience or a strong economy." Another donor, political activist and philanthropist, Amed Khan, quit Biden's Victory Fund National Finance Committee last fall over the president's handling of the Gaza war. Khan, who has spoken out publicly before, told USA TODAY he knew the U.S. would overwhelmingly back Israel forcing his hand on the issue. "I very quickly understood sometime in October that the United States would give Israel carte blanche, to conduct a war," Khan said in a phone interview Friday with USA TODAY from Egypt. "And so I don't want any part of that." The reluctance shared by these Democratic givers and other ex-Obama staffers who served on Biden's 2020 election campaign, underscores how the grassroots Gaza cease-fire now movement, led largely by college-aged activists, has persuaded many within the party's ideological orbit. And while the Biden campaign continues to build its war chest at historic levels, what these donors expressed is part of a larger trend in the country. Slipping support for Israels ongoing war in Gaza threatens to unravel the Democratic coalition at a time when the president wants to coalesce the party. Tory Gavito, co-founder of Way to Win, a national network of progressive-minded givers that has raked in more than $300 million since 2018, said she expects many donors who have Gaza at the forefront of their minds will continue to hold back support for the president's campaign. "The war in Gaza is a humanitarian crisis and the continued capture of the hostages from Oct. 7, is an ongoing humanitarian crisis," she said. "And leading up to the State of the Union address there were a number of activists and donors doing what they could to insist upon the Biden-Harris administration making some move to work towards peace in the region." President Barack Obama (L) and former US President Bill Clinton (R) clap for US President Joe Biden during a campaign fundraising event at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on March 28, 2024. Donors upset over 'ignorant arrogance' on Gaza Another donor, a top bundler a person who donates and helps raise money who has raked in millions since 2018 for Democratic candidates, said they also skipped the Radio City Hall fundraiser because of Gaza and Biden's policy on the Middle East. The bundler, who spoke anonymously to speak freely, has had numerous meetings with Biden administration officials but believes the concerns raised have been ignored because of the White House's "ignorant arrogance on Middle East policy." The bundler, who has helped organize Arab-American supporters in the past, said donors had multiple meetings on the campaign with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken and heard them say they would have principled foreign policy toward the Middle East with human rights at the center. But after what they described as "gross human rights violations by Israel" in Gaza and Americas inaction, they said they could not approach the donors. In response to USA TODAY's request for comment, the Biden campaign said the Israel-Hamas war has not been a significant barrier to fundraising efforts. "While it's hard to predict the future in an active conflict, the Biden-Harris campaign adviser said, "we have continued to see very strong grassroots fundraising growth." Abbas Alawieh, spokesperson for Listen to Michigan, a group who asked voters to vote uncommitted instead of for US President Joe Biden in Michigan's US Presidential primary election, during an election night watch party in Dearborn, Michigan on February 27, 2024. Activists in the key battleground -- where Biden's winning margin four years ago was 150,000 votes -- want Democrats to vote "uncommitted" to pressure the president to back off from his Israel support and call for an immediate ceasefire. Michigan's primary is expected to be another ticker-tape parade for former US President Donald Trump, but could deliver Democratic leader Joe Biden a bloody nose over the war in Gaza. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP) (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776112881 ORIG FILE ID: 2036337664 No longer limited to confrontational street demonstrations or "uncommitted" voter protests at the ballot box, the movement's underpinnings have expanded into the upper echelons of the Democratic Party and its donor class. This could spell trouble for the Biden campaign, especially as former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential candidate, holds the lead in six swing states Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina on a test ballot that includes third-party and independent candidates, according to a recent Wall Street Journal poll released April 2. The donor, who was also a former Obama staffer and worked on Biden's election campaign, predicted the concerns would affect field operations in certain places as "young voters and Black folks" seem less excited. "When folks have reached out about the issue (or when it has come up) I do privately explain that I am unable to help, donate until policy changes. I've also been asked to offer guidance to stakeholders who are very upset about our policy, and I obviously do let them know that I cannot offer a defense of administration policy on Israel/Gaza," the donor said. "Many of us have also helped the 'leave it blank; and 'uncommitted' campaigns all of this is in service of getting the administration to change policy," they said. However, the donors, both of whom served on Biden's finance committee in 2020, said they were not actively organizing or dissuading others from contributing. A bright red line for Biden, Dems Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather for the "Flood Manhattan for Gaza" rally outside Radio City Music Hall where US President Joe Biden is attending a fundraiser for his re-election campaign, in New York, March 28, 2024. (Photo by Leonardo Munoz / AFP) (Photo by LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776126247 ORIG FILE ID: 2113294476 It's not just donors. The unified front, on display at the NYC fundraiser with the three presidents, is beginning to show chinks in the armor. Some ex-Obama staffers including one who served on the Biden-Harris transition team, have stopped putting in any effort into Biden's reelection campaign. Democrats have become increasingly critical of how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is prosecuting the war, which started after terrorists killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages last October. More than 32,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Beyond the death toll, a March 18 U.N. report said a famine is "imminent" and humanitarian groups estimate more than 2 million people are threatened with famine. A Gallup survey released March 27, a day before the Biden campaigns fundraiser, showed 55% of all Americans disapprove of Israels military action. That includes 75% of Democrats, which is up from the 63% who said the same last November. Many prominent figures decidedly outside left-leaning activist circles have begun to denounce the U.S. ally, particularly in the wake of an Israeli airstrike this week that reportedly killed seven humanitarian aid workers, including one American, working for the nonprofit group World Central Kitchen. The murder of seven heroic World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza should be a bright red line, Democratic strategist David Axelrod, a former senior Obama adviser and sometimes Biden critic, said in an April 3 post on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Israel has the right to defend itself against barbaric acts of terrorism, not to indiscriminately kill innocents or valiant men and women who are working to save them from starvation." The murder of seven heroic World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza should be a bright red line. Israel has the right to defend itself against barbaric acts of terrorism, not to indiscriminately kill innocents or valiant men and women who are working to save them from starvation. David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) April 3, 2024 Biden, who also expressed outrage over the airstrike, has faced increased scrutiny from both the American public and members of his own party over his stance toward Gaza. Nearly half of American voters, 45%, believe Biden should pressure Israel to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, an exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll shows. Views that Biden should do more to help the Palestinians are more widespread among Democrats (69%) and those who identify as independent/other (49%). Just 18% of Republicans share that belief. But Evelyn Farkas, who served as a deputy assistant secretary of defense in the Obama administration, defended Biden's actions in an interview with USA Today. During the last Gaza conflict in 2021, she said, the president's policy was to embrace Israel publicly but apply pressure privately. Of late, the Biden administration appears to be willing to be more public with its pressure, she said. Which is the right approach, Farkas said. Its just that it came a little later in the process and it has yet to achieve its full effect because Netanyahu has a lot at stake here. He has every reason to want to drag out this conflict. Biden rolling in money but donors having 2016 flashbacks Former US President Barack Obama and former US President Bill Clinton cheer for US President Joe Biden during a campaign fundraising event at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on March 28, 2024. As the Gaza debate continues to divide Democrats, some are having flashbacks of Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign with the prospect of disenchanted voters torpedoing the presidents reelection efforts. "The primary is a time to have kind of a protest vote and a kind of a rearranging, but this year, that just feels dangerous to me. I wish there was no possible way to split the vote," Dawn Evans Greenberg, who attended the Radio City Music Hall fundraiser in New York City, said in an interview with USA TODAY. A mother of two college-age children, Greenberg, who worked on Clinton's presidential election campaign, said she hears the echoes of 2016, where a faction of the Democratic Party remained unenthusiastic about the candidate, heralding the Trump presidency. Whatever misgivings some deep-pocketed Democrats have with the Biden administration's Gaza policy, the president continues to haul in large sums of money. The president's reelection effort raked in more than $26 million at the New York City gala last month, according to campaign officials. Biden raised $21.3 million in February, nearly double the $10.9 million raised by the Trump campaign that month, according to March 20 filings with the Federal Election Commission. On Saturday, the Biden campaign announced together with the Democratic National Committee it had raised more than $90 million in March. In 2020, Biden's campaign had more than 750 bundlers, and it is impossible to know how many of them will choose to be inactive based on the Gaza issue. Way to Win, which has urged Biden to change course on Gaza, warned in a February memo to its members about the roughly 13% of Michigan Democrats who voted "uncommitted" in the primary. The group reminded supporters about how the Great Lake States was pivotal to Trump's win eight years ago. "Folks may be concerned about the speed at which Biden has made shifts on the Gaza conflict, but they are consolidating their resources to defeat Trump, whether that's an outside group or Senate campaigns or their state party," said Gavito, of Way to Win. She said there will be donors that are going to hold back giving from Biden's campaign, just as there will be activists who are going to continue to speak out. But objections over Gaza do not appear to have put a dent in the president's war chest thus far. "I have seen money shifting from donors who agree with wanting to keep our democracy whole is coming in and consolidating behind Biden," Gavito said. "So, I don't know that it's affecting his fundraising numbers." Pressure builds for Biden to change course on Israel and Gaza Pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside the White House on April 2, 2024, call for an Israeli cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. That does not faze a former staffer who served on the Biden-Harris transition team. The staffer, who served in the previous Democratic administration for six years as well as on the Biden-Harris transition team in 2020, said they felt betrayed by their former boss (Obama) and the Biden administration. "We are not the ones responsible for letting Trump win," they said. "Our job as voters is to hold the candidates accountable and it's their job to assuage our concerns." When demonstrators entered the Radio City Music Hall event chanting "blood on your hands," Obama responded, saying to the group: "You cant just talk and not listen. That's what the other side does." Asking the protestors at the Radio City Music Hall to listen was the ultimate "gaslighting," the former Obama staffer said. "That was the most hypocritical statement he could make seven months into this, because we all gave Biden the chance, we listened to him his first few months," the staffer said. "The Biden administration is applying empty public pressure. There's no conditionality tied to it." And that's the sentiment that has now permeated to donors. On foreign policy toward the Middle East, the Biden and Trump administrations are basically the same, the Arab American donor and bundler that spoke to USA TODAY said. Biden just says the right things about human rights, democracy and rule of law, but what gets implemented is the same terrible post 9/11 security-crazed policies, said the donor who served on the National Finance Committee for the Bidens re-election. I had no credibility to go back to the donors that had already donated very generously in the past, say ' Hey, please donate some more to a man that is killing your people.' The things that could change the donors current stance would be a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and a serious and concrete conversation about personnel changes during a Biden second term. Betty Cotton, a longtime donor to Democratic candidates, who was at the NYC fundraiser with the three presidents, said while she was sympathetic to civilian deaths in Gaza and devastated by the death of the aid workers of the World Central Kitchen, an organization she supports, she said Hamas bears responsibility for starting the war. Israel is a sovereign state and a democracy whereas Hamas is a globally recognized terrorist organization funded by Iran whose main goal is to kill Jews and destroy Israel, she said. Cotton said while there are major challenges regarding the war, third party candidates and disinformation exist she was confident in the Biden campaign and how it was being run across the country, especially in the battleground states. The stakes in this election are huge. Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House Correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal. Phillip M. Bailey is chief political correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @phillipmbailey. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden's Israel stance and Gaza suffering rattle campaign donors The recent rush of congressional retirements has painted an ugly picture for both partiesfor very different reasons. While both parties are hemorrhaging lawmakers this termDemocrats are losing 24 members, and Republicans are currently out 20the consensus on Capitol Hill is that the mass exodus of respected, senior GOP members is an embarrassing reflection of a chaotic majority thats achieved little beyond ousting its own speaker. A pair of high-profile, mid-term exits last month from Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ken Buck (R-CO), in addition to the slew of retirements from powerful senior members, have cemented the narrative that serving in the House GOP is a miserable experience. Naturally, Democrats are trying to feed into that story, urging voters to show Republicans the door. Dems Trapped Between Israel and Gaza on the Campaign Trail It says a lot that when House Republicans run for the retirement exits, theyre trashing their own party on the way out, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Viet Shelton said in a statement to The Daily Beast. Its certainly true that retiring Republicans have done plenty of intra-party bashing on their way to the exits. Before he retired in March, Buck said this past year that serving in Congress had been the worst term in his decade on Capitol Hill. While weighing his own retirement, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) said Congress was broken beyond most means of repair. One anonymous House Republican told Axios last month that GOP lawmakers want to be in the minority. No need to govern, the lawmaker explained. But despite the pit of despair that House Republicans find themselves in, theres a different story unfolding on the campaign trail. Insead of sprinting for the exits, hundreds of congressional wannabes are clamoring to get in the front door, pouring themselves into crowded primaries and bruising head-to-heads. And it turns out, the throngs of retirements from Congress could actually help the GOP hang on to the gavel. Retirements are a huge problem for the Democrats, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson (R-NC) said last fall. Theyre not a problem for us. A House Republican strategist told The Daily Beast this week that Hudsons assessment remains 100 percent true. The big thing is that we have no swing state retirements, the strategist said. Every retirement is in a ruby red seat, so it doesnt impact the fight for the majority. However, Democrats, they have seven swing seat retirements. Three of those seven blue districts are likely to change hands due to redistricting in North Carolina. The remaining four seats are very much in play, creating even greater challenges for Democrats as they now have to invest heavily in expensive media markets. The races to replace Reps. Katie Porter (D-CA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Dan Kildee (D-MI), and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) are all likely to be competitive, costly brawls. Without incumbents with deep ties to the district, Democrats have their work cut out for them. These places where retirements are generating open seats in competitive districts will end up getting a lot of attentionincluding a lot of money, said Molly Reynolds, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. GOP Rep. Matt Rosendale Decides to Retire After Defamatory Rumors In three of those races, Republican frontrunners are retread candidates who lost last cycle but have built up some name recognition in their districts. Scott Baugha longtime GOP official who almost won in 2022has already clinched the nomination in Porters old Orange County district. Baugh will take on Dave Min (D), a state legislator, in whats already become a nasty face-off. In the race to succeed Slotkin, last years failed candidate former state Sen. Tom Barrett (R) is likely to take on state Sen. Curtis Hertel (D). The competition to the south, in Michigans eighth district, features two crowded primaries. Paul Jungea Trump administration alum, who lost to Kildee in 2022is again vying for the seat. State Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet is the Democratic frontrunner. So while the spate of retirements may make the House GOP more extreme and even less governable, its Democrats who may pay the price in terms of seats. Shelton, the DCCC spokesperson, said he still feels good about Democratic chances in the open seats, especially in light of non-stop GOP drama. Its against this backdrop of dysfunction and Republican infighting that the public will be voting and why, in races to fill competitive open seats, were confident voters will choose Democrats responsible governance over the extreme MAGA acolytes that Republicans are nominating across the battleground, Shelton said. But even if Democrats hold these seats, spending more money to play defense is the last thing they want to be doing as they swing for the majority. But they also have to contend with Virginia, where a bloated nine-person primarywith no immediately clear frontrunner for national Democrats to coalesce around yetdoesnt help matters. The suburban D.C. district is considered one of the best flip opportunities for Republicans in the country, and as Spanberger runs for governor, Democrats need to devote resources to helping their new nominee introduce themselves, Virginia operative Jared Leopold told The Daily Beast. Meanwhile, Republicans have a strong slate, including former Green Beret Derrick Anderson and Navy SEAL Cameron Hamilton. The Democratic race includes Yevgeny Eugene Vindmanwho is known nationally for helping his twin brother bring the report that initiated the first Donald Trump impeachment inquiryas well as a slew of formidable local officials. A lot of it is because the races are so big because they dont come open that often, Leopold said. Theres a glut of talent, which is a good problem to have. Primaries for open seats in safe districts are similarly massive and heated, many have gotten so ugly that theyre generating local news coverage urging readers to settle in and grab your popcorn. GOP Rep. Debbie Lesko Announces Shes Retiring Amid Speaker Drama The Democratic primary to replace Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) has drawn 22 candidates, including former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn. In another part of the state, 16 Democrats are running to replace Rep. David Trone (D-MD). And in a bruising contest, nine Republicans are running to fill Bucks seatincluding GOP firebrand Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO). In some cases, the primaries are driving the races to ideological extremes to pick up the most voters, particularly in the GOP contests where members are seeking Trump endorsements and national Republican attention. Arizona boasts one of the most spirited such contests. Six Republicans are vying for the seat in the states deep-red eighth district, which is currently held by staunch conservative Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ). Arizona strategist Chuck Couglin told The Daily Beast its become a catch-all contest for ambitious Republicans state-wide. Typically Arizona always has, every decade, we generally get another congressional seat, which always serves as a relief valve for everybody who wants to be congressman, Arizona strategist Chuck Coughlin told The Daily Beast. Its actually acted as a draw for all these Republican candidates who were looking for something to run for, he said. The race has attracted some well-known failed GOP candidates scavenging for a political future. Former Senate candidate Blake Masterswho lost last cycle to Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ)is up against Trump-endorsed Abe Hamadeh. Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma is also running, with Lesko and former GOP Gov. Jan Brewers support. Things have gotten feisty between Hamadeh and Masters, with the former calling on the latter to drop out for intentionally misleading voters about how much money hes raised and carpetbagging. (Hamadeh also doesnt live in the district.) Masters has returned the favor with an attack ad claiming Hamadehs parents were illegal immigrants from Syria. Theres other narrative arcs to aid that, I think, are going to be dragged into the equation here before thats all the shooting is done, Coughlin said. The jockeying is driving the race further and further to the right. While Lesko is a Freedom Caucus conservative, similar GOP sparring in open seat primaries is producing staunchly conservative candidates in districts currently occupied by more establishment lawmakers. In Texas, for example, GOP voters have already nominated Brandon Gilla hard-right, election denying conspiracy theorist to replace retiring, establishment-oriented Rep. Michael C. Burgess (R-TX). The kinds of folks who are in many cases choosing to run for Congressagain, especially in some of these safe Republican seatsare as the center of gravity in the Republican conference has moved to the right, they tend to be kind of consistent with that trend, Reynolds said. Ironically, its precisely those types of membersconservative flamethrowers more often courting media attention than advancing policywho are making life miserable in Congress. As hard-right members who stonewall GOP legislative priorities and bad-mouth their peers drive out senior members, they might just wind up filling Congress with more of their own ilk. The chances that a bipartisan-minded member is replaced by someone whos similarly bipartisan-minded I think are probably going down, Reynolds said. Just based on how people look at the current Congress, and what kind of person looks to current Congress and says that this is a place where I want to serve again. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. A man in Arkansas crashed his vehicle into a massage parlor at a local shopping center and engaged a responding SWAT team in a gunfight that led to his shooting and hospitalization, police say. Cops in Conway, outside Little Rock, had warned residents via Facebook to avoid the Lewis Crossing shopping center earlier in the day because its elite team was active at an incident at the location. The department later revealed on the same social media account that it had responded to a report that a driver had rammed his vehicle into a Massage Envy franchise at the site. The authorities said that their SWAT and Negotiations team verbally engaged the armed motorist, who had barricaded himself inside, before the man discharged bullets at the officers. They responded in kind and struck him. The man was then taken to a local hospital. The department wrote that no officers were injuredbut disclosed that some officers involved in the incident were placed on administrative leave pending the investigation by the Arkansas State Police. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. SAN DIEGO (Border Report) San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond says more than 24,000 migrants have been released onto the streets of San Diego since late February and more than 120,000 in the last six months. In an attempt to verify those numbers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has told Border Report that those figures are not being released to the media. Migrants accuse Mexicos National Guard of abuse and theft Desmond, however, says the numbers are accurate and San Diego County should expect more migrant drop-offs in the coming months. Welcome center for migrants in San Diego County to close as funding runs out A migrant welcome center had been taking in asylum-seekers after they were processed at Border Patrol stations, but it was forced to shut down seven weeks ago when county funding ran out. Visit the BorderReport.com homepage for the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the U.S.-Mexico border Thats when the Border Patrol began busing asylum-seekers, dropping them off at transit centers around San Diego, particularly the Iris Avenue trolley station in South San Diego. The federal government is giving us no assistance, said Desmond. Theyre just dropping them off in our streets, were at their whim. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. Is Cuba becoming kinder, gentler toward demonstrators, or weaker and more hypocritical? | Opinion The Cuban government faced another wave of protests last month as citizens took to the streets to voice their frustrations over food shortages, power and freedom. At least thats what the outside world saw from an anonymous Facebook page and other snippets of a cellphone video that made it out of the island showing the March 17 demonstrations. Something interesting happened to the peaceful demonstrators: Nothing. The videos had shown people chanting on the streets of Santiago de Cuba, which happens to be the home of the start of Cubas 1959 revolution. Were hungry! We need electricity! Others chanted Patria y Vida, alluding to the July 2021 demonstrations where that catchphrase became famous and spawned a hit song. The incident embarrassed the Cuban government internationally. In some ways, Cuba did what it always does when dissension breaks out: It shut down the internet. No more videos leaked out. Now were in April and all seems quiet inside Cuba. But is that calm real? There is no evidence of the typical crackdown from Cubas secret and street police against demonstrators. There were no reported or visible clashes like the ones the 2021 demonstrators encountered. Back then, hundreds were jailed and sentenced to as much as 20 years for betraying the revolution. Is Cuba trying a new tactic with dissenters? Or, as some observers believe, is the Cuban regime so crippled by the countrys economic ailments that it no longer has the capacity to shut down anything? These protests, it appears, were allowed to run their course without using lethal force on demonstrators. Very unusual. From our seat in Miami, this is new. Is it a new tactic or ploy formed out of necessity? Some Cuba experts in exile believe the Cuban government and its revolution are on their final legs as they enter their senior citizen years at 65. The regime does not seem like its old self. Dare we say the government seemed to be more tolerant, almost understanding of the protesters. President Miguel Diaz-Canel last month said on YouTube that he understood demonstrators were upset about the shortages, but said the protesters anger was aimed at the U.S., not his government. He also announced the creation of a sort of fireside chat radio show where citizens can ask him questions. The idea is to improve communications between the government and the people. The Cuban people are not disenchanted with the promise of the revolution, he insisted. A very clever twist. Government officials told the demonstrators that help was on the way in the form of United Nations donated milk, which the island requested for the first in the regimes history. Orlando Gutierrez Boronat, coordinator of the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance, said the Patria y Vida demonstrators have had a lasting impact. The conscience of nonviolent struggle is developing quickly and organically inside Cuba, Gutierrez Boronat told the Herald Editorial Board. And the government is reacting and trying to maintain its power by agreeing that things are bad in Cuba, but they are not to blame; America is. The muted reaction shows the regime understands the international condemnation that would follow another brutal crackdown on dissent. How can you punish people who are begging for food? For this, the Patria y Vida demonstrators should be praised for forcing the government to apparently ease up on the head-bashing of dissenters. Cuban leaders must be banking that simply allowing people to voice frustrations can release pressures that might otherwise boil over in the streets. Appearing to understand their pain could help the regime last longer, or simply survive this delicate phase. But, ultimately, addressing the roots of discontent a failing economy and shortages of food and power through a democratic opening remains the goal for a long-term solution for Cuba. Click here to send the letter. President Joe Bidens campaign said it raised $90 million in March, a sum thats likely to grow the presidents significant financial edge over former President Donald Trump. The Biden campaign said it had $192 million in cash on hand, a total that includes funds from the campaign, the Democratic National Committee and related joint fundraising committees. Its the largest war chest amassed by any Democratic presidential candidate at this point in the cycle, according to a Biden campaign memo announcing the totals on Saturday. Aides released the total ahead of the monthly Federal Elections Commission filing deadline later this month. Bidens monthly totals come on the same day as Trump is holding his own major fundraiser. The former presidents campaign said they expect to raise more than $43 million at a one-night event in Palm Beach, Florida. Saturdays Trump fundraiser aims to top the "three presidents" extravaganza in New York City last week, when Biden, joined by former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, hauled in more than $26 million on a star-studded night. Bidens financial edge has remained a bright spot for the president, who continues to struggle with stubbornly low approval ratings and trails Trump narrowly in national polling averages. Biden and the DNC ended February with more than double the cash-on-hand that Trump and the RNC had. Trump has failed to match his 2020 fundraising totals, and hes also diverted millions of dollars to help pay his legal fees. The money we are raising is historic, and its going to the critical work of building a winning operation, focused solely on the voters who will decide this election offices across the country, staff in our battleground states, and a paid media program meeting voters where they are, Bidens campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement. Its a stark contrast to Trumps cash-strapped operation that is funneling the limited and billionaire-reliant funds it has to pay off his various legal fees. In particular, the Biden campaign touted its small-dollar operation. In the first three months of 2024, the Biden campaign said 96 percent of its donations were under $200 and the campaigns email list doubled in size. DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) Danville mayor Rickey Williams Jr. is shining a spotlight on area jobs that pay similar wages to the Quaker Oats Company, after company officials told workers they are closing the local factory in June. Gov. Pritzkers office responds to Quaker factory closure in Danville Our goal is to connect great Quaker employees to other great employment opportunities in the community, he wrote in a Facebook post published Friday. In his post, Williams Jr. listed out the salary rates for employees at Quaker and compared them to similar salary rates at other businesses in Danville. Among the businesses Williams Jr. included are AutoZone, Owens Corning, and the City of Danville. Other organizations including Danville Area Community College and Vermilion County Works are also helping affected workers get good, local jobs. The full post can be found here. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. On This Day, April 5: Kurt Cobain of Nirvana dies at 27 A Stratocaster once owned by Kurt Cobain is on display at a press preview for "Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on April 1. On April 5, 1994, Cobain killed himself at his home in Seattle. He was 27. It would be three days before his body was discovered. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI April 5 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1614, Pocahontas, daughter of a chief, married English tobacco planter John Rolfe in Jamestown, Va. It was a marriage that ensured peace between the settlers and the Powhatan Indians for several years. In 1768, the first U.S. Chamber of Commerce was founded in New York City. In 1792, President George Washington exercised veto power, the first time it was done in the United States. In 1933, Executive Order 6101 establishing the Civilian Conservation Corps was issued by President Franklin Roosevelt. The public work relief program would run from 1933 to 1942 and provide employment for unemployed and unmarried men as part of the New Deal. On April 5, 1992, Sam Moore Walton, founder of Walmart, died of cancer at 74. UPI File Photo In 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were sentenced to death in New York for stealing atomic secrets for the Soviet Union. They were executed on June 20, 1953. File Photo by Library of Congress/UPI Sen. John Tower, R-Texas, leaves the White House on May 7, 1982, after meeting with President Ronald Reagan on the 1983 military budget. On April 5, 1991, Tower and 22 others were killed in a commuter plane crash in Brunswick, Ga. File Photo by Ron Bennett/UPI In 1955, following rumors of failing health, Winston Churchill resigned as prime minister of the United Kingdom. In 1976, reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes died of kidney failure during a flight from Acapulco, Mexico, to Houston. He was 71. Massey Energy workers Maurice Blanchette (L), Jimmy Shortridge (2nd-L), Brandon Waddell (2nd-R) and Andrew Lucas take a break from drilling efforts above Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch Coal Mine on April 7, 2010, in Montcoal, W.Va. On April 5, 2010, an explosion in a coal mine near Montcoal, in West Virginia's Raleigh County, killed 29 workers. File Photo by Jeff Gentner/UPI In 1991, former Sen. John Tower, R-Texas, and 22 others were killed in a commuter plane crash in Brunswick, Ga. In 1992, Sam Moore Walton, founder of Walmart, died of cancer at 74. On April 5, 1955, following rumors of failing health, Winston Churchill resigned as prime minister of the United Kingdom. File Photo courtesy Cecil Beaton/Imperial War Museums In 1994, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain killed himself at his home in Seattle. He was 27. It would be three days before his body was discovered. File Photo by Julie Kramer/Wikimedia In 1999, Russell Henderson, one of two men charged in the October 1998 beating death of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, pleaded guilty and was given two life prison sentences. The second man, Aaron McKinney, who delivered the fatal blows, also received two life terms. In 2000, Lee Petty, the winner of the first Daytona 500 and a pioneer of a NASCAR racing family, died at a North Carolina hospital from complications of an abdominal aneurysm. He was 86. In 2010, an explosion in a coal mine near Montcoal, in West Virginia's Raleigh County, killed 29 workers. In 2016, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to mandate six weeks of fully paid leave for new parents. In 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the U.N. Security Council to act decisively to help Ukrainians and end the occupation and violence against civilians by Russian forces. File Photo courtesy of the Ukrainian President Press Office Help is on the way for families in need of affordable housing in Daytona Beach. This week, city leaders discussed several possible plans that could become a reality by this summer. WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS Mayor Derrick Henry explained while the Worlds Most Famous Beach does attract thousands of tourists every year, the people who fill the work force arent feeling the same benefits. We attract new development, new businesses and a lot of times they cant afford to work at lets say a Buccees and then have a reasonable place to live, said Mayor Henry. Read: Trusting the process: Ex-Commissioner Regina Hill talks to Channel 9 after taking the stand Henry said the affordable housing crisis is a constantly changing issue, pointing to the latest population filling the First Step Shelter in recent weeks. Many of our new clients in the shelter are actually senior citizens between the ages of 65 and 75 years old who are being displaced because they cant afford the housing, said Henry. Read: Community helps grandmother whose house burned down 3 days after moving in Meanwhile, in other parts of the city like Midtown, hundreds of families are still trying to find a place to live after their homes were destroyed during Hurricanes Ian and Nicole in 2022. Henry hopes structures there can be salvaged to fit the needs of the neighborhood. The city has already created tax incentives for developers and donated land for single family home construction. Henry said some new options that could soon be a reality are changing local zoning laws to allow for more affordable housing. City staff will also discuss creating a trust that will be funded by developer fees, the city and community partners. No formal decisions have been made but Mayor Henry hopes the process for some of the projects will begin by June. Read: Show your Orlando pride on #407Day while enjoying local events, specials Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Death toll from Russian attack on Kharkiv rises to seven Aftermath of Russian attack on Kharkiv on 6 April. Photo: Ukraines National Police Seven people were killed and 11 have been injured in a Russian nighttime attack on the Shevchenkivskyi district of the city of Kharkiv. Source: Serhii Bolvinov, Head of the Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine (NPU) in Kharkiv Oblast, on Twitter Details: The NPU reported that the Russians targeted Kharkiv with S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems twice, with less than 30 minutes between the attacks. Quote from Bolvinov: "The enemy launched two strikes once again, targeting residential high-rise buildings, kindergartens and civilian infrastructure. A petrol station was utterly destroyed, and power lines were damaged. Two craters measuring 5 by 5 metres emerged among the damaged nine-storey buildings. Unfortunately, seven people have been killed in this attack. Eleven more people were injured." Background: The Russian attack on Kharkiv damaged six high-rise buildings, a petrol station, a shop and a car. Support UP or become our patron! Since Russias invasion of Ukraine two years ago, it has become increasingly clear that Britain has entered a far more dangerous geopolitical era. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has named this new reality a pre-war period, in contrast to the post-war decades that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall. Today in this newspaper, James Heappey, former minister for the Armed Forces, calls for joined-up thinking across government to prepare our country for what lies ahead. While we are not on the cusp of World War Three, these are serious times, with serious threats on multiple fronts. Putins bloody adventure in Ukraine continues, and even as Nato celebrates its 75th anniversary, it finds itself forced to contemplate the possibility of a direct confrontation with Russia within a decade. Meanwhile, as Israel braces itself for an Iranian response to the killing of IRGC commanders in Syria, the potential for escalation into a far wider war in the Middle East remains very real. In the Indo-Pacific, where Britain has set its strategic sights on stronger trade ties, China continues to build up its military and menace Taiwan, which sits on a critical route for maritime traffic. In the face of these dangers, there have rightly been calls to revisit our defence budget and the downsizing of Britains military forces. More must be done on this front, although higher spending alone will not be enough. It is even more important that we improve our military procurement process and work harder to retain and train up talented servicemen and women, so that we can make the best use of whatever additional resources Britains hard-pressed taxpayers can provide. Yet the need for preparedness must not stop with the Ministry of Defence. War is a whole nation and a whole government endeavour. In recent decades, other departments have been able to forget their responsibilities to national resilience. That is no longer good enough. Indeed, it is dangerous. As Peter Stanford, the new National Farmers Union president, tells this paper of food security at times of conflict, We have 70 million people here living on an island and having a plan for how they are going to be fed is crucially important. We cannot just import our way out of trouble. In todays world, strategic resilience means not only answering timeless questions such as whether we can feed the country while under attack, but also new ones. How can we secure our access to rare earth minerals? What will we do if a Chinese blockade of Taiwan cuts off our access to high-end semiconductors, most of which are made there? As our enemies gather, it is time for every government department to dust off its chapter in the War Book, and begin the task of renewing Britains national resilience for the twenty-first century. Sir Winston Churchills dictum never surrender relies on having the resources to stay the course. 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. Our Uniquely Fort Worth stories celebrate what we love most about Cowtown, its history & culture. Story suggestion? Editors@star-telegram.com. Attorney Jerry Murad (1926-1994) was well known across Tarrant County as Honorary Consul of Mexico, an unpaid post representing Mexicans in Texas who were injured on the job, beset with immigration woes, or facing prison. His advocacy led to freedom for a Mexican national jailed in a case of mistaken identity. A dynamic trial lawyer, he was such a successful defender of the under-served and undocumented that on Nov. 7, 1987, Mayor Bob Bolen declared Jerry Murad Day in Fort Worth. Murad understood the difficulties that marginalized people face in America, for his own father was an Arabic-speaking, Jewish immigrant from Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. Less known among his colleagues was Jerry Murads service in World War II. Because he had poor vision, he memorized the eye chart to pass his Army physical. As a corporal assigned to an armament division, he drove a half-track. Whenever asked about combat, he steered the conversation to the lighter side with tales of the mademoiselles he met during furloughs in France. Cpl. Jerry Murad, 1944. He served as a half-track driver during the final year of World War II. He was reluctant to describe the horrors of war until one night in New York in 1982 while he and his law partner, Randy P. Parker, were relaxing over drinks at the Waldorf Astoria. After a long day of depositions and some funny stories about his WWII times, I asked Jerry to tell me what were some of the worst times he experienced in the war, Parker recently recalled. I wondered if Jerry would talk about combat. He never had before. His facial expression changed immediately from his usual jovial self to a serious look, Parker said. He told me that the worst thing he saw was when he and a group of soldiers were the first to come upon a concentration camp. They saw the fences and prisoners looking through the barbed wire. They looked like skeletons with uniforms hanging on them, but their deeply sunk eyes, so sad and near death, seemed to recognize that the Americans were coming and that they would be saved. Jerry said that it was all so horrible, with the starving prisoners, the piles of dead bodies and the smell. He almost threw up, but he held back because, as a Jew, he wanted to show strength at that moment. ... It also made him very angry. It was the worst thing he ever saw in the war and in his life. Jerry was near tears as he told me how he felt. So was I, just seeing his pain at talking through that memory. Then, typical of Jerry, he quickly ordered another round of drinks and changed the subject to a lighter story about some experiences he and a soldier friend had with some liberated French girls in Paris. Murad and his law partner, who now resides in Helotes, rarely spoke again about the Nazi death camps, although in his mind, Parker replayed the conversation over and over. Hearing Jerrys first-hand account of coming upon that horrific scene is something I will never forget. It is far more powerful and vivid to me than all the films I have seen that have documented the Holocaust, Parker said. I believe that Jerry was able to handle his years-long fight with cancer, ... filled with telling jokes and funny life stories to entertain family and friends, right up until the end of his life in 1994 due in great part to the powerful impact of having helped liberate a Nazi death camp a truly life-changing experience. Texas Liberators Murads experience, not previously reported, may qualify him as a Liberator, the official designation for the Allied soldiers who first encountered the Nazi death camps. The Armys Center of Military History and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum created the designation in 1985. A Texas Liberators Honor Roll, being compiled by the state Holocaust and Genocide Commission (https://theliberatorproject.org) has identified more than 500 Texas veterans who participated in the liberation of 43 different camps. In order for Murads name to be added, researchers at the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas are tracking down the armament division in which he served. The veterans son, Jerry Murad Jr., 58, also a Fort Worth attorney, said his father had mentioned to him that he had witnessed a concentration camp, but little more. The son does not have his fathers military discharge papers, nor does he know the division or units in which he served. Last month, he applied to the National Archives and Records Administration for that information. The National Archives receives more than 5,000 requests a week for veterans records, and the answer may take months. Gerald Jerry Murad was born in New York City on July 19, 1926. His parents, Harry, of Baghdad, and Lena, a native New Yorker, operated a succession of baby boutiques in Philadelphia, Chicago and Milwaukee. After Jerrys high school graduation, he enlisted on Aug. 21, 1944, from Fort Sheridan, Illinois. Following the war, the family moved to Fort Worth, where his father had relatives George and Aaron Rashti who were also born in Baghdad. The Murad family became congregants at the citys two synagogues, Ahavath Sholom and Beth-El. Jerry attended Texas Christian University and West Texas State University, graduating in 1951. He received a law degree from Baylor University and was a Tarrant County assistant district attorney from 1953 to 1957. Always sociable and involved, he was a Scottish Rite Mason, an honorary Fort Worth police officer and founding president of the Tarrant County Trial Lawyers Association. Hollace Ava Weiner, director of the Fort Worth Jewish Archives, is an author, archivist and historian. BP chief executive Murray Auchincloss appears to be laser-focused on maximizing profits after taking over near the beginning of the year, and that may come at the expense of renewables. What's happening? In an interview, Auchincloss outlined his "demand strategy" for BP's future. "We see growing demand for energy right now across the globe," he told the New York Times. "It is not slowing down." As a result, BP is "going to invest in today's energy system, to help make sure that prices don't get out of control," Auchincloss explained to the news outlet. "So that's investing into oil and gas." Alternative energy sources like biofuels and hydrogen aren't off the table, but the company said its oil output would likely increase by 2% to 3% annually through 2027, per Forbes. "We have some big decisions ahead of ourselves," Auchincloss told the Times. Why is BP's strategy important? Oil company leaders, especially in Europe, face a difficult balancing act. They need to demonstrate to customers and governments that they are serious about lowering plant-warming pollution. But they also must appeal to investors who prioritize profitability above all else. "The first thing investors want is to make sure they get performance," said Giuseppe Bivona, chief investment officer of hedge fund Bluebell Capital Partners, which has criticized BP's renewables push, as reported by the Times. Continuing to ramp up production of dirty energy may boost BP's profits for now. But it also continues to dangerously overheat our planet. Scientists warn that to keep warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels to prevent some of the worst climate impacts, the world must quickly transition away from oil, gas, and coal. What's being done about BP's strategy? BP is increasing investments in lower-carbon energy alongside its oil and gas spending. The company reported its biofuels production rose 18% last year, while its EV charging network grew 35%, the Times reported. "In cleaner energies, BP is now betting on businesses that are closer to the company's existing strengths in distributing fuel and servicing automobiles," Auchincloss told the newspaper. These are encouraging signs, but still small steps. To truly align with a sustainable climate future, BP and other oil giants will need to much more aggressively shift their business models. As an individual, you can help accelerate the transition to clean energy by cutting your own usage of oil and gas wherever possible. Choose electric or human-powered transportation, improve your home's energy efficiency, and eat more plants and less meat. Our collective choices have real power. Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet. Disney seeks delay from appeals court in legal battle again DeSantis and CFTOD After reaching a settlement last month in a related state-court case, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts on Friday asked a federal appeals court for a delay in a legal battle against Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS Disney went to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor in January dismissed a lawsuit alleging that the state unconstitutionally retaliated against the company because of its opposition to a controversial education law. But in the filing Friday, Disney asked for a 60-day extension in submitting an opening brief to facilitate negotiations. It said such negotiations were contemplated in a settlement that Disney reached last month with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District in a state-court case in Orange County. Read: Trusting the process: Ex-Commissioner Regina Hill talks to Channel 9 after taking the stand The lawsuits were rooted in a decision last year by DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature to replace the former Reedy Creek Improvement District with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. The decades-old Reedy Creek district was closely aligned with Disney, while DeSantis appoints the new districts board. Read: Community helps grandmother whose house burned down 3 days after moving in The district provides many local-government services in an area that includes Disney properties. In the federal lawsuit, Disney has alleged retaliation because it opposed a 2022 law that restricted instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. The settlement in the Orange County case included issues related to development agreements that Disney reached with the Reedy Creek Improvement District board before the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board took over. The filing Friday said Disneys opening brief is due April 17 at the Atlanta-based appeals court. Disney is seeking to push back the deadline to June 17. Read: Show your Orlando pride on #407Day while enjoying local events, specials Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Dive team recovers body at site of Baltimore bridge collapse as search continues for 3 others Crews on Friday recovered the body of a third construction worker who died in the collapse of a bridge in Baltimore as divers continue searching for additional victims who officials believe are trapped under the wreckage. Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandovals body was found Friday morning, officials said. The discovery came amid salvage efforts to haul away tons of steel debris that officials have said prevented divers from locating multiple victims who were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it was rammed by a large container ship and collapsed into the water last week. The Keybridge Joint Information Center said in a statement its salvage dive teams located the 38-year-old construction worker and notified Maryland State Police Friday morning. A police underwater recovery team was deployed with dive teams from other law enforcement agencies and recovered Suazo Sandovals body, according to the statement. Maryland is praying for the family of Maynor Yasir Suazo Sandoval and all of his loved ones. They have our thoughts, our hearts, and our support, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement. On the night of the collapse, these men were engaged in challenging, dangerous work tending to our states infrastructure for our collective benefit, the governor said. They hailed from communities that have gone long overlooked and underappreciated. But their work had dignity and their contributions will never be forgotten. Remnants of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore are seen Sunday. Crews have embarked on the complicated operation of removing thousands of tons of steel and concrete. (AP Photos/Mike Pesoli) - Mike Pesoli/AP Carlos Suazo Sandoval, Maynors brother, told CNN authorities informed the family of the discovery. Suazo Sandoval is the third construction worker whose body has been recovered since the bridge collapsed in the early morning hours of March 26. A total of six construction workers who were on the bridge repairing potholes died when the ship collided with the bridge, causing much of it to collapse into the Patapsco River. Suazo Sandoval moved from Santa Barbara in Honduras to the US 18 years ago for a better life, CNN previously reported. He was married with two children an 18-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter, his brother said. One of eight siblings, Suazo Sandoval was described by his brother Carlos Suazo, who lives in Baltimore, as a kind and joyful person who had vision. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Dog Suffers Traumatic Brain Injury After Being Shot in the Face During Morning Walk, Owner Says "He still shows nothing but unconditional love when we see him every single day by licking us, and wagging his tail," Zeus' owner said gofundme Zeus recovering from gunshot wounds A red husky named Zeus in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, faces a long road to recovery after suffering gunshot wounds to the head. Zeus' owners, Nicholas Denunzio Jr., 18, and his mother Audrey Owens, have been sharing updates on Zeus journey via social media. Nicholas Denunzio Jr. and his husky Zeus The incident happened in late March, when, according to a GoFundMe post by Owens, he went outside to use the bathroom and he ran off. Zeus was only gone for 5 minutes and when we were out looking for him we heard several gunshots. Related: Angie Harmon Says Instacart Driver Shot and Killed Her Dog During Delivery Shortly after that we saw him trying to walk back home but he was scared and extremely hurt so he hid under a vehicle near by He was shot twice in the head and somehow is alive, the post reads. Since then, the 5-year-old husky has been in the care of the Stafford Veterinary Center where donations can be sent directly. In one of Owens Facebook updates on Friday, April 5, a user asked if any arrests had been made since Zeus had been shot. Not yet, the owner replied. Zeus recovering from gunshot wounds Animal rights group Desmond's Army Animal Law Advocates is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the person or people responsible for shooting the dog, per the Stamford Advocate. According to the outlet, Owens says Zeus has a track record of getting out of the house. He literally pushed an air conditioner out of a window to get out of the house one day in the summer, she told the Stamford Advocate. Hes an escape artist. Related: Dog Sneaks Out and Attends Metallica Concert in California See the Cute Photo! Earlier this week, Owens shared a photo of the canines X-ray on her Facebook account. This dog has suffered a traumatic brain injury and has been having a hard time with normal functioning things that other dogs do not have problems with because of this. And after all that hes been through, he still shows nothing but unconditional love when we see him every single day by licking us, and wagging his tail, she wrote. The second bullet was between the eyes at the top of his snout, and was lodged in the back of his throat, where they were able to extract 2/3 of the bullet, leaving 1/3 of the bullet fragment in him, the original GoFundMe post explained. X-ray of Zeus On Saturday, April 6, Tractor Supply in Stafford Springs will hold a bake sale to raise funds for Zeus medical bills. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 54 West Stafford Road. In her most recent update, Owens shared that Zeus stay at the vet would be extended. 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. Just found out that Zeus is running a fever and going back on IV to get fluids and meds. We were hopeful he was coming home soon but we have to just trust the process and know hes where he needs to be to get the best care, she said Friday via Facebook. Please keep him in your prayers for his recovery. Thank you everyone. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. We dont give up. Could Boise toddler who went missing in 1983 still be alive? On March 16, 1983, 2-year-old Jason Keith Cannon went missing from his home in Boises North End. Boise police are now asking for the publics assistance in hopes of solving the 41-year-old cold case. Wearing blue overalls and a yellow and blue shirt, Jason was last seen around 2 p.m. on the front porch of his apartment complex at 939 N. 32nd St., according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting. His mother had gone inside to get his jacket, but when she returned, he was gone. Police, neighbors and volunteers did an extensive search of the surrounding neighborhood in the weeks that followed, including combing a small canal called Sand Creek that ran behind the apartment complex as well as portions of the Boise River. But Jason was never found. Boise police are revisiting a 41-year-old cold case involving the disappearance of 2-year-old Jason Cannon from his home in the North End in 1983. Boise police last year solved the cold homicide case of 65-year-old Joyce Casper using a new technique that involves genealogy. Detectives were able to compare DNA found at the crime scene with what was available on popular ancestry websites and build a family tree, according to previous Statesman reporting. Boise Police Department Violent Crime Unit Det. Paul Jagosh, who was assigned to look into Jasons case again in 2020, told the Idaho Statesman he plans to use the same investigative technique in this case. Jagosh said hes tracked down and re-interviewed several people from 1983, including Jasons parents, who now live out of the state. Police are working with Jasons parents to submit their DNA samples to GEDmatch, which houses DNA samples from several genealogy sites like Ancestry or 23andMe, so long as someone opts in. Were going to investigate everything. At the Boise Police Department, we dont give up on these cases, Jagosh said. Boise Police Department Violent Crime Unit Det. Paul Jagosh speaks about a 1983 cold case. The department is investigating 2-year-old Jason Cannons disappearance as an abduction and believes he could still be out there. When Jason initially went missing, authorities thought he may have fallen into the canal near his home. A toy bucket, identified by two of Jasons friends as belonging to the boy, was found west of Stilson Road near the Boise River, about a third of a mile away from his home, a police spokesman at the search site told the Statesman in 1983. But Jagosh said other factors, like the fact that Jason was afraid of water, that his older brother was headed home from school and that his mother had brownies in the oven, made him skeptical that Jason wandered off. Jagosh said Jason may still be alive, and police are currently investigating the case as an abduction. Were trying to keep it alive, keep it in peoples minds, Jagosh said, adding theyve analyzed most of their leads, but any new details can help. If you lived in that immediate area, and remember the case, reach out if you have any information at all because even just the slightest lead could be a breakthrough. Anyone with information about the case can contact dispatch at 208-377-6790 or 208-343-2677. Dont worry, NYC! An earthquake magnitude of 6.5 or higher is needed to put skyscrapers at risk An earthquake magnitude of 6.5 or higher is needed to put skyscrapers and older buildings at risk in New York City. New Yorkers can breathe a sigh of relief after a surprising 4.8 magnitude earthquake jolted the city on Friday morning. While the tremors from New Jersey may have rattled a few nerves, experts assure that the Big Apples skyline remains standing strong. Jesse Richins, lead seismic engineer at the New York City engineering firm MRCE, assured The Post that the citys modern skyscrapers are indeed sturdy. Our tallest buildings here are relatively modern and have been designed for earthquakes of even greater shaking than this earthquake, Richins said. You may feel the shaking on the higher levels as the buildings sway, but those buildings are designed for that and should remain stable from this level of earthquake. Mobile users received an emergency alert following the earthquake on Friday. Getty Images A digital ticker tape board at News Corp Headquarters displays the news of a 4.8-magnitude earthquake. Getty Images However, Richins cautioned against complacency. Here in New York City, our most vulnerable structures are older infrastructure, retaining walls and unreinforced masonry buildings that were built before seismic considerations, he said. Considering our population and the economic importance of [New York], its critical that we continue to upgrade these structures so that we can remain resilient against the infrequent hazards of earthquakes. Richins pointed to historical precedent, citing earthquakes in 1737 and 1884. A magnitude 5.5 near the city would be expected to cause some damages to the oldest masonry buildings, retaining walls, structures near the shorelines and likely collapse a great number of brick chimneys, he said. Follow The Posts coverage on the NYC and tri-state earthquake Modern city structures are built to withstand the elements. NY Post Moreover, the citys tallest buildings are built to withstand smaller magnitude earthquakes. Paul Martinka Otherwise, a nearby earthquake around magnitude 6.0 to 6.5 would be about at the design level for modern structures, an earthquake of this magnitude nearby would likely cause widespread damages across New York City. Consulting engineer Robert Pyke echoed Richins sentiments, highlighting the importance of building codes. The national building codes provide for earthquake loadings everywhere, Pyke said. Just the level of loading thats expected varies from place to place, with the example of earthquakes being less common on the East Coast than in California. Central Park Tower is one of the supertalls on Billionaires Row. NY Post One57 with its characteristic curved top as seen from the Rockefeller Center Observation Deck. LightRocket via Getty Images This image provided by US Geological Survey shows the epicenter of an earthquake on the East Coast of the US on Friday, April 5, 2024. AP New York Post cover for April 6, 2024. Pyke emphasized the need for long-term planning. In New York, earthquakes occur less frequently they have to look at a longer period of time in order to get meaningful data. Senators will handle DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' impeachment soon after they return to Washington. House Republicans are expected to formally present their articles on Wednesday. It's likely that Democrats will move to end the entire affair soon after. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' historic impeachment trial will likely be over before you even notice. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has indicated that senators will likely be sworn in as jurors on Thursday. A day earlier, 11 House Republican impeachment managers, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, will formally march across the Capitol Rotunda to deliver two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas. Mayorkas is just the second Cabinet official in American history to be impeached. He has strenuously denied the charges that he failed to enforce the nation's immigration laws. Conservative legal scholars and even three House Republicans have questioned Mayorkas' impeachment. They have concluded that the GOP case against him is essentially a proxy trial of President Joe Biden's handling of immigration. In that way, they are fearful of a new precedent that allows for Cabinet officials to be impeached for policy disputes between the branches of government. House Speaker Mike Johnson called for senators to hold a full trial. But even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell believes it's likely the matter will be quickly dismissed. No one in Washington seriously believes Mayorkas is in jeopardy of being convicted, which would take a two-thirds vote and thus require the support of scores of Democrats. "[T]he Democrats have a majority, so it may not go on very long," McConnell told reporters earlier in the week. "But my preference would be to actually have a trial. But I think the majority is likely to prevent that." Here's how Democrats will likely handle Mayorkas' impeachment. Didn't the House impeach Mayorkas almost two months ago? Yes. After failing to impeach Mayorkas on the first vote, House Republicans narrowly impeached the Homeland Security secretary on February 13. Since then, the GOP has held onto the articles as Republicans struggled to meet two deadlines to avoid partial government shutdowns. The delay has led to some potential awkwardness, namely that since Speaker Mike Johnson appointed Greene as an impeachment manager she moved to begin the process of removing him from power. This is arguably Greene's highest profile role she has held since joining Congress. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. AP Photo/Andy Wong, File How will Democrats handle the charges? There are a couple of avenues Democrats can use to quickly dispose of the articles. The most straightforward would be for a senator to file for dismissal of the charges. While senators are sworn in as jurors during all impeachment trials, they don't act like a typical jury. They don't have to try to avoid the news. They can openly express their views of the case beforehand. And if the trial were to reach the stage, they would have the opportunity to provide written questions both to Mayorkas' defense team and to the House managers. Based on historical precedent, a senator could file for dismissal shortly after the Senate formally moves to become a court or in a brief period that allows for pre-trial motions, according to a group of impeachment experts. The experts, who wrote in detail about the trial procedure for Just Security, also point out that there is precedent for such a motion to dismiss. Sen. Robert Byrd, a West Virginia Democrat, unsuccessfully offered a motion to dismiss the articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton during his 1999 trial. Clinton was later acquitted. It is worth noting, as The Washington Post pointed out, that the Senate has never before dismissed charges against a current official without conducting a trial. It has previously dismissed articles against two federal judges who resigned after their impeachments. How else could Democrats attempt to move on? One of the other main ways Democrats could move to avoid the spectacle of a trial is to refer the matter to a special committee. In the past, the Senate has taken such actions when it handled the impeachments of federal judges. Of course, the impeachment of a Cabinet official like Mayorkas might strike lawmakers differently than those affairs. A special committee would then be tasked with conducting the trial. Unlike a full trial, a committee would deal with the proceedings off of the Senate floor and without requiring the involvement of all 100 lawmakers. The committee would report back to the full Senate. At that point, senators could then do more or simply just vote on the articles after examining the committee's record. Is it a sure thing there won't be a full trial? Few things are ever certain in Washington, but Democrats could make any of these motions a simple majority vote. Republicans' only hope would be that Democratic senators facing tough reelection bids would refuse to support such moves in the face of political pressure. One Nation, a conservative group, has spent over $15 million on ads focused on immigration hitting Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat who is facing one of the toughest reelection bids, Politico reported. Tester previously said he would support a motion to dismiss. It is worth pointing out that the most conservative Senate Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, has previously slammed the impeachment. Republicans could also lose one of their own votes. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah has expressed skepticism about the case. GOP Reps. Mike Gallagher, Tom McClintock, and Ken Buck Getty Why are even some Republicans against Mayorkas impeachment? Three House Republicans, Reps. Reps. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, Ken Buck of Colorado, and Tom McClintock of California, all voted against impeaching Mayorkas. All three lawmakers cited concerns that by impeaching Mayorkas they were lowering the bar for future impeachments. At issue is whether, as the trio believed, the charges against Mayorkas amount to "maladministration." Jonathan Turley, a conservative legal scholar, has also concluded that is the case. Turley has argued that the founders and framers specifically rejected setting the bar for impeachment at a lower threshold. "[B]eing a bad person is not impeachableor many cabinets would be largely empty," Turley, a George Washington University Law School professor, wrote. "Moreover, being bad at your job is not an impeachable offense. Even really bad. Even Mayorkas' level of bad." The Wall Street Journal editorial board is also opposed to impeachment, citing similar grounds. The board pointed out that if Republicans loathe Biden's immigration policies their fight is better suited with the president, not an administration official simply carrying out his policies. Read the original article on Business Insider Dozens of parents, students, and teachers rallied outside of Braintree Town Hall on Friday to stand against likely cuts to resources, staffing, and programs across the school district. In March, Braintrees Superintendent James Lee cited an $8 million budget deficit the district needs to close so that it may continue operating as it is now. If not, he referenced possible cuts including 100 teachers and staff, extracurriculars, school closures and more. Justin Rollo, a Braintree School Committee member, told Boston 25 that town officials are actively negotiating to find a middle ground for FY2025s school budget to minimize cuts to the district. He said that the district has already notified some teachers who may be let go if the towns roughly $75 million level funded budget isnt raised. Dozens lined Washington Street calling for the town to do everything it can to avoid cuts. Theres an army of people here that are willing to do anything, said parent Karen Carey. They just need to tell us what to do. The School Committee and parents fear the only way cuts are avoided is through an override vote town-wide that would bridge the budget gap through tax increases. This week, Braintrees mayor told the school district not to close any schools. Meanwhile, some teachers like Abby Young fear arts courses and other extracurriculars could be on the chopping block. Laying off programs is your first downfall, she said. The School Committee is holding a meeting on Monday to discuss a budget proposal that came out of subcommittee last 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. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Dwayne Johnson says he will not endorse any presidential candidate this election as backing Biden in 2020 created 'division' Dwayne Johnson has reflected on his endorsement of Biden's 2020 campaign. He told Fox News that will "keep my politics to myself" during this year's presidential race. The WWE champion has also previously entertained the idea of taking his talents to the White House. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has said that he will not publicly back a candidate for this year's presidential race and will instead "keep my politics to myself." The former WWE star turned actor openly endorsed Democratic presidential and vice-presidential nominees Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in 2020, which he noted was a first for him over his almost 30-year career. However, in an interview with Fox News's Will Cain, Johnson said he won't repeat this endorsement ahead of Biden's looming rematch with Donald Trump. "The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was one I thought was the best decision for me at that time," Johnson said. "Am I going to do that again this year? That answer's no," Johnson continued. Dwayne Johnson appeared on Fox News. Fox News He then expressed regret over the "division" his endorsement of the Biden-Harris campaign created, something Johnson said "tears me up in my guts." "I realize now going into this election, I'm not going to do that because my goal is to bring this country together I believe in that, in my DNA," said the 51-year-old. "So in the spirit of that, there's going to be no endorsement," Johnson reiterated. "Not that I'm afraid of it at all," he added. "I'm going to keep my politics to myself, and I think it's between me and the ballot box." The "Black Adam" star said he would "100%" support whomever the American people chose to be president." When asked about his political ambitions, Johnson said running for president is not something fans should expect anytime soon. The former professional wrestler first expressed interest in taking his talents to the White House in 2016 and has discussed the possibility recently. The WWE champion previously entertained the idea of taking his talents to the White House. Sam Hodde/Getty Images A 2021 poll revealed that 46% of US adults would back his campaign for the Oval Office, which Johnson said on the Spotify podcast, "What Now? with Trevor Noah," podcast "really moved" him. Speaking to Fox, he said he was committed to raising his family, which he previously told CBS News in October 2022 was why running for president was "off the table." "Right now, my desire and my priorities are my babies and school drop-offs and pickups and things like that. That's important to me," the father-of-three said. "In the spirit of bringing people together and bringing our country together, I don't know if that's the right move at this point," Johnson added. Read the original article on Business Insider Key Insights BP Plastics Holding Bhd's estimated fair value is RM2.12 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity BP Plastics Holding Bhd's RM1.31 share price signals that it might be 38% undervalued The RM1.42 analyst price target for BPPLAS is 33% less than our estimate of fair value Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of BP Plastics Holding Bhd. (KLSE:BPPLAS) 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. 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 BP Plastics Holding Bhd The Model We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (MYR, Millions) RM14.7m RM28.1m RM30.5m RM32.7m RM34.7m RM36.6m RM38.3m RM40.0m RM41.7m RM43.3m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ 8.71% Est @ 7.16% Est @ 6.07% Est @ 5.31% Est @ 4.78% Est @ 4.41% Est @ 4.15% Est @ 3.97% Present Value (MYR, Millions) Discounted @ 8.6% RM13.6 RM23.8 RM23.8 RM23.5 RM23.0 RM22.3 RM21.5 RM20.6 RM19.8 RM18.9 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = RM211m 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 8.6%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033 (1 + g) (r g) = RM43m (1 + 3.5%) (8.6% 3.5%) = RM883m Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= RM883m ( 1 + 8.6%)10= RM386m 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 RM597m. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of RM1.3, the company appears quite undervalued at a 38% 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 The Assumptions The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at BP Plastics Holding Bhd 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. SWOT Analysis for BP Plastics Holding Bhd Strength Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry. Currently debt free. Weakness Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Packaging market. Opportunity Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the Malaysian market. Good value based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value. Threat Dividends are not covered by cash flow. Revenue is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year. Next Steps: Although the valuation of a company is important, it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For BP Plastics Holding Bhd, we've compiled three pertinent items you should look at: Risks: As an example, we've found 2 warning signs for BP Plastics Holding Bhd that you need to consider before investing here. Future Earnings: How does BPPLAS'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 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. E-cigarette sales on the rise in U.S.; vaping among teens drops E-cigarettes have been becoming more popular among adults in the U.S., according to a new report from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released this week. The findings from the FTC said e-cigarette sales from nine leading manufacturers in the U.S. jumped by about $370 million between 2020 and 2021, with the total around $2.67 billion. But as sales are on the rise, government data shows vaping among teens is down. Read: Trusting the process: Ex-Commissioner Regina Hill talks to Channel 9 after taking the stand Government data shows youth vaping dropped more than 60 percent last year compared to 2019. Around 5.3 million middle school and high school students reported vaping in 2019, with more than 2.1 million youth reporting vaping in 2023. Were trying to do the right thing because were trying to show the FDA that were not part of the problem, were only part of the solution for adults, said Allison Boughner, Vice President of American Vapor Manufacturers. We dont want kids using these products Increasing the age to 21 helped with that a lot. Boughner argues the vaping industrys focus is about helping adults quit traditional cigarettes, also known as combustible cigarettes, by transitioning to vaping. Read: Community helps grandmother whose house burned down 3 days after moving in The FTC report points to efforts by the vaping industry since 2021 aimed at helping keep e-cigarettes out of the hands of young people. That includes at least five companies requiring third-party age verification to join their mailing lists for customers. I have a 17-year-old. I never want to see him touch a vape, said Boughner. I do believe that enforcing current laws, making sure that we are checking IDs, making sure that theres a signature for delivery of these products, I mean that is the best that we can do. But even with fewer teens now using e-cigarettes, CDC data shows it is still the most used tobacco product among middle school and high school students. Read: Show your Orlando pride on #407Day while enjoying local events, specials Like combustible cigarettes, most e-cigarettes do contain nicotine, which health experts say is especially harmful to young people. Nicotine can permanently change how their brains develop, said Erika Sward with the American Lung Association. It can make them more likely to have and develop ADHD and other cognitive problems. The CDC says e-cigarettes are not safe for youth, young adults, pregnant adults, or adults who do not currently use tobacco products. On its website, the agency writes scientists still have a lot to learn about whether e-cigarettes are effective in helping adults quit smoking and said that additional research can help understand long-term health effects. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. An Eastern WA county has to recount its presidential primary ballots by hand. Heres why Rolls of I voted! stickers on it for voters to take with them after dropping off their ballot at the Benton County Voting Center in Richland. Walla Walla County election officials will start hand recounting all ballots submitted in the March 12 presidential primary after slight report issues were found at the time of the election certification. The laborious recount of more than 13,900 ballots will begin 10 a.m. Monday, April 8, in the county commission chambers in the Eastern Washington city. The counting is expected to finish sometime mid-week. Both Democratic President Joe Biden and former Republican President Donald Trump overwhelmingly won their respective partys primary election last month in the county, earning 85% and 79% of the votes. Nearly 8,700 voters participated in the Republican primary and about 5,200 participated in the Democratic primary. But minor tally irregularities tied to the reporting system were discovered during the process after election officials noticed the totals were off by one or two ballots, according to the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin this week. The error appears to be caused by marks made on the write in line of the ballot. The reporting system is one of the final steps before county officials upload their results to the Washington Secretary of States website. The irregularities have nothing to do with the countys offline tabulation machines, which sort and count ballots. The hand recount is being done at the request of the county canvassing board, Walla Walla County Auditor Karen Martin said in a statement released this week. We had some slight report issues at the time of certification and we as the canvassing board are just wanting to confirm the results of the election by doing a hand recount so that everyone can be assured of the results and the integrity of our system, she continued. The countys canvassing board made up of Martin, as well as County Commissioner Jenny Mayberry and Prosecutor Sabastian Roberts voted unanimously at a March 27 meeting to conduct the hand recount after the Secretary of States Office certified statewide results on March 29. Its the first hand recount for the county of 62,000 since the 2004 gubernatorial election between Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi, said Walla Walla elections supervisor Morgen Bradshaw-Morgan. That race is often touted as the closest statewide election in state history. Among all 39 Washington counties that participated in the March 12 primary, Walla Walla is the only one that will conduct a manual recount of ballots, a spokesperson with Secretary of State Steve Hobbs office confirmed to the Tri-City Herald. Biden received nearly 764,000 votes, about 83% of the total Democratic vote, and Trump received more than 600,000 votes, roughly 76% of the Republican vote, in Washingtons statewide March 12 party primary. The turnaround for Walla Wallas hand recount will be a tight one for county officials. Friday, April 5, marked the start of the 18-day voting period for the April 23 Special Election, when local measures are likely to come before voters. Six Thurston County election officials are coming into town to help expedite the recount timeline, the Union-Bulletin reports. Elections and the public officials who run them have come under increased scrutiny in the years since Trump claimed, without evidence, widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential general election. As a result, election workers across the country have been subject to violent and graphic threats against their lives. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee last month signed a bill into law that now makes it a class C felony to harass an election workers while theyre on the clock. That law went into effect March 26. During the November 2023 election, four county elections offices in Washington had to be evacuated after receiving envelopes with suspicious powder during ballot processing. Some of those envelopes tested positive for fentanyl. Walla Walla election officials welcome the public to observe next weeks hand recount in the commissioners chambers, at 314 West Main Street. No disruptive behavior, electioneering or political talk, or cell phone use will be allowed in the facility. The April 8 total solar eclipse is now mere days away, and many Americans are packing their bags and setting out for the path of totality. While historical data suggests daunting odds of experiencing the eclipse under totally clear skies at this time of year, meteorologists now feel increasingly confident in models that show some parts of the country looking golden. Other parts of the country, though, may end up in a cloudy bust. General cloud cover outlook for the U.S. North America is not just in the middle of the volatility of changing seasons at this time of year, we're also currently in an El Nino pattern. That typically causes an increase in clouds and rain, but, for some reason, hasn't actually done that as much this time around, meteorologists say. One major difference from the 2017 eclipse that cut across the continent is that the 2024 eclipse's path width will be notably wider, according to NASA. That's because the moon will technically be closer to Earth than it was last time. United States map showing the percent of cloud cover in various regions of the eclipse path on April 8. The lakeshore region will be primarily affected. The path of totality where the moon will completely block out the sun is roughly 150 miles wide, stretching about 2,500 miles from Texas to northeastern Maine. Historical data indicates that the further south you are along the path of totality, the better chance you would normally have to not experience clouds. Unfortunately, the patterns that are setting up now don't necessarily match that expectation, which may leave those who put in the research to scope out the best locations suddenly in the lurch. Cloud cover forecast for Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas Historically, data suggests the best odds for not seeing clouds, from a climate perspective, can be found in areas to the south, which are already experiencing the changes of spring. But volatility is the keynote. Jeff Ray, chief meteorologist for CBS Texas, said that Texas sees a sunny or mostly sunny April day only about one-quarter of the time, on average. In fact, April is traditionally the third-stormiest month of the year in Texas. Though the historical odds would still indicate that the area would normally be considered the best destination, Ray says there's a significant possibility that throngs will find themselves disappointed. Jeff Ray's current forecast: "The DFW area is the largest city in the path of totality, receiving the lion's share of out-of-town visitors and family to observe this once-in-a-lifetime event. The weather is shaping up to possibly disappoint the millions of potential viewers. We have suspected over the last week that at the very minimum, there would be in place a thin veil of high clouds overhead during most of the day on Monday. We are hoping the rain and strong storms forecasted for the day will hold off to later in the afternoon. We still believe that is the case. However, this rain event is approaching from the south. It rides in on moisture-laden air from a Gulf of Mexico that is at record warm temperatures (climate change to thank), this should bring in a rather thick deck of mid-to-low clouds. When those clouds get into the path zone is the question. Right now it's not looking good. Timing is everything, even down to a few hours." Map shows forecasted cloud cover and storm systems in the continental U.S. for April 8, 2024. / Credit: CBS News Cloud cover forecast for Missouri, southern Illinois and Indiana So if Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas end up being among the less desirable places to go, what about just a little bit further north? It's an area that will likely be familiar for some hardcore eclipse chasers. A diamond-shaped section of land centered around Carbondale, Illinois was along the path of totality in 2017, and will be again on April 8. Those in southeastern Missouri will find historical odds for cloud-free viewing more or less matching the odds in Arkansas, and those in the Chicago metro area should find their best bet is to head toward the southern part of Illinois, according to Albert Ramon, chief meteorologist for CBS Chicago. Ramon says April 8 typically brings cloud cover chances ranging from 60% to 80% across Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, and similar chances in Indianapolis. But Ramon says this Monday could be different. Albert Ramon's current forecast: "One of the best spots in the country to view the eclipse will be in Carbondale! Not only because of totality, but because of the weather. We're now looking for a good chance of a mostly sunny sky on Monday afternoon with temps in the low to mid 70s. Chicago is looking better, too, for Monday, mainly dry and more of a partly cloudy sky, and highs warmer in the mid 60s. For Indianapolis, expect partly to mostly sunny sky and highs in the low 70s." Cloud cover forecast for the Great Lakes and Pennsylvania The Great Lakes portion of totality's path includes large sections of Ohio, parts of Ontario south of Toronto, the Niagara Falls area, and the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania. CBS Pittsburgh meteorologist Ray Petelin said he's keeping an eye on the Great Lakes when making his final call for that part of the country. Petelin said lake-effect clouds are his chief concern. Erie, Pennsylvania, usually only gets about six clear days during the entire month of April, for example. Petelin says the best hopes would be pinned on the possibility of southerly breezes or warmer-than-average temperatures. And his latest models have him cautiously optimistic. Ray Petelin's current forecast: "A few showers look to be around the region, with the slightly better shot to see some hit or miss rain near Lake Erie. That said, in Erie the rain looks to be spotty with breaks in the clouds to pull off some views of the total eclipse. There looks to be a bit more cloud cover as you head westward toward Cleveland with passing rain showers. I am being hopeful that you will get some glimpses there as well. Down in Pittsburgh, were there is the potential for the partial eclipse of 97% , the skies are trending to be a bit brighter with an isolated rain chance." Cloud cover forecast for New England The last stop for totality in the U.S. will be when the path moves from New York to New England. Traditionally, the New England area would face possibly the stiffest odds in the country for catching clear skies on April 8, based on historical patterns. The data says you'd be more likely to see clouds almost anywhere in these states than not. "If you have been following along over the last few weeks, you likely heard that, climatologically speaking, New England had the lowest odds of having clear skies on the big day. This should come as no surprise to anyone native New Englander. April can be, well, rough in these parts," said Terry Eliasen, executive weather producer for CBS Boston. However, there is a silver lining, both metaphorically and quite visually: Eliasen says the current forecast for the area looks to buck the odds and offer possibly the country's clearest view of the solar display. Terry Eliasen's current forecast: "Monday may just be the nicest day in the entire first two weeks of April! It looks like luck will be on our side. Most of the region should be almost completely clear. Some high clouds may blur the show a bit in western-most New England (the Berkshires up through Vermont). Therefore, as of right now, if you have the ability to go anywhere in New England, the safest bet would be northern Maine (farthest away from any potential cloud cover). While the whole eclipse (partial to full to end) lasts a few hours, totality (the moment on truth) only lasts between 3-4 minutes. And, it is nearly happening at the same time across our entire area. So, make sure to plan your day around those few minutes, especially if you are in the path of totality." Looking ahead to 2045 Sometimes the best-laid plans fall by the wayside, and if you're in an area where clouds end up ruining your view of the total solar eclipse, you'll have to wait quite a while for the next U.S. viewing opportunity. The next chance for a cross-national eclipse will arrive in August 2045, when a line of totality will march from northern California to Miami Beach. United states map showing the path of the 2045 solar eclipse. One more reminder, whether you're in the path of totality or taking in the partial eclipse from somewhere else in America: Be sure to wear special eclipse glasses to protect your eyes. "Civil War": Depicting an America at war with itself NYC officials face criticism for earthquake response "All the parties at the table have failed" to free those held by Hamas, mother of hostage says About 31 million people across the United States live within the path of totality, with millions more heading there in advance of April 8 MARCO DE SWART/ANP/AFP via Getty The total solar eclipse on April 8 has the country totally on the edge of its seat. Will the weather cooperate? How will tiny towns cope with the influx of visitors? And where can one find dependable eyewear to view it with? With so many questions, the historic few hours promise to be memorable, according to a Texas county official, two former NASA astronauts, and a Memphis, Tenn., man who has already manufactured nearly 75 million glasses for Mondays eclipse. While about 31 million people across the United States live within the path of totality including those in Dallas, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Buffalo millions more who arent in those locations are gearing up this week to travel for the big day. Related: Keeping Dogs and Cats Safe During an Eclipse: Expert Pet Advice on the Spring Solar Eclipse All of which means those who live in small towns and counties, like Bell County in central Texas, are anticipating quite a few new friends in their backyards come April 8. Traffic congestion is by far the biggest concern we have to date, Bob Reinhard, emergency management coordinator for Bell County, population 400,000, tells PEOPLE. Every one of these large arteries [including Interstate 35] has the potential to be packed with motorists. Not only the day of the event, but also on the days leading up to Monday the 8th. Trying to keep those traffic lanes moving at some pace will be a huge challenge. 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. On Feb. 21, Bell County was one of the first in the nation to declare a local state of disaster ahead of the event, with county officials expecting its population to double in the days leading up to the eclipse, putting a strain on its infrastructure. Reinhard said with the declaration in place, it is now a requirement for all private property landowners in unincorporated areas to register with the county if they are planning to host events with more than 50 people. American Paper Optics John Jerit, CEO of American Paper Optics, at his Tennessee headquarters The information will provide a situational awareness for leaders in the area so that they can help stage resources in the event of an emergency. Another concern is cellular coverage, Reinhard says. Having this many people in the same area, all using their cellphones for one purpose or the other will undoubtedly place a strain on our cellular infrastructure, he tells PEOPLE. Related: Fly in the Path of Totality During April's Total Solar Eclipse on This Delta Flight As government officials prepare for the eclipse, John Jerit, CEO of American Paper Optics, has been hard at work for 34 of his companys 35 years so that people can enjoy the eclipse without straining their eyes. Jerits eclipse glasses are made in America, and ISO certified, which means the filter and the glasses have been safety tested, he tells PEOPLE. A lot of the glasses that are coming from overseas and from China, they're tested in labs that aren't necessarily qualified to test for that particular product, Jerit tells PEOPLE. You have to have the right spectrometry equipment and such and know the standards. So a lot of them are just popping up. And we've just seen the last 10 days on Amazon and there's a lot of counterfeit glasses that come over with our name on them. American Paper Optics Jerit emphasizes that the best thing consumers can do is to buy from a domestic manufacturer, whether its his company or another. We are the people who actually make the glasses for NASA, Jerit tells PEOPLE. We've gotten 2.5 million for them, 4.6 million for the government through a library grant, and just tons of stuff for the government in terms of making glasses. And we will have shipped 75 million glasses by the end of week from Friday. I think we'll have 75 million at the door. Related: Couple Who Met During an Eclipse Wed During Total Solar Eclipse: 'It's the Most Romantic Thing' With glasses in hand, what can eclipse viewers expect on Monday? When the moon first moves in front of the sun, you don't really notice it, Terry Virts, a retired NASA astronaut who spent time on the International Space Station (ISS), tells PEOPLE. And then as it gets close to covering up the whole sun, it starts to get a little bit dark. But totality is that moment when the moon completely covers up the sun and then it's very quickly in the matter of seconds. Virts continues, It gets really dark. And I remember when I saw my first total eclipse, the animals started to bark and the birds, all the animals noticed it and they were like, Hey, why is it nighttime all of a sudden? And all of a sudden they thought it was nighttime." Virts , who is partnering with Sonic for the restaurants pegged-to-the-eclipse Sonic Blackout Slush Float and giveaway glasses, cautions about one thing. You don't want to stare at the sun, he says. It's like you wouldn't stare at the sun normally, so don't stare at the sun unless you have your eclipse glasses because it can damage your vision. Related: Nearly 300 Couples Plan to Get Married During Solar Eclipse in Arkansas: 'Once in a Lifetime Experience' And even if Monday is cloudy where you are, Virts says the experience will be "interesting" regardless. "Hopefully here in Texas, we'll have some sun, but it'll still get dark," he tells PEOPLE. "So basically you just won't see what's happening. When you look up at the sun, if you have glasses on, it's amazing. It looks like something's taking a bite out of the sun, while the moon is coming. But during totality, it'll be like all of a sudden somebody turns the sun off, all of a sudden it turns night." He adds, "I'd rather be where it's clear and you can see, but having a cloudy day that just turns dark all of a sudden, that would be kind of interesting in its own way." For Jose M. Hernandez, who traveled to the ISS as a mission specialist in 2009 onboard the Discovery, the day is both a teachable moment and an enduring lesson. A solar eclipse is nature's way of reminding us of the grandeur and mystery of the cosmos, a breathtaking spectacle that humbles us and inspires a deeper appreciation for the wonders of the universe, Hernandez, who is set to give a speech to school children at the AT&T headquarters in Dallas during the eclipse, tells PEOPLE. I expect this event to spark the imagination of the next generation of space explorers. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Eclipse viewing at Ripon College includes free viewers while supplies last and physics demonstrations The sun rises partially eclipsed by the moon Thursday, June 10, 2021 over Fond du Lac, Wis. Doug Raflik/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin FOND DU LAC The Society of Physics Students and the Ripon College departments of physics and education will host a public eclipse viewing event April 8. Community members can stop by Memorial Green outside Pickard Commons between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to pick up a free set of eclipse viewers, while supplies last. Those attending can also learn about the science of eclipses, safe eclipse viewing and explore a variety of physics demonstrations. Although Ripon is not in the path of totality, the eclipse maximum for this area will take place at 2:07 p.m. local time. Fond du Lac schools: Meet Fond du Lac's new Woodworth principal and the director of English language and bilingual education Ian Moschenross returns to Ripon College for guest piano recital April 8 Pianist Ian Moschenross will return perform a guest piano recital April 8 at Ripon College. Pianist Ian Moschenross will return to Ripon College for a guest piano recital April 8. The program will begin at 7 p.m. in Demmer Recital Hall, C.J. Rodman Center for the Arts. It is free and open to the public. Moschenross previously performed at Ripon College as part of the Chamber Music and Jazz at Ripon series in 2021. His upcoming program will include Bagatelles, op. 126, by Ludwig van Beethoven; Vier Klavierstucke, Op. 119, by Johannes Brahms; and Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960, by Franz Schubert. Moschenross is an active recitalist, chamber musician and collaborator, with a particular scholarly focus on the works of the Romantic era. He currently teaches music theory, music history and piano courses at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Moschenross earned a bachelors degree in music from Hanover College and a master of music and doctor of musical arts in piano performance from The University of Nebraska-Lincoln. April's History at Home to feature life of Lisle Lester Fond du Lac Public Library will offer several programs in April at its main branch, 32 Sheboygan St. Programs include History at Home and workshops during Money Smart Week. Local historian Tracy Reinhardt will share the story of Lisle Lester during the History at Home program at 6 p.m. April 11. Lester was born in Fond du Lac in the mid-1800s. She later traveled the world and worked for multiple publications while pushing for womens rights. The program also will be available from the librarys Facebook page at facebook.com/FDLPL. The library will help your money go further during April with the Food for Fines program. Get $1 in fines waived for each donation of a nonperishable food item. Only food with expiration dates after June 1, 2024, will be accepted. Note that some less expensive foods, such as ramen, will be credited at 25 cents each. Food collected will be donated to a local food pantry. Also scheduled is a series of Money Smart Wisconsin programs. When Im 65 will begin at 1 p.m. April 8. Learn about Medicare, Medicare Part B, Medicare Advantage Plans and Medicare Part D. Registration appreciated but not required Learn how to protect yourself and your family with Homebuyer Preparedness at 6 p.m. April 9. Review estate planning, wills, trusts and powers of attorney. Registration appreciated but not required. An Introduction to Cryptocurrency: Understanding the Basics will begin at 10 a.m. April 13. Learn about cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Etherum, and Dogecoin. Registration appreciated but not required. For more information or to register for programs, visit calendar.fdlpl.org. Chimney Swifts are the featured bird of Audubon program A chimney swift is shown. The Audubon program Chimney Swifts - The Night Show Must Go On will be presented at 7 p.m. April 10 at Moraine Park Technical College, Room O215, 235 N. National Ave. Learn how to identify chimney swifts, their current population and threats, why theyre important to us, and how to get involved to make a difference. The program will be presented by Nancy Nabak, chairman of the statewide Wisconsin Chimney Swift Working Group, vice president of the Bay Area Bird Club, and former historian for the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology. She works at Woodland Dunes Nature Center in Two Rivers as their communications coordinator. Audubon programs are free and open to the public. Ripon College presents musical 'Spitfire Grill' April 10-13 Mikaela Lawrence, from left, Lucie Hodgkins, Summer Schlieckau and Benjamin Marn rehearse a scene for Ripon Colleges production of The Spitfire Grill, set to open April 10. The Spitfire Grill, by James Valcz and Fred Alley, will be presented April 10 to 13 by the Theatre Department at Ripon College. Described as a musical love letter to the heart of rural Wisconsin, the spring musical will begin at 7:30 p.m. each night in Benstead Theatre, C.J. Rodman Center for the Arts. Set in the fictional town of Gilead, Wisconsin, a feisty parolee, Percy, is yearning for a fresh start. She unexpectedly discovers the healing power of her new community. The production is directed by Associate Professor of Theatre Lillian Brown. Tickets are free, but reservations are recommended at 920-748-8791 or Boxoffice@Ripon.edu. Local blood donation drives to benefit Red Cross According to the American Red Cross, only three out of 100 people donate blood. In recent weeks, the organization has seen an increase in the blood supply, but blood and platelet donations are still needed. A blood donor card or drivers license or two other forms of identification are required. Individuals 17 years old (16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in general good health may be eligible to donate blood. Donors younger than 18 also have to meet certain height and weight requirements. Upcoming blood drives: April 10: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., St Marys Springs High School, 255 County K, Fond du Lac; April 16: 12:30 to 5:30 p.m., Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church ELCA, 430 Griswold St., Ripon; April 18: 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Fond du Lac High School, 801 Campus Dr., Fond du Lac; April 18: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Ripon College, 300 Seward St., Ripon; and April 22: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thrive Church, 79 E 2nd St., Fond du Lac. To make an appointment, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 800-733-2767. Volunteers also are needed to be blood donor ambassadors and transportation specialists. Volunteer blood donor ambassadors at blood drives help greet, check-in and thank blood donors to ensure they have a positive experience. Transportation specialists ensure blood products are delivered to nearby hospitals. For more information, visit redcross.org/volunteertoday. Ripon College students hold panel on free speech A discussion on free speech will be held April 11 at Ripon College. A panel of students will take part in the presentation at 6:30 p.m. in Kresge Little Theatre, East Hall. Admission is free and open to the public. The sponsor of the event is the Student Advisory Board of the Center for Politics and the People. Panelists will discuss Ripon College speech regulations, topics that should or should not be restricted, and potential consequences for violating college free speech policies. Panelists include Levi Keen, Twin Lakes; Isaac Tomaschefsky, Green Bay; Hannah Brockman, Sun Prairie; and Eugene Hinton, St. Francis. Election results: Fond du Lac voters choose newcomers for city council in spring election. Here's who won in all area races Waupun hospital nurse named DAISY Award winner Registered Nurse Margene Post, an administrative supervisor, has been named a DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses winner at SSM Health Waupun Memorial Hospital. The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes by members of his family, honors nurses for the compassionate care they provide patients and families. Nurses may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues. Post was nominated by two colleagues, one who began her nomination: Margene is an excellent nurse that goes above and beyond daily to help ensure the best care to the patients. Her top priorities in patient care are safety, compassionate care and being very thorough in everything she does to ensure the absolute best care. During a brief ceremony, Post received a certificate, a DAISY Award pin, and a sculpture called A Healers Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. For more information, visit DAISYfoundation.org. Contact Mara Wegner at mwegner@gannett.com or 920-996-7241. This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Eclipse viewing near Fond du Lac set at Ripon College April 8 A military vehicle transports former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas from the detention center where he was held after police broke into the Mexican Embassy to arrest him in Quito, Ecuador, Saturday, April 6, 2024. Glas, who held the vice presidency of Ecuador between 2013 and 2018, was convicted of corruption and had been taking refuge in the embassy since December. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa). QUITO, Ecuador (AP) Mexico's government severed diplomatic ties with Ecuador after police broke into the Mexican Embassy to arrest a former Ecuadorian vice president, an extraordinary use of force that shocked and mystified regional leaders and diplomats. Ecuadorian police late Friday broke through the external doors of the embassy in the capital, Quito, to arrest Jorge Glas, who had been residing there since December. Glas sought political asylum at the embassy after being indicted on corruption charges. The raid prompted Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to announce the breaking off of diplomatic relations with Ecuador on Friday evening, while his government's foreign relations secretary said the move will be challenged at the World Court in The Hague. This is not possible. It cannot be. This is crazy, Roberto Canseco, head of the Mexican consular section in Quito, told local press while standing outside the embassy right after the raid. I am very worried because they could kill him. There is no basis to do this. This is totally outside the norm. On Saturday, Glas was taken from the attorney generals office in Quito to the port city of Guayaquil, where he will remain in custody at a maximum-security prison. People who had gathered outside the prosecutors office yelled strength as he left with a convoy of police and military vehicles. Glas' attorney, Sonia Vera, told The Associated Press that officers broke into his room and he resisted when they attempted to put his hands behind his back. She said the officers then knocked him to the floor, kicked him in the head, in the spine, in the legs, the hands, and when he couldnt walk, they dragged him out. Vera said the defense team was not allowed to speak with Glas while he was at the prosecutor's office, and it is now working to file a habeas corpus petition. Authorities are investigating Glas over alleged irregularities during his management of reconstruction efforts following a powerful earthquake in 2016 that killed hundreds of people. He was convicted on bribery and corruption charges in other cases. Ecuador's Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld on Saturday told reporters that the decision to enter the embassy was made by President Daniel Noboa after considering Glas' imminent flight risk and exhausting all possibilities for diplomatic dialogue with Mexico. Mexico granted Glas asylum hours before the raid. Sommerfeld said it is not legal to grant asylum to people convicted of common crimes and by competent courts. Alicia Barcena, Mexico's secretary of foreign relations, on Friday posted on the social media platform X that a number of diplomats suffered injuries during the break-in, which she said violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Sommerfeld did not address the injury claims. Diplomatic premises are considered foreign soil and inviolable under the Vienna treaties and host country law enforcement agencies are not allowed to enter without the permission of the ambassador. People seeking asylum have lived anywhere from days to years at embassies around the world, including at Ecuador's in London, which housed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for seven years because British police could not enter to arrest him. REGIONAL CRITICISM The break-in was condemned by presidents, diplomats and a regional body on Saturday. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the United States condemns any violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and takes very seriously the obligation of host countries under international law to respect the inviolability of diplomatic missions. He called on both countries to resolve their difference. Honduran President Xiomara Castro, writing on X, characterized the raid as an intolerable act for the international community and a violation of the sovereignty of the Mexican State and international law because it ignores the historical and fundamental right to asylum. The Organization of American States in a statement reminded its members, which include Ecuador and Mexico, of their obligation to not invoke norms of domestic law to justify non-compliance with their international obligations. Barcena on Friday said Mexico would take the case to the International Court of Justice to denounce Ecuadors responsibility for violations of international law. She also recalled Mexican diplomats. ECUADOR PRESIDENT FACES REELECTION NEXT YEAR Noboa became Ecuador's president last year as the nation battled unprecedented crime tied to drug trafficking. He declared the country in an internal armed conflict in January and designated 20 drug-trafficking gangs as terrorist groups that the military had authorization to neutralize within the bounds of international humanitarian law. Will Freeman, a fellow of Latin American studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the decision to send police to Mexico's embassy raises concerns over the steps Noboa is willing to take to get reelected. His tenure ends in 2025 as he was only elected to finish the term of former President Guillermo Lasso. I really hope Noboa is not turning more in a Bukele direction, Freeman said, referring to El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, whose tough-on-crime policies have been heavily criticized by human rights organizations. Thats to say less respectful of rule of law in order to get a boost to his popularity ahead of the elections. Freeman added that whether Glas was abusing diplomatic protection is a separate issue from the decision to send police to the embassy. We see a pattern of that in Latin America with politicians abusing embassies and foreign jurisdictions, not to flee prosecution but to flee accountability, he said. The Mexican Embassy in Quito remained under heavy police guard after the raid the boiling point of recent tensions between Mexico and Ecuador. Vera, Glas attorney, said she fears something could happen to him while in custody considering the track record of the countrys detention facilities, where hundreds of people have died during violent riots over the past few years. Those killed while in custody include some suspects in last years assassination of a presidential candidate. In Ecuador going to jail is practically a death sentence, Vera said. We consider that the international political and legal person responsible for the life of Jorge Glas is President Daniel Noboa Azin. ___ Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City. Associated Press writers Gonzalo Solano in Quito and Megan Janetsky in Mexico City contributed to this report. ___ Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america Ecuadorian police broke into Mexico's embassy, sparking outrage. Why is this such a big deal? Police stand guard at the entrance of the penitentiary where former Vice President Jorge Glas is being held, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Saturday, April 6, 2024. Ecuadorian police broke through the external doors of the Mexican Embassy in Quito, Friday evening, to arrest Glas, who had been residing there since December. (AP Photo/Cesar Munoz) MEXICO CITY (AP) Diplomatic relations between Mexico and Ecuador dramatically imploded after Ecuadorian police burst into Mexico's embassy in Quito and arrested Jorge Glas, Ecuador's former vice president. Glas, arrested late Friday, had been convicted on charges of bribery and corruption and remains under investigation for other potential crimes. Following the arrest, leaders from across the Americas voiced outrage at the incident and Mexico's president announced he was breaking diplomatic ties with Ecuador. But in a region that's no stranger to political explosions, what has provoked such fierce outrage? International law experts and leaders across the region have said that the move violated long-established international laws that few rulers have dared to breach. It's almost an unprecedented act. To date, there are only a tiny handful of cases of raids on embassies on the books. By forcing their way into the Mexican embassy to make the arrest, Ecuadorian police effectively intruded onto Mexican sovereign territory, said Natalia Saltalamacchia, a professor on international relations at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called the break-in a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico. The law Saltalamacchia, Lopez Obrador and other leaders are citing is an accord dating back to 1963 known as the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. It sets out clear rules on diplomatic immunity," which effectively blocks authorities from entering embassies by force, among other things. By injuring diplomatic personnel within the embassy, Saltalamacchia said, Ecuadors government violated another section of the accords. When a state like Ecuador makes decision like that, youre really endangering all the embassies of all the states in the world by ignoring precedent, Saltalamacchia said. You enter into a state of anarchy, a sort of jungle law. Such rules have been established to maintain healthy diplomatic relations around the world, and allow diplomats to carry out their work without fear of retribution. The U.S. State Department notes that diplomatic immunity exists to ensure the efficient and effective performance of their official missions on behalf of their governments. The Friday night raid is a move even the regions most-criticized governments have hesitated to take, and something Ecuador's own government once declared illegal. Most notably and rather ironically the British government threatened to raid Ecuador's embassy in 2012 to go after WikiLeaks leader Julian Assange, who was seeking asylum in Ecuador. We are deeply shocked by the British governments threats against the sovereignty of the Ecuadorian embassy and their suggestion that they may forcibly enter the embassy," said Ecuador's government at the time. This is a clear breach of international law and the protocols set out in the Vienna Convention." British authorities never made good on their threat, and only a few examples of actual violations have been documented in recent decades. Saltalamacchia cited the takeover of the American embassy in Iran in 1979, when diplomats were held hostage for 444 days. In Cuba, in 1956 before the Vienna Convention was agreed, nine people were killed in Haiti's embassy as a result of a raid by Cuban police under the Batista dictatorship. In 1981, Cuba carried out another raid on Ecuadors embassy to capture a number of officials seeking political refuge status. The Organization of American States on Saturday also compared Friday's break-in to a 2022 incident when Nicaraguan authorities illegitimately occupied their own offices in Managua. The OAS also called for a meeting to discuss the Ecuador incident. While embassies have also been attacked and raided in countries including Lebanon, Argentina, Libya, Indonesia and Thailand, those raids were carried out largely by insurgent groups. Saltalamacchia said by arresting Glas, Ecuador's government may have also violated a regional agreement known as the 1954 Convention on Diplomatic Asylum, which allows individuals to seek asylum in embassies. However, some have defended Ecuador. Former Ecuadorian ambassador Jorge Icaza told The Associated Press that while he agreed that entering the embassy was illegal, he added it was improper to protect a criminal who was sanctioned by the Ecuadorian justice (system) in two very evident cases, which is also negative from the point of view of international standards. Ecuador's presidency on Friday night also alleged that Mexico's government had abused immunities and privileges granted to the diplomatic mission and granted diplomatic asylum contrary to the conventional legal framework. El Paso ISD to hold job fair on Saturday EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) The El Paso Independent School District will be hosting a job fair on Saturday morning, April 6. The job fair will be from 9 a.m. through 2 p.m. at the Starlight Event Center located at 6650 Continental Dr. The district asks for attendees to bring a resume and to be interview-ready. The district also says its looking for eager candidates who are ready to join the team. For more information, click here: episd.org/jobs. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. (KRON) A 74-year-old San Francisco resident was arrested for identity theft, according to Colma Police Department. At 11:58 a.m. on March 15, Colma police officers were dispatched to a business in the 700 block of Serramonte Boulevard. Police said that a service technician found drug paraphernalia, numerous credit cards and personal identification cards that belonged to several people in a car that was being serviced. CHP searching for 2 missing and endangered children Officers contacted a few of the victims. The individuals confirmed that they were victims of identity theft. The vehicles owner was determined to be the person who brought the car in for service. The owner of the vehicle was identified as 74-year-old San Francisco resident Raymond Moore. At 11:10 a.m. on March 18, officers detained Moore as he returned to the business to pick up his vehicle. Moore was positively identified as the man who dropped off the vehicle and was placed under arrest. According to police, officers found additional stolen identification on Moore while searching him. Moore was arrested and booked into the San Mateo County Jail for misappropriation of found property, forgery and identity theft. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. In a perfect world, we'd like to see a company investing more capital into its business and ideally the returns earned from that capital are also increasing. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. So when we looked at Bright Packaging Industry Berhad (KLSE:BRIGHT) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw. What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)? If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Bright Packaging Industry Berhad is: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) 0.015 = RM1.9m (RM131m - RM6.8m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to November 2023). Therefore, Bright Packaging Industry Berhad has an ROCE of 1.5%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Packaging industry average of 9.4%. Check out our latest analysis for Bright Packaging Industry Berhad roce While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you're interested in investigating Bright Packaging Industry Berhad's past further, check out this free graph covering Bright Packaging Industry Berhad's past earnings, revenue and cash flow. So How Is Bright Packaging Industry Berhad's ROCE Trending? Bright Packaging Industry Berhad has broken into the black (profitability) and we're sure it's a sight for sore eyes. While the business was unprofitable in the past, it's now turned things around and is earning 1.5% on its capital. On top of that, what's interesting is that the amount of capital being employed has remained steady, so the business hasn't needed to put any additional money to work to generate these higher returns. So while we're happy that the business is more efficient, just keep in mind that could mean that going forward the business is lacking areas to invest internally for growth. After all, a company can only become a long term multi-bagger if it continually reinvests in itself at high rates of return. The Bottom Line On Bright Packaging Industry Berhad's ROCE As discussed above, Bright Packaging Industry Berhad appears to be getting more proficient at generating returns since capital employed has remained flat but earnings (before interest and tax) are up. Since the total return from the stock has been almost flat over the last five years, there might be an opportunity here if the valuation looks good. That being the case, research into the company's current valuation metrics and future prospects seems fitting. Story continues On a final note, we've found 1 warning sign for Bright Packaging Industry Berhad that we think you should be aware of. While Bright Packaging Industry Berhad isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. An Emmy award-winning former New York City local news anchor claims in court that the New York Posts famous Page Six gossip column wrecked his brilliant reputation with defamatory articlesand wants the publication to cough up at least $1 million in damages. At the core of ex-broadcaster Ken Rosatos suit is the allegation that the paper and its reporters knowingly and maliciously published a false and baseless article last May claiming that Rosato lost his job at ABC7 over a comment caught on a hot mic, which the paper quoted a source speculating may have been a racial slur. The suit, filed Friday in a Manhattan court, particularly quotes a photo caption stating Ken Rosato was fired immediately after allegedly making a racial slur. Rosatos suit acknowledges that the network dismissed the veteran TV journalist last May, but noted the reason was undisclosed. The anchor maintains that the New York Post piece has cost him job opportunities since. In addition to seriously damaging Plaintiffs personal reputation, and causing severe emotional distress, the use of inflammatory and defamatory language by the New York Post has resulted in detrimental consequences to Plaintiff's professional reputation and career as a broadcast journalist, the suit, filed in a Manhattan court, reads. Despite his stellar reputation, forged over two decades, as one of the most trusted news anchors in the United States, the defamatory statements published by the New York Post have hindered his ability to secure employment in broadcast media, as explicitly confirmed by those in the industry. The Sun, which like the Post belongs to Lachlan Murdochs News Corp, reported in June that in fact it was the C word that got him firedreferring apparently to a sexist epithet Rosato allegedly leveled at a female co-host. Neither News Corp, the Post, nor the editor and reporter named in the suit immediately responded to a request for comment. Among Rosatos complaints is that the publication failed to adequately and diligently seek comment. The suit also objects to a later Post piece that referred to him as a disgraced journalist, and cites another article that outed him as gay as further evidence of the publications malice. For his pains, Rosato wants a minimum of seven figures. Plaintiff has been brought into public scandal and disrepute, and has suffered hatred, contempt, ridicule, aversion, shame, and disgrace among other in his professionincluding peers and potential employersand among citizens of the State of New York, the nation, and the world, the legal brief reads. As such, Plaintiff has suffered significant damages, and is entitled to recover an amount not less than $1,000,000. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. composite image: upper left, a sloth hangs upside down staring into the camera; right, wallach in glasses holding a small grey bear cub; inset, the exterior of sloth encounters. This sloth shutdown was sloooooooow moving. After 18 months, Long Island officials finally put an exotic animal store and its seven sloths out of business. Larry Wallach charged $50 a pop for 30-minute sessions where customers could pet, feed, and hang out with the South American creatures and other exotic animals at his petting zoo, Sloth Encounters, in Hauppauge. A man in Florida caught allegedly trafficking bear cubs claimed he was training the animals for Wallach, seen here. Courtesy of John Di Leonardo He removed the stores sign and sloths last week after he was threatened with contempt of court for continuing to operate. Local authorities had been trying to shutter the facility, once a pool supply store, since its June 2022 opening. While state law doesnt prohibit owning a sloth, the Town of Islip where Sloth Encounters set up shop does bar the ownership of wild animals, unless theyre in a zoo, a lab, a licensed educational facility, or a carnival, circus or public outdoor show which requires a special permit Wallach didnt have. Wallach, 66, is an animal exhibitor licensed by the USDA who one critic labeled Long Islands Joe Exotic. Earlier this year, he was linked to allegations of bear cub trafficking when a man in Florida caught with two Kodiak cubs claimed he was training the animals for Wallach, who has not been charged in that case. Larry is just a Tiger King extra who didnt make the cut, quipped John Di Leonardo, an anthrozoologist who heads Humane Long Island. Sloth Encounters used cuddly, cartoonish images of sloths to bring in customers and advertised itself as an educational journey, but life inside was actually hellish for the nocturnal sloths, who are famously slow moving, have razor sharp teeth and claws, and prefer not to be touched, according to court papers and an investigation by the Humane Society. The sloths were allegedly kept in overcrowded conditions but Wallach insisted people loved his store. Instagram @slothencounterspetshop As part of their probe, Humane Society investigators caught one employee on video smacking a sloth with a water bottle, while Wallach was recorded grabbing the animals by the back of the neck as their arms flailed in distress, according to the footage and a USDA inspection report. The sloths, along with a kangaroo, capybaras, and other animals, were kept in crowded, unsanitary conditions, the Humane Society alleged. When another customer reported being bitten by a sloth in August 2022, Wallach allegedly lied to USDA investigators, the agency said in an inspection report. In February an inspection revealed one kangaroo, one cockatoo, two capybaras, three degus, three chinchillas, seven sugar gliders (a type of possum), and 10 lovebirds, along with the sloths, inside the store. Its unclear where Wallach took the animals after the stores closing, first reported by Newsday. As long as he removes them from the town and complies with the code thats all the jurisdiction we have, lawyer William Wexler, who is representing the town in the case, told The Post. Wallach has racked up nearly 40 USDA inspection reports since July 2022 and has had several run-ins with authoritiesand animal welfare groups over the years. Sloth Encounters operated out of a storefront on Long Island which used to be a pool supply store. Google In 2017, the Nassau County SPCA found a malnourished wallaby in his East Rockaway home; in 2020, Wallach posted a Facebook video, flagged by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, showing himself using the noise of an electric prod to frighten a tiger cub named Sheba, whomhe kept in an enclosure with broken floorboards. He also allowed Sheba to play with his husky and used his feet to pin Shebas head to the floor, the clip shows. In 2023, Wallach was fined $250 for intending to sell Nile monitor lizards, which are venomous and can grow up to seven feet long. By not revoking Larry Wallachs license, the USDA is complicit in this, said Di Leonardo, who believes Wallach sent the animals once kept at Sloth Encounters out of state. In 2022 a customer reported that they had been bitten by a sloth. Sloth Encounters The USDA did not respond to questions about why Wallachs license keeps getting renewed. Wallach vowed Sloth Encounters would return and denied any wrongdoing. The animals are all fine, theyre just not in Islip, he told The Post. Theyre away. No one needs to know where my animals are. He blamed animal rights advocates for his troubles. Ive been doing this, raising animals, exotics, for 40 years, he said, adding he once worked as a wildlife cop and with the SPCA. They dont even tell you that. Its like I had no life before I was in Islip with the sloths. He said the sloths are socialized, denied keeping them in overcrowded conditions, and said the employee who hit one of the animals did the right thing the wrong way. The amount of people that have come through my doors, 99.99 percent are safe and happy. Thats the truth, he said. Well be back soon. (Reuters) - Mexico abruptly suspended bilateral relations with Ecuador in an escalating diplomatic dispute, after Ecuador's police forced their way into Mexico's Quito embassy to arrest a former vice president on graft charges. WHY DID ECUADOR ENTER MEXICO'S EMBASSY? Heavily-armed and balaclava-clad police broke into Mexico's embassy late on Friday night to arrest Jorge Glas, Ecuador's former leftist vice president, who is wanted on graft charges. Glas has been living in the embassy since December, after requesting asylum in the North American country, which Mexico only granted on Friday. Ecuador, which requested Mexico's permission to enter the embassy at the start of March to detain Glas, contends the asylum offer was illegal, because under international law, people facing charges should not be granted asylum. Mexico, whose President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador immediately suspended relations with Ecuador after the raid, has said it closely studied Glas' case. The arrest capped a week of growing tensions between the two Latin American countries, after Quito declared the Mexican ambassador persona non grata, citing "unfortunate" comments by leftist Lopez Obrador. The Mexican president had compared election-related violence in the two countries, alleging the murder of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio last year was unfairly tied to the leftist candidate in the race, who subsequently lost. Lopez Obrador further blamed what he said was corrupt media for what he described as election manipulation. The media have been a frequent target of Lopez Obrador's ire during his nearly six years in office. WHO IS JORGE GLAS AND WHAT CHARGES IS HE FACING? Glas, who was vice president during the government of Rafael Correa between 2013 and 2017, has been convicted twice in corruption cases and is now facing fresh charges of misuse of public resources. He was first sentenced to six years in late 2017 after a court found him guilty of taking bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht in return for handing the scandal-choked firm state contracts. Glas, 54, was convicted again in 2020 of using money from contractors to fund campaigns for Correa's political movement and given an eight-year sentence. Correa - who has lived in Belgium since he left office - was convicted in the same case. Both men have long alleged the charges are politically-motivated, an accusation prosecutors have denied. Glas served more than four years in prison before being released in 2022, only to be jailed again the same year, after a court ruled he needed to serve the remainder of his sentences, though his lawyers had requested he serve them concurrently and benefit from parole. He was last released in November 2022, but Glas faces new charges of misusing funds collected to aid reconstruction of coastal Manabi province after a devastating 2016 earthquake. His lawyers in December appealed a judge's decision to send him back to jail, arguing his life could be in danger, but it was denied. WHAT HAS BEEN THE REGIONAL REACTION? On Saturday, governments across the political spectrum in Latin America - including Brazil and Colombia on the left, and Argentina and Uruguay on the right - sharply criticized the arrest of Glas. Brazil's government condemned Ecuador's move as a "clear violation" of international norms prohibiting such a raid on a foreign embassy, while Argentina called for compliance with the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations. WHAT NEXT? The Mexican foreign ministry said it will file a complaint with the United Nation's International Court of Justice, while the government of leftist Colombian President Gustavo Petro said it will seek human rights protections for Glas from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, saying his right to asylum was "barbarously violated." The Washington-based Organization of American States said a session of the body's permanent council will be convened to discuss the need for strict compliance with international treaties. (Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Marguerita Choy) Fact Check: Photo Allegedly Shows Trump Staring Directly at Sun During 2017 Solar Eclipse. Here's What We Know About It Claim: Photographs authentically show then-U.S. President Donald Trump looking directly at the sun without protective eyewear during a solar eclipse in 2017. Rating: Rating: True In April 2024, a viral Reddit post featured a photograph purportedly showing former U.S. President Donald Trump looking directly at the sun without protective eyewear during the 2017 total solar eclipse. The then-president was standing next to his wife, first lady Melania Trump, and looking up with his face illuminated by the sun, even though NASA has warned that viewing any part of the sun without protective eyewear will cause damage to the eyes. https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1buuxxg/donald_trump_staring_into_the_eclipse_2017/ The photograph is authentic and the caption "Donald Trump staring into the eclipse, 2017." correctly describes what is occurring. As such, we rate this claim as "True." We found the original photos, dated Aug. 21, 2017, on Getty Images. In some of them, Trump is seen without protective eyewear, and in others, with. The rest of his family is also captured in subsequent shots wearing the same protective glasses. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images) The Getty Images caption for the photograph in which Trump is looking up at the sky without glasses stated, "U.S. President Donald Trump looks up toward the Solar Eclipse while joined by his wife first lady Melania Trump on the Truman Balcony at the White House on August 21, 2017 in Washington, DC." The Guardian's Ben Jacobs filed in the White House pool report about that moment: "At approximately 2:39, the President initially gesticulated to the crowd below and pointed at the sky. As he did so, one of the White House aides standing beneath the Blue Room Balcony shouted 'don't look.'" The 2017 eclipse was the last time millions of people across North America experienced several minutes of darkness when the moon passed between the sun and the Earth, completely blocking the sun. (Washington, D.C., was not in the path of totality.) The next such eclipse takes place on April 8, 2024. Looking directly at the sun, even when it is partially blocked by the moon, is dangerous. NASA cautions viewers to wear protective gear at all times: "Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun's bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing." NASA also made a number of recommendations about how to safely view an eclipse: Dr. Christopher Quinn, president of the American Optometric Association, told CNN in 2017, "When you look directly at the sun, the intensity of the light and the focus of the light is so great on the retina that it can cook it. If the exposure is great enough, that can and will lead to permanent reduction in vision and even blindness." Snopes has also reported about a rumor that the 2024 eclipse would pass through all seven U.S. cities named Nineveh. Sources: Cillizza, Chris. "Yes, Donald Trump Really Did Look into the Sky during the Solar Eclipse | CNN Politics." CNN, 21 Aug. 2017, https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/21/politics/trump-solar-eclipse/index.html. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024. "Eclipse Viewing Safety." NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/safety/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024. "How the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Is Different than the 2017 Eclipse." NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/how-is-the-2024-total-solar-eclipse-different-than-the-2017-eclipse/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024. Strickland, Ashley. "Can You Really Go Blind Staring at an Eclipse?" CNN, 10 Aug. 2017, https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/10/health/how-to-safely-watch-the-eclipse/index.html. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024. "Total Solar Eclipse Safety." NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/safety/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024. "U.S. President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Their Son..." Getty Images, 21 Aug. 2017, https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/president-donald-trump-first-lady-melania-trump-and-their-news-photo/836312816. Claim: The United States has seven towns named Nineveh and all of them will fall in the path of totality during the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse. Rating: Rating: False For a couple of minutes on April 8, 2024, in a narrow, curved band across North America, one of the greatest spectacles in nature will occur: a total solar eclipse. Being in that path at exactly the right time is the only way people on the continent will be able to look directly at the sun without damaging their eyeballs until the next North American eclipse in 2044, and so millions of people from around the world will flock to cities in the path of totality, including Dallas and Indianapolis. Eclipses do not discriminate, so anyone in the path of totality will be able to see the sun fully obstructed by the moon. However, some people have claimed online that there's one interesting coincidence about the eclipse's path of totality: It will pass through every city in the United States named Nineveh. That name is shared by an ancient city in modern-day Iraq that was described in the bible as "evil." Snopes received an email from a reader who requested that we check the claim about cities named Nineveh in the eclipse path. In our research, we discovered that many of the people making the claim were Christians who were interpreting the eclipse as a bad omen. Contrary to the claims, Snopes discovered that the path of totality in the eclipse does not pass through seven cities in the United States named Nineveh it passes through just two. But before counting places named Nineveh, we must first briefly clarify how eclipses work. How Eclipses Work A total solar eclipse is caused by the moon and the sun being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. The moon fully blocks the light from the sun, casting a large shadow on the earth. Those completely inside the moon's shadow, called the umbra, are the only ones who will be able to look directly at the sun without eye protection. It's the small path of the umbra that people travel to in order to see the total solar eclipse. The website GreatAmericanEclipse.com created a visualization of the shadow's path across North America. Outside the umbra, in a much larger area where the moon blocks only some of the sun, viewers will experience a partial solar eclipse, where the sun looks like it has a giant bite taken out of it. You cannot view a partial solar eclipse without special eclipse glasses. The entirety of the continental United States will be able to see a partial solar eclipse on April 8, just as the entirety of the United States (even Alaska and Hawaii) was able to see a partial solar eclipse in 2017. The cool part (partial) of an eclipse can be seen from a very large area, as long as you wear eclipse glasses. The really cool part (total) of an eclipse can be seen only in a small area. It is the total eclipse that people have thought held religious significance since practically as long as humans have had eyes to see and religions to follow. To quote the essayist Annie Dillard: A partial eclipse is very interesting. It bears almost no relation to a total eclipse. Seeing a partial eclipse bears the same relation to seeing a total eclipse as kissing a man does to marrying him, or as flying in an airplane does to falling out of an airplane. Although the one experience precedes the other, it in no way prepares you for it. Places Named Nineveh We started with Wikipedia's list of places named Nineveh to get a general idea of where to look. Of course, we cross checked those results with more-reliable sources of knowledge, including Google Maps and data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Wikipedia listed just six places in the U.S. named Nineveh, which made our claim of seven dubious to begin with. Checking the locations of those places on Google Maps, we found that three were actually townships, a term used for county subdivisons in some states. The first was the largest, Indiana's Nineveh Township (south of Indianapolis), which contains a small hamlet of the same name. Both the township and the hamlet will indeed fall in the path of the total eclipse. Next, Wikipedia listed two townships in Missouri one in Adair County (about halfway between Kansas City and Davenport, Iowa) and one in Lincoln County (about an hour northwest of St. Louis). But neither of the two townships contained a village named Nineveh on any of the maps we looked at. Furthermore, neither of the townships fell in the path of the total eclipse. The fourth place on Wikipedia's list, Nineveh, New York, is about 30 minutes east of Binghamton. We found it marked on maps but, again, it did not lie in the path of totality. Fifth: Nineveh, Pennsylvania, roughly halfway between Pittsburgh and Morgantown, West Virginia. This Nineveh was marked on maps, but it was also outside of the total eclipse. It was also the last Nineveh listed by the U.S. Census Bureau. Sixth, we found Nineveh, Virginia, an hour and a half west of Washington, D.C. This was the easiest to check: Nobody in the state of Virginia will be able to see full totality during the eclipse. We did not find a label for Nineveh on maps, and buildings located in the area had their postal addresses listed as White Post, Virginia. That completed the Wikipedia list, but various posts about the supposed line-up listed two more Ninevehs located in the U.S.: one in Texas and one in Ohio. Nineveh, Texas, was not marked on maps, nor did it have a post office. It was located not far off of Interstate 45 halfway between Houston and Dallas. This one was close, but we eventually confirmed that it would be outside of the zone of totality by referencing nearby cities that also were outside of totality. Nineveh, Ohio, was a similar story: not found on maps, no post office, no Census data. But this Nineveh, 30 minutes northwest of Dayton, was finally our second hit. In total, we counted two places named Nineveh in the United States that could be found in the path of totality. Sources: 2024 Total Eclipse. https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024. "A Total Eclipse Is near. For Some, It's Evidence of Higher Power. For Others It's a Warning." USA TODAY, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/03/23/2024-total-solar-exclipse-religious-implications/72869724007/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024. April 8, 2024 Eclipse Will Pass Over 7 United States Cities Named Nineveh. www.youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n6dp85XynY. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024. April 8 Eclipse and Third-Day Events in Scripture. https://www.biblejournalclasses.com/blog/april-8-eclipse-and-third-day-events-in-scripture-2. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024. Dawson, Brandon. "THE JONAH ECLIPSE - 40 DAYS - GODS URGENT WARNING TO AMERICA!" Tribe of Christians, 2 Mar. 2024, https://www.tribeofchristians.com/single-post/the-jonah-eclipse-god-s-great-warning-to-america-april-8th-2024. Dillard, Annie. "Total Eclipse." The Atlantic, 8 Aug. 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/08/annie-dillards-total-eclipse/536148/. Eclipse 2017. https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024. Mark, Joshua J. "Nineveh." World History Encyclopedia, https://www.worldhistory.org/nineveh/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024. "Nineveh (Disambiguation)." Wikipedia, 29 Oct. 2023. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nineveh_(disambiguation)&oldid=1182408744. Noah. "The Upcoming U.S. Eclipse Just Got Even Stranger!" WLT Report, 4 Mar. 2024, https://wltreport.com/2024/03/04/upcoming-u-s-eclipse-just-got-even-stranger/. The APRIL 8, 2024 ECLIPSE & The 7 Cities Named Nineveh | The APRIL 8, 2024 ECLIPSE & The 7 Cities Named Nineveh | By Messiah GuguFacebook. www.facebook.com, https://www.facebook.com/100067092253715/videos/the-april-8-2024-eclipse-the-7-cities-named-nineveh/397509926249711/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024. The April 8 2024 Eclipse and the 7 Cities Named Nineveh. www.youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLkxKT65IFc. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024. "Total Solar Eclipse 2024 US." Great American Eclipse, https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/april-8-2024. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024. Fact Check: Yes, Roseanne Barr Told Students to 'Drop Out of College' at Mar-a-Lago Fundraiser. Here's What Else She Said Claim: At a GOP fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago in April 2024, Roseanne Bar urged students to "drop out of college." Rating: Rating: Correct Attribution In a clip posted to the X (formerly Twitter) account PatriotTakes on April 4, 2024, comedian Roseanne Barr reportedly urged college students to drop out. This claim was true. While at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., on April 3, the outspoken comedian was there to support the fundraising efforts of non-incumbent U.S. Senate candidate, Arizona's Kari Lake. Addressing the camera while holding what appeared to be a glass of white wine and wearing a black headscarf and beaded jewelry over a flowing black dress, Barr delivered the following message to students: "Hey, Old Row, how are you doing? I'm here at Mar-a-Lago supporting Kari Lake, and it was a fantastic evening. And our Trump is here being the DJ, and I've just danced and everyone's amazed. So I'm just going to say to you, please drop out of college, because it's going to ruin your lives. Do me a favor, drop out, they don't teach you nothing good. Email me or Twitter me or whatever you [want], call me and I'll help you with your life but you gotta get out of college 'cause it isn't nothing but devil-worshiping, baby-blood-drinking Democrat donors. Love ya." At Kari Lakes fundraising event at Trumps Mar-a-Lago home, Roseanne Barr told young people to drop out of college while pushing QAnon conspiracies: It isnt nothing but devil worshipping, baby blood drinking, Democrat donors. pic.twitter.com/WP9Br1X1DQ PatriotTakes (@patriottakes) April 4, 2024 At the time of this writing, the clip received 2.3 million views and was also shared across countless other social media accounts, furthering its viral reach, with many dismissing Barr with memes and GIFs about her appearance, or wisecracks about their own college experience. "I really miss the good old days when I was in college devil worshipping and going to parties. You know it was going to be a good week when you could get in a little baby blood drinking as well!!" one commenter quipped. Some also wrote to express their disregard for the former sitcom star due to her apparent allegiance to QAnon, the political conspiracy theory that alleges a secret plot against Trump by a supposed "deep state" cabal of Satan-worshiping ped*ph*les. Barr had previously expressed support for QAnon on her X account. However, some people in the comments section did agree with parts of her take on the college experience, albeit not necessarily the blood-drinking part. "She ain't wrong for the college thing, it's a scam," wrote one, while another responded, "College nowadays is a total sham Peter Theil got it right to skip out and start a business instead." According to multiple reports, Barr dropped out of school at age 17, around the time she was hit by a car, resulting in a traumatic brain injury that saw her hospitalized at a Utah mental health facility for many months. At the Mar-a-Lago fundraising event, Barr joined former news-anchor-turned-Senate-candidate Lake and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Trump to raise funds for Lake's campaign in Arizona. Throughout the evening, attendees contributed to the cause, ultimately raising $1 million in donations, campaign officials told ABC News, with tickets to the event starting at $1,000 per person. Perhaps best known for her role in the titular ABC sitcom "Roseanne," Barr has also been active in politics. In 2012, she sought the Green Party's presidential nomination, later receiving votes from the left-wing Peace and Freedom Party. Following Trump's presidential candidacy announcement, in 2016 Barr expressed her support for him, telling The Hollywood Reporter, "I think we would be so lucky if Trump won. Because then it wouldn't be Hillary [Clinton]," and, "I like Trump because he financed his own [campaign]. That's the only way he could've gotten that nomination. Because nobody wants a president who isn't from Yale and Harvard and in the club." Following the revival of her sitcom "Roseanne" in 2018, Barr faced backlash for an apparently racially charged tweet about Valerie Jarrett, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, leading to the cancellation of her show. Despite claiming her tweet was political rather than racist, ABC swiftly removed her from the series, which was subsequently rebranded as "The Conners" without her. Snopes has previously reported on other controversies involving Barr, including the time the comedian, who is Jewish, posed as Adolf Hitler for a photo shoot. Sources: Deb, Sopan. "Roseanne Barr's Tweets Didn't Come Out of Nowhere." The New York Times, 29 May 2018. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/29/arts/television/twitter-posts-roseanne-barr.html. "Https://Twitter.Com/Patriottakes/Status/1775881678910583009." X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/patriottakes/status/1775881678910583009. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024. News, A. B. C. "Trump-Backed Senate Candidate Kari Lake Raises over $1M at Mar-a-Lago Fundraiser: Sources." ABC News, https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-backed-senate-candidate-kari-lake-raises-1m/story?id=108768584. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024. Peace and Freedom 2012 2012 Election Campaign of the California Peace and Freedom Party. https://www.peaceandfreedom2012.org/. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024. Roseanne Barr | Biography, TV Series, & Facts | Britannica. 7 Mar. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Roseanne-Barr. "Roseanne Barr - Biography." IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001683/bio/. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024. Ross, Tracy. "Roseanne Barr on Trump 'Playing the Heel for Hillary,' Pot and Being a Farmer." The Hollywood Reporter, 7 June 2016, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/roseanne-barr-us-would-be-900413/. Twitter, et al. "Roseanne Barr Is Running for President as a Green Party Candidate." Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2012, https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/ministry-of-gossip/story/2012-02-02/roseanne-barr-is-running-for-president-as-a-green-party-candidate. "What Happened to Roseanne Barr: When Traumatic Struggles, Heady Success and a History of Saying Anything Met Twitter." E! Online, 31 May 2018, https://www.eonline.com/news/940162/what-happened-to-roseanne-barr-when-traumatic-struggles-heady-success-and-a-history-of-saying-anything-met-twitter. William Wragg is the vice-chairman of the 1922 committee Nigel Farage has called William Wraggs actions abominable and said there is a case for the MPs standards tsar to investigate after Mr Wragg admitted involvement in a Westminster honeytrap sexting scandal. It comes as a former senior parliamentary official said Tory MP Mr Wragg, the vice-chairman of the 1922 committee, must face consequences by stepping away from the position. Last week, Mr Wragg, 36, admitted handing over the personal phone numbers of colleagues to a man he met on Grindr, a gay dating app. The colleagues whose numbers were handed over including several MPs, staff and a journalist were then sent messages by senders identifying themselves as Charlie or Abi, The Times reported. Police are investigating reports of a parliamentary honeytrap sexting scam, which the parliamentary security department is also examining. It was later confirmed that Mr Wragg would retain the whip amid concerns that he is also a victim, with Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, describing his apology as courageous and fulsome. Frankly a security risk But on Saturday Mr Farage, the honorary president of Reform UK, told The Telegraph: Honestly, I think it is reprehensible to give out private phone numbers of public figures to people who you know are bad actors. I think that is absolutely appalling and frankly a security risk as well, and all Im hearing from Westminster is sympathy and what a courageous man William Wragg is. What he has done is abominable no one dares call it out. Asked whether he believed Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, should investigate, Mr Farage said: I think there is a case [for that]. Writing in The Spectator, Eliot Wilson, a clerk in the House of Commons between 2005 and 2016, also said Mr Wragg should face consequences. Mr Wilson wrote: The unpalatable truth is that Wragg made reckless, irresponsible, foolish and ultimately selfish mistakes which have had serious consequences for other MPs and people working in Parliament. Acknowledging that Mr Wragg was himself a victim, Mr Wilson added: [He] should step away from his select committee duties and his position on the 1922 committees executive. The Tories should also suspend him while the whole sorry business is investigated by the police and others. Last week Mr Wragg told The Times he was scared and that the man had compromising things on him. Ive hurt people by being weak. I was scared. Im mortified, he said. Im so sorry that my weakness has caused other people hurt. The Telegraph has approached Mr Wragg for a response. 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 body representing professors at Fayetteville State University voted overwhelmingly Friday in favor of a resolution expressing no confidence in the universitys top academic officer. The FSU Faculty Senate voted 32 to 4 for the resolution, with eight people abstaining. The resolution stated that the faculty had no confidence in the ability of Dr. Monica Terrell Leach, who is provost, to lead effectively, respectfully, and in a manner that supports the mission and values of our university. Fayetteville State University Bronco statue on Murchison Road. Leach also serves as senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. She was appointed to the provost role in May of 2021, from a field of more than 60 candidates, according to a university news release. The resolution stated it would be delivered to FSU Chancellor Darrell T. Allison and the University Board of Trustees. The vote just after 2:15 p.m. was a part of a Faculty Senate monthly meeting, held by videoconference. 'This is solemn' Leach gave remarks at the start of the meeting, as part of her provosts report. The items did not appear to be related to the resolution. She was not present for the resolution vote. This is not something that was undertaken lightly, Dr. Rob Taber, a history professor, told his colleagues before the vote. This is solemn. Taber serves on an executive committee of the Faculty Senate that unanimously voted to move the resolution forward. The document alleges failures in multiple aspects of Leachs leadership, including fostering a culture of fear, retaliation and intimidation; poor communication with faculty; and what the resolution says are misallocated resources. The resolution said senior leaders in Leachs office, Academic Affairs, have a pattern of governance by administrative fiat, handing decisions down. It later accuses the leaders of unprofessional conduct. A brief discussion Faculty members in the virtual meeting engaged in a brief discussion before the vote. One professor questioned how the process of disclosures worked, noting that members of the media and others knew about the resolution before the Senate vote. Another professor reminded everyone the faculty group was a public body and the media is privy to their deliberations. Dr. Kim Hardy, a professor in the School of Social Work, said faculty had many opportunities to weigh in on the resolution, including a recent all-faculty meeting. Those forums are "where these things were discussed" she said. "The opportunity to weigh in has been presented numerous times," she said. FSU response Fayetteville State University, in a statement, said that the university and administration continue to address faculty concerns and met recently with a small group of faculty about issues they had raised. University Spokesperson Devon T. Smith provided the statement, which continued: We are not in opposition with any faculty member and believe that together, through dialogue, mutual respect, and understanding, we can be progressive in meeting 21st century needs. As a constituent member of the UNC System, we have to ensure that we adhere to the policies and regulations instituted by the UNC System. Our administration and faculty members are forward focused and aligned with ensuring our adherence to these policy changes ahead. We will continue to have regular meetings with faculty and administrator workgroups to review and evaluate these new policies and regulations. We have recently hosted a Faculty Senate lunch with the Chancellor and will continue to work together to solve our concerns internally. The University is set to host a Faculty Town Hall in mid-April to further discuss issues of concern. Opinion Editor Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559. This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville State faculty express 'no confidence' in top academic officer The FBI is looking into business class upgrades that Mayor Eric Adams received on Turkish Airlines as part of the federal probe into his 2021 campaign finances, law enforcement sources confirmed Friday. The feds are eyeing Adams accommodations on international flights, both during his time as Brooklyn borough president, and since taking office as mayor in January 2022, according to the sources. Mayor Eric Adams, through his attorney, denied any wrongdoing in accepting upgrades. AP Adams has not been accused of wrongdoing. The focus on his travel comes as part of the larger probe by Manhattan federal prosecutors, revealed in November, into claims the Turkish government illegally funneled money to Adams campaign. At least three people in the Adams orbit have had their homes raided by the feds as part of the investigation, including former Turkish Airlines executive Cenk Ocal, who worked on the mayors transitional team, and City Hall aide Rana Abbasova. The mayors attorney, Brendan McGuire, denied any wrongdoing by Adams, telling The Post there was nothing nefarious in accepting the upgrades, first reported by The New York Times. 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. Speculation is not evidence. We look forward to a just and timely conclusion to this investigation. As Brooklyn borough president, Adams flew multiple times on Turkish Airlines during his half-dozen trips to the Middle Eastern country, but it was unclear how many upgrades he received. Adams has taken trips to Greece and Qatar as mayor countries the airline flies to from JFK Airport, with layovers in Istanbul but it wasnt known if he used the carrier during those jaunts in 2022. Calls to the Southern District of New York and to City Hall were not returned. The FBI declined to comment. The relationship between Adams and the airline, half of which is owned by the Turkish governments sovereign wealth fund, dates back to 2015 when he served as Brooklyn borough president. At that time, Adams and his aides traveled to Turkey twice, four months apart, on the carriers dime as part of official borough business to meet with local officials and discuss a sister city agreement, according to the Times. The trips, revealed in emails obtained by the newspaper, came after the then-beep met with a group of Turkish Airlines executives as part of an official sit-down arranged by Abbasova, who was a liaison to the Turkish community in Brooklyn at the time. Turkish Airlines is half owned by the Turkish sovereign wealth fund. Urbanandsport/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Two years later, Adams heaped praise on the airline in a pro-Turkish government publication on his fifth trip to the country, saying Turkish Airlines is my way of flying, and told the outlet of his plans to buy a place in Istanbul. Adams hasnt been shy about his love for Turkey. At a flag raising in October, ahead of Turkeys 100-year anniversary as a republic and days before the FBI raids, the mayor boasted of this ties to the country. Im probably the only mayor in the history of this city that has not only visited Turkey once, but I think Im on my sixth or seventh visit to Turkey, Adams said. The high-profile federal probe emerged on Nov. 2 when the FBI raided Adams top campaign fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, causing the mayor to abruptly return from DC, where he was set to meet with the White House about New York Citys ongoing migrant crisis. In the days that followed, agents stopped the mayor on the street and seized his phones and other digital devices in an extraordinary move by the feds. City Hall later reported Abbasova, the mayors then-director of protocol for international affairs, to authorities as someone who had acted inappropriately during the campaign. The FBI also searched Abbasovas and Ocals homes in early November as well but those raids didnt become public until weeks later. Neither Abbasova, Ocal or the campaign have been accused of wrongdoing. These days it's easy to simply buy an index fund, and your returns should (roughly) match the market. But you can do a lot better than that by buying good quality businesses for attractive prices. For example, the Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) share price is up 82% in the last five years, slightly above the market return. We're also happy to report the stock is up a healthy 44% in the last year. Now it's worth having a look at the company's fundamentals too, because that will help us determine if the long term shareholder return has matched the performance of the underlying business. View our latest analysis for Broadridge Financial Solutions While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time. Over half a decade, Broadridge Financial Solutions managed to grow its earnings per share at 8.9% a year. This EPS growth is lower than the 13% average annual increase in the share price. So it's fair to assume the market has a higher opinion of the business than it did five years ago. And that's hardly shocking given the track record of growth. You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image). We know that Broadridge Financial Solutions has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? You could check out this free report showing analyst revenue forecasts. What About Dividends? It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. In the case of Broadridge Financial Solutions, it has a TSR of 98% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return. A Different Perspective It's nice to see that Broadridge Financial Solutions shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 46% over the last year. Of course, that includes the dividend. That's better than the annualised return of 15% over half a decade, implying that the company is doing better recently. In the best case scenario, this may hint at some real business momentum, implying that now could be a great time to delve deeper. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Broadridge Financial Solutions that you should be aware of before investing here. Story continues If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on American exchanges. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. FDR dies, Wilmington riots, U.S. fighting in Iraq: News Journal archives, week of April 7 "Pages of history" features excerpts from The News Journal archives including the Wilmington Morning News and the Evening Journal. April 7, 2004, The News Journal U.S. reports heavy losses as battles spread in Iraq Baghdad, Iraq Sunni Muslim insurgents killed about a dozen U.S. Marines in heavy fighting Tuesday in the western city of Ramadi, a military spokesman said. Troops from the United States and several allied countries also came under fire from militiamen loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, a militant Shiite Muslim cleric, in cities across southern Iraq. In addition to the Marines killed, about 20 were wounded and an M1-A1 Abrams tank and a Bradley fighting vehicle were hit and damaged, the official said. He added that the Marines inflicted heavy casualties on their attackers. Front page of The News Journal from April 7, 2004. In nearby Fallujah, Marine officers said that after two days and nights of fighting, they had established control over much of the city where four civilian contractors were killed last week. A soldier from Ukraine and a Bulgarian civilian were killed in the fighting in southern Iraq. In addition to Tuesdays casualities, the U.S. military reported that five Marines were killed Mondayand five Army soldiers were killed between Sunday and Tuesday. U.S. officials acknowledged the violence but said it would not alter the June 30 date for transferring sovereignty to an Iraqi government. Weve got tough work there because, you see, there are terrorists there who would rather kill innocent people than allow for the advance of freedom, President George W. Bush said. More military and veterans news: How Delaware is using murals to help bridge communities across the state April 9, 1968, Wilmington Morning News City unrest quelled after 4-hour burst Police restored order in Wilmington last night after a four-hour outbreak of sniping, looting and firebombing that put the city under a state of emergency.... Helmeted officers had little trouble clearing the streets. The curfew will begin at 7:30 tonight, according to Mayor John E. Babiarz. Front page of The Morning News from April 9, 1968. The wave of violence left 12 persons injured, one seriously. At least two persons suffered gunshot wounds. There were 13 firebombings and 19 reported lootings, mostly in a 12-block area of West Center City. Fifty-one persons were arrested. About 50 state troopers were ordered into the city by Gov. Charles L. Terry Jr. and 1,200 National Guard troops were activated. Neither the troopers nor the guardsmen were needed to quell the disorders. Terry sent 1,100 of the guardsmen home. The disturbances began ... following a memorial service in Rodney Square for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. April 10, 2003, The News Journal Bagdad falls; citizens rejoice freely Their hour of freedom at hand, jubilant Iraqis celebrated the collapse of Saddam Husseins murderous regime Wednesday, beheading a toppled statue of their longtime ruler in downtown Baghdad and embracing American troops as liberators. Im 49, but I never lived a single day. Only now will I start living, said Yussuf Abed Kazim, a mosque preacher. Front page of The News Journal from April 10, 2003. A young Iraqi spat on a portrait of Saddam. Men hugged Americans in full combat gear, and women held up babies so soldiers riding on tanks could kiss them. Iraqis released decades of pent-up fury as U.S. forces solidified their grip on the capital. Marine tanks rolled to the eastern bank of the Tigris River. The Army was on the western side of the waterway that curls through the ancient city. We are not seeing any organized resistance, said Navy Capt. Frank Thorp at the U.S. Central Command. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Saddam is taking his rightful place alongside such brutal dictators of the past as Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin and Vladimir Lenin. Catch up on history: FDR asks to alter Supreme Court, Beatles invade: The News Journal archives, week of Feb. 4 April 13, 1945, Wilmington Morning News Roosevelt dies suddenly; Truman takes oath as 32nd president President Franklin D. Roosevelt died unexpectedly Thursday at 4:35 p.m. of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Ga. Mr. Roosevelts last words were: I have a terrific headache. The funeral will be in the White House East Room in Washington at 4 p.m. Saturday. Burial will be at the Roosevelt ancestral home at Hyde Park, N.Y., Sunday. Front page of the Wilmington Morning News from April 13, 1945. Mr. Roosevelt, in the third month of his fourth term as president, went to Warm Springs three weeks ago to rest. Mrs. Roosevelt planned to fly to Georgia last night. She left the White House at 7:15 after informing their four sons by wire of their fathers death. The death removed from world councils one of the Big Three Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin who worked together to win the war and laid joint plans for keeping the peace. Harry S. Truman, who 11 years ago was a Missouri county judge, became the 32nd president of the United States at 7:09 p.m. Thursday and solemnly pledged himself to Roosevelts policies. Reach reporter Ben Mace at rmace@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: FDR dies, Wilmington riots: News Journal archives, week of April 7 I felt the earth move in the middle of my vasectomy, says shocked father of two A vasectomy patient has joked about how the earthquake that struck New York City this week happened in the middle of his surgery. Justin Allen, 33, was on an operating table in Pennsylvania on Friday morning when he felt the building move because of the 4.8 magnitude tremor, which had its epicentre in neighbouring New Jersey. Mr Allen said he thought it might be a train, until his surgeon paused and asked Thats an earthquake, right? I figured he was messing with me, Mr Allen told the website Betches: I thought it was him trying to be funny. I cant say definitively if he was in between testicle[s], but he was down there when we felt the whole room shake. It continued on for a minute or two and [the doctor] asked the nurse, How long does an earthquake typically last? And she said, A minute or two. An emergency alert advising residents of the tremor - ANDREW KELLY/REUTERS Steven Hirshberg, the urologist who performed the operation at Midlantic Urology in Huntingdon Valley, told the Philadelphia Inquirer: The room was shaking I wasnt shaking. We all just kept laughing about how wed never forget where we were when this was happening because who would even believe that story? Once the building stopped shaking, Dr Hirshberg finished and apologised Mr Allens vasectomy had taken one minute longer than usual. The patient then posted on X, formerly Twitter, about his experience. A fing earthquake happened in the middle of my vasectomy, he wrote in a post that soon went viral. He has since said he wants to be known as the Earthquake Snipper. Mr Allens wife Bridget retweeted the post with a photo of her husband giving a thumbs-up outside the medical centre. The fact that he walked out of his vasectomy and took a picture outside the building with his thumbs up is the experience all guys should have with their vasectomy, Dr Hirshberg said. Mrs Allen later added that the earthquake was a sign that we should never ever ever have another child ever again ever. The couple had planned the operation in November, while Mrs Allen was pregnant with their second child, who was born on Feb 29. Its worth it for the story Mr Allen told one reporter that if he could turn back time, he would not choose to reschedule the operation. Honestly, I think its kind of worth it for the story, he said. He is now recovering well but has had to mute his social media posts and notifications. Theres a lot of funny responses and some that are definitely cringeworthy, so I had to mute, he said. Fridays tremor was the largest felt in New York City since a 2011 5.8-magnitude earthquake in Virginia. The quakes epicentre was about 40 miles west of the city. This is one of the largest earthquakes on the east coast in the last century, Kathy Hochul, the New York governor, said. 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. Feminists protesting against the new Scottish hate crime law have hit out at abusive placards displayed by pro-trans activists. Women marching in Edinburgh against Humza Yousafs legislation, which critics including JK Rowling have warned could criminalise airing gender-critical beliefs, criticised the pro-trans protesters for harassment and intimidation. Pictures from the march showed demonstrators draped in the trans pride flag holding abusive placards. One sign read trans dogs bite terfs. The term terfs is used by transgender campaigners to describe women who oppose the view that gender is unfixed and can change according to how people self-identify. Another sign suggested that lesbians are attracted to the male genitalia of transgender people, and another that they are attracted to transgender breasts. Women Scotland, a campaign group, told The Telegraph that banners held by pro-trans activists were 'deliberately going out to cause upset' Women Scotland, a campaign group, told The Telegraph: Its pure harassment and intimidation. They are deliberately going out to cause upset. Women are trying to talk about their lives and are being subject to torrents of sexist and homophobic abuse. The march was organised by Kellie-Jay Keen, a gender-critical campaigner who has led a number of Let Women Speak rallies around the world. Many of those events have attracted counter-protests by pro-trans demonstrators. Ms Keen said her purpose was to test the law on the march to see how the police would handle gender-critical chants in light of the new legislation, which took effect on April 1. 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 fire that occurred at Sen. Bernie Sanderss (I-Vt.) office in Burlington, Vt., is being investigated as arson, according to authorities. The Burlington Police Department (BPD) said in a media release that first responders from both the BPD and the Burlington Fire Department responded to an arson incident Friday morning at the building housing the senators office. Investigation revealed that an unknown male subject entered the vestibule of the Office of United States Senator Bernard Sanders, according to the press release. The male sprayed an apparent accelerant on the entrance door to Senator Sanderss offices. He then lit the accelerant and fled. 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. According to a separate release from the fire department, crews arrived to find the sprinkler system and fire alarms activated and a fire in the vestibule between the elevator and the entrance door to Sanderss office. The fire was then extinguished and Sanderss office, along with nearby offices were searched and cleared of occupants. No injuries were reported, according to the fire department release. The door to the Senators office sustained moderate fire damage, and the third floor and floors below sustained significant water damage. Fire crews deployed salvage covers on the floors below to protect items from water. The Burlington Fire Department also said in the release that the fire was found to be incendiary in nature by the Burlington fire marshals office. At the time of the BPDs release, the suspect in the incident had been unapprehended. We are grateful to the Burlington Fire and Police Departments who responded immediately today to a fire incident that took place in our office building, Kathryn Van Haste, state director for Sanders, said in a statement to the Hill. We are relieved that no one on our staff and, to our understanding, no one in the building was harmed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Investigators are treating a fire in Sen. Bernie Sanders Vermont office Friday night as arson, according to local authorities. In an updated press release Saturday afternoon, the Burlington Fire Department announced that it had deemed this fire incendiary in nature and said the investigation has been transferred to the Vermont State Police. State police said they are looking for one male suspect who is believed to have used a possible accelerant to start a significant fire in an area of the senators office that endangered staff who were inside. According to the Burlington Fire Department, the sprinkler system doused the flames, and none of the staff members were injured. As of Saturday afternoon, authorities did not release a motive for the attack. Fridays fire follows a series of smaller violations that have otherwise been limited to stickers and spray-paint vandalism at the offices of other lawmakers in recent months. Multiple lawmakers who have expressed support for Israels ongoing war in Gaza have dealt with instances of defacement or vandalism at either state or federal offices. Most recently, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) reported to Capitol police last Friday that Free Palestine stickers had been placed on posters outside his Capitol office referencing Israeli hostages held since Oct. 7. Gottheimer, who has been vocal in bringing attention to the Israelis held in captivity by Hamas, said it was the second time the posters had been tampered with. Other lawmakers, like Reps. David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Greg Landsman (D-OH), have reported vandalism at their district offices, including one such message outside Landsmans Ohio office that read: this Ken supports genocide, a play on the viral Barbie movie. "Peaceful protests can be powerful, but vandalism and dangerous rhetoric are wrong, and ineffective, Landsman said in response. House Armed Services ranking member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said in December that the garage door of his Bellevue, Washington, home had been spray-painted with a message in support of a ceasefire. At the time, Smith was vocal in his support for Israels war in Gaza, though more recently he has called on Israel to change the way they are conducting this war following the bombing of a World Central Kitchen convoy on Monday that killed seven. LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) A fire at a south Lansing business is under investigation after crews extinguished the flame Saturday morning, April 6. Lansing firefighters responded at around 10:45 a.m. to the fire at Aquarius Pools, near the intersection of West Miller Road and South Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., officials said. Lansing firefighters extinguished a blaze at Aquarius Pools in Lansing Saturday morning, April 6. (WLNS) Fire Inspector Matthew Mansberger told 6 News that no one was injured in the fire. Officials said they are not sure the extent of the damage at this time. This embedded content is not available in your region. As of 11:30 a.m. Saturday, police were blocking traffic on that section of Martin Luther King., Jr. Boulevard in both directions. 6 News will provide any updates on the situation as they become available. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News. Flags to fly at half-staff in memory of firefighter James C. Ward VIRGINIA (WAVY) On Saturday, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that flags will fly at half-staff to honor the memory of Department of Forestry part-time firefighter James C. Ward. Previous Coverage: DOF firefighter dies battling three-acre wildfire in Scott County Ward lost his life while battling a three-acre wildfire on Saturday, March 30. It is with a heavy heart that we share such sad news on this Easter afternoon, said State Forester Rob Farrell. Please keep James loved ones and his firefighter family in your thoughts and prayers. And remember, everything you do to prevent wildfires helps protect our brave first responders. The flags over all state and local buildings along with flags on state grounds will be lowered at sunrise on Saturday, April 6 and remain at half-staff until sunset. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A Florida woman accused of posing as a homeschooled teenager and molesting a boy she met online was charged with additional child sex crimes. Alyssa Zinger, 23, was arrested again on Thursday, according to Hillsborough County Jail records. Targets car seat trade-in event returns for 2024: What to know The Tampa Police Department said detectives identified additional victims connected to Zingers online activity. The agency was tipped off to Zingers alleged inappropriate relationship with a child on Oct. 19, 2023. State Attorney Suzy Lopez told WFLA the suspect has four additional victims. The victim in this case are all between the ages of 12 to 15, and they themselves are in middle school, Lopez said. Zinger was originally accused of posing as a 14-year-old home-school student when she met the boy on social media. The first victim was identified by police as a middle school boy between the ages of 12 and 15, according to a TPD arrest report. She was also accused of sending child exploitation material involving the victim and another middle schooler to several other children on Snapchat. According to the arrest report, Zinger and the middle schooler engaged in sexual activity approximately 30 times, as reported by the victim. He also said Zinger told him she molested other boys between the ages of 13 and 15, detectives said. Tampa ranked among top 3 most Swiftie cities, Taylor Swift-focused study shows At the time of Zingers first arrest, she was charged with two counts of lewd or lascivious battery and five counts of lewd or lascivious molestation. Her second arrest tacked on two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation (victim 12-15), two counts of lewd or lascivious battery, possession of child pornography, in-state transmission of child pornography by electronic device, and sexual cyber harassment. Zingers newest charges in the case are: Two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation Two counts of lewd or lascivious battery Possession of child pornagraphy In-state transmission of child pornagraphy by electronic device Sexual cyber harassment Zinger had her first court appearance on Friday. Shes due back for a pre-trial hearing on Monday. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Former KY3 anchor Maria Neider joins City of Ozark communications team Maria Neider The city of Ozark announced in a Monday press release that Maria Neider has joined its communications team as director. Neider joins the city after a nearly 20-year career as an anchor and reporter at KY3. In the role, Neider will oversee all aspects of communication for the city of Ozark. This will include media relations, public affairs, and internal communications. "I am excited to contribute to this community's continued growth and success," Neider said in the release. Benjamin Ward Also joining the communications team at Ozark is Benjamin Ward. Ward will serve as the city's communications manager. Prior to joining the communications team in Ozark, Ward worked for Adult & Teen Challenge USA overseeing both internal and external communications. "My family and I have been a part of the Ozark community for years," Ward said. "I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to serve in this role and help keep the people of Ozark informed and engaged." Mercy announces two leadership promotions in the Ozarks John Myers Mercy announced in a Wednesday press release that David Argueta, president of Mercy Springfield Communities, has been promoted to regional president of Mercy Southwest Missouri Communities. John Myers, chief operating officer for Mercy Springfield Communities, has stepped into Argueta's previous role of community president. Mercy said the promotions are part of its strategic growth plan as it addresses a growing patient population, which could soon include Pittsburg, Kansas. Mercy plans to finalize the transaction with Ascensions Via Christi Hospital this summer. To meet the needs of a diverse patient population, Mercy selected Argueta to provide strategic guidance for a regional approach. Southwest Missouri is a large and important region for Mercy," Argueta said in the release. "It includes patients across 27,000 square miles and more than 200 sites of care. Creating a regional approach allows us to lead all facilities in the region in a coordinated manner and deepen existing services while we also grow into communities such as Pittsburg, Kansas." With a mix of rural and urban settings in Mercys Southwest Missouri Communities, Myers said the area has unique needs when it comes to health care. Myers joined Mercy in 2022 as chief operating officer in Springfield. He brings more than 20 years of experience in health care and clinical leadership, and before joining Mercy, he served as chief operating officer at Research Medical Center in Kansas City. Story continues Ozark Chamber of Commerce appoints Russell as new president and CEO The Ozark Chamber of Commerce has announced the appointment of Chris Russell as its new president and CEO. "The Ozark Chamber is gearing up for a revitalized presence in the community," said Guy Callaway, chair of the Ozark Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. "Weve already made significant strides in supporting and promoting our local business partners and Chris is the leader we need to continue our forward momentum." Russell joins the Ozark Chamber after serving as president and CEO of the Nixa Chamber of Commerce for five years. According to a press release, Russell's leadership was instrumental in the purchase and renovation of the Nixa Chamber's welcome center. "Throughout my entire professional career, I've been dedicated to helping businesses and organizations thrive," Russell said. Having the opportunity to bring my passion for success to Ozark and collaborate with the board,volunteers, and the entire community is an immense honor for me." Arvest Bank announces three new branch sales managers Arvest bank has announced three new branch sales managers in the Springfield area. Jen Elridge Jen Elridge is joining Arvest as branch sales manager at Springfield's National Avenue location. She brings eight years of banking experience to the role. Elridge will be responsible for the overall sales, production, and profitability of the branch. She will also provide consumer lending services to customers as needed. Elridge holds an associate degree from Ozarks Technical Community and a certificate in business and commercial lending from the American Bankers Association. Shelby Monnig Shelby Monnig joins Arvest as the branch sales manager at the Sunshine Street branch. With a decade of industry experience, she will be responsible for delivering sales leadership and overseeing the branch's sales, production, and profitability. Monnig holds an associate degree in general education from Ozarks Technical Community College. Parker Davis Parker Davis has been promoted to branch sales manager at Springfield's Republic Road branch. Davis has three years of experience with Arvest and was previously a relationship banker. In the new role, he will manage sales, production, and profitability for the branch. He will also lead the sales team and provide consumer lending services. Davis holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Drury University. Maberry joins OMB residential lending team Nathan Maberry Nathan Maberry has joined the residential lending team at OMB Bank as a mortgage loan officer, serving Joplin and its surrounding communities. Maberry has more than 15 years of mortgage lending experience. He began his career as a loan officer for Missouri Capital Finance in 2009 and was most recently a mortgage loan originator for USA Mortgage. Nathan brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise, and his proven track record of confidently serving clients throughout the home loan process aligns perfectly with our commitment to providing exceptional customer service, said Michael Frerking, director of residential lending. We look forward to the contributions Nathan will make in helping individuals and families achieve their dream of homeownership in Barton, Jasper, Newton and Vernon counties and beyond. Hunt elevated to HR vice president at Branson Bank Jamie Hunt Branson Bank has announced the promotion of Jamie Hunt to Vice President-Human Resource Officer. In addition to her current duties of supporting more than 75 bank associates, hunt will lead strategic initiatives supporting recruitment and retention of associates, succession planning, and the strengthening of Branson Bank. Hunt joined Branson Bank in July 2008 and has held several positions across the organization since then. She holds a bachelor's degree in in business administration with a minor in psychology from the College of the Ozarks. She also serves as secretary of the Branson Tri-Lakes HR Association. "Jamie's diversified experience, talented skill-set and caring heart uniquely equip her to be an outstanding leader in the HR field, which she truly is," said Bill Jones, President and CEO of Branson Bank. Clark receives 2024 Excellence in SQF Practitioner Leadership Award Vital Farms Quality Assurance Manager Robert Clark has received the 2024 Excellence in SQF Practitioner Leadership Award, according to a press release. The award is given by the Safe Quality Food Institute. It underscores the company's efforts in food safety and sustainable agriculture at Egg Central Station, Springfield's egg processing and packaging plant. "Roberts expertise goes beyond simply understanding quality hes helped us build an entire food safety culture and ensured safety standards for each Vital Farms egg that reaches peoples' tables, said Russell Diez-Canseco, president and CEO of Vital Farms. In his role at Egg Central Station, Clark leads a team of 21 food safety and quality assurance professionals who oversee processing of eggs from more than 300 family farms. That adds up to 6 million eggs per day going through grading, washing, and packaging at the plant. Egg Central Station is an important part of Vital Farms' goal to build a resilient food system with industry-leading conservation features. This includes advances water filtration and bio-retention systems, solar energy panels and LED lighting, zero-waste-to-landfill production, and high safety and quality standards. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: KY3's Maria Neider joins City of Ozark, Mercy promotes presidents Ray Di Pasquale, the former head of the Community College of Rhode Island and the state board of education, died on Thursday, according to an announcement by Massasoit Community College, where he was president. Di Pasquale led CCRI for a decade until stepping down at the start of 2016. In 2010, he was named Rhode Island commissioner for higher education and became interim education commissioner in 2013 when the boards overseeing colleges and K-12 schools were merged. After leaving CCRI, Di Pasquale was hired as president of Clinton Community College in Plattsburgh, New York, before taking over as head of Massasoit in Brockton, Massachusetts, in August 2021. Raymond DiPasquale in 2012, during his dual tenure as president of CCRI and commissioner of higher education. A General Assembly resolution recognizing Di Pasquale noted that he had added many new programs at CCRI, instituted energy cost-saving projects and secured federal grants. "Since Mr. Di Pasquale arrived at CCRI, the college has enjoyed near-record enrollments and had its largest graduating class ever in May 2012," the resolution said. "CCRI is the largest community college in New England, serving nearly 18,000 students each semester, and its noncredit arm trains more than 30,000 Rhode Islanders annually, making it an important cog in the states workforce development efforts." Before coming to Rhode Island, Di Pasquale was a vice president at the State University of New York Brockport and worked at Springfield Technical Community College and Middlesex Community College in Massachusetts before that. The Massasoit news release said that Di Pasquale "was committed to serving the communities he called home and worked to advance the lives of others through education." This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Former CCRI president, education commissioner Raymond Di Pasquale dies Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday he thinks Iran will retaliate for a recent airstrike by Israel on an Iranian Embassy compound in Syria, but on a limited scale. They are going to act, Esper said on CNNs The Source with anchor Kaitlan Collins. Theyre gonna feel the need to uphold their dignity, to maintain credibility with their proxies throughout the region and to really meet the demands of hardliners within the theocracy that want to see something done. But on the other hand, theyre not gonna wanna make this a wider war, Esper continued. They dont wanna escalate. They know that a major conflict with Israel, let alone Israel and the United States, would be disastrous for Iran. So, I suspect that they will limit the attack to Israel, Israeli targets. Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the Israeli strike killed two senior members and five officers in the Syrian capital of Damascus. The U.S. has also denied that they were involved in the Monday strike, but the Israeli action has resulted in fears about the Iranian and Iranian-backed aim returning to U.S. interests in the region after an earlier spike of attacks on American troops and bases in Iraq and Syria following the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war by Iranian proxies died down. Outlets including NBC News and CNN have reported that U.S. officials are worried and on high alert for an Iranian retaliatory attack for the Damascus airstrike. If Iran does not respond, Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the country looks weak, both its own forces and to its allies. 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, Alterman continued. The Hill has reached out to the White House. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. William Pepe says the problems had existed for at least a year when the chief of police ordered Pepe into his office to scold him for not writing enough traffic tickets. Pepe, who was the Pompton Lakes Police Departments only Black officer at the time, said the meeting was part of a pattern of disparate treatment he endured on the job and at the hands of Chief Derek Clark. It is one of several allegations Pepe, 41, made in a legal notice announcing that he intends to sue the borough, its council and police department, alleging that his career trajectory came to a grinding halt after he expressed concerns to his union about his supervisors conduct. Pepe alleges he was subjected to a hostile and retaliatory work environment that led to work-related mental health issues and culminated in his constructive termination, which occurs when an employers conduct effectively forces an employee to resign. The race and disability discrimination and harassment were so severe, and the ongoing retaliation was so intense, that he had no option but to quit, his attorney said in the legal filing, known as a notice of tort claim. Pepe, who under New Jersey law has to wait six months after sending the notice to file the suit, plans to seek at least $2.5 million in damages. The police department, which has 24 officers, said it had no comment about the allegations in the claim. Erik DeLine, president of the borough council, said: Beyond the fact the claims are entirely false and that the Borough will vigorously defend itself and its officers, I have no further comment. William Pepe plans to sue the Pompton Lakes Police Department, alleging, among other things, that he faced retaliation after he spoke out against department practices. (Courtesy William Pepe) Pepe, who is an Army veteran, joined the department in 2015 and was promoted to the detective bureau four years later, he said in an interview and in the notice of tort claim. He was also assigned to the narcotics task force at the Passaic County Prosecutors Office and was a firearms instructor for the police department. But he alleges that he was reassigned to the patrol division in 2021 in retaliation for saying that he wanted to file a grievance with the departments union because he had twice been forced to stay home from work for an extended period and to use sick days when his son was sick, even though both had tested negative for Covid-19. Lt. Anthony Rodriguez, whom Pepe described as Clarks right hand man, tried to discourage him from filing a grievance at a union meeting in the spring of 2021, Pepe said. Then an extremely aggressive and intimidating Clark warned him the department would fight the grievance. Browbeaten and fearful of retaliation, the notice says, Pepe decided against filing the grievance. He was reassigned to the less prestigious patrol post a month later. Clark and Rodriguez said they had no comment about the allegations in Pepes notice. Pepe said Clark forced him to disclose what was supposed to be a confidential conversation with the departments resiliency program officer about his mental state after the demotion. According to Pepe, Clark later warned other officers that they could be disciplined if they had similar conversations with the officer, who is a confidential resource with whom officers can discuss professional or personal matters. Clark also lectured him about writing too few tickets on patrol, Pepe alleges, and threatened to put him on a performance improvement plan. According to Pepe, Clark and Rodriguez repeatedly told him that the mayor and borough council were unhappy with the departments ticket numbers and that if they did not improve, the council may mess with your healthcare during contract negotiations. He said in the legal notice that officers who wrote fewer tickets did not receive the same dressing down and warning. On another occasion, he received a written reprimand for giving away department property after he said he gave the Velcro badge from his uniform to a 4-year-old boy whose mother told Pepe the boy wanted to be a police officer. The badge can be purchased by anyone at a police uniform store, Pepe and the notice of tort claim said. He said in an interview that he believes the retribution was partly motivated by race. Pepe said he was the departments only Black officer when he resigned and only the second Black officer in its history. Pompton Lakes has a population of roughly 11,000 and is about 30 miles from Manhattan. About 84% of its residents are white, and less than 1% are Black or African American. Policing has ultimately come down to if youre a part of the good old boys club, he said. Thats what it really comes down to. Its not about the public anymore. Theyre putting their own interests first, before everybody else, and theyll do whatever theyve got to do, just like they did to me, to get a guy out. The constant harassment and barrage of indignities wore on Pepe and began to affect his personal life, the notice of tort claim says. He later failed a fitness for duty test and was required to complete inpatient treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder in first responders and veterans. While on leave, he learned that he was the subject of five internal investigations for various violations of department policy, all of which he disputes. When he returned to work after treatment and a separate surgery, according to the notice, he requested a light duty assignment and was offered a position in night dispatch. Claimants dispatch work assignment was another clear indication of disparate treatment and further retaliation, according to the tort claim. Specifically, between September 2022 through February 2023, four other officers (all of whom were white, and none of whom had angered Chief Clark due to their union advocacy) were fully accommodated and placed on true light duty. They were assigned to do busy work in the Department during the day shift. None of the white officers was required to work the overnight dispatch shift, which was extremely busy and mentally taxing, according to the tort notice. Pepe submitted his resignation in January. At that point, I felt so pressured and I felt just so beaten down by the process that its like, theres nothing I can do, he said. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Ben Rhodes, former national security adviser for the Obama administration, said he thinks the war in Gaza is reaching a tipping point, after seven aid workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this week. I mean, it certainly feels like were approaching some kind of tipping point, Rhodes told MSNBCs Andrea Mitchell Friday. Weve been moving in this direction for a long time. This is the most right-wing government in Israels history. This is a prime minister, Bibi Netanyahu, who has really not listened to successive American presidents. And this is a military operation that has caused a humanitarian catastrophe that clearly hasnt factored in the ability to get assistance into desperate people who are now facing famine-like conditions, that doesnt have a plan for how it comes to a conclusion, he continued. Seven workers employed by World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit delivering food to Gaza, were killed by Israeli airstrikes Monday. Their deaths sparked international outrage and concern among top officials. President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday, where he took his sharpest tone yet with the leader, warning U.S. policy as it relates to Gaza would now be determined by Israels immediate next steps. The Biden administration has been urging Israel not to move forward with its military operation in Rafah, the city in Gaza where more than a million people are seeking refuge after leaving other parts of the territory due to the war. Rhodes argued that there are real substantive differences with how the U.S., other allies and the Israeli government are going to go about the Rafah invasion, aid deliveries and what will happen to the starving civilians in Gaza. And so, when you have an event like this, such a glaring, tragic event, it kind of encapsulates a lot of the concerns, Rhodes said of the WCK deaths. Why could there be a military strike against clearly marked civilian aid vehicles that are deconflicted with the [Israel Defense Forces]? Why are they doing that in the first place when you could simply drive eight trucks across these crossings if Israel would open them up? Rhodes said the strike hit home with so many people around the world, and particularly with some members of Congress, because it kind of illuminated what people have been concerned about for weeks, if not months. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Julian Bear Runner (Photo/Levi Rickert) Julian Bear Runner, 38, who served as president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe from 2018 to 2020, was convicted of six criminal counts on Thursday, April 4, 2024, following a three-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota. Bear Runner was convicted of wire fraud, one count of larceny, and one count of embezzlement and theft from an Indian tribal organization. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and an $800 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The U.S. Attorneys Office, South Dakota District, prosecuted the case. Evidence presented to the jury showed that between January of 2019 and January of 2020, Bear Runner, while acting in his capacity as president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, fraudulently submitted travel vouchers for official business travel. He then received payment for travel that he was not entitled to because he was not actually traveling. The evidence showed that Bear Runner submitted multiple travel authorizations to different locations outside South Dakota including New Mexico, Montana, Ohio, North Carolina, New York, and Arizona claiming the need to travel for official business. As a result of those travel authorizations, Bear Runner received thousands of dollars in advance travel payments, but did not actually go on the trips. Instead, Bear Runner cashed the checks at a casino, gambled, and stayed in local hotels. The fraudulent travel authorizations totaled approximately $80,000. When government leaders abuse positions of power for personal financial gain, its the public that pays the price, Alison J. Ramsdell, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota said in a statement. In this case, Julian Bear Runner stole more than $80,000 from the Oglala Sioux Tribe, embezzling money that could have otherwise been used to improve life for those living throughout the Pine Ridge Reservation. We are grateful to our partners at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the FBI for conducting a fulsome investigation of Bear Runners fraudulent activities and helping us secure todays swift verdict. When he was elected, Bear Runner was the second-youngest person ever elected as the Oglala Sioux Tribes president. He lost re-election in 2020 to former state senator Kevin Killer. About the Author: "Levi \"Calm Before the Storm\" Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) is the founder, publisher and editor of Native News Online. Rickert was awarded Best Column 2021 Native Media Award for the print\/online category by the Native American Journalists Association. He serves on the advisory board of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. He can be reached at levi@nativenewsonline.net." Contact: levi@nativenewsonline.net Freak winds kill three people by pulling them from apartments in China Three people died after typhoon-like winds pulled them out through their apartment windows in southern China, as extreme weather battered the region over the past week. A total of seven people had died in Jiangxi province since the exceptionally strong winds began on Sunday, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Thursday. More than 5,400 houses were damaged and 313,000 people affected, of whom about 1,600 had to be evacuated to safety, it added. The Chinese meteorological authority issued an orange alert - the highest on its three-tier warning system on Tuesday, the first since 2013, according to the state-run Global Times. Four deaths and at least 10 injuries were reported in the provincial capital Nanchang, the hardest-hit city, when severe thunderstorms and heavy rains hit on Sunday, according to CCTV. Among them were a woman in her 60s and her 11-year-old grandson, yanked from their apartment windows by strong wind together with their mattresses, according to CCTV citing media reports. A 60-year-old woman from the same building was also swept out of the window by extreme wind. All three were confirmed dead, the state broadcaster reported. One weather station picked up a wind speed exceeding the highest level of 12, equivalent to a Category I hurricane, according to state media, while 29 others detected level 10 and 11 winds. Air conditioners were blown out of high-rises in the city, while more than 2,000 trees were toppled, state media said. China has been hit by a series of extreme weather events in recent years. Last year was its hottest on record as it grappled with scorching heat waves that authorities said had arrived earlier and been more widespread and extreme than in previous years. At the other end of the scale, the country recorded its lowest ever temperature last year on January 22, when the town of Jintao in northeastern Heilongjiang province recorded 53 degrees Celsius (-63.4 degrees Fahrenheit). For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Leadership Associates, Fresno Unifieds contracted superintendent consulting firm, announced it has withdrawn from the search, citing public outcry and political infighting that led the board to cancel already scheduled internal interviews on Wednesday night and to change the application process agreed upon at the beginning of the search. Despite initial clarity and transparency regarding the criteria and expectations for the superintendent selection process, Leadership Associates encountered discrepancies that compromised the integrity of the search, said a news release from the firm. Dennis Smith, search lead of the organization, said they were hired to look at internal candidates and to conduct a series of listening sessions with the public. If the board wanted to extend the search externally, the firm had a second contract it could activate. Instead of honoring the agreed-upon process, the board canceled the internal interviews at the last minute, and the firm felt the process was undermined, Smith said. Leadership Associates informed the board of the withdrawal on Wednesday. The team was prepared to facilitate those (internal) interviews, that was the initial part of the contract, he told The Fresno Bee. But they didnt wait until the board fulfilled their obligations to us, or to the candidates and the candidates were left sort of hanging out there. The district and the board have not been transparent about the process, members of the public have complained. The specifics of the contract(s) and amounts have been kept private and neither the board nor the firm told the public that they would be considering district employees first, which has become a political hot potato. The question of internal vs external candidates also was never asked during the listening sessions. The job description generated by the consultant also has been kept under wraps. In an interview with The Bee last week, board President Susan Wittrup said the board had been misinformed by the consulting firm and that the job description was leading to internal candidates. She said some board members have overstated the call for the next superintendent to be someone with strong ties to the community in the public version of the firms report. She said she has received complaints that the firm didnt capture the publics wishes to consider external candidates after the board announced on March 20 that it would hold a special meeting to conduct closed-door internal interviews. Wittrup organized a press conference, along with some community leaders, to air her grievances with the process and Leadership Associates.. On April 3, the board voted 5-2 to suspend the planned interviews. After a closed-door discussion, the board said no decisions were made, and stressed that the board would evaluate the path forward based on the publics feedback. The Bee called Wittrup for comment on Friday. She said she was unavailable to talk but sent a statement. We need a search firm that does not have any bias about potential candidates for the next superintendent, and who can objectively bring the most qualified candidates forward. The future of our kids depends on it. Every decision must be made through the lens of what is most beneficial for students, it read. Based on the overwhelming input from your community this past week, which leadership Associates failed to capture and report from the listening sessions, their process was compromised. Trustee Keshia Thomas said the firm was hired for three things, conducting listening sessions, writing a report, and assisting in internal interviews. Since the board canceled the proposed interviews, the firms contract is considered complete. Well probably be choosing someone else for the next stages, she said. Trustee Veva Islas said the firm fulfilled the contract, though she has some criticism of their work but she prefers not to share publicly. I think we do need to have support from capable consultants, she said. And yes, I think our intention was to move forward with looking for another team. 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. 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. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Imagine a fungus that makes your skin turn angry red. Some of the skin breaks into ulcers, especially at the tips of your toes, while in other places, pieces of skin shed off entirely. By the time it reaches your heart, which is inevitably fatal, death is probably a welcome relief. That is the fate of the millions of frogs who have suffered from Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or BD for short. Over 500 species of amphibians are suffering major population declines due to BD while there have been 90 possible extinctions and near extinctions, threatening endangered species like Panamanian golden frogs (Atelopus zeteki) and yellow-legged mountain frogs (Rana muscosa.) BD is driving one of the great mass extinctions of the current era and yet now researchers believe that a virus may help herpetologists develop a cure. Meet BdDV-1, a viral fragment discovered by scientists whose paper was recently published by the journal Current Biology. The researchers found it in much the same way that one disentangles a knot, by pulling on individual threads to see where they lead. While examining the BD fungus to learn about weaknesses, they discovered a single-stranded DNA virus trapped within the genome of the fungus. Although this only applied to certain strains, when infected they produced fewer spores than the uninfected fungi. Now the next step is to see if researchers can clone and engineer this virus so that it kills BD and saves the frogs. That will not be the easiest task to accomplish, however, for a big reason: Currently the virus makes the fungus more deadly to the frogs, rather than less so. Panamanian golden frog "While the virus might have a depressive effect on the growth of the fungus in the lab, when tested for its effects on the fungus' ability to attack frogs, it seemed to actually increase the virulence of the fungus against the frog," Timothy Y. James, corresponding author and professor at the University of Michigan's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. In fact, the virus even surprised researchers by not impacting the health of the host frogs and fungi in normal ways. "Interestingly, by looking at many genomes, we found the surprising pattern that BdDV-1 was only really present in the enzootic strains [strains constantly present in an animal population] and not found in the strains isolated from outbreaks, the so called global panzootic lineage (GPL) strains," James said. "So, we expected the virus might have a negative effect on Bd virulence and were stunned to find the opposite effect." Want more health and science stories in your inbox? Subscribe to Salon's weekly newsletter Lab Notes. While it may seem discouraging that the BdDV-1 fragment does not made the fungus less virulent or deadly, in fact scientists are embracing the news. Researchers had previously struggled even to find a virus that could infect the BD fungus, much less one that could be kept alive in a laboratory and potentially bioengineered. The BdDV-1 checks all of those boxes. "Before this research we had been trying for years to determine if there was a virus that could infect this fungus," James said. "Finally discovering that there was one, and that it was a DNA virus rather than an RNA virus settled the score and also opened up a broad field of research to our team, as DNA viruses are understudied in fungi." The next step, of course, is modifying the BdDV-1 fragment so that it has the effect on the fungus that humans wants: Helping frogs. "We need to be able to move the virus in and out of Bd strains through a genetic modification process called transformation," James said. "This will allow us to modify the sequence of the virus to test its function." The research also transforms our understanding of fungus biology, a field known as mycology. Prior to this study, experts did not even know if viruses that can infect fungi (mycoviruses) could do so unless they were RNA viruses. This is the first full-length CRESS virus of Circoviridae (a specific family of viruses) that is known to infect fungi. It is a mystery to the scientists including its mechanisms of action. We dont know how the virus infects the fungus, how it gets into the cells, UCR microbiology doctoral student and paper co-author Mark Yacoub said in a press statement. If were going to engineer the virus to help amphibians, we need answers to questions like these. Yet even though it is "not clear" how their new knowledge will help them save frogs, James said, the experts at least know "that the fungus can be infected by a DNA virus [so] we can start considering using that viral backbone as a way of delivering a gene of interest into the fungus. If that ultimately led to a Trojan horse type of strategy to kill the fungus great, but our research is touching on the basic biology that shows that indeed the fungus can be infected by a virus." James added, "The rest comes far down the road." Facebook parent Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) has been a terrific growth stock since its 2012 initial public offering. The company has delivered market-crushing returns, earning it a valuation above $1 trillion and a spot among the so-called "Magnificent Seven" stocks. However, Meta Platforms isn't done delivering for its shareholders. Earlier this year, the tech company announced it was initiating a quarterly dividend. Meta Platforms has, so far, appealed to growth-oriented investors, but should income seekers seriously consider investing in the company? Looking at Meta's underlying business A dividend is only as good as the company backing it. That's why income seekers, like other types of investors, should pay close attention to a company's underlying business before purchasing its shares for the dividend. There are too many questions to address here, but here is one of the most important: Can the company maintain its dividend program even amid economic issues? Let's try to answer that question in the case of Meta Platforms, which boasts an ecosystem of nearly 4 billion monthly active users across its websites and apps. Meta Platforms makes most of its money from advertising. About two years ago, economic troubles led to a decrease in ad spending, and the company's revenue and earnings suffered as a result. However, it was able to bounce back thanks to several rounds of cost-cutting efforts and a rebound in the ad market. Last year, Meta Platforms' revenue increased by a healthy 16% year over year to $134.9 billion. Its net income of $39.1 billion was 69% higher than the previous fiscal year. The company has improved its advertising business thanks to various initiatives, including Reels (short-form videos) on Facebook and Instagram and an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered algorithm to keep viewers glued to their screens. Though advertising will remain Meta's most important source of revenue for the foreseeable future, the company is looking at other growth avenues. One of them is generative AI. Another one is paid messaging on WhatsApp. Lastly, Meta Platforms is still working hard and investing billions to ramp up the metaverse. Though it's hard to predict how these projects will turn out, the company has an incredibly impressive history of innovation and one of the largest ecosystems of potential clients on the planet to monetize in umpteen different ways. It's hard to bet against a company like that. The cautiously optimistic approach Meta Platforms' success over the past decade has helped it generate growing free cash flow. Story continues META Free Cash Flow Chart True, it hasn't always been a straight line to the top -- it rarely is, for any company. But it's hard to argue with the general upward trajectory. Meta Platforms will need to continue up that path to sustain its brand-new dividend program. And considering the strength of its business -- and the growth opportunities available to it -- investors have every reason to believe that it can. Meta Platforms' first quarterly dividend per share is for $0.50. That's not bad. Apple only offers a quarterly amount of $0.24, while Microsoft's is at $0.75. Meta Platforms is at the midpoint between these two long-time, Magnificent Seven dividend payers. The social media specialist's forward yield of 0.40% doesn't look that attractive, but once again, the company is only starting out. Only time will tell whether Meta Platforms will become an outstanding dividend stock. That will depend on factors beyond the health of its underlying business, including the company's capital allocation decisions. Management did mention the importance of returning capital to shareholders, but the dividend initiation is meant to complement Meta's existing share repurchase program. So, it's not clear whether Meta Platforms will choose to raise its payouts regularly. And considering how many amazing dividend stocks there are on the market, it doesn't make sense to invest in Meta Platforms just for its dividend, at least not yet. However, for growth investors focused on the long game, Meta Platforms remains a strong buy, and a little passive income on the side never hurt anyone. 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 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. Prosper Junior Bakiny has positions in Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft. 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. Should You Buy Meta Platforms for the Dividend? was originally published by The Motley Fool Read the full story on The Auto Wire Georgia State Patrol Check Dodge Challenger Into Space Sometimes after chasing a suspect who speeds down public roads with zero regard for anyone else, cops arent in the mood to mess around. That certainly seems to be the case with this Georgia trooper who had to drive like mad, finally doing a PIT to stop a fleeing suspect in a Dodge Challenger R/T. He hit the Mopar so hard it did a great impression of the Truffle Shuffle from Goonies. Watch police stop carjackers who targeted a mom and her child. In case you dont remember, the Truffle Shuffle was the dance the other kids would make Chunk do. It was humiliating, kind of like seeing this Challenger repeatedly ram the center divider on the freeway with its rear. The shaking motion is quite mesmerizing, but it doesnt last forever. The big, heavy muscle car finally comes to a rest and thats when we hear just how fed up the trooper is with the driver. He makes it quite clear if the guy makes a wrong move, like reaching around in the car, hell shoot him. That might sound harsh, but many police are shot in these situations so its understandable why hes tense. ADVERTISEMENT As he tries ordering the guy out of the Dodge and onto the ground, the trooper continues to berate him with language some might find quite offensive. Is it warranted? Was the trooper not being professional? Does it even matter? We know people debate this very thing all the time. To be honest, were always amazed at cops who are calm, collected, and almost respectful to someone who almost killed them and/or innocent bystanders through reckless actions. At the same time, we can completely understand why they chew such people out. Maybe if someone had dressed this guy down as a youth he might not have grown up thinking running from police at high speeds is an acceptable thing? Thats certainly open for debate. Now check out the Mopar Truffle Shuffle for yourself. https://youtu.be/___rT6F3TVg Join our Newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube page, and follow us on Facebook. The frigate "Hessen" leaves the harbor. German frigate repels attack on cargo ship in the Red Sea. Sina Schuldt/dpa The German frigate Hessen has fended off an attack against a civilian cargo ship in the Red Sea, Germany's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, said on X on Saturday evening. "An approaching missile was destroyed," the army wrote. The Hessen has been deployed in the Red Sea since the end of February to protect merchant ships from attacks by the Houthi militia operating from Yemen. The operation is part of the EU military mission Aspides. On its fourth day of deployment, the frigate had already shot down two Huthi drones. In mid-March, it repelled an attack with an overwater drone against a civilian towed convoy, according to the German Armed Forces. The Red Sea is home to the most important sea route from Asia to Europe, which runs through the Suez Canal. The Houthi militia, which is allied with Iran, wants to use the attacks to force an end to the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip. Germany's soldiers attend a briefing before their deployment. The Germany military should inspect former soldiers and conscripts with reservist status to see if they are potentially fit for further training, according to the chairman of the Reservists' Association. Jan Woitas/dpa The Germany military should inspect former soldiers and conscripts with reservist status to see if they are potentially fit for further training, according to the chairman of the Reservists' Association. Reserve Colonel Patrick Sensburg told the Bild newspaper that there are around 900,000 former full-time soldiers or conscripts from the German military, known as the Bundeswehr, who are under the age of 65. "We should very quickly assess their health status and availability so that we can schedule them for homeland security and national and alliance defence and gradually allow them to practice again," Sensburg said. "If only half of them are in good health, we would almost have the number of reservists we need." Germany's military reserves are made up of all former Bundeswehr soldiers as well as former conscripts who served for a longer period of time. The reserves do not, however, include former soldiers in the army of the communist East Germany who never served in the military of reunified Germany. Germany suspended conscription in 2011, and the Bundeswehr has struggled in recent years to attract enough recruits. The number of active soldiers in the Bundeswehr had fallen to 181,500 as of the end of 2023, despite increased efforts to recruit more personnel. The Defence Ministry has declared a goal of growing the Bundeswehr to 203,000 soldiers by 2031. Germany's soldiers attend a briefing before their deployment. The Germany military should inspect former soldiers and conscripts with reservist status to see if they are potentially fit for further training, according to the chairman of the Reservists' Association. Jan Woitas/dpa The Germany military should inspect former soldiers and conscripts with reservist status to see if they are potentially fit for further training, according to the chairman of the Reservists' Association. Reserve Colonel Patrick Sensburg told the Bild newspaper that there are around 900,000 former full-time soldiers or conscripts from the German military, known as the Bundeswehr, who are under the age of 65. "We should very quickly assess their health status and availability so that we can schedule them for homeland security and national and alliance defence and gradually allow them to practice again," Sensburg said. "If only half of them are in good health, we would almost have the number of reservists we need." Germany's military reserves are made up of all former Bundeswehr soldiers as well as former conscripts who served for a longer period of time. The reserves do not, however, include former soldiers in the army of the communist East Germany who never served in the military of reunified Germany. Sensburg, a former member of Germany's parliament with the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU), said that properly trained reservists could be essential for Germany's defence in a possible attack on the country or its allies, especially in the case of bloody fighting. "In the event of defence, we need the reservists to secure our own country and infrastructure, to provide logistical support for partner nations in Germany and, last but not least, to provide field replacements for the fighting troops on the front line," he said. If Germany is attacked and at war, "we will have to think about a second and third wave of defence. These will primarily consist of reservists." Germany suspended conscription in 2011, and the Bundeswehr has struggled in recent years to attract enough recruits. The number of active soldiers in the Bundeswehr had fallen to 181,500 as of the end of 2023, despite increased efforts to recruit more personnel. The Defence Ministry has declared a goal of growing the Bundeswehr to 203,000 soldiers by 2031. USF training psychologists. The University of South Florida is addressing a national crisis with its plans to launch a degree program to train school psychologists. The three-year program, based in USFs College of Education, will provide students with the educational focus and credentials they need to enter this challenging profession. The timing couldnt be better: According to the National Association of School Psychologists, the ideal ratio of school psychologists to students is 1 to 500; yet across the country, that ratio is about 1 to 1,127. In Florida, its worse one school psychologist for every 1,856 students, according to a presentation to USFs board of trustees. The program comes as the need for enhanced counseling services has become acutely clear. The National Center for Education Statistics reported in 2022 that 69% of public schools saw an increase in the percentage of students seeking mental health services at school since the start of the pandemic, with young Americans struggling with grades, the campus environment, social lives and their health. The benefits that school psychologists can provide in terms of students academic, mental and behavioral health are just kind of unparalleled, said Evan Dart, a USF education professor and school psychologist. Were required to wear a lot of different hats. Indeed. USF is helping fill a national void that serves both society and the workforce. Tampas rooftop cat. The property has changed hands again but the landmark remains. Were talking, of course, about the cat on the roof of Adams & Jennings Funeral Home in Tampa. After Michael Guinn purchased the property recently, the queries poured in: What are you going to do about the cat? As Times reporter Paul Guzzo reported this week, the porcelain kitty was first fastened to the roof in 1948 by a cat lover who owned an antique store on the Seminole Heights property. Edward Jennings (a dog lover) kept the cat after buying the land in 1962 to operate Jennings Funeral Home. Mike Adams, Jennings longtime manager, kept the cat after taking over the business. So did Stacy Adams after taking over from her dad, Mike as did a major cemetery chain that later bought Adams & Jennings. The funeral home closed in 2023; as word spread that Guinn was buying the property, people all over the country, he said, made clear that cat must remain. The building has another life this time as the Guinn Center, a community space for events and meetings. But the cat will stay perched on the roof, a testament to a succession of community-minded owners who respected this slice of Tampa history. If youre at the intersection of Sligh and Nebraska avenues, look up. Editorials are the institutional voice of the Tampa Bay Times. The members of the Editorial Board are Editor of Editorials Graham Brink, Sherri Day, Sebastian Dortch, John Hill, Jim Verhulst and Chairman and CEO Conan Gallaty. Follow @TBTimes_Opinion on Twitter for more opinion news. Concern over illegal immigration and border security was Donald Trumps central campaign issue when he won the presidency in 2016, and polls show it as the GOPs most potent political weapon again in 2024. (John Moore/Getty Images) With polls showing unauthorized immigration as Republicans best issue for the fall, the GOP is looking to raise the alarm about voting by non-citizens and the undocumented. The multi-pronged effort has been advanced in congressional legislation, public statements by top election officials and U.S. senators, plans produced by grassroots activists, and posts on X by former President Donald Trump and others. Concern over illegal immigration and border security was Trumps central campaign issue when he won the presidency in 2016, and polls show it as the GOPs most potent political weapon again in 2024. A Feb. 27 Gallup poll found 28% of respondents saw it as the countrys most important issue, well ahead of any other topic. At an April 2 rally in Michigan, Trump seized on the recent murder of a local woman, Ruby Garcia, who law enforcement has alleged was killed by her undocumented boyfriend. We threw him out of the country and crooked Joe Biden let him back in and let him stay and he viciously killed Ruby, said Trump. But the party is also using the issue to bolster its ongoing push to stoke fear about voter fraud and press for more restrictive voting rules. And it has often trafficked in false and misleading claims about voting by undocumented immigrants. Voter fraud claims Voting by non-citizens is extremely rare. Thats because, voting advocates say, non-citizens are especially careful not to do anything that might jeopardize their status in the country. A voter fraud database run by the conservative Heritage Foundation, which covers several decades in which billions of votes have been cast across the country, contains 29 entries that mention non-citizens. In some of these, a non-citizen registered but did not vote. Still, over the last few weeks, Republican secretaries of state from Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama, and at least two U.S. Senate Republicans, were the latest to tout the issue. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger wrote in a March 12 op-ed that leftist-activist allies of President Joe Biden want to open the gate to non-citizen voting. At issue is a lawsuit challenging a Georgia measure requiring people registering to vote to show documentary proof of citizenship. The voting-rights advocates behind the suit say the requirement isnt needed, and can present a barrier to registration for some voters, especially naturalized citizens, who may not have easy access to citizenship documents. In the op-ed, Raffensperger, who famously resisted Trumps pressure to collude in subverting Georgias 2020 election results, sought to conflate the issue of illegal voting by the undocumented with burgeoning efforts by a few Democratic-led cities, including Washington, D.C., to allow legal non-citizens to vote in local elections. He has pushed for a constitutional amendment in Georgia that would bar local governments in the state from enfranchising non-citizens. Leftist activists have already shown that they want to change the laws that require voters to be U.S. citizens, Raffensperger wrote. A constitutional amendment would eliminate any possibility for future efforts to change those laws. Warning on DOJ program Days earlier, Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson sent a letter to the U.S. Justice Department, warning that a federal program aimed at making voter registration easier for people in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Prison could lead to the registration not only of ineligible felons but also of the undocumented. Due to the Biden Administrations border policies, millions of illegal aliens have not only been allowed into this country during the last three years, but they have also been allowed to stay. Many of these aliens have been in the custody of an agency of the Department of Justice including the Marshals, Watson wrote in the letter, which his office provided to States Newsroom. Providing ineligible non-citizens with information on how to register to vote undoubtedly encourages them to illegally register to vote. The Justice Department program is part of the Biden administrations response to the presidents sweeping 2021 executive order aimed at using federal government agencies to expand access to voter registration. Republicans have condemned the order as an improper attempt to use public resources to advance partisan political goals. There is no evidence the order has led to ineligible voters being added to the rolls. Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, as well as Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., also sought to raise concerns about non-citizen voting in an exchange at a March 12 hearing of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. The two Alabama Republicans charged that the federal government has denied election officials the tools they need to verify citizenship. I think (verifying citizenship) is important, now more than ever, especially given whats happening at the southern border, said Allen, who was testifying before the panel. At the same hearing, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, used his time to ask the witnesses if they agreed that only U.S. citizens should be able to vote in federal elections something thats already the law and that people registering to vote should have to show proof of citizenship. Lee later sent out a clip of the exchange on X. Memo calls for proof of citizenship to register Also last month, the conservative voting activist Cleta Mitchell, who played a key role in Trumps bid to overturn the 2020 election, circulated a memo on the threat of non-citizen voting in 2024. The memo, posted online by a conservative advocacy group, called for a federal law requiring people to show proof of citizenship when registering, among other steps. There are myriad left-wing advocacy groups who register illegals to vote, Mitchell wrote, a charge for which she did not provide evidence. But the partys efforts to tie together voting and immigration have been underway for longer in this election cycle. Last March, as States Newsroom reported, a group of prominent conservative election activists came together to promote what they called a national campaign to protect voting at all levels of government as the exclusive right of citizens. Months later, congressional Republicans unveiled a sweeping elections bill, which aimed to capture the GOPs top priorities in its push to tighten voting rules, and which contained a full section on stopping non-citizen voting. Among other steps, the measure would give states more access to federal data on citizenship and make it easier for them to remove people flagged as non-citizens from the rolls. It also would penalize states where non-citizens can vote in local elections by cutting their share of federal election funding. While Democrats control the Senate and White House, the bill has little chance of becoming law. Legislation on non-citizen voting Separately, in the current session of Congress alone, the House Administration Committee has passed seven different bills addressing non-citizen voting. Last year, the House voted to use Congress authority over the District of Columbia to overturn D.C.s law enfranchising non-citizens the first time the House had voted to overturn a District bill since 2015. The Senate didnt take up the bill. One Republican lawmaker introduced a resolution calling for a constitutional amendment to ban non-citizen voting. Legal non-citizen voting has a long history in the U.S. In the middle of the 19th century, at least 16 states passed measures enfranchising non-citizens, often to lure workers to underpopulated western states. These laws were gradually repealed in the late 19th and early 20th century a period when a more general anxiety about mass voting led to Jim Crow laws in the South and laws restricting voting by Catholic and Jewish immigrants in the north. Some prominent figures have falsely suggested that Democrats are soft-pedaling border security so they can benefit from the votes of the undocumented. Thats why they are allowing these people to come in people that dont speak our language they are signing them up to vote, Trump said at a January rally in Iowa. And I believe thats why you are having millions of people pour into our country and it could very well affect the next election. Thats why they are doing it. Elon Musk, the billionaire tech entrepreneur, has taken a similar view. Dems wont deport, because every illegal is a highly likely vote at some point, Musk told his over 170 million followers in a Feb. 26 post on X, which he owns, commenting on news that an undocumented immigrant hadnt been deported despite a string of arrests. That simple incentive explains what seems to be insane behavior. U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, charged in a 2022 TV ad: Joe Bidens open border is killing Ohioans with more illegal drugs and more Democrat voters pouring into this country. Kansas law One figure who may have done more than any to promote the threat of voting by non-citizens is Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach. As the states secretary of state, Kobach pushed for a law requiring voter registrants to provide proof of citizenship. The law was ultimately struck down by a federal court, which found no credible evidence that a significant number of non-citizens had registered to vote before it was implemented. The law was responsible for keeping tens of thousands of voter registration applications in limbo during an election. Kobach went on to chair a voter fraud commission created in 2017 by the Trump White House, which pushed for a federal law similar to the Kansas law. The panel disbanded the following year without providing evidence of widespread voter fraud. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post GOP, Trump build on immigration fears to push voting restrictions in states appeared first on Alabama Reflector. What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. However, after investigating Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad (KLSE:MPI), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger. What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)? For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. To calculate this metric for Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad, this is the formula: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) 0.028 = RM70m (RM3.0b - RM446m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023). Thus, Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad has an ROCE of 2.8%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Semiconductor industry average of 6.2%. Check out our latest analysis for Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad roce Above you can see how the current ROCE for Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad . So How Is Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad's ROCE Trending? When we looked at the ROCE trend at Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad, we didn't gain much confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 14% over the last five years. Given the business is employing more capital while revenue has slipped, this is a bit concerning. This could mean that the business is losing its competitive advantage or market share, because while more money is being put into ventures, it's actually producing a lower return - "less bang for their buck" per se. The Bottom Line On Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad's ROCE We're a bit apprehensive about Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad because despite more capital being deployed in the business, returns on that capital and sales have both fallen. Since the stock has skyrocketed 246% over the last five years, it looks like investors have high expectations of the stock. In any case, the current underlying trends don't bode well for long term performance so unless they reverse, we'd start looking elsewhere. Story continues Like most companies, Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad does come with some risks, and we've found 1 warning sign that you should be aware of. For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high returns on equity. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Russian forces struck Kharkiv on the afternoon of April 6, killing at least one person and wounding another one, as well as damaging civilian infrastructure, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported. Ukraines northeastern city of Kharkiv was attacked overnight on the same day, with Russian missiles killing seven people and wounding another 11. Russia has recently intensified its air strikes against Kharkiv, destroying nearly all of its energy infrastructure, local officials said. The Presidential Office said on April 6 that Kharkiv "is becoming Russia's main target of strikes." According to preliminary data published by Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, Russia used guided aerial bombs for the afternoon attack. Read also: Russia intensifies attacks on Kharkiv, draining Ukraines air defense and civilian morale Kharkivs Shevchenkivskyi district was hit, causing damage to civilian infrastructure, Syniehubov said on Telegram. The number of casualties may increase as information on the consequences of the attack is being established. Part of Kharkiv Oblast was occupied by Russian troops from the beginning of the full-scale invasion to the fall of 2022, when Ukrainian forces carried out a surprise counteroffensive. There have been reports recently about Russias potential new major offensive against Kharkiv, dismissed by Ukrainian officials as part of a Russian "psychological operation." Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi, on the contrary, said that a potential attack on Kharkiv "could not be ruled out." But he also called any attempt by the Russian forces to shortly conduct an offensive on Kharkiv a "fatal" one. Read also: Putin reiterates war goals, again threatens West in post-election comments Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russian forces struck a utility facility in the Odesa district, killing a civilian employee, Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper reported on April 6. Ukraine's southern regions, such as Odesa, are frequent targets of Russian missile and drone attacks. Following the collapse of the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative in July last year, Russia launched a campaign of large-scale attacks against Odesa Oblast's port infrastructure and agricultural facilities. A missile strike on Odesa on March 29 injured at least five people, including three children. According to preliminary data, Russia launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile against the facility, damaging its equipment and administrative building, Kiper said on Telegram. First responders are working on the scene, he added. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. We as Americans should be asking hard questions about Benjamin Netanyahu. Does the prime minister have a vision to end Israel's war in Gaza that doesnt include us subsidizing indefinite occupation? Is he capable of the kind of diplomacy thats necessary for peace? His history with four U.S. presidents is instructive. In 2007, President George W. Bush authorized $30 billion in military aid for Israel, which was allocated over 10 years. In 2016, President Obama approved $38 billion. President Trump signed a historic aid package. Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, the U.S. has approved more than 100 military deals with Israel. President Biden is currently asking Congress to approve the sale of $18 billion more in fighter jets. Read more: Granderson: When it comes to Gaza, the U.S. has decided whose suffering counts more Tens of billions in weapons and munitions, feeding a bloody conflict that has escalated to claim tens of thousands of lives. Consistent support from four U.S. presidents representing the two major political parties. And all of this under the eye of Netanyahu, whose rise to power in the Israeli government was sandwiched between the withdrawal of Jewish settlers from Gaza in 2005 and the election of Hamas in 2006. As leader of the opposition and as prime minister, Netanyahu has been fighting the same enemy for 20 years. To not question his effectiveness and his agenda would be irresponsible, considering the arsenal the U.S. has put into his hands. Read more: Opinion: I'm an American doctor who went to Gaza. What I saw wasn't war it was annihilation Assuming Congress approves the sale of the fighter planes, the delivery date would be 2029. The president we have by then will not be Biden or Trump, but she or he will inherit what comes from Bidens and Trumps decisions. And once in power, that new president will be complicit in what Israels prime minister does with those fighter jets as well as any other weapons the U.S. has allowed. Criticizing Netanyahu should not be conflated with antisemitism. To oppose Netanyahu now is to oppose the hunger crisis and the threat of disease in Gaza. Tens of thousands of Israelis filled the streets this week to protest their prime ministers leadership. Read more: Opinion: Israel's 'sharp power' manipulation threatens democratic allies His troubles didnt begin with the Oct. 7 attack, though: Tens of thousands were also protesting Netanyahus government a year ago, objecting to erosion of democracy . Criticizing the prime minister is about more than 2024. His problems are not parallel to the 100,000 primary voters in Michigan who expressed their frustrations with the Biden administration in March by voting uncommitted. Israelis have even more cause for anger now than a year ago or in the immediate aftermath of Oct. 7. In 2018, we now know, Netanyahu was told exactly how Hamas was building wealth , and neither he nor Trumps administration acted on the information. The New York Times reported in November that Netanyahus government had the plans for the Oct. 7 terrorist attack more than a year before it happened and also did not act on that information. According to the newspaper, three months before the attack an analyst literally told authorities Hamas had conducted an intense, daylong training exercise that appeared similar to what was outlined in the blueprint. Netanyahus government did not take the threat seriously. As a result, a simmering conflict has erupted into a brutal war. And now the U.S. is prepared to make a deal that would deliver fighter jets five years from now, which tells us everything we need to know about prospects for peace. The U.S. is not acting like a superpower by simply supplying weapons to keep our allys war going. A superpower leads. The greatest nation not only should distinguish right from wrong but also should have the fortitude to hold our closest allies accountable when they lose their way. And Netanyahu is losing more than his way. Hes losing the moral high ground. Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas, but no one ever has the right to bomb and starve civilians. If the goal is truly peace, then checking our moral compass for guidance should be viewed as a benefit, not a betrayal. @LZGranderson If its in the news right now, the L.A. Times Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) Greensboro police accused the organizers of an event of placing profit over safety, leading to a hit and run that left 11 people injured, in a Friday news release. At about 7:21 p.m. on March 29, Greensboro police responded to a gathering near South Eugene Street. While the event took place during North Carolina A&T State Universitys Aggie Fest, the university says this event was not officially sanctioned. NC A&T student talks about car driving through crowd, injuring 6 in Greensboro While officers were working to disperse the crowd, a vehicle quickly sped away, hitting people in the process. Guilford County EMS says that a total of seven people were treated at the scene and six people were taken to the hospital, two of whom were seriously injured. The most serious injuries reported were broken bones. Four of the victims were NC A&T students. We heard the car rev up, and everyone kind of just ran in the opposite direction, N.C. A&T student Kennedy Stewart. Me and my friends werent trying to run, but since everyone was running around us, we were getting pushed, so we had to go. Police are still trying to find the driver responsible. Investigators ask anyone with video or information to contact Crime Stoppers. Greensboro police officers investigate after the hit and run near South Eugene Street on March 29. (WGHP) Police say the hit and run happened after an interaction occurred between individuals at the event and that the police department had no contact with this vehicle prior to it fleeing the area. Theres a right way and a wrong way to hold events, and we saw an example of the latter on March 29 when a poorly planned, unsanctioned event brought hundreds more people to a location than it could safely accommodate, GPD said in the Friday news release. This creates a public safety issue for everyone. On Tuesday, a student spoke at a Greensboro City Council meeting and said they were expecting Greensboro police to provide security at the Friday event, but Greensboro police said there was no contract or agreement for off-duty Greensboro police officers to be at the event. GPD works with a third-party vendor, Extra Duty Solutions, for off-duty officers to voluntarily take jobs fulfilling security requests for private entities. Extra Duty Solutions confirmed that someone requested three officers and one supervisor to provide security for the event. GPD said no Greensboro officers had accepted off-duty jobs with Extra Duty Solutions that day. In Fridays news release, the police department added that the organizers request to EDS was submitted the week of the event and that they had requested only for traffic work, not security. EDS notified the organizer in writing that coverage was not guaranteed, and GPD says they ultimately could not fulfill the request due to short notice and the Easter holiday weekend, which was also spring break for Guilford County Schools students. The promoter was aware of this and yet continued to place profit over safety and continued with the event, GPD said. FOX8 reached out to the student who spoke at the Greensboro City Council, but did not receive a response. The Greensboro Police Departments news release is included in full below. After this weeks City Council meeting, we want to voice support for Mayor Nancy Vaughans efforts to hold event promoters accountable for ensuring safety is a priority. Theres a right way and a wrong way to hold events, and we saw an example of the latter on March 29 when a poorly planned, unsanctioned event brought hundreds more people to a location than it could safely accommodate. This creates a public safety issue for everyone. Greensboro Police officers responded to the event after a 911 call due to a large gathering / party. The event organizer did not contract or have any agreement with any off-duty Greensboro Police officers to be on site to work at the unsanctioned event March 29. The event organizer or promoter put a request in with Extra Duty Solutions (the week of the event) for off-duty officers for traffic work only (not security) ; That request was unable to be filled on relatively short notice for a holiday weekend (which also was Spring Break for GCS students). The promoter was aware of this and yet continued to place profit over safety and continued with the event. Prior to the event, he also was informed by EDS in writing that coverage was not guaranteed. His request to EDS also did not include any projected attendance numbers. While officers were on scene assisting with the dispersal of event attendees, an interaction occurred between individuals at the event which caused a vehicle to recklessly speed away, striking numerous individuals. Eleven people were injured. The police department had no contact with this vehicle prior to it fleeing the area. A hit and run investigation is still active. The Greensboro Police Department constantly collaborates with local partners to include universities, private businesses, and religious establishments to provide safe venues and events for all involved. Unfortunately, when some promoters or event planners fail to make safety a priority, it puts our community at risk. We look forward to collaborating on work that will improve guidelines for unsanctioned events to better protect students, visitors and others to keep our community safe. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Activist Greta Thunberg, 21, was detained at a Saturday climate demonstration in The Hague, where she and the other protesters planned to block the intercity A12 motorway. Thunberg was one of several protesters forcefully dragged away by police when they refused to move from the small roadway where they had set up camp. Their protest was intended to protest Dutch tax breaks given to companies that invest in fossil fuels, according to the climate activism group Extinction Rebellion. We are in a planetary emergency and we are not going to stand by and let people lose their lives and livelihood and be forced to become climate refugees when we can do something, she told the crowd at the protest before being detained. A heavy police presence in the area prevented the action from totally shutting down the A12 highway, although a small number of people sat down on a different road and defied orders to leave, the Associated Press reported. According to police, more than 400 people, Thunberg included, were arrested at the protest. Photos and videos from the event show protesters carrying banners reading Stop Fossil Subsidies and flags with Extinction Rebellions symbol, an X in the shape of an hourglass inscribed in a circle. A major international campaign against fossil subsidies has just been announced alongside the A12. 30 movements from 15 countries are now fighting for an end to European fossil subsidies under the name United for Climate Justice. [1/4] pic.twitter.com/urJEMN2IOJ Extinction Rebellion Nederland (@NLRebellion) April 6, 2024 Thunberg, a youth climate icon, has been fined and detained multiple times over the years since she began working as a climate activist. In February, she was acquitted by a London court after she was arrested for blocking the entrance to an oil and gas industry conference last year in defiance of police orders. The A12 highway, the subject of Saturdays protest, has been a frequent target of climate activists in recent months, who have managed to shut it down for hours at a time in the past. Police in those instances drove detained protesters to other parts of town and released them without issuing charges or other punishments. The Swedish activist said the detention proceeded calmly in a phone call to the Dutch news agency ANP. Its not about the arrest. I am here for the climate, she said. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Group of Inmates Will Be Allowed to Watch Eclipse After Suing New York Prison on Religious Grounds The inmates argued that the prison forbidding them from viewing the upcoming solar eclipse was a violation of their religious rights Rick Kern/Getty Six inmates at the Woodbourne Correctional Facility will be allowed to view the upcoming solar eclipse A group of inmates who sued their New York state prison facility for not allowing them to view the upcoming solar eclipse will be allowed to view the phenomenon after all. On April 4, the lawyers for six inmates at the Woodbourne Correctional Facility who sued the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision for not being allowed to view the eclipse said that the department will allow them to view it, according to NBC News, CBS News and the Times-Union of Albany. The inmates argued that the prison was violating their religious right to see the eclipse, which will take place during the afternoon on April 8. "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," lawyers Chris McArdle, Sharon Steinerman, and Madeline Byrd of Alston & Bird said in a statement to multiple outlets. The lawsuit, which was withdrawn after the agreement was made, stated that prison officials announced that inmates would not be allowed outside to view the eclipse and that the facility would be operating on a holiday schedule that day, NBC reported. This would mean all inmates would have to remain in their cells at the time the eclipse is set to pass over New York around 3:25 p.m., per NASA's eclipse map. Related: All About the Rare Total Solar Eclipse, Including Where It Occurs and How to See It The lawsuit cited texts such as the Bible and the Quran that reference eclipses as religious events and also asked for eclipse glasses recommended by NASA for all those viewing the phenomenon to be provided for the six inmates by the prison, per NBC. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Solar eclipse glasses offered by Warby Parker "We continued our analysis and review during the pendency of the lawsuit," the corrections department said in a statement, according to multiple outlets. "The Department has agreed to permit the six individuals to view the eclipse." The eclipse is expected to cause a few minutes of daytime darkness. Its exact timing depends on where viewers are located in North America, where the phenomenon will pass after it begins over the South Pacific ocean. Related: Keeping Dogs and Cats Safe During an Eclipse: Expert Pet Advice on the Spring Solar Eclipse "Weather permitting, the first location in continental North America that will experience totality is Mexicos Pacific coast at around 11:07 a.m. PDT," NASA writes of the phenomenon. It will then enter the U.S. in Texas. Then, it travels through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as small parts of Michigan and Tennessee. Those interested in experiencing the complete solar eclipse should look up exactly where in their state is within the path of totality. After it makes its way over the U.S., the eclipse will enter Canada. It will exit continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. NDT. After the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, the next total solar eclipse wont occur for another 20 years. Per NASA, the next one visible in the United States will be on Aug. 23, 2044. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. One of the alleged gun-toting Bronx migrant squatters a suspected member of Venezuelas Tren De Aragua gang was taken into the custody of federal immigration authorities on Friday, officials said. Yerbin Benjamin Lozada Munoz was one of five suspects released without bail by Bronx judges after they were busted by the NYPD in March inside a borough apartment with a cache of guns and drugs, according to authorities. On Monday, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Lozada was busted in Nassau County, Long Island, on felony charges of grand larceny in the fourth degree. Yerbin Benjamin Lozada Munoz was arrested on Friday. ICE Lozada will remain in custody pending removal proceedings, the statement read. James Keivom ICE said it lodged an immigration detainer with the Nassau County Jail, which was honored, and that their agents arrested Lozada during a traffic stop on Friday. Lozada will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings, the agencys statement read. He first entered the US at Eagle Pass, Texas, in October 2022, but was released by Border Patrol due to overcrowding at the Central Processing Center in El Paso, ICE said. He first entered the US at Eagle Pass, Texas in October 2022, officials added. Matthew McDermott Lozada and seven others were arrested by the NYPD on March 27 after one of them allegedly pointed a 9 mm CZ pistol at someone on the Bronx property they commandeered, police said at the time. Lozada and three others were cut loose on supervised release following their respective hearings. Among them was the alleged gunman, Hector Desousa-Villalta despite prosecutors requesting $150,000 cash or $450,000 bond, according to the Bronx District Attorneys Office. Two of the other alleged squatters Yoessy Pino Castillo and Jefferson Orlando Abreau were released on their own recognizance, court records showed. 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, the Bronx landlord of the property the eight men took over told The Post on Thursday. He was subsequently released into the US due to overcrowding, ICE said. Matthew McDermott The landlord claimed that Lozada and the others shacked up in the basement apartment starting in August and never paid a single months rent. Once, when he called the cops on them, the squatters drew their fingers across their throats right in front of the officers who admitted they couldnt do anything, he claimed. 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, he said. Lozada and seven others were arrested by the NYPD last week when one of them pointed a 9 mm CZ pistol at someone on the Bronx property they commandeered, police said at the time. NYPD Police said they found four guns on the property when they arrested the group last month. Desousa-Villalta and Javier Alborno, both also of Venezuela, were allegedly found with handguns on them when police arrived. The authorities also turned up three extended magazines, a box of ammunition, a bag of ketamine and a bag of ketamine mixed with cocaine, police officials said. Locals complained that the group terrorized the neighborhood. They wake me up at 2 a.m., local Alfred Munoz complained. Another neighbor claimed the crew was running some shady scheme from inside the freeloaded apartment. Their operation was sophisticated, and looked like they knew what they were doing, she said. The board of Centaur Media Plc (LON:CAU) has announced that it will be paying its dividend of 0.012 on the 24th of May, an increased payment from last year's comparable dividend. This takes the dividend yield to 6.1%, which shareholders will be pleased with. View our latest analysis for Centaur Media Centaur Media's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Centaur Media was earning enough to cover the previous dividend, but it was paying out quite a large proportion of its free cash flows. The business is earning enough to make the dividend feasible, but the cash payout ratio of 78% indicates it is more focused on returning cash to shareholders than growing the business. Over the next year, EPS could expand by 82.2% if recent trends continue. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 24% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range. Dividend Volatility The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. There hasn't been much of a change in the dividend over the last 10 years. It's encouraging to see some dividend growth, but the dividend has been cut at least once, and the size of the cut would eliminate most of the growth anyway, which makes this less attractive as an income investment. The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. It's encouraging to see that Centaur Media has been growing its earnings per share at 82% a year over the past five years. Centaur Media is clearly able to grow rapidly while still returning cash to shareholders, positioning it to become a strong dividend payer in the future. Our Thoughts On Centaur Media's Dividend Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think Centaur Media will make a great income stock. The low payout ratio is a redeeming feature, but generally we are not too happy with the payments Centaur Media has been making. We don't think Centaur Media is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus. Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. For example, we've picked out 2 warning signs for Centaur Media that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Is Centaur Media not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Read the full story on Backfire News Guy Gets Arrested After Parking Truck On His Front Lawn In some areas you cant park any vehicle on your front lawn. Often thats an HOA violation, which entails a fine and warning. But in some municipalities like Baytown, Texas its against the law and can come with much stiffer penalties. One man found this out the hard way when he temporarily parked his truck on his front lawn and was arrested. Neighbors are suing Laguna Seca over traffic and noise. That might sound outrageous, but it really happened recently. The man said he pulled his truck onto his lawn to wash it, claiming it was there for only half an hour. But that was plenty of time for a busybody neighbor to snap a photo and file a complaint with the police department. ADVERTISEMENT In turn, the city claims it mailed a citation to the man, but he says it never showed up. Unaware there was a problem, the man went about his life until a police officer arrested him for missing a court date he didnt even know about. The man was arrested and put in jail. Since then, he was able to get out and sued the city for the ordeal. The citation for parking on his lawn happened five years ago and he was arrested a year after that. He eventually settled out of court with the city. His efforts might pay off in a different way for everyone else. Baytowns city council is in voting on whether the law banning parking on a lawn should be repealed. We imagine people have mixed opinions about the law and its enforcement. Some dont want people using their front lawns as permanent parking spots, driving down property values and possibly causing additional problems. Others think the law is too harsh and should be repealed. This issue has played out elsewhere and its almost always divisive. Image via YouTube DOHA, Qatar Six months into a war Hamas started with more than 33,000 Palestinians dead, more succumbing to famine daily and Israel determined to continue its aggressive campaign against the organization with robust American military support the militant group says it is confident it will wield significant influence in the future, come what may in Gaza. Hamas believes its shock Oct. 7 attack on Israel achieved its goal of reigniting global concern for decades-long Palestinian subjugation, and it views the Israelis and Americans as intent on deepening the fighting rather than taking genuine steps toward an Israeli-Palestinian settlement. Additionally, it does not see itself as responsible for civilian deaths during that assault, in which Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 Israelis, more than half of them civilians, and took up to 240 hostages in violation of international law. Thats how Mousa Abu Marzouk and Basem Naim, two senior Hamas leaders, presented their groups current thinking in two lengthy, separate recent interviews with HuffPost, providing extremely rare hours-long, in-person access to a Western media outlet after complex negotiations and amid an extraordinarily delicate time in the war. The group acknowledged it still holds dozens of captives including about 40 people Hamas counts in a humanitarian category as noncombatants, among them some civilians, and likely five Americans (the number of U.S. citizens a State Department spokesperson said remain unaccounted for since Oct. 7). But the Hamas leaders expressed little faith in negotiations for a pause in combat involving the release of those hostages in exchange for Palestinians held by Israel, the stated goal of President Joe Biden, who in recent days has pushed Israel and intermediaries with Hamas to successfully reach an agreement. Both Hamas leaders said their group remains committed to a 2017 political document that represented a tempering of its hard-line historic views a manifesto that claims Hamas has no quarrel with the Jewish people or Judaism broadly, instead opposing only aggressive actions fueled by Zionism. That suggests Hamas would accept a Palestinian state limited to territories Israel did not control before 1967, aligning it with the idea of a two-state solution. Like the assertions of any player, particularly actual combatants, in this most sensitive of conflicts, their portrayal of the situation deserves to be taken with a large grain of salt. Abu Marzouks own comments cast doubt on whether Hamas would tolerate a Palestinian state coexisting with Israel, particularly after Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed more extensive than any since the establishment of Israel in historic Palestine in 1948. The Israelis are creating generation after generation full of hatred, full of rage, full of a feeling of taking revenge, by killing Palestinians on a daily basis I think that the Palestinians would not accept Israel in any case, but the Palestinians have no other option: The only option for the Palestinians is to live in this land to resist the occupation, Abu Marzouk told HuffPost via a translator. Claiming most Israelis have dual citizenship an assertion that is not borne out by publicly available evidence and was rejected by an Israeli official who said the government does not have statistics on the matter he added: They have a lot of options. And they can leave the land of Palestine at any time when they feel that its not beneficial anymore. Meanwhile, international opprobrium over and research on Hamas Oct. 7 violence is still growing. HuffPost this week obtained new information about one major forthcoming report. Belkis Wille, an associate director at Human Rights Watch who has spent months working on an in-depth investigation of the attack, told HuffPost her organization has verified photo and video evidence of fighters with the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, targeting and killing civilians, citing the attackers uniforms and bandannas. Some attackers who were in civilian clothing were also clearly coordinating with al-Qassam fighters, she added. Still, Western and Arab governments, along with most outside experts, believe Hamas will remain relevant to the future of Israel-Palestine regardless of how the current war concludes. Abu Marzouk and Naim clearly agree. In speaking with HuffPost about ideas being considered by the U.S., Israel and other players about what comes next for the region, the Hamas leaders expressed deep opposition to proposals that are currently under discussion and a determination to scuttle particular plans. Abu Marzouk responded to reporteddiscussions about a new military force in Gaza comprising troops from various countries, including Arab states, by saying: As a movement, we will fight against any force, whether it was from any nationality, in the Gaza Strip. Few people would have presumed Hamas to align with American and Israeli goals. However, Abu Marzouks reference to nationalities is striking, given the assumption in some circles that Hamas and other militants in Gaza would be loath to fight forces from countries like Egypt due to Palestinians links with other Arab nations. His remarks suggest that although Hamas is not outright challenging Arab governments, it does not see a red line in attacking their soldiers. No Arab country would participate with the Israeli occupation or with American policy in Gaza, even if those states are unable to openly confront U.S. or Israeli policies, Abu Marzouk said. No one has the right to subjugate the Palestinians for slavery or for oppression. He and Naim also challenged hopes around the March 14 appointment of economist Mohammed Mustafa as the new prime minister of the U.S.-backed Palestinian Authority, or PA, which controls parts of the occupied West Bank and from which Hamas wrested control of Gaza in 2007. Significantly, they framed their rejection not as a product of factionalism among Palestinians Hamas has long despised PA President Mahmoud Abbas, who tapped Mustafa but as a reaction to U.S.-driven interference in intra-Palestinian discussions. To continue imposing policies and governments and figures on Palestinians, this will never lead to sustainable security or stability or prosperity in the region, not only in Palestine, argued Naim, who was previously a minister in Hamas administration in Gaza. Hamas is an inherent part of the political fabric of the Palestinians and is a strong power, and no one can easily decide to overcome it or to avoid it. Any agreement with any other party will not lead to stability or a solution. This story draws on HuffPosts interviews and conversations about Hamas over months with dozens of officials and analysts. Securing access to Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas in the Palestinian diaspora and a prominent politburo member, and Naim, chief of Hamas political and foreign relations department and a member of its Gaza bureau, was not easy. It involved tapping a range of trusted sources to make contact, investing in costly travel and tactfully operating in a sensitive location, given Qatars interest in being the chief mediator between Hamas and the outside world and pressure from some in the U.S. over its links to the Palestinian group. When HuffPost visited Abu Marzouk at a large, beige compound in a suburb of the Qatari capital of Doha a world away from the Persian Gulf states ritzy sea-front hotels a Qatari police officer stationed outside repeatedly challenged the idea that a meeting was scheduled. Inside, another Qatari security official subjected HuffPost to an extensive search, a step Abu Marzouks Hamas aides apologized for, seemed embarrassed about and made sure to say was due to Qatars requirements. (Notably, Israel has tried to assassinate senior Hamas figures, such as Khaled Meshal, a close associate of Abu Marzouk.) We also did not take the prospect of hearing and sharing Hamas views lightly. Still, HuffPost assessed that interviewing Abu Marzouk and Naim provided an uncommon opportunity to inform our audience and to question Hamas about global concerns and its actions on matters including harming civilians and the handling of humanitarian relief desperately needed in Gaza. Senior Hamas figure Mousa Abu Marzouk, seen here in Doha, Qatar, on March 30, is the group's deputy leader outside its base in Gaza. Akbar Shahid Ahmed/HuffPost HuffPost this week shared key Hamas statements included in this article with spokespeople at the State Department, the National Security Council at the White House and Israels embassy in Washington. Only a State Department spokesperson responded, reaffirming the U.S. stance against dealing with Hamas, which it lists as a terrorist group, beyond limited indirect communications through third parties, such as Egypt and Qatar, as it makes plans for a territory where Hamas is deeply ingrained. We do not engage in public debates with terrorist organizations like Hamas, the spokesperson wrote in an email. The U.S. remains committed to advancing the realization of an independent Palestinian state, standing side by side with Israel in peace and security. Oct. 7 Bloodshed And The Hostage Crisis In Israel, where thousands of anxious people await reunions with the hostages still in Gaza, and in Washington, where Biden administration officials daily promise to help those hostages and the U.S.-Israel alliance is sacrosanct, Oct. 7 is a constant touchstone, so devastating and unprecedented a wound that it feels almost as fresh six months later. In discussing the assault with Hamas leaders, it is clear its not a matter they want to linger on, both because they do not want to dissect responsibility for atrocities committed that day, which are undeniable even for them, and because they see Gazas current conditions and their long-term goals as more important. History didnt start on Oct. 7. Before Oct. 7, we were besieged, Naim said. He said he was out of the open-air prison of Gaza accidentally because he had traveled to Turkey for meetings prior to the attack; his wife and children remain in Gaza, which Israel and then Egypt blockaded after Hamas took over in 2007, tightly limiting entry and exit. Naim listed additional developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that Hamas has cited as inspiring the assault: attacks by Israeli extremists on the Haram al-Sharif, or Temple Mount, sacred to Jews and Muslims alike; Israeli steps toward annexing the occupied West Bank; and the Judaization of Jerusalem. Therefore, we consider this an act of defense. We were squeezed; we were suppressed, he continued. Pressed on the brutality of the Hamas incursion, Naim said Hamas told its fighters to avoid noncombatants. He attempted to shift blame for civilian deaths away from the attackers and onto the attacked, saying the Palestinian group was surprised Israels defensive lines collapsed so quickly, enabling many people not associated with Hamas to cross from Gaza into Israel. There was chaos. We cannot be responsible for the chaos that has taken place after one, two hours, he said, pointing to reports that Israeli troops responding to the violence killed some civilians, which the Israel Defense Forces have confirmed and continue to investigate. There was no intention to harm or to attack any of the civilians, Naim claimed. This operation was designed and conducted and launched only to attack military bases and maybe to take some soldiers hostage to exchange with thousands of Palestinians, some of whom have now spent 44 years in jail, like Nael Al-Barghouti, whom Israel arrested in 1978, released in 2011 and re-arrested in 2014. Of the more than 760 casualties on Oct. 7 who were civilians, at least 36 were children, according to Israeli government reports. Hamas claim that its fighters did not target civilians is contradicted by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and numerous newsreports. Amanda Klasing, the national director for government relations at Amnesty USA, told HuffPost her group has verified footage of Palestinian fighters shooting at civilians on 7 October. Hamas and other armed groups also took civilians as hostages and have repeatedly fired indiscriminate rockets into Israel, killing and injuring civilians. These attacks are war crimes, Klasing added. Did Hamas anticipate the sweeping response to its foray from Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? Abu Marzouk told HuffPost: We thought that America [would] allow for a partial aggression against Gaza, especially given that most of the victims are civilians. We didnt expect this brutality of America, he said, citing an article in The Washington Post published the day before that revealed Biden greenlighted additional bombs and fighter jets for Israel. In the 1990s, the U.S. detained Abu Marzouk for more than a year over terrorism allegations; it deported him and continues to list him as a specially designated national under U.S. sanctions. In Hamas view, they have sought negotiations and an end to fighting since soon after the attack. On Oct. 17, an unnamed senior Hamas official told NBC News that the group was willing to release all civilians Israelis and foreigners if Israel stopped bombing Gaza. Through intermediaries, Israel and Hamas did a month later agree on a weeklong pause in combat that allowed more than 100 hostages to be released and increased humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza. But that bargain fell apart on Dec. 1, and efforts to secure a similar deal in months since, which intensified in February and March and which Biden has described as a priority, have not borne fruit. The Hamas leaders described having little optimism over negotiations, which are continuing and have evolved since HuffPosts interviews and international outrage over Israels Monday killing of aid workers associated with the World Central Kitchen nonprofit. We cannot say that we have reached common ground to talk about details, Naim said on March 29, referring to matters like the timeline and the process of releases or steps toward a possible Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. In recent days, Israeli officials told reporters that they were becoming flexible on one question: letting displaced Gazans return to the northern part of the territory. On Monday, however, an Israeli source downplayed hopes of a deal in speaking with the Haaretz newspaper. On Thursday, Hamas rejected a framework approved by Israel and the intermediaries, blaming Netanyahu; separately, Biden urged Netanyahu to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home. Both Hamas figures argued Netanyahu is personally unwilling to halt the war because it would mean his political collapse echoing an assessment that is now widely shared in global capitals. They described frustration with Bidens continued support for his Israeli counterpart despite that position and deep distrust in the role of the U.S., which has historically attempted to be an intermediary in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The problem with the Americans is they want to support Israel regardless of the Israeli policies, and this is against the American policies through history, Abu Marzouk said, describing Americans as vital collaborators for Netanyahu rather than mediators. Citing U.S. talk of pausing the Israeli offensive to enable hostage releases and what he cast as Washingtons assessment that Israel had failed to achieve its aims, Naim argued: America is in line strategically with Israel about the war and the goals. No differences. What we observe sometimes is a tactical difference; it is not a strategic difference. During the negotiations, yes, we have seen sometimes that they are pressuring [Israel] to reach something. At the beginning [of the war], we have seen what we called identical positions. There is a clear shift, but again it is a tactical shift, and I think this is because of the internal pressures [on Biden] in the year of the election; this is because of the fear that the war might be broadened in the region and the Americans want to go out of the region, not to go back to the region; and thirdly, that they see that this is not serving the security and stability of Israel itself in the long run, he added. All this together led them to exercise some pressure, but they have all the cards to end this aggression. While CIA Director William Burns is involved in the Israel-Hamas bargaining, and is traveling to Cairo this weekend looking to advance those discussions, the primary players are various Hamas leaders notably commanders still in Gaza, led by Oct. 7 planner Yahya Sinwar and Israels Mossad intelligence agency. On Saturday, Hamas said it would send a new delegation to the discussions but would not abandon its demands for a full cease-fire and Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza. Burned-out houses in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Israel, where Hamas-led militants massacred and kidnapped residents on Oct. 7, 2023. DIMA VAZINOVICH/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images Mossad officials had in previous rounds of talks indicated they were keen to reach a deal and viewed Netanyahu as the barrier to a possible agreement, a separate source familiar with the talks told HuffPost. Naim said Hamas partially shares that assessment but added some potential insight into Hamas calculus in dealing with Israels deeply divided political scene and what may be driving Hamas to accept or reject possible deals. I dont think that is the only cause, he told HuffPost. He cited polls showing most Israelis support the campaign in Gaza. He also noted fractures within Israels society over a judicial power grab by Netanyahu and the question of whether ultra-Orthodox men should perform military service, which drew the Israeli military into polarizing debates. After all these discussions, the army started to lose some of its holiness, Naim said. Then, when Oct. 7 came, all the security apparatus failed. They are not so eager to end the aggression because they themselves feel that, We have failed and this is our duty. An Israeli official disputed the Hamas version of the negotiations to HuffPost, saying: Despite whats being publicly written, Hamas is the one that brings conditions that cannot be met. HuffPost asked Naim, in relation to negotiations about halting the fighting, how Hamas sees the possibility of an Israeli attack on the Palestinian town of Rafah, where Netanyahu says he intends to invade, close to 1.5 million Palestinians have taken shelter and the Biden administration says it cannot support an Israeli advance without a meaningful plan to shield civilians. We believe that now it is part of the pressure on the negotiators, but at the same time we are preparing ourselves for the worst, Naim responded. Then he alluded to a theme that both Hamas figures frequently, and hopefully, referenced: forceful Israeli actions sparking worldwide furor. Noting Rafahs location on Gazas border with Egypt, which has a 45-year-old peace treaty with Israel but also a population wary of the Jewish state, Naim said Netanyahus mistakes here could flare a bigger war. He added: We have now international awareness about the whole conflict, especially Rafah. Its totally different from the beginning. On Friday, White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that the Biden administration plans to continue conversations with Israel about a possible Rafah mission in the coming weeks. Who Speaks For The Palestinians? Netanyahu has regularly pledged to destroy Hamas, an outcome Biden has repeatedly endorsed. U.S. intelligence and most independent analysts do not see that as achievable on the battlefield. Last week, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted Israeli military officials as saying their government has overestimated how many Hamas fighters it has eliminated so far, since it is in some zones logging any Palestinian killed, including civilians, as Hamas combatants. But some outside opponents of the armed Palestinian group describe another way to undercut Hamas: boosting misery and frustration among Gazas residents so they fully reject their former rulers, blaming them for a collapse in living standards in the strip that U.S. aid officials describe as unprecedented in modern history. Palestinians walk among extensive destruction Tuesday after the Israeli army withdrew from the Al-Shifa Hospital and the surrounding areas west of Gaza City. Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu via Getty Images HuffPost asked the two Hamas leaders about two recent polls of Palestinians that suggested their group is losing some sway. Amid conversations in Washington and beyond about post-war planning, the question of who can actually speak for the community and build stability amid the envisioned reconstruction of Gaza and renewal of diplomatic negotiations is crucial. Its even more consequential as various Palestinian groups from Abbas Fatah party, which runs the PA, to Hamas hold first-of-their-kind consultations among themselves. On March 20, the respected Palestinian pollster Khalil Shikaki published his latest survey of Palestinians in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank, conducted March 5 to 10. He reported a significant change compared with his previous poll, in December, in terms of an 11% drop in support for Hamas. Separately, polling over a similar period by a West Bank-based think tank called the Institute for Social and Economic Progress said more than 78% of Gazans want to be governed by the PA or a Palestinian unity government, with only 3% preferring Hamas rule, and it noted Hamas leaders were very unpopular in the Gaza Strip. Abu Marzouk and Naim were immediately familiar with the Shikaki statistics. Abu Marzouk, who has been central to Hamas since its founding in the 1980s, argued his factions support has only increased over time and would understandably fall given Israels pummeling of Palestinians. We know the amount of suffering which has hit the people in Gaza, but this is the occupations policy through history, Abu Marzouk said. Both he and Naim cast the question of how many Palestinians support Hamas as less significant than what they claimed the organization represents: the fiercest force for Palestinian rights. Saying we are following this closely, Naim told HuffPost: I usually refuse to portray this conflict as if it is between Hamas and Israel. It is between Palestinians and Israel. Today it is with Hamas, 20 years ago it was with Fatah, 30 years ago it was with the old [Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine or PFLP]. There is a small decrease in the popularity of Hamas, but when you look to questions like, for example, supporting resistance in general. When it comes to how much Palestinians are still supporting the operation of Oct. 7, you will find a huge majority, Naim said. When you ask about a political affiliation, there are a lot of people who are supporting Hamas as a resistance movement, but they are not affiliated ideologically to Hamas; they are secular. Shikakis report said 71% of Palestinians currently support Hamas Oct. 7 attack (a similar proportion as in his December poll) and 55% saw armed resistance as the way to break the stalemate with Israel, though he noted a drop in overall support for armed struggle. In the Hamas leaders telling, their group is aiming not to rule but to work with other Palestinians for a new setup uniting the community. Both Abu Marzouk and Naim pointed to a summit last month in Moscow that drew 14 Palestinian factions together to discuss establishing a nonpartisan, widely acceptable government an outcome Abu Marzouk claimed the U.S. and Abbas sought to stymie by trying to end any Palestinian internal understanding through the new PA appointment shortly after the summit. America does not want unity among the Palestinians. Many times the U.S. has claimed that they dont want the participation of terrorists in any body of the [Palestine Liberation Organization, the internationally recognized official representative of the Palestinian people], and they are meaning the active factions in the Palestinian arena: Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the PFLP, Abu Marzouk said. In extensive remarks, Naim promoted Hamas evident desire to no longer be perceived globally as overly extreme or too intolerant of other Palestinian forces. No one has to be afraid that if the Palestinians sit together, they will go far and extreme to choose, for example, a radical leadership or a radical political track Im sure you will find a very balanced leadership, he argued. Naim claimed his group is prioritizing Palestinian elections and a way to launch, with the aid of the international community, a political track which can end with an independent Palestinian state on 1967 borders. He asserted these professed goals show Hamas is thinking rationally, despite its horror over Israeli actions in Gaza. It reflects that generally the Palestinian leadership, starting with Hamas and ending with Fatah and in between, they know whats feasible and whats not feasible, he said. To give credence to its talk of a truly inclusive new Palestinian regime, Hamas will likely need to go beyond rhetoric to address suspicions about its willingness to share power and rule transparently. The group cracked down onprotesters,political opponents and alleged Israeli collaborators when it ruled Gaza, human rights groups say, and outside analysts haveurged it to be more open about its processes of selecting leaders and policies (though, unlike Abbas and the PA, it has had regular leadership changes). It also boycotted PA-organized municipal elections for Palestinians, saying it would only accept elections at all levels, including for Abbas post. The Hamas figures maintained the refusal to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace comes not from them but from Biden and Netanyahu. America is now claiming that they are supporting the two-state solution, but they are doing their best to undermine the Palestinian side, especially in this open conflict with Hamas, by supporting the weak Palestinian side of the PA in front of the most powerful side, which is Israel supported by the U.S., Abu Marzouk said. Rather than debate the sincerity of his group, he continued, at least they should put Hamas under the test by allowing the Palestinians to create a state. The ones who are refusing a Palestinian state are the Israelis. Theres significant evidence for that final claim. Netanyahus far-right government has long decried the prospect of Palestinian statehood, and earlier this year, more than 80% of Israels parliament voted to reject international recognition of a Palestinian state without a deal with Israel, a possibility the U.S. and European states are considering. On Thursday, the same day he held a tense call with Biden, Netanyahu told Republican members of the U.S. Congress that he perceives an attempt to force, ram down our throats, a Palestinian state, which will be another terror haven. The Players On The Board The Hamas figures reading of the politics of their adversaries seemed to temper their expectations of an Israeli-Palestinian settlement soon while making them wary of what might happen if that process is delayed much longer. Pointing to the rightward shift in Israeli politics, Naim called the trend so huge and so deep and radical that it is clearly converting this conflict from a political conflict about land and independence and United Nations resolutions into a religious conflict. If we reach this point, this conflict will not be solvable, he added, contrasting current players with wiser leaders of Israels past, whom he described as more pragmatic and concerned with at least, as he put it, pretending to comply with international norms. Netanyahus coalition government is objectively the most conservative in Israels 76-year existence. Experts believe even administrations led by likely alternatives, such as retired Gen. Benny Gantz or Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid both well-liked in Washington, where Gantz visited last month before calling for a fresh Israeli election and where Lapid will go next week are likely to be hawkish on Palestinian affairs. When Lapid was in power in 2021, Naim noted, his administration approved what the European Union deemed an exponentially high number of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. Naim expressed interest in nuances of U.S. politics, asking HuffPost whether newly widespread pro-Palestinian sentiment seemed likely to last or to fade away. He viewed Bidens reelection bid as partially shaping U.S. policy. Maybe they are still trying in the year of the election to balance the internal pressure because of Muslims, Arabs and leftists, and on the other side, the Jewish lobbies, Naim said. U.S. President Joe Biden, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 18, 2023. ISRAELI GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE (GPO) / HANDOUT via Getty Images HuffPost additionally asked the Hamas figures about the role in the war and Israel-Palestine affairs played by the two behemoths in their neighborhood: Iran and Saudi Arabia. Iran, a U.S. antagonist, has been a Hamas ally for decades, seeking to build popularity in the Muslim-majority world through its links to the Palestinian cause. Saudi Arabia, a U.S. partner, was before Oct. 7 rapidly moving toward establishing diplomatic relations with Israel after decades of shunning the state. But Palestinians said the process still the chief Middle East focus of the Biden administration ignored their concerns and risked marginalizing them for good by convincing Israel it could secure Arab allies without resolving its conflict with Palestinians. Abu Marzouk was careful in discussing both players. Though disrupting so-called Israel-Saudi normalization is widely seen as one purpose for the war, and though Hamas has had strained ties with the Saudis, Abu Marzouk did not criticize the kingdom, which is trying to combat claims it was willing to sacrifice Palestinian interests. He noted that Saudi Arabia has re-emphasized its 2002 position that all Arab nations would make peace with Israel if it withdrew from Palestinian territories it captured in 1967, recognized a Palestinian state within them and offered a plan for Palestinian refugees displaced by its founding. Then he offered a narrative that blames Israel for hurting both the Saudis and the Americans bolstering Hamas overall argument that its the Jewish state that is unreasonable and a liability, with an eye toward winning over a U.S. audience. Washington and Riyadh seek to develop links between the entire Islamic world and Israel, and to empower the American position in the region to confront China and Russia, Abu Marzouk argued. But its obvious that the Israeli doings are now eliminating all the American efforts in the region. The big question is to what extent Americans will keep supporting Israel even if it is undermining their strategies they are destroying the image of the Americans with the whole region. In addressing the subject of Iran, the Hamas leader struck a similar note by suggesting Israel is endangering the U.S., telling HuffPost it is very obvious Israeli government practices are actually pushing a war between Iran and America. Western officials have expressed similar fears to HuffPost, with one U.S official recently saying American intelligence has for months given policymakers warnings and alarm bells about Israel pursuing a broader conflict, likely beginning in Lebanon, which, according to The Wall Street Journal, Netanyahu sought to launch a campaign in soon after Oct. 7. An Israeli airstrike killed Iranian officials in Syria this week, and on Friday, CBS News reported that U.S. intelligence agencies believe an Iranian retaliation could come by early next week, potentially fueling a spiral of escalation that ultimately forces the U.S. to become militarily involved in defense of Israel. Yet Abu Marzouk was circumspect about how Iran itself has stoked regional tensions, in part through its support for Hamas. Saying that the Palestinians are resisting the occupation because of Iranian support is false, he said. We were confronting the English occupation from 1919 to 1947. Iranian support came late, after 1990. We are talking about 70 years of resisting occupation before Iranian support. Though Naim acknowledged that Hamas receives weapons from other countries, Abu Marzouk claimed the group is using homemade weapons. If the weapons or assistance came from Iran, the Palestinian resistance would not remain steadfast for six months amid Israels near-total siege on Gaza, he said. Well before Oct. 7, however, Iran gave Hamas tens of millions of dollars for arms and for training and technical assistance, current and former intelligence officials told The Washington Post. White House Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer has called Iran broadly complicit in the attack. Iran rejected that depiction, and Naim rebutted it to HuffPost, saying, For us, Oct. 7 is a pure Palestinian operation: planning, implementing and paying also the price of the repercussions of the response. Putting Them On Notice HuffPost discussed Hamas statements and its role in Israeli-Palestinian developments with two longtime analysts of the conflict. Both described Abu Marzouks comment warning that Hamas would battle any possible multinational force for Gaza as especially noteworthy. Any nation that is even considering or being pressured by the U.S. to consider participating is going to take that seriously [The comments are] basically putting them on notice that theyre going into whats still a contested area, said Lara Friedman, the president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace think tank. This is the kind of statement which underscores what a big ask that would be and the risk that the members would face. Khaled Elgindy, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute think tank, called Abu Marzouks remark a pretty bold statement intended to dissuade people moving in that line. Even if Hamas strategically decided not to attack soldiers sent by Arab states or other Muslim-majority countries, such as Turkey, the group could quietly facilitate attacks by other militants in Gaza, he noted. Despite Israeli claims of fighting until Hamas is destroyed, I dont know anyone who considers the argument that Israel will eradicate Hamas as credible, Friedman told HuffPost. Even Israels own intelligence and national security forces have weighed in that that is unrealistic [and] resistance is not merely card-carrying Hamas members. Asked whether to take Hamas seriously about its apparent openness to a two-state settlement, the analysts suggested the U.S., long the chief broker in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, has never done so. Americas approach has been to pursue a peace settlement with parties it defines as good Palestinians while seeing little value in Palestinian unity or engaging all parts of the community, said Elgindy, a former adviser to the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah. Given Hamas own interests and its limited capacity, a two-state solution requiring the organization to tolerate Israel regardless of likely deep lingering disdain for it might be the only good outcome for the group. I dont see any other way for Hamas to be politically relevant. Theyre not going to be the ones who liberate Palestine from the river to the sea, Elgindy said. Like all political movements, they want to lead and govern, and their only hope of doing that is in the context of a state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. To Friedman, Hamas 2017 statement had represented an opportunity if someone is looking for a partner and for an offramp that involves, genuinely, two states. Im not suggesting that Hamas is a good actor here. Im suggesting weve never tested it, added Friedman, a former State Department official. But its hard to see how all parties involved would shift their positions in the way experts believe necessary for an effective renewed bid to secure an agreement on a mutually coexisting Israel and Palestine. Israel would need to be convinced to reject the easy-to-sell view that Palestinian statehood after Oct. 7 represents what hard-liners there, like current Finance Minister Belazel Smotrich, describe as a prize for the terrible massacre. Hamas would need to acknowledge how its actions make peace harder to secure and cultivate trust in its willingness to cease violence. Though the group is correct to see a rightward trend in Israeli politics, it must see it helped contribute to that trend, Elgindy said, and may have all but guaranteed it. Even though they didnt invent the trend, the operation of Oct. 7 definitely accelerated and strengthened that trend, so there needs to be a little bit more self-awareness, he added. Meanwhile, Abbas would have to allow Palestinian society to evolve a new political dialogue by softening his grip on power, a step he has resisted despite huge pushback. Its apt to read Mustafas appointment as a gambit by Abbas, Elgindy said, a way to send the message: I have full authority to appoint whomever I want, and its not up to Hamas. Though that may be true procedurally, politically its a nonstarter, the analyst said. Eventually [Abbas] is going to need Hamas approval one way or another. If hes expecting that Hamas will disappear and therefore he will have a free hand to do whatever he wants, thats just silly. And finally, Washington would need to reconsider a range of policies some dating back decades and supported by politicians from both parties, others firmly tied to Biden. The U.S. has worked for years to block the establishment of a Palestinian administration that includes all factions, Friedman said, using steps such as legislation barring American aid to the PA if it included individuals whom Washington saw as unsuitable to signal we would put in place all sorts of obstacles to that happening. Elgindy honed in on the presidents six-month-old decision to adopt Israels war plans wholesale, which many Biden allies now see as a mistake. Weve never had a U.S. administration openly and explicitly working toward the defeat of a particular Palestinian group, he said. Elgindy noted that President Ronald Reagan did not share Israels 1980s goal of destroying the Palestine Liberation Organization and that President George W. Bush pushed Israel to stop targeting PA leader Yasser Arafat. Thats a problem for the U.S. having any kind of role in a peace process or even as a stabilizing force in Gaza going forward, he told HuffPost. I cant think of any U.S. administration that has been this unconditional in its support for Israeli war aims and actions on the ground, Elgindy said. Ive never seen anything like it. Related... Interviews and search warrants from a Kansas City police case file suggest well-known business owner John Bartrom, 46, who was killed in a January shooting, may have been trying to buy drugs before an altercation that led to his death. Jackson County prosecutors declined to file charges last month against a man accused of fatally shooting Bartrom in January, saying the man who fired the handgun in the incident acted in self defense. The man arrested in connection with the shooting told police that Bartrom came to his car window at a gas station off East 63rd and Prospect and asked him for drugs. He told police he believed Bartrom was high at the time of their interaction, according to an interview log from officers. The man told police that he Doordashes late at night and carries a gun for self defense. He told police he believed he was carrying a .40 caliber handgun the night of the shooting. Because he was not charged, The Star is not naming the man accused of shooting Bartrom. In his interview with police, the man said Bartrom wanted to buy something hard like coke. He allegedly told Bartrom all he had was weed and began to drive away, according to the interview log. As he began to drive, he said said he saw Bartrom flash a large amount of cash in the air. At that point, video surveillance shows the man backing up toward Bartrom. In his interview with police, he said he refused to go into the gas station with Bartrom, but then said Bartrom reached in the vehicle and grabbed hold of his clothes, trying to pull him out of the vehicle. The man told police he pushed Bartrom off him, and said Bartrom then tried to lunge at him a second time. Thats when, as he explained in an interview with police, he said he fired one shot in Bartroms direction and immediately drove away and went straight home. (He) stated he did not think he struck the victim when he fired and he did not see any blood, Kansas City Police Detective Ilinca Rusnac wrote in an interview summary. (He) was afraid for his safety based on the victims demeanor and added that he had never seen or interacted with the victim prior to that day. Officers responded just before midnight that January night to the gas station on a medical call, with the caller describing indicators of an overdose. Emergency Medical Services administered one round of Narcan and discovered a gunshot wound in Bartroms chest. They transported him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police reviewed video footage from the gas station shortly after the incident. According to police, surveillance video showed Bartrom park adjacent to a white SUV, get out of his car and walk toward the SUV while pulling what looks like cash out of his pocket. Then the video shows the SUV start to leave the gas station as Bartrom appears to count money and place it on the ground where the SUV had been parked. The SUV reverses back toward the pump and then takes off quickly as Bartrom falls to the ground in pain, a detective wrote in the case file. The Star requested video and photos from the case, and was advised video would not be available until August. The homicide will be declined due to self-defense, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Bakers office said in a statement last month. Evidence showed the man who shot Bartrom fired a handgun after Bartrom struggled with the man and Bartrom tried to pull the man from his vehicle. Jackson County prosecutors came to this legal conclusion in consultation with police detectives. John Bartrom, 46, was killed in a Sunday morning shooting near Prospect Avenue in Kansas City. Bartrom was the founder and CEO of Jericho Home Improvements, a company specializing in bathroom and kitchen remodeling. John Bartrom on LinkedIn Bartrom fought addiction, had a generous heart The death of Bartrom, who was known for founding Jericho Home Improvements LLC, shook a community who knew him as a friendly face and helping hand in the home remodeling business. Our hearts are heavy but our mission is unchanged, Jericho Home Improvements new president Alec Burton said in a promotional video posted on social media in March. Johns priorities are still our priorities (helping) customers, employees and orphaned and abandoned children he said. Bartrom founded the company in 2009 after working in sales at other companies, including Home Depot. On his LinkedIn page, Bartrom said he wanted to build a strong culture at Jericho of taking care of employees and doing the right thing. The company website also explains its charitable activities, including work with The Global Orphan Project, Living Water International and Habitat for Humanity. Giving back is a belief that is ingrained into the heart of Jericho, and is something we live and breathe every day, Bartrom wrote on the website. Bartroms family did not respond to requests from The Star in time for publication, but in January, his sister Nora Schwartz told The Star Bartrom loved to talk, was passionate about giving back and helping others. In an interview with police during their investigation into Bartroms death, Bartroms fiance Rachel Chai told police she knew he had a battle with drug addiction in the past. Johnson County court records show Bartrom served probation for a misdemeanor drug charge in 2021. Chai made a post on Facebook on January 15 in remembrance of Bartrom, recounting his love for karaoke, hot sauce and nature. She talked about his love for making a difference in others lives and giving himself to worthwhile causes. Mark 8:36 says, For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? John never, ever lost his soul, even in a world with too many people who lose their own, she said in the post. Chai recounted how Bartrom was the first one to do the crazy things like swimming with sharks on a family vacation. In her post, Chai said those who truly knew and loved John will choose to give generously and love unconditionally to continue his legacy. She said she will honor her late fiance by letting their son get messy while eating, sing loudly, dream big and tell him true stories about a father that was loved by many. Eventually, all of our physical lives end and we become a legacy but we live on through others, Chai wrote on Facebook. Part of Johns legacy is one of being an irrational giver to those in need, for he was a man who needed to serve no one, yet chose to serve everyone like the hero he often spoke about: Jesus. The Savior, he would tell anyone and everyone, who died on a cross for all of us. This is why we will see John again in Heaven if we want. The Stars Nathan Pilling contributed to this report. New Hawaii license plates could look different in 2025 HONOLULU (KHON2) Hawaii is known as the Aloha State and officials are hoping to show their love for the Hawaiian language with a new requirement to include the okina on new license plates. Hawaii has seen the addition of the okina and other Hawaiian diacritical marks added to street signs in recent years, they are even required in official State and County letterheads and websites. The okina, a diacritical mark in the Hawaiian language, is a glottal stop. It can be seen in some local spellings of the states name, Hawaii. The Honolulu Department of Consumer Services said adding the okina to Hawaiis iconic license plates follows that same trend. So this is also consistent with that, said DCS director Kim Hashiro, and were really just trying to make sure that were representing the Hawaiian language as accurately as possible. The new worlds oldest man says the secret to his longevity is luck and this popular English dish It is illegal to have the okina on license plates under current law legislators are working on changing that and advocates said it is more than just a diacritical mark. Its the 13th letter in the Hawaiian alphabet. Our alphabet goes A, E, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, P, U, W, okina, said Hawaiian language advocate Hailama Farden. To leave out the okina is like leaving the C out of California. Some legislators tried to pass bills this session that would require Hawaiian language to be taught in schools, the proposed bills are no longer moving forward but one of their introducers is in full support of the okina bill. Its a step forward in the right direction. We have a long ways to go in restoring Olelo Hawaii as an official language, there are so many hills to climb but this is just one hill that were moving forward in the right direction. Rep. Diamond Garcia, (R) Varona Village, Ewa, Kapolei The proposal would only apply to license plates issued starting in 2025, so locals will not have to turn in their current plate if it passes. The bill is scheduled for a full Senate vote on Tuesday, April 9. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Head-on collision on WIS 29 in Brown County kills both drivers HOBART, Wis. (WFRV) A head-on collision between two cars on State Highway 29 in Brown County left both drivers dead early Saturday morning, authorities say. According to the Hobart/Lawrence Police Department, the crash happened around 3 a.m. on April 6 on WIS 29 near CTH VV in Hobart. Officers say the crash was reported as being a head-on collision between two vehicles that were both traveling in the westbound lanes of the highway. Annaka Trudell bound over for trial after allegedly killing 33yo woman over drugs When officers arrived, one of the vehicles was engulfed in flames. Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation. Local 5 will update this story when more information is provided. Hobart-Lawrence Police Department was assisted by the Brown County Sheriffs Department, Hobart Fire Department, Oneida Police Department, DePere Fire Department, and the Brown County Communications Center. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. HHS secretary visits San Diego for minority health summit SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra visited San Diego on Friday as part of a nationwide tour to share what the Biden Administration is doing to improve healthcare access for those in the Latino community. Becerra, who is the top healthcare official in the U.S., joined a group of students and researchers from California-based, minority-serving institutions for a workshop at San Diego State University to explore ways to expand diversity in clinical trials. The workshop is an initiative under a new White House agency called the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, launched in 2022. Palomar Health closing behavioral health unit in Poway The goal of the agency is to improve health care access and quality across communities, including through addressing inequities that often pose difficulties for marginalized groups. This includes expanding diversity in research to understand how different groups react to certain medical interventions. We have to ensure that healthcare is not some luxury item that only some people can get, because at the end of the day we all have to lift this country lift this economy and we do that better when we are all healthy, Becerra said to reporters after the event. Historically, clinical trials have not always recruited participants who represented the individuals affected most by certain diseases, conditions or behavior, according to the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Most have traditionally relied on white male participants. Cancer research was a particular focus of Fridays event, as the disease has become one of the leading causes of death for Hispanic Americans and yet these groups have been underrepresented in trials for different treatments. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra during a San Diego visit on April 5, 2024. (FOX 5/KUSI) Outside the Latino community, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health has also looked to advance womens health research with a recent $100 million investment. Becerras San Diego visit is part of a multi-day, multi-state tour. Prior to making the trip to San Diego, the secretary also stopped in Florida, New Mexico and Colorado. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. Uniquely is a Sacramento Bee series that covers the moments, landmarks and personalities that define what makes living in the Sacramento area so special. You might live or be in Sacramento. But where are you really? Are you hanging out in downtown or midtown? Or are you in Land Park, Mansion Flats or Hollywood Park? Besides tree-lined sidewalks and Victorian-style houses, Sacramentos neighborhoods are demarcated by unique names. And some of them hint at a long history in Sacramento. Barbara Stockman asked The Sacramento Bee: How did the neighborhoods in Sacramento get their names? (Alkali Flat), Robla, Hollywood Park, etc. Some like Land Park are obvious but others hint at more intriguing origins. Stockman has been a resident of Sacramento for more than 20 years. She currently resides in the Robla neighborhood. In addition to spending time with her family and gardening for butterflies, she told The Bee, she enjoys the diversity of history and culture in the area. Bee Curious, a reader-driven series where reporters answer the communitys questions, dived into the origins of Sacramentos neighborhoods. How are neighborhoods created? According to Sean deCourcy, preservation director with the city of Sacramento, neighborhood limits can be set for various reasons. Boundaries are often created by property developers or they may be based on the areas physical features, he said. Poverty Ridge for example is delineated by the sand dune that creates the raised land (or ridge), deCourcy said. Sometimes, neighborhoods may be bounded by roadways and structures. Other times, he said, several developments may merge into one neighborhood. How are neighborhoods named? It all boils down to who lived in the neighborhood or who developed it. Neighborhood names can happen in several ways, either formally or informally, said William Burg, president of Preservation Sacramento, a nonprofit organization that works to protect the citys historic places. Burg said that older neighborhoods were typically named by their residents, with monikers borrowing from the areas geographic features or institutions. Many neighborhoods were established as real estate developments, given a name by the developer who established the subdivision, he said. The best known early subdivision of this sort was Oak Park. Burg added that the limits of a neighborhood and its name may change over time. Heres how some prominent Sacramento neighborhoods got their names: The Oak Park sign, fashioned after the original gateway arch that marked the neighborhood when it was established in 1903, welcomes visitors to McClatchy Park at 35th Street and 5th Avenue. Oak Park In 1887, real estate developer Edwin K. Alsip subdivided the 230-acre William Doyle Ranch into blocks and renamed the area Oak Park, according to the citys historic district plan. The new name was an ode to an eight-acre oak tree grove that grew at the center. Prior to World War II, most Oak Park residents were of European descent, although African American and Mexican American people also lived there, local magazine Midtown Monthly reported in 2010. After the Great Depression and World War II, middle class families and businesses left Oak Park, ushering in a new community of African American residents, according to the district plan. Oak Park became a home to people who were previously forced out from the West End due to redevelopment projects and who were barred from living in other neighborhoods under discriminatory housing convenants. Cultural and social organizations also moved to Oak Park, such as the Sacramento Observer, an African American-owned weekly newspaper, the Womens Civic Improvement Club and the Sacramento Black Panther Party. As a result, Oak Park developed a new cultural identity as an African American neighborhood, the city said in the district plan. After years of growing levels of poverty and social tensions between residents and law enforcement, Oak Park has undergone rapid development in recent years. The dramatic gentrification of Oak Park is dizzying, according to The Bees report in 2021, prompting efforts to save the community. Boundaries: According to its historic district plan, Oak Park is bounded on the west by 33rd and 34th streets and on the northeast by a zig-zagging line that weaves along Broadway at Second, Third, and Fourth avenues before turning northwest along Fourth Avenue and up 34th Street to Third Avenue. A concrete block with the name P. Sullivan stands on the sidewalk in 2010 in front of a Victorian home at 11th and E streets in Alkali Flat, Sacramentos oldest existing residential neighborhood. Alkali Flat North of downtown Sacramento lies Alkali Flat the oldest existing residential neighborhood in Sacramento, according to its historic district plan. Once part of a dry lakebed, it was named after the chalky, white deposits of alkali that were left on the streets after the floods that periodically affected the area, city officials said in the plan. The neighborhood is home to a variety of Victorian and Queen Anne-style houses; sycamore, palm and walnut trees and previously, well-to-do and working-class residents. Over the years, due to increasing industrialization in Alkali Flat, as well as low rent and its proximity to downtown businesses, lower income laborers began moving to the area, according to the district plan. Many of them were immigrants. Many large homes were divided into smaller units to house multiple families at a time. Among the new residents of Alkali Flat were Mexican Americans who fostered a strong community in the neighborhood, the district plan stated. The Royal Chicano Air Force, an art collective founded in 1969, based many of its activities in Alkali Flat and became one of the most dominant and influential groups in Sacramento and the national Chicano art movement, according to the plan. Boundaries: Alkali Flats boundaries are north to the Union Pacific Railroad Tracks, west to Seventh Street, south to G Street and east to 12th Street. Then-Gov. Jerry Brown watches corgis Sutter and Colusa play in front of the Governors Mansion in 2015. Brown, who also lived in the mansion during his fathers time as governor, was the first governor to live in the Mansion Flats landmark after Gov. Ronald Reagan abandoned it in the 1960s. Mansion Flats Mansion Flats is located east of Alkali Flat and hugs downtown Sacramento. Burg said the name Mansion Flats was chosen by its neighborhood association. It references Alkali Flat and the dramatic mansions along H Street. More specifically, the name comes from the Historic California Governors Mansion at 16th and H streets, the Alkali and Mansion Flats Neighborhood Association said on its website. Boundaries: Mansion Flats boundaries go north to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, west to 12th Street, south to J Street and east to 16th Street. Robla Robla is further north of downtown Sacramento, tucked between Rio Linda and Del Paso Heights. Robla was originally named Oak Grove in the 1890s, Burg said. In the early 1900s, according to the Robla School District, the area was filled with many oak trees. The neighborhood was renamed Robla after the Spanish term roble, meaning, a grove of oaks, in the early 20th century, Burg said. Boundaries: The community is bounded on the north by the city limits; on the east by Dry Creek Road to Marysville Boulevard, and then by Marysville; on the south by Interstate 80and on the west by Norwood Avenue to Claire Avenue and west to Kelton Way. Customers walk into the Hollywood Hardware on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, in Sacramento. The store is closing after 75 years in business. Hollywood Park According to the Hollywood Park Neighborhood Association, the area was established in 1950. Similar to nearby Curtis Park, Hollywood Parks name was chosen by the developer of the area, Burg said. A Sept. 10, 1950, article from The Sacramento Union, which is now defunct, describes Hollywood Parks growth as Booming Along at a Dizzy Pace. Extending south of the city and southeast of William Land Park to Fruitridge Road and 29th Street, Hollywood Park is one of the fastest-growing sections in the post-World War II building boom, Sacramento Union reporter Bill Morrow wrote at the time. Early residents of Hollywood Park and the surrounding area included young ex-GIs and their families, Morrow wrote, many of whom were new to the capital city. Boundaries: The neighborhood is bordered to the north by 22nd Avenue, to the east by 24th Street, to the south by Fruitridge Road and to the west by Freeport Boulevard. This Queen Anne-style Victorian, built in the late 1890s at the corner of 21st and T streets, represents the large homes found in the Poverty Ridge neighborhood. Poverty Ridge Contrary to its name, wealth is on full display in Sacramentos Poverty Ridge neighborhood. The district contains a collection of houses in a variety of architectural styles that were part of one of Sacramentos wealthiest and most prestigious neighborhoods in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, according to the Poverty Ridge Historic District Plan. The most extravagant and large homes can be seen on 21st and 22nd streets, the district plan stated. Some of its former residents include author Joan Didion and Charles McClatchy, former editor of The Sacramento Bee and co-founder of McClatchy Newspapers. The area apparently picked up the nickname Poverty Ridge because people who lived near the waterfront (often working people or those with limited means) supposedly ran up to the ridge when the city flooded, as it was the highest nearby ground aside from Sand Hill, site of the city cemetery, Burg wrote in an email to The Bee. According to the district plan, those who camped on the ridge looked so poor that residents dubbed the neighborhood Poverty Ridge. In early maps of the city, Poverty Ridge was called The Ridge. Around 1860, it was also referred to as Zabriskie Ridge, Burg said. This was in reference to Col. James Cannon Zabriskie, a well-known lawyer in the area at the time. Around 1906, there were attempts to rename the neighborhood Sutters Terrace, Burg said, but the title didnt stick. Boundaries: Poverty Ridges limits are on the north by R Street, on the east between 24th and 25th streets, on the south by the Capital City Freeway and on the west between 18th and 19th streets. UPDATE: SATURDAY 4/6/2024 4:53 p.m. (PUEBLO, Colo.) The Pueblo Fire Department (PFD) announced that the EVRAZ fire is 100% contained as of 3:45 p.m. Saturday, April 6. They mentioned that although the fire is 100% contained, that does not mean its fully extinguished. Jurisdiction and oversight have been handed off to EVRAZ North Americas onsite crews. The City of Pueblo said that the shelter-in-place is no longer in effect, as of 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 6. Two firefighters are recovering from injuries they sustained while fighting the EVRAZ fire on April 5, according to the local Pueblo Firefighters Union #3. There is no word on their condition as of Saturday. PDPHE: Puebloans should stay indoors this weekend UPDATE: FRIDAY 4/5/2024 10:10 p.m. The Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment (PDPHE) is recommending that all community members stay indoors and avoid outdoor activities until at least Sunday, April 7, due to poor air quality as a result of multiple fires that burned in Pueblo County on Friday. Shelter-in-place ordered near Evraz fire UPDATE: FRIDAY 4/5/2024 6:13 p.m. A shelter-in-place order has been issued near the Evraz Steel Mill fire due to air quality concerns. The City of Pueblo said the shelter-in-place is in effect for Summit Avenue and Opal Street east to San Juan Street, south to Canal Street, and west to Stone Avenue. Courtesy: City of Pueblo The City of Pueblo encourages those in the sheltered area to stay inside, close doors and windows, and shut off your air conditioners. Courtesy: FOX21 News photojournalist Dez Rowe Courtesy: FOX21 News reporter Maggy Wolanske Courtesy: FOX21 News reporter Maggy Wolanske Courtesy: FOX21 News photojournalist Dez Rowe Courtesy: Pueblo County Sheriffs Office Courtesy: Pueblo County Sheriffs Office Courtesy: Pueblo County Sheriffs Office Courtesy: Pueblo County Sheriffs Office Courtesy: FOX21 News photojournalist Dez Rowe Road closures in place for Evraz Fire: Santa Fe Avenue at Sante Fe Drive (US-50C) East Northern Avenue at Santa Fe Drive East Northern Avenue at Elm Street East Northern Avenue at Elm Street All employees of Evraz evacuated safely UPDATE: FRIDAY 4/5/2024 5:44 p.m. According to a spokesperson from Evraz, all employees of the mill are safe and accounted for. Evraz said the fire broke out in a building primarily used for staging and storage, and all employees were immediately and safely evacuated. The Pueblo Fire Department remains on scene. Homes under pre-evacuation due to fire at Evraz UPDATE: FRIDAY 4/5/2024 4:47 p.m. Editors note: A previous update from the Pueblo County Sheriffs Office (PCSO) stated that homes on Palo Alto Street were being evacuated. PCSO has corrected those orders to pre-evacuation. Pre-evacuation warnings are in effect due to a fire at Evraz Steel Mill. According to PCSO, homes in the 1000-1100 block of Palo Alto Street in the Salt Creek neighborhood are under pre-evacuation. Evacuees needing a place to go can head to the Reception Center at 1650 Cooper Place. PCSO asks drivers not to stop on I-25 near the Evraz fire. ORIGINAL STORY: Smoke visible from fire at Evraz Steel mill in Pueblo FRIDAY 4/5/2024 3:52 p.m. The Pueblo County Sheriffs Office (PCSO) is asking the community not to call 911 unless you see flames, after a second fire broke out in Pueblo at the Evraz Steel Mill. Earlier on Friday, the Vision Hills Fire broke out near Overton Road, forcing evacuations due to high winds and fire danger. Vision Hills Fire at 52 acres, 20% contained PCSO posted about the Evraz fire just before 3:45 p.m. on Friday, April 5, and said dark smoke is blowing north. The smoke is visible throughout Pueblo, PCSO said, though the sheriffs office asks that community members refrain from calling 911 about fires unless they see active flames. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado. NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is hosting two awareness walks in Hampton Roads. An expected 2,000 people will walk and raise money to help those diagnosed with MS and researchers work toward research for a cure. In Newport News, more than 100 families laced up their shoes at Newport News Park. They look forward to walk all year long. They have a place to belong. A place where they can connect and can find someone thats just like them, said Sherri Ellis, President for the National MS Society in Virginia. Friends and family and coworkers are all showing up to support their loved ones while also helping to raise money for a cure. Thats really what the hope is that we have better treatments, earlier diagnosis, and ultimately a cure! Ellis adds, Well have over $150,000 raised. Thats going to be really good to help us do research for our local programs and services for people to be able to call their MS navigator. Carrie Buchanan moved to Newport News from New Jersey years after after she was diagnosed with MS. I was coming home from work. I was driving and all of a sudden, I had double vision and I had to pull over. Thank God, two young men that I worked with at the time saw me because I had my flashers on. One said he would drive me to my house. That night I called the doctor, explained Buchanan. Over the last three-decades, she has been fundraising for a cure. Its been rocky at times. There are times [that] I cant get out of bed. Im always tired. Luckily, I have a great support system! My daughter, her three sons and my son-in-law. He is more like a son than a son-in-law, said Buchanan. Ellis confirms there are some racial disparities when it comes to MS diagnoses. According to the Neurology Journal, Black women have a higher risk of MS than white women, while Latinx and Asians are less likely to develop the disease. Theres a lot of health inequities for a lot of different diseases and the MS does not discriminate, said Ellis. You can look very good. You dont see those internal symptoms that are really debilitating, hurtful and painfulthe racial disparities are more Black men have progressive MS. The hope is to help lessen the symptoms and find a cure. When I started with the society 16 years ago, we had eight disease modifying therapies. Today, we have 25. [Back] then, all we had were injectables, now we have oral medications. Were seeing so much advancements with the medicines and therapies. People can live a really good life with everything that we have to offer, explained Ellis. We have hope! On Sunday, Walk MS in Virginia Beach kicks off at 1p.m. registration starts at noon. 10 On Your Sides Morning Anchor Katie Collet and the WAVY Warriors will be at the ODU Virginia Beach Higher Education Center. MS Walk on April 7 with Katie Collett and the WAVY Warriors Katie Collett is going to be there! Were super excited to have her! Her big force of nature and team from WAVY TV 10. Collett was diagnosed with MS in 2012. Since then, it has been her mission to walk to raise funds for new research, aid people with Multiple Sclerosis, and find a cure. She hopes youll join her and the WAVY Warriors to meet and beat her goal of raising $15,000 by clicking here. Learn more about Colletts journey, by clicking here. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. The Government of Abu Dhabi has approved a key tourism strategy for the emirate, with the ambitious blueprint signalling a new era of expansion and strategic development in the travel and tourism sector. His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, approved the Tourism Strategy 2030, which is spearheaded by the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi). The strategy seeks to boost visitor numbers from nearly 24 million in 2023 to 39.3 million by 2030 (overnight and same-day), with a 7% year-on-year growth. Moreover, it plans to significantly elevate the tourism and travel sector's contribution to the UAE's GDP, raising it from approximately AED 49 billion ($13 billion) in 2023 to AED 90 billion annually by 2030. The strategy is expected to generate an estimated 178,000 new jobs by 2030 as the entire tourism infrastructure develops to meet this demand. It intends to almost double international overnight visitors from 3.8 million in 2023 approximately to 7.2 million in 2030, expand hotel room availability from 34,000 in 2023 to 52,000 by 2030, and further enhance the holiday home segment to diversify accommodation options. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: "The Tourism Strategy 2030 marks a pivotal moment in Abu Dhabi's transformative journey, representing a vital lever in our ongoing evolution. Delivered alongside our key partners, the strategy underscores our steadfast commitment to fostering sustainable growth and strategic development in the travel and tourism sector. Through carefully crafted initiatives that will unlock economic opportunities, amplify our distinctive culture and enhance the emirates value proposition, we are laying the foundation for a vibrant and prosperous future that transcends generations." To achieve the strategys goals, 26 key initiatives have been identified across four strategic pillars: Offering and City Activation; Promotion & Marketing; Infrastructure & Mobility; and Visa, Licensing, and Regulations. These pillars form the foundation of Abu Dhabi's comprehensive approach to realising its ambitious tourism targets and fostering sustainable growth in the sector. The initiatives will be unlocked through the collective vision of DCT Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (Added), the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT), Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), and other key government and private stakeholders, who play a strategic role in bringing Abu Dhabis tourism vision to life. The first pillar, Offering and City Activation, looks to further enhance the overall guest experience by unveiling additional cultural sites, theme parks, retails offerings and new hotel chains. DCT Abu Dhabi will also more than double its Promotion and Marketing efforts, expanding its international reach from 11 to 26 markets and enhancing synergy within Abu Dhabi's tourism ecosystem. The Infrastructure and Mobility pillar will aim to increase hotel room availability across various categories, including accessible and luxury options, glamping, and farm stays. Lastly, both visitor experience and tourism business operations will be greatly enhanced with streamlined Visa, Licensing and Regulation processes. In collaboration with relevant government agencies, enhanced platforms and processes will reduce time frames for all applications and permits, to improve the ease of doing business and attract investment. TradeArabia News Service According to a report, the total level of fraud and error in Covid support schemes amounted to an estimated 10.3bn - Christopher Furlong/Getty Images The British taxpayer has lost more than 10 billion on Covid support schemes as a result of fraud and error, figures released by the Government show. Labour accused ministers of attempting to bury bad news about public sector fraud losses totalling more than 50 billion by publishing the figures in a mass data dump. Last month, the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) released a report on the cross-Government fraud landscape. According to the report, the total level of fraud and error in Covid support schemes amounted to an estimated 10.3 billion. Outside Covid schemes, the PSFA estimated that total fraud and error in 2021-22 came to between 39.8 billion and 58.5 billion. The revelations follow criticism of the Governments commitment to tackling fraud. In 2022, Lord Agnew, the then anti-fraud minister, resigned during a Lords debate in which he accused the Treasury of having no knowledge of, or little interest in, the consequences of fraud and making schoolboy errors in relation to Covid loans. Labour questioned the Governments decision to quietly release the report on the final Thursday before Parliaments Easter recess as one of more than 120 transparency documents. The data dump has been described as take out the trash day amid claims that it is used by ministers to try to conceal bad news. Darren Jones, the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said: The Conservatives tried their best to bury these figures under a mountain of other trash but they cannot hide the truth that warnings were ignored and billions of pounds of public money was handed out to fraudsters. Instead of working tirelessly to recover that money on behalf of the British taxpayer, Rishi Sunak wants to hush it up and write it off. The public are sick of the rampant waste under the Conservatives while all our public services crumble and taxes overall continue to rise. That is why a Labour government will appoint a Covid corruption commissioner to chase down fraudsters, go through the dodgy contracts and clawback every pound we can. However, the Government disputed Labours claims. A spokesman said: This is a wilful mischaracterisation of the Governments commitment to transparency and our ongoing efforts to improve how we detect and crack down on public sector fraud and error. Since autumn 2021, we have invested more than 1 billion to take action, including launching the PSFA which has saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds in its first year alone and have upgraded our AI fraud detection tool so it can flag suspicious networks and activity much earlier than before. 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 body of a hostage held in Gaza has been recovered, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Saturday. The body of hostage Elad Katzir was rescued by security forces overnight from Khan Yunis and returned to Israeli territory, the IDF said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Katzir was taken on Oct. 7, the same day Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas mounted an attack on Israel, and the war in Gaza began. Elad Katzir was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization during the October 7 Massacre, the post continued. His mother, Hanna, was also abducted by IJ and released on November 24, and his father, Avraham, was murdered in the kibbutz. According to intelligence, Elad was murdered by IJ in captivity. The announcement comes more than a week after the U.N. Security Council passed its first resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, with the U.S. abstaining. The resolution called for the immediate release of all hostages held by Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas, and for a cease-fire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Our mission since the beginning of the war has been, and remains, to locate and bring the hostages home, the IDF post continued. We will continue to operate until it is complete. The news of the Katzirs recovered body comes just over a week after The New York Times published an interview with a hostage who said she was sexually assaulted while held by Hamas. Amit Soussana, who was held in captivity for 55 days, became the first former hostage in the Israel-Hamas war to publicly come forward with claims of sexual violence. Soussanas interview followed a United Nations special group focused on sexual violence finding clear and convincing information that Hamas committed rape and sexual torture during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. After House Republicans introduced legislation to rename an airport outside of Washington, D.C., after former President Donald Trump, a group of House Democrats are now proposing a bill to rename a federal prison in Miami after Trump. The legislation, which would rename the Miami Federal Correctional Institution in Florida as the "Donald J. Trump Federal Correctional Institution," was officially filed on Wednesday, April 3. The move comes just days after House Republicans introduced a bill to rename Washington Dulles International Airport after the former president. The renaming efforts come in an election year when many Republicans seek to honor the presumptive nominee, while Democrats work to undercut him. MORE: House Republicans want to rename Virginia's Dulles Airport after Donald Trump PHOTO:Security personnel stand guard near the entrance to the federal prison in Miami, FL, March 19, 2024. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Reps. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., and John Garamendi, D-Calif., are co-sponsors of the bill. "Everyone knows President Trump loves to write his name in gold letters on all his buildings. 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," Moskowitz joked in a statement released Friday. PHOTO: Former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Green Bay, WI, April 2, 2024. (Brian Snyder/Reuters) After Republicans introduced the legislation to name the airport located outside the nation's capital after Trump, Connolly floated renaming a prison after Trump. "Donald Trump is facing 91 felony charges. If Republicans want to name something after him, I'd suggest they find a federal prison," Connolly wrote on X. Trump denies wrongdoing in his cases stemming from the charges. MORE: Judge denies Trump's motion to have Georgia election case dismissed on 1st Amendment grounds Connolly referenced his suggestion in a statement on Friday, saying "it is only right that the closest federal prison to Mar-a-Lago should bear his name." The prison, which has just more than 1,000 inmates, is located about 90 miles south of Mar-a-Lago. "I hope our Republican friends will join us in bestowing upon Donald J. Trump the only honor he truly deserves," Connolly added. The Democrats' bill is not likely to go far in the GOP-controlled House -- just as the Republicans' plan to rename Dulles after Trump will likely die in the Democratic-controlled Senate. The Bureau of Prisons, which oversees the Miami federal prison, said in a statement to ABC News that there are procedures for naming its facilities "based on their location, so that the public, incarcerated people, and their families have clarity about where the facility is located." ABC News has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment. House Democrats introduce bill to rename Miami federal prison after Trump originally appeared on abcnews.go.com FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) The man killed in a hit-and-run crash in Fresno on Thursday morning has been identified by the Fresno County Coroners Office on Friday. The coroners office identified the victim as 38-year-old Bryant Fields of Fresno. According to the Fresno Police Department, Fields was hit and killed shortly after midnight Thursday morning in southeast Fresno. 1 dead in Fresno hit-and-run, no arrests made Police say the suspects 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. Investigators say the suspects vehicle made a U-turn and went northbound on Chesnut Avenue past the collision scene -and then eastbound on Clinton Avenue and left the scene. The pedestrian, according to detectives, was pronounced dead at the scene. No arrests have been made as of Friday afternoon. Officers encourage anyone who might have any information regarding the suspects whereabouts and/or their vehicle to contact them at 559-621-7000. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47. The IDF is supposed to protect aid workers. Aid agencies say the Israeli military has been attacking them for months. The killing of seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen may mark a turning point in support for Israel and for long frustrated efforts to bring relief to Palestinians on the brink of starvation. But while the Israel Defense Forces investigation suggests this was an isolated grave mistake, the mounting toll faced by aid agencies throughout the war points instead to what they say are systemic failings in the IDFs approach to protecting humanitarian workers in the Gaza Strip. According to the United Nations, a total of 224 humanitarian aid workers have been killed since the start of the war. Mondays strike has inflamed global outrage that has coalesced into international pressure, forcing Israel to open new points of entry for humanitarian aid. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have issued rare expressions of contrition about the killings, and the IDF said Friday that it had removed two senior officers from their posts after a probe found the targeting of the aid convoy with three successive missile strikes to be in violation of IDF protocol. A man displays blood-stained British, Polish, and Australian passports after an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on April 1, 2024, killed seven World Central Kitchen workers. (Abdel Kareem Hana / AP) In a briefing on Friday, the IDF said WCK had coordinated its movements with Israeli authorities correctly, but the officers committed three errors. First, they either didnt see or did not read a message identifying the convoy. They then decided to fire at the vehicle with insufficient cause, saying that one of the soldiers had identified someone entering one of the vehicles carrying what he thought was a gun but was instead likely a bag. The third mistake, the IDF said, was that it continued to strike not just the first car, but the second and the third. The essential problem is not who made the mistakes, Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, said on Friday in response to the IDFs investigation. It is the military strategy and procedures in place that allow for those mistakes to multiply time and time again. Unlike the killing of the WCK staff members, who were citizens of the U.S., Canada, Australia, Poland and the U.K., other fatal incidents that have involved mostly Palestinian aid workers have raised little outrage or notice from the Israeli or international governments. In a review of documents, public statements and interviews, NBC News found a pattern of attacks on aid workers and humanitarian infrastructure in the months leading up to Mondays attack. Those include two previous incidents involving WCK, the dropping of a 1,000-pound bomb near a building housing aid workers from the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and the bombing of the home of an aid worker for Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, has sustained more attacks than any other agency, resulting in the deaths of 179 of its staff since Oct. 7. The attacks have resulted in the direct curtailment of aid deliveries to Gazas starving population. Following Mondays killing, at least four organizations stopped the delivery of aid into Gaza, citing danger to its staff, including WCK, which turned around three cargo ships en route to Gaza, returning 240 metric tons of much-needed food aid to port in Cyprus. Palestinians walking in front of the closed headquarters of the World Central Kitchen on April 3, 2024, west of Nuseirat, central Gaza. (Majdi Fathi / NurPhoto via AP) But even prior to that, destruction and ongoing hostilities as well as the ensuing lawlessness had been choking off aid deliveries to much of Gaza, particularly in the north, where the threat of starvation is most acute. To work in a war zone, aid agencies rely on a process called deconfliction, which allows the military to take measures to prevent unintentional attacks against aid workers, who are protected by international humanitarian law. In Gaza, agencies notify the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, or COGAT the official Israeli government body that liaises between aid agencies and the military and also controls access for staff and aid shipments into Gaza often daily of the movements of their convoys, and provide the coordinates of their guesthouses and warehouses. Still, they were repeatedly attacked. The deconfliction system is effectively a fiction, said Ciaran Donnelly, senior vice president for crisis response recovery and development at the IRC. In a news conference on Thursday, Christopher Lockyear, secretary general for MSF, said, This pattern of attacks is either intentional or indicative of reckless incompetence. It not only shows the failure of deconfliction measures, it shows the futility of these measures in a war fought with no rules. That these attacks on humanitarian workers are allowed to happen is a political choice, Lockyear said. Israel faces no political cost. A trail of attacks NBC News has learned of at least two other occasions in which World Central Kitchen workers had come under fire. On March 30, just two days before the deadly convoy strikes that killed seven WCK workers, the aid organization said it believes an Israeli sniper fired at one of their vehicles, damaging a side-view mirror. WCK said no one was injured and that it reported the incident to the IDF. A week earlier, on March 23, a convoy carrying WCK food that was part of the first shipment received by sea in a maritime humanitarian operation inaugurated by the group, was at the center of a chaotic scene at Kuwaiti Roundabout in Gaza City. Witnesses told an NBC News crew on the ground that Israeli forces fired on Palestinian civilians who were gathered waiting to receive the aid. Nineteen people were killed in the incident, Gazas government media office said, placing the blame on Israeli forces who it said had opened fire with tanks and machine guns. In footage filmed by NBC News, bloodied bodies are seen lying among scattered cardboard boxes labeled World Central Kitchen. An injured man was laid across a plastic tarp printed with a yellow and green paella pan, the WCK logo. WCK says that in both incidents the group had communicated its movements to COGAT, as part of standard deconfliction procedure. NBC News contacted the IDF on Friday for comment on the incidents mentioned by the WCK, along with six other incidents involving aid workers detailed in this story, and has not received a response for any of them. In previous attacks on aid convoys, including at the Kuwaiti and Al-Nabulsi roundabouts, the IDF had cited self-defense or the need to disperse crowds as the reasons for opening fire. Donnelly of the IRC said in an interview with NBC News that the organization informs the Israeli military of its fixed locations as well as its planned movements through COGAT. Nevertheless, on Jan. 18, several IRC staff were injured when a bomb exploded just yards from an IRC compound in Al-Mawasi, a town outside Khan Younis in southern Gaza, he said. An assessment by the U.N., which has been reviewed by NBC News, concluded the explosive used was likely an MK83 1,000-pound guided bomb, a munition produced in the United States. The IRC says it has received six different explanations from the IDF about what happened, from initially denying involvement to acknowledging it was trying to strike a nearby target to blaming a faulty tail fin on the bomb. Donnelly said the IRC chose the compound specifically to avoid risk. It was in an area hundreds of yards from the nearest building, constructed on sandy soil that would have made it a poor location for digging tunnels, making it a less likely target for IDF strikes seeking to bomb Hamas tunnel infrastructure. Donnelly said there are really only two plausible explanations for why the IDF hasnt been able to effectively deconflict in Gaza. One is a complete breakdown of command and control, he said. And the other is a disregard for the deconfliction system, an intentionality behind the attacks. Palestinians look a vehicle in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, on April 2, 2024, the day after it was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike that killed World Central Kitchen workers. (Majdi Fathi / NurPhoto via Getty Images) Another aid group, American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera), is among those that suspended operations in Gaza on Tuesday, citing the risk to the safety of its staff. On March 8, one of its staff workers, Mousa Shawwa, was killed in an airstrike while sheltering with his family at a known location in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza. In a statement, Anera said Shawwa, a logistics coordinator, had just returned to the shelter after delivering aid when he was killed, despite the fact the coordinates of his shelter had been provided for the purpose of protecting him on several occasions, including just days before the attack. Anera President and CEO Sean Carroll told NBC News hed like to believe the strike on Shawwa wasnt intentional. Theres nothing that indicates he was targeted, but they had the coordinates of the shelter and the bomb killed him and went straight into his living room. Shawwas 6-year-old son, Karim, was also wounded and later died of his injuries. Anera said it had also coordinated through COGAT, calling this death an undeniable case of deconfliction not working and demanding an independent investigation. The group tells NBC it has received no explanation from the Israeli military for the strike. MSF, the medical relief organization, which has had several of its staff killed in military strikes, reported several incidents where its positions were targeted despite having notified the IDF. On Feb. 20, the group says an Israeli tank fired on a house in Al-Mawasi sheltering MSF colleagues and their families, killing two people. A month earlier, on Jan. 9, MSF said a suspected tank shell was fired at another shelter in Khan Younis, killing the 5-year-old daughter of an MSF staff member. And on Nov. 18, the group says a convoy of its vehicles was targeted by Israeli sniper fire after being turned away from a checkpoint on an IDF-approved route while trying to evacuate staff from their offices in Gaza City. Two people were killed in that incident. In all cases, MSF said it had communicated its movements and locations with the IDF and reported the incidents through COGAT. It has received no response or explanation for the attacks. Project HOPE, Save the Children and Humanity and Inclusion have also had staff members killed in the war. UNRWA, which employs mostly Palestinian staff, has had the majority of the 224 aid worker deaths. In a statement issued after the release of the IDFs report, WCK said the Israeli military could not be trusted to impose accountability for its own actions. The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza, it said. 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 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 statement said. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Seven years ago, I witnessed my first total solar eclipse. Yes, it was amazing and spectacular, but it was also, surprisingly, a bit sad. Let me explain. I witnessed my first total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017 from Saluki Stadium at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale (which, coincidentally, will see another total eclipse of the sun on April 8). And while there were thousands of other spectators there, it was by all accounts a work event. My friends and family were at home in New Jersey, out of the totality zone and hoping to glimpse maybe a meager partial eclipse of the sun. So, as totality finished and the sun peeked out from behind the moon, the exhilaration from witnessing a cosmic event was replaced by a twinge of regret for leaving my family behind. But, weather permitting, that will change for the 2024 total solar eclipse on April 8. This time I'm bringing my 15-year-old daughter Zadie and some friends. Total solar eclipse 2024: Live updates Related: 10 things you probably didn't know about the 2024 total solar eclipse Two women observe the sun with solar eclipse glasses at SUNY Potsdam university. For the April 8 solar eclipse, I'm headed from New Jersey through the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York which I'm told are stunning to visit Potsdam, a college town of about 15,000 people that's also home to the State University of New York Potsdam and Clarkson University. I picked the location at the suggestion of close friends with ties to the school, who noticed not only that it was opening its dorms to eclipse chasers (at a bargain $60 per night compared to $370-a-night hotel I had on hold at Saranac Lake), but that the university town had set up a range of community events to celebrate the eclipse. It sounded perfect to share a cosmic event with family. "What are you looking forward to most for the solar eclipse?" I asked my daughter after the first leg of our 6-hour drive. (My wife volunteered to stay behind to watch over our cat Morris. They both have eclipse glasses and will see a 91.5% eclipsed sun, weather permitting.) "To just see the solar eclipse, dad," she said. Teenagers. Still, if all goes well and the skies are clear Potsdam will see up to 3 minutes and 14 seconds of totality between 3:24 p.m. and end at 3:27 p.m. EDT on April 8 for the 2024 total solar eclipse. It's a sight the village won't see again until 2399, local officials have said. "The Village of Potsdam, along with the rest of the North Country, is over the moon pardon the pun to be in the path of the 2024 total solar eclipse," Potsdam Mayor Alexandra Jacobs Wilke told me in an email. "This is a truly generational event that won't ever happen again here, in our lifetimes or our children's lifetimes. We feel fortunate to be in this particular place at this exact moment in time, and look forward to sharing that sense of wonder with all our visitors as well." While other nearby universities are holding campus-only events, SUNY Potsdam is opening its doors to the public and hoping to host up to 5,000 visitors for the eclipse on Monday afternoon (that's how many eclipse glasses the school ordered for the event) with a series of educational activities and talks for students and the public from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. EDT. Related: Top 5 items we recommend to safely observe the sun An illustration of a total solar eclipse over a clock tower "We expect our students, we expect our staff, we expect our faculty and we expect some of the community to come to campus to participate in the event," Dr. Page Quinton, a geochemist and associate professor Earth and Environmental Sciences who is helping organize the event. "But we've been warned that we could have thousands of people coming to the area from outside." SUNY Potsdam students were scheduled to return to classes on April 8 after a week off for spring break, but the university canceled classes as did the town's school district so students could have a chance to see the solar eclipse. Potsdam Central School District also sent its elementary students home with free eclipse glasses before the class break, Wilke said. Quinton said the university has lined up eclipse-themed Frisbees, stickers and other keepsakes for visitors (as well as Potsdam eclipse-themed merch available for sale), but the event is also a chance for the school itself to shine. "This eclipse is bringing us the opportunity for everyone to interact with parts of campus that they may not always interact with, or for the community to interact with us in ways that they don't always get to," she said. One unexpected bonus from picking SUNY Potsdam for the eclipse: My daughter will get her first taste of what college life might be like as we stay in the university's dorms. The school is also holding a welcome event for prospective students to showcase what SUNY Potsdam has to offer. For her part, Quinton is hoping to see her first totality after seeing a partial eclipse. "I've actually never seen that total solar eclipse, so I'm quite excited to see one," she added. RELATED STORIES: Total solar eclipse 2024: Everything you need to know What time is the total solar eclipse on April 8? Why Im staying home for the April 8 solar eclipse Elsewhere in Potsdam, visitors can take a three-day Eclipse Fragrance Festival at the Adirondack Fragrance Farm while other celebrations go on across the wider St. Lawrence County that the village calls home. Jernabi Coffeehouse in Potsdam has cooked up some eclipse-themed brews for coffee fans to enjoy (which I plan to try for sure) and the local children's museum has been holding Science Saturday events for kids to learn about eclipses. "St. Lawrence County has been preparing for the eclipse for quite a while now, and yet, it is still difficult to know what to expect!" Wilke told me. "As of today, the conditions in our area look like they will be clear, so we may see a last-minute rush of visitors to our area who had originally planned on viewing the eclipse elsewhere. Since we are not bisected by major highways, we aren't anticipating the high level of traffic that the Buffalo, N.Y., area is, or the Watertown, N.Y., area just to our south." Wilke said her young daughter's Girl Scout troop built their own pinhole camera solar viewers out of boxes last fall for the Oct. 14 annular solar eclipse in order to land their eclipse merit badges and are gearing up for the total eclipse on April 8. (Our guide on how to make a pinhole camera can help you make one of your own, our you can just check out our guide for the best solar viewing gear.) "This is an opportunity to come together and experience the awe of the cosmos in a communal environment unlike any other," Wilke said. "I hope this gives us a chance to show the best of what Potsdam has to offer, for both our residents and visitors." "It's a reminder that in the scope of our vast universe, we are an infinitesimal speck ... but a beautiful speck indeed, one worth protecting for the future." Submit your story and photos! If you capture a photo of the April 8 total solar eclipse and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send photos, videos, comments about your trip, and your name, location and content usage permission release to spacephotos@space.com. I'm a US Army sniper in the Arctic, a beast of a place that can chew up even the strongest soldiers Staff Sgt. Phillip Cho is a sniper for the Army's 11th Airborne Division in Alaska. Cho said the hardest part of being a sniper isn't aiming and shooting, but rather staying hidden. He's used to staying hidden for hours out in the frozen Arctic terrain. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Staff Sgt. Phillip Cho, a US Army sniper in the 11th Airborne Division based in Alaska. It's been edited for length and clarity. What I've preached for years now is that in order to be a successful sniper in the Arctic, you have to have imagination. We take a lot from the World War II Finnish sniper Simo Hayha, nicknamed "The White Death." He was responsible for over 500 deaths during the Winter War, and he operated in environments very similar to Alaska. That's where we get a lot of our ideas from, like wetting the surrounding of your firing point so when you fire, a plume of smoke doesn't give your spot away, or like putting snow in your mouth so when you breathe, you don't see your breath frosting in the air. We've built many of our tactics, techniques, and procedures off of Hayha's experience in that real war. There are definitely differences between concealment in other environments and in the Arctic. We use different procedures in the Arctic versus the jungles of Asia or the deserts of the Middle East. We're obviously trying to stay warm because we may be sitting stagnant for hours. I think my longest Arctic position was probably 10 hours. Special operators conduct training in austere conditions at Pituffik Space Base, Greenland, on May 4, 2023, as part of exercise ARCTIC EDGE. Courtesy of US Special Operations Command North And then you have to maintain your weapon systems and make sure they're optimal. You even have to be careful with your breath because if you breathe on your equipment that adds condensation onto your equipment and could freeze and prevent it from working properly. Some principles of concealment remain the same in all environments. You want to blend in naturally to your foreground and background, eliminating any contrast, weird lighting, shine, odd shapes, out of place colors, and inconsistent textures all while not moving. In the Arctic, we just use additional layers to stay warm enough to be stagnant for those extended periods of time. Fieldcraft is what makes the difference between a marksman and a sniper. Things like a ghillie suit, and everything that supplements it, are what allow a sniper to be unseen in their operational environment. Even if they don't have a ghillie suit on, the surrounding concealment can be enough to be effective. It's about mastering disappearing in depth and shadows in your environment. That's something we have to learn as snipers that sets us apart. Everything else, like range estimation and being able to detect targets is trainable. And we can practice that at any time. But being good in the field and being self-sustainable is probably more valuable than just being able to pinpoint a distance, for example. And now, with drones, our main job is to train to remain hidden from all adversaries while still maintaining freedom of maneuver and eyes on the objective. So that's why fieldcraft is so important, that's why we harp on it. Felt like we needed to earn our spot A U.S. Army Ranger from the 75th Ranger Regiment pull security during Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 24-02 at Donnelly Training Area, Alaska, Feb 12, 2024. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Wyatt Moore / 28th Public Affairs Detachment I joined the Army because I am a first-generation American. My family's from Korea, so I felt like somewhere along the lines, we needed to earn our spot in the country by serving. When I enlisted, I thought being a sniper was more of a pipe dream than anything. A lot of the snipers that I saw as a junior enlisted soldier were the rock stars of our battalion. I never thought I could be part of that. But then after a training rotation overseas, I was invited by my former team leader to try out for recon. And then, I got first-hand experience, and realized I could do it. Then I tried out for sniping and was picked. The opportunity just kind of presented itself. I deployed to Iraq in 2019 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the international fight against the Islamic State. We were primarily attached to our scouts and partook in a variety of operations, mainly overwatch, key leader engagements, dismounted operations, and base security. It was pretty standard stuff. SSG Cho said fieldcraft is the most challenging and important part of being a sniper. Staff Sergeant Phillip Cho Now, serving in the Arctic, the terrain presents a unique set of issues for which snipers have to be prepared. Any failure in planning could cause cold weather injuries, or worse. Like other environments, water is a priority. But you can't just eat snow because it will lower your body temperature, and you can't always drink glacier water because it isn't necessarily clean. So we have to lug fuel around with us to heat the water, and we usually carry a tent, just for safety from the elements. All of this is packed into a sled, and we pull it for miles and miles. When I was in the Middle East, there were challenges. We had to have water there too. But our vehicles were constantly working. They didn't have to work harder like they do in the cold. Our equipment wasn't failing. The conditions were not slowing us down. The time it takes to move in the Arctic is always about twice as long as anticipated. As snipers, we have to carry a ton of extra equipment. In the summer, our stuff observation and communication equipment, extra batteries, and the actual weapon and ammunition is roughly around 60 to 80 pounds. In the winter, we need our bunny boots, different layers to keep us warm, and other extreme cold weather equipment that adds to that. Snipers are typically carrying anything from 90 to 120 pounds of extra weight in the cold. The Arctic can be an insatiable beast and chews up some of the strongest soldiers that I've seen. But you can thrive in it like any other environment. Read the original article on Business Insider On Friday, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources announced that the states first positive chronic wasting disease test has shown up in a free-roaming deer that was harvested near the Michigan border. The hunter shot the infected buck in LaGrange County during the 2023 season. The buck tested positive for the disease twice in two separate tests, DNR deer program lead and biologist Joe Caudell tells Outdoor Life. The first test happened at the Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab at Purdue University. After the test came back positive, researchers sent the sample to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa to confirm presence of the disease with a second, independent test. Results from that second test came back on Wednesday, Caudell says. April might seem like a strange month to determine the CWD status of a hunter-harvested deer. But the testing process for this particular buck occurred as part of a program that engages Indiana taxidermists on CWD surveillance. The DNR, the National Deer Association, and taxidermists across the state piloted the taxidermist incentive program for a few years before going fully operational during the 2023-2024 hunting season. As part of that program, the state pays participating taxidermists $10 for every set of lymph nodes they submit for CWD testing. The discovery doesnt come as a huge surprise, Caudell says. Every state that borders Indiana is already a host state for CWD, so to say it was coming at Hoosier deer from all angles would be an understatement. Biologists were especially concerned about the northern Indiana region. We had done prior intensive surveillance in that area, Caudell says. This is one of those areas that we were always keeping an eye on. We wanted to make sure we had taxidermists participating there, and when we got sick deer calls from that area we were always on a little bit higher alert, because of that proximity to Michigan. CWD first showed up in Michigans free-roaming deer in 2015. That discovery occurred in Meridian Township in the central part of the Lower Peninsula. Indiana DNR will continue to monitor deer herds for more signs of disease spread, Caudell says. During the 2024-2025 hunting season, there will be a renewed emphasis on testing and reporting. But their approach to surveillance and response is largely regional and dependent on whether nearby deer herds are salvageable or already infected. Read Next: Heres What Top Chronic Wasting Disease Researchers Cant Say on the Record Weve got it broken down into a few different areas. If we find CWD thats adjacent to free-ranging deer populations that already have CWD, trying to reverse the situation or stop the spread has not been effective in a lot of other states, Caudell says. If we find it in other parts of the state [without additional presence in nearby free-ranging populations], like southern Indiana, that would trigger other responses. But in this case, [we will just continue] monitoring. Weve got CWD now, he continues. Were just going to learn to live with it in those parts of the state. View comments An invasive insect is sinking its proverbial claws into trees up and down the East Coast. MORE: Invaders from underground are coming in cicada-geddon. It's the biggest bug emergence in centuries Officials in North Carolina are asking residents to keep their eyes peeled for the spotted lantern fly. The bugs, native to China and Vietnam, first appeared in the U.S. in 2014 in Pennsylvania. Now, a decade later, the tiny flies have infested multiple cities in the northeast. In North Carolina, flies have been documented in both Forsyth and Guilford counties. If you see a spotted lantern fly, take a picture and report it to the state. (WATCH BELOW: How To Keep Stink Bugs Out Of Your Home) Key Insights Crescent Energy's estimated fair value is US$18.59 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity Current share price of US$11.98 suggests Crescent Energy is potentially 36% undervalued The US$15.86 analyst price target for CRGY is 15% less than our estimate of fair value Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Crescent Energy Company (NYSE:CRGY) as an investment opportunity by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow. We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you. View our latest analysis for Crescent Energy Crunching The Numbers We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$399.9m US$465.1m US$361.5m US$305.6m US$274.6m US$257.0m US$247.2m US$242.4m US$240.7m US$241.2m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Analyst x3 Analyst x2 Est @ -15.47% Est @ -10.14% Est @ -6.41% Est @ -3.80% Est @ -1.97% Est @ -0.69% Est @ 0.20% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 9.8% US$364 US$386 US$273 US$211 US$172 US$147 US$129 US$115 US$104 US$95.0 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$2.0b The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.3%) 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 9.8%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033 (1 + g) (r g) = US$241m (1 + 2.3%) (9.8% 2.3%) = US$3.3b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$3.3b ( 1 + 9.8%)10= US$1.3b The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is US$3.3b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$12.0, the company appears quite good value at a 36% 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 The Assumptions We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Crescent Energy 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 9.8%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.625. 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 Crescent Energy Strength Debt is well covered by earnings and cashflows. Weakness Earnings declined over the past year. Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Oil and Gas market. Shareholders have been diluted in the past year. Opportunity Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the American market. Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%. Threat Paying a dividend but company has no free cash flows. Annual revenue is forecast to grow slower than the American market. Looking Ahead: Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For Crescent Energy, we've compiled three important items you should assess: Risks: Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Crescent Energy you should know about. Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for CRGY's future outlook? Check out our management and board analysis with insights on CEO compensation and governance factors. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every American 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. Investigators searching for armed and dangerous suspect in murder of teen girl Investigators are asking for help finding an Ohio man accused of shooting and killing a 15-year-old girl. The U.S. Marshals Office along with Toledo Crime Stoppers are offering a reward of up to $5,000 or more for information that leads to the arrest of Robert Shields. On March 17, 2024, officers from the Toledo Police Department were called to a shooting in the 400 block of East Park Street. >> This boy is traumatized; Mother wants answers after 15-year-old son stabbed at local park After arriving, officers found 15-year-old Jaylah Perry critically injured. Perry died from her injuries days later. Shields is described as a Black man, 511 tall, and weighing approximately 170 pounds. He is known to frequent the east side of Toledo and has ties to Cincinnati. U.S. Marshals said he is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information about Shields is asked to contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED or Toledo Crime Stoppers at 1-419-255-1111. Editor's Note: The online version of this story has been corrected to indicate this is the first time Ian Murphy is suing the Health Department of Northwest Michigan. GAYLORD Ian Murphy, owner of the Iron Pig Smokehouse restaurant in Gaylord, is suing the Health Department of Northwest Michigan over its enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions. The latest chapter of the long-running legal saga involving Murphy, his restaurant and the health department is scheduled to begin Tuesday, April 9 in downtown Gaylord. Both sides will appear before Otsego County Circuit Court Judge Colin Hunter, whose ruling in a 2022 case involving the parties is now a part of Murphy's lawsuit. Murphy and his attorney, David Delaney of Gaylord, are claiming the statutes that the health department (HDNW) relied on for restrictions issued during the COVID-19 pandemic are unconstitutional. At issue is the departments enforcement of the states emergency public health orders that resulted in the temporary loss of the Iron Pig's liquor license, food permit and eventual closure for staying open and serving customers during parts of the COVID-19 pandemic. More: State health department withdraws appeal in Iron Pig case Gaylord restaurateur Ian Murphy is suing the Health Department of Northwest Michigan over its COVID-19 restrictions. Opening arguments in the case are scheduled to begin April 9 before Otsego County Circuit Court Judge Colin Hunter. Delaney said the state constitution delegates law writing power to the legislature, law enforcement power to the executive branch and interpretation of the law to the judiciary. "The legislative branch may not delegate the power of lawmaking to the executive branch. This is known as the 'nondelegation doctrine,'" said Delaney. In 2020, the state Supreme Court struck down the emergency powers of the governor in the executive branch as a violation of the nondelegation doctrine. In January 2022, Hunter overturned a $5,000 fine levied against the Iron Pig, which had defied orders in 2020 and 2021 to temporarily stop indoor dining as COVID-19 cases in Michigan were rising. He said a portion of a public health law used to make the orders was unconstitutional. Hunter said that statute MCL 333.2253, "while likely the product of well-meaning forethought by the Legislature to permit quick action in times of actual emergency, fails to pass Constitutional muster," and added that the legislature had violated the separation of powers doctrine of the state constitution. More: Judge: Basis for emergency orders limiting bars, restaurants fail to pass constitutional muster Attorney David Delaney, here with Ian Murphy of the Iron Pig Smokehouse, is again challenging the legal authority of COVID-19 restrictions based on the nondelegation doctrine, a legal theory that claims the legislative branch may not delegate the power of lawmaking to the executive branch. Attorney Matthew Cross of Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho PLC in Traverse City is representing the health department. In a filing, he said he believes that the latest Murphy lawsuit is an attempt to have the courts decide a moot issue since all of the COVID-19 restrictions have been rescinded. "As a general rule Michigan courts 'do not decide moot issues,'" Cross said in a filing. To bolster his argument, Cummings cited a state appeals court decision in 2022 involving a case in Ottawa County that challenged a health department mask mandate. Cross said the appeals court concluded that because the challenged order was no longer in effect, there was no relief the court could grant and any judgment would have no practical legal impact on the controversy. In the Ottawa County case, a parental group claimed the county health officer should have received approval for the mask mandate from the county board of commissioners. The county board claimed they didn't have the authority to rescind the order or fire the health officer for issuing it. The county said under Michigan law, local health officers have the authority to implement mask mandates in public health emergencies. The court of appeals found that while Michigan law dictates health department "regulations" be subject to approval by a local governing board, health officer-issued "orders" supersede such rules. Cross doesn't believe the nondelegation doctrine cited by Delaney has any legal basis under the state and federal constitutions. Citing a 1971 case, Cross writes that "neither the Federal constitution nor any state constitution explicitly provides that the legislative power cannot be delegated, the nondelegation doctrine hasbeen written into our constitutions by judicial interpretation. Subscribe Check out our latest offers and read the local news that matters to you Cross also said he will not ask Hunter to recuse himself from the case despite Delaney using Hunter's previous ruling in his complaint against the health department. "I had contemplated asking Judge Hunter to recuse himself given the comments he made in the prior case. However, in my experience with Judge Hunter, Ive found him to be a thoughtful jurist and I interpret his comments in the prior case, which involved different statutes, to be nothing more than dicta and he will presumably be analyzing the issues in the present case with 'fresh eyes.' I am aware of the uphill battle we face in this case, but we believe we have put forth a persuasive defense of these vitally important provisions of Michigans Public Health Code," he said in an email response. According to a webpage from the Cornell University Law School, "Dicta in law refers to a comment, suggestion or observation made by a judge in an opinion that is not necessary to resolve the case, and as such, it is not legally binding on other courts but may still be cited as persuasive authority in future litigation." Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com. This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Iron Pig owner, health department set to argue legal basis for Covid-19 restrictions again Israel and Hamas reach six months of war. Here's where the conflict stands. Sunday marks six months since the Hamas militant group launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping about 250 hostages, including children, women and the elderly. Israel subsequently declared war against Hamas, prompting a fierce military ground offensive in the Gaza Strip along with a total siege of the enclave, cutting off electricity, fuel, water and food. Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has launched a number of strikes targeting Hamas in Gaza, resulting in mass civilian casualties and damage to critical infrastructure and now the United Nations says the threat of famine is imminent. Six months on, we are at the brink of mass starvation, a regional conflagration of a total loss of faith in global standards and norms, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters on Friday. It is time to step back from the brink, to silence the guns, to ease the horrible suffering and to stop the potential famine before it is too late. Heres where the Israel-Hamas war stands six months in. A tipping point in the war? Seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK) who were distributing desperately needed aid in Gaza on Monday were killed in an Israeli airstrike, which Israel claimed responsibility for, calling it a grave mistake. Among the aid workers killed were three British nationals, citizens from Australia and Poland, one Palestinian worker and a U.S.-Canada dual citizen. President Biden said he was outraged and heartbroken over the tragedy and called on Israel to complete an in-depth and swift investigation into the strike. The Israeli military on Friday announced that two of its officers were dismissed over the drone strikes on the WCK aid workers, saying the officers violated rules of engagement. It says it has also reprimanded three senior commanders. On Thursday, in a 30-minute phone call, Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time following Mondays airstrike on the WCK aid workers. It was the first time since the start of the conflict that the Biden administration appeared willing to place conditions on its policy toward Israel if it doesnt make specific changes to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. What we are looking to see and hope to see here in coming hours and days is a dramatic increase in humanitarian assistance getting in, additional crossings opened up and a reduction in the violence against civilians and certainly aid workers, John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser, said Thursday. People inspect the site on Tuesday where World Central Kitchen workers were killed in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. World Central Kitchen, an aid group, says an Israeli strike that hit its workers killed at least seven people. (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) Ceasefire negotiations and hostage status Several ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas have been brokered by Egypt and Qatar while being backed by the U.S. since Novembers extended truce that saw the release of more than 100 Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. But so far none have come to fruition, with the latest round this week appearing to have stalled, Reuters reports. Hamas wants a deal to permanently end the war, while Israel has maintained it will only consider a temporary truce in order to free more than 100 hostages that remain held by the militant group. An Israeli military report believes one-fifth of the hostages that remain have died. The U.S. has been pushing for a six-week ceasefire to allow the hostages to get out, as well as to allow for more humanitarian aid to get into Gaza, Kirby told reporters. Friends, family members and supporters of hostages kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas protest outside the hotel in Tel Aviv, Israel, where U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets relatives of the hostages on March 22, demanding their immediate release. (Janis Laizans/Reuters) Israel remains on high alert On Monday, an alleged Israeli strike on Irans consulate building in Damascus, Syria, killed Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and six others. Following the attack, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed revenge on Israel in a speech this week. Israel has since put its embassies around the world on high alert as concerns of a wider regional war have sparked once again. Death toll and injured as a result of the war Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war: Doctors Without Borders Secretary General Christopher Lockyear, who visited health care teams in Gaza in late March, told reporters during a press call on Thursday: Many patients die in agony and pain that we cannot medicate. Survivors need surgeries and rehabilitation that we cannot provide at the scale needed. Humanitarian situation in Gaza The Israeli military controls what aid comes into Gaza by land, air and sea. Aid organizations and governments of the U.N., including the U.S., have claimed Israel has placed extensive restrictions on aid entering Gaza by land, while Israel has long denied those accusations. Since the seven aid workers from WCK were killed by an Israeli airstrike, the majority of the roughly 980 NGOs in Gaza have ceased their operations. The amount of humanitarian supplies entering Gaza hasnt increased, nor has there been a change in improving access to the north of the enclave, according to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency. A daily average of 169 aid trucks enter south Gaza through two land crossings, which is well below the goal of 500 trucks, which was the rate at which they were crossing before Oct. 7, according to the World Health Organization. The 2.4 million people in Gaza are facing dire levels of hunger, according to a U.N.-backed report published last month. It projected imminent famine for the people in northern Gaza, while half of all people in the enclave were feeling catastrophic hunger. Since January, the people of northern Gaza have been forced to survive on 245 calories per day, which is less than a can of beans, according to a report by Oxfam, an NGO based in Kenya. About 1.7 million people over 75% of the population in Gaza have been displaced as a result of Israels ground invasion. Many of them have been displaced multiple times since Oct. 7. A Palestinian woman and a child sit amid the rubble of Gaza's Shifa Hospital after the Israeli military withdrew from the complex housing the hospital on April 1. (AFP) Damage to Gazas infrastructure The cost of damage to critical infrastructure as a result of the ongoing conflict is estimated at around $18.5 billion, according to an assessment by the U.N., World Bank and European Union. As a result of the ongoing conflict, about 62% of all homes in Gaza have been destroyed, while 84% of all health facilities have been damaged or destroyed, the assessment found. Whats next? Hours after Bidens phone call with Netanyahu on Thursday, Israel announced it would temporarily allow additional aid routes, including the Erez crossing in northern Gaza and through the Port of Ashdod in Israel, as well as increase Jordanian aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza. While the U.S. welcomed the news, it wants Israel to take action. The real test is results, and thats what were looking to see in the coming days and the coming weeks, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday. Meanwhile, Axios reported that CIA Director Bill Burns is expected to travel to Cairo this weekend to meet with the chief of Mossad, Israels national intelligence agency, as well as with top Qatari and Egyptian officials, in an effort to secure the Hamas-held hostages. There is pressure on both sides of the Atlantic for arms sales to the Israelis to be halted - MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP An arms embargo on Israel would risk international confidence in the UK as an export partner, the former Attorney General has warned. Those calling on Britain to stop selling weapons to Israel are virtue signalling, according to Sir Michael Ellis MP, who argues that an arms embargo would be the wrong step strategically, economically and morally. Writing for The Telegraph, he says that the UKs reputation as a reliable arms exporter, which is worth billions of pounds to the UK economy, must not be risked for the sake of perceived political point-scoring. His remarks come after three former Supreme Court justices, along with more than 600 lawyers and academics, signed a letter warning that the UK government is breaching international law by continuing to arm Israel. But Sir Michael argues that a UK arms embargo would have far-reaching unintended consequences such as destroying our stated goal of securing Israeli-Palestinian peace and countering Iranian belligerence. He adds that such a ban would bring our projection of values on the world stage into disrepute. The UK supplies far more arms to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and many other non-democracies, he says, arguing: How could we justify continued sales to Qatar, which actually harbours Hamas leaders, while refusing to supply arms to Israel as it fights terrorists? 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. Lord Cameron, in The Observer, said: The situation in Gaza is dire and the prospect of famine is real. We remain committed to getting aid to those who so desperately need it. Former prime minister Boris Johnson said it would be 'insane' to ban arms sales to Israel - CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/GETTY 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. On Saturday, more than three dozen congressional Democrats, including key Biden ally Nancy Pelosi, wrote to the US president urging a halt to weapons transfers to Israel. 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, signed by 40 lawmakers, said. It said that any current and future arms transfers should be withheld until the US has conducted its own investigation into the Israeli air strike on Monday that killed seven aid workers with World Central Kitchen, one of whom was a dual US-Canadian citizen. Earlier this week, Boris Johnson said it would be insane to ban arms sales to Israel. Mr Johnson, who is a former foreign secretary and prime minister, 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. He argued the move would amount to government madness, given the Hamas attack on Israel which triggered the Gaza conflict. Government madness Two Cabinet ministers have made similar arguments, in a sign of support at the top of Government for Rishi Sunaks current stance. Marking the six-month anniversary of the October 7 massacre, Mr Sunak said this was the most appalling attack in Israels history, the worst loss of Jewish life since the Second World War. We continue to stand by Israels right to defeat the threat from Hamas terrorists and defend their security. He added: This terrible conflict must end. The hostages must be released. The aid which we have been straining every sinew to deliver by land, air and sea must be flooded in. On Sunday, the Foreign Office will commit up to 9.7 million of funding as part of a package of military and civilian support to set up a maritime aid corridor to Gaza, including the deployment of a Royal Navy ship. The ship, alongside new UK aid and British expertise, will support the establishment of an international humanitarian maritime corridor from Cyprus to Gaza and is expected to be operational in early May. Israeli presidents statement Israel is still fighting a bloody and difficult war, President Isaac Herzog said in a statement to mark the conflict reaching its half-year mark on Sunday. Today (Sunday) at 6:29 am (0329 GMT), we mark six months since the cruel terror attack and the horrific massacre, Mr Herzog said on Saturday, referring to Hamass October 7 attack on southern Israel which started the war. Half a year since this crime against our sisters and brothers, against our state, this crime against humanity. Six months of a bloody and difficult war, said the president, whose role is largely ceremonial. Mr Herzogs remarks come after the army announced it had recovered the body of Elad Katzir, a hostage it said had been murdered in captivity in Gaza in January. They also came as tens of thousands of Israeli protested against right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus handling of the war. The October 7 attack by Hamas resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures. Of the 250 hostages seized by Palestinian militants, the army says 129 remain in Gaza, including 34 who are presumed dead. Israels retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 33,137 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territorys health ministry. Banning arms sales to Israel while we continue to supply Qatar would be the worst virtue signalling The noise of those clamouring for an arms embargo against Israel has increased following the tragic killing of aid workers in Gaza, writes Sir Michael Ellis. But while Israel simply has to avoid such incidents, the worlds only Jewish state is undeniably held to stratospherically high standards, which are routinely exploited by its terrorist enemies. Israel is a fellow democracy and, reassuringly, has responded with an immediate admission of responsibility, sincere expressions of remorse, and the summary dismissal of those found to have acted wrongly following a thorough investigation. It is sadly a regrettable reality of war that tragedies such as these occur. Much commentary has seemingly ignored the fact that other allies have frequently been involved in incidents in which civilians were killed in recent years. Strangely enough, these incidents were not followed by concerted calls for arms embargoes. We should be suspicious of motivation when different rules are applied to Israel. So let us take a step back from the virtue-signalling din. What would a UK arms embargo against Israel actually mean in practice? In this case, a UK arms embargo would have far-reaching unintended consequences. Not for Israel, but for us. It will not stop Israel, as campaigners claim, since our arms to Israel are, in trade terms, a pittance. However, such a ban would bring our projection of values on the world stage into disrepute. The UK supplies far more arms to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and many other non-democracies. The UK sends an eye-watering amount of weapons to Qatar. How could we justify continued sales to Qatar, which actually harbours Hamas leaders, while refusing to supply arms to Israel as it fights terrorists? The move would destroy our stated goal of securing Israeli-Palestinian peace and countering Iranian belligerence. Indeed, it would allow Hamas to remain in Gaza and thereby condemn Palestinians and Israelis to future violence. All the while, Iran and its terror proxies are watching closely a fact we can ill afford to forget. A decision to target Israel would also risk international confidence in our reliability as an arms export partner. The UKs defence industry makes a huge contribution to our economic prosperity and the livelihoods of thousands of workers across the country and this must not be risked for the sake of perceived political point scoring. The UK benefits tremendously from Israels military technology, which has protected the lives of thousands of British soldiers. The Sky Sabre missile defence system, for example, which is based on Israels game-changing Iron Dome, is now helping to protect the Falklands. An arms embargo would be the wrong step strategically, economically and morally. Sir Michael Ellis MP is the former Attorney General 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. Israel finds the body of a hostage killed in Gaza, while talks will resume on a cease-fire People protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, April 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) CAIRO (AP) Israel's military said Saturday it had recovered the body of a 47-year-old farmer who was held hostage in Gaza, while negotiators prepared for another round of talks Sunday on brokering a cease-fire and securing the release of the remaining hostages, six months into the war. Israel's army said it found the body of Elad Katzir and believed he was killed in January by militants with Islamic Jihad, one of the groups that entered southern Israel in the Oct. 7 attack, killed more than 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. Katzir was abducted from Nir Oz, a border community that suffered some of the heaviest losses. The discovery renewed pressure on Israel's government for a deal to get the remaining hostages freed, and thousands gathered in Tel Aviv to call for a deal as well as early elections. Hostages' families have long feared time is running out. At least 36 hostages have been confirmed dead. About half of the original number have been released. He could have been saved if a deal had happened in time," Katzirs sister Carmit said in a statement. "Our leadership is cowardly and driven by political considerations, and that is why (a deal) did not happen. Israelis are divided on the approach by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. A week ago, tens of thousands of Israelis thronged central Jerusalem in the largest anti-government protest since the war began. Inside Gaza, the toll of Israels offensive is measured in tens of thousands of deaths and more than a million Palestinians displaced. We have arrived at a terrible milestone, the U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said in a statement marking six months and noting the immediate prospect of a shameful man-made famine. He called the prospect of further escalation in Gaza unconscionable. Cease-fire negotiations will resume Sunday, according to an Egyptian official and Egypts state-owned Al Qahera TV. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the talks. U.S. President Joe Biden has sent CIA Director Bill Burns to Egypt. A Hamas delegation will arrive Sunday to join the talks, the militant group said. Hamas has insisted on linking a phased end to the war to any agreement releasing hostages. It has said it will agree to release 40 as part of an initial six-week cease-fire deal that would include the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Hamas also seeks the return of displaced people to devastated northern Gaza and more aid. Israel has offered to allow 2,000 displaced Palestinians mainly women, children and older people to the north daily during a six-week cease-fire. The talks come days after international condemnation of Israeli airstrikes that killed seven humanitarian workers with the World Central Kitchen charity. The Israeli military described it as a tragic error. Aid groups said the mistake is hardly an anomaly. The U.N. says at least 190 aid workers were killed in Gaza through the end of March. Some Israel allies now consider halting arms sales. Biden warned Netanyahu that future U.S. support for the war depends on swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers. We need security guarantees for us as humanitarians but also for the people we serve, said Marika Guderian with the World Food Program, speaking inside Gaza. The killings halted aid deliveries on a crucial new sea route for aid directly to Gaza as the U.N. and partners warn of imminent famine for 1.1 million people, or half the population. The humanitarian group Oxfam says people in northern Gaza are surviving on an average of 245 calories a day. In Jabaliya, a refugee camp near Gaza City, families scrounged in the rubble for mallow leaves to make a thin broth to break the daily Ramadan fast. Life has become miserable. They (daughters) tell me, Father, you are feeding us mallow, mallow, mallow every day. We want to eat fish, chicken, canned food. We are craving eggs, or anything, said Wael Attar. They shelter in a school as part of the 1.7 million people displaced in Gaza. Israel has promised to open more border crossings into Gaza and increase the flow of aid. The U.N. says that in March, 85% of trucks with food aid were denied or impeded. The death toll from the war in Gaza is 33,137, the territory's Health Ministry said. Its toll doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants, but it has said women and children make up the majority of the dead. The ministry said the bodies of 46 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes had been brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours the lowest daily tally in months. Israel blames Hamas for civilian deaths in Gaza, accusing it of operating in residential communities and public areas like hospitals. The U.N. said it finally gained access to Gaza's largest hospital, Shifa, following a dayslong Israeli raid and found what the head of the World Health Organization called an empty shell, with most buildings destroyed. The WHO said numerous shallow graves, and many partially buried bodies, were found just outside the emergency department after the Israeli siege. The destruction of Shifa and the main hospital in southern Gaza, Nasser, has broken the backbone of the already ailing health system, the WHO said. Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah now holds more than half of the territory's 2.3 million people, and Israel's vow to carry out a ground offensive there has caused weeks of dread and warnings even from Israel's top ally, the United States. ___ Metz reported from Rabat, Morocco. Associated Press writers Julia Frankel and Jack Jeffery in Jerusalem contributed. ___ Find more of APs coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war Israel reported Saturday that its forces had retrieved the remains of Elad Katzir, one of the 253 men, women, and children kidnapped in the Hamas assault on Oct. 7and the country blamed his killing on the terrorist group Islamic Jihad. According to the BBC, the Israeli Defense Forces and Israeli Security Agency jointly announced they had used intelligence to locate and recover Katzirs body from a burial site in the Gazan city of Khan Younis. Katzir was among the roughly hostages taken in the bloody Hamas incursion onto Israeli territory last fall, as was his elderly mother, whom the violent extremist organization released as part of a temporary ceasefire deal in late November. Katzirs father was one of almost 1,200 people killed in the attack. The 47-year-old Katzir had seemed to appear in a hostage video Islamic Jihad released in January, urging an end to the ongoing war so that he might return home. His sister lashed out at the government online following the news of his death. Our leadership is cowardly and driven by political consideration, which is why this deal has not happened yet, the BBC quoted her Facebook account as reading. Prime Minister, war cabinet, and coalition members: Look at yourself in the mirror and say if your hands didnt spill blood. The Israeli authorities maintained in their public statement that their mission is to locate and return the abductees home. Some 34,000 residents of Gaza have been killed in the Israeli military campaign following the Oct. 7 attack, according to the Hamas-controlled local government. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. IDF forces said Saturday they have recovered the body Israeli hostage Elad Katzir from a burial location in Khan Younis and identified his remains overnight. Photo by Abir Sultan/EPA-EFE April 6 (UPI) -- Israel Defense Forces recovered the remains of Elad Katzir, who was among more than 200 hostages captured during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The IDF recovered Katzir's body overnight and returned his body to Israeli territory, the IDF announced Saturday in a post on X. "Our mission since the beginning of the war has been, and remains, to locate and bring the hostages home," the IDF said on X. "We will continue to operate until it is complete." Katzir, 47, and his mother, Hanna, were kidnapped, and his father, Avraham, was killed by Islamic Jihad militants while at their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the attack. The IDF said Katzir was slain by Islamic Jihad militants while in captivity in January. Hanna Katzir was released from captivity on Nov. 24. The IDF used intelligence gathered to determine where Katzir's body was buried in Khan Younis. Medical professionals carried out an identification procedure to positively identify his remains, i24 News reported. Katzir was among 133 hostages still held in captivity in Gaza, but the IDF estimates 99 are still alive. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid to fly to Washington for talks Then Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid gives a statement following the swearing-in of Israel's 25th parliament (Knesset). Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid to fly to Washington for talks. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid will fly to Washington on Sunday for talks. Lapid will meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and several influential senators, the politician announced on his Telegram channel on Saturday. Further details were not initially disclosed. Lapid is the leader of the centrist Future Party. The relationship between the US administration under President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cooled considerably recently. Tensions exist above all because of the way Israel is waging war in the Gaza Strip, with many civilian casualties and massive damage, and because of the humanitarian aid that Israel has failed to provide from the US perspective. Washington is therefore seeking proximity to political rivals and opponents of Netanyahu. A month ago, Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin received the minister in the Israeli war Cabinet, Benny Gantz. The war Cabinet was created a few days after the outbreak of the Gaza war on October 7, and Gantz joined it as an opposition politician. Lapid had declined the invitation to join the war Cabinet at the time. More than 32,500 Palestinians are said to have been killed in Israeli attacks so far and many more thousands injured. Israeli raid to retrieve buried body of hostage murdered by militants comes too late for victims family Israels army conducted a night raid to retrieve the buried body of a man abducted and allegedly murdered by Palestinian militants, it said in a statement on Saturday. However, the army and Israeli government have faced criticism from the victims sister that he was not saved through a hostage deal while still alive. The body of the abductee Elad Katzir, who according to intelligence was murdered in captivity by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation, was rescued overnight from Khan Younis and returned to Israeli territory, the Israeli army said in a statement. An Israeli military official said that his body had been found buried and they believed he was killed in mid-January. His sister, Carmit Katzir, said his body had been returned but lambasted the Israeli government for not doing enough to bring back the hostages. The IDF spokesperson will tell you about the brave rescue operation, she said in a post on Facebook, but the IDF spokesman will not tell you that the prime minister, the cabinet, and the IDF have no idea where most of the kidnapped, the alive, and murdered are held. He wont tell you either that they have no way to protect the kidnapped, even when they know where they are, she adds in the post, claiming that her brother could have been saved if a deal would have happened on time, she continued. Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attacks by Hamas militants staged a demonstration in Tel Aviv last month. Portraits of the 47-year-old Israeli hostage Elad Katzir were held up - JACK GUEZ/AFP Addressing the cowardly government, she says, Look at yourselves in the mirror and see if your hands didnt spill that blood. You have 133 more kidnappers to redeem, worlds to save. The last time that Elad had been seen alive was in a hostage video released by Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) on January 8. The 47-year-old called on the Israeli government to do more to bring about his release in the video. His mother, Hanna, was also taken hostage on October 7 and was released in the temporary ceasefire in November. His father, Rami, was killed on October 7. The operation to retrieve his body on Friday night saw troops, backed by air and ground support, walking on foot to a camp in southern Khan Younis where his body was believed to be held, an Israeli military official said. The troops then secured the perimeter and isolated it before they began excavation work to extract Katzirs body from the ground. Israeli intelligence, the military official said, suggests that he was murdered by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in mid-January, shortly after the hostage video was aired. The official repeatedly refused to answer any questions about how Katzir was killed based on intelligence or his body to confirm that he was murdered and not killed in an airstrike. Islamic Jihad has not immediately commented on the operation or IDF comments. 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 battle for leadership in the anti-obesity drug market is heating up. Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) and Novo Nordisk are the two undisputed frontrunners, but many other drugmakers are looking to challenge the status quo. Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, first approved in the U.S. in 2021, has been growing its sales rapidly. However, Eli Lilly launched a competing product, Zepbound, late last year. Analysts have incredibly high hopes for Zepbound, and the medicine has so far lived up to the hype. Let's see what this could mean for investors. Zepbound's supply constraints Weight-loss therapies of the GLP-1 class Eli Lilly belongs to have soared in popularity in recent years. This momentum is set to continue for the foreseeable future. Some analysts have predicted that the market could be worth about $44 billion by 2030, up from $2.5 billion in 2022. Eli Lilly's Zepbound, though it has only been approved since November, is already flying off the shelves. A spokesperson for the company said, "Due to the unprecedented demand for these medicines, some patients may experience difficulty when trying to fill their prescription at their pharmacy." That matches what's happening on the ground. Many pharmacies are having trouble meeting demand for the medicine. Eli Lilly partnered with Amazon Pharmacy to deliver Zepbound, but several doses of the injectable medicine are listed as "currently unavailable" on the website. This isn't the first time a GLP-1 therapy hasn't been able to keep up with the demand; Wegovy encountered the same issue. Eli Lilly is a strong buy Though the shortage is nothing to celebrate for patients, the message is clear for investors. Analysts sometimes overshoot projections for some new medicines, but the evidence so far suggests that Zepbound is precisely as big a deal as Wall Street thought. Let's not forget that Zepbound is the same clinical compound as Eli Lilly's diabetes therapy, Mounjaro; the active ingredient is tirzepatide. Some predicted that tirzepatide would go on to generate peak annual sales of $25 billion. That doesn't seem too far-fetched. In its first full year on the market, 2023, tirzepatide got more than 20% of the way there by racking up a little over $5 billion in revenue. Don't be surprised if it doubles that total this year. That said, there is more to Eli Lilly than tirzepatide. That's what gives the company an edge over its longtime rival in the diabetes market, Novo Nordisk. Though both are excellent biotech stocks, Eli Lilly's lineup is much more diversified and less reliant on a single therapeutic area. The company's cancer medicine, Verzenio, is still going strong. It launched a brand-new oncology product called Jaypirca last year, which should also make meaningful contributions down the line. Story continues In immunology, Eli Lilly's brand-new ulcerative colitis therapy Omvoh will supplement its longtime growth driver, plaque psoriasis treatment Taltz. Further, Eli Lilly could still earn approval for its Alzheimer's disease treatment, donanemab, despite regulators in the U.S. delaying final review of the investigational medicine. And even if it doesn't earn that nod, Eli Lilly's lineup is strong enough as it is to drive top-line growth for many years to come. That's especially the case since tirzepatide will almost certainly earn important label expansions. It is being investigated as a potential treatment for obstructive sleep apnea and the highly promising area of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, among other indications. No wonder analysts see Eli Lilly's earnings per share growing at about 50% per year for the next five years. The biotech should deliver market-beating returns along the way, which makes it an excellent stock to buy. Should you invest $1,000 in Eli Lilly right now? Before you buy stock in Eli Lilly, 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 Eli Lilly 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 Prosper Junior Bakiny has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Novo Nordisk. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Eli Lilly's Wegovy Competitor Is Causing Supply Constraints: What It Means for the Stock was originally published by The Motley Fool The Israelis usually fire and then ask questions in my experience: Former Defense secretary The Israelis usually fire and then ask questions in my experience: Former Defense secretary Leon Panetta, former Defense secretary during the Obama administration, said its not surprising that Israel admitted mistakes after an airstrike killed aid workers earlier this week, because in his experience, the Israelis usually fire and then ask questions. You have to be able to verify to take time to make sure that information that youre getting is accurate with regards to targets, Panetta told CNNs Jim Sciutto Friday. And I have to tell you that in the past, at least in my experience, the Israelis usually fire and then ask questions. Panettas comments come just days after an Israeli airstrike killed seven World Central Kitchen workers delivering food to civilians in Gaza. The Israeli military dismissed two officers Friday after finding that the fatal strike should not have happened. A preliminary investigation carried out by the Israeli Joint Chiefs of Staff found that the military mistakenly thought a convoy carrying the workers who communicated about their planned movements to the Israeli military and were in clearly marked vehicles were armed Hamas fighters. Panetta said its not surprising that Israel has admitted to the mistakes but argued that the real question is how Israel will change the procedures for going after targets who are verified through the military. Thats a heavy lift, but its going to be required in the United States, he said. President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday, where he took his sharpest tone yet, warning that U.S. policy would now be determined by Israels immediate next steps. Just after the Biden-Netanyahu call, Israels wartime Cabinet approved the opening of a key border crossing in northern Gaza, as the pressure for the country to do more for aid workers and civilians increases. Panetta said he thinks if Israel takes some real steps, concrete steps to improve procedures and help aid workers, the U.S. may not put conditions on military aid, and may continue supplying Netanyahu with weapons. But if in fact, they dont take those steps or they take some initial steps and then go back to business as usual, then I do think that the United States has to look seriously at whether or not to condition the weapons were providing, he said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. ITHACA, N.Y. (WETM) An Ithaca man was arrested after police say he damaged property and set off a fire alarm when there was no fire multiple times. Salim Dridi, 25, was arrested on April 5 after a joint Ithaca Police Department and Cornell University Police Department investigation into multiple incidents that occurred on the 200 block of Dryden Street in Ithaca. According to the Ithaca Police Department, Dridi threw a brick at an exterior glass door and damaged it at about 7:44 p.m. on March 31. On April 2, the Ithaca Fire Department called the Ithaca Police Department after responding to a false fire alarm at an apartment building for the fourth time within a few days. Dridi allegedly pulled the fire alarm in each of those cases, which disrupted the lives of nearby residents and wasted first responders time. Ithaca man arrested, allegedly threatened person with BB gun Dridi was charged with third-degree mischief and second-degree falsely reporting an incident. Both of these charges are class E felonies, and each carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison. After his arrest, Dridi was arraigned in the Ithaca City Court and released on his own recognizance. He will appear back in court on April 10. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. Jack Hannas family shared an update amid the famed zookeepers battle with Alzheimers. Hanna was diagnosed with the neurological disease, which erodes memory and other important functions, in October of 2019. However, his condition wasnt revealed until 2021, when Hannas daughters shared the diagnosis in a statement released by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, where Hanna formerly served as director emeritus. "His condition has progressed much faster in the last few months than any of us could have anticipated," Hannas family said in April 21. "Sadly, Dad is no longer able to participate in public life as he used to, where people all over the world watched, learned, and laughed alongside him." Unfortunately, it seems that Hannas condition has deteriorated rapidly in the few years since the announcement. We wish we had good news to share, but Jack continues to decline and has all the symptoms one would anticipate with advanced Alzheimers, his family told People on Friday. Each day, we do our best to find joyeven when things are challenging. The statement concluded: We hope that sharing Jacks diagnosis of Alzheimers brings awareness to the disease that affects almost 7 million Americans and their families. Hanna is an animal expert and former wildlife sanctuary worker who rose to fame through talk show appearances in the early 1980s, where he was often accompanied by an animal or several. He eventually graduated to frequent guest spots on Hollywood Squares and hosted several series of his own, including Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures, Jack Hanna's Into the Wild, and Jack Hanna's Wild Countdown. Hannas wife of nearly 50 years, Suzi, told The Columbus Dispatch in 2021 that Hanna struggled to recognize anyone besides her, his dog, and their eldest daughter. The Jack people knew isn't here anymore, but pieces of my husband are, Suzi told the outlet. And I'm going to hang onto them for as long as I can. There are still those sweet, tender momentsyou know, pieces of him that made me and the rest of the world fall in love with him. Its hard. Real hard some days. But he took care of me all those years, and so its my turn to take care of him. Theres a housing expo happening in Jacksonville on Saturday. Its focused on affordable and attainable housing. The Jacksonville Human Rights Commission is hosting the event at Southbank Hotel from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The event is free, but you do have to register online. Click here to register. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Jailed Navalny ally sent to solitary for removing his jacket at breakfast Russian opposition figure and Moscow city councillor Ilya Yashin (c), stands inside a defendants' box in court in Moscow on December 9, 2022, charged with "discrediting" the Russian army fighting in Ukraine - AFP/YURI KOCHETKOV The jailed Russian opposition figure Ilya Yashin, an ally of the late Alexei Navalny, has been thrown into solitary confinement because he took off his jacket at breakfast. Mr Yashin, 40, is one of Moscows most high-profile political prisoners. He was sent to prison for eight and a half years in 2022 for reporting on his YouTube channel about the Russian armys rape and pillage of Bucha outside Kyiv during the opening weeks of the Kremlins invasion of Ukraine. A group of Mr Yashins supporters said on Telegram that the Smolensk prison where he is being held was visited by the head of the regions penal service and that Mr Yashin was punished shortly afterwards. They described the rule about keeping your prison jacket on while eating as fabricated. The real reason he has been sent to solitary for 10 days is the ongoing pressure on political prisoners, their deliberate isolation not only from the outside world but also from other prisoners, an attempt to deprive them of their will, to suppress, to break them, they said. Being kept in a punishment cell is a separate ordeal. At this time it is especially important for a person not to be forgotten about. Russias cramped and solitary punishment cells are designed to break prisoners. Visits and contact with other prisoners are banned during the time. Mr Yashin led the small opposition Peoples Freedom Party between 2012 and 2016 and was elected in a 2017 municipal election as a councillor in a central Moscow constituency. Mr Yashin flashes the V for victory sign during a hearing on his detention at the district court in Moscow on July 13, 2022 - KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP After the death of Navalny, Russias best-known opposition figure, in a Siberian prison in February, Mr Yashin said that he feared for his life in the notoriously brutal and dangerous penal system that is based on the Soviet Unions Gulags. Navalny and Mr Yashin were allies, co-leading several Dissenters Marches between 2011 and 2013 that angered the Kremlin. The West accused the Kremlin of murdering Navalny, although Russian officials have denied this and said instead that he died of a heart attack. 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. CHICAGO A new report released Friday by the mayors office showed how Chicago can start accelerating its housing and commercial development approval process A report mayor Brandon Johnson plans to use to make it easier for developers to build and do business in the city. Johnson said Chicago is in desperate need of new housing and increased commercial development, and he said its time for the city to eliminate the many hurdles that often hinder these projects. We are gathered today to launch the City of Chicagos Cut the Tape initiative, Johnson said Friday. For far too long, weve heard its difficult to build in Chicago. Developers and contractors have told us they face so many hurdles and red tape in developing housing. While at the podium, Johnson announced new recommendations to overhaul the citys current housing and development approval process. The move stems from an executive order he signed in December to streamline the citys development process. Johnson asked city departments to give their input on improvements to speed up project timelines, and on Friday, the findings were published with more than 100 recommendations. These include making enhancements in communication and accountability across departments, optimizing city resources to improve staffing levels, technology and technical assistance, Johnson said. And eliminating redundant steps and burdensome requirements that exist in the development process. Trustees ask Lightfoot to investigate Dolton mayor The Cut the Tape report highlighted ten specific recommendations to speed up the development process. Among those ten recommendations is the creation of a new role in the mayors office The director of process improvement. The city needs a singular point person who has the power to facilitate coordination and accountability across all departments involved in the citys real estate developments process, Johnson said. The mayor also said they want to expedite reviews for affordable housing projects, and reduce the number of design review meetings. For now, the Johnson administration will work through the recommendations, with the mayor saying its time for the city to open the door for more investments. Im confident this plan will lead to greater and faster development across the city, Johnson said. For more information on the Cut the Tape report published Friday, visit the citys website here: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/mayor/press_room/press_releases/2024/april/cut-the-tape.html For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. WASHINGTON A federal judge berated the Justice Department on Friday for instructing two of its employees not to appear for depositions as part of a Republican-led impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. The rules apply to you all too, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes told Justice Department lawyers during a hearing to discuss the DOJ tax attorneys who defied congressional subpoenas. The House Judiciary Committee sued the two attorneys last month in an effort to compel their testimony in the panels investigation into Hunter Biden. The lawsuit alleged that Mark Daly and Jack Morgan, both in the Justice Departments tax division, refused to comply with subpoenas in the committees probe into whether the presidents son received special treatment from the Justice Department and whether Biden abused presidential power to impede, obstruct, or otherwise influence investigations into his son. Daly and Morgan were subpoenaed twice. They were most recently scheduled to testify on March 1 but did not appear. On Friday, Reyes drew attention to an earlier effort by the Justice Department to bring a criminal case against a defendant for not responding to a congressional subpoena, leading to a prison sentence. She appeared to be referring to former Donald Trump adviser Peter Navarro, who reported to a federal prison last month to begin serving a four-month sentence. He was convicted on contempt of Congress charges for failing to comply with a subpoena from the House January 6 committee. Fridays hearing was the first time lawyers for the Justice Department and the House Judiciary Committee appeared in court after last month's lawsuit. I think the reason were all here is because youre annoyed, probably appropriately so, that they want to depose two line attorneys, Reyes said. And that the reason were all here is because you all dont think your line attorney should be subject to deposition. Justice Department lawyer James Gilligan pushed back on that characterization. We have separation-of-powers concerns about Congress attempting to interrogate line attorneys in an open criminal investigation, Gilligan told the judge. You have concerns as the DOJ about people just willy-nilly not showing up to do subpoenas? To deposition subpoenas? Cause it seems to me, if I were you, Id be quite concerned about that, Reyes responded. She noted that if deposed, Daly and Morgan would likely have valid privilege objections to much of the committees questions. Thats not intrusion if theyre not going to say anything, Reyes said. Theyre just going to object to everything. Whats the intrusion? Its a day of their time. OK, youre taking up a bunch of my time. The Justice Department routinely requires subpoena recipients to face hours of questioning to invoke the Fifth Amendment on a question-by-question basis, Reyes said. You are making a bunch of arguments that you would never accept from any other litigant, she said. Reyes also directed ire at a lawyer representing the House Judiciary Committee, saying the GOP-led panel had wasted taxpayer money by filing last month's lawsuit. I dont think the taxpayers want to fund a grudge match between the executive and the legislative about when someone has to show up or not show up to a subpoena, when at the end of the day none of this is gonna get decided anytime soon, she said. Im confident that youre not keeping the impeachment inquiry open long enough for the DC Circuit to render a decision. Reyes ordered Gilligan and House General Counsel Matthew Berry, along with two witnesses, to meet on Wednesday to try and negotiate a compromise. If no compromise can be reached, Reyes threatened to put the two witnesses under oath in a future hearing to answer questions about whether Gilligan and Berry negotiated in good faith. Additionally, the parties would be required to submit an estimate of how many hours attorneys will spend working on this case so that Reyes can keep track of how much money the case is costing taxpayers. A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment on the hearing, citing ongoing litigation. The House Judiciary Committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday evening. The House GOP impeachment inquiry has not provided any evidence of criminal wrongdoing by the president. Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, one of the leaders of the inquiry, has been suggesting recently that criminal referrals instead of impeachment are a more likely outcome of the probe. He has argued that an impeachment trial would likely fall short in the Senate, whereas criminal referrals could be sent to the Justice Department for potential action if former President Donald Trump wins in November. The inquiry faced a significant setback recently when former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, whose claims played a major role in igniting the probe, was indicted and accused of feeding false information to the FBI about Biden and his son during the 2020 presidential campaign. Daniel Barnes reported from Washington, Zoe Richards reported from New York. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Judge tosses NYC squatters lawsuit claiming rights to $930K Queens home after they tried using Shake Shack receipt to prove home was theirs A judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a pair of alleged squatters who sued the owners of a $930,000 Queens home after cops escorted them off the property last month. The case is over, the couples attorney Rizpah Morrow told reporters outside Queens Civil Court Friday, shortly after Judge Vijay Kitson discontinued the case with prejudice, meaning the claim cannot be refiled. The landlords, the owners, own the house, they have possession. The people who said they were locked out have walked away from the situation. They are no longer requesting to be restored to possession and we still have their stuff, she said. A judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a pair of alleged squatters who sued the owners of a $930,000 home in Jamaica, Queens, after cops escorted them off the property last month. James Keivom The two men did not show up for their scheduled court appearance. One of the homes owners, Juliya Fulman, told reporters that although they prevailed in the case, the systemic issues it highlights remain, making it a hollow victory. Right now, there is a very big problem with these criminals and these squatters. Lawmakers need to make laws in order to protect the people, the citizens, she told The Post outside the courtroom. These criminals are trying to drive people out of New York, and that is not going to happen, she continued. I still dont feel like I have the full justice in this case because there are people who broke into my house. They claimed they had property there. I would like to know how they got property there. The couple had spent over half a million dollars renovating the Jamaica residence as an investment property. Fulman told The Post last week that she incurred thousands of dollars in legal fees defending the ownership of her home. I want justice. I want these people to come forward. I want them to say how they got into the house, how their belongings got there, and yeah, it would be very good for them to reimburse us for all of our time and legal fees, so coming here today I dont know if we accomplished much, she said. The suit, filed March 14, had claimed the men were unlawfully removed from the residence, which they said they were legally renting from Fulman and her partner Denis Kurlyand since January. One of the homes owners, Juliya Fulman, told reporters that although they prevailed in the case, the systemic issues it highlights remain, making it a hollow victory. James Keivom In their filing, the alleged squatters, identified in court records as Lance Hunt and Rondie L. Francis, presented a range of evidence, including a signed lease agreement, several pieces of mail addressed to the home and even a fast food delivery receipt, all dated within the timeframe the men claimed to be living there. The unusual legal standoff began in March, when the couples real estate broker, Ejona Bardhi, discovered the two unknown men were occupying the Jamaica home and had changed the locks. She called the police, and when they arrived, Rondie and Hunt claimed they had been living in the Lakewood Avenue duplex for months. Unable to provide proof, the men left the premises without incident. However, they returned the next day with what they said was a lease agreement theyd signed to rent the home. Fulman and Kurlyand denied this, saying theyd already rented it out to other families. The couple presented officers with paperwork proving they were the rightful owners and timestamped surveillance footage showing that the house had been vacant since January. Cops escorted the men from the property and the couple changed the locks. Upon entering, they said they found signs of damage inside, including scuffed-up floors, scratches on the wall and a strong odor of marijuana throughout the home. The suit, filed March 14, had claimed the men were unlawfully removed from the residence, which they said they were legally renting from Fulman and her partner Denis Kurlyand since January. James Keivom Then on March 15, Fulman and Kurlyand got the shock of a lifetime: they were being sued by the men, along with Bardhi and the real estate company handling the site, Top Nest Properties. The alleged squatters were granted an emergency lockout hearing March 22 in Queens Civil Court, during which their attorney Morrow asked Judge Kitson for a trial, arguing that the men had perpetrated a fraud. Kurlyand told The Post last week that Hunt and Francis showed up to the initial court date with forged documents cobbled together from public records and hastily Photoshopped. They found whatever they could and threw it all together. The lease they presented is ridiculous signed on Jan. 1 and starting Jan. 1, he said. Fulman added, I dont know how they had the audacity to show up in court. Among the pieces of evidence the men provided to prove they had been legally occupying the home since January was a $25 receipt for a Shake Shack food delivery. According to the suit filing, the men claimed to have paid $4,000 to cover the security deposit and first months rent under the terms of the lease agreement, which was both signed and went into effect Jan. 1. A Shake Shack delivery receipt was presented in court by a lawyer representing the two men suing a Queens couple claiming they were unlawfully locked out of the residence. They further claimed to have dutifully paid rent on Feb. 1 and March 1. It seems like a real abuse of this court process when there are so many tenants out there that need the court intervention, Morrow said after Fridays ruling. Lawsuit photos revealed some of the items that were left in the home. The Queens home owned by Juliya and Denis. Gregory P. Mango The court feels that he has done as much as he can do in the context of this proceeding He didnt put them back into possession so I guess thats a win. Under New York City law, squatters only have to occupy a property for 30 days before they can claim legal protections, which can make it extremely difficult for the owner to evict. Bardhi told The Post the entire case is an indictment of how squatters rights matters are handled in the NYC legal system. It almost makes you feel like there is a system in place where you can just get a house for free, she said. You just have some keywords you can tell the police. The alleged squatters lawyer, David Harris, did not respond to messages from The Post seeking comment. blackCAT / Getty Images Many Americans rely on Social Security as their primary and sometimes only source of income in retirement. How far this income goes varies greatly depending on where you live, as living costs range drastically from state to state. Discover More: I Retired in My 50s: Heres My Monthly Budget Try This: 7 Common Debt Scenarios That Could Impact Your Retirement and How To Handle Them To determine how far a couples Social Security checks will go in every state, GOBankingRates assumed an annual Social Security income of $44,689, the average amount for two people. GOBankingRates then looked at the costs of necessities in each state, including rent, groceries, utilities, transportation and healthcare, to see how much of these costs a couples Social Security income would cover. Heres a look at how far a couples Social Security income would go in every state, ranked from the state where it goes the furthest to the state where it covers the smallest percentage of essential costs. Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com Arkansas Annual necessities cost: $31,910 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 140% Social Security income left over: $12,779 Check Out: 4 Things Boomers Should Never Sell in Retirement Be Aware: Owe Money to the IRS? Most People Dont Realize They Should Do This One Thing Wealthy people know the best money secrets. Learn how to copy them. JTSorrell / Getty Images Oklahoma Annual necessities cost: $32,115 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 139.2% Social Security income left over: $12,573 Learn More: Im Retired and I Regret Not Taking Social Security at Age 62 Heres Why DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images South Dakota Annual necessities cost: $33,816 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 132.2% Social Security income left over: $10,873 RiverNorthPhotography / Getty Images Wyoming Annual necessities cost: $34,260 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 130.4% Social Security income left over: $10,429 DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images North Dakota Annual necessities cost: $34,566 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 129.3% Social Security income left over: $10,123 SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images Louisiana Annual necessities cost: $34,657 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 129% Social Security income left over: $10,032 Read Next: Im a Financial Planner: What a Trump Win in November Would Mean for Your Retirement Savings alexeys / Getty Images/iStockphoto Kentucky Annual necessities cost: $34,756 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 128.6% Social Security income left over: $9,932 STLJB / Shutterstock.com Missouri Annual necessities cost: $34,840 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 128.3% Social Security income left over: $9,849 Story continues Allard1 / Getty Images/iStockphoto Alabama Annual necessities cost: $35,008 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 127.7% Social Security income left over: $9,681 Laurens Hoddenbagh / Shutterstock.com Iowa Annual necessities cost: $35,040 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 127.5% Social Security income left over: $9,649 Explore More: 3 Cities To Retire In That Are as Awesome as Honolulu and San Francisco but Way Cheaper Aspects and Angles / Shutterstock.com Nebraska Annual necessities cost: $35,130 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 127.2% Social Security income left over: $9,558 iStock.com Mississippi Annual necessities cost: $35,156 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 127.1% Social Security income left over: $9,533 DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto Kansas Annual necessities cost: $35,182 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 127% Social Security income left over: $9,507 ablokhin / iStock.com West Virginia Annual necessities cost: $35,656 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 125.3% Social Security income left over: $9,033 Find Out: Can You Realistically Follow Dave Ramseys 8% Retirement Rule? Ron_Thomas / Getty Images Indiana Annual necessities cost: $36,037 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 124% Social Security income left over: $8,652 BorisVetshev / Shutterstock.com Ohio Annual necessities cost: $36,039 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 124% Social Security income left over: $8,650 Vito Palmisano / Getty Images/iStockphoto Michigan Annual necessities cost: $36,197 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 123.5% Social Security income left over: $8,492 Michael E Halstead / Shutterstock.com New Mexico Annual necessities cost: $36,840 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 121.3% Social Security income left over: $7,848 For You: 10 Things Boomers Should Always Buy in Retirement benedek / Getty Images Tennessee Annual necessities cost: $37,276 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 119.9% Social Security income left over: $7,412 RoschetzkyIstockPhoto / Getty Images Texas Annual necessities cost: $38,026 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 117.5% Social Security income left over: $6,663 SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images/iStockphoto South Carolina Annual necessities cost: $39,544 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 113% Social Security income left over: $5,145 Ryan Herron / Getty Images/iStockphoto North Carolina Annual necessities cost: $39,709 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 112.5% Social Security income left over: $4,979 Check Out: 8 Things Boomers Should Sell Right Before Retiring dreamyguy1 / Getty Images/iStockphoto Minnesota Annual necessities cost: $39,753 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 112.4% Social Security income left over: $4,935 tobiasjo / Getty Images Nevada Annual necessities cost: $39,800 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 112.3% Social Security income left over: $4,889 Ric Schafer / Shutterstock.com Idaho Annual necessities cost: $39,816 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 112.2% Social Security income left over: $4,872 Darryl Brooks / Shutterstock.com Georgia Annual necessities cost: $39,844 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 112.2% Social Security income left over: $4,845 Try This: 16 Best Places To Retire in the US That Feel Like Europe Ron and Patty Thomas / Getty Images Wisconsin Annual necessities cost: $39,938 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 111.9% Social Security income left over: $4,750 johnnya123 / iStock.com Utah Annual necessities cost: $40,172 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 111.2% Social Security income left over: $4,517 Dean_Fikar / Getty Images/iStockphoto Montana Annual necessities cost: $40,322 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 110.8% Social Security income left over: $4,366 Arizona Annual necessities cost: $40,420 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 110.6% Social Security income left over: $4,268 Be Aware: Im an Economist: Heres My Prediction for Social Security If Biden Wins the 2024 Election AndreyKrav / iStock.com Delaware Annual necessities cost: $41,092 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 108.8% Social Security income left over: $3,597 luminouslens / Getty Images/iStockphoto Pennsylvania Annual necessities cost: $41,568 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 107.5% Social Security income left over: $3,120 xavierarnau / Getty Images Illinois Annual necessities cost: $43,100 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 103.7% Social Security income left over: $1,588 jmoor17 / Shutterstock.com Oregon Annual necessities cost: $43,517 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 102.7% Social Security income left over: $1,172 Learn More: 8 Myths About Debt That Boomers Must Stop Believing Before They Retire iStock.com Maryland Annual necessities cost: $43,716 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 102.2% Social Security income left over: $973 Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto Virginia Annual necessities cost: $44,136 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 101.3% Social Security income left over: $553 Colorado Annual necessities cost: $44,146 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 101.2% Social Security income left over: $543 iStock.com Florida Annual necessities cost: $44,287 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 100.9% Social Security income left over: $402 Explore More: Im a Financial Planner: 5 Ways Not To Spend Down Your Savings in Retirement EJJohnsonPhotography / Getty Images/iStockphoto Maine Annual necessities cost: $44,762 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 99.8% Social Security income left over: $0 lucky-photographer / Getty Images/iStockphoto Rhode Island Annual necessities cost: $46,237 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 96.7% Social Security income left over: $0 Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com Vermont Annual necessities cost: $46,653 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 95.8% Social Security income left over: $0 James Kirkikis / Shutterstock.com Connecticut Annual necessities cost: $46,673 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 95.8% Social Security income left over: $0 Find Out: Retirement Savings: 4 Expenses Retirees Regret Keeping in Their Budgets, According to Experts brytta / Getty Images Alaska Annual necessities cost: $47,119 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 94.8% Social Security income left over: $0 DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images New Hampshire Annual necessities cost: $48,110 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 92.9% Social Security income left over: $0 400tmax / Getty Images Washington Annual necessities cost: $48,137 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 92.8% Social Security income left over: $0 Jim / Flickr.com New Jersey Annual necessities cost: $49,004 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 91.2% Social Security income left over: $0 Read Next: 5 Signs Boomers Have Enough Savings To Last in Retirement HaizhanZheng / Getty Images/iStockphoto New York Annual necessities cost: $54,248 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 82.4% Social Security income left over: $0 DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto California Annual necessities cost: $55,505 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 80.5% Social Security income left over: $0 SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images Massachusetts Annual necessities cost: $57,612 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 77.6% Social Security income left over: $0 Art Wager / Getty Images Hawaii Annual necessities cost: $58,106 Percent of necessities a couples Social Security income would cover: 76.9% Social Security income left over: $0 Methodology: For this piece, GOBankingRates first found the average Social Security payment for a retiree ($1,862.03) as sourced from the Social Security Administrations February 2024 snapshot. This figure was then factored out for an annual amount ($22,344.36) and then the annual Social Security for a couple ($44,688.72). With these figures in mind, GOBankingRates was able to find the following for each state: (1) annual rent, as sourced from RentCafe; (2) annual cost of groceries, (3) annual cost of utilities, (4) annual cost of transportation and (5) annual cost of healthcare, as sourced from the 2022 Bureau of Labor Statistics 2022 Consumer Expenditure Survey for those 65+ and then factored by each states cost of living indices as sourced from the 2023 Cost of Living data series from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. Figures (1) (5) were combined to calculate each states (6) annual necessities cost, which was then compared to the Social Security income for a couple ($44,688.72) to find each states (7) percent of annual necessities a couple on Social Security could cover and (8) Social Security income left over after necessities. All data was collected and up to date as of June 14, 2024. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Far a Retired Couples Social Security Check Goes in Every State Susan Martin, the principal of St. John LaLande Catholic School in Blue Springs, has been suspended while the state investigates allegations reported to the Missouri Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline and the Childrens Division of the Missouri Department of Social Services. A parent who made one of three such reports said the allegations did not involve either physical or sexual abuse by Martin herself, but ongoing, serious physical bullying that had gone unaddressed by school administrators all year. This parent, whose sixth grader will start attending a different school when spring break ends on Tuesday, said she finally filed a complaint with the state because I dont think theyre keeping children safe, and I dont think shes taken the steps the state advises. Our plan was to stay with our faith family, but thats not what we get to do. She did not want to be named, though the school obviously knows who she is, because I know the power of the Catholic Church to retaliate against those who report any wrongdoing. Martin is not solely to blame, she said. The priest, Ive had 11 phone calls in to him and hes never called me back. Susan says, Fathers too busy for this stuff. Thats Father Sean McCaffery, pastor of St. Johns, who announced Martins suspension in a letter to parish families just before Easter. I write to inform you of recent developments concerning our school administration, he wrote. On Monday, March 25, McCafferys letter said, a report was filed with the Division of Children and Families, prompting an investigation. As a precautionary measure, our principal, Mrs. Susan Martin, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of this investigation. Please rest assured that the safety and well-being of our students remains our utmost priority and we are committed to fully cooperating with the investigative process. Meanwhile, the letter said, Mr. Joe Monachino will be assisting in the administrative duties. Monachino retired from his position as principal of Pius X High School last year. As we navigate through this situation, I will keep you updated on developments that I am authorized to share. In the event of an extended absence, I will keep you updated on our school leadership arrangements. Neither Martin nor McCaffery responded to a message seeking comment about the investigation. They wrote it up as an accident Last summer, I wrote about the schools expulsion of a student over disagreements between the new pastor, McCaffery, and that childs parents. Patrick R. Miller, in-house counsel for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, said in a Friday interview that he couldnt say much more than the letter from McCaffery said, other than to reiterate that child safety is the priority. We welcome the investigation, he said, and have to trust the states going to do a good job. This is Martins third year at St. Johns. Previously, she was principal at St. Gregory Barbarigo Catholic School in Maryville, Missouri. The same parent who made one of the complaints to the state told me that three other families not the same three who reported Martin to CPS had left the school this year over similar problems. Her son was bullied for the first time in September, she said, when two other boys threw him into a bookshelf in a classroom where no teacher was present. He split his head open and was bleeding, she said, but they wrote it up as an accident, after one of the boys who was responsible reported it to the school nurse and said he didnt know how it had happened. It was other students who had seen that it was not an accident and told their parents about it who let the boys mother know what had really happened. Her son, she said, had been threatened to keep quiet about that and a series of other attacks since then, including once when he came home with a black and blue rib cage. They beat me up at St. John LaLande Susan knows all this. She says, We cant prove it. Its just hearsay. On another occasion, the woman said, the same boys threatened to beat her son if he didnt look up a video featuring celebrity rapper Drakes penis, which he then did. The final straw, she said, was when her son told her, I dont want to go back in that building and I dont like who I am any more. Im doing things I shouldnt do and they beat me up if I dont. He had also been looking up funny suicide memes in response to the situation, and of course that scared her. Another student was being repeatedly shoved into a locker, she said, and a third had a bathroom door kicked in on him. Nothing was being done in response to any of these problems, she said. In my job, Im a mandatory reporter myself, so if the Catholic Church isnt going to do anything about it She didnt finish the sentence, and now her son wont finish the year at St. Johns. Hes relieved. But shes sad and upset that it came to this, as any parent would be. We used to have a wonderful school. All I will add is that keeping kids safe is not just a matter of pledging to care, or having the right policies on paper. Bullies of any age are sneaky, or they wouldnt get away with their transgressions. But its not 1950 anymore, and no school official anywhere, in a collar or not, can afford to ignore how deadly serious an issue bullying can be. KDHE warns of blue-green algae at this Harvey Co. lake WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued a warning advisory for a lake in Harvey County. The KDHE releases an advisory each week of blue-green algae at lakes across the state of Kansas. These advisories go from watch to warning and then hazard. Harvey County East Lake was added to the warning advisory on Thursday. A Warning status indicates that conditions are unsafe for human and pet exposure. Contact with the waterbody should be avoided. When a warning is issued, KDHE recommends the following precautions be taken: Signage should be posted at all public access locations. Inhalation of spray or aerosols may be harmful. Lake water is not safe to drink for pets or livestock. Lake water, regardless of blue-green algae status, should never be consumed by humans. Water contact should be avoided. Fish may be eaten if they are rinsed with clean water and only the fillet portion is consumed, while all other parts are discarded. Do not allow pets to eat dried algae. If lake water contacts the skin, wash it with clean water as soon as possible. Avoid areas of visible algae accumulation. KDHE warns of blue-green algae as lake season starts Advisories are lifted when cell densities and toxin concentrations dissipate to levels below the Watch thresholds. KDHE investigates publicly accessible bodies of water for blue-green algae when the agency receives reports of potential algae blooms in Kansas lakes. Based on credible field observation and sampling results, KDHE reports on potentially harmful conditions. If you observe a scum or paint-like surface on the water, small floating blue-green clumps or filaments in the water, or if the water is an opaque green, avoid contact and keep pets away. These are indications that a harmful bloom may be present. Pet owners should be aware that animals that swim in or drink water affected by a harmful algal bloom or eat dried algae along the shore may become seriously ill or die. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV. The family of Keenan Leonard, a Georgia man who was fatally gunned down in his driveway with no apparent provocation by a white man three years ago, is teaming up with a local NAACP chapter to file a civil suit against his convicted murderer. Leonards loved ones hope the complaint will finally help them obtain answers to why the 29-year-old mans life was abruptly ended. Trending In a Thursday (April 4) press conference, Attorney Andrew Lampros said that a civil suit would be the best course of action to get Cameron Downing to detail what took place on New Years Day 2021. The killer is not required to testify at the criminal trial. Hes not required to answer any questions. Hes got the right against self-incrimination. He does not have that right on the civil side, said Lampros to WRBL-TV. And so, we can sit him down and place him under oath and ask him questions. And we expect that he probably wont answer them the first time around, but we are prepared to go to a court and ask the judge to enter an order compelling him to answer those questions, he added. Downing, 26, is said to have fired five shots into Leonards car, striking him three times. The unsuspecting man was on the phone with his girlfriend, who was inside their residence, when he was killed. She told authorities that she heard the shots through the phone and from inside their shared home. She found his lifeless body in his car. Downing claimed that he was attempting to get directions from the victim when an argument broke out. He alleged that he feared for his life when the fatal shots were fired. Investigators determined that Leonard was not armed, and his girlfriend said she never heard him speak to anyone other than her before he was killed. He was convicted of malice murder in November 2023. The following month, on Dec. 11, 2023, 11 Alive reported that Troup County District Attorney John H. Cranford Jr. sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. "For taking Keenen Leonard from his family and loved ones without any apparent reason, it is just that Downing never be released from prison," he said. Inetha Hatten, president of the Troup County NAACP, said, This was an innocent man a lot of times we dont get the justice that we deserve. If we talk about it, we are noted as people who are prejudiced, racist, or harsh but I want justice for all people. And if it comes across our desk, were going to handle it, when asked about the organization joining the familys continued fight for justice. The lawsuit is expected to be filed within the next 30 days. You Might Also Like Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s campaign has been hijacked by MAGA Friday. Kennedy referred to rioters in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol as activists and suggested they were victims of an outrageous miscarriage of justice, in a Thursday statement. His campaign has been hijacked by MAGA, Kinzinger told CNNs Kaitlan Collins during a Friday interview. Maybe not hijacked, maybe voluntarily. And so, youre gonna start seeing more and more of this kind of Donald Trump conspiracies, and hes either going along with it, because thats gonna help him raise money and get notoriety, or he truly believes it. Regardless, hes absolutely wrong, and this is a frightening thing, Kinzinger added. Kennedys email drew comparisons between charges against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and Jan. 6 defendants, stating, 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 [Rep.] Marjorie Taylor Green [R-Ga.] and hard-left [Rep.] Ilhan Omar [D-Minn.] Agree: We Must Free Assange Now! the email continued. 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. A spokesperson for Kennedys campaign, Stephanie Spear, later 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. Kinzinger also responded Friday to comments Kennedy recently made on CNN, in which he claimed President Biden was a larger threat to democracy than former President Trump. You can dislike Joe Biden, like, but you cant with a straight face this isnt even I mean, its not even subjective, this is like fact, Kinzinger said. You cant with a straight face say that Joe Bidens a bigger danger to democracy. Joe Biden has gone along with democracy as hes president, hes gone along with the rules of democracy. Hes not trying to overthrow any election results, Kinzinger continued. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. What we know about the wreck of a charter bus full of USC students headed to New Orleans A bus loaded with University of South Carolina students crashed in Mississippi on Friday, injuring nearly a dozen people and halting traffic. Details are still coming about the wreck, but heres what we know so far. Passengers There have been no reports of fatalities. There were 56 USC students aboard the charter bus, according to Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper Cal Robertson. The students were traveling to New Orleans. The students were members of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. A member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, who answered the phone of Joshua Moorehead, president of the fraternity, said on Friday that the organization declined to comment. Of the students, 10 were injured. The driver of the bus was injured after she was ejected through the windshield. Two of the victims, one of which was the driver, were airlifted by helicopter to a hospital. Nine students were taken to hospitals by ambulance, Robertson said. When the driver was ejected, USC student Paul Clune jumped up out of his seat and grabbed the steering column to stop the bus before it rolled rolling over, Bay St. Louis Police Chief Toby Schwartz said. The crash The crash happened around 3:30 p.m. in the westbound lanes of Interstate 10 and Highway 603, about 13 miles from the Louisiana state line, the Mississippi Department of Transportation states. It was a single vehicle crash. Officials believe the crash was caused by mechanical failure. The bus hit a divider on I-10. The bus was a Dixon Motor Express charter. What we dont yet know Who was driving the bus for the students? Who chartered the bus? Why were the students going to New Orleans? Will the uninjured students continue on to New Orleans or return home? Do you know this person? UTA police ask for help identifying TRAX shooting suspect SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) The Utah Transit Authority Police Department is asking for assistance identifying a suspect in the South Salt Lake TRAX shooting that occurred on Thursday, April 4. They say the individual may be involved in an isolated, non-transit-related incident at the TRAX Meadowbrook Station. Courtesy Utah Transit Authority PREVIOUSLY: 2 shot at South Salt Lake TRAX platform, suspect on the loose If you know this individual or have any information about this incident that could help the investigation, UTA said to contact 801-287-EYES (3937) or text the UTA Police at 274-637. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. The Kyiv Independent's investigative documentary "Uprooted" on Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children has won the 2023 Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) award for the Video Divison I category. The "Uprooted" investigation, authored by journalist Olesia Bida, uncovers the inner workings of the forced deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia and the occupied territories of Ukraine. Other Kyiv Independent team members behind the project include Vitalii Havura, Kostiantyn Nechyporenko, Liza Pyrozhkova, and Yevheniia Motorevska. "This was a searing and comprehensive piece of reporting that unmasked the Russian government's abduction and relocation of Ukrainian children, making an emotional impact far greater than a list of names and numbers or scattered news reports ever could," IRE judges commented. "Judges were also impressed by the team's use of open-source intelligence and strong accountability interviews with the specific officials responsible for taking children from their homes and families all work that will likely stand as an important testament once the war is over." Last December, the "Uprooted" investigation also won the National Investigative Journalism Competition 2023. While working on "Uprooted," the Kyiv Independent's War Crimes Unit identified Russian-controlled officials who took part in the abduction of Ukrainian children and followed the paths of families who risked their lives to bring their children back. In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian official allegedly overseeing the forced deportations of Ukrainian children to Russia. The unlawful transfer or deportation of civilians to Russia violates the Fourth Geneva Convention and constitutes a war crime under international law. More than 19,500 children have been identified by the Ukrainian government as having been deported and/or forcibly displaced by Russia. Almost 400 of them have been brought back to Ukraine. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Lakeyshia Timmons 'didn't deserve to die like this,' as family seeks answers from officials Family, friends and activists join hands at the intersection of West Hadley and North 18th streets on Friday following the death of Lakeyshia Timmons, who was shot and killed Monday outside her home. "Lakeyshia did the right thing. She tried to avoid this. She was ignored." That was the message sent by community advocate and radio host Tory Lowe at a prayer vigil Friday for 42-year-old Lakeyshia Timmons. The Milwaukee mother of eight was shot and killed Monday by the father of her children after returning from dropping her kids off at school, according to prosecutors. Her death came at the end of an arduous and yearslong custody battle over three of her children with their father, 52-year-old Ronald E. Fuller. Her family is speaking out as Timmons seemingly took all the right steps to avoid interactions with Fuller prior to her death. Latanilia Timmons, Lakeyshia's mother, stood at the scene of her daughter's death in the 2700 block of North 18th Street on Friday with other family, friends and activists to talk about her daughter. "I don't know why Mr. Fuller did this to my daughter, over a custody battle that she won," Latanilia Timmons said. Lakeyshia Timmons was awarded sole custody and primary placement of her children in late February. Latanilia Timmons and community advocate Tory Lowe address the media following the homicide of 42-year-old Lakeyshia Timmons, a mother of eight. Before then, Lakeyshia Timmons filed a restraining order against Fuller, but the court denied her request. Court records show that Lakeyshia Timmons' harassment retraining order against Fuller was denied the same day by Deputy Family Court Commissioner David Pruhs in October 2023. Family said that Lakeyshia Timmons often reported Fuller to the police when he would harass her. "We gonna have to get something done about this because this is not fair to the system," Latanilia Timmons said. "My daughter did not deserve to die like this." The Timmons family is requesting a meeting with Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Police Chief Jeffrey Norman. Although they said the mayor's staff has been in touch with them. Lakeyshia Timmons' 24-year-old daughter, also named Latanilia Timmons, said Friday that, "(My mother) reported everything that he did, all of his tactics, and nothing was done. We need answers. My siblings, they deserve answers. ... This won't rest until something is done." The Timmons siblings remember their mother as one of the best around, having raised her four adult children all on her own. Lakeyshia Timmons also has four other children ages 3 to 12. Lakeyshia Timmons' adult children address media at a vigil Friday for their mother. Jessica Thomas (gray sweatshirt) and Latanilia Timmons (second from right) said their mother was the best around. "She had a beautiful soul. She was a nice person," said Jessica Thomas, Lakeyshia Timmons' other 24-year-old daughter. "She was very loved by everyone. Like everybody loved her. You couldn't get no bad comments from my momma. ... If anyone of y'all would have come up to our door saying y'all was hungry, she woulda fed all y'all." A GoFundMe page set up by the family had raised nearly $6,000 by Friday evening. Lakeyshia D. Timmons, 42 Court records detail an arduous custody battle 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. His listed attorney could not be reached Friday. He 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. 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. 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. 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. Domestic violence deaths far too common Lakeyshia Timmons is the 24th homicide victim this year in Milwaukee. But more than three months into 2024, gun violence has continued to slow, with homicides down 37% and nonfatal shootings 27% from the year before. In 2023, homicides dropped 20%, while nonfatal shootings fell 4%. Milwaukee and Wisconsin have had an increase in domestic violence since 2020. In 2022, the state broke its record for domestic violence deaths with 96, according to a report from End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin. The same report outlined how a 70% drop in federal funding in 2024 would stress shelters in staying open, keeping hotlines staffed and having advocates available to help victims. Locally, however, as of mid-December, domestic violence-related homicides in Milwaukee County appeared to have fallen from 41 in 2022 to 31 in 2023, according to the Sojourner Family Peace Center, the largest service provider for domestic violence victims in Wisconsin. Carmen Pitre, the president of the organization, attributed the drop to expanded intervention services as a result of a $1 million grant from the state government. Where to find help for domestic violence in Milwaukee Our Peaceful Home, which serves Muslim families and is a program of the Milwaukee Muslim Womens Coalition, operates a crisis line at 414-727-1090. The Hmong American Womens Association, which serves the Hmong and southeast Asian community, has advocates available at 414-930-9352 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Asha Project, which serves African American women in Milwaukee, provides a crisis line from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 414-252-0075. The UMOS Latina Resource Center in Milwaukee offers bilingual, bicultural, domestic violence, sexual assault and anti-human trafficking supportive services and operates a 24-hour hotline at 414-389-6510. The Sojourner Family Peace Center in Milwaukee operates a 24-hour confidential hotline at 414-933-2722. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233. Other resources Milwaukee's Office of Violence Prevention recommends these resources for free support: 414Life outreach and conflict mediation support: 414-439-5525. Milwaukee County's 24-Hour Mental Health Crisis Line: 414-257-7222. Milwaukee's Child Mobile Crisis and Trauma Response Team: 414-257-7621. National crisis text line: Text HOPELINE to 741741 to text with a trained crisis counselor. Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. Elliot Hughes of the Journal Sentinel contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee family seeks accountability following death of mother It was supposed to be a day when horse racing celebrated its heritage. Normally, more than 10,000 visitors flock to Lambourn, one of the most famous centres of horse racing in England, for the Peter OSullevan Open Day, appropriately named after the legendary racing commentator, when stables throw open their yards to the public. They come to see at close quarters some of the 1,500 horses in training at any one time, as well as stable staff and jockeys. But despite months of planning, the event on Good Friday had to be cancelled this year after heavy rain left car parks flooded. And there was also the small matter of local streets being awash with raw sewage. Not only could people not park, but it would have also looked bad for the village to have people coming from miles around to see their favourite racehorse and theyve got to drive through all that crap, says resident Tony Morley, 72, whose wife works as an equine nurse. Lambourn is served by Thames Water, which in 2023 recorded sewage leakage for a record 196,414 hours a rise of 160 per cent from the year before according to the Environment Agency. Residents in Newbury Street have been living with the problem for years. A delightfully picturesque road in the heart of the village with a welcoming pub, a saddlers, and thatched cottages, it is frequently littered with toilet paper, wet wipes, tampons and faeces as drains overflow and flood the pavement. Parents walking children to school have to be mindful of incoming traffic, to avoid being splashed by raw sewage. Thames Water has even implied that householders are to blame for the problem because they flush sanitary products down the toilet. They sort of tried to blame us for blocking up the system, says Mr Morley. But its their fault for not investing in the system I wish theyd just admit to it. Residents have been forced to erect signs to warn passersby and drivers of the discharge. Twice a day, Thames Water engineers hose solid waste away from a manhole near a homemade sign which reads Lambourn s**t show. Ive lost track of how long this has gone on for now because I try and avoid it where I can, says Amber Stratford, 27. But its coming up all the drains everywhere, so you cant really avoid it. Ms Stratford used to take her daughter paddling in the nearby River Lambourn, but this has long since been ruled out by sewage spills. We used to love going to see the ducks but you cannot set foot in there now, she says. Yesterday she trod in it and luckily she had her Crocs on, but its disgusting. Its dangerous, and its just not what you really want to be walking into all the time, is it? Twice a day, Thames Water engineers hose solid waste away - JOHN LAWRENCE Everyone in Lambourn knows about 45 Newbury Street. The detached Victorian home has been a fixture in the middle of the Berkshire village since 1915 and for the first time in more than a century, it is on the market for 350,000. Set on a generous 0.3-acre plot, this property could suit a developer or an astute buyer looking for a project, boasts a brochure handed out by local estate agents Jones Robinson. But this week, for the third time in two years, a potential buyer has backed away. Try as they might, Jones Robinson cannot distract buyers from the propertys glaring flaw: the flood of raw sewage beneath its floorboards. The buyer couldnt get his head around it, says the agent. He wanted to buy it as his family home, but its like this every time how can you do viewings when there are bits of excrement and toilet paper right there in the street? Thames Water has faced a barrage of criticism for its track record on sewage. In 2022, the firm had the highest number of serious pollution incidents in a decade, according to a report published by the Environment Agency last year. More than half of serious pollution incidents, where there is a serious, extensive, or persistent impact on the environment, people, or property, were linked to either Thames or Anglian Water that year, the report said. Thames Water is now at crisis point. In March, shareholders refused to provide the struggling utility giant with a lifeline, saying regulatory requirements made its business plan uninvestable. The provider was bought in 2006 by Australian bank Macquarie and a string of offshore pension funds. Since then, shareholders have sucked out some 2.7bn in dividends through a complex financial structure ultimately paid for by household bills. Thames is now desperately seeking emergency funding to service its 14bn debt pile after regulator Ofwat refused its plans to increase household bills by 40 per cent over the next decade. Should it fail, Thames Water could be forced into special administration. The beleaguered providers parent company, Kemble, will miss its deadline to repay lenders 190m by the end of April. Thames Water may also have to renegotiate a separate debt of 200m, according to Kembles latest accounts. Rating agencies Moodys, S&P and Fitch have downgraded the companys credit rating to closer to junk status. On Friday, Kemble informed lenders that it had failed to meet a deadline to pay interest on 400m of debt due this week. Without fresh funds from shareholders, it will be up to a consortium of lenders, including the Bank of China and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China both of which are owned and controlled by the Chinese state to rescue Thames Water from administration. Meanwhile, Chris Weston, the companys CEO, is preparing to meet with union officials amid fear of potential job cuts. A breakdown in relations could lead to industrial action. Laura Farris, MP for Newbury, has led a campaign against Thames Water since her election in 2019. The residents here have had the same problem for more than a decade, she says. Ive said again and again its a sad, chronic lack of investment. As well as pointing the finger at sanitary products, Thames Water has blamed issues with sewage spills on excessively heavy rain, which has kept groundwater and river levels high. A significant amount of this water is entering the local sewer system and causing flooding from manholes, a spokesman said. The company also claims the impact on the water quality in the River Lambourn has been minimal because the flows of sewage are heavily diluted by the groundwater and surface water runoff. The sewage system in Lambourn dates back to the Victorian era. In lockdown, Thames Water undertook an extensive relining of the pipes, but according to Farris, this only held up for a couple of years. Farris and several residents have contacted the Environment Agency, complaining that raw sewage has been consistently flowing through the streets, into the river, and, in some cases, backing up into residents homes. In a letter to the regulator, they said: The current situation is intolerable, [and] poses a public health risk. Amber Stratford, with her two children Isla, six, and seven-month-old Luca. She has 'lost track of how long this has gone on for now' - JOHN LAWRENCE But the Environment Agency has thus far refused to fine Thames Water, claiming the environmental impact on the river is low. Nonetheless, a spokesman said: The frequent discharge of untreated sewage to the River Lambourn, caused by groundwater infiltration affecting Thames Waters sewer network, is unacceptable. We continue to monitor the ongoing situation and have instructed Thames Water to produce a plan setting out what it will do to reduce the risk of pollution. Thames Water needs to learn from this incident and confirm what additional actions and investments it will put in place to improve the situation. Residents of Lambourn have, in the meantime, learned to live with the sight of human waste flowing through the streets. Retiree Andy Brown, 75, has on three occasions been forced to hose sewage from the floor of his garage, and the stream that runs behind his home is regularly strewn with toilet paper. It smells, yeah, he says. Thames Water says you can claim compensation, but I dont fancy the inquisition that would follow, and given theyre in all this debt I doubt anything would happen. It should be nationalised. Thames Water has apologised for the situation. Were sorry that customers have been affected as our sewers have become overloaded in the River Lambourn area, a spokesman says. Were continuing to work closely with the Lambourn Valley Flood Forum and we continue to investigate where groundwater and surface water are getting into the sewer system. We are working hard to keep our sewers flowing and to prevent further flooding. Were carrying out daily clean-ups where the manholes have been overflowing in Lambourn and were using tankers at our sewage pumping station in Upper Lambourn 24 hours a day to help manage excess flows in the sewers. We also have a filter unit in place near Lambourn fire station, which uses a pump to take the excess water out of our foul sewer, so it can be screened and then safely returned to the river. 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. Demonstrators gather outside the Mexican embassy in Ecuador to ask for the freedom of former Ecuador VP Glas, in Quito Demonstrators gather outside the Mexican embassy in Ecuador to ask for the freedom of former Ecuador VP Glas, in Quito By Alexandra Valencia QUITO (Reuters) -Latin American governments, including regional heavyweight Brazil, rallied around Mexico on Saturday after its embassy in Ecuador was raided to arrest a controversial politician who had been granted asylum by Mexican authorities. The late Friday night seizure of Jorge Glas, Ecuador's former vice president who was detained on graft charges, triggered a suspension of relations with Quito by Mexico City, with the government of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador blasting the unusual diplomatic incursion and arrest as an "authoritarian" act as well as a breach of international law and Mexico's sovereignty. The government of Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa had argued asylum protections were illegal because of the corruption charges Glas is facing. Still, under international law, embassies are considered the sovereign territory of the country they represent. On Saturday, governments across the political spectrum in Latin America - including Brazil and Colombia on the left, and Argentina and Uruguay on the right - sharply criticized the arrest of Glas, who had sought refuge in the embassy since December. He could be seen on video circulating on social media being taken by police convoy to the airport in the capital Quito, flanked by heavily armed soldiers. He then boarded a plane en route to a jail in Guayaquil, the Andean nation's largest city. Photos on social media, including one posted by Cuba's foreign minister, showed what appeared to be the embassy's wall being scaled by armed police or soldiers. Reuters could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the photos. Brazil's government condemned Ecuador's move as a "clear violation" of international norms prohibiting such a raid on a foreign embassy. Ecuador's move against the embassy "must be subject to strong repudiation, whatever the justification for its implementation," according to a statement from Brazil's foreign ministry, which stressed Brasilia's solidarity with Mexico. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement said the United States condemns any violation of the convention protecting diplomatic missions. The statement added the United States encourages "the two countries to resolve their differences in accord with international norms." 'FLAGRANT VIOLATION' Mexico's top diplomat Alicia Barcena expressed shock at Ecuador's incursion into the country's embassy, located in Quito's financial district, calling it "a violent attack" perpetrated by the police. "Mexico reiterates its condemnation for the violation of the immunity of its embassy in Quito and the attack on its staff," she said in a message shared on X late on Saturday, adding that 18 would return to Mexico on Sunday. "(Mexico) reiterates that it will appeal to the International Court of Justice and all relevant regional and international bodies after this clear and flagrant violation of international law." Earlier in the day, she said that Glas was granted asylum after an exhaustive analysis of the circumstances surrounding the accusations he faces. Also on Saturday, the Washington-based Organization of American States issued a call for dialogue to resolve the escalating dispute between Ecuador and Mexico, adding in a statement that a session of the body's permanent council will be convened to discuss the need for "strict compliance with international treaties, including those that guarantee the right to asylum." Colombian President Gustavo Petro, meanwhile, argued in a post on X that Latin America "must keep alive the precepts of international law in the midst of the barbarism that is advancing in the world." Petro's government noted it will seek human rights legal protections for the now-detained Glas, according to a separate statement. Glas, convicted twice for corruption, had been holed up in the embassy in Quito since seeking political asylum in December, a request Mexico granted on Friday. Ecuadorean authorities had unsuccessfully sought permission from Mexico to enter the embassy and arrest Glas. In 2017, Glas, the former second-in-command to ex-President Rafael Correa, also a leftist, was sentenced to six years in prison after he was found guilty of taking bribes from Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht in exchange for awarding it government contracts. As he faced a fresh arrest warrant on separate graft charges, Glas has claimed he is the victim of political persecution, a charge Ecuador's government has denied. (Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by David Alire Garcia; additional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell and Christopher Cushing) Fresenius Medical Care AG (ETR:FME) will increase its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 22nd of May to 1.19. The payment will take the dividend yield to 3.4%, which is in line with the average for the industry. View our latest analysis for Fresenius Medical Care Fresenius Medical Care's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage While it is always good to see a solid dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is feasible. Prior to this announcement, Fresenius Medical Care's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that a large portion of its earnings are being retained to grow the business. The next year is set to see EPS grow by 130.1%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 32% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward. Fresenius Medical Care Has A Solid Track Record The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. The annual payment during the last 10 years was 0.77 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was 1.19. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 4.4% over that duration. While the consistency in the dividend payments is impressive, we think the relatively slow rate of growth is less attractive. The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. Let's not jump to conclusions as things might not be as good as they appear on the surface. Fresenius Medical Care's earnings per share has shrunk at 23% a year over the past five years. Dividend payments are likely to come under some pressure unless EPS can pull out of the nosedive it is in. However, the next year is actually looking up, with earnings set to rise. We would just wait until it becomes a pattern before getting too excited. Our Thoughts On Fresenius Medical Care's Dividend Overall, this is a reasonable dividend, and it being raised is an added bonus. While the payments look sustainable for now, earnings have been shrinking so the dividend could come under pressure in the future. Taking all of this into consideration, the dividend looks viable moving forward, but investors should be mindful that the company has pushed the boundaries of sustainability in the past and may do so again. Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Fresenius Medical Care that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers. 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. More than 400 lawmakers, civil rights leaders, musicians and actors have sent a letter to President Biden urging him to support a list of Congressional bills on racial equity and reparative justice. The letter, led by UCLA professor of sociology and African American studies Marcus Anthony Hunter, who coined the phrase Black Lives Matter, calls for Biden to meet with the Congressional members and advocates as soon as possible to tackle and attend to the unfinished work of advancing comprehensive equity through executive orders and actions. As we face another election year, this conversation regarding urgent executive action on reparations is not just about policyit is about the people of the United States of America, the fate of our democracy, national unity, and national security, the letter states. The letter is signed by leaders including Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP; civil rights attorney Ben Crump; the Rev. Al Sharpton; David J. Johns, executive director and CEO of the National Black Justice Coalition; and a host of Democratic congressional members including Reps. Barbara Lee (Calif), Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas), Cori Bush (Mo.), and Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.). Its not the first letter Biden has received this year from advocates. In February, a group of advocates teamed up with Black members of Congress to highlight 10 pieces of legislation centered on racial equity that Biden needed to work with Congress to pass. Advocates have been adamant that Biden needs to find a way to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2023, policy on police reform and federal reparations. Fridays letter to Biden said the more than 400 signees remain ready and willing to work with the administration to advance a comprehensive equity framework previous open letters have outlined. The state of our Union depends upon it, the letter concludes. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A Cuesta College employee is suing the community college for unlawful retaliation, alleging supervisors and coworkers discriminated and harassed him after he reported them for participating in unlawful activities on campus, a lawsuit said. According to the lawsuit filed in November, Andrew Kranes claims his supervisors and coworkers harassed him and his family to the point he became depressed, his wife suffered panic attacks and his children developed night terros, social anxiety and a phobia of public restrooms. Kranes had worked at Cuesta as a general maintenance worker since October 2016, the lawsuit said. According to Shannon Hill, spokesperson for Cuesta, Kranes is still employed at the college. According to the lawsuit, Kranes says the harassment began because he contacted the San Luis Obispo District Attorneys Office in November 2021 alleging several events that had caused his concern, but saying he was too fearful he would lose his CalPERS retirement if he made a complaint. An official report was filed on Jan. 3, 2022. According to the lawsuit, the District Attorneys Office told Kranes he was protected from retaliation from Cuesta under Californias whistleblower statute, a law that shields employees who report labor violations from retribution. Two months after the complaint was filed, Kranes received his first negative performance review one of the first of several instances he claims amounted to retaliation for his report. Hill told The Tribune the college does not comment on pending litigation. The college has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit. Lawsuits only represent one side of a dispute. Cuesta employees were unlawfully using public resources, lawsuit alleges According to the lawsuit, Kranes complaint to the District Attorneys Office alleged Cuestas director of facilities, Brian McAlister, and plumbing associate Sean Frazier had been taking work vehicles home every day instead of driving their personal vehicles and having their mileage compensated for a option only allowed if the employee lives more than 50 miles from campus while also using the Cuesta gas pump to fill the vehicles. McAlister lives in Atascadero roughly 20 miles from campus but took the vehicle home because he was on-call, the lawsuit says. Kranes also reported that a Cuesta shop mechanic repaired human resources employee Stephanie Federicos personal vehicle with Cuesta parts and tools, the lawsuit said. Melissa Richerson, Cuesta vice president of human resources and labor relations and Kranes supervisor, is also alleged to have asked Kranes to repair her personal vehicle using Cuesta resources, to which Kranes declined. Kranes had reasonable cause to believe Cuesta was mishandling public funds in violation of the law and its Districts own board policy, the lawsuit said. According to San Luis Obispo County Community College Districts board policy, no trustee shall use or permit others to use public resources, except that which is incidental and minimal, for personal purposes or any other purpose not authorized by law. Then on March 11, 2022, Richerson gave Kranes a less than satisfactory performance evaluation his first in his five years of employment and placed him on a performance improvement plan. Mikulka told Kranes she believed the review was retaliatory, the lawsuit said. A week later on March 17, 2022, Richerson accused Kranes of taking photos of Preston Federico, the husband of Stephanie Federico and also a general maintenance worker at Cuesta, at the college pool. Kranes denied this allegation. The district completed its investigation on April 13, 2022, and said that while it believes Kranes made the report in good faith, the evidence did not support the allegations of retaliation, the lawsuit said. According to the complaint, the District Attorneys Office completed its investigation on May 12, 2022, but could not finish the report because the agency never received a report from Cuestas president, Jill Stearns. Lawsuit: Employee followed coworkers wife to bathroom while she was with kids Harassment against Kranes and his family escalated in May 2022, the lawsuit said. On May 11, 2022, Kranes wife Harmony was in the Cuesta parking lot to transfer their two children 3 and 5 years old when Preston Federico accused Harmony of giving him the middle finger. Kranes told Federico his wifes hand was in a cast due to a surgery the month prior, the lawsuit said, and Federico told Kranes he needed to teach that b---h some manners. Harmony Kranes reported the incident to the Cuesta Police Department and Cuesta Student Services the following day. Cuesta College Assistant Superintendent and Vice President Elizabeth Coria emailed Kranes on May 13, 2022, and accused his wife of making an obscene gesture to Federico on May 11 and filming another employee on May 3, accusing Kranes of retaliation. The lawsuit said Coria believed Federicos account at face value and dismissed Harmony Kranes previous police report. The lawsuit claims Harmony was never given Corias contact information or an opportunity to speak with her. On June 23, 2022, the lawsuit said, union representatives told Kranes he needed to drop it when it came to what Federico said about his wife and told him that McAlister, the director of facilities Kranes accused of misusing a work vehicle, was attempting to create a pattern of incompetence against him to use for his dismissal. Then, on July 11, Federico drove slowly past Harmony as she backed out of a parking spot at the public pool parking lot, where she was exchanging cars and children with her husband, leaned out the window of his work vehicle intently staring at her and flipped her off. Kranes witnessed the incident in the parking spot next to her with his two children. Harassment, including following, gesturing, staring and taking videos and photos, continued all summer as the Kranes children continued to take swim lessons. The behavior made Harmony and her children extremely uncomfortable and fearful, but concerns were repeatedly dismissed by Richerson and McAlister, the lawsuit claims. On July 15, 2022, the lawsuit said, a lifeguard approached Harmony and told her that her son said that bad man was bothering his mom. The lawsuit claims Harmony was visibly shaking and anxious because Preston Federico was video-recording and gesturing to her and her children before the lesson. As Harmony and her children left the pool to change in the womens restroom, she noticed Federico exiting his truck and beginning to follow her, the lawsuit said. She turned away panicking, put her phone in selfie mode and began recording herself walking away from Federico as he continued his pursuit, holding out his phone recording her, according to the suit. She froze when she got to the corner of the parking lot and the womens restroom because she wanted to stay visible and did not feel safe entering either. Federico then reportedly walked past her and entered the womens restroom. When Federico exited the restroom and Harmony asked him what he was doing, he smirked and told her he was doing work, the lawsuit said. Harmony immediately reported the incident to police and was told by an officer they were unable to help, but the officer later told her in an email that he would make an incident report to document her concerns. The next day, the lawsuit said, Coria emailed Harmony to inform her that Federico made a formal accusation against her alleging harassment on the basis of marital status, but Coria could not clarify what Federico meant by the allegation. The Kraneses children were too traumatized by the incident to attend their final swim lesson two days later, the lawsuit said. Children develop phobias, severe anxiety, following harassment at Cuesta College, lawsuit claims On Aug. 5, 2022, Kranes emailed Cuesta College Assistant Superintendent and Vice President Dan Troy a detailed list of actions by the district in hopes of mediating the situation, including a document labeled confidential. This file was forwarded to 151 unique IP addresses without Kranes authorization, the lawsuit alleged. On Aug. 26, 2022, the lawsuit said, Kranes was berated by Richerson and McAlister and told there was no improvement on his performance improvement plan. Then, on Sept. 19, 2022, McAlister emailed Kranes that he had two reprimands one of which allegedly occurred four months prior, the lawsuit said. During a meeting regarding the reprimands, the lawsuit said, Kranes was accused of taking an unauthorized break. On Feb. 11, 2023, Kranes said Richerson excessively questioned him about overtime he took in December 2022, despite photos that proved he was there. The harassment the Kraneses faced took a severe emotional toll, the lawsuit said. Andrew Kranes became depressed, and Harmony didnt feel comfortable leaving her house with her children for a year, according to the lawsuit. She had to drop out of her involvement in her sons school because of panic attacks and sever social anxiety. The lawsuit said their son has nightmares about the man that was following Mommy to hurt her and developed a severe phobia of public restrooms to the point he got a urinary tract infection that caused him to miss a week of school because he refused to go to the bathroom. Now he has severe anxiety around not urinating and causes disruptions in class to use the toilet every 20 minutes, the lawsuit said. Their daughter also developed a fear of bathrooms, the lawsuit said, and refuses to go unless her mother escorts her. Their daughter also had night terrors for four months following the incident with Federico, the lawsuit said. This severe anxiety around bathrooms did not exist before the incident with Federico, the lawsuit said. Both children experience negative changes in behavior with social anxiety that did not exist prior, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit asks suing for an amount to be proved at trial. The next case management conference is scheduled for April 15. Georgias Okefenokee Swamp is considered one of the worlds most unique environments. A mining company from Alabama, Twin Pines Minerals, LLC, is lobbying to mine for titanium dioxide at a location roughly three miles from the federally protected wildlife refuge. While lawmakers did not come to a decision on how to proceed in the legislature, Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio took to Instagram on Friday afternoon to urge action in Georgia to protect the Okefenokee Swamp. Help save one of the most significant wetlands on Earth from an 8,000-acre strip mine, his post reads in part. The Okefenokee Swamps National Wildlife Refuge in southern Georgia was created to protect native wildlife and the ethereal rivers that wind through its 400-year-old cypress forests. This landscape is home to Bald Eagles, Eastern Indigo Snakes, Bobcats, Gopher Tortoises, Black Bears and over 13,000 American Alligators. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The Oscar-winning actor is urging protection for the swamp due to what he says is a risk for the water levels and critical biodiversity, which he believes will be threatened by the mining nearby. While DiCaprios post says the mine is planned for 8,000 acres, Twin Pines said they only plan to mine about 580. Twin Pines Minerals, LLC has applied for permits for the purpose of extracting titanium and zirconium from a tract of land, that at is closest point is approximately 2.9 miles southeast of the Okefenokee Refuge. However, we will mine only 582 acres, and at any given time excavate in a very small section of the property (1.5 to 2.5 acres) to a maximum depth of 50 feet, advancing 100 feet per day, the company said in a statement online. However, it is correct that the original plan for the mining area from Twin Pines had proposed mining 12,000 acres, according to the company. TRENDING STORIES: That said, the company does currently own about 8,000 acres on Trail Ridge, which is a natural barrier protecting the swamps water as well as the Saint Marys River, as reported by Channel 2 Action News. To help save the Okefenokee Swamp, DiCaprio is asking people to sign a petition alongside the Southern Environmental Law Center, urging local regulators to reconsider allowing the mining effort due to its threat to the Okefenokee Swamp ecosystems. In February, Channel 2s Bryan Mims traveled down to the swamp to learn more about the wildlife refuge as debates across Georgia heated up ahead of a mining effort set to begin nearby. The materials, if they begin mining, would be used as a whitening agent for items like sunscreen, toothpaste and paint, among others. In a statement provided by Twin Pines to Channel 2 Action News previously, the company said theyve spent millions of dollars to ensure the environment isnt harmed. Twin Pines has spent tens of millions of dollars to prove their mining process will not harm the Okefenokee or surrounding environs. The draft permits are validation that the science has been accepted by EPD, Twin Pines president Steve Ingle said in February. In opposition to the mining plan, the SELC said the Okefenokee provides critical habitat for hundreds of species and a substantial economic benefit to the local community, and is continuing to urge Georgians to protect the swamp. The deadline for public comment on the mining effort is Tuesday, April 9, according to the Georgia DNR. The public comment was a 60-day period beginning on Feb. 9, according to state officials. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: Two board members of the Timucuan Parks Foundation check out the view from the Cedar Point pedestrian bridge. Battles have raged over development in the area for several years, with the latest involving a proposed community center on Cedar Point Road. A few weeks ago, my wife and I joined several other residents of the Cedar Point area to attend a Zoning Board hearing. This concerned a zoning exception request to build a community center on Cedar Point Road. The exception asked to build on 2 acres of land when zoning required twice that amount. About eight residents spoke against this based on several valid points, including the fact that the property is located on wetlands and would impact a sensitive area near a creek. Cedar Point Road is almost completely residential, except for one small church about 2 miles away that has been there for over 80 years. Other objections concerned the existing two-lane road with narrow dirt shoulders, the 55-mph speed limit in the area and increasing traffic due to growth in Cedar Point. The board heard our arguments, but rather than deferring a vote to further investigate our concerns, they voted unanimously to approve the exception to allow this request by the property owners. I asked what remedy those against this had and was told that the board's decision was final but could be appealed to the Jacksonville City Council for a fee of about $1,100. It seems this process is set up to discourage the average citizens right to appeal and is unfair. The board appears to be a rubber stamp for its own investigation findings. Plus, land size requirements for building are arbitrary when the board can reduce it by half. I could understand if the landowner had just 3.8 acres, instead of the 4 acres required, but not when they only have half. In addition, we discovered that one of the board members who investigated the request is also involved in the establishment of the community center. Interesting. Our system needs to be fixed. I emailed several city council members about this none responded. Terry Weaver, Jacksonville NAACP right on boycott stance The sculpture "Our Single Garment of Destiny" was unveiled in 2021 on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Columbus College of Art & Design in Ohio. The sculpture was inspired by King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" published in 1963. Viewed from different angles, the sculpture seems to disappear, representing people who are invisible to society. In his March 24 letter, Calvin Johnson echoes the standard right wing cultural appropriation of Martin Luther King Jr. to demean the NAACPs response to political attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. He reduces Kings dream that his children will live in America judged by their character rather than skin color a goal wholly acceptable to the right as the entirety of his message. Theres much more King said in that speech. In his more substantive 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail, King eloquently responds to being chastised by several clergymen. They accepted the presence of social injustice, and he forcefully repudiated them for arguing that the battle for Black civil rights should be fought patiently in the courts instead of by protest. Im sure King would protest termination of DEI programs. Worse, Johnson dog-whistles that the NAACP, rather than attacking the abolition of DEI, should instead focus on merit, character and morality. The pernicious implication here seems to be that non-white, non-heterosexual people are intrinsically deficient in those qualities. He doubles down on that troubling notion, claiming DEI promotes racial prejudice, inequity to those who have worked hard and immorality that undermines society. Its clear to me which racial group the writer believes is being prejudiced against, and who those promoting immorality are. The NAACP is right. Michael Miller, Ponte Vedra Beach Some attorney ads have no shame Closeup of gavel in court room As someone who worked extensively in advertising and marketing, I realize the value of promotion for professionals. I helped launch many local law firms into advertising when The Florida Bar first permitted it. This not only helped many attorneys build their practices, but it also helped the public by educating people on how to pick the right firm to address their problems. Most advertising was done in good taste and still is today. However, there are some firms that make me shake my head. These are personal injury law firms who appeal to simple greed, rather than assisting people whose lives have been damaged pr destroyed by someone else. The one that really galls me the most has a man state he heard a bump. Really? How does that warrant a judgment? Others merely state they were hit or rear-ended. Thats happened to me several times, once on the Mathews Bridge by a police officer. Ive even had cars totaled because of somebodys carelessness, yet I never felt the need to sue. Interestingly, none of these people claim or display any signs of injury. Many ads brag about the ease of filing a lawsuit. They often dont meet personally with their attorney and one man didnt even receive a check; he was paid by direct deposit. All these people seem healthy, active and pain-free. Not a wheelchair, neck brace, cane or crutch among them. Were they really injured? I thought thats what personal injury law is meant to address. So, if your automobile insurance keeps going up, you can thank some of these people for the increases. Theyll be the ones laughing all the way to the bank (unless their money is direct deposited). Chip Kirkpatrick, Yulee This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Community center planned on Cedar Point Road raises ire of residents 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. 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. 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. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Lithuania has delivered a new batch of M577 tracked armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry reported on April 6. Vilnius has been one of Kyiv's staunchest supporters against Russian aggression. Lithuania's defense contributions to Ukraine are one of the highest in the world in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) shares, according to the Kiel Institute of the World Economy. The latest shipment of M577 carriers arrived in Ukraine overnight, the ministry said on X. The ministry didnt specify the number of delivered vehicles. Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on April 5 that Lithuania would purchase 3,000 drones for Kyiv and allocate 15 million euros (around $16 million) to rehabilitation programs for wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Earlier this year, Lithuania pledged a long-term 200 million euro (roughly $216 million) support package to Ukraine and promised to continue supporting the country. Read also: How Ukrainian social media influencer raised over $50 million for military thanks to typing Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. 577 APCs handed over to Ukraine. Photo: Lithuania's Defence Ministry on Twitter (X) Lithuania announced that it handed over M577 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) to Ukraine's Armed Forces on 5 April. Source: Lithuania's Defence Ministry, as reported by European Pravda Details: The ministry has not indicated the number of APCs supplied. Continuous support for Ukraine is a strategic goal for Lithuania, the authority added. "The weapons and equipment that we and our allies provide make a crucial contribution to Ukraine's fight for independence and the security of Europe as a whole. We will continue to support Ukraine as long as necessary," the Lithuanian MoD stated. Whatever victory takes. Last night, a new shipment of Lithuanian military support reached Ukraine: we handed over M577 armored vehicles.#StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/pYR4Td8KZl Lithuanian MOD (@Lithuanian_MoD) April 6, 2024 Lithuania's Defence Ministry noted that it has already developed a long-term plan to support Ukraine, which envisages a 200 million package of security assistance for Kyiv for new procurement in the period 2024-2026. Lithuania has sent Ukraine military assistance worth about 605 million since the beginning of the war, the ministry summed up. Background: Earlier, it was reported that Lithuania plans to purchase about 3,000 domestically produced First-Person View (FPV) drones to be transferred to the Ukrainian military. At the same time, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte announced that her country was launching a rehabilitation programme for Ukrainian soldiers and would allocate about 15 million for this purpose. Support UP or become our patron! The Nicolas Maduro regime is about to approve a new law that would provide its security forces more tools to quash dissension inside Venezuela by turning protesting into a criminal act that could be punished with a stiff prison sentence. The bill, known in Venezuela as the law against fascism, could be used against anyone expressing dissatisfaction with the situation in the country, members of the opposition asking for election reforms or just regular citizens protesting against the frequent electricity blackouts. We can define the anti-fascism law as a law against protests, said Carlos Julio Rojas, an activist known for his defense of the citizens of the northern sector of Caracas. We cannot define it as an initiative designed to punish the opposition, because it also seeks to punish all those who having been part of the [Maduro] movement are now willing to say out loud that they are dissatisfied. The bills target ranges from those willing to post political messages against Maduro on social media to those simply complaining that the food provided by the regimes social program is rotten. With this bill, Anyone who raises his voice and complains about him can now be considered a fascist, Rojas said. Already approved this week in first discussion, the bill is scheduled to obtain final approval in the coming days within the Maduro-controlled National Assembly. Arguing the need to promote peaceful coexistence, the proposal would prohibit messages that could be interpreted as promoting violence as an instrument of political action. That sort of language is often used by regime members in reference to calls from the opposition to congregate in the streets or to protest or simply to express harsh opinions against the regime through social media. Under the bill, violation of the new law will be sanctioned with jail or fines, although legislators have yet to define what they would be. The project also calls for the creation of a Committee Against Fascism and of grass-roots organizations that would take action against the ideology, which the regime frequently attributes to opposition leaders and to public figures that favor a free market economy or speak in favor of a freer and more democratic society. The bill was introduced amid growing discontent and lack of support for the regime ahead of the presidential election set for the end of July. Its timing is no accident, said former Caracas Mayor and opposition leader Antonio Ledezma. The regime already had other laws in place to punish dissidents, but decided that it needed a new instrument to intimidate dissatisfied militants moving away from the government. In legal terms, the regime has no real need for this, but it sees a need for intimidation and to justify the use of political repression, Ledezma said. This is because the government is seeing infighting and the disintegration of the movement at a base level and realized that there is a need to put its house in order through greater repression. They are trying to maintain leadership this way, he said, because they fear the overwhelming support that opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has and that more than 80% of the public is against Maduro. They see this as a swollen river that can bring everything down. Concerned by polls assuring that he would be resoundingly defeated by Machado if he competed against her in the presidential election, Maduro disqualified the candidacy of the opposition leader and of her proxy replacement, university professor Corina Yolis. The ban has been accompanied by a wave of arrests against opposition leaders, human rights activists and military personnel who are being accused of participating in plots to overthrow Maduro. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) A 29-year-old man experiencing a medical emergency on a ship was airlifted by the U.S. Coast Guard Wednesday. According to the local sector of the Coast Guard, a distress call came in around 1:30 p.m. reporting the medical emergency. Caught on camera: Hikers stumble upon howling coyote in San Diego desert Watchstanders at the Joint Harbor Operations Center determined that the man required immediate higher-level medical care. At that point, Sector San Diego launched an Air Station Jayhawk Helicopter crew with a Specialized Trauma Assistance Team medic to retrieve and transport the patient ashore. The man, whose identity was not released, was retrieved from a petroleum oil tank ship that was located about 160 miles off the San Diego coast. The aircrew landed at Sector San Diego around 4:30 p.m. and successfully transferred the patient to awaiting Emergency Medical Services. He was reported to be in stable condition. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. St. Louis is the best US market for first-time homebuyers in 2024, real estate platform Zillow announced this week in its list of the 10 best cities for new buyers. Four other cities that made the list Detroit, Minneapolis, Kansas City, and Indianapolis are located in the Midwest, solidifying the region as the best area for new buyers to call home. Zillow ranked the cities based on rent affordability, the share of listings that a typical household can afford, expected competition for affordable homes, and the number of similar-age families living in the area. The other cities on the list were Austin, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, Birmingham, and Baltimore. With three out of four ranking factors relating to affordability, the report underscores how high costs driven by elevated mortgage rates, low inventory, and high home prices make any potential savings essential to enable first-time buyers to break into the market. St. Louis brokerage owner and local resident Sandy Hancock listed off her citys attributes: "Our average home price is under $300,000. We have very good schools. We have lots of things to do that are free," Hancock told Yahoo Finance. "It's wonderful." Also read: First-time homebuyer grants: Everything you need to know Affordability and community St. Louis scored high in affordability across the board, boasting a median home price of $205,500, according to Redfin. While it is not the cheapest on the list in terms of median listing prices, the share of home listings that a median-income family can comfortably afford is 67%, the highest in Zillow's ranking. Zillow defined homes as comfortably affordable when households spend less than 30% of their income on monthly mortgage payments after a 5% down payment and a 7% interest rate. Competition is less fierce in St. Louis than in many other metros. There are 3.4 affordable listings for every 100 renters, the fourth highest in the report. Renters waiting to buy also get more relief. The share of income that average households spend on rent is the second lowest after Minneapolis. St. Louis rent averaged around $1,304 in March, 34% below the national average of nearly $2,000. This makes for an easier path to saving for a down payment the biggest financial hurdle for many first-time homebuyers. "I definitely agree with that," Hancock said. "There's certainly luxury rentals available, but there's also more affordable apartments available. You should be able to find something in your price range, close to where you want to be." Story continues The only buying factor that fell short for the St. Louis market in Zillow's ranking was the share of similar-age households in the city. Only 26% of households averaged 29 to 43 years of age, a range capturing the highest share of new homebuyers and young families. Similar age households mean buyers can build a community, says Zillow. Read more: Why are home prices so high? City of St. Louis skyline with Gateway Arch and Mississippi River. (Getty Images) (Joe Sohm/Visions of America via Getty Images) Austin, a pandemic boomtown, ranked fifth on Zillows list. Its the most expensive market in the ranking, with a median home price of $525,000, and only 23% of the market is considered affordable. While rent is also not cheap an average apartment costs $2,216 Austin's median household earns $86,530 annually, 20% higher than the national average of $69,720. But it boasted the highest community score, with a third of households aged 29-43. "Austin was a big surprise on this list, considering it was the hottest market in the nation early in the pandemic," Skylar Olsen, chief economist at Zillow, told Yahoo Finance. "But while Austin and nearby San Antonio scored lower in affordable listings and competition over them, the share of millennial households fellow neighbors going through the same life stage and challenges pulled them up in the rankings." Bright spots in the Midwest In todays historically tight housing market, the Midwest is emerging as an area of opportunity for new homebuyers. According to Zillow, the share of affordable listings in the five Midwestern metros St. Louis, Detroit, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, and Kansas City ranged from 48% to 67%. The share of income spent on rents ranged from 20% to 22%. "The Midwest stands out as an attractive region for aspiring homeowners because affordable housing is present and accessible there, and it's scarce almost everywhere else," Olsen said. A separate index tracking housing affordability also found the Midwest to be the most affordable region in the nation. According to the Housing Affordability Index data collected by the National Association of Realtors, Midwestern households pay an average mortgage payment of $1,417, the lowest in the US. The median price for an existing home in the Midwest is around $274,000, which is less than half of the median price of a home in the West. The share of income spent on mortgage payments 17% is also half compared to the West, the most expensive region. A larger number of affordable listings and less potential competition over those listings helps Midwest markets shine in this ranking, Olsen said. Rebecca Chen is a reporter for Yahoo Finance and previously worked as an investment tax certified public accountant (CPA). Click here for the latest personal finance news to help you with investing, paying off debt, buying a home, retirement, and more Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Man, 55, dies after being shot in West Englewood on citys South Side, police say CHICAGO Chicago police are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred Saturday morning in the West Englewood area on the citys South Side. 4-year-old boy found unresponsive at north suburban hotel pool, taken to hospital in serious condition, police say According to police, a 55-year-old man was in the 6700 block of South Ashland Avenue at about 11 a.m. when he was approached by an unknown vehicle. An offender began firing shots at the man, hitting him in the body. The victim was taken to an area hospital in grave condition, where he was pronounced dead. A man related to the victim told WGN News his name is Clifton Boyd. The man said Boyd was his uncle and a talented artist. This hurt, said Darryl Boyd, Clifton Boyds nephew. He dont bother nobody, paint cars, bodywork, family man. This is tough. A co-worker of Boyds, who didnt want to be identified out of fear for his safety, agreed with his nephew that Boyd was a gifted man, and the co-worker offered compassion to the Boyd family during a time of tragedy. Just send my condolences out to the family, the co-worker said. We lost a good one, good painter, good guy, good father, hes gone now. Read more: Latest Chicago news headline Police say nobody is in custody and Area One detectives are investigating. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. Man arrested in Visalia after child abuse material found, police say VISALIA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) A 33-year-old man was arrested after an ongoing child sexual abuse material investigation in Visalia, the Visalia Police Department said. Police say the Visalia Police Department Youth Services Unit served a search warrant at a residence in the 600 block of South County Center Street. According to police, the investigation began after officers received a cyber tip concerning the viewing of child sexual abuse material at the home. Police say 33-year-old Timothy Scott Skala was arrested and was found to have abuse material on his mobile device. Skala was transported and booked at the Tulare County Adult Pre-Trial Facility on suspicion of possession of child abuse materials. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47. Authorities arrested a man on Friday after his juvenile girlfriend was found dead inside his home, according to officials. 20-year-old Shane Curry is charged with assault and battery on a household or family member and assault and battery causing serious bodily injury. According to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, officers responded to Currys home on Great Road around 4:30 p.m. for a well-being check. Once on scene, Curry allegedly wouldnt let police into the home for 2 hours. When authorities finally gained access to the residence, officials say they found Currys girlfriend, 17-year-old Naveah Goddard deceased. She was allegedly living at the home with Curry. Curry was immediately taken into custody and transported to an area hospital for evaluation, according to the DAs office. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will perform an autopsy on Goddard to determine the cause of death. Curry will be arraigned on Monday in Concord District Court. The suspicious death remains under investigation by the Middlesex District Attorneys Office, Stow Police and Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the District Attorneys Office. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW A Troy man has been charged with three counts of making terrorist threats involving Granite City High School. Richard K. Schneidewind, 41, is accused of posting the following statements on Facebook: March 31: He intended to have someone put a bomb in Granite City High School and bring an AR-15 rifle to Granite City High School and shoot the school up. April 2: He intended to have someone take a gun to school and shoot a bus driver. Making a terrorist threat is a Class X felony. Schneidewind was also charged with cyberstalking, a Class 4 felony, for allegedly posting the threats on a Facebook account he created under another persons name. That person has filed an order of protection against Schneidewind in Madison County Circuit Court. The Granite City Police Department said in statement that it began investigating the threats on Tuesday. Madison County States Attorney Tom Haines office filed charges against Schneidewind on Friday. An attorney for Schneidewind was not yet listed in county court records. He is currently in custody, according to the Granite City Police Department. Police declined to release any additional information. Man in critical condition after being shot during argument at St. Pete apartment complex, police say Man in critical condition after being shot during argument at St. Pete apartment complex, police say TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A man is in critical condition after he was shot Friday night during an argument at a St. Petersburg apartment complex, according to police. Police were called at about 8:40 p.m. for a loud argument at Paradise Apartments in the 2100 block of 16th Avenue South, police said. As officers arrived, they heard shots fired. Tampa woman who posed as teen, molested boy, charged with more child sex crimes: police The man was taken to a hospital. The suspected shooter has not been caught, according to police. Anyone with information is asked to call 727-893-7780 and mention Report #2024-012691. This is a developing story. Stay up to date on the latest from News Channel 8 on-air and on the go with the free WFLA News Channel 8 mobile app. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. Editors Note: This story shares details of animal cruelty that may disturb some readers. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A man is facing animal cruelty charges after his neighbors reported he had displayed dead animals around his property and shot a cat in Everett, Wash. According to neighbors, Blayne M. Perez had repeatedly shot and killed animals in 2022. The first report came on Jan. 19 when a neighbor said he had been displaying carcasses of birds and squirrels around his property. Parent accused of pulling gun during teen fight at Vancouver Mall In a probable cause document, officials found Perez had gruesomely nailed or screwed the animals into the back of a shed. The neighbor reported that some of the birds were still alive after being shot, before the suspect then shoved sticks down their throats to display them. Authorities searched Perezs property a month later and found numerous dead wildlife including crows, squirrels, and multiple species of songbirds in various gruesome displays, according to court documents. Officers removed two air rifles and more than a dozen deceased animals from Perezs property, not including others in advanced stages of decay, the document read. When police spoke with Perez after the search, he told police the birds and wildlife were pests that were fg up my st. In a separate call, Perez also told police he had displayed the birds and animals as a deterrent to any remaining birds, similar to a scarecrow, officials said. Tillamook woman catches potentially record-breaking eel-like fish In April 2022, officers responded to a report of a dead squirrel that was impaled through its skull to a tree at the start of Everetts Interurban Trail. Neighbors told police they had seen Perez shoot animals as recently as the day before, prompting them to remove their bird feeders to avoid turning their yards into a killing field. Neighbors said Blayne M. Perez had repeatedly shot and killed animals in 2022. (Courtesy: WDFW) Neighbors said Blayne M. Perez had repeatedly shot and killed animals in 2022. (Courtesy: WDFW) Authorities received yet another report in August 2022 that a man who matched Perezs description was shooting at squirrels and dismembering them with a knife in Lowell Riverfront Park. When contacted, Perez told police he had shot squirrels in the park and skinned a rabbit, but did it away from his residence to avoid his neighbors attention. In September, a couple said Perez had pulled up to a fence near their property and shot their 8-month-old cat, Hades, in the eye and fractured its jaw. Security footage later showed a man in a white Subaru matching Perezs license plates on the property. Portland Ombudsman received 610 complaints against city in 2023 Police confronted Perez, who initially denied being a part of the shooting and later said he was out early in the morning to shoot at birds and wild animals, but thought it had been early enough to not disturb his neighbors and did not knowingly shoot a cat. Perez faces seven charges of first-degree animal cruelty and one charge of first-degree malicious mischief. If found guilty, he could potentially face five years in prison for each count of animal cruelty and an additional 10 years for malicious mischief. He would also be fined up to $70,000. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) An Odessa man has pleaded guilty to three counts of cyberstalking and some of his victims were from El Paso, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for West Texas. Hugo Iram Cardona Jr., 21, pleaded guilty to three counts of cyberstalking in a federal court in El Paso, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are asking the community for help to find more victims. They say Cardona was targeting young females nationwide. The FBI and HSI said Cardona had at least 15 victims, coming from El Paso, Colorado and Arizona, according to court documents. According to court documents, Cardona used a two-factor authentication scheme to steal the victims intimate photos and videos from Snapchat. Cardona would then contact the victims and demanded an apology from them through Snapchat, Instagram and/or TextNow. If they didnt comply, Cardona would threaten to publicly release the content. Cardona would also demand victims to video chat him while engaging in sexually explicit conducts, according to court documents. Cardonas offenses occurred from approximately Aug. 15, 2020 though approximately June 1, 2023. Cardona is scheduled to be sentenced on June 3 and faces up to 10 years in prison for each count. These are the following accounts that Cardona used: Instagram idkprii85 designoiram juniorrriram urfavpapi urdvddyjunie juniorrhernandez Snapchat juniepri asap_juniorrr juniorrriram If you or anyone you know has had contact with Cardona through any of the usernames above or through TextNow between 2020 though 2023, fill out the victim questionnaire here. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) A man on Friday pleaded no contest to attacking a woman as she took a shower in her southwest Bakersfield home. Kyler Kuehl, 61, pleaded no contest to charges of assault to commit mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon other than a gun and burglary, records show. Sentencing is set for May 3. Kuehl faces 10 years and four months in prison, prosecutors say. Charges filed against suspect in 11-year-olds abduction On June 17, 2022, police were called to a home on Park Bend Court where they spoke to the homeowners and found Kuehl, hands tied behind his back, on the floor of the master bathroom. The woman told police she was showering when Kuehl, a neighbor, flung back the shower curtain while armed with a hatchet and attacked her. She fought back and Kuehl took her to the ground, where they struggled over the hatchet, she told police. Her husband arrived, she said, and disarmed Kuehl then restrained him with a belt. The woman had several scrapes and a cut, according to court filings. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 17 News Alerts Police said it appeared Kuehl broke in through a glass door. Transported to police headquarters, Kuehl said there were two voices in his head, the filings say. One, he said, told him to do the things that got him in trouble. Family of Kuehl said he had no history of drug use or mental illness, according to the filings. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) The Clark County Medical Examiners office has identified the victim of a recent fatal bow-and-arrow shooting as 42-year-old David Collins Sr. This all happened in Vancouver on Tuesday when a morning argument in a residential neighborhood allegedly escalated to a murder, according to the Clark County Sheriffs Office. Richard Cole Vanderhoek, 46, is now accused of second-degree murder. PPS, others accused of failing to protect 9-year-old from sexual assault, sued for $9M According to investigators, Vanderhoek himself called 911 just before 6:45 a.m., saying hed shot another man with a bow and arrow. Deputies found a man dead later identified as Collins with an arrow in his chest lying in the driveway of a residence at Northeast Petticoat Lane. The medical examiner listed Collins death as a homicide and caused by the wound in his chest from the arrow. Court documents shed light on new details According to a probable cause declaration signed by the arresting Clark County deputy, Vanderhoek had a visible facial injury to the left side of his face when law enforcement arrived. In the 911 call Vanderhoek placed, he said a man had assaulted him, officials said. While sitting on the porch, Vanderhoek reportedly kept repeating to himself something to the effect of, I told him to stop assaulting me, according to a deputys account when he first arrived at the scene, court documents said. At Vanderhoeks request, deputies said they also photographed apparent injuries he had, such as an injury on the left side of his face near his eye, a scrape on his left elbow and a scrape on his chest near his left nipple. Vanderhoek also told law enforcement the inside of his mouth was hurting, which a deputy photographed, court documents stated. Parent accused of pulling gun during teen fight at Vancouver Mall According to the affidavit, a neighbor told deputies he heard the commotion outside around 6:05 a.m. and said he saw the person who was later killed by the arrow, who he described as wearing a blue-hooded sweatshirt, engaging in a fight with another man, though he said he was unsure who was winning the fight. The neighbor said he didnt get a good look at who the man in the blue sweater was fighting, according to the court document. However, he overheard someone say, Im going to call the cops, at one point and saw the blue sweater-wearing man walking off, according to the court document. The affidavit states after that, the neighbor said that as the man in the blue sweater was walking off westbound on Northeast Petticoat Lane, another man got into a white Toyota Sequoia and appeared to follow him, but that the neighbor didnt see who the man was that got into the white Toyota. The neighbor said the Toyota driver revved his engine at one point, appeared to be driving aggressively and seemed to be following the man in the blue sweatshirt, according to the court document. USDA pouring $300k into 8 planned Forest Grove homes About 10 to 15 minutes later, the neighbor heard more commotion, according to the court document, and that this time, it was coming from the house of the original altercation once again, with the man in the blue sweater standing outside the chainlink fence of the home and next to the white Toyota. The neighbor said he saw the man walking toward the fence, then heard a thump sound, then saw him with an arrow in his chest, according to the affidavit. The neighbor then said he saw Vanderhoek, positively identifying him as the man later detained by deputies, on the other side of the fence holding a bow and arrow, according to the affidavit. The neighbor asked Vanderhoek if he shot the man, to which Vanderhoek reportedly said something to the effect of I didnt know what to do, the affidavit stated. The investigation is ongoing. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. heathrow airport The 6bn sale of Heathrow Airport is at risk of collapse after the Australian investment giant Macquarie ruled out buying a stake in the business. Macquaries withdrawal has exposed a dearth of prospective buyers in Heathrow, largely because of the high price set by Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund (PIF). PIF triggered a battle for control of Heathrow late last year after it teamed up with the private equity firm Ardian to buy a 25pc stake in Britains biggest airport for 2.4bn from Ferrovial, the Spanish construction company. However, other shareholders subsequently triggered so-called tag-along rights, with three others seeking to cash in on the lucrative offer. They are the Canadian pension fund CDPQ, Singapores sovereign wealth fund GIC and the UKs Universities Superannuation Scheme meaning a 60pc threshold must be met to complete the sale. The Telegraph revealed last month that Macquarie was plotting a bid to acquire the remaining 35pc stake, but the investor subsequently scrapped acquisition plans last week. An investment fund backed by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan had reportedly shown an interest in buying a stake in Heathrow - UAE PRESIDENTIAL COURT/via REUTERS Sources close to the deal have claimed there are no other bidders immediately apparent to support PIF and Ardian, with the latter unsuccessfully leading a charm offensive to identify another investor to raise funds. This revelation also effectively rules out Abu Dhabis Mubadala investment fund, backed by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which had reportedly shown an interest earlier this year. It is thought both PIF and Ardian could increase their bids but by nowhere enough to reach 6bn. They have currently agreed to take 10pc and 15pc respectively. It comes amid a looming deadline to reach an agreement with Heathrows shareholders. A significant hurdle in reaching a deal is the price attached to Heathrow, as the 2.4bn bid for a 25pc stake signed off by PIF and Ardian last year raised eyebrows in the City by valuing the airport at 9.5bn. Any investor must be willing to take an active role in the running of the airport, which has been beset by strike action and disruption in recent years. An alternative to the deal collapsing could be an agreement between the shareholders in which they accept selling smaller stakes in return for a lower sum. However, a source close to the talks said this could leave some investors dissatisfied. Another option could be for shareholders to abandon tag-along rights altogether, meaning Spains Ferrovial can offload its shares having spent 17 years as Heathrows largest investor. The issue of Heathrows ownership has been hanging over the airport for months, at a time when new chief executive Thomas Woldbye is attempting to overhaul the business. Story continues Since the rebound in travel post-pandemic, the issue of capacity has been thrust back onto the agenda at Heathrow raising renewed questions over the airports plans for a third runway. Restrictions relating to its expansion have led to high-profile industry chiefs arguing that Heathrow has lost its status as a global transport hub. Paul Griffiths, former managing director of Gatwick Airports and current boss of Dubai Airports, said Heathrow has suffered from its shortage in capacity. Current shareholders in Heathrow have also previously been criticised for starving the company of investment, with scrutiny placed on 4bn of dividends extracted before the pandemic. Since then, debts in the business have ballooned to almost 20bn. Heathrow and Ardian declined to comment. 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. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) The San Diego man accused of selling fentanyl pills that led to a Poway teenagers overdose and death was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison, a release by the Office of the U.S. Attorney Southern District of California stated Friday. Jose Daniel Ramirez, 21, of San Diego, was sentenced to 151 months of prison time in federal court Friday after court documents said he sold two blues fentanyl disguised as oxycodone to 18-year-old Kole Pearson. Pearson died from an overdose on Jan. 3, 2023. 46 people arrested in alleged sex trafficking operation Upon learning of Pearsons death, Ramirez changed his phone number and continued selling fentanyl to other clients, the release said. A month later, authorities arrested Ramirez and executed a search warrant at his home where they found approximately 2,600 blue pills containing fentanyl. They also discovered other drugs, including cocaine, along with two handguns and more than 250 rounds of ammunition, the release added. Fletcher accuser very close to securing new counsel in sexual assault lawsuit According to the release, Ramirez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for distribution of fentanyl under Title 18 Section 841(a)(1) of the United States Code. The Homeland Security Investigations, San Diego County Sheriffs Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration all helped with the case. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. Man Taken into Custody After Severed Human Leg Discovered in Wisconsin Park The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office issued a search warrant on a home days later WISN Authorities at site of where a severed leg was discovered in a Wisconsin park A man was taken into custody this week after a severed leg was discovered in a Wisconsin park. The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) said in a Facebook post on April 5 that it had "converged on a residence on Milwaukees south side" and "took a person of interest into custody for questioning" three days after the human limb was found at Warnimont Park in Cudahy, Wisconsin. The leg was found just before 5:30 p.m. local time on April 2, per the office, when Milwaukee County Dispatch received a call. The sheriffs office later began a homicide investigation. According to local outlet TMJ4 News, neighbors said law enforcement then raided a local man's home, and the man was being held in Milwaukee County Jail. TMJ4 did not share the man's name since he was not criminally charged at the time. The MCSO did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for more information on April 6. 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. "I saw a lot of people go in and out of the house, bringing out bags of things," neighbor Molly Lynn told the outlet. "Obviously you never know anything that's going on in your neighborhood so definitely concerning," Lynn added. "I'm hoping they find out what else is going on and it's not a larger issue." Neighbors in the area of South 39th Street and West Oklahoma Avenue told WISN that they spotted multiple law enforcement agencies at the home for hours. "Well, [I'm] a little surprised, obviously, but in this day and age, anything can happen in any neighborhood," Michael Burish said. "If it truly is a homicide, I feel sorry for the family." The Cudahy Police Department said on Facebook that it is assisting in the investigation, and WISN reported that the FBI is also helping investigate. WKOW reported that the home was searched for more than 24 hours. Officials from the MCSO and the Wisconsin Department of Justice reportedly had their guns aimed at the home, per TMJ4. Dogs that were residing at the home are now in the custody of the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission, the outlet also reported. On Facebook, the MCSO asked anyone with "a credible tip or information related to this matter" to contact its non-emergency number. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Many cant wait for the eclipse. Some cant wait until its over. Months of planning have gone into the handful of minutes it will take for the moon to pass in front of the sun on Monday. Dozens of towns and cities in the solar eclipses path of totality have arranged packed schedules of celebratory events and viewing sites, preparing to welcome legions of enthusiastic visitors like Michael Howard. The 62-year-old is flying from Baltimore to San Antonio, Texas, and then driving about 65 miles northwest to Kerrville where hes all but certain to hit eclipse traffic. I wouldnt say anyone thinks Im crazy for doing this, but I do know plenty of people who just dont think its worth the trouble, said Howard. On the other side of the state, Greenvilles community engagement director, Micah McBay, has been fielding pushback from residents who feel similarly to Howards detractors. Some people cant grasp that the eclipse is a huge event and think its just a bunch of hullabaloo and nonsense, he said. The small city of some 30,000 to the northeast of Dallas is celebrating 4 minutes and 10 seconds of totality with multiple free concerts, watch parties and other festivities. But the efforts have lately drawn a wave of negative commentary on the citys Facebook page and other social media platforms. Weve been accused of blowing everything out of proportion, overreaching, trying to make a money grab, and wasting government dollars, McBay said. Some of the criticism is easy to dismiss. I had one lady call to ask why we scheduled the eclipse on a Monday instead of a Saturday, he added. But other concerns are well justified, and authorities around the country are hoping to get through the next few days without incident. Were preparing for the worst and praying for the best, said Betty Teel-Malone, the mayor of Wolfe City, Texas, 17 miles north of Greenville. The town of 1,400 has no traffic light, a volunteer fire department and limited public services, so were not planning any eclipse events and not advertising for anyone to come here, said Teel-Malone. She doesnt want to outright urge people to steer clear but is warning those who show up that we cant accommodate them. There are no hotels, no parks, no camping, no RV parks or anything like that in this area, Teel-Malone said. Perhaps more importantly, she added, we dont have the police to keep whoever does come here safe. Even officials with robust public safety resources at their command are taking extra precautions. Last week, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed an executive order warning residents and local leaders about the massive number of people heading to the Hoosier State for the eclipse. He urged officials to be prepared to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public and be ready to swiftly and effectively respond to any emergency that may arise. In Ohio, where the path of totality extends from Dayton to Cleveland and several major sporting events are also taking place over the weekend, authorities are planning for potential headaches. What were mostly concerned about is traffic, said Dan Tierney, the press secretary for Gov. Mike DeWine, who has activated the Ohio Emergency Operations Center to support local communities before, during and after the eclipse. We need to make sure our agencies are fully staffed and available to keep people safe, prevent backups and bottlenecking and be prepared for any eventuality that might occur, Tierney said. In central Texas, aviation authorities are bracing for what could be a grumpy group of travelers testing their operational capacity. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport will have extra staff in the terminal to provide assistance to passengers and to help keep ticket counter and security screening lines organized, spokesperson Lesly Ramirez said in a statement Friday. And thats all when travelers get there. Major roads and highways throughout central Texas are expected to be congested in the hours surrounding the eclipse, and lines at rental car desks could back up. Ramirez echoed perhaps the most common warning resounding across the state this week: Prepare to spend more time sitting in traffic. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com A Florida man was arrested last week and accused of killing his wife who had allegedly discovered hed had an extramarital affair and their toddler. Jean Carlos Aponte, 40, was charged with two counts of premeditated murder in connection to the death of his wife, identified in a fundraiser as 38-year-old Sara Gama, and their 3-year-old-son, Ethan Aponte de Gama, according to an affidavit obtained by HuffPost. Apontes attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Gamas father called 911 on March 26 to report Ethan missing. He said he found his daughter dead and covered in blood on the kitchen floor of her home in Plantation, Florida, according to the affidavit. As Gamas father continued into the primary bedroom, he found Aponte unconscious on the floor. Sara Gama and Ethan Aponte de Gama. GoFundMe Officers and fire rescue responded to the victims home, where they met with Gamas father and mother holding their 4-month-old grandson. Responding officers examined Gamas body and noted in the affidavit that she was cold to the touch and had apparent stab wounds and slashes to her neck area. Aponte was alive, but had labored breathing and would not respond to any verbal commands or physical touch. Behind the home, responding officers found Ethan facedown in the pool. As they attempted to administer aid, they noticed the boys body had stab wounds and was already in full rigor mortis, according to the affidavit. Ethan and his mother were pronounced dead at the scene. Aponte was taken to a local hospital, where staff stabilized his condition. Medical examiners found the toddler had sustained at least four deep stab wounds to the front neck area and a defensive wound to his hand, according to the affidavit. His cause of death was determined to be sharp-force injury and drowning. Gama sustained 28 stab wounds all over her body, including one to her neck, which appeared to have been torn open, according to the affidavit. Her cause of death was determined to be sharp-force injury. Medical staff told detectives that Aponte had tried to overdose on prescription medication prior to his arrival at the hospital. Gamas father told detectives that hed last spoken with his daughter the day before, and that everyone was in good spirits and happy. He and his wife went to their daughters home that day to check on her because their calls had gone unanswered. When they arrived, Gamas father said, the door was locked and no one answered the doorbell, according to the affidavit. He told detectives he could hear the familys dog barking and their 4-month-old crying uncontrollably. The victims father said he was unaware of any marital issues, but noted that Aponte had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his deployment in Iraq during his service in the Marine Corps. The affidavit cited surveillance footage from the morning of March 26 in which a woman could be heard having a heated argument about custody and terms of a possible divorce. Almost 40 minuteslater, a scared/frantic sounding child could be heard screaming, then coughing, according to the affidavit. Citing messages between Aponte and Gama on Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, investigators said the only topic Aponte and Gama had discussed via those channels since March 25 was Aponte allegedlycheating on her. So let me ask you when you went to Colombia for your dads funeral what happened there, Gama wrote to Aponte in one message. Because there are tons of escorts there. Aponte wrote to her, I understand I broke ur trust, according to the affidavit. Forensic investigators also said that Gama made various searches suggesting she was considering divorce, including just found out my husband cheated on me years ago and how does alimony work in Florida. Officers said Aponte was in and out of sleep in the hospital, but they alleged that when he woke up, he had several spontaneous utterances and statements, which included Im sorry and I did it. Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Related... MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) A Montgomery County judge found a 38-year-old woman guilty of six charges on Friday for a crash in 2022 that killed her 3-year-old daughter. The Montgomery County States Attorneys Office said in a news release that Danshell Evon of Bryans Road was found guilty of gross negligent manslaughter, four counts of second-degree assault and one count of neglect of a minor. She faces up to 55 years in prison. The States Attorneys Office said that Evon was driving on Connecticut Avenue near Atherton Drive around 7:30 a.m. on May 12, 2022, when she hit a pickup truck. Fairfax County Commonwealths Attorney says no charges will be filed after officer shot, killed man in mental health crisis Evons three children were all passengers in her car. Two 13-year-olds had non-life-threatening injuries, but 3-year-old Dreamie Dior Jackson died because of her injuries. Two people were inside the pickup truck at the time. Both of them had non-life-threatening injuries. Police determined that Evon was driving over 98 mph right before the crash, the States Attorneys Office release said. Dreamie was also improperly secured in a backless booster seat which contributed to her death. This heartbreaking loss of such a young member of our community is a tragedy that was easily avoidable. At the speeds the defendant was traveling, she wasnt driving a car, she was steering a missile down the road in the middle of rush hour. If the barest of common-sense parenting skills were in place, there would have been a proper child safety seat installed, States Attorney John McCarthy said in the release. Evons sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 9. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) A marijuana dispensary will open in western North Carolina on April 20, just days before the North Carolina General Assembly reconvenes, with a bill to legalize medical marijuana statewide still pending. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Cannabis Control Board says it has received applications from more than 1,000 people for medical cards in order to purchase marijuana at the Great Smoky Cannabis Company. It remains illegal to use it off tribal land. This is a momentous occasion. And, it means so much not just for myself but for other patients in North Carolina, said Chris Suttle, an advocate for marijuana legalization who spoke to CBS 17 as he traveled to obtain a medical card. Even though the EBCI held a referendum last year showing there was majority support for allowing recreational marijuana sales, for now it will be restricted to medical cannabis. Republican U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd recently wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland raising a variety of concerns about the situation. Among them, they asked about the legality of Qualla Enterprise LLC transporting marijuana potentially on state roads from where its grown to where it will be sold, liability if someone is harmed using marijuana sold there, and whether it would attract criminal organizations to the area. MORE FROM QUEEN CITY NEWS North Carolina At a Tribal Council meeting in February, Qualla Enterprises LLC general manager Forrest Parker said it could be transported by air or on other roads that he declined to specify. The North Carolina General Assembly has been divided for the last few years on whether to legalize medical marijuana. The Senate once again passed a bill last year that would allow marijuana for specified debilitating medical conditions and only with a doctors prescription. Called the NC Compassionate Care Act, the bill has been a top priority for Sen. Bill Rabon (R-Brunswick), a cancer survivor who says marijuana helped him through his treatments. And, the NCGA even for naming their cannabis bill the Compassionate Care Act have still lacked the compassion to help those that are dying in the dark, said Suttle. Despite the outdated thinking of a lot of NCGA members who still look at films like Reefer Madness as a documentary rather than a farce, we have to change their minds. House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) said the bill would not come to the House floor unless a majority of Republicans support it, which last year they did not. I think between gaming and marijuana, about every lobbyist in the whole lobbying community has been retained on one side of the other at this point. And so, youre hearing the conversation and the chatter there. But, in terms of members I havent heard really much, he said. Moore says while he is supportive of the idea of legalizing marijuana for medical use, he has heard from other Republicans who oppose it for a variety of reasons, including on religious grounds or questioning whether it truly has a medical purpose. Marijuana is legal for medical use in 38 states and Washington, DC, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. A House committee has spent the last few months studying substance abuse issues. At the end of the most recent meeting in March, the committee heard from two people about their experience using marijuana, including Casey Temple, who said he started using it in high school while dealing with depression. And so this marijuana, I thought it was helping my depression at first, but it soon started having adverse reactions with my depression. At the age of 20 in 2000, I stuck a 12-gauge shotgun under my head and I pulled the trigger, he told lawmakers. Democratic state Rep. Carla Cunningham, a nurse from Mecklenburg County, said marijuana has been used for years for glaucoma and to help cancer patients dealing with nausea while undergoing chemotherapy. In most cases when the marijuana is grown and its pure, pure, and not mixed with any other derivative then in most cases its not going to harm you to the extreme level, she said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Medieval Child Found Buried with a Hard-Boiled Egg in Germany by Team of Archeologists The team discovered the gravesite and the unusual item inside back in 2014 Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation Archeologists in Germany found an ancient gravesite containing the skeletal remains of a young boy and a calcified egg Researchers are trying to unearth the mystery surrounding a medieval child who was found buried with a hard-boiled egg. Back in 2014, a team of archaeologists in Germany discovered the grave of a medieval boy in Erding in Bavaria, according to a March 27 news release from the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation, per the Miami Herald. The skeletal remains were determined to belong to that of a young boy, who was about 5 years old at the time of his death. Leaving researchers puzzled, the calcified remains of a hard-boiled egg were found on top of the child's bones. Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation The calcified remains of an egg found in the medieval grave The grave also contained a set of belts and weapons characteristic of the seventh century A.D., which means the site could be about 1,300 years old. Related: 50 Graves Discovered Under Paris Bus Station Pre-Date French Capital Officials said the egg likely had a symbolic significance for the boy's family, according to the Miami Herald. Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation Skeletal remains of a young boy found in an ancient grave in Germany This is not the first ancient gravesite that has been unearthed with eggs inside. The food item has been found in Italian burial sites dating all the way back to the fifth century B.C. 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. Two fertilized chicken eggs were discovered in female graves in a cemetery in Kukruse, Estonia, that date back to the 12th and 13th centuries, according to a 2017 study published in the Journal of Human Palaeoecology. The authors of that study also suggested symbolic interpretations "of both pagan and Christian religious worldviews." Related: Archaeologists Discover Dog Remains More Than 8,400 Years Old Buried Next to Human in Sweden Artificial eggs in materials including clay and bronze also have been found in ancient graves. The Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation said in its release that eggs hold different meanings, depending on the particular culture, per the Miami Herald. For some, the egg symbolizes fertility and the circle of life. In the Christian faith, the egg represents Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, while in the Jewish religion, it symbolizes sacrifice and loss. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) Tears were shed during day four of The State of Texas v. Ray Vera as four eyewitnesses took the stand to give their personal accounts of what happened the night of the incident. During the morning, San Angelo Police Department Officer Zane Daniel and Naval Criminal Investigation Services Special Agent Robert Lee testified before the court. Daniel discussed footage from his body camera recorded during the incident, and Lee discussed how he used specialized video software to identify key details and information found in videos taken of the fights. Later in the day, the State called four eyewitnesses to the stand: Marissa Monreal, Alyssa Moreno, Marvin Wyatt and Manuel Baeza. Though each witness had their own story to share, several common details were observed among their testimonies, including the following: All of the eyewitnesses who testified were friends and/or co-workers who worked at a Walmart during the time of the incident. They came to the Whiskey River Saloon after attending a concert at the House of FiFi DuBois that featured a common friend. They were seated at a large table adjacent to six other tables and near the dance floor where the first fight occurred. They witnessed two men, one a tall white man and the other a large Hispanic man, get into two verbal altercations that would develop into a fight. The eyewitnesses would leave shortly after the Marine servicemen left the bar after a bartender told all patrons to exit the building following the first fight. As the eyewitnesses went outside, they witnessed a member of Veras group charge at a Marine serviceman with a glass bottle/mug and hit the individual in the end, instigating a second fight in the parking lot. They saw a Marine serviceman collapse to the ground during the second altercation. Police sirens heard in the distance disrupted the second fight, after which Veras group left the scene in a black SUV. PREVIOUSLY: Testimony continues on day three of Marine murder trial Monreal stated that a member of the Marine servicemens group, identified as a tall white man wearing a red shirt, was seen engaging in a verbal altercation with a member of Veras party after dancing on the dance floor. However, she also said that those in Veras group were not leaving the military people alone after the initial dispute. At the end it was just bodies on the floor, the ambulance running around helping who they could, Moreal said when describing the aftermath of the second fight. Moreno noted during her testimony that the white man in the red shirt was arguing with a Hispanic man who had a neck tattoo. She also indicated that she thought the Marine servicemens group was not being aggressive in the moments leading up to the bar fight and that both conflicts involved approximately 8-10 people across both involved parties. Moreno teared up during her testimony when describing the second fight, during which she saw an individual walking away from the melee with a stab wound on his arm before falling to the ground. He was bleeding out in between the cars, and there was people trying to help him, Moreno said. Wyatt stated that he observed members of the Marine servicemens group apologize to two members of Veras group before departing. Despite this, he also said that a military party member would continue to argue with a member of Veras group. Marine Murder Trial: Forensic pathologist, CSI takes witness stand Wyatt also claimed that a tall lumberjack-looking dude with a neck tattoo, approximately 6 feet 5 inches tall, initiated the first physical altercation by punching a Marine serviceman. Wyatt would later state that the black SUV driven away from the bar by members of Veras party initially traveled to the left of the saloon before turning around to avoid police sirens heard from that direction. During his testimony, Baeza would identify Vera as being involved in the arguments that led to the bar fight. He also claimed that a member of Veras group said, Hurry up, we need to go get them, while exiting the bar. The State of Texas v. Ray Vera is scheduled to continue on Monday, April 8, at 8 a.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com. Politics is currently dominated by unusually intense moral debate. The coverage and analysis of the day to day events that constitute the business of governments our own and those of other countries is dominated by explicit questions of good and evil. There is nothing new about this in principle: political philosophy in every civilised society, even autocratic ones, has involved an attempt to institutionalise virtue. That was the whole point of legitimate rule. This idea prevailed even before the modern democratic era which embodied those ideals in official documents. From Plato and Pericles to Hume and Jefferson, the object of political life has been to create a social order, enshrined in a legal code, in which good behaviour (however that was defined) would overcome bad inclinations. But there is something absurdly surreal about the fact that the two stories dominating the heated arguments of the moment are so wildly different in their moral implications and importance and that no one appears to think this odd or even worthy of comment. The first question is, what constitutes war crime, specifically genocide? And the second is: should it be a criminal offence to misgender someone? The first one, following a century in which there was calculated, documented murder of whole ethnic and national populations, is of huge and urgent significance. The second is ridiculous. Indeed by the standards of political discussion which prevailed until about twenty minutes ago, it is meaningless. (Who would have guessed that the word misgendering would become commonplace so readily that it could be written into law?) And yet somehow, these two matters are being treated with virtually identical solemnity and fervour by politicians themselves, and by those who influence and interpret their actions. This is particularly strange given the gravity of the first issue. Surely the need to address the questions raised by the wars in Gaza and Ukraine are so profound and critical that the decadence of the trumped-up misgendering farrago should have been obvious. How on earth did we get here? Could this be the logical conclusion of that 1970s feminist slogan, the personal is political? We have now apparently accepted without reservation that the private, subjective experience of individuals is a proper matter for the state: that hurt feelings are as much the concern of the law as murder or theft. Perhaps the only thing that these two disparate controversies have in common is the extent to which they rely on the definition of significant words. In the case of genocide, this is crucial. That is the name given to a uniquely heinous form of crime which has very specific criteria: it can only be legitimately used against a state or a military operation whose goal is to wipe out eliminate by mass murder an entire people. The obvious paradigmatic case of this was the killing of Jews during the Holocaust. It is now the stated aim of Hamas to eliminate Israelis and, in some of the formulations, all Jews. To suggest that Israels response to this intention is, itself, a form of genocide is simply wrong. It is possible to describe Israels actions under Benjamin Netanyahus premiership as ruthless and unethical but not as genocidal because the intention is to eliminate Hamas which is a terrorist organisation not the Palestinians as a people who are collateral damage. This distinction is at the heart of the difference between moral absolutes and political decisions. The Netanyahu policy may or may not be theoretically justified but it is unquestionably a political disaster. It has, in effect, created the appearance of a moral equivalence between the horrific initiating actions of Hamas and Israels response to those actions. Politics may be based on abstract values but it must come to terms with visible consequences in the real world. Arguing about what words mean can get you only so far when it comes to perceptions of events. Whereas, in the parallel universe of gender identity in which contrived outrage creates a simulacrum of political unrest, there is no difference between words and the real world. The words themselves are the crime. By prohibiting the uttering of wrong words, the intention is obviously to eliminate the possibility of wrong thoughts. Totalitarian regimes have always relied on the policing of language, refusing to accept any distinction between words and acts, which is why modern revolutionary republics place such emphasis on freedom of speech. What is happening before our eyes is nothing less than the criminalising of consciousness. Why are the official agencies of government so complacent about this? What counts as politics and the legitimate domain of government has become entangled with personal psychology and subjective experience which is not susceptible to any objective test. On the face of it, the moral injunction to be kind seems unimpeachable but kindness itself is subject to individual interpretation: one persons show of kindness is anothers insulting condescension. Even more dangerously, what appears to be kindness at any given moment for example, the indulgence of a childs judgement about his sexuality can be an irresponsible mistake which will bring untold future damage. So what is kindness? And what are the moral and practical risks of legislating to enforce it? Somehow we have arrived at a place that the West never expected to inhabit. A generation after the collapse of the most powerful totalitarian regime in modern history, the free world has apparently lost its grip on the relationship between moral values and political decisions which was once its greatest strength. The idea had seemed to win out against all the odds: that a government could uphold fundamental first principles of justice, liberty and the authority of the law while still responding realistically to changes in popular opinion and social conditions. This was a truly miraculous understanding of the relationship between morality and politics and, difficult as it might have been to manage, it seemed to deliver the life most people wanted. Its hard to believe but we might be witnessing the end of it. 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. During the past three years, there have been numerous critics of the Justice Department under Attorney General Merrick Garlands leadership. I have been among them. It did not seem encouraging that in one of his first major acts after taking office, Garland intervened in the E. Jean Carroll lawsuit to argue that Donald Trump had presidential immunity in a case that had no bearing on any possible scope of his presidential duties. Garlands apparent slowness when it came to appointing a special counsel to prosecute Trump was also puzzling. Some of my correspondents, a few of them with law degrees, scoffed at my amateurish take on the matter: Main Justice was playing a diabolically clever game of twelve-dimensional chess, they assured me, and had Trump right where they wanted him. The legal art, or so I was given to understand, is so infinitely subtle that outsiders were committing a species of lese-majeste to question Garlands approach. On March 22, the New York Times published a lengthy and revealing tick-tock account of the Justice Departments efforts to prosecute Trump. It largely confirms the widespread impression that the investigation has been much too slow. Its sluggish pace was also compounded by erroneous leads that fizzled out. Garland first concentrated on following the money, but unlike in ordinary organized crime or drug cases, the insurrection was about political power in the first instance, not money. The case was patently not about who paid for insurrectionists to stay at the Comfort Inn in Arlington (if they paid for it themselves, was Trump off the hook?), but rather the overt acts of the insurrectionists and of Trump himself which were painstakingly documented from every angle by television cameras. Aside from the missteps and delays, two paragraphs in the Times piece underline a rather breathtaking attitude at Justice: In trying to avoid even the smallest mistakes, Mr. Garland might have made one big one: not recognizing that he could end up racing the clock. Like much of the political world and official Washington, he and his team did not count on Mr. Trumps political resurrection after Jan. 6, and his fast victory in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, which has complicated the prosecution and given the former president leverage in court. In 2021 it was simply inconceivable, said one former Justice Department official, that Mr. Trump, rebuked by many in his own party and exiled at his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago, would regain the power to impose his timetable on the investigation. One has trouble taking at face value the claim that the political world and official Washington had written Trump off politically in 2021. And was his future political viability literally inconceivable? A majority of House Republicans voted to nullify Bidens election victory just a few hours after the insurrection, and shortly after that a solid majority of Senate Republicans voted against an impeachment conviction. Soon, Republicans whose very lives had been threatened by the mob, like then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, would obediently make their pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago. But the key factor, as the Times article clearly demonstrates, was always time. Garlands by-the-book, plodding approach played into the one successful legal strategy Trump has consistently used his entire adult life: delay. One does not have to be official Washington to read the calendar and recognize that it will be an election, not a single piece of elusive evidence, that by default will decide Trumps legal status and the future of democracy in America. As the tagline goes, justice delayed is justice denied. It is one of the abiding traits of the Anglo-American legal system that its workings can be parried by endless motions, continuances and appeals a process that blatantly favors the rich, de facto granting them a legal near-impunity close to that of aristocrats in a feudal regime. Garland, then, grasped neither the political realities, the stakes involved nor the imperative of timely action. He has been like a chess player doggedly pursuing his prepared game plan while ignoring how his opponents countermoves have changed the dynamic of the match. Given the existential stakes involved, and the fact that judicial politics has become at least to this point war minus the shooting, a more appropriate analogy than chess might be armed conflict, the most violent, kinetic and unpredictable of human activities. Unlike in chess, in war the rulebook is tossed out the window. The single most important factor in war is often time: It invariably works for one side and against the other, upsets strategies, defeats commanders who disregard its iron constraints. Garland brings to mind the commander of the French Army in 1940, Gen. Maurice Gamelin. He was regarded as having an intelligent and subtle mind, and had risen to the top via a series of staff jobs. He was a believer in methodical battle, the precise coordination of military force according to a rigid timetable. As he prepared to face a German invasion in the spring of 1940, Gamelin and his staff were sure the German army would come at them the same old way, through Belgium, as in 1914. In other words, he prepared to fight the last war against a normal, predictable opponent. Accordingly, when the invasion began, he would send the cream of his army into Belgium to cut off the invader (and incidentally keep war damage away from French territory). But as history records, the enemy did not come the same old way. In one of his demonic flashes of intuition about the weakness of opponents, Hitler changed his army staffs long-standing plan, instead sending his main strike force further south, into France. Belgium would merely be a baited trap. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. Once Gamelin duly sent his best units north, they were outflanked and ensnared. It would become a race against time to extricate them. Alistair Hornes classic account, To Lose a Battle, reports that Gamelins headquarters lacked telephone or other electronic links to his field commanders; it had to make do with dispatch riders. Horne quotes contemporaries calling the headquarters a submarine without a periscope: a huge blunder when facing the Wehrmacht's speedy, flexible operational plans. The French army was doomed. Like Gamelin, Garland assumed he had all the time in the world to take down a conventional opponent. In his metaphorical submarine without a periscope, the attorney general and his senior staff were oblivious to what was occurring on Capitol Hill just a few blocks from the Justice Department building. He was also facing an unconventional opponent. While the Germans secret weapon was tanks, Trumps is his comprehensive propaganda machine. His perpetual railing at perceived enemies and claims of martyrdom have had a perverse effect on DOJ: Garlands painstaking effort not to appear political has in fact created its own form of politicization, expressed in excessive circumspection and careful weighing of each legal move for its political implications. Beyond causing agonizing and seemingly endless delay, that amounts to a kind of psychological submission to Trumps strategy. No historical analogy is perfect because concrete circumstances always differ in detail. But human behavior is remarkably consistent particularly the tendency of people under stress and high stakes to undermine their own success and examples from the past can illuminate present issues. Above all, times irreversible arrow is always a constant in human affairs. We can hope that when placed under stress, the institutions of democracy will prevail. But in politics as in war, hope is never a viable strategy for victory. Image source: Getty Images. The federal government is offering tax credits worth up to $7,500 to encourage Americans to buy electric vehicles (EVs). The credits can be immediately applied to the purchase of a new EV, giving consumers a significant discount on some vehicles. But not all EVs are eligible for the credit, and some are only eligible for half of it. If you're in the market for a new EV this year, here's what vehicles qualify for the credit, how much you'll get, and one hidden cost of EVs you should be aware of. These new EVs qualify for the tax credit It's worth mentioning that some hybrid cars qualify for the tax credit, and some used EVs qualify as well, but I'm only listing new 2024 EV models here. Here are the new models that qualify and how much of the tax credit you'll receive: 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance ($7,500) 2024 Tesla Model Y ($7,500) 2024 Tesla Model X ($7,500) 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning ($7,500) 2024 Cadillac Lyriq ($7,500) 2024 Chevrolet Blazer ($7,500) 2024 Acura ZDX ($7,500) 2024 Honda Prologue ($7,500) 2024 Volkswagen ID.4 ($7,500) 2024 Rivian R1S ($3,750) 2024 Rivian R1T ($3,750) 2024 Nissan Leaf ($3,750) You might be wondering why these new EVs made the cut while others didn't, and why a handful of them aren't eligible for the full tax credit. Essentially, to receive the full $7,500, a vehicle needs to be assembled or manufactured in North America and have a list price of $55,000 or less if it's a car or $80,000 or less if it's an SUV or light truck. Additionally, at least 40% of the vehicle's battery materials must be sourced in the U.S. or with its trade partners. If a vehicle doesn't meet the battery sourcing requirements but does meet the manufacturing/assembly requirements and price, it may only be eligible for half the credit amount. Read more: check out our picks for the best car insurance companies One hidden cost of EVs you should know about The EV tax credit can go a long way toward making some EVs more affordable, but there are costs associated with electric vehicles that consumers should understand. Namely, electric vehicles are more expensive to insure. EVs may cost more to insure than gas-powered vehicles because they're more expensive to repair and replace. Progressive Insurance says there are fewer technicians trained to fix EVs than there are for gas-powered vehicles, which translates to higher repair bills. EV battery costs are also a factor. The replacement cost for an EV battery can be between $4,000 and $20,000, according to Progressive. Insurance companies factor this cost into EV insurance policies and sometimes may even write an EV off as a total loss if it's an accident and the battery is damaged. Story continues How to get better EV insurance rates The good news is that as EVs become more common, some of these costs will likely go down. But for now, it means that EV owners may want to spend some extra time comparison shopping for the cheapest insurance rates. Compare prices from at least three companies to ensure you get the best rate for you. It's also a good idea to try to improve your credit score before you sign up for EV car insurance. Most car insurance companies rely on credit scores to help determine premiums, so having a higher score could save you money. Paying your bills on time and reducing the total amount you owe will have the biggest impact. Those two categories account for 65% of your total score. And finally, speak with your insurance company about the discounts you might qualify for. Bundling your home insurance (or renters insurance) with your auto insurance can save you up to 5%. Taking a defensive driving course can also lower your auto insurance premiums by 5% to 20%. Tapping the available federal tax credit could make buying an EV far less expensive this year, but just be ready for an insurance increase if you decide to buy one. Taking a few steps now toward finding lower insurance rates could help you avoid insurance sticker shock later. Our best car insurance companies for 2024 Ready to shop for car insurance? Whether youre focused on price, claims handling, or customer service, we've researched insurers nationwide to provide our best-in-class picks for car insurance coverage. Read our free expert review today to get started. We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Chris Neiger has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends Progressive. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Here's Every New EV the EPA Says Qualifies for a Tax Credit was originally published by The Motley Fool Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Saturday suspended diplomatic relations with Ecuador following a police raid on his country's embassy in Quito to arrest former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas. File Photo by Mario Guzman/EPA-EFE April 6 (UPI) -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Saturday announced the suspension of diplomatic relations with Ecuador after Ecuadorian police stormed Mexico's embassy in Quito Friday night. The raid ended with the arrest of Ecuador's former vice president, Jorge Glas, who had sought shelter at the embassy as he was being being sought on corruption charges. Mexico granted asylum status to Glas hours before the raid occurred. "Ecuador is a sovereign nation and we are not going to allow any criminal to stay free," Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said in a prepared statement. Obrador, however, called the raid a "flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico" while announcing the suspension of diplomatic relations with Ecuador because of the embassy raid. "Police from Ecuador forcibly entered our embassy and detained the former vice president of that country who was a refugee and processing asylum due to the persecution of harassment he faces," Obrador said in a translated post on X. Ecuadorian police entered the Mexican embassy's compound using armored cars and bolt cutters, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported. The police removed Glas and took him away in black van with tinted windows. The raid caused injuries to several diplomats, Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Alicia Barcena told the BBC. Glas was Ecuador's vice president from 2013 to 2017 but was expelled due to corruption charges. He was convicted of corruption related to Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht and sentenced to six years in prison. Barcena said the right to asylum is "sacred" and asked all of Mexico's diplomatic personnel to leave Ecuador. Mexican officials said they will take the matter to the International Court of Justice, saying the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations established the territorial and national sovereignty of embassies. Article 22 of the Convention says the "premises of the [embassy] shall be inviolable" and "the agents of the receiving state may not enter them, except with the consent of the head of the [embassy]." Ecuador is the "receiving state," while Mexico is a "sending state" in the matter as defined by the Vienna Convention, the officials said. It's been a rough couple of years for government-controlled liquor systems. In 2022, news broke of an inside job at the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC), in which a former state employee tipped off private collectors about which state-run liquor stores were expecting deliveries of rare and sought-after bourbons. Last year, Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission officials were busted for siphoning off hard-to-obtain bourbons for their personal use. Now, Michigan is writing the latest chapter in the government's century-long saga of alcohol control embarrassments. According to a just-released audit of the Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC), the state's complete inability to properly track its spirits inventory resulted in nearly a million dollars of liquor disappearing without a trace. Michigan is one of 17 states that still operates as a control state. MLCC is the sole wholesaler of distilled spirits, meaning all liquor sold and distributed in the state must be originally purchased by the agency. Michigan law requires MLCC to exercise "complete control over alcoholic beverage traffic," but it turns out that the agency lacks control over pretty much everything. Since the 1990s, MLCC has outsourced the actual storage and warehousing of liquor to three "authorized distribution agents" (ADAs), who in turn use 11 warehouses to house the booze. The ADAs, which essentially act as a government-sanctioned oligopoly, are supposed to be operating as agents of the state. But the state code is silent about what the actual responsibilities of the ADAs entail, which results in a situation where everyone and no one is in charge at the same time. Perhaps the most significant finding of the audit is that $961,000 of MLCC's liquor inventorytotaling 62,294 bottles, housed in ADA warehousesmysteriously vanished between January and February 2022. To put this in context, the missing liquor constituted 20 percent of the state's entire inventory. While the state is supposed to conduct physical inventory counts at the ADA warehouses, zero inventory checks took place from October 2019 to July 2022 (which, naturally, MLCC blamed on COVID-19, despite the pandemic not starting in earnest until the spring of 2020 and Michigan lifting its lockdown orders by June 2021). "MLCC was unable to provide documentation regarding the whereabouts of the missing inventory," the audit dryly remarks. Although one should never ascribe to malice what can be explained by incompetence, it's worth noting that the state's inventory includes spirits ranging as high as $45,000 per bottle, which creates enormous opportunities for malfeasance given MLCC's slipshod tracking protocols. Were this Agatha Christie-meets-Ayn Rand mystery not enough, the audit goes on to spell out how MLCC is also wholly incapable of ordering rational amounts of each booze type it stocks. The report recounts the agency purchasing 12,204 bottles of a particular spirit in a week in which a mere 1,104 bottles of that spirit were sold. The agency then kept over 11,000 bottles of the spirit on hand for the next 48 weeksthe last 19 of which saw zero sales for it. MLCC also purchased 780 bottles of another spirit over the course of 77 weeks, with zero corresponding sales in any of the weeks those purchases were made. The MLCC's problems extended beyond inventory ineptitude as well, with the agency also somehow issuing numerous liquor licenses to establishments located in dry jurisdictions, which it now will be forced to revoke. These establishments were selling alcohol in dry locales since 2018 without anyone noticing, until the auditor stepped in. In perhaps the understatement of the centuryand in language only a government lawyer or accountant could appreciatethe audit rates MLCC's overall performance as "not sufficient." The agency's preliminary response is that it "agrees" with all of the audit's findings, as the report's mountain of evidence is apparently too much even for a bureaucracy to ignore. Lost amid the report's 65 pages of boozy bean-countingand the scandal of a million dollars of liquor aspirating into thin airlies a deeper question: Why, in 2024, is the Michigan government still trying to operate as the wholesaler for distilled spirits? It doesn't do so for beer and wine, and it already goes so far as to outsource the actual warehousing and logistics to its distribution agents. Sadly, the most predictable answer is also likely the most accurate: MLCC has generated some $2 billion for the state's general fund over the past decade. Perhaps a million dollars in missing liquor is a small price to pay after all. The post How Michigan Lost $1 Million of Liquor appeared first on Reason.com. An oil pipeline near the Russian city of Azov, Rostov Oblast, that was funneling oil products to tankers in the Azov Sea Port was blown up overnight on April 6, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) said. The agency published a video supposedly capturing the explosion but did not clarify who was behind it or who recorded the footage. Azov lies not far from the Azov Sea, around 20 kilometers west of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, and roughly 170 kilometers from the front line in Ukraine. Ukraine's intelligence referred to the pipeline as a military target. 0:00 / 1 "As a result of the explosion at the pipeline that used to funnel oil products to the local oil depot for tankers in the Azov Sea port... the loading of tankers with oil products has been suspended indefinitely," the agency said on Telegram. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims. "The pipeline was used by the aggressor for military purposes and to support the genocidal war against Ukraine," the agency noted. Rostov Oblast came under a massive drone attack on April 5, according to Russian officials. The Kyiv Independent's law enforcement sources said that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) carried out an attack against the Morozovsk airbase, destroying six warplanes and damaging eight. Read also: Sources: SBU attack against Russias Morozovsk airbase destroys 6 planes Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Minister: Over 36 million tons of goods exported via Black Sea corridor since August 2023 Over 36 million metric tons of goods have been shipped through Ukraine's Black Sea corridor since its opening in August 2023, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on April 6. According to Kubrakov, Ukraine's corridor has already facilitated shipments of more goods than the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by Turkey and the U.N. in July 2022. As Russia effectively canceled the grain deal in July 2023, Ukraine opened a new corridor the following month. Initially envisioned as a humanitarian corridor to allow the departure of ships stranded there since the start of the full-scale war, it has since grown into a full-blown trade route. Since August 2023, 1,286 vessels have passed the corridor, exporting 25 million metric tons of agricultural products to Asia, Africa, and Europe, Kubrakov noted. At the moment, 135 cargo vessels are waiting to enter ports in and around Odesa. They are expected to export 4 million metric tons of cargo. "The ministry's team is working hard to ensure stable exports by the sea to reach the levels of 2022," Kubrakov commented. Read also: Is Ukraines new Black Sea corridor working? Experts say it has potential Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Some might mistakenly believe that there is no way for the Legislature to deal with issues surrounding Mississippis behemoth public employee retirement program with the recent death of a key bill. But people who follow the legislative process know the old saying that nothing is dead in that process until it is dead, dead, dead. And in reality, nothing is really dead until the Legislature adjourns sine die or until the time when the Legislature cannot come back into session until the next calendar year (or if the governor calls a special session). Granted, the Senate Government Structure Committee killed a controversial House bill by not bringing it up for a vote on a key deadline day. But it could be revived. That bill would have: Replaced the Mississippi Public Employees Retirement System Board of Trustees, most of whom are elected by the retirees and current public employees, with a board where most of the members would be appointed by the governor and lieutenant governor. Suspended the plan of the PERS Board to require governmental entities state agencies, cities and counties, public schools and universities and community colleges to contribute more toward the pension program. Before the session began, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said PERS might be the most important issue facing the Legislature this session. What some saw as the only bill alive to deal with the problems facing PERS died in Hosemanns Senate. House Speaker Jason White, R-West, took the unusual step of quickly issuing a statement criticizing Hosemann for letting the bill die. When Hosemann said PERS was the key issue facing the Legislature, he generally was referring to the need to address the potential financial woes facing the system. It is not too late to address those possible money woes, and the legislation to do so is very much alive. The key is whether the House and the speaker will be amenable to dealing with those potential financial difficulties after the Senate killed the House bill. To be sure, issues facing PERS are complex. Those issues include: How much will the system earn from its massive investments? How many public employees will be employed by governmental entities in the coming years to pay into the system? And what is the life expectancy of members of the system? While the issues are complex, the duty of the PERS Board is simple: ensure there is enough money to meet the financial obligation to current and future retirees. Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, colorfully points out there are two things he can do personally to ensure the financial sustainability of PERS: stay in office as long as possible contributing to the retirement system as all government employees and officials do, and die soon after leaving office so that he does not collect much in terms of retirement benefits. Bryan said he prefers the first option. It is hard to overstate the importance of PERS. There are 360,000 people in the system current employees, retirees and those who have worked previously in the public sector but who have not retired. Spouses and other dependents of PERS members also are impacted. The PERS Board pays a lot of money to experts to assess all the relevant factors and make recommendations on the systems financial viability. Senate Government Structure Chair Chris Johnson, R-Hattiesburg, points out that two years ago, based on the recommendation of those financial experts, PERS officials reported to the Legislature the system was on firm financial footing. Two years later, because of some changes, such as the assumption that in the coming years the system will not earn as much in the stock market, the board made the decision, based on the recommendation of the experts, to increase the amount contributed to the retirement system by governmental entities. Some believe the board might have overreacted. But remember, it is complicated. At any rate, the planned increase in the employer contribution rate created a near panic among many governmental leaders, especially those on the local level who said they would have to cut services or raise taxes to contribute more to the retirement system. The House responded by voting to dissolve the board. At the heart of the issue facing PERS is some believe the system needs an infusion of cash hence the call to increase the employer contribution rate. The Legislature could address that issue with a cash infusion at the end of the session during the normal appropriations process instead of requiring local governments and other entities to provide additional revenue to PERS. The bill to do that is not dead. The key might be whether House leaders will be willing to agree to that cash infusion. This analysis was produced by Mississippi Today, a nonprofit news organization that covers state government, public policy, politics and culture. Bobby Harrison is Mississippi Todays senior Capitol reporter. The Modesto Police Department is investigating a fatal solo vehicle crash that occurred Saturday morning on McHenry Avenue. The southbound lanes of McHenry Avenue at Bowen Avenue were closed during the investigation. The crash happened at the intersection. The roadway has been reopened and the investigation is still ongoing, according to police. Former Moldovan President Igor Dodon has stated that he wants to restore Moldova's strategic partnership with Russia, which is supposedly what the majority of Moldovan citizens desire. Source: Moldovan news outlet Newsmaker, citing Dodon's statement on Saturday (6 April), as reported by European Pravda Details: Igor Dodon emphasised that 6 April marks the 32nd anniversary of Moldova establishing diplomatic relations with Russia and vowed to restore the strategic partnership with Moscow if he returns to power. He firmly believes that his team "will be able not only to fully restore the strategic partnership with Russia but also to bring relations to a new level". "Friendship and cooperation with Russia and the Russian people are in the national interests of Moldova and the Moldovan people. All public opinion polls show that this is what the majority of our citizens want, despite the openly anti-Russian policy pursued by the Sandu-PAS regime," Dodon said. At the same time, Igor Dodon has recently stated that he is "not selfish and does not want to run for office at any cost" and is ready to support another candidate. Background: One of the latest opinion polls in Moldova has revealed that incumbent President Maia Sandu may lose the presidential election. However, it does not take into account the opinion of the Moldovan diaspora, among whom support for Sandu is very high. Support UP or become our patron! Key Insights AstraZeneca to hold its Annual General Meeting on 11th of April Total pay for CEO Pascal Soriot includes US$1.82m salary The total compensation is 88% higher than the average for the industry AstraZeneca's EPS grew by 16% over the past three years while total shareholder return over the past three years was 56% CEO Pascal Soriot has done a decent job of delivering relatively good performance at AstraZeneca PLC (LON:AZN) recently. This is something shareholders will keep in mind as they cast their votes on company resolutions such as executive remuneration in the upcoming AGM on 11th of April. However, some shareholders may still want to keep CEO compensation within reason. See our latest analysis for AstraZeneca Comparing AstraZeneca PLC's CEO Compensation With The Industry Our data indicates that AstraZeneca PLC has a market capitalization of UK165b, and total annual CEO compensation was reported as US$21m for the year to December 2023. That's a notable increase of 18% on last year. While this analysis focuses on total compensation, it's worth acknowledging that the salary portion is lower, valued at US$1.8m. On comparing similar companies in the British Pharmaceuticals industry with market capitalizations above UK6.3b, we found that the median total CEO compensation was US$11m. Accordingly, our analysis reveals that AstraZeneca PLC pays Pascal Soriot north of the industry median. Moreover, Pascal Soriot also holds UK53m worth of AstraZeneca stock directly under their own name, which reveals to us that they have a significant personal stake in the company. Component 2023 2022 Proportion (2023) Salary US$1.8m US$1.7m 8% Other US$20m US$17m 92% Total Compensation US$21m US$18m 100% Talking in terms of the industry, salary represented approximately 73% of total compensation out of all the companies we analyzed, while other remuneration made up 27% of the pie. It's interesting to note that AstraZeneca allocates a smaller portion of compensation to salary in comparison to the broader industry. It's important to note that a slant towards non-salary compensation suggests that total pay is tied to the company's performance. AstraZeneca PLC's Growth Over the past three years, AstraZeneca PLC has seen its earnings per share (EPS) grow by 16% per year. In the last year, its revenue is up 3.3%. Overall this is a positive result for shareholders, showing that the company has improved in recent years. It's nice to see revenue heading northwards, as this is consistent with healthy business conditions. Looking ahead, you might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for the company's future earnings.. Story continues Has AstraZeneca PLC Been A Good Investment? Boasting a total shareholder return of 56% over three years, AstraZeneca PLC has done well by shareholders. As a result, some may believe the CEO should be paid more than is normal for companies of similar size. In Summary... The company's decent performance might have made most shareholders happy, possibly making CEO remuneration the least of the concerns to be discussed in the upcoming AGM. However, if the board proposes to increase the compensation, some shareholders might have questions given that the CEO is already being paid higher than the industry. CEO compensation can have a massive impact on performance, but it's just one element. We've identified 2 warning signs for AstraZeneca that investors should be aware of in a dynamic business environment. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a different set of stocks. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. In the mostly forgotten 1990 film "Crazy People," Dudley Moore's character, an advertising executive, has a nervous breakdown and starts creating brutally honest ads. "Volvo," one reads. "They're boxy, but they're good." It's a funny scene, but it also taps into a deep-seated suspicion many people harbor: Advertising is, at its core, a form of deception a way of spinning the truth to sell us something we don't need. Nowhere is this suspicion more pronounced than in the world of political advertising. With its ominous music, grainy black-and-white footage, and doom-laden narration, the average political ad is often seen as the ultimate example of manipulative, truth-bending propaganda. But in the strange, unsettling landscape of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, these much-maligned 30-second spots may be the last, best hope for preserving the most precious commodity of all: the truth. As we barrel toward the 2024 election, our country finds itself in uncharted waters. The very fabric of our democracy is under threat, and the institutions we once relied on to find the truth are faltering. The courts, meant to be impartial arbiters of the law, are slow-walking any number of 2020 election-related cases, with Trump's trials strategically delayed until after the election. And in a media landscape fractured into echo chambers and filter bubbles, the once-mighty fourth estate is no longer able to cut through the noise and hold power to account. The stakes in this election couldn't be higher with the former president, Donald Trump, campaigning for a comeback while facing a staggering 81 criminal charges across four cases. The alleged felonies paint a portrait of a leader unmoored from the rule of law, hell-bent on power at any cost. Yet according to a recent poll conducted by veteran Democratic pollster Geoff Garin for the group Save My Country, a mere 31% of swing state voters polled have heard about Trump's most brazenly authoritarian boasts, from pledges to be "dictator for one day" to musing about "terminating" Constitutional protections. But here's the kicker: When these same voters were presented with Trump's own words unfiltered, his unfavorability ratings shot up. Fast. After hearing some of Trumps most outlandish statements like his claim that immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country," his vow to pardon Capitol rioters, and his threat to persecute the "vermin" opposition the number of these critical swing voters who viewed him as a "dangerous" would-be "dictator" leaped by 7-9 points. This is where the Biden team's billion-dollar ad blitz comes in. Trumps campaign is still significantly behind Bidens in fundraising. By saturating the airwaves in battleground states with ads highlighting Trump's own words and deeds, the Biden campaign has the potential to cut through the noise and chaos, and drive home the severity of the threat Trump poses. In an atomized attention economy, this shock-and-awe approach may be the only megaphone loud enough to shatter information deserts and shift the needle with the voters who matter most. Of course, the political landscape can shift on a dime, and there's no guarantee that this ad offensive will be the silver bullet that saves democracy. But in a world where truth is under assault and accountability is in short supply, it may be our last, best hope for ensuring that voters go to the polls with their eyes wide open. The very notion of political commercials as democracy's savior would have been laughable just a decade ago. In an age of relative normalcy, the art of campaign messaging was deployed to sway votes, not stave off authoritarianism. But in 2024, against a GOP standard-bearer whose contempt for the rule of law is matched only by his talent for warping reality, the old rules no longer apply. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. If sunlight remains the best disinfectant, then the antidote to MAGA misinformation may just be to flood the zone with a truth unimaginable in a pre-Trump era: that a major party nominee poses an existential threat to the Republic. Executed with surgical precision and emotional resonance across platforms, using his own words, a shock-and-awe spotlight on Trump's extremism could jolt under-informed voters into grasping just what is at stake in this election. To be clear, no amount of advertising can completely reverse the tide of political polarization in our nation, and aggressive anti-Trump messaging is not entirely risk-free. But when preserving democracy hangs in the balance, those hoping to hold the line cant unilaterally disarm just because the tools at hand are imperfect. In the scrum of the most consequential election in generations, every persuadable voter moved is a win. And so, in a surreal plot twist, the once-derided dark art of political advertising emerges as a last-ditch savior. With truth under assault and accountability seemingly non-existent, a billion-dollar bullhorn sharing micro-targeted messages on multiple platforms may not be an ideal deus ex machina, but it is the one our info-siloed public square demands. In the final reckoning, if political ads become the unlikely last line of defense for the American experiment, so be it. Because if preserving government of, by, and for the people requires turning the weapons of mass persuasion toward mass civic education, it will be a billion dollars well spent. In 2024, there is no price too steep for the truth. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) Crime Stoppers of El Paso, Inc. distributes pictures of fugitives wanted by the El Paso Police Department and the El Paso County Sheriffs Office weekly through the Most Wanted feature. The following fugitives are individuals, which attempts to locate have been unsuccessful. Vailolo, Donovan Savaii B/M Apodaca, Dominic Alexander W/M Clark, Kaila Terri B/F Sandoval-Dotson, Adriana H/F Vargas, Ascencion Garcia H/M Resendez, Jonathan Valdez, Autumn Atarah Medrano, Jairo Jacquez, David Centeno-Vazquez, Raymond Josue El Paso Police Department Donovan Savaii Vailolo: Age 26; 60 212 pounds; black hair and brown eyes; wanted for abandonment endangerment of a child without intent to return, continuous violence against the family and unauthorized use of a vehicle; $110,000 bond. Dominic Alexander Apodaca: Age 35; 510; 150 pounds; brown hair and brown eyes; wanted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and harassment; $25,000 bond. Kaila Terri Clark: Age 28; 504; 180 pounds; black hair and brown eyes; wanted for cruelty non-livestock: fail to provide/abandonment/transport/bodily injury; $3,500 bond. Adriana Sandoval-Dotson: Age 39; 50; 160 pounds; brown hair and brown eyes; wanted for two counts of cruelty to non-livestock animals: kill/poison/causing serious bodily injury; no bond. Ascencion Garcia Vargas: Age 63; 508; 120 pounds; gray hair and green eyes; wanted for burglary of building; no bond. El Paso County Sheriffs Office Jonathan Resendez: Age 34; 55; 170 pounds; black hair and brown eyes; wanted for assault with intention of reck breathing/circulation of a family member with previous if at trial (IAT) and assault of a family/household member with previous conviction IAT; no bond. Autumn Atarah Valdez: Age 29; 54; 220 pounds; brown hair and brown eyes; wanted for burglary of habitation and theft of a firearm; no bond. Jairo Medrano: Age 34; 59; 165 pounds; brown hair and brown eyes; wanted for assault of a peace officer/judge; no bond. David Jacquez: Age 24; 56; 190 lbs.; black hair and brown eyes; wanted for manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana; no bond. Raymond Josue Centeno-Vazquez: Age 37; 59; 190 pounds; black hair and hazel eyes; wanted for robbery; $100,000 bond. Anyone with information on the location of any of these fugitives should call Crime Stoppers of El Paso immediately at (915) 566-8477 (TIPS) or submit the information online at www.crimestoppersofelpaso.org. You will remain anonymous, and if your tip leads to an arrest, you can qualify for a cash reward. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Its been 10 years since a then 20-year-old Alonzo Thomas IV was shot and killed outside a Kansas City home near E. 71st and Wayne Avenue. Monique Willis says theres been a lack of communication as to who killed her son on April 5, 2014. His killer is still in the streets. We need for the public, we need for the community, we need everyone to speak up on his behalf, Willis said in a news conference Friday at the Elite Funeral Chapel, where her sons services were ten years ago. Willis said she spoke to the Kansas City Police Department a week ago. Body of actor Cole Brings Plenty discovered in Johnson County I was informed that from 2014, no one is there, Willis said Friday. Whoever that was on the case, whoever who was in the office in 2014, no one is there. The high turnover, plus the staffing. I think he also mentioned staffing, so as far as Im concerned, my sons case is just sitting on his desk. In an email sent to FOX4, KCPD Sgt. Phil DiMartino said the department was not made aware of the news conference. This is an open and active investigation, he said. I can assure you detectives are actively looking into this case and will follow any leads that come in. This tragic incident occurred ten years ago as you noted. I would echo Ms. Willis sentiments: We need for the public, we need for the community, we need everyone to speak up on his behalf.' Since her sons death, Willis has teamed up with Michelle Norris of Coreys Network, a group that provides support to victims of homicides. Their public relations director says Willis has hope for justice for her son. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri I know Monique very well, Norris said at the news conference Friday. Monique is going to be there for Alonzo until her dying breath, and I know that, and if thats what hope is, then she has plenty. Norris and Willis hugged at the podium after that statement. There is a potential $27,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest. If you have any information, you can leave it anonymously on the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. Forty-nine Latino leaders signed an open letter released Friday honoring the memory of the Latino immigrant workers who died in the Baltimore bridge collapse last week, while also condemning the spread of "a false narrative" undermining the contributions of the nation's Hispanic people. The letter coincides with President Joe Biden's visit to the site of the deadly Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, where he met with some of the victims families. "We lift this painful moment as a reminder that the Latino community is often behind the building and maintenance of our nations infrastructure and should be celebrated for their contributions and sacrifice," Hispanic leaders heading civic, cultural, legal, labor, corporate, medical, educational and political organizations nationwide stated in their letter. "While some extremists may want to use the Latino community as a political wedge that depicts all Latinos as a burden and criminal element, the tragedy reminds us all of the reality of our communitys role and daily sacrifice to keep our nation strong," they added. The letter marks a contrast to recent anti-immigrant rhetoric following the slaying of a nursing student in Georgia, where the suspect was revealed to be an undocumented immigrant, and a teen migrant who was accused of shooting a tourist in Times Square. Some Republican and conservative voices have pointed to these incidents to push for hard-line immigration policies, while some Democrats have labeled such attempts as cheap political tactics. This week former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, referred to migrants as animals and not human as he referred to the crimes. According to the National Institute of Justice at the U.S. Department of Justice, recent research suggests that those who immigrate (legally or illegally) are not more likely, and may even be less likely to commit crime in the U.S. At the site of the deadly bridge collapse in Baltimore, Biden said, "eight construction workers went into the water when the bridge fell. Six lost their lives. Most were immigrants, but all were Marylanders hard-working, strong, and selfless." "The damage is devastating, and our hearts are still breaking," Biden added. Hispanic workers, the letter states, have repeatedly worked to build the nation's infrastructure. "There were countless Latino and Latina workers who worked to rebuild the damaged areas of the Pentagon and the World Trade Center after 9/11," the letter states. "After Hurricane Katrina it was widely reported how many Latino workers showed up to rebuild the city of New Orleans and surrounding area." About a third of the nations construction workers are Hispanic, meaning they are disproportionately exposed to the life-threatening dangers that come with working in an industry considered to be of high hazard" by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor. The letter will also be published on Sunday in the Baltimore Sun. Some of the leaders who signed the letter include: Estuardo Rodriguez of the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, Marco Davis of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), Antonio Tijerino of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Monica Ramirez of the Justice for Migrant Women and The Latinx House, a nonprofit affiliated with the Justice for Migrant Women. Others include leaders working at organizations ranging from business and media groups to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, the American Latino Veterans Association and the National Hispanic Medical Association. For more from NBC Latino, sign up for our weekly newsletter. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Montanans calling on the government to protect abortion in state law and stop other bills they say are targeted at people's individual health care rights rallied at the state Capitol in Helena on Friday, April 7, 2023. Montanans calling on the government to protect abortion in state law and stop other bills they say are targeted at people's individual health care rights rallied at the state Capitol in Helena on Friday, April 7, 2023. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan) ST. LOUIS In early February, abortion rights supporters gathered to change Missouri history at the Pageant a storied club where rock n roll revolutionary Chuck Berry often had played: They launched a signature-gathering campaign to put a constitutional amendment to voters this year to legalize abortion in the state. We have fought long for this moment, the Rev. Love Holt, the emcee, told the crowd. Just two years after Missouri made abortion illegal in virtually all circumstances, the people of our state are going to forever protect abortion access in Missouris constitution. The ballot measure which would allow abortions until fetal viability outlasted 16 other related proposals and months of litigation with Republican state officials. Next, its supporters must gather more than 171,000 valid signatures by May 5. Missouri is one of 13 states weighing abortion-related ballot measures, most of which would protect abortion rights. Abortion rights supporters hope to build on prior ballot wins in seven politically diverse states California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, and Vermont since the Supreme Court in 2022 overturned federal abortion protections, handing authority back to states. In a presidential election year, national strategy also steers the money. The success of initiatives could hinge on a states relevance to broader party ambitions. Democrats are focused on where anger over the abortion rollback could propel voter turnout and spur party victories up and down the ballot, including in key races for the Senate and White House. Those wins would help guard against what Democrats see as a bigger threat: a national abortion ban. Republicans are quieter about their national strategy around abortion. But at the state level, the groups mounting opposition campaigns are putting foot soldiers on the streets to deter people from signing ballot petitions. Abortion rights supporters have raised millions more for ballot campaigns than have opponents, according to a KFF Health News review of campaign finance records in multiple states. Still, they dont have unlimited resources, said Craig Burnett, an associate professor of political science at Hofstra University and expert on ballot initiatives. They must consider, Where am I going to get the best bang for my buck here? Think Big America, a nonprofit founded by J.B. Pritzker, the billionaire Democratic governor of Illinois, is giving money to abortion rights initiatives in Arizona and Nevada and plans to do so in Montana, senior adviser Mike Ollen said. All are states where abortion remains legal to varying points in pregnancy, but each could have an outsize impact on the national political balance. Arizona and Nevada are presidential swing states viewed as crucial for President Joe Biden to win reelection. They and Montana all have races that could flip control of the U.S. Senate from Democrats to Republicans in 2025. Ollen said electoral consequences are part of the calculus for Think Big America. We want to make sure that we protect abortion in the states that were going into, Ollen said. But were also not naive to the threat of a national abortion ban. About a fifth of key voter groups Democratic women, women who live in states where abortion is banned, women who plan to vote for Biden, and women of reproductive age identify as abortion voters, according to new polling from KFF. Anti-abortion groups have pressured Republican candidates to support a national ban. Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump quietly supports a 16-week ban with some exceptions, The New York Times reported. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, one of the nations largest anti-abortion groups, said it plans to spend $92 million and reach 10 million voters to back candidates in the political battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin who would protect life across America. It will focus on low turnout and persuadable voters to win the presidency and a majority in Congress. Ballot initiatives are one way for voters to assert their power over the political whims of state legislatures or courts. They are often viewed as more stable and harder to undo. Abortion rights supporters must fend off statehouse maneuvers by Republicans to thwart ballot initiatives, such as proposals to change how ballot measures are approved or to buttress rules on collecting signatures. Politicians are appealing to the courts to beat back abortion rights. In Montana, abortion is legally protected as a fundamental privacy right by a 1999 court ruling. Still, supporters are seeking to enshrine abortion access in the state constitution with a ballot measure. Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who has unsuccessfully asked the courts to overturn the 1999 precedent, rejected the draft initiative because it places multiple distinct political choices into a single initiative. The initiatives backers, led by Planned Parenthood of Montanas chief medical officer, Samuel Dickman, have asked the state Supreme Court to overturn Knudsens ruling and allow them to start gathering signatures. Democrats hope the ballot question will drive voter turnout and boost reelection chances for incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Tester against the likely Republican candidate, Tim Sheehy. Tides Foundation, a social-justice-focused charity based in California, is monitoring ballot campaigns in Montana, Arizona, and Missouri, said Beth Huang, its program officer for civic engagement and democracy. It has granted funds in Florida and is in the process of approving funds for Colorado and Nevada, she said. As a public charity, the group legally cannot consider the partisan implications on any set of candidate elections in funding decisions, she said. It will fund only ballot measures that would allow abortions at least until fetal viability generally about 24 weeks the standard under Roe v. Wade. A proposed initiative in Arkansas is off the table because access would go to 20 weeks. We are not interested in policies that do less than reestablish Roe, Huang said. In South Dakota, Dakotans for Health wants to reinstate abortion rights in the state. But an anti-abortion campaign says out-of-state money pays for signature drives that pressure people to sign the petitions without providing sufficient information on the measure. The Republican-dominated legislature passed a bill to let people remove their signatures from such ballot petitions. An emergency clause would put the bill into effect immediately if the governor signs it ahead of the deadline to place the abortion question on the November ballot. Critics of other states measures see other avenues for defeat. Gregg Keller, a St. Louis-based Republican political strategist, said Missouris proposed amendment goes further than the measure passed last year in Ohio. For example, abortions could be allowed after fetal viability to protect the mental health of a pregnant person. If opponents can get out the word that this goes further than what was done in Ohio and other states, we have a chance of actually beating this thing, Keller said. If they are able to raise money. Thats a big if. Ballot supporters here raised $4.2 million as of March 12, according to campaign finance records. Money has come from national groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Fairness Project, which has supported ballot efforts on various progressive causes. Kansas City-based Health Forward Foundation has also donated. So far opponents of the Missouri measure have raised $55,000, nearly half of which comes from the Catholic Church, according to campaign finance records. We went into this knowing that we were going to be outspent, said Missouri Catholic Conference Executive Director Jamie Morris, who said he didnt know whether the church would spend more. Were still going to be out trying to educate the faithful as best as we can, with the resources we have. Abortion Action Missouri Executive Director Mallory Schwarz said the coalition backing the states abortion measure is confident it will hit the signature goal by the May deadline. If that happens, it will be up to outgoing Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who supports Missouris near-total abortion ban, to decide whether to put the measure before voters in the states August primary or the November general election. Keller, the GOP strategist, said the governor will face tremendous pressure to put it on the August ballot. Five of six statewide offices are on the November ballot, as is Republican Josh Hawleys U.S. Senate seat. An abortion ballot measure could overshadow those campaigns just based on the war chests in play: Hawleys 2018 campaign spent about $11.5 million, for example, while the three political action committees backing Ohios abortion amendment last year spent over $50 million. I am telling anyone who is running as a Republican this year that if you want to be able to make your case about how and why you deserve to be elected, and you want to be able to get your story out, Keller said, then clearly you would not want to have a $50 million ballot initiative on in November. KFF Health News rural health care correspondent Arielle Zionts and Mountain States editor Matt Volz contributed to this report. KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFFan independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. The post How national political ambition could fuel or fail initiatives to protect abortion rights in states appeared first on Daily Montanan. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg believes that by July, when the Alliance's summit is held in Washington, the bloc's allies will have agreed to establish a new multi-year fund to assist Ukraine. Source: Stoltenberg in an interview with BBC, as reported by European Pravda Details: The interview announcement says that the NATO Secretary General expressed confidence that the Allies will reach a long-term agreement on Ukraine's financing by July, though some countries have expressed doubts this week. "Even if we believe and hope that the war will end in the near future, we need to support Ukraine for many years, to build their defences to deter future aggression," Stoltenberg said. According to him, military support is critical for expelling Russian troops from Ukraine and forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to abandon his occupation objectives. Reportedly, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg proposed to establish a US$100 billion fund of allied contributions for Ukraine over five years as part of a package that alliance leaders would approve when they meet in Washington in July. Later, Stoltenberg stated that member countries are still discussing the format for establishing a new fund to assist Ukraine, and Kyiv is also involved in the discussion. However, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba doubts that Stoltenberg's idea can be implemented "in the current financial model". Support UP or become our patron! The old saying that "no one fights like family" is perfectly exemplified by a Los Angeles court case involving several members of the same family feuding over a multibillion-dollar real estate empire. The case, which took decades to play out, featured more dramatic plot twists than a Hollywood movie before an L.A. jury finally awarded the plaintiffs (four brothers) billions of dollars in damages by ruling against the defendant (who was the plaintiffs' brother). A Scion Of The Diamond Trade Becomes A Real Estate Mogul It all started when Shashikant "Shashi" Jogani, who was born into a family of diamond traders, moved to Los Angeles in 1969 and began investing in real estate. By 1994, Jogani's portfolio consisted of thousands of units and had an estimated value of $375 million. It was all going splendidly until the Northridge Earthquake damaged many of his properties and he had 16 tenants in one building die when a floor collapsed beneath them. A Cash Infusion And An Oral Agreement Leads To An Ill-fated Family Partnership The cost of the lawsuits and repairing the damage to his properties hit Jogani while a major recession was plaguing the real estate market. This combination of bad circumstances left Jogani's empire in dire straits, and he reached out to his brother Haresh Jogani for assistance. The brothers reached a verbal agreement that saw Haresh Jogani inject cash into the business and buy 2,600 of Shashi Jogani's units. Don't Miss: This is where the plot thickens. According to Haresh Jogani, the deal called for Haresh and three of his brothers to become 50% partners with Shashi Jogani once their original investment plus 12% was recuperated. Shashi Jogani acted as adviser and Haresh Jogani bankrolled the acquisitions. The portfolio continued to grow until it consisted of 17,000 units. Then things got complicated. The Mother Of All Lawsuits And A Monster Jury Award In 2001, Shashi Jogani was "fired" from the partnership after he allegedly tried to transfer ownership of an asset into his name without Haresh Jogani's approval. This led to Shashi Jogani suing Haresh for breaking their partnership up by firing him. Over the next 20 years, the case was characterized by a dizzying array of recanted statements, shifting alliances, and legal maneuvering. Story continues Trending Want To Grow Your Wealth Passively? These High-Yield Real Estate Notes Might Be Your Holy Grail There were multiple case dismissals resulting from various legal wrangling among the plaintiffs and even a verdict cast aside for alleged juror misconduct. Finally, in 2024 the case reached a verdict, and a jury awarded Shashi Jogani and his co-plaintiffs (who were the original brothers Haresh Jogani included in the verbal agreement) $2.5 billion in monetary damages and $4.5 billion worth of equity in the portfolio. Shashi Jogani and his co-plaintiffs in the case are happy with the verdict. Shashi Jogani was the biggest winner financially, having been awarded the 50% stake in the business that the verbal agreement originally called for, plus $1.8 billion in damages. The remaining amount was split between the other brothers, who received damage awards ranging from $299 million to $570 million and various equity shares based on the jury's calculations. After A Multibillion-Dollar Jury Award, The Case Still Isn't Over The case isn't over. As the losing defendant, Haresh Jogani has appealed the verdict and filed a motion against the trial judge for racial animus. The punitive damage awards have yet to be made, and it's almost a guarantee they will be in the hundreds of millions or possibly even billions of dollars. The Lesson Every Real Estate Investor Can Learn From This Case The real tragedy here is that the Jogani family could have avoided these decades of litigation and millions of dollars in legal fees by taking just a few hours to draw up an actual contract when Haresh Jogani joined the business. There is a lesson to be learned here for all house hackers, real estate investment partnerships and syndication dealers. Even if it goes bad, it's always going to end more cleanly with a contract than without one. Take the time to hire lawyers and structure your partnership in such a way that everyone understands what's expected of them and how things will go in case one partner needs to make an orderly exit. That way, you can all make a clean break and not wind up wasting years of your time and way too much of your money on lawyers, depositions and court cases. Read Next: Collecting passive income from real estate just got a whole lot simpler. A new real estate fund backed by Dara Khosrowshahi gives you instant access to a diversified portfolio of rental properties, and you only need $100 to get started. Miami Is Expected To Take New York's Place As The US Financial Capital. Invest In It With $500 Before That Happens. "ACTIVE INVESTORS' SECRET WEAPON" Supercharge Your Stock Market Game with the #1 "news & everything else" trading tool: Benzinga Pro - Click here to start Your 14-Day Trial Now! Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article LA Jury Awards 4 Brothers Billions In A Case That is The Mother Of All Real Estate Disputes originally appeared on Benzinga.com 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is putting his legacy behind a final push to shore up international support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. The secretary-general, who will step down later this year after a decade leading the alliance, is pitching to the 32 NATO member countries a plan to establish a five-year, 100 billion euro fund for Ukraine, and for NATO to assume leadership of the U.S.-led Ramstein group, the monthly gathering of more than 50 countries coordinating weapons deliveries for Kyiv. The ideas, putting Europe in more of a leading role over its security, are borne out of anxiety that the U.S. may be less reliable as a future partner. This is not just Trump-proofing, but U.S.-proofing in some ways, said Jim Townsend, an adjunct senior fellow with the Center for a New American Security and a former senior Pentagon official focused on NATO. This is Europe coming to grips with the idea that whether its [former President] Trump, or whether its Republicans in the House of Representatives, overstretch by the U.S. military, or whatever it might be, that Europe has got to step up. Stoltenbergs mission is to have consensus among alliance members and a July announcement in Washington at NATOs annual summit, this year marking its 75th anniversary. We will hopefully move forward towards consensus and then we will have an agreement in place by the summit, Stoltenberg said Wednesday in Brussels, ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers of NATO countries. It is expected to be Stoltenbergs last summit as secretary-general, with Dutch Prime Minster Mark Rutte viewed as his likely successor. Ukraines push to join NATO The stakes for the summit are high, following public tensions at the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky chided the U.S. and other member states from holding back a concrete proposal to bring Kyiv into the alliance. The U.S. and Germany are the most forceful opponents of Ukraine receiving a bid to join NATO during the Washington summit. Ukraine will become a member of NATO. Our purpose at the summit is to help build a bridge to that membership, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters Thursday in Brussels. Ukraines supporters have worked for months to craft ideas on how NATO could take a more forceful position of support for Kyiv amid fractures and pitfalls for the group. But following through on a 100 billion euro fund, coordinating weapons donations, and institutionalizing a NATO training program for Ukrainian force will put NATO more directly in confrontation with Russia and a mark a major shift from what has been a somewhat cautious role for the alliance. The U.S. and other Western allies, fearful of provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin, had for two years sought to achieve a certain distance between the alliance and Ukraine so as not to trigger a reaction from Moscow. But this has caused tension with Baltic, Polish and Ukrainian officials who say Kyiv joining NATO is the only guarantee against Putin reinvading Ukraine if a truce, cease-fire or peace deal is ever achieved. Stephen Flanagan, adjunct senior fellow at the RAND Corporation who served as senior director for defense policy and strategy at the National Security Council under former President Obama, said the new proposals for Ukraine are a worthy goal of trying to bridge the divide among NATO members. Id say this certainly has a chance of moving forward, he said. Resistance within NATO Stoltenberg will be challenged with getting all alliance members on board. Hungary is viewed as the biggest obstacle, with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto rejecting the NATO proposals. Slovakia could also prove a wild card. Parliamentary elections in September saw the victory of a far-right government that has shifted Bratislavas position as more friendly to Moscow. Slovakian Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Turkey last month in a rare, high-level encounter between a NATO and EU member state and Russia. Hungary and Slovakia could play games with this, well have to see, said Townsend, with the Center for a New American Security. The Spanish and Italian foreign ministers have also raised concerns about details of the proposals over how much countries would be required to put in the 100 billion euro pot, concerned with duplicating funding for Kyiv that is being given on a bilateral basis and by the European Union. In February, the EU approved a four-year, 50 billion euro aid package. US concerned about Ramstein meeting proposal And the Biden administration is raising concern about moving the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, known as the Ramstein group, under the leadership of NATO. John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser, said the effectiveness of the grouping of 50-plus countries coordinating weapons deliveries for Ukraine is successful because it is led by the U.S. The Ramstein grouping has a core that includes NATO, European Union members and Indo-Pacific partners like Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. But some participants hold back official recognition of their participation, straddling careful relations between support for Ukraine and continued ties with Russia. What brought them together was American leadership; whats keeping them together is American leadership, Kirby said in a Wednesday call with reporters. But Stoltenberg is leaning into the proposals and is likely to rely on his reputation as NATOs longtime leader to help reach consensus by the July summit. Stoltenberg, a former prime minister of Norway, has steered NATO through the anxious years of Trumps attacks on the alliance and French President Emmanuel Macron declaring it as brain-dead in 2019. In January, Stoltenberg focused a trip to Washington on pitching a crowd of Trump supporters of the importance of NATO, telling an audience at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation that NATO is a good deal for the U.S., promoting U.S. jobs by relying on the American military manufacturing base and selling that member-states have increased their defense spending and burden sharing. He has great respect for all that hes done to keep the alliance together over the last five years of his tenure, through difficult times, Flanagan said. It is true that Stoltenberg is an international civil servant and has to be careful. He has played a leading role in these efforts to support Ukraine. Hes like a chairman of a board, he has to know what the rest of the board members will support, but he has the power of persuasion. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. NATO Secretary General says Ukraine will have to decide which compromises it will accept in war with Russia BBC NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that Ukraine will have to decide which compromises it is ready to accept in the war with the Russian Federation. Source: Jens Stoltenberg in an interview with BBC to be broadcast on Sunday, 7 April, as reported by European Pravda Details: Although Stoltenberg said that military support is critically important to enable Ukraine to repel Russian forces and force Russian leader Vladimir Putin to give up his goals of occupation, he suggested that Ukraine might also have to make concessions. "At the end of the day, it has to be Ukraine that decides what kind of compromises they're willing to do, we need to enable them to be in a position where they actually achieve an acceptable result around the negotiating table," Stoltenberg said. He said he was not calling for Ukraine to offer concessions now, and added that "real peace" would be achievable when "Ukraine prevails". Stoltenberg also said that there is an "authoritarian" alliance between the Russian Federation, China, Iran and North Korea, with each country giving practical support to the others and all four growing "more and more aligned". "China is propping up the Russian war economy, delivering key parts to the defence industry, and in return, Moscow is mortgaging its future to Beijing," Stoltenberg said. Background: On 4 April, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he believes there are two scenarios for how combat action in Ukraine could unfold, depending on whether the NATO allies are able to unite to help Kyiv. "One is that NATO allies are able to mobilise more support, and that Ukraine is able to regain more territory. The other scenario is that we are not able to do so, and there is a real threat that Russia will capture even more territories and we will be in an even more dangerous position," Stoltenberg said then. However, intelligence data obtained by NATO casts doubt on the ability of Russian forces to launch a large-scale offensive any time soon. Support UP or become our patron! Navy Fires the Head of Its Only South American Command 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." Read Next: Air Force Is Pulling a B-1B Lancer Out of the Boneyard and Returning It to Active Duty 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 Standing at the top of a sloping field in north Essex on a sunny morning, Tom Bradshaw is pointing out the landmarks spread out below over the valley of the River Colne on the 63-hectare farm that has been in his family for four generations. In his wellies and scruffy work clothes, he is clearly in his element as he recounts how, from the moment when as a six-year-old his father let him start helping out in the milking shed, he knew for certain that he wanted to be a farmer. That commitment remains undiminished, but this energetic, thoughtful enthusiast for all things agricultural is going to need every last ounce of energy as the newly-elected president of the National Farmers Union. For while the landscape in front of him exudes a sense of permanence, he fears the farming industry is facing a crisis. We are at a stage of vulnerability, he warns in the starkest of terms, that we havent seen for generations. Back in the busy farmhouse that he shares with his wife, Emily, and son and daughter, aged seven and five, the 41-year-old, one of the youngest-ever NFU leaders, runs through the long list of the daunting range of challenges that face him, his members and, he insists, every single one of us who rely on them to put food on supermarket shelves and in our cupboards. The most immediate cause for concern is the past six months of rain-sodden weather that played havoc with the planting of crops last autumn as well as this spring. It will, he predicts, impact on food supply come the summer. We are not going to produce the output that we would expect of those crops. Yet the public and politicians appear either unaware or unperturbed by the potential disaster unfolding in the fields. Food production the UK currently produces around 60 per cent overall of what we eat (dropping to as low as 20 per cent of fruit and veg) and food security is a key issue for him and his members. While we have conflict in Ukraine, the situation in Gaza, and the impact of climate change, which I believe is the biggest challenge facing us today, it feels like the world is taking food production for granted, Bradshaw says. We have 70 million people here living on an island and having a plan for how they are going to be fed is crucially important. We cannot just import our way out of trouble. Crucial to such planning are the government ministers who, in a post-Brexit world that promised farmers a better deal, have lost the confidence of many of the NFUs 46,000 members with their chaotic efforts to replace old European Union Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies based on how much land was farmed with new environment-friendly incentives. The anger felt by some farmers led them last month to drive their tractors past the Palace of Westminster in London, blowing their horns, waving Union Jacks, and brandishing banners that read, No Farmers, No Food, No Future. Farmers held a protest at the Palace of Westminster, London, in March - Paul Grover The time-honoured stereotype has long been of the Conservatives as the party of the countryside, but that is no longer a given, Bradshaw says. Historically our members would have been big supporters of the Conservative Party, but many are feeling let down, particularly by the international trade deals [which they believe disadvantage British farmers]. They are not going to forget about that quickly. Earlier this year, in an attempt to reassure members, Rishi Sunak made a point of attending the NFUs annual conference. When he came, he said to us, you dont do this for the money. Sorry, we cant do it without the money. A lot of our members live on very little. The average annual profit made on farms in the UK is just 22,800. The Sunak administration, Bradshaw says, has to demonstrate that they really are different, and that they will support farming and food production. And I dont think that is a given. His high-profile and widely-admired predecessor as NFU president, Minette Batters, the first female in the role in the NFUs 120-year history, will be a hard act to follow. I cant try to be Minette. While I recognise all her strengths, I have to try and do it my way. If I try to be her, I will fail. Tom Bradshaw, far right, with then NFU president Minette Batters, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and NFU Cymru President Aled Jones at the NFU annual conference in February - Simon Walker/No 10 Downing Street She was often scathing about the ministers she dealt with, including in a 2022 interview with The Telegraph where she reported that they variously failed to understand the scale of changes under way post-Brexit, declined to engage with her about them, didnt listen when they did, and in the case of then prime minister Boris Johnson lied to her face about not wanting to damage British farmers. Is Bradshaw receiving the same treatment? It is in some ways the same Conservative government, but it is also different. I think [recently appointed after being demoted from Health and Social Care] Steve Barclay is doing a good job as Secretary of State at Defra so far, but we have an election coming up and I dont think [ministers] can be clear about their plans when you are only planning for six months time. Policy becomes very short term. Rejecting for now giving NFU backing to on-the-streets protests such as the one seen at Westminster recently, he nevertheless continues to place his faith in jaw-jaw not war-war. We have to decide how we create the greatest political influence. Is it by jumping up and down publicly, or is it by going through the door and having a conversation? I think we can do it better by going through the door. To that end, Bradshaw was in Downing Street in the week before Easter, meeting officials, but not the Prime Minister. Yet his commitment to negotiation does not prevent him calling out attempts by ministers to pull the wool over the eyes of farmers to generate positive, voter-attracting headlines. Steve Barclay, who was appointed Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in November 2023 - Geoff Pugh Last week there was an announcement where the Secretary of State said he had committed an extra 400 million to the agriculture budget this year. That is a complete myth. The 400 million is there but only because they didnt spend it as planned in previous two years. That is a statement we do need to call out because it is not new money. Trying to get credit for investing an extra 400 million in the industry is pretty poor. The stakes are too high for such electioneering. I do genuinely believe that what happens over the next five years will dictate the future for generations, but there are such a multitude of challenges and, whether you like it or not, it is political relationships that make the wheels go round. So we need to be in the room having those conversations. Growing up on Fletchers Farm outside the village of Fordham, Tom Bradshaw was the middle of three brothers. His older sibling now an accountant and entrepreneur had no similar passion for farming which made the often tricky question of succession easier than on other family enterprises. After studying agricultural business management at Wye College in Kent the former rural studies outpost of Imperial College London he took up the reins on the farm on graduating in 2004. Like all seven other farms in the same valley, it was transitioning away from cows to growing crops. Supermarkets in search of the lowest possible prices are often blamed for this shift, but Bradshaw takes a broader view. We always have to be mindful that the supermarkets are UK farmings biggest customer. It is a really important relationship, but it is one that has to work for everybody. At Fletchers Farm, there has been diversification, with a busy equestrian centre in the old milking parlour (run by his wife), and a contracting business. It must have been a big burden for him to shoulder at such an early age. The Farming Safety Foundation reported in 2022 that 92 per cent of UK farmers under 40 ranked poor mental health as the biggest hidden problem in their profession, and 36 per cent said that they possibly or probably were suffering from depression. I have always been told that I am old for my years, and that I look older than I am, Bradshaw replies with a smile. And while he is acutely aware of the particular stresses and strains on all farmers, with 7,000 leaving the profession since 2019, his own love of farming has never dipped. Tom Bradshaw on his Essex farm - Geoff Pugh His relationship with the NFU, though, has been much more volatile. I was invited to go to my first NFU conference in 2005 and I left it saying, Im never going there again. I hadnt found it interesting. What changed was that in 2010 he was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship that enabled him to travel to Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France and America looking at global agriculture. I left England thinking we were world-leading and I came back recognising that we had a lot to learn. As part of that learning process, he agreed to be co-opted in 2014 onto the NFUs National Crops Board. It was the start of his rapid climb through the ranks, latterly serving as vice president and then deputy president under Batters. In those early years, I saw that the NFU does make a real difference. Without the NFU, who is there fighting the corner for farmers like me? That is what gave me the appetite to do more. His new role is full-time, which has meant bringing in managers to take over the day-to-day running of his own farm. There is a tension between home and work, he admits. I had to accept at a very early stage where my priority would lie between the farm, my young family and the NFU. There was no way I could do all of it. He is clearly a hands-on father. His face positively lights up when he tells of how his young children join him in the vegetable patch outside the window of the farms kitchen where we are sitting. It is a chance, he says, to teach them the importance of embracing the seasonality of different home-grown food stuffs rather than relying on expensive, all-year-round imports. I guess somewhere I believe I can make a bigger difference for the industry by doing what I do for the NFU than I would by working within my own farm. There are short-term sacrifices for our farm business and I am very alive to that. There is, it quickly is becoming clear, nothing pompous or self-aggrandising about Bradshaw. Indeed, he is the first to call himself out if he feels he is going into presidential mode. Im making being president sound a bit altruistic, but we are living through extremely volatile times. He is also pragmatic enough to accept that sometimes his own chosen tactics have to adapt to particular circumstances. While he didnt endorse the tractor protests outside Westminster, he did support the Welsh branch of the NFU in a silent protest last month outside the Senedd, home to the principalitys devolved assembly. 5,500 pairs of wellies of all shapes and sizes were placed on the steps to represent the farmers who could lose their livelihoods because of the new post-Brexit subsidy regime being brought in there. That was a very specific protest on a single issue, explains Bradshaw, and it worked because it made 37 members of the Senedd come out and engage with us. That was in stark contrast, he points out, to a much more vocal and confrontational protest outside the same building the previous week, when several thousand Welsh farmers turned up with tractors and banners. Rather than engage Assembly members, he says, it had alienated them. There have been many versions proposed in both England and Wales for ELMs, the environmental land management schemes that will be part and parcel of the new subsidy regime for farms to replace the 2 billion that used to come in under CAP. In Wales, the current plan would make any payments dependent on farmers having 10 per cent of their land used for tree cover and a further 10 per cent as natural habitats. In England, no percentage has been set for its scheme, though moves are now afoot in Westminster to set a cap. Such constant amendments may demonstrate the success of NFU lobbying ministers to make changes, but it also contributes to the impression of ministers making policy on the hoof. For his own part Bradshaw makes plain that he is not opposed to the goal of better environmental protection. Between 15 and 20 per cent of his own farm is used to support natural habitats. However once again he believes that ministers have made a mess of implementation. The Brexit deal got delayed but our ministers at Defra were not willing to delay the transition and so put themselves under huge time pressure to deliver a scheme, he says. Their department was the most impacted by withdrawal from the EU and it became a totem pole. With the threat of a no-deal on the table right up to the last moment, he suggests, insufficient time and resources were allocated to working out exactly what the post-Brexit landscape would look like on farms. They didnt consult and they didnt listen. They delivered a scheme under a restricted timescale and there are areas of it that I think they got wrong. They should have taken some of our warnings at face value. There has been similar haste in making new trade deals once the UK left the European Union. When the then international trade secretary Liz Truss signed a deal with Australia in 2021, it opened our market to food produced to lower welfare standards than are in place at home, and therefore cheaper. Then foreign secretary Liz Truss in Sydney, Australia, in 2022 - Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street That is plain unfair, says Bradshaw. If we are expected to produce to standards here then we should expect all the food sold in this country to be produced to that standard. And if as a country we dont care about those standards, then our members should have the competitive advantage to produce to lower standards. You cant have it both ways. Such criticism of the current Government naturally brings us round to the prospect, as indicated in opinion poll after opinion poll, that by the end of the year, he will be dealing with Labour ministers. At the NFU we are proudly apolitical, but in the four years Ive been in the NFU team, I have built up a strong relationship with shadow farming minister Daniel Zeichner, who has been in post throughout that period. On policy, the right to roam has been a bone of contention between the NFU and previous Labour leaders, but there has been progress, Bradshaw reports. Jeremy Corbyns 2019 pledge to introduce such a right (it already exists in Scotland) caused dismay among farmers, worried about dogs off-lead bothering their livestock. Now they have changed their language which is positive and are talking about the right to responsible access. Relationships between farmers and Labour governments have never been easy. Tony Blair faced a countryside backlash when he legislated to outlaw fox-hunting. Will a Keir Starmer regime fare any better? As the polls stand at the moment, we could have Labour politicians in [rural] seats they never thought they would have, and that gives us a wonderful opportunity to influence Labour thinking in a way that we may never have been able to do previously. He isnt getting carried away, though. A week in politics is a long time but in farming we think in years, decades, generations. 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. Nicole Shanahan leapt into the political spotlight in California two weeks ago, when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. named her as the vice presidential nominee for his independent ticket. But the Bay Area lawyer and entrepreneur has been out of the public eye once again since she left the stage on March 26. Though she has posted several times on social media, Shanahan has not participated in any of Kennedy's public events or media appearances since her rollout. Friday morning, Shanahan posted on X that she was visiting the southern border in Yuma, Arizona. Ill be honest: I didnt understand the gravity of the crisis at the border until today when I sat with NGO leaders who are on the front lines in Yuma Arizona, she wrote on the social media platform. Last weekend, Kennedy hosted his first public campaign event since the VP announcement in Oakland. But his running mate was not in attendance at the Los Angeles event. On Monday, while interviewing a senior Kennedy campaign adviser, the Fox News show "Fox & Friends" promoted a live joint interview with Kennedy and Shanahan slated for Tuesday. But Kennedy flew solo for the interview. When NBC News reached out to the campaign, an aide said that Shanahan was never supposed to appear and that the booking was lost in translation. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Nicole Shanahan (David Paul Morris / Bloomberg via Getty Images) According to a campaign official, Shanahan is not expected to attend Kennedys event in Iowa next weekend that will focus on ballot access in the Hawkeye State. American Values 2024, the super PAC supporting Kennedys campaign and the group to which Shanahan donated money for his February Super Bowl ad, has been hosting fundraisers for Kennedy in Florida this week. It is unclear if Shanahan was in attendance at any of these events. She did release a post on X saying that she is "working behind the scenes to make sure were on the ballot in all 50 states," and that she is traveling the country "speaking with Americans about the most pressing issues were facing." Kennedy and Shanahan are currently only on the ballot in Utah, but according to the campaign, they have gathered enough signatures in multiple other states including Nevada and North Carolina. Shanahan is not a known national figure. But the campaign leaned strongly into her personal story during the rollout, including her background as a onetime Democrat now urging people to leave the party. At the Oakland rollout, many of Kennedys interested backers said they were unfamiliar with Shanahan. I dont really know anything about her, so thats why Im here. I want to find out whats going on, said Mary Lou Martin, who described herself as a likely Kennedy voter. Staying in the background is not typical for a newly announced vice presidential nominee. But Kennedy's independent effort is not typical in many ways, including choosing a running mate with little pre-existing public profile. Marc Short, the then-senior adviser to Mike Pences 2016 vice presidential campaign, said Kennedys campaign should best utilize her personal strengths, namely fundraising, and focus on campaigning in the states where the campaign has already gathered enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. She hasnt held elected office and shes not a known name, Short said, noting shes not like usual vice presidential picks. She comes from a part of the country that could certainly help with fundraising even if youre not doing media or events, theres plenty of ways to help. The campaign has to look at her strengths and maximize those. CORRECTION (April 6, 2024, 2:40 p.m. ET): Due to an editing error, a previous version of this story misstated the date that Nicole Shanahan was named Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s running mate. It was March 26, not March 19. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com NORTH ALABAMA (WHNT) Some North Alabama schools have announced changes to dismissal plans ahead of Mondays solar eclipse. Two northeast Alabama systems have released plans to ensure student safety during the total solar eclipse on April 8. While North Alabama is not in the line to totality for the eclipse, the area will experience about 80 to 90% of coverage. Solar eclipse forecast for the Tennessee Valley To avoid any damage to students eyes due to the eclipse, one local school system announced special dismissal plans ahead of the eclipse. Fort Payne Superintendent Brian Jett said in a letter to parents and staff Thursday that Fort Payne City Schools plans not to release students from school until 3:17 p.m., the end of the eclipse viewing period. Jett said the slightly late dismissal is part of an overall plan to keep students safe during the eclipse. He explained students will also not be allowed outside during the eclipse, with students viewing the event from their classrooms. Scottsboro City Schools, on the other hand, will be releasing early on Monday. Superintendent Amy Childress said Friday that due to concerns over student safety during school dismissal, elementary school students will be released at 11 a.m. Monday. Scottsboro Junior High School and Scottsboro High School students will also be released early at 11:45 a.m. Childress said she does encourage parents to watch the eclipse with their children, while also stressing the need to protect their eyes. The superintendent suggested watching the eclipse online with NASA, and you can find a link to that stream here. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. Abdelkader Madirati was only 8 years old when he was the victim of a cluster bomb which caused the amputation of his right hand and most of his leg in the town of Tadef, north of Aleppo, where he lives. "He found a cluster bomb that he thought was a small ball, and it exploded in his hand," his mother told ABC News. Madirati lives in the country's northwest, where locals and aid groups said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces have in recent months escalated their strikes on civilians, including the use of Russian-made guided missiles and drones, amongst its already deadly arsenal including unexploded explosive ordnance -- relics of over a decade-long crisis -- that have threatened farmers, fishermen, food production and security. The Carter Center said that from December 2012 to May 2021, about 972,051 explosive munitions were used across Syria, with an estimated failure rate of 10% to 30%, leaving some 100,000 to 300,000 of them undetonated. Home to 4.5 million people, this part of the country is also facing other crises. The communities are still facing a worsening economic crisis and reeling from last year's earthquakes, which claimed the lives of at least 60,000 people and injured many more across northwest Syria and its neighbor Turkey. PHOTO: Abdelkader Madrati, 10, on a balance-training device on March 19, 2024, in the Happy Steps Center, in the city of Azaz, north of Aleppo, Syria. (Abdul Razzaq Al-Shami/ABC News) Under the care of Dr. Gazhal Hilal at the Happy Steps Center for Prosthetics -- where the average cost of a prosthetic limb ranges from $400 to $1,000 -- in the city of Azaz in the northern countryside of Aleppo, Madirati has been working on his recovery and is now able to walk again, thanks to a prosthetic leg he's been fitted with. But the journey has been long and not without financial strain on the family of four. Living about 50 km away from the center, which they had to visit daily, was "a major financial obstacle for us as a poor family," with a round trip car fare of about $30, said his mother, who asked not to be named. She told ABC News that she borrowed money from relatives and friends to cover the expenses, and to this day still owes her neighbor $300. Now 10, Madirati said he's only starting to get to terms with his injury, however, he's also been facing bullying. "Everything has changed," he said. "My friends are now refusing to play with me. Some of them make fun of me and others are afraid of my appearance. So I began to refrain from leaving the house and left school." PHOTO: Abdelkader Madrati, 10, is prepped by a physical therapist before a session on March 19, 2024, at the Happy Steps Center in the city of Azaz, north of Aleppo, Syria. (Abdul Razzaq Al-Shami/ABC News) He added, "I wish I had friends to play with, without them making fun of me. I wish to return to school, and to have a screen in my home to watch children's programs, and I also wish to have a smart prosthetic hand." His mother said the bullying and mockery destroyed her son's mental health, and that his "future is ruined forever." MORE: Giving birth in a war zone: The struggles of many Syrian mothers Since 2016, the White Helmets, formerly known as Syria Civil Defence, have been working on identifying and removing unexploded ordnance with a dedicated and specialized team, which, throught 2023, was able to remove 24,000 munitions of war remnants, including about 22,000 cluster bombs. PHOTO: A car transporting sheep sits on its side after being hit by an uncrewed drone, which injured the driver and killed the sheep it was carrying, on March 17, 2024, on the Badama road in the Latakia countryside, Syria. (Abdul Razzaq Al-Shami/ABC News) Last year alone, they documented 24 explosions of war remnants in northwestern Syria, which led to the deaths of seven people, including four children, and the injuries of 29 others, including 19 children and two women. In the same time, they identified 531 areas contaminated with munitions, including cluster munitions, projectiles, grenades, missiles, mortar shells, air-dropped bombs, guided missiles and landmines. But this task is not without its danger. Since they started, four volunteers have lost their lives, and others have been injured, as "large numbers of remnants of war and unexploded ordnance [are] in areas close to the contact lines with the regime forces and Russia." Local farmers have been wounded Anwar Halabi, 64, a farmer who owns almost 4.9 acres in the village of Al-Hamidiyah, in the Al-Ghab Plain, was struck by a grounded missile on March 1, while spraying insecticide on his land onboard his tractor. Propelled a few meters away from the engine, he received shrapnel across his body, broke a knee, and lost his hearing and some flesh in his legs, as well as his tractor. Al-Ghab Plain, located in the Al-Suqaylabiyah District, which covers about 595,523 acres of land, and the Orontes, a 355-mile-long river beginning in Lebanon and flowing through the Turkish province of Hatay, have been bearing the brunt of the regime's increased attacks in recent months. PHOTO: A doctor changes a bandage on farmer Anwar Al-Halabi, who says he was injured as a result of being hit by a guided missile, on March 17, 2024, Al-Rahma Hospital in the city of Darkush, west of Idlib, Syria. (Abdul Razzaq Al-Shami/ABC News) "Targeting farmers and agricultural lands is not new, the area [is] used to be attacked every two or three weeks," Halabi told ABC News, arguing however that it escalated at the beginning of year, and now, "not a day is without targeting." It is "a major obstacle for all farmers," according to him, who hasn't been able to work his land since the attack. The Al-Assad government has rarely acknowledged the strikes within its own country. The president last year told Sky News Arabia about the fight against terrorism, saying, "If we assume that the state was the one that carried out the killing and displacement, then it bears responsibility, but there is terrorism and the state was fighting terrorism, and terrorism was killing, destroying and burning." He said the state's role is to "defend" itself against what it sees as terrorism, later adding, "The one who bears responsibility is the one who intended to wage war, the one who planned the war, and the one who attacked, not the one being attacked." MORE: Turkey-Syria earthquake: Death toll climbs to over 41,000 Mounir Mustafa, of the White Helmets, said, "This war, the siege, the destruction of infrastructure, and the targeting of hospitals and schools with attacks is a systematic and deliberate policy." White Helmets team said they documented in 2023 the killing of 162 people, including 46 children and 23 women, and the wounding of 684 others due to attacks by the government, Russia and Iranian militias. For Halabi, the farmer, he said he fears "this situation will be a disaster for me and my family, because I will not be able to reap the wheat crop, which means losing my entire season and losing the costs of the seeds I planted." Agricultural workers represent about 30% of the total workforce in northwestern Syria, where almost 90% of people are unemployed, according to Islamic Relief. "Assad's forces are focusing on Al-Ghab Plain and the western Aleppo countryside because they are among the most fertile areas," Tammam Al-Mahmoud, director general of agriculture in Idlib, said. Though the doctors told him he'll recover in time with the help of physical therapy, the 58-year-old says, "this injury destroyed my life and I lost my only source of livelihood." PHOTO: Farmer Muhammad Safi, who says he was injured by an uncrewed drone, extends his injured leg while waiting in front of the x-ray machine in Al-Rahma Hospital in the city of Darkush, west of Idlib, Syria, on March 17, 2024. (Abdul Razzaq Al-Shami/ABC News) Al-Mahmoud estimates the area where drones are most likely to strike including between 37,065 to 49,421 acres of land, and that the lives of all farmers, from the Latakia to the western Aleppo countrysides, are in peril. Saleh Jumaa, 48, who's been fishing on the banks of the Orontes River for 20 years, said drones used by the regime pose "a great danger to our presence on the banks", and makes him, and his colleagues, "a constant and easy target." Two fishermen have already died, Jumaa said, including someone he knows from the village of Muhambal. Though he escaped a recent attack, he says he'll continue fishing to earn a living and feed his children, knowing that "unfortunately, the price for my work may be my blood." A region were food security is perilous At the end of 2023, the World Food Programme said it was was forced to end its general food assistance in Syria, due to a lack of funding, leaving 3.2 million people in need. In already dire circumstances, these targeted attacks gravely jeopardize food production. "The bombing may lead to the burning of crops, as happened the previous year, and harvesting operations may be delayed or not take place," said Al-Mahmoud, the agriculture director, adding that they were generating the "collapse and the loss of a large portion of production, which will lead to economic losses for our fellow farmers." White Helmets' Mustafa said that "food insecurity has reached record levels, as 80% of Syrians suffer from food insecurity, and more than 90% of Syrians live below the poverty line, while the price of the food basket has increased by 85% over last year." "Its [wheat] loss greatly affects the food security of the residents of northwestern Syria," according to Al-Mahmoud. But he noted that bakeries were operating routinely so far because they're using flour from last year's stock. Problems may appear in August, if the wheat crop is damaged or not harvested, he said. In northwest Syria, unexploded ordinances and drone strikes make daily life perilous originally appeared on abcnews.go.com "Do not expect a helicopter to rescue you. It will not happen" mountain rescue begs for caution during solar eclipse With Monday's total solar eclipse looming, it's no surprise that many people who are within traveling distance of the path of totality want to get their hiking boots on and enjoy it from the wilderness. The sheer volume of people expected to hike combined with current conditions and the timing of the eclipse have concerned mountain rescue teams in the northeast urging people to rethink their plans, however. In recent days, Vermont's Waterbury Backcountry Rescue Team has released a statement on Facebook begging people to avoid high or remote areas on Monday. "We strongly advise against any such venture during the forthcoming solar eclipse," writes WBRT, explaining that several trail systems remained closed, including the Green Mountain Club hiking trails and Camels Hump Road, both to deter hikers and due to current conditions. Though the weather forecast for the state on Monday is set to be sunny and in the 50s, rescuers warn that up high, things will look a little different. Recent snowfall in the area is likely to mean treacherous conditions in mountain areas and officials warn that hiking in these areas requires caution and preparation. "The trails will likely be icy, snowy, muddy, and extremely difficult to navigate. Slippery conditions will increase the likelihood of falls and injuries. Given the unpredictable nature of Vermont weather in early April, any injury or illness could quickly escalate into a dangerous situation." view of rural Vermont farm valley in autumn with Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains in distance Furthermore, in an interview with Vermont Public Radio, Stowe Mountain Rescue team member Tom Rogers says that because the eclipse will begin at 3:26 p.m. in Vermont, there is concern that backcountry hikers could quickly find themselves out in the dark when the show is over. The number of hikers anticipated on the day is adding to the mounting pressure on rescue teams. The influx of people that they're anticipating is pretty daunting, says Rogers. With that many people, all it takes is a few accidents and rescue services can really get backed up. Naturally, there will be people who decide to ignore the warnings and hike anyway, and for those hikers, WBRT advises that you "plan your own rescue" as roads throughout central Vermont will likely be blocked for hours or possibly even for days. "It may be impossible for rescuers to get their gear to the trail in anything like a normal time frame. Do not expect a helicopter to come and rescue you. It will not happen. This is not TV." Your safest option is to enjoy the eclipse from a lower-lying area. If you're venturing anywhere there might be snow or ice on the trail, you should be equipped with crampons, winter clothing, a headlamp and an emergency shelter in case you have to spend the night. (BCN) Novato officers on early Friday morning nabbed a man who had an outstanding warrant for his arrest after a reported disturbance. Around 5:24 a.m. Friday, Novato officers were alerted to a report of a disturbance at the Days Inn hotel. Upon arrival, officers talked to the man involved. CHP searching for 2 missing and endangered children Police said they learned that the man, identified as Marshall Brooks, a 38-year-old Antioch resident, had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. A ghost gun or a privately manufactured firearm and narcotics were also allegedly found in his possession. Brooks was booked into the Marin County Jail for the warrant and suspected possession of a ghost gun, narcotics, and drug paraphernalia, police said. Copyright 2024 Bay City News, Inc. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 We can readily understand why investors are attracted to unprofitable companies. For example, although Amazon.com made losses for many years after listing, if you had bought and held the shares since 1999, you would have made a fortune. But while history lauds those rare successes, those that fail are often forgotten; who remembers Pets.com? So, the natural question for Li-S Energy (ASX:LIS) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. For the purposes of this article, cash burn is the annual rate at which an unprofitable company spends cash to fund its growth; its negative free cash flow. First, we'll determine its cash runway by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves. View our latest analysis for Li-S Energy How Long Is Li-S Energy's Cash Runway? You can calculate a company's cash runway by dividing the amount of cash it has by the rate at which it is spending that cash. When Li-S Energy last reported its December 2023 balance sheet in February 2024, it had zero debt and cash worth AU$28m. In the last year, its cash burn was AU$10.0m. Therefore, from December 2023 it had 2.8 years of cash runway. Arguably, that's a prudent and sensible length of runway to have. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years. How Is Li-S Energy's Cash Burn Changing Over Time? Li-S Energy didn't record any revenue over the last year, indicating that it's an early stage company still developing its business. So while we can't look to sales to understand growth, we can look at how the cash burn is changing to understand how expenditure is trending over time. With the cash burn rate up 37% in the last year, it seems that the company is ratcheting up investment in the business over time. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but investors should be mindful of the fact that will shorten the cash runway. Li-S Energy makes us a little nervous due to its lack of substantial operating revenue. So we'd generally prefer stocks from this list of stocks that have analysts forecasting growth. Can Li-S Energy Raise More Cash Easily? While Li-S Energy does have a solid cash runway, its cash burn trajectory may have some shareholders thinking ahead to when the company may need to raise more cash. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. Many companies end up issuing new shares to fund future growth. By comparing a company's annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate). Since it has a market capitalisation of AU$93m, Li-S Energy's AU$10.0m in cash burn equates to about 11% of its market value. Given that situation, it's fair to say the company wouldn't have much trouble raising more cash for growth, but shareholders would be somewhat diluted. So, Should We Worry About Li-S Energy's Cash Burn? As you can probably tell by now, we're not too worried about Li-S Energy's cash burn. For example, we think its cash runway suggests that the company is on a good path. Although its increasing cash burn does give us reason for pause, the other metrics we discussed in this article form a positive picture overall. Based on the factors mentioned in this article, we think its cash burn situation warrants some attention from shareholders, but we don't think they should be worried. On another note, we conducted an in-depth investigation of the company, and identified 4 warning signs for Li-S Energy (2 make us uncomfortable!) that you should be aware of before investing here. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts) Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. NEW YORK The city agreed Friday to pay $17.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleged police officers forced two women to remove hijabs while mugshot photos were being taken, lawyers for the women said Friday. The case, filed in 2018, stemmed from the arrests of Muslim American women Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz. In court records, they alleged New York City Police officers threatened them to remove their headscarves, and the two felt ashamed after being forced to do so. New York City: NYPD officer shot, killed during traffic stop in Queens by suspect with prior arrests When they forced me to take off my hijab, I felt as if I were naked, Clark said in a statement released by her lawyers and advocates. Im not sure if words can capture how exposed and violated I felt. The settlement announced Friday still requires approval by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in federal court in New York. In this file photo, New York City Police Department officers are seen in April 2023 in lower Manhattan. Clark and Azizs attorney, O. Andrew F. Wilson, said forcing someone to remove religious clothing is akin to a strip search. The women alleged the removal of their hijabs for booking photographs violated their First Amendment rights, as well as federal religious protections and state law. This is a milestone for New Yorkers privacy and religious rights,said Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, a civil rights group that provided legal representation for the plaintiffs. The NYPD should never have stripped these religious New Yorkers of their head coverings and dignity. This wasnt just an assault on their rights, but on everything our city claims to believe in." In 2020, the New York City Police Department changed its policy as a response to the lawsuit, allowing people to be photographed with religious garb as long as their faces werent covered, the New York Times reported. Advocates supporting the lawsuit said the NYPD has practiced a policy of keeping mugshots as part of its facial recognition surveillance program. The agreement maintains the city denied engaging in a pattern or process that deprived people of their protected rights, court records said. The city didnt admit to the specific claims made by Clark and Aziz. Nick Paolucci, a spokesperson for the New York City Law Department, said the resolution was in the best interest of all parties. This settlement resulted in a positive reform for the NYPD, he said in a statement. The agreement carefully balances the departments respect for firmly held religious beliefs with the important law enforcement need to take arrest photos. Criminal justice: New York City police have to track the race of people they stop. Will others follow suit? Clark and Aziz both wore hijabs in line with their Muslim faith, which covers a womans hair, ears and neck, but leaves her face exposed. Many observant Muslim women wear it at all times when theyre in the presence of men who arent part of their immediate family. In January 2017, Clark said she wept with her hijab down around her shoulders at NYPD headquarters in Manhattan, and begged to put it back on, court records said. She said she had been arrested for violating an order of protection by her ex-husband, which she said was false. Eight months later, in August, Aziz had her photo taken with her hijab at her neck, in a Brooklyn precinct after voluntarily turning herself over to NYPD for violating a protective order against her sister-in-law that she said she didnt commit. She, too, cried during the photos that had to be taken in front of several male NYPD officers and over 30 men incarcerated, according to court records. As part of the agreement, the city prepared a class list of people who had their religious head covering removed for an official NYPD photo, according to court records. Attorneys estimate the proposed settlement could make over 3,600 people eligible for payments between approximately $7,000 and $13,000. They encouraged anyone who had their head coverings removed for a mugshot between March 16, 2014 and Aug. 23, 2021 to also file. We send our appreciation to the Muslim women who bravely persisted with this litigation, prompting policy change that benefit many with similar religious garb requirements, Afar Nasher, executive director of the civil rights group Council on American-Islamic Relations New York chapter, said in a statement. Notices of the settlement would go out to people identified in police records. Information would be available in English and also in Arabic, Bengali, Spanish, Urdu and Hebrew. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NYC agrees to $17.5M in case alleging women were forced to remove hijabs NEW YORK (PIX11) When the earthquake struck New York City at 10:23 this morning, it was all hands on deck for the NYPD. Immediately, hundreds of code calls for unusual incidents came in. Is my New York City building safe after an earthquake? The NYPD launched drones from the NYPD harbor patrol boats to make sure the citys bridges remained structurally safe. Two members of the technical assistance response unit known as Taru launched a Sky Dio X-10 drone. Police officer Victor Mevo and Detective Eric Cassidy are hoping this drone will reveal any possible weakness in the infrastructure of the more than 140-year-old Brooklyn Bridge following the 4.8 magnitude earthquake. The drones are scanning the bridges looking for loose bricks or cables that may be loose that catch their eye, NYPD Deputy Police Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry told PIX11 News. This drone video is being streamed back to the joint operations center where more than 60 police officers will look even more closely at the drone footage, looking for anything that looks weakened by the 10:23 am earthquake. Their job is to see any abnormalities after the earthquakes, Daughtry said. But it is not only drone footage, immediately following the earthquake, the NYPD sent out their aviation unit as well to see if from the sky if there were any telltale signs of trouble. But these drones will be the best way, they say, to examine the underbelly of the bridges to look for possible structural problems. It was all hands on deck, and we will keep looking to see if there is anything structurally unsound using these drones, Daughtry said. These drones were being used on the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, Whitestone, Throggs Neck and Verrazano bridges. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. (FOX40.COM) Sacramento County deputies recently arrested a 17-year-old boy who robbed a woman at gunpoint during a transaction that was arranged through the online marketplace known as Offer Up, according to the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office. The sheriffs office said on April 3, Sacramento County detectives served a robbery arrest warrant related to the incident to the 17-year-old at his apartment. Sacramento deputies arrest two after finding quarter-pound of fentanyl, guns During the search, detectives said they found an assault rifle, two handguns, multiple gun accessories, ammunition, multiple fake guns, and counterfeit money. On Feb. 17, the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office said it received a call about an armed robbery, and upon arrival, contacted a woman who said she was robbed at gunpoint after meeting with a man to complete an Offer Up transaction. The juvenile suspect was booked into custody at the Sacramento Juvenile Hall, the sheriffs office said on social media. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40. JAY, Okla. Andrew Scott Pierson's ordeal started on a remote Oklahoma farm and ended in a cartel hot zone after Mexican officers surrounded him and marched him out of Mexico. His journey from America's heartland to life in a volatile border town started in 2012 with his rise to prominence as a gun expert and cartel go-to guy. It ended with his public downfall two weeks before Christmas in 2018 in the middle of a suburban street. Officers wearing black tactical gear and face masks surrounded him with machine guns inside his gated community in the city of Nuevo Laredo, five miles from the Laredo, Texas, border. Police put Pierson, then age 43, in the back of their truck the night of Dec. 10, 2018, and drove him to the border. From there, the policemen pulled and tugged Pierson halfway across the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge that stretches across the Rio Grande, their toes nearing a yellow line on the pavement that marks the actual divide of nations. Pierson, topping 500 pounds, then walked to the American side guided by waiting officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Andrew Scott Pierson was accused of altering Colt M4A1 rifles with counterfeit parts, such as this lower receiver in the foreground on display at the ATF office in Little Rock, Ark. on Dec. 2, 2022, to supply Mexican cartels. Pierson was arrested by Mexican police at the behest of the ATF. An officer told Pierson he was under arrest on a fugitive warrant obtained by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. But he didn't know the ATF was mounting a much larger case. Pierson jeered: "You go into Mexico and you have people drug out by the army for that?" During a police interview at a nearby Texas jail, Pierson chatted for two and a half hours, sometimes laughing and often boasting, telling the agents with the ATF and Homeland Security Investigations that he didn't want to make them "starstruck" about his interactions with high-ranking cartel members, including top U.S. targets. He talked about cartel supervisors' love of "bling'd out" guns with gold triggers, and how he ordered a boss designer Versace gun grips. Cartel member shows off gold-plated gun. Pierson's interview and case provides a rare glimpse at the life of an American embedded with a Mexican drug cartel. He and other U.S. criminals play a key role helping cartels thrive by arming them, since Mexico has only one gun store and limits military-grade weapons to members of its federal police force and military. Some U.S. agents call the incessant southbound flow of guns the "iron river," and cartel members dub it the "hormiga," Spanish for ant, akin to an ant trail. Pierson dodged questions about his own role in trafficking gun parts, including faking out cartel members by selling them homemade assault rifles fraudulently stamped in the U.S. with the prestigious name brand Colt, said Edwin Starr, the ATF special agent who led the effort to send Pierson to prison. "He knew, if the cartel found out he was giving them counterfeits, that would be bad for him," Starr said. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Special Agent Edwin Starr held a Colt M4A1 rifle similar to the ones that were altered with counterfeit parts to supply Mexican cartels at his office in Little Rock, Ark. on Dec. 2, 2022. Starr launched an investigation that led to the arrest of Andrew Scott Pierson by Mexican police, acting at the behest of the ATF. Investigators also believe when guns malfunctioned in Mexico, the cartel paid Pierson to fix them. When investigators searched Pierson's home in Mexico as well as his computer and phones, they found a video of a cartel member standing outside on a sunny day trying to fire an assault rifle, while young children are heard happily playing nearby. Agents say the man asked for help in Spanish to fix the weapon, a fake designer gun. Pierson told agents he'd reveal more of his life in Mexico later, but he never talked to them again. He pleaded guilty in 2021 to conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act, and a judge sentenced him in 2022 to serve 12 years in federal prison, where parole is not an option. He had lobbied for a much lighter sentence, but during the hearing, Starr told the judge why Pierson's crimes matter. "He's adding to the quantity of guns that the Mexican cartels are going to use to fight each other and to fight Mexican police," said Starr, who has since retired. "Some of that violence isn't going to stay in Mexico, it's going to affect the U.S. agents combatting violence along the border, and it is going to spill over into American cities." In February, Pierson gave his first public interview during a call from a federal prison in Texarkana to a reporter for the Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. He detailed some of his dangerous interactions with cartel members, his business trip to the popular Pacific Coast resort town of Puerto Vallarta and the motive behind the savage murder of one of his closest friends. "When you cross the dominant cartel in your area, your life expectancy is basically nil," Pierson said. Andrew Scott Pierson, of Oklahoma, admits serving as a go-to gun expert for a dangerous Mexican cartel. "The border town I worked in was full of sociopaths," Pierson said of his years in Nuevo Laredo, which he told agents was the "ghetto of narcos." Starr testified in court that in Nuevo Laredo, "the level of violence in the intelligence reports I saw described it as historic and horrific." This is where Pierson brought his mother, Betty Joann Cook, to live in her own place in 2016, saying she fell behind on bills after a bout with cancer. "It was either that or a nursing home," Pierson said. Agents say Cook told them cartel members planned to move her to a furnished upscale home and use her place as a weapons stash house, reasoning that police wouldn't suspect an older white lady. Cook didn't speak Spanish and felt isolated, becoming so miserable and scared in the cartel-dominated town, she thought of committing suicide by cop, walking down a public street and raising a firearm to cause officers to fire on her, agents claim in court documents. She ended up finding another way out, despite Pierson's plan to keep her there. To piece together Pierson's crimes and capture, The Courier Journal sifted through court files and transcripts and traveled to Arkansas and Oklahoma to interview agents, prosecutors and the surprising tipster who exposed Pierson's scheme. When asked how he got involved with cartels, Pierson told a reporter: "It definitely was strange." CJNG frequently shows off its army on social media. U.S. drug agents believe it has 5,000-plus members. "If I told you how all this got started, you wouldn't believe me. If I told you I started off as a government informant, what would you say?" When asked for his confidential source or informant number, the name of his handler and the government agency involved, he declined to answer and shut off all communications. Starr, the lead ATF agent in the case that sent Pierson to prison, said he checked with other agencies but found nothing to corroborate that story. He concluded that Pierson stayed in Mexico because he was a fugitive on the run from U.S. agents, not secretly working to help them. In September 2014, ATF agents had raided the Oklahoma farm where Pierson set up his scam inside a large portable building outside his mother's house, ordering gun parts and forwarding them to a cartel associate in Laredo. Soon after, Pierson called the Tulsa ATF office and said he was working with cartels near the border and offered to be an informant, reaching Special Agent Carlos Sandoval. Sandoval told him about the search warrant for the farm and advised Pierson to return to the U.S. Retired ATF agent Carlos Sandoval at the Tulsa Field Office in Tulsa, Okla., on Dec. 4, 2022. He was part of the team that executed a federal search warrant for the residence of Andrew Scott Pierson who was accused of using a building on his mother's property to alter Colt M4A1 rifles with counterfeit parts to supply Mexican cartels. Pierson refused and tried his luck by making a similar offer to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Houston. Pierson, considered unreliable because of his lies, again was rejected. Starr said agencies use informants to catch a big fish. They didn't want to make a deal with Pierson because "Pierson was the fish." A deadly betrayal In Nuevo Laredo, Pierson set up an auto diesel repair shop in a building that stretched nearly a block. He claimed to have local and federal government contracts to work on everything from patrol cars to ambulances and gasoline delivery trucks. He lived in an apartment in the back and claimed Julio Garcia, a member of the notoriously violent Los Zetas cartel, dropped in to demand a "quota," an extortion or protection fee. Garcia set up a desk at Pierson's shop, and the two became friends and eventually roommates. Years later, while standing before a judge pleading for leniency, Pierson downplayed his involvement with Garcia and the cartel. But the night of his arrest, he bragged. "I'm not trying to make y'all starstruck or nothing," Pierson told U.S. agents. "But it's been a lot of work for the last six years." He described meeting drug lord Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, known as "Z-40," the co-leader of Los Zetas in 2012. Trevino was captured in 2013 after the U.S. offered a $5 million reward to help finding him. "I met the big guy once before you got him," Pierson said. "You couldn't even look him in the eyes when you talked to him. You have to look at the ground. This guy's burned kids, stuffed kids in barrels of acid. He's killed families." Pierson told agents the previous owner of his diesel repair shop also worked with the cartel until his arrest in Texas. "He laundered money for (Z-40) and got picked up in San Antonio and lost $3 million," Pierson said. "The Zetas ended up picking up his brother, Roberto, chopped into pieces and thrown in the middle of the street." Pierson, ignorant to many customs and cartel protocols, called Trevino "Papi," often used as a colloquial term for "Daddy." The drug lord retorted: "Call me senor!" Los Zetas morphed into the Cartel del Noreste, or Northeast Cartel, known as CDN. Pierson told agents his friend Garcia became the "armero," in charge of weapons for CDN leader Juan Gerardo Trevino-Chavez, known as "Huevo." "I ordered him a pair of gold custom Versace grips for his Super 38" semi-automatic handgun, Pierson later testified. Pierson mostly stayed indoors working or watching TV, saying he felt like he was in prison. "You can't really go out and party," he said. "You're the white guy in town. Everybody's gonna snitch on you. You'll get picked up by the boss, who'll say: "What are you doing? You're supposed to be laying low.'" He was excited when he thought Garcia planned a beach vacation to Puerto Vallarta, a popular seaside resort town in the western state of Jalisco. "We were supposed to have fun and hang out with hot chicks," he said. Instead, they met key members of an even more violent and powerful cartel, the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, known as New Generation or CJNG. It's a top U.S. target blamed, along with the Sinaloa Cartel, for fueling America's deadliest drug epidemic. Pierson told agents he and Garcia met with a top CJNG member at a Denny's restaurant in Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city and CJNG's headquarters. Afterward, Pierson and Garcia followed CJNG orders to travel hours northeast of Puerto Vallarta deep into the mountains of Jalisco. They passed tourist bike trails and aromatic marijuana fields on dirt roads. When they reached the cartel compound, Pierson claimed he repaired an assault rifle for a cartel supervisor and discussed future business. Pierson later learned that while he was visiting the CJNG hideout, there were 40 trucks of CJNG gunmen at the base of the mountain waiting with radios to rush in if the local leader, El Sapo, decided he didn't trust Pierson, the "gringo." Back in Nuevo Laredo, Pierson thought CJNG ignored Garcia over a misunderstanding, but he later learned that Garcia began trafficking its cocaine. CJNG is a super cartel, detected on every continent except Antarctica, but rival cartel CDN still controls key border towns, including Nuevo Laredo. Somehow, CDN learned of the betrayal, catching Garcia in Nuevo Laredo with a shipment hidden underneath a tourist bus. The cartel leaders summoned Garcia to a wooded area, along with another man and a married couple, believed to be Garcia's relatives. Only the man returned. The other three were boiled in large barrels in a "guiso," or human stew. DEA agents have said cartels commonly use this gruesome tactic to rule by fear. Hours before Garcia disappeared to report to his bosses, he had warned Pierson: "Stay in your house. I don't know what's going on." Pierson said: "I would have been picked up and dead, too, but I didn't get involved in the drug part." After Garcia's murder, investigators say Pierson rose in power and reconstructed the gun ring. U.S. agents later found text messages of Pierson recruiting people to set up bank accounts that he controlled and paying them to use their identities to buy gun parts. Before his arrest, Pierson said, CDN supervisors told him they were preparing for a war and wanted him to arm 80 members with everything from protective vests and helmets to military-grade weapons. Pierson said the cartel also was "desperate for grenades," but he didn't get involved in those. Mexican officials later found parts used to make grenade launchers in a house Pierson had shared with Garcia. Pierson blamed his dead friend. Pierson told agents that weapons were easy to sneak across the border. The cartel sometimes got a call from a corrupt border agent on the U.S. side once the agent was about to go on shift. "The call goes through on the radio: "OK, Bridge 2 is open,'" Pierson said, meaning the cartel could move guns or drugs without being stopped. Pierson's mother was spooked by the cartel's power and found a way out of Mexico. In May 2018, she fell and injured her shoulder and headed to a Texas hospital. Agents believe Pierson told his mother to return after treatment, but she refused and took a plane to Michigan to live with relatives, leaving behind 40 of her beloved chihuahuas. Cook declined comment when reached by phone by The Courier Journal last year and again in February. Pierson told agents his health had been declining, and he planned to spend the rest of his life in Mexico. He didn't know that a business associate in Arkansas, a state he never visited and a man he never met, would end his life on the run. Oklahoma's 'Machine Gun Corner' Jay, Okla., is a rural area that is an unlikely place for Mexican cartels to do business. Andrew Scott Pierson's mother, Betty Cook, formerly owned a farm nearby, and Pierson was accused of using a building on the property to alter Colt M4A1 rifles with counterfeit parts to supply Mexican cartels. Dec. 3, 2022 In rural Oklahoma, agents say Pierson began an elaborate scam making designer knockoff assault rifles. Pierson first hit agents' radar in March 2014, when ATF agents discovered Pierson, already a convicted felon barred from even owning a single gun, created the username "Ozarkcart," and in 2013 bought parts easily restorable to turn into functioning machine guns, Starr said. ATF agents hoped to find Pierson on Sept. 30, 2014, when they crept up on his family farm in Jay, Oklahoma, 83 miles northeast of Tulsa. Nearly a dozen agents in tactical gear rushed in, searching every closet and corner. Cook, also known as Betty Kendall, shouted, "what are you guys doing here?" and cursed at the agents. "We finally got her calmed down," said Sandoval, one of the ATF agents who searched the home. He briefly spoke to Pierson on the phone and urged him to return to the U.S., but Pierson said he didn't know when that would happen. The federal raid of an area home is now legendary in the small community, said Eddie Wayne Peacher, who works for an Oklahoma City engineering company. His family now owns the property. "They nicknamed that place 'Machine Gun Corner,'" Peacher said of local residents. "Apparently, he was selling automatic weapons out of the garage." Eddie Peacher closed the garage door to a building on his property near Jay, Okla., on Dec. 3, 2022. The property was formerly owned by Andrew Scott Pierson's mother, Betty Cook, and Pierson was accused of using the building to alter Colt M4A1 rifles with counterfeit parts to supply Mexican cartels. Cook told agents boxes came and went, but she thought they contained car parts. Agents say Pierson organized the shipment of lower receivers, the lower part of assault rifles, to a man in Northern California who engraved the homemade guns with markings resembling those of the Colt's Manufacturing Co., a favorite brand of cartels. The fake stamp included a serial number and the location of Hartford, Connecticut, where legitimate Colts are made. From here, the gun parts were mailed to a gunsmith who lives near Little Rock, Arkansas, who specializes in coating weapons with a dull, black ceramic-based finish that protects against scratches. "They came from California, and they wanted them coated and shipped to Nuevo Laredo," the gunsmith told a reporter, asking for his name to be withheld for his protection. "That's kind of a weird direction to be going. Every alarm bell in my head was going off." He knew that Colt didn't have a factory in California and didn't sell lower receivers, only fully assembled guns. Colts are the upper echelon, he said, compared to the parts sent to him, which were of "far less quality." The gunsmith tipped off Little Rock ATF and agent Starr launched an investigation in August 2017 that led him to Pierson after the agent and a U.S. Postal Service Inspector traced bank records and online purchases. Starr, a veteran ATF agent, asked for help from ATF's attache in Mexico in 2017. In December, the Mexican Attorney General's Office sent police to search Pierson's home, They used a flat bed truck to haul away evidence, including machines to make firearms, machine gun parts and bins of ammunition, including .50-caliber bullets capable of ripping through tanks and downing aircraft. The federal officials in Mexico drove the evidence to a warehouse outside the city to keep it out of reach of any corrupt local police. The ATF attache was allowed to photograph the evidence, later used in the Arkansas case. If Pierson serves his time and is released from an American prison and crosses the border again, the Mexican government could prosecute him on their own charges. 'Where are your guns? Where is your shop?' Pierson's time in Mexico came to a traumatic halt on Dec. 10, 2018. What follows is his version on that day: He headed home for lunch at about 1:30 p.m. and pulled into his gated community, a three-minute drive northeast of the U.S. Consulate. Four men in plain clothes hopped out of a red car with guns drawn and pulled him out of his Chevrolet Silverado, saying they were "internal security." Three men searched his truck while the one in charge questioned him. Then, Pierson spotted a white Chevrolet truck with brown fenders and a state police emblem. Officers dressed in black uniforms with helmets and body armor walked up to Pierson carrying machine guns, ordering him into the back of their truck. They pulled his T-shirt over his face. At first, Pierson wasn't too concerned. He knew this kind of thing happened in Mexico. He thought he was being arrested on some minor charge. He peeked through the thin threads of his T-shirt and watched as the truck made a series of turns. When they passed the courthouse and headed out of town, the panic hit. The truck drove off the main highway, onto dirt roads, and stopped near a dilapidated shack. Then, Pierson saw industrial-size barrels, the ones used by cartels to dispose of human remains. Sitting on a metal bench in the back of the truck, he tried to plant his feet to resist being moved. He said one of the men struck him in the head with the butt of a shotgun, knocking him out. When he came to, men were dragging him toward the building. "My head hurt," he recalled. "I was seeing stars." He overheard two of the men questioning: "If they chop the fat one up, how long is it going to take to put him in the barrel?" Pierson spotted a metal pole protruding from a concrete slab and he raced to it and hung on to resist being pulled toward the barrels. Someone kicked him in the back, causing him to let go of the pole and topple to the ground. "This was the most pain I had ever been in," Pierson said. "I was moaning. It took my breath away." One of the men asked him: "Where are your guns? Where is your shop?" He gave the address of the auto diesel repair shop, which police found abandoned a month earlier. The man persisted: "No, no, no. We want the shop where you make guns." Pierson, who denied manufacturing guns, shook his head in disagreement. The man smacked him in the back of the head and, in Spanish, told him not to lie. They had been at the rural location for a few hours. It was getting dark and cold. The officers ordered Pierson back in the truck and pulled his T-shirt over his head, but this time the night sky obscured his view. They drove until they reached a secure parking lot near the Nuevo Laredo bridge to the U.S. Pierson spotted two trucks full of Mexican military. He said one of the state police officers threatened: "They're going to get their answers." Pierson said the military unit asked more questions as he continued to lie, claiming: "I don't know anything about arms." He tried bargaining, promising not to report anything that happened if they let him return home. Then he took more of a forceful tone, claiming he was a Mexican citizen with the right to see a judge. "I want my bail. I want my lawyer." An officer told him he was wanted in the U.S. Pierson later recalled: "That's when my jaw dropped. I was like, 'Oh my God. All of this is because of the Americans.'" Police handcuffed Pierson, and two men pulled on his arms and two tugged at his waist until they reached the midway point of the bridge. He said a deputy U.S. Marshal took him into custody. Customs officials patted Pierson down for weapons, fingerprinted and photographed him, claiming they didn't see any signs of abuse. An ATF agent from Laredo teamed with the Homeland Security Investigations agent to question Pierson at an area jail. After the interview, Pierson collapsed on the floor. He claims he feared he was about to die from a heart attack. Doctors at an area hospital found one minor contusion on his back, but no signs of the extended abuse he described. They attributed his health problems to diabetes and obesity and released him within a few hours. Pierson's attorney unsuccessfully fought to get his statement tossed out because of the alleged misconduct by Mexican police. A judge in Arkansas and an appellate court ruled that U.S. agents weren't complicit if abuse happened across the border. Pierson also claimed his father is Mexican, giving him Mexican citizenship something both countries dispute. Pierson's mother told agents her son and his father are from Virginia, and she is a native of Iowa. Pierson claimed he was entitled to an extradition hearing before a Mexican judge. A deputy U.S. Marshal testified that Pierson returned to the U.S. voluntarily, fearful the cartel would hear of his arrest and get to him if he ended up in a Mexican jail, according to a transcript of the suppression hearing. He knew secrets and had met high-ranking cartel members. During his sentencing hearing, Pierson addressed the judge and blamed the cartel. "When the cartel first approached me, I thought it was a way to get out of their ill graces when they would come around and tax me" Pierson said. "I wish I had had more of a backbone. And I really wish I hadn't stopped in Nuevo Laredo." Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Gardner successfully argued for a prison sentence higher than the federal guidelines, saying: "He stood here today and testified and barely took responsibility for anything. "He is a con man, your honor," the prosecutor said. "He'll get out, and he'll find another con." This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Oklahoma man cons Mexican drug cartel with counterfeit Colt guns PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Oregons Long-Term Care Ombudsman has uncovered their investigation into a senior living facility in Sandy that was forced to close after a missing resident was found dead on Christmas. On Dec. 24, 2023, the Sandy Police Department began searching for Ki Soon Harmony Hyun, who was last seen at Mt. Hood Senior Living. Officials said the 83-year-old woman suffered from heart problems, and had previously been diagnosed with heart problems. Portland Ombudsman received 610 complaints against city in 2023 That following afternoon, SPD reported she had been found dead in a heavily wooded area about a half-mile away from the facility she resided in. In late January, the Oregon Department of Human Services issued Mt. Hood Senior Living an order of immediate suspension due to its failure to address the safety issues that posed a risk to residents. But according to the newly-released report, ODHS did not handle the incident properly. The ombudsman said the human services department conducted a rapid and chaotic closure of the facility on the same night it issued the immediate suspension order and potentially traumatized the residents still living at the facility and their families. They also said 13 of the 18 relocated residents were moved to places the department shouldve deemed as unsafe. Man gruesomely displayed dead animals on his property, neighbors say Furthermore, the ombudsman found that ODHS did not appear to recognize the collection of red flags in the Agencys possession for at least the seven weeks prior to the December 25th tragedy. According to investigators, the departments licensing unit failed to intervene when it first learned Mt. Hood Senior Living did not have a licensed, full-time administrator working at the facility in early November. The interim administrator then emailed ODHS, explaining that they did not have the proper credentials for their current role. The employee asked the agency when a licensed administrator should be hired, but in response, the department did not address the states licensing requirements. Also in November, the agencys regulator unit conducted an inspection to look into complaints they received about the senior living facility between July and August. Officials determined the facility, which opened in March, hadnt fully trained many of its staff members. Additionally, Mt. Hood Senior Living didnt conduct background checks on at least two employees and was regularly understaffed. The investigation found some residents werent receiving with baths or help showering, and one resident sat in a recliner for over eight hours without being fed or hydrated. Tillamook woman catches potentially record-breaking eel-like fish The ombudsman suggested an independent audit of the human services departments licensing and regulatory functions, among other recommendations. In response to Fred Steele, director for the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, the agency said it respectfully did not agree with most of the reports statements. ODHS Director Fariborz Pakseresht and Director of the Office of Aging and People with Disabilities Nakeshia Knight-Coyle said the agency considered many options before immediately suspending Mt. Hood Senior Living, but the final decision was most effective for protecting residents. According to the directors, the department deployed an on-site team to swiftly move the residents from the facility, and an off-site team to help residents and their families find other housing options. Parent accused of pulling gun during teen fight at Vancouver Mall The difficulty of this regulatory response is indicative of how Oregons long-term care system has increased in size and complexity in recent years, Pakseresht and Knight-Coyle wrote. Workforce shortages, which are commonplace among long-term care providers, have exacerbated the challenges. Their response also noted that theyre unable to address certain parts of the report, due to pending legal matters. KOIN 6 has reached out to the former Mt. Hood Senior Living owner for comment. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. One civilian killed in Russian ballistic strike on Odesa On Saturday, 6 April, Russian forces targeted Odesa Oblast with a ballistic missile, killing a municipal employee. Source: Defence Forces of Ukraines South on Telegram Quote: "The enemy continues to launch targeted ballistic strikes in Ukraine's south. In the afternoon, they launched an Iskander-M rocket on Odesa Oblast. The municipal services infrastructure was hit, causing damage to equipment and the administrative building. A civilian employee has been killed. The consequences are being clarified, and specialists are working to eliminate them." Support UP or become our patron! Just one in four British Muslims believe Hamas committed murder and rape in Israel Fiyaz Mughal is the founder of two non-profit organisations that work for interfaith dialogue and against anti-Muslim hate crime - PAUL SMYTH/ALAMY Only one in four British Muslims believe that Hamas committed murder and rape in Israel on Oct 7, a major report has found. A poll commissioned by the Henry Jackson Society (HJS), a counter-extremism think-tank, found that 46 per cent of British Muslims said they sympathise with Hamas. The survey, which is the largest of its kind to be carried out since the Israel-Hamas conflict began, asked a range of questions to British Muslims as well as to the general public. Its findings come on the six-month anniversary of the Oct 7 massacre, when Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel, killed around 1,200 citizens and took 253 people hostage. The survey also found that just over half (52 per cent) of British Muslims want to make it illegal to show a picture of the Prophet Mohammed, compared to just 16 per cent of the public. A third of British Muslims (32 per cent) want to see Shariah law implemented in the UK versus nine per cent of the public. Younger and well-educated Muslims were the most likely to think Hamas did not commit atrocities on Oct 7, with the proportions rising to 47 per cent among 18 to 24-year-olds and 40 per cent among the university-educated. Mr Mughal says findings were 'shocking but also not shocking' - KEN RAKE/CAMERA PRESS On Friday night, ministers were urged to step up their efforts to counter extreme narratives. Fiyaz Mughal, who founded interfaith groups Tell Mama, Faith Matters and Muslims Against Anti-Semitism, said the findings are shocking but also not shocking. He said: Hamas is an Islamist extremist and terrorist group and has been terrorising Gazans, Israelis and liberals within society for decades. The sense that Hamas did not conduct massacres and rapes in Israel is atrocious because it shows a closed-off mentality to anything emanating from Israel. The survey was carried out by JL Partners, the polling company which was founded by James Johnson, the former Downing Street pollster. It also found that almost half (46 per cent) of British Muslims say Jews have too much power over UK government policy, compared to 16 per cent of the general public. Among British Muslims, 41 per cent said Jews have too much power in the media industry and 39 per cent said Jews have too much power in the UKs financial system. At risk of social cohesion problem Mr Mughal said: The findings confirm that a lot of work needs to be done to inform, challenge, and address old anti-Semitic tropes that are still circulating among some of my co-religionists. The Government has got to provide better guidance for teachers, schools and education establishments. The investment needs to happen as soon as possible because we are at real risk of a social cohesion problem. Asked whether Hamas committed murder and rape in Israel on Oct 7, 24 per cent of British Muslims said they had, compared to 62 per cent of the general public. A further 39 per cent of British Muslims said Hamas did not commit atrocities, and 37 per cent said they did not know whether they had or had not. Alan Mendoza, the executive director of HJS, said the findings show the failure of counter-extremism policy over the years. He added: What is probably going wrong is an unwillingness to tackle this kind of extremism for fear of being labelled Islamophobic or racist. There is a reluctance to call it out in the same way that people are very happy to call out far-Right extremism. The Government needs to find a way of supporting and strengthening the voice of moderate Muslims and drive the extremist narrative to the sidelines. A Government spokesperson said: We have recently set out a series of measures which will promote social cohesion and counter religious hatred. Our plan will tackle division in our communities and ensure that we are protecting our democratic freedoms across the country. 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. Opinion: My dear friend was killed in Gaza. This is what I want people to know about her Editors Note: Teresa Gray is the executive director and founder of Mobile Medics International, a medical disaster and humanitarian aid non-profit. She was also a CNN Hero in 2022. The views expressed in this commentary are hers. View more opinion at CNN. The news reports declared that on April 1, seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen were killed in an airstrike in Gaza. But in my world, what happened is that on April 1, my amazing friend Lalzawmi Zomi Frankcom was killed in an airstrike in Gaza. Teresa Gray - Mobile Medics International/Courtesy Teresa Gray Thats not to say that the other aid workers were not noteworthy, or that their deaths were not a tragedy. It means that I went from being deeply saddened and horrified that fellow humanitarian aid workers were lost, to being plunged into a personal nightmare that consumes me with grief and anger. I talked to Zomi the week before she was headed to Gaza. I reminded her it was dangerous something she acknowledged herself even though we both knew she was going anyway. Because that was what Zomi did; she went where help was needed, making sure the vulnerable got fed, that people felt loved and cared for, and that she was a beacon of hope for the hopeless. Zomi and I met years ago while we were both working in humanitarian aid. I run an organization that provides medical care in crisis situations, while she worked for World Central Kitchen providing food for those same people. We would often work together in foreign countries. Id ask, Hey Zomi, where are you taking food? Do they need medical as well? Shed reach out and say, Hey Teresa, where are you doing medical? Do they need food? Eventually, through our years-long collaboration, Zomi and I saw each other so often that we became close friends. Zomi was fierce and loyal and loving and funny. She had this amazing smile that was ever-present and she was the best hugger Ive ever known. She was constantly forgetting something when she packed for her trips abroad. I would get a Whatsapp message in the middle of the night or a call, where shed ask, Hey, when you get here would you bring me socks? or Hey my friend, I forgot to pack shampoo, youre coming to the earthquake, right? Bring me some. We also had a standing joke that she was to always bring me European chocolate and I was to bring her Alaskan salmon. Neither of us ever did, but when we saw each other, we would always ask, Wheres my chocolate? or Wheres my salmon? Wed then agree to bring those items and meet in Transylvania the most far-flung place we could think of. When I actually ended up traveling to Transylvania, she called me to jokingly yell at me for going without her. The silly, irrelevant jokes and conversations we had made our friendship special. I never saw Zomi in her home country of Australia and she never saw me in my home country of America. We only ever saw each other in foreign lands, in the middle of some disaster we were both trying to help with. What mattered was that we shared a common purpose: to help when we could, where we were, with what we had. Sometimes, what people do for a living and who they are as a person dont seem to overlap much. But for humanitarian aid workers, its often one and the same. For Zomi, the energy, hope and love she brought to her work was also present in her friendships. I am sure some people are wondering, Why were they even in Gaza? Ill tell you why because people needed to be helped. Thats always why we are wherever we are to help people. All humanitarian aid missions are dangerous. All of them. The danger is assessed in degrees, but anytime there is a crisis that disrupts peoples lives, when food is short, when babies are sick, when peoples lives have been turned upside down, there are risks. Working in these conditions bonds all of us aid workers in a way that may be hard for others to understand. We become a tribe, a family and a community that convenes around disaster. We rely on each other, help each other and work together with a common purpose. And if youre lucky, you develop a friendship outside of that work that fulfills you on a level that is hard to describe. I had that with Zomi. I am aware of the bigger geopolitical ramifications of what happened to Zomi and her colleagues. And people with more expertise and knowledge will address those issues. What is important to me is that who she was does not get lost in the discussion. None of them were faceless, nameless aid workers. They were amazing humans. I want you to know that Zomi was my friend, that she was loved and loved back, that she would stop what she was doing to take your call, that she would sound so happy to hear from you no matter what time of day it was. She valued her family and friends, gave 100% all the time, lit up every single room she entered with her smile, made a difference in thousands of peoples lives, and worked for WCK because it fulfilled her purpose and she loved her purpose. And I loved her. We once discussed death in Haiti, sitting beside an earthquake-damaged building waiting for helicopters to take us to the hungry and sick. I told her, Hey Zomi, we should probably move. If an aftershock comes, this wall could fall on us and kill us. She responded, Listen Teresa, if I die, make sure you say nice things about me, not true things. We both laughed. The thing is, with Zomi, it was one and the same. So here you go, Zomi. See you in Transylvania Ill bring the Alaskan Salmon. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com (Bloomberg) -- A rising star in Hungarys opposition rallied tens of thousands of his supporters on Saturday, pledging to pivot toward the European mainstream if he succeeds in a long-shot bid to challenge Prime Minister Viktor Orbans rule. Most Read from Bloomberg Peter Magyar burst onto the scene after the resignation of two key Orban allies, one of whom was Magyars ex-wife, former Justice Minister Judit Varga, in February. Magyar, a 43-year-old lawyer and former diplomat-turned-whistleblower, said hed continue attempting to build support in the run-up to European Parliament elections in June. Read more: Orban Hit by Fresh Controversy After Ex-Insider Leaks Tape I didnt set out to defeat the whole power elite on my own, Magyar told the rally outside the Hungarian parliament building in Budapest. I am only the spark which can start that engine. Magyar said hell soon announce the political party under whose auspices he can challenge Orbans party in the European Union elections, which coincide with a ballot for local municipalities in Hungary. For now, hes recruiting adherents in a civic group. A Republikon poll published on Friday by the news website Telex showed that a party led by Magyar would instantly be among the strongest opposition forces, though still well behind Orbans Fidesz. Corruption Case Orban has dominated Hungary since his return to power in 2010, and previous political upstarts have quickly flamed out or cannibalized support from existing opposition groups. Magyar managed to capture public attention in the eastern European country as the domestic fallout with his ex-wife played out daily on social media and brought wider allegations of corruption into focus. Under Orban, Hungary has plummeted to last place among European Union member states in Transparency Internationals Corruption Perception Index. The EU continues to withhold two-thirds of the 30 billion ($32.5 billion) of Hungarys funding it suspended in 2022 over corruption and rule of law concerns. Orban is the Kremlins closest ally in the EU, who held up aid from the bloc for Ukraines defense for months before relenting, and maintains cordial relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Magyar said that hed make resolving disputes with the EU a priority, and get Hungarys remaining funds released. Many demonstrators acknowledged that Magyar has yet to prove himself as a leader, but his sudden rise to prominence presents an opportunity to build critical mass against Orbans regime. Leaked Tape There are so many people with grievances which have long been suppressed, said Andrea Varga, 52, who traveled to the demonstration from the western Hungarian town of Ajka. So many things happened so quickly in the space of a month, anything could happen. Magyars release of a tape concerning a high-profile corruption case put the Orbans cabinet temporarily on the defensive. In response, the formidable information machine controlled by the premier has unleashed a barrage of attacks against Magyar. Orbans officials have said Magyar, as a former executive of a state company, was a beneficiary of that system. He also held board seats in several other companies with state ownership until resigning to launch his political career. The fact that he managed to leave all that behind gives him enormous power, said another protester, Kristof Szakmary. Look around you, said Szakmary, 22, an economics student, pointing at the gathering crowd behind him. When did we last see such things in the past few years? (Recasts with quotes from speech at demonstration) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Tesla stock fell as much as 6% on Friday, some $32 billion, after Reuters reported that Elon Musks EV maker was shelving a yearslong plan to produce an affordable electric car. Citing three anonymous insiders and internal company messages, the outlet reported that Tesla was abandoning production of a planned $25,000 EV and focusing on robo-taxis. Musk had said in January that Tesla would start production on the affordable electric vehicle at its plant in Texas in late 2025. Musk was quick to refute the Reuters report with a post on X, but the stock was still down 3.5% at press time, or some $19 billion, as investors digest the companys efforts to compete with increasingly competitive Chinese carmakers. Reuters is lying (again) Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2024 The news comes just days after Tesla reported its first year-over-year decrease in vehicle deliveries since the pandemic. The company blamed the lackluster numbers on external factors, but many prominent Tesla investors have put the blame on Musk as CEO. As of Friday, the companys stock has fallen about 33% since the start of the year, and at least one Tesla bear has predicted the stock could go bust. Even notable Tesla bull Wedbush analyst Dan Ives called the companys recent miss on vehicle deliveries an unmitigated disaster. Chinese EV makers have increasingly penetrated foreign markets, posing a risk to Tesla and other established car companies. Meanwhile, the market for electric vehicles continues to shrink. Sales of electric vehicles grew just 2.7% during the first quarter, far below the 47% growth seen in the EV sector during the same period last year. Some analysts have surmised that the eco-conscious target market for EVs is tapped out, and now EV makers must persuade skeptical gas-powered-car owners to make the switch in order to grow. Already, established car companies have scaled back their plans to produce electric vehicles, with Ford announcing Thursday it would delay the launch of two high-end EVs as it focuses instead on plug-in hybrid vehicles, which are less costly. As for Tesla, Musk had previously warned investors that sales growth in 2024 would be notably slower, because it was caught between two growth waves: the global expansion of its Models 3 and Y and the launch of its more affordable car. With the future of the affordable EV in doubt, its unclear how future sales, and the companys competitiveness, will be affected. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com The new funding for Ottawa is coming out of Ontario's Building Faster Fund, which rewards municipalities for meeting at least 80 per cent of their assigned housing targets. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press - image credit) The Ontario government is giving Ottawa about $37.5 million in funding for making "substantial progress" toward meeting its 2023 housing target. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Ottawa ended last year with 10,313 new homes less than 1,000 homes shy of the provincially mandated goal. Even so, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the new cash on Friday. He said the city's progress meant thousands of families are "going to have a roof over their [heads]." "I just find that absolutely amazing," Ford added. The cash is coming out of Ontario's Building Faster Fund, a three-year, $1.2-billion program that's meant to encourage municipalities to address a shortage in housing supply. According to the province, municipalities can receive money from the fund if they meet at least 80 per cent of their assigned housing target for the year, with extra money if they exceed the target. Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe looks on as Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks during an announcement on Friday, April 5, 2024 in Ottawa. Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe looks on as Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks during an announcement on Friday, April 5, 2024 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said Friday he was "very proud" that the city met the threshold for funding. "We all share the same goal, [and] that is to build more housing and build it as quickly as possible to keep the dream of home ownership alive for young families," Sutcliffe said. In December, the city was at just 64 per cent of its target, but a large end-of-year jump pushed that number forward by nearly 30 percentage points. According to the mayor, the newly-announced funding will help "create the conditions for builders and community organizations to build homes faster." Ford said he hopes to return to Ottawa next year with an even larger cheque. Mexico is breaking diplomatic ties with Ecuador after police raided its embassy in Quito to arrest former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, who had been seeking asylum there. Confirming the move in a statement to CNNE, a foreign ministry spokesperson said all Mexican diplomatic staff would leave Ecuador immediately. Mexico decried the raid as an outrage against international law, while the United Nations voiced concern. Under diplomatic norms, embassies are generally considered protected spaces. A rift between the two Latin American countries had been growing for several days, culminating Friday in Mexicos decision to grant political asylum to Glas, who served as vice president under leftist ex-President Rafael Correa between 2013 and 2017. Convicted twice on corruption charges, Glas says he is the subject of political persecution and had been sheltering inside the embassy. But on Friday, Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, on his official X account, said he had been informed that police from Ecuador forcibly entered the embassy and took Glas who was a refugee and processing asylum because of the persecution and harassment he faces. Video from the scene showed police officers massing around the embassy, some armed. A statement released by Ecuadors government on X also confirmed the arrest. Glas was sentenced to imprisonment by the Ecuadorian justice system, the statement from Ecuadors government read, and was arrested tonight and placed under the orders of the competent authorities. He had been granted diplomatic asylum contrary to the conventional legal framework, the government said. Glas has since been transferred to a maximum-security prison in Guayaquil known as La Roca, the national prisons agency SNAI announced Saturday. He had most recently been accused by Ecuadorian authorities of embezzling government funds meant to help rebuild after a devastating 2016 earthquake. What you have just seen is an outrage against international law and the inviolability of the Mexican embassy in Ecuador, Roberto Canseco, head of chancellery and policy affairs of the Mexican embassy, told a reporter from CNNE, calling Glass arrest totally unacceptable. It is barbarism, Canseco added. It is impossible for them to violate the diplomatic premises as they have done. Former Ecuador Vice President Jorge Glas speaks during an interview at his office in Quito on September 12, 2017. - Dolores Ochoa/AP At a news conference Saturday, Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld said the decision to raid the Mexican embassy and arrest Glas was made in the face of a real risk of imminent escape. Sommerfeld also accused Mexico of violating the principle of non-intervention by letting Glas stay in the embassy and evade an order to appear before authorities in a corruption probe. The minister dismissed Mexicos claim that Glas was being politically prosecuted, saying: For Ecuador, no criminal can be considered a politically persecuted person when he has been convicted with an enforceable sentence and with an arrest warrant issued by the judicial authorities. Mexico plans to lodge a complaint with the International Court of Justice to denounce the Ecuadorian polices actions, the spokesperson for Mexicos foreign secretary added. Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alicia Barcena said there had been no prior contact with Ecuadors foreign ministry about the arrest and Canseco was physically attacked during the raid. Video shows Canseco scuffling with police outside the embassy and being dragged to the ground. Adding to current tensions was Lopez Obradors apparent criticism of Ecuadors recent elections, saying the 2023 run-off vote took place in a very strange manner and suggesting presidential candidates had used the media, presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencios assassination and overall violence in their favor while campaigning. After that comment, Ecuador declared Mexicos ambassador to the country persona non grata, meaning they would have to leave the country in short order. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was alarmed by the forced entry, according to a statement on Saturday, saying the violations jeopardize the pursuit of normal international relations. His spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said Guterres reaffirmed the cardinal principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel. The dramatic rupture in relations sent shock waves through the region, with Latin American leaders swiftly condemning Ecuadors raid on the embassy. In a statement, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Glass right to asylum had been barbarically violated and called for an urgent examination of the breach of the Vienna convention by a member state conducted by international bodies, including the Organization of American States. Nicaragua also said Saturday it would break all diplomatic relations with Ecuador following the raid. Eric Farnsworth, a former US State Department official who now heads the Washington office of the Council of the Americas and the Americas Society, called Ecuadors move impulsive and unnecessary. It turns a criminal into a victim and gives opponents a rally point against (Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa) whom they despise, he wrote on X, adding it ignites a state-to-state crisis with Mexico at a tough time. Ecuador, once seen as an island of peace in the region, has been convulsed by violence in recent years as powerful drug trafficking organizations established operations throughout the country. After violence broke onto the streets in January, Noboa took the extraordinary step of declaring an internal armed conflict in the country, ordering Ecuadors armed forces to neutralize members of more than 20 gangs, which he labeled as terror groups. The underlying story here is Latin American leaders who increasingly believe its necessary to violate the constitution, said Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly, or in this case break diplomatic convention because of the emergency generated by organized crime. CNNs Ana Maria Canizares, Ivonne Valdes, Abel Alvarado, Duarte Mendonca, Richard Roth, Chloe Liu and Juan Paz contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Overnight snow broke April record and ushered in wettest year-to-date on record for Boise A spring snowstorm broke two Boise weather records, the National Weather Service said Saturday morning. But warmer temperatures will be back soon, according to forecasts from the agencys Boise office. Meteorologist Spencer Tangen told the Idaho Statesman the National Weather Service recorded 2.1 inches of snow at its office near the airport Friday. That broke an April 5 snowfall record that stood since 1929, when half an inch of snow fell. Tangen said the precipitation was very uncommon for April. On average, Boise sees two inches of snow in a single April day only every 12 years, he said. Snow totals across the Treasure Valley ranged from 3 inches in parts of the North End to no snowfall around the Eagle Road area. Overnight, Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area recorded a foot of fresh snow. The snowfall helped push Boise to another record: the wettest year-to-date since record keeping began in 1878. Since Jan. 1, Boise has had 8.76 inches of precipitation. Those totals include rain and snowmelt. The previous April 5 year-to-date record, 7.77 inches of precipitation, was set in 1881. Year-to-date records are highly variable, as a single storm can help set a record. Unless we get a lot more rain going forward, other records will catch up, Tangen said. The National Weather Service forecast is calling for another inch or two of snow in the mountains over the weekend, but no additional snow accumulation on the valley floor. Saturday and Sunday have 20%-30% chances of rain. Tangen said the weather will dry up in the coming week and return to 70-degree temperatures. Damian Wesley of Compton Animal Rescue allegedly observed the conditions and had time to act, but did not, authorities said Getty Stock image of a police car The owner of a non-profit organization for animals could soon face jail time for animal cruelty. On Friday, April 5, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon announced charges against Damian Wesley, who owns Compton Animal Rescue, for animal cruelty and neglect of more than two dozen dogs, per a press release. PEOPLE reached out to Compton Animal Rescue for comment, but did not immediately hear back. According to the press release, approximately 145 live animals and 12 animal carcasses were recovered from two locations in Compton on Jan. 3, with each location being tied to Wesley, 31, and Compton Animal Rescue. Getty Stock image of a police car Authorities made the discoveries after search warrants were obtained and executed by the L.A. County District Attorneys Bureau of Investigation and the L.A. County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC). The vast majority of animals were found to be severely underweight and suffering from various illnesses. Wesley is alleged to have seen the condition of 25 distressed animals and had time to act, but did not, the district attorneys office said. 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. I am deeply saddened by the alleged animal cruelty committed by Mr. Wesley, Gascon said. Our community relies on animal rescues to properly care for animals as they await their new homes. The suffering endured by these innocent animals is incomprehensible and will not be tolerated in our community. Our Offices Animal Cruelty Section will work vigorously to seek justice in this matter. We are grateful to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for their partnership in bringing this offender to justice, added Marcia Mayeda, director of the DACC. As animal lovers, we are always disturbed to discover these tragic cases. We remain vigilant in protecting animals from such abuse and neglect. Getty Stock image of handcuffs According to Wesleys non-profit website, Compton Animal Rescue is driven to do our part in making the community of Compton a safe community for both animals and residents. We rescue animals every single day, along with providing awareness to the community about a variety of species and the services available in the area for them. Related: Dog Who Lost Her 'Limbs, Ears, Tail, and Toes' to Animal Cruelty Cares for Foster Puppies as She Heals In a Feb. 12 statement, the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) said "143 live animals, primarily dogs, but also including cats, chickens, a rooster, tortoise, turtles, pigs, snakes, a horse, hamster, rabbits, a hawk, and lizards" were confiscated from an illegal animal facility called Compton Animal Rescue in Compton" when three search warrants were served on Jan. 3. Due to the conditions, some of the animals had to be euthanized. The Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office and DACC cleared over 100 animals from the evidence hold so they could be adopted and rescued by the public once "evaluated for suitability," according to the statement. On March 26, Wesley was ordered by the Los Angeles Superior Court to not own or possess any animals. A proof of relinquishment of all animals is ordered to be shown at his arraignment on April 17, the district attorneys April 5 press release said. If convicted as charged, Wesley will face a maximum sentence of 11 years in county jail. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan on Saturday denounced "provocative remarks" made by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in which he said India would enter Pakistan to kill anyone who escapes over its border after trying to carry out militant attacks. Singh's comments on Friday came after the 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 target "terrorists residing on foreign soil". "India's assertion of its preparedness to extra-judicially execute more civilians, arbitrarily pronounced as 'terrorists', inside Pakistan constitutes a clear admission of culpability," Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Relations between India and Pakistan have worsened since a 2019 suicide bombing of an Indian military convoy in Kashmir was traced to Pakistan-based militants and prompted 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. Canada and the United States last year 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. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said India will investigate any information it receives on the matter. (Reporting by Ariba Shahid in Karachi; Editing by Ros Russell) Parks, breweries, more: Where to watch 2024 solar eclipse around Lexington There will be multiple chances for people in Lexington to witness the 2024 total solar eclipse at a fun, family friendly event on Monday. Lexington is expected to see a partial eclipse between 1:51 p.m. and 4:24 p.m. The eclipse is expected to be at its peak around 3:09 p.m., a roughly 96% eclipse, according to eclipse2024.org. Trends in the forecast indicate favorable conditions for eclipse viewing Monday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service forecast discussion. The models show a good amount of upper level moisture in the atmosphere, which could create the presence of high cirrus clouds. Cirrus clouds are 16,000 feet or higher in the atmosphere, according to the NWS. The amount of cloud cover for Monday is unknown at this point. Regardless of the forecast, there will be multiple opportunities for folks to witness the solar eclipse at an event across town. Here are some of the opportunities available. Still need eclipse glasses? Heres where to look in Central Kentucky and what to avoid Lexington Parks & Recreation solar eclipse events The Lexington Parks & Recreation Department will host two solar eclipse viewing parties, one at Raven Run Nature Sanctuary and another at McConnell Springs. Solar eclipse glasses will be available for purchase at the Raven Run Nature Sanctuary viewing party. A limited amount of glasses will be available for use at the McConnell Springs event. The viewing party at Raven Run Nature Sanctuary will last from 2-3:30 p.m. while the viewing party at McConnell Springs will take place from 1-4 p.m. Registration is required to attend both events. Living Arts & Science Center Solar Eclipse Day The Living Arts & Science Center on N. Martin Luther King Boulevard in Lexington is hosting a solar eclipse day Monday. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and admission is free. The event will feature activities like making your own sun print, animal meet & greet, a live science experiment, yoga and the solar eclipse watch party and picnic on the centers lawn. Registration is required for the pre-kindergarten seedlings in STEAM, adult yoga in the planetarium and eclipse clay project events. The center is also hosting an eclipse party for grades kindergarten through fifth grade, where kids will learn about the solar eclipse and eye safety from the sun, watch a planetarium show and create art projects and science experiments. It costs $80 to register for the class and members of the center get a $10 discount. Parents are expected to provide two peanut-free snacks, a lunch and a personal water bottle for their child. Fayette County schools is one of several districts across Kentucky that have canceled classes on April 8 for the upcoming solar eclipse. UK Department of Physics and Astronomy Solar Eclipse Viewing The University of Kentucky Department of Physics and Astronomy will host a solar eclipse viewing at the Alumni Commons. The department will have solar telescopes setup at the viewing, weather permitting. Solar Eclipse Watch Party at Ethereal Brewing Ethereal Brewing on Manchester Street will host a watch party during the solar eclipse. Solar eclipse glasses will be available for $1 and people are encouraged to attend and have some drinks on the patio. Were so humbled to be able to say weve been open for two solar eclipses, Ethereal Brewing said in a Facebook event. The first one was in 2017, and we had such a blast watching the solar eclipse together! The Void Sake Social Solar Eclipse Party The Void Sake Company, a sake brewery located on National Avenue, will host a solar eclipse party. There will be drink specials, a special moon pie sake release and more. The brewery said its a family friendly event and free solar eclipse glasses will be available. Lexington Public Library Eclipse Viewing Party The Lexington Public Library will host a solar eclipse viewing party from 2-3:30 p.m. at the the front Porch area of the Eastside Branch Library. The library said the party will happen rain or shine and glasses will be available but limited to one per party. Israeli Singer Avi Peretz and Cantor Moshe Shur sing at the 15th annual Russian Jewish Shabbaton on March 30, 2024 in Parsippany. More than 1,200 Soviet-and Russian-speaking Jews gathered last weekend at the Parsippany Hilton for the 15th annual Russian-Jewish Shabbaton. Described by organizers as the largest gathering of Russian Jews in North America, the event offered a platform for attendees "to celebrate their heritage, strengthen their Jewish identity and foster a sense of communal solidarity," Chabad, the religious organization that hosted the event, said in a statement. Participants in the weekend retreat engaged in a variety of activities, including challah baking, prayer services, communal Shabbat meals, educational lectures and seminars. The variety of workshops, given in both English and Russian, focused on topics such as Jewish learning, holistic health and wellness, Israel advocacy and meaning in life. The Shabbaton was hosted jointly by Lubavitch Youth Organization, the programming arm of Chabad-Lubavitch, and Chamah, the Chabad-affiliated organization to support Soviet Jews. Russian Jews participating in a Havdallah ceremony at the 15th annual Russian Jewish Shabbaton on March 30, 2024 in Parsippany. The gathering came at a stressful time for the Jewish community, amid reports of rising antisemitism and after the Oct. 7 terror attack in Israel in which 1,200 people were killed. "Celebrating Jewish pride is the strongest rebuttal to those who want us to be afraid, said Kasriel Kastel, program director at Lubavitch Youth Organization. Many participants have relatives in Israel and feel the added importance of gathering with their people. More: How to fight rising antisemitism? North Jersey yeshiva and Catholic school started by talking The Shabbaton brought together all types of Ex-Soviet Jews; Russian, Ukrainian and Bukharian (Uzbek) from over 40 communities gathered for a weekend of unity, solidity and Jewish Pride," added Rabbi Bentzion Laskin of of Oceanview Jewish Center in Brooklyn, the program director of Chamah International. "Since October 7, Russian Jews have felt a special need to come together and connect to with their heritage, their people, and their faith." Speakers included counter-terror expert and IDF Reservist Yair Ansbacher, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, Touro University professor of speech pathology Isabella Reichel, and New York Israeli Consulate spokesperson Itay Milner, who provided insights on a range of topics relevant to Russian-speaking Jews, the group said. William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com Twitter: @wwesthoven This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: In shadow of Oct. 7, Russian Jews gather in Parsippany for Shabbaton Pasadena officers clear the road at the start of the 2020 Rose Bowl Parade route. The department is considering adding body-worn cameras that activate when an officer's gun is drawn. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) The Pasadena Police Department is considering buying equipment that would automatically activate all nearby police body cameras when any officer draws a handgun from a holster. The equipment could provide a new level of oversight to the Police Department, which counts more than 230 sworn and armed police officers within its ranks. If the purchase is approved by city officials, it would make Pasadena one of a handful of California police departments that have deployed the new technology on the streets. The proposed $4.5-million purchase is expected to be considered by the Pasadena City Council during its April 29 meeting. Although body-worn cameras are common throughout the nation's police departments, most of the equipment requires police officers to turn on the cameras to record crucial incidents. The circumstances under which officers must manually switch on their cameras are often dictated by department policy. Read more: To catch a thief: Oakland installs hundreds of surveillance cameras to try to thwart crime The new equipment being considered by Pasadena police, however, would automatically activate all nearby cameras to record during specific circumstances. Sensors located in firearms and holsters would automatically switch on body-worn camera recorders when a firearm is removed from its holster. The sensor would activate the camera of the officer who drew their weapon and all body-worn cameras within 20 feet, officials said. Although recordings from body-worn police cameras have in many highly publicized cases raised questions about police-involved shootings, law enforcement experts say the cameras have also provided evidence that shows police acted lawfully when pulling a gun. Read more: License plate readers and video cameras are coming to Orange to fight crime, officials say Pasadena police have already conducted a three-month pilot test of the technology with 12 officers, Karen Peterson, executive administrator for the Police Department, said Thursday during a Police Oversight Commission meeting. The staff, she said, provided positive reviews of the equipment. "Some of the comments that came back was they didn't even notice it was part of their gear," she said at the meeting. Pasadena police have used body cameras since 2016. The new equipment would be part of a five-year contract the Police Department is considering with Axon Enterprise, a company that provides equipment and technology to police departments across the country, including body-worn cameras. The Police Department is also looking to update its current body-worn cameras as part of the contract, with new cameras that record better images, have a wider field of view and can work with a system that can livestream real-time images from the field. "It's a better way of communicating with what is happening on the scene," Peterson said. The department has 306 of its 316 body cameras deployed to officers. The new equipment, known as Axon Signal Sidearm, would be deployed to 235 officers, Peterson said. Police in other California cities, including Huntington Beach, Anaheim and Glendale, have already begun using the same equipment, she said. Sacramento police also began using the same equipment in 2022. Read more: Lego heads? California police department posts mug shots but without real faces The contract being considered would cost the city approximately $4.5 million, said Lisa Derderian, spokesperson for the city. The contract would include the new holster equipment, the upgraded body cameras and a new software program that would provide the department more detailed analytics and metrics for body-worn cameras, Tasers, calls for service and other information. The Pasadena Police Department is expected to provide the city's Public Safety Committee a report on the plan before it is considered for approval by the City Council. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Former Gov. Michael O. Leavitt, Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, and Tracy Gruber, Department of Health and Human Services executive director, talk after participating in a "Caring for Those in Need" panel discussion at Whats Past is Prologue: Public policy lessons from the past quarter century at the Thomas S. Monson Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 5, 2024. For people not immersed in tax policy or charged to oversee government programs that serve vulnerable people, the nexus between the two might be hard to discern. Taxation drives our capacity to respond to these issues. These are all connected, said former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, who served 11 years as Utahs top executive. As Utah looks ahead at the ongoing work of serving a young population with intense mental health needs, a dearth of affordable housing and the need for tax policies that are fair and help ensure economic success, Utah leaders reflected on public policy lessons from the past quarter century during two panel discussions Friday at the Thomas S. Monson Center. Former Utah Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, who has served as state homeless services coordinator the past three years, said there are many reasons people become homeless but housing insecurity plays a key role. California has the highest rates of homelessness, 44 per 10,000. Mississippi, surprisingly, has the lowest rates of homelessness, 5 per 10,000. If you overlay the cost of housing on that data, with very few exceptions, they match. The cost of housing is driving an element of homelessness. Its not everything but it centers around the stress of being insecure in your housing and one incident away facing homelessness, said Niederhauser, responding to a panel discussion titled Caring for those in Need. Niederhauser said he has observed how high levels of stress can lead to mental illness, abuse, alcoholism and substance abuse. Stresses in peoples lives are a huge determinant of health, he said, during the event sponsored by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute in partnership with the Hinckley Institute of Politics and the Deseret News and moderated by Deseret News executive editor Doug Wilks. Fridays panel was part of a series of policy discussions tied to the release of former Gov. Mike Leavitts four volume electronic memoir, available at www.leavitthistory.com, that could help shape the future of Utah. The memoir, given to the public for free, can also serve as a guide for policymakers to show how government can overcome obstacles to move things forward. Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, who champions legislative, community and private sector initiatives to help reduce Utahs youth suicide rate, improve mental health and make progress with services for people experiencing homelessness, said the past has certainly set the stage for the next act. Unfortunately, the prologue is fairly disheartening. Suicide is and has been for years, the leading cause of death for children in Utah, he said. Story continues Expressed another way, So in Utah, we lose the equivalent number of people to suicide, as a 737 plane crashing every other month, he said. Utah has dedicated a lot of funding to mental health and reducing rates of suicide, Eliason said, but we have so much more to invest in this area. That said, its not all about money. Its about personal responsibility with respect to firearms. Most suicides are carried out with somebody elses firearm, most childrens. If parents would just lock up their gun, that could cut our rate of suicides in half. Thats something that doesnt cost a lot of money, he said. Eliason said when he speaks at churches about child suicide, he gives away gun locks. While funding helps provide services, it also helps preserve investments in human capital, he said. Were releasing a large percentage of our patients from the Utah State Hospital into homelessness after weve just spent on average $200,000 trying to restore them to competency, Eliason said. Step-down services are desperately needed, particularly when one considers that 95% of the state hospital beds available in Utah in 1955 are now closed so weve just reinstitutionalized so many people in our jails, hospitals and homelessness, he said. If we look at the future in terms of what the next act will be, I think the states need to step up. We need to look at the system of care for step down for people coming out of our prisons, jails and our state hospitals, and that will take money, he said. Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, participates in a "Caring for Those in Need" panel discussion at Whats Past is Prologue: Public policy lessons from the past quarter century at the Thomas S. Monson Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 5, 2024. Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, and Rod Petit, former Utah Department of Health executive director, talk after participating in a "Caring for Those in Need" panel discussion at Whats Past is Prologue: Public policy lessons from the past quarter century at the Thomas S. Monson Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 5, 2024. Tracy Gruber, Department of Health and Human Services executive director, participates in a "Caring for Those in Need" panel discussion at Whats Past is Prologue: Public policy lessons from the past quarter century at the Thomas S. Monson Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 5, 2024. Wayne Niederhauser, state homeless services coordinator, shares a comment during a "Caring for Those in Need" panel discussion at Whats Past is Prologue: Public policy lessons from the past quarter century at the Thomas S. Monson Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 5, 2024. Rod Petit, former Utah Department of Health executive director, participates in a "Caring for Those in Need" panel discussion at Whats Past is Prologue: Public policy lessons from the past quarter century at the Thomas S. Monson Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 5, 2024. Natalie Gochnour, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute director and University of Utah David Eccles School of Business associate dean, asks a question during a "Caring for Those in Need" panel discussion at Whats Past is Prologue: Public policy lessons from the past quarter century at the Thomas S. Monson Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 5, 2024. When Leavitt was secretary of Health and Human Services, President George W. Bush tasked him to examine more than a dozen mass shootings following the 2007 shooting spree at Virginia Tech University that killed 32 people and wounded 17 others. A team of experts across the federal government visited 13 sites where similar tragedies had occurred. We brought all of the various constituent parties to the table to say What have we learned from this? " The decades-earlier move to institutionalizing and defacilitating mental health services was supported by conservatives who believed it cost too much money and by liberals who disagreed with with the practice. Between those two, they got the support to basically take the infrastructure down and then we never replaced it with anything, he said. As Leavitt noted, much of governments ability to respond to societal needs and a changing economy is its tax policy. One significant change in recent years has been a reduction in sales tax revenues while income tax revenues rise. At the same time, there has been exponential growth in services purchased by Utahns such as pet grooming, ride shares, streaming media among others, but legislative efforts to make them subject to taxation have been unsuccessful in the past. Im gonna throw it out there, we have to be taxing services, said Rep. Robert Spendlove, R-Sandy, who is an economist. Weve tried it a few times and its failed every time because it takes a lot of political courage to be able to properly address that. Or we need to just come up with a different way of taxing and getting that revenue if the sales tax isnt going to work, said Spendlove, who is not seeking re-election. Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, said tax reform efforts in the recent past were unsuccessful because of disagreements over what to tax and making sure its not a double layering of tax. But the worst thing to do is make tax revenue less predictable, he said. Trying to get away from peaks and valleys and shift toward more sure revenue creates a more predictable environment for government. But at the same time, theres a sentiment from taxpayers that feels like government needs to suffer when the people suffer, which is an interesting dynamic, really, when you think about the needs. When the economy goes down, the government sector grows just out of necessity for supporting people, said McCay, chairman of the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee. Jackie Leavitt, former first lady of Utah, and former Gov. Michael O. Leavitt talk to attendees at Whats Past is Prologue: Public policy lessons from the past quarter century at the Thomas S. Monson Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 5, 2024. Bruce Johnson, former Utah State Tax commissioner and chair of the commission, participates in a taxation panel discussion at Whats Past is Prologue: Public policy lessons from the past quarter century at the Thomas S. Monson Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 5, 2024. Natalie Gochnour, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute director and University of Utah David Eccles School of Business associate dean, talks to Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, after McCay spoke on a taxation panel discussion at Whats Past is Prologue: Public policy lessons from the past quarter century at the Thomas S. Monson Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 5, 2024. Former Gov. Michael O. Leavitt, Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, Bruce Johnson, former Utah State Tax commissioner and chair of the commission, and Rep. Robert Spendlove, R-Sandy, participate in a taxation panel discussion at Whats Past is Prologue: Public policy lessons from the past quarter century at the Thomas S. Monson Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 5, 2024. Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, who is running for governor, listens to an Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games panel discussion at Whats Past is Prologue: Public policy lessons from the past quarter century at the Thomas S. Monson Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 5, 2024. Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, speaks at Whats Past is Prologue: Public policy lessons from the past quarter century at the Thomas S. Monson Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 5, 2024. Former Gov. Michael O. Leavitt, speaks at Whats Past is Prologue: Public policy lessons from the past quarter century at the Thomas S. Monson Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 5, 2024. 369487843 National Insurance (NI) is the tax (though its not technically a tax in the strictest sense) paid by workers under state pension age to fund the UKs benefits, most notable of which is the state pension. NI is paid by workers who are 16 or over, earning at least 242 a week and under state pension age. As of the 2024-25 tax year, the Class 1 National Insurance rate is 8pc, having dropped from 10pc. This is paid by employees earning between 12,570 and 50,270. It follows the cut from 12pc to 10pc announced in the 2023 Autumn Statement, which came into effect on January 6 this year. Combined, the two reductions will save 27 million workers 900 on average. Racking up enough National Insurance contributions (NICs) over your working life can be the difference between getting an extra 10,000 a year in government payments when you reach retirement. Here, Telegraph Money explains what NICs cost, how to find out whether you have gaps in your record, and how to fill them. What is National Insurance? NI has been around since 1911. Introduced by Lloyd George, it was created to provide a national system of insurance to protect the poorest members of society from facing a loss of income as a result of sickness or unemployment. Its changed a bit since then, but given payments also fund new style jobseekers allowance, maternity allowance and contribution-based employment and support allowance, some of its fundamental principles of helping those worse off are still in place today. You are legally obliged to pay NICs once you are aged 16, in work and earning at least 242 a week. Youll usually be issued with a NI number just before you turn 16. This is made up of two letters, six numbers and a final letter and is unique to you. All sorts of people and bodies may need to know your NI number, such as HMRC, employers and pension providers, your local council, student finance agencies, banks, building societies and other financial services. You will continue to pay contributions until you reach state pension age. After this, if you work for an employer, you no longer have to make payments even if you still have a job. If you work for yourself, youll stop paying NICs at the end of the tax year in which you reached state pension age. The amount you pay depends on how much you earn; the type of contribution known as the class you pay depends on whether you work for an employer or for yourself. With this years changes aside, NI has been tinkered with frequently in recent times. Boris Johnsons government decided to raise NI by 1.25 percentage points in April 2022 to fund health and social care. The rate was due to return to 2021-22 levels in April 2023, when a separate new 1.25pc Health and Social Care Levy was due to take effect. Story continues Kwasi Kwarteng, briefly chancellor, reversed the rise in the September 2022 mini Budget and cancelled the planned introduction of the levy. At one point there was also a plan to make pensioners pay NI but this was dropped. Mr Hunt has revealed an ambition to abolish unfair NI for workers as it is a tax on work, yet such plans could be a long way off. Classes of National Insurance There are four main classes of NICs, which are split up like this: Class 1 NICs are paid by employees who earn over a certain income threshold Class 2 is now a voluntary contribution individuals can make to tot up their entitlement to the state pension Class 3 contributions are voluntary contributions paid by those wanting to plug the gaps in their NI record, so they can qualify for certain benefits, such as the state pension Class 4 NICs are paid by self-employed workers, depending on their profits. Class 2 was a flat weekly rate paid by self-employed individuals with profits over a certain threshold, yet, as of April 2024, the requirement to pay it has been scrapped. National Insurance contributions: how much you pay Employees Class 1 contributions As an employee, you pay NI contributions when you earn more than the primary threshold. This changes over time, but at the moment, it is 242 a week (12,570 a year). Currently, you will pay Class 1 NICs of 8pc on income between 242 and 967 a week (or between 12,570 and 50,270 a year). You then pay contributions of 2pc on any earnings over 967 per week (or 50,270 a year). From April 2024, youll pay 8pc over the primary threshold. The rate on earnings over the secondary threshold remains unchanged. If your weekly income is below the 242 per week (or 12,570 a year) primary threshold, but above 123 (the lower earnings limit), you wont pay NI. However, you will still get the benefits of paying, such as qualifying years for the state pension. If you earn less than 123 per week, you dont need to pay anything. But you will have a gap in your contributions record unless you qualify for NI credits, allocated when you claim things like child benefit or Statutory Sick Pay. More on this later. Self-employed Class 4 contributions If you work for yourself, you pay NI when you make more than 12,570 a year in profit. Previously, you might have made two types of contribution: a Class 2 weekly flat rate of 3.45 per week, and a percentage Class 4 contribution. But Class 2 has now been scrapped. This means you only have to worry about Class 4, which is charged at 6pc on profits between 12,570 and 50,270, and 2pc on profits over 50,270. Those with profits of more than 12,570 will come under the scope of Class 4 contributions, and will therefore continue to make NI contributions that way. If you are making between 6,725 and 12,570 in profit, you will get NI credits without needing to make Class 2 NICs, so you will continue to accrue entitlement to the state pension. Those with profits below 6,725, and any others who pay Class 2 NICs voluntarily to receive contributory benefits like the state pension, can carry on doing so. What if Im both employed and self-employed? If you fall into both working categories, you need to pay both Class 1 NI on your employed income and Class 4 NIC for your self-employed work. Voluntary Class 3 contributions If you have gaps in your record, you might be able to make voluntary contributions to fill them. For the 2024-25 tax year, the weekly Class 2 rate is 3.45, and the weekly Class 3 rate is 17.45. National Insurance credits when youre not working NI credits are a means by which you can maintain your NI record when youre not making NI contributions. Becky OConnor of PensionBee said: If you take any time out of paid work, or dont earn enough to qualify for the basic state pension, you need to look up whether you are eligible for NI credits. You might be eligible for credits if, say, you are unable to work due to illness, or because you are caring for someone. Ms OConnor added: For example, parents taking time out of work to look after young children are eligible for credits for years when they arent working, but are still making a valued contribution to society. The type of credits you receive can vary. Those receiving child benefit (even if they end up paying it back in tax charges) should automatically receive Class 3 credits until their child reaches 12, while anyone who gets Carers Allowance, Maternity Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance will automatically receive Class 1 credits. Alternatively, you can tick a box on the child benefit form saying that you would like the credits but not the child benefit itself. Read more on boosting your state pension. Changes for parents with unclaimed NI credits For parents or carers, often women, who are seeking for missing years of NI credits after taking time out of work to care for children, it will soon be possible to make claims dating back many years. The current limit for back-claims is three months, but the Government has announced it will extend that to six years. From April 2026 it will be possible to claim all the way back to 2013. The Government says this will be closely based on child benefit eligibility criteria, although its not necessary to have actually been registered for or claiming child benefit at the time to qualify. Secondary legislation is planned as soon as possible. Ms OConnor said: This was a particularly important decision because many women were missing out on NI credits as a result of not claiming child benefit, which is the main method the Government uses for determining eligibility for credits. Laura Suter, head of personal finance at AJ Bell said: As this would leave you short of the full 35 years of credits youd need to be entitled to the full state pension, that would equate to 3,634 a year in state pension youd miss out on. Allowing parents to go back and fill in gaps on their record will help to boost the collective wealth of women when they retire. How National Insurance affects your benefits Paying NI contributions provides the right to access certain contributory benefits, which you might need if youre ever out of work, or when you reach retirement age. This includes the new style Jobseekers Allowance, Maternity Allowance and perhaps most notably the state pension. Ms OConnor said: The amount of state pension you get basically depends on the number of qualifying years of contributions you have. To qualify for the new state pension you need to have made 35 years of NI contributions. To get any state pension at all, you need to have at least 10 qualifying years of contributions. Not all benefits depend on NICs so your contributions wont have a bearing if you claim the likes of Universal Credit, attendance allowance, disability allowance and child benefit. How to check your National Insurance record You can check your NI record for free on the Government website: https://www.gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record. You can also check by logging into your personal tax account online, or by writing to HM Revenue and Customs to request a statement at this address: National Insurance contributions and Employers Office HM Revenue and Customs BX9 1AN You should be able to see the record of payments you have made, or which credits you have received, as well as which class of contributions. You can also find out if there are any gaps, and whether its possible for you to pay voluntary contributions in order to plug those gaps. If you want to know what your state pension forecast looks like, you can check here: https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension. Recommended A definitive list of tax codes and what they mean Read more 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. This is the path of the total solar eclipse across the US This is the path of the total solar eclipse across the US Parts of North America will go dark Monday as the total solar eclipse passes overhead. The rare celestial phenomenon will occur Monday, the first time since 2017, and wont happen again for the next few decades. States across the country are preparing for increased travelers hoping to catch a glimpse of the eclipse. Hotels and home rentals are booked, with prices skyrocketing, as travelers attempt to get as close to the path of totality as possible. Heres the path of the total solar eclipse in the US According to NASA, the total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico and then into the southwestern part of the U.S., before making its way across the Midwest and finally toward the Northeast before passing over Canada. It will be visible from Texas and pass through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. NASA noted that specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing is necessary. NASA put together a 3D model of the Earth and the moons path over the sun that shows where it will cross over the country. Around 1:30 p.m. local time Monday, the path will enter the U.S. near San Antonio, Texas. It will travel northeast and reach Arkansas at 1:50 p.m. local time. It will reach Indianapolis around 3:10 p.m. local time before continuing north over Lake Erie. Northern New York will experience totality around 3:25 p.m. local time. The eclipse will reach parts of New Hampshire and Maine around 3:30 p.m. local time and continue over Canada. What is a total solar eclipse? A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The last eclipse happened in 2017, but this years will last longer because the moon will be closer to Earth than normal. Mexico will experience the longest eclipse at 4 minutes and 28 seconds, NASA predicts. In Syracuse, N.Y., the eclipse will last 1 minute and 30 seconds. Learn more about the eclipse from The Hill. Short-term rentals in path booked solid Airbnbs and similar short-term rental offerings saw occupancy rates spike to 88 percent overall for listings located within the path of totality, according to short-term rental analytics platform AirDNA. More than 95.3 percent of more than 4,700 listings in Dallas are booked for the eve of the eclipse, as well as nearly 87 percent of the approximately 9,600 listings in Austin, Texas. Almost all listings are booked in Jeffersonville, Vt., at 99.2 percent bookings. Buffalo, N.Y., followed with 98.2 percent. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The April 8 total solar eclipse path of totality touches 13 American states and hits some major U.S. cities along the way. An estimated 32 million people live within the U.S. section of the path of totality. Texan cities San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth are all in the path at one of the longest-lasting times of the eclipse. Even a total solar eclipse is bigger in Texas. To eke out every possible second of the April 8 total solar eclipse, youll need to head to the center of the path of totality and do so at the height of the eclipses longevity. In the U.S., that spot is the Hill Country of Texas, northwest of San Antonio. The towns of Kerrville and Fredericksburg will serve as the epicenter for the eclipse, each offering up a whopping 4 minutes, 25 seconds of eclipse action in a place known for clear skies. Its a path of totality dream. What Is the Path of Totality? A solar eclipse path of totality is the stretch where the Moon slides between the Sun and Earth and blocks the Sun 100 percent. The closer a viewer is to the center line of the path, the longer the eclipse lasts. For April 8, that 115-mile-wide path touches 500 U.S. cities and portions of 13 states during daylight hours, covering major metropolitan areas such as San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse along the way. 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. When you combine the populations of Mexico, U.S.A., and Canada that live inside the path of totality, and add all of those who will travel on eclipse day, a total of 50 million North Americans witnessing totality is possible. That allure will bring people from across the countryand potentially the worldto join the 32 million people already estimated to live within the path and witness the event. The Eclipse Starts in Mexico The total solar eclipse doesnt begin (or end) in the United Statesit just dominates the American afternoon. The total eclipse will first hit mainland North America near Mazatlan, Mexico, giving us our first glimpse of a total solar eclipse in a major city along the path. Near the height of the duration, the eclipse is expected to last 4 minutes, 20 seconds near Mazatlan. The Eclipse is Bigger in Texas The hot spot for the total solar eclipse is Texas. With expectationsand historyof clear skies during April and plenty of viewing locations, the areas outside of San Antonio and Austin are the prime locations to witness the eclipse. Add in that the eclipse will last a whopping 4 minutes, 25 seconds in both Kerrville and Fredericksburg, and its no wonder that these locations are expected to draw the most intense eclipse fans from across the country. Totality will occur in the area at 1:32 p.m. Central time. Of course, having portions of four major Texas cities locked in the path of totality means that millions of people already living there neednt do much to witness the event. Zeiler expects Texas to receive over one million visitorsSpace.com predicts 1.5 million visitorsand Kerrville alone could welcome nearly half a million people coming to witness the height of the moment. People will realize that they can go from zero totality to four minutes totality just by driving an hour on Interstate 10, Kim Arvidsson, associate professor pf physics at Schreiner University told Space.com. Theres going to be a vast increase in traffic that day. The Heart of the South and Midwest Upon leaving Texas, the eclipse runs through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. And it will hit some key cities along the way, including Indianapolis, Cleveland, and Akron. And by slipping near to St. Louis, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Pittsburgh, expect plenty of folks from those cities finding a spot in the path to view the afternoon event. Indianapolis will have the eclipse for a strong 3 minutes and 51 seconds, and Cleveland just one second less. Zeiler believes the Midwest will attract the next greatest group of travelers, with Ohio and Indiana both welcoming about half a million people. Eclipse Leaves U.S. After Northeast Stop New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine round out the list of U.S. states along the path, adding Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse to the list of major cities under darkness. Of course, having New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia all within 200 miles of the path, expect the Northeast to host a whirlwind of interest. The eclipse departs Maineand the United Statesaround 3:32 p.m. Eastern time. Montreal Gets in on the Eclipse It may be nearing the end of the path, but Montreal is in the path of totalityand Toronto and Ottawa arent that far off. Expect Canadians to flock toward Montreal for best viewing in Canada, although those in the maritime provinces will also be treated to the path before it hits the Atlantic Ocean. You Might Also Like Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and more than 30 House Democrats sent a letter to President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging them to reconsider the recent authorization of weapons to Israel, just days after seven aid workers were killed. In light of this incident, we strongly urge you to reconsider your recent decision to authorize the transfer of a new arms package to Israel, and to withhold this and any future offensive arms transfers until a full investigation into the airstrike is completed, the lawmakers said in the letter, obtained and first reported by NBC News. On Monday, seven World Central Kitchen food aid workers were killed by an Israeli airstrike, sparking international outrage and concern among top U.S. officials. We also urge you to withhold these transfers if Israel fails to sufficiently mitigate harm to innocent civilians in Gaza, including aid workers, and if it fails to facilitate or arbitrarily denies or restricts the transport and delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the lawmakers wrote. The letter, signed by more than three dozen Democratic lawmakers, asked the Biden administration to withhold transfers of arms to Israel as an investigation into the airstrike occurs. Israel acknowledged its misstep in killing the seven workers and said it was unintentional. The lawmakers said it is a shockingly unacceptable mistake. A preliminary investigation carried out by the Israeli Joint Chiefs of Staff found that the military mistakenly thought the workers were armed Hamas fighters. On Thursday, Israel announced it would be opening a border crossing in northern Gaza. Blinken said Friday that the steps taken by Israel are positive developments, but the U.S. will wait and see what Israel does in the coming days and months. Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday, where he said U.S. policy in Gaza is dependent on Israels immediate next steps. While we appreciate your administrations recent efforts to increase the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza, these efforts will not be sufficient to meet the extraordinary need on the ground, the lawmakers wrote in the letter. A spokesperson for Pelosi said she joined the letter because she is in support of an independent investigation into the aid workers deaths. Speaker Pelosi 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, Aaron Bennett, a spokesperson for Pelosi, said in a statement. Speaker Pelosi knows President Bidens support for Israel and empathy with the innocent civilians in Gaza, and she respects his judgment in how to proceed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Pelosi joins call for Biden to stop transfer of US weapons to Israel U.S. President Biden hosts White House event to celebrate the anniversary of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act legislation in Washington By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Representative Nancy Pelosi, former House speaker and a key ally of Joe Biden, signed a letter on Friday from dozens of congressional Democrats to the president and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging a halt to weapons transfers to Israel. WHY IT IS IMPORTANT Israel's military assault on Gaza, which followed Palestinian Islamist group Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, has come under increasing international criticism as the Gaza health ministry has reported more than 33,000 people have died in the war and the narrow coastal enclave suffers widespread hunger. Support from Pelosi, a veteran member of Biden's Democratic Party, for stopping the transfer of weapons to Israel showed that the view is increasingly becoming mainstream in the party. KEY QUOTES Friday's letter called on the Biden administration to conduct its own probe into an Israeli airstrike that killed seven staff of the aid group World Central Kitchen (WCK) on Monday. "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. It was signed by Pelosi and 36 other Democrats including Representatives Barbara Lee, Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In a statement clarifying Pelosi's position, her spokesperson said she was "sympathetic to some of the thoughts in the letter" and wanted an independent investigation into the killing of the WCK staff. "Speaker Pelosi knows President Biden's support for Israel and empathy with the innocent civilians in Gaza, and she respects his judgment in how to proceed," the spokesperson said. CONTEXT The Israeli military said on Friday it dismissed two officers and formally reprimanded senior commanders after an inquiry into the aid workers' deaths found serious errors and breaches of procedure. Biden held a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday in which he said Israel needed to do more to protect civilians or the U.S. would change its policy. Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent military assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has displaced nearly all its 2.3 million population and led to genocide allegations that Israel denies. The United Nations has warned of looming famine in Gaza. Famine is assessed by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), an initiative of U.N. agencies, regional bodies and aid groups. On March 18, the IPC wrote in a report that famine is imminent and likely to occur by May in northern Gaza and could spread across the enclave by July. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) A Pensacola man was found guilty Thursday for a March 2023 robbery at a gas station, according to the Florida State Attorneys Office. UPDATE: District Attorney Blackwood responds to Prichard Police Department, meeting scheduled 46-year-old Lavelle Earl Jackson was found guilty by a jury on the charges of robbery with a firearm and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The release said that in March of 2023, Jackson went into a Raceway gas station and robbed it at gunpoint. Jackson reportedly took money from the cash register and left the scene. He was located shortly after. Jackson was in possession of a gun and money when he was arrested, according to the release. Jackson was booked into the Escambia County Jail. Prichard police looking to question 3 men in connection to August 2023 homicide Jackson was sentenced to life in prison with 15 years in the state prison to run consecutively. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5. (Bloomberg) -- Perus embattled President Dina Boluarte has had shifting versions about the origins of a set of luxury watches and other jewelry, which further dimmed the reputation of one of the worlds most unpopular leaders. Most Read from Bloomberg First, Boluarte said at least one Rolex was an old jewel. One of her attorneys said the source could be a fan in love. A cabinet member said the jewels came from her savings. On Friday afternoon, after testifying before prosecutors for five hours as part of an investigation into illegal enrichment, Boluarte said all but one luxury watch were a loan from a friend, naming a controversial Peruvian state governor who in a previous term in the role was sentenced for corruption. It was a mistake to accept these watches as loans, she said in a nationwide address, adding she had given them back but had initially accepted them, maybe with the will to properly represent my country. Boluarte said the fact that they were a loan means she was not under obligation to disclose her ownership of the expensive watches, which she said she had returned. The clarifications come a day after Congress dismissed two impeachment motions against Boluarte over the so-called Rolex scandal. While Boluarte has found crucial support among lawmakers, she remains one of the most unpopular leaders in the planet, with an approval rating of 9%. Congress holds an identical approval rating among Peruvians. Prosecutors had also singled out a bracelet as being made by Cartier and worth some $50,000. But Boluarte said it was just cheap imitation jewelry, saying she owns items made by Unique, a Peruvian multilevel marketing firm that caters to women. Boluarte said she had failed to give explanations on the matter for several weeks on advice of her lawyer, who said she should first answer to prosecutors and only then to the public. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Complaint centred around a tweet shared by medical director of company that watchdog ruled had 'limited' information - MARK LENNIHAN/AP Pfizer has been accused by the UKs pharmaceutical watchdog of bringing discredit on the industry after senior executives used social media to promote an unlicensed Covid vaccine. The company has been found to have breached the regulatory code five times, which also includes making misleading claims, failing to maintain high standards and promoting unlicensed medicines. A ruling by the pharmaceutical watchdog, the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA), relates to a complaint about a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, in November 2020 by senior Pfizer employees. The complaint raised concern about Pfizers misuse of social media to misleadingly and illegally promote their Covid vaccine, according to the ruling. They claimed that such misbehaviour on social media was even more widespread than they had thought and extended right to the top of their UK operation. Unlicensed medicine proactively disseminated The complaint centred on a social media post on X by Dr Berkeley Phillips, the medical director of Pfizer UK. He shared a post from an employee of Pfizer in the US which said: Our vaccine candidate is 95 per cent effective in preventing Covid-19, and 94 per cent effective in people over 65 years old. We will file all of our data with health authorities within days. Thank you to every volunteer in our trial, and to all who are tirelessly fighting this pandemic. Four other Pfizer employees, including one senior colleague, published the same message The PMCPA ruling noted that this message contained limited information about the vaccines efficacy, no safety information and no reference to adverse events. It went on to say that the social media post resulted in an unlicensed medicine being proactively disseminated on Twitter to health professions and members of the public in the UK. A Pfizer UK spokesman said that the company fully recognises and accepts the issues highlighted by this PMCPA ruling, adding that it is deeply sorry. They said: Pfizer UK has a comprehensive policy on personal use of social media in relation to Pfizers business which prohibits colleagues from interacting with any social media related to Pfizers medicines and vaccines backed by staff briefings and training. The personal use of social media by UK pharmaceutical industry employees in relation to company business is a challenging area for pharmaceutical companies, in which we continue to take all of the appropriate steps that are reasonably expected of a pharmaceutical company. As part of their response to the ruling, Pfizer said it had launched a review into its employees use of social media platforms to ensure compliance with their own rules as well as the regulatory code. Accidental and unintentional It is the sixth time Pfizer has been reprimanded by the regulator over its promotion of the Covid-19 vaccine. One ruling by the watchdog, from November 2022, found that Pfizers chief executive made misleading statements about childrens vaccines. Following a complaint from the campaign group UsForThem, the PMCPA found that Pfizer had misled the public, made unsubstantiated claims and failed to present information in a balanced way. Three of the other Pfizer cases related to LinkedIn posts, one related one was about claims made in a press release and one was about posts on X. For the most recent series of breaches, Pfizer was charged administrative costs of 34,800. Ben Kingsley, the head of legal affairs at UsForThem, said: Its astonishing how many times Pfizers senior executives have been found guilty of serious regulatory offences in this case including the most serious offence of all under the UK Code of Practice. Yet the consequences for Pfizer and the individuals concerned continue to be derisory. This hopeless system of regulation for a multi-billion dollar life and death industry has become a sham, in dire need of reform. Dr Phillips, the UK country medical director for Pfizer, said the social media post was accidental and unintentional adding: That said, we immediately accepted the case ruling and do everything we can to ensure that our employees adhere to our strict social media policy and the industry Code of Practice when using their personal social media. David Watson of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said that the code of practice, which is overseen by the PMCPA, sets high standards for companies that reflect and go beyond UK law. He added that cases that are found to have brought discredit on the industry are advertised in the medical, pharmaceutical, and nursing press. 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. MANILA/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The Philippines and China traded accusations on Saturday over an encounter in disputed waters of the South China Sea, in an escalating row over a key waterway. Manila said two Chinese coast guard vessels "harassed" Filipino fishing vessels within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, while Beijing said its vessels responded appropriately to illegal activities. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China's claims had no legal basis. Beijing and Manila have been playing cat-and-mouse around the uninhabited Second Thomas Shoal in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone when the Philippines deploys resupply missions for Filipino soldiers living aboard an ageing warship deliberately run aground in 1999 to protect Manila's maritime claims. The Philippines will join defence forces of the U.S., Japan and Australia on Sunday in maritime exercises they said aim to support a free and open Indo-Pacific, as China grows more assertive in its maritime claims. The disputed shoal is part of what are known internationally as the Spratly Islands. China's coast guard said on Saturday that a number of ships belonging to the Philippines had "illegally" entered waters near a reef in the Nansha Islands that Beijing has sovereignty over. Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela posted on X that China's vessels "went as far as pretending to man their water cannons and threatening the Filipino fishermen" in the Iroquois reef on Thursday. Chinese coast guard spokesperson Gan Yu said in a statement that its operation was "professional and in accordance with standards". He said the Philippine vessels were government ships using the guise of "fishing protection" to undermine stability in the South China Sea. (Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales in Manila and Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Editing by Sam Holmes and William Mallard) Pickup truck driver causes fatal crash while being pursued by troopers, GSP says A crash on Friday afternoon around 2:57 p.m. had a heavy police response in the Atlanta area after a fatal accident during a chase. According to the Georgia State Patrol, the Atlanta Police Department had asked for assistance stopping a Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck. Officers told GSP troopers that the Ram in question had been involved in an APD pursuit a few days earlier. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] When a trooper went to the area of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive at Fairburn Road, APD officers attempted a traffic stop on the truck, but the driver refused to stop and a pursuit started. APD officers yielded pursuit of the truck to troopers, according to GSP, who became the primary unit on surface city streets ahead of I-285. Troopers said the driver got on the interstate and started driving in a reckless manner before exiting onto GA-166 for Campbellton Road, traveling west. TRENDING STORIES: At the intersection of GA-166 and Barge Road, GSP said the drive disobeyed a red light and drove through, hitting a Dodge Challenger traveling north on Barge Road. The crash caused the Challenger to leave the roadway, where it hit a utility pole and was disabled. GSP said the driver of the Challenger was pronounced dead at the scene. The GSP Troop C Specialized Reconstruction Team is now investigating the crash and charges are pending from the case. The driver of the pickup truck and the driver who died in the Dodge Challenger have not been identified. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: The glut in solar panel supply is now such that European farmers are installing them as fencing Cheap as chips, and almost as plentiful as cell phones. The glut of solar panels piling up at ports and in warehouses is such that farmers in Germany and the Netherlands are reported to be using them for fencing. We may be struggling to meet net zero ambitions for offshore wind but there should surely be no such problem with solar, where the price of the panels has halved over the past year and there is so much supply that weve seemingly run out of places to put them. All good, then. Except in one regard: overwhelmingly, the panels come from China. Either that or the South East Asian offshoots of Chinese producers. We talk blithely about the need to de-risk the economy from overreliance on Chinese supply chains, and yet here we are with accelerated plans to increase solar capacity five-fold to 70 gigawatts (GW) by 2035, or even sooner if Labour gets its way. This cannot realistically be done without Chinese suppliers. Its even worse on the Continent, where the EU plans to install 320GW of new solar capacity by the end of 2025, and almost 600GW by 2030, with around 9bn cubic metres of natural gas consumption displaced by 2027. Todays solar technology originated largely in the US and Germany but, as with much else, they quickly lost the plot. Today, Chinese based producers have a chokehold on supply, with around 90pc of the global market. European and US manufacturers struggle to maintain even their current marginal position. No surprise, then, that the EU should be looking closely at following the US into imposing swingeing import tariffs and anti-dumping penalties. The UK government, on the other hand, imposes no such tariff. But although there appear to be no current plans to do so, Clare Coutinho, the Energy Secretary, has expressed concern that too rapid an energy transition would make the UK unduly reliant on China. Some Tory MPs in the China Research Group have expressed similar concerns. I have to admit to being genuinely torn. Allegations of dumping are quite plainly true. As in many other fields, China has spawned an industry that is far bigger than it needs to satisfy its own domestic demands. The surplus is cynically dumped on international markets at knockdown prices. At the beginning of this year, China had 1,000GW of solar module production capacity a year either up and running or in development, according to the Australian based think tank, Climate Energy Finance. Such is the excess that Chinese producers have had to slam on the brakes, with Longi, one of the biggest, planning to slash its 80,000 workforce by nearly a third this year. Story continues China deliberately set out to take advantage of credulous Western net zero targets by massively supporting its own solar panel producers and, as with so many other industries, it has succeeded. We can only guess at the costs of securing such dominance. There are also questions around alleged use of slave labour from persecuted Uyghur communities. Call it clever industrial strategy if you like, but China has been extraordinarily effective in undermining any number of key manufacturing industries in the West. Solar is just one example of it. In so doing, its planners have unbalanced or otherwise destabilised both their own and many Western economies. The Chinese economy has become too dependent on unsustainable levels of over-investment, while many Western economies particularly the US and the UK have become equally dependent on unsustainable levels of consumption. This great faultline in the global economy remains as unresolved today as ever. On both security and economic grounds, there would therefore seem to be ample grounds for worrying about Chinas dominance in solar panels. If there is to be an economic dividend from the green energy transition, should we not in any case be manufacturing more of the technology that underpins it ourselves? Thats certainly the way the White House looks at it. But when you dont manufacture any solar panels at all, and never have done, and yet your legally binding net zero target requires you to plaster the landscape with them, then they have to be imported from somewhere. And if the Chinese are stupid enough to sell at an uneconomic price, thats their loss and our gain. Much the same point might be made about Chinese EVs. If you are going to force consumers down the path of net zero, then it is incumbent on policymakers to ensure the best possible value for money. Once theyve got us by the short and curlies, it might be argued, they could hugely increase the price, not to mention threaten to interfere with some of our critical infrastructure in the event of a complete breakdown in relations. Yet we think nothing of the hundreds of thousands of Chinese made smartphones we buy each year. Why should solar panels be any different? Once installed, solar panels are likely to be a good sight less open to hostile manipulation than smartphones, which could easily be designed to incorporate sleeping malware. To go green while at one and the same time significantly increasing the costs of doing so by imposing a whacking great tariff on the Chinese, or alternatively buying all our kit much more expensively from Germany and America, makes no sense at all. It may possibly be of some benefit to the sadly depleted remnants of Europes solar panel manufacturing sector to have a high tariff wall, but since we dont actually make any ourselves, theres little if any upside in it for us. If policymakers worry about haemorrhaging the economic benefits of the green transition, it would be better to focus their attention on other parts of the supply chain batteries, inverters, mounting frames, cables, installation, maintenance, and other components of solar energy where local supply is capable of adding value. China has created a major long term headache for itself by attempting to monopolise an industry where painful downsizing will eventually become inevitable once the world has largely transitioned to clean energy. The economic and geopolitical benefits in the meantime of creating such a stranglehold are equally questionable. Ultimately, it is always the creditor that pays the price for any consequent trade imbalance. The debtor invariably finds some way of defaulting. If the Chinese are willing to essentially give away the fruits of their labour, who are we to stand in their way? To those who ask why we should be setting ourselves such exacting net zero targets in the first place, I say only this: the ship has sailed. For the first time last year, more money was invested in solar energy globally than the entire oil industry. The wind of change now blows too powerfully to reverse it. 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. Pilot in fatal Arizona hot air balloon incident was administered ketamine by first responders, amended report says After originally declaring that the pilot in January's fatal hot air balloon crash in Eloy, Arizona, had elevated levels of ketamine in his system, an amended autopsy released Friday said the potent drug had actually been administered as part of life-saving efforts. The autopsy report for Cornelius van der Walt, signed by the Pinal County chief medical examiner, initially noted that ketamine was found in his "cardiac blood." The original report on Monday said that Van der Walt, 37, had not been administered the drug, but that it was in his system at a ratio more than 10 times greater than that found in a small group of impaired drivers whose cases were used to study the drugs effects. It noted that ketamine can cause dissociative hallucination. The drug, which some people use recreationally, is sometimes used on trauma patients by emergency services personnel as a sedative and analgesic. The amended version released Friday said Air Evac Services administered the ketamine "at 9:14 am on the day of the incident." The company provides emergency medical personnel and helicopters to transport critical trauma patients to hospitals. A representative for a parent company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An Eloy Police Department spokesperson said one of its investigators prompted the medical examiners amendment. The Eloy Police Department investigator noticed a potential discrepancy in the report findings and quickly brought that information to their attention, Sgt. Jeremy Sammons said by email. The toxicology test was conducted by NMS Labs of Horsham, Pennsylvania, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Federal Aviation Administration also conducted a conducted a test with a similar finding, according to the autopsy report. The initial version of the report did not state that Van der Walt had abused ketamine and did not say why he had it in his system. It lists his cause of death as multiple blunt force trauma and the manner as an accident. Four people, including Van der Walt, died in the Jan. 14 incident. A fifth person survived. The hot air balloon took flight with 13 occupants. At around 5,000 feet, eight skydivers jumped out of the balloon as planned, the report states. Immediately after the skydiving members of the party had jumped, the balloon was witnessed to partially deflate and begin to lose altitude, dropping to approximately 4,000 ft., where witnesses reported that the craft seemed to regain some control but continued to descend, according to the report. When the hot air balloon was at about 2,000 feet, it was witnessed to begin to free fall straight down at an unknown high rate of speed, eventually striking the ground. Witnesses called 911, the report says. The three other people killed were identified by police as Chayton Wiescholek, 28, of Union City, Michigan; Kaitlynn Bartom, 28, of Andrews, Indiana; and Atahan Kiliccote, 24, of Cupertino, California. The sole survivor suffered brain injury and broken bones but was hospitalized and survived, NBC affiliate KVOA of Tucson reported. The National Transportation Safety Board had said that an unspecified problem with the balloons envelope, the bag that fills with hot air to make the balloon rise, may have led to the crash. The NTSB said in a statement in January that investigators had not found any mechanical anomalies. The crash remains under investigation. The balloon was operated by Droplyne Hot Air Balloon Rides, which Van der Walt founded. Principals at the company did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday and Friday. The Arizona Republic publication said it tried to reach co-owner John Vanca but was told he was traveling. It spoke to his father, Michael Vanca, who described Van der Walt as a "second son." Reaction to the autopsy report's finding of ketamine in the pilot's system and no evidence of its administration by first responders prompted "hate" toward Van der Walt from some, Michael Vanca said, according to the publication. It saddened him, he told the Republic. Droplyne temporarily halted services because of the crash, according to a message on its website. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com PITTSBURG, Kan. A Pittsburg man will not go to prison in connection to a drunk driving hit-and-run. A Crawford County judge, Friday, sentenced Travis Duncan, 40, to two years probation for DUI and fleeing from law enforcement. FOUR STATES CRIME Duncan pleaded no contest to those charges in November. The charges are connected to an incident in February of last year when Duncan hit several vehicles, four fences, a garage and a utility pole while leading police on a chase for three blocks in Pittsburg. The vehicle he was in was also stolen. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. Pittsburgh police find missing out-of-town man last seen at North Shore bar UPDATE: Police say Brandon Shunk has been found safe. Pittsburgh police are asking for help from the public in the search for a missing man whos not from the area. Police say Brandon Shunk, 23, was last seen around 11 p.m. Friday at Tequila Cowboy on the citys North Shore. Shunk was reportedly extremely intoxicated at the time. Shunk is 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes. Shunk was last seen wearing the exact outfit in the photo attached to this article: a Pirates hat, a Penguins jersey and black pants. Anyone with information on where Shunk may be should call police at 412-323-7141 or 911. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: 3rd body recovered from collapse of Baltimores Francis Scott Key Bridge 2 Pennsylvania Lottery Powerball tickets worth $300K sold in local counties Man dies after being shot multiple times near UPMC McKeesport VIDEO: Local dam reopens, releases water after area flooding DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts These plane crash survivors and victims loved ones are becoming scared to fly again after years of travel. Theyre not alone A sickening sense of deja vu flooded over Barb Handley and her siblings as news of the midflight blowout of an Alaska Airlines plug door and the gaping hole it left behind emerged in January. Images of the refrigerator-sized void conjured up heart-wrenching memories of the death of their mother, who in 1989 was among nine passengers blown out of a United Airlines Boeing 747 when its cargo door blew open over the Pacific Ocean, taking with it a large chunk of the cabin wall. It felt like seeing the hole through which I was visualizing my mother being thrown out a plane, Handley said of the Alaska Airlines blowout in January, which happened on a Boeing 737 Max 9. Handley has flown countless times since her mothers death and has never been able to shake her nervousness. But the January blowout and a string of recent mishaps involving Boeing jets has ratcheted her anxieties to new levels. I know my brother and my sisters feel the same way, she said. You wonder, Has there been enough due diligence with this individual plane, with this airline, with this manufacturer? And those feelings are definitely heightened with the Boeing incidents. Though no passengers were killed during the Alaska Airlines incident, experts have said it could have been far more catastrophic. The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board has warned that something like this can happen again. The two seats closest to the door plug were thankfully unoccupied, yet the blowout caused an air pressure loss severe enough to rip a boys shirt off and twist the seats metal frames toward the opening. An early assessment from the NTSB found that Boeing may have left critical bolts off the jet. The blowout is among a handful of harrowing air travel incidents that have contributed to a growing sense of unease among some travelers, including a violent plunge that sent passengers slamming into the ceiling of a Boeing Dreamliner jet last month and a case of severe turbulence that required several people to be taken to the hospital. A parade of less severe mishaps has also captured attention. The Federal Aviation Administration is taking a close look at United Airlines after nearly a dozen incidents so far this year all on Boeing jets including a missing external panel, flames shooting from an engine after takeoff and a wheel popping off. Crash victim Mary Handley stands (center, in pink) with her children Alice Early, Barb Handley Miller, Pat Gabrielse, Dan Handley, Beth Handley McMall and Kathleen Handley Salemi in 1983. - Courtesy Barb Handley Miller The string of incidents has led sisters Cara and Erin Ashcraft, who survived a fatal 1999 plane crash, to seriously second-guess air travel for the first time in years. We have both flown many times since the crash, but for the first time in my life, Im actually afraid I could be in another crash again, Cara said in response to CNNs call for readers input on air travel. The sisters were 10 and 13 years old when their plane overran a runway and crashed in Little Rock, Arkansas, killing 11 people and seriously injuring most other passengers. Both sisters recovered from serious burns from a fire that erupted during the crash and vowed not to let the terrifying incident prevent them from traveling. Really, the only reason were able to get on the flight is because we trust the thousands of people involved from the beginning from funding and designing the plane to building it and operating it. We expect that theyve done their jobs and that theyre putting safety first, Cara Ashcraft told CNN. After seeing the slew of aircraft issues and increased federal oversight, she said, That trust gets damaged. Erosion of public trust More than 100 people responded to CNNs call for reader input, and many of them detailed their burgeoning unease with air travel during the recent spate of incidents. Many said they have begun to avoid flying Boeing aircraft, in some cases rethinking their long-held loyalties to airlines with Boeing-heavy fleets. Several said they now avoid sitting in coveted window and exit row seats out of concern for another incident like the Alaska Airlines blowout. And some expressed frustration that easing their concerns sometimes requires purchasing more costly tickets or avoiding travel altogether. Others, however, said they are still confident in flight safety, pointing out that commercial air travel remains one of the safest modes of transportation. Cara and Erin Ashcraft survived the crash of American Airlines Flight 1420, operated on a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, during a landing at Little Rock National Airport on June 1, 1999. The captain and 10 passengers were killed. - Andy Scott/Dallas Morning News/AP The last major fatal commercial plane accident in the United States was in 2009, and between 2010 and 2022, there have been only five commercial flight accident deaths. Last year, international commercial aviation boasted a record low fatality risk, with a person needing to travel by air every day for 103,239 years on average to experience a fatal accident, according to the International Air Transport Associations annual safety report. But even as the risk of a commercial plane crash is low, the Ashcraft sisters and other readers expressed concern that other in-air events such as severe turbulence could be traumatizing and have already begun to chip away at their trust in air travel safety. Im not saying that people should never fly again or I wont ever fly again, Erin Ashcraft said. But I think that the erosion of public trust is a huge issue. Ive never had concerns before. This is new Trey Smith has long relied on United Airlines for his monthly work trips out of Virginia, often catching up on sleep while in the air. But the series of incidents on United aircraft in recent months has made him increasingly restless on flights and led him to reconsider his preferred airline. Ive never had concerns (about air travel safety) before. This is new, Smith told CNN. During recent flights, Smith said he has begun to use Uniteds flight-tracking app to monitor the aircrafts path and altitude for any sign of a disturbance. He has also been delaying planning a trip with his wife and four daughters because hes nervous about bringing his children on a plane. Traveling was fun once upon a time, but now its more its more scary and worrisome, he said. Im not gonna lie, I pray more now before we take off and before we land. Smith believes airlines should disclose an aircrafts maintenance and inspection records to travelers so they can make an educated decision about their flight and the aircraft. This is the hole left behind when the plug door of an Alaska Airlines flight blew off midflight on January 5, 2024. - NTSB/Handout via Reuters United has made efforts to reassure passengers such as Smith after the incidents on its Boeing jets, which made up about 80% of the airlines mainline operation fleet as of the end of last year. United CEO Scott Kirby said in a message to customers last month that the incidents have our attention and have sharpened our focus and that safety is at the center of everything that we do. Soon after, in a memo announcing the FAAs increased attention on the airlines safety procedures, United told its employees, The number of safety-related events in recent weeks have rightfully caused us to pause and evaluate whether there is anything we can and should do differently. A mother who feels powerless trying to avoid Boeing Aubrey, a mother who lives in Los Angeles with her husband and 5-year-old daughter, recognizes that air travel is still generally safe but doesnt feel confident bringing her daughter on Boeing aircraft given years of troubling incidents, particularly on the 737 Max, which has seen two fatal crashes outside the United States since 2018. But she said she has begun to feel powerless as she plans a family trip to see loved ones on the East Coast and has struggled to find a flight on non-Boeing aircraft that fits her familys schedule and isnt exorbitantly expensive. Even if she does find a flight on an Airbus, the airline could change the aircraft model before the flight. In that case, she said, Airlines make it so difficult and costly to change a flight that I feel wed have no choice but to go ahead with the trip if our plane got changed to a Max at the last minute. You want to be able to make a statement as a consumer that you dont want to use a certain product, and its frustrating when you feel like you cant avoid it, said Aubrey, who asked that her last name be omitted because of privacy concerns. Though a crash is unlikely, she is concerned for her daughters safety if there is a severe turbulence event such as those that have left passengers injured on flights operated by Southwest, Delta Air Lines and Hawaiian Airlines, among others. I hate that Im now having to consider what type of plane it is. And Im very resentful that I dont feel that Boeing has shown proper remorse for the accidents. I dont trust that theyre actually taking the steps necessary to make this safer. So really, how safe is it to fly? Though flying is far safer than other modes of travel, aviation experts have mixed opinions on whether consumers have reason to be concerned. If you look at the numbers, youre more at risk to have an accident driving to the airport than you are flying at 38,000 feet. I tell people, if you make it to your flight, the most hazardous part of your day is actually behind you, Anthony Brickhouse, a professor of aviation safety at Floridas Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, told CNN last month. Passengers, he added, should focus less on the aircraft theyre boarding and more on making sure they comply with safety procedures on board. The Alaska Airlines Max 9 blowout is being investigated by the US Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, Brickhouse noted. The fact that the aircraft is back in the air means they have completed whatever inspections were necessary to ensure it is as safe as possible, he said. Despite the statistics, Ed Pierson, the director of the Foundation for Aviation Safety and a harsh critic of Boeing, told CNN previously that he wont fly on the Boeing 737 Max out of concern over the aircraft manufacturers quality control standards. However, other aircraft even older Boeing models arent off limits. Taking the Max out of the equation, (flying has) been proven to be pretty darn safe, he said last month. Pierson is wary of attitudes around the apparent safety of American air travel, he said. Such thinking may prevent necessary improvements from being made. Theres a sense of overconfidence, he said. The gold standard is melting down, because we continue to try to downplay everything and talk about how safe the system is. Thats not the right mindset. Thats the mindset that gets people killed. Even as the US commercial aviation industry has gone more than a decade without a major fatal crash, there have been narrowly averted disasters on the ground. In July 2017, an Air Canada jet piloted by a captain who had been awake for more than 19 hours nearly landed on a taxiway at San Francisco International Airport where three wide-body jets filled with passengers were waiting to take off. The NTSB later said more than 1,000 people on the four planes might have died had the plane not diverted at the last moment. Though Brickhouse is fairly confident in the aviation systems safety, he didnt dismiss those who are fearful or who might want to avoid aircraft such as the 737 Max, noting he has his own concerns about things such as the number of narrowly avoided accidents at the nations airports. I dont believe in luck, but we are fortunate that these incidents did not turn into disasters, he said. When you have a trend that keeps occurring, you need to focus on fixing it. CNNs Chris Isidore and Jacopo Prisco contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A man accused of taking an American flag from the Disabled American Veterans Titusville is in custody, the Titusville Police Department said. Jonathan Wayne Smyth, 42, faces multiple charges, including mischief and burglary. On Thursday, Titusville police officers were called to the veterans facility on North Singleton Avenue for a flag theft and vandalism. Surveillance camera footage from the Titusville DAV chapter shows the man cutting the rope and walking away with the flag. Read: Mount Dora veteran exposed to toxic chemicals in Guam fighting for VA compensation Titusville police said an outdoor grill was also damaged in the incident. Investigators said initial evidence showed the suspect went to the DAV property after hours. We got great pictures and put it up on Facebook, said Commander John Dunn with the DAV Titusville chapter. And within an hour, we had six different people tell us what his name was. Read: Teen airlifted to hospital after stabbing, police say Police were able to find Smyth on Friday. He was booked into the Brevard County Jail and is held without bond. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Salem Police closed Wallace Marine Park on Thursday morning after one man was killed and another was wounded in a shooting at what police describe as a "homeless camp." A 23-year-old Salem man was arrested Friday afternoon by Salem Police on charges including murder and kidnapping in Thursdays shooting at Wallace Marine Park that left one person dead and another injured. Police say they arrested the man after a SWAT team served a search warrant at a property on the 4800 block of Northstar Court in east Salem and arrested him without incident. Officers responded just after 3 a.m. Thursday to calls of shots fired in the north area of Wallace Marine Park. An initial investigation by police indicates a dispute over property at a homeless campsite led to the shooting. During an argument, the man fired a gun, which police said killed 29-year-old Charley Allen Hodges and injured a 25-year-old man. Police said the man would be detained in the Polk County Jail on charges including murder, attempted murder, kidnapping and unlawful use of a weapon. The man was listed on the Polk County Jail roster as of Friday evening but he has not yet been arraigned. The homeless encampments are tucked behind Wallace Marine Park, north of the softball fields, in the underbrush along the Willamette River. One of the victims was found along a pathway toward the river, according to police reporting to dispatch. The park was closed for much of Thursday because of the shooting investigation. Law enforcement knows the area to be a hub for drug and criminal activity. One Salem Police detective told the Statesman Journal in 2023 the homeless encampments at Wallace Marine are one of the worst areas for substance abuse in the county. Some encampments were set to be cleared this week, according to a city press release. Bill Poehler covers Marion and Polk County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem Police arrest suspect in Wallace Marine Park shooting Police sergeants are earning up to 150pc extra in overtime pay each year despite solving a lower proportion of crimes. The overtime bill has soared by 100m in the past two years, with police forces spending more than 1bn on extra hours since 2020. Last year alone accounted for 412m, while between 2020 and 2021, the total spend was 311m. The basic pay for a sergeant varies from 49,077 to 51,498, depending on experience. Taking an assumed average salary of 50,000, this means some are being paid 146pc more than their average salary in overtime pay. One sergeant in the Metropolitan Police took home 73,341 last year on top of their basic salary which begins at 49,077. This means they earned at least 122,418, putting them in the top 2pc of earners. In the same period, just 5.7pc of crimes were solved in England and Wales, according to Home Office data nearly a third of the rate of 15.5pc recorded in 2014/15 when records began. Analysis by The Telegraph in March found police have failed to solve a single burglary in nearly half of all neighbourhoods in England and Wales in the past three years. This is despite all 43 police chiefs in England and Wales committing to a landmark promise in October 2022 to attend every break-in. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police defended the spending, arguing the can-do attitude and willingness to go beyond their normal shifts to police London no matter what demonstrates their dedication to protecting the public. They added that policing the capital comes with unique circumstances and it has to regularly deal with major events, demonstrations and incidents. The cost of policing protests including many weeks of Just Stop Oil and the large demonstrations related to the conflict between Israel and Hamas is already well-known, they said. While the freedom of information figures do not cover the period of Palestine protests, the Metropolitan Police separately told The Telegraph that 18.9bn was spent managing Israel-Hamas protests in the three months to December 17 2023. In February policing minister Chris Philp warned protesters could be required to give two weeks notice to police to ease the pressures on resources. In total, overtime spending reached more than 1.07bn across the 34 police forces that responded to freedom of information requests submitted by the TaxPayers Alliance campaign group and shared with The Telegraph. The investigation found the Metropolitan Police recorded the highest overall spending, paying officers 435,325,467 in the space of three years. This was followed by Police Scotland who spent 73,559,059 in the time period, West Midlands Police who spent 49,775,599 and West Yorkshire Police who spent 44,788,512. It isnt just the Met who have paid individual staff highly lucrative amounts in overtime. In 2020/21, a sergeant in Greater Manchester Police earned 60,634 on top of their basic salary. Conservative candidate Susan Hall says she will recruit more police officers if she becomes London mayor - JULIAN SIMMONDS Susan Hall, the Conservative candidate for the upcoming London mayoral election, criticised the spending and pointed out that Sadiq Khan, who oversees the Metropolitan Police, was the only police and crime commissioner not to meet their recruitment target. The Met was tasked with hiring 4,557 new officers after the Conservatives pledged 20,000 new officers by March 2023 in their 2019 manifesto. It fell approximately 1,000 officers short and was forced to send funding back to the Government as a result. Ms Hall said: Sadiq Khan has let London down, and his negligence in the job has impacted our police force. He isnt listening to Londoners. If he was, he wouldnt have been the only person responsible for the police to have failed to meet his recruitment target, which has forced our hard-working police officers to take excessive and expensive overtime. I am listening to Londoners, and as mayor, I will recruit more police officers, putting them back where theyre needed by bringing back borough-based policing. Joanna Marchong, investigations campaign manager at the TaxPayers Alliance, said: Extra hours are draining budgets, yet crimes are going unsolved and victims are going unheard. Taxpayers will be wondering what expensive police overtime is actually delivering. However, former chief constable of Gloucestershire police, Dr Timothy Brain, said while 73,000 represented an extraordinary amount of money, it was too simplistic to say this overtime could instead have been spent on the salaries of two constables. Two junior officers dont equal a sergeant, they dont do the same job, they are chalk and cheese those jobs, he said. When you see them on the television, they seem to do the same job but in reality your sergeant is a frontline supervisor whose job it is to make sure 16-17 officers under his or her command are doing their job properly. He argued rather than reducing overtime spending, adding 20,000 new police officers was in fact part of the reason the overtime bill has ballooned. If you have got more officers out there, they are doing more work, its an obvious thing to say, but youve got more opportunities for incurring overtime because they are doing more work. Equally you have a higher percentage of inexperienced officers so they are not immediately available for operational duty because they are still under training and when they are available they are not at their peak efficiency because they are relatively inexperienced. And while new inexperienced officers may be joining, policing has the highest proportion of early retirees of any profession according to data from the Office for National Statistics. A fifth of all senior police officers aged between 50 and 54 retired in 2021. Dr Brain said: People are leaving early, they are not staying for their full careers and I think a factor of that is pressure of work. So whilst some people might turn around and say gosh Im earning time and a half [for overtime], you might also be saying Im also exhausted and I cant cope with this any longer. A spokesman for the National Police Chiefs Council said: Policing is a job like no other and carries significant responsibility to keep the public safe. The majority of overtime cost comes from frontline policing, and officers are often required to work overtime to police large-scale operations, such as events and protests, but can also be required to stay on at the end of a shift to make sure an incident has been dealt with properly. Forces will plan as far in advance as possible to make sure that the right resources are put in place according to demand. However, with finite resources and the unpredictable nature of policing, this means that overtime is sometimes necessary to ensure that adequate protection is in place to keep the public safe. The criminal justice system is under significant pressure and crime continues to evolve in complexity and severity. We are working closely with partner agencies to overcome these challenges and help the charge rate increase. We are looking to harness new technology, build case files to a consistently high standard pre-charge and streamline our charging processes. We are firm in our commitment to provide the service the public rightly expects. 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. Bernie Sanders's Vermont office was the target of an arson attack, and police are asking the public to help identify the suspect. On Friday, April 5, a fire engulfed Independent Senator Bernie Sanders's office in Vermont. Mr. Sanders was not at the office at the time of the incident as he was in Los Angeles. Bernie Sanders's Office Engulfed In Significant Fire MEGA Around 10:45 a.m., the fire department responded to a call at the location of Mr. Sanders's office. Burlington police say 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." According to authorities, the sprinkler system set off and helped to extinguish the fire. Luckily, there were no injuries and it doesn't seem to have any major damage. The door was moderately damaged, and large parts of the building suffered water damage, but otherwise, it seems everything else is salvageable. As the investigation remains open, initial thoughts are that the fire started outside the office, believing a man sprayed a possible accelerant on the door of the office and then set it on fire before seeing the scene. A motive is unclear. Police Are Looking To Identify Suspect This guy is suspected of setting fire to Bernie Sander's Vermont office yesterday. Another example of stochastic terror, no doubt. Let's help identify him and shut these bastards down. Police searching for suspect in fire at Bernie Sanders officehttps://t.co/67ggTROKRg pic.twitter.com/A4mlg75VVg Geoff ?????? (@GeoffBrown82) April 6, 2024 Investigators with the Vermont State Police determined that the fire was an act of arson. Police released the above photo, asking the public to help identify this man, who is believed to have been the individual who started the fire at Mr. Sanders's office. He is seen wearing a rust-colored beanie, a black pullover crew neck, and white Nike sneakers, and is carrying a bag. It should be noted that he may have changed clothes by now and could have ditched the bag. It is unclear what was in the bag. It is also unclear how tall the suspect is. Kathryn Van Haste Releases Statement After Bernie Sanders Arson Attack MEGA Kathryn Van Haste, the Vermont state director for Senator Sanders, released a statement. We are grateful to the Burlington Fire and Police Departments who responded immediately today to a fire incident that took place in our office building," she said, per the New York Times. We are relieved that no one on our staff and, to our understanding, no one in the building was harmed. A motive for the fire is unclear. United States Capitol Police Threat Assessment Cases Climb MEGA The latest attack comes after police revealed they have investigated more than 8,000 cases relating to the United States Capitol Police (USCP) threat assessment cases, including cases involving "concerning statements and direct threats," according to a January release. This is about 500 more than the previous year. I am proud of our agents who are working around the clock and across the nation to keep up with a significant caseload to protect the Members of Congress and the Capitol Complex, U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said per the press release. We continue to improve and enhance our investigative and protective responsibilities by focusing on security both here on Capitol Hill and in Members home districts. Police Expect 2024 To Be A "Busy Year" On Capitol Hill MEGA With the political conventions, Member campaigns, and many issues being debated on Capitol Hill, this is going to be a very busy year for our special agents, USCP Assistant Chief of Protective and Intelligence Operations Ashan M. Benedict added. Our team is dedicated to putting all of our resources into protecting the Congress while we continue to grow in order to keep up with our expanding mission. Sanders, 82, is in his third term as senator. At this time, there are no further details relating to the fire at Mr. Sanders's office, but the Burlington Fire Marshals office, Burlington Police Department, and Vermont State Police are conducting a joint investigation. The Blast has reached out to the office of Bernie Sanders for comment. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Burlington Police Department at (802) 865-7000 or the Vermont State Police Department at 802-244-8727. Police search for suspect in shooting death of 18-year-old DENVER (KDVR) Police in Littleton asked for the publics help in identifying a vehicle possibly connected to the death of an 18-year-old who was shot on Thursday and later succumbed to his injuries. Littleton police said officers responded to a shots fired call in the 200 block of West Powers Place at 8:17 p.m. Thursday. An 18-year-old man, identified as David Moore, was found suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Vehicle possibly connected to a deadly shooting in littleton He was taken to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries. Police were looking for a vehicle described as a 2009-2014 dark-colored Acura TL sedan possibly connected to the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces scrambled both its own and allied aircraft because of Russia's missile strike on Ukrainian territory on the night of 5-6 April. Source: Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces on X (Twitter) Details: The Polish military warned citizens that flying aircraft may cause noise in the southeastern part of the country. Quote: "Intense activity of the long-range aircraft of the Russian Federation has been observed tonight, related to the launch of missile strikes on facilities located on the territory of Ukraine. All necessary procedures have been initiated to ensure the safety of Polish airspace." Support UP or become our patron! Nvidia, now one of the worlds most valuable companies with a $2.2 trillion market cap, was formed in an unexpected place. Exactly 31 years ago today, Jensen Huang, Chris Malachowsky, and Curtis Priem met at a Dennys restaurant, where Huang had once worked as a dishwasher and busboy. While Huang has been the face of the worlds premiere advanced chip manufacturer, the companys other two cofounders still played an important role in Nvidias success. Priem served as the chief technical officer for a decade before retiring in 2003and he couldve been the 16th-richest person in the U.S. if he hadnt sold most of his shares in Nvidia after it went public in 1999. Indeed, if Priem had held on to all of his shares, hed be worth $70 billion, according to a Forbes report, but hes only worth an estimated $30 million as of November 2023. Priem is the forgotten cofounder of Nvidia mostly due to his early retirement, stock sellout, and move off the gridbut he is a remarkable inventor with almost 200 U.S. and international patents as well as a philanthropist who has donated hundreds of millions of his fortune to causes he cares about. How did Priem get involved with Nvidia? Priem got his start in electrical engineering at IBM and Sun Microsystems, where the programming language Java was invented. Both Priem and Malachowsky were working at Sun Microsystems when they met with Huang at what was one of Dennys most popular locations in Northern California to discuss creating a chip that would enable realistic 3D graphics on personal computers, according to an Nvidia blog post. Chris and Curtis said one day theyd like to leave [Sun Microsystems], and theyd like me to go figure out what theyre going to leave for, Huang said during a recent interview with Stanford Graduate School of Business. They insisted I figure out with them how to build a company. Early on, Priem architected the blueprint that allows engineers to design algorithms for Nvidias chips, according to Forbes. These chips now power a slew of technology including AI systems and video game graphics. Because Priem was very much the technical lead behind Nvidias original chip designs, its no surprise that he stayed in the shadows as the company grew in popularityand market value. There was a saying at Nvidia to never put Curtis in front of a camera, and never put Curtis in front of a customer, Priem told Forbes. Why did Priem abandon Nvidia? By 1999, Nvidia went public with a $1.1 billion market cap, and just months later he established the Priem Family Foundation. Priem put more than three-quarters of his 12.8% (at IPO) Nvidia stake in the foundation. In todays share count, that wouldve been about 100 million shares. Nvidia declined a Fortune request for comment on Priems involvement with the company and why he sold off his shares and retired. Story continues By 2006, Priem had sold all of his shares in Nvidia and gone off the grid, moving to a $6 million home in Fremont, Calif., according to Forbes. Now hes just focused on writing manifestos on solving problems such as repairing the earth, although none have been published anywhere. Because Priem has essentially run out of money from selling all of his Nvidia shares and going off the grid, his foundation, which once donated to causes including the Nature Conservancy, holds about $160 million in assets and is set to shutter by 2031, according to Forbes. But a massive share of his wealth went to his alma mater, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he has donated $275 million since 2001, which accounts for 40% of RPIs total gifts during that time period. RPI didnt respond to requests for comment from Fortune regarding Priems donations, which have gone to projects at the school including a new concert hall. Although Priems continued involvement with RPI became his purpose and my sanity, he still has regrets about selling his Nvidia stock. I did a little crazy thing, Priem told Forbes. And I wish I'd kept a little bit more. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Polish protesters start to partially let lorries through at Hrebenne-Rava-Ruska checkpoint Polish protesters have partially resumed allowing lorries to enter Poland at the Rava-Ruska-Hrebenne checkpoint. Source: State Border Guard Service press service; European Pravda Details: "Our Polish counterparts stated that farmers who are restricting traffic during the protest will allow 15 empty lorries to enter Poland every day," the State Border Guard Service said. They did not specify how long such conditions may remain in place. Background: On 2 April, Polish protesters resumed blocking lorry traffic at the Uhryniv-Dohobyczow checkpoint, which had been operating normally for several days. In the last days of March, the government admitted that it did not know how to unblock the border with Poland, and there was practically no dialogue. Support UP or become our patron! KOSTIANTYNIVKA, UkraineIn a large bedroom in eastern Ukraine, a woman in her eighties wearing a fluffy pink bathrobe hunches over a table by her bed. The room is filled with icons of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, and Saint Nicholas, figures she believes protect her against evil curses and the dangers of the war. The woman fixes her stare at the table, which she has filled with playing cards, ranging from the ten of clubs to the queen of hearts. She looks at me and says, You need to leave Ukraine. You are in danger if you stay. Anastasia says she is psychic and has made a living off of her abilities, which play a crucial role in the lives of her clients. Two years of Russian aggression have left some of them eager for answers to their everyday problems, like love and wealth, but they also ask if there is a reason they should leave their homes, like a looming occupation or if they will become a direct casualty of the war. Turning to the Mystic Belief in magic was prevalent in this region long before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but since the conflict began, psychics and witches have become even more popular. People turned to YouTube, Instagram, and Telegram channels to follow supposed psychics who predict how the war will unfold, where its dangers lie, and how long it will continue. Some of these social media accounts have attracted tens of thousands of followers who read the general predictions for free, or pay for a personal reading of their lives. One Telegram channel called Ukrainian Combat Witch has more than 34,000 subscribers, and its description reads, Predictions about war that used to be called Prophecy. The channel, run by a woman named Anna, claims to be able to predict when there will be air raid alarms, missile attacks, and when occupied areas will be liberated. One recent post claimed that the Donetsk region will gradually be liberated but at a great cost. The Daily Beast contacted Anna on her Telegram account, but she declined to be interviewed. On YouTube, a young woman with more than 160,000 followers reads tarot cards about the war. In a video from February, the woman told the people who tuned into her livestream that Ukrainians are experiencing mass exhaustion from the war. She predicted that there would be more electricity outages in the country and more attacks from inside Russia, adding, There is a danger for Russians here, as she looked at the cards. Anastasia in her bedroom in eastern Ukraine. Anna Conkling/The Daily Beast Anastasia too claims to be able to predict future events that will occur in Ukraine, and told me that the war will end in the next six months. She refused to elaborate on how that will happen or who will win. In Kostiantynivka, Anastasia is known throughout the city for her powers. She claims to read the future with a deck of playing cards, spreading good news and dangerous omens to those who pay for her readings. Anastasia claims to have been a psychic since childhood and says her mother was one before her, adding that her adult son could be too, but he turns away from his powers. Anastasia has clients from throughout Ukraine who come to visit her and some from European Union countries like Germany, who call her and ask questions as she pulls cards. I do not need any questions. As I see everything in the cards, I can tell everything myself and give a piece of advice to the person, she said. While mostly women come to visit Anastasia, she said that recently, some men have too. If a man is going to the army, I can tell him to be brave, and I can comfort him that he will come back alive and safe, she said, but only if the cards show that. Once, the psychic claims she had a dream where an entity told her that she is allowed to foresee the future with the help of her playing cards. Standing in the back of the room as I speak to Anastasia is her neighbor, a woman named Galina Tretiak who lives with her two sons and children just across the street from the psychics house. Galina has been visiting Anastasia for 15 years and has asked questions on subjects ranging from her business to her family. She says that everything Anastasia has said came true, but not in the way Galina thought it would. It comes true in different times, sometimes next day, sometimes next month or year, she said. I ask her once a month if we need to leave [Kostiantynivka]. Is there any danger? Galina said, while the sounds of explosions were heard in the distance. She said its OK to stay at home, and [the war] will finish soon, she added. A History of Magic Eastern European countries have a long history of healers, witchcraft, and clairvoyance. In Ukraine, the first record of pagan fortune tellers dates back to medieval Kyiv, from 912 to 1024. Christine Worobec, a historian and co-author of the book Witchcraft in Russia and Ukraine 1000-1900, said that at the time, there was reference to devil worship and magicians, in both countries. These people who claimed to have magical powers had a checkered history in Ukraine. At times the magical practices were often tied to Orthodox Christianity and were seen as a benefit to their town, where they could help locate lost people in forests or pray over sick bodies to heal them. At other times, the practitioners were deemed satan worshippers, beaten or burned at the stake, as they were believed to be the cause of death and destruction of crops in their villages. During the Soviet era, Worobec said that the practice of witchcraft was forced underground, so it could survive unmolested by the Communist Party. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, parts of Ukraine and Russia saw a resurgence in spiritual practices, said Worobec. People claiming to possess supernatural abilities were once more sought after, often finding an answer when logic and reason failed. Worobec said that after 1991, people began to turn back to their history of working with faith healers, sorcerers, and psychics in Ukraine, saying, Mothers and grandmothers had kept folk medicine alive in some of their daily practices. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increased interest in magical abilities throughout Eastern Europe where tarot cards, psychic readings, and beliefs in the mystics have become more common, Worobec said. As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, people have been even more keen to seek answers. People are starting to get really discouraged, Worobec said. In this awful time of this brutal war, [there is] no sense of controlwho goes missing, who gets raped, who gets tortured? Im not surprised Ukrainians are turning to other sources of help. The Donbas Psychic Religious paintings in Anastasias home in eastern Ukraine. Anna Conkling/The Daily Beast Back in her home, Anastasia insisted on asking questions about my personal life and my translators. She told me that I needed to leave Ukraine for six months, until after the war supposedly ends, and that I was in danger and could be harmed if I stayed. She said that I should go home, to New York City, and wait for the war to end, then I could move to Ukraine permanently if I wanted to. If I see a danger, I have to warn the person, and if the person believes me and behaves carefully, I may save this person, she said as she shuffled the cards. She claims that she never tells people they could die, believing that if she does, it could come true. As we spoke, Anastasia also tried to peer into the love life of my translator, Sergey, saying that there was a Diamond queen in his life, and that he should stay away from her. Before leaving her home, Anastasia insisted that I face a painting of Saint Nicholas, the performer of miracles, above her bed, saying a prayer and that he would protect me. Save Anna from bombing, shelling, and all misfortunes, she said as she mimed the cross before me. I asked Worobec whether there was any evidence that these psychics had real powers. She said that it does not matter what the people documenting Eastern European spiritual culture believe, it is more important what the community believes: We have to be able to see the world through their eyes. I think somebody who has a reputation that is that long is more trustworthy. If she commands respect, I think thats different from somebody on a video. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics teams latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill. In todays edition, chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell examines whether this week marked a tipping point for President Joe Biden's approach to Israel. Plus, senior national political reporter Jonathan Allen looks ahead to Donald Trump's potential statement on abortion next week. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. Is this a tipping point for Bidens Israel policy? By Andrea Mitchell Did it take the death of seven World Central Kitchen workers to get President Joe Biden to shift his policy toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus conduct of the war in Gaza? Until now, according to senior administration officials, Biden has been one of the last holdouts of his national security team on taking a harder line as the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has deepened, even though his reluctance to do so seemed intractable to allied world leaders and even some of his own advisers. Do you have a news tip? Let us know The presidents call with Netanyahu on Thursday and a virtual meeting of their advisers on Israels plan to invade Rafah appear to have been a turning point. Secretary of State Antony Blinken who was on the call broke precedent by going on camera soon afterward to cite specific steps Biden wanted Israel to take, including opening the critical Erez land crossing into North Gaza and the port of Ashdod for aid deliveries. Blinken had been pressing for both during multiple trips to Israel and said Friday, U.S. policy on Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these steps. Now the questions will be whether the president agrees to place conditions on military aid to his longtime ally. Several sources tell NBC News that options are being considered. The first trigger point could be if Israel does not follow through on its commitment to the Biden administration to open an additional land crossing into Gaza. The next could be if Israel decides to launch a larger-scale invasion of Rafah, ignoring Bidens objections. Also looming is a May 8 deadline when the Biden administration will have to provide an assessment to Congress on whether all countries, including Israel, are using U.S. weapons in compliance with international and U.S. human rights laws. In February, Biden also ordered the State Department to assess whether Israels assurances are credible and report to Congress. Pressure is mounting in Congress to do exactly that put conditions on military aid to Israel, as even more 2,000-pound bombs already in the pipeline were approved, such as the one Israel used against the Jabalia refugee camp in North Gaza on Oct. 31. Israel said they were targeting one Hamas terrorist in a tunnel under the camp, although Hamas denied it. Images from the devastated camp enraged much of Europe and the Middle East, igniting anger at the Netanyahu government only three weeks after the Hamas massacre. Its another turning point in a war that Hamas ignited six months ago this weekend. Trump says hell take a position on abortion soon. History and politics say dont bet on it. By Jonathan Allen Trump told NBCs Gabe Gutierrez on Tuesday that he would make a statement about his position on abortion next week. If he does, it is likely to raise more questions and political problems than it resolves. Trump managed to win the Republican nomination this year without clarifying his stance in the primaries, entirely side-stepping an issue that has given the GOP more conniptions and electoral losses than any other since he left the White House. At times, Trump proclaims that he killed abortion protections. At others, he insists Republicans have hurt themselves by placing restrictions on the procedure. Over a broader sweep of time, he has declared himself very pro-choice and said that women should be punished for having abortions. In other words, hes given little reason for anyone to think he has any hard-wired beliefs on the issue. Which is ironic, because the Supreme Court he stocked with appointees overturned Roe v. Wade and paved the way for abortion bans across the country delivering the No. 1 goal for social conservatives and setting off a backlash that reverberates every time an unwanted or dangerous pregnancy is forced to term. But if not for Trumps Supreme Court picks, Florida wouldnt have been able to enact a ban after six weeks of pregnancy a period during which many women do not yet know they are pregnant. There is little reason to think that whatever Trump says in the coming days if, he in fact says anything of substance will clarify a concrete position. Its hard to see how he would gain electorally from trying to mediate between warring factions of his own party. Moreover, he cant expect that such a stand would soften opposition from critics. Given his role in overturning Roe, Democrats will pin the most restrictive policies on him anyway. In recent months, Trump has voiced his view that there is a consensus forming around a 15- or 16-week national ban that includes exceptions in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is endangered. But his aides hint that he may choose to say that the decision should be left to voters in the states, buying him more time to avoid articulating policy. That would have the benefit of being consistent with the courts Dobbs decision the ruling that created the flood of abortion restrictions and political peril for the GOP. It would also allow him to evade embracing a national abortion ban that has a climb as steep as Capitol Hill. To enact that ban, he would need Republicans not only to gain control of both chambers of Congress, but to do so by much larger margins than the rosiest GOP projections foresee. Pushing the ban could make it harder for Republicans to win the House and Senate seats they would need to make it law. And even if he won the presidency and the GOP won both chambers, and Republicans could agree to one position, a 15- or 16-week ban could not survive a Democratic filibuster in the Senate. With all of that in mind, it would be surprising if Trump locks himself into any solid position on abortion before Novembers election. Thats all from The Politics Desk for now. If you have feedback likes or dislikes email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com And if youre a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Every member of Congress knows that their five minutes of speaking time at committee hearings are an opportunity to make a memorable C-SPAN clip, but few have exploited the medium like Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.). At House Oversight Committee meetings, the freshman congressman has ignored the custom of posing questions to witnesses and gone straight after the committees chair, James Comer, mocking the Kentucky Republicans efforts to impeach President Joe Biden. There is no protocol or procedure on what you have to do in your five minutes, Moskowitz told HuffPost. You dont have to ask questions. By the way, you dont even have to talk on topic. In November, under attack from Moskowitz, Comer lost his cool, accusing the Democrat of spreading bullshit and looking like a Smurf. Gargamel was angry today, Moskowitz said on social media afterward, referring to the fictional sworn enemy of the cartoon Smurfs. The exchange was a notable example of what one Republican described as failure theater in the impeachment project, which has been doomed from the start thanks to the leftover material Republicans have been working with. Their most corroborating new evidence, for an already-debunked theory about Bidens corruption, has turned out to have been made up. Moskowitz, a 43-year-old who wears sneakers with his suits, has been one of the most visible Democrats on the committee, along with fellow first-year Reps. Jasmine Crockett (Texas), Daniel Goldman (N.Y.) and Robert Garcia (Calif.). The committees most senior Democrat, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, said Moskowitz has mastered not only parliamentary rules but the fine art of debunking Russian propaganda while getting under Chairman Comers skin. A spokesperson for Comer declined to comment. If Reps. Raskin and Moskowitz are proud of his immature behavior, then that says a lot about their level of seriousness, said a GOP aide who was granted anonymity to be able to speak candidly. House Oversight Committee members, from left, Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) and Jason Smith (R-Mo.) attend a March 20 hearing titled "Influence Peddling: Examining Joe Biden's Abuse of Public Office." Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images Moskowotz has a curious political origin story. He first performed on the national stage back when he worked for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, as director of the states emergency management department. In March 2020, Moskowitz launched a public relations attack against the multinational conglomerate 3M because it was selling protective masks to overseas buyers instead of to the Florida government as the COVID-19 pandemic spread. Hi @3M. Im your new Troll, Moskowitz said on Twitter. Please send us N95 masks directly to our hospitals, first responders and the state. The callout came in those bewildering early days of the pandemic, when people were hunkering down and hoarding supplies and policymakers collaborated on the government response. Moskowitzs effort to secure masks for his people earned him a star turn on Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonight. The idea that an American company is selling masks away from our hospitals, away from our doctors, away from the real heroes on the front lines is something that will long be investigated after this, Moskowitz told Carlson, blasting 3M for having made a globalist decision and not put America first. Moskowitz grew up in Florida and attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the site of a horrific mass shooting on Feb. 14, 2018. As a member of the Florida Legislature at the time of the school massacre, Moskowitz helped draft a landmark gun control law setting up a red flag system and raising the states gun-buying age to 21. Working on the bill taught Moskowitz how to communicate in public and work with Republicans, he said, and the following year, DeSantis appointed him to run the states emergency management division. When he was offered the position, Moskowitz said, I took it because I had dealt with the nations largest mass shooting at a high school in American history, and it felt like a this was happening for a reason kind of deal. In 2022, Moskowitz defeated Republican Joe Budd to replace the retiring Rep. Ted Deutch, a Democrat, to represent the safely Democratic and heavily Jewish 23rd Congressional District, which includes Boca Raton, Coral Springs and parts of Fort Lauderdale in South Florida. Moskowitz has been a reliable Democratic vote, though he was one of several Jewish Democrats to break with the party on an Israel funding bill that cut the Internal Revenue Service budget and on the censure of Rep. Rashida Tliab (D-Mich.) over allegedly antisemitic comments in criticizing Israel. Moskowitz said he wanted to join the oversight committee when he saw the Republican lineup, which included Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), the most inflammatory demagogue in Congress. Greene, too, flouts conventions at hearings and has repeatedly displayed large photos of the presidents son apparently engaged in sex acts with prostitutes. While not explicitly saying he and Greene share a media strategy, Moskowitz said that, thanks to an attention economy pioneered by Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers, every congressmans like a mini PR company and that being right isnt good enough. If you dont make it entertaining, you dont break through, he said. Make it a little entertaining, and thats why weve beaten them in the oversight hearings. Weve beaten them because weve given them a taste of their own medicine. At a committee meeting in January, when Republicans pushed a contempt of Congress citation against Hunter Biden, Moskowitz brought a giant photo of Donald Trump with Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. The guy you all kneel to associates himself with a pedophile, Moskowitz said, outraging the Republican side of the room. I kneel for Christ! bellowed Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.). But Moskowitz is probably best known for provoking Comer. He rankled the Oversight Committee chair during an otherwise sleepy November hearing about the General Services Administration. Instead of questioning GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan, Moskowitz queried Comer. I think you owe it to the American people to explain why you have gone on Fox News and told people that while the president was out of office he had a loan with his brother and in a way they were evading taxes, Moskowitz said, referring to a loan between Joe and James Biden that Comer dubiously claimed was corrupt. It has come out in the public you also do business with your brother with potential loans. Comer deeply resented the question, which referred to what he called a bullshit Daily Beast story about financial transactions between him and his brother involving similar sums of money and a shell company of the sort allegedly favored by Hunter Biden. He noted that both Moskowitz and Goldman, whom he described as Mr. Trust Fund, had tweeted the story. The White House tried to get CNN to write that story, Comer said. They went around and investigated all this bullshit that [White House spokesperson] Ian Sams is trying to tell people that only dumb, financially illiterate people picked up on. Moskowitz, wearing a light blue suit, tried to interrupt, apparently prompting Comer to reach for the meanest insult he could think of. You look like a Smurf here just going around and all this stuff, Comer said. In a November Newsmax interview, Comer said he wanted a private deposition with Hunter Biden, rather than a public hearing, partly because of little Moskowitz jumping up and down disrupting the hearing. At the next hearing, in January, Moskowitz wore a Smurf tie. In February, he wore a black suit and dress shoes to Hunter Bidens deposition, saying the impeachment inquiry had died. (The proximate cause of the death was the Justice Departments indictment of an FBI informant whod made up a Ukrainian bribe allegation against the Bidens. The informant allegedly has ties to Russian spy services.) Before a hearing in March, Moskowitz wore a Vladimir Putin mask in the hallway, and then during the meeting he dared Republicans to go ahead and vote on impeaching Joe Biden. Lets just do the impeachment, Moskowitz said. When is it going to happen? When are you going to tell the American people youre going to stop wasting their money? We dont do snap impeachments like you guys, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said, referring to Donald Trumps quick second impeachment after he incited a riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The chairman knows me well. Im just here to help him, Moskowitz said after some back and forth, again inviting Comer to go ahead and hold the vote. Jordan smiled; Comer frowned and shook his head. Its never going to happen, because they dont have the evidence, Moskowitz said. This is just a show. Its all fake. The apparent enmity between Comer and Moskowitz is real, or at least theres no behind-the-scenes rapport between the two, according to Moskowitz. After House votes wrapped up one week in December, Moskowitz said, he noticed Comer on his flight to Miami, assuming the Republican had a fundraiser or some other event in Florida. They didnt talk. We land in Miami. Were in the baggage claim. And, you know, weve been on the flight for a while, so I gotta go to the bathroom. So I go to the bathroom while Im waiting for my baggage, and the only person in the bathroom when I walk in its fucking James Comer. As Moskowitz remembers it, each man pretended the other was not there. And so there is this image of me and Comer standing next to each other, staring at the wall as were going to the bathroom, then washing our hands and then leaving as if neither one of us were in the bathroom together. Related... Russia is ready to swallow Europe whole, a top Ukrainian commander has warned - less than two months after he led a costly evacuation from a key city on the eastern frontline. Speaking to The Independent from an undisclosed location in Donetsk, deputy commander of Ukraines 3rd Assault Brigade, Maksym Zhorin, issued a troubling warning to Kyivs Western partners. The West, he said, must urgently prepare. Create serious defence systems that could counteract Russia because it will undoubtedly open its mouth and try to swallow the rest of Europe, he warned. Ukraines deputy commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade, Maksym Zhorin, spoke to The Independent from an undisclosed location in Donetsk (Ukrinform/Shutterstock) It is the latest in a string of warnings from Ukrainian military and political figures that Russia will not stop with Ukraine. But it comes less than two months after Mr Zhorin helped lead a difficult evacuation from Avdiivka, the first Ukrainian city to be taken over by Russia since last May, in part because a recent lack of Western military support had left Ukrainian forces there at a significant disadvantage. Mr Zhorin was part of the crack unit, one of the most valued in the Ukrainian army, that was called in at the last minute to evacuate hundreds of soldiers trapped in Avdiivka as Russian forces pushed to encircle it after months of fighting. Many were left behind, where they were later captured or killed, and Russian forces then rushed forward behind the retreating Ukrainian troops, taking several more towns in the process. Videos show Ukrainian soldiers mercilessly killed and left on the streets on the northwest outskirts of the city, which was the last remaining route back to Ukrainian-held land. Mr Zhorin, more than most, knows the cost of an advancing Russia. During his interview, the first with Western media since the fall of the city, Mr Zhorin was blunt about the reality of the eastern frontline while Western weapons supplies are delayed or simply being withheld - and he was frank about the future of European security. A US military package worth roughly $60 billion has been in limbo in Washington for seven months, victim to squabbling politicians, while European partners have failed to send more than half of the million artillery shells they promised to Kyiv by this year, unable to agree on how to finance their production. Hours after Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg announced a long-term proposal for a 100 billion military package to Ukraine this week - a step in the right direction for Kyiv - Mr Zhorin said that the pledge will help but it is, like all Western aid, coming too late. Roughly seven weeks after Russia claimed Avdiivka, he says the situation has finally stabilised, with defences being held from villages west of Avdiivka including Tonenke, through Semenivka, up to Berydchi. But the pressure remains, and it is fierce. He claims Russia is dropping between 40 and 60 powerful aerial bombs a day on their positions, while DeepState, a Ukrainian war tracker, said on Thursday that Russia had advanced towards Berdychi and was carrying out assaults in the direction of Semenvika. Its map suggests Tonenke, meanwhile, is already under Russian control. A Ukrainian soldier of the 3rd Assault Brigade fires at Russian positions in the Avdiivka direction (Telegram / 3rd Assault Brigade) Members of the 3rd Assault Brigade undergo training earlier this month in Ivano-Frankivsk, western Ukraine. The 3rd Brigade is made up of volunteers and conscripts, many of whom are younger than the average Ukrainian soldier (Telegram / 3rd Assault Brigade) The term stalemate was taboo while Ukraines summer counteroffensive was ongoing last year as it suggested the attack was failing; now its a dangerous word for a different reason. Russia and Ukraine may be fighting a war of attrition, but its Vladimir Putins forces that are on the move. Of course, the situation would be a lot more difficult if we didnt receive the aid at all, but ultimately the cost of hesitation is Ukrainian territory and Ukrainian lives, Mr Zhorin said. The average Ukrainian infantryman is tired, exhausted by the dynamics of war, and by the events that have transpired. They are almost faint. Unfortunately, that is the truth. Many of the soldiers his unit were tasked to save from Avdiivka were from the 110th Brigade, which had fought in the city for the entirety of Putins full-scale war, launched in February 2022, without rotation. Many in his unit have also been fighting non-stop. Outside of the artillery disadvantage, which Mr Zhorin says extends to basic armaments, it is this lack of additional troops that has caused issues for Ukraine. Ukrainian servicemen of the 3rd Assault brigade are seen through night vision goggles, or NVG, during a night mission on the frontline near Avdiivka last month (AP) Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree lowering the age of conscription from 27 to 25 to widen the pool of potential recruits. At the moment, the average age of a Ukrainian soldier is 43, as Kyiv has tried to avoid recruiting from a small pool of young people. But Mr Zhorin says, like the Western aid, that the move is not enough and is coming too late. I do not think it is enough, he said. I would decrease the age further. As difficult as this is to say, young people must fight. It is too difficult to keep the older soldiers motivated and they often have chronic health issues. Young people are more motivated, more energetic and more willing to fight. The problems caused by belated mobilisation drives and delayed Western aid are being felt across the frontline but they are acute in the Avdiivka direction. Despite the calibre of Ukrainian soldiers in the area, Mr Zhorin says they are unable to launch anything other than localised counter-attacks that are more a form of defence attack as opposed to a large-scale counter. It is part of what Ukrainian military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has called active defence. This satellite image shows a position in Avdiivka from July 2022 (AP) This satellite image from 26 February 2024, a week after Russia claimed control of Avdiivka, shows the extent of destruction wrought by Putins forces in the region (AP) It is unwise to talk about counter attacks at the moment, Mr Zhorin said. We must concentrate on defence. The priority now is to provide proper solid defence and defensive lines. He added that several engineering units had been deployed to help fortify the defences in the area, while every infantryman was digging trenches at one point or another. The natural terrain, which includes treelines, slight hills and a few bodies of water, is also favourable for defence. That Russias Avdiivka offensive has been slowed to some extent is impressive, said Mr Zelensky earlier this week, given the shortage of shells and a significant slowdown in supplies. The resilience of each of the soldiers is the resilience of our entire Ukraine, he said during a nightly address. But his and Mr Zhorins comments underscore the difficulty facing Ukraine in 2024, as well as the sheer difference in the situation on the frontline compared to last year. The 3rd Assault Brigade may be minimising the Russian advance - Mr Zhorin claims his unit has killed up to 15,000 Russians in the past few months alone - but the threat of another push by Putins forces is now real. And then, its Europe next. Use this time wisely, the deputy commander says, addressing Kyivs Western partners directly. While Russia is attacking Ukraine, prepare for your own war with Russia. Tools that allow government hackers to break into iPhones and Android phones, popular software like the Chrome and Safari browsers, and chat apps like WhatsApp and iMessage, are now worth millions of dollars and their price has multiplied in the last few years as these products get harder to hack. On Monday, startup Crowdfense published its updated price list for these hacking tools, which are commonly known as zero-days because they rely on unpatched vulnerabilities in software that are unknown to the makers of that software. Companies like Crowdfense and one of its competitors, Zerodium, claim to acquire these zero-days with the goal of reselling them to other organizations, usually government agencies or government contractors, which claim they need the hacking tools to track or spy on criminals. Crowdfense is now offering between $5 million and $7 million for zero-days to break into iPhones; up to $5 million for zero-days to break into Android phones; up to $3 million and $3.5 million for Chrome and Safari zero-days, respectively; and $3 million to $5 million for WhatsApp and iMessage zero-days. In its previous price list, published in 2019, the highest payouts that Crowdfense was offering were $3 million for Android and iOS zero-days. The increase in prices comes as companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft are making it harder to hack their devices and apps, which means their users are better protected. It should be harder year over year to exploit whatever software we're using, whatever devices we're using, said Dustin Childs, who is the head of threat awareness at Trend Micro ZDI. Unlike Crowdfense and Zerodium, ZDI pays researchers to acquire zero-days, then reports them to the companies affected with the goal of getting the vulnerabilities fixed. As more zero-day vulnerabilities are discovered by threat intelligence teams like Googles, and platform protections continue to improve, the time and effort required from attackers increases, resulting in an increase in cost for their findings, said Shane Huntley, the head of Googles Threat Analysis Group, which tracks hackers and the use of zero-days. In a report last month, Google said it saw hackers use 97 zero-day vulnerabilities in the wild in 2023. Spyware vendors, which often work with zero-day brokers, were responsible for 75% of zero-days targeting Google products and Android, according to the company. People in and around the zero-day industry agree that the job of exploiting vulnerabilities is getting harder. David Manouchehri, a security analyst with knowledge of the zero-day market, said that hard targets like Google's Pixel and the iPhone have been becoming harder to hack every year. I expect the cost to continue to increase significantly over time. The mitigations that vendors are implementing are working, and its leading the whole trade to become much more complicated, much more time-consuming, and so clearly this is then reflected in the price, Paolo Stagno, the director of research at Crowdfense, told TechCrunch. Contact Us Do you know more zero-day brokers? Or about spyware providers? From a non-work device, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram, Keybase and Wire @lorenzofb, or email. You also can contact TechCrunch via SecureDrop. Stagno explained that in 2015 or 2016, it was possible for only one researcher to find one or more zero-days and develop them into a full-fledged exploit targeting iPhones or Androids. Now, he said, this thing is almost impossible, as it requires a team of several researchers, which also causes prices to go up. Crowdfense currently offers the highest publicly known prices to date outside of Russia, where a company called Operation Zero announced last year that it was willing to pay up to $20 million for tools to hack iPhones and Android devices. The prices in Russia, however, may be inflated because of the war in Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions, which could discourage or outright prevent people from dealing with a Russian company. Outside of the public view, its possible that governments and companies are paying even higher prices. The prices Crowdfense is offering researchers for individual Chrome [Remote Code Execution] and [Sandbox Escape] exploits are below market rate from what I have seen in the zero-day industry, said Manouchehri, who previously worked at Linchpin Labs, a startup that focused on developing and selling zero-days. Linchpin Labs was acquired by U.S. defense contractor L3 Technologies (now known as L3Harris) in 2018. Alfonso de Gregorio, the founder of Zeronomicon, an Italy-based startup that acquires zero-days, agreed, telling TechCrunch that prices could certainly be higher. Zero-days have been used in court-approved law enforcement operations. In 2016, the FBI used a zero-day provided by a startup called Azimuth to break into the iPhone of one of the shooters who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, according to The Washington Post. In 2020, Motherboard revealed that the FBI with the help of Facebook and an unnamed third-party company used a zero-day to track down a man who was later convicted for harassing and extorting young girls online. There have also been several cases where zero-days and spyware have allegedly been used to target human rights dissidents and journalists in Ethiopia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, among other countries with poor human rights records. There have also been similar cases of alleged abuse in democratic countries like Greece, Mexico, Poland, and Spain. (Neither Crowdfense, Zerodium, or Zeronomicon, have ever been accused of being involved in similar cases.) Zero-day brokers, as well as spyware companies like NSO Group and Hacking Team have often been criticized for selling its products to unsavory governments. In response, some of them now pledge to respect export controls in an effort to limit potential abuses from their customers. Stagno said that Crowdfense follows the embargoes and sanctions imposed by the United States even if the company is based in the United Arab Emirates. For example, Stagno said that the company wouldnt sell to Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Russia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria all on U.S. sanctions lists. Everything the U.S. does, we are on the ball, Stagno said, adding that if an existing customer gets on the U.S. sanctions list, Crowdfense would abandon it. All the companies and governments directly sanctioned by the USA are excluded. At least one company, spyware consortium Intellexa, is on Crowdfenses particular blocklist. I can't tell you whether it has been a customer of ours and whether it has stopped being one, Stagno said. However, as far as I am concerned now at this moment Intellexa could not be a customer of ours. In March, the U.S. government announced sanctions against Intellexas founder Tal Dilian as well as a business associate of his, the first time the government imposed sanctions on individuals involved in the spyware industry. Intellexa and its partner company Cytrox was also sanctioned by the U.S., making it harder for the companies, as well as the people running it, to continue doing business. These sanctions have caused concern in the spyware industry, as TechCrunch reported. Intellexas spyware has been reported to have been used against U.S. congressman Michael McCaul, U.S. senator John Hoeven, and the president of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, among others. De Gregorio, the founder of Zeronomicon, declined to say who the company sells to. On its site, the company has published a code of business ethics, which includes vetting customers with the goal of avoiding doing business with entities known for abusing human rights, and respecting export controls. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in the UK with no screening programme - Alamy Prostate cancer screening is likely to do more harm than good, experts have warned, after a 15-year trial showed one in six flagged cases was wrong. The largest study to date investigating the PSA (Prostate-specific antigen) blood test, which is used as a screening tool in some European countries, found it had a small impact on reducing deaths, but also led to a worrying level of overdiagnosis. In some cases, it missed early detection of some aggressive cancers. Researchers from the universities of Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge, invited more than 400,000 men aged between 50-69 for screening, with just over half receiving a PSA test. After following up for 15 years, nearly seven men out of every 1,000 in the group invited for screening had died from prostate cancer, compared to nearly eight men out of every 1,000 who had not been tested. The results of the trial show that an estimated one in six cancers found by the single PSA screening were overdiagnosed leading to unnecessary treatment of tumours that would not have caused any harm in someones lifetime The treatment of prostate cancer may cause physical side effects including the possibility of infection following a biopsy, erectile dysfunction, and bladder and bowel problems. Professor Richard Martin, lead author and Cancer Research UK scientist at the University of Bristol, said: The key takeaway is that the small reduction in prostate cancer deaths by using the test to screen healthy men does not outweigh the potential harms. Some men have treatment they dont need This results in some men going on to have invasive treatment that they dont need, many years earlier than without screening, and the test is also failing to spot some cancers that do need to be treated. We need to find better ways to spot aggressive prostate cancers, so we can treat them early. Prostate cancer is the second-biggest cancer killer of men in the UK, causing 12,000 deaths a year. It is the most common cancer in the UK without a screening programme, despite the fact that it usually has no symptoms until it has spread and become incurable. The UK National Screening Committee (NSC), which reviews the evidence for screening programmes, does not currently recommend screening for prostate cancer because it is unclear that the benefits outweigh the harms. Dr Neil Smith, GP for Cancer Research UK and GP Lead for Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Alliance, said: With prostate cancer causing 12,000 deaths in the UK every year, we completely understand why men want to know if they have the disease, even when they dont have symptoms. However, this research highlights that a PSA test for early detection can do more harm than good its simply not accurate enough and can lead to some men having tests and treatment that they dont need. You know your body best so if you do notice any unusual changes, contact your GP. It probably wont be cancer, but if it is, then spotting it earlier means that treatment is more likely to be successful. Early prostate cancer usually has no symptoms so early detection is challenging. Last year Prostate Cancer UK launched the 42m Transform trial, which will study hundreds of thousands of men, to see if MRI scans can do a better job at picking up disease early. Other research, such as the Stampede trial, is aiming to find the best treatment for men with advanced prostate cancer to further improve survival and quality of life. Dr Matthew Hobbs, Director of Research at Prostate Cancer UK, said: A previous trial showed that screening with PSA blood tests does reduce deaths from prostate cancer but that it also misses important cancers and harms men who are given treatments or biopsies they dont need. The results from the UK CaP trial are extremely significant, because they back up these findings. The number of men screened who still died of prostate cancer in both trials makes crystal clear that the imperative now is to develop, test, and prove new ways to diagnose prostate cancer that detect those aggressive cancers missed by PSA tests and reduce potential harm even further. In a separate study, researchers found that cutting the length of MRI scans for prostate cancer by a third would make them cheaper and more accessible without hindering accuracy. Clinicians offer patients suspected of having prostate cancer an MRI scan, which is carried out in three stages. The final step involves the patient being injected with contrast dye, which helps to enhance the images from the scan. Removing this stage would lower costs and ensure MRIs are offered to more men, researchers from University College London (UCL) and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said. But they warned it is vital that the scans are of optimal diagnostic quality if this approach is to be taken. 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. Public advised to stay out of all Los Angeles County beaches due to poor water quality The Los Angeles County Public Health Department is advising beachgoers to avoid all water contact until at least 8 a.m. Monday morning. The warning is for all beaches in the county. Officials say with the latest storm bringing more rain to Southern California, the ocean water quality has deteriorated due to high levels of bacteria. With multiple storms impacting the region in recent weeks, the added rainfall results in excessive bacteria and debris that could seep into the ocean water from city streets and mountain areas. The Department of Public Health adds that the danger of elevated bacteria levels is especially high around discharging storm drains, creeks, and rivers. The health department tests ocean water bacteria levels regularly and advisories will be lifted once the levels meet standards set by the state of California. For a map and the latest information on beach closures and warnings, check the L.A. County Department of Healths website or call the countys hotline at 1-800-525-5662. To report a beach emergency or issue, call the L.A. County Operator at 626-430-5360 or during after-hours at 213-974-1234. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. Racing drivers in crash that killed 2 Las Vegas teens were driving more than double the speed limit: police LAS VEGAS (KLAS) The drivers involved in a five-vehicle crash that left two Las Vegas teenagers dead were racing at more than double the posted speed limit, documents 8 News Now obtained revealed. On Friday, March 1 at around 10 p.m., officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to the area of Vegas and Pyramid drives after reports of an accident. 911 callers reported cars racing eastbound and one of the vehicles wrapped around a pole. Medical personnel pronounced the driver and passenger, David Gomez, 16, and Javon Barrios, 17, dead at the scene. They need to know the dangers of speeding, Las Vegas family identifies teen killed in car crash caused by racing Gomez and Barrios were speeding east down Vegas Drive in a Ford alongside an unknown dark sedan, when a Nissan making a left turn from Pyramid Drive to Vegas Drive crossed its path, according to an arrest report. The Ford rotated clockwise and hit a city light pole before stopping approximately two hundred feet away from the initial collision, according to the report. Two unoccupied and parked vehicles were damaged by debris from the collision, the report stated. A witness told police he was Gomezs brother and was traveling in the dark sedan, which had stopped to drop him off before leaving the scene. Dash camera footage from a witness vehicle showed the dark sedan drive south on Silver Lake Drive without stopping at the scene of the accident. Surveillance footage from a nearby car wash showed the driver of the dark sedan meet up with Gomez and Barrios before the two vehicles left. Police were able to identify the unknown sedan, which was registered to Jacob Ybarra, 26, the report stated. Jacob Ybarra, 26, faces two counts of reckless driving resulting in death or serious bodily harm and two counts of duty to stop at the scene of an accident. (LVMPD) On April 4, officers spoke with Ybarra, who said he met Gomez, Barrios, and Gomezs brother at the car wash and the group was curious how fast Gomezs Ford could go with its new engine and transmission. Arrest made in 5-vehicle hit-and-run crash that left 2 Las Vegas teenagers dead Ybarra said he let Gomezs brother out of the vehicle after the collision so he could check on his brother and left to tell Gomezs mother about the crash, the report stated. He said he drove to their home, but never tried to notify the mother because he did not speak Spanish. When asked how fast he thought he was going, Ybarra said between fifty and sixty miles per hour, and he thought the speed limit of Vegas Drive was 45 miles per hour, according to the report. The posted speed limit on Vegas Drive is 35 mph. The power control module of the Ford showed a last reported speed of 75 mph. Based on dash camera footage, Ybarras vehicle was traveling at around the same rate of speed as the Ford, the report stated. Police arrested Ybarra and booked him into Clark County Detention Center, where he is being held on $100,000 bail. Ybarra faces two counts of reckless driving resulting in death or serious bodily harm and two counts of duty to stop at the scene of an accident. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 9. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. Police stand in front of a residential building in Halle, an area is cordoned off with tape. The police have found an object in an apartment in Halle which, according to initial investigations, is a detonable explosive device. Tom Musche/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa Some 50 local residents of a neighbourhood in the eastern German city of Halle were asked to leave their homes on Saturday afternoon as police investigated whether a bomb was being built in a flat in the area. The matter is still being investigated and specialists are on duty, a police spokesman said on enquiry. As a danger to tenants could not be ruled out, more than 50 residents were evacuated from their homes, police Halle said on Saturday evening. According to police reports, officers were informed by eyewitnesses at around 11:30 am (0930 GMT) that a 36-year-old man was making racist remarks and threatening passers-by with a gun from an apartment block in Schlosserstrae. When the man's flat was checked, the weapon turned out to be a toy gun. According to the police, the intoxicated suspect was detained. The officers found several suspicious objects in the 36-year-old's flat, whereupon an explosives detection dog and forces from the State Office of Criminal Investigation were called in. The police did not initially provide any additional details of what was found in the flat. Residents packed the council chamber at Leland Town Hall in early March as staff answered questions about the 2025 fiscal year budget. Leland residents are concerned the proposed budget could mean more money coming out of their pockets. But town staff say its needed. Earlier this year, town staff presented the proposed budget for the 2025 fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2024, and ends June 30, 2025. The budget proposed budget totals $56 million, a 30% increase from the $42.8 million budget for the 2024 fiscal year. Facilitating the growth the town has seen in recent years by upgrading roads, investing in public safety and saving for emergencies comes at a cost. Heres the latest in the towns budget development process and how residents could be impacted. How much could taxes be raised? To account for the big increase from last years budget, the town is proposing an increase in the property tax rate of 39 cents per $100 in valuation, a nearly 70% increase. Dozens of residents showed up to the towns budget public hearing in March, concerned about how the increase would impact their pockets. The town has historically offered a low tax rate, even seeing a slight reduction in the tax rate in the 2024 budget (from 25 cents per $100 in valuation to 23 cents per $100 in valuation). In 2024, a home valued at $350,000 would have paid $805 in Leland property tax. If the proposed budget for 2025 passes with the tax increase, a home valued at $350,000 will pay $1,365 in Leland property tax. Why is the town raising taxes? The budget is approved by the Leland Town Council, following months of workshopping with town staff. In those workshops, members of the town council express their vision for the town and staff works to build a budget to accommodate that vision. According to the town, $5.5 million of the additional revenues will be used to resurface and improve five miles of roads in the town, beginning a 20-year lifecycle program aiming to resurface 5% of the town's roads each fiscal year. The town said for each taxpayer dollar, 33 cents funds public safety, 15 cents funds public services, 14 cents funds general government expenses, 12 cents funds infrastructure and capital improvement projects, 12 cents funds debt payoff, nine cents funds information technology, and four cents goes toward the town's emergency contingency budget. How does the new rate compare to other towns? While Leland has historically seen a lower tax rate, the town would still be lower than some other similarly sized North Carolina municipalities. The tax rate in the city of Sanford is 53 cents and the rate in New Bern 56 cents. Brunswick Countys tax rate in 2023 was 34 cents. Some other towns in the county have a much higher tax rate than what Leland is proposing, such as Bald Head Islands 57-cent rate from 2023. Story continues Nearby Navassa and Northwest offered a 2023 tax rate of 23 cents and 27 cents, respectively. STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the areas latest Brunswick County news by signing up for the Brunswick Today newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram. Whats next? The Leland Town Council is next scheduled to meet in a special budget workshop on Tuesday, April 9. The meeting will not offer a public comment section or question-and-answer session. Leland has historically adopted a budget for the upcoming fiscal year sometime in May. Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter/X @jameybcross. This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Leland, NC could see big tax hike this year. Heres what to know WASHINGTON Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argued on Friday that the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack might not have been a true insurrection, and said that, if elected, he would appoint a special counsel to investigate whether prosecutions related to the attack were politically motivated. 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, Kennedy said in a statement. 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. The attack occurred when a mob supporting former President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. It resulted in numerous deaths, injuries and hundreds of arrests. Federal prosecutors have charged more than 1,000 people for participating. In the days after the attack, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump for his connection to January 6, which they deemed an insurrection. But Kennedy said that, while he had not personally examined the evidence, reasonable people, including Trump opponents, suggested there was little evidence of a true insurrection. RFK Jr Several rioters, including members of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys militia groups, were charged with sedition acts related to conspiring against the government for their use of violence to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. The assault on the Capitol temporarily prevented the certification of President Joe Bidens win. Kennedy also originally inaccurately stated that the rioters carried no weapons, a comment he later retracted. Multiple mob members have been convicted of carrying weapons into the Capitol. Kennedy went on to accuse both Democrats and Republicans of using the Capitol attack to sow greater division in America and questioned whether political objectives motivated the vigor of the prosecution of Trump supporters who broke into the Capitol building. Judges, including those appointed by Republican presidents, who have overseen cases against the protesters have vehemently pushed back against similar claims about political motives. But Kennedy suggested that, if elected president, he would appoint a nonpartisan special counsel in the Department of Justice to right any wrongs and examine whether political motives played a role in the cases. Kennedys comments echo rhetoric by Trump and his allies related to the 2020 election. Trump has described people charged with crimes for attacking the Capitol as hostages. They also come just days after the independent presidential candidate suggested that President Joe Biden is a greater threat to democracy than Trump. The Democratic National Committee harshly rebuked Kennedys comments in a statement on Friday, saying that there arent two sides to violent rioters who assaulted police officers and tried to overthrow our democracy. Kennedy is running as a third-party candidate challenging Trump and Biden in the 2024 presidential election. He has claimed he has enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in six states. So far, though, only Utah has confirmed Kennedy's place on the ballot. Contributing: Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RFK Jr. floats conspiracy theories about prosecution of J6 rioters ESCONDIDO, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) An Escondido resident on Thursday sent video to FOX 5/KUSI of a surprise guest in front of her home. The residents Ring camera caught a mountain lion roaming around in the front entrance of the home. The wild animal could be seen pausing for a moment, looking around and then moving away from the premises. The mountain lion sighting wasnt the first one in North County as another one last month was spotted by security guards while patrolling downtown Oceanside. One video shows the mountain lion sprinting around Mission Avenue. Security cameras at Oceanside City Hall also captured the same mountain lion roaming the parking garage and the plaza area. A janitor working early morning on March 5 at Regal Cinemas also saw the lion peering through the glass doors. What San Diegans need to know ahead of the April 8 solar eclipse A few days later, the San Diego Humane Society told FOX 5 they received word from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife of a mountain lion that had been struck by a vehicle in Oceanside. Officials suspected the mountain lion killed was the same one seen roaming downtown. Megan Senour, with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, spoke to FOX 5/KUSI last month about how this behavior isnt out of the ordinary for mountain lions. Its just this is happening in more urban setting and folks are catching it on security cameras, Senour said. In Northern California, a 21-year-old man died while his 18-year-old brother was injured after a mountain lion attack in Georgetown, about 50 miles northeast of Sacramento. Wildlife experts advise residents with small animals to keep them inside, especially at night. If you spot a mountain lion, make sure to give it space and never approach or corner it. FOX 5/KUSIs Juliette Vara contributed to this story. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. Roland Coleman Jr., seen at home in 2022, grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from USC and Loyola Law School. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) Attorney Roland Lee Coleman Jr., the second Black person to lead the Los Angeles County Bar Assn., has died. He was 74. Coleman also served as president of the John M. Langston Bar Assn. of Los Angeles, founded in the 1920s to serve and support Black lawyers excluded from other bar associations. Coleman once recounted being told that a Black attorney couldnt win cases in Glendale or Fullerton. In the face of racism, "I really believed I had to be better than anybody else," he said. In the courtroom, "he knew every rule backward and forward, said Ian Stewart, an attorney who worked with Coleman at the law firm Wilson Elser. But "his style was one where he could really connect." He was tenacious, Stewart said, but "hed do it with a smile on his face." If you were on the opposite side of a legal battle, "youd end up shaking hands and walking away buddies." Coleman grew up in Los Angeles, one of four children. As a teenager at Los Angeles High School, he was "perhaps the most popular person on campus," said Earl E. Thomas, a friend and fellow attorney. Jackie Herod, another longtime friend, said he was known as a sharp student who ran long distance and joined an array of clubs, including cheerleading and debate. Thomas said that at parties, "Roland would get in the middle of the floor, and he would start dancing," doing the newest moves as everyone formed a circle around him to watch. "A lot of people would say the party didn't start until Roland got there." Coleman graduated from the University of Southern California and Loyola Law School. He worked for the Los Angeles city attorneys office and then for the California Department of Transportation before being hired at Wilson Elser, where he became a partner. "He was a superstar," said Pat Kelly, who hired Coleman at the firm and worked closely with him. "He could simplify difficult issues and explain them in a commonsense way." Beyond the courtroom, Coleman volunteered to assist L.A. County residents as freeway construction was "wreaking havoc on the citizens in the community," helping them to address complaints about noise and other hazards, said U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles). With his help, "we forced Caltrans to set up an office right in the community where they could deal with complaints," Waters said. And when residents were being displaced, "we were able to force them to increase the offers for those homes. ... Roland was basically responsible for all of that." Coleman "just took it on like it was his job," said retired Superior Court judge John Meigs Sr., who became friends with him as a law student. As president of the Langston Bar Assn., Coleman started a hall of fame to honor people in the legal profession who "persevered, sacrificed and in spite of those obstacles and those hardships succeeded," said retired judge Allen Webster, another former president of the association. Read more: Louis Gossett Jr., 'An Officer and a Gentleman' star who broke barriers in Hollywood, dies After the 1991 killing of Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old Black girl who was shot by a Korean-born shopkeeper, the Los Angeles County Bar Assn. was divided on a recall campaign against Judge Joyce A. Karlin, who sentenced the shopkeeper to probation. Coleman later told the Metropolitan News-Enterprise that many in the Los Angeles County Bar Assn. saw the recall effort as an attack on the independence of the courts. "I appreciate the independence of the courts, I understand the desire for that. But these kinds of concerns of respect have to be a two-way street," Coleman recalled telling leaders of the association. Courts "have to respect the people who appear before them." The association decided not to weigh in against the recall. "Inwardly, he was sensitive to the feelings and needs of others. Outwardly, he was fearless and fierce in his commitment to friends, family and community," his sister Carmen Freeman said. Coleman led the L.A. County Bar Assn. from 2001 to 2002, the second Black person to hold the position since the group was founded in 1878. As president, "his focus was, 'How can we better help the community that we serve?'" said Danette Meyers, an attorney who was active with the association. During his presidency, Coleman pledged to make attorneys available pro bono to assist victims of discrimination, joining state officials at the announcement of a hotline to report hate crimes. He also worked to improve public access to legal services. "His voice had a lot of credibility," said Miriam Krinsky, who followed him as county bar association president. "When he chimed in on an issue, I really wanted to make sure that I was listening closely." Later in life, Coleman suffered from health problems and endured years of frustration as he tried to get onto the waiting list for a donated kidney. The Times chronicled his ordeal, which included tangling with a health insurance company over where he could be evaluated for a possible transplant. Coleman decided to switch insurance plans to improve his chances and started driving for a ride-share company to pay for higher premiums. He told The Times that on his first day as a driver, he began chatting with a passenger he picked up in North Hollywood, who promptly offered to donate a kidney if approved. "There was never a stranger in Roland's life," Herod said. Coleman never got a kidney transplant. But even as he grew increasingly ill, he could make Herod laugh during phone calls. "He would say, 'Jackie, if you see a kidney running around, catch it. Catch it for me, and I'll pick it up.'" Coleman is survived by his wife, Evelyn Jenkins Coleman, son Roland Coleman III (also known as R.J.), stepson Jeremy Jenkins, sister Carmen Freeman and brother Lorin Coleman. Read more: Dexter Scott King, son of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., dies of cancer at 62 Sign up for Essential California for the L.A. Times biggest news, features and recommendations in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Roswell police announce K-9 passes away after brief battle with cancer The Roswell Police Department announced, with a heavy heart, that one of their K-9s had passed away. According to Roswell police, K-9 Edo was being treated for a sudden medical emergency and was diagnosed with an aggressive and widespread form of cancer. Edo was born March 16, 2019 in Hungary and joined the Roswell Police Department in August 2020 as the partner of Officer Peter MacDonald. The Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd mix was trained as a dual-purpose K-9 for narcotics detection, criminal apprehension, tracking, building searches and evidence recovery, according to the department. On Friday, Edo passed away peacefully surrounded by the love and affection of his police family, the department said. Police said Edo served the Roswell community courageously and unwaveringly alongside MacDonald and will be deeply missed. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) The Round Rock Independent School District said it expects a number of students to be out with eclipse fever on Monday as classes will still be taking place during the celestial event. RRISD Superintendent Dr. Hafedh Azaiez said the district will operate as usual on April 8 but students will be taken outside to watch the solar eclipse. These school districts have canceled classes for the April 8 total solar eclipse Azaiez said the district has secured enough glasses so students present can enjoy the event safely. He said attendance could be low on Monday as parents keep their students home for their own eclipse plans. Texas requires schools meet a certain percentage of instruction time and attendance every year, directly tying it to state funding. Because of this, Azaiez said its possible RRISD will file a low attendance waiver with the Texas Education Agency to avoid hurting the districts funding. We want to give the choice to the parents and to the students. The ones who want to stay home? They can stay home. The ones who want to send their kids to school? Were open for business, Azaiez said. How much of the sun will be covered in your city during Aprils solar eclipse? RRISD parents like Yanet Leon said they plan to keep their student home on the big day. She said shes doing so mostly to avoid the crowds and traffic flooding Central Texas for the eclipse. Were definitely staying home. We bought some glasses to look at it and really have that chance of have a lifetime and see what goes on, Leon said. The Texas Education Agency said submitting a low attendance waiver is a decision strictly made by local districts. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. The Rowan County Veterans Treatment Court project received $546,000 in funding through the FY24 appropriations legislation that passed in the United States Senate on March 8th and was signed into law by President Joe Biden. As one of many Congressionally Directed Spending projects funded across the State of North Carolina, the Rowan Veterans Treatment Court received full support from Senator Thom Tillis. We must value our veterans for their selfless service and support them during some of their most difficult times, Tillis said. I strongly support funding for Veterans Courts, most recently with funding through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act I helped write and pass into law, and I am proud to have fought for funding to serve North Carolina veterans. ALSO READ: Housing project for homeless veterans underway in southeast Charlotte The Rowan County Veterans Treatment Court is a diversion court model that rehabilitates at-risk veterans, providing them tools to lead a productive, healthy, and law-abiding life that is achieved through treatment, rehabilitative programming, reinforcement, and judicial monitoring. Furthermore, the court seeks to improve public safety through judicial oversight; reduce criminal recidivism by connecting vets to VA programs and ancillary services; and improve the overall quality of life for veterans and their families. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates that about one-third of all veterans are justice-involved. With more than 9,215 vets residing in Rowan, the local impact is estimated to support more than 2,300 local vets and their families. VIDEO: Housing project for homeless veterans underway in southeast Charlotte Royal Navy seizes nearly 17m worth of drugs in Caribbean smuggling raid HMS Trent has been operating in the Caribbean since the end of 2023 seizing 307 million worth of drugs - MINISTRY OF DEFENCE/PA The Royal Navy has seized nearly 17 million worth of drugs after it intercepted smuggling speedboats in the Caribbean Sea. Across two operations, HMS Trent seized 200kg of cocaine and other drugs with an estimated street value of 16.7 million. Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, said the interceptions show the Navys commitment to disrupt and dismantle drug traffickers. British sailors, Royal Marines and a US Coast Guard team on HMS Trent intercepted a smuggling speedboat immediately following a port visit to the island of Martinique. The warship launched fast sea boats, piloted by Royal Marines of 47 Commando, to intercept the speedboat, seize the drugs and detain 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. Mr Shapps said: These interceptions demonstrate the Royal Navys commitment to disrupt and dismantle the operations of drug traffickers across the world. I congratulate the ships company for their invaluable efforts to keep illegal drugs off our streets. HMS Trent has seized drugs worth 307 million since it began operating in the Caribbean at the end of 2023. In February, 221 million worth of cocaine and other drugs was seized, in addition to 70 million in January. Tim Langford, the commanding officer, said: The flexibility shown by my ships 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 co-operation between the Royal Navy, US Coast Guard and other partners has been excellent, and has been key to making these seizures possible. 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. (PORTLAND TRIBUNE) City work crews have repaired a pressurized sewer pipe that ruptured in North Portland, causing a sewage release into the Columbia Slough and potentially damaging an overpass in the Rivergate Industrial District area used by freight trucks and other vehicles. Although the pipe has been fixed, work is still underway to determine damage to the overpass, which was immediately closed. Because of that, the detour around the overpass has been extended through May. Portland Ombudsman received 610 complaints against city in 2023 As crews repair the bridge site near the break and investigate the potential for other areas of damage, a detour will remain in place and is expected to last through at least late May. Engineers with Environmental Services, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), and a contractor for Environmental Services have been working together to repair the site and bridge as soon as possible, the Bureau of Environmental Services said on Friday, April 5. It is not unusual for the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services to warn of a sewage discharge from the city sewer system that it operates. Blockages occasionally cause sewage to spill from access covers, sometimes into ditches and creeks. Read more at PortlandTribune.com The Portland Tribune and its parent company Pamplin Media Group are KOIN 6 News media partners For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. Russian forces struck nine communities in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast in 21 separate attacks throughout the day, the regional administration reported on April 6. Close to 80 explosions were reported in Sumy Oblast over the past 24 hours. The communities of Khotin, Yunakivka, Bilopillia, Kransopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Boromlia, Shalyhyne, Seredyna-Buda, and Svesa communities were targeted. Throughout the day, Russia assailed the border communities with mortar, artillery, and grenade launcher attacks. Two communities were also targeted with missiles and explosives, according to the Sumy Oblast Military Administration. No casualties or damages to civilian infrastructure were reported. The town of Krasnopillia, with a pre-war population of about 7,700 residents, experienced the bulk of the attacks, with 28 explosions reported in the area. The town is located more than 10 kilometers west of the border with Russia's Belgorod Oblast. Sumy Oblast borders Russia's Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod oblasts. Russian attacks against the region have become increasingly destructive in recent weeks, killing and injuring civilians. On April 3, a Russian missile attack against the Krasnopillia community killed one person and injured two, according to the regional administration. Ukrainian authorities continue evacuating communities in the northeastern Sumy Oblast close to the Russian border. Read also: Source: Ukraine hits Russias Engels air base. Can it change how Russia attacks? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Home prices are still on the rise, but so are new listings. Across the nation, the number of active home listings in March grew by 23.5%, marking a fifth straight month of growth, said Realtor.com's March 2024 Monthly Housing Market Trends Report. Though this is a positive trend for the market, the Federal Reserve chose to keep mortgage rates steady last month. This means that regardless of prices and how much inventory is available, homebuyers still have to pay a pretty penny for a home in today's market. "The Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee opted to keep its policy rate stable in March, and its revised expectations included a slightly higher for longer interest rate environment," it says in the report. "This likely means that mortgage rates will continue to remain higher for longer, prolonging the time to recovery for home sales." In the New York metropolitan area specifically, the number of active listings may have decreased by 4.3% compared with last year, but there has also been a 6.8% increase in price reductions. This is how the North Jersey real estate market fared in March, according to data from Realtor.com. How much has North Jersey's housing inventory changed? Across the state, 12 counties saw an increase in new home listings compared with March 2023. And the number of new home listings also increased in 19 New Jersey counties compared with February. In North Jersey, Morris and Sussex were the only counties to see inventory increases from last year. Morris County saw 468 new listings in March a 5.88% increase from 2023 and a 23.81% increase from last month while Sussex County saw a 12.5% increase from 2023 and a 17.39% increase from last month, with 216 new listings in March. Although Essex County saw an 8.59% increase in new home listings from February to March, the county saw the greatest decrease in new home listings year-over-year 35.44% in the state, with 430. Hudson (13.76%), Bergen (6.44%) and Passaic (3.82%) all also saw inventory decreases compared with 2023, with 376, 756 and 252 new listings, respectively. How long are North Jersey homes staying on the market? A recently-sold home in Sparta. Overall, active listings are staying on the market for a shorter period of time in nearly every New Jersey county. Homes in Passaic and Morris counties are staying on the market for the shortest period of time in North Jersey, at 23 days and 24 days, respectively. Listings are staying on the market for about 29 days in Bergen County and 31 days in Sussex County. Essex and Hudson were the only North Jersey counties to see homes stay on the market longer in March. Essex County saw listings stay on the market for 37 days, or 4.8% longer than in March 2023, while Hudson County saw listings stay on the market for 43 days, or 4.88% longer than in February and 17.81% longer than in March 2023. Story continues What about median listing prices? Median home prices continued to increase in every New Jersey county compared with March 2023, but three counties saw prices decrease from February: Atlantic, Monmouth and Sussex. In Sussex County, prices decreased by 0.65% from last month, with median listing prices being $399,900. But prices did increase by 8.17% from February. In comparison, Essex and Bergen counties had the highest price increase from last year, at 17.57% and 11.38%, with median listing prices of $487,000 and $799,000, respectively. In Morris and Passaic counties, home prices increased by 10.35% and 9.78%, with median listing prices of $699,000 and $479,999, respectively. Listing prices in Hudson County increased by 7.88%, and the median listing price there is $649,999. Here's how all 21 New Jersey counties stacked up in March: Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay , on X @maddiemcgayy , and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ real estate: Did North Jersey home inventory increase in March? Are Ukrainian drone strikes on Russias oil industry actually aimed at something else? Ukraine doesnt have a lot of things that Russia does. It doesnt have a huge oil industry, powering its economy with foreign exchange despite Western sanctions. Ukraine doesnt have heavy bombers armed with long-range cruise missiles, as Russia does. Nor does it have Russias large surface warships and submarines armed with their own far-cruising missiles. Ukraine doesnt have the same hypersonic ground-launched ballistic missiles that Russia has in abundance. But that doesnt mean Ukraine isnt conducting deep strikes targeting Russian cities, military facilities and lately Russian oil, just as Russia frequently conducts these strikes in Ukraine. No, it just means Ukraine has to find creative new ways of striking targets hundreds of miles inside Russias borders. Mostly, that means drones. In the 25 months since Russia widened its war on Ukraine, Ukrainian engineers have developed a surprising array of explosive long-range drones. And starting in January, planners in Kyiv began aiming these drones at Russias sprawling oil industry. In three months there have been around a dozen confirmed drone attacks on Russian oil depots and refineries as far as 750 miles from the border with Ukraine. These attacks often target the tall, easy-to-spot distillation towers where crude oil separates into different fuels of different weights. The strikes have, according to some sources, reduced Russias refining capacity by more than 10 percent. While this might seem like a major blow to an industry that accounts for nearly a fifth of Russias national wealth, its not. And its important to understand why Ukraines oil raids really do matter. Theres a good chance theyre not actually about the oil. A dozen strikes on Russian oil facilities in the span of three months isnt decisive: not when the Russian oil industry operates around three dozen major refineries across the vast country and can shift resources and activities across refineries as it repairs any major damage. Yes, Russian refining took a hit during the shock of the initial attacks. But it probably wont last. These are spot strikes, energy expert Hennadii Rabtsev told Ukrainian Pravda. They are painful and affect logistics, but they do not significantly impact annual total refining volumes. Its the secondary effect that might be the most interesting. In a bid to protect oil facilities, the Russian air force is redeploying some of its air defences, including Pantsir-S1 truck-mounted launchers firing short-range, radar-guided missiles. The problem is that the Russian air force, alongside the army, is also responsible for defending military installations ports, airfields and headquarters as well as front-line troop formations in Ukraine. It was stretched thin before the oil raids began in January. Its even more stretched now. Russian forces went to war in Ukraine more than two years ago with around a thousand air-defence vehicles including a hundred or so Pantsir-S1s. In 25 months of hard fighting, the Ukrainians have destroyed or captured around 200 of the original systems. Unlike tanks and fighting vehicles, which Russian industry can build new or pull out of storage by the hundred, complex and pricey air-defence vehicles take a while to build. In 12 years, the Russian KBP Instrument Design Bureau has completed a little more than 200 Pantsir-S1s for Russian forces and also for export. All that is to say, the Russians have many fewer close air defence systems than they had two years ago. And now that the Ukrainians are striking refineries as far away as 750 miles, those systems must defend more targets across a wider area. Russia may be unable to deploy conventional air-defence systems, such as Pantsir-S1 or S-300/400 systems, to all critical facilities within western Russia, the Institute for the Study of War in Washington DC concluded. This is a problem the Ukrainians appreciate. They too have struggled to distribute air-defence systems in a way that allows them to protect Ukrainian cities, bases and industry while also protecting front-line forces. Which is why we can, in the same day, read about Ukrainian batteries shooting down dozens of Russian rockets and drones and also read about Russian strikes on dams and power plants to say nothing of the hourly Russian air raids targeting Ukrainian troop positions. What Ukraine is doing with its own long-range raids is forcing Russia to address the same air-defence dilemma and make the same compromises. You cant defend everywhere, retired US Army general Mark Hertling noted. And if the Russians are anything like the Ukrainians, they will prioritize a strategic industrial site over some unfortunate infantry platoon. If so, gaps might begin to open in Russian air-defences over the front line. That represents an opportunity for the scrappy Ukrainian air force, newly rearmed with French glide-bombs and awaiting its first ex-European F-16 fighters, to escalate its attacks along the front. Anticipating this, the Russians are trying to solve their air-defence problem without redeploying their best systems hundreds of miles from the front line. When Ukrainian officials finally appreciated the scale of their own air-defence problem a year after the wider war kicked off, they began forming mobile short-range air-defence units. Lots of them. These units, often staffed by men who are perhaps a bit too old for the front line, ride in nimble pickup trucks fitted with spotlights and infrared sensors and armed with auto-cannons and machine guns. Theyre not sophisticated, but they work. When the Russians launched a record 90 Shahed drones at Ukrainian cities on Jan. 1, the mobile groups helped shoot down 87 of them. According to Russian state media, the Kremlin is forming its own mobile air-defence groups. The problem, for the Russians, is scale. Russian air-defenders must protect many more targets than Ukrainian air-defenders protect. And since Russia is much bigger than Ukraine is, its harder for the mobile groups to anticipate which direction a Ukrainian drone might come from. Russian forces appear to struggle with properly deploying short-range air-defence systems along expected flight vectors for Ukrainian drones, and the Russian military appears to have even failed to cover important potential targets in reportedly well-defended areas within Russia, ISW explained. The mass deployment of mobile fire groups throughout western Russia could pose similar challenges for Russian forces. The best-case scenario, for Ukraine, is that its drone raids continue to hit Russian oil refineries while also forcing Russia to thin out its air-defences. But even if the Russians manage to protect their refineries, theres a good chance theyll do it at the expense of protecting their front-line troops. 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. Front line units claim Russia drops the gas to cause panic, forcing Ukrainian soldiers to leave hideouts and meaning they can be targeted - Anadolu Russian troops are carrying out a systematic campaign of illegal chemical attacks against Ukrainian soldiers, according to a Telegraph investigation. The Telegraph spoke to a number of Ukrainian soldiers deployed in positions across the front line who detailed how their positions have been coming under near daily attacks from small drones, mainly dropping tear gas but also other chemicals. The use of such gas, which is known as CS and commonly used by riot police, is banned during wartime under the Chemical Weapons Convention. Ihor, the commander of a Ukrainian reconnaissance team who is deployed near the front line city of Chasiv Yar, in Donetsk Oblast, told The Telegraph: Nearly every position in our area of the front was getting one or two gas grenades dropped on them a day. He said that because of how embedded many Ukrainian troops are now it was difficult for the Russians to attack with conventional artillery or drones firing missiles, adding: The only way for them to successfully attack us was with gas. Even when not lethal or immediately incapacitating, these gas attacks usually cause panic. Their first instinct is to get out, Ihor said. They can then be attacked with more conventional weapons. Two other Ukrainian soldiers, deployed on opposite ends of the front line, spoke of similar experiences. Mikhail, the commander of an infantry unit deployed in Robotnye, in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, where a Russian offensive is currently under way, said: Gas masks saved more than one of our lives. He said his soldiers were now required to carry their masks with them at all times. Slava, a senior lieutenant whose unit is deployed near Lyman, in Donetsk Oblast, said some Ukrainian units in his area were coming under almost daily gas attacks. One of these CS gas grenades was provided to The Telegraph for verification by Rebekah Maciorowski, an American combat medic and a qualified nurse serving in the Ukrainian army. She has been routinely called to provide medical aid to Ukrainian soldiers in the three brigades she works with in Donetsk Oblast after chemical weapon attacks, which she described as systematic. The grenade was originally retrieved by soldiers in the 53rd Mechanised Brigade, one of the brigades with which she works. My guys retrieved it whilst under fire because nobody believed they were being attacked with chemical weapons, she said. A K-51 tear gas grenade was recovered by Ukrainian troops and verified by a chemical weapons expert Marc-Michael Blum, a chemical weapons expert and former head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons laboratory, confirmed the recovered munition was a K-51 gas grenade, which are typically filled with tear gas. Other types of chemical gas have also been reported, although the reports could not be independently verified by The Telegraph. Ms Maciorowski said that she attended one incident last year caused by what she suspected was hydrogen cyanide, a deadly, colourless gas used as a chemical weapon by the West in the First World War. A Russian drone dropped two munitions containing an unknown gas that had a crushed almond aroma on soldiers in Donetsk Oblast, she said. Two people were killed and 12 required hospital treatment. In an interview with Le Monde in JanuaryYuriy Belousov, the head of investigations for Ukraines prosecutor general, referred to one of the deaths as being caused by an unknown gas. There have also been reports of the use of chlorine and chloropicrin a substance typically used as a pesticide that was deployed by the Germans as a chemical weapon in the First World War. Officially the Ukrainian military has claimed that 626 gas attacks have been carried out by Russian forces since the start of the full-scale invasion. But Ms Maciorowski believes this is almost certainly a gross underestimate, saying: Sadly, as it stands right now, the causes of deaths of many Ukrainian soldiers are not properly investigated. There are just so many of them. The attacks have become such a feature of Moscows tactics that Ukrainian soldiers now have specific training to deal with them. One training document supplied to The Telegraph detailed a Russian attack on Ukrainian positions close to the city of Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine, late last year. Russian drones dropped three chemical grenades, believed to have been filled with CS gas, directly into their dug-in positions. As the soldiers attempted to flee, they were attacked with shells and drones dropping conventional grenades. The training manual tells soldiers to stay where they are and suffer through the first few minutes of tear gas exposure instead of fleeing their fighting positions. After the first few minutes of exposure, the document says, the effect of the gas weakens. Compounding the problem is the fact that protective equipment provided is not always provided to Ukrainian soldiers and, when it is, it is often of poor quality. We have gas masks, but in almost all cases theyre very old, ex-Soviet models, and theyre not very effective, said Ihor. Some even have filters that contain asbestos. Ms Maciorowski said some of the soldiers in her brigades are given no protective equipment at all and have to rely on donations from volunteers or source their own. The Russians have made little effort to conceal their use of chemical attacks. The Black Sea Fleets 810th Naval Infantry Brigade boasted about the deployment of chemical weapons in a post on Telegram in December, posting a video of what it claimed were K-51 gas grenades being dropped on Ukrainian positions. Thanks to the head of the radiation, chemical and biological defence troops for the weapons provided and their timely delivery, the caption read. Similarly, a news report aired on the Russian state television station Channel One in May 2023 contained explicit discussion of the issue. One Russian soldier said: The enemy decided that using gas masks would help. The gas masks dont help. Zelenesky warns on missiles shortage Ukraine could run out of air defence missiles if Russia keeps up its intense long-range bombing campaign, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in remarks aired on Saturday. The Ukrainian leaders starkest warning to date of the deteriorating situation faced by his countrys air defences follows weeks of Russian strikes on the energy system, towns and cities using a broad arsenal of missiles and drones. If they keep hitting (Ukraine) every day the way they have for the last month, we might run out of missiles, and the partners know it, he said in an interview that aired on Ukrainian television. Mr Zelensky, who has been appealing to allies for weeks to rush in more air defences, said that Ukraine had enough stockpiles to cope for the moment, but that it was already having to make difficult choices about what to protect. He singled out in particular the need for Patriot air defence systems and said Ukraine needed 25 of them. The sophisticated US air defence system has been vital during Russian attacks with ballistic and hypersonic missiles which can hit targets within a matter of minutes. His remarks followed a fresh spate of attacks that Ukrainian officials said killed civilians. Two Russian missile and drone strikes, one in the early hours of Saturday and a second in the afternoon, killed eight people and wounded at least 10 more people in northeastern Kharkiv, Ukraines second largest city. In the eastern region of Donetsk, artillery shelling killed four people in the village of Kurakhivka including a 38-year-old woman and her 16-year-old daughter, and a 25-year-old man in the village of Krasnohorivka was killed, while in Odesa in the south, a missile strike killed one civilian. Ukraines largest private power company DTEK says the strikes had hit 80% of its generating capacity and the grid has introduced rolling blackouts to stabilise the system. The battlefield momentum has moved against Ukraine in recent months as Kyiv grappled with a slowdown in military assistance from the West and in particular from the United States. Mr Zelensky said he still believed that a major aid package would be approved by Congress where it has been stuck in deliberations since late last year facing determined Republican opposition. I still believe that we can get a positive vote in the United States Congress, he said. It was not clear exactly which day the interview was recorded, but Mr Zelensky met a bipartisan group of members of Congress in the region on Friday. Soldiers names have been changed to protect their identities 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. Russia might conduct regular mobilization campaigns in the near future, Zelensky says In an April 6 interview with national broadcasters, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the 300,000 troops that Russia plans to mobilize by June wouldn't be the "final" draft. Ukraine's military intelligence said earlier that Russia is likely to ramp up its mobilization efforts after Russian President Vladimir Putin secures his fifth term in office in March. Putin signed a decree on March 31 to conscript 150,000 citizens as part of the regularly occurring spring conscription campaign. According to the U.K. Defense Ministry, Russia is likely recruiting around 30,000 people a month to help bolster its war effort. Read also: Putin wins rigged Russian election; Ukrainians in occupied territories vote at gunpoint On April 3, Zelensky said that Russia was planning to mobilize an additional 300,000 soldiers by June 1. "It is not a fact that 300,000 will be the final number of troops which they mobilize," Zelensky said, adding that Russia "must be ready" to reach this figure by June 1, according to Ukraine's military intelligence. Zelensky also described the military training in Russia as a "short" one. "We see it by the Russian soldiers' training on the front line," the president said. "Concerning their poor discipline, maybe they will not mobilize 300,000 (troops) by June 1, but we must rely on the data that we have and be ready (for it)." Join our community Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight. Support us Zelensky said Ukraine needs to prepare military personnel. According to the president, Ukrainian units must be staffed with "experienced people who went through combat coordination." Ukraine's government aims to update the legal framework around mobilization in order to ramp up its number of available troops in 2024. On April 2, Zelensky signed three laws on mobilization, making 25-year-old men eligible for the draft, among other changes. Yet, Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, is still considering a new draft of the mobilization law after its initial, contentious version was withdrawn. Zelensky expects Ukraine's parliament to vote for the mobilization law "in the nearest days." "It is vital. And this is not responsible at all what they (the parliament) are doing," Zelensky said. Read also: Opinion: Ukraine may have no choice but to lower its fighting age Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. It generated little attention: another Russian assault in eastern Ukraine, across barren, pock-marked fields, met by determined, nimble resistance. In an attack that defied logic, a Russian armored column lumbered across open countryside near the village of Tonenke in Donetsk and was picked off by drones and anti-tank weapons. Geolocated videos indicate that the Russians lost about a dozen tanks as well as other armored vehicles. Once more, Ukrainian units repelled a poorly-planned assault and held their positions. But these frequent mechanized ground attacks by the Russians are like sand-blasting eroding Ukrainian defenses in multiple spots along the frontlines. Kateryna Stepanenko at the Institute for the Study of War in Washington says Russias likely goal is to test Ukrainian defenses for weak spots and strain Ukrainian defensive capabilities ahead of reported upcoming summer offensive operations. Ukraines frontline brigades are clinging on awaiting munitions and air defenses from allies, fresh recruits from a new mobilization law that expanded the eligible age range, and hoping Russian commanders will continue to make mistakes. They are using scarce artillery shells (the ratio is at least 5:1 against), and thousands of small drones that pick off individual vehicles. Speaking of the attacks near Tonenke, one Ukrainian soldier told CNN: Every day, Russian troops came in, and every day, our soldiers destroyed them. A Ukrainian soldier is seen during sunset in the village of Karlivka, near the Avdiivka frontline. - Narciso Contreras/Anadolu/Getty Images The Ukrainians assert that morale is poor in enemy ranks. They are ready to pay bribes, which is happening on a massive scale, injure themselves or simply run away to avoid the frontline, as the chances of survival there and the number of lossesremain sky-high for Russians, according to Andriy Yusov, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence representative. But according to the UKs Defense Ministry, Russia is able to replenish its front-line forces by 30,000 troops a month. Its military industries are working 24/7 to churn out everything from tanks to drones to guided bombs. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said this week that despite immense losses, Russia had almost completely reconstituted militarily possibly allowing it to intensify ongoing offensive operations. The Ukrainians see signs of that. Yusov told CNN that recruitment in Russia continues, for contract soldiers, prisoners and international mercenaries. Thats in addition to the spring draft just announced. Matthew Schmidt, Associate Professor in the National Security Department at New Haven University says that Russia is pushing ill-manned, ill-equipped local offensives anywhere it can. But ill-manned with enough bodies might be good enough. By contrast, Ukraines manpower shortage is chronic. The call-up age has been lowered from 27 to 25 but other parts of a mobilization bill are still struggling to pass through the Ukrainian parliament. The new commander-in-chief, Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, has suggested that an original target of 500,000 more recruits can be significantly reduced; others are skeptical. In Stepanenkos view, Ukraine will likely need to cede some tactical territory and retreat to more defensible positions in some battlefield scenarios Russias ability to retain the initiative on the battlefield is forcing Ukrainian troops to expend already scarce materiel. Overwhelming force 1.5-tonne guided bombs from the air, intense artillery barrages, heavy flame-throwers and tank-fire takes its daily toll. Yusov says such an intensive use of artillery ammunition for Russia is made possible by support from North Korea. And Nazar Volosyn, a Ukrainian military spokesman in the east, acknowledged to CNN Thursday that artillery and the intensified use of glide bombs had put strategic heights around Chasiv Yar in Donetsk at risk. They are dropping heavy ammunition on us without even flying near the contact line or entering our air defense zone, he said. Exactly the same tactic applies to the Avdiivka area, Volosyn says. When their aircraft are working, it is impossible for our defenders to work, they only need to hide in cover. An employee works on a Raybird long-range surveillance drone at the Skyeton drone-manufacturing company in the Kyiv region on February 27. - Roman Pilipey/AFP/Getty Images Ukrainian officials speak of fatigue and frustration but take heart from the ineptitude of some Russian commanders. After Tonenke battle last week, one soldier described amazement at the sheer number of Russian soldiers dying in bundles due to the ambitions of one small man, reflected one soldier, referring to Russias President Putin. And yet the Russians are not doomed to repeat their mistakes. They have shown an ability to adapt, especially in building multi-layered defenses that scotched the Ukrainian offensive last summer, in deploying glide bombs beyond the range of Ukrainian defenses and in developing their own array of attack drones. Most recently, according to Ukrainian officials, they have begun equipping cruise missiles with cluster munitions. Ukraine has responded with a rapid expansion of its own arms industry, in many ways more innovative than the Russians, especially in developing long-range drones at sea and in the air. Ukraine is waging a near war of close-quarter battles and a far war aimed at Russian infrastructure and logistics: oil refineries, airfields and factories. In the last week alone, its home-made drones hit a plant making UAVs 1,300 kilometers inside Russia. Another wave of drones crippled a dozen Russian planes at an airfield in Rostov. The Ukrainians wont acknowledge such attacks but Yusov told CNN cryptically that refineries are military targets and damage there is quite natural. And the geography of this will also expand. Ukraines Third War There is also a third war that goes on in hushed corridors either side of the Atlantic: how to sustain the Ukrainians in a more consistent way. This week NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said it was time to discuss a long-term financial pledge commitment from NATO allies. That may include a long-term funding arrangement under NATOs auspices that would mitigate any decisions by a potential Trump administration next year to end support for Ukraine. Ukrainian officials never tire of telling their backers whats needed now: Patriot and other air defenses, longer-range missiles, artillery shells by the million, more air power. Attending a NATO gathering this week, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that its impossible to understand why the allies cannot find additional batteries to deliver them to a place where ballistic missiles are fired daily. In March alone, 94 ballistic missiles were fired at Ukraine. Kuleba has been saying this every week for many months. The US and 17 other nations, among them several NATO members, have dozens of Patriot systems. Ukraine has received less than a handful. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said it was impossible to understand why the allies cannot find additional batteries to deliver them to a place where ballistic missiles are fired daily." - Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters Paralysis in the US Congress means that Ukraines broader military needs are going unanswered. A bill that would release $61 billion in military aid has not advanced in four months. And time is running out. An official in Ukraines National Security and Defense Council, Lieutenant Andri Kovalenko, said that Ukraines allies must understand that if Western aid does not arrive on time, the enemy will have more chances to capture more territory here or there. At least some perceive the urgency. Czech President Petr Pavel has put together a shell coalition that is trying to fund the purchase of nearly a million shells held in non-Western countries. The European Union has promised to expedite the shipment of shells after failing by some distance to meet its pledge in the past year. But Stepanenko told CNN that all of these European initiatives take time before they can enable Ukraine to generate favorable battlefield conditions. Europe is not ready or able to assume the leadership role currently occupied by the US in providing the volume of weapons needed nor the real-time intelligence shared with Ukraine. Kyiv faces the same problem it has since the onset of the Russian invasion: for all the ingenuity and courage its troops show in the face of Russias brute force, the reticence of its backers mean they frequently have one hand tied behind their back. Matthew Schmidt told CNN: Whatever NATO can get to Ukraine is enough to stabilize its position, not to change it meaningfully. The only variable that could (change it) is a major Russian mistake, and counting on your enemy to screw up is never a good strategy. Nor is Ukraine equipped to take advantage of those mistakes. Stepanenko at the Institute for the Study of War says Ukraine cant exploit the high levels of attrition that Russian units suffer. Russian forces lost at least three mechanized divisions of manpower and equipment in the campaign for Avdiivka, and Ukraine was unable to counterattack around Avdiivka and exploit the conditions of Russian exhaustion, she told CNN. Ukraine has no choice but to dig in and try to anticipate to the best of its ability where, when, and at what intensity Russian forces will attack next, Stepanenko said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Editor's Note: This article was updated to include the most recent estimates of the number of people affected by the strike. Russian troops shelled the Kurakhove and Marinka communities in Donetsk Oblast, killing five and injuring two people, the local authorities reported on April 6. Residents of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk Oblast suffer from daily Russian strikes due to their proximity to the front line. In the village of Kurakhivka, two people were killed and one injured, while in the city of Krasnohorivka, one person was killed and another one injured as of around 7:00 p.m. local time, Donetsk Oblast Governor Vadim Filashkin reported. Filashkin said that all the injured were hospitalized and were getting medical help. As of 9:20 p.m. local time, the number of killed had risen to five, including a 16-year-old girl and her 38-year-old mother, the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office reported. "It is dangerous to stay in Donetsk Oblast. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Evacuate!" Filashkin wrote on his Telegram channel. In total, Russia attacked three districts in Donetsk Oblast over the past day on April 6, according to the governor. Russian forces struck Ukrainian settlements 15 times. Earlier, a family of four, including a 14-year-old boy, was injured in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, after Russian forces attacked residential houses on April 5, the General Prosecutor's Office said. Read also: Between life and death in front-line Krasnohorivka Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Rescue workers evacuate residents of Orsk, Russia, on Saturday after a dam burst near the city. Water from the Ural River had flooded around 2,400 homes in the area around the border with Kazakhstan. Photo courtesy Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations/Telegram April 6 (UPI) -- Russian authorities have ordered citizens to evacuate parts of the Ural mountains city of Orsk after a dam burst, according to official media. According to Interfax, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry deployed emergency teams to Orsk as a preventive measure after the dam broke on Friday. The ministry said residents in the possible flood area were moved to temporary accommodation facilities. Rescuers said they are working with local authorities to reinforce the dam and deal with the aftermath of the break. The dam break happened in two places, the official Russian news agency TASS reported. By Saturday morning, water from the Ural River had flooded around 2,400 homes and 3,000 adjacent areas in Orsk. Around 2,000 people were evacuated, and more than 300 people were placed in temporary shelters, the report said. The regional prosecutor's office said the collapse was caused by "untimely measures taken to maintain the hydraulic structure in proper technical condition." Authorities said they found the bodies of three people in the flooded areas, but two of them weren't killed by the disaster. The dam failure in Orsk, located about 1,000 miles southeast of Moscow, comes after heavy rainfall drenched the Ural Mountains and nearby regions. Kazakhstan has evacuated nearly 47,000 people, and floods are advancing in Barnaul in western Siberia. "This is perhaps the largest disaster in terms of scale and impact in the last 80-plus years," Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in a speech. Orsk is a city of about 200,000 people in the Orenburg region near the Russian border with Kazakhstan. Thousands of Russians have been evacuated from their homes after an embankment dam broke in the southern region of Orenburg, near Kazakhstan, authorities said. The dam in the city of Orsk could not contain the flow of water of the Ural river and broke in two places, local authorities told TASS. At least three people have died as a result of the flooding, according to Russian state news agency TASS. Authorities have reported that 4,208 people in the region have been evacuated, including 1,019 children, and 495 temporary accommodation centers for 82,200 people are being prepared, according to TASS. Three people are reported to have died so far. - Russian Emergencies Ministry via Reuters As of Saturday morning, the level of the Ural river was nearly double the level the dam was designed to handle, according to regional authorities. The dam failure occurred because the hydraulic structure was not properly maintained, and a criminal investigation has been opened, the regional prosecutors office said. The dam was protecting the city from the waters of the Ural river. By Saturday morning, the water had reached several districts of the city, flooding nearly 2,400 residential buildings, TASS reported. A state of emergency is in effect in Orenburg, the head of the Orenburg region Sergey Salmin said in a Telegram post Saturday. This situation leaves us no choice; overnight the [river] level may reach a critical level. I demand that everyone immediately leave their houses in the flood zone. Rescuers make their way in a flooded residential area in the city of Orsk. - Russian Emergencies Ministry via Reuters Those who refuse to leave the danger zone voluntarily will be evacuated forcibly, with the participation of police officers, he added. Orsk, a city of 230,000, lies near Russias border with Kazakhstan. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev described the flooding as one of Kazakhstans largest natural disasters in 80 years, according to Reuters. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com On the afternoon of 6 April, the Defence Forces of Ukraine's South reported that combat work against Russian reconnaissance drones was ongoing over Odesa Oblast. Source: Defence Forces of Ukraines South on Telegram Details: The air-raid warning has not been issued in the oblast. Nevertheless, the military officials emphasise that it can still be dangerous. Quote: "We remind you that it can also be dangerous! Interesting shots of air defence operations are not worth your life! Take care of yourself, stay in shelters, and don't interfere with the Defence Forces' work." Updated: Later, the Ukrainian military reported that two Russian Orlan-10 reconnaissance UAVs had been destroyed over the Black Sea by the Odesa anti-aircraft missile brigade in the afternoon. Support UP or become our patron! An Arctic "fogbow is seen from the deck of the Coast Guard cutter Healy during the 2016 Hidden Ocean mission to the Chukchi Borderland. (photo provided by Caitlin Bailey/Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration) An Arctic "fogbow is seen from the deck of the Coast Guard cutter Healy during the 2016 Hidden Ocean mission to an Arctic Ocean region known as the Chukchi Borderland. The research cruise gathered multiple types of data, including information used to create seafloor maps to support the U.S. claim to extended outer continental shelf territory in the Chukchi Borderland lying beyond a 200-mile exclusive economic zone. (Photo provided by Caitlin Bailey/Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration) New U.S. claims to seabed territory off Alaska have run into an obstacle: an objection from the Russian government. The Russian government, which has staked territorial claims to most of the Arctic Ocean, is challenging the U.S. claims made in December to sovereignty over 520,400 square kilometers of extended outer continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean an area bigger than California and another 176,330 square kilometers in the Bering Sea. The U.S. does not have the right to make such claims because it is not a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Russias delegation argued at a meeting in Jamaica last month of the International Seabed Commission. We categorically reject the selective approach of the United States of America to the use of international law, with an emphasis on its rights and a complete disregard for obligations, the delegations statement said. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the Russian objection is puzzling because the claims made in December by the U.S. State Department did not overlap any territory claimed by Russia. I dont know whether they would do it other than just to be obstreperous. But that wouldnt be surprising, she said at a Thursday news conference in Anchorage. Whatever grounds Russia might cite, its objection is an example of how the U.S. is at a disadvantage because it has not ratified the Law of the Sea treaty, under which such claims are adjudicated, she said. A map of North America and the oceans around it shows the extended continental shelf areas that the U.S. government is preparing to claim as its national territory. The Arctic Ocean holds the largest swath of extended continental shelf area to which the U.S. plans to make claims. (Map provided by U.S. State Department) A map of North America and the oceans around it shows the extended continental shelf areas that the U.S. government is preparing to claim as its national territory. The Arctic Ocean holds the largest swath of extended continental shelf area to which the U.S. plans to make claims. (Map provided by U.S. State Department) The U.S. is still allowed to submit a claim without ratifying the treaty, she said. However, were not, basically, at the table to defend it, she said. Its kind of like going to court and just hoping that the pleading that you filed is going to be rock-solid and all of your cites are going to be just very conclusive, but you dont have the ability to argue your case as the attorney that drafted that, said Murkowski, who worked as a lawyer before holding public office. Murkowski in November, along with several colleagues, introduced a resolution seeking Senate ratification of the Convention on the Law of the Sea. It was her third official attempt to get the Senate to approve the treaty. As with all outer continental territorial claims, the U.S. claims made in December concern only the seabed, not the ocean above it. The claims could affect future economic activities, such as deep-sea mining or the placement of fiber-optic cables. The U.S. claims in the Arctic add to a series of claims made by other Arctic nations that date back several years. Russias claims, as amended in 2021, extend from the Eastern Hemisphere to the Western-Hemisphere side of the North Pole, based on its interpretation of the continental shelf. While the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf approved most of the claimed territory, other areas claimed by Russia overlap and conflict with territorial claims made by Canada and by Denmark on behalf of Greenland. When it comes to even existing U.S. territorial rights, there have been some conflicting signals from Russia. An effort in the Russian Duma aims to sever the U.S-Russia Bering Sea boundary agreement that dates back to 1990, when the Soviet Union still existed. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has tried to counter that effort, defending the agreement as valid and a benefit to the nation. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, speaks at an April 4, 2024, news conference in her Anchorage office. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, speaks at a news conference held Thursday in her Anchorage office. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) One high-ranking Russian official has even raised the specter of leaving the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. Russia has taken more aggressive actions in the Bering Sea and Arctic in recent years. In a now-notorious 2020 incident, a Russian warship crew confronted some U.S. pollock fishermen and ordered them to move. And there have been more military operations, including exercises in the Bering and Chukchi seas last September that drew U.S. Coast Guard scrutiny. Asked about new doubts cast by some Russian officials about recognition of the existing Bering Sea maritime border, Coast Guard Lt. Commander Jed Raskie told the North Pacific Fishery Management Council on Thursday that he has not yet seen any follow-through on those sentiments. There has been no detectable action that has signaled that theyre going to proactively challenge that, Raskin told the council, which is meeting this week in Anchorage. Cross-border cooperation between the U.S. Coast Guard and its Russian counterpart has deteriorated but not ended entirely, he told the council. The communications between us and the Russian Border Guard are relatively low right now, and thats because of the strained relationship between the two nations, said Raskie, who is based in Juneau. We still have very good contact, and we maintain good communications just to make sure that if something that becomes an issue with either safety, life at sea or pollution, we would, obviously, be able to contact them proactively for that. In the first three months of 2024, there were no observed incursions by foreign vessels, from Russia or elsewhere, into U.S territory in the Bering Sea, Raskie said. But this is a slow time of year for fishing in that part of the Bering Sea, and things may change in the summer and fall along the maritime boundary, he said. I think the answer is well see what happens over the next few months. And were standing by, he told the council. The post Russian objection to U.S. territorial claims off Alaska complicates maritime relationship appeared first on Alaska Beacon. The Wagner Group Private Military Company (PMC) has launched a large-scale recruitment of Ukrainians in the temporarily occupied territories for the war in Africa. Source: Ukraines National Resistance Center Details: These are men aged 22 to 50. If they sign a six-month contract, they are promised a salary of 240,000 roubles (about US$2,600). In addition to taking part in combat actions, they will have to work in the mining industry. Wagner personnel were deployed to Africa back in 2017. They justified their presence there with a "sincere" desire to fight American influence on the continent. Russia is known for its constant wars in many countries around the world and for violating international humanitarian law, which does not allow the recruitment of local people into militant groups. Support UP or become our patron! Pekic / iStock/Getty Images Knight Franks The Wealth Report reveals that the individual net wealth required to be part of the 1% club in several countries is lower than you might expect, mainly regarding financial classification the high-net-worth-individual (HNWI). This metric is split into three different levels, the middle of which is the very-high-net-worth individual (VHNWI), followed by the highest, the ultra-high-net-worth individual (UHNWI). Learn More: A $150K Income Is Lower Middle Class In These High-Cost Cities Discover Here: 6 Genius Things All Wealthy People Do With Their Money The minimum total assets threshold for each is $1 million, $5 million and $30 million, respectively. The interesting finding is the notable distinction between being part of the 1% and being a UHNWI. In any of these countries, you would only need to be an HWNI or a VHNWI to be in the 1% a dynamic that indicates the asymmetric global wealth distribution. Based on Knight Frank Researchs Q4 2023 data, here is a list of some of the wealthiest countries and the value your net worth (converted to USD) would need to meet to be considered part of the 1% (from greatest to least amount). OSTILL / iStock.com Monaco Threshold for the 1% club: $12,883,000 (VHNWI) Total population (2023): 36,297 Monacos relatively small population indulges in the sight of the ocean at Larvotto Beach and the exhilaration of the Monaco Grand Prix. Read More: Toilet Paper to Discontinued Items: 7 Ways Shrinkflation Has Come to Costco Discover More: 7 Popular Clothing Brands the Middle Class Cant Afford Anymore Sponsored: Protect Your Wealth With A Gold IRA. Take advantage of the timeless appeal of gold in a Gold IRA recommended by Sean Hannity. tibu / Getty Images/iStockphoto Luxembourg Threshold for the 1% club: 10,832,000 (VHNWI) Total population (2023): 654,768 Luxembourg has a timeless appeal with its wondrous medieval structures and vast wooded areas. Check Out: How Much Household Income Will Be Considered Upper Middle Class in 5 Years? PhillipMinnis / Getty Images/iStockphoto Switzerland Threshold for the 1% club: $8,509,000 (VHNWI) Total population (2023): 8,796,669 The Swiss have access to the Winter wonderland-like appeal of the Jungfraujoch. Europes largest waterfall, the Rhine Falls, is a truly stunning vista. bloodua / iStock.com United States Threshold for the 1% club: $5,813,000 (VHNWI) Total population (2023): 339,996,563 American citizens have found limitless ways of building successful careers from one beautiful coast to the other. Nikada / Getty Images Singapore Threshold for the 1% club: $5,227,000 (VHNWI) Total population (2023): 6,014,723 Story continues From Kampong Gelam to Marina Bay, Singapores mainland and 60+ surrounding islands have rich culture, style and biodiversity. Read Next: 7 Things the Middle Class Wont Be Able To Afford in the Next 5 Years TomasSereda / iStock.com Sweden Threshold for the 1% club: $4,761,000 (HNWI) Total population (2023): 10,612,086 Sweden has recently placed some effort into ensuring the global population can distinguish its draws from that of Switzerland, the former of which boasts lovely sandbanks, rooftop dining and a view of the Northern Lights. holgs / Getty Images/iStockphoto Australia Threshold for the 1% club: $4,673,000 (HNWI) Total population (2023): 26,439,111 Australia has a great deal of wildlife along with diverse terrain, from the Great Barrier Reef to the Outback. denizunlusu / Getty Images/iStockphoto New Zealand Threshold for the 1% club: $4,574,000 (HNWI) Total population (2023): 5,228,100 Also known as the Home of Middle-Earth due to it being the filming location of The Lord of the Rings franchise, New Zealand is home to Maori culture and plenty of outdoor activities. Learn More: 7 Ways the Upper Middle Class Can Become Rich in 2024 ChrisSteer / Getty Images/iStockphoto Ireland Threshold for the 1% club: $4,321,000 (HNWI) Total population (2023): 5,056,935 Ireland offers an assortment of woodland trails and coastal hubs for families to enjoy. Whether you prefer hiking or oyster shucking, there are great things to do that are environmentally friendly. DieterMeyrl / Getty Images Germany Threshold for the 1% club: $3,430,000 (HNWI) Total population (2023): 83,294,633 Immerse yourself in volcanoes, feel the thrills of wild river rafting or view impressive 17th and 18th century Baroque architecture in Germany. Alan_Tow / Getty Images France Threshold for the 1% club: $3,273,000 (HNWI) Total population (2023): 64,756,584 In addition to the worldly allure of Paris, France is also home to the world-famous wine of Bordeaux and the magnificent French Alps. For You: How Far a $100,000 Salary Goes in Americas 50 Largest Cities luxizeng / Getty Images Hong Kong SAR Threshold for the 1% club: $3,094,000 (HNWI) Total population (2023): 7,491,609 Hong Kong is a sprawling metropolis with exciting nightlife and several islands worth visiting for tourists and residents alike. OlegAlbinsky / Getty Images United Kingdom Threshold for the 1% club: $3,070,000 (HNWI) Total population (2023): 67,736,802 With England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom has a distinct vastness you cant find anywhere else. bluejayphoto / Getty Images/iStockphoto Italy Threshold for the 1% club: $2,548,000 (HNWI) Total population (2023): 58,870,762 Whether its a gondola ride through the canals of Venice or a visit to Tuscany to see Botticellis work, Italy has many cultural treasures to enjoy. Try This: What Income Level Is Considered Middle Class in Your State? holgs / Getty Images/iStockphoto Spain Threshold for the 1% club: $2,468,000 (HNWI) Total population (2023): 47,519,628 Spain is a beautiful country with alluring castles, beaches and wineries. JaCZhou / Getty Images Japan Threshold for the 1% club: $1,971,000 (HNWI) Total population (2023): 123,294,513 A leader in the technology world, Japan is also home to funky fashion, never-ending sushi and a world-renowned bullet train. zorabcde / Getty Images Mainland China Threshold for the 1% club: $1,074,000 (HNWI) Total population (2023): 1,425,671,352 Mainland China features the World Finance and Science Center of Shanghai. Youll also find the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. Dont miss the terracotta warriors. This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Rich Do You Need to Be to Join the Top 1% in These 16 Countries? Five people have been killed, including a minor, and two more have been injured as a result of artillery attacks on the Pokrovsk district, Donetsk Oblast. Source: Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office Details: Investigation claims that on 6 April 2024, Russian troops twice attacked the village of Kurakhivka, Pokrovsk district. The Russian attack on the territory of the private sector killed four people. Among the dead are a 38-year-old mother and her 16-year-old daughter. A 52-year-old man was also injured. In addition, Russians attacked the city of Krasnohorivka, killing a 25-year-old man. A 29-year-old citizen was also injured. He received medical assistance. Quote: "The enemy attacked these settlements with artillery. Prosecutors are taking all possible and appropriate measures to document war crimes committed by representatives of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation." Support UP or become our patron! Russians strike agricultural business in Kherson Oblast and damage industrial buildings in Zaporizhzhia The Russians targeted an agricultural business in Kherson Oblast on the night of 5-6 April. Firefighters promptly extinguished the fire and no casualties were reported. The same night, missiles struck the city of Zaporizhzhia, damaging industrial facilities. Source: Defence Forces of Ukraines South; Ivan Fedorov, Head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration Details: Industrial buildings were damaged in Zaporizhzhia, with a fire breaking out. Early reports indicate that there were no casualties. The aftermath of the attack and the type of missiles used are being established. Fedorov added that the Russians had damaged a Melitopol aid facility in Zaporizhzhia. "The Right Here open aid space serves as a place where the Melitopol team has been assisting tens of thousands of internally displaced persons for almost two years," he said. Ukraines air defence was intensely active for about five hours. The Russians launched Shahed-131/136 attack drones from the south. Fourteen drones were successfully destroyed, including seven in Kherson Oblast, three in both Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts and one in Mykolaiv Oblast. Support UP or become our patron! Rwanda: Our new and better nation is a safe country for everyone Marie-Luise Dreyer, the minister-president of Rhineland-Palatinate, lays flowers to mark the anniversary at a genocide memorial in Kigali on Saturday - LUKE DRAY/GETTY IMAGES Thirty years ago today, the genocide against the Tutsi was unleashed. One million people were murdered in 100 days, while the world stood by and watched. The slaughter was only halted when the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) fought their way into the capital and overthrew the genocidal government. Then began the process of putting our country back together. This long, hard journey has been successful and now Rwanda is undeniably a safe country for Rwandans and non-Rwandans alike. One of the most critical components of our reconciliation work was putting womens empowerment at the heart of everything we did. This was, in part, driven by necessity, but much more significantly, it was the embodiment of our desire to build a country which would allow all Rwandans to thrive. After July 4 1994, when Rwanda was liberated and the killings halted, approximately 70 per cent of Rwandas remaining population was female. This isnt to say women werent killed during the genocide. Many were, but the majority of victims were male. This required the government of national unity to immediately move to empower women in ways the country had not seen before. Communities oversaw justice Rwanda introduced Gacaca tribunals - a traditional form of justice - as a means to deal with the vast amounts of cases the country had to hear after the genocide. Gacaca tribunals saw local communities elect Inyangamugayo (people of integrity) as judges to hear the trials of genocide perpetrators (excluding those who were guilty of planning the genocide, who were tried in conventional courts). Over a third of these judges were women (a deviation from the traditional men-only judging panels), demonstrating the new Rwandas commitment to put gender equality at the heart of its reconstruction. This court system was hugely successful, trying 1.2 million perpetrators and settling 1,958,634 cases at a cost of $46-65 million (36.4-51.4 million). This proved to be hugely more efficient than the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, established by the UN, which heard just 75 cases at a cost of $1 billion. Over the past 30 years, progress on advancing gender equality has spanned every area of society, and Rwanda now ranks 12th on the global gender gap index. The World Economic Forum introduced this measure as a means of benchmarking progress towards gender parity and comparing countries gender gaps across four dimensions: economic opportunities, education, health and political leadership. Rwandas position on the 2023 rankings places us above many advanced western economies. Progress has not been by chance Rwandas commitment to non-discrimination is also enshrined in law. The constitution was amended in 2015 providing for equal rights between Rwandans and between women and men. This progress hasnt been by chance. Its been achieved because of the decisions weve taken as a country. For example, we chose to create a constitutional provision which stipulates that a minimum of 30 per cent of positions on decision-making bodies must be held by women but we often far exceed this minimum. Women currently make up 45 per cent of cabinet positions and 61 per cent of the seats in parliament. Eighty six per cent of women are active in the labour market and Rwanda is just one of three countries that registered parity in the labour force. All of this progress has been led from the very top of government. President Kagame said: Ensuring gender equality is not just a moral issue, it is a rights issue, and it is a shared responsibility that concerns every member of our society. This commitment to womens rights has created a safe environment for female Rwandans, and for women travellers to Rwanda. A BBC report last year deemed Rwanda to be the second safest country in the world for solo female travellers after carrying out interviews with female tourists and examining quantitative data from sources including Georgetown Universitys Womens Peace and Security Index. Many baseless accusations In the febrile debate over the UKs Safety of Rwanda Bill there have been many baseless accusations thrown around about Rwanda, mostly by people who have never set foot in our country. The critics on the Left conveniently ignore the progress weve made in advancing the rights of women, just as they gloss over the huge strides weve made in advancing the right to life (life expectancy has increased from 39 to 69 over the past 30 years). Rwanda is by no means perfect. We are worthy of legitimate criticism, as every nation is, because we are a work in progress. But the fact that weve come such a long way in only 30 years, especially when it comes to equality, we think should be at the very least acknowledged by those passing judgment on our country. Weve built a new, better Rwanda for everyone regardless of background, ethnicity or gender and anyone who comes to Rwanda is afforded the same protection and guarantees as our people. Rwanda is, undeniably, a safe country for all. Yolande Makolo is a spokesperson for the Rwandan government 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. Genocide survivor Jeanette Nyirabashyitsi, 45, left a Tutsi, greets Frederick Kazigwemo, a Hutu who was jailed for nine years for genocide-related crimes in the reconciliation village of Mbyo, in Nyamata, Rwanda Friday, April 5, 2024. Thirty years after the genocide, the country has fourteen "reconciliation villages" where convicted perpetrators who have been released from prison after publicly apologizing for their crimes live side by side with genocide survivors. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga) BUGESERA, Rwanda (AP) Anastasie Nyirabashyitsi and Jeanette Mukabyagaju think of each other as dear friends. The womens friendship was cemented one day in 2007, when Mukabyagaju, going somewhere, left a child behind for Nyirabashyitsi to look after. This expression of trust stunned Nyirabashyitsi because Mukabyagaju, a Tutsi survivor who lost most of her family in the Rwandan genocide, was leaving a child in the hands of a Hutu woman for the first time since they had known each other. If she can ask me to keep her child, its because she trusts me, Nyirabashyitsi said recently, describing her feelings at the time. A woman, when it comes to her children, when someone trusts you with (her) children, its because she really does. It wasn't always like that. Nyirabashyitsi and Mukabyagaju are both witnesses to terrible crimes. But, in the government-approved reconciliation village where they have lived for 19 years, they have reached peaceful coexistence from opposite experiences. Nyirabashyitsi, 54, recalled the helpless Tutsis she saw at roadblocks not far from the present reconciliation village, people she knew faced imminent death when the Hutu soldiers and militiamen started systematically killing their Tutsi neighbors on the night of April 6, 1994. The killings were ignited when a plane carrying then-President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, was shot down over Kigali. The Tutsi were blamed for downing the plane and killing the president. An estimated 800,000 Tutsis were killed by extremist Hutus in massacres that lasted over 100 days in 1994. Some moderate Hutus who tried to protect members of the Tutsi minority were also targeted. One victim was a woman who had been a godmother to her child, and later she saw the womans body dumped in a ditch, Nyirabashyitsi remembers. It was so horrible, and it was even shameful to be able see that, she said. For sure, we had no hope of living. We thought that we would also be killed. How could you see that and then think you will be alive at some point? As for Mukabyagaju, she was a 16-year-old temporarily staying in the southern province of Muhanga while her parents lived in Kigali. When she couldnt shelter at the nearest Catholic parish, she hid in a latrine for two months, without anything to eat and drinking from trenches, until she was rescued by Tutsi rebels who stopped the genocide. I hated Hutu so much to the point that I could not agree to meet them, she said, adding that it took a long time to be able even think that I can interact with a Hutu. The women are neighbors in a community of genocide perpetrators and survivors 40 kilometers (24 miles) outside the Rwandan capital of Kigali. At least 382 people live in Mbyo Reconciliation Village, which some Rwandans cite as an example of how people can peacefully coexist 30 years after the genocide. More than half the residents of this reconciliation village are women, and their projects which include a basket-weaving cooperative as well as a money saving program have united so many of them that it can seem offensive to inquire into who is Hutu and who is Tutsi. An official with Prison Fellowship Rwanda, a Kigali-based civic group thats in charge of the village, said the women foster a climate of tolerance because of the hands-on activities in which they engage regularly. Theres a model we have here which we call practical reconciliation, said Christian Bizimana, a program coordinator with Prison Fellowship Rwanda. Whenever they are weaving baskets, they can engage more, talk more, go into the details. We believe that by doing that ... forgiveness is deepened, unity is deepened. In Rwanda, a small East African country of 14 million people, women leaders have long been seen as a pillar of reconciliation, and Rwandans can now see the benefits of empowering women to fight the ideology behind genocide, said Yolande Mukagasana, a prominent writer and genocide survivor. Two of three members of Mbyo Reconciliation Village's dispute-resolution committee are women, and they have been helpful in resolving conflicts ranging from domestic disputes to communal disagreements, residents say. The women's activities set an example for children and promote the visibility of what really this village is like in terms of practical unity and reconciliation, said Frederick Kazigwemo, a leader in the village who was jailed nine years on charges of genocide-related crimes. He said of the friendship between Nyirabashyitsi and Mukabyagaju: It pleases my heart. It's something that I could have never imagined. ... It gives me hope (for) what will happen in future." Eighteen women are actively involved in basket weaving, meeting as a group at least once a week. Nyirabashyitsi and Mukabyagaju sat next to each other one recent morning as they made new baskets. A collection of their work was displayed on a mat nearby. When we came here the environment was clouded by suspicion. It wasnt easy to trust one another, Nyirabashyitsi said. For example, it wasnt easy for me to go to Jeanettes house, because I had no idea what she was thinking about me. But after time, the more we lived together, that harmony and that closeness came. The women told The Associated Press in separate interviews that, for them and others in the village, ethnic badges no longer apply. Nyirabashyitsi and Mukabyagaju were among the first people to arrive in the village when it was launched in 2005 as part of wider reconciliation efforts by Prison Fellowship Rwanda. The organization, which is affiliated with the Washington-based Prison Fellowship International, wanted to create opportunities for genocide survivors to heal in conditions where they can regularly talk to perpetrators. There are at least eight other reconciliation villages across Rwanda. President Paul Kagames rebel group, the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front, stopped the genocide after 100 days, seized power and has since ruled Rwanda unchallenged. Rwandan authorities have heavily promoted national unity among the majority Hutu and the minority Tutsi and Twa, with a separate government ministry dedicated to reconciliation efforts. The government has imposed a tough penal code to prosecute those it suspects of denying the genocide or promoting the genocide ideology. Some observers say the law has been used to silence critics who question the government. Rwandan ID cards no longer identify a person by ethnicity. Lessons about the genocide are part of the curriculum in schools. Mbyo Reconciliation Village, which is near a Catholic parish that openly displays human remains from the 1994 killings, is structured like an ordinary Rwandan village: tin-roofed houses set in small plots adjacent to farmland. Children play in the dirt compound. Women go about their household chores. Mukabyagaju insisted that she now relates to Nyirabashyitsi and the other women in their village as if they were her sisters. For her, she said, the ethnic labels are meaningless. I dont see them as Hutu, she said. ___ Ssuuna reported from Kigali, Rwanda. Sadiq Khan is pursuing an unprecedented third term as London Mayor next month - Tayfun Salci/Shutterstock Sadiq Khan has been accused of losing control of crime in London after figures reveal that thefts and robberies involving a knife have nearly doubled on his watch. Susan Hall, his Conservative opponent in Mays mayoral election, has claimed that if someone gets robbed in London, all you get is a crime reference number. Mr Khan, first elected as the capitals Mayor in 2016, is pursuing an unprecedented third term next month, with crime a major issue in the contest. Figures collated by Ms Halls campaign show that theft from person in London has increased by 96 per cent since Mr Khan took office. In the year ending March 2016, the Metropolitan Police recorded 33,983 incidents of theft from person. In the year ending September 2023, that had risen to 66,649. Robberies involving a knife in London have increased by 97 per cent, with 4,215 incidents recorded in the year ending March 2016, rising to 8,307 in the year ending September 2023. Meanwhile, shoplifting has increased by 20 per cent, with 43,755 incidents recorded in 2016 compared to 52,436 in 2023. The Tories said that, with 90,864 mobile phones stolen in London in 2022, a phone is effectively snatched in the capital every six minutes. Crime is out of control However, some categories of crime have fallen since 2016, with recorded incidents of domestic burglary, arson, bicycle theft and criminal damage all down. Ms Hall said 36 police stations had closed during Mr Khans tenure, while also accusing the Labour Mayor of failing to recruit enough police and scrapping borough-based policing. She said: Crime is out of control in Sadiq Khans London, but he just wont listen. I have a plan to sort it out. I am listening to Londoners, who tell me they do not feel safe and are fed up with being ignored by Sadiq Khan. As Mayor, I will put more officers on the beat and bring back borough-based policing so your police are local to you. Mr Khan is favourite to win the mayoral race. Last week, a poll by Survation put him on 44 per cent, with Ms Hall on 26 per cent. However, he has insisted that the race will be the closest ever. A spokesman for Mr Khan said: The Mayor is investing record amounts in Londons public services, including an additional 151 million in this years budget for policing and crime prevention. Sadiq has now doubled the amount of funding hes given to the police since becoming Mayor. At the same time, Tory government cuts have been a disaster for combating crime across the country, with 1 billion cut from the Met police in real terms since 2010, and 1 billion cuts to youth services nationally having a devastating impact on the vital support communities can provide. All these Tory government cuts to the Met and to youth services were enthusiastically backed by the Conservative candidate. 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. What San Diegans need to know ahead of the April 8 solar eclipse SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) The celestial event everyones been talking about is almost here. Are you ready for it? If not, FOX 5/KUSI has compiled some information you need to know like when to see the event, where to best view it from, where to get free viewing glasses and even some flights you can take to see it up close. First, type in April 8 solar eclipse into Google, youll be greeted with a solar eclipse animation. That was fun, right? Now onto what you need to know. Total solar eclipse forecast: Will you have clear skies on April 8? What time is the eclipse happening? Mexicos Pacific coast will be the first place in North America to see the total solar eclipse starting around 11:07 a.m. PDT on Monday, April 8. Here in San Diego, we will be able to see the partial eclipse starting at 10:03 a.m. PDT Monday. The eclipse will peak at 11:11 a.m. PDT, with the entire event ending by 12:23 p.m. PDT for us in this part of the country. 2024 solar eclipse: San Diego to have best view of solar eclipse in California Click here to view an interactive map of California for the exact time when the eclipse will begin, and what percentage of the sun will be covered in your city. In other parts of the country, the total solar eclipse will peak at the following times, according to NASA: Dallas, Texas 1:40 p.m. CDT (11:40 a.m. PDT) Russellville, Arkansas 1:50 p.m. CDT (11:50 a.m. PDT) Carbondale, Illinois 1:59 p.m. CDT (11:59 a.m. PDT) Indianapolis, Indiana 3:06 p.m. EST (12:06 p.m. PDT) Cleveland, Ohio 3:13 p.m. EST (12:13 p.m. PDT) Erie, Pennsylvania 3:18 p.m. EDT (12:18 p.m. PDT) Niagara Falls, New York 3:20 p.m. EST (12:20 p.m. PDT) Houlton, Maine 3:32 p.m. EST (12:32 p.m. PDT) View NASAs interactive map of when and where the 2024 total solar eclipse can be seen in different parts of the country. Path of totality The total solar eclipse will be visible in 15 U.S. states, while the partial eclipse will be visible in all 49 continental states, according to NASA. While the West Coast wont see the sun completely disappear, us here in San Diego will see about 60 to 65% of the eclipse, making it the best place to view the solar eclipse in California. Will you see the solar eclipse? NASA map shows path of totality across US in 2024 The path of the 2024 total solar eclipse, as you can see in NASAs map below, will head from Mexicos Pacific coast north through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, ending North Americas view on the Atlantic coast off of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. NDT. The 2024 total solar eclipse path crosses from Mexico, through the United States from Texas to Maine, and up through Canada. (Photo Courtesy: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio) Solar eclipse flights out of San Diego Several airlines have announced flights to view the April 8 total solar eclipse from the sky. Here in San Diego, Alaska Airlines is offering two chances to catch a flight out of the San Diego International Airport (SAN) while viewing the rare phenomenon from 35,000 feet in the air. Alaska Airlines announces solar eclipse flights out of San Diego Delta adds another eclipse flight: Which other flights will offer a view of the solar event? Those interested in the option can board a flight from San Diego to the Boston Logan International Airport at 8:10 a.m., while the other flight heads from San Diego to the Washington Dulles International Airport, taking off at 8:05 a.m. Where to find free viewing glasses in San Diego Whether or not youre in the path of totality, looking directly at the sun is a safety hazard. It not only can damage your eyes, it can also damage any camera lens pointing at it without the proper gear. Where to get free solar eclipse glasses in San Diego Eclipse 2024: Using the right glasses for solar viewing In San Diego County, you can grab free eclipse viewing glasses at Warby Parker locations, San Diego Public Libraries, Sonic Drive-In, and during the Fleet Science Centers Eclipse Viewing Party. Video: Dr. Adam Burgasser from UCSD joins FOX 5 to talk about a solar eclipse cruise sailing from southern Mexico on Monday, April 8 Read More: UC San Diego professor to watch total solar eclipse from cruise ship Where to catch a live stream of the total solar eclipse online You can watch the totality right here in San Diego, with a live feed of the solar eclipse at the Fleet Science Centers Heikoff Giant Dome Theater from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. on April 8. Spots to watch solar eclipse in San Diego County NASA is live streaming the entire event from 1 to 4 p.m. (EDT) on April 8. Join NASA as the total solar eclipse moves across North America, with live views from across the path, expert commentary, live demos, and more. Watch online here. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. This SC bridge is getting a needed overhaul, but traffic will suffer for a bit. Heres what to know The Church Street bridge is, by Greenville standards, pretty ugly. Afterall, Greenville has the Liberty Bridge, a soaring span designed by a famous Boston architect over the Reedy River offering a sensational view of the falls. Church Street bridge offers its own sensational view, that of the sweeping cityscape that has emerged over the past three decades as Greenville has grown into a major destination. Now, after years of planning, the 65-year-old bridge is getting a beauty upgrade and a repair to the deteriorating roadway. Beginning next year, the four-lane bridge over East Broad Street that was designed to let travelers avoid downtown streets will be reduced to two lanes and the walkway will be closed. Three detours will be set up during the almost year-long project. One for local traffic, another for cars and still another longer route for trucks. Casey Lucas of the SCDOT could not be reached for comment on the cost of the project and a better understanding of the delays to expect. The project was estimated to cost $8 million last year. A rendering shows Church Street bridge after construction. At a Greenville City Council meeting in January, Tony Steffee, project manager for Mead & Hunt architectural and engineering firm, said to expect delays. Church Street is also known as U.S. Highway 29 and is a major thoroughfare for drivers entering the city from Interstate 385. The road in 2021 had an average daily traffic volume of 26,300 vehicles. The South Carolina Department of Transportation called the bridge one of Greenvilles most prominent landmarks. The bridge deck will be improved, drainage system updated and the overall condition of the structure will be addressed. Also, there will be a widened sidewalk, better lighting and handrail and the stairs to city streets below will be replaced. And there will be planters. How can I see the eclipse in Fairfax County? FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) The solar eclipse is fast approaching on Monday, April 8 and many in the DMV are excited to catch a glimpse. Though Northern Virginia isnt in the path of totality, a partial eclipse will be viewable in the area. Fairfax County is estimated to experience a partial eclipse with a magnitude of 89%, according to eclipse2024.org. It will begin at around 2:04 p.m. in the county and end around 4:32 p.m. with the maximum eclipse happening around 3:20 p.m. On Monday, several libraries and parks in the county are hosting events. How to see the solar eclipse from the National Mall Centreville Regional Library is hosting a Solar Eclipse Party where attendees can grab a free pair of solar eclipse glasses and enjoy space-themed treats while learning about the eclipse. They will live-stream the eclipse inside the library and welcome participants to see it outside. Glasses will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Dolley Madison Library and Sherwood Library are also hosting events. For details, click here. Ellanor C. Lawrence Park and Burke Lake Park are hosting Partial Solar Eclipse Celebrations. Heres how you can track the 2024 solar eclipse in real time Attendees are welcome to join naturalists to view the partial solar eclipse and enjoy games, activities and demonstrations. Fairfax County said a limited number of viewing glasses and sun-spotting scopes will be available. Registration at each park is $10 and the event lasts from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, head to the Ellanor C. Lawrence Park and Burke Lake Park event pages. For more events, head to Fairfax Countys Library and Parks Events tab here. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. Never before in our nations history have we seen a more significant and coordinated effort to advance the socialist agenda. Just a few years ago, these views were represented by fringe groups with limited political clout. Today, they are anchored within the Democratic Party, ingrained by academia, and legitimized by the media. Floridians know all too well the direct impact of the poverty and misery caused by socialism. We have seen the threat play out in the lives of countless Floridians who found refuge from socialism and the freedom to pursue their dreams in our state. Sadly, in Colombia, a leftist president threatens the institutional foundation of the country and the pillars of its successful free-market economy. In Venezuela, a country blessed with abundant natural resources, the dictatorship continues outlawing opposition and systematically violating human rights, leading to the financial destruction of a once prosperous nation. Cuba, the most dramatic example: once a thriving free-market economy, with its currency on par with the U.S. dollar, now lies in complete ruin after 66 years of collectivist rule. In Nicaragua, anyone who dares to raise their voice against the regime ends up like in Cuba and Venezuela: imprisoned or dead. There is no other way to look at it; socialism is destruction, poverty, oppression, and death. Throughout my time as the governor of Florida and since my first day as a U.S. Senator, Ive been constantly sounding the alarm on how the modern-day socialist agenda is a genuine threat to the Western world. Biden and the Democrats have had plenty of opportunities to act, but they have remained shamefully silent. During my recent visit to Miami, I stood with freedom fighters and victims of the Castro regime, demanding accountability and justice as Victor Manuel Rocha, a spy for the Castro regime, pleaded guilty to conspiring to act as a foreign agent in the U.S. I called for the immediate release of Jose Daniel Ferrer, as we heard from his family that is in critical condition at the hands of the illegitimate Cuban regime. We witnessed just three weeks ago as Cubans in Santiago took to the streets and how, again, the dictatorship limited internet access. And where was Joe Biden and the Democrats? Why werent they rallying the international community for condemnations or using available technology to break through the information blockade? Since my first day in the U.S. Senate, I have tirelessly fought to defend freedom and democracy in LATAM and protect the United States national security. I have led my colleagues in calling on President Biden to join our fight. Not only did Biden double down on his abandonment of Latin America, but he has also refused to meet with us or listen to what these freedom fighters are going through. Ive introduced the DEMOCRACIA Act, legislation to hold the illegitimate Cuban regime accountable with severe sanctions and actions in support of the cause of freedom, including options to provide unrestricted internet to the island. The Biden administration has allowed dictators to destabilize the region, spread socialism, and allow Iran, Russia and Communist China to expand their influence throughout our hemisphere. Biden has lifted sanctions on Venezuela and Cuba in the last five years. Weve seen our hemisphere becoming a more dangerous place because of Joe Bidens weakness, and we know that our adversaries are using Bidens appeasement to undermine Americas regional security interests. Joe Biden has not only failed Americans, but he has also failed the region. In a world where freedom hangs by a thread, this administration should have led every freedom-loving nation in defense of human rights and democracy, and there shouldnt be room for appeasement. It is time to take the threat of socialism seriously. As Americans, we have a great responsibility this November. We must elect leaders who defend the values that represent us and demonstrate support for the countries in our hemisphere fighting to get rid of socialism. Those who have refused to stand up for freedom will get the message loud and clear at the ballot box. Rick Scott, a Republican, is a former governor of Florida who currently serves in the U.S. Senate. He is seeking reelection in 2024. Key Insights Riverstone Holdings' estimated fair value is S$1.49 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity Riverstone Holdings' S$0.80 share price signals that it might be 46% undervalued Analyst price target for AP4 is RM0.83 which is 44% below our fair value estimate Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Riverstone Holdings Limited (SGX:AP4) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. One way to achieve this is by employing the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Believe it or not, it's not too difficult to follow, as you'll see from our example! Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model. See our latest analysis for Riverstone Holdings Step By Step Through The Calculation We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (MYR, Millions) RM183.5m RM249.9m RM254.5m RM300.3m RM331.1m RM354.0m RM373.2m RM389.7m RM404.2m RM417.2m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x2 Analyst x3 Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ 6.89% Est @ 5.44% Est @ 4.42% Est @ 3.71% Est @ 3.21% Present Value (MYR, Millions) Discounted @ 6.3% RM173 RM221 RM212 RM235 RM244 RM246 RM244 RM240 RM234 RM227 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = RM2.3b We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.1%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 6.3%. Story continues Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033 (1 + g) (r g) = RM417m (1 + 2.1%) (6.3% 2.1%) = RM10b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= RM10b ( 1 + 6.3%)10= RM5.5b The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is RM7.8b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of S$0.8, 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 The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Riverstone Holdings as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 6.3%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.918. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. SWOT Analysis for Riverstone Holdings Strength Currently debt free. Weakness Earnings declined over the past year. Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Medical Equipment market. Opportunity Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the Singaporean market. Good value based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value. Threat Dividends are not covered by cash flow. Revenue is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year. Looking Ahead: Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. 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. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For Riverstone Holdings, we've compiled three essential factors you should assess: Risks: As an example, we've found 1 warning sign for Riverstone Holdings that you need to consider before investing here. Future Earnings: How does AP4's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other 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 Singaporean stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. A former student of an Ohio Catholic Jesuit school has accused a deceased Jesuit priest and former school chaplain of sexually abusing him when he was in school. The accusation involves the late Fr. Frank Canfield, who worked at Saint Ignatius High School, an all-boys school in Cleveland. Canfield worked at the school from 2006-14 and died last year at the age of 87, according to WKYC. >> Uber reports nearly 300% increase in pre-booked rides for Mondays solar eclipse The schools current president and chief mission officer, the Rev. Raymond P. Guiao said that an alumnus of the school first reported the allegations to him in December 2023. They claimed the alleged abuse happened during the 2011-12 school year. Guiao shared that he reached out to the classes of 2007-17 last year regarding another sexual abuse allegation made against Canfield from when he was at Saint Johns Jesuit High School in Toledo that had been deemed credible. That prompted the former Saint Ignatius student to come forward. The student was encouraged to contact the Jesuit Orders Midwest Province. He did so and an investigation into the claim wrapped up in March. The former students claims were deemed credible, meaning there is reasonable certainty that it occurred. >> Unsettling; Neighbors react to explosives being found in Miami County doctors home School officials were deeply saddened to hear about this incident that happened 12 years ago at our school, according to the statement obtained by WKYC and WOIO. The safety and well-being of our students are among our highest priorities and most sacred obligations, and we are deeply saddened to learn of sexual abuse that occurred at Saint Ignatius High School. We cooperated with investigators with full transparency. I reached out to the individual involved to offer him pastoral counsel and to express my most sincere apologies on behalf of the school, Guiao said in a letter to the classes of 2007-17. The schools officials said they have aggressive policies in place to protect student safety. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) The San Diego Superior Court has ordered the conditional release of a sexually violent predator, local authorities confirmed Thursday. David Munoz, who was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a child dating back to 1988 and 1992, may be housed in the unincorporated community of Jacumba Hot Springs. The sheriffs department said the court recommended he live at 45612 Old Hwy 80. Caught on camera: Hikers stumble upon howling coyote in San Diego desert A hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on May 3 to determine whether or not the recommendation is approved. In the meantime, the SAFE Task Force will be accepting public comments about the proposed placement to be included in the formal response to the court. This is your opportunity to support or object to the proposed placement before it is finalized, the sheriffs department stated in a news release on the matter. The District Attorneys Office and the SAFE Task Force will submit your comments to the court for the courts consideration. Comments will be accepted until April 18, authorities said. They can be sent via email to sdsafe@sdsheriff.org, or made by phone at (858) 583-7238. Oral comments can also be made during the court hearing, which takes place in front of Judge David M. Gill at the San Diego Superior Court. More information about the legal designation, treatment and release from confined facilities of sexually violent predators can be found here. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. At least some of the fuel used by Danish Air Force aircraft is likely originating from Russia. Source: a joint article by Danish investigative journalism outlet Danwatch and tabloid Ekstra Bladet, as reported by European Pravda Details: The journalists have reason to believe that almost 2 million litres of jet fuel purchased for the Danish Air Force could be of Russian origin, although it was formally purchased from other sellers. Several documents obtained by the media indicated that the suppliers purchased some of the fuel from Istanbul Airport and the Turkish company BP. Data from the analytical company Datadesk suggested that this company trades with India's Nayara Energy, in which Rosneft, a Russian state-owned oil and gas company, has a stake. In addition, over 50% of all fuel imports to Turkiye reportedly come from Russia. BP refused to comment on a specific request from journalists, but the company has not denied that it has previously traded with Nayara Energy. The journalists found out that the Danish Air Force has not conducted detailed research into the fuel's origin, except that since May 2022, the FMI procurement agency has required suppliers to sign a receipt stating that they are committed to complying with Western sanctions. Although the FMI can formally request a certificate of origin from suppliers, since the vast majority of fuel goes through the Danish refinery, it could be listed as the source of origin. In response to the request, the FMI actually admitted that it could not establish whether any of the fuel had passed through an Indian company where Rosneft has a stake and compared the purchase of fuel to how a car is filled up at a petrol station. Background: Support UP or become our patron! JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety is inviting employers and individuals to showcase their safest drivers by taking part in the Show Me Your Score Safest Driver Challenge. The challenge, which opens on April 1, 2024, will run until June 9, 2024. Participants in this challenge will utilize an app to track their driving scores. Businesses have the chance to win $10,000, while individuals can compete for a $5,000 prize. The Missouri business with the safest drivers stands to win a $10,000 grand prize from AAA Missouri. Additionally, the business with the highest average driving score among its employees throughout the contest period will secure another $10,000 grand prize from AAA Missouri. For businesses that accept the challenge, participating employees have the opportunity to win prizes totaling over $5,000. Interactive Map: When does the eclipse start for you? To qualify for the driving contest, Missouri businesses must: Employ ten or more individuals. Register for the contest. Implement a safe driving policy. Ensure that 25% of their employees (or 25 employees for larger businesses) download the free DriveWell Go app, register for the Show Me Your Score Safest Driver Challenge, and drive as if it were their job. Individual drivers can vie for the grand prize of $5,000, awarded to the participant with the highest score over the contest period. Furthermore, top-performing drivers each week, determined by their scores, will receive gift cards or other prizes. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. Six months into the war in Gaza, Israel has no exit strategy and no real plan for the future The war in Gaza has been raging for six months and the patience of Israels allies is running out. As the death toll in the enclave continues to climb, its becoming increasingly clear that Israel has no viable plan for how to end the war or what comes next. The determination to continue pursuing Hamas in Gaza despite the horrific humanitarian consequences is leaving Israel increasingly isolated on the global stage, with its government facing pressure from all sides. Multiple international organizations have warned Israel may be committing genocide and even the countrys closest allies are now openly criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Calls to halt arms shipments to Israel are growing in the United States and the United Kingdom. At the same time, Netanyahu and his government are under mounting pressure at home, with protesters back on the streets in large numbers calling for his resignation. Israel launched the war immediately after the deadly October 7 terror attacks by Hamas. At that time, the Israeli government said the operation had two goals: eliminating Hamas and bringing back the hostages taken by the militants to Gaza. Six months into the conflict, neither goal has been reached. While the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, most of the groups top leadership in Gaza, including Yayha Sinwar, continues to evade it, and Hamas political leaders are out of reach abroad. More than 100 hostages have been freed, exchanged for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons as part of a truce deal with Hamas in late November. But some 130 hostages, including 99 who are believed still to be alive, remain in Gaza. Meanwhile, the toll of the war on Palestinians has been horrendous: more than 33,000 people, including thousands of children, have been killed since October 7, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. On top of that, some 75,000 have been injured and more than a million are on the brink of starvation, facing what international organizations say is imminent famine. I think (the war) has already far exceeded anybodys expectations in terms of (its) duration and intensity and scale and deadliness, and theres no end in sight, said Khaled Elgindy, senior fellow and director of the Program on Palestine and Israeli-Palestinian Affairs at the Middle East Institute. Yet Netanyahu is refusing to change tack. While he promised to allow more aid into Gaza following an ultimatum this week from US President Joe Biden, he has rejected calls for a humanitarian ceasefire and for a rethink of his plan to invade Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than one million people are currently sheltering. There is no viable plan for the future of Gaza, not just for the day after, but even today. Nobody knows when this war is going to end, how its going to end, Elgindy told CNN. No exit strategy Several experts told CNN that Israel was facing an impossible situation because the goal it has set for itself eliminating Hamas is both unachievable and very popular domestically. Hamas has dominated Gaza ever since it seized power in 2007, controlling all government and security bodies, as well as the healthcare, education and social systems. Israel cannot achieve its stated goal of eliminating Hamas, because Hamas is an integral part of the Palestinian society in the West Bank and Gaza. Its popularity has increased in the last several months, said Nathan Thrall, a Jerusalem-based expert on the Arab-Israeli conflict and author of A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy. After Israel declared that it has defeated Hamas in the north, you see that every week, Israeli soldiers are dying in the north, so its evident that Hamas will continue to exist after this war, whether Israel invades Rafah or doesnt invade Rafah. Hamas is a major power on the ground and will remain so at the end of this war, Thrall told CNN. This means that Israels leaders dont have a viable way out of the conflict, Thrall explained. The realistic options in front of them are to continue to occupy Gaza indefinitely, which most Israelis do not want to do, or, alternatively to leave Gaza and have Hamas be the strongest power on the ground whether or not its the official face of the government in Gaza, he said. Elgindy also said the goal of destroying Hamas was never realistic. I think even American officials realize, belatedly, that its complete madness, that people are allowing this horror to continue as though the goal of destroying Hamas was more important than anything else in the world, including Israels own future security, he said. Its divorced from reality because even if you destroy Hamas, youre creating something that will be much worse than the future. Because now you have 30,000 people who are dead, 17,000 orphans what is their view of Israel and the United States going to be when they grow up? Israel was a politically divided country before the October 7 attacks, paralyzed by months of large-scale protests against Netanyahu and his government, the most right-wing in Israels history, and particularly the prime ministers proposed judicial overhaul. But while these political divisions remain, the vast majority of Israelis support the war in Gaza, despite the international outcry over the devastating impact on Palestinian civilians. The Israeli public is still traumatized from October 7, they are still in the revenge mode, some dont want even food to enter. Even if we dont accept that its right, we can understand what their state of mind is, Elgindy said, adding that while understandable given the horrors of the October 7 terror attacks, this mindset should not influence international policy. We cant allow that state of mind to dictate the policies of the US and the UK and the European Union. You need to have grownups saying this is not acceptable; you cannot use starvation as a weapon. In other words, it doesnt matter that the Israeli public isnt in the mood for stopping this war. It needs to be forced on them, he said. The number of Israeli soldiers killed in combat in Gaza since the start of the war has now surpassed 250. While dwarfed by the Palestinian death toll, the losses are nevertheless significant. Hamas killed more than 1,200 people on October 7. This picture taken on October 11, 2023 shows an aerial view of buildings destroyed by Israeli air strikes in the Jabalya camp for Palestinian refugees in Gaza City. - Yahya Hassouna/AFP/Getty Images No plan for the future Harel Chorev, senior researcher at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University, told CNN that Israels lack of a concrete plan is increasingly hurting its relations with its allies. Our friends - America first and foremost, Britain, Germany, France - do not trust the government, that they know what theyre doing, that they have a strategic plan for the day after; they dont trust us to do the right thing, he said. Netanyahu unveiled his plan for Gazas post-Hamas future in late February, calling for complete demilitarization of the enclave and closing off the territorys southern border with Egypt, as well as the overhaul of Gazas civil administration and education systems. He also rejected any pressure from the international community to recognize a Palestinian state. Many of the proposals were directly opposed by key players at the negotiating table, including the US, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. The plan was one and a half pages, speaking generally about the day after, using all sorts of code words that can be interpreted in all sorts of ways people were not happy with this, our allies were not happy with this, Chorev said. At the same time, Israel continues to refuse even to consider other proposals for the future of Gaza, HA Hellyer, senior associate fellow in security studies at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London and a non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington DC, told CNN. There are lots of credible plans, but none of them are workable, frankly, because of one stumbling block. And thats the Israelis. The Israelis have made it very clear that they intend to have full security control for the entirety of the territory, which of course throws an unworkable wrench in the workings of any plan that seeks to devolve authority to any other entity, he said. Netanyahu has previously also rejected the suggestion that the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the occupied West Bank, could take control of Gaza, although the plan outlined in February did not mention this. Instead, the plan envisions local entities running the civil service. Again, this was left purposefully vague and it can be interpreted in various ways. It can be local clans, as some interpreted it, and it can be interpreted as a revitalized Palestinian Authority, Chorev said. Most likely, what will happen is, you will have an indefinite Israeli military presence on the ground, Elgindy said. You will have something like a breakdown in law and order and more and more chaos. So well see warlords, gangs, clans Gaza has become a place that is not really livable. If there is someone out there who believes that this is a situation that is going to bring security and safety to Israelis, its a completely delusional concept. Proposals to establish temporary international security control over Gaza are not feasible given Israels stance, experts say. If Israel were to admit that its an occupying power that needs to withdraw, just as the near entirety of the international community insists, and not to claim the rights of security control over the territory in violation of international law, then you could have something thats similar to KFOR in Kosovo, an international force as a transition to Palestinians taking over responsibility for the territory, Hellyer said, referring to the NATO-led peacekeeping force operating in Kosovo. Thrall also said that most attempts to find alternative plans are not realistic because of Israels position. They would require placing tremendous pressure on Israel and that is not anywhere in evidence today, he said, adding that this problem is unlikely to go away even if Netanyahu were to resign. In terms of the actual policy toward Gaza, the conduct of this war, the use of the blocking of humanitarian aid as a means of pressuring Hamas in the negotiations, the collective punishment of 2.3 million people in Gaza by cutting off food, water, electricity, those things, there is not great disagreement about by mainstream Israelis, he said. Netanyahu insisted in a CNN interview last month that his countrys policy was to let as much humanitarian aid into Gaza as is necessary, a claim thats been widely disputed. Thrall said that anyone potentially replacing Netanyahu as prime minister would likely put forward similar plans. Benny Gantz, who this week called for early elections and is widely considered a likely successor to Netanyahu as and when Israelis vote, is a member of Netanyahus war government. He does not have a significantly different set of ideas for Gaza or for the future of Israel, Palestine or for Palestinian sovereignty. And if you look at the plan by (fellow war cabinet minister) Gadi Eisenkot, his plan for Gaza, which was supposed to be a rebuttal against Netanyahus wholly unrealistic plan, was very similar to it, Thrall said. Whether its Netanyahu or somebody else is not the central issue with respect to the Palestinians. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Slight changes made to the weather forecast for Monday. Will the eclipse still be visible? The weather forecast has been updated for the solar eclipse on Monday. The solar eclipse, one of the biggest astronomical events of the century, is only two days away. Even though Cincinnati isn't in the path of totality, we will still see a partial eclipse for 2 hours and 33 minutes. At the peak, the moon will obscure approximately 99.4% of the sun. What a total solar eclipse looks like moments before totality Folks would understandably want the weather conditions to allow for an optimal viewing experience. After all, a total solar eclipse in Ohio is a one-in-a-lifetime event for many people. The last one was in 1806 and the next one won't be until 2099. Here are the latest forecast updates for Eclipse Day, according to the National Weather Service office in Wilmington. Here is the updated cloud cover forecast for Monday afternoon during the total solar eclipse. The best chances for clear viewing remain in northern New England and from southern Missouri to central Indiana. There is still uncertainty, so continue to check for forecast updates! pic.twitter.com/n5fXJwU53p NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) April 5, 2024 Cincinnati weather forecast for the solar eclipse on April 8 Good news, folks. The latest forecast suggests viewable conditions for the eclipse. According to the National Weather Service, viewers can expect partly sunny conditions in the middle-to-high 60s and low 70s, with a high near 75. Partly sunny conditions occur when between 3/10 and 6/10 of the sky is covered with clouds. Although clouds aren't ideal for viewing the eclipse, one should still be able to view the phenomenon in these conditions. This latest prediction is similar to the previous forecast that called for "partly cloudy" conditions. The NWS says the only difference between "partly cloudy" and "partly sunny" is the latter can't be used at night when the sun isn't out. We should be in the clear when it comes to rain too. Sunday night calls for a 50% chance of showers, including the possibility of thunder. There's a chance the rain will continue into Monday morning. The rain is expected to be light, amounting to less than a tenth of an inch. Fortunately, this chance of rain is predicted to occur before 8 a.m. and not interfere with the eclipse. A flood warning will be in effect during Eclipse Day, however. The National Weather Service forecasts minor flooding of the Ohio River beginning Sunday morning. The flood warning is in effect from Sunday morning to early Tuesday morning. What time will Cincinnati see the solar eclipse? The National Weather Service says the eclipse will start in Texas and then make its way across the country, passing over states that include Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana before arriving in Ohio. For Cincinnati, the eclipse will begin at 1:52 p.m. and end at 4:24 p.m. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Updates to Cincinnati weather forecast for April 8 solar eclipse Slovakia goes to the polls for run-off to choose next president Voters in Slovakia were casting ballots on Saturday to decide a tight race for president. Opinion polls indicated a neck-and-neck contest between Peter Pellegrini, who is the current parliamentary speaker, and the former foreign minister and diplomat Ivan Korcok. The incumbent Zuzana Caputova did not run for a second five-year term despite her continued popularity. The office of president has a largely representative function in Slovakia, which is a member of both the European Union and NATO. Pellegrini's Voice - Social Democracy party (Hlas-SD) is part of Slovakia's governing coalition, led by the left-wing nationalist Prime Minister Robert Fico. The right-wing populist Slovak National Party (SNS) is also part of the fractious coalition. Korcok, a liberal, is backed by the opposition and has pledged to be a counterweight Fico's government. Korcok surprisingly led in the first round of voting on March 23 with a 5.5 percentage point lead over Pellegrini. The race went to a runoff because no candidate managed to collect an outright majority of the votes cast. The election has been dominated by the war in neighbouring Ukraine. Korcok says Slovakia needs to be more resolute in its military support for Kiev, while Pellegrini urges caution when it comes to arms deliveries and cites German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as a political guide. Slovakia's three-party coalition government is at loggerheads with the liberal and conservative opposition about the war, but also about issues surrounding the rule of law and democracy. Around 4.4 million Slovakians are eligible to vote. The polling stations are due to close at 10 pm (2000 GMT), although a delay is expected due to technical problems at one site, the TASR news agency reported on Saturday morning. A result is expected on Sunday morning. There were nine hopefuls in the first round. A decisive factor in Saturday's contest will be how the supporters of the eliminated candidates vote. Voters cast their ballots at a polling station in 2024 Slovakia presidential election run-off. alek Vaclav/CTK/dpa VTB said it could not make payments in dollars due to sanctions. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/Getty Images Russian oil firms are waiting months to receive payments from trade partners, Reuters reported. But secondary sanctions fears are keeping foreign banks from transacting with Moscow. To trade with China, Russian firms are flocking to the only bank with a full-fledged Chinese branch. The threat of secondary sanctions has put off a number of foreign banks from transacting with Russia, and has created months-long delays in payments received by Russian oil firms, Reuters reported. The trend encompasses lenders in China, a country that remains one of Moscow's leading oil buyers ever since Western sanctions were first launched against it in 2022. Trade with Beijing grew so close that 90% of Russian banks held accounts in Chinese counterparts by the year's end. But despite the nations' close ties, Chinese banks have been halting yuan transactions with Russia over past weeks, which the Kremlin has blamed on US pressure. Now, the easiest way for China to pay Russian companies is through a Russian lender that has a Chinese branch, sources told Reuters. That's put a spotlight on VTB Bank, the only dealer to fit that description in the country, the outlet said. Russian companies are thronging to create accounts with the institution, and demand has been so high that a bottleneck has formed. Some firms are sitting out as long as six months to join the bank. "The only (Russian) bank branch open in China is not that big and recently they've had quite serious delays with processing documents," a source told Reuters anonymously. Meanwhile, even if an account is open, companies on China's side may not always willing to transact through VTB. In large part, this skepticism in transacting with Russian entities emerged after a US executive order gave the Treasury Department freedom to sanction Russian-friendly dealers. Apart from China, that's impacted banks in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and even Austria. While these actions have taken a toll on Russia's oil trade, the country's energy tax revenue recently rebounded in March. Read the original article on Business Insider The portrait of the 5th Duke of Beaufort A Rhodes scholar urged his Oxford college to remove a portrait of an 18th-century duke because he felt it was racist and dehumanising, The Telegraph can reveal. The painting of Henry Somerset, the 3rd Duke of Beaufort, was recently removed from Oxfords Oriel College and sent on loan to Badminton House, the ancestral home where the 12th Duke currently resides. In the portrait by Andrea Soldi, the Duke, a direct descendant of King Henry IV and Oriel benefactor, wears plush ermine robes, a powdered wig, stockings, and breeches, while a black boy wearing a metal collar in the background holds his coronet. A college source said last month that the painting had been moved in case it offended a student. The Telegraph can reveal that its removal was the culmination of a five-year campaign started by a South African Rhodes scholar. Alexander von Klemperer, who in 2018 was a PhD student in neuroscience at Oriel, submitted a paper to the college picture committee that November and said he was personally troubled by the portrait, as well as another portrait of Charles Augustus Murray, a British diplomat who worked in Persia, which also features a black person in the background. Alexander von Klemperer described the painting as 'racist and dehumanising' Whilst both images are products of their time, they are also racist depictions of people of colour as subservient and to some extent dehumanised, he said. The way in which portraits and people are represented in a space can deeply alter how comfortable or welcoming that space is to people. This is particularly true in this instance, where the legacy of colonialism and slavery can further lead to feelings of alienation by people of colour or of African descent. The identity of the black individuals in the paintings remains unknown. Some suggest they never existed and are a form of allegory or artistic flair on the part of the painters, while critics say they are servants and slaves to white male masters. Dr von Klemperer, who has since left Oxford, was campaigning for the portraits to be removed by the college, stating: The College has an imperative to remove these portraits from the senior common room. I would also argue that this should be the first action the college takes on this matter. The painting of Henry Somerset, Duke of Beaufort by Andrea Soldi was removed from the senior common room at Oriel College Oriel was the epicentre of the 2020 Rhodes Must Fall protests which led to several months of debate over whether the statue of Cecil Rhodes, the mining magnate and imperialist who was the colleges most generous benefactor and provider of scholarships to this day, should be removed. The college has said that the portrait is on a temporary loan to Badminton House for safekeeping because of renovations to the Senior Library. The college says the intention is that it will return to its position. However, no timeline for the return of the portrait or the renovations was provided. The Telegraph has learnt that the wall on which the painting originally hung was repainted and other portraits have now been placed on the wall. The Beaufort piece remains almost 80 miles away in Gloucestershire. Unlikely return Some academics are doubtful the portrait will ever make a return journey back to Oriel, with one telling The Telegraph: It is all linked to the Rhodes saga. I think it is true that it has been moved as part of the renovation but whether it comes back is a different matter. This is the latest chapter in the Rhodes business at Oriel. Another source said that the college is an absolute microcosm of everything thats wrong with Oxford. I dont think it was ever about the painting. I think it was about who had the ascendancy at Oriel, they told The Telegraph. Its at the cost of actually forming young minds properly. These are pawns in a wider battle at Oriel and it is at the cost of a proper liberal interrogative education, in which some subjects are simply not allowed to be discussed. The Oriel Provost, Lord Mendoza, has been in place since 2018 and took up the post after the meeting where the Beaufort portrait was discussed. He was ultimately responsible for the decision to keep the statue of Rhodes in place. Lord Mendoza was appointed as chair of Historic England in 2023, an institution tasked with maintaining national heritage. Statue of Cecil Rhodes outside Oriel College Oxford - Oriel College Oxford/Julian Simmonds Oriel did not comment when asked if any other paintings had been removed. It did not comment on the previous attempts to remove the portrait from the colleges walls. A spokesperson did not elaborate on an earlier statement which said: Due to our extensive renovation of our Senior Library where the Duke of Beauforts painting is normally hung, we have loaned the painting to Badminton House for safekeeping. Yes, the intention is that the painting will return to the Senior Library. Dr von Klemperer and the Badminton Estate were approached for comment. 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. HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) The South Carolina Attorney Generals Office has declined to prosecute a North Myrtle Beach business owner after a deadly September shooting in the Loris area. The shooting happened Sept. 9 at the intersection of Camp Swamp Road and Highway 9, according to the Horry County Coroners Office. Scott Spivey, 33, died in the shooting. An Horry County police report obtained by News13 showed that Spivey had allegedly initiated the shooting, with the person in the report saying Spivey jumped out of his vehicle and started shooting at them, when they shot back and killed him. 15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson wrote a letter to the state Attorney Generals Office less than a week after the shooting. Richardson said in the letter that Horry County police were trying to determine if a crime was committed. He said they asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to assist in the investigation. One of the reasons Horry County police asked SLED to assist is because Weldon Boyd, who was involved in the shooting and is also the owner of Buoys on the Boulevard, a business in North Myrtle Beach, posted a thank you message on Facebook to police and the solicitors office on Sept. 14. Richardson said that before and after the Facebook post, he received several calls from community leaders with questions about the case. He added that rumors started to fill in as the investigation continued. A spokesperson for the attorney generals office told News13 on Friday they declined to prosecute Boyd because of insufficient evidence. * * * 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. The Ventura County District Attorney has filed murder and kidnapping charges against an Oxnard couple accused of killing one of their former lovers. Authorities say 37-year-old Jorge Alberto Garfias and 33-year-old Margarita Jimenez are responsible for the death of Yanelly Vargas. Officials say Vargas was Garfias ex-girlfriend. The incident occurred just before midnight on March 17 at a bar in Oxnard. Vargas was allegedly tricked into coming outside of the establishment by Jimenez and Garfias. When the victim exited the bar, the couple allegedly assaulted Vargas and forced her into their vehicle. Vargas was able to exit the suspects vehicle after approximately 15 minutes. After she managed to escape, Jimenez followed the victim and shot her, authorities said. Jimenez and Garfias fled in their truck before Oxnard Police officers arrived on the scene. Emergency responders found Vargas suffering from a single gunshot wound. She was transported to a local hospital where she died from her injuries. The entire incident was captured by a nearby surveillance camera, officials say. The couple was arrested on April 3. Jimenez and Garfias have both been charged with murder and kidnapping, and the DA also filed numerous special allegations and enhancements against the couple. Both suspects are being held without bail and will be in court for their arraignment on May 3. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. The comments of Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak for Politico about a Russian assault against Kharkiv referred to missile strikes, not to a potential offensive push, Yermak's spokesperson Daria Zarivna clarified on April 6. In an interview with Yermak published on April 4, Politico wrote that, according to the Presidential Office head, "Russia is likely to make a big push on Kharkiv in May or June." "We know that Putin is preparing a new wave of mobilization and we reckon new counter-offensive operations by the Russians could start at the end of May or the beginning of June. Of course, we have to be ready for this," Yermak told Politico. The outlet did not provide direct quotes where Yermak would connect this expected offensive with Kharkiv. "In the Politico article, the discussion was about missile strikes on Kharkiv. The city is becoming Russia's main target of strikes," Zarivna said on her Telegram channel. "The head of the Presidential Office made no statements about an offensive against Kharkiv." Russia recently intensified attacks on Kharkiv, destroying nearly all of its energy infrastructure, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. Ukraine's military intelligence nevertheless called the potential offensive against Kharkiv "a part of a Russian psychological operation," adding that there were no signs of Moscow preparing new attack formations for that purpose. Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi also said that any Russia's attempt to take control over Kharkiv soon could be "fatal," but he did not rule out this scenario. 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. Starmer is too Left-wing to govern like Blair, and the country will pay a heavy price for it Lets call it the Blair Dilemma. What do you do when you win a huge majority that is based, not on any enthusiasm for your party, but on a visceral dislike of the last lot? If the polls are right, Sir Keir Starmer will leave the Tories with fewer seats than Blair did in 1997 largely because Reform is a worse nuisance to the Conservatives now than was the Referendum Party then. But, as poll after poll shows, there is no great love for Labour. Like Blair in 1997, Starmer is benefiting from the accumulated annoyances that inescapably build up when the same party has been in office for four terms. Some complaints about the Tories are merited, others less so. For example, many voters fulminate about how woke the country has become, when the institutions they are moaning about, from the National Trust to the Church of England, are (quite properly) beyond the control of ministers. Indeed, one of the single biggest causes of public anger today, just as in 1997, is a policy for which, viewed with cold logic, Labour should attract more blame than the Conservatives. Back then, the issue was Britains catastrophic membership of the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM), a policy to which John Major had nailed his authority. When, four-and-a-half months after he won the 1992 election, sterling was forced out of the system, his credibility collapsed in contrast to the British economy which, mocking his forecasts, surged. The Tories reputation for economic competence was shot for more than a decade. Few recalled that Neil Kinnock had been demanding ERM membership long before Major. Few noticed that Labour seemed to want to go back in, as a prelude to joining the euro. Thats the great advantage of being in opposition: no one much cares what you say. Todays equivalent of the ERM is the lockdown or, more precisely, the price rises and tax rises occasioned by the lockdown. As a country, we dropped the better part of half a trillion pounds on prohibitions that many of us now realise were excessive. But, with the bills still coming in, we would rather blame ministers than admit that we were clamouring for even tighter restrictions at the time. (I say we to be polite. I was one of the single-digit number of columnists opposing lockdown in March 2020, which perhaps makes me readier to forgive ministers who succumbed to the pressure.) We forget that Labour spent the pandemic calling for even more stringent prohibitions except in Wales where it actually imposed them. Starmer was demanding a second lockdown from the beginning of October 2020, and called the final lifting of restrictions in July 2021 reckless. But, in politics, its the government that carries the can. Lets return to the opening question. How did Blair solve his dilemma? Essentially, he adopted Tory policies on economics, saving his rhetorical radicalism for cultural questions. The old freebiemeisters superpower is to intuit what lies behind headline opinion polls. He grasped that, for all the media prattle about heartless Thatcherites, the country was in no mood for a massive expansion of the state. As the election loomed, he and Gordon Brown talked a great deal about prudence. They seemed to mean it. Basic rate income tax fell under Blair from 22 to 20 per cent, and corporation tax from 30 to 28 per cent (though holding down tax thresholds undid much of the effect). During his early years, while he stuck as promised to the Conservatives spending plans, Blair actually ran a budget surplus. Even when he started to borrow, the numbers were relatively modest. It was only when Brown became PM that prudence was jilted, and borrowing shot up. Brown had none of his predecessors feel for public opinion, trusting instead to his own messianic faith in state power. It has become a commonplace among Tories to complain that their hands are tied by Blair-era legislation, but much of that legislation actually dates from Blairs lugubrious successor, notably the Climate Change Act (2008) and the Equality Act (2010). Which will Starmer be? A sleekit, ingenious Blairite, adept at drawing tactical dividing lines? Or a plodding, sincere Brownite, convinced that every problem can be solved by more money? So far, he has copied Blair to the letter. The suntanned squillionaire made only two unambiguous pledges before the 1997 poll: to divert cash from private to state schools and to remove hereditary peers. And Starmer? Starmer has made precisely the same two pledges. His mimicry makes sense. All Labour politicians can recite their partys record over the 11 general elections since 1979: lose, lose, lose, lose, Blair, Blair, Blair, lose, lose, lose, lose. The reason Blair had made those two pledges was not that they made much difference to voters lives, but that they set the optics of the election campaign. Speaking to his party conference in 1999, the still-fresh PM described the Conservatives as the party of fox hunting, Pinochet and hereditary peers. For what its worth, the Tories had a decent case on all three of those issues. But Blairs interest was less in the policy than in the narrative a word then coming into vogue in its political sense. He wanted to leave his opponents looking weird and out-of-touch. Blair could play these games because he had been bequeathed a balanced budget and an electorate that understood the principles of good housekeeping. Starmer, by contrast, will inherit a massive debt and an electorate convinced that spending restraint is a function, not of limited resources, but of Tory sadism. We could soon have a government with the largest majority since the universal male franchise, but with little public sympathy to fall back on in a crisis. Many NGO staff, trade unionists and public sector workers have genuinely convinced themselves that the only thing standing between them and satisfaction is Tory stinginess. They are in for a shock. Charging VAT on school fees will satisfy no one when money is tight. Abolishing the only democratic element in the House of Lords the hereditaries, as well as being the hardest-working group in the chamber, are the most representative, even numbering one or two Leave voters in their ranks will look like what it is: displacement activity. If Starmer were truly the heir to Blair, he would begin by doing the things his predecessor-but-three now wishes he had started with, above all crowbarring some market mechanisms into government agencies. But, given the expectations of his followers, his natural caution and, not least, his lifelong Leftiness, it is hard to see Starmer trying any of this. I dont mean to be complacent. There is no guarantee that even an unpopular Labour government would lose after a single term once it had enfranchised 16-year-olds. But it is hard to see Starmer benefiting from any of the sense of renaissance that accompanied Blair to Number 10. For fourteen years, voters have been measuring the Conservatives, not against the alternative, but against some imaginary, idealised government. The comparison is naturally unflattering, and we are aware of every Tory flaw and blemish. Until now, we have not had to look closely at Labour. But we soon will. We are not going to like what we see. 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. Still looking for a place to watch the solar eclipse? Here's where to watch around Topeka Kansans, prepare because the total solar eclipse is set for Monday afternoon. Kansas will only have about 90% totality during the eclipse from around 12:30 to 3 p.m. and it will be the last visible eclipse until 2044. People across the state are expected to take time out of their day to view this astrological marvel. NASA says viewers shouldn't directly look at the eclipse without proper eye protection. NASA's website also recommends wearing sunscreen while out viewing. In and around Topeka Papans Landing Senior Center, 619 N.W. Paramore St., will host an eclipse party from noon to 3 p.m. Food, drink and glasses will be provided, according to the center's Facebook page. The seven Sonic locations will have a blackout special. Customers can order a specialty drink and get a free pair of glasses. Below is a list of some public parks in and around the Topeka area. Aaron Douglas Art Park. Banner Creek in Holton. Crestview Community Park. Gage Park. Kaw River State Park. Lake Shawnee. Topeka-area residents will have plenty of options to view Monday's solar eclipse, but make sure to wear proper eye protection. Lawrence University of Kansas astronomers have invited the public to watch the solar eclipse from noon to 3:30 p.m. on the marching band tarmac west of the Dole Institute of Politics. There will be activities, telescopes to look through and free glasses, according to an event flyer. Below is a list of some public parks in Lawrence. Broken Arrow Park. Clinton Lake. Prairie Park. Riverfront Park. Manhattan The Flint Hills Discovery Center will host a solar eclipse party from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. where people can watch the eclipse through a sun spotter out in the Blue Earth Plaza, the center's curator of education Sally Dreher said. There will also be activities inside the center before and after the eclipse that are open to the public with the purchase of admissions tickets. The Sunset Zoo will host its own viewing of the eclipse from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Guests will celebrate with an ambassador animal presentation, "wonder spots" and light refreshments. The first 100 people to visit will receive glasses. Below is a list of some public parks in Manhattan. Bluemont Plaza. Konza Prairie. Manhattan City Park. Tuttle Creek State Park. NASA NASA will broadcast the eclipse on NASA+ and will provide a viewing option without commentary on its YouTube account at noon, according to the NASA website. This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Here's where to watch the solar eclipse in Topeka or nearby For the second year in a row, The Breakers Palm Beach resort has been named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. And this year the historic resort received a boost in position, moving up from No. 65 to No. 59 on the list, and holding a place as the only independently owned hotel on the list, which is organized by Fortune Media and Great Place to Work, The Breakers said in a news release. The recognition is a testament to the family owners of The Breakers who are the descendants of the resort's founder, Henry Morrison Flagler the board of directors, the leadership team and the entire workforce of more than 2,300 employees, said Denise Bober, chief human resources officer for The Breakers. "We've cultivated and nurtured a people-centric environment, with our primary focus on fostering a culture of care and well-being for many years, and our commitment to sustaining a positive work environment for all," Bober said. Employees of The Breakers Palm Beach resort form a "living logo" of the company's iconic property. The Breakers was just named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For, the second year the organization received the honor. Having an inspired workforce and excellent retention rates translate to a better experience for guests and, as a result, the company's financial success, she said. To qualify for consideration on the list, a company must be certified by Great Place to Work, have more than 1,000 staff in the U.S., and complete an application process that includes benchmarks and essays. Applicants' employees are surveyed as part of the process. At The Breakers, 94% of respondents agreed that it's a great place to work. In addition, 98% said customers rate their service as excellent, and 97% said The Breakers is a safe place to work. The Breakers Palm Beach resort was founded by Henry Morrison Flagler in 1896. The Flagler family continues to own the resort, and in recent years they have expanded their portfolio of Palm Beach real estate. Of the 92% of Breakers employees who completed the survey, 97% said new employees are made to feel welcome when they join the company, and 96% said they are proud to tell people where they work. The Breakers offers on-site physical and mental health care, including a therapist who was added within the past month, Bober said. The effort to provide employee health care at The Breakers began about two decades ago, she said. The culture of wellness extends from the quality of care provided to the food served to employees. "Our new hires, before they step into their job, they have a three-hour course on fitness and nutrition, how to take care of themselves," she said. Care for the community is part of The Breakers' ethos, Bober said. The company makes time for employees to volunteer, either as part of larger groups or by themselves. "Our team members, it's in their DNA to serve to others and to help others," Bober said. "So when we can do good, not only for our team and our guests and our members, our customer base, but we can give back to the community and pay it forward, that holds a special place in our hearts." Story continues The top 10 companies on the Fortune 100 list are: Hilton Cisco Systems Nvidia American Express Synchrony Financial Wegmans Food Markets Accenture Marriott International Cadence Design Systems Comcast NBCUniversal In addition to The Breakers, three other Florida-based companies were included: DHL Express U.S. at No. 57, Publix Super Markets at No. 81 and Baptist Health South Florida at No. 89. When people ask about what sets the Best Companies apart from their competitors, its one key ingredient: Trust, Michael C. Bush, chief executive of Great Place To Work, said in a news release. When employees trust their leaders, their colleagues, and the organization, they become empowered to reach their full potential. That sentiment resonated with Bober, who said Bush really put the honor into perspective. "I love that, because I think it doesn't get any better than that: Humans actually reaching their full potential," she said. "It's deeply fulfilling for us knowing that we believe we have the best team, the best company, culture, owners and directors, and of course our beautiful, iconic property." The Breakers was founded by Flagler in 1896 and continues to be owned by his family, who make tens of millions of dollars in investments each year. Click here for the full list of Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Breakers named one of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For Protesters gathered Saturday outside the Royal Bank of Canada's main office in Montreal, one of several demonstrations held across the country. (Kwabena Oduro/CBC - image credit) Protesters gathered in front of the Royal Bank of Canada's (RBC) downtown Montreal office on Saturday to demand that the bank stop investing in fossil fuels. It was one of dozens of protests held across Canada as part of a multi-day campaign to put pressure on the financial institution ahead of its annual general meeting next week. Rajendra Kapila Basdeo, co-ordinator of the Kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers) solidarity collective, was one of the people who showed up. "The bank should be a good example for people to put their money in, and they should divest from fossil fuels," he said. "It's the only proper way to protect our environment." Last year, a Banking on Climate Chaos report found that RBC was the world's foremost funder of fossil fuels in 2022. Between 2016 and 2021, the bank ranked fifth in financing fossil fuels, according to the report. Greenpeace Canada says that since the Paris Agreement came into effect in 2016, the bank has contributed more than $250 billion US in funding fossil fuels. The bank, which has said its lending practices will reach "net-zero" emissions by 2050, has also been accused of greenwashing, marketing itself as being aligned with the climate goals of the Paris Agreement while continuing to finance the fossil fuel industry. Marlene Hale, an elder from the Wet'suwet'en First Nation also among the protesters in Montreal, says RBC needs to meet with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs at their annual general meeting next week. That's something the bank has refused to do in the past, Hale said. The Coastal GasLink pipeline, which runs through the territory belonging to the northern B.C. First Nation, is also funded by RBC, despite opposition from several hereditary chiefs. Not taking swift and decisive action to curb emissions means there will be more extreme weather and environmental destruction, Hale said. "This summer is going to tell all. It's going to be hotter, and there's gonna be more floods," she said. Marlene Hale, an elder from the Wet'suwet'en First Nation, says RBC needs to meet with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs. Marlene Hale, an elder from the Wet'suwet'en First Nation, says RBC needs to meet with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs. (Kwabena Oduro/CBC) 'Just words' RBC told CBC it's taking steps to make its business greener. "Supporting our clients on their decarbonization journey is where we believe we can have the biggest impact in the climate transition," it said in a statement. The bank says it's tripling its lending for renewable energy, with the goal of growing low-carbon energy lending to $35 billion by 2030. It also says it's allocating $1 billion by 2030 to support the development of climate solutions and supporting the acceleration of capital to emissions reduction efforts. "If RBC wants to do something about climate change, they need to stop talking and start acting," said Laura Ullmann, head of climate at Greenpeace Canada. "They need to stop investing in fossil fuels. They need to commit to no new investments, no new projects." While investing in renewals is a good step, the bank's rhetoric doesn't match up with the fact it continues to support companies that fail to meet the standards of the International Energy Agency, Ullmann said. A March 2024 Greenpeace report calls on RBC to stop funding oil and gas companies that miss the mark and asks Ottawa to introduce rules to ensure federally regulated financial institutions are in line with Paris climate commitments and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Hale calls the promises to cut back on emissions "just words." Basdeo isn't impressed either. "They cannot be expanding oil and gas while talking [about] a green strategy as well," he said. "The two things don't make any sense." Laura Ullmann, climate head at Greenpeace Canada, says RBC has to stop supporting companies that fail to meet the standards of the International Energy Agency. Laura Ullmann, climate head at Greenpeace Canada, says RBC has to stop supporting companies that fail to meet the standards of the International Energy Agency. (Kwabena Oduro/CBC) American investors get RBC to 'show their work' Earlier this week, RBC said it would start disclosing the ratio of how much money it puts into clean energy projects compared to how much gets invested in fossil fuel extraction. The decision followed pressure from investors in the United States. "Up until now, RBC had resisted calls to disclose that ratio clearly across all their lending and investments every year," said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who reached an agreement with the bank. "All they're doing with this agreement is agreeing to show their work," said Lander, pointing out that the agreement does not require RBC to reduce investing in projects that generate or increase carbon emissions. Suffolk enjoys hottest day of the year as Storm Kathleen sweeps Britain with 70mph winds Waves caused by Storm Kathleen hit two walkers in Porthleven, Cornwall - Keith Larby The east of England has seen the UKs warmest day of the year so far, as those in the West were hit by strong winds and travel disruption when Storm Kathleen made landfall. Temperatures reached highs of 20.9C in Santon Downham, Suffolk, to beat 2024s previous record of 19.9C at Achfary, Sutherland, in January. Ellie Glaisyer, the Met Office meteorologist, said: The storm is the reason we are seeing the warmer temperatures, because the location of the storm - situated out towards the west of the UK - is bringing a southerly wind across the UK. As some soaked up the sun punting along the River Cam, others have faced yellow weather warnings for wind, rain and snow from the Met Office, with gusts reaching nearly 70mph. Travellers have been left stranded as 140 flights from UK airports were cancelled, ferry services between Northern Ireland and Scotland were disrupted and train services with ScotRail operated on a slower schedule. Some 34,000 home and business were also left without power in Ireland during the 11th named storm in eight months. The Met Office weather warnings for the west coast of England and Northern Ireland will remain in place until 10pm on Saturday. 05:21 PM BST Thats all for today Thank you for following the Telegraphs live coverage of Storm Kathleen. Todays main headlines included: Met Office confirm Saturday saw warmest day of 2024 so far Around 140 flights arriving into and departing from UK airports were cancelled Storm Kathleen brought in wind speeds of nearly 70mph Met Office said more wet and windy weather is to come after Storm Kathleen passes Trains cancelled or delayed throughout Scotland Several ferry services between Scotland and Northern Ireland cancelled Some 34,000 homes and business in Ireland faced power outages Storm Kathleen UKs 11th named storm in eight months 04:33 PM BST Saturday officially warmest day of 2024 so far The Met Office have confirmed that today has been the hottest day of the year so far, recording 20.9C. Todays temperature has beat out the 19.9C recorded on the Jan 28 in Achfary, Sutherland. The highest temperature was reached in Santon Downham, Suffolk, on Saturday afternoon. 03:50 PM BST Pictured: Beachgoers brave wet and wind conditions People look out at the waves in Salthill, Galway - Brian Lawless Windsurfers in the west of Scotland take advantage of the strong gusts from Storm Kathleen - Wattie Cheung Walkers on the beach at the seaside resort of West Bay in Dorset - BNPS 03:30 PM BST Travel disruption continues across Scotland Storm Kathleen has disrupted plane, rail and ferry services in Scotland because of strong winds between 50-60mph. Flight services from Glasgow to Tiree, Barra and Dublin and from Edinburgh to Stornoway and Belfast have been affected, as Scotrail confirmed a number of safety restrictions are in place on the railways. Services on the Borders line will run hourly and take 25 minutes longer, West Highland services will take 30 minutes longer and trains between Edinburgh and Carfin are delayed by around 15 minutes. A tree has also fallen onto an overhead line at Bathgate, causing services along this route to terminate early. Ferry operators Calmac and P&O have also cancelled services because of the adverse weather and The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) currently has 33 flood warnings in place. Strong winds blow the hair of walkers on Westminster Bridge in central London - George Cracknell Wright 02:56 PM BST Titanic museum forced to close following damage to roof Belfasts Titanic museum has been forced to close after Storm Kathleen caused damage to the roof of the attractions building. The museum described the measures as precautionary but said it would remain closed for Saturday and Sunday. The museum said on X, formerly Twitter: Due to the ongoing inclement weather, access to the roof to assess the damage is limited and redial works cannot yet begin to take place. The safety of the public and its staff are Titanic Belfasts priority and as such access to the building and surrounding plaza remains closed and customers are being asked not to come to the site. Titanic Belfast apologised for the inconvenience and ensured refunds for all prebooked customers. 02:36 PM BST Pictured: Satellite image shows swirling clouds of Storm Kathleen The satellite picture from this morning shows the large swirl of cloud associated with #StormKathleen pic.twitter.com/Z5HhvXHuRL Met Office (@metoffice) April 6, 2024 02:17 PM BST Edinburgh-bound flight diverted to Newcastle A Jet2 flight from Palma de Mallorca to Edinburgh has been forced to re-route to Newcastle amid high-speed winds in the Scottish capital. The plane circled the city multiple times before deciding to divert. Edinburgh falls just within the Met Offices yellow warning zone, which has been issued for strong winds as Storm Kathleen continues to hit the UK. Saturday evenings EPCR Challenge Cup rugby match between Edinburgh Rugby and Aviron Bayonnais has also moved to Murrayfield from Hive Stadium because of the strong winds expected. 01:43 PM BST Crane topples into house in Greater Manchester A crane has fallen over into a house on a residential street in Atherton, Greater Manchester as fire services have responded to the incident. At around 10.30am on Saturday morning, a lorry carrying the crane overturned in the road, causing damage to the roof and walls of the property. It comes as Storm Kathleen has seen strong winds throughout parts of the UK, being expected to reach 70mph in some areas. A crane has been blown over onto a house in Atherton causing serious damage as Storm Kathleen hits - Ryan Jenkinson 01:28 PM BST Punters on the River Cam bask in warmth amid storm Members of the public enjoy the warm Saturday morning in punts along the River Cam, Cambridge, on what is expected to be the warmest day of the year so far. Storm Kathleen has brought both strong winds that have caused flight disruptions across the country and warm air from the South, meaning temperatures could reach 22C in East Anglia. People punting on the River Cam in Cambridge on what could be the hottest day of 2024 so far - Geoff Robinson 01:04 PM BST Met Office: Latest wind speeds from storm Here are the highest wind gusts so far today Stay #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/QHa5YQGEs6 Met Office (@metoffice) April 6, 2024 12:48 PM BST Expect more stormy weather once Storm Kathleen passes, says Met Office Storm Kathleen is expected to ease on Sunday evening but will be replaced by another weather system towards the south west of England, the Met Office has said. Ellie Glaisyer, the Met Office meteorologist, said: Outbreaks of rain through Monday will mainly affect western parts of the UK. As we go through the day into Tuesday were likely to see the strongest wind across the south-west of the UK. Its coming relatively quickly after Storm Kathleen. Its not out of the question that a warning could be issued but I wouldnt like to say yet. 12:37 PM BST Watch: Drivers in Northern Ireland face wet and windy conditions Very difficult driving conditions today on the Portaferry Road in Newtownards, County Down. Video from Lindsay Curran. #StormKathleen. pic.twitter.com/Ntuo6zWvqs Barra Best (@barrabest) April 6, 2024 12:31 PM BST Bristol Airport flights face delays A number of flights arriving into and departing from Bristol Airport are facing delays as Storm Kathleen sweeps across the west coast of England. Flights from Bristol to Malaga, Faro and Palma among others have been delayed by around an hour as winds pick up. The storm has created travel disruption across the country as P&O Ferries cancelled sailings between parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland until 4pm on Saturday. 12:01 PM BST Pictured: Seal washes up in car park As Storm Kathleen hits West Cork with 70mph winds, large waves created have caused a dead seal to wash up on a shore-side car park in the area. The dead seal is presumably the first victim of Storm Kathleen - Andy Gibson 11:57 AM BST Thousands without power as storm sweeps across coast Thousands of homes in Ireland have been left without electricity as Storm Kathleen continues to hit Ireland with strong winds. Power outages reported on Saturday morning were concentrated in the south and west of the country, with local news reporting 2,500 homes without power in County Donegal. An orange wind warning for Cork, Kerry and Waterford came into effect at 7am and will lift at 2pm, while another status orange wind warning is in place for Galway and Mayo until 6pm. Winds of 56mph have also hit the Isles of Scilly, off the Cornish coast, on Saturday morning, according to the Met Office. 11:33 AM BST Environment Agency issues 14 flood warnings and alerts for Thames The Environment Agency issued 14 flood warnings where flooding is expected and another 113 flood alerts for England on Saturday. The agency also cautioned boat users on the River Thames after announcing 45 red cautions for strong streams on the river. National Resources Wales have also issued six flood alerts. Waves crash against the shore in Whitehead, Northern Ireland - Andrew McCarroll 11:20 AM BST American Airlines flight diverted to Paris as storm picks up An American Airlines from Dallas to Dublin has been diverted to Paris as travellers face further disruption because of expected 70mph winds from Storm Kathleen. The Boeing 777 was re-routed to the French capital after completing three rounds of holding at Dublin airport before flying away, according to one user on X, formerly Twitter. The storm made landfall in Ireland this morning and has caused at least three dozen Aer Lingus flights from the airport on Saturday to be cancelled. 11:10 AM BST Strong winds sends objects flying across Ireland as 2,500 homes lose power Almost 2,500 homes in County Donegal have lost power this morning as Storm Kathleen made landfall. Forecaster Met Eireann warned of gale force southerly winds bringing a risk of difficult travel conditions, fallen trees, power outages and flooding along coastal areas of Ireland. In Drimnagh, a suburb of Dublin, residents came across a trampoline in the middle of the road swept up in winds caused by Storm Kathleen. 11:07 AM BST Londoners enjoy warmest day of the year so far Members of the public in the south of the country have been enjoying the warm weather, as other parts of the UK face yellow warnings for rain and snow. It will be the warmest day of 2024 so far and near the recorded highest temperature for April 6 of 23.9C in Santon Downham in 2011. According to the Met Office, the last time temperatures exceeded 22C was October last year. The south of England is expected to see temperatures of up to 22C on Saturday - George Cracknell Wright Runners in St James's Park, London, exercise in shorts amid the warm temperatures - George Cracknell Wright 10:38 AM BST Mix of weather likely to cause pollen explosion The mixture of hot weather in the south of England and snow warnings in Scotland is set to cause an explosion of pollen across the country. With birch trees, one of the first to offload their pollen into the air, ahead of schedule because of warmer temperatures, winds from Storm Kathleen are likely shake tree pollen and kick start hayfever season. One in two people in Britain suffer pollen allergies, according to Allergy UK. 10:05 AM BST Pictured: Map of Met Office weather warnings across UK UK weather warnings currently in place, issued by the Met Office - Met Office 09:46 AM BST Flights cancelled to and from Belfast City Airport amid storm Dozens flights arriving into and departing from Belfast City Airport have been cancelled following increasing winds from Storm Kathleen. All Aer Lingus flights leaving the airport on Saturday have been cancelled, leaving passengers unable to travel to other parts of the UK. Aer Lingus flights arriving into Belfast City Airport have also faced disruption, with passengers in Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham left stranded. One user took to X, formerly Twitter, to share their frustration: My flight EI3678 from Belfast City to Leeds Bradford at 6.05pm was cancelled and Ive tried all means of rebooking multiple times - phone, online & ground staff. Nothing working and cant get through to anyone. I am a disabled flyer & am finding the ordeal distressing. Some flights from Dublin to Britain have been cancelled and other airlines such as Air France and British Airways have also been affected. 09:20 AM BST Flooding in York as River Ouse bursts its banks Storm Kathleen has caused the River Ouse to burst its banks, leading to flooding across roads in York city centre. Water levels in the river had remained high after recent rainfall and a flood alert for the upper section of the river was put in place at 8.30am for riverside footpaths and low-lying land in York. The Environment Agency has warned those in the area to avoid using low lying footpaths or bridges near local watercourses and to not attempt to walk or drive through the flood water. A bin lorry drives down a flooded road this morning in York city centre where the River Ouse has broken it's banks - Andrew McCaren 09:12 AM BST Pictured: Storm Kathleen makes waves across the UK Strong winds in Aberystwyth, Wales, create huge waves along the coast - Graham M. Lawrence Two people attempt to go for an early morning swim in heavy waves at Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth, Cornwall - Hugh R Hastings 09:08 AM BST Yellow weather warnings in place for west coast of England and Ireland The Met Office has put yellow warning warnings for wind in place for western parts of England and Northern Ireland as the UK braces for Storm Kathleen. The yellow warning has been issued for the entire west coast of Britain as well as Northern Ireland until 10pm tonight. Christoph Almond, the deputy chief meteorologist, said: Gusts of 50 mph are expected quite widely on Saturday, while some exposed spots, particularly on the coast, will see 60 to 70 mph gusts with large waves also likely. Yellow warnings are issued when it is likely that the weather will cause some low level impacts across the country, such as disruption to travel. Previous yellow warnings for snow and rain in Scotland were also announced by the Met Office from 3am on Friday until 9am Saturday. 08:49 AM BST Network Rail Scotland to slow trains amid concerns of strong winds Network Rail Scotland have decided to slow trains down in several areas ahead of the 50-60mph winds expected in Scotland from around lunchtime today. Trains will operate at a slower speed from midday until 7pm on routes including the West Highland Line, central belt from Glasgow Central to Edinburgh Waverley and for around 8 miles between Shotts and Addiewell. In a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, the train service said: Our specialist weather forecaster, based in our control room, will monitor the storm using live wind data. If we can remove these speed restrictions sooner, we will. Likewise, if we need to take further action, we will. It continued to warn travellers that journeys will take longer than usual and advised passengers to check train routes before leaving the house. 08:33 AM BST Kathleen UKs 11th named storm Storm Kathleen, named by Met Eireann, the Irish meteorological service, is the 11th named storm in eight months. It is only the second time in the UKs storm season, which runs from the end of September to the beginning of August, that the letter K has been reached in the alphabet. The first time the letter K was reached was in March 2016, with Storm Katie. People brave the wind and rain on Blackpool's North Pier on Friday as Storm Kathleen approaches - Christopher Furlong 08:26 AM BST Storm to bring warmest day of the year so far East Anglia and the south east of England could see temperatures as high as 22C, making Saturday the hottest day of the year so far, as warm air is blown in from the south west. The previous highest temperature was 19.9C, recorded at the end of January at Achfary, in north-west Scotland. 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. 08:14 AM BST Watch: Met Offices expected trajectory of Storm Kathleen #StormKathleen has been named by @MetEireann and is forecast to bring strong winds to Ireland and much of the UK on Saturday Stay #weatheraware pic.twitter.com/dcDmifdqjL Met Office (@metoffice) April 4, 2024 08:10 AM BST Good morning Welcome to The Telegraphs live coverage of todays weather in the UK. Storm Kathleen is expected to bring both strong winds and the hottest day of the year so far for the UK, as it pummels the country with warm air from the continent over the weekend. Follow along here for all the latest updates. 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 New York University student who was suspended for tearing down pro-Israel posters on campus is suing the school for allegedly unfairly sanctioning her, according to a complaint filed April 5 by the students lawyer. The complaint alleges that NYUs punishment of Hafiza Khalique was arbitrary and capricious and not in accordance with the NYU Student Code, and that some of the sanctions Khalique received were excessive in relation to her actions. Jonathan Wallace, Khaliques lawyer, wrote in the filing that NYU initially told Khalique it would not suspend her for her actions, but did so anyway after succumbing to pressure from influential pro-Israel figures who are ostensibly donors. Khalique, a first-year undergraduate student, was reportedly doxxed and reported to the university administration when she ripped down Zionist propaganda posters from the windows of a campus building on Oct. 16. As a form of symbolic speech and protest, she showed her support for and protection of the victims in Palestine by tearing down a flyer herself, the complaint reads, adding that the posters were unauthorized and unaffiliated with NYU, and wouldve been taken down anyway. Columbia Students Allegedly Sprayed With Putrid Chemical at Pro-Palestine Rally A video about her action went viral on X, and her identity was quickly spread across right-wing and pro-Israel pages such as LibsofTikTok, StopAntisemitism, Campus Reform, and Canary Mission, the filing states. Major conservative media like Fox News and The Megyn Kelly Show seized on the incident and further publicized Khaliques identity, which invited harassment so intense the student did not feel safe enough to leave her room for meals, according to the complaint. Khaliques correspondence with the Dean of Students Office began one day after the poster-tearing incident. Over the next few weeks, university officials from the Office of Student Conduct and the Dean of Students Office told Khalique she may have violated the schools destruction of property and non-discrimination policies, but that the university was not considering expulsion or suspension for her actions, the complaint says. Officials reiterated that stance at a conduct hearing on Oct. 27, and Mathew Shepard, NYUs Director of Student Conduct and Community Standards, told Khalique she may face an educational component as a result of the incident, the filing states. But the university allegedly reneged. In a Nov. 11 email, Khalique was told she had been suspended for violating NYUs code of conduct by vandalizing university property and expressing antisemitic speech, the complaint says. Khalique was told that her sanctions had been escalated after consultation with relevant University stakeholders. This sanction letter actually contained somewhat apologetic language rather remarkably explaining that the sanction was much worse and more punitive than originally described because of the intervention of one or more mysterious stakeholders, Wallace wrote in the complaint. He explained that those stakeholders are rumored to be wealthy donors who pressured the university into punishing students who express views they disagree with. In the NYU community, such stakeholders are widely believed to be pro-Israel individuals external to the NYU community but placing NYU under great pressure, including wealthy donors threatening to withhold contributions, Wallace wrote. It is arbitrary and capricious if the University is allowing external forces, no matter how much pressure they apply, to dictate outcomes in individual student disciplinary cases. Representatives for NYUs Office of Student Conduct and Office of the Dean of Students did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Khaliques case is the latest example of ongoing battles over free speech on college campuses since the start of Israels war on Gaza, which pro-Palestine groups see as a deliberate attempt to silence them. Pro-Israel groups have countered that the universities are not doing enough to quash antisemitism on campus; NYU has also been sued by Jewish students who claim it failed to protect them from antisemitic speech and harassment since Oct. 7. But Khalique has also been subject to Islamophobia, racism, sexism, and fatphobia in the form of disturbing and vile messages on every social media platform, according to her complaint and a GoFundMe post she wrote on Dec. 6. A first generation student from a low-income, working-class background, she lost her Pell Grant scholarship because she wasnt allowed to attend classes after the suspension, which was set to last through the end of the fall 2023 term and the entirety of the spring and summer 2024 semesters. During a time of need for support, my university abandoned me all while discriminately targeting and disciplining me, she wrote in her December post. As a first-year student, my entire college experience thus far has been any Muslim students nightmare. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. 'The sun has been eaten': Inside the history and mythology of total solar eclipses "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 on network social media platforms. A total solar eclipse is an astronomical phenomenon steeped in lore that has captured the imaginations of sky-watchers and the curiosity of scientists for millennia. MORE: Total solar eclipse April 8, 2024: Path, time and the best places to view On April 8, 2024, parts of the contiguous United States will be plunged from daylight into twilight when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth and, for a short time, completely obscures the sun. PHOTO: The moon transits the sun during the 2017 total solar eclipse as seen from Weiser, Idaho. (Kyle Green/Getty Images) The track of the moon's shadow across Earth's surface is called the path of totality. In the U.S., the path will begin over San Antonio, Texas and will travel through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, passing just north of Bangor. Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse, according to NASA. If you're not in the path of totality, you'll still be able to see a partial solar eclipse in the U.S. But if you want to witness the total solar eclipse on April 8, you'll need to be within that 115-mile-wide path. PHOTO: People gather to observe the total solar eclipse with solar eclipse glasses at the Times Square in New York City, Aug. 21, 2017. (Volkan Furuncu/Getty Images) Ancient recordings of eclipses Turning back the pages of total solar eclipse history, the celestial spectacles have elicited varied interpretations and reactions over time and across the world. Humanity's first record of an eclipse is believed to have been made on Nov. 30, 3340 B.C.E, at Loughcrew Megalithic Monument in County Meath, Ireland, according to NASA, which cites the 2002 findings from Paul Griffin, an "archaeoastronomer" from Ireland. A series of overlapping circular rock carvings, called petroglyphs, appear to depict the moon partially obstructing the sun, which Griffin calculated would have coincided with an eclipse from that time. PHOTO: Total solar eclipse is seen in California on August 21, 2017. (Tayfun Coskun/Getty Images) Immediately in front of the carvings, previous archaeologists discovered the charred human remains of nearly 50 individuals, which Griffin hypothesizes could have been the result of a Neolithic-era human sacrifice ritual perhaps tied to the eclipse. A third of the way around the world from Ireland, in Anyang, China, what are also believed to be eclipse records were discovered carved into tortoiseshell fragments, called "oracle bones," in approximately 1200 B.C.E. and were later studied by astronomers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The cryptic etchings declared "The Sun has been eaten," according to NASA. Researchers also found records of eclipses in the area dating from 1226 B.C.E., 1198 B.C.E., 1172 B.C.E., 1163 B.C.E., and 1161 B.C.E. PHOTO: A total solar eclipse occurs on August 21, 2017, at Mary's River Covered Bridge, in Chester, IL, USA. (Patrick Gorski/Getty Images) In Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, a few hours northeast of Albuquerque, a petroglyph discovered in 1992 appears to depict a solar eclipse from July 11, 1097, NASA reports. The rock carving from the ancestral Pueblo people "has a swirling loop jetting off the side perhaps representing a coronal mass ejection from the sun," according to the agency. Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are expulsions of plasma, threaded by magnetic field lines, that are ejected from the sun's corona, or outer atmosphere, according to NASA. CMEs look like twisted rope, dubbed "flux rope" by scientists. Solar eclipse mythology Throughout history, eclipses have been interpreted by many cultures as a disruption of the natural order, and in some cases a "bad omen," according to Britannica. In ancient China, the etchings discovered in Anyang depicted solar eclipses as celestial dragons attacking and devouring the sun. "To frighten away the dragon and save the sun, people would bang drums and make loud noises during an eclipse," according to Britannica. PHOTO: View of total eclipse, Denver, CO, Feb. 26, 1979. (Denver Post via Getty Images) In South America, the ancient Incan people believed solar eclipses were a "sign of wrath and displeasure" from Inti, the "all-powerful sun god," Britannica further says. "Following an eclipse, spiritual leaders would attempt to divine the source of his anger and determine which sacrifices should be offered," Britannica notes, adding that fasting and even instances of human sacrifice were common during a solar eclipse. Choctaw Native Americans, the third-largest Native American nation originally based in what is now Alabama and Mississippi created lore similar to that of ancient Chinese people to explain solar eclipses. "According to Choctaw legend, a mischievous black squirrel gnawing on the sun is the cause of eclipses," according to Britannica. "Like the Chinese dragon, the squirrel must be frightened away by the clamor and yells of the event's human witnesses." In West Africa, the Tammari people, also known as Batammariba, from the northern regions of Togo and Benin, believed the celestial bodies intersecting during an eclipse represented human feuds on Earth. "According to their legend, human anger and fighting spread to the sun and the moon, who began to fight with each other and caused an eclipse," Britannica notes. Advances in science It's generally believed that the influential Indian mathematician and astronomer Aryabhatta is the first person who recorded observations regarding the true cause of eclipses. Born in the late fifth century, his only surviving work, "Aryabhatiya," believed to have been written in the early sixth century, includes mathematics to predict solar and lunar eclipses. More recently, a solar eclipse helped prove one of the most important scientific theories in history. Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, published in 1915, declared in part that space and time together behave like a fabric, and that the mass of a celestial body can warp that fabric and, in turn, alter the path of light itself along that curvature. However, it wasn't until three years later that Einstein's theory was validated by a solar eclipse. Sir Arthur Eddington led an expedition to the island of Principe, off the West Africa coast, to observe the May 29, 1919 solar eclipse. With the moon obscuring the sun's glare, scientists were able to see that certain stars adjacent to the sun appeared to be in the wrong position, a result of their light being warped by the sun's gravity before it reached Earth just as Einstein had predicted. PHOTO: German-born physicist Albert Einstein, circa 1939. (Mpi/Getty Images) Nearly 100 years later, in 2017, a total solar eclipse swept across the contiguous U.S. for the first time in 38 years, from Oregon to South Carolina. That event allowed scientists, aided by collection of 11 spacecraft from NASA and partner organizations, to provide observations of the sun, moon and Earth that likewise were only available during the eclipse. This eclipse gave us an opportunity to cement the idea of the sun-Earth connection, Dr. Lika Guhathakurta, who headed NASAs science efforts for the Aug. 21 eclipse, said at the time. A variety of new observations, instruments and observational platforms were enabled by this eclipse. It will be fascinating to watch how these develop into new research plans and new technology for future use. PHOTO: Pupils at Stephen Knight School view the solar eclipse in Dencer, CO, Feb. 26, 1979. (Denver Post via Getty Images) Fast-forward to this month, when NASA is preparing for a mission during the April 8 total solar eclipse to study how the sudden decrease in sunlight affects our upper atmosphere, according to the agency. The Atmospheric Perturbations around Eclipse Path (APEP) mission will launch three suborbital "sounding" rockets in succession one approximately 35 minutes before the peak of the eclipse, one during the eclipse peak, and one 35 minutes after the peak "Each rocket will deploy four small scientific instruments that will measure changes in electric and magnetic fields, density, and temperature," according to NASA. Additionally, in Missouri, a team of students from Virginia Tech will launch "high altitude scientific weather balloons" along the total solar eclipse path as part of the National Eclipse Ballooning Project for NASA. The balloons will fly at an altitude of approximately 75,000 feet and will capture imagery of the eclipse at totality "from a completely different perspective from those viewing on the ground," according to the project's press release. 'The sun has been eaten': Inside the history and mythology of total solar eclipses originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Seven food aid workers were killed by an Israel airstrike Monday, resulting in international outrage and increased pressure on President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The heightened tensions in the ongoing war in Gaza will likely be the focus of this weeks Sunday talk shows. The workers from the nonprofit organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) were driving in a deconflicted area after delivering food to civilians in Gaza when their marked cars were struck. Israel has claimed responsibility for the attack and dismissed two officers Friday after finding that the fatal strike should not have happened. A preliminary investigation carried out by the Israeli Joint Chiefs of Staff found that the military mistakenly thought the convoy of aid workers was Hamas fighters. Biden spoke with Netanyahu Thursday, where he took his sharpest tone with the Israeli leader yet, warning that U.S. policy would now be determined by Israels next steps. During the call, Biden reportedly pressed Netanyahu for a cease-fire deal, which would allow more aid to be delivered to starving civilians in Gaza and the remaining hostages taken by Hamas to be returned. Several family members of hostages will join this weeks shows. Just after the call, Israels wartime Cabinet approved the opening of a key border crossing in northern Gaza, as the pressure for the country to do more for civilians and aid workers increased. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the steps are generally good, but it may not be enough. In an interview this week, WCKs founder, celebrity chef Jose Andres, said he believes Israel systematically targeted his aid workers. He is set to join ABCs This Week Sunday, where he will likely talk about his seven employees and WCKs calls for an independent investigation. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby will also join ABCs This Week. On Thursday, Kirby said the U.S. will be waiting and watching to see what Israel does in the days following the strike. He will likely speak about Bidens recent call with Netanyahu, where he expressed his frustration over the growing number of casualties in Gaza and the lack of progress getting aid in. One of the most outspoken voices this week was Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). Coons, one of the top Democratic backers of Israel and a close ally of Biden, said he is open to putting conditions on aid to Israel as the war continues. He is set to join Fox News Sunday, where he will likely discuss his stance. Although Netanyahu took responsibility for the deadly strike, calling it a tragic event that was unintentional, he said things like that happen in war. Netanyahus spokesperson, Tal Heinrich, will join NewsNations The Hill Sunday with Chris Stirewalt where she will likely discuss Israels current position as tensions remain high throughout the weekend. Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this weeks Sunday talk shows: ABCs This Week World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres; White House national security adviser John Kirby. CBSs Face the Nation Kirby; Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D); Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.); Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.); mother of hostage taken by Hamas Rachel Goldberg; Executive Director of Doctors Without Borders Avril Benoit; President and CEO of Save the Children Janti Soeripto. CNNs State of the Union Reps. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.); relatives of hostage taken by Hamas Ronan and Daniel Neutra; Executive Director of World Food Programme Cindy McCain. Fox News Sunday Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R); Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). Fox Newss Sunday Morning Futures Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R); Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio); Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley and co-Chair Lara Trump; former Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.). NewsNations The Hill Sunday with Chris Stirewalt Whatley; Spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tal Heinrich. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. This year is the sixtieth anniversary of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. President John F. Kennedy proposed this legislation in 1963, but he was assassinated before its enactment. The legislation became a priority of his successor, President Lyndon Johnson, who signed it into law one year later. In 1969, Governor David Cargo signed House Bill 142 and thereby enacted the New Mexico Human Rights Act. This state law protecting individuals from discrimination is the subject of our Courts fourth annual Rule of Law program. The goal of the program is to educate middle school, high school, and college students on the judiciarys role in our democracy and how the rule of law secures a just and civil society. In previous years, we held oral argument in Las Cruces and Espanola. This year we will hold argument at Smith Brasher Hall at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) in Albuquerque on Monday, April 29, 2024, at 10 a.m. Supreme Court Justice David K. Thomson. The matter before the Court is Johnson v. Board of Education for Albuquerque Public Schools et. al.. Here, a student brought an action under the New Mexico Human Rights Act, alleging her teachers conduct during a class on Halloween violated her protected rights. The case raises the important legal question of whether a public secondary school is a public accommodation under the New Mexico Human Rights Act and, therefore, subject to a lawsuit. The briefs and oral advocacy reveal lessons about the New Mexico Human Rights Act and the way a judge interprets the words in a statute that gives meaning to the intent of the legislature. Observing live courtroom advocacy also teaches students that there are reasonable positions on both sides of an issue and that civil discourse, through rational thought, careful deliberation, and adherence to the rule of law, are the most effective means of resolving disputes like the one before the Court in April. Our Court staff provides written materials for students and teachers to review ahead of time. The materials summarize the issues in the case and include a lesson plan and background on federal and state civil rights legislation. After argument, while the Court deliberates, attorneys for the parties in the case will remain in the courtroom to answer questions. We ask the students to think deeply and identify the principles of constitutional government raised by the advocates and Court. We explore how civil debate, rather than threats or rancor, creates a better environment for thought and deliberation. Those unable to attend the oral argument in person can watch a live stream of the proceeding. Real-time Spanish translation will be provided. Additionally, members of the Court are committed to visiting as many schools as our schedule permits. If students wish to learn more about the judicial process and our role in the democratic system, you may request that a Justice meet with your class to discuss the case, either in person or virtually. This initiative fosters a deeper appreciation for the legal system that protects our rights. Please join us in advancing civic education. If your school is interested in attending, contact Tammy Mitchell, at suptdm@nmcourts.gov to learn more. This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Supreme Court program teaches students about the judicial process As the Supreme Court turns toward a series of politically charged disputes in its final arguments later this month, it is wrestling with a backlog of controversies on guns, elections and transgender rights that will thrust its conservative majority into the middle of another turbulent presidential contest. Up ahead are arguments over whether former President Donald Trump may claim immunity from criminal prosecution on election subversion charges and a roiling fight between President Joe Biden and Idaho over whether hospitals must perform an abortion when the health of a pregnant woman is threatened the second of two blockbuster abortion cases the court must decide this year. But as the high court moves toward a busy and fraught final sitting this term, it is also once again slipping behind its past pace, issuing fewer opinions than it did at this same point in its nine-month work period just a few years ago. The court has handed down 11 opinions so far this term most in relatively obscure matters that were decided unanimously. The Supreme Court has issued opinions in just 22% of its argued cases this year, compared with 34% through mid-April two years ago and 46% in 2021, according to data compiled by Adam Feldman, founder of Empirical SCOTUS. The share of resolved cases is up slightly over last year a historic low. The comparison would improve if new rulings land next week. Taken together, the numbers point to a term in which the courts decisions could be scrunched into a shorter time fame potentially giving the courts 6-3 conservative supermajority an opportunity to reshape the political debate around culture war issues just as Americans begin tuning into the Biden-Trump rematch for president. Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California Berkeley School of Law, said it had become a clear trend in recent years that the court is very slow releasing decisions. Though there are many theories about why that may be, the courts opaque-by-design practice of negotiation and opinion crafting makes it difficult to say with certainty. A large share of the courts docket touches on enormously significant and difficult issues, Chemerinsky told CNN. It also is a court that has deep divisions. I assume that all of this leads to delays in releasing decisions. Writing a majority opinion is only part of the behind-the-scenes process: Sometimes delays are caused by the concurrences and dissents other justices write. More fractured decisions, in other words, can generate separate opinions and take longer. The slower pace could prove particularly meaningful this year because of Trumps assertion of immunity from special counsel Jack Smiths election subversion charges. Trump asked the justices to block a lower court ruling that flatly rejected those immunity claims. The high court agreed to hear the case in late February, but did not set arguments until the end of this month. The case has put the Supreme Court on the clock and opened it up to criticism that delay will play into Trumps broader legal strategy of pushing off his pending criminal trials until after the November election. Unless the court speeds up its work, its difficult to see how the Trump immunity decision would arrive before the end of June. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor stand on the House floor ahead of the annual State of the Union address by U.S. President Joe Biden. - Shawn Thew/Pool/Getty Images Trump redefines Supreme Courts docket The court heard oral arguments in mid-October over South Carolinas new congressional map, which a lower court found was a racial gerrymander that violated the Constitution. Both the GOP state lawmakers defending the map and the parties challenging it had asked the Supreme Court to rule by January. Nearly six months after the court signaled during arguments that it was prepared to uphold the map, it has issued no opinion. Noting that deadlines for this years election were nearing, the state lawmakers filed an emergency appeal last month, asking for permission to use the disputed map while the justices continued their deliberations. Ultimately, a lower court stepped in to allow the state to use the map for now, lamenting that the ideal must bend to the practical. In early November, the court heard arguments over a federal law that bars people who are the subject of domestic violence restraining orders from possessing guns. Days earlier it heard a First Amendment appeal from a political activist who wants to trademark the suggestive phrase Trump Too Small for use on T-shirts. On the courts emergency docket, meanwhile, where cases are decided more quickly and without oral argument, the justices have been sitting for weeks on a request from Idaho officials to enforce a strict statewide ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Initially filed in mid-February, the request has been fully briefed since early March. The go-slow approach is not a new phenomena this year. The pace of opinions fell sharply last year, according to Feldmans data, which led to speculation that the shocking leak of the courts draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade months earlier gummed up the courts internal works. Several justices indicated the leak damaged trust, including Justice Clarence Thomas, who described the unprecedented breach as kind of an infidelity. Last year, Justice Brett Kavanaugh downplayed the slower pace by noting many of the courts biggest cases which usually are not settled until June were heard at the start of the term. For instance, the court heard arguments early on that year in a major challenge to the consideration of race in admissions at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. The Supreme Court ultimately barred consideration of race in June. This year, some of the biggest cases have been more spread out. On the other hand, the court has been pummeled by a series of divisive emergency appeals. It also has agreed to take on several high-profile matters involving Trump. In one, the court ruled that Trump would remain on Colorados presidential ballot despite claims he violated the 14th Amendments insurrectionist ban because of his actions leading up to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. The court was unanimous on the bottom line conclusion but splintered over its reasoning. In another, the justices agreed to hear arguments April 25 about Trumps immunity claims. Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Tuesday, April 2. - Paul Sancya/AP The Supreme Court will also hear arguments later this month over a federal law the Biden administration says requires hospitals to provide an abortion if the health of the mother is in danger, even in states such as Idaho that have approved strict abortion bans. The rise of state abortion restrictions following the courts overturning of Roe has become an election-year cudgel for Biden and congressional Democrats. Also this month, the court will take up the question of whether a federal obstruction law can be used to prosecute some of the rioters involved in the Capitol attack. The decision could also affect Trump, who has also been charged with that crime. Something has to give on Supreme Court docket The court also dealt with a divisive and ongoing dispute over a Texas immigration law that allowed law enforcement in the state to arrest and detain people it suspects entered the country illegally. Over a public dissent from the three liberal justices, the court cleared the way for Texas to enforce that law last month. The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked the enforcement hours later and the appeals court heard arguments over the law Wednesday. The emergency cases, which have drawn increased criticism in recent years, take time away from consideration of the courts regular docket. The court only has so many resources, said Steve Vladeck, CNN Supreme Court analyst and professor at the University of Texas School of Law. Something has to give, and the court really ought to be thinking through ways to avoid putting itself in this position every year. In an aerial view, Texas National Guard soldiers load excess concertina wire onto a trailer at Shelby Park on January 26, 2024 in Eagle Pass, Texas. - Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images At the same time, the Supreme Court has always moved at its own pace and the justices have little incentive to worry about timing. By its own standards, the court moved unusually quickly to resolve the Trump ballot dispute this year handing down a decision two months after the former president filed his appeal. That kind of speed is the exception. If you look systematically over time, theyre becoming slower and theyre taking fewer cases, Feldman said. But other than stirring speculation among court watchers, he said, the pace of opinions doesnt have much practical impact. Taking an extra few weeks to finish an opinion, Feldman said, simply means the justices get more time to write. It makes sense to me from their perspective that they might want to be slower, Feldman said. For efficiency, it probably makes sense to hold off as much as they can until the end of the term. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Steve Wright said he first heard about the total eclipse on April 8 four years ago, when a visitor booked the first room for the event at Vermont's Jay Peak Resort. Wright, the resort's general manager, said he soon started hearing rumblings from other ski areas. "They said, 'The hype is real'," he recalled, adding that he's never seen anything quite like the visitor excitement over the eclipse. That early prediction turned out to be prescient, with Wright noting that all of Jay Peak's 900 rooms have been fully booked for April 7 at a cost of about $500 per night for a year and a half. By comparison, the resort had roughly 80 bookings on the same day last year. Roughly 800 rooms are booked for April 8, the day of the eclipse. Indeed, tourists are getting into the spirit of the rare celestial event, a major boon for local businesses across the eclipse's direct path. One couple is getting married at the 4,000 summit of Jay Peak during the eclipse, while the resort will have a Pink Floyd cover band paying "The Dark Side of the Moon" at the base. And with more than a foot of snow forecast to arrive just ahead of the eclipse, skiers are also likely to hit the slopes as the moon and the sun align. Wright said he expects his resort to book as much revenue over the April 5-8 weekend as it typically would during the entire month of April. "It has been well advertised that we're at the end of the path of totality and we will have the best look at the eclipse, at over three and a half minutes," he told CBS MoneyWatch, adding the event is giving a boost not just to Jay Peak, but to the entire region, a rural part of Vermont that is known for scenic farms and ski areas. "The whole community is sold out." The total solar eclipse isn't just throwing shade across the dozen states in line for the astronomical event it's also shining an economic bonanza on states from Texas to Vermont. The eclipse could bring a financial boost of as much as $6 billion, thanks to increased spending on hotels, restaurants and travel, according to an estimate from the Perryman Group, an economic analysis firm. "It is amazing how much this has captured the imagination," Ray Perryman, an economist and CEO of the Perryman Group, told CBS MoneyWatch. "It'll be concentrated in a short period of time, but it does give these cities an opportunity to show themselves off, including the smaller cities." The eclipse is likely to jolt local economies partly because of its timing, Perryman noted. Americans have returned to their pre-pandemic travel habits, while the event is occurring in spring, when people are more likely to want to travel than in winter. Story continues "There's also the fact that we won't have another eclipse like this for many years," he said. Tthe next total solar eclipse visible in the U.S. won't occur until 2045, according to NASA. "It's not only a scientific phenomenon, but an emotional one as well," Dan Schneiderman, the eclipse partnership coordinator at the Rochester Museum of Science, told CBS News. Bill Nye and Dark Side Stout April 8 will bring viewing parties across cities both large and small that lie in the eclipse's path. Events range from the Eclipse-O-Rama 2024 with science expert Bill Nye in Fredericksburg, Texas, at $325 per ticket, to a NASA-sponsored gathering at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (a more budget-conscious $20 per ticket.) Companies also are issuing special commemorative items to draw people to their viewing parties, such as Rohrback Brewing Co. in Rochester, New York (a city in the path of the totality), which is making the Rohrbach Totality Black Lager. Switchback Brewery in Burlington, Vermont another city that will witness the totality will release Dark Side Stout for attendees at its April 8 event. "It's a great opportunity to market our city, and as a place where people might want to live one day," Malik Evans, the mayor of Rochester, New York, a Rust Belt city whose fortunes have drifted as once powerful manufacturing companies like Xerox and Eastman Kodak declined, told CBS News. As of April 7, 2024, over half of the listings on Airbnb are already booked in cities directly in the eclipse's path. / Credit: AirDNA Texas is forecast to enjoy the biggest economic gains at about $1.4 billion, according to Perryman's estimates. He said that's partly due to Texas' large population and to the number of big cities, like Austin and Dallas, that are in the path of the totality. Vermont, whose population of 650,000 makes it the second-smallest state in the nation, is expecting as many as 200,000 people to come to the state to witness the eclipse, CBS Boston reported. Its economic boost could reach $230 million, one of the smaller financial impacts for the states in the path of the eclipse, Perryman projected. Still, it's a significant bump for a state with annual GDP of about $43 billion. How much do solar eclipse glasses cost? Americans are also spending on gear to properly watch the eclipse because gazing at the event without eye protection can permanently damage your vision. Sunglasses don't offer enough shielding to prevent harm to your eyes, either. Instead, people should buy solar eclipse glasses that have been approved by the American Astronomical Society and adhere to the ISO 12312-2 standard. A six-pack of glasses with this standard can be found at Amazon for about $16, or less than $3 a pair. But consumers can also pick up eclipse glasses as promotions at various retailers. For instance, Sonic Drive-In is now selling a Blackout Slush Float, with each purchase of the celestial-inspired drink coming with a free pair of eclipse viewing glasses. Eyeglass company Warby Parker is also giving away eclipse-viewing glasses through April 8. Even though the totality itself will only last a few minutes on April 8, businesses could get a boost all weekend, Perryman noted. "It's almost a like a concert that causes people to come into town, but they might do other things and see other things," he noted. "I'm intrigued by the benefit for the small towns." NASA to launch rockets into total solar eclipse path Thief says he tried on, then melted down Yogi Berra World Series rings | 60 Minutes "Civil War": Depicting an America at war with itself Authorities in North Carolina say that theyve solved the cold case of an East Carolina University student who was kidnapped and killed nearly 45 years ago. At a press conference Thursday, the Alamance County Sheriffs Office named Gary Lane Laframboise as the individual responsible for the 1979 death of Tammy Sue Aldridge. Laframboise died in 2020. Authorities said that Aldridge had been reported missing June 30, 1979, when the 20-year-old did not return home from a jog. Three days after her disappearance, her body was discovered in the middle of a highway in Graham, North Carolina. Her ankles were tied with rope, and investigators found evidence that her neck and hands had also been bound. An image of Tammy Sue Aldridge, via the Alamance County Sheriff's Office. Alamance County Sheriff's Office At the press conference, Sheriff Terry Johnson said that her body was still warm at the time of discovery. Her clothes were put on backward, which indicated that the victim was dressed after her death, Johnson said. He added that Aldridge was sexually assaulted while alive, and medical examiners ruled that she died from strangulation. During her captivity, Aldridge had been allowed to call home twice. Those were the last times her family would hear from her. Aldridge called to let her family know she was was OK and that she would hopefully be coming home, investigator Dan Denton said. The identification of Laframboise comes after a different man was charged in connection with Aldridges disappearance and was found not guilty, leaving the case unsolved. When it was reopened in 2020, detectives obtained a DNA sample from the family member of a person of interest, and this led investigators to name Laframboise as their suspect, Johnson said. Laframboise would have been 19 or 20 at the time of the killing, and lived about 4 1/2 miles from where Aldridges body was discovered. According to Johnson, Laframboise was arrested in an unrelated kidnapping just three months after Aldridge disappeared. He pleaded guilty in that case and served prison time from 1980 to 1982. Aldridges family members are glad that the case is closed but still have questions, according to local CBS affiliate WFMY. They described her as a straight-A student who wanted to work with old people. Related... A suspect is being sought in an alleged arson incident at Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' Burlington office, police said. The fire was reported at 10:45 a.m. ET Friday in the vestibule between the elevator and the entrance door to Sanders' office, located on the third floor of 1 Church St., authorities said. PHOTO: Authorities respond to an arson incident at the Sen. Bernie Sanders' office in Burlington, Vermont, April 5, 2024. (ABC News/WVNY) A man entered the vestibule and "sprayed an apparent accelerant" on the door to the senator's office, lit the accelerant and then fled, according to the Burlington Police Department. 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," the Burlington Police Department said in a statement. MORE: New Jersey, New York City rocked by rare 4.8 magnitude earthquake The sprinkler system largely extinguished the fire, which caused "moderate" damage to the door to the senator's office, police said. The third floor and below floors sustained "significant" water damage, police said. No injuries have been reported and Sanders was not present at the time, police said. "The Burlington Fire Marshal's office has deemed this fire incendiary in nature," the Burlington Fire Department said in a press release. PHOTO: The Burlington Police Department released a photo of a suspect sought in connection with an arson incident at Sen. Bernard Sanders' office. (Burlington Police Department) A male suspect is being sought in the incident, Burlington police said while releasing surveillance stills of the unknown individual. A motive is currently unknown, police said. The Vermont State Police and Burlington Police Department are conducting a joint investigation. PHOTO: Senator Bernie Sanders gestures while delivering remarks on lowering healthcare costs at the White House complex in Washington, D.C., April, 3, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters) MORE: Man faces federal charges for allegedly setting fires at predominantly Black Rhode Island church Kathryn Van Haste, Sanders' Vermont state director, said the office is "grateful" to the police and fire crews that responded. "We are relieved that no one on our staff and, to our understanding, no one in the building was harmed," Van Haste said in a statement. U.S. Capitol Police and the Senate Sergeant at Arms are working "in coordination" with local first responders, she said. ABC News' Matt Foster contributed to this report. Suspect sought in alleged arson at Sen. Bernie Sanders' Vermont office: Police originally appeared on abcnews.go.com LA MESA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) A suspect was taken into custody on Friday after a jewelry store smash-and-grab in La Mesa, authorities said. Talon Fulcher, 31, of San Diego, was identified as the suspect and booked into San Diego County Jail on suspicion of robbery, burglary and grand theft, Sgt. Julie Jensen with the La Mesa Police Department said in a news release. Around 10:40 a.m., authorities received a call from a witness inside a jewelry store in the Grossmont Center shopping mall, located at 5500 Grossmont Center Drive, about a robbery. Ring camera catches mountain lion in front of North County home The witness told police a male suspect entered the store, walked to a display case near an employee and pulled out a hammer to smash the glass display case containing watches. An employee ran to the back of the store in fear for her safety as the suspect grabbed several expensive watches and left the area, according to authorities. The suspect drove away in a gold sedan without a license plate. After watching the surveillance footage and obtaining a description of the suspect, police said they were able to find the suspect driving the vehicle in the 8400 block of Center Drive approaching Jackson Drive. The suspect was taken into custody without incident in the 8000 block of Fletcher Parkway. No store employees were hurt in the robbery, authorities said. Police returned over $7,000 worth of watches to the jewelry store. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. Attendees cheer at the west Michigan city of Grand Havens first Pride Fest in June. The surrounding county of Ottawa had more people moving in than any other in the swing state. Like many other fast-growing counties, Ottawa is staunchly Republican but becoming more Democratic. (Photo by Kristen Norman/The Associated Press) Attendees cheer at the west Michigan city of Grand Havens first Pride Fest in June. The surrounding county of Ottawa had more people moving in than any other in the swing state. Like many other fast-growing counties, Ottawa is staunchly Republican but becoming more Democratic. (Photo by Kristen Norman/The Associated Press) In recent years, millions of people across the United States have moved from Democratic cities to Republican suburbs, complicating the politics of swing states in a pivotal election year, according to a Stateline analysis. Republican suburban counties in four swing states Georgia in the South and Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in the Midwest gained the most new arrivals; heavily Democratic cities lost the most. In Western swing states Arizona and Nevada, meanwhile, the biggest people magnets have been slightly Democratic cities that are expected to be hotly contested. Those shifts reflect a nationwide trend: In Republican counties, as defined by the 2020 presidential vote, 3.7 million more people have moved in than have left since 2020, while Democratic counties had a net loss of 3.7 million, according to a Stateline analysis of U.S. Census Bureau estimates and county presidential election data kept by the University of Michigan. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates released in March included people who moved within the country between mid-2020 and mid-2023, a time of pandemic dislocations, lockdowns in big cities, and the rise of remote work that fed a search for affordable housing in less crowded and more scenic settings. Those settings, as it turns out, also tend to be more conservative. The census numbers do not include births or immigration. Whether the newcomers will vote Democratic this year, or whether they were disenchanted with Democratic policies in their former homes and will vote Republican, remains to be seen. The changes might affect local and congressional races the most, but even a few movers crossing state lines could sway presidential vote totals in swing states. We are looking at an election to be determined by a shift of such small numbers of people in each of these states that a few thousand votes in any one state can impact the electoral vote there, said David Schultz, a political science professor at Hamline University in Minnesota who has edited and helped write several books on presidential swing states. The counties gaining the most movers in Georgia (Forsyth County), Michigan (Ottawa County), Pennsylvania (Cumberland County) and Wisconsin (Waukesha County) were solidly for then-incumbent President Donald Trump in 2020. But in the three Midwest counties, Joe Biden had the best showing for a Democrat since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Politics in a changing county In some of the growing counties, there has been tension as new residents bring their own expectations. People keep moving here because they like it, then they try to make it like the place they left, said David Avant, who runs a business networking website in Forsyth County, Georgia. His county gained about 17,000 new arrivals between mid-2020 and mid-2023, according to the Stateline analysis. People keep moving here because they like it, then they try to make it like the place they left. David Avant of Forsyth County, Ga. Politics might not yet be changing in some of the red counties surveyed. In Michigan, Doug Zylstra became the first Democrat elected in almost 50 years to the 11-member Ottawa County Board of Commissioners in 2018 and was reelected in 2022, but the commission took a more conservative turn in 2023 when a new majority took office. The people of Ottawa County chose to replace the previous Republican-majority board, which promoted Democratic ideology and practices, said Sylvia Rhodea, one of the new Republicans on the commission. In a January 2023 meeting, Rhodea criticized the previous boards diversity, equity and inclusion program as based on the premise that county resident characteristics of being 90% white and largely conservative were problematic for businesses and as one that seeks to replace the American value of equality with the Marxist value of equity. There is not a racial divide in Ottawa County, there is an ideological divide. The welcoming of people will continue, but the ideology that tries to divide us has to end, Rhodea said in the meeting. The Rev. James Ellis III, who is Black and who moved to Ottawa County in April 2023, lives in the area that elected the countys sole Democrat. He said the racial divide remark feels inaccurate to me, not to mention unhelpful. And while he said he has no party affiliation, he thinks people on every side have a hard time listening to each other. Ellis grew up in Maryland and has lived in cities including Washington, D.C., and British Columbia, Canada. He attended a local seminary in Ottawa County. Ottawa County is not a utopia. It is an area full of wonderful citizens, lakeshore living, lots of churches and winter sports, and yet simultaneously it has power dynamics and inequities like any place that need addressing, said Ellis, of Maplewood Reformed Church. The countys population is about 83% white with small but growing Asian, Black and Hispanic populations. They vote for the same thing In Wisconsin, affluent and suburban Waukesha County has gained about 5,200 movers, while urban Milwaukee County has lost 37,000. Still, thats not likely to change the politics of either county soon, said Steve Styza, a Republican who won an open seat on the Waukesha County Board of Supervisors in Tuesdays election. Democrats are definitely trying to make as big of a push as they can to turn the most conservative counties in our state blue or purple and try to gain some kind of foothold because it is strategically important, Styza said before the election. If I was on the other team, Id be trying to do the same thing. Waukesha County voted almost 60% for Trump in 2020, though the roughly 38.8% vote for Biden was the highest share for a Democrat since 1964. The countys 2022 vote for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers was slightly higher at 39.4%. Milwaukee County voted 69% for Biden in 2020 and 71% for Evers in 2022. Like Avant in Georgia, Styza said that Democratic newcomers sometimes pose a threat to the suburban lifestyle that drew them there in the first place. They say, Well, I gotta get out of there because of whats going on, and then they vote for the same thing in a different place and then wonder why things turn out poorly, Styza said. In the Western swing states of Arizona and Nevada, the politics are similar, but the largest cities are still growing fast. Arizonas Maricopa County, home of Phoenix, voted Democratic in 2020 for the first time since 1948, when Harry Truman carried the county. In Nevada, Clark County, the home of Las Vegas, has voted Democratic for president since 1992, but the Republican vote has been growing since 2008, reaching 44% for Trump in 2020. Some of the new Republican strength could be transplants from Californias conservative inland region east of Los Angeles, said David Damore, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In contrast, Reno, which has been voting more Democratic in recent cycles, is attracting more liberal Californians from Sacramento and the Bay Area, Damore said. Statewide, the vote share that the Democrats lost in Las Vegas, they gained in Reno. Some conservative scholars argue that residential moves from blue to red areas show a political preference or at least an attraction to the results of conservative policies. Every day, Americans appear to have a clear preference about the sort of state government they want. Far from flocking to states that have imposed mandates and lockdowns, they have freely chosen to move to states that focus on securing the mandates of liberty, Jeffrey Anderson, president of the conservative nonprofit American Main Street Initiative, wrote in an analysis of state-by-state moving statistics published in City Journal in January. Other demographers see the movement of people as a search for housing and jobs that doesnt take politics into account. Domestic migration [moving] across state and metro areas is not strongly affected by politics but by labor market and housing conditions, said William Frey, a demographer at The Brookings Institution. He added that movers from blue to red states could make their destination states less red Arizona and Nevada are good examples. Stateline originally published this article. Like the Alaska Beacon, Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Swing states see newcomers as Americans move from blue to red counties appeared first on Alaska Beacon. Fierce battles are taking place east of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast as Russian forces are attempting to break through Ukrainian defenses, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on April 6. Chasiv Yar lies around 10 kilometers (six miles) west of Bakhmut and 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Avdiivka, two settlements that Russia captured in May 2023 and February 2024, respectively. Russian proxies claimed on April 5 that Moscow's troops had entered Chasiv Yar's suburb, but Ukraine's military later refuted that statement. "Chasiv Yar remains under our control; all enemy attempts to break through to the settlement have failed," Syrskyi said on Facebook. Russian troops have been focusing their efforts near Chasiv Yar, which they see as a crucial milestone for further advances toward Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk, the Ukrainian military said. Syrskyi reported that the general situation on the front remains difficult as Russia "continues offensive operations day and night, using assault groups with the support of armored vehicles" in an attempt to reach the administrative borders of Donetsk Oblast. Read also: Governor: 790 people still live in Chasiv Yar Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Taiwan earthquake death toll rises to 13 with over 600 still trapped as rescuers face landslide threat Taiwan earthquake death toll rises to 13 with over 600 still trapped as rescuers face landslide threat More than 600 people remain stranded three days after a devastating magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Taiwan, killing at least 13 in the islands eastern county of Hualien. Rescuers face a range of threats from landslides, rockfalls and aftershocks as they continue working to evacuate the remaining trapped individuals. Hundreds of those stranded are in a national park in Hualien, including about 400 at a single hotel, after Wednesdays earthquake sent boulders raining down the mountainside, cutting off roads to the remote region. On Saturday, the death toll rose to 13 after a third victim was found on the parks Shakadang Trail. Most of the victims were killed outdoors by falling rocks or landslides. The earthquake was the strongest to hit the island since one in 1999 that killed 2,400 people. Survivors have described seeing tumbling rocks blocking roads and in some cases trapping people inside tunnels. Officials said most of the stranded individuals seemed safe, as rescuers deployed helicopters, drones and smaller teams with dogs to reach them. Four people were killed while they were hiking in Taroko Gorge and four others lost their lives while traversing the mountainous highways of the region. About 50 hotel workers, who are now mostly safe, were stranded on a road to the national park. We were terrified when the earthquake first happened. We thought it was all over, all over, all over, because it was an earthquake, right? a security manager at the hotel, who was trapped in the area, told Reuters after he was rescued, adding that boulders were still tumbling as the group left. We had to navigate through the gaps between the falling rocks, with the rescue team out front, he said. The area has been hit by hundreds of aftershocks since Wednesday, including a magnitude-5.2 earthquake earlier on Saturday. Search and rescue operations were temporarily suspended on Friday due to the aftershocks. Rescuers plan to bring in heavy equipment to recover two bodies pinned under boulders in the park, but efforts are hindered by the risk of landslide and anticipated rain. There is no end in sight today, we will keep persevering.@NFA_TAIWAN #2TO pic.twitter.com/DfjLfGXdXb Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. (@MoNDefense) April 5, 2024 Rain increases the risks of rockfalls and landslides, which are currently the biggest challenges. These factors are unpredictable, which means we cannot confirm the number of days required for the search and rescue operations, Su Yu-ming, the leader of a search team, said. More than 1,100 people have been confirmed as injured by the earthquake so far, according to Taiwans national disaster agency. Meanwhile, Taiwan lashed out at Bolivia for expressing solidarity with China after the quake. China, which considers the self-governed island to be a breakaway region and has threatened to take it back by force if necessary, has thanked the international community for expressions of concern regarding the Taiwan earthquake. You shouldnt be the evil, expansionist #PRCs pathetic puppet that jumps when #Beijing says jump. Just like #Taiwan, #Bolivia is NOT part of communist #China. No more, no less. JW https://t.co/ezax2lOE09 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) (@MOFA_Taiwan) April 6, 2024 Earlier this week Bolivia said it expresses its solidarity with the sister Peoples Republic of China, in the face of the loss of life and severe material damage caused by a large earthquake that occurred in recent hours off the coast of Taiwan. You shouldnt be the evil, expansionist PRCs pathetic puppet that jumps when Beijing says jump... Just like Taiwan, Bolivia is not part of communist China. No more, no less, Taiwan foreign minister, Joseph Wu, posted on X. What an eclipse sounds like and why it matters Sign up for CNNs Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. People across the United States will be looking to the sky on Monday to witness a total solar eclipse. Others will be listening to it. And to Harvard University astronomers working to transform the rare sight into sound, the eclipse should create a symphony. We mapped the bright light of the sun to a flute sound, said Allyson Bieryla, an astronomer at Harvard. Then it goes to a midrange, which is a clarinet, and then during totality, it kind of goes down to a low clicking sound, and that clicking even slows down during totality. The scientists designed a boxy device a bit larger than a cell phone that converts light into audible tones in a process called sonification. The sounds change based on the intensity of the light, allowing people with blindness or low vision to follow the progress of the eclipse. The device is called a LightSound, and hundreds of them will be at eclipse-viewing events on Monday. That image of totality is breathtaking and so it is visual, but that doesnt mean thats the only way you can interpret things or experience them, said Bieryla, who runs the LightSound Project. And for someone without sight, they need a different sense to experience it. Converting light into sound The idea for LightSound was born during the last total eclipse in the United States in 2017. Bieryla started the project with astronomer Wanda Diaz-Merced, who experiences blindness and relies on similar technology to do her research. They created three prototypes one in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and two in Kentucky. The current version of LightSound is the result of some tweaks and fine-tuning since those prototypes, but sonification has always been at the heart of it. The device uses a light sensor to take in data in the case of an eclipse the data is light intensity, Bieryla said. Those numbers, the light intensity values, are then assigned an instrument sound using a MIDI synthesizer board in the device, she said. This allows the tones to change as the moon blocks the sun and Earth gets dark, so people with blindness can interact with the eclipse in ways they couldnt previously. The LightSound device, designed by Harvard University astronomers, will help make the eclipse more accessible for the visually impaired by turning light into instrument sounds. - Courtesy Ohio Department of Natural Resources Fast-forward to 2024, and the project has grown. Changes after the 2019 and 2020 total solar eclipses in South America, such as primarily using a printed circuit board instead of wires, made the device easier to build. With the help of local communities, the project was quickly able to scale up production, Bieryla said. The LightSound team hosts workshops in which anyone can learn to assemble a device. Instead of producing 20 in a day, we were producing 200 in a day, so it was a huge, huge improvement, Bieryla said, emphasizing that the community element is what made this project successful. She said they built and distributed about 900 devices for the 2024 eclipse, which went to sites in Mexico, the United States and Canada. Of those hundreds scattered across the United States, 29 devices were sent to Ohio state parks and wildlife areas that are in the path of totality. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources partnered with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, or OOD, to provide LightSound to dozens of eclipse-watch parties. Bernadetta King, program manager at the OODs Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired, said people are excited to be fully included at eclipse events not in a separate place but immersed with everyone else as event organizers will plug the device into speakers. Sometimes when you make something better for people with disabilities, you inadvertently make it better for everybody, so why dont we just think that way to begin with? King said. Even the people that would be viewing the eclipse through glasses are hearing about this and say, Oh, this is cool. Bernadetta King, program manager of the Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired at Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, visits Alum Creek State Park, north of Columbus, Ohio. The park is one of the places receiving a LightSound device for Monday's eclipse. - Courtesy Ohio Department of Natural Resources King, who also experiences blindness, said she feels people with vision-related disabilities are not often top of mind. Devices such as the LightSound could also be an opportunity to keep pushing sonification technology in other ways, she said. This is kind of a foot in the door to open an area that has traditionally not been considered when you think about people who have blindness and vision impairment, King said, mentioning previous applications of sonification in weather, space and other science fields. Other inclusive eclipse efforts If you are not near an eclipse event that has a LightSound, the American Council of the Blind is hosting a virtual stream of the sound of various devices along the path of totality. The Eclipse Soundscapes app is another resource for those who are visually impaired. The project, part of NASAs Citizen Science initiative, will collect multisensory observations and recordings from people around the country. In the app, there is a tool that uses vibrations and audio tones to convey each stage of the eclipse in addition to narrated descriptions. The project said the tool is designed for you to hear and feel astronomical phenomena. Additionally, NASA partnered with the National Park Service and Earth to Sky on activities, including a webinar series to prepare interpreters for the event. National parks involved in the partnership will have elements for the blind and low vision, neurodivergent children, the physically impaired, and those with hearing impairments at watch parties across the country, the space agency said. As for Bieryla and her team, theres always another eclipse somewhere. Once this one is over, they will ship LightSounds to the next location. Because her small team cant build devices for the whole world, the next goal is to teach people across the globe how to hold workshops. She said she hopes initiatives such as LightSound inspire young scientists. Im hoping that there is a blind child that maybe experiences this device and says, I want to do astronomy, Bieryla said, and we need to have those resources in place for that student to be successful. Dont miss out on upcoming eclipse and space stories! Follow the Astronomy topic to see the latest stories in your personalized feed with your free account. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Teen Boy Who Died in Avalanche While on Spring Break Is Identified as Son of Former Olympic Swimmer A GoFundMe page for Illinois high school freshman Aleksas Beiga has already raised $52,000 to support his family gofundme Aleksas Beiga The American teenager who died in an avalanche in Switzerland on Monday while on spring break has been identified as Illinois high school student Aleksas Beiga. Beiga, a 15-year-old freshman at Naperville Central High School, died during the April 1 avalanche near a Swiss ski resort in Zermatt. The incident also claimed the lives of a 25-year-old Canadian woman and a 58-year-old Swiss man, local police said in a statement. A GoFundMe page created by a friend of the boys dad former Olympic swimmer Nerijus Beiga, 52, who represented Lithuania at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympic Games has raised more than $52,000 as of Saturday to support the Beiga family. lack funeral home Aleksas Beiga Related: Teacher Sets Up Bike Bus to Help Students Safely Ride Bikes to School: Be the Joy You Want to See in the World Whether he was diving into the swimming pool, racing down the trails on his bike, or carving up the slopes on his skis, Aleksas approached every moment with enthusiasm and passion, Neringa Mockus wrote on the GoFundMe page. The sudden loss of Aleksas has left an irreparable void in the hearts of his family and friends, she added. The pain of his absence is immeasurable, and the grief weighs heavily on all who knew and loved him. Mockus went on to explain how the funds would be used. The financial burden of bringing Aleksas body home and navigating the aftermath of this tragedy is immense, and any contribution, no matter how small, will make a meaningful difference in alleviating their burden, she continued. But beyond financial support, we also ask for your prayers and thoughts as we mourn the loss of this beautiful soul." Getty The Swiss Alps in Zermatt, Switzerland 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. Aside from his dad, Beiga is survived by his mom, Sonata, and sister, Eva. It was a shock, Eva, 20, told the Chicago Tribune. We got to do a lot of those adventurous things together. We got to go on bike rides with him, got to walk around with him. And (those) are memories that Ill cherish forever. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. When Diane Gayeski, a professor of strategic communications at Ithaca College, receives an essay from one of her students, she runs part of it through ChatGPT, asking the AI tool to critique and suggest how to improve the work. The best way to look at AI for grading is as a teaching assistant or research assistant who might do a first pass and it does a pretty good job at that, she told CNN. She shows her students the feedback from ChatGPT and how the tool rewrote their essay. Ill share what I think about their intro, too, and well talk about it, she said. Gayeski requires her class of 15 students to do the same: run their draft through ChatGPT to see where they can make improvements. The emergence of AI is reshaping education, presenting real benefits, such as automating some tasks to free up time for more personalized instruction, but also some big hazards, from issues around accuracy and plagiarism to maintaining integrity. Both teachers and students are using the new technology. A report by strategy consultant firm Tyton Partners, sponsored by plagiarism detection platform Turnitin, found half of college students used AI tools in Fall 2023. Meanwhile, while fewer faculty members used AI, the percentage grew to 22% of faculty members in the fall of 2023, up from 9% in spring 2023. Teachers are turning to AI tools and platforms such as ChatGPT, Writable, Grammarly and EssayGrader to assist with grading papers, writing feedback, developing lesson plans and creating assignments. Theyre also using the burgeoning tools to create quizzes, polls, videos and interactives to up the ante for whats expected in the classroom. Students, on the other hand, are leaning on tools such as ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot which is built into Word, PowerPoint and other products. But while some schools have formed policies on how students can or cant use AI for schoolwork, many do not have guidelines for teachers. The practice of using AI for writing feedback or grading assignments also raises ethical considerations. And parents and students who are already spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on tuition may wonder if an endless feedback loop of AI-generated and AI-graded content in college is worth the time and money. If teachers use it solely to grade, and the students are using it solely to produce a final product, its not going to work, said Gayeski. The time and place for AI How teachers use AI depends on many factors, particularly when it comes to grading, according to Dorothy Leidner, a professor of business ethics at the University of Virginia. If the material being tested in a large class is largely declarative knowledge so there is a clear right and wrong then a teacher grading using the AI might be even superior to human grading, she told CNN. Story continues AI would allow teachers to grade papers faster and more consistently and avoid fatigue or boredom, she said. But Leidner noted when it comes to smaller classes or assignments with less definitive answers, grading should remain personalized so teachers can provide more specific feedback and get to know a students work, and, therefore, progress over time. A teacher should be responsible for grading but can give some responsibility to the AI, she said. She suggested teachers use AI to look at certain metrics such as structure, language use and grammar and give a numerical score on those figures. But teachers should then grade students work themselves when looking for novelty, creativity and depth of insight. Leslie Layne teaches her students how to best use ChatGPT but takes issue with how some educators are using it to grade papers. - Courtesy Leslie Layne Leslie Layne, who has been teaching ChatGPT best practices in her writing workshop at the University of Lynchburg in Virginia, said she sees the advantages for teachers but also sees drawbacks. Using feedback that is not truly from me seems like it is shortchanging that relationship a little, she said. She also sees uploading a students work to ChatGPT as a huge ethical consideration and potentially a breach of their intellectual property. AI tools like ChatGPT use such entries to train their algorithms on everything from patterns of speech to how to make sentences to facts and figures. Ethics professor Leidner agreed, saying this should particularly be avoided for doctoral dissertations and masters theses because the student might hope to publish the work. It would not be right to upload the material into the AI without making the students aware of this in advance, she said. And maybe students should need to provide consent. Some teachers are leaning on software called Writable that uses ChatGPT to help grade papers but is tokenized, so essays do not include any personal information, and its not shared directly with the system. Teachers upload essays to the platform, which was recently acquired by education company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which then provides suggested feedback for students. Other educators are using platforms such as Turnitin that boast plagiarism detection tools to help teachers identify when assignments are written by ChatGPT and other AI. But these types of detection tools are far from foolproof; OpenAI shut down its own AI-detection tool last year due to what the company called a low rate of accuracy. Setting standards Some schools are actively working on policies for both teachers and students. Alan Reid, a research associate in the Center for Research and Reform in Education (CRRE) at Johns Hopkins University, said he recently spent time working with K-12 educators who use GPT tools to create end-of-quarter personalized comments on report cards. But like Layne, he acknowledged the technologys ability to write insightful feedback remains limited. He currently sits on a committee at his college thats authoring an AI policy for faculty and staff; discussions are ongoing, not just for how teachers use AI in the classroom but how its used by educators in general. He acknowledges schools are having conversations about using generative AI tools to create things like promotion and tenure files, performance reviews, and job postings. Nicolas Frank, an associate professor of philosophy at University of Lynchburg, said universities and professors need to be on the same page when it comes to policies but need to stay cautious . There is a lot of danger in making policies about AI at this stage, he said. He worries its still too early to understand how AI will be integrated into everyday life. He is also concerned that some administrators who dont teach in classrooms may craft policy that misses nuances of instruction. That may create a danger of oversimplifying the problems with AI use in grading and instruction, he said. Oversimplification is how bad policy is made. To start, he said educators can identify clear abuses of AI and begin policy-making around those. Leidner, meanwhile, said universities can be very high level with their guidance, such as making transparency a priority so students have a right to know when AI is being used to grade their work and identifying what types of information should never be uploaded into an AI or asked of an AI. But she said universities must also be open to regularly reevaluating as the technology and uses evolve. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A three-judge panel in Tennessee heard arguments Thursday in a case seeking to have the states near-total abortion ban declared unconstitutional. The nine plaintiffs include seven women who say their health and fertility were threatened by their doctors refusing to perform medically necessary abortions due to fear of prosecution, as well as two Tennessee OB-GYNs who say the ban impedes their ability to provide treatment. The Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) has requested a temporary injunction barring the state of Tennessee from enforcing its near-total abortion ban. The bans only exceptions include if the mothers life or health is threatened by the pregnancy or if the fetus is not expected to survive. The Tennessee attorney generals office asked that the case be dismissed because the argument presented by the plaintiffs lacks merit and the Tennessee Constitution does not guarantee any right to an abortion. The panel Judge Sandra Donaghy, Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal and Chancellor Kasey Culbreath will issue a ruling after theyve deliberated over the arguments presented. The two sides spoke for more than eight hours Thursday. Here are a few key takeaways: Legal vagueness The issue of legal vagueness was the key argument between the two parties Thursday. The medical exemption that permits doctors to perform abortions to save the health and life of a pregnant person was passed eight months after the states trigger law banning abortions went into effect in 2022. The CRR argues that the Medical Necessity Exception is too vague. The law allows physicians to perform abortions for molar or ectopic pregnancies, to remove a miscarriage, to save the life of the mother or if there is a serious risk of permanent and irreversible damage to bodily functions. Doctors are denying or delaying abortion care in cases where even defendants concede that it would be legally permissible. They are doing this because the terms of the Medical Necessity Exception are vague, and do not give them enough guidance to determine when they can provide life or health-preserving care under the criminal abortion ban, Linda Goldstein, CRR senior counsel, told the panel. Whitney Hermandorfer, representing the Tennessee attorney generals office, argued that the exemption provided physicians with flexibility to act in numerous potential scenarios. Culbreath noted, however, that the exact language within the exemption had been struck down in other states, such as Montana. Hermandorfer pointed to the Idaho Supreme Court and the Texas Supreme Court, which both found similar language to be appropriate. Goldstein rebutted Hermandorfers claims that the law provided flexibility, saying regardless of how it is written, Tennessee physicians are interpreting it in a way that has stopped them from providing medically necessary abortions. Physicians fear prosecution While plaintiffs argue the fear of prosecution among Tennessee physicians has halted life-saving abortions, Hermandorfer tried to down play those fears in front of the panel. [Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti] said he would exercise his authority if he thought a given prosecution was warranted. And as these pleadings show, there are so many situations where a medical necessary abortion will be permitted, Hermandorfer said. Moskal noted that even if a district attorney declines to enforce the law or pursue prosecution, a backup provision involving the attorney general and the Tennessee Supreme Court could still result in prosecution. Hermandorfer stated that this provision was not a simple case of the attorney general choosing a prosecutor to go after a particular case, but a multistep system in which several decisions must first be made. Heather Maune, a board-certified OB-GYN in Tennessee and one of the plaintiffs in the suit, told The Hill that regardless of what Hermandorfer said during the hearing, the threat of imprisonment and potentially losing their medical license is still too great. Many people in the medical community, if they are convicted of a felony, would lose the right to vote in Tennessee, first and foremost, and then you would probably lose your medical license immediately, Maune said. And that is our livelihood. That is our passion. It is what we love, and to say that we shouldnt be worried about that is just not fair. Constitutionality Among the requests for relief made by the CRR are that the Tennessee abortion ban be declared in violation of the states constitution, specifically a persons protected right to life. Goldstein acknowledged a 2014 amendment to the states constitution that explicitly states it does not protect the right to an abortion, but said this does not do anything to diminish the right to life that was conferred to Tennesseans more than 200 years ago. In her remarks regarding constitutional claims, Hermandorfer again leaned on the states Medical Necessity Exception, arguing that its existence permitting doctors to perform abortions means Tennessees abortion law does not violate the constitution. In her response, Goldstein pointed to the facts presented to the court. Defendants contend that the Medical Necessity Exception does not infringe pregnant patients right to life because it permits abortion care necessary to prevent serious health scenarios, Goldstein said. That argument requires that the court ignore the factual allegations that weve made that pregnant patients across the state like the plaintiffs here are not getting the constitutionally required abortion care that they should getting. A spokesperson for the Tennessee attorney generals office said in a statement to The Hill following the hearing, The Constitution makes clear that decisions about abortion law are made by the elected representatives of the people of Tennessee. This lawsuit is a policy disagreement that belongs in the legislature, not a courtroom, the statement continued. The Attorney Generals Office will continue to defend the Human Life Protection Act and our system of representative democracy. A timing on a ruling regarding the case has not been given. Moskal said the panel would issue one as soon as they are able to. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. "She makes everyone feel important." Courtesy Tennessee Department of Education A 30-year teaching veteran from Rogersville, Tennessee has been named 2024s National Teacher of the Year. Missy Testerman is the program director for English as a Second Language (ESL) and a teacher at Rogersville City Schools. She was picked from a group of 55 State Teachers of the Year from around the country and US territories. Testerman builds bridges between cultures families who have been in the area for centuries and newer immigrants through a curriculum focused on a study of Americans from diverse backgrounds, allowing students to better understand that people are inherently the same and that they all belong, a release from the Council of Chief State School Officers said. Testerman said she knew she wanted to become a teacher when she walked into her kindergarten classroom for the first time. "I was very scared," Testerman remembered, but said her teacher, Mrs. Brown, took her by the hand and led her over to her other classmates and the toys. "From that moment on, I knew I wanted to be like Mrs. Brown," she told CBS Mornings. According to her supporters in Rogersville, Testerman has succeeded in that goal. Courtesy Tennessee Department of Education Stephanie Smith has known Testerman as a student and now as a colleague and fellow teacher. Smith said Testerman is a great person who makes the kids feel welcome while also holding them to extremely high standards. "She makes everybody feel important," Smith said. "She's the best." Testerman said her favorite part about teaching is being the person who gets to unlock the love of learning in our students. As National Teacher of the Year, Testerman will use her year of service advocating for students and for teachers. Courtesy Tennessee Department of Education "I want to empower teachers to use their voice," Testerman told CBS. "They are the experts in our classroom they know what our students need they know what our challenges are." Testerman said teacher pay is among her top concerns for her profession and she maintains that reports of a "teacher shortage" are false. "We have a lot of trained teachers out there," she said, many of them "highly effective educators," who have been forced to leave the profession to make more money for their families. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, who is also a teacher, surprised Testerman on the set of CBS Mornings to congratulate her on her win. "I always say teachers are our heroes and I wanted to be here today to celebrate Missy as I love celebrating teachers," Biden said. Biden also announced the first ever Teachers of the Year "state dinner" at the White House on May 1 to honor Testerman and other teachers. For more Southern Living news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Southern Living. People take part in a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Nir Alon/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa Tens of thousands of people again took to the street of Israeli cities on Saturday evening to protest against the right-wing religious government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They called for a more serious effort to negotiate the release of hostages held by the militant group Hamas. This Sunday will be exactly six months since terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing almost 1,200 people and kidnapping another 250 as hostages in the Gaza Strip. One of the speakers in Tel Aviv remembered Netanyahu's brother Joni, who died as an elite soldier in 1976 while freeing hostages from a plane hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists. "And what about you, Bibi?" he asked, addressing Netanyahu by the shortened form of his first name. "What have you done? What will your legacy be? Nothing but political spin and intrigue (...) will be your legacy." There were also demonstrations in Jerusalem, Haifa, Beersheba, Herzliya and in Caesarea in front of Netanyahu's private villa. According to media reports, Saturday was the largest protest since October 7. Israel is now being criticized worldwide for its brutal warfare. According to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Health Authority, 33,000 Palestinians have been killed. The information makes no distinction between fighters and civilians. Up to 70 percent of the victims are said to be women, minors and older men. According to Israeli estimates, almost 100 of the remaining hostages are still alive today. As part of an agreement, Hamas released 105 hostages during a week-long ceasefire at the end of November last year. In return, Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners from its prisons. People take part in a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Nir Alon/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa The prospect of Eagle Pass, Texas, becoming the first municipality in America to see the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, triggered visions in the border town of big crowds preceded by a big music festival. The citys marketing and tourism director, Aide Castano, told a 2023 meeting of the Eagle Pass Rotary Club that the city of 28,000 should prepare to host nearly four times its population for the event. Mark your calendar for the eclipse, get your grocery shopping done, were gonna have 100,000 people in Eagle Pass, were gonna have millions of dollars in sales for downtown Eagle Pass, Castano said, according to the recollection of resident Amerika Garcia-Grewall, who attended the meeting. Garcia-Grewall further recalled, One of the real estate agents is like, Airbnb will make $10,000 in the eclipse weekend. The producers of the music festival named it 57 South Music Fest, after U.S. Highway 57 South, which reaches the border at Eagle Pass and the designated venue, city-owned Shelby Park. The scenic 47.4-acre grassy expanse on the banks of the Rio Grande River has been the site of successful carnivals and events, including an annual international friendship celebration. The 57 South producers posted what seemed like a formula for a resounding success. 17 Bands, 3 Nights, 2 Stages, & 1 Total Eclipse April 5-7, 2024 The city posted its own appeal: If youre a music lover and a celestial enthusiast, then theres no better time to start planning your trip to Eagle Pass, Texas! But nobody foresaw that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott would seize control of the park on Jan. 10 as the base for Operation Lone Star, a $10.5 billion political stunt in response to the invasion of migrants at the southern border. He ordered Texas Army National Guard soldiers, supported by state law enforcement officers, to place steel shipping containers and string razor wire along the waters edge. He barred federal Border Patrol agents from the site of the planned music festival. A Texas National Guard soldier patrols near the Rio Grande river at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty The city thought about canceling the 57 South but instead arranged to relocate it to the grounds of the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino, which has capacity for 10,000. The Native American-owned property is 10 miles from the original venue as a bird flies, but 15 miles by car, a 20-minute drive from Shelby Park and the citys commercial center. There was still hope for big crowds, and some of the area hotels prepared to take advantage of the influx. The local Hampton Inn hiked its regular rate from $224 to $1,417 for the night before the eclipse. One indication that things might not meet the expectations of the profiteers came as the price for a one-day festival pass fell from $80 to $50. A two-day pass that previously cost $160 fell to $95. A three-day pass dropped from $225 to $135. Another bad sign came on Feb. 22, when the city announced that its financial and business director, Jesus Rodriquez, had been fired, effective immediately. The city gave no explanation for the dismissal, but his responsibilities included the finances of 57 South. Meanwhile, Abbott and Donald Trump staged a mutually beneficial photo op in Shelby Park on Feb. 29. They spoke of an invasion from the south, though the number of migrants arriving there had plummeted from more than 2,000 a day to a few dozen. That may have been in part a delayed response to Abbotts soldiers and razor wire, but the drop coincided with sharply increased migrant interdiction efforts in Mexico. Mexico really stepped it up, said Garcia-Grewall, who makes regular visits to Mexico delivering food to a once-packed but now nearly empty migrant shelter in Piedras Negras, sister city to Eagle Pass. Its Time for President Biden to Take Back Control of the Texas Border Back in Eagle Pass, Garcia-Grewall attended a March 14 town hall meeting, where it was revealed that an armed camp and talk of invading hordes apparently are not conducive to tourism. The city told the gathering that it was halving the anticipated eclipse crowd to 50,000. On April 2, a local music producer who was not involved in 57 South addressed the Eagle Pass City Council meeting during the public comment section. The producer, Tony Rodriguez, said it was his understanding that the city had spent $3.2 million on the event and had sold only 3,500 tickets. Garcia-Grewall says that when speaking to people at the same meeting she was told that the city had spent $3.5 million and only 2,500 tickets had been sold. We would have had to sell those tickets at $1,400 each in order to break even on cost, she told The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast could not confirm those numbers. The events producer, Just 1 Management, did not respond to a query, and the city had failed to comply with public record requests by the Eagle Pass Business Journal. After the public comment session, the council members went into executive session and then voted unanimously to initiate a forensic audit of the festivals finances. City Manager Homero Balderas, Marquez, and Castano did not respond to requests for comment from The Daily Beast. Castano did speak to Texas Monthly, saying planning for eclipse weekend began in 2002. I remember one of my coworkers said, This is like our Super Bowl, she is quoted saying. But then Texas became a place where a perfect spot for a music festival was seized by troops under orders from a governor spending billions to boost his political fortunes. On Friday afternoon, the town was said to be quiet, with little evidence of an impending influx of visitors. The festival would soon begin, and whatever crowd materialized was boosted by tickets that a local radio stationa co-sponsorwas giving away. At 3:30 p.m., the festival commenced on the casino grounds. Rodriguez, the local music producer, saw only 30 people at 4 p.m. Two hours later, he counted just 150. The worst flop ever, he said. The original venue, Shelby Park, had its full contingent of soldiers and law enforcement officers behind the razor wire. The State of Texas is making it look like a war zone, even though were one of the safest places in Texas, Garcia-Grewell said. And the city of Eagle Pass was not able to counter that. They wont say anything against the state of Texas because Eagle Pass is so dependent on state funding. She likened the situation to a domestic violence situation in which the victim will not speak out because the husband is in financial control. The city of Eagle Pass is in an abusive relationship with Governor Abbott, she said. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. The "mangled mess" of the collapsed bridge which was struck by the container ship Dali - BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP A third body has been recovered from the wreckage of the Baltimore bridge as Joe Biden inspected the mangled mess from the air. Divers located the body of Maynor Suazo Sandoval, a 38-year-old father of two, on Friday, more than a week after a cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. He was part of a team of construction workers repairing potholes on the bridge. Two of the men were later rescued from the Patapsco River while three workers are still missing. Carlos Alexis Suazo Sandoval, the brother of Maynor Suazo Sandoval, was relieved that his body had been recovered so that his family could give him a proper goodbye. That was the #1 goal, he wrote in a WhatsApp message in Spanish, according to The Washington Post. Thank God. The news came as Joe Biden made his first visit to Baltimore, Maryland since the bridge collapsed, bringing one of the USs largest container ports to a standstill. Joe Biden flies over the bridge on Marine One - AKGS/ZUMA The US President had a close-up view of the devastation on Marine One as it circled the warped steel girders and debris clogging up the channel. Cranes, ships and diving crews are working to reopen the port after the federal government provided an initial $60 million in emergency funding. In a speech given from the shoreline overlooking the collapsed bridge, Mr Biden pledged to move heaven and earth to rebuild it. Im here to say your nation has your back and I mean it, he added. From the air I saw the bridge that has been ripped apart, but here on the ground I see a community thats pulled together. Mr Biden received a briefing from the US coast guard and local officials, and met for more than an hour with the families of those who had been killed. After seeing the scene close up, Mr Biden vowed to move "heaven and earth" to rebuild the bridge - AKGS/Ron Sachs / CNP /MediaPunch Describing the victims, all of whom had emigrated from Latin American countries, as hard-working, strong, and selfless, Mr Biden said: To all the families and loved ones who are grieving, Ive come here to grieve with you. We all are. The bodies of Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, from Mexico, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, from Guatemala, were recovered from the Patapsco River the day after the collapse. This evening the Unified Command announced that divers were able to bring Maynor Suazo Sandoval, one of the remaining missing workers, home to his family, Brandon M. Scott, Baltimores mayor, said on Friday. 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. A US army colonel tasked with clearing the wreckage described the scene as a mangled mess, telling the BBC: Its hard to explain steel that is cantilevered, bent and smashed with so much force. 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 third victim of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has been recovered, officials said Friday evening. Dive teams located the body of 38-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval and notified Maryland State Police, according to a statement from the unified command in charge of recovery. Suazo-Sandoval, described in a statement as a construction worker, was one of six people believed dead in the March 26 collapse after a cargo ship struck a bridge support. This evening the Unified Command announced that divers were able to bring Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, one of the remaining missing workers, home to his family, the city's mayor, Brandon M. Scott, said in a statement. Suazo-Sandoval's body was located about 10:30 a.m. and his family has been notified, according to the unified command, a cooperative of first responders and investigators from federal, state and local agencies. The discovery was made within the site of the collapse, unified command said. The bridge stretched across the Port of Baltimore, formed where the Patapsco River meets Chesapeake Bay. Two other workers were recovered from a vehicle in the water on March 27. Those victims were identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, who was from Mexico and lived in Baltimore; and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, who was from Guatemala and lived in Dundalk, Maryland, authorities said. Joe Biden (Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP) "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," Scott said. He continued, "I am grateful for the first responders who have maintained focus on recovering the remaining victims and continued their work to clear the channel with the utmost care." President Joe Biden on Friday toured the site of the collapse by air and then received a briefing from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers. He described the six dead workers as "hard-working, strong, and selfless." "To all the families and loved ones who are grieving," he said, "Ive come here to grieve with you. We all are." This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Though Rwanda has come a long way since the 1994 genocide, scars of the past still haunt the nation FILE - Rwandan refugees hold their hands up and ask for help from Belgian soldiers, who had come to a psychiatric hospital compound outside of Kigali on April 13, 1994. People are patients of this hospital. (AP Photo/Karsten Thielker, File) KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) Rwanda is preparing to mark the 30th anniversary of the East African nation's most horrific period in history the genocide against its minority Tutsi. To this day, new mass graves are still being discovered across the country of 14 million people, a grim reminder of the scale of the killings. Delegations from around the world will gather on Sunday in the capital of Kigali as Rwanda holds somber commemorations of the 1994 massacres. High-profile visitors are expected to include Bill Clinton, the U.S. president at the time of the genocide, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog. In a pre-recorded video ahead of the ceremonies, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France and its allies could have stopped the genocide but lacked the will to do so. Macron's declaration came three years after he acknowledged the overwhelming responsibility of France Rwanda's closest European ally in 1994 for failing to stop the country's slide into the slaughter. Heres a look at the past and how Rwanda has changed under President Paul Kagame, praised by many for bringing relative peace and stability but also vilified by others for his intolerance of dissent. WHAT HAPPENED IN 1994? An estimated 800,000 Tutsi were killed by extremist Hutu in massacres that lasted over 100 days. Some moderate Hutu who tried to protect members of the Tutsi minority were also targeted. The killings were ignited when a plane carrying then-President Juvenal Habyarimana, a member of the majority Hutu, was shot down on April 6, 1994, over 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. Many victims including children were hacked to death with machetes. Kagame's rebel group, the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front, managed to stop the killings, seized power and has since, as a political party, ruled Rwanda. Kagame's government and genocide survivor organizations have often accused France of training and arming militias and troops that led the rampage, sometimes saying they expect a formal apology. A report commissioned by Macron in 2019 and published in 2021 concluded that French authorities failed to see where Habyarimana's regime, which France supported, was headed and were subsequently too slow to acknowledge the extent of the killings. However, the report cleared France of any complicity in the massacres. WHAT CAME AFTER THE GENOCIDE? After Kagame seized power, many Hutu officials fled into exile or were arrested and imprisoned for their alleged roles in the genocide. Some escaped to neighboring Congo, where their presence has provoked armed conflict. In the late 1990s, Rwanda twice sent its forces deep into Congo, in part to hunt down Hutu rebels. Some rights groups accused Rwanda's new authorities of revenge attacks, but the government has slammed the allegations, saying they disrespect the memory of the genocide victims. Kagame, who grew up as a refugee in neighboring Uganda, has been Rwandas de facto ruler, first as vice president from 1994 to 2000, then as acting president. He was voted into office in 2003 and has since been reelected multiple times. WHAT'S THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE LIKE? Rwandas ruling party is firmly in charge, with no opposition, while Kagames strongest critics now live in exile. Kagame won the last presidential election, in 2017, with nearly 99% of the vote after a campaign that Amnesty International described as marked by suppression and a climate of fear. Critics have accused the government of forcing opponents to flee, jailing or making them disappear while some are killed under mysterious circumstances. Rights groups cite serious restrictions on the internet, as well as on freedom of assembly and expression. Some claim Kagame has exploited alleged Western feelings of guilt over the genocide to entrench his grip on Rwanda. Now a candidate in the upcoming July presidential election, Kagame has cast himself in the role of a leader of a growing economy marked by technological innovation, with his supporters often touting Rwanda as an emerging business hub in Africa. WHAT ABOUT RECONCILIATION? Rwandan authorities have heavily promoted national unity among the majority Hutu and the minority Tutsi and Twa, with a separate government ministry dedicated to reconciliation efforts. The government imposed a tough penal code to punish genocide and outlaw the ideology behind it, and Rwandan ID cards no longer identify a person by ethnicity. Lessons about the genocide are part of the curriculum in schools. However, a leading survivors' group points out that more needs to be done to eradicate what authorities describe as genocide ideology among some Rwandans. WHAT DOES RWANDA LOOK LIKE TODAY? The streets of Kigali are clean and free of potholes. Littering is banned. Tech entrepreneurs flock here from far and wide. Stylish new buildings give the city a modern look and an innovation center aims at nurturing local talent in the digital culture. But poverty is rampant outside Kigali, with most people still surviving on subsistence farming. Tin-roofed shacks that dotted the countryside in 1994 remain ubiquitous across Rwanda. The nation is young, however, with every other citizen under the age of 30, giving hope to aspirations for a post-genocide society in which ethnic or tribal membership doesn't come first. Corruption among officials is not as widespread as among other governments in this part of Africa, thanks in part to a policy of zero-tolerance for graft. ARE THERE TROUBLES ON THE HORIZON? Though mostly peaceful, Rwanda has had troubled relations with its neighbors. Recently, tensions have flared with Congo, with the two countries leaders accusing one another of supporting various armed groups. Congo claims Rwanda is backing M23 rebels, who are mostly Tutsi fighters based in a remote area of eastern Congo. The M23 rebellion has displaced hundreds of thousands in Congos North Kivus province in recent years. Rwanda says Congos military is recruiting Hutu men who took part in the 1994 massacres. U.N. experts have cited solid evidence that members of Rwandas armed forces were conducting operations in eastern Congo in support of M23, and in February, amid a dramatic military build-up along the border, Washington urged Rwandan authorities to withdraw troops and missile systems from Congo. In January, Burundi, whose troops are fighting alongside the Congolese military in eastern Congo, closed its border with Rwanda and started deporting Rwandans. This happened not long after Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye accused Rwanda of backing Congo-based rebels opposed to his government. Rwanda denies the allegation. Rwanda has also been in the news recently over a deal with Britain that would see migrants who cross the English Channel in small boats sent to Rwanda, where they would remain permanently. The plan has stalled amid legal challenges. In November, the U.K. Supreme Court ruled the plan was illegal, saying Rwanda is not a safe destination for asylum-seekers. A photo released by the official Syrian Arab news agency (SANA) on 01 April shows people gathering around an Iranian diplomatic destroyed building after a suspected Israeli airstrike. -/SANA/dpa Iranian Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who was killed in a rocket attack in Damascus, was buried on Saturday in his birthplace of Isfahan in central Iran. According to the ISNA news agency, thousands of people attended the state-organized funeral of the high-ranking officer in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The 63-year-old Zahedi, his deputy and five other IRGC officers were killed in an airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday. Shortly afterwards, Iran's supreme leader blamed arch-enemy Israel for the attack and threatened retaliatory measures. The participants at Zahedi's funeral also chanted anti-Israeli slogans and demanded immediate revenge against Israel. Mohammed Bagheri, Iran's highest-ranking general, said after the funeral ceremony: "The assassination of General Zahedi and his comrades was an act of suicide by Israel and will accelerate the collapse of this regime." Bagheri said that the attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus would not help Israel in the Gaza war, and he said that Israel's ally, the United States, was also to blame. "The US bears the main responsibility for the Damascus attack and must therefore be held accountable," said Bagheri, according to Iran's Tasnim news agency. He declined to say whether US facilities might also now be targetted in Iran's retaliatory strikes. The Revolutionary Guards were founded after the Islamic revolution in 1979. In recent years, they have not only been militarily upgraded, but have also expanded their political and economic influence throughout the country. Moreover, they support non-state Islamist militant groups in the region - officially only as military advisors, but there have also been reports of financial and logistical support. Thousands in Russias Orenburg forced to evacuate as critical flooding causes dam burst Thousands in Russias Orenburg forced to evacuate as critical flooding causes dam burst Thousands of people living in Russias Orenburg region have been forced to evacuate after severe flooding caused a dam to burst in the Ural river. "Don't wait for the situation to become threatening! Leave! You need to evacuate as quickly as possible," the region's mayor Sergei Salmin told residents, Reuters reported. The situation in the city, about 1,500 km (930 miles) east of Moscow, is "critical" and some 300 houses have already been submerged, according to the mayor. Several parts of the Russian Siberian and Ural mountains as well as neighbouring parts of Kazakhstan have been hit with floods in recent days and a state of emergency has been declared in Orenburg. Officials say a burst dam in the city of Orsk, about 276 km (171 miles) east of Orenburg, threatens over 230,000 people with flooding. Two of the three districts of Orsk Leninsky and Sovetsky are being evacuated as up to 4,000 houses with over 10,000 residents near the city could be inundated, officials told Russian state news agency TASS. The Russian emergencies ministry said over 440 relief workers and 217 pieces of equipment have been deployed to deal with the aftermath of the collapsed dam. So far, over 100 people including more than 50 children have been evacuated to temporary shelters, TASS reported. Unverified videos shared on Telegram show water gushing through a break in a dam near Orsk. Officials claim they have helped over 3,500 people affected by flooding. "Work in the area of the dam rupture in Orsk continues," the Russian emergencies ministry said in a statement. Flooding in Kazakhstan caused by snowmelt due to warm weather has caused thousands of people to be displaced across the country. More than 33,000 animals have also been driven away to a safe distance due to the flooding. At least 19,000 people, including more than 6,000 children have been displaced with over 1,400 buildings, and 55 roads submerged, the countrys prime ministers office said on its website. Thousands Of Salmon Spilled In Truck Accident Make It To Creek To Start New Lives A 53-foot tanker truck carrying 102,000 Chinook salmon in Oregon skidded off the road and rolled over late last month, but it did so in one of the best possible places. The vehicle hit a sharp corner and ultimately overturned on the bank of northeastern Oregons Lookingglass Creek on March 29. The truck driver experienced only minor injuries and was safe after the accident, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a Tuesday news release. The overturned tanker is seen in a photo courtesy of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife And about 77,000 of the young salmon, known as smolts, made it down the bank into the water and simply swam away. They hit the water running, eastern Oregon fish hatchery coordinator Andrew Gibbs told The New York Times. Not all of the fish were so lucky 25,529 of them died either inside the vehicle or on the bank, having not made it to the creek. Unfortunately, not all of the salmon made it to the creek. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Gibbs called the truck full of smolts kind of a fish taxi, part of a state program that transports young salmon from a hatchery to bolster populations in the state that have been negatively affected by dams. These 18-month-old smolts had been en route to a pool at the states Imnaha River to kick off their entry into the wild, per the Times. The smolts that made it to the creek are expected to survive, Gibbs told the local Baker City Herald. Within 48 hours of the crash, some of them were already located at the nearby lower Grande Ronde River. Theyll ultimately head to the ocean, and are expected to return to Lookingglass Creek as adults to spawn. Related... The Tesla Model Y could be getting a refresh. SOPA Images/Getty Images Tesla stock continued its deep year-to-date decline Friday as it dealt with an inventory buildup. The company implemented price cuts of about $5,000 for some Model Y vehicles this week. Separately, a report said Tesla was scrapping its low-cost Model 2 plans. Tesla's stock decline continued Friday after a report said it was scrapping its plans for a low-cost Model 2 and as it dealt with a sizable inventory buildup, which appears to have led to sharp price cuts on some of its Model Y vehicles. The stock dropped as much as 6% on Friday, extending its weeklong decline to about 8% and its year-to-date decline to about 34%. Reuters, citing three people familiar with the matter as well as internal company messages, reported Tesla canceled plans to develop its long-promised low-cost car that was expected to be just $25,000. Instead of developing a low-priced car, Tesla plans to continue to focus on developing self-driving robo-taxis, the report said. "Elon's directive is to go all in on robo-taxi," a source told Reuters. The reported move comes amid concerns of profit-margin deterioration at Tesla, as well as intensifying competition from low-cost carmakers in China. Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to the report on X, saying: "Reuters is lying (again)." Tesla reported first-quarter vehicle deliveries of 386,810 last quarter, well below analyst estimates and 46,561 vehicles below its first-quarter production of 433,371, representing the company's biggest-ever stockpile of vehicles, according to Bloomberg. The company appears to be clearing that inventory buildup via aggressive price cuts on its most popular vehicle, the Model Y. As of Friday morning, some Model Y vehicle builds were marked down by about $5,000, including the long-range and performance versions. The price cuts on certain Model Y vehicles come just a few days after the company said it would raise the price of its Model Y by $1,000. Weakness in first-quarter vehicle deliveries was attributed by Tesla to a temporary factory shutdown in Berlin, shipping disruptions in the Red Sea, and the early production ramp of the updated Model 3 at its California factory. But Ryan Brinkman, a JPMorgan analyst, said weakening demand for Tesla vehicles was also likely a big contributing factor to the recent sales miss, especially amid intensifying competition from China and the growing allure of hybrid vehicles in America. Brinkman said in a Wednesday note that the difference between vehicle production and deliveries in the first quarter "dispels the notion that 1Q deliveries were somehow supply rather than demand constrained." Story continues He lowered his Tesla price target to $115 and warned investors about the company's "demanding valuation." "With 1Q24 deliveries now known to have contracted, we are highly confident both automotive and total company revenue will be negative in 1Q, likely causing even the most bullish investors to take a sentiment check," Brinkman said. Read the original article on Business Insider (Bloomberg) -- The UKs local elections next month pose a moment of maximum danger for Rishi Sunak. How the Conservative Party fares is being closely watched by the increasing number of Tory lawmakers considering what Plan B might look like. Most Read from Bloomberg With a massive nationwide YouGov poll this week showing several of the Conservative Partys best-known ministers heading for a fall in a general election expected later this year, Sunak is particularly vulnerable if the May 2 local vote leads to a night of heavy Tory losses in councils and mayoralties. Thats when a group of lawmakers and former advisers whove been plotting against the premier plan to strike. Mindful of the plotters, tentative plans have been floated by Members of Parliament in the moderate Tory One Nation caucus for what they describe as an unlikely emergency scenario where Sunak is ousted. While its not an outcome they seek, if it happens, some center-right MPs could support a so-called unity cabinet made up of both moderates, right-wingers and future leadership contenders, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg, requesting anonymity discussing behind closed-doors conversations. That such discussions are even taking place underscores Sunaks faltering grip over the Conservatives, who have already switched prime minister twice this Parliamentary session. With the Tories now sensing impending defeat to Keir Starmers Labour Party in the general election - which must be held within 10 months - some say changing leader again gives them their only chance of rescuing the situation. For others, its a leadership psychodrama too far that amounts to electoral suicide. Supporters of the unity cabinet proposal say its the most plausible way of handling any leadership changeover even if they dont want one. One idea is that Penny Mordaunt, whos run for leader twice before, could lead the Tories into the election based on her record as a campaigner, particularly on defense issues. There would be senior roles for other hopefuls like Kemi Badenoch, Grant Shapps and James Cleverly, while MPs on the right such as Robert Jenrick and Priti Patel would be brought back into the fold to run the immigration brief, in an attempt to stop votes going to the Reform UK party founded by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage. Allies of Mordaunt have sought to distance her from any suggestion that she wants to replace Sunak as premier, though she has not commented on the record. The local elections will see more than 2,500 councilors elected as well as the mayor of London and a number of regional mayors. If the Tories lose their two English mayors, Andy Street in the West Midlands and Ben Houchen in Tees Valley, as well as shedding several hundred councilors they are defending more than 900 seats it would leave Sunak in crisis, Tory MPs believe. Mindful of the partys increasingly toxic brand, prominent Tory candidates have actively distanced themselves from their party and Sunak, according to a Bloomberg News review of Facebook posts listed in Metas Ads Library. If the Tories struggle in the local vote, the backbench vultures are likely to be circling, Chris Hopkins of the pollster Savanta said. Holding the two mayoralties would offer Sunak a symbolic sense of achievement, while losing both may prove totemic and disastrous, he warned. One ally of the premier conceded they thought there was around a 30% chance he could face an organized attempt to remove him after the local elections, a higher probability than seen by many Westminster observers. Thats a concern that has crystallized in recent weeks among Sunaks aides, who have been asked to produce a strategy to protect him. Its led to a shift in thinking on migration policy at the top of government, with the premier now seriously considering ignoring any court rulings that block his flagship policy to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, and even campaigning to leave the European Convention on Human Rights if thats what it takes to get flights away, people familiar with his thinking said. Border security and controlling illegal migration is more important than membership of any foreign court, Sunak told the Sun in an interview on Wednesday. Thats a marked change in tone from the prime minister, who previously resisted efforts by the Tory right to set up a fight on the ECHR, which underpins the Good Friday Agreement that brought relative peace to Northern Ireland, as well as Britains intelligence-sharing agreements with allies. A law seeking to enable the Rwanda flights is set to pass Parliament in around two weeks, with some government officials hoping the first deportation could take place around the date of the local elections. That could offer a new narrative in the face of a bad defeat, potentially insulating Sunak from a challenge from the right, his allies believe. Other MPs see a pivot toward a more hard-line immigration policy as a sign of desperation. One said Sunaks aides were offering a sop to the right to try to prevent them from writing letters of no confidence in the premier. Its also viewed as an attempt to head off a return to front-line politics by Farage, which some Tories fear could see his Reform party overtake them in the polls. Still, right-wingers plotting to oust Sunak are circulating polling they hope will convince MPs a change of leader is needed. Private polling from one Tory strategist thats been shared with backbenchers shows the Tories holding as few as 80 seats at the general election, an even worse result than a YouGov survey of 18,761 adults this week that put Labours majority at more than 150. While most in Westminster still expect Sunak to lead the Tories into the election, one loyalist said that continued sniping from his internal critics will just see the party weakened further. That could help turn the poll projections into reality come election day. --With assistance from Kitty Donaldson. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. The total solar eclipse is Monday: Where will clouds, rain ruin the sky spectacle? We're almost there. In just two days, for just the second time in seven years, day will suddenly become night for a few brief, wondrous minutes as the orbiting moon blocks the sun's light along a southwest-to-northeast path across the continent. Meteorologists continue to refine their forecasts for the total solar eclipse, and now have a pretty good idea of where the spectacle will be most (and least) visible. Here's the latest forecast: Delicate streamers in the sun's corona surround the totally eclipsed sun during the Aug. 21, 2017, total solar eclipse. Observers along a narrow track from Mexico to Maine should have a similar view on April 8, 2024. Where will the solar eclipse be visible? Federal forecasters said Saturday afternoon that the best chances for clear viewing of the total eclipse are in northern New England. There is also a possibility of clear viewing from northern Arkansas to central Indiana, the National Weather Service said, "but this is the area of greatest uncertainty due to potential high clouds." "Clouds can break for some sunshine, just in time for the afternoon viewing from Chicago to Cleveland. A narrow region of good viewing is expected to open up for cities like Kansas City, Indianapolis, and St. Louis," AccuWeather lead long-range forecaster Paul Pastelok said. The weather service also warned of possible (20% to 30% chance) rain showers during totality in Texas, Oklahoma, southern Arkansas, Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York. Outside the path of totality, which stretches from Texas to Maine, "the best locations for viewing should be across the Southwest, out of the mountains," Pastelok said. Other good spots include "California, again, out of the mountains, New England, and parts of the mid-Atlantic and Southeast." "Cities like Los Angeles, El Paso, New York City, Boston and Raleigh should all have nice views of the eclipse from start to finish," he added. Here is the updated cloud cover forecast for Monday afternoon during the total solar eclipse. The best chances for clear viewing remain in northern New England and from southern Missouri to central Indiana. There is still uncertainty, so continue to check for forecast updates! pic.twitter.com/n5fXJwU53p NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) April 5, 2024 Where will it be cloudy? Unfortunately for folks in the path of totality, clouds may impede viewing "from Texas into southern Arkansas, and across Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania, and New York," the weather service said. Elsewhere, for the partial eclipse, AccuWeather long-range expert Joe Lundberg added that "other areas with poor viewing conditions will be from Wisconsin westward through South Dakota and Nebraska to Washington and Oregon." 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. What is the path of totality? The path of totality is the area where people on Earth can see the moon completely cover the sun as the moon's shadow falls upon them. Space.com describes it as "the cone-shaped inner (umbral) shadow of the moon projected onto the Earth's surface." To view all of the stages of a total solar eclipse, you must watch it from somewhere along that path of totality, NASA said. Viewers outside this narrow, roughly 115-mile wide path will only see a partial eclipse of the sun. You probably don't have to worry about your dogs and cats during the eclipse Don't worry, your dog and/or cat will likely be oblivious to the eclipse, according to Pasco, a science education company. "It is unlikely that dogs and cats will react to solar eclipses, as they typically do not have a strong biological or behavioral response to changes in light or natural phenomena like eclipses," Pasco reports. Just in case, Pasco recommends you keep your pets inside during the eclipse and distract them with toys or treats. Same thing works for people if necessary. Eclipse boosts travel as Americans chase rare celestial event The upcoming eclipse is proving to be a good omen for travel firms, as some parts of the United States that fall in the "path of totality" see unprecedented demand for lodging from eager Americans waiting to catch a glimpse of the celestial event. Airbnb listings along the U.S. path of totality, or the narrow strip stretching from Texas to Maine from where people will be able to view the sun's corona, have seen occupancy levels skyrocket to nearly 90%, the vacation rental firm said. Occupancy for all active rental listings across the path in the United States, Canada and Mexico was at 92.4% for the night of April 7, up sharply from about 30% a few days prior, according to travel data firm AirDNA. "It is a nice bump in demand in a relatively slow period of the year. Typically April isn't a high point for short-term rental demand," said Jamie Lane, chief economist at AirDNA. Beware of potential storms during eclipse travel Sunday and early Monday, severe thunderstorms bringing hail, strong wind and possibly a tornado could disrupt travel from the western Plains to the Midwest, Pastelok of AccuWeather said. Travel could also be impacted due to visibility with winds kicking up dust and creating a fire risk. Meanwhile, people driving from the Rockies to the path of totality could face slick roads and wintry conditions, according to AccuWeather. After the eclipse on Monday evening and Tuesday, federal forecasters warn of a high chance of thunderstorms in parts of the Southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley. Flash flooding is also possible, "which could lead to hazardous travel after the eclipse," the weather service said. Contributing: Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Solar eclipse 2024: Here's the latest forecast for stormy skies. Former President Donald Trump campaigns at the Dayton International Airport on March 16, 2024, in Ohio. The state holds its Republican Senate primary on the following Tuesday. How Trump destroyed Ohio Historians and history aficionados may take interest in two questions suggested by Columbus resident Michael Lindsey's March 31 letter What did Trump do to Ohio? Lindsey wrote, with only slight exaggeration, The Ohio Republican Party and Trump followers have gained total control over almost all of Ohio. How did we get here? Democrats John Glenn (from 1974 to 1999) and Howard Metzenbaum (in 1974 and from 1976 to 1995) served Ohio in the U.S. Senate. What did Trump do to Ohio? Now all I can do is hope, pray. Meanwhile, Democrat Richard F. Celeste served Ohio as governor from 1983 to 1991. In those same nine years, Democrats Anthony J. Celebrezze and Sherrod Brown, respectively, served Ohio as attorney general and secretary of state. Democrats controlled the House of Representatives in all those years and the Ohio Senate in 1983 and 1984. What happened? Clues to those two questions lie in my Nov. 28, 2020 letter, Education is critical to how Ohioans vote." In 15 states and Washington, D.C., more than 30 percent of adults over age 25 have earned bachelors degrees or more . . . All but one state gave Democratic [President] Joe Biden majority support, and their average median household income is $71,834. In 15 states including Ohio, fewer than 28 percent of adults have earned bachelors degrees. All but two fell for Trump, and their average median household income is $50,821. Joseph Eric Peters, Columbus Letters to the Editor What do you think? How to submit a letter to the editor for The Columbus Dispatch Dispatch has egg on its face It is a sad, sad thing when you see one of the great traditions of a nation be tossed aside like so many rotten eggs. Its even sadder when the perpetration of such a thing is done at the hands of an organization with the lofty ideals of the Columbus Dispatch. Yes, of course I am referring to the untimely demise of Joes Mildly Entertaining Easter Egg Hunt. Sure, Joe Blundo has retired; we understand that. But thats no reason to take away the joy and thrill of the hunt from the many of us egg hunters out here. Surely you could have put the continuation of the Egg Hunt a part of Joes contract. Or have had a sportswriter like Rob Oller take it over, as egg hunting is truly a sport. At the very least you could have continued this with even a mildly entertaining AI program. As the holders of the 2019 Egg Hunt Legion of Honor award for our defense of an answer, we speak for the legions of Egg Trackers everywhere who miss the satisfaction of getting all of ducks (er, eggs) in a row when we say Bring Back the Hunt! Timothy and Rosalie Allen, Columbus We cant stop all the development but... Rainbow over Lewis Center. I was disheartened to read Candace Hartzlers views about Lewis Center Feb. 7: "The Lewis Center I knew is long gone. Is this the price we pay for progress?" There has indeed been remarkable and seemingly unstoppable development in southern Delaware County over the past 20 years. When our family moved to Lewis Center in 2005, we passed at least two active farms on our way from Polaris Parkway to our home near Alum Creek State Park. Those farms are gone now, and many more homes line South Old State and Lewis Center Roads, our two main byways. The Lewis Center I knew is long gone. Is this the price we pay for progress? https://t.co/UOWyzdDOh3 Columbus Dispatch (@DispatchAlerts) February 7, 2024 But things are certainly not as bleak as Hartzler made out in her letter. There are organizations in Delaware County preserving and promoting many of the most precious parts of this land and community. One such organization is Preservation Parks, where I sit on the foundation board (Preservation Parks Foundation). I believe Preservation Parks is the antidote to many of the proposed problems in Hartzlers letter. Preservation Parks is committed to preserving Delaware Countys natural areas and green spaces, which are home to thousands of native plant and animal species and are also very special places for people. McCammon Creek Park, a new Preservation Parks property opening soon on Bale Kenyon Road in Lewis Center, features Delaware Countys iconic Bicentennial Barn and lends much character and rural charm to our community. Preservation Parks and its foundation are working hard to preserve this barn and make it into something special that will serve families in Lewis Center and surrounding areas for years to come. More: Balancing growth: Union Township to welcome development, preserve rural charm ahead of Intel We cant stop all the development but, rather than lamenting times gone by, we are working to preserve and protect green spaces and natural areas so that no one in Lewis Center has to go far to visit and enjoy whats truly precious: our natural environment and beautiful wild lands. To join us, find out more and support the important work of Preservation Parks, visit https://preservationparks .com/foundation. Lara Kretler, Lewis Center 'River to the sea' is filled with tears The world must remember why Israel is fighting for its very existence. There has been a Jewish presence in Palestine from time immemorial. Centuries before the 1947 British partition and 1948 founding of the State of Israel, its small portion of the world has been the Jewish homeland in Palestine. Over and over Israel has been willing to share, but not to the stated mission of Hamas and its affiliates the river to the sea" which translates to the destruction of Israel. Jews have been expelled from country after country. The suffering we see, read and hear about in Gaza and Israel is no ones fault but Hamas who has vowed to repeat Oct 7. Theirs is not a noble cause. The noble cause would be for people to stop teaching hatred for Jews and Israel and coexist in safety. More: Criticism is not about Israel's right to exist, it is about t Palestinians' right to live Jews are notorious for picking themselves up, rebuilding, contributing to and repairing the world. Jews cannot repair babies beheaded, children burned alive, families decimated, men, women and children tortured, kidnapped and untold numbers deceased. "The river to the sea" is filled with tears. Hamas could end this war: release the hostages and agree to never again. Linda Kalette Schottenstein, Columbus This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How Donald Trump destroyed Ohio Travelers in the DMV head out in hopes of catching solar eclipse WASHINGTON (DC News Now) Travelers across the country are packing up and heading out to states in the zone of totality for Mondays solar eclipse. I hear all kinds of interesting things happen, like the shadows get strange, said Steve Eppley, who was flying out of DCA Friday. Im just interested in experiencing it. The birds get real quiet. They think, oh wow, its nighttime. Heres how you can track the 2024 solar eclipse in real time Eppley was traveling to St. Louis with his wife to watch the eclipse with friends. He said the trip was years in the making. I had a friend who lived in St. Louis and I havent seen her in a long time, he explained. I said, I want to see your house. Wouldnt it be great if we saw it when the eclipse happens? Because it goes right over St. Louis. The Great American Eclipse will occur on April 8, with states spanning from Texas to Maine in the zone of totality. The Federal Aviation Administration is expecting a big travel rush, with more than 47,000 flights planned for that day. Between Reagan National and Dulles International we have about 15 nonstop flights that either go directly to the total eclipse zone or very close to it, said Rob Yingling, with the Washington Metropolitan Airport Authority. About nine of those airports are located right along the center of the total eclipse zone or right near the very edge where you dont need to travel very far to see the skies go dark on Monday. Why is the solar eclipse on April 8 such a big deal? Yingling said hes traveling himself on Monday to watch in Cleveland. I love the fact that Cleveland has its airport located right in the path of totality. So, if I experience any issue with ground transportation my fallback plan is to literally watch the eclipse from the airport property, he said. Yingling warned that travelers should give themselves extra time, whether taking the roads or skies. And, be prepared for shortages in rental cars and lodging. Im already trying to scout for places close to where were heading, said Alta Charo, who is flying from D.C. to Nashville Sunday, with plans to drive to Kentucky to see the eclipse Monday. This will be her second time seeing a solar eclipse. I was completely unprepared for what a spiritual kind of moment it is. You spend quite a long time with the lights slowly changing and it doesnt feel like much and then all of the sudden it really starts to get dark, she said. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum announces solar eclipse events, resources Charo said immediately after experiencing the first one, she began making travel plans to see her second one. After, it seemed like for hours we were kind of walking around unable to stop talking about it, even though it only lasted a few minutes. The experience was remarkable and transcendent in some way, she said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. When Judge Aileen Cannon handed down her latest ruling in the prosecution of Donald Trump for stealing classified documents, many legal observers immediately understood the shady gamesmanship lurking behind it. She did, technically, rule against Trump by refusing to dismiss the casebut actually made it easier for herself to kill the case later, or to steer a jury toward an acquittal. Trumps lawyers had argued that the Presidential Records Act, which was passed in the wake of the Watergate scandal, allowed him to reclassify national security documents as his personal property. Thats a grotesque misreading of the laws history and intent, and Cannon appeared to agree, declaring that the PRA does not provide a pre-trial basis to dismiss the case. The media reported this as a partial win for special counsel Jack Smiths prosecution team. But as constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe put it, this was a pretend ruling against Trump that ended up reserving Cannons ability to decide the case for Trump in a way that cannot be appealed. In short, Cannon seems to recognize that as she moves toward that endgame, its essential to maintain plausible deniability throughout. Judge Cannon is being canny in her Trump-protective approach, Lee Kovarsky, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin, told me. Trump doesnt seem to have noticed the canny part. He doesnt bother hiding his expectation that Cannonwho was appointed to the federal bench by Trump in 2020will put a heavy thumb on the scale in his favor. That complicates Cannons efforts to maintain that objective legal aura shes striving for. Which points to a larger pattern: On numerous fronts, Trumps alliesovert and tacit alikeseek to run interference for his corruption and likely criminality in ways that allow them to maintain a veneer of respect for the rule of law. But Trump keeps demanding that they openly pervert the rule of law on his behalf, not least because a central feature of the MAGA movement is explicit contempt for the very idea that the law should apply to him and his supporters at all. After Smith requested Thursday that Cannon rule quickly on the Trump teams claim that the PRA absolves him of wrongdoing, Trump posted this on Truth Social: Deranged Special Counsel Jack Smith should be sanctioned or censured for the way he is attacking a highly respected Judge, Aileen Cannon, who is presiding over his FAKE Documents Hoax case in Florida. He shouldnt even be allowed to participate in this sham case, where I, unlike Crooked Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and all the rest, come under the Presidential Records Act. I DID NOTHING WRONG, BUT BIDEN DID, AND THEY LET HIM OFF SCOT-FREE. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN, JACK? A TWO TIERED SYSTEM OF JUSTICE. ELECTION INTERFERENCE! Everything here is exactly backward. President Biden was cleared of wrongdoing by a special counsel appointed under Biden but originally nominated as a U.S. attorney in 2017 by Trump. Whereas Robert Hur could not find evidence that would persuade a jury of criminal wrongdoing, Smith secured an indictment against Trump from a grand jury of the former presidents peers. Whats more, a judge considered reams of evidence that Trump had improperly stashed classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort, concluding that probable cause existed to authorize a search of it. Yet in Trumps hands, none of these details matterhe steamrolls right over thembecause the sum of his message is that, by definition, Biden is guilty and Trump is innocent. As with his ceaseless attacks on Smith and everyone else trying to hold him accountable to the law, any such efforts are to be presumed illegitimate by virtue of the fact that hes their target. Thats also the message of Trumps attacks on the family members of officials involved in cases against him: not just that hes trying to prevent the application of the law to himself by any means necessary, but also that hes flaunting it. Similarly, Trump has no basis for declaring Cannon highly respected other than his correct perception that shes on his side. Having all this out in the open is the last thing Cannon wants because, by all indications, shes striving to appear neutral in the casewhile sneakily leaving the door open to help Trump later. To wit: Cannon didnt rule on Trumps claim that he was authorized under the PRA to take the documents. Had she done so in his favor, as many legal experts noted, it would have been subject to appeal. But by deferring that question, Cannon has given herself two options later: Instruct the jury at trial to take that argument seriously into account, making acquittal more likely, or dismiss the case herself on those grounds. Such a move would place Trumps acquittal beyond appeal, as it would transpire after a jury was seated. Given that this comes after a string of tortured and inexplicable rulings in Trumps favor in the caseJonathan V. Last describes Cannon as effectively a MAGA judge in the tank for Trumpit can no longer be denied: She really may be preparing to take such action, which would kill Smiths case for good. By refusing to decide the PRA issue now, she avoids near-certain reversal, said Kovarsky of the University of Texas. By deferring it until after the jurys sworn, she can make appellate correction impossible. To the degree that Trump makes it explicit that he fully expects Cannon to scuttle the case, it complicates executing this game with credibility. We see this pattern regularly. Many Republicans have resisted holding Trump accountable for the January 6 insurrection, but for them, the sweet spot is to say that of course rioters who are actually convicted of breaking laws should pay a price; its just that January 6 was mostly a peaceful protest and Trump himself is the victim of a witch hunt! Trump insists on an entirely different proposition: Even those convicted in a court of law for January 6 are victims, martyrs, hostages. When Trump suggests he will pardon them, its as if hes observing something as obvious as the weather: It goes without saying that the law doesnt apply to his supporters. That leaves no space for Republicans to allow that the workings of our legal system with regard to January 6 are legitimate in any way. Meanwhile, this week in Michigan, Trump posed with law enforcement officers while denouncing Bidens border policies. Many noted the absurdity of this, given that Trump has vowed to pardon people who attacked cops on January 6, including some who were directly involved in some of that days most vicious violence against them. But Trump sees no need to account for this absurdity. He hails the heroism and bravery of cops, as long as they support him; he hails the heroism and bravery of people who viciously attack cops, as long as those people also support him. All this is a feature of autocratic politics, which turns on the idea that the system is hopelessly corrupted and perpetually out to drag the strongman down, and the only political arrangement thats unsullied and virtuous is the bond between him and his followers. Just as Trump openly characterized the attorney general he appointed as his personal attorney, he sees Cannon as his judge, and cops who support him as his cops. The reason he tells his supporters all this explicitly is hes conditioning them to turn away from democracy, says Ruth Ben-Ghiat, an expert on strongman rule. Hes conditioning them to accept authoritarian modes of governance and the idea of the leader as unbound and unaccountable. Cannon does not seem to relish being perceived as a servant of this twisted ethos. Trump doesnt seem to care; hes openly telling the world exactly what he expects her to do for him. We can only hope Trump has left her no option but to prove him wrong. FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Donald Trump criminal case, on charges stemming from hush money paid to a porn star, in New York City By Alexandra Ulmer (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign said a major fundraiser in Florida on Saturday raked in a massive $50.5 million as the former president seeks to replenish diminished coffers in his rematch against Democrat Joe Biden. The event, his biggest fundraiser yet, is a much-needed boost for Trump, who has been routinely outraised by Biden and is in the midst of a financial squeeze due to ballooning lawyer fees and legal payouts from his criminal and civil court cases. The dinner, hosted at billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson's Palm Beach home, will allocate a portion of the money to be raised to a fundraising group that has spent tens of millions of dollars on Trump's legal fees. While Trump has struggled to get some major traditional Republican donors on board, he retains the support of some heavy hitters. Co-hosts on Saturday, for example, include hedge-fund investor Robert Mercer and his daughter and conservative activist Rebekah, investor Scott Bessent, and casino mogul Phil Ruffin, according to the fundraiser invitation seen by Reuters. "People are just wanting change. Rich people want it, poor people want it," said Trump in comments ahead of the fundraiser, flanked by his wife Melania Trump, who has largely stayed away from the campaign trail so far. Biden spokesperson Ammar Moussa said on social media site X that billionaires had flocked to Trump's event due to tax preferences. "The ultra-wealthy are really mad at Joe Biden for making them pay their fair share," he posted. Paulson has been floated by Trump as a potential Treasury secretary, according to two sources. Bessent has also been floated for the role, one of those sources said. In a statement on Saturday, Paulson said the "overwhelming support" at the dinner, which 100 guests were expected to attend, was a sign of enthusiasm for Trump. Trump spoke for roughly 45 minutes, touching on the economy and the southern border with Mexico, fundraiser George Glass, Trumps former ambassador to Portugal, told Reuters. "He also talked a lot about the unification of the party." The Republican candidate's camp stressed the haul was double what Biden raised last month in an over $25 million star-studded fundraiser with Democratic former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. The numbers will not be confirmed until filings are submitted to the Federal Election Commission. Campaigns sometimes exaggerate fundraising hauls to drive momentum. Trump's campaign said last month that it would be unable to match Biden's fundraising totals this year. His campaign, together with a joint fundraising committee, pulled in $20.3 million in February, compared with the more than $53 million raised by Biden's re-election effort that month. For Trump, "it will be important to figure out ways to continue this fundraising momentum with a combination of large/small dollar events," said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean. FINE PRINT More money is not always an indication of success, however. Trump beat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016 after she raised $769.9 million, far more than the $433.4 million he raised. Trump, who clinched the Republican presidential nomination last month, can now raise money with the Republican National Committee (RNC), which his daughter-in-law co-chairs, ahead of the Nov. 5 election. The Trump 47 Committee, a new fundraising tie-up with the RNC, directs funds to Trump's Save America leadership group before anything goes to the RNC, the invitation shows. The Trump 47 Committee is asking top donors to contribute up to $814,600 per person. The first $6,600 of any person's contribution would go to Trump's presidential campaign, according to the invitation. A maximum of $5,000 per person would then be allocated to Save America. After Save America gets its share, the RNC would get a cut of up to $413,000. In the cases of the biggest contributions, a raft of Republican state parties would get funds too. (Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer. Additional reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Ross Colvin, Hugh Lawson and William Mallard) Donald Trump said Saturday he is willing to go to jail, but not for the crimes hes accused of committing. The presumptive GOP candidate said he wanted to violate the expanded gag order against him in his upcoming hush money trial. In fact, he would be willing to make himself a martyr and serve jail time if the judge found him guilty of violating the order. In a three-part post on his tanking social media company, Truth Social, Trump lashed out at the New York judge who granted the gag order, Juan Merchan, whom Trump has repeatedly targeted in his posts along with Merchans daughter for being biased against him. IF this Partisan Hack wants to put me in the clink for speaking the open and obvious TRUTH, I will gladly become a Modern Day Nelson Mandela It will be my GREAT HONOR, Trump wrote. Page 3: Now, we have Merchan, who is not allowing me to talk, thereby violating the Law and the Constitution, all at once. It is so bad what he is trying to get away with How was he even chosen for this case??? I heard he fought like hell to get it, and all of the rest of them Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 6, 2024 Imagine being so self-centered that you compare yourself to Jesus Christ and Nelson Mandela all within the span of little more than a week: thats Donald Trump for you, Jasmine Harris, Biden-Harris 2024 Director of Black Media, said in a statement provided to Rolling Stone. Merchan granted an expanded gag order this week after Trump had made repeated threats against him and his daughter, posting both her name and photos despite her not being involved in the case. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg requested the initial order to protect jurors, witnesses, and investigators from Trumps wrath, which can be met with violent threats by his supporters. During his rant about Merchan on Saturday, Trump also attempted to re-litigate the defamation case filed against him by writer E. Jean Carroll which resulted in an $83 million verdict against him. Trump is currently appealing the case. How many Corrupt, Biased, Crooked Joe Biden-Protection Agency New York Judges do I have to endure before somebody steps in? Trump wrote. I had New York Federal Judge, Lewis Kaplan, with a woman who I never knew, and had nothing to do with, until she sued me for defamation.' Crooked Judge Juan Merchan is not allowing me to talk, is taking away my First Amendment Rights, hes got me GAGGED, because he doesnt want the FACTS behind the Gag to come out. How many Corrupt, Biased, Crooked Joe Biden-Protection Agency New York Judges do I have to endure Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 6, 2024 The upcoming hush money trial, which stems from a grand jury indictment that Trump committed fraud by covering up payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, is set to begin jury selection in New York City on April 15. This article was updated to include a statement from Jasmine Harris. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone Two people have died and seven were injured in a shooting early Saturday at an outdoor mall in Doral, Fla., local authorities said. The preliminary information that we do have from investigators is that there was some type of a dispute or altercation amongst patrons at a local facility within this commercial establishment, Alvaro Zabaleta, a detective with the Miami-Dade Police Department, said during a press conference, referring to the late-night shooting that occurred at a club around 3:30 a.m. at the CityPlace Doral mall. Zabaleta then said a security guard who was on the job intervened and sustained a fatal gunshot wound. He said officers who were working the commercial establishment at the time immediately responded and an exchange of gunfire occurred, with an officer getting shot in the lower extremity and the gunman getting shot and killed. At the present time, we do know that two officers of the city of Doral Police Department did discharge their firearm, but as I mentioned, only one was injured by gunfire, Zabaleta said. Zabaleta also said six people were struck by gunfire: one woman and five men. He said two of the people injured were in critical condition and were at trauma centers. According to Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez, the investigation into the shooting is a multi-agency investigation between the Doral Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FLDE) and the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD). This is [an] extremely disappointing day in our South Florida community, Lopez said at a press conference. Anytime a law enforcement officer is shot, it tears at the core fabric of our community. But we are grateful that he is alive and in stable condition. The Hill has reached out to CityPlace Doral, FLDE and MDPD. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. President Biden wants to raise taxes on Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and their cohort of Americans, who are amassing extraordinary wealth that is not taxable under current law. Biden says his plan would make the system more fair but experts say it lacks practicality. The president wants to impose a minimum 25% tax on all Americans with assets over $100 million. The billionaire tax would impact the 10,700 wealthiest Americans and generate an estimated revenue of $400 billion over 10 years. The idea of levying higher taxes on those at the top of the economic ladder is not new. Yet the latest proposal raises more questions than answers. Are you taxing the rich? Are you taxing the wealthy? Peter Ferrigno, director of tax service at Henley & Partners, a citizenship investment consulting firm, told Yahoo Finance. They're very similar, but they are not the same thing. Furthermore, the proposed policy challenges a fundamental principle of the US tax code, which treats money earned as income differently from wealth generated through valuation growth. Read more: How bonuses are taxed (and why it matters) A mobile billboard calling for higher taxes on the ultra-wealthy depicts an image of billionaire Jeff Bezos near the US Capitol on May 17, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) (Drew Angerer via Getty Images) How could the US government tax wealth? Biden hasnt offered many specifics, but to get to a minimum 25% rate, experts say he would have to tax unrealized gains unsold profits from increases in asset values as part of billionaires income. Under current law, unrealized gains arent taxed until the asset is sold at a profit. The president says this is the proper way to calculate the true income and true tax rate of the ultra-wealthy. Billionaires make the bulk of their money through stock or investment growth instead of a wage from a 9-to-5 job. So, the president says, they shouldnt be able to shelter income simply because they havent pocketed the profits. Billionaires don't often have a typical paycheck, Brandon Zureick, managing director and portfolio manager at Johnson Investment Counsel, told Yahoo Finance. Take one of the worlds wealthiest people, for example: Elon Musk's net worth surged nearly $12 billion over a span of five years beginning in 2018, from $8.4 billion to $20 billion. However, Musk reported only $1.52 billion in income during those years and paid $455 million in taxes. That may sound like a lot, but Musks true tax rate amounted to only 3.79%. By contrast, the median American household earned $70,800 in 2021 and paid an average tax rate of 15%. Under Bidens proposal, Musks tax bill would have totaled $3 billion for 2018 through 2022 nearly seven times higher than what he paid. Story continues The 25 wealthiest Americans paid $13.6 billion in federal income taxes from 2014 to 2018. Meanwhile their wealth collectively increased by $401 billion in that same period, ProPublica reported. This means their collective average true tax rate was 3.4%. To redesign this aspect of the tax code, Biden needs to consider: What happens when unrealized gains turn into losses? In other words, how will the taxes work when investment values decline on paper? When you start taxing unrealized gains rather than realized gains, you're going down a very slippery slope, Ferrigno said. You want to tax the going up? Are you going to give money back when they go down again? For instance, if Musks share in Tesla (TSLA) surges from $100 billion to $200 billion, Bidens proposed wealth tax would cost Musk $25 billion in that year 25% of the unrealized $100 billion gain. But if Tesla shares declined by $100 billion the next year, would the government need to pay Musk back? That's where you open up a whole reason that other countries don't do this, Ferrigno said. Income tax has been around for centuries. And the reason no one's ever done this is because it's practically impractical. Also read: What is the earned income tax credit, and do you qualify? Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore a "tax the rich" dress at the 2021 Met Gala in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/MG21/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue ) (Jamie McCarthy/MG21 via Getty Images) Top 1% pays nearly half of US tax Opponents of a wealth tax reason that the share of federal taxes paid by the top 1% is already adequate. In 2021, the top 1% paid over $1 trillion, almost half of all tax revenue collected, according to the Tax Foundation. The income tax system in the United States is highly progressive and redistributive, Erica York, senior economist at the right-leaning think tank Tax Foundation and author of its latest report on income tax data, told Yahoo Finance. The top 10%, she added, paid almost 76% of all tax revenue. Critics also note that there is already a separate income tax on the rich, making Bidens proposal redundant and unnecessary. The alternative minimum tax (AMT) is a parallel system that sets a floor on what high-income individuals must pay. It removes some benefits and deductions on their tax returns, limiting the reductions to their tax liabilities. The US has had the alternative minimum tax for about 50 years, Ferrigno said. They already have a tool in the toolbox to try and address [taxes on high incomes]. Ferrigno said an update to the AMT would be sufficient in taxing billionaires incomes. A number of billionaires left Norway in 2022 after the country implemented a 1.1% capital asset tax. (Westend61 via Getty Images) Caution: Dont be like Norway History shows how exorbitant income disparities can lead to social crises: Back to the French Revolution and guillotine if not careful, Ferrigno said. But he said the Biden administration should start with a lower tax rate on billionaires, like 10%, and progress from there before landing at 25%. After all, levying an overwhelming wealth tax on the super rich, who are also super mobile, can backfire. A number of billionaires left Norway in 2022 after the country implemented a 1.1% capital asset tax on married households with equity over the equivalent of $3.7 million. Find out what works and import it and avoid what Norway did to drive half of [ultra-wealthy] away, Ferrigno said. Look at how Spain has a high enough threshold that people just grudgingly accept it. Spain has a long-standing regional wealth tax from 0.16% to 3.5%. But instead of emigration, wealthy Spaniards either accepted their wealth tax rate or relocated to a cheaper region within the country. [Spains wealth tax] has been there for a long time as well, so people are used to it, Ferrigno said. Plus the exemptions ensure that few people get into the highest brackets. Switzerland also assesses various wealth taxes at the regional level on individuals assets worldwide, including bank account balances, equities, boats, and airplanes. Transformative technology, such as blockchain ledgers and artificial intelligence, is transforming financial systems, yet the US tax codes havent kept up. Our current system where we sit today may have been great in the past, but its not so great today, said Jose Murillo, partner and National Tax Department leader at Ernst & Young. An overwhelming share of American voters, or 70%, support the idea of raising taxes on billionaires, a recent Bloomberg poll shows. Imagine what we can do, Biden said of taxing the wealthiest Americans, from cutting the deficit to providing for childcare, to providing healthcare, to continue to provide our military with all they need. This is not beyond our capacity, Biden said. Rebecca Chen is a reporter for Yahoo Finance and previously worked as an investment tax certified public accountant (CPA). Click here for the latest personal finance news to help you with investing, paying off debt, buying a home, retirement, and more Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Two planes collided on the ground in front of passengers at Heathrow Airport on Saturday, causing damage to the wings of both aircraft. Images posted on on social media showed a Virgin Atlantic planes wing touching that of a British Airways aircraft, with both planes surrounded by emergency services. Virgin Atlantic has launched an investigation into the collision between Virgin Atlantic 787 and the BA Airbus A350, which happened on the Tarmac at Terminal 3 at around 12pm. The aircraft was taken out of service, with engineering teams performing maintenance checks on it, the airline added. The Virgin Boeing 787-9 jet had completed a flight and was being towed to a different part of the airport with no passengers on board at the time of the incident, it is understood. British Airways confirmed that passengers were on board its aircraft during the collision and said another plane from its fleet was used for the flight. Emergency services were called following the collision and responders were seen assessing the damage to each plane and attempting to detangle them, one witness claimed. Alex Whittles, a 47-year-old private pilot who witnessed the crash, told The Telegraph: There was an empty Virgin 787 being pushed back by a tug, but the tug seemed to get the angle completely wrong and it was obvious they were about to clip the British Airways plane. Thats why I was watching so closely and then I saw the crash. Mr Whittles, from Telford, Shropshire, added: I believe the BA flight was loaded with passengers and about to depart to Accra. Emergency crews were incredibly quick, but there was no fire or other concern; they just seemed to be making a plan on how to best detangle them without causing further damage to either plane. The Virgin jet's wing hit a British Airways Airbus - Alex Whittles A Virgin Atlantic spokesman said: We are aware that the wing tip of one of our empty aircraft came into contact with another aircraft whilst being towed from the stand at London Heathrow Terminal 3. The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority. We can confirm no customers were on board the Virgin Atlantic aircraft during this time. Weve commenced a full and thorough investigation, and our engineering teams are performing maintenance checks on the aircraft, which for now has been taken out of service. The spokesman said there had been no disruption to Virgins flight programme. A British Airways spokesman said: One of our aircraft, whilst stationary at Heathrow earlier today, was involved in a collision with another airlines jet, which was being towed from a stand at the time. Our aircraft is being assessed by our engineering teams and we have provided an alternative aircraft to limit the impact on our customers. A Heathrow spokesman said: We are working alongside emergency services and our airline partners in response to an incident involving two aircraft on the ground earlier today. At present, no passenger injuries have been reported, and we do not anticipate there to be any ongoing impact to airport operations. 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 people rescued in early-morning fire in Fitchburg Fitchburg Fire Department FITCHBURG Two people were rescued as firefighters used ladders to bring them to safety during an early-morning fire that is under investigation. There were no injuries reported from a two-alarm fire at 92 Oak Hill Road that was called in at 3:52 a.m. Saturday morning. It was quickly extinguished, said Fitchburg Fire Capt. Kris Maillet The names of those rescued havent been released. Fitchburg EMS assessed them at the scene, and they declined transport to a local hospital, said Maillet A total of 11 people living in the four-family home were displaced, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter, by the Salvation Army of Massachusetts. The Red Cross is assisting the families, the post said. The Fitchburg Fire Department is investigating the cause. Westminster and Leominster fire crews assisted at the scene. Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on X: @henrytelegram. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Two people rescued from overnight fire in Fitchburg Two teens charged with murder, burglary in connection to west Charlotte homicide: CMPD Two teens charged with murder, burglary in connection to west Charlotte homicide: CMPD CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Two teens have been charged in connection to the murder of 36-year-old Cordarrell Houston in west Charlotte, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. On Saturday, CMPD officials found and arrested 19-year-old Maiseo Caldwell and 18-year-old Quavon Strother. They were both taken to the Mecklenburg County Sheriffs Office and charged with: First-degree burglary Conpsiracy to commit first-degree burglary Robbery with a dangerous weapon Conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon First-degree murder PREVIOUSLY: Man identified in deadly northwest Charlotte shooting: CMPD Around 5 a.m. on Tuesday, March 26, officers responded to the scene at 2300 Toddville Road. Houston was found at the scene with life-threatening injuries. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, officials said. Police say Houstons next of kin has been notified of the arrests. This remains an active investigation. Anyone with information is urged to talk to a Homicide Unit detective at 704-432-TIPS. This is a developing story; check back for updates For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. As two women vie for Mexico's presidency, why are there questions about their ability to govern? FILES - This combination of two file photos shows Xochitl Galvez, at left, arriving to register her name as a presidential candidate on July 4, 2023 in Mexico City, and at right, Claudia Sheinbaum at an event that presented her as her party's presidential nominee on Sept. 6, 2023 in Mexico City. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, Files) MEXICO CITY (AP) Are Mexicans ready for a woman president? As two female candidates lead in Mexicos presidential race, the question has appeared in polls, debates, media and conversations across Mexico. But it is also a sample of the sexism and macho culture that continues to permeate Mexico, according to political analysts. The question of whether Mexicans are ready or not for a female president carries an implicit doubt of whether a woman or, in this case, whether the two female candidates are prepared to govern the country, said Julia Zulver, a researcher from the Latin American Centre at Oxford University and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Questioning someone for their level of studies, for their experience, for their public policies, that is valid, Zulver said. But questioning two women who have studied, who have experience in politics, for being women is where the questioning falls into sexism, into machismo. In June, more than 100 million Mexican voters will go to the polls in the largest elections in the countrys history. In the presidential race, they will have to choose between three candidates, but two women have taken the lead: the ruling partys Claudia Sheinbaum, 61, and the opposition candidate Xochitl Galvez, 61. One man, Jorge Alvarez Maynez, 38, a candidate with less political experience, lags behind in polls. The three candidates will face off Sunday in the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle. In all likelihood, Mexico a country with soaring levels of violence against women will be governed for the first time by a woman. Its a question I cant stand, said Karolina Gilas, a social and political sciences professor at (UNAM). (It) carries all this weight of discrediting, of doubting whether women are capable of exercising power. Gilas, an expert working with the Organization of American States, said the question should not even be a part of the electoral discourse, yet it has already permeated the candidates own campaigns. Galvez, a former senator and technology businesswoman, directly addressed the question. Is Mexico ready to have a female President? More than ready, it is ready. What do you think? she wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in July before making her candidacy official for a coalition of parties. At the same time, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has defended Sheinbaum, the leading candidate in polls who is largely seen as a continuation of his populist government. She is more prepared than me, she speaks English, he said in a mid-March interview to Canal Red about the scientist and former mayor of Mexico City. She is very intelligent. Academically, she is more advanced than me; I barely finished my bachelors degree, she is a doctor. She is a woman with convictions, principles, honest, she has many merits. AP asked the campaign teams of both candidates about the strategies they used to deflect gender-related questions. Neither of the two campaigns responded. It is curious that both candidates are emphasizing that they are prepared. I believe that this comes from machismo, a misogyny embedded in Mexican society, said Zulver. The researcher sees the comments as a response to anticipated criticisms that they know they are going to receive for the simple fact of being women in that position, in the presidency. And she posed a counterpoint: It is interesting to contrast this with the fact that there are many women in politics. Since 2018, Mexicos Congress has had a 50-50 gender split, in part due to gender quotas set for party candidates. Ten of 32 Mexicos states are governed by women, and the countrys Supreme Court in 2023 elected its first female president. Mexican women occupy 44% of ministerial Cabinet positions, according to the Gender Equality Observatory of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. That makes the country where women got the right to vote in 1953 the fifth highest in womens political leadership in the region and the Iberian Peninsula. The question dates back decades, first raised in public opinion polls in 2004 when Marta Sahagun, wife of the then president Vicente Fox, wanted to run for office. Roy Campos, president of the polling company Consulta-Mitofsky, recalls that the issue was raised again in 2012, when there were only one or two female governors in the country. At the time, around two in five Mexicans rejected the idea of having a woman leader. Still, analyst Giles said so far in Mexico a woman has never lost an election because she is a woman, but rather because voters, tired of the same political elites, are more influenced by political affiliations. While Margarita Zavala, wife of former President Felipe Calderon, ran for president in 2018, the question has largely not come up until this election cycle, when people began to discuss who would succeed highly popular Lopez Obrador. In past decades, the mentality has significantly shifted hand-in-hand with a rise in female political leadership. Now, around four in five polled are in favor of a woman leading the country, though Campos said that is also influenced by the likelihood of having either Sheinbaum or Galvez leading. The other fifth who werent, said they would still vote for a woman if they matched their party affiliations. Claudia Mercado, a 53-year-old bank employee living in Mexico City, said questioning the ability of a woman to govern comes from the sexism that has long plagued Mexican society and that she said she experiences on a daily basis. Its like taking for granted that because they are born male they are ready for office, she said. Im ready to have a woman president. Many other voters in the country's progressive capital echoed Mercado, but others wrinkled their noses at the idea in rural, more conservative swathes of Mexico. In the factory and farming hub of Irapuato, in the central state of Guanajuato, where Galvez launched her campaign in February, one voter said that they felt a woman couldn't handle Mexico's macho culture. Another referred to Galvez as a clown. Armando Fernandez, a 61-year-old government employee said he didn't think a woman would be able to handle Mexico's intensifying drug wars like a man would. With the problem of violence in Guanajuato, if it was already out of hand with a man, imagine with a woman, Fernandez said. Women are more peaceful, they are not violent or confrontational. Next to him, his wife sat with downcast eyes, eating an ice cream, saying nothing. A 2023 Latinobarometro report showed that 64.6% of Mexico's population disagrees or strongly disagrees with the statement that men are better political leaders than women. Looking forward, pollster Campos said on June 2 Mexico will send a powerful message to the world. Still, he said that by having two women candidates and having so many representatives in almost every corner of government, that ceiling has already been broken. ___ AP writer Mark Stevenson contributed to this report from Irapuato, Mexico. ___ Follow the APs coverage of global elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/global-elections/ UK intelligence says Ukraine's strikes on occupied Sevastopol likely led to Russia shooting down its own warplane UK Defence Intelligence has reported that Russia has likely shot down its own Su-27 fighter jet on 28 March due to Ukrainian attacks on the city of Sevastopol (Russian-occupied Crimea), an incident reported by a Crimean Telegram channel. Source: UK Defence Intelligence review dated 6 April on Twitter, as reported by European Pravda Details: UK intelligence noted that Ukraine's strikes on targets in Sevastopol and the Russian Black Sea Fleet on 24 March almost certainly led to the local Russian air defence being put on high alert, so the incident could have been the result of friendly fire. The intelligence reported that there have been previously unconfirmed reports of similar cases of friendly fire, usually following a series of actions by Ukraine against Russian forces on the territory illegally occupied by Russia. "There is a realistic possibility that rather than a technical issue, the increased pressure and tension amongst Russian air defence operators induced by the fear of further Ukrainian action leads to them inadvertently engaging their own pilots and aircraft," the review stated. UK Defence Intelligence added that this incident and others, if confirmed, are likely to highlight the lack of situational awareness and coordination between units of the Russian Armed Forces and once again demonstrate the impact of Ukraine's actions. For reference: On 28 March, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the so-called governor of the city of Sevastopol, claimed that a Russian aircraft crashed near the city of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea. Background: Earlier, UK analysts reported on Russia's unsuccessful attempts to disguise its military facilities to prevent Ukraine from destroying them. Before that, it analysed the Ukrainian Air Force's strikes on Sevastopol on 24 March 2024, which targeted the communications centre of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Support UP or become our patron! Ukrainian recent attacks increased pressure on Russian air defense systems, leading to Russia likely shooting down its own planes, the U.K. Military Intelligence's report said on April 6. Ukrainian forces have recently intensified attacks on Russian territory, mainly targeting military facilities and oil refineries. In total, the latest attacks have disrupted between 12-14% of Russia's refining capacity, according to Bloomberg. Responding to reported U.S. concerns about targeting Russian facilities, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine has the right to use its own weapons for self-defense amid Moscow's large-scale strikes on the country's energy infrastructure. In its latest report, the U.K. Military Intelligence recalled the March 28 case when a Russian military plane allegedly crashed into the sea near occupied Crimea. The U.K. Military Intelligence's report said the plane was shot down "in an incident of friendly fire." The Russian-installed head of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, reacted to the plane crash, claiming that there was a "technical failure." The U.K. Military Intelligence's report also referred to Ukrainian strikes on March 24 against targets in Russian-occupied Sevastopol and the Black Sea Fleet. According to the report, Ukrainian attacks "almost certainly led to local Russian air defense being at a heightened readiness." "There have been previous unconfirmed reports of similar instances of friendly fire occurring, usually following periods of Ukrainian action against Russian forces in the illegally occupied territories," the report read. The U.K. Military Intelligence said it is "a realistic possibility rather than a technical issue" that Russian forces inadvertently engage their own pilots and aircraft under the pressure of potential Ukrainian strikes. The U.K. Military Intelligence added that these and other cases if confirmed, can indicate "the lack of situational awareness and coordination" in Russian forces. Earlier, Russia's Air Force suffered particularly heavy losses in late February and March, losing more than a dozen warplanes, including Su-34 fighter bombers, Su-35 fighter jets, and a rare A-50 military spy plane. 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. By Tom Balmforth and Yuliia Dysa KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine could run out of air defence missiles if Russia keeps up its intense long-range bombing campaign, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned in remarks aired on Saturday. The Ukrainian leader's starkest warning to date of the deteriorating situation faced by his country's air defences follows weeks of Russian strikes on the energy system, towns and cities using a broad arsenal of missiles and drones. "If they keep hitting (Ukraine) every day the way they have for the last month, we might run out of missiles, and the partners know it," he said in an interview that aired on Ukrainian television. Zelenskiy, who has been appealing to allies for weeks to rush in more air defences, said that Ukraine had enough stockpiles to cope for the moment, but that it was already having to make difficult choices about what to protect. He singled out in particular the need for Patriot air defence systems and said Ukraine needed 25 of them. The sophisticated U.S. air defence system has been vital during Russian attacks with ballistic and hypersonic missiles which can hit targets within a matter of minutes. His remarks followed a fresh spate of attacks that Ukrainian officials said killed civilians. Two Russian missile and drone strikes, one in the early hours of Saturday and a second in the afternoon, killed eight people and wounded at least 10 more people in northeastern Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city. In the eastern region of Donetsk, artillery shelling killed four people in the village of Kurakhivka including a 38-year-old woman and her 16-year-old daughter, and a 25-year-old man in the village of Krasnohorivka was killed, while in Odesa in the south, a missile strike killed one civilian. Ukraine's largest private power company DTEK says the strikes had hit 80% of its generating capacity and the grid has introduced rolling blackouts to stabilise the system. 'WE WILL AGREE TO ANY OPTIONS' The battlefield momentum has moved against Ukraine in recent months as Kyiv grappled with a slowdown in military assistance from the West and in particular from the United States. "The situation is difficult, but nevertheless stabilized. The enemy does not advance: when it takes steps forward, ours repel (them), and it retreats. On the contrary, our guys are taking some steps forward," he said. Zelenskiy said he still believed that a major aid package would be approved by Congress where it has been stuck in deliberations since late last year facing determined Republican opposition. "I still believe that we can get a positive vote in the United States Congress," he said. Asked by the interviewer about the possibility of Ukraine receiving the package in the form of a loan, he said: "We will agree to any options." He added that some artillery shells were being supplied to Ukraine under foreign initiatives that he did not name and that they were being used for defensive operations. "We don't have shells for counteroffensive actions, as for the defence - there are several initiatives, and we're receiving weapons," he said. The interview was recorded next to a military fortification in northeastern Chernihiv region, which borders Russia. It was not clear exactly which day the interview was recorded, but Zelenskiy met with a bipartisan group of members of Congress in the region on Friday. (Reporting by Yuliia Dysa in Kyiv and Elaine Monaghan in Washington Writing by Tom BalmforthEditing by Mark Potter, David Evans and Marguerita Choy) Ukrainian servicemen from air defence units prepare for an award ceremony after repelling the second biggest Russian missile and drone attack in five days, near Kyiv By Tom Balmforth and Yuliia Dysa KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine could run out of air defence missiles if Russia keeps up its intense long-range bombing campaign, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned in remarks aired on Saturday. The Ukrainian leader's starkest warning to date of the deteriorating situation faced by his country's air defences follows weeks of Russian strikes on the energy system, towns and cities using a broad arsenal of missiles and drones. "If they keep hitting (Ukraine) every day the way they have for the last month, we might run out of missiles, and the partners know it," he said in an interview that aired on Ukrainian television. Zelenskiy, who has been appealing to allies for weeks to rush in more air defences, said that Ukraine had enough stockpiles to cope for the moment, but that it was already having to make difficult choices about what to protect. He singled out in particular the need for Patriot air defence systems and said Ukraine needed 25 of them. The sophisticated U.S. air defence system has been vital during Russian attacks with ballistic and hypersonic missiles which can hit targets within a matter of minutes. His remarks followed a fresh spate of attacks that Ukrainian officials said killed civilians. Two Russian missile and drone strikes, one in the early hours of Saturday and a second in the afternoon, killed eight people and wounded at least 10 more people in northeastern Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city. In the eastern region of Donetsk, artillery shelling killed four people in the village of Kurakhivka including a 38-year-old woman and her 16-year-old daughter, and a 25-year-old man in the village of Krasnohorivka was killed, while in Odesa in the south, a missile strike killed one civilian. Ukraine's largest private power company DTEK says the strikes had hit 80% of its generating capacity and the grid has introduced rolling blackouts to stabilise the system. 'WE WILL AGREE TO ANY OPTIONS' The battlefield momentum has moved against Ukraine in recent months as Kyiv grappled with a slowdown in military assistance from the West and in particular from the United States. "The situation is difficult, but nevertheless stabilized. The enemy does not advance: when it takes steps forward, ours repel (them), and it retreats. On the contrary, our guys are taking some steps forward," he said. Zelenskiy said he still believed that a major aid package would be approved by Congress where it has been stuck in deliberations since late last year facing determined Republican opposition. "I still believe that we can get a positive vote in the United States Congress," he said. Asked by the interviewer about the possibility of Ukraine receiving the package in the form of a loan, he said: "We will agree to any options." He added that some artillery shells were being supplied to Ukraine under foreign initiatives that he did not name and that they were being used for defensive operations. "We don't have shells for counteroffensive actions, as for the defence - there are several initiatives, and we're receiving weapons," he said. The interview was recorded next to a military fortification in northeastern Chernihiv region, which borders Russia. It was not clear exactly which day the interview was recorded, but Zelenskiy met with a bipartisan group of members of Congress in the region on Friday. (Reporting by Yuliia Dysa in Kyiv and Elaine Monaghan in Washington Writing by Tom BalmforthEditing by Mark Potter, David Evans and Marguerita Choy) Ukraine's Air Force Commander shows video of air defence shooting down Russian UAVs in Kherson Oblast Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk has shown the combat capabilities of mobile fire groups in Kherson Oblast, which shot down six Russian kamikaze drones on the night of 5-6 April. Source: Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of Ukraine's Air Force, on Telegram Quote: "On the night of 5-6 April 2024, six Shaheds were downed by mobile fire groups of the Kherson anti-aircraft missile brigade! The video shows the combat work of Kherson brigade soldiers against enemy assault UAVs. Thank you, warriors!" Details: At the same time, the State Border Guard Service reports that Sea Guard border guards shot down a cruise missile at night in Odesa Oblast, causing it to explode over the sea. Previously: On the night of 5-6 April, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 32 Shahed attack UAVs and six missiles of various types. Air defence assets and personnel shot down two Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles, a Kalibr cruise missile and 28 Shahed-131/136 attack UAVs. Support UP or become our patron! TP ICAP Group PLC (LON:TCAP) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. Typically, the ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date which is the date on which a company determines the shareholders eligible to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is an important date to be aware of as any purchase of the stock made on or after this date might mean a late settlement that doesn't show on the record date. Therefore, if you purchase TP ICAP Group's shares on or after the 11th of April, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 24th of May. The company's next dividend payment will be UK0.10 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed UK0.15 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that TP ICAP Group has a trailing yield of 6.6% on the current share price of UK2.255. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to investigate whether TP ICAP Group can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow. View our latest analysis for TP ICAP Group Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. TP ICAP Group distributed an unsustainably high 156% of its profit as dividends to shareholders last year. Without more sustainable payment behaviour, the dividend looks precarious. Generally, the higher a company's payout ratio, the more the dividend is at risk of being reduced. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. For this reason, we're glad to see TP ICAP Group's earnings per share have risen 11% per annum over the last five years. The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. TP ICAP Group has delivered 4.1% dividend growth per year on average over the past seven years. It's good to see both earnings and the dividend have improved - although the former has been rising much quicker than the latter, possibly due to the company reinvesting more of its profits in growth. Story continues To Sum It Up Is TP ICAP Group an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? It's been growing earnings per share at a pleasant rate, although its dividend payout was not well covered by earnings. We're unconvinced on the company's merits, and think there might be better opportunities out there. With that being said, if dividends aren't your biggest concern with TP ICAP Group, you should know about the other risks facing this business. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 3 warning signs with TP ICAP Group and understanding them should be part of your investment process. If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top dividend stocks. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Ukraine's mobile fire group shot down Russian Kalibr missile at night Stock photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces A mobile Defence Forces fire group downed a Russian Kalibr cruise missile during a Russian attack on the night of 5-6 April. Source: Illia Yevlash, Head of Public Relations Service of Ukraine's Air Force, on the air of the national joint 24/7 newscast Quote: "Mobile groups yielded excellent results... Our mobile groups successfully destroyed one Kalibr cruise missile. This is not the first time our mobile groups have produced excellent results. They sometimes use Stinger-type MANPADS or other weapons provided by international partners." Details: Yevlash stated that the Russians launched drones from the south and north that night. Previously: Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk showed the combat capabilities of mobile fire groups in Kherson Oblast, which shot down six Russian kamikaze drones on the night of 5-6 April. Support UP or become our patron! Ukraine's Security Service chief says situation with draft notice for journalist will be addressed Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament's Committee on Freedom of Speech, has held a meeting with Vasyl Maliuk, Chief of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), to discuss the situation regarding the attempt to serve a military draft notice on Yevhenii Shulhat, a journalist with Slidstvo.info, an investigative news outlet. Source: Yurchyshyn on Facebook Quote: "I have met with the head of the Security Service of Ukraine in hot pursuit. We discussed cooperation in combating Russian disinformation, assistance to the nations enslaved by Russia, and interaction with social media to strengthen our information security. I expressed my gratitude to him for his contribution to the armed response to the aggressor. I emphasised the unacceptability of the actions and behaviour of individual employees. The Chief (Maliuk) made it clear that this situation would not be ignored." Details: Answering a clarifying question in the comments to the post, whether the situation with the attempt to serve a draft notice on an investigative journalist was discussed during the meeting, Yurchyshyn replied that this was exactly what was mentioned in the last sentence of his post. Background: On Saturday, the investigative journalism agency Slidstvo.Info released a story stating that on 1 April, employees of a territorial centre for recruitment (TCR, or military enlistment office) approached Slidstvo.Info journalist Yevhenii Shulhat in the Obolonskyi district of Kyiv and attempted to serve him with a military draft notice. It was Shulhat who worked on the investigation into the activities of Illia Vitiuk, Head of the Cyber-Security Department at the Security Service of Ukraine, which was released on 4 April. Slidstvo.info found out that the TCR representatives who tried to serve the summons were likely accompanied by Oleksii Bilenko, who works in the SSU's Cybersecurity Department and is close to Vitiuk. Support UP or become our patron! Military enlistment office officers approached Yevhen Shulhat, an investigative journalist from Slidstvo.Info, and tried to serve him with an enlistment notice on Monday, 1 April in the Obolonskyi district of Kyiv. Source: Slidstvo.info, a team of independent professional journalists Details: During the conversation, the servicemen said that Yevhen had recently turned 27 and had not come to the military enlistment office to update his data [which is a regular and mandatory procedure in Ukraine during martial law ed.]. Shulhat recorded everything on camera but did not take the notice. The officers recorded his refusal and left. The journalists obtained video footage from a surveillance camera. It shows Shulhat entering a shopping centre at 21:08. A few minutes later, two military enlistment office officers enter the supermarket. They are accompanied by a man in civilian clothes. The journalists believe that the man in civilian clothes was giving instructions to the officers. While Shulhat was in the supermarket, a man in civilian clothes walked by the cash registers and then quickly came back to the military. He actively gestured, pointing in different directions to the officers and then left the shopping centre. Less than a minute later, the officers approached Shulhat. From what was seen, it can be concluded that this man was pointing at Yevhen Shulhat. When the officers approached the journalist, they called him by his name. Journalists from Slidstvo.info have identified the men as being representatives of the Solomianskyi District Military Enlistment Office. One of them confirmed that he worked in this particular military enlistment office, but refused to answer questions about the events that occurred there. He said that such questions could only be asked through his command. His colleague responded in the same way. The officers did not agree to identify the person who had pointed Shulhat out to them. We sent a request with detailed questions about the incident to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Perhaps they will explain on what grounds this person in civilian clothes was giving instructions to the military. The journalists' sources helped figure out exactly who the man was who was directing the officers. It could have been Oleksii Bilenko, a person close to Illia Vitiuk and who works in the cyber security department of the Security Service of Ukraine. That is, in the department headed by Vitiuk, a person involved in an investigation being conducted by Yevhen Shulhat. Oleksii Bilenko did not answer the journalists' calls and blocked them after they sent messages in messenger apps. The journalists plan to file a complaint with the police. Background: Investigative journalists found an apartment purchased by Vitiuk's wife in December 2023 for more than 20 million hryvnias (about US$512,000) at the market price. However, the official's declaration states that 12.8 million hryvnias (US$328,000) was paid for the apartment. Support UP or become our patron! Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 32 Shahed attack UAVs and 6 missiles of various types on the night of 5-6 April. Air defence assets and personnel shot down two Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles, a Kalibr cruise missile and 28 Shahed-131/136 attack UAVs. Source: Ukrainian Air Force Details: The Russians used three S-300 anti-aircraft missiles launched from Russias Belgorod Oblast, two Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles launched from strategic aircraft from Russias Saratov Oblast, and one Kalibr cruise missile launched from the Black Sea. As a result of the air defence systems combat efforts, the Ukrainian Defence Forces shot down two Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles, a Kalibr cruise missile and 28 Shahed-131/136 attack UAVs. Support UP or become our patron! Ukrainian air defence downs all targets over Kyiv Oblast, no hits recorded The Russians attacked Kyiv Oblast using Shahed drones and cruise missiles on the night of 5-6 April. All air targets have been destroyed. Source: Kyiv Oblast Military Administration (OMA) Details: Kyiv Oblast Military Administration stated that there were no hits to residential or critical infrastructure facilities. No casualties were reported. However, the OMA specified that a fire had broken out in a warehouse in one of the settlements as a result of falling wreckage. The fire has been contained as of this morning. Background: Air defence systems were responding to a Russian air attack in Kyiv Oblast on the night of 5-6 April. Support UP or become our patron! A Ukrainian investigative journalism outlet Slidstvo.Info said on April 6 that their journalist, Yevhenii Shulhat, appeared to be targeted by military enlistment officers as retaliation for his work investigating authorities. Earlier in the week, Shulhat was approached by men in uniform who said they represented an enlistment office and tried to give him a enlistment summons. They were accompanied by a man who appeared to be there to lead them to the journalist. The media outlet said they identified him as an employee of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU). Slidstvo.Info called the incident "revenge" for Shulhat's recent investigation into Illia Vitiuk, the cybersecurity chief of the SBU. According to the outlet, Vitiuk's wife started making big earnings after her husband was appointed to the job, and bought an apartment in a premium residential complex in Kyiv below the market price. The revelation comes a little over two months after the Security Service of Ukraine was caught spying on a different investigative media outlet, going as far as planting cameras in journalists' hotel rooms to record their New Year party. After the scandalous revelation, the Security Service fired the employees implicated in the spying operation and pledged to stand for the freedom of press. Slidstvo.Info journalist Yevhenii Shulhat. (Screenshot of Slidstvo.Info's YouTube video published on April 6, 2024.) Shulhat recorded his encounter with the enlistment office employees, who approached him earlier this week in a popular shopping center in northern Kyiv at around 9 p.m. The footage of the encounter and associated investigation were published on Slidstvo.Info's YouTube channel. The video shows two men in uniform who introduced themselves as employees of the Solomianskyi District enlistment office. They appeared to know Shulhat, approaching him and identifying him by name. They accused Shulhat of violating the rules of the military register, for having not properly registered with an enlistment office after turning 27 recently, reaching the mobilization age. In turn, the journalist asked the men whether they were approaching him in connection with his recent investigation into Vitiuk. Both men denied this, claiming they did not know that Shulhat was a journalist. Shulhat also pointed out that the two men recognized the journalist immediately and knew him by name. They tried to give him a draft summons, which he didn't accept, citing the suspicious circumstances. The uniformed people left soon after, saying that they noted Shulhat's "refusal to accept the summons." Slidstvo.Info gained access to security camera footage from the shopping center, which they also published on their YouTube channel. The footage reveals that before the uniformed men entered the building, they were accompanied by a man in plain clothes who appeared to give them instructions. Slidstvo.Info identified him as Oleksii Bilenko, who they said works in Vitiuk's cybersecurity department of the SBU. Slidstvo.Info contacted the two men in uniform, who confirmed they were employees of the enlistment office but refused to provide further comments. The journalists were unable to contact Bilenko. "This is revenge for (our) journalistic investigation, especially since, as it turned out, the person in the civilian clothes is an employee of the SBU," Slidstvo.Info Head Anna Babinets said in the YouTube video. Shortly before Slidstvo.Info published their investigation, Vitiuk said in an interview with Ukrinform that a disinformation attack was being planned against him. The cybersecurity chief implied that Russian hackers could manipulate and plant false data to discredit Ukrainian officials. He also claimed that he submitted his asset declarations, which were in order. The Security Service of Ukraine told the Kyiv Independent that "it is currently reviewing the information published by Slidstvo.Info," adding that the Defense Ministry and the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Force are also involved in the inspection. The Security Service of Ukraine said that the results of the inspection will be announced later. "According to the law, the SBU's workers are not empowered to give official notes or instructions on the enlistment offices' workers' communication with journalists," the Security Service's statement said. This is not the first case of Ukrainian journalists accusing the SBU of pressure against the free press. Another investigative outlet, Bihus.Info, revealed in January that they had been illegally surveilled by an SBU department for months. Bihus.Info proved the SBU was secretly recording some of their staff members using drugs during a New Year's party and then published the footage to discredit the outlet. Mere days before the Bihus.Info scandal, two unidentified men approached the apartment of another prominent journalist, Yurii Nikolov. The men were aggressively banging on his door, demanding the journalist to open the door and talk to them, calling Nikolov a "traitor" and accusing him of evading military service. Nikolov is known for his earlier investigations revealing corruption in Ukraine's public procurement. Both aforementioned incidents sparked outrage among the Ukrainian journalistic community and criticism from the international public. "Ukraine already has a big external issue to focus on in terms of the safety of journalists. If, on top of this, internal actors start attacking journalists, then the situation will become even worse," Karol Luczka, Eastern Europe Monitoring and Advocacy Officer at the International Press Institute (IPI), told the Kyiv Independent in January. Read also: Recent campaigns against journalists raise concerns about press freedom in Ukraine Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) has responded to information about Andrii Kostin, Ukrainian Prosecutor General, which recently appeared in Ukrainian media, stating that he did not spend over 100 days on official trips in 2023, with half of that time in the United States. Source: a PGO release provided to Ukrainska Pravda Quote: "The Office of the Prosecutor General refutes the information presented in the Ukrainska Pravda article Ukraine's prosecutor general spent over 100 days abroad on official trips last year as untrue. The article, in which the authors referred to the post by lawmaker Oleksii Honcharenko and anonymous sources of information, also noted that out of 103 days, 'half of his [Kostin's] official trips were to the United States'. We would like to stress that the prosecutor general made 13 foreign trips in 2023, three of which were to the United States, including one as a member of the official delegation from Ukraine to the UN General Assembly." Details: The agency claimed that Kostin's official trips lasted 79 days, including travel (51 days without travel). He spent 22 full days in the United States. A total of 224 meetings and events were held with his participation during 13 trips, the PGO added. Background: Earlier, Ukrainska Pravda sources in the PGO reported that Kostin spent 103 days on foreign business trips in 2023, with half of them in the United States, where his wife lives. Support UP or become our patron! US Ambassador on Russia's nighttime attack on Kharkiv: Not a second to waste to support Ukraine's fight Aftermath of Russian nighttime attack on Kharkiv. Photo: National Police of Ukraine in Kharkiv Oblast Bridget Brink, US Ambassador to Ukraine, has reacted to the Russian attack on Kharkiv that took place on the night of 5-6 April. Source: Brink on Twitter, as reported by European Pravda Details: Brink noted that Russia launched yet another attack on Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv, overnight, killing six civilians and injuring more and damaging homes and schools. "There is not a second to lose to support Ukraines fight to defend its people from such horrific and unprovoked attacks," the ambassador stated. Overnight Russia launched another attack against Kharkiv - Ukraines 2nd largest city - killing 6 civilians, injuring others & damaging homes & schools. There is not a second to lose to support Ukraines fight to defend its people from such horrific and unprovoked attacks. pic.twitter.com/D8bDNXEivv Ambassador Bridget A. Brink (@USAmbKyiv) April 6, 2024 Background: Support UP or become our patron! Allegations have been made that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has provided alarming details to allies regarding the extent of China-Russian cooperation. Additionally, the US Treasury Department has issued a warning that US-based companies which supply the Russian Federation with goods and technologies for the military-industrial complex will face dire consequences. Source: Financial Times, as reported by European Pravda Details: According to three unnamed officials, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in communications with his counterparts in the EU and NATO, stated that China is assisting Russia "at a concerning scale," providing tools and technology. According to these sources, Blinken identified one of the key elements of such assistance as the production of optical equipment, propellants, and space equipment, claiming that this "not only contributes to Russia's aggression in Ukraine but also threatens other countries". One of the sources claims that "the warnings were explicit," and that "there has been a shift and it was felt in the roomthis was a new development. It was very striking." According to the sources, Blinken urged allies to take three steps in this regard: speak directly on this topic with China during bilateral contacts, publicly express concern about deepening cooperation between China and Russia, and take action against companies that clearly support the Russian military-industrial complex. The Biden administration is reportedly particularly concerned about the provision of fuel for missiles. Following discussions in Guangzhou on Friday and Saturday, the US Treasury stated that companies, including those in China, should not provide material support for Russia's war against Ukraine and would face significant consequences if they do. The Financial Times reported that this is one of the strongest warnings the US has issued to Beijing. Background: Earlier this week, the US State Department warned China against assisting the Russian Federation in the war against Ukraine. Officials recently told Politico that China is attempting to persuade Europe to allow Russia to participate in future peace talks, possibly during a peace summit in Geneva. Otherwise, Beijing has threatened to boycott such meetings. The officials said this message was reinforced during the European tour by Chinese special envoy Li Hui in early March, when he discussed Ukraine's future. Support UP or become our patron! By David Lawder GUANGZHOU, China (Reuters) -U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Saturday that she and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng agreed to launch exchanges on "balanced" economic growth, an effort to address U.S. concerns about China's excess manufacturing capacity. After two days of economic talks in China's southern export hub of Guangzhou, Yellen said she and He also agreed to start a forum to cooperate on anti-money laundering efforts in their respective financial systems. The exchanges "will facilitate a discussion around macroeconomic imbalances, including their connection to overcapacity, and I intend to use the opportunity to advocate for a level playing field for American workers and firms," Yellen said in a statement released at the conclusion of the talks. She characterised four and a half hours of discussions with He on Saturday as productive and frank. Coming into her four-day visit to China, her top priority was to persuade Chinese officials to rein in excess production capacity for electric vehicles (EVs), solar panels and other clean energy technology that threaten competing firms in the U.S. and other countries. The Biden administration is facing growing calls from U.S. lawmakers to increase tariffs on Chinese EVs to protect U.S. producers. Chinese state media pushed back on her excess capacity arguments, calling them a "pretext" for protectionist U.S. policies and "fear-mongering." NO TARIFF THREAT Yellen did not threaten to raise tariffs or impose other trade barriers if China failed to curb state support that has expanded production of EVs, solar panels and other clean energy products far beyond domestic demand, a senior U.S. Treasury official said. "I think the Chinese realise how concerned we are about the implications of their industrial strategy, for the United States, for the potential to flood our markets with exports that make it difficult for American firms to compete" Yellen said. "And then other countries have the same concern." She said the forum would provide a "structured" way to discuss a complicated issue but that it would take some time to resolve. "It's going to be critical to our bilateral relationship going forward and to China's relationship with other countries that are important," she added. She added Chinese officials were "more confident" about the world's second-biggest economy after putting in place policies to address issues in the property sector and on local government debt. China's Xinhua news agency said in a statement that the discussions between He and Yellen were "candid, pragmatic and constructive", confirming both parties had agreed to further discuss balanced growth and financial stability. Beijing also expressed serious concerns about U.S. economic and trade restrictions on China and made a full response to the production capacity issue during the talks, the statement said. The U.S. Treasury official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the balanced growth forum was first proposed in February during an economic working group meeting. Wendy Cutler, a former U.S. trade negotiator said the forum focused on overcapacity was a positive development, but there was a danger that it could "turn into a stalling tactic" by Beijing to avoid needed actions to bring supply and demand back into balance. Yellen also said she had warned Chinese firms faced "significant consequences" if they provided material support to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Chinese side emphasised that their policy was not to provide such support and did not want this to be a bilateral issue. 'PROTECTIONIST PRETEXT' Xinhua criticised Yellen's stance late on Friday, saying that talking up "Chinese overcapacity" in the clean energy sector created a pretext for protectionist policies to shield U.S. companies. In an editorial on Saturday, Xinhua said suppressing China's EV-related industries would not help the U.S. grow its own, adding that it hoped more headway could be made during Yellen's visit to break down barriers hindering mutually beneficial cooperation. While Treasury does not expect a major shift in Chinese policy after Yellen's visit, U.S. officials believe it was important to explain the economic risks that overinvestment in some sectors and weak consumer demand present to both China and its trading partners. Yellen said on Friday her trip was partly aimed at cementing U.S.-China ties to "withstand shocks and challenging circumstances." Yellen will continue her discussions with Chinese officials on Monday in Beijing, where she is to meet officials including Premier Li Qiang, Finance Minister Lan Foan and People's Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng. (Reporting by David Lawder in Guangzhou and Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Editing by William Mallard, Sam Holmes and Diane Craft) The US is experiencing a boom in microschools. What are they? The US is experiencing a boom in microschools. What are they? Story at a glance There has been a surge in new microschools in the U.S. since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Microschooling Network estimates there are about 95,000 microschools in the country. The median microschool serves 16 students. There is no regulatory body solely responsible for tracking microschools, so it is difficult to determine just how much their popularity has grown. Microschools have experienced a boom in popularity since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tiny schools, which have a median student body size of 16, have been described as a modern reinvention of the one-room school house, where children of varying ages receive personalized instruction from a teacher in the same room. Supporters view them as liberating. Skeptics, however, worry over their educational quality. Its unclear how many microschools existed in the United States before 2020 or just how many more opened during the early days of the pandemic, given that most took the form of informal learning pods, according to National Microschooling Center CEO Dan Soifer. But the number definitely jumped during the 2020-21 academic year, Soifer told The Hill. Now, about 1.5 million children attend one of the countrys roughly 95,000 microschools, according to Soifer, roughly the same number that study at Catholic schools. Advocates for microschools say they offer some students especially those who are gifted or have learning disabilities a greater chance to thrive academically and socially than traditional schools do. At Sphinx Academy, a micro-school based in Lexington, Ky., almost all 24 students are twice exceptional, meaning they are gifted in one academic area but have one or more learning disabilities like ADHD or dyslexia, according to the schools director Jennifer Lincoln. Theres gifted education and theres special education, but there are not a lot of resources for students with an overlap in those two, said Lincoln. The tiny classroom size and personal instruction at Sphinx allows students with different levels of mastery in different subjects to receive the attention they need, she said. Microschools can offer some kids dealing with physical or mental health issues an easier way to study than traditional schools. Sixteen-year-old Layla Robertson, for instance, was homeschooled during grade school and later on during the pandemic because of a health condition before entering Sphinx. I got to the point where I wanted to go back to school but I thought big schools would overwhelm me, Robertson told The Hill. It wasnt an environment that I felt like I could be calm and get my work done in. Robertson eventually decided to attend Sphinx because of its small size. Microschools can also appeal to kids who feel like they just dont fit in at other schools. This was the case for 15-year-old Madeliene Mischen, who struggled to fit in at her private, religious school in Lexington during the pandemic. She quickly realized that Sphinx Academy was a place she wanted to attend after shadowing a student for a day. Im queer and I saw a lot of other queer students and I thought oh wow, theyre open and accepting here, Mischen said. Sphinx Academy is a nationally accredited and Kentucky-certified school. But in this regard, it is an exception in the microschooling world. There is no single regulatory body monitoring microschools, which experts fear means there are no quality backstops to ensure kids are receiving an adequate education. Most microschools are also not accredited. In a survey of 400 microschools across the country shared with The Hill from the National Microschooling Center, only 16 percent said they were accredited in their state. This is because many microschools operate as learning centers for homeschooled students and therefore do not need any accreditation. Others function as private schools, which do not need to be accredited nor have certified teachers in most states. The world of accreditation among private K-12 schools in the United States is notoriously murky. There is no federal accreditation requirement for K-12 schools where schools must meet standards for performance, according to reporting from Education Next. At the state level, laws accrediting private schools vary. And accreditation is almost never legally required for private schools and is only required for public schools in about 20 states, according to the outlet. Florida, for example, a current hotbed for microschools, does not require K-12 schools to be accredited, nor is accreditation or the lack thereof reported to the public. Nevada, another state with a growing microschool population, also does not require it. And both states, like most others, do not require private school teachers to have a teaching certificate. This lack of oversight and clarity in what coursework is offered at microschools in part echoes the concerns which drove the U.S. to eventually do away with from the one-room schoolhouse and adopt more organized and unified school systems, according to Jen Jennings, director of Princeton Universitys Education Research Section. As a result of that shift, states promised kids a certain level of education quality, Jennings added. So, the concern with microschools and any form of state-funded education where there is no quality backstop is that we simply just dont know what kids are getting, Jennings said. Concerns over microschools lack of accreditation most often come up in states with Education Savings Accounts or voucher programs, according to Soifer. Under those programs, the state sets aside funds for students who opt out of the public school system in favor of a private or charter school. Last year saw a surge in states adopting or expanding school voucher programs, including Florida, Iowa, Utah and Oklahoma. The worry with a setup like that is that folks are doing right by the students that they are taking money on behalf of, said Jennings. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Law enforcement officials expressed concern that radicals in the U.S. might respond to ISIS calls for similar attacks in the wake of last month's deadly terrorist attack at a concert hall in Moscow. The U.S. intelligence bulletin warns that ISIS operatives worldwide and so-called "lone wolves" might respond to recent statements from the terrorist group touting the attack in Russia and encouraging more attacks on public venues -- even if the individuals are not members of ISIS. PHOTO: A view of the Crocus City Hall burned after an attack is seen on the western edge of Moscow, on March 23, 2024. (Vitaly Smolnikov/AP) Russian investigators said the March 22 attack in Moscow's Crocus City Hall killed at least 144 people, including three children, and injured at least 550 others. Nine suspects -- identified as citizens of Tajikistan -- were arrested after gunmen opened fire on concertgoers with automatic weapons and then set a fire that engulfed the complex, according to Russian authorities. MORE: ISIS claims responsibility in deadly attack on Russia's Crocus City Hall ISIS released a statement after the attack, claiming their fighters "attacked" a "big gathering for Christians in the Russian Moscow suburb." PHOTO: New York State Police officer, members of the New York State National Guard and NYPD officers stand guard in a check point to check bags inside the entrance of subway station in New York, on March 7, 2024. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters, FILE) The U.S. said it shared intelligence with Russia that warned that ISIS was preparing similar attacks on concerts in Moscow weeks before the attack. A State Department official said that the U.S. government had shared information on a possible attack with Russian authorities in accordance with its longstanding "duty to warn" policy. MORE: Russia launches massive air attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure The U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a warning on March 7, advising U.S. citizens to avoid large gatherings for 48 hours, saying extremists have "imminent plans" to target large-scale gatherings in Moscow. US intel warns of potential terrorist threat at gatherings after Moscow attack originally appeared on abcnews.go.com U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Beijing of "significant consequences" if Chinese companies provide support for Russias war against Ukraine during her meetings with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. Beijing has maintained close ties with Moscow during the war, increasing economic cooperation and disrupting Western attempts at isolating Russia. Expanded trade with China has played a key role in allowing Moscow to keep its economy running and ramp up its military industry despite Western economic pressure. The U.S. has repeatedly warned China against providing Russia with lethal military aid and urged Beijing to use its influence over Moscow to help end the war. Yellen met with He in Guangzhou on April 5-6, where the two officials discussed the U.S.-China bilateral economic relationship, Russias war against Ukraine, and other issues. "Secretary Yellen emphasized that companies, including those in the PRC (People's Republic of China), must not provide material support for Russias war against Ukraine, including support to the Russian defense industrial base, and the significant consequences if they do so," according to a readout published by the U.S. Treasury on April 6. Yellens warning comes after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told EU and NAO foreign ministers in Brussels that China was helping Russia "at a concerning scale" and giving "tools, inputs, and technical expertise," the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing three people familiar with the discussions. The aid was reportedly particularly focused on Russia's production of optical equipment and propellants as well as its space industry, which Blinken said "not only contributes to Russias aggression in Ukraine but threatens other countries," according to the people. "The warnings were explicit," one of the FT sources said. "There has been a shift, and it was felt in the room . . . this was a new development. It was very striking." Read also: Portrait of the Invader: 2 years of Russian soldiering in Ukraine Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. USC fraternity was headed for party in New Orleans when tragedy struck on Gulf highway A social weekend that had been planned for months in New Orleans by a University of South Carolina fraternity turned tragic Friday when a bus carrying fraternity members and their dates crashed on an interstate in southern Mississippi. Five to six busloads from USCs Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity were on their way to the Crescent City for a fraternity formal, said John Barnhill, president of the fraternitys local alumni board in South Carolina. Only one of the buses crashed and early reports indicated that two people were airlifted to a hospital. Other passengers reportedly had minor injuries. One of those on the bus that crashed was the Sigma Phi Epsilon student president, who lost his phone in the wreck, Barnhill said. Details of the crash were still emerging Friday night. They had chartered several buses, probably five or six buses to take them all down there, Barnhill said. This was one of the buses. Barnhill said the event is an annual fraternity weekend, one of the social highlights of the year at Sigma Phi Epsilon. He said all of the people on the buses were members of the fraternity and their dates. This is kind of their big thing, they have this formal once a year, he said. It usually is a destination kind of thing. This was a big deal because they were going to New Orleans this time. Sigma Phi Epsilon is a national social fraternity with chapters at universities across the country. The fraternity, called Sig Ep for short, was established in 1901 in Richmond, Va. The USC chapter has more than 150 members. Im certainly concerned about the injuries, Barnhill said, noting that the bus company had made arrangements to transport those who were not injured to New Orleans, where members already had hotel rooms reserved that they could stay in. The driver of the bus was ejected after a tire blew and a Carolina student took the wheel, according to reports from Mississippi. When the driver was ejected, USC student Paul Clune ran to the front of the bus and got the bus to stop, the Biloxi Sun Herald reported. The accident near Bay St. Louis, Miss., occurred about 3:30 p.m. Central Time. Nine students were taken by ambulance to local hospitals, Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper Cal Robertson told the Mississippi newspaper. The University of South Carolina issued a statement after the crash, saying it was working with authorities. USC is working closely with local authorities on the scene to obtain updates on our students and to assist in whatever capacity we can, the university statement said. USC issues statement following bus crash involving one of its fraternities The University of South Carolina issued the following statement Friday night in response to a bus crash in Mississippi that involve members of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. The University of South Carolina was informed tonight of an accident in Mississippi involving a charter bus carrying USC fraternity members and their guests traveling to an event in New Orleans. USC is working closely with local authorities on the scene to obtain updates on our students and to assist in whatever capacity we can. Our thoughts go out to the students involved in the accident and those affected by it. HANCOCK COUNTY, M.S. (WSPA) Multiple University of South Carolina students were hurt in a crash involving their charter bus on Friday. According to the college, a charter bus was carrying fraternity members and their guests to an event in New Orleans when the crash occurred. According to the Mississippi Highway Patrol, officials responded to the crash on Interstate 10 around 3 p.m. Officials said the charter bus was traveling west on I-10 when it collided with a center barrier. South Carolina women stay perfect, surge past N.C. State 78-59 to reach NCAA title game Eleven of the 59 people on board were injured. Nine students were taken to a nearby hospital for their injuries while the driver and another student were airlifted from the scene in critical condition, according to the highway patrol. Officials at USC said the college is working with local authorities to get updates on students and assist them however possible. The University of South Carolina was informed tonight of an accident in Mississippi involving a charter bus carrying USC fraternity members and their guests traveling to an event in New Orleans. USC is working closely with local authorities on the scene to obtain updates on our students and to assist in whatever capacity we can. Our thoughts go out to the students involved in the accident and those affected by it. Statement from USC USC bus crash in Mississippi (Courtesy: Mississippi Highway Patrol) USC bus crash in Mississippi (Courtesy: Mississippi Highway Patrol) USC bus crash in Mississippi (Courtesy: Mississippi Highway Patrol) For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee (VBDC) released a statement denouncing Mayor Bobby Dyers decision to speed up the timeline for the collective bargaining ordinance vote. According to the VBDC, Dyers move to accelerate the timeline disregards the agreed-upon process and effectively sidelines the city councils involvement. In a news release the committee stated, The VBDC expresses its full support for collective bargaining rights, recognizing the invaluable contributions of the citys workers who keep our community thriving. Mayor Dyers decision to rush the public comment to April 9, 2024, and the ordinance vote to April 16, 2024, without prior consultation with the council members, flies in the face of transparency and respect for due process. City council will hold a special session to hear from residents regarding the issue. The session is for both in-person and virtual audiences. The meeting is set for April 9 at 6 p.m. in council chamber, 2401 Courthouse Drive. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. When Michael McClanahan was growing up, his grandmother would tell him stories about what it was like to vote during the pre-civil rights era in their small town in northwest Louisiana. Like a carnival game, white poll workers would ask Black voters to accurately count the number of jelly beans in a jar or pass other tests if they wanted to get their ballot, she told him. There was always intimidation if there was a big election, McClanahan said. She would talk about how the sheriff or the town police officers were there talking into the microphone trying to intimidate people. Those practices were outlawed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but new voting restrictions are being adopted in the South. And the new laws may alter the outcome of the 2024 election by lowering voting among Black Americans, who overwhelmingly choose Democrats. Since 2020, states have tightened who can vote absentee and who can turn in absentee ballots. They've passed or stiffened voter identification laws. And, under pressure from Republicans who falsely claim the 2020 election was stolen through fraud, they're adjusting how they remove voters from the rolls. That could affect which presidential candidate wins the swing states of Georgia and North Carolina, the outcome of key congressional and state legislative races, and which partys candidate wins a seat on the Alabama court that upended fertility medicine. McClanahan, president of the Louisiana state conference of the NAACP, said Jim Crow never left the state. Efforts to undermine voting rights were underway long before former President Donald Trump came into the picture, he said, but the misinformation surrounding the 2020 election provided a fresh opportunity. One things for sure: Theyre relentless, he said of the Republicans who control the Louisiana state government. Theyre going to try until Jesus comes back. And they just need to know were going to fight until Jesus comes back. Southern states target ballot harvesting Texas, Mississippi and Alabama have all passed laws since the 2020 election reining in what they call "harvesting" absentee ballots. The term generally refers to someone collecting absentee ballots for other voters, a practice that is common among voter mobilization efforts. The new laws place restrictions on who can witness a person signing their absentee ballot, how many ballots a single person can witness, and who can return those ballots on behalf of the voters. Civil rights groups argue that this will disenfranchise voters who rely on help from strangers and friends to cast their ballots. Black Voters Matter co-founder Cliff Albright speaks with college students after an instructional session on canvassing techniques in North Charleston, S.C., on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. Louisiana could be next to tighten 'ballot harvesting' laws Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry, a Republican, is asking the Republican-led Legislature to pass several election integrity bills that include ones to further crack down on absentee ballot harvesting and stop people from helping with more than one absentee ballot, except for immediate family members. Louisiana is ranked No. 9 on the conservative Heritage Foundations election integrity scorecard, which awards points for restrictions on absentee ballots and voter identification. Its behind seven other states in the South, including Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama. Landrys office said she was not available for an interview. In a statement in March, she said: Louisiana has some of the most well-run elections in the nation, but there is always room for improvement. This package of bills will further boost our states election integrity policies and procedures. Black voters in Alabama more likely to vote absentee Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, signed a law in March that made it illegal to turn in someone elses absentee ballot, and made it a felony to give or receive payment to collect others absentee ballots. She promised there wouldnt be any funny business in the states elections. Civil rights groups have now sued, arguing that it "criminalizes constitutionally protected speech" and disenfranchises people of color, people who are disabled, senior citizens, incarcerated voters, and others who "depend on assistance to vote." Groups that claim that SB1 is discriminatory either misunderstand this bill or are purposely misrepresenting SB1 to promote their own political narrative, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, also a Republican, said in a statement to USA TODAY, referring to the law by its bill number. SB1 is designed to protect the absentee elections process and show partisan, third-party organizers that Alabama votes are not for sale. Alabama is one of only four states that don't allow in-person early voting. And absentee ballots are more often used by Black voters, data from Allens office shows. In the five counties that saw the highest proportion of absentee voting in 2022, the populations were 70% to 81% Black. Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama NAACP, said absentee ballots are common among Black voters who work regular jobs and cant get to the polls on Election Day. For people with limited mobility who are elderly or living in nursing homes, he said, family members may not be able to return their ballots for them. It's still somewhat unclear what we can and cant do, but right now we are telling our members not to engage in that unless youre of course next of kin to (the voter), he said. NAACP says Texas law is 'meant to intimidate' The local NAACP and the League of Women Voters almost immediately sued over Mississippi's ballot harvesting law, saying limits on who could help people with disabilities fill out their ballots violated the Voting Rights Act. A court blocked the law temporarily, and the case is ongoing. Mississippi also does not offer in-person early voting. That means the only alternative to showing up to a polling place on Nov. 5 is to plan ahead to vote absentee. The states arent making it easier to vote, said Caren Short, director of legal and research for the League of Women Voters. They are not helping voters navigate the voting process, and so that that leaves groups like the League, groups like the NAACP, to help voters navigate the process. And then when we are successful at doing so, the lawmakers pass laws that criminalize the very work that were doing. As part of a sweeping election integrity bill in 2021, Texas created a felony offense for collecting mail-in ballots in exchange for benefits, such as payment or a job offer. Gov. Greg Abbott said upon signing the bill that it ensures trust and confidence in our elections system and most importantly, it makes it easier to vote and harder to cheat. Gary Bledsoe, a lawyer who heads the Texas NAACP, said the law has had a chilling effect on get-out-the-vote efforts. If you say the wrong thing to a voter when you knock on the door, youve committed a crime, a serious crime, he said. Its meant to intimidate people. Democrats perennially target Texas in hopes of flipping it blue, and this year is no exception. Democratic Rep. Colin Allred is seeking to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz, who narrowly won his 2018 race, and could influence local races along the way. Voter ID requirements tightened from Texas to North Carolina Voters in the South are also required to show more identification than in 2020. Some states have stiffened their in-person identification requirements, and others are requiring identification with absentee ballots. A new voter identification law is in place in North Carolina, where Democrats are targeting statehouse races to cut into a Republican supermajority in the state Trump carried by just 1 percentage point in 2020. Former President Barack Obama carried North Carolina and the Biden campaign, seeing it as winnable, is investing heavily in the state. Democrats also hope to flip a newly created congressional seat that includes predominately Black counties in the northeastern part of the state. Arkansas updated its voter identification law in 2021. Before that, when voters could not provide state-issued photo identification, they could sign an affidavit to swear their identity. Now they have to cast a provisional ballot and return by the following Monday with the appropriate ID for the vote to count. MOUNTAIN BROOK, ALABAMA - MARCH 5: A voter enters a polling place to cast their ballot in the state's primary on March 5, 2024 in Mountain Brook, Alabama. 15 States and one U.S. Territory hold their primary elections on Super Tuesday, awarding more delegates than any other day in the presidential nominating calendar. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776052293 ORIG FILE ID: 2054042827 A sweeping election law Georgia passed in 2021 put stricter identification requirements on mail-in ballots. Instead of including their signatures, voters need to provide a driver's license number, a partial Social Security number or a copy of their photo identification. Its one of the states that will decide the 2024 presidential race. Texas 2021 election bill that targeted vote harvesting has a similar provision. Voters must use a driver's license number or similar state ID number, the last four digits of a Social Security number, or provide a statement saying they don't have any of those. Americans tend to support voter ID, but not everyone has one Eighty-one percent of Americans support requiring a government-issued photo ID to vote, according to the Pew Research Center. But people of color are less likely to have the identification they need for voting, such as a driver's license, and voter turnout often goes down after identification laws are passed, according to the Brennan Center, a good-government think tank. Though states with voter ID laws often offer free ID, the NAACP said that when it sued Alabama over its voter ID law those IDs were difficult to get because the offices were hard to access from rural areas without a car, had limited hours, and required people to take an oath under penalty of prosecution. Ive heard this claim a lot that somehow requiring minority voters to get an ID to vote is somehow racist or discriminatory, said Zack Smith, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, which supports voter ID restrictions and free state-issued voter ID. Frankly, I think that claim is somewhat insulting. Its basically implying that minority voters are either unwilling or unable to get an ID. Nebraska's photo ID requirement for voters will go into effect for the first time during the May 14 primary election. Pamela Phoenix, a Democrat who has worked polls in Tyler, Texas, pointed to people who come in and say their purses were snatched shortly before the election. So they dont have a driver's license. They dont even have what it takes to go to the DMV and get a new driver's license. We have individuals whose houses have been totaled in fires so they dont have driver's licenses, passports, proof of utilities, none of that. Rasby Mason, a clergy leader in Shreveport, Louisiana, said its common for Black residents in rural parts of the South to never get driver's licenses. Others were born outside a hospital setting and werent issued proper identification. Some people just arent good with keeping up with those kinds of documents, Mason said. Whose votes count? Battles heading into November Next on the horizon are battles over who gets to vote and whose votes get counted. A law passed in Georgia would embolden citizen activists trying to remove people from the rolls and change how homeless people register to vote. And Louisiana wants to beef up how it cleans its rolls. In Mississippi, a lawsuit filed this year by the state and national Republican parties seeks to overturn a law the Republican-dominated statehouse passed in 2020 allowing absentee votes to be counted up to five days after the election if the ballot is postmarked by Election Day. The lawsuit says votes counted after the deadline are invalid and that it harms Republicans because Democrats are more likely to vote absentee. And in Louisiana, Secretary of State Nancy Landry is backing a proposal that would require the secretary of state, starting in 2025, to conduct an annual canvass of voters and identify people to place on an inactive voter list if they have not voted, made changes to their registration, or participated in a nursing home program in the past 10 years. Joel Watson, spokesperson for Landry, called the bill "merely another tool to ensure that Louisianas voter rolls remain accurate, a key to maintaining safe and secure elections." McClanahan, from the states NAACP, said one vote can make a difference, and if enough people voted, they would be able to elect governors who safeguard their right to vote. We have to, at some point in time, use the same process that is being used to kick us out of voting to make a strong push to make sure that everyone has the unfettered right to vote." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New voting restrictions in the South could sway 2024 races A metro Atlanta detention officer has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting an inmate, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The GBI arrested 39-year-old Owen Thomas of Lithonia on Monday after he was accused of sexually assaulting an inmate at Walton County Jail. The Walton County Sheriffs Office received allegations of Thomas sexually assaulting an inmate and then requested the GBIs assistance. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Thomas was taken to Barrow County jail. Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Athens, GA at 706-552-2309. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online here or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Friends and family held a candlelight vigil Friday night for a Vancouver, Washington woman who has been missing for more than a week. The Vancouver Police Department said 61-year-old Cristina Ase left her home near Southeast 123rd Avenue and Southeast 5th Street on the morning of March 26 but never showed up for work. Authorities have labeled Ases disappearance as suspicious. Mayor Wheelers proposed camping ban draws mixed reactions from homeless advocates KOIN 6 News heard from those closest to her during a vigil that was held in West Linn, Oregon, at the Rose Linn Care Center, where Ase worked. Ase was headed to the care center, where she was the nursing director, at the time she vanished last month. Since then, coworkers said theyve put up hundreds of flyers, started Facebook groups and even searched the rivers to try and bring her home. With no answers in sight, many are now deeply concerned, hoping someone will come forward. Home and work, life hasnt been the same without her, said Nathan Priest, one of Ases coworkers. WashCo to sell affordable housing, forcing up to 60 families out of homes Coming together under candlelight, the community is hoping to see Ase again while they honor their colleague who disappeared mysteriously. We want her home, we want her back, said Brady Waldroff, the executive director of Rose Linn Care Center. A vigil is held in West Linn for a missing woman from Vancouver. April 5, 2024 (KOIN). A crowd of more than 50 friends and coworkers gathered at the care center, a testament to the lives Ase has touched while working there for the past 15 years. This all comes 10 days after she texted friends saying shed be late, only to never show up. She was the heart and soul here, and she is missed and we just want answers and we want her back, Waldroff said. Wolverine spotted in Eugene suspected to be same one seen on Oregon Coast After she vanished, Ases car was discovered about a mile away from her Vancouver home. Despite this, answers about her whereabouts remain out of reach, which her boss and coworkers describe as the most agonizing part of it all. The sheer confusion and dumbfoundedness of what happened and why, as Waldroff put it. Authorities said Ase drives a 2013 dark grey Toyota RAV4 with Washington plate AQT1726. The Vancouver Police Department has identified three locations where she mightve been seen. To help with the investigation, they want the public to provide any video footage of Ase or her car within a quarter-mile radius of the locations between March 25 at 4 p.m. and March 27 at 5 p.m: 501 SE 123rd Ave, Vancouver WA Glenwood Park 8800 block of SE Claybourne Street, Portland OR Flavel Street & SE 92nd Ave, Portland OR In the meantime, friends of Ase said they wont stop searching until shes home. As dozens of people gathered in the rain, it was clear how deeply they loved and missed her. Former Portland firefighter sentenced to more than 7 years in prison for kidnapping Ases family, who mostly live in Argentina, were not able to attend the vigil, her boss explained. Likewise, Ases husband is focused on the investigation, with law enforcement saying hes been cooperative. KOIN 6 News reached out to law enforcement for an update on the case but received no comment. We will update this story as soon as more information develops. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. WashCo to sell affordable housing, forcing up to 60 families out of homes PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Nearly 60 families will be forced out of their homes when Washington County sells the affordable housing it owns in the area. According to county officials like Policy and Planning Manager Melissa Sonsalla, the cost of ownership and maintenance for the single-family houses is too expensive, and selling them would be best for the community. Parent accused of pulling gun during teen fight at Vancouver Mall We receive federal funding for the upkeep of these homes, but nationally, this particular portion of funding has fallen behind for decades, Sonsalla said. However, it could be two to three years before they choose to sell. Fifty-eight families are currently in these homes some of whom have lived in them for years. When the county sells the properties, family ties to schools, communities and jobs could be interrupted. The Department of Housing Services plans to offer rent assistance vouchers could help these families stay in their neighborhood. Rent assistance works. The family pays a portion of their rent based on their income, and then the housing authority pays the remainder of that, Policy and Planning manager Melissa Sonsalla said. Man gruesomely displayed dead animals on his property, neighbors say To lessen the blow, the county is also providing a relocation company and moving cost assistance. That can cover moving expenses, security, deposit first and last months rent utility hookup application fee. All of that, Sonsalla said. In fact, the county encourages the families to buy the homes for themselves. Because were responsible for federal taxpayer money, we do have to sell these homes at some comparable fair market value, but were trying to figure out if we can offer the homes at a discount, Sonsalla said. Portland Ombudsman received 610 complaints against city in 2023 According to an estimate from 2021, the county could receive roughly $21 million by selling these homes, but that number could be much higher in 2024. This income will go directly back into the community, either to continue to improve the properties that we own or to build new affordable housing in the future, Sonsalla said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. Spooky - Photo: Mario Tama / Staff (Getty Images) Pennsylvania State Senator Doug Mastriano made headlines recently when he floated legislation that would ban chemtrails, which arent real and only exist in the minds of unhinged conspiracy theorists. His bill wasnt entirely original, though, as it was modeled after a similar bill that recently passed the state senate in Tennessee. As Substacks Radical Reports reports, these are far from the only chemtrail bills being introduced around the country, and wouldnt you know it, the sponsors are all Republicans. - Collin Woodard Read More Screenshot: TED on YouTube Space X CEO and certified brain genius Elon Musk has claimed in the past that he aims to load a million people into space ships and launch them at Mars before 2050. The space company run by the second-richest man in the world says that colonizing Mars is necessary for the long-term survival of the human species. Musk claimed that a crewed mission to Mars will happen in just five years time. Considering that Earth and Mars are only aligned for thirty days every 26 months, all of this is pure pipe dream, and it detracts from solvable problems right here on the planet where we already live. - Bradley Brownell Read More Imagine being stuck here, what a disaster. - Photo: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket (Getty Images) Nine passengers from a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship found out the hard way just what happens when you miss the departure time for your ship, after they were abandoned by the rest of their cruise. The group of stricken cruisers is now attempting to be reunited with the ship in a trans-African adventure. - Owen Bellwood Read More Screenshot: Last Week Tonight Doordash, Grubhub, Uber Eats, and a dozen others are abject failures of the Silicon Valley venture capital-funded wasteland of gig economy apps. These apps make it easier to get cold and disappointing food delivered right to your house at ridiculous expense. The companies themselves are having a hard time figuring out a profitability model, despite leeching almost all of the profit from notoriously unprofitable local restaurants, and paying the delivery people practically nothing. This isnt really working out for anyone. - Bradley Brownell Read More Photo: Oakland Police Department If youve ever wondered what would happen if you mixed pirates with the Wet Bandits from Home Alone, we now have your answer. Police arrested three alleged seafaring burglars last week accused of robbing residents and businesses in the San Francisco Bay. - Andy Kalmowitz Read More Photo: Joe Raedle (Getty Images) It seems like a few Republican lawmakers want gold slab-serif lettering to welcome Americans flying into the nations capital. A bill introduced in the House of Representatives aims to rename Washington Dulles International Airport after former President Donald Trump. The change isnt likely to become a reality as the Democrats control the Senate and the White House. Still, it shows where legislators priorities lie as commercial aviation is in a tailspin with shoddily-built airliners and overstretched air traffic controllers. - Ryan Erik King Read More Photo: David Ryder (Getty Images) Freight railroads are using something called Precession Scheduling to run longer trains with fewer crewmembers in order to maximize profits. To hopefully curb potential accidents, the Biden Administration mandated Tuesday a bare minimumthat at least two people be aboard sometimes miles-long freight trains. Some trains, however, will get a pass even on this bare bones basic safety requirement. - Ryan Erik King Read More Damages paid by the company that owns Dali could be capped at $43 million. - Photo: Jim WATSON / AFP (Getty Images) A massive container ship crashed into Baltimores Francis Scott Key Bridge a week ago, destroying the bridge and killing six people. As the cleanup operation begins, attention is turning to who will pay to fix the destruction caused by the container ship. Now, the company that owns the vessel is preparing to invoke an ancient maritime law to try and limit the damages its ordered to pay. - Owen Bellwood Read More A man on the ground in California captured a once-in-a-lifetime video when he snagged a shot of a lightning bolt striking a plane in mid-air this week. A rare thunderstorm over San Jose provided the excitement. - Andy Kalmowitz Read More Image: Columbia Pictures Last Action Hero is unironically one of my favorite films of the 1990s. It was a critical and commercial disappointment, but the thirty years of distance since its release have helped paint it with a sheen of nostalgia. Its a sharp and interesting extra meta send up of the kinds of action films star Arnold Schwarzenegger helped popularize, featuring healthy satire and fourth-wall breaking. Its stupid, but its fun. And stupid fun is exactly what Columbia Pictures was aiming for when it bought $500,000 worth of advertising space on the side of a NASA Conestoga rocket. The first ad of its kind, developed by Space Marketing, Inc., an organization set up to help fund the costs of NASA missions. - Bradley Brownell Read More For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Western Alaska tribes, outraged by bycatch, turn up the heat on fishery managers and trawlers Members of the North Pacific Fishery Management Councils advisory panel listen to testimony from a tribal leader in Anchorage this week. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz/Northern Journal) Members of the North Pacific Fishery Management Councils advisory panel listen to testimony from a tribal leader in Anchorage this week. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz/Northern Journal) Its been three years since a crash in king salmon populations forced an outright ban on fishing for them in the Yukon River. And barring an unexpected recovery, residents along the river wont be allowed to fish for them again for at least seven more years, under a new international management scheme recently signed by Alaska and Canadian managers. Earlier this spring, Maurice McGinty, a tribal leader from the village of Nulato, pulled out his last mason jar of smoked Yukon king. We have no more now, said McGinty, 80. He added: They are pushing us, and our traditional way of life, into a hole. Imagine hearing and reading versions of McGintys story dozens of times, told by Indigenous people who live along the Yukon and another iconic subsistence river in Southwest Alaska, the Kuskokwim. Maurice McGinty speaks at a public meeting in Anchorage earlier this week. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz/Northern Journal) Maurice McGinty speaks at a public meeting in Anchorage earlier this week. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz/Northern Journal) Thats the reality this week for the policymakers on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the federal commission that regulates commercial fishing in the American waters of the Bering Sea. Over the next few days, the council faces the latest in a series of painful choices. On one side are tribal leaders from the Yukon and Kuskokwim, who offer gut-wrenching testimony to the council on the cultural losses inflicted on them by the absence of salmon from empty summer fish camps to barren cupboards that have to be filled with expensive groceries shipped in from the road system. They have pleaded for a crackdown on the largely Seattle-based trawl fleet, whose boats drag wide-mouthed nets through the water that target another species called pollock, but can also accidentally swallow thousands of salmon whats known as bycatch. On the other side are representatives for the trawlers, who generally support tighter bycatch management but say some of the measures favored by tribes could cost them hundreds of millions of dollars while giving only a tiny boost to the number of salmon returning to Western Alaska rivers. Trawlers monetary losses would also land directly on some Yukon and Kuskokwim Native communities, which, through federal catch-share and nonprofit programs, benefit from profits from the pollock harvest. This complicated fight has been playing out for more than a decade, first in response to declines in king salmon and more recently as chum salmon, a second species, also crashed. But as this weeks council meeting begins, the debate has taken on increasing urgency for participants, as subsistence harvesting bans persist and the responses under consideration by the council threaten to impose steep costs on industry, according to a federal analysis. Were really concerned about an action that would have a severe economic impact, said Glenn Merrill, director of government affairs at a trawl company called Glacier Fish. Changing landscape The trawl industry has fished in the Bering Sea for decades, and it currently harvests more than 2 billion pounds of pollock each year a $1.5 billion wholesale value. The fish are shipped across the U.S. and around the world, and processed into products like fish sticks, McDonalds Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and surimi, the paste used to make fake crab. Salmon bycatch makes up a minuscule fraction of trawlers harvest a single king for every 700,000 pounds of pollock, in the case of one vessel. But the huge scale of the pollock harvest means that the bycatch numbers still add up to tens of thousands of kings, and hundreds of thousands of chum. Alaska pollock (National Marine Fisheries Service photo) Alaska pollock (National Marine Fisheries Service photo) The trawl industry is contending with an increasingly organized anti-bycatch movement fueled by social media and led by the tribes. In recent years, tribal leaders have gained allies and a bigger voice at the fishery council, which oversees the pollock harvest. In 2022, Alaska voters elected Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, who campaigned on an anti-bycatch platform. There are now three Indigenous members on a separate panel that advises council members, and last month, Washington Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee nominated a tribal ally, Becca Robbins-Gisclair, to fill a council seat that was previously held by a trawl company representative. Theres a huge recognition that wasnt there before of the importance of what the tribes bring to the process, said Linda Behnken, a longtime participant at council meetings and executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermens Association. The pollock fleet is also making new efforts to get its side of the story out. The traditionally press-averse industry has, in recent weeks, hired a strategic communications firm, and its debuted social media accounts touting its contributions to Alaskas economy and skippers efforts to avoid salmon bycatch. The social media and communications landscape have changed a lot, said Merrill. And I think a lot of folks are appreciating that change and trying to do a better job of engaging with it. Tough nut to crack The council has been regulating Bering Sea salmon bycatch since the mid-1990s, according to a recent federal analysis, with more aggressive management starting in 2011, when the council imposed a strict limit on the bycatch of kings. The pollock fishery would be closed if a certain number of kings were caught. While Western Alaska king populations had been declining over that time, regulation of chum bycatch has been less strict, without a hard cap. Instead, the pollock industry manages chum avoidance through voluntary legal contracts agreed to by fishing companies and approved by federal regulators. Those contracts call for data sharing, rolling closures of areas where theres high bycatch and special area limits on boats that catch salmon at higher rates. The council began revisiting that system after dramatic declines in Western Alaska chum returns began in 2020. The crash forced river system managers separate from the federal council to impose bans and limits on chum harvests in Yukon and Kuskokwim villages where salmon are an essential subsistence food, and where fishing for kings had already been tightly restricted. At this weeks council meeting, members are reviewing multiple chum bycatch management options, ranging from no action to strict yearly caps to adding new provisions to the pollock fleets voluntary legal contracts. A final decision wont come until a later meeting, but the council could refine or adjust the different options under consideration. Tribal leaders are pushing for a hard cap on chum bycatch, like the one that already exists for king salmon. But they also say that the council should examine a lower annual limit than 200,000, which is the most aggressive chum bycatch cap currently under consideration. Tribal leaders from Interior Alaska villages including Nulato, Anvik and Nenana listen to this weeks meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz/Northern Journal) Tribal leaders from Interior Alaska villages including Nulato, Anvik and Nenana listen to this weeks meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz/Northern Journal) That request, to study a lower limit, has also been endorsed by the Biden administration, which sent a letter to the council saying that a limit lower than 200,000 is likely achievable and that a failure to study it could risk the courts rejecting the councils final decision. The pollock industry has been catching some 315,000 chums a year over the past decade though in 2023, amid increasing scrutiny of their management measures, that number fell to 112,000. The salmon crisis is decades in the making, and a lower (chum) limit for a sustained period of time is necessary to be effective, Karma Ulvi, the chair of a Yukon River tribal fishery commission, wrote in her formal comment letter to the council. Trawl representatives say that their voluntary legal contracts have helped reduce both king and chum salmon bycatch, and that theyre more adaptable and effective than the options pushed by tribal leaders. They describe hard caps as blunt tools that are unlikely to achieve what the tribes are pushing for: more salmon returning to Western Alaska rivers. Thats because genetic analysis shows that a little more than half the chums swallowed by trawl nets arent actually Western Alaska salmon theyre salmon that came from Russian and Asian hatcheries, which have sharply increased their releases in recent years. Western Alaska fish, on average, make up just 19% of trawlers chum bycatch. And industry officials say that a cap that doesnt distinguish between those areas of origin could actually push their boats into areas where theyre catching Yukon and Kuskokwim fish at higher rates, even if the total number of chum is lower. Six out of 10 fish that we catch arePutin fish, Brent Paine, a trawl industry official, told the councils advisory panel this week. How do we deal with trying to minimize Western Alaska chum when, primarily, the species thats out there is from foreign hatchery production? Thats a real tough nut to crack. Crew members shovel pollock aboard a Bering Sea trawler during a 2019 fishing trip. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz/Alaska Public Media) Crew members shovel pollock aboard a Bering Sea trawler during a 2019 fishing trip. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz/Alaska Public Media) Trawlers also point to research that says warming ocean waters are the primary drivers of chum declines, and say that the council should carefully balance potential economic harm from fishing restrictions against what they describe as a limited boost to Yukon and Kuskokwim salmon returns from reducing bycatch. The councils analysts say that so far, they lack the data to offer confident estimates of exactly how much bycatch reductions would translate into increased returns to those river systems. But a trawl industry trade group ran its own analysis that says on average, the pollock fleets bycatch rate represents no more than 1.2% of the chum that are counted returning to spawn in Western Alaska rivers, including the Yukon and Kuskokwim. The tradeoffs here are huge, if you get the wrong preferred alternative going through the council, Paine said. The tribes have a ready response to arguments that the effects of bycatch on spawning numbers are small: Every salmon counts, particularly when the tribes face full fishery closures along the rivers. Theyre talking moratorium, seven years, Yukon River. Well, what about the high seas? McGinty, the tribal leader from Nulato, asked at a public meeting Wednesday hosted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. What kind of punishment are they getting for making all the money and starving us? Pitted against each other The conflict playing out over chum bycatch, however, is not black and white, with tribal subsistence fishermen on one side and pollock industry executives on the other. Alaska Natives are on both sides of the issue, through a program known as the Community Development Quota, or CDQ. That system, launched by the council and approved by Congress in the 1990s, set aside a share of the Bering Seas lucrative fishing quotas, including pollock, to newly formed nonprofits charged with benefiting coastal Alaska Native communities. Those six nonprofits have grown into economic and political forces, collectively earning, on average, $150 million in yearly wholesale pollock revenue with profits reinvested in rural jobs and internships, loan programs and scholarships. CDQ executives warn that harsher restrictions on trawlers could affect those kinds of benefit programs. We want to make sure that were taking the right action, and that its not going to harm the communities that rely on us, said Merrill, whose employer, Glacier Fish, is controlled by a Nome-based CDQ nonprofit. But the tribal leaders pushing for reduced bycatch see things differently. Only communities within 50 miles of the Bering Sea coast are eligible to participate in the CDQ programs, which means that residents farther up the Yukon and Kuskokwim see none of their benefits. Its hard to fight against your own people, said Rob Sanderson Jr., a tribal leader from Southeast Alaska and veteran of the council process. Were pitted against each other. Tribal advocates describe the inherent tension sparked by the CDQ program as one of an array of obstacles they face in navigating the government systems for managing Alaska fish and game including at the council level. Council meetings stretch for days and are typically held in cities or hub communities like Anchorage, Seattle or Sitka, forcing rural tribal leaders to either tune in remotely or take multiple flights to participate in person. Craig Chythlook, a Yupik fisherman and advocate from Bristol Bay whos helping organize tribal testimony this week, said he spent days going through the councils new 373-page, jargon-packed draft analysis of the details and impacts of the different chum bycatch management measures. A separate social impact analysis was another 200 pages. Craig Chythlook listens to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council this week. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz/Northern Journal) Craig Chythlook listens to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council this week. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz/Northern Journal) Theres so much emphasis on modeling and process, looking at single species, and very rigid self-appointed objectivity where the only way to make a lot of this modeling work is through subjectivity, Chythlook said. Its gaslighting our own Indigenous brilliance. But in their testimony this week, most tribal leaders are dispensing with the technical details to demand action and deliver deeply personal messages about loss. And its resonating with decisionmakers, even if some are skeptical that reducing chum bycatch will meaningfully boost Yukon and Kuskokwim salmon returns. We know people are suffering because of poor salmon returns, said Andy Mezirow, one of the state of Alaskas representatives to the council. The struggle has been to measure loss of economic value against culture. Nathaniel Herz welcomes tips at natherz@gmail.com or (907) 793-0312. This article was originally published in Northern Journal, a newsletter from Herz. Subscribe at this link. The post Western Alaska tribes, outraged by bycatch, turn up the heat on fishery managers and trawlers appeared first on Alaska Beacon. These Whatcom County government jobs are hiring now, paying up to $121k with benefits As the cost of housing, transportation, healthcare, groceries, utilities and other necessities remain high, The Bellingham Herald did the work to search for jobs that pay well and offer benefits. These Washington state government jobs pay up to $121,000 a year and are currently hiring: On-call cook at Bellingham Re-entry Center Salary: $19.17 - $25.52 per hour Location: Whatcom County Job description: converting recipes based on the number of people being served, check food before and after preparation, follow safety practices, maintain high standards of personal hygiene, take inventory and prepare meals. Job requirements: A valid food handler permit and two years of commercial cooking experience or one year of experience as a cook for the state. Migrant Education Identification and Recruitment Salary: $65,748 - $88,416 per year Location: Remote Job description: identify and recruit eligible children in Washington state, provide technical assistance and training to other recruiters and work on student recruitment activities. Job requirements: A Bachelors degree in a related field and 3 years of experience, or 7 years of experience. Deputy Regional Administrator Salary: $118,000 - $121,652 per year Location: Multiple locations from Whatcom to King County Job description: The deputy regional administration of the Aging and Long-Term Support Administration will guide Medicaid eligibility, oversee a staff, conduct personal interviews and budget planning and collaborate with Tribal Nations. Job requirements: A Bachelors degree in business or a related field and 10 years of management experience. Forest Stewardship Specialist Salary: $54,400 - $73,000 a year Location: Whatcom County Conservation District Job description: Work with local landowners, organizations and Puget Sound Conservation Districts to implement a new Forest Stewardship Program, educate landowners on forest stewardship and coordinate program activities and outreach. Job requirements: A Bachelors degree in a related field of study or a technical degree and experience with a valid drivers license. Community Wildfire Resilience Specialist Salary: $54,400 - $73,000 per year Location: Whatcom Conservation District Job description: Manage projects and contracts, work with land owners and land managers to address and withhold Whatcom County natural resource management priorities and provide information to media on wildlife risk and preparedness. Job requirements: A Bachelors degree in a related field of study or a technical degree and experience with a valid drivers license. Psychiatrists speak in the most dramatic terms when describing the explosion in demand for mental health services among young people. It is horrendous and incredible, says Dr Lade Smith. Depression, anxiety and eating disorders have all seen a massive increase, she says. It has gone up enormously, particularly over the past three or four years since the pandemic. Britain as a whole is in the grip of a mental health crisis that has reached such a scale that it is now having an economic impact. Ministers have made tackling the problem and helping people back to work a priority. Yet the worrying prevalence of mental health issues among young people suggests the problem is deep-seated and could leave long-lasting economic scars. If you dont treat the child, that child does not complete their GCSEs. If they dont finish school, they dont go to university, says Smith. If they dont go to university, they are less likely to get a job that pays the kind of wages that puts loads of money into the tax coffers. Experts such as Smith believe more support is needed in schools to tackle the problem before children drop out of education. The pandemic has fuelled the child mental health crisis but the problem did not start there. For the past 10 or 15 years, we have had an increase in the percentage of people requiring mental health support, says Smith, who focuses on treating young adults. The reasons are complicated and manifold, she says, but include the long economic impact of the financial crisis, which put families under strain, as well as the crippling effects of the pandemic and lockdown, which increased loneliness and isolation. She also cites expensive and insecure housing as a factor, as well as the potential for social media to feed users a cycle of negative posts. Treating so many people is tough and there are not enough doctors to meet the need. Almost one-fifth of consultant posts are vacant in the specialism, says Smith, who is also president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. NHS numbers tell a similar story. Last year 1.2 million people were on the waiting list for community mental health services. More than a quarter of a million children and young people referred to mental health services in 2022-23 were still waiting for support at the end of that period, the Childrens Commissioner for England has found. This is not merely a crisis for the individual patients or for the health service as a whole. Poor mental health is now so widespread that it is becoming a drag on the economy. The number of young people not working due to poor health has doubled in the last decade. People in their early 20s are now more likely than those in their early 40s to be out of work due to poor health. That is really quite striking, says Louise Murphy, economist at the Resolution Foundation. It is very different to what we saw 25 years ago, when there was a very straightforward trend that the older you got, the more likely you were to have poor health and therefore the more likely you were to be out of work. Worsening mental health is a key factor behind this trend. Missing out on the early stages of a career can have lifelong effects on earning power, known to economists as scarring. In effect, people never catch up after missing out on these crucial early opportunities. Policymakers are worried and searching for solutions. However, at the moment it looks as if the situation is only likely to get worse. A growing number of school children are suffering with mental health conditions, meaning that unless something changes dramatically a new generation of youngsters are likely to struggle when they leave education and if they are well enough seek work. More than one in five pupils aged between eight and 16 are believed to have a probable mental health disorder, according to NHS surveys. That is up from one in eight before the pandemic. On top of that an additional 12pc are deemed to have a possible disorder. The figure rises to nearly a quarter among older teenagers, aged from 17 to 19. In this group, almost one in three young women are thought to have a probable disorder. Half of mental illnesses start before the age of 14, says Smith, with 75pc beginning by the age of 24. Early treatment can cure around one-quarter of cases completely. Waiting risks leaving sufferers with chronic conditions and relapses. Tackling this mental health crisis and the associated worklessness that goes with it has become a priority for the Government. Employers are desperately short of staff there were more than 900,000 open vacancies at the start of the year, according to the Office for National Statistics. Doing more to hire and keep those with mental health conditions in work would be good for the workers and good for the companies. Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, last month unveiled plans to make 150,000 people signed off with mild mental health conditions look for work. As a culture, we seem to have forgotten that work is good for mental health, he said, in remarks which attracted some criticism. While Im grateful for todays much more open approach to mental health, there is a danger that this has gone too far. There is a real risk now that we are labelling the normal ups and downs of human life as medical conditions which then actually serve to hold people back and, ultimately, drive up the benefit bill. The Government has announced multiple schemes aimed at helping people suffering from mental health conditions into work. Tony Wilson, director of the Institute for Employment Studies, says some initiatives, such as the Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care Initiative, have yielded good results. The scheme sends employment advisers to help patients in hospital with job applications alongside their normal treatment, with the aim of breaking the cycle of poor mental health and worklessness. The integration of employment advice with mental health talking therapies and mental health support is really important, says Wilson. It is achieving really significant impacts, and those impacts bring real benefits to individuals and the Exchequer, as the alternative would usually be people staying off work for a very long time. The scheme requires both the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Health to work together. Smith believes collaboration such as this is key to tackling the mental health crisis among young people. The NHS must work with the education system to help identify and treat problems early. More specialist support in schools is key, says Smith. Assessing pupils in situ allows short, sharp treatment [so they can] get better and get back on with their lives. Murphys research found four in five 18 to 24-year-olds who are out of work because of ill health have no qualification beyond GCSEs. The situation can become self-reinforcing. No work means no extra experience or on-the-job training, making it harder to get on the career ladder. No work breeds isolation and can be bad for mental health. Work is good for your health, Smith says, as long as it is meaningful, useful, you know what your role is, and you can be productive. Financially, it also helps fund a better lifestyle that can improve your health: paying for gym membership, say, or relaxing holidays. Smith says: If you want UK Plc to be successful, you have to have children who become adolescents who become functioning adults. A government spokesman said its 2.5bn Back to Work Plan was helping people with mental health conditions break down barriers to work and put an additional 384,000 people through NHS Talking Therapies. They added that the Government was continuing to roll out mental health support teams in schools and colleges, investing 8m in 24 early support hubs and expanding talking therapies services. 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. DENVER (KDVR) In downtown Denver, you may notice signs reading River North Art District or Lower Downtown Historic District. Those areas are commonly referred to by locals as RiNo and LoDo, but they are within the Five Points and Union Station neighborhoods of Denver. Why are streets in downtown Denver crooked? History can explain The city has a map showing the boundaries of Denvers different neighborhoods. Have you ever wondered why areas such as RiNo and LoDo arent listed as neighborhoods? FOX31 asked the Community Planning and Development Department why that is. Turns out, its not that they arent considered official neighborhoods, as Denver doesnt have an official process for designating neighborhoods. Its more that they are considered official districts, and they happen to be within those neighborhoods. There is no right or wrong as far as how people refer to the areas where they live, work or spend time in, Alexandra Foster, a spokesperson for the department, told FOX31 in an email. How a community identifies itself can and does evolve over time. Many of those names are not officially recognized and, therefore, arent officially changed. An example of this is how what the city calls North Capitol Hill is often referred to by residents as Uptown. Five Points neighborhood (KDVR) Lower Downtown Denver sign This is why Market Street turns into Walnut Street in downtown Denver What is the point of the neighborhood boundaries? Foster said the reason for the neighborhood designations has to do with data and record purposes. The neighborhood map shows what are called statistical areas or statistical neighborhoods. The map is a reference point. City agencies and their staff use it for data, research and records purposes, Foster said. For example, if an agency is doing work involving how the population has changed in an area, they can use the boundaries on the map to make sure they are comparing apples to apples. When the Community Planning and Development presents rezoning to the City Council, Foster said officials always reference the statistical neighborhood where the rezoning will take place by using the names and boundaries on the map so there is no confusion. What are the most expensive neighborhoods in Denver? On the other hand, the reason for the official designation of cultural historical districts has to do with taxation purposes. Sometimes, the city designates a specific area to apply regulations or for taxation purposes, such as historic districts, art districts or business improvement districts. These have names, but those names dont change the name of the statistical area, Foster said. Lower Downtown, for example, is a historic district, and even though it is commonly known as LoDo, the name of the statistical neighborhood it is in remains Union Station. Why arent neighborhood names changed? An area can be referred to by many names. Another example is the Hale statistical area, which is more commonly referred to as Mayfair. Foster said all of the areas date back to the 1970s and are based on census tracts, and the names dont necessarily reflect a neighborhoods current identity. Another example of a neighborhood reference that didnt exist decades ago is Ballpark. The name is now in common parlance because of the designation of the Ballpark Historic District. Foster explained that the emergence of these districts doesnt affect the names or boundaries of the statistical neighborhoods they are in. The name of the statistical area on our map doesnt have to reflect how a community refers to its neighborhood, Foster said. Mount Evans officially renamed Mount Blue Sky There is a single exception, however. The name of the Central Park neighborhood was changed from Stapleton in 2020 after a push by members of the community. This name was changed on the citys neighborhood map in 2020, in the wake of racial justice protests locally and around the country, Foster said. The Stapleton name refers to Benjamin F. Stapleton, who was once the mayor of Denver and was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Neighborhood residents voted to change the name to Central Park, and the mayor and council person representing the neighborhood at the time agreed to have the city follow the communitys lead, so the name was changed on the map. Thats the only time that has happened in recent memory since, as I said, there is no formal process to name neighborhoods, Foster said. Black History Month: Denver firefighters recreate historic Five Points Fire Station No. 3 Similarly, although rare, district names can change following the same process as the initial district designation. This happened for the Five Points Historic Cultural District, which was originally named the Welton Street Historic Cultural District. The name was changed through an official update to the designation by the Landmark Preservation Commission and City Council in response to the community calling for a name to better reflect the historic and cultural identity of the area. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. SEQUOIA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) A wildfire is burning northeast of Sequoia National Forest in a region of Inyo County, according to state officials. Prescribed burn starts near Sequoia National Forest campground Cal Fire reports that the Cartago Fire has burned 101 acres as of Friday morning. The fire was first reported on Wednesday around 11:30 p.m. The fire is close to the Naval Air Warfare Center China Lake military installation and next to Owens Lake. According to Cal Fire, resources on the ground continue to strengthen control lines and damage inspection is ongoing. However, high winds and limited access to the burn sites are impacting efforts to control the flames. The cause of the fire remains under investigation and officials say it is at 50% containment. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47. BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) A Williamsville man has pleaded guilty to grand larceny after allegedly stealing over $12,000 worth of products from two retailers last year, according to the Erie County District Attorneys Office. Between June 9 and June 20, 2023, 60-year-old David J. Miller stole merchandise on four separate days from two different stores. None of the property from the first three days was recovered, resulting in a $12,916 loss to the retailer. The property from the fourth day was recovered and returned. Miller pleaded guilty to the following: one count, third-degree grand larceny two counts, fourth-degree grand larceny one county, petit larceny As a second felony offender, Miller faces a maximum of 7 years in prison and his legal right to enter the retailers stores has been rescinded. Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo. GUANGZHOU, China (AP) U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Saturday that upcoming U.S.-China talks will tackle a top Biden administration complaint that Beijing's economic model and trade practices put American companies and workers at an unfair competitive disadvantage. I think the Chinese realize how concerned we are about the implications of their industrial strategy for the United States, for the potential to flood our markets with exports that make it difficult for American firms to compete, Yellen told reporters after the announcement during her trip to China. Its not going to be solved in an afternoon or a month, but I think they have heard that this is an important issue to us, she said. The two sides will hold intensive exchanges on more balanced economic growth, according to a U.S. statement issued after Yellen and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng held extended meetings over two days in the southern city of Guangzhou. They also agreed to start exchanges on combating money laundering. It was not immediately clear when and where the talks would take place. Yellen, who arrived later in Beijing after starting her five-day visit in one of China's major industrial and export hubs, said the talks would create a structure to hear each other's views and try to address American concerns about manufacturing overcapacity in China. China's official Xinhua News Agency said the two sides had agreed to discuss a range of issues including balanced growth of the United States, China and the global economy as well as financial stability, sustainable finance and cooperation in countering money laundering. Xinhua said China had responded fully on the issue of production capacity, but the report did not provide details. China also expressed grave concern over American trade and economic measures that restrict China, according to the agency. Chinese 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. Its going to be critical to our bilateral relationship going forward and to Chinas relationship with other countries that are important, and this provides a structured way in which we can continue to listen to one another and see if we can find a way forward that will avoid conflict," Yellen told reporters. Story continues The exchanges on balanced growth and money laundering will be held under the framework of existing economic and financial working groups that were set up after Yellen met He in July. Yellen struck a positive note on joint efforts to address U.S. concerns about Chinese companies selling goods to Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. We think theres more to do, but I do see it as an area where weve agreed to cooperate and weve already seen some meaningful progress, she said. Earlier state media coverage of her trip had characterized U.S. concerns about overcapacity as a possible pretext for tariffs. In a commentary published Friday night, Xinhua wrote that while Yellens trip is a good sign that the worlds two largest economies are maintaining communication, 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." Yellen told reporters during an Alaska refueling stop en route to China that the U.S. wont rule out tariffs to respond to Chinas heavily subsidized manufacturing of green energy products. The U.S. has made efforts through legislation and executive orders to wean itself off certain Chinese technologies in order to build out its domestic manufacturing capabilities. Many members of the White House and Congress view the actions as important to maintaining national security. The $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act passed in 2022 aims to boost the semiconductor industry and scientific research in a bid to create more high-tech jobs in the United States and help it better compete with China. Additionally, last August, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order to block and regulate high-tech U.S.-based investments going toward China. Yellen will hold meetings in Beijing with more senior officials and economists on Sunday and Monday. ___ Moritsugu reported from Beijing. The world holds its breath when there's an earthquake in Taiwan. This company is why A rescue worker stands near the cordoned-off site of a leaning building in the aftermath of an earthquake on Wednesday in Hualien, Taiwan. The strongest earthquake in a quarter century rocked the island during the morning rush hour Wednesday, damaging buildings and highways. (Johnson Lai / Associated Press) A magnitude 7.4 earthquake shook Taiwan Wednesday, killing nine people, injuring thousands more and causing landslides and infrastructure damage across the island. Its not surprising that there was an eruption of concern from around the world, given the quake was Taiwans worst in a quarter century. But I cant remember anyone mentioning the last one, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake in 1999 that killed more than 2,000 people and cleaved the pavement outside of my uncles 7-Eleven store in Taichung. Taiwan had such a low profile then that when I told people my family is from Taiwan, most just assumed I was mispronouncing Thailand. Whats different now? It has a lot to do with the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which produces more than a third of the worlds computational power every year, according to the book Chip Wars: The Fight for the Worlds Most Critical Technology. Read more: Strongest earthquake in 25 years rocks Taiwan, killing 9 people and stranding workers TSMC is the most advanced, efficient producer of what are arguably the worlds most valuable resource: computer chips. Every product, service or good that uses computers or the internet relies on chip production, and that includes the worlds militaries. Even a small interruption in the Taiwanese company's operations could cause economic and geopolitical shocks across the world. The world now holds its breath if Taiwan trends on social media. Politicians from both the right and left are scheduling official visits to Taiwan to show their support for democracy, most recently a congressional delegation led by Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) in February. Journalists from all over the world closely followed Taiwans presidential election, calling it an event that could reshape global politics. National security analysts are drawing up battle scenarios for a possible war between the U.S. and China over Taiwan, counting up the ships, missiles and bombs on either side. And with the U.S. presidential election season heating up, it will become important for us all to educate ourselves about Taiwan. I dont doubt that the worlds concern for Taiwans democracy and people is genuine. But it is at least matched by concern for Taiwans chip foundries, where even a small interruption in operation could seriously disrupt global supply chains. Thankfully, Reuters reported Thursday that the chip manufacturer suffered little serious damage in the quake. After the earthquake struck off the coast of Taiwans Hualien County Wednesday morning, TSMC briefly evacuated some of its workers from its factory in Hsinchu, more than 100 miles from the epicenter. They returned to work after a few hours. But even that short disruption could cost the company up to $60 million in revenue along with further losses down the line for companies relying on TSMCs chips, according to a Barclays investor report Wednesday. TMSCs main chip foundries are a little more than a mile from my late grandmas house in Hsinchu. The company is notoriously media-shy, but it offers an on-site museum for the curious. When I was visiting relatives in February, I paid a visit to see what I could learn. It turns out, not much. The museum consists of four rooms with various interactive touch screens and audio presentations and focuses primarily on explaining the technology and history of semiconductor chips. It was like walking through a high-tech science textbook. Read more: Rescuers in Taiwan search for missing or stranded people after major earthquake kills 10 The museum was housed on a plain business campus with none of the ostentation and branding excess of American tech campuses. National security analysts call TSMC the most important company in the world, but it looks awfully similar to an Encino office park. That modesty serves a strategic purpose, according to Raymond Kuo, who analyzes U.S.-China security issues for the Rand Corp. with a focus on Taiwan. TSMC grew to a position of dominance in semiconductor manufacturing by staying out of the spotlight, Kuo said. The company doesn't design any chips of its own and thus does not compete with any of its customers, which include Intel, Apple, Sony, Dell and Hewlett-Packard. And in Taiwan, highly qualified engineers and scientists accept relatively lower Taiwanese salaries because they see a job at TSMC as a higher calling, which helps keep labor costs low and factories running at all hours. The company's role in keeping the island safe is widely acknowledged President Tsai Ing-wen called the company Taiwan's "silicon shield." Part of what distinguishes TSMC from its competitors is not its technology, but the organization," Kuo said. "If a machine breaks down at 5 a.m., they've three shifts of people with master's degrees to keep them running constantly." An invading country cannot easily seize chip manufacturing as a prize of war, such as oil rigs or mines, Kuo said. A war risks damaging the machines, which themselves cost hundreds of millions of dollars, beyond repair. Operating them effectively takes decades of expertise. Chip fabrication requires huge investments and government coordination of technological resources, not unlike the depiction of the race to create the atomic bomb in the film "Oppenheimer." World governments have spent the last three decades racing to capture the exploding market for computing power and block political enemies from obtaining the advanced chips used to wage war. For countries in that race, TSMC, and by extension, Taiwan, represents a winning hand. In 2022, the Biden administration restricted the export of American chip technology to China and banned U.S. residents, citizens and green card holders from working in Chinese chip firms. The move represents an existential threat to the Chinese semiconductor sector, which relies on American-designed chips from TSMC. But the effort to strangle China's chipmakers actually makes Taiwan more valuable to China's leaders, especially as they confront an unprecedented economic downturn. Wednesday's earthquake showed that Taiwan can prepare for disaster. After 1999, planners drew up strict retrofitting requirements and blanketed the island with a dense network of warning systems. The quake stopped traffic all over Taiwan, but with far less death and damage compared with 25 years ago. TSMC facilities recovered most of their capacity by the next day, and after the company told its investors that it would still meet its revenue projections for the year, stocks were up 3% Thursday morning. But there are no chips or computerized warning systems sophisticated enough to predict Taiwan's biggest threat: a deepening political and economic rivalry between the United States and China that threatens to enfold the entire world. Not yet, anyway. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. After years on the run, GirlsDoPorn boss faces 'beginning of the end' in San Diego GirlsDoPorn boss Michael James Pratt was on the FBI's "10 Most Wanted Fugitive" list prior to his arrest in Spain in 2022. Pratt was extradited in March to stand trial in San Diego on federal conspiracy and sex trafficking charges, accused of conning teens and young women into appearing in adult videos. (Alex Riggins / San Diego Union-Tribune) It was a moment hundreds of women had been waiting for and one many feared would never come. Five years after he fled the country and minutes before his former right-hand man was sentenced in federal court, authorities announced that the alleged mastermind behind the GirlsDoPorn sex-trafficking ring had touched down in San Diego in federal custody. Michael James Pratt disappeared in the summer of 2019, just before he was indicted on federal conspiracy and sex trafficking charges stemming from what prosecutors said was a decade-long scheme to con hundreds of teens and young women into appearing in adult videos for the website he owned. Pratt was on the lam for three years and had been listed among the FBI's most-wanted fugitives by the time he was arrested in Spain in December 2022. Five of those indicted alongside him have pleaded guilty to their crimes, each fingering Pratt as the ringleader. The majority of his co-conspirators have started their sentences in prison. On March 19, it was cameraman Matthew Isaac Wolfe's turn. Dozens of victims had gathered at San Diego's James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep Courthouse to speak at the sentencing hearing when they were told that Pratt was in federal custody. "We were all in the U.S. attorney's office," said Brian Holm, longtime civil attorney for the victims. "Everybody burst out in a loud cheer. Theyd been waiting for the day." Read more: After killing his nephews, he fled the L.A. area for China. Was it revenge or a psychotic break? For many, the porn boss' extradition marks "the beginning of the end" of the years-long ordeal, said Holm's colleague John O'Brien. "The clients were just clapping, overjoyed, relieved," O'Brien said. "There was an overwhelming sense of closure." Although Pratt is now back on U.S. soil, his case is yet to be resolved. Other co-defendants have struck plea deals, but Pratt who faces decades in federal prison if convicted could choose to take the case to trial after pleading not guilty. His lawyer did not respond to requests for comment. According to federal indictments and extensive victim testimony, the site's eponymous "girls" most of whom had barely graduated high school when they were brought to San Diego to film were lured off Craigslist and through social media with promises of well-paid modeling gigs, only to be told at the last minute that they were expected to shoot explicit sex scenes instead. "I can remember being so worried to tell him that I was just 17," a woman identified as "Victim K" told the court during a hearing for the ring's main performer, Ruben Andre Garcia, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking in 2020 and was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in 2021. "But he was not mad or concerned. Instead he was excited and was eager to start." "Garcia and Pratt bought me a birthday cake to include in the filming process so he could let everyone know that I had just turned 18," she said. After arriving in San Diego, the women have said they were typically hustled into cramped hotel rooms with blocked exits, cajoled into signing thick contracts they were not allowed to read, and assured repeatedly that the videos would only appear on DVD in foreign countries, and would never be published to the internet or released in the United States. Many said they were pressured into performing sex acts they'd previously refused to do. Some said they were told they would not be allowed to leave, or their flights home would be canceled, if they did not complete filming. Those who spoke at Garcia's sentencing told harrowing stories of assault, coercion and brutality during the hours-long shoots, when many wept, bled, vomited, cried out in pain or begged for the filming to stop scenes that were carefully edited from the final video. "I asked multiple times to stop," said Victim E. "I had burst blood-vessels in my eyes because of the pain that I was in." Weeks after they returned home, the videos were released in full on Pratt's subscription site, and as clips on PornHub and other popular free porn platforms. At the same time, Pratt and his team would dox the women on another site he controlled, releasing their names, email, home address and even biometric details including height and weight to hordes of trolls who linked it on 4chan and similar forums efforts attorneys say were intended both to silence the victims and to drive traffic to the subscription site. "My first time seeing pornography was a video of myself, my own body, which was sent to me hundreds of times a day by friends, family, strangers," said Victim H. "I lived in constant fear from ... thousands of men who said they will find me, rape me, and kill me in my own home." Others detailed how they had lost jobs, been evicted, and were estranged from friends and family. Many dropped out of school. Some attempted suicide. Those who joined the civil lawsuit in 2016 saw new waves of attacks. That suit caught the attention of prosecutors when it went to trial in 2019, touching off the criminal investigation. Read more: He died training for L.A. teen crisis hotline. His parents want all to know the number "It was eye-opening to me how pervasive and obsessive some of these people are," said Holm, the victims' attorney. "I get harassed just for representing them." Pratt is charged with multiple counts of conspiracy and sex trafficking, as well as one count of producing child pornography in connection with the scheme, from which he and his team made millions, court records show. Holm said a team of amateur sleuths helped authorities trace the fugitive to a mailing address in Barcelona. "We got tired of waiting for him to be found," the lawyer said. Holm said he thinks the porn boss is unlikely to plead guilty. "If I were him I would roll the dice for one crazy juror," he said. He and others worry that women who were disowned and thrown out by their own parents and siblings might fare little better with a jury of strangers. "You can always just hope to get some victim-blaming crazy person on the jury who holds out," he said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Yermak: Russian counteroffensive could start in May or June, Kharkiv likely to be targeted Editor's note: Andriy Yermak's spokesperson clarified on April 6 that Yermak's comments for Politico were misinterpreted by the outlet. The head of the Presidential Office referred only to Russian missile strikes against Kharkiv, not a potential offensive. We reported on the latest developments here. Russia could launch a new counteroffensive at the end of May or the beginning of June, likely targeting Kharkiv, Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, told Politico on April 5. Russia recently intensified attacks on Kharkiv amid warnings of a potential assault against Ukraine's second-largest city, as reported by the independent Russian media outlet Meduza, citing anonymous sources. Nevertheless, Ukraine's military intelligence called the potential attack on Kharkiv "a part of a Russian psychological operation," adding that there were no signs of Moscow preparing new attack formations to carry out an offensive. Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi also said that any Russia's attempt to take control over Kharkiv soon could be "fatal," but he did not rule out this scenario either. Yermak stressed that Kyiv knows that the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is preparing a new wave of mobilization, and Ukrainian forces "have to be ready" for new attacks. The head of Ukraine's Presidential Office also said that "Ukraine is approaching a critical moment," referring to the U.S. aid being stalled due to the disputes in the Republican-led House. KI Insights Visit KI Insights to learn more and subscribe to the insider weekly newsletter visit ki insights Yermak hopes that aid will pass the vote in Congress "this month" as Ukrainian forces continue to face critical ammunition shortages on the front line. "I don't believe anybody who represents the party of Ronald Reagan will abandon Ukraine," Yermak said. "Reagan understood the Soviet Union and Russia, and anyone who does will continue to support our fighters because they understand that dictators never stop voluntarily and have to be stopped." Yermak also said that Ukraine still critically needs additional air defense systems, recalling the latest Russian attacks carried out with aerial guided bombs, which Patriot surface-to-air missiles can counter by intercepting Russian aircraft. "Without them (modern air defense systems), it is impossible for us to defend our cities," he added. As Russia intensified its attacks on Ukraine during the spring, the shortage of air defense systems in Ukrainian cities and villages became more tangible. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia reportedly launched over 400 missiles of various types, 600 Shahed drones, and 3,000 guided aerial bombs at Ukraine in March, causing severe damage to the civilian and energy infrastructure. Read also: Our reserves will run out: Ukrainian artillery sounds alarm on Western shell shortage Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) A Central Texas YMCA teacher who worked in a Pflugerville Independent School District day care program was accused of injury to a child following multiple incidents that were captured on surveillance footage, according to Travis County court documents. An arrest warrant affidavit said, in one instance, 45-year-old Geraline Wilson Browning was captured on video with her hands around the throat of a child. PfISD said it was searching through the surveillance video for an unrelated request when staff discovered the incident. At the time, Browning was a teacher in the YMCA of Central Texas Childcare Development Center at Northwest Elementary School, according to the district. In the subsequent days, we continued our thorough review of all available classroom footage, revealing additional incidents involving the same YMCA teacher. This information has been shared with the YMCA, CPS, and our police department for their ongoing investigation, as well as with the families, PfISD said. The district said the YMCA of Central Texas acted swiftly, removing the staff member from the classroom, and told families and authorities about the incident. The surveillance videos of the additional incidents were sent to police. Those recordings were from Jan. 29, Feb. 12, Feb. 20 and Feb. 21 and involved three separate children in the program, according to court documents. YMCA of Central Texas chief marketing officer Laura Arrendondo said in a statement Friday that, we recently terminated an employee after reviewing evidence of physical aggression directed at several of our students. We immediately alerted the parents, CPS and the local authorities, the statement continued. The well-being of our students is our utmost priority and fortunately, these children are safe. We follow the states guidelines on safety and run extensive background checks before hiring employees. The YMCA of Central Texas is committed to ensuring the safest possible environment for our families and will work tirelessly to that end. As of Friday, Browning remained out of custody and had an active warrant out of Travis County, according to court records. Read Pflugerville ISDs full statement below. While checking video for an unrelated request, PfISD staff were deeply disturbed to discover footage depicting an inappropriate physical redirection of a student by a YMCA teacher in the YMCA Childcare Development Center at Northwest Elementary School (NWES). We promptly acted by contacting the YMCA leadership, our local police department, and Child Protective Services (CPS). The YMCA also acted swiftly, removing the staff member from the classroom, informing families, and notifying the relevant authorities as well. In the subsequent days, we continued our thorough review of all available classroom footage, revealing additional incidents involving the same YMCA teacher. This information has been shared with the YMCA, CPS, and our police department for their ongoing investigation, as well as with the families. We understand the gravity of these situations and the safety of our students is always our top priority. We have received assurances from the YMCA that they have implemented additional staffing, training, and leadership oversight at the YMCA Childcare Center to enhance care and safety measures. Furthermore, PfISD is dedicated to collaborating with the YMCA to guarantee video monitoring access to the classroom, ensuring the safety of all children in the program. We remain dedicated to the safety and well-being of our students and will continue to take every measure possible to ensure a safe learning environment. PfISD statement For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. (FOX40.COM) Yolo County is helping residents erase their criminal records and reintegrate more successfully into society through a free expungement clinic on April 11. Individuals with a criminal history often face challenges in securing housing, employment, and professional licenses, even after having successfully rehabilitated, Yolo County said in a statement. The Expungement Clinic offers an opportunity to alleviate these obstacles by providing valuable services to eligible attendees. Expungement is the legal process through which a criminal case is officially dismissed after probation or when a custodial sentence has been completed. Organizers of the event said they anticipate assisting individuals with various convictions, ranging from recent offenses to those dating back several decades. Expungement isnt just about erasing a criminal record; its about granting individuals the opportunity to redefine their future beyond the shadow of their past mistakes, said Yolo County Public Defenders Office Senior Paralegal Amberlene Hernandez. Northern California fentanyl dealer convicted of murder receives 15-year sentence An expunged status can enable individuals to declare on most applications that they are not convicted of a crime, however, for certain employment roles, the conviction may still be discoverable. Besides expungement, Yolo County said it also offers eligible attendees record reduction, termination of probation, certificate of rehabilitation, registry removal, and sealing of eligible arrest documents. Attendees of the expungement clinic will reportedly have access to job assistance and an immigration attorney from the Public Defenders Office. The clinic is open to residents of Yolo, Sacramento, and Solano counties. The expungement clinic is scheduled to happen from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Yolo County Administration Building Atrium, 625 Court Street, Woodland. For more information visit YoloCounty.org. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40. New Zealand's Trade Minister Todd McClay speaks with media during the 3rd Intersessional RCEP Ministerial Meeting in Hanoi SYDNEY (Reuters) - New Zealand's government on Saturday said an independent panel of experts would review the country's methane targets, with the aim of guiding domestic climate change goals for 2050. "This independent review, which will report back to the government by the end of the year, will provide evidence-based advice on what our domestic 2050 methane target should be, consistent with the principle of no additional warming," Agriculture Minister Todd McClay said in a statement. Climate Change Minister Simon Watts said the review complemented a Climate Change Commission review of the 2050 targets and would "provide an input into the Governments response to the Commissions advice in 2025." The commission, a government body that advises on climate change policy, is currently reviewing the country's commitment to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases other than biogenic methane to net zero or lower, by 2050. New Zealand, with a population of around 5 million people, has pledged to reduce biogenic methane emissions by between 24% and 47% by 2050 from 2017 levels. This includes a 10% reduction of biogenic methane emissions by 2030. (Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney. Editing by Sam Holmes.) President Volodymyr Zelensky met with a bipartisan delegation of U.S. Congress members in Chernihiv Oblast and called to pass Ukraine aid bill as soon as possible, the Presidential Office reported on April 6. U.S. aid to Ukraine has been delayed since the fall of 2023 amid infighting in Congress. In February, a $95 billion aid package to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan passed in the Senate with bipartisan support, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has so far stalled on bringing it to a vote in the Republican-led House. Zelensky met with members of the U.S. Congress during his working trip to Chernihiv Oblast, which commemorated the two-year anniversary of the region's liberation from Russian occupation, according to the Presidential Office. The delegation included Republicans Joni Ernst, Ashley Hinson, and Chuck Edwards and Democrats Wiley Nickel, Tom Suozzi, and Michael Quigley. "I am grateful for the visit of a representative bipartisan and bicameral delegation to Chernihiv Oblast, which is a powerful signal of support for all Ukrainians," Zelensky said at the meeting. "It is very important that in the village of Yahidne, you saw with your own eyes the terrible consequences of Russian aggression." During the Russian occupation of Yahidne, 367 residents, the majority of the village's population, were kept in a basement for 27 days by the Russians, where 50 children were among the hostages and 11 people died. Read also: Why some far-right Republicans are hell bent on ending further aid to Ukraine Zelensky briefed the delegation on the current situation on the front lines, the urgent needs of Ukrainian defenders, and the scale of Russia's deportations of Ukrainian children. The president thanked the U.S. government for its support of Ukraine, particularly for its key role in establishing the legal framework for the use of frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine and assisting Ukraine's arms production industry. At the meeting, Zelensky emphasized it's "vital" for Ukraine that the U.S. Congress approve the Ukraine aid package "as soon as possible," in line with his previous statement that Ukraine's military could soon be forced to retreat further if U.S. defense assistance continues to be delayed. In an interview with the Washington Post published March 29, Zelensky said his military has been unable to plan counteroffensive operations as they do not know if they'll have the weapons required to conduct one. After an unsuccessful counteroffensive last year, Russian forces now hold a theater-wide initiative that Ukraine is finding increasingly difficult to contain, largely due to a lack of ammunition. This was starkly illustrated in February when Russia took Avdiivka, forcing Ukrainian troops to retreat from the town and accelerate the building of defensive lines further back on Ukrainian territory. Read also: Opinion: As an American in Avdiivka, what is Congress doing? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Shares of U.S. oil and chemical refiner and midstream giant Phillps 66 (NYSE: PSX) rallied 14.6% in March, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. Not only did Phillips 66 benefit from an increasingly favorable pricing environment for refiners, but the company's CEO also said in an interview its new strategy earned the approval of the company's high-profile activist investor. Elliott signs off as the 3-2-1 crack spread elevates In an interview on March 27, Phillips CEO Mark Lashier said that Elliott Management, the activist hedge fund that took a $1 billion stake in the refining giant last fall, had signed off on the company's strategy to boost shareholder value. The strategy seeks to improve the company's refining performance, which has lagged behind peers, while also cutting costs up to $1.4 billion over time, with $1 billion in cost cuts targeted by the end of this year. Phillips is also targeting a 2025 mid-cycle, adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) target of $14 billion, $4 billion higher than prior to the new strategic initiative. Phillips also plans to boost share repurchases and dividends going forward. Finally, Elliott has pushed for more directors with refining experience. In late February, Phillips appointed experienced refining executive Robert Pease to its board of directors. March's performance wasn't only due to Elliott apparently endorsing management's plan. The overall environment for refining stocks has been very favorable this year. The 3-2-1 crack spread, which is a standard unit of industry margins, has risen about 33% on the year, in a relatively consistent fashion. While the crack-spread margin is lower than the 2022 highs, it's now higher than what has historically been normal. The recent tensions in the Red Sea have added to the cost of shipping fuel, while low natural gas prices in the U.S. are lowering Phillips' input costs as well. Phillips has had a strong run As was the case in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, refiners have proven themselves to be pretty good hedges against certain geopolitical tensions. Of course, Phillips has had a strong 30.7% run year to date and probably won't match that pace going forward. While the company only trades at 11 times earnings, those earnings are based on above-normal refining profitability. Still, with the company in the midst of some self-help via its strategic plan and activist involvement, the stock may still be worth a look today. After all, management just announced another 10% boost to the dividend, which now yields 2.7%. Story continues Should you invest $1,000 in Phillips 66 right now? Before you buy stock in Phillips 66, 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 Phillips 66 wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $526,345!* 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 quadrupled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of April 4, 2024 Billy Duberstein has positions in Phillips 66. His clients may own shares of the companies mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Phillips 66 Rallied in March was originally published by The Motley Fool Zelensky says Kharkiv is prepared for a potential Russian offensive President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview on April 6 that "Kharkiv is protected" in case Russia attempts to launch an offensive. Russia recently intensified attacks on Kharkiv. A number of media outlets have reported that Russia may launch a ground offensive against Ukraine's second-largest city this year. Ukraine's military intelligence called the potential attack on Kharkiv "a part of a Russian psychological operation," adding that there were no signs of Moscow preparing new attack formations to carry out a ground offensive. "Today, Kharkiv is not in danger," Zelensky said, referring to the local defensive lines and the readiness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. "Russians do not hide that it (Kharkiv) is a desirable target," Zelensky said. Subscribe to newsletter War Notes Subscribe Zelensky added that Kyiv monitors all "Russia's disinformation and Russian forces' movement on the front line." Russian troops could redeploy their forces "in one or another direction," the president said. Zelensky also said that Ukrainian authorities don't see a potential for an attack from Belarus. Yet, Ukrainian forces prepare a "reliable defense" in the northern direction. According to Zelensky, building new defensive lines will be finished "in a few months." The president also highlighted that 92-98% of the fortifications are completed along the most critical front lines. In March, Zelensky announced that Ukraine was building 2,000 kilometers of fortifications across three lines of defense. The Ukrainian government has already allocated Hr 20 billion ($512 million) for building fortifications in 2024, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in April. Earlier, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Ukrainian troops are building fortifications in expectation of a Russian offensive in the spring, though there are concerns that the progress is not fast enough. Read also: Zelensky: Russia prepares to mobilize additional 300,000 troops by June Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. A petrol station is damaged as a result of the overnight Russian attack on Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine. -/Ukrinform/dpa Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out the Russians taking the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv amid rumours of an imminent Russian offensive against the city. "Kharkiv is protected today," Zelensky said in an interview broadcast on television on Saturday. He admitted that the city was still vulnerable to airstrikes, but stressed that he was absolutely confident in the defence of the area on the ground. According to the Ukrainian president, the fortifications built by Ukraine are largely complete not only in Kharkiv, but also in large parts of the frontline and border areas. Citing intelligence information, Zelensky claimed that Russia was planning a further mobilisation of 300,000 troops on June 1 in order to continue the offensive it began in autumn. So far, Moscow has officially denied plans for a further wave of mobilization. However, when Russia's President Vladimir Putin ordered the war against the neighbouring country, he also assured his compatriots that only volunteers and professional soldiers would be sent to the war, which Moscow insists on calling only a "special military operation." After a series of defeats, Putin then announced a partial mobilization of 300,000 reservists in the autumn of 2022, who were sent to the front in Ukraine. According to Zelensky, Ukraine needs a total of 25 Patriot air defence systems to protect its airspace against Russian missile and drone attacks. Zelensky said in an interview broadcast on television on Saturday that 25 systems, each with 6 to 8 batteries, are needed to seal off the airspace. "All our partners know this very well, they even know the points where the corresponding systems should be placed." He also said that Patriots and analogue Western air defence systems - including the German Iris-T - have proven their worth. In the fighting, further Russian drone and missile attacks killed at least six civilians in Kharkiv and injured others overnight, local officials said on Saturday. Oleh Syniehubov, the military governor of Kharkiv, said on his Telegram channel on Saturday that 11 others were injured in the attacks. Russia struck the city with converted S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, which damaged nine residential buildings, dormitories, an administrative building, a kindergarten, a cafe, a car wash and a petrol station, as well as several vehicles, he said. Russia fired a total of 32 combat drones and six missiles of various types at Ukraine during the night, Kiev said. The Ukrainian Air Force said 28 drones and half of the missiles were intercepted. In addition to Kharkiv, strikes were also reported in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions, where a farm and an industrial plant were hit. No casualties or major damage were reported. Russia has been waging a full-scale against Ukraine for more than two years, with Russian forces regularly launching strikes on Ukrainian cities well behind the front lines, killing civilians and destroying vital infrastructure. A shopping mall is damaged as a result of the overnight Russian attack on Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine. -/Ukrinform/dpa President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with national television on April 6, called on international partners to provide Ukraine with modern air defense systems to defend against Russian attacks. Russian troops have intensified their attacks during the spring, mainly targeting energy and civilian infrastructure. According to Ukraine's Interior Ministry, Russia has conducted around 30,000 strikes on Ukrainian territory in 2024. As Moscow increased its attacks, the shortage of air defense systems in Ukraine became more tangible, particularly in the territories proximate to the front line. "I will not tell you how many Patriot systems we have. I can say that to cover Ukraine completely in the future, it is preferable to have 25 Patriot systems, with 6-8 batteries each," Zelensky said. All the international partners are aware of Ukraine's need for air defense systems, Zelensky said, adding that some of the allies even know where systems must be set. Zelensky said the Patriot's analogs could also be efficient against Russian strikes. But the president also stressed that on the territories near the front line, Ukrainian forces need "combined defense" to oppose attacks conducted with guided aerial bombs. According to Zelensky, such defense must include air defense systems, fighter jets, and "own anti-guided-aerial bombs weapons, which are currently being developed." The president added that, in 2024, Ukraine's partners could provide 10% of the modern air fleet stock, which Ukraine expects to receive in the future. "Ukraine knows for sure how much it needs to repel the Russian Federation's attacks," he said. 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. Zelenskyy in an interview with journalists on the air of the national joint 24/7 newscast. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expects 80100 countries to attend the inaugural Peace Summit in Switzerland, with the date to be agreed in the coming days. Source: Zelenskyy on the air of the national joint 24/7 newscast Quote: "We expect 80-100 countries to participate in it. We believe this will be the most comprehensive summit. A peace summit. But it's a summit of great significance, which will gather our partners and where we will build a roadmap for further steps towards ending the war." Details: Asked whether China is supposed to attend the summit, the president said that there is no specific list of countries yet. "In the coming days (I hope not even weeks), we will agree on a specific date for the first inaugural summit in Switzerland. We must agree on this date in a bilateral format between me and the President of Switzerland. After that, we will send out invitations in various formats to world leaders," he explained. Support UP or become our patron! Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Kharkiv is well-protected from a possible Russian land assault, and that disinformation is at the root of discussion about Russian plans to capture the city. Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview broadcast on Saturday, 6 April Quote from Zelenskyy: "As of today, Kharkiv is protected. Not from the sky well return to the issue of an air defence shield for Kharkiv later. But Kharkiv is not under threat when it comes to defence fortification and our forces [combat readiness]. The Russians arent hiding that its a highly desirable target for them. The entire east of [Ukraine], and more than the east, also the south, and cities like Kharkiv and Kramatorsk are their desirable targets, that much is clear. But we are currently protecting Kharkiv Oblast with utmost confidence." Details: Zelenskyy added that Ukraine is seeing Russia amassing its reserves. "Lets be honest, these are not singular information operations: they have a very streamlined and professional disinformation agenda. They really do transfer forces from one front to the other, then film them, take pictures of them, they have satellite images and different kinds of footage, and then they share this information via their Western partners, via Western media and Ukrainian media. We dont even know were helping them. Of course, Ukrainian media dont want to be implicated in this, but we have to admit that the Russians are using our media and our Telegram channels to share all this. Sometimes were the ones helping spread the panic. We have to very carefully check all information, every little detail. Im not trying to comfort anyone, were still at war, but theres no need to exaggerate," Zelenskyy said. When asked about a possible Russian offensive from Belarus, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine currently has no evidence that this was a real threat: "Regarding strategy, we currently see no evidence of [relevant] plans, threats, or capacity in Belarus." He also said that Russia has to be aware that Ukraine is creating secure defences on the northern front. "Its not a secret that were constructing defence fortifications. The Russians and the Belarusians, or the Russians in Belarus, have to know that yes, we have defence fortifications, we have three powerful lines of defence, and we have forces deployed here. They have to know that we have dragons teeth and anti-tank moats here, none of this is secret. They know this thanks to their modern equipment, but theres no need for us to hide it, because they have to know that theyll be met with resistance. The people of Chernihiv Oblast, for example, also have to know that we have strong defences," Zelenskyy added. Background: Meduza, a Russian media outlet based in Latvia, cited sources close to Kremlin and reported that Russian "political elites" think it is possible that Russia and its ruler Vladimir Putin might try to capture Kharkiv and gradually end the so-called "special military operation" [as the Russians call the war in Ukraine ed.]. Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has said that the Ukrainian military is carrying out large-scale work on fortification of territories where Russian forces may launch an offensive. He has also said that an attack on Kharkiv would be a fatal mistake for Russia. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said that despite continuous Russian attacks on Kharkiv, neither the city officials, nor the military deem evacuation of civilians necessary at this time. Ukraines Defence Intelligence said that Russia is trying to sow panic in Ukraine by evoking the scenarios of a new Kharkiv offensive. Support UP or become our patron! Zelenskyy meets with US Congress delegation in Chernihiv Oblast photo Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with a bipartisan delegation of the US Congress. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with a bipartisan delegation of the US Congress in Chernihiv Oblast on Friday (5 April). Source: Zelenskyy on Telegram on Saturday (6 April); Ukrainian presidents website , Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with a bipartisan delegation of the US Congress Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine Quote: "I met with a delegation of the US Congress representing both parties, both houses of Congress. It is essential that our partners personally see what is happening in Ukraine, in our regions that are under fire from Russian terrorists and have survived the Russian occupation. I met with the congressmen yesterday in Chernihiv Oblast." Details: Zelenskyy briefed the members of Congress on the situation on the battlefield, the priority needs of Ukraine's Armed Forces, and the scale of illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with a bipartisan delegation of the US Congress Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine "I emphasised that it is vital that the US Congress adopt a decision on further support for our country as soon as possible, on an appropriate package to protect us from Russian terror and for our further intense actions. This is what will definitely strengthen Ukraine and [improve our] life in general," the president said. The president's website reported that the delegation included Republican Senator Joni Ernst, Democratic House members Wiley Nickel, Tom Suozzi, Mike Quigley, and Republican members Ashley Ginson and Chuck Edwards. Zelenskyy noted that the delegation had seen the consequences of the Russian aggression in the village of Yahidne with their own eyes. Support UP or become our patron! Zelenskyy vows more drones this year and emphasises their effectiveness Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stressed that drones are instrumental in destroying Russia's potential and that Ukraine will have more UAVs by the end of the year. Source: Zelenskyy on social media Quote from Zelenskyy: "Ukrainian drones. They crush the invaders, protect the lives of our soldiers on the front line and help Ukraine degrade Russia's war potential. Our drones have proven in the sky and at sea that Ukrainian power can defeat Russian evil. There will be more Ukrainian drones this year." Details: Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to everyone who supplies drones, trains operators and those who fly them. Background: Ukraines Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk has posted a video showing the combat capabilities of mobile fire groups in Kherson Oblast, which shot down six Russian kamikaze drones on the night of 5-6 April. On the night of 5-6 April, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 32 Shahed attack UAVs and six missiles of various types. Air defence assets and personnel shot down two Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles, a Kalibr cruise missile and 28 Shahed-131/136 attack UAVs. Support UP or become our patron! BALTIMORE Had you crossed the Francis Scott Key Bridge just a few weeks ago, as millions of motorists did before a wayward container ship struck it in the early hours of March 26, youd have passed below a familiar steel superstructure of triangulated sections about half a mile long, a sight that was part of Baltimores skyline for decades. A similar drive sometime in the future, engineers say, will offer a different view. A replacement for the fallen Baltimore landmark could be anchored by a pair of massive concrete towers, cables descending from their upper reaches in fan-like configurations. Cable-stayed bridges, as theyre known, are the kind most commonly used today in places where car and truck traffic must pass across wide, heavily navigated waterways like the 1.6-mile gap between Dundalk and Hawkins Point where the Key Bridge once stood. There are 36 bridges of this design in the United States and hundreds more across the globe. The nearest to Baltimore are the Senator William V. Roth Jr. Bridge that carries Delaware Route 1 over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal near St. Georges (which cost $57.9 million to build and opened in 1995) and the Indian River Inlet Bridge between Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach in the same state ($150 million, 2012). The worlds longest, at 5.1 miles, the Sutong Yangtze River Bridge, opened 50 miles north of Shanghai in 2003 with a price tag of $1.7 billion. Among its other advantages, this comparatively new bridge style makes a longer central span possible. Thats the main portion of a bridge most maritime traffic passes below. A longer span creates more generous horizontal clearance for vessels at a time when ships like the Dali, the one that destroyed the Key Bridge, are longer, heavier and harder to maneuver than ever. Im sure designers will submit many proposals for replacing the Baltimore bridge, and they will want to make it something very special, as well as very safe, said Andrzej S. Nowak, a professor of structural engineering at Auburn University in Alabama. I will be very surprised if a cable-stayed design is not chosen. For those who have not followed the conversation among engineers since last months disaster, the Key Bridge, built in 1977, was of the continuous truss variety. That type was widely used and considered effective in many settings between the 1870s and the mid-20th century. Characterized by load-bearing superstructures made of trusses structural units consisting of beams typically connected to each other in triangular form they allowed for spans, or clearance through their main portals, long enough to suit the needs of their time. But the longest spans topped out at a little more than 1,000 feet. In the case of the Key Bridge, designers also took the cost-effective option of making it continuous, meaning the trusses were so rigidly attached to each other that if one collapsed, the others followed. Such a design, engineers say, was a safe, sturdy and economical choice for the time. But the challenges faced by bridges across busy waterways as recently as 50 years ago were minuscule compared to what they encounter today. When Key Bridge was built, the biggest container ship in the world in storage terms, the German-made Hamburg Express, could carry 2,950 20-foot units of containers. Such TEUs are standard measurement for the industry, though most containers are 40 feet. The Dali, built in 2015, could hold nearly 10,000 TEUs. The biggest in the world today, the Chinese-built MSC Marina, carries 24,346. At the time the Key Bridge was designed, such vessels didnt exist, said Ian Firth, a British structural engineer and bridge designer, in a telephone interview with The Baltimore Sun. Nobody had the foggiest idea that such a vessel could possibly ever exist. No way the designer could have imagined this, and indeed, not just the designer, but those who commissioned the bridge and the project and decided on the size of the span. In horizontal clearance terms, the Baltimore span did not meet a standard set in 2000, when American structural engineers Mike Knott and Zoltan Prucz wrote in their reference work, the Bridge Engineering Handbook, that analysis of past collision accidents has shown that bridges with a main span less than two to three times the design vessel length are particularly vulnerable to vessel collision. By that measure, the Dali, which is 984 feet long, would have needed a span of between 1,968 and 2,952 feet to maneuver safely. Firth agreed that the authors standards were reasonable. These huge ships are notoriously difficult to maneuver, he said. The fundamental principle should be to give them as much room to maneuver as they can have. As the U.S. grew in the 19th century, so did the need to build bridges across wider spaces. Structural engineers invented the suspension bridge to answer the challenge. At spans like the Brooklyn Bridge (which opened in 1883) and the Golden Gate Bridge (1937), heavy cables were run across the tops of a row of massive support towers. Lesser cables were draped over those and ran down to the bridge deck to hold it up. Before long, European designers were working on a variety that was lighter, cheaper to build, and supportive of even longer spans. Those are cable-stayed bridges. They might seem similar in appearance to their suspension predecessors, but they feature a basic difference: their cables are attached directly to the tops of their support towers and descend directly to the bridge decks they hold up. The towers themselves bear the load of the decks. According to Nowak, because steel is so expensive and they use less of it, cable-stayed bridges are less costly than their counterparts. Also, given the sheer number of cables, if one or two fail, others accept their load. Theyre also lighter and use less of their power to support their own weight, more to support vehicle traffic. Such cable-stayed creations as the Sunshine Skyway, which spans Lower Tampa Bay in Florida, the bridges in Delaware, and the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in South Carolina, showcase the designs most striking visual feature: cables that fan downward in a striking geometric pattern. One of the more famous bridge engineers said that however economical and good it is, an ugly bridge is a bad bridge, Nowak said. These just look more beautiful. You see the cables descending from above, like the strings of a harp. Invented in the 1950s in Sweden and developed in Europe, cable-stayed bridges were still in their early stages and largely unknown in the United States until 1980, when a freighter called the MV Summit Venture slammed into the original Sunshine Skyway bridge in a heavy fog. The impact sent a 1,200-foot section crashing into the bay below, killing 35 people. Floridas governor at the time, Democrat Bob Graham, eschewed U.S. tradition by proposing a cable-stayed version as a replacement. The idea was approved, the new bridge opened in 1988, and the new Sunshine Skyway has served as a model in the industry ever since. Cable-stayed bridges now also span the Ohio River northeast of downtown Louisville, Kentucky (the Lewis and Clark Bridge), the Hudson River between Tarrytown and Nyack, New York (the new Tappan Zee Bridge, which opened in 2017), the Charles River in Boston (the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge), and the Sacramento River in Redding, California (the Sundial Bridge), among other sites. Twenty-eight states and one U.S. territory are home to cable-stayed bridges today and more than 1,000 exist around the world. Maryland does not have any. Its too early to predict the cost of replacing the Key Bridge, but experts forecast a price tag in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Linda Romero, a spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard at the Key Bridge Response Joint Information Center, said Friday its too soon to comment on what kind of bridge will be erected or who will decide. The Maryland Transportation Authority did not respond Friday afternoon to a call seeking comment, but Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld, who oversees the MDTA and other agencies, told its board at a meeting Thursday that the goal is to rebuild with a bridge that meets current standards. That work is moving just as aggressively as other things that youre seeing, just behind the scenes, Wiedefeld said. MDTA officials told the board that the authority is working with the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration on bridge planning. Even if the new bridge is cable-stayed, it wont come risk-free. Though its support towers would be far stronger than the originals, Firth says a vessel like the Dali would collapse any bridge in the world if it struck an anchor pier directly, as the 112,000-metric ton ship did to the Key last week. So, strong barriers around any main supports will be essential. Still, he estimated that a new bridge will need a span of 1,500 feet to bring an acceptable level of safety to the Port of Baltimore, and that points to the design he said best fits the bill. If one were to do a study, to determine the optimum span of structure and that would mean the optimal type of structure it would almost certainly be a cable-stay bridge, he said. (Baltimore Sun reporter Darcy Costello contributed to this article.) New smart traffic signs in King County will do more than just monitor speed Drivers around King County will soon be monitored and given a warning if theyre engaging in dangerous driving behaviors. Its all part of a new pilot program in King County. The county is placing Smart Signs in SODO, White Center, Issaquah and Pacific. The technology is made by Safer Street Solutions, and it is more than just a sensor that monitors speed. Weve spent three or four years developing a very special sensor that uses microwave and infrared waves to be able to tell if there is a phone in someones hand and it can detect if its a passenger and if someone has a phone in the cradle and really focuses on the type of behavior thats really dangerous, Tim Hogan, the founder of Safer Street Solutions, said. However, not everyone thinks this is the problem the county should be focusing on. The speeding and the people on cell phones I get thats a problem but thats the least of our problems here, said Shannon Woodman, the CEO of Washington Alarm. The county placed one of the signs right outside her building at the intersection of Airport Way and Hill Street. She pointed out that its blocked by metro buses and trees. Hogan said they will be moving it soon. There was a metal building there and that was interfering with a lot of radio signals, so we just needed a booster to be able to move it further down, Hogan said. The placement of it is very puzzling to me, Woodman said. The price tag for these four smart signs is $50,000 for six months. I spend thousands of dollars every month on cleanup of whats left behind and Im absolutely appalled that we are spending money on some kind of signage that is supposed to keep people off of their cell phones, Woodman said. The issue in SODO is not people driving on their cell phones driving down the road, its the vandalism and the homelessness and the drug problems that we have here, said Woodman. Hogan said that all four smart signs should be up and running by the end of April. Special delivery! SpaceX is rolling out a new series of "rideshare" launches carrying small satellites owned by a variety of companies, starting with the Bandwagon-1 mission scheduled for Sunday night. The Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off at 7:16 p.m. EDT Sunday from pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The Falcon 9 will soar skyward on a northeasterly trajectory, a Space Launch Delta 45 nautical advisory indicates. Following stage separation, the first-stage booster will target landing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station generating sonic booms that may be audible across Central Florida, depending on atmospheric conditions. What is a Bandwagon mission? Jarrod McLachlan, SpaceX director of rideshare sales, said it is the company's new class of rideshare flights that will deliver payloads from 550 kilometers to 605 kilometers above Earth, SpaceNews reported. McLachlan delivered those remarks during a presentation last August at the Small Satellite Conference in Logan, Utah. SpaceX announced Sunday's rocket will carry 11 spacecraft, including KOREA's 425Sat, HawkEye 360s Clusters 8 & 9, Tyvak Internationals CENTAURI-6, iQPSs QPS-SAR-7 TSUKUYOMI-II, Capella Spaces Capella-14, and Tata Advanced Systems Limiteds TSAT-1A. SpaceX already launches rideshare satellites on Transporter missions. Last month, Cape Canaveral-based Sidus Space sent its LizzieSat-1 satellite into orbit aboard SpaceX's Transporter-10 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Station in California. "On board this flight were 53 spacecraft, including CubeSats, MicroSats, and a hosted payload. To date, SpaceX has launched nearly 1,000 smallsats for more than 130 customers across our entire Rideshare program," SpaceX reported after that March 3 liftoff. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in January 2023 carrying 114 small payloads on the Transporter-6 rideshare mission. Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming rocket launch schedule for SpaceX, ULA, NASA in Florida Sunday's rocket launch will kick off a sequence of noteworthy space-themed events on the Space Coast: For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1 Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX Falcon 9 to launch Sunday night, producing Brevard sonic booms On March 29, after the premiere of Pema Tseden's "Snow Leopard," the film's cast and crew walked into a Beijing theater to greet the audience, all visibly emotional and in tears. Director Jigme Trinley, the son of Pema Tseden, pays tribute to his late father at the premiere of "Snow Leopard," in Beijing, March 29, 2024. [Photo courtesy of China Film Co., Ltd.] Back in early 2020, during his stay in Xining, Qinghai province, Pema Tseden, the esteemed Tibetan director, spoke with a friend and learned about a snow leopard killing a herder's rams. Faced with the dilemma of dealing with the predator, a nationally protected species, the herder and his family were uncertain on how to adhere to conservation laws while still seeking compensation for their loss. This story eventually became the inspiration for Pema Tseden's film, a divine and surreal story with a poetic visual style and unique ethnic narrative. "Perhaps in my father's heart, he sympathetically captured a certain dilemma of the times occurring in Tibetan lands, which has been a theme my father has been expressing since his first Tibetan-language film up to now," said Jigme Trinley, the son of Pema Tseden and the acting director of "Snow Leopard." He continued, "But for me and all of us, the film reveals a new world that has never been depicted through imagery before a world where heaven, earth and humans can harmonize with each other and convey love. So, I believe that when this divine power intertwines with current real-world dilemmas, perhaps my father wanted to offer us guidance through such narratives." The protagonist of the film, a mother snow leopard, is deeply spiritual and connects with humans on an emotional level. Although she is a CGI character, the director aimed to make her as realistic as possible. "It is my honor to be involved in this production, but it presents a big challenge," revealed visual effects director Zhan Hansu. "I suggested to the director that we use fewer close-up shots, fewer supposed interactions between the snow leopard and humans and fewer long shots to simplify the special effects work. However, when we received the raw material, we found that nothing had been reduced!" "As far as I know," Zhan added, "the long shot at the end of the film is the longest shot with biological special effects in film history." To bring the vivid snow leopard to the big screen, Zhang Beipeng, another visual effects director on the film, revealed that they used motion capture technology to record the movements of actress Wangdol Tso, who portrayed the animal on set. "We mainly filmed on cliffs at altitudes of 4,000 to 5,000 meters where she would kneel directly on the cliff edge and perform bit by bit, which was amazing and of great reference value for us." This most recent Tibetan-language drama is the eighth film by Pema Tseden, who unexpectedly passed away in May 2023. He is known for highly acclaimed and award-winning films such as "The Silent Holy Stones" (2005), "Jinpa" (2018) and "Balloon" (2019). Before Tsedens passing, "Snow Leopard" took three years to complete from script creation to final rendering. The film premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival and later won the Grand Prix at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival in November and best director at the fifth Hainan Island International Film Festival in December 2023. Cast and crew pose for a group photo at the premiere of "Snow Leopard," in Beijing, March 29, 2024. [Photo courtesy of China Film Co., Ltd.] As a significant work, this film is supported by China Film Co., Ltd. The film company in recent years has been promoting the development of medium and small budget art films, aiming to boost the film market's prosperity and encourage the development of ethnic minority films. "No matter if you have seen my father's works before, I hope you can go see them after watching 'Snow Leopard,' and I hope you can approach the more authentic Tibetan land," Jigme Trinley said. "And for those of us who follow in my father's footsteps: We will take it slowly, one step at a time." Woman moving from Denver to Kansas City floored by $10,000 quote from movers. Can you afford to move? Moving is almost always a pain: you have to pack, purge or sell all of your belongings. But now, its also a lot more expensive to transport everything from one place to another. Valerie, who goes by @valuhrina on TikTok, discovered this the hard way when she prepared to move from Denver to Kansas City. In her viral video, she claimed that a moving company quoted her $10,000 to move her belongings from a one-bedroom apartment just one state away. Don't miss Who hires movers at that kind of price? she asked. Thats half a years rent almost just to move. As the cost of housing increases, so does the cost of moving. But there are ways that you can avoid these exorbitant fees. Why is moving so expensive? Valerie said in a follow-up that shed posted her original video about the $10,000 moving fee because she wanted to know if anyone paid those prices and TikTok delivered. One commenter pointed out that many companies pay relocation packages for their employees. A company has much more money to spare than an individual, so $10,000 is something they could cover for a worker. However, another commenter, who said that theyre a job recruiter, added that $10,000 is still a lot of money and probably wouldn't be entirely covered by an employer. The high cost of moving may be part of the reason that 2023 saw the least amount of moves since 1948 (when the U.S. government first started tracking this data), according to a Census analysis from the moving company, Hire a Helper. Although 2022 saw the highest moving costs yet on record, they still never quite reached the $10,000 range. The average move cost $427 in 2022, according to that years report from Hire a Helper. The prices dropped slightly in 2023, averaging out at $407. However, the New York Times disagreed with this assessment. They said moves can cost between a few thousand dollars for a local move up to $10,000 for a cross-country move. The prices depend on miles traveled, time to move and the weight of your belongings. Stairs can also impact the price. Story continues Although Valerie is only moving one state away, a commenter pointed out that the drive from Denver to Kansas City is nine hours one way. Shed have to take into account that the movers have to drive back, so its really an 18-hour round-trip for them. Read more: Suze Orman says Americans are poorer than they think but having a dream retirement is so much easier when you know these 3 simple money moves How to make the cost of moving cheaper Valerie decided she isnt going to use movers. In fact, she checked if their quote would cost more than renting her own truck and moving herself. She said that she doesnt know many people in Kansas City, according to another video she posted to TikTok. Her new home in Kansas City is a fourth-floor walkup, so she thought movers might help make the move a little easier. But once she heard the price, she decided to stick with U-Haul, although she didn't disclose the quote they gave her. Commenters recommended that she hire people off of Taskrabbit to help move her things into the new Kansas City apartment. Other commenters said its cheaper for her to sell her bigger items such as a sectional sofa and a queen-size bed and buy new ones in Kansas City. Another option is to use freight shipping. It takes a bit more time for your things to get to you, but can be significantly cheaper. What to read next Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now use $100 to cash in on prime real estate without the headache of being a landlord. Here's how Rich young Americans have lost confidence in the stock market and are betting on these 3 assets instead. Get in now for strong long-term tailwinds Car insurance premiums in America are through the roof and only getting worse. But 5 minutes could have you paying as little as $29/month This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Riverbend High School French teacher Beth Marshall and her class got a surprise Friday afternoon when education officials and fellow teachers made a surprise visit to announce an award for her. Marshall, selected as one of eight regional teachers of the year in the state, grew teary-eyed with the announcement and the ensuing applause. Lisa Coons, Virginias superintendent of public instruction, led the group in acknowledging Marshall. She started by asking the students about their teacher. Shes very passionate, one student said. Shes like a friend, another pointed out. Coons said Marshalls colleagues nominated her for the regional teacher of the year award, emphasizing that Marshall not only shows a passion for students and foreign languages but also fellow teachers. When asked about the keys to teaching, Marshall said big passion and challenging students, who spend so much time on their computers, getting them engaged, and creating a spark for learning. Its about communicating and introducing the students to other cultures through language, she said. Sen. Tara Durant attended the event as well. She talked about her daughter becoming an English teacher for foreign language speakers and how important teaching languages can be. Its an honor to commend you and the work youve done, Durant said. Fellow Riverbend teacher John Dement, who wrote a letter nominating Marshall for the award, said she is a phenomenal mentor and a great source of collaboration. Its all about the kids, said Dement, a Spanish language teacher. I hope that I can become half of the teacher she is by the end of my career. Marshall has been a teacher for 27 years, 11 at Riverbend, according to a statement by the state education department. She started young, studying abroad in France as a student when she developed her passion for the language. Marshall is also well known for her work mentoring other teachers and for her dedication to teaching languages. She is a member of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, the Foreign Language Association of Virginia and the American Association of the Teachers of French. The French teacher also has helped lead the rewriting of the French curriculum, rubrics, and placement tests for Spotsylvania, according to the state education department. Marshall also has focused on other school issues, such as helping tackle the problem of chronic absenteeism. In a statement by the state education department, Riverbend Principal Cherilynn Bickerstaff described Marshall as a leader in our school community. Her contributions extend far beyond her classroom. She is one of the key figures we rely on to support positive changes in our school. Three Spotsylvania School Board members Chair Lorita Daniels, Nicole Cole and Megan Jackson attended the surprise announcement. Its an incredible impact and exciting to have our teachers recognized by the state, Cole told the group. The regional teachers of the year will serve on the Teacher Advisory Council for Virginia. They also will be nominated for the 2025 Mary V. Bicouvaris Virginia teacher of the year award. Also on Friday, Coons visited students and staff at Grafton Village Elementary School in Stafford County. She discussed the importance of student mental health and battling chronic absenteeism, visited classrooms and read Shelly Beckers Even Superheroes Have a Bad Day to second-graders. The visit invigorated the schools dedication to fostering a supportive environment where every student feels valued and understood, said Principal Michael Sidebotham. Her emphasis on student mental health aligns perfectly with our schools mission to nurture not only academic excellence, but also emotional intelligence, he said. YORK The York City Council discussed the proposed pedestrian trail, concealed handguns and a new school resource officer at its meeting on Thursday. First, City Administrator Sue Crawford shared research about crime on pedestrian trails and the York area. The Lincoln Police Department responded to over 100,000 calls in 2023, but Crawford noted that only 56 of those calls were on bike paths or trails, representing about .05% of its total calls. And only three of those 56 calls were related to violence against any individuals. In the last three years, the York Police Department responded to about 8,000 calls per year, Crawford said. There were no homicide calls or kidnapping and abduction calls in the area between 21st street and the interchange during that period, Crawford said, and there was an average of less than one sex offense call and less than four assault calls per year. Crawford said that while the York Police Department is busy doing proactive police work in all parts of our community to keep all parts of our community safe, the department is not busy responding to high levels of violent crime in the interchange area. She noted that sometimes crimes that happen elsewhere get discovered in the interchange area, giving as an example the departments proactive work on a child abuse case, which had happened in Texas, but was discovered in York. Our police and public-minded community members make it a wonderful and safe community to work, play, live and visit, Crawford said. The council agreed to an approximately $15,000 supplemental agreement with Olsson Inc. to redesign a portion of the citys proposed pedestrian trail, something the city had tabled for weeks after some potential neighbors to the trail expressed dissatisfaction. Some York potential neighbors to the trail once again spoke at Thursdays meeting to express their frustration. Brandon Lehman asked if the council felt like it had the opportunity to fully review the supplemental agreement. Mayor Barry Redfern said it had. Ryan Gieck, whose land may be impacted by the pedestrian trail, shared grievances from a recent meeting with Olsson engineers and the city administrator. He expressed dissatisfaction with the trails proposed route and its impact on his property and safety. Amy Lehman, a potential neighbor to the project, focused on the safety issue, saying she thought the children of the city of York should not have easy, open access to the interchange area regardless of whether or not they have parental approval because the risks are too high. Dalane Epp said his land would be adjacent to the trail, but said he had not been able to meet with the city. Mayor Barry Redfern clarified that they were only meeting with the 21 landowners whose land was directly impacted and not people whose land was near the trail because there were hundreds of such people and not time for individual meetings with all of them. There will be an open house about the trails design on May 28 at the Holthus Convention Center, Redfern said. Roger Wolfe Jr. addressed the council with regards to its code prohibiting concealed handguns on city property and though his focus was the code, he also connected it to concerns about safety on the pedestrian trail. I am opposed to law-abiding citizens, not being able to carry a handgun, concealed or otherwise, in our parks, Wolfe said. He claimed that having such citizens in the citys parks would serve as a deterrent to the bad guys. If there is a bad guy, theyre gonna wonder how many good guys are here and am I gonna get caught in a cross fire. Wolfe claimed that allowing concealed handguns in parks could serve as a deterrent for crime on the pedestrian trail. Wolfe also said the ordinance may be illegal based on a nonbinding opinion from Attorney General Mike Hilgers, which interpreted LB 77 as banning cities from prohibiting weapons in public spaces like parks or trails. Redfern said there are a lot of things to sort out about the citys concealed handgun ordinance and that the city would be having discussions about it with Chief Ed Tjaden City, City Attorney Charles Campbell and other members of the community going forward. The council covered other grounds, besides the pedestrian trail, at Thursdays council meeting. The council agreed to hire a school resource officer for York Public Schools, something the York School Board had previously approved. Tjaden spoke in favor of the decision, saying that since he started in his position in 2017, it has been his goal to improve the police departments relationship with the schools. York Public Schools Superintendent Mitch Bartholomew said the SRO will enhance the schools safety plan and is a great thing for York Public Schools. The council also approved purchases for the public works department, including $50,000 worth of concrete and an $88,700 excavator. The department of public works will now also be retaining HDR Engineering Inc. to provide on-call engineering services and methane migration monitoring, thanks to council approval. PHOTOS: Sandhill cranes at dusk near Gibbon Photos from the sun setting on the Platte River near Gibbon. Dusk on the Platte River Thousands of Sandhill cranes flock to the Platte River on Wednesday, April 3. Cranes at dusk The sun sets on the Platte River on Wednesday. Cranes at dusk Cranes dot the horizon as the sun sets on the Platte River. Cranes at dusk A smattering of Sandhill cranes fly over the Platte River as the horizon shows a purple hue on Wednesday. Photo taken looking east from the Pl Cranes near Gibbon A flock of Sandhill cranes take off out of a cornfield off Gibbon Road on Wednesday. Cranes at dusk ABOVE: A flock of Sandhill cranes take off out of a cornfield off Gibbon Road on Wednesday. RIGHT: A smattering of Sandhill cranes fly over th Cranes over the Platte Cranes fly over the Platte River near Gibbon as the sun sets. Cranes at dusk A crowd gathers on the Plautz Crane Viewing Deck off Lowell Road near Gibbon to watch the cranes on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. Visitors that ni Cranes over the Platte The Platte River at dusk. Cranes at dusk Sandhill cranes fly over the Platte River as the horizon shows a purple hue on Wednesday, April 3. Cranes at dusk A flying V of Sandhill cranes soar over the Platte River on Wednesday, April 3 near Gibbon. Cranes at dusk Cranes fly over the Platte River at dusk on Wednesday, April 3. Cranes at dusk Cranes fly overhead at the Plautz Crane Viewing Deck near Gibbon on Wednesday, April 3. Cranes near Gibbon Sandhill cranes eat and mill about in a cornfield off Gibbon Road. Cranes near Gibbon A group of Sandhill cranes gather in a cornfield near Gibbon. Cranes near Gibbon Cranes gather in a field near Gibbon. Sandhill cranes near Gibbon Sandhill cranes gather near Gibbon. New Delhi: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the Left will not permit the BJP's communal politics to take root in the state and ensure that the saffron party does not even secure a second position in Kerala's coming Lok Sabha Elections. While addressing the media, Vijayan asserted that the Left will overcome the challenges posed by the Sangh Parivar to the Nation and the people of the Left will work towards outside them from power. "We are contesting this election to bring down the BJP from power and that's why we have actively joined the anti-BJP front at the national level. We would like to make one thing clear. The BJP will not only face defeat in all 20 seats, they will even fail to secure the second position in any constituency this time," Vijayan told to PTI. Kerala CM Vijayan added that there is no point in voting Congress party due to their past work experience. "People have understood that there is no point in voting for the Congress party from their experience in the last five years. The Left parties seek votes from the people to uproot the BJP which has been implementing dangerous policies in the country," he added. The CM also criticized the Congress party and stated that the grand old party provided room and votes for the BJP, but the Left has a history of combating communal fascists. "We don't change our politics for the sake of a few votes," Vijayan added. Kerala CM also attacked the Congress manifesto, he said that the manifesto failed to address the challenges posed by the communal Hindutva politics. "While the CPI(M) manifesto clearly states its intention to cancel the divisive CAA, the Congress manifesto maintains a conspicuous silence on the matter," he said. New Delhi: As we all know India is going through Lok Sabha Polls 2024 and a recent report released by Microsoft has raised alarms about China's potential use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to interfere with upcoming elections. The tech giant highlighted that such AI-generated content could also impact elections in countries like the United States and South Korea. What Are The Key Points From The Report? According to Microsoft, China is likely to produce and distribute AI-generated content through social media platforms to sway public opinion in its favor during the important elections. (Also Read: Security Alert For Android Users! Indian Govt Issued High-Risk Warning: Read More) The content will be in the form of memes, videos, and audio, aiming to support China's positions. It further said that however, the possibility of affecting the general elections by these stuffs would be possibly low. (Also Read: Extravagant Auction In Dubai: THIS Unique Mobile Number Sold For 7 Crore Rupees) Microsoft's Same targets, new playbooks: East Asia threat actors employ unique methods report observed significant cyber and influence trends from China and North Korea since June 2023. Target Areas These trends indicate an escalation in efforts to influence target areas, including countries in the South Pacific Islands, regional adversaries in the South China Sea region, and the US defence industrial base. Why It Is Alarming? This is obvious your mind may be asking the answer to this question. If so, it is here. Chinese influence campaigns have been evolving, particularly in the world of AI-generated or AI-enhanced content. Microsoft noted that these campaigns are becoming more sophisticated in their efforts to manipulate public discourse. They are not only amplifying AI-generated media but also creating their videos, memes, and audio content to advance strategic narratives. China's Geopolitical Priorities And IO Attacks Despite unchanged geopolitical priorities, China has intensified its focus on targets and increased the sophistication of its influence operations (IO) attacks. These activities of China trigger concerns about the potential impact on global stability and democratic processes. Is Any Specified Cyber Attack Actor? The report discussed the activity of a Chinese cyber actor known as Flax Typhoon. It targeted entities related to US-Philippines military exercises in 2023. This actor has also been linked to targeting entities in the Philippines, Hong Kong, India, and the United States. Bengaluru: Union Minister and senior BJP leader Smriti Irani has taken a sharp dig at the Congress party regarding its electoral strategies in Kerala. Irani's comments came in response to the peculiar situation unfolding in Wayanad, where the Communist Party of India has fielded Annie Raja against Rahul Gandhi, despite their partnership within the opposition INDIA bloc. Irani highlighted the contradictory stance of the Left parties, noting that while they suggested Rahul Gandhi contest from Uttar Pradesh, they warmly embraced him during the INDI Alliance meeting in Delhi. She wryly summarized the situation, stating, "Delhi mein hugging, Kerala mein begging." Further adding to her commentary, she quipped, "Karnataka mein thugging," indicating the complex political dynamics at play. Irani's Call To Women Voters Addressing a gathering in Bengaluru, Irani, a former actress, urged women to exercise their voting rights conscientiously. She emphasized that participating in elections is not akin to the scripted drama of television serials but rather a significant civic responsibility. Irani underscored the need for women to engage with substantial political issues, distancing themselves from the superficiality of soap operas. Additionally, she criticized the Gandhi family, accusing them of exploiting the nation through superficial photo ops. "I request all the women that if we want everyone to take women seriously in politics, then we have to pay attention to important political issues. 'Saas-Bahu' serials are very far from the realities of life. Women who understand this can have a successful social and political life. The Gandhi family looted the country by clicking pictures and smiling. Casting your vote is a heavy responsibility, it is not a game of any TV serial," the Union Minister said. Electoral Landscape In Wayanad Annie Raja, representing the CPI, filed her nomination for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Wayanad, setting the stage for a contentious electoral battle. While CPI and Congress are allies in the opposition coalition, they find themselves as rivals in Kerala, each fielding formidable candidates. In this electoral fray, the BJP has nominated Kerala State President K Surendran as its candidate under the NDA banner. Political Significance Of Kerala Kerala holds substantial political significance, being one of the few states where the Congress maintains a robust presence. With 20 parliamentary seats, it remains a crucial battleground in national politics. In the previous Lok Sabha polls, Rahul Gandhi secured a resounding victory from Wayanad, further underlining the region's importance. The upcoming elections are poised to shape the political landscape significantly. Countdown To Elections As the political landscape heats up, all eyes are on Kerala as it gears up for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April 26, with the vote counting slated for June 4. The results are anticipated to have far-reaching implications, shaping the course of Indian politics in the years to come. Saharanpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav during a rally in Saharanpur on Saturday. PM Modi referred to their unsuccessful partnership in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, likening it to the release of a "flop film" by "two boys" once again. PM Attacks INDIA Alliance In his speech, PM Modi also criticized the INDIA alliance, emphasizing the difference between their pursuit of "commission" and his government's focus on a mission. PM Modi accused the opposition, particularly Congress and Samajwadi Party, of not aiming to win elections but rather to limit BJP and NDA's seat count. He highlighted the challenges faced by Congress in finding suitable candidates, even in its traditional strongholds. Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav had previously formed an alliance for the 2017 assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, which didn't yield desired results. PM Modi recalled their joint efforts during a roadshow in Agra earlier this year. PM Modi expressed pride in the BJP's growing support and emphasized the party's commitment to national interests over political gains. He highlighted the BJP's track record of winning people's trust through its actions and policies. PM Modi Slams Congress Manifesto Mounting a strong attack on Congress, PM Modi said that the opposition party is cut off from the hopes and aspirations of today's India and its manifesto reflects the thinking that Muslim League had during the freedom movement. In his first reaction to Congress manifesto released yesterday, PM Modi said it "completely bears the imprint of the Muslim League" and the remaining part is dominated by the Leftists. #WATCH | Addressing a public rally in Saharanpur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "...Yesterday the kind of manifesto released by Congress reflects the same thinking that was prevalent in the Muslim League at the time of independence. The Congress manifesto completely bears pic.twitter.com/g3UEf9nkkA ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2024 UPA Rule Was A Period Of Despair And Crisis: PM Criticizing the UPA rule, PM Modi described a period of despair and crisis in the country a decade ago. He assured the audience of his resolve to transform despair into hope and faith with their support. PM Modi stressed the BJP government's inclusive approach, citing examples such as the abrogation of Article 370 and efforts in Jammu and Kashmir's development. He emphasized the government's commitment to policies that benefit all sections of society. PM Modi also reiterated the government's commitment to fighting corruption, dismissing allegations of probe agency misuse by the opposition. Upcoming Elections Saharanpur and seven other seats in Uttar Pradesh are scheduled for polls in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19. ALIGARH: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has issued a stern warning to criminals, declaring that those who pose a threat to society's security will meet their end. Addressing a massive poll rally in Aligarh in support of BJP's Lok Sabha candidate Satish Kumar Gautam, CM Yogi emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating that the safety of daughters and businessmen is paramount. 'Ram Naam Satya' For Those Who Endanger Society Highlighting the significance of maintaining law and order, CM Yogi Adityanath reiterated that ensuring the safety of citizens is a top priority. "No one ever thought that daughters and businessmen could venture out at night without worry. We ensure 'Ram Naam Satya' (last rites) for the danger posed to the safety of daughters and businessmen," he asserted, emphasizing the consequences for those who jeopardize societal well-being. Empowering Through Voting Encouraging citizens to exercise their voting rights wisely, CM Yogi stressed that the progress and development witnessed today are the fruits of responsible voting. He warned against the ramifications of choosing wrongly, citing past instances of anarchy and lawlessness, and emphasized the need for continued support for progress. Praise For PM Modi's Leadership Commending Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, CM Yogi Adityanath attributed the ongoing infrastructure development across the nation to his governance. He lauded Modi's initiatives, including the construction of world-class structures, highways, airports, and educational institutions, as transformative for the nation. Confidence In Election Outcome Expressing confidence in the upcoming elections, CM Yogi asserted that the public has already made up their minds in favour of a third term for the Modi government. He predicted a landslide victory for the ruling party, citing the positive sentiment among the electorate. Looking ahead, CM Yogi Adityanath outlined a promising future under PM Modi's leadership, predicting India's ascent to become the world's third-largest economy within the initial three years of Modi's potential third term. He underscored the importance of Uttar Pradesh's development for the nation's progress, urging support for Modi's re-election. The rally saw the presence of prominent figures, including BJP District President Chaudhary Krishna Pal Singh and State Government Minister Sandeep Singh, among others. With Uttar Pradesh playing a pivotal role in national politics, the state is gearing up for voting across seven phases, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4. NEW DELHI: In a historic venture tracing back to 1984, shortly after India's inaugural expedition to Antarctica, the nation established its first-ever post office on the icy continent at Dakshi Gangotrithe pioneering scientific base. Within a year, the fledgling post office had processed a remarkable 10,000 letters and parcels, marking the genesis of what officials now hail as a "unique experiment" for India's postal community. The saga continued with the eventual submersion of Dakshin Gangotri under ice during the late 1980s, leading to its decommissioning. However, on January 26, 1990, a new chapter unfolded as a post office branch emerged at India's Maitri research station in Antarctica, heralding a new era of postal connectivity amidst the continent's frigid expanse. For over 35 years since its inception, enthusiastsparticularly philatelists, collectors, and hobbyistshave diligently dispatched letters and postcards within blank envelopes to the Maitri post office, seeking the revered 'Maitri North Goa' postmarka cherished memento among collectors worldwide. Fast forward almost four decades and a monumental stride has been taken with the inauguration of a second post office branch at the Bharati research station in Antarctica, accompanied by the introduction of a new PIN code, MH-1718. The designation of this code as "experimental" aligns with standard protocols for nascent branches, according to officials. Spanning a distance of 3,000 km, India's two Antarctic research basesMaitri and Bharatistand as a testament to the nation's enduring presence in the polar landscape, both falling under the purview of the Goa postal division. In practical terms, letters intended for Antarctica find their way to the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in Goa, the pivotal hub for India's polar endeavours. From there, researchers embark on expeditions carrying these missives, which are later 'cancelled' at the research bases before being dispatched back home via post. Explaining the significance of 'cancellation,' officials elucidate its role in defacing postage stamps or stationery, thereby preventing their reuse. These 'cancelled' letters bear vital information such as the date and post office location, serving as invaluable artefacts for stamp enthusiasts. M. Sudhakar, a former scientist at NCPOR, underscores the strategic importance of the Antarctic post offices. With Antarctica governed by the Antarctic Treaty, which prohibits territorial claims and military activities, establishing Indian postal facilities on this foreign terrain assumes profound significance, asserting India's presence on the continent primarily dedicated to scientific exploration. In a heartfelt appeal delivered via video conferencing, Chief Postmaster General K. K. Sharma has urged the scientists stationed in Antarctica to embrace the traditional art of letter writing, emphasizing its enduring value amidst the digital deluge of modern communication platforms. Driven predominantly by philately enthusiasts and collectors, the mail flowing into India's Antarctic post offices fuels a demand for 'cancelled' letters, viewed as prized possessions by collectors worldwide. R P Patil, Director of Postal Services for the Goa region, underscores the rarity and allure of obtaining stamps from remote post-office outposts, catering to the fervent demand from philatelists. NEW DELHI: In a resolute warning to terror outfits, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has affirmed India's commitment to thwarting terrorism, even if it means crossing the borders. Responding to recent allegations and echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertive stance, Singh stated that India would pursue terrorists who seek refuge in Pakistan after perpetrating acts of violence in India. 20 terrorists ko maara hai? Koi bhi terrorist hamare padosi desh se yadi Bharat ko disturb karne ki koshish karega, ya yahan par aatankwadi harkatein karega, to uska muh tod jawab denge. Yadi woh bhaag kar Pakistan mein jayega, to Pakistan mein ghus kar maarenge (Did you say we killed 20 terrorists? If any terrorist from Pakistan tries to disturb India, or commits terrorist acts here, we will give a befitting response. If he runs away to Pakistan, we will go there and kill him), Rajnath Singh while speaking to a private media house. No Tolerance For Terrorism: Rajnath Singh emphasized India's zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism, asserting that the country will not hesitate to take decisive action against those who disturb its peace. He reiterated India's desire for peaceful relations with neighbouring countries but underscored the nation's readiness to respond firmly to any threat to its security. Escalating Tensions Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated following the 2019 Pulwama attack, which India attributed to Pakistan-based militants. The subsequent airstrikes by India on terrorist targets in Pakistan further strained relations between the two nations. International Allegations Recent allegations, particularly highlighted by UK-based media outlet The Guardian, have accused India of extrajudicial killings in Pakistan. These claims have sparked international scrutiny and contributed to the ongoing diplomatic friction between India and Pakistan. The Guardian report came months after Canada and the US accused India of killing or attempting to kill Khalistani terrorists 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. Similarly, the US 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. Denial And Counterclaims New Delhi, however, maintains that targeted killings in other countries are not a policy of the Indian government. The Ministry of External Affairs has 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'. Despite these tensions, efforts to improve bilateral relations have been observed, with India expressing a willingness to cooperate in investigations. Both Canada and the US have acknowledged India's cooperation in addressing the allegations, signalling a potential thaw in diplomatic relations. Prime Minister Modi has reiterated India's commitment to investigating any information regarding alleged extraterritorial activities. This commitment underscores India's adherence to the rule of law and its determination to address accusations transparently. TEHRAN: Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Iran has issued a stern warning to the United States not to fall into Israel's trap, according to CNN. The warning comes in the wake of a suspected Israeli attack on Iran's consulate in Syria and signals a potentially volatile situation in the region. According to Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian President's deputy chief of staff for political affairs, Iran conveyed a message to Washington, urging the US to "step aside" as Iran prepares its response. Jamshidi's statement, made on behalf of Iran, emphasized the need for the US to avoid being ensnared in what was referred to as "Netanyahu's trap," alluding to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The message further urged the US to refrain from involvement to prevent any retaliatory actions. While Iran's warning to the US is clear, the response from Washington remains undisclosed. However, reports from various sources indicate heightened concerns within the US administration regarding potential repercussions from Iran. CNN reported that the US is bracing for a "significant" response from Iran, possibly targeting Israeli or American interests in the region. Similarly, NBC, citing unnamed US officials, highlighted concerns that any potential attack could target military or intelligence installations rather than civilians, underscoring the gravity of the situation. The Biden administration's efforts to avert further escalation were underscored by reports suggesting direct communication with Iran following the suspected Israeli strike in Damascus. This proactive approach by the US indicates a strategic move to safeguard its interests and prevent further destabilization in the region. Iran's intentions regarding its response to the attack remain ambiguous. While asserting its determination to deliver a "slap" to Israel, Iran has not clarified the timing or method of its retaliation. Speculation looms over whether Iran will directly target Israel or opt for indirect measures through proxy groups like Hezbollah, based in Lebanon. The recent strike on Iran's consulate in Damascus, resulting in casualties including high-ranking Iranian officials, has intensified the already heightened tensions. Israel's subsequent defensive measures, including the mobilization of troops and bolstering of air defences, further underscore the volatility of the situation. Hezbollah, Iran's prominent proxy in the region, has echoed Iran's sentiments, signalling readiness for potential conflict with Israel. However, Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, emphasized that decisions regarding retaliation lie with Iran, indicating a coordinated approach among Iran and its allies. NEW DELHI: Days after launching his campaign for the Lok Sabha polls in the state from Meerut, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold an election meeting at Saharanpur on Saturday followed by a roadshow in Ghaziabad. PM Modi is scheduled to arrive at Saharanpur at 11.30 am. After headlining the meeting at Saharanpur, he will leave for Ajmer in neighbouring Rajasthan where he is scheduled to address a public meeting. Later in the day, he will return to Uttar Pradesh for the Ghaziabad roadshow that is scheduled to get underway at 5.15 pm. The elections to 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases, with nearly 97 crore voters eligible to exercise their franchise, according to the Election Commission (EC). The counting of votes has been scheduled for June 4. New Delhi: In the grand tapestry of life, it's often those who confront and conquer adversities in their formative years that emerge as the most resilient and triumphant souls. Such is the tale of Kriti Agarwal, a beacon of tenacity and perseverance amidst the tempests of life. Kriti's journey to triumph was a saga of resilience and relentless pursuit. The corridors of her ambition were fraught with setbacks, as she grappled with the daunting challenges of the AIPMT and NEET exams in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Despite the initial sting of failure, Kriti refused to surrender to despair. Taking a hiatus to recalibrate her approach, Kriti embarked on a disciplined regimen, severing ties with distractions like social media and prioritizing solitary focus over idle camaraderie. Her resolve was unwavering as she toiled tirelessly to shore up her weaknesses, dedicating herself to the rigors of Physics and Chemistry with a fervor unmatched. Every spare moment became an opportunity for advancement as Kriti seized upon the minutes spent commuting, transforming mundane waits at bus stops and train platforms into impromptu study sessions. Even setbacks like the UPCPMT, where she faltered due to unfamiliar course material, only fueled her determination rather than dampening her spirits. Amidst the tumult of her academic pursuits, Kriti found solace and encouragement in the unwavering support of her parents, who provided the nurturing environment she needed to flourish. Their belief in her capabilities became the bedrock upon which Kriti built her dreams. Finally, after weathering the storms of uncertainty and self-doubt, Kriti emerged victorious, claiming her rightful place among the ranks of medical aspirants with a commendable All India Rank of 1084 in her third attempt at the NEET exam. With this triumph, she etched her name in the annals of perseverance and resilience, realizing her childhood dream of donning the white coat as a healer of humanity. Kolkata: In a distressing repetition of past events, a team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) encountered stiff resistance in Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, while conducting investigations related to a blast case on Saturday. The latest incident is reminiscent of a similar attack on the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) team in Sandeshkhali, North 24 Parganas where the officers were besieged and allegedly assaulted during a raid linked to an alleged food scam. According to sources within the NIA, the team dispatched to Purba Medinipur faced hostility during their probe into the blast case. Reports indicate that the vehicle transporting the NIA officers was targeted and vandalized amidst efforts to apprehend a suspect connected to the ongoing investigation. A video footage circulating on social media purportedly depicts residents gathering around the NIA vehicle, attempting to obstruct the apprehension of the suspect. The situation escalated as villagers resorted to pelting the vehicle with stones, further escalating tensions. #WATCH | West Bengal: NIA officers had to face protesters in Sandeshkhali while they were carrying out an investigation in connection with the Bhupatinagar, East Medinipur blast case. People allegedly tried to stop the NIA team from taking the accused persons along with them. pic.twitter.com/UVoAO6uuPQ April 6, 2024 2 Key Conspirators In Bengal Blast Case Arrested The NIA officials later arrested two key conspirators linked to the December 2022 Bhupatinagar blast case despite facing resistance from the locals. However, one of its officers was arrested during the process. The duo, Balai Charan Maity and Manobrata Jana, were arrested after extensive searches at five locations, including the house of Jana, where a crowd tried to obstruct the NIA team which raided the area early Saturday in connection with the Bhupatinagar blast case in which three persons were killed in December 2022. Manobrata Jana, and the other arrested accused, identified as Balai Charan Maity, were found to have conspired to manufacture and explode crude bombs to spread terror, the agency said. Sandeshkhali, situated within the Sundarbans, has become a focal point of political discourse following allegations of sexual abuse and land encroachment against suspended TMC politician Shajahan Sheikh and his associates. The recent remarks by the Calcutta High Court condemning the events in Sandeshkhali also underscored the gravity of the situation. Earlier this year, Shahjahan Sheikh, the suspended TMC leader, triggered a political storm when an ED team conducting a raid at his residence in connection with a ration scam was met with mob violence. This incident came as a grim reminder of the escalating tensions and recurring confrontations in the region. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Congress and alleged that the party opposed the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ayodhya Ram Temple to the extent that it expelled the party member who went to attend the event. Addressing a massive rally in Rajasthan's Pushkar ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, PM Modi said, "Going to Pran Pratistha was opposed, is it appropriate? Not only this but if someone went to Pran Pratishtha, he was expelled from the Congress Party for 6 years." #WATCH | Rajasthan: Addressing a public gathering in Ajmer, PM Modi said, "Ram Mandir has been built, are you happy or not? Going to Pran Pratistha was opposed, is it appropriate? Not only this but if someone went to Pran Pratishtha, he was expelled from the Congress Party for 6 pic.twitter.com/1XPdFQRUoL ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2024 Modi further said that the occasion of Ram Navami is around the corner and "there will be massive celebrations let's see who opposes that." PM also underlined that BJP was established on April 6 and it is a coincidence that today he got the opportunity to visit the Pushkar area. "Brahmaji is the creator and the BJP is also committed to building a new India. Sometimes a decision by citizens sets the course for the next 100 years, this election is one such big opportunity. This election of 2024 is one such opportunity," the Prime Minister said. He further said that Rajasthan is moving ahead towards greater heights of development under the BJP rule. "Your dreams are Modi's Sankalp. We have to make India 'Viksit' by 2047'," he added. 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. Counting of the votes will be held on June 4. The counting of votes for all 543 Lok Sabha seats across the country is scheduled for June 4. New Delhi: Every year, countless individuals aspire to conquer India's most challenging examination to become IAS, IPS, IFS, and IRS officers. Yet, amid the sea of hopefuls, only a select few manage to achieve this feat. Despite enduring years of dedication and perseverance, the aspirations of thousands remain unfulfilled. Among them, however, stand those unwavering souls who refuse to surrender. Such is the story of Ankita Sharma, an IPS officer who faced failure in her initial attempts at the UPSC exam. Despite stumbling twice, her relentless determination propelled her to success on the third try. Originating from Durg in Chhattisgarh, Ankita began her journey in a humble government school. Despite later pursuing higher education, including an MBA, her heart remained steadfastly set on the coveted position of an IPS officer. After completing her studies, she ventured to New Delhi to embark on her UPSC preparation. Yet, her stay in the bustling capital lasted a mere six months before she found herself returning home. Undeterred, Ankita commenced her preparations anew from the comfort of her own home, relying on self-study. Despite her efforts, her first attempt ended in disappointment. Refusing to succumb to despair, she pursued the exam once more, only to be met with another setback. Instead of faltering, Ankita bolstered her resolve and redoubled her efforts for a third attempt. This time, her diligence bore fruit, earning her an impressive All India Rank of 203. Today, she serves as the Superintendent of Police in the Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai district, renowned for her leadership in numerous anti-Naxal operations in Bastar. Ankita finds joy in her marriage to Vivekanand Shukla, an officer in the Indian Army, marking yet another milestone in her remarkable journey of perseverance and triumph. Noted Techie Aakash Patanjali has been honoured for his outstanding contributions to the biotechnology industry. Akash has received the prestigious Global Achievers' Award from the Indian Achievers' Forum. Aakash Patanjali's leadership has been instrumental in SJV Biotech's achievements, including the registration of products in European nations like Poland, Hungary, and Germany, along with establishing a strong presence in the Turkish market. His vision and strategic direction have propelled the company's growth and progress, positioning it as a key player in the biotechnology industry. "In recent years, a large number of new bioproducts businesses have opened and closed due to the inability to produce quality bio inputs that meet the established quality parameters and farmers' expectations. Thats why our aim is to produce bio-agricultural products of the highest quality that meet global standards and are also satisfactory to farmers," Akash Patanjali said. His contributions to SJV Biotech's success underscore his commitment to excellence and transformative impact in the fast-paced world of biotechnology. The Indian Achievers' Forum commends Aakash Patanjali for his exemplary leadership and visionary approach, inspiring others in the pursuit of innovation and quality in biotechnology. His oversight encompasses various aspects, including management, finance, exports, and research and development projects for both European and domestic markets. New Delhi: With the increasing prevalence of online scams, government agencies are stepping up efforts to raise awareness among the public. Recently, the Delhi Police took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to share images demonstrating how to identify fake online banking messages. Spotting Fake Messages The Delhi Police cautioned that scammers may use Cyrillic Script to conduct phishing attacks. Therefore, they advised users to carefully examine the URL of any link before clicking on it to avoid falling victim to such fraudulent schemes. (Also Read: Veg Thali Becomes Expensive In March, Non-Veg Cheaper: Check Rates) The Dangers Of Fake Links The police shared two images illustrating how seemingly genuine messages can pose a serious threat. By using Cyrillic Script, scammers can create links that closely resemble the URLs of legitimate bank websites, tricking unsuspecting users into divulging sensitive information. (Also Read: China May Use AI Content To Influence Lok Sabha Polls, Warns Microsoft Report) How Scammers Operate? Clicking on these fake links redirects users to web pages that mimic real bank websites, prompting them to enter their account numbers and passwords. Scammers then exploit this information for fraudulent transactions. Even if users have Two-Factor Authentication enabled, scammers may impersonate bank employees to request additional verification codes. Protecting Yourself To safeguard against such scams, individuals are advised to scrutinize any messages received from unknown numbers or containing links to bank websites. Paying attention to spelling mistakes or special characters in URLs can help identify fraudulent links. If in doubt, users are encouraged to search for the bank's official website on Google and cross-check the URL. Remain Vigilant As online scams continue to evolve, users need to remain vigilant and exercise caution when interacting with messages or links from unfamiliar sources. By following these precautions, individuals can better protect themselves against falling victim to online fraud. New Delhi: Recent regulations imposed by the European Union (EU) on big tech companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft have sparked controversy. Google has openly criticized the new Digital Markets Act (DMA), expressing concerns about its impact on users and businesses. What Is Google's Concerns? In a blog post, Adam Cohen, director of economic policy at Google, voiced the company's dissatisfaction with the DMA. He highlighted the adverse effects of Google Search features, particularly for flights, hotels, and local businesses. (Also Read: Veg Thali Becomes Expensive In March, Non-Veg Cheaper: Check Rates) Is There Any Impact On Users? According to Cohen, the DMA has compelled Google to remove certain useful features from its search results, such as comprehensive flight information and direct booking options for hotels. (Also Read: China May Use AI Content To Influence Lok Sabha Polls, Warns Microsoft Report) This change not only affects users' access to information but also disrupts direct connections between businesses and customers. Effects On Businesses Cohen emphasized that the DMA has led to a decline in direct booking clicks for hotels by as much as 30%. This forces businesses to rely on intermediaries that charge hefty commissions, ultimately harming small firms, airlines, and local businesses. Cohen On User Dissatisfaction Additionally, Cohen noted that users have expressed dissatisfaction with the changes to Google Maps display in search results. Many European users have raised concerns about the absence of a useful Google Maps tab, impacting their search experience. What Google Said To Other Countries? Google issued a warning to other countries considering similar regulations, urging them to reconsider. Cohen emphasized that rules like the DMA represent a significant shift in competition policy and could have adverse consequences, particularly for small businesses. New Delhi: As Microsoft warned India about China's plan to create and amplify AI-generated content to benefit its interests amid the seven-phase elections starting April 19, the Centre has come down heavily on global digital companies, asking them to fix their platforms as part of a new advisory around AI and its potential misuse during polls. With major elections taking place around the world this year, particularly in India, South Korea and the US: We assess that China will, at a minimum, create and amplify AI-generated content to benefit its interests," according to Clint Watts, General Manager, Microsoft Threat Analysis Center. (Also Read: India's Reserve Bank Leads Surge In Gold Reserves Amid Global Central Bank Slowdown) According to exposure management company Tenable, misinformation spread through AI-generated deepfakes and fake content are the biggest threat to the upcoming polls. "The biggest threats to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are misinformation and disinformation as part of influence operations conducted by malicious actors against the electorate," Satnam Narang, Senior Staff Research Engineer, Tenable, told IANS recently. (Also Read: Invest Once In THIS LIC Scheme, Receive Rs 12,000 Monthly Pension: Read More) Alarmed at AI's potential misuse, the Centre last month said that social media intermediaries must not permit any bias or discrimination or threaten the integrity of the electoral process. A new IT Ministry advisory now specifically deals with AI, which says that digital platforms have to take full accountability and cannot escape by saying that these AI models are in the under-testing phase. "It is reiterated that non-compliance to the provisions of the IT Act and/or IT Rules would result in potential penal consequences to the intermediaries or platforms or its users when identified, including but not limited to prosecution under IT Act and several other statutes of the criminal code," according to the advisory. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a conversation with Microsoft Co-founder Bill Gates late last month, also expressed concerns about deepfakes in a democratic country like ours. "I have engaged with leading minds on AI and its risks. I suggested that we should start with clear watermarks on AI-generated content to prevent misinformation. Proper sources of AI-generated content should also be mentioned," PM Modi emphasised. "Someone can even misuse my voice to deceive people and such a deepfake can trigger widespread uproar. We need to think about creating robust dos and don'ts on deepfakes," the Prime Minister told the billionaire philanthropist. New Delhi: Elon Musk on Saturday said that his electric car company Tesla will unveil its robotaxi on August 8. In a post on his social media platform X, the billionaire said: Tesla Robotaxi unveil on 8/8.The news brought cheers for his millions of followers.Wow, can't wait to see a Tesla without a steering wheel, one X user commented. Another wrote that he expected the compact car and the Robotaxi to be unveiled at the same time.I expect designs and manufacturing lines for both. (Also Read: China May Use AI Content To Influence Lok Sabha Polls, Warns Microsoft Report) Please do not delay and especially do not long-delay the compact car, the X user posted. In 2019, the company had indicated operating robotaxis by 2020. However, the plan did not materialise. (Also Read: Security Alert For Android Users! Indian Govt Issued High-Risk Warning: Read More) The latest announcement came as reports claimed that Tesla cancelled its plans to develop a more affordable EV for around $25,000. Musk earlier said the more affordable EV would be built on the electric car company's next-generation vehicle platform. We are focused on bringing the next generation platform to market as quickly as we can, with the plan to start production at Gigafactory Texas, Tesla had said. Saturday HomeStore open, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 701 E. Dodge St., Fremont. The HomeStore sells donated items at discounted prices. Proceeds support the mission of Fremont Area Habitat for Humanity. Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont. Fremont Knights of Columbus Easter Egg Hunt, 10:30 a.m., outside Bergan Elementary School, 1515 Johnson Rd., Fremont. There will be separate areas with plastic eggs filled with candy for four different age groups of kids. Attendees are asked to bring their baskets. All are welcome. The Easter Bunny will be onsite for photos and high 5s. Smart Recovery meeting, 10:30 a.m., LifeHouse, 723 N. Broad St., Fremont. Alcoholics Anonymous womens heart-to-heart group, noon, Chapter 5 Club, Fremont. Fremont Eagles Club open, noon to midnight, 649 N. Main St., Fremont. The club may stay open later or close early depending on business. Steak and shrimp will be served from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Shrimp dinners will be $11.99 while steak dinners will be $15.99. The SilverMoon Band will play from 8 p.m. to midnight in the ballroom. The cover charge is $8. Everyone is welcome. Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont. Archbishop Bergan Catholic School Musical, 7 p.m., St. Patricks Auditorium, Fourth and Union streets, Fremont. The students will be presenting Mean GirlsHigh School Version. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for non-Bergan students. Bergan students will be admitted free. Spiritual 12-Step Recovery Program, 7 p.m., Lighthouse, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont. Narcotics Anonymous The Lie is Dead meeting, 8 p.m., LifeHouse, 723 N. Broad St., Fremont. The hotline number is 402-459-9511. Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10:30 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont. Sunday Alcoholics Anonymous Happy Sober Sunday Group, 9 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont. Cedar Bluffs PTO Egg Hunt and Pancakes, 9 a.m. to noon, Cedar Bluffs Auditorium. Pancakes and raffle items will be at the Cedar Bluffs Auditorium. The pancake breakfast is $8 per person or $25 per family. Raffle tickets are $1 each or 12 for $10. Raffle winners will be announced at 11:50 a.m. Must be present to win. The egg hunt will start at 11 a.m. at the city park. Younger kids (ages 0-4) will go first, followed by ages 5-9, and then ages 10 and over. Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont. Narcotics Anonymous Seekers of Serenity meeting, 10:30 a.m., LifeHouse, 723 N. Broad St., Fremont. The hotline number is 402-459-9511. Fremont Eagles Club open, noon to 6 p.m., 649 N. Main St., Fremont. The club may stay open later or close early depending on business. Archbishop Bergan Catholic School Musical, 2 p.m., St. Patricks Auditorium, Fourth and Union streets, Fremont. The students will be presenting Mean GirlsHigh School Version. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for non-Bergan students. Bergan students will be admitted free. Bob Olsen Band Concert, 3 p.m., Fremont Opera House. The theme of this years concert is From Teen to 95, Bob Olsen Still Can Jive. The concert will last for at least 90 minutes with one short intermission. Admission is $10 per person, and tickets will only be sold at the door. Senior citizens age 65 or older or children age 12 and young will get in free. Refreshments will be served beginning at 2:30 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont. Dodge County Radio Emergency Associated Communication Team (REACT), 6:30 p.m., St. James Church, Fifth and D streets, Fremont. For more information, call 402-687-2160. Narcotics Anonymous Freedom Works Group, 7 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1440 E. Military Ave., Fremont. Alcoholics Anonymous Sunday speaker, 7:30 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont. OHIO: Another Indian student has tragically passed away in the state of Ohio, United States, with the Indian Consulate in New York confirming the incident on Friday. Identified as Uma Satya Sai Gadde, the circumstances surrounding his death remain shrouded in mystery as police delve into the investigation. Expressing deep sorrow over the loss, the Indian Consulate in New York conveyed its condolences to the bereaved family, highlighting its efforts to provide comprehensive support during this difficult time. This includes facilitating the repatriation of Gadde's mortal remains to India promptly. Deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of Mr. Uma Satya Sai Gadde, an Indian student in Cleveland, Ohio. Police investigation is underway. @IndiainNewYork continues to remain in touch with the family in India. All possible assistance is being extended including to transport India in New York (@IndiainNewYork) April 5, 2024 Police Investigation Underway Authorities are currently engaged in a thorough investigation to ascertain the cause of Gadde's untimely demise. The Consulate assured continued coordination with the family in India and pledged unwavering assistance throughout the investigative process. This unfortunate incident unfolds against a backdrop of increasing concerns surrounding the welfare and safety of Indian students residing in the United States. Rising Concerns Over Safety In a distressing trend, incidents involving Indian students in the US have garnered attention in recent times, prompting calls for heightened vigilance and security measures. In March, the disappearance of 25-year-old Mohammed Abdul Arafat, a student from Hyderabad, sparked alarm among his family members. After receiving a ransom call following Arafat's disappearance, his family sought urgent intervention from the External Affairs Ministry. Previous Incidents Highlight Vulnerability This recent tragedy follows a series of distressing events involving Indian students abroad. Earlier this year, Syed Mazahir Ali, a student from Hyderabad, fell victim to a brutal attack in Chicago, underscoring the vulnerability faced by students studying overseas. Similarly, the harrowing accounts of Neel Acharya and Vivek Saini serve as grim reminders of the dangers encountered by Indian students abroad. Acharya, a student at Purdue University, was found deceased after days of being reported missing, while Saini tragically succumbed to a violent assault in Georgia. As investigations into these incidents continue, concerns over the safety and security of Indian students studying abroad persist. The Indian government and diplomatic missions remain steadfast in their commitment to providing assistance and support to affected individuals and their families. Since the beginning of 2024, there have been at least 10 deaths involving Indian or Indian-origin students in the US. Colorado lawmakers were happy to announce that the state's education budget stabilization factor, known as the "BS factor," will be eliminated this year, paving the way for schools to get $10 billion in the 2024-25 school year, an estimated increase of $400 more per student. However, advocates say there is still work to do as school funding levels have not caught up with inflation. 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. Featured Local Savings 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. You are here: Business A staff member from a technology company demonstrates an AI software at an exhibition at China Science Fiction Convention (CSFC) 2023 in Beijing, capital of China, May 30, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao) China's software and information technology service industry got off to a good start this year, with double-digit growth reported in revenue and profits in January and February, data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shows. Profits in the sector expanded 11.5 percent year on year to 206.4 billion yuan (about 29.09 billion U.S. dollars) during the period, while revenue grew by 11.9 percent from the year before to nearly 1.71 trillion yuan, the data shows. Revenue from software products increased 8.4 percent year on year to 394.4 billion yuan during this period, while revenue from industrial software products expanded to 40.7 billion yuan, marking a year-on-year increase of 8.2 percent. Cloud computing and big data services revenue jumped 13.8 percent year on year, and e-commerce platform technical services revenue rose 3.8 percent, the data shows. We Are China SpaceX launches 23 more Starlink internet satellites into space Xinhua) 09:33, April 06, 2024 LOS ANGELES, April 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. private space company SpaceX launched 23 more Starlink satellites into orbit on Friday. The satellites were launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, according to SpaceX. Falcon 9's first stage landed on the "A Shortfall of Gravitas" droneship, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, according to the company. SpaceX later confirmed the deployment of the 23 satellites. Starlink will deliver high-speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable, expensive or completely unavailable, according to SpaceX. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Zhong Wenxing) You are here: Business Zhejiang Province, a manufacturing and trade hub in east China, has launched a new cargo air service linking its capital city of Hangzhou with Miami, the United States. A freighter operated by Atlas Air, loaded with 104 tonnes of cross-border e-commerce goods that include clothing and shoes, left Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport for Miami on Friday, according to the Zhejiang Provincial Airport Group Co., Ltd. It is the fourth all-cargo air route to and from the United States opened by the Hangzhou airport after New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The opening of the route is expected to build an "air bridge" for business exchanges between the two cities, said the group. Iowa native and University of Northern Iowa graduate Dr. W. Kimryn Rathmell was recently selected by President Joe Biden to be the 17th director of the National Cancer Institute. As head of the NCI, Rathmell will pursue the main objectives of the Cancer Moonshot initiative set by the president and first lady Jill Biden: To prevent more than 4 million cancer deaths by 2047 and to improve the experience of people who are touched by cancer. Rathmell credits her time in Iowa for setting her on a path to one of the most prestigious positions in her field. She and her two brothers grew up in Bellevue and Woodbine. Their parents, Ed and Sharon Meyer, were both teachers. "My father was a middle school earth science teacher and exposed me to that side of things," Rathmell said. She said interactions with the local doctor in town and other people in the medical field sparked an interest. I was really fascinated by what they did, she said. Rathmell also worked at a nursing home during in high school, which helped her decide she wanted to go into medicine. She graduated from Sheffield High School and received a presidential scholarship to the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, where she earned degrees in both chemistry and biology. Her time in Cedar Falls changed her life in a number of ways. First was the fact that they had the confidence in me to be a presidential scholar, she said. Coming to UNI was the best thing that could have happened. It was the best decision. Rathmell said two experiences and two mentors helped shape her future career path studying the effects of acid rain on soybeans under the tutelage of Virginia Berg and studying the heart development in chicken embryos under Darrell Wiens. I was learning basic things about how biological systems work, she said. I loved the medical side, but I loved the discovery side, too. Rathmell credits UNI for another major development in her life. There was also a cute boy working in the same lab, she said. That boy was Jeff Rathmell, who would become her husband. Rathmell still has strong ties to the area. Her in-laws, Ed and Julie Rathmell, are still here. Ed was a math professor at UNI, and Julie was a high school teacher in Reinbeck, she said. I was married in the First Presbyterian Church in Cedar Falls. I love the local area, and I get back once or twice a year. After graduating from UNI, Rathmells list of accomplishments continued to grow. She went on to get her Ph.D. in biophysics and M.D. from Stanford University. She completed an internal medicine internship at the University of Chicago and an internal medicine residency, medical oncology fellowship and postdoctoral studies at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2022, she completed her Master of Management in Health Care from the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management. She received the 2019 Louisa Nelson Award for Women of Achievement, Vision, and Inspiration; the 2019 Eugene P. Schonfeld Award from the Kidney Cancer Association; and the Paragon Award for Research Excellence from the Doris Duke Foundation. She was a leader of The Cancer Genome Atlas's kidney cancer projects and served as a TCGA analysis working group member across the spectrum of cancers, winning the 2020 American Association for Cancer Research Team Science Award. She has served on the NCI Board of Scientific Advisors and the Forbeck Foundation Scientific Advisory Board. She has held leadership positions with the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society for Clinical Investigation, serving as secretary-treasurer and president. As a result of her efforts, she was elected to the Association of American Physicians, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Rathmells specialty is the research and treatment of complex and hereditary kidney cancers. She also focuses on underlying drivers of kidney cancers using genetic, molecular and cell biology to develop interventions to improve patients lives. She has authored more than 250 articles in leading peer-reviewed journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Prior to being sworn in as the NCI director, she led the Vanderbilt University Medical Center as physician-in-chief and chair of the Department of Medicine. Rathmell said there were a few months of interviewing and meeting with people before she was named NCI director. And then she got a call from the White House. It was thrilling once you realize who is on the phone, she said. "It was Dr. Jill Biden. You realize what a wonderful honor it is. After relocating from Tennessee to Bethesda, Maryland, Rathmell began her new position in December 2023 and was formerly sworn in on Jan. 10 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building in Washington, D.C. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra administered the oath of office. These kind of events are truly inspiring, she said. Standing in these hallowed halls taking an oath to defend the constitution and the health of our citizens. It gave me a sense of mission Ive never fully experienced before. The words you say are very meaningful. They strike to your heart. This is a very different kind of job. Its inspiring to think about the decisions I make impacting cancer in the whole country and even the world. That is an amazing level of responsibility. "But there is a huge body of people to help you the NCI Foundation, advocates, other agencies, people who are vested in ending cancer. Her children are out of the house son Peter is a lawyer, and daughter Dori is finishing graduate school in environmental science but her husband remains in Nashville where he is a professor at Vanderbilt University. "We are doing some commuting on the weekends," she said. "We are getting a lot of miles on the airlines. Our biggest challenge right now is making sure someone is home with our elderly dog. Much of Rathmells early career was focused on kidney cancer. As a clinician I was meeting patients with kidney cancer, and this is now 20-some years ago, and there were really no effective options for therapy and the patients I would meet had a very short survival to be expected, she said in a recent interview released by the NCI. It seemed like an opportunity for the science to drive something that was different and I have to say, in the next decade it delivered it so much more than that even. "The discoveries from the laboratories helps us understand how that cancer works," she said, describing the advances in how long patients were living. "And today kidney cancer is a completely different beast. Its got a number of fantastic therapies and we can talk about (a) cure with patients . Rathmell believes her experience as a practicing physician, researcher, educator and administrator will serve her well in her new role. Those things all got me to this place, she said. Its amazing the way it all comes together. The biggest changes happen when fields cross, when people work outside their comfort zone. I feel I am well suited to this position. It feels like I was made for it. Rathmell believes the goals of Cancer Moonshot are reachable. I think they are lofty, but they are achievable, she said. "We have a national cancer plan, a clear roadmap to prevention and early detection. I lean heavily on that map. We are doing things better, we are better at prevention, better at detection. The new therapies are mindboggling. The biggest advances utilize all the parts of our system. "I am quite optimistic. The advances are happening, and they are happening fast. It is really an exciting time in cancer research. He Lifeng, Chinese vice premier and Chinese lead person for China-U.S. economic and trade affairs, held several rounds of talks with U.S. Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen, also U.S. lead representative, on Friday and Saturday in the city of Guangzhou in south China. Focusing on the implementation of the important consensus between the two countries' heads of state, the two sides had candid, pragmatic and constructive discussions on the macroeconomic situation of the two countries and the world, the economic relationship between China and the United States, and global challenges. The two sides agreed to discuss issues such as balanced growth of the United States, China and the global economy, financial stability, sustainable finance, and cooperation in countering money-laundering under the China-U.S. economic and financial working group. The Chinese side expressed grave concern over U.S. economic and trade measures restricting China and responded fully to the issue of production capacity. Both sides agreed to continue to maintain communication. 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. Angie Lopez recovers from motorcycle collision Angie Lopez gets a hug from her brother, Alex, in their family's South Sioux City home in March. () Carving is an ancient tradition on Guam and in the Mariana Islands. The craft was used for thousands of years to create utilitarian items as well as body adornments. Pieces like latte (monolithic ancient stone structures with capstones used as house supports), shell jewelry and tools demonstrate the skill of ancient carvers. This skill was important because carving was vital to life in ancient times. The craft continued to be both utilitarian and artistic through the Spanish rule of Guam beginning the late 17th century. During the second half of the 20th century, carving on Guam moved away from its utilitarian roots and became more of an art form. Modern day carvers, however, continue to incorporate ancient symbols and color and often use ancient carving techniques to create their pieces. Although the use for carving has changed, the raw materials used has not. Carvers on Guam typically use materials found on the island including stone, wood, bone and shell. Working with different materials also means there are many different carving techniques and styles. While some of these techniques have been updated during the 20th century, many carvers continue to employ traditional techniques in honor of their ancestors. Ancient carving practices Carving was an essential craft for the ancient Chamorros. They used carving to fulfill many of their needs including shelter, food preparation and decoration. One of the most well-known icons of ancient Chamorro culture is the carved stone latte. These stone structures were created with two pieces; pillars and capstones carved from land and sea resources, including limestone and brain coral. Basalt tools such as adzes were used to chip the stone while rubble was removed with wooden shovels and by hand. The largest latte can still be found on Guams neighboring island of Tinian where some capstones measure more than eight feet in diameter with shafts in excess of twelve feet in height. Chamorros also used stones to carve objects used in every day living. The lusong (mortar) and lommok (pestle) were typically carved from basalt or limestone. Sese (knives) were carved from stone as well as bamboo or shells. Slingstones and fishing hooks were also carved during ancient times. Carving was also used to create useful tools. The gachai (adze) was an axe created by carving a wooden handle and using a thick clam shell for the blade. Many ancient carvers worked with wood. Ancient Chamorros were known as skilled seafarers and their main transportation on the water were carved canoes. European explorers traveling through the Marianas archipelago noted the graceful shape and artistry of the Chamorro canoes. The small crafts were said to have cut through ocean waves like dolphins and fly like birds in the wind. These wooden water crafts, in a variety of sizes, were commonly used throughout the Marianas. The canoe carving process began with selecting the proper type and sized tree. Many times, carvers utilized the hard ifil (ifit) tree, monkeypod wood, nunu (banyan) tree or dokdok (breadfruit) tree for material. After a tree was chosen and harvested, the bark was stripped and a design was created. Carvers would mark each end of a tree with a V-shape to form the sea-going vessel. Ancient Chamorros also used animal shells for carving items. Money was carved from turtle shells or Spondylus (spiny oyster) shells. Jewlery was often created from shells found on the beach which are relatively hard and easily workable with stone tools. During ancient times, small disks carved of spondylus were placed on necklaces and represented the wealth and status of a person. This type of jewelry is highly was valued because of the difficulty in obtaining the shells. Carving to preserve traditions Many contemporary carvers in the Marianas produce items that represent icons of Chamorro history. The monolithic latte are no longer carved of stone, but are depicted in smaller wood carvings or as images on plaques. Small models of Chamorro carabao carts, complete with passengers, cargo and tools, and model proas with sailors, paddles and sails made from cloth or other materials are popular. Other traditional items are stories carved into varying pieces of wood. These storyboards range in size and detail, depending upon the artist. Typically the pieces depict an iconic story or legend from Guams history. Popular storyboard topics include the Guam legends of two powerful chiefs, Two Lovers Point, Sirena and the Chamorro story of the creation of the world. Carvers on Guam have (and continue to) produce utilitarian pieces including tables, benches, mitatis (flat grinding stone) and kamyo (coconut grinder) stools. In addition to decorative pieces, carvers create other utilitarian pieces including furniture from local woods. Master Carver Emilio Borja was known for using ifit to carve canoes and spear guns. Borja grew up in Palau (formally known as the Republic of Palau, a nearby island in Micronesia) and moved to Guam in the late 1940s. He was trained in carving by his father. This practice has been passed on to his children and extended family. In 1976 Borja,along with Master Carver Segundo Blas, were commissioned by then-Governor Ricardo J. Bordallo to build a canoe for the bicentennial of Guam. The project took six months to complete. Blas, another well-known and respected master carver, learned how to build canoes as a youth on Saipan and Palau. Blas was also instrumental in preserving the Chamorro culture, sharing his knowledge of carving skills to a younger generation. In the 1990s Blas mentored and trained Rob Limtiaco and Gary Guerrero as they built their first canoe. The fifteen-foot outrigger, now displayed at the Guam Museum, is the product of a National Endowment of the Arts and Guam Council on the Art and Humanities Agency funded project. Master Carver Robert Taitano is well-known on Guam for his ability to create wooden ifil pieces for useful and decorative or commemorative items. He is well-known for carving beautiful, stalwart tables and decorative wooden artwork featuring coconut crabs. His carved artistic depictions of latte, plaques and storyboards are often given as gifts to visiting dignitaries to Guam. In 1998, with only a weeks notice, Taitano carved several wooden ifil chairs used to seat political dignitaries during US President William Jefferson (Bill) Clintons historic visit to Guam. Two of the chairs were later shipped to the president as a gift. Taitano is also renown for his production of ifil clocks, backgammon boards, chongka (a game played with shells on a wooden board), cutting boards, ashtrays and other items from local woods. Taitano owns the Ifit Shop in the village of Yigo located in northern Guam as well as a shop in the Chamorro Village in the islands capital, Hagatna. Carving of jewelry has also become a well-recognized modern art form on Guam. Many talented carvers create pieces from shell, wood or other natural material with symbolic meanings. Pieces are on display at various art galleries and shops. They typically include iconography from ancient Chamorro society including latte stones or other icons from ocean living including depictions of fish or other animals. Because certain types of shells, including the spondylus, were initially scarce some people import these shells from off island. Another indicator of how popular the art of carving is on Guam is the Orange Night, Spondylus Night event hosted by the Guam Gallery of Art. According to the events organizer, Filamore Palomo Alcon, the event began as a smaller gathering of people who already had spondylus pieces. Since the first event, many people have become interested in carving their own pieces out of spondylus shells. 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. () Japan is a country which has many unique cultures within it, and slurping is one of the most unusual characteristics! This can be a huge surprise when you come across it for the first time as it often is considered as a bad behavior at meal in many other countries. But when can/cant you slurp, and what foods are fine to slurp and which will leave you with locals giving you the stink eye? Lets dive right in! So, why do Japanese slurp? Unlike many other aspects of Japanese culture that have a long history, slurping is believed to have come about only 400 years ago when soba (buckwheat) noodles first formed their current shape and achieved the taste it has today and became one of the most popular fast foods in Edo (the former name of Tokyo). As the custom began with soba noodles, people used to slurp only when they ate it. However, as time passed, the range of food the custom applied widened to udon (wheat flour) noodles, ramen and any other noodles you can think of. But why do Japanese slurp? There are basically two reasons. The first reason being, which is also why this behavior started, is to feel the retronasal smell (or more commonly known as mouth smell - the ability to perceive flavor dimensions of foods) of buckwheat because soba does not have a strong smell that typically can be sensed through the nose. The other reason is to prevent burning the tongue when you eat hot noodle dishes. To slurp, you need to let the air come into the mouth, and this results in lowering the temperature of the noodles. This means rather than waiting for your noodles to cool down, you can start enjoying their deliciousness immediately! Plus, the noodles soak up the water resulting in thicker noodles and less satisfying taste. Also, after the Japanese began to slurp soba they began to recognize that all noodles, more so ramenwhich is served hottaste better when slurped. So, yet another reason to just go for it and find out for yourself! Just to back up this theory, some specialists discovered that the dish seemed far tastier when slurped as it required to keep the lips slightly open, so they do not wipe off the soup on the noodles as much as when the lips are closed, allowing more flavor to reach the taste buds. Now, some of you might wonder "then, why don't they use a spoon to taste the soup/avoid burning?" To answer this, the first thing needed to state is that the slurping culture appeared before the Japanese were accustomed to western utensils. There is one theory which advocates that the Japanese were already a slurp-friendly nation, dating back more than 1000 years, taking into account the fact that the Japanese wooden spoon (called Saji) and any other sorts of cutlery, hadn't yet become commonly used by civilians for a long time, due to chopsticks that were the main eating utensil in Japan. It means they had no choice but to put their lips on a soup bowl and sip. Hence, people were rather gifted at making a variety of sounds during meal time. This is why Japanese still slurp today rather than strictly using a spoon so as not to make a sound. Which Japanese dishes were made for Slurping? As a table manner for authentic Japanese cuisine, such as Kaiseki, no sounds should actually be made whilst consuming food, similar to the table manners of many other countries. However, these noodles mentioned above as daily meal became an exception. And the exception led to another. Nowadays, the majority of people slurp when they eat soup or drink hot beverages, as well as noodles. (There is another slurping tradition which can be seen at a matcha tea ceremony. As a rule, you must have the last sip of your tea with a slurp to show appreciation to your host, stating without the use of words that mmm the tea was so delicious I drank it all up, and also to let the host know you finished your tea so he/she can move the ceremony forward. But lets put this tradition aside for now, as it is another discussion for another article.) What's considered as a Good Slurp? Slurping is done just for you and yourself to enjoy a meal. It is not a strict rule whatsoever. Hence, there is no need to worry about whether you are slurping in the right way, nor how others are able to hear you slurping. As long as you are savoring your dish, it is a good slurp, and this even includes when you opt not to slurp. Having said that, the Japanese also share a common sense that they should not slurp too loudly but at a reasonable volume; otherwise, it might disturb others. In fact, in contemporary Japanese society this has become something of a controversial issue today, even becoming a tongue-in-cheek term: "noodle harassment." The more Japan becomes familiar with foreign cultures with each passing year, the more the Japanese became aware of a world-wide common sense in terms of table manners. Also, the increase in the number of travelers from abroad, who are shocked by this culture, in many cases, fuels the hesitancy in slurping that some Japanese already possess. Nonetheless, it is nearly impossible to sweep it under the rug, since most people are rather fond of it, and also this habit is already deeply rooted in their daily lives. As a compromise between the question of to slurp or not to slurp, people often consider it to be acceptable to slurp Japanese food (or more widely, Asian food), while all other cuisines such as spaghetti are preferably eaten without making any sounds. So what do Japanese think about slurping nowadays? So, apart from the current issue "noodle harassment", what do the Japanese make of slurping? One Japanese man in his 50s told us, "When I say I love soba noodles, it includes the sound of slurping. It doesn't really feel like I'm eating soba if I don't slurp. I believe it is the essence of the dish." He also added, "I understand that it is important to globalize our country and to try adjusting our lives to the international clientele. However, slurping is a part of our culture. I'd be happier if the Japanese proudly introduced it to people from abroad rather than saying goodbye to one of our beloved traditions. I mean, you'd try eating curry with your right hand when you go to India, wouldn't you? Then, why not slurp?" This got me curious about how other Japanese approach slurping, so I asked a few Japanese natives some of the same questions I was asked by curious travelers to see what they had to say in response: Q1) Are there any differences between genders? For example, do people consider slurping as unladylike? Do they naturally expect men to slurp? Q2) What do the Japanese think of those who cannot slurp? Do people subconsciously judge them? Q3) Do the Japanese learn how to slurp at school/from their parents? Q4) Are people who can slurp well likely to earn respect from others? Shoichi (male/40s) said, "I don't think there are any differences between genders. I've never met someone who comments on women slurping. However, I know my father once said it was not manly when he saw a man who didn't or couldn't slurp, and I can imagine some elders might think like him, which is nonsense, to my eyes. So, I dare say there's no difference between genders, although there might be some different points of view between generations. Luckily, most people nowadays don't care how others are eating unless you are making too much of a loud noise!" While Shoichi says no one would judge you for not slurping, Asuka (female/20s) shared an interesting anecdote. "When I was at uni, I once met a boy who was asked, 'what kind of girls do you like?' His reply: 'I don't like categorizing girls. I believe everyone has their own beauty. Hence, I won't say who's my type.' It's quite sweet of him, isn't it? But, then he continued, 'Though, there is only one kind of girl I wouldn't happily go out with: girls who cannot slurp. I can never stand them.' Slurping seemed to be somehow so crucial to him!" As to the last two questions, Asuka said, "I'm pretty sure no kids learn how to slurp at school. I didn't; neither did my parents nor friends. Some might encourage their kids to slurp at home, though. But I think it's more like learning words. You just naturally learn it by seeing how adults do it." Then, she added, "Does the nicer the slurp mean bigger the respect? Well, yes, it absolutely would if you were in a gourmet manga or something! Sadly, in real life, you won't be praised for it. However, some elders really love to hear a good slurp, so they might say to you 'ohhh that was a really good one.'" Slurping might be a bit challenging for some travelers. But I believe it is going to be one of your amazing experiences in Japan! Why not let yourself be a bit naughty and give it a try? Or, why not ask the Japanese sitting next to you in a restaurant how to slurp and start a conversation with them? Written by: Nao () Capsule hotels (also called pod hotels) are very popular in Japan. You see them in most cities, and a lot of people really like them for overnight stays because they are relatively cheap (3000 4000). Im claustrophobic and never really had any interest in staying in a tiny space only big enough for a bed. Also, Im not really a fan of communal bathrooms. But I just couldnt leave Japan without experiencing it at least once. Itd be like visiting Japan and never eating sushi or ramen. So on a recent trip to Kyoto, I decided to try one out. I did my research before selecting my capsule. Im picky about hotels. Im very particular about cleanliness, and I really like to make sure the location meets my travel goals. So I checked all the hotel travel sites (Hotels.com, Agoda, Kayak, Booking, Trivago, etc.), Trip Advisor and Google. I read reviews, mapped the locations, and looked into amenities for each capsule hotel available. After several hours, I decided on the First Cabin Capsule Hotel in Kawaramachi Sanjo. Capsule Hotels vary. A lot. Theyre like hostels in that you share all facilities except the bed. However, the pod itself and types of common areas differ from hotel to hotel. Some are more like fabric-covered bunk beds while others are like stacked cubby holes with mattresses in them. The pods at First Cabin are not stacked, so you have more room than a lot of the other capsule hotels I saw online. The one I stayed in was as wide as a twin bed (the walls of the pod surrounded the mattress on all sides) and maybe six feet tall. I could sit up completely in my bed and even stand on the mattress with only having to duck just a tiny bit (Im only 52). The room also includes a TV, temperature control, two plugs, and a secure compartment to store your valuables while youre out. The pod doesnt have a door, but it has a shade that slides all the way down for privacy. This hotel also offers mini-suites (they refer to them as first-class cabins), which are slightly bigger spaces that offer more than just a bed but dont have private bathrooms. All capsules provide guests with disposable slippers, pajamas, and a towel and washcloth. The two major concerns I had about staying in this kind of hotel were safety and noise. Neither was an issue here. Rooms and floors are separated by gender for safety reasons at First Cabin. This isnt the case at all capsule hotels, though, so if its something youre interested in, ask before booking. Japan is a relatively safe country, but I prefer staying in all-women dorms when traveling alone (as a peace of mind thing). At this hotel, the sleeping areas are accessed with key cards so not just anyone can get to the pods. And its a completely noise-free zone. Guests are not allowed to listen to music or watch television without headphones. Theyre not supposed to talk on the phone and, honestly, I didnt even hear travelers talk to each other in the capsule space. The shared spaces at First Cabin exceeded ALL my expectations. The lobby features a few sofas, a big table for travelers to sit around and socialize, and a bar with a variety of beers and cocktails available for purchase. The hotel also hosts special events in the lobby on some nights that offer guests free food or drinks. The bathroom situation is also quite good. Each floor has sinks, toilets, and vanities, and theres a shower area for each gender on one of the floors. The spa (shower area) has several private shower rooms, one or two secluded bathtubs (complete with body wash, shampoo, and conditioner), and a few vanities stocked with everything you could need, to include curling irons, facial care products, and even toothbrushes. There are also irons, steamers, and humidifiers in the dormitories and a spot to store your luggage. From what I saw, most capsule hotel guests only stay a night or two. I stayed for five, and felt completely at ease and comfortable. The small space didnt bother me at all. It felt way more private than I thought it would, the amenities were great, and the hotel staff was wonderful. I managed to get a business-class cabin for only $20 per night; a terrific value! I cant imagine a better accommodation for the price. I would definitely try a capsule hotel again. I highly encourage you to try one too. CHICAGO When Tory Eisenlohr-Moul was training as a therapist, she saw people who had chronic suicidal thoughts thoughts that would abruptly change from week to week. But when one of Eisenlohr-Mouls patients mentioned her menstrual cycle was impacting her symptoms, the clinical psychologist homed in on how menses might be part of the equation. I started having people track their mood symptoms against their menstrual cycle and it seemed, for a lot of my patients, this was a really important reason that their suicidal thoughts and depression were changing week to week, said the associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Illinois Chicago. I thought if we had some evidence that this was common then maybe we could do something about it. Eisenlohr-Moul led researchers to study how suicidal thoughts fluctuate across the menstrual cycle. The result is a longitudinal study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in December, where Eisenlohr-Moul, postdoctoral researcher and clinical psychologist Jaclyn Ross, and M.D. and Ph.D. student Jordan Barone followed 119 female patients who tracked their suicidal thoughts and mental health symptoms daily over at least one menstrual cycle. They found that female patients with a history of suicidality experience an increased risk of suicidal ideation or suicidal planning in the days surrounding menstruation. The researchers defined suicidal ideation as thinking: I wish I could go to sleep and never wake up; I might be better off dead. Suicidal planning is thinking about how and when someone might kill themself and what methods to use. Planning gets more specific and is more active than ideation. Barone said data from female patients was found and surveyed in clinical trials in Chicago and North Carolina. Study participants had to have a regular menstrual cycle, not be on birth control pills or have a hormonal intrauterine device, and not have been recently pregnant. The patients were asked a list of questions about thinking about death, thinking about killing themselves, or wishing they were dead. If they responded yes to having any of those symptoms within the past month, they were asked to track those symptoms. According to the study, earlier research on menstrual cycles and suicidal thoughts looked at patterns in which suicide attempts increased in the days just before or during menses. Ross said the unique strength of the UIC study is the research team had the ability to measure day to day to see when suicidal ideation increases in intensity and when people tend to shift from suicidal ideation to suicidal planning. UICs study found suicidal ideation was more severe and suicidal planning was more likely to occur during the week before and during menses compared to other times. We do find that both suicidal ideation and planning are peaking premenstrually for most people, Ross said. Where they tend to experience the lowest levels of ideation and planning is during that early luteal phase (right after ovulation). Then it steadily ticks up and peaks during that peri-menstrual phase. We found that it tended to be those depressive symptoms, hopelessness, losing interest in things we usually enjoyed those were the types of symptoms that were driving those increases in intensity in suicidal ideation during the peri-menstrual phase. It was depression that really drove it for suicidal planning. Suicidal ideation was one thing Shalene Gupta contended with. The Boston-based journalist remembers extreme feelings in her mid-20s. Then in 2020, she was diagnosed with premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, a severe form of premenstrual syndrome that includes physical/behavioral symptoms that usually resolve with the onset of menstruation. I just thought that I was a bad person with poor emotional control because, once a month, I would have these really terrible fights with my boyfriend, she said. I tend to be a calm, conflict-averse, highly boring type-A personality. These were really terrible. Thered be screaming, walking around at midnight, threatening to break up. And I could always predict these fights were going to happen within a couple of days before my period happened. The pair broke up after six years together. It was when she started dating her now husband, and the fight pattern continued, that she started researching menstrual rage, PMS and anger. A call to her doctor led Gupta, 36, to getting help for the disorder. Gupta wrote a book about her menstruation journey, The Cycle: Confronting the Pain of Periods and PMDD, where she cites Eisenlohr-Mouls work. Gupta describes the history of PMDD, which was a known condition since the 1960s, but a feminist debate in the 1980s and fears about the condition discrediting women everywhere kept it from being added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the diagnostic tool published by the American Psychiatric Association. A PMDD diagnosis requires a mix of symptoms that include: increased mood swings, anger or irritability, depression, anxiety, decreased interest in activities, difficulty concentrating, lethargy, marked change in appetite, sleeping patterns, a sense of being overwhelmed, or physical symptoms such as breast tenderness, joint or muscle pain, bloating or weight gain. To count as PMDD, symptoms must be severe enough to interfere with someones work, education or relationships. The symptoms must also appear a week before menstruation and then disappear the week after menstruation. Gupta got help by way of antidepressants. Treatment can also be found with birth control. Gupta said 5% to 10% of the population has classic PMDD, a condition that has a 30% to 80% chance of being transmitted from parent to offspring. Given the data in the UIC study, Eisenlohr-Moul said the medical community cant use a cookie-cutter definition of premenstrual syndrome, or PMDD. A broader understanding of all of the different ways people can be sensitive to the menstrual cycle needs to be established, she said, so the medical community can provide more specific treatments. Ross, who runs a private practice clinic for premenstrual disorders, agreed. She cites the large variability in the effects across patients and their menstruation cycle to show that the health care field really needs to individualize approaches to treatment in these suicidality and menstruation cases, especially when it comes to psychotherapy. Eisenlohr-Moul said its equally important to change the way we talk about PMS and PMDD as a society that its more of a disorder people can have, and not a default characteristic of women who have periods. Historically, weve thought about premenstrual mood symptoms as some people have them and some people dont, Eisenlohr-Moul said. If you look in the general population, you see that its 1% that have significant changes worth talking about. But it turns out that when you recruit people who just happen to be female with suicidality, most people have some degree of change, and it doesnt look the same for everyone. Its not so black and white, like you have it or you dont. Its a gradient: How sensitive are you to these hormonal changes in the brain? The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recently released new clinical treatment guidelines for physicians treating premenstrual disorders. Eisenlohr-Moul said although premenstrual disorders are caused by an abnormal brain sensitivity to normal cyclical hormone flux, medical treatment can be provided by gynecologists, psychiatrists or primary care providers. Psychologists and other mental health professionals can help patients better cope and reduce the stress that can worsen the condition. Researchers suggest women track their symptoms across their menstrual cycle, which could help clinicians make personalized recommendations about care. Symptom trackers and menstruation resources for patients can be found at the International Association for Premenstrual Disorders. Gupta agrees about the benefit of tracking ones menstruation symptoms and notes that mental symptoms surrounding menstruation are a disorder. If youre having regular breakdowns, it is important to figure out the timing, she said. Thats something I think doctors should ask. She tracked hers and said it took about two months of tracking before getting her official diagnosis. Were doing a lot of biomarker studies, Eisenlohr-Moul said. Jordans dissertation is looking at one of the markers that we think might be especially important for progesterone sensitivity, one of the hormones that people can be sensitive to. Others are more focused on sensitivity to estrogen and how that can affect different systems. Were trying to go down more specific pathways to understand the biology (of menses) so we can develop treatments. Biological targets behavioral targets just because somebodys symptoms are caused by hormones doesnt mean that a behavioral intervention cant help to right the ship and keep people functioning and even reverse some of those biological changes. Were trying to come at this from all angles. Gupta is hopeful about the ongoing research with menstruation and mental health. She said too often menstruation is stigmatized, and seen through a sexist lens to discredit people. I read Elon Musks 600-page biography by Walter Isaacson. (Musk) has undiagnosed bipolar disorder. Hes talked about it. And he gets to be the CEO of six companies, and no one is like, Hey, maybe we shouldnt let him do that because he has undiagnosed bipolar disorder, she said. If thats the case, then if somebody has PMDD, and theyre getting treatment for it, theyre managing it, that shouldnt be a reflection on what opportunities we give them as a society. Photos: Illinois State Fair political days through the years 2012 State Fair 2012 State Fair 2015 State Fair 2015 State Fair 2015 State Fair 2007 State Fair 2008 State Fair 2008 State Fair 2009 State Fair 2012 State Fair 2012 State Fair 2005 State Fair 2004 State Fair 2003 State Fair 2003 State Fair 2006 State Fair 2007 State Fair 2012 State Fair 2018 State Fair 2012 State Fair 2021 State Fair 2021 State Fair Authorities in Qingdao, Shandong province, have set up a joint investigation team to probe an illegal expansion of a public cemetery. The move comes following a report from China National Radio, which said that the Taipingling cemetery in the city's Chengyang district has been expanded beyond its approved area. The local civil affairs department approved the nearly 6-hectare cemetery in 1996. Satellite remote sensing shows, however, that the cemetery's operator has dug into mountains and cleared forests in protected spaces of the Laoshan scenic area to build more graves for years. In an interview with CNR, Zhang Min, deputy head of the Chengyang government, said a thorough investigation is necessary to learn more details about the violations. A preliminary probe shows that about 10,000 grave sites have been set up in the cemetery, and about 7,000 have been sold, he said. Local authorities have not disclosed how many of the sold graves were built illegally, but said sales of all grave sites in the expansion area have been suspended. Moreover, the illegal grave sites will be destroyed, and the areas they occupy will be restored. According to CNR, the cemetery was previously a cooperative business run by villagers of the Huayin residential compound. In 2001, Qingdao Taipingshan Public Service Co was established to run the cemetery. According to corporate data provider Qichacha, the majority stakeholder of the company is Yang Shihui, head of the Huayin neighborhood committee. Yang holds 51 percent of the company's shares, while the committee holds the remainder. According to media reports, Taipingshan was fined over 9 million yuan ($1.2 million) by Chengyang's department of natural resources for committing three violations late last year. Two of the violations concerned illegal land occupation, while the other pertained to improper use of forestland. According to CNR, graves in the cemetery were sold at prices ranging from almost 90,000 yuan to 718,000 yuan. Li Baolu, deputy head of the Qingdao public security bureau's forest police squad, said the joint investigation team will conduct a thorough probe into the case to see whether there are criminal offenses. Local police will severely crack down on any crimes that may have been perpetrated by the company, "with zero tolerance" for violations, he stressed. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has been a very big state problem for a very long time. The department now has new leadership under Director Heidi Mueller, whose appointment was met with widespread praise. The former director of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice was confirmed by the Senate without a single no vote last month, minutes before I interviewed her. During the past year or so, DCFS has taken major heat from the legislatures bipartisan Joint Committee on Administrative Rules over the departments regulation of childcare centers. At one point, some legislators said that the embattled agency should get out of the childcare regulatory business altogether and focus on its core mission. So I asked Director Mueller what she thought about the idea. I do think that getting out of the childcare licensing business for DCFS helps us focus on our core mission, Mueller said. Mueller talked about the idea in the context of right-sizing the agency. Her main priority, she said, is getting in front of the steadily increasing numbers of calls to the agencys hotline, the resulting increase in investigations and the increased number of kids in care, which she said is really unsustainable at some point. Instead, she said she wants to focus on prevention and work with other state agencies to make sure that no family is coming into or touching the DCFS system just because they need support and services for their child. Most kids, she said, want to be with family, they want to be at home. And she noted that strong, healthy families would help keep kids safe. Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert has been a ferocious critic of DCFS over the years, but he called a recent meeting with Director Mueller highly productive. (Director Mueller said she wants regular meetings with Golbert to make sure their two offices are finding solutions together.) Golbert, however, pointed out that despite all the increases of youth in care, the states rate of removing kids from families is one of the lowest in the country, and has been for the past ten years or so. He also warned that when DCFS has in the past tried to decrease the removal rate, we have often seen many high-profile cases of dead children. Kyle Hillman with the National Association of Social Workers Illinois chapter has also been a sharp critic of DCFS, but he had a much different take than Golbert. The director's strategy to adjust the number of children in care, prioritize kinship, overhaul departmental culture and processes, and enhance the provision of intact services and community programs, is undeniably the correct policy and structural direction for the department, Hillman said. Too little public attention is paid to the thousands of cases where this approach has significantly benefited families and youths in care, Hillman claimed. Instead, he said, it's the tragic incidents, including the loss of lives among children previously involved with DCFS, that tend to dominate headlines. The two DCFS critics were unified, however, when it came to Director Muellers discussion of kids who appear to be trapped in beyond medical necessity hospitalizations. Numerous stories have been written about children who are in mental hospitals and cant leave because theres no place for them to go. Mueller said 31 children were currently in beyond medical necessity situations, and said that beyond medical necessity is the term that an insurance provider uses to classify a child when they will no longer pay for services for that child It doesn't always mean that that child doesn't require further treatment and intensive care. Golbert, the public guardian, said that while beyond medical necessity is indeed an insurance term, Director Mueller was mistaken and, frankly, disingenuous about what it really means. If you talk with the doctors and care providers at the hospital, Golbert said, they will tell you how horrible this is for the children, how they dont need to be there, and how unconscionable it is that DCFS doesnt have anywhere for the children. The NASWs Hillman agreed. The issue at hand is not about denying necessary care to those who need it; rather, it centers on the grave reality that children deemed ready to transition to less restrictive environments are instead left languishing in hospital settings. Even so, Mueller said that finding placements for those children is an immediate priority of mine. At the end of the conversation I wished Director Mueller luck, because despite her obvious skills, talents and experience, shell likely need it. Three men have been arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder in the shooting death of a 30-year-old man in North Omaha. The 30-year-old man, Artrell Evans, died after being shot near 26th and Ohio streets shortly after 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Omaha police said. He was initially taken to the Nebraska Medical Center to be treated for his life-threatening injuries, but he died at the hospital. Three men, identified by police as 24-year-old Warren Muse, 21-year-old Krishna Johnigan Jr., and 24-year-old Pierre Jones-Woods, have been taken to Douglas County Jail on suspicion of murder and various gun offenses. A 24-year-old woman, India Johnston, was also taken to the jail on suspicion of being an accessory to a felony. ASSE International Student Exchange Programs (ASSE), in cooperation with local high schools, is looking for local families to host high school exchange students ages 15-18 from diverse countries such as Australia, Denmark, Spain, Italy and Japan. ASSE exchange students are carefully selected based on their academic achievements and personalities. Host families have the opportunity to choose a student from diverse backgrounds, countries and interests. These students arrive with their own spending money and comprehensive insurance coverage. Whether you're a young family, retired, a single parent or empty nesters, hosting a foreign exchange student presents an extraordinary chance to expand your family's cultural horizons without leaving the comfort of your home. To become an ASSE host family and to find out how to become involved with ASSE, contact the ASSE Midwestern Regional Office at 1-800-736-1760 or visit www.host.asse.com to initiate your host family application. ASSE International (formerly American Scandinavian Student Exchange) is a nonprofit, public benefit organization (ID #95-3034133). ASSE is designated as an Exchange Visitor Program by the U.S. Department of State, was founded by the Swedish Ministry of Education and cooperates closely with the Canadian Provincial Ministries of Education. A second person convicted in a Rockland gun store burglary is headed to federal prison. Mackey Drake, 23, La Crosse, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 6 years in prison for possessing firearms as a felon. Drake pleaded guilty to the charge Jan. 17. The prison term is to be followed by three years of supervised release. Drake was also ordered to pay restitution. According to prosecutors, Drake and two others broke into the gun store during the overnight hours of April 25, 2023, and stole 41 firearms and cash. Law enforcement identified Drake and arrested him later in the day when he arrived at a meeting with his state Department of Corrections agent. He was on extended supervision at the time after serving prison sentences for felony robbery convictions in 2017 and 2020. Drake admitted to participating in the gun store burglary, and that he sold some of the firearms to Briante Banks, a felon who could not legally possess them. Banks was charged and pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing a firearm as a felon. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 26. At sentencing, Conley noted that some of the guns stolen were still on the street. He said some could wind up in the hands of people with firearms convictions and used to commit crimes. Nehemiah Sample and Robert Benson were also charged in connection with the burglary. Sample pleaded guilty to theft of firearms and was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Bensons case is still pending. Monica Carrillo-Casas Reporter (Hispanic Life/Affairs) Follow Monica Carrillo-Casas 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 3, 2, 1... Scratch! The Idaho Lottery held their 23rd annual Scratch for Schools fundraising event April 4 at the College of Southern Idahos recreation center the largest in the Magic Valley and second largest in the state. The annual fundraiser allows schools to raise additional funds for their schools needs. This includes books, desks, audio/video equipment, playground materials and field trips. A total of 71 schools participated in this event, in which teachers, administrators and PTO members had five minutes to scratch as many lottery tickets as they can. The more accurate you are, the more money you will earn. Gooding High School came in first, scratching 200 tickets within the five-minute round. Dworshak Elementary won the final round and claimed $667, while North Valley Academy and White Pine Academy were the big winners of the evening, each winning $767. Idaho Lotterys Public Information Officer, David Workman, told the Times-News, Hansen Jr/Sr High School won $965 last year. Castleford High School was the fastest scratching school with 193 tickets in five minutes and won $465. Workman also said every school is guaranteed to win prizes, ranging from $265 and up. The average is usually around $350 dollars. This program has returned $1.6 million dollars back for individual classroom needs, which is really fulfilling because we have the opportunity to reach almost every school in the state that participates with us, Workman said. A total of $24,531 was awarded. PHOTOS: Scratch for Schools Dont let Republicans legislate morality The National Defense Authorization Act funds the annual budget for the Department of Defense. It usually passes on a bipartisan basis. Recently, House Republicans broke that tradition and loaded the bill with amendments that eliminate all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the Defense Department. It blocked the Pentagon from putting in place President Bidens executive orders on climate change; ends reimbursement to military personnel who travel for abortion services, bars health care for gender transition, prevents schools associated with the Defense Department from teaching that the U.S. is racist, and blocks military schools from having certain books in their libraries. House Speaker McCarthy proudly tweeted that the bill ENDS wokism in the military and gives our troops their biggest pay raise. Think about it. House Republicans are hijacking our national security for morality issues that have been a part of the planet since the dawn of humanity. You might not agree with gender transition, or abortion, or the color of someones skin, but are you willing to sacrifice our national security to keep people in power who are legislating health care when they have no training in health care? Would you go to your state representative to have bladder surgery, or to deliver a baby? Rather than delivering solutions on climate change (just talk to insurance companies yes, it is real), economic inequality, or cyber and racially motivated hate crimes that will eventually destroy us all, extremists are legislating whether someone can read a book. President Trump pulverized the NATO alliance. Putin has been obliterating Ukraine ever since. Diplomacy has thankfully expanded the alliance with a grateful Sweden. Regrettably, were edging closer to confrontation with Russia or China. It wont be reading a book, getting transition care, or having an abortion that will determine the defense response. Act. Vote the crazies out. Kate Lopez Twin Falls Cockfighting is not animal agriculture I grew up on a small ranch and embraced animal agriculture long before I graduated from veterinary school. Animal agriculture is a noble enterprise, providing sustenance for billions of people and livelihoods for millions. Cockfighting, on the other hand, is a disgrace and a crime, providing no benefit to anyone but the people who enjoy animal bloodletting. The Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, S. 1529, closes loopholes in the enforcement of animal fighting laws that allow criminals to sell fighting animals and generate vast sums of money from illegal gambling. I have become more concerned lately about the future of agriculture in our country as Senior Veterinarian for Animal Wellness Action. There are powerful individuals, foundations, and organizations intent on smearing animal agriculture and not distinguishing between legitimate uses of animals and gratuitous abuses of them. Cockfighting bears no resemblance to animal agriculture. If we in animal agriculture do not distinguish between this kind of evil, and the proper, acceptable uses of animals, we will see people turn away from animal agriculture. Now its time to work to strengthen the federal law, so that the nation can better distinguish between proper animal use and the worst forms of malicious cruelty. It is past due that the cockfighters hang up their spurs and halt their criminal animal abuse. Support the FIGHT Act, S. 1529 and H.R. 2742, to oppose cruelty and support integrity of agriculture. Thomas Pool Norman, Oklahoma Brainwashed? Think again Solomon Asch performed some exceptional psychology experiments in the 1950s. His experiments showed the power of conformity when people sometimes agree with a groups opinion, even when shown evidence the group is wrong. But in the 1950s, Asch could not determine whether his subjects consciously changed their views or whether social cues unconsciously skewed their perception. In 2005, Gregory Berns answered this question by repeating Aschs experiment with brain scans. Berns found the brains visual center changed what it perceived to fit with the group opinion before it passed this information to the reasoning part of the brain: So people see evidence that doesnt exist and do not know their perception is false. And as this process is common, it has crucial practical implications for all of us. For instance, if self-deception is unconscious, we must choose our company carefully. We safeguard our thinking by mixing with skeptical people who make evidence-based decisions and only use reputable sources. We must avoid the company of the deceived. A radio or TV constantly blaring nonsense might be enough to poison a mind. It also means we must show compassion when talking to climate, vaccine, or election deniers because, unconsciously, their brains may have shown them evidence that does not exist. Lets not assume people are brainwashed when all it takes for most of us is a light rinse. Simon Smith Pullman, Washington Truth or fiction? In the Times-News of July 15, Rep. Lauren Necochea, with the headline Democrats are building stronger, more resilient recovery, claims that real wages for the average American worker are now higher than they were before the pandemic. This is clearly wrong as inflation (caused in large part by President Joe Bidens super-sized giveaways) has easily outstripped wage gains. Also, in the same July 15 edition, Dorothy Moon, with the headline, Kari Lakes Idaho visit will only fuel grassroots enthusiasm, claims that Lake has solidified her prominence as a leading figure in the fight for election integrity ..., when, in fact, she refused to concede the election and sued in an attempt to have the results overturned and that lawsuit was rejected by the courts and she was fined $33,000 in fees. It would be nice to have just a little more truth in these opinions. Ken Downs Kimberly Its not the job of government Whats the role of government? Is it to dictate to the people what there morals are or what religion they should belong to? During the territorial days of Idaho the Republican Party in 1884 passed the Idaho Test Othh. The purpose of this law was to keep members of the LDS faith from voting or holding public office. The Democratic Attorney General, Richard Z. Johnson, opposed the law to the Idaho Territorial Supreme Court in 1888, when they upheld the law. He appealed it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and lost again. At the time this law was passed, it disenfranchised 25% of the voters in Idaho. As a result of this law, the statehouse went from the control of the Democratic Party to the control of the Republican Party. In this case, a law was passed on the moral basis that plural marriage was bad, therefore members of the LDS faith could not vote or hold office. It is not governments place to punish people because of their beliefs as long as those beliefs do no harm. Edward Easterling Kimberly Ukraine in NATO isnt good for US If Ukraine were to be included in NATO now, it would automatically require the U.S. to go to war with Russia. NATO-type defense treaties contain a common defense pledge that requires every member nation to defend an attack against any other treaty nation. (What is Article 5? magicvalley.com, July 13). George Washington warned against getting involved in permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world. Democracies like Athens and Rome saw that group defense treaties were made by two or more kings wishing to protect their dynasties against another more aggressive king. Democracies have always believed it is best to stay on the sidelines regarding these kinds of petty personal squabbles and to avoid binding future generations to wars they might not agree with. Washington also learned from the Bible, where prophets like Isaiah warned Israel against association with other nations. After several hundred years of democratic independence, northern Israel made a common defense treaty due to their fear of aggressive Assyria, and southern Judea made a common defense pledge out of fear of autocratic Babylon. Both treaties led to complacency, decline in the fortitude of the people, aggravation of the militancy of the aggressor nation, and Israels dark journey into Assyrian and Babylonian captivity. Our current treaty obligations require us to get involved in virtually every war in Europe and Asia. Is that the future we want for our grandchildren? Kimball Shinkoskey Woods Cross, Utah The drop in fertility rate below the replacement level at this time presents economic opportunities in the Philippines by increasing the working-age population, which would support the dependent population, an official of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) said on Friday. In a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon interview over PTV 4, acting Division Chief of the CPDs Knowledge Management and Communication Division Mylin Mirasol Quiray said the total fertility rate in the Philippines stands at 1.5 children per woman, which is below the replacement level of 2.1 children, at which women give birth to babies just enough to keep the population stable. - Advertisement - However, she said, the decline in fertility rate still presents economic opportunities. It is an opportunity for us na iyong working age po mas marami sa population. What does that mean? Ibig sabihin kapag may working age, 15 to 64 mas marami po iyong magsu-support sa dependent population (that people of working age comprise a relatively large portion of the population. What does that mean? That means if there are more people of working age, aged 15 to 64, more people would support the dependent population, which are those aged 0 to 14 and subsequently 65 and over), Quiray said. She added that with the declining dependency ratio and a bigger workforce, the country might reap the economic benefits of the demographic dividend. Makakatulong sa ating ekonomiya kasi demographic dividend pa rin naman ang ating end goal, which is mas maraming working age population of 15 to 64 na nagsu-support ng dependent population (This would be helpful to our economy because achieving the demographic dividend is still our end goal, which is having a larger working age population of 15 to 64 to support our dependent population), Quiray said. She also pointed out that the countrys working-age population is at 63.5 percent, while the aging population is at 5 percent, which is less than the 7 percent threshold required to qualify as an aging society. Quiray also cited Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showing a decline in the total registered live births during the pandemic from 1.5 million babies born in 2020 to 1.3 million babies in 2021. She, however, noted that the number of live births increased to 1.4 million in 2022 after the pandemic restrictions were relaxed. Citing a CPD-commissioned study, she attributed the fertility decline to the couples economic uncertainties during the pandemic. According to our research, its surprising na (that) the pandemic was not top of mind for the people of the Philippines actually, more on economic talaga iyong naging concern pala nila (their concern was mainly economic) at that time the lack of employment, opportunities and then economic shock that the pandemic has wrought, Quiray said. The CPD study also showed that the decision of couples not to have children during the pandemic increased the acceptability of modern family planning methods. Quiray said pills, ligation or female sterilization, and injectables are still the most preferred methods. Tumataas din naman po iyong family planning method used sa Philippines, its just that kailangan ma-ensure na modern family planning method ang kanilang ginagawa hindi po ang traditional, which is withdrawal or rhythm or calendar (The use of family planning methods increased in the Philippines. Its just that we have to ensure that they use the modern family planning methods, not the traditional ones, such as withdrawal, rhythm, or calendar method), she said. The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) on Saturday asked owners of workplaces to intensify precautionary measures to protect the health and well-being of workers from the scorching heat through a Comprehensive Heat Risk Action Plan. In a statement, the labor center reminded employers as well as owners of workplaces about Labor Advisory 8, Series of 2023 of the Labor Department. - Advertisement - This directs all employers to conduct health risk assessment due to extreme heat, provide better ventilation and adequate water supply, adjust rest breaks, and launch information and education campaigns on what heat stress is, and how to avoid it. As heat index across the nation spikes to dangerous levels, it is our shared moral responsibility not only of workers who toil day in and day out not only at work but also in commuting to and from work but also of the Government and most especially employersto beat the heat together through proactive precautionary and quick response measures, said TUCP president Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza. Mendoza is a Deputy Speaker, being the nominee to the House of Representatives of the party-list group TUCP. In its statement, TUCP called for social dialogue among workers and employers through the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Committee in every workplace, as mandated by Republic Act 1105 or the OSH Law, to prioritize the following measures which should be part and parcel of their Heat Risk Action Plan: (a) Heat Break especially for outdoor workers, during the hottest part of the day, such as around 11 AM to 2 PM, which can be facilitated through flexible work time arrangements. (b) Buddy System as a proactive monitoring system for workers to check on each others well-being, supported by the openness and alertness of the Management and especially the workplace safety officer. (c) Hydration Reminders which should be done regularly to remind workers to drink adequate water even before they feel thirsty. (d) Heat stress orientation sessions, supplemented by periodic refresher courses or training guides, to educate workers about identifying heat stress symptoms and appropriate responses in line with the Heat Risk Action Plan. (e) Better ventilation starting from as simple and as basic as opening the windows and adding electric fans, especially in manufacturing and industrial settings. This Heat Risk Action Plan is a win-win imperative for both labor and business to ensure that Filipino workers will be safe, productive, and healthy amidst the blistering heat. Together, let us craft and bolster our respective Heat Risk Action Plans to save jobs and save lives, Mendoza stressed. A total of five naval ships will sail from the south going to the north as the Philippines, United States, Australia, and Japan will hold joint naval and air drills along the countrys exclusive economic zone or EEZ in the disputed South China Sea today. Our combined defense/armed forces will conduct a Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone on April 7, 2024, the defense chiefs of the four countries said in a joint statement Saturday, as they deepen ties to counter Chinas growing assertiveness in the region. - Advertisement - Taking part in the MCA, according to the Department of Defense, arethe Philippines offshore patrol vessels the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PS-15) and BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16); the US Navys littoral combat ship USS Mobile (LCS-26); Australias HMAS Warramunga (FFH-152); and Japans destroyer JS Akebono (DD-108). The exercise will take place in the disputed waterwaywhich Beijing claims almost entirelydays before US President Joe Biden is due to hold the first trilateral summit with the leaders of the Philippines and Japan. They said it would demonstrate the allies collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. The four defense chiefs said they would strengthen the interoperability of our doctrines, tactics, techniques, and procedures with the MCA, which will include an anti-submarine warfare training, tactical, link and photo exercises, Japanese and Philippine reports said. This developed as the Philippine Coast Guard on Saturday reported that they and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources were harassed by the Chinese Coast Guard while conducting operations at the Rozul Reef on Thursday. In its report, the PCG said their personnel and the BFAR were dropping floating aggregate devices or payao when two CCG vessels with ship numbers 21551 and 21556), which were the usual interdictors in the resupply operation in Ayungin Shoal, arrived and started harassing local fishing boats. According to the PCG, the CCG vessels went as far as pretending to man their water cannons and threatened the Filipino fishermen. The PCG said the latest unlawful behavior demonstrated Chinas aim to deprive Filipinos of their rights to access the resources in our Exclusive Economic Zone. Earlier this week, the Australian warship HMAS Warramunga arrived at the island of Palawan, which faces the hotly contested waters. The exercise and summit follow repeated confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels near disputed reefs off the Southeast Asian country in recent months. China has blamed the Philippines for raising tensions in the hotly contested waterway, where Beijing and Manila have a long history of maritime territorial disputes. Top US officials have repeatedly declared the United States ironclad commitment to defending the Philippines against an armed attack in the South China Sea. These activities with our allies Australia, Japan, and the Philippines underscore our shared commitment to ensuring that all countries are free to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in the joint statement. Our operations together support peace and stability at the heart of our shared vision for a free and open region. President Marcos issued a strongly worded statement on March 28, vowing the Philippines would not be cowed into silence, submission, or subservience by China. Talks between the Philippines and Japan for a defense pact that would allow the countries to deploy troops on each others territory were still ongoing, a spokesman for the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said. Manila already has a similar agreement with Australia and the United States. In an interview with the Nikkei business daily on Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan needs to show a bigger presence and take greater responsibility for providing options for the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries. He also said Tokyo, Washington, and Manila will work together to proceed with trilateral cooperative projects, including in semiconductors, digital technology and next-generation nuclear energy. With Charles Dantes Last March 2024, Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI), continued to expand its dealer network with the groundbreaking of Honda Cars Talisay and the inauguration of Honda Cars Sta. Rosa. HCPI is eager for these dealers to continue to bring Hondas top-notch service and products closer to more Honda enthusiasts nationwide. - Advertisement - -Honda Cars Sta. Rosa Inauguration- Honda Cars Sta. Rosa held its inauguration ceremony last March 26, 2024. Through Honda Cars Sta. Rosa, HCPI welcomes the newest dealership under, ANC Group. Strategically located at Tagaytay Road, Don Jose, Santa Rosa, Laguna, it is a response to the growing demands for mobility in the Southern Luzon part of the country. The dealership covers an area of 2,700 square meters maximized by an ergonomic design that will feature a five (5) car vehicle display showroom, with one (1) sales releasing area in the showroom and the latest active reception concept. Available at Honda Cars Sta. Rosa are Hondas latest product line-up and complete vehicle service facilities for general repair, preventive maintenance, and light compact body repair. Under the leadership of Mr. Cheng, ANC Group has consistently demonstrated its commitment to excellence and superior customer satisfaction. Truly, it is with great joy that we witness this expansion in Santa Rosa City () As we expand our presence in Santa Rosa, we are fortifying our legacy of quality, reliability, and innovation. We also want to contribute more significantly to the growth and development of Sta. Rosa and its people. And again, we give our heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Anthony Cheng and the entire ANC Group for their support and commitment, said Rie Miyake, HCPI President, at the inauguration. -Honda Cars Talisay Groundbreaking- More good news to come for Cebuano Honda fans, Honda Cars Talisay held its groundbreaking ceremony last March 23 and is set to open in the 2nd week of December 2024. With it, HCPI welcomes another new dealership company to its network, Gateway Group. It will also boast a five (5) car vehicle display showroom, with one (1) sales releasing area in the showroom and the latest active reception concept, catering to more customers in the Central Visayas area. Once completed, Honda Cars Talisay will house a team of highly trained and dedicated personnel that will be ready to accommodate clients. Through the assistance of skillful technicians, it will be fully equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for general repairs, spare parts, light compact body and paint, and preventive maintenance. At the groundbreaking ceremony, HCPI President, Rie Miyake, had this to say about the new Honda Dealership: the establishment of Honda Cars Talisay signifies more than just a place to buy and service vehicles. It symbolizes a commitment to redefine the automotive experience in this region. With Honda's illustrious reputation for quality, reliability, and cutting-edge technology, coupled with the passion and expertise of the Gateway Group team, we are poised to set new standards of excellence. Again, customers can already visit Honda Cars Sta. Rosa, while they can expect Honda Cars Talisay to open in the 2 nd week of December this year. In the meantime, browse HCPIs virtual showroom, book service appointments online, and more at https://hondaphil.com. Customers can also proceed to their nearest Honda Dealer at https://hondaphil.com/dealer-finder. 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: Senior author Lucretia Long, DNP, an epilepsy nurse practitioner and a clinical associate professor of neurology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine. Credit: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center A new 16-week study of 204 adult epilepsy patients found that 98% of participants believe that all patients with epilepsy should have a seizure action plan (SAP), regardless of seizure status. These plans can help patients with epilepsy to safely manage seizure emergencies. But health care providers don't always discuss them with their patients. Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine found that standardizing a structured SAP can help adults with epilepsy safely manage seizures. Study findings published online today in the journal Neurology: Clinical Practice. "Our work suggests that simple discussions between providers and patients/care-partners of how to manage seizure emergencies with a seizure action plan can increase knowledge and comfort about seizure emergencies," said senior author Lucretia Long, DNP, an epilepsy nurse practitioner and a clinical associate professor of neurology at Ohio State. Epilepsy is a common neurological condition affecting about 3.4 million adults in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Up to 56% of patients with epilepsy have uncontrolled seizures, despite taking antiseizure drugs. Uncontrolled seizures can result in increased emergency room visits, hospitalizations and time away from work. "Most seizures occur outside of hospitals. Many patients fear that they could have a seizure at any time, yet don't have a plan. This highlights the need for a standardized educational intervention to help patients better manage seizure emergencies," said co-investigator Sarita Maturu, DO, an epilepsy physician and researcher at Ohio State. Most education programs are expensive and require extended time commitments and resources, both of which are barriers for success. In contrast, SAPs are efficient, cost effective, structured education tools used to engage patients and caregivers to actively participate in managing their condition, Maturu said. Study participants filled out surveys before and after the study. Reminders to complete the plan were shared verbally, via text and email. "We also educated health care providers on SAPs, and how to use them during outpatient visits. All five providers agreed that the biggest challenge was their limited time during patients' visits," said Long, whose clinical interests include epilepsy patient education, health care disparities, seizure action plans and women's issues in epilepsy. Future efforts could focus on incorporating electronic SAP, using process improvement models and creating advance practice provider clinics focused on customizing SAPs, Long said. More information: Lucretia Long et al, Evaluation of a Seizure Action Plan in an Adult Epilepsy Center, Neurology Clinical Practice (2024). DOI: 10.1212/CPJ.0000000000200275 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The largest study to date investigating a single invitation to a PSA blood test to screen for prostate cancer has found it had a small impact on reducing deaths, but also led to overdiagnosis and missed early detection of some aggressive cancers. The CAP trial, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and carried out by researchers from the universities of Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge, involved over 400,000 men aged 50-69. Just under half received a single invitation for a PSA test as part of the trial. After following up for 15 years, there was a small difference in the number of men who died from prostate cancer between the two groupsnearly 7 men out of every 1,000 in the group invited for screening had died from prostate cancer, compared to nearly 8 men out of every 1,000 in the group who hadn't been invited for screening. The results of the trial show that an estimated 1 in 6 cancers found by the single PSA screening were overdiagnosed. Cancer Research UK warns that overdiagnosis of prostate cancer is the main worry with PSA testing for early detection. This can result in the unnecessary treatment of cancers that would not have caused any harm in someone's lifetime. Overdiagnosis can have a negative psychological impact, and treatment of prostate cancer may cause physical side effects including the possibility of infection following a biopsy, erectile dysfunction, and bladder and bowel problems. Cancer Research UK also raises awareness of the importance of listening to your body and getting to know what's normal for you. If you notice a change that doesn't go away or is new, then speak to your doctor. If a man has urinary symptomsmost of which are caused by a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostatehe can contact his GP for advice, and this may include a PSA test. Professor Richard Martin, lead author and Cancer Research UK scientist at the University of Bristol, said, "Our studies have been measuring the effectiveness of the PSA test with hundreds of thousands of men for 15 years. The key takeaway is that the small reduction in prostate cancer deaths by using the test to screen healthy men does not outweigh the potential harms. "This results in some men going on to have invasive treatment that they don't need, many years earlier than without screening, and the test is also failing to spot some cancers that do need to be treated. We need to find better ways to spot aggressive prostate cancers, so we can treat them early." Prostate cancer is the 2nd biggest cancer killer of men in the UK, causing 12,000 deaths a year. There is currently no national screening program for the disease. The UK National Screening Committee (NSC), which reviews the evidence for screening programs, doesn't currently recommend screening for prostate cancer because it is unclear that the benefits outweigh the harms. Despite being widely used to decide when to send men with urinary symptoms for further checks, when used to screen for prostate cancer, research has shown that the PSA test is inaccurateit increases detection of low-risk prostate cancers and misses some high-risk ones. There have been improvements in diagnosing and treating the disease in the years since this trial began, including the introduction of MRI before biopsy. These changes may help to prevent some harms associated with PSA testing, but more research is needed into ways to find aggressive cancers that need to be treated. Naser Turabi, director of evidence and implementation at Cancer Research UK, said, "Prostate cancer remains the second most common cause of cancer death in men in the UK. Despite breakthroughs in treating the disease, there's more we can do. "The evidence shows that using a single invitation for a PSA test for a prostate cancer screening program is likely to do more harm than good for men. "We are funding research to help us find ways of diagnosing the disease early to reduce mortality, and we have trials taking place to find the best treatment for men with prostate cancer. Our search is not overwe're determined to find ways to accurately detect aggressive prostate cancer early and identify those at highest risk." Early prostate cancer usually has no symptoms so early detection is challenging. To try and save more lives from the disease, Cancer Research UK is funding more trials and research into prostate cancer. This includes speeding up diagnosis for men with aggressive disease with new blood, urine or genetic tests so they can start treatment sooner. Other research, such as the STAMPEDE trial, is aiming to find the best treatment for men with advanced prostate cancer to further improve survival and quality of life. The charity has spent 21 million on prostate cancer research over the last two years to improve outcomes for patients. Dr. Neil Smith, GP for Cancer Research UK and GP Lead for Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Alliance, said, "With prostate cancer causing 12,000 deaths in the UK every year, we completely understand why men want to know if they have the disease, even when they don't have symptoms. "However, this research highlights that a PSA test for early detection can do more harm than goodit's simply not accurate enough and can lead to some men having tests and treatment that they don't need. You know your body bestso if you do notice any unusual changes, contact your GP. It probably won't be cancer, but if it is, then spotting it earlier means that treatment is more likely to be successful." 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: Waist circumference-to-height ratio (WHtR) is an inexpensive alternative to body mass index (BMI) for predicting fat mass (FM) in pediatric patients, according to a study published online March 5 in Pediatric Research. Andrew O. Agbaje, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, examined agreement of surrogate measures of adiposity with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-measured body composition. The analysis included 7,237 9-year-old children participating in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, with 15-year follow-up data. Agbaje found that during follow-up, BMI, total FM, and trunk FM increased, but WHtR was relatively stable. Over time, WHtR provided better absolute agreement with total FM as well as trunk FM (males: intraclass correlation [ICC], 0.84; females: ICC, 0.81) compared with BMI (males: ICC, 0.65; females: ICC, 0.72). For predicting excess total FM (75th to 95thpercentile), the WHtR cut point was 0.50 to 0.53 in males (area under the curve [AUC], 0.86 to 0.94; sensitivity: 0.51 to 0.79; specificity: 0.93 to 0.95). In females, the WHtR cut point for predicting excess total FM was 0.52 to 0.54 (AUC, 0.83 to 0.95; sensitivity: 0.38 to 0.68; specificity: 0.92 to 0.95). For trunk FM, results were similar. "This study provides novel information that would be useful in updating future childhood obesity guidelines and policy statements," Agbaje said in a statement. "The average waist circumference-to-height ratio in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood is 0.45; it does not vary with age and among individuals like BMI." More information: Andrew O. Agbaje, Waist-circumference-to-height-ratio had better longitudinal agreement with DEXA-measured fat mass than BMI in 7237 children, Pediatric Research (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41390-024-03112-8 Journal information: Pediatric Research Copyright 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved. For those lucky enough to be in the path of totality during Mondays total solar eclipse across the U.S., the much anticipated solar show will last only a couple minutes. Photos can preserve the moment, but only if they turn out. Experienced eclipse photographers say that high-end specialty equipment isnt necessary to get solid photos. Its a boon for dedicated solar- and astrophotographers who have a masterful command of motorized star-tracking camera mounts and automatic exposure bracketing functions on digital cameras. But for most people, trying to wrangle complex equipment during the few precious minutes of totality the last in the U.S. for the next 20 years risks missing photos and the eclipse itself. All you really need is a digital camera with a fairly long lens and a tripod. A certified solar filter (like viewing glasses for your camera) is necessary except during totality, when the glasses and filter come off. Know exactly what you need to do and not panic, said professional photographer Tristan Savatier. Be cool. Savatier traveled to Indonesia to photograph a total solar eclipse in 2016, and he shot the 2017 total eclipse across the U.S. in Oregon. On Thursday he was traveling to southern Texas to photograph this eclipse. In Indonesia, he said, he had about two minutes of totality, or full solar eclipse, to take photos of the suns corona: whips of plasma flaring out from the sun that are only visible when the moon fully blocks the star. Savatier was armed with his standard Sony digital camera body equipped with a 200mm telephoto lens. He used a remote shutter control so he didnt bump the camera by pushing the shutter button on the camera body. The two- or three-second self-timer function on many cameras works well for those who dont have a remote controller, he said. I did the thing completely manually, he said. The hard part is having a good focus because autofocus will not focus on the darkened sun for many cameras. Another photographer nearby traveled to Indonesia with ultra-expensive specialized equipment that included a star tracker and an automatic shutter trigger, Savatier said, and spent hours setting it all up. Savatier ended up with a handful of good photos, adjusting his settings manually between each shot and firing the shutter himself, as he would in almost any other photography situation. The guy with all his equipment set up, he recounted, he looked at me and said it didnt trigger. Savatier mounts his camera to a tripod without a motorized star-tracker a sometimes finicky device that, if precisely adjusted into exact position, can pan a camera with the sun through the sky as the earth spins. But with his camera stationary on a tripod, he said, he had to continually readjust the camera position to keep the sun centered in the frame. Using a 300mm lens is good for a stationary camera thats being adjusted by hand, he said, because it provides more room around the sun in the image. During totality, the brightness of the suns corona varies, with the brightest part nearest the sun and getting dimmer farther from the sun. Savatier recommended shooting with an aperture of f/4f/5.6; ISO 100; and a variety of shutter speeds to capture various parts of the corona. A shutter speed, or exposure time, of 1/200 second can capture detail in the brightest part of the corona near the sun, but the outer parts will be too dark to see. Taking more photos at gradually longer exposure times down to 1 or 2 seconds will produce a series of images where different parts of the corona are visible. After the 2016 eclipse, Savatier used photoshop to stack four choice images of various exposure times on top of each other in perfect alignment. Then he used Photomatix software to blend the photos into a single composite image where all of the corona, and even some detail on the moon surface, was visible. The programs tone mapping function made the image look realistic to what eclipse viewers saw with their eyes. But, he noted, some of his individual images were good in their own right, even though not all of the corona was visible at once. And, he stressed, The camera I use doesnt matter. What matters, he said, was having the know-how and practice to make things work in the brief moment of totality. And it might not even be a good idea for someone to photograph the eclipse if its their first time seeing one, he said. It could be better just to enjoy the otherworldly sight. The 2016 eclipse in Indonesia, Savatier said, was not his first it was just the first one he photographed. Most people, he said, get paralyzed staring at the eclipse. Its incredible and its very difficult to keep your mind (clear). The first time I saw an eclipse I didnt take a photo, honestly. After youve seen one, the second one and the third one I was able to take photos. Flash The Ethiopian government and the World Bank have signed financing agreements amounting to 1.72 billion U.S. dollars in support of Ethiopia's development. The accords, which were made in the form of credits and grants, were signed by Ethiopia's Minister of Finance Ahmed Shide and the World Bank's country representative Ousmane Dione, the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance said in a statement Friday. The resource will be used for the implementation of six projects aimed at driving sustainable development and inclusive growth in the East African country, the ministry said. The projects include a 300-million-U.S. dollar grant to enhance climate-resilient accessibility to food markets and services for target populations and strengthen institutional capacity for rural road management, it added. Another 82.5-million-dollar grant will finance the enhancement of incomes for the urban poor and promote labor market inclusion for disadvantaged urban youth. Additionally, a 340-million-dollar credit is aimed at enhancing livelihoods and climate resilience for pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Ethiopia's lowlands. According to the ministry, the financing support also includes a 522.63-million-dollar investment to strengthen and expand the electricity network and facilitate renewable energy generation in Ethiopia as well as a 275-million-dollar grant to increase access to water supply and sanitation services in the country. Four Iowa Department of Corrections workers are suing the state for alleged discrimination based on race and color. Cameron Gowdy, Kennesha Woods, Shantel Lewis and Zeare Renfro are suing the department, as well as several top administrators, alleging violations of the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Gowdy, a 53-year-old Black woman, has worked for the DOC since 2004 as a residential manager and currently works at the Fresh Start Womens Center in Des Mones. She alleges that over the past 20 years she has been continuously subjected to harassment by DOC personnel and claims that when DOC Director Jerry Evans hired her he said shed have to contend with what the lawsuit calls 10% haters. She alleges the department consistently excludes her from management meetings in which issues involving her team are addressed and alleges that other people in her same position have received multiple employment perks never offered her. She also claims the department has failed to provide her with the required training to ensure her best job performance. Woods, a 35-year-old Black woman, alleges that since she began working for the DOC as a residential officer in 2013 she has been subjected to almost daily harassment and racially motivated behavior. She claims DOC officials have repeatedly made efforts to degrade and ostracize her for being an assertive Black woman, and claims one DOC administrator recommended she not be promoted because she was a radical person who did not get along with others. Part of Woods complaint is based on an allegation that a top administrator entered her office on three occasions despite Woods having a Do Not Disturb sign on her office door, and that this same administrator referred to her by her first name rather than using her job title or doctorate title. She states she also filed a formal grievance after a DOC administrator asked her for contact information for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Lewis, a 54-year-old Black woman, alleges she has faced harassment since she began working for the DOC as a residential officer in 2018. One administrator stepped into her personal space and yelled in her face, she alleges, and another called her bossy, loud and a low performer. Renfro, a 29-year-old Black woman, began working for the DOC in 2021 as a residential officer. She alleges she was once verbally attacked by a co-worker and that she feared for her life afterward. After she received a promotion, she says, nearly everyone congratulated her except for one administrator who didnt care for her. The lawsuit, filed in Polk County District Court, seeks unspecified damages for violations of the Iowa Civil Rights Act based on race and color, and for failure to provide job training. In addition to the DOC, the named defendants in the case are DOC Director Jerry Evans, Assistant Director Angela Karaidos, Personnel Specialist Karen Chapman, Probation Parole Supervisor Robin Merk, Residential Supervisor Norman Granger, Supervisor Jim Michels and Residential Manager Lance Wignall. The DOC has yet to file a response to the lawsuit. Photos: UNI Football 2024 Pro Day Sudden Oak Death, the killer of millions of oaks and tanoaks, persists in California forests and oak woodlands, and it is not going away. It could even get worse if the existing strain hooks up with a more aggressive variant. Volunteers can be of service in tracking the disease via the Napa branch of the 2024 SOD Blitz. The organism Phytophthora ramorum is lethal to various live oaks, black oak and tanoak, but it infects many native and non-native landscape plants with minimal harm. California bay laurel is the most significant foliar host that spreads infections to oaks and tanoaks. Symptoms of the disease are visible in the leaves of infected bay laurels, which volunteers collect for the Blitz. Susceptible California native oak species include all of the evergreen oaks (coast live oak, canyon live oak and others) plus black oak. Tanoak, which is not a true oak, is also a victim as well as a spreader of the disease. Fortunately, valley oaks, Oregon white oaks, and blue oaks are not susceptible. SOD infects the trunks of the susceptible oak species, causing lesions that girdle the trunk and eventually kill the tree. In tanoaks, unlike the true oaks, it can infect and spread from the leaves. The disease was dubbed Sudden Oak Death because infected trees seem to die suddenly. Actually, it infects a tree and grows in the cambial zone for two to three years before the tree suddenly dries up. In other plants, where stems and leaves are killed or blighted, the disease is called Ramorum Blight. In bay laurels, infected leaves tend to be more plentiful in the cool, moist and shady lower canopy of smaller bay trees. That is convenient for volunteers collecting leaf samples for the Blitz. A water mold, P. ramorum spreads most readily in mild, rainy weather and in climates, or microclimates, where moisture and foliar host plants are plentiful. Persistent spring rainfall facilitates new infections. A newer, aggressive variant may have major significance in its spread. I asked Dr. Matteo Garbelotto at UC Berkeley about this. He responded: Since 2020, a more aggressive strain of the disease, dubbed 'EU1' has entered California forests, so far in limited areas. If it were to join the original NA1 strain, tree mortality could significantly worsen. Because NA1 and EU1 can mate with one another, while NA1 or EU1 alone cannot, the progeny of the two could be a new variant, possibly even more lethal than either one of the two parents. The plan is to eradicate any new outbreak caused by EU1. But to detect it in a timely fashion, we need to run the appropriate lab tests at UC Berkeley. That is why we need the help of as many volunteers as possible to canvass our parks and woodlands and collect suspicious plant material." In 2008 the Berkeley Lab initiated the SOD Blitz effort to inform people and recruit citizen scientist volunteers to locate and map SOD. Here in Napa, we began participation in 2011 and have continued with it every year, so 2024 is our 14th anniversary. During that time Napa SOD Blitz volunteers have confirmed the disease at many locations in Napa County. Blitz participants must go online to matteolab (nature.berkeley.edu/matteolab/?page_id=148) to view a 15-minute training video and to register for the local Blitz. If you do so, please contact me so we can get a count of sampling packets to request from the lab. Volunteers should also download the free iPhone app SODMapMobile, which is needed for getting the GPS coordinates at each sample collection site. GPS coordinates can also be found on Google Earth Pro. Volunteers collect symptomatic California bay laurel leaves, wherever they choose, and return the sampling packets to the pickup location the day of or the day after pickup. Results are announced in October. A great deal of information on SOD, the mapping and the Blitzes is available at matteolab and at suddenoakdeath.org. Napas 2024 SOD Blitz begins on Saturday, May 4, from 9 to 11 a.m. The packet pickup location will be the Napa County Ag Commissioners Office, 1710 Soscol Ave. A volunteer will be there to greet you. Participants collect bay laurel leaf samples at any locations they choose and return the completed packets to the pickup location as late as Monday, May 6. Please come and join the Blitz! Flash This photo taken on Feb. 29, 2024 shows an exterior view of the United Nations (UN) Office in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Shi Song) 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. AIZAWL: A Mizo coalition representing the Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi tribes across India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar announced plans to organize a rally along the India-Myanmar border in Mizoram on May 16. The rally aims to protest the Indian governments decision to fence the border and abolish the Free Movement Regime (FMR). "Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!" The Zo Re-unification Organisation (ZORO), headquartered in Aizawl and advocating for the re-unification of all Zo people under a single administrative unit, convened a meeting expressing strong opposition to the fencing of the 1643-km India-Myanmar border, particularly the 510-km stretch in Mizoram. In a statement, the organization also voiced disappointment over the discontinuation of the Free Movement Regime (FMR). Also read: Become CM like me after joining BJP: Himanta Biswa Sarma advices Assam Congress chief The meeting concluded to hold a peaceful rally on May 16 at the Myanmar border in Zokhawthar, located in Champhai district in eastern Mizoram. The organization urged Mizo and Zo communities residing in both Mizoram and Myanmar to participate in the rally to oppose the governments decisions regarding the border fencing and the FMR. Earlier in January, ZORO staged a demonstration in Aizawl, where they symbolically burned an effigy of union home minister Amit Shah, protesting against the proposed plan to fence the India-Myanmar border and eliminate the Free Movement Regime (FMR). Innovation drive in health sector boosts multinationals' confidence in Chinese market Xinhua) 09:35, April 06, 2024 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. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Zhong Wenxing) Flash No injuries or fatalities were reported in the wake of a dam breach in the city of Orsk, Russia's Orenburg Oblast, which led to significant flooding and the submersion of homes, local authorities said on Saturday. The mayor's office in Orsk earlier said that the dam, which was designed to protect the city from the Ural River, had failed, affecting 4,258 homes and 10,987 residents. A mass evacuation is currently underway from the old city, where several settlements now find themselves underwater. Six temporary accommodation points have been established to assist those evacuated from the flooded areas. The regional government, via its Telegram channel, announced that 94 individuals, including 40 children, have been moved to temporary shelters from the risk zones. Others have found refuge with relatives. Their lives and health are not in danger, and no medical assistance has been necessary. "Today, all necessary forces are concentrated in Orsk to assist people and address the consequences of the flood. The life and health of the residents is our top priorities. Emergency repair work on the damaged sections of the dam is underway, with all required materials delivered and teams and machinery deployed on site. This is the first time the dam has faced such a challenge," said Governor Denis Pasler, who chaired an emergency meeting on-site. During the meeting, a decision was made to cut off electricity in areas at risk of flooding if water levels reach a critical height, according to regional authorities. Intense wildfires near his hometown of Baker City, Oregon in 2020, sparked junior Jake Cuzicks scientific interest and led to his determination to pursue a doctorate in chemistry. Cuzicks passionate pursuit of his goals to develop novel solutions for green energy using synthetic chemistry has led to his being awarded a 2024-25 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. The Goldwater is the preeminent undergraduate award for students intending to pursue research careers in the fields of natural science, mathematics, and engineering. Cuzick, a chemistry major, Mount Fellow and Honors student, is among 438 U.S. college students selected for the scholarship this year from a pool of more than 1,353 sophomores and juniors nominated by 446 colleges and universities. He will receive up to $7,500 in scholarship money to fund his senior year at the Mount. He is joined as a 2024-25 recipient by fellow junior Lincoln Queale, who was one of 70 sophomores awarded a two-year scholarship last year. Jakes success in this competition is truly exceptional, said Angy Kallarackal, Ph.D., director of neuroscience, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and associate director of the Office of Competitive Fellowships. She shared that Cuzick and Queale are among eight Mount students who have won this prestigious award over the last six years. These scholarships are a credit both to these accomplished students academic and research work on and off campus and the support of their faculty, she said. The Catalyst As a high school junior, Cuzick got a close look at the impact of global warming as wildfires ravaged nearby areas. Both of his parents, who work in forest and natural resources management professions, engaged in efforts to replant trees and the general recovery process. Replanting proved to be challenging due to rising temperatures that stymied the general tree populations ability to repopulate. I felt, for the first time, the realness of sciences implications, Cuzick said. My scientific consciousness was then ignited, in which I searched for a facet that I felt I could effectively contribute to. Cuzick found that scientific match as a first-year Mount student when he began working in the laboratory of Associate Professor of Chemistry Isaac Mills, Ph.D., due to its relatedness to sustainability. In this lab, he initiated an investigation into the synthesis of substituted tripenylpyrylium salts, an emerging organic scaffold for replacing precious metal photoredox catalysts. At the same time, he was enjoying the creative inquiry involved in building synthetic routes that recursively built upon a multitude of previously covered reactions covered in the organic chemistry class taught by Professor of Chemistry Patricia Kreke, Ph.D. In Dr. Mills laboratory, I was able to implement these creative strategies that I appreciated at a mechanistic chemistry level toward a real-world problem I was particularly passionate about, Cuzick said. His success in Professor Krekes organic chemistry classes led to his selection as a student instructor for this academic year. I have received excellent feedback from the organic students about his work as SI, reported Professor Kreke. Additional Research on Campus and Beyond Last summer Claire Xiong, associate professor in the Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering at Boise State University, selected Cuzick for the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program in her lab. In the Boise State lab, Cuzick worked on synthesizing niobium oxide nanoparticles for use in batteries. In the fall of 2023, he gave a presentation on his REU experience to his peers in the Mounts School of Natural Science and Mathematics. Upon returning to campus this academic year, Cuzick further expanded his research. He had the opportunity to develop a novel library of small molecules that target G-4 Quadruplex in trinucleotide repeat diseases for the lab of Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Krueger, Ph.D., C'17. This complex project used all Cuzicks previous synthetic strategies he had devised through a strenuous selection process. It also allowed him to independently grow as a researcher. I believe my exposure to the creative domain of synthetic chemistry, supplemented by rigorous coursework, will continue to create a suitable foundation for success in graduate-level laboratories, he explained. In addition, while taking the Global Encounters: Chinas New Silk Road course taught by Professor of Global Business and Economics Patrice Flynn, Ph.D. during the fall semester, Cuzick completed the courses research project by analyzing the economic impact of unsustainable scientific methodologies in China. After submitting his first draft to Flynn, Cuzick and the former Fulbright U.S. Research Scholar began working toward publication of the work in the Mounts Working Paper Series in International Studies. This project involved intensive analytical research, where I identified an array of economic patterns that I quantified and conveyed through an investment mechanism, a term I more distinctly discuss in the paper. This mechanism will be utilized in future Global Encounter curriculum, Cuzick said. The paper will be published on April 18 and will also be presented by Cuzick at the SPARC Festival. This interdisciplinary approach, moving from chemical synthesis to economic and sociological application, shows that Mr. Cuzick has the mindset and capability to be a change-maker in the field, Kallarackal said. At the end of this semester, Cuzick will travel to Illinois to spend the summer as a Snyder Scholar in the lab of Martin Burke, Ph.D., at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The Snyder Scholar program is particularly focused on developing undergraduate research interest in organic chemistry, Cuzick explained. In Dr. Burkes laboratory, I will be exposed to advanced instrumentation and resources, such as his famous molecule-making machine, which automates the process of designing efficient but complex molecular architectures. Gratitude When Cuzick first discussed the Goldwater Scholarship application process with Director of the Palmieri Center for Entrepreneurship and Associate Professor of Science Garth Patterson, Ph.D., in 2022, he understood the difficulty of winning the scholarship and viewed the process as more of an opportunity to grow as a writer through the intensive drafting process, he said. To win is a dream come true, he added. Aside from alleviating some financial burdens, which allows me to spend more time in the laboratory, this scholarship provides empirical validation to my scientific aspirations. It is easy to get overwhelmed within the relentless college workload, especially recognizing the advanced graduate coursework that succeeds it, thus the investment of a prestigious organization like the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation is fundamental in my young research career. I believe this scholarship will be a pivotal stepping stone in achieving my career aspirations. I would also like to extend appreciation to the entirety of Mount Fellows for their investment in the drafting process of my application, as well as Dr. Xiong, Dr. Mills, and Dr. Kreke for writing letters of recommendation. I am also particularly grateful for Ph.D. candidate Cyrus Koroni at Boise State University, as his role as my REU mentor was critical in fostering my skills and ideas as a young researcher. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Flynn for her thorough curriculum and guidance throughout the synthesis of my economic research, Cuzick shared. Support Network The Goldwater Scholarship Committee provided support for the students applications and research essays. The committee is comprised of Professors Kallarackal, Kruger, and Patterson as well as Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science Brian Heinhold, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor of Science Eric Sakowski, Ph.D., C08. Kallarackal, Krueger, Patterson and Sakowski also are Competitive Fellowships Committee members. Led by Professor of Spanish and Director of the Office of Competitive Fellowships Christine Blackshaw, Ph.D., other members of the Committee are Assistant Professor of Political Science and Associate Director of the Office of Competitive Fellowships William Christiansen, Ph.D.; Associate Professor of Business Josey Chacko, Ph.D.; and Associate Professor of Education Michelle Ohanian, Ph.D. Over the last six years, eight Mount students have received this award. In addition to Cuzick, they include Veronica Balick, C20, who later was awarded a Fulbright United Kingdom Study Award to the University of Nottingham and now is pursuing a Ph.D. in cancer biology at George Washington University; Nicholas Starvaggi, C21, who in 2022 was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship as a Ph.D. student at Texas A&M University; Bradley Owen, C21, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina; Julia Baer, C21, who is pursuing a doctorate in ocean sciences at University of California Santa Cruz; Rita Anoh, C23, who received the award as a sophomore and is now pursuing a Ph.D. in structural biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Lincoln Queale, a current Mount junior who is majoring in chemistry and minoring in biology and mathematics; and Shaheer Syed, a current senior majoring in biochemistry and data science. Established in 1986 by the U.S. Congress, the Goldwater Scholarship recognizes college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming the nations next generation of research leaders in the areas of natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics. Powerhouses NZ, SA and Fiji through to quarter-finals The All-Blacks continue their Hong Kong Sevens title defence after reaching the quarter-finals on Saturday. Photo: WorldRugby/MikeLee Hong Kong China (in blue) get the win against Thailand during the Melrose Claymores Womens Tournament at Hong Kong Stadium, on Saturday. Credit: HKCR New Zealand's men's team continue their title defence after reaching the quarter-finals at the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens on Saturday, after going undefeated in the group stages. The All-Blacks will take on another juggernaut squad Fiji in the semis, who squeaked through after defeating France 14-7, in Pool A. France still go through to the knockout stage where they will square off against Spain. Filling out the rest of the knockout bracket, Australia will face South Africa, while USA take on Ireland. In the women's competition, New Zealand also keep their title defence hopes alive after reaching the semi-final, where they will face old rivals Australia on Sunday. Meanwhile, France will clash with USA in the other semi-final match-up. In the Melrose Claymores competitions, the Hong Kong women's squad had the home crowd in a buzz following their victory over Thailand 28-10. Micayla Baltazar led the way with two tries. The Hong Kong men's were not so fortunate in their match against Japan despite a strong start scoring early, the Japanese side pulled away for the 31-14 win. Holders NZ to play rivals Australia in semi-final Australia charged past South Africa to clinch a spot in the men's semi-final at Hong Kong Stadium on Saturday. Photo: HKCR France will play Ireland in the semi final of the men's competition at Hong Kong Rugby Sevens on Sunday. Photo: WorldRugby/MikeLee Despite being down at half-time against juggernauts Fiji, the reigning men's champions New Zealand showed their mettle to take the victory 19-12, on day 2 at the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens. It sets up a scintillating semi-final clash against old rivals Australia, who pulled off an impressive 15-0 win against South Africa earlier. In the other quarter-finals, France were at one point trailing 10-7 to Spain, but 'Les Bleus' pulled-off a furious comeback with 17 unanswered points to win it 24-10. France will next take on Ireland in the semi-final, who went the distance against the USA after needing extra-time to decide the outcome the Irish came out on top 24-19 over the Americans. In the women's competition, it will be another showdown on Sunday at Hong Kong Stadium between Australia and New Zealand for a place in the final, while France will clash with the USA. NewsVoir Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 6: Share Our Strength, working towards driving positive change in the child nutrition sector and eradicating classroom hunger, hosted an exclusive initiative called "Feed the Future" on March 17th at The Bombay Club, in aid of The Breakfast Revolution and The Akshaya Patra Foundation. The event attended by 150 people raised funds to provide breakfasts and lunches for underprivileged school children across India. Share Our Strength, an American fundraising organisation matched all donations from the evening, doubling the amount raised. The funds will provide 4,000 students with nutritious school meals daily for the upcoming academic year. The event chaired by Gauri Devidayal, Co-founder and Director, Food Matters Group and business leader Avani Davda, witnessed an extraordinary 10-course dining experience curated by celebrated chefs Sanjeev Kapoor, Asma Khan, Manish Mehrotra, Prateek Sandhu, and Anil Rohira, who came together for this noble mission to 'Feed the Future'. Pankaj Jethwani, Co-founder - The Breakfast Revolution, Shridhar Venkat, CEO - Akshaya Patra and Debbie Shore, Co-founder - Share Our Strength hosted business leaders and other notable personalities like Maniesh Paul. During the event Debbie Shore, Co-founder - Share Our Strength spoke about how everyone had a strength to share, be it sharing expertise, providing access to key people, raising funds, volunteering and more. "I am happy to see so many wonderful people here tonight who can work together and build a community to nourish children, and that we can enable them to better serve their communities sustainably." Leading the team of celebrated chefs, Sanjeev Kapoor, a goodwill ambassador for Akshaya Patra for over 15 years, impressed the audience with his charm and his unwavering commitment to this cause close to his heart. He shared his insights on the importance of nutritious and tasty meals in keeping children healthy and energized and encouraged people to participate/donate to the cause. He graciously extended his support by collaborating with The Breakfast Revolution for this event. During the event, a live auction featured products generously donated by JBL, paintings and ceramics by artists, stay offers from Taj, Sitara Himalayas, The Johri and tableware by Indian Heirloom Company, adding to the excitement and success of the fundraiser. Vikram Kher, Vice President of Lifestyle at HARMAN India said, "With over 76 years of legacy, JBL has been amplifying music's power to make people feel good, connected and alive. JBL has associated with The Breakfast Revolution for this event to effect real authentic change in society. While it's natural to feel consumed by our daily duties, we understand the importance of contributing towards the community to unite in tackling critical issues like child undernourishment. The auction represents our commitment to making a meaningful impact towards the cause." Functioning under the public-private partnership model, The Breakfast Revolution has served over 30 million breakfasts since 2014 with a vision to impact 1 million lives by 2030. Akshaya Patra provides nutritious lunches in government and government-aided schools and has served over 4 billion meals to date and plans to reach the 5 billion milestone by October this year. The funds raised through this event will aid in bolstering their programs The event was made possible by community champions EazyDiner, The Table, and The Bombay Club, who opened their doors to unite people for this crucial cause. The Breakfast Revolution is the main program under the Decimal Foundation, a registered non-profit Charity Trust (80G) in Mumbai. The basic mission of The Breakfast Revolution, founded in 2014, is to combat malnutrition among children in India. It has been on an aggressive path to reach poor children in anganwadis, low-income schools and low-income communities with high-quality, tasty, nutritious, cost-effective, and safe breakfasts. The meal fulfils the gaps of the midday meal program by providing most of the child's daily requirement of vitamins, minerals, and protein in one meal itself. (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) PNN Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 6: As the demand for skilled interior designers continues to surge, Jain University has revamped its pioneering Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Interior Design degree course in bangalore. This redesigned program is set to revolutionize design education in Bangalore by focusing on innovation, creativity, and industry relevance. Being the first university in the state to offer a degree program in Interior Design, Jain University has consistently maintained a first-mover advantage in the market along with being one of the best BSc Interior Designing colleges in Bangalore . In answer to the escalating requirement for skilled practitioners, Jain University's BSc in Interior Design shines as an epitome of excellence among Bangalore's interior design institutions. With an all-encompassing curriculum spanning design theory, spatial organization, sustainability principles, and cutting-edge technologies, students are ensured a holistic education geared towards navigating the intricacies of contemporary design practice. "Jain University's BSc in Interior Design program is crafted to nurture the forthcoming generation of design visionaries," commented Mackey Agarwal, Head of Marketing & Admissions. "By amalgamating theoretical foundations with hands-on experience and industry exposure, students are equipped with the competencies and insights indispensable for making a substantial mark in the field." Boasting a faculty comprised of accomplished professionals and industry frontrunners, Jain University stands tall as one of Bangalore's premier interior design institutions. Through tailored mentorship and immersive learning endeavors, students are urged to unleash their creativity, challenge conventions, and cultivate a distinct design identity. The B.Sc in Interior Design program epitomizes this dedication, offering students a nurturing educational milieu and access to state-of-the-art resources that empower them to thrive in their professional journeys. As one of top BSc interior design colleges in Bangalore, Jain University is committed to fostering a milieu of creativity, cooperation, and critical inquiry. Reflective of this ethos, the B.Sc in Interior Design course in Bangalore presents students with opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations, industry internships, and global exchange initiatives, enriching their educational voyage and broadening their perspectives. For aspiring designers in pursuit of the finest interior design institutions in Bangalore, Jain University's B.Sc in Interior Design degree program emerges as a natural choice. With its rigorous syllabus, distinguished faculty, and unwavering commitment to excellence, it continues to raise the benchmark for design education in the region. For further details regarding the BSc in Interior Design program at Jain University, please visit: https://www.jainuniversity.ac.in/program/science/best-bsc-interior-design-college-in-bangalore (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 6: Smt. Sushilaben R. Mehta & Sir Kikabhai Premchand Cardiac Institute, popularly known as Kikabhai Hospital, a super-specialized hospital for cardiac and orthopaedic, celebrated its Silver Jubilee, commemorating 25 glorious years of saving lives, with a function attended by around 400 renowned doctors, philanthropists, well-wishers on 29th March at The Ruby, Dadar (W), Mumbai. To commemorate its Silver Jubilee Celebrations, the Hospital offered 25 per cent discount on OPD consultations and diagnostic procedures for 2835 patients from 28thMarch to 30thMarch, 2024. The Hospital also offered free treatment to immediate relatives of Shaheed Jawans (War Martyrs) during this period. The Guests of Honour for the grand function were Ghanshyam Dholakia (Founder & MD of Harikrishna Exports P. Ltd., Kisna Diamond and Gold Jewellery), Dr Sudhanshu Bhattacharya (Renowned Cardio-thoracic Surgeon) and Russell Mehta (Managing Director of Rosy Blue, Grandson of Smt. Sushilaben R. Mehta). As a part of celebrations, Doctors & Distinguished Persons were felicitated with awards for their achievements, outstanding dedication and service beyond the call of duty. They included Late Vijay Mathuradas Palicha (Hon. Secretary), Late Dr Sanjay Desai (Cardiac Surgeon), Late Dr Shripal Doshi ( Cardiac Surgeon), Late Dr/ Prasanna Nyaydish (Cardiologist), Dr Latha Chaudhari ( Medical Director), Dr Jagdish A. Parikh ( Cardiologist), Dr Dinyar F. Daruwalla (Cardiologist), Dr V.K. Shah ( Cardiologist), Dr Muthukrishnan Vishwanathan (Cardiologist), Dr Anil Damble (Cardiologist), Dr Nilen Shah (Orthopaedic Surgeon), Dr Ashutosh Chaudhari (Orthopaedic Surgeon), Dr Ajay Phadke (MD - Agilus Diagnostics), Asha Yogesh Mehta (Joint Hon. Secretary) and Rajiv D. Shah (Joint Hon. Secretary ). Hiren Manubhai Shah, Chairman of Smt. S.R.Mehta & Sir K.P Cardiac Institute) stated that Our noble mission is to provide best of Cardiac and Orthopaedic treatments to common men at most affordable rates. Kikabhai Hospital is centrally located at King's Circle, near Gandhi Market, Sion (East), Mumbai 400 022. It has state-of-the art Diagnostic Centre situated at Kalachowki, Lalbaug, Mumbai. This Centre offers various diagnostic facilities viz. CT scan, Gastroenterology, Pathology, Radiology, Dental, Physiotherapy and Ophthalmology etc all at very affordable rates with the latest equipment. website: srmkpcardiac.com, https://youtu.be/MQQ26AjE28o For further information, please contact on Email: account@srmkpcardiac.com (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) NewsVoir Pune (Maharashtra) [India], April 6: On World Health Day, one can prioritise one's health and financial security with Bajaj Markets, a leading digital financial marketplace. Here, one can choose health insurance policies from these leading insurance providers like Aditya Birla Health Insurance, Care Health Insurance, Niva Bupa Health Insurance, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company, and Tata AIG Health Insurance. Medical emergencies can strike anyone, anytime, and the resulting bills can be a financial burden. Health insurance acts as a financial shield, ensuring individuals don't have to liquidate their savings or go into debt to receive quality healthcare. Why Choose Bajaj Markets for Health Insurance * Wide Variety of Plans: Bajaj Markets curates plans from leading insurers, offering a vast selection to suit every budget and need. Individuals, families, and senior citizens can find a plan that provides the coverage they require. They can also choose from various top-up plans. * Unmatched Network Options: Access a comprehensive network of hospitals offered by various insurers on Bajaj Markets. This ensures individuals can receive cashless treatment at a convenient healthcare facility during a medical emergency. * Pre & Post Hospitalization Coverage: Bajaj Markets showcases plans that go beyond just hospitalization costs. These plans can cover pre and post hospitalization expenses, providing comprehensive financial protection throughout the recovery journey. * OPD Coverage: OPD coverage helps manage expenses for doctor consultations, diagnostic tests, and even medications. This ensures individuals can prioritize preventive care and routine check-ups without worrying about the cost. * Tax Savings Advantage: Under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act, individuals can save up to Rs 75,000 on their taxes by purchasing a health insurance plan for themselves and their family. World Health Day is a powerful reminder to prioritise health. Bajaj Markets empowers individuals to secure their health and finances with a comprehensive health insurance plan from leading insurers. This can be the start of a healthier and financially secure future for everyone! Bajaj Finserv Direct, a subsidiary of Bajaj Finserv, is one of the fastest-growing fintech companies in India. It has two primary arms, Bajaj Markets, a financial marketplace, and Bajaj Technology Services, a techfin service provider. Bajaj Markets is a marketplace that offers multiple financial products across all categories - Loans, Cards, Insurance, Investments, Payments, Pocket Insurance, and VAS. Bajaj Markets has partnered with trusted financial brands to offer "India ka Financial Supermarket". A one-stop destination where its customers can explore a host of products that can help them achieve their financial life goals. Having started its journey as a fintech, Bajaj Finserv Direct has also built a very strong business as a techfin. Through Bajaj Technology Services it offers a wide gamut of digital technology services which span Custom Applications, Enterprise Applications, Data & Analytics, Gen AI, Cloud Services and Digital Agency. Visit the Bajaj Markets website or download the Bajaj Markets' app from the Play Store or App Store to experience "India ka Financial Supermarket". (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) The Chief Executive Officer of Vistara, Vinod Kannan, on Saturday that the airline hopes to stabilise operations for the rest of April 2024 by this weekend, as 98 per cent of pilots have signed the new pay contract. The airline said it has been reaching out to all customers affected by the delays and cancellations to offer relevant refunds and compensation. "With reference to concerns being raised regarding the new pay structure of our pilots, we would like to clarify that over 98 per cent of pilots have signed the new contract. Having said that, we are aware that some pilots have some concerns and queries regarding the contract," the CEO said in a statement. 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. The pilot shortage issue stemmed from pay cuts implemented after new flying hours regulations came into effect recently. Due to crew shortages earlier this week, the full service carrier experienced severe operational disruptions and numerous flights were cancelled. Vistara CEO also informed that the airline is engaging with pilots to clarify and resolve their concerns. "We are engaging with them to clarify and resolve the same," added Kannan. He asserted that this ongoing issue has not caused any visible spike in attrition amongst pilots. Vistara has apologised to the public after the airline cancelled a significant number of flights during the past few days. "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 "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. "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) Shehnaaz Gill is all set to grace the screens once again, this time alongside actor Sunny Singh. The duo is teaming up for an exciting new single titled "Dhup Lagdi," produced by none other than the musical maestro Anshul Garg under DMF Play. After making waves with her acting debut in Bollywood and showcasing her vocal prowess in 'Dil Kya Irada Tera' from the film 'Patna Shuklla,' Shehnaaz is ready to captivate audiences with her upcoming musical venture. The anticipation for 'Dhup Lagdi' reached a fever pitch as Shehnaaz shared the teaser video on her Instagram, hinting at an emotional journey intertwined with love. The teaser video, unveiled on Wednesday, April 6, captures the essence of the song, depicting Shehnaaz and Sunny Singh in contrasting moods against a rustic backdrop. Fans couldn't contain their excitement, flooding social media with eager comments and expressions of admiration for the duo's chemistry. Anshul Garg, the creative force behind DMF Play, expressed his delight at collaborating with Shehnaaz and Sunny, emphasising their unique talents and the infectious energy they bring to the project. Talking about this collaboration, Anshul said, "Our aim is to create something new and unique for the listeners and viewers, that can stay with them for a long time. Our tracks have connected with the audience well, and this new song with Shehnaaz and Sunny is also going to create the same impact." This collaboration marks Sunny Singh's debut in the music video world, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the upcoming release. Before this venture, Anshul Garg delivered a string of musical hits, showcasing his knack for creating chart-toppers that resonate with audiences worldwide. His partnership with Shehnaaz on the song 'Shona Shona' was met with resounding success, further solidifying his reputation as a powerhouse producer. As fans eagerly await the release of 'Dhup Lagdi,' all eyes are on Shehnaaz Gill, and Sunny Singh as they prepare to deliver yet another musical masterpiece that is bound to leave a lasting impression on listeners everywhere. (ANI) Flash 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. As a ripple effect of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Lakshwadeep Islands in January this year, tourism officer Imthias Mohammed T B has confirmed a rise in inquiries to visit the island region. When asked about the impact of PM Modi's visit, Imthias told ANI, "Impact is huge, we are receiving lots of inquiries." He further mentioned that Lakshadeep is receiving inquiries both from the national tourism arena as well as the international tourism market. Talking about future initiatives of the tourism department, he said, "Lakshadweep seeks to promote more cruise ship companies." About the connectivity issue with mainland India as few airlines operate in Lakshadweep, he hopes that when air connectivity is streamlined, it will boost the influx of tourists. Meanwhile, a tourist from Mumbai, Aman Singh, said, "We wanted to come for a very long time to Lakshwadeep but there were many myths associated with the island but PM Modi's visit had an impact that it is possible to go." Another traveller, Sumit Anand who is from Delhi, said he always had the desire to come to Lakshwadeep island but made the archipelago his next designation only after seeing PM Modi's photos and videos. Earlier on Januray 4, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Lakshadweep has drawn global attention to the archipelago and its immense tourism potential. "By visiting Lakshadweep, PM @narendramodi has focused attention on its immense potential for tourism. This is a great inspiration for all of us. More visitors will contribute to Lakshadweep's prosperity. They will also experience its unique culture and traditions," the External Affairs Minister posted from his official X handle. PM Modi visited the Union Territory of Lakshadweep and shared several pictures, including an 'exhilarating experience' after he tried his hand at snorkelling. In a series of posts on X, PM Modi shared pictures of the white beaches and the pristine blue skies and the ocean, and tagged them with a message that read, "For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list." The Lakshadweep constituency, which is reserved for the Scheduled Tribes, will go to the polls on April 19 in a single phase. The general elections for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases, with the first scheduled for April 19. The counting of votes has been scheduled for June 4. (ANI) Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold an election rally in the Gaya district of Bihar. The former Bihar Chief Minister, who is the NDA's Lok Sabha candidate from Gaya, also said that the Mahabodhi corridor will be built in Gaya like Kashi and Ayodhya if people give him the chance. While talking to ANI on Friday, Manjhi said, "I spoke to Modi Ji on the phone. He expressed his excitement to talk to me and I conveyed my blessings, wishing him to continue representing India until 2050 and remain the Prime Minister. I requested him to hold a rally in Gaya, and he graciously agreed. His blessings are with me." Manjhi expressed disappointment over the absence of a vocal Member of Parliament from Gaya, asserting that if given the opportunity, he would prioritize the development of the region. "Gaya has not gotten any vocal MP till date. A place like Gaya, which is the land of Lord Buddha, has not been developed to date; look at Banaras and Ayodhya. Our Bodh Gaya was not given attention; otherwise, a corridor would have been built here. Modi ji respects us and I have been a famous Chief Minister of Bihar," Manjhi said. Expressing confidence in Modi's leadership, Manjhi stated, "There is no alternative to Narendra Modi. Nitish Ji has rectified his mistakes, and now Bihar will progress under the double-engine government." Manjhi served as the 23rd Chief Minister of Bihar from 2014 to 2015. On the possibility of getting a Cabinet berth in the Modi government, he said, if he gets it, he will work for the Bodh Gaya corridor. "I am doing my work; let's see what happens. I believe that work is worship. I have been in politics for 44 years. I may get a place in the Cabinet of India; if I get it, I will work but I do not have any such desire. We want to build a corridor; it is my wish that Bodh Gaya should get development," Manjhi said. Earlier on Monday, Manjhi said that whenever they are going, everyone is raising slogans of 'Abki Baar 400 paar'. Notably, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has fielded Kumar Sarvjeet from the Gaya Lok Sabha seat against Manjhi. The ruling National Democratic Alliance has reached a seat-sharing agreement in Bihar for the Lok Sabha polls with the BJP set to contest 17 seats and JD-U 16. He said LJP (Ram Vilas) will contest five seats and Hindustani Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Morcha will fight one seat each. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA, comprising the BJP, JD (U), and LJP, dominated the 2019 elections by winning 39 out of 40 seats. In the first phase, voting is to be held in 4 seats of Bihar on April 19. Those 4 Lok Sabha seats are Aurangabad, Gaya, Nawada and Jamui Bihar will see polling in seven phases. The first phase of polling will be held on April 19, the second phase on April 26, the third phase on May 7, the fourth phase on May 13, the fifth phase on May 20, the sixth phase on May 25, and the seventh phase on June 1. The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 will be held in seven phases, starting on April 19. Counting of votes on June 4. (ANI) Warning to criminals, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that whoever poses a threat to the security of society, his 'Ram Naam Satya' (last rites) is certain. He said this on Friday while adressing a huge poll rally in Aligarh for BJP's Lok Sabha candidate Satish Kumar Gautam. "No one ever thought that daughters and businessmen could venture out at night without worry. We ensure 'Ram Naam Satya' (last rites done) for the danger posed to the safety of daughters and businessmen. We live our lives chanting Lord Ram's name. Without Ram, nothing is possible. But when someone poses a threat to the security of society, 'Ram Naam Satya' is also certain," Adityanath said. He emphasized the importance of voting for continued progress and development. "What was a dream 10 years ago is now becoming a reality, and it's happening because of the value of your vote. A wrong vote would have led the country into the depths of corruption. There was anarchy, curfews, and lawlessness earlier. Our daughters, our youth were under threat," Yogi Adityanath said. Adityanath praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, crediting him for the ongoing infrastructure development across the nation. "When you gave your vote to Modi ji, it's under Modi's name, you ensured the guarantee of your future. Whether it's world-class structures, highways, airports, defense corridors, medical colleges, or universities, they are all being built," Adityanath said. Adityanath expressed confidence in the outcome of the upcoming elections, stating that people have already decided in favour of a third term for the Modi government. "For the first time, while the election process is underway, people are already confident about the outcome. They have already decided that it will be Modi government for the third time (Tisri baar Modi Sarkar)," Adityanath said. If PM Narendra Modi secures a third term, India is poised to become the world's third-largest economy within the initial three years, he said. "India will develop only when Uttar Pradesh develops and Uttar Pradesh will develop only when Aligarh also develops. Given PM Modi a third term, India will become the third largest economy in the world within the first three years.". The event witnessed the presence of notable figures, including BJP District President Chaudhary Krishna Pal Singh, Metropolitan President Rajeev Sharma, Rashtriya Lok Dal District President Chaudhary Kali Charan Singh, State Government Minister Sandeep Singh, and Minister and BJP candidate from Hathras Anup Valmiki. Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs, 80, to Parliament, will vote in all seven phases: April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 23 and June 1. The counting of votes for all 543 Lok Sabha seats across the country has been scheduled for June 4. (ANI) "He (PM Modi) is the most popular Prime Minister of the country and he (Kharge) should understand what language he is using. He is the national president of the so-called Grand Old Party. Using such filthy language is condemnable and I strongly oppose it," Joshi said on Friday. Kharge reportedly asked whether PM Modi had been "sleeping after taking opium" while China "entered" Indian territory. The Congress leader said this while addressing a poll rally in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh on Thursday, Furthermore, Joshi questioned Kharge's reference to opium, stating, "I would ask who consumed opium when 34,000 sq. km of land was grabbed by China in 1962." He affirmed that under the BJP government, India's territory remains secure, with no encroachments by China or any other entity. "Today, with all confidence, I am telling you that our government has not allowed China to enter Indian territory and not even an inch of land is being grabbed by anybody," Joshi said. Earlier on March 13, the Bharatiya Janata Party released the second list of Lok Sabha polls, consisting of 72 candidates. In Karnataka, the party has fielded Union Minister Pralhad Joshi from Dharwad. Karnataka will have elections in two phases on April 26 and May 7 for 28 constituencies. Karnataka has 28 Lok Sabha constituencies, including five seats reserved for SC candidates and two for ST candidates. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 25 seats with a vote share of 51.7 per cent, while the Congress won 1 seat with a 32.1 per cent vote share, and JD(S) and Independent won one seat each in Karnataka. The general election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19, with counting to be held on June 4. (ANI) Days after launching his campaign for the Lok Sabha polls in the state from Meerut, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold an election meeting at Saharanpur on Saturday followed by a roadshow in Ghaziabad, party sources informed. PM Modi is scheduled to arrive at Saharanpur at 11.30 am. After headlining the meeting at Saharanpur, he will leave for Ajmer in neighbouring Rajasthan where he is scheduled to address a public meeting. Later in the day, he will return to Uttar Pradesh for the Ghaziabad roadshow that is scheduled to get underway at 5.15 pm. Polling for Saharanpur will be held in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19, while Ghaziabad will poll in the second phase on April 26. Adressing a massive public rally at Rajasthan's Churu on Friday, PM Modi said the work accomplished by the Centre over the last 10 years was a mere appetizer, as the main course was yet to be served. Underscoring the 'change' that the country has witnessed over the last decade under his leadership, PM Modi said, "All that we have accomplished till now is just a trailer. These days, when we go to big hotels to eat, they bring in a few appetizers at first. Similarly, what Modi has done (till now) is an appetizer and the main course is yet to come. We have to take the country forward. You have seen the country take many strides over the last 10 years. However, it was in a very bad state under previous regimes at the Centre." The country's most populous state, which sends the maximum number of members to the Lok Sabha, at 80, will poll for the Lower House across seven phases, starting April 19. Rajasthan, on the other hand, will poll 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 go to polls in the second phase on April 26. In the 2014 general elections, the BJP recorded a near-sweep in UP, winning 71 seats. However, its tally in 2019 dropped to 62 in the face of a stiff challenge from the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party. The BSP secured 10 seats while the SP had to settle for 5. However, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a landslide mandate in 2019, posting handsome wins in 303 seats while the Congress finished at a paltry 52 seats. The elections to 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases, with nearly 97 crore voters eligible to exercise their franchise, according to the Election Commission (EC). The counting of votes has been scheduled for June 4. (ANI) The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) turned out to be the first responder after receiving a distress call from the fishing boat Durga Bhavani, which caught fire following a cooking gas cylinder explosion in the Bay of Bengal on Friday afternoon, officials said on Saturday. Upon receiving the call, the Coast Guard diverted its ship, 'Veera,' to assist the fishermen stranded mid-sea, about 65 nautical miles from Visakhapatnam in the Bay of Bengal. Nine fishermen were injured in the incident, which occurred while preparing lunch. All, with severe burn injuries, were rescued by the ICG, provided with immediate first aid by the medical team on the Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Veera, and brought to Visakhapatnam. The nine fishermen had ventured into the sea for fishing. The incident occurred 50 miles from the Visakhapatnam coast, as confirmed by ICGS Commandant VR Prakash. "As per the information from the Coast Guard, the ICGS Veera rushed to the spot for the rescue operation. All the crew of the fishing boat escaped with minor injuries. No casualties have been reported. The ICGS team provided first aid and is bringing them to the Visakhapatnam coast," ICG said on Friday. All survivors were shifted to a hospital for further medical treatment, they added. (ANI) The BJP delegation, led by former district BJP president Narayana Prasad, submitted a complaint against Bose, who is the son of HC Mahadevappa and a close aide of CM Siddaramaiah, to the district election officer, officials said on Saturday. The BJP delegation demanded the rejection of Bose's nomination, alleging that he submitted a false affidavit without disclosing important information about his married life and children. Bose also allegedly failed to declare property details belonging to his wife, children, and parents, they claimed. Therefore, the affidavit submitted by Sunil Bose is invalid, the BJP delegation alleged while submitting their complaint, along with photographs of Sunil Bose with his wife and children. They said that they filed the complaint based on the photos in Sunil Bose's Facebook account. Karnataka, which has 28 Lok Sabha seats, will vote in two phases on April 26 and May 7. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress and JD-S fought together against the BJP, and the combine was decimated. The BJP won a record 25 seats; the Congress and JD-S won just one seat each. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 17 seats, while the Indian National Congress (INC) won 9, and the Janata Dal (Secular) won two seats. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases, starting on April 19, with the counting of votes on June 4. (ANI) As was widely reported earlier, a team of ED officers were surrounded, heckled and attacked by protesters in Sandeshkhali while raiding the residence of expelled and jailed TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and another ruling party leader in connection with an alleged food scam. According to sources in the elite anti-terror probe agency, an NIA team visiting Puba Medinipur in connection with an ongoing probe into the blast case came under attack on Saturday. Sources said the vehicle in which the NIA officers were travelling was allegedly vandalised while a person was being picked up in connection with the case. In a video of the alleged incident that was widely shared on social media, locals were purportedly seen gathering around a vehicle, trying to stop the NIA team from taking the suspect along with them. The villagers also pelted the vehicle with stones, sources added. This is a developing story and further details are awaited (ANI) Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Saturday hit back at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin over his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the more he visits his state the better it will be for the ruling DMK going into the Lok Sabha polls. Speaking to ANI on Saturday, the senior BJP leader from Rajasthan said such remarks against the holder of the country's most powerful office were unwarranted in a democracy. Reminding the DMK supremo of Prime Minister Modi being ranked among the top global leaders by a survey by a US-based agency, the Union Minister said, "A survey by a US-based agency ranked Prime Minister Modi among the most popular world leaders. Hence, it, perhaps, doesn't behove an Opposition leader to make such distasteful and objectionable remarks against the PM in a democracy. I condemn this statement by MK Stalin." Invoking Stalin's son and state minister Udhayanidhi's rant against Sanatan Dharma, Meghwal said, "They have been making unsavoury remarks against Sanatana Dharma and dividing the country into North and South on the lines of regional identity. However, such ploys are doomed to fail this time as the people across the country are with PM Modi. We are fighting the divisive forces in the battle to restore democracy." In an interview with a local news channel earlier, the Tamil Nadu CM said the more PM Modi visits the state, the more it will work in DMK's favour, adding that he has been spreading falsehoods in the state. Taking a dig at the Congress over its 'Nyay Patra' or manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls, the Union Minister said it would fail to find favour with the public. "It wouldn't hold any sway over the people. The Congress know they aren't coming back to power. Even the people know that the Congress are staring at a rout. They wouldn't even get 54 seats in the Lok Sabha," he said. Amid events across the country to mark the BJP's Foundation Day, Meghwal, on Saturday, borrowed the words of former PM and party stalwart, Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee, saying, "The BJP was founded on April 6, 1980. On this day, Atal Bihari Vajpayee said--'Andera chatega, suraj niklega aur kamal khilega' (the darkness will pass, the sun will burst through and the lotus will bloom). His words turned prophetic as the lotus has, indeed, bloomed across the country." On Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's scheduled public rallies in his home state, Meghwal said he would go to the people during his visit to Rajasthan and apprise them of the key takeaways of the governance under the BJP-led NDA at the Centre. "His work to make the country self-reliant in defence, as well as the steps taken by the PM in this direction in the last 10 years is something that we will brief the public on going into the elections. Rajnath-ji will arrive in Rajasthan today," he said. Rajasthan will go to polls in two phases--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, 13 constituencies--Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran, will go to polls. The elections to 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases, starting April 19. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast votes in the seven-phased elections. The counting of the votes is scheduled for June 4. (ANI) Notably, the ICG Chief is on a four-day visit to the maritime force's bases in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry and made a maiden visit to Chennai for a review of operational preparedness and commensurate infrastructure development in the region on Friday. Earlier, during the visit on Thursday, the Director General interacted with officers and men to share his vision towards the common goal of safe, secure and 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 and 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) In her first response to the attack on an NIA team at Bhupatinagar in Purba Medinipur district while carrying out a probe in connection with a blast case, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday claimed the elite anti-terror agency did not share any prior word with the state government on their visit to the area. According to sources in the ruling TMC, the CM also questioned why the agency had to carry out this raid in the middle of the night. Speaking on the Bhupatinagar incident, Mamata said, "Why did they have to carry out the raid at midnight? Did they have police permission? The locals reacted in the same manner as they would if any stranger were to come calling on them in the middle of the night. Why are they picking up and arresting people just before the elections? What does the BJP think...that they can get our booth agents arrested? What right does the NIA have? These actions are meant to favour a particular political party going into the elections. We call upon all conscientious people across the country and the world to rise the BJP's dirty politics." Lashing out at the ruling TMC in the state, veteran BJP leader and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Is this the first time such an incident took place in Bengal? Was the ED (team) not attacked earlier? Didn't the truth about Sandeshkhali come out (in light of the attack on the ED team)? The NIA (team) was out carrying out raids against suspected terrorists when they came under attack." Speaking to ANI, BJP leader Rahul Sinha launched a fierce attack on CM Mamata saying the incident has yet again brought the complete collapse of law and order in Bengal into the spotlight. "This brazen attack on an NIA team vindicates our stand that there is no law and order in Bengal. The chief minister is running a dictatorship here in the name of governance and administration. She has put the state's fare and future in the hands of extremists," Sinha told ANI. "We demand that those behind this incident be identified and brought to justice at the earliest. We demand exemplary punishment for the culprits," the BJP leader added. Earlier in the day, some officers of the NIA were allegedly heckled in Purba Medinipur district while carrying out a probe in connection with a blast case. According to sources in the elite anti-terror probe agency, an NIA team visiting Puba Medinipur in connection with an ongoing probe into the blast case came under attack on Saturday. Sources said the vehicle in which the NIA officers were travelling was allegedly vandalised while a person was being picked up in connection with the case. In a video of the alleged incident that was widely shared on social media, locals were purportedly seen gathering around a vehicle, trying to stop the NIA team from taking the suspect along with them. The villagers also pelted the vehicle with stones, sources added. As was widely reported earlier, a team of ED officers were surrounded, heckled and attacked by protesters in Sandeshkhali while raiding the residence of expelled and jailed TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and another ruling party leader in connection with an alleged food scam. (ANI) According to police, ACP Sandeep Singh and his gunman, identified as Paramjot Singh, suffered grievous injuries after an SUV they were travelling in collided head-on with another SUV coming in the opposite direction. The duo were coming from Chandigarh and were on their way to Ludhiana when the accident took place. They were taken out of the vehicle and shifted to a nearby hospital. Minutes after the collision, their vehicle caught fire, they said. Their driver, however, survived the collision. His condition was said to be stable, they said. The identities of people travelling in the other SUV were not confirmed, they added. Meanwhile, a case has been registered at Samrala police station and the police were further looking into the acc. (ANI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Saturday, appealed to people to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the bright future of the coming generations. Emphasizing that organization is service, he highlighted how, amidst the challenges posed by COVID-19, PM Modi had instilled this mantra in crores of BJP workers, urging them to serve the public. Addressing a public meeting in Saharanpur in favour of BJP candidates Raghav Lakhanpal and Pradeep Chaudhary (Kairana), CM Yogi underscored the pivotal role being played by the BJP workers in realising PM's vision on the ground by earning people's trust across the country. "We are building the future of the coming generations within the new India," he said. The Uttar Pradesh CM also said that Saharanpur is the number one Lok Sabha constituency of Uttar Pradesh. He expressed hope that this order would also be seen in the election results. "We are fortunate to have witnessed the changing India. We are witnessing India that is being recognised on the global stage as a global leader and for world-class infrastructure," CM Yogi said. "This India is providing a model of development and welfare for the world. This model of India is giving young people the guarantee of livelihood and respect for faith. Under PM Modi's leadership, previously taboo topics are openly discussed today," he added. CM Yogi Adityanath also mentioned about a report that appeared in a prestigious British newspaper a couple of days ago has grabbed the world's attention. "It mentions how in 2021-22, terrorists were hounded and killed in Pakistan. Though only 'The Guardian' can reveal its source, the message is loud and clear that there is zero tolerance against corruption and anarchy in India today," CM Yogi asserted. He said that the world has acknowledged that terrorism is a challenge and freedom should be obtained from it. Under the guidance of PM Modi, India will lead the world in dealing with this challenge. "PM Modi has given us the vision of a developed India in the Amrit Kaal. A new debate has started in the country. Every vote of the public can prove to help change the destiny and picture of the country. The foundation of this is the continuous change that has occurred in the country since 2014. We should vote not based on caste, religion, appeasement, or any other agenda. Still, for the vision of a developed India and a bright future for the next generation, so that we all can see the vision of developed India under the leadership of PM Modi," Yogi added. The Chief Minister highlighted the nationwide chorus echoing the slogan 'Fir Ek Baar, Modi Sarkar' for the 18th Lok Sabha elections. Emphasising the goal of surpassing 400 seats, he urged everyone to unite behind this call. The CM earnestly appealed to every voter to exercise their franchise by casting their vote at the polling booth. (ANI) A cyber fraudster was nabbed from Chhattisgarh's Raipur by Delhi Police cyber cell, said police on Saturday. According to the police, the accused has cheated more than 20 people for an amount of approximately Rs 20 lakh in the past one year. The accused used to post lucrative advertisements on his Facebook page to attract customers to sell machine tools and spare parts at cheaper rates. He also provides fake invoices in the name of reputed firms. The arrested accused is identified as Raushan Kumar (25) from village Karan Bigha, Nalanda, Bihar. Police have recovered seven mobile phones, seven SIM cards, four ATM cards, stamps and other documents from his possession. The accused has studied up to class 10 and used to work in a similar firm for around 12 years. After gaining experience, he started cheating people for easy money. In regard to the incident, the police received an online complaint from Naim Pasha in August 2023 and the probe was started. On interrogation, the accused initially tried to mislead the police team, but on sustained interrogation, he admitted for his crime and revealed that he used to work as a lathe machine operator in a reputed company in Chennai dealing in manufacturing of machine tools and spare parts, where he got the experience of around 12 years and later shifted in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, where he created a Facebook page in year 2023 and started cheating gullible people in the name of selling machine tools & spare parts at cheaper rates. He further disclosed that he opened several bank accounts by using documents of other persons and updated his mobile number in all bank accounts. He also got issued number of SIM cards and used different keypad mobile phones, in order to evade from being caught by police. He used photographs of machinery from his previous company where he used to work. He wanted to earn easy money in short time period, in order to fulfill expenses of his big family having seven brothers. (ANI) Kalpana Soren, the wife of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and former Chief Minister Hemant Soren, held a meeting with party workers here on Saturday to ensure the success of the Ulgulan Rally scheduled for April 21. JMM is organizing a rally in Ranchi named the 'Ulgulan Nyay Rally'. The rally will be held at Prabhat Tara Ground on April 21 to protest against the arrest of former Chief Minister Hemant Soren. After the meeting, while speaking to the media, Kalpana Soren urged all party members to participate in large numbers in the rally and discussed ways to strengthen the alliance. "I have appealed to all the party members to participate in large numbers in the INDIA rally. We will tell how the central government is discriminating against Jharkhand. Our honorable Hemant Ji has also been imprisoned, and they have put Delhi's Kejriwal Ji in jail as well. The discussion happened to strengthen the alliance," she said. Meanwhile, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which leads the ruling coalition in the state, on Thursday announced the first list of the two candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. The party has fielded Nalin Soren from the Dumka constituency and Mathura Prasad Mahato from Giridih. There was speculation that former chief minister Hemant Soren could contest from Dumka against his sister-in-law and BJP candidate Sita Soren. The party is expected to announce the remaining candidates soon. According to the broad seat-sharing formula, Congress is expected to contest 7 of 14 seats in Jharkhand. JMM is expected to contest five, and RJD and CPI (ML) one seat each. RJD is keen to contest at least two seats. Elections will be held in Jharkhand in four phases: May 13, 20, 25, and June 1. During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 12 seats in Jharkhand, with the BJP winning 11. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress got one seat each. (ANI) Punjab Police on Saturday arrested three accused persons for allegedly molesting and parading a 55-year-old woman half-naked in the streets of Tarn Taran. Reportedly, a 55-year-old woman was assaulted and publicly humiliated in a village in Punjab's Tarn Taran district on March 31. The incident occurred after her son had eloped with a local girl and married her, against the wishes of her family. A purported video of the crime came to light on social media on Friday. "The victim woman's son fell in love with a girl and married her in court. The girl's family was against this marriage and the girl's mother, with her two sons and two other men, went to the boy's house there they got involved in a heated argument and the two parties got into a scuffle, during which the boy's mother's clothes tore," said SSP Tarn Taran Ashwani Kapoor. The three accused have been identified as Kulwinder Kaur, Gurcharan Singh, and Sunny, police said. According to the complaint, the victim was alone at her home when her son's in-laws allegedly assaulted her and tore off her clothes. "The main accused, Gursharan, the girl's brother, filmed a video of the woman... They waited for a few days before filing a complaint, hoping to reconcile things at home. But as soon as the FIR was filed, the accused made the video go viral on social media... Police teams were formed and one of the teams found success when they learned that the accused was at the Amritsar bus stand and trying to flee the state. He was arrested there," said SSP Tarn Taran. However, the police are still looking for Charanjit Singh, Saranjit Singh, and two other unidentified individuals, an official said. Further information is awaited. (ANI) As Odisha reels under hear wave conditions, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director in Bhubaneswar, Manorama Mohanty, predicted 'no major change' in the next 24 hours and said that the heat wave will continue. Adding to that, she said that rainfall is expected on April 7 and 8, which may lead to a drop in the temperature. "In the next 24 hours, there will not be major changes in the temperature. The temperature will dip some points but the heat wave condition will prevail and hot and humid conditions will also prevail. On 7 and 8 April, rain is expected in the state, leading to a dip in the temperature," she said. Odisha is on high alert as a severe heatwave sweeps across the state, bringing scorching temperatures and 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. On April 5, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) 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. The impact of the heatwave is already being felt across Odisha, which is 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 organisations 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. The heat wave is considered if the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius or more for plains and at least 30 degrees Celsius or more for Hilly regions. (ANI) The Congress on Saturday declared three more candidates for Lok Sabha elections in the Madhya Pradesh election and has now declared candidates on all seats it is contesting in the state. The party has fielded Satyapal Singh Sikarwar (Neetu) from Morena parliamentary seat, Praveen Pathak from Gwalior and Narendra Patel from Khandwa. Praveen Pathak expressed confidence that the results will be positive. "People of Gwalior and Congress workers have kept patience. Today, all Congress workers of Gwalior have received the result of their patience. I have full faith that the results from Gwalior will be positive," Pathak told ANI. Answering a query, Pathak said there is no dearth of issues. "There is no lack of issues in Gwalior. The region is continuously lagging behind and the youth have to wander and go out for employment. Gwalior has been suffering for the last several years, we will bring it out of it." Satyapal Singh Sikarwar conveyed gratitude to the party for the ticket and said that he will contest the election with full strength to ensure the victory of the party. Madhya Pradesh has 29 parliamentary seats and Congress party is contesting elections on 28 seats in the state. Khajuraho parliamentary seat has been given to Samajwadi Party, a member of the INDIA bloc, as part of a seat-sharing deal with the Congress. SP candidate Meera Yadav's nomination from the seat was rejected on Friday due to lack of signature at one place and not having updated voter list. Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh will be held in the first four phases of the total seven phases dated April 19, April 26, May 7, and May 13. The votes will be counted on June 4. (ANI) Author Sam Pitroda asserted that he was very concerned about the 'state of democracy and potential challenges going forward in countries like India and the US, which inspired him to author his latest book 'The Idea of Democracy'. The book launch event, hosted virtually by Pitroda, was attended by Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal and several eminent personalities from the literary industry. During his conversation with Sibal, Pitroda delved on his reasons for writing such a book at a time when many countries are facing elections in 2024. "The reasons for writing the book really relates to what is going on in the US as well as what is going on in India. I'm very concerned about the state of democracy and potential challenges going forward in both of these countries. In addition, in 2024, there are elections in 64 countries. More than half of the world population will be going to vote in 2024. It hasn't happened at all before, and many of these countries are going through same set of challenges. Turkey, Hungary, UK, to some extent Mexico," Pitroda said as he described the similar political atmosphere in the developing and developed countries. "So I have friends in many of these countries, and I believe the problems are very similar. The authoritarian regimes are getting more attention, institutions are bending, they are losing their independence. people are not sure what is right, what is wrong because social media is amplifying lies, so these are the concerns," he added. Pitroda also highlighted the growth of an 'elite regime' in many countries and how the people are now rejecting this regime. "I have been listening to a lot of my friends and learning and I have basically come to two conclusions not that I'm right, time will tell. One if you go back in history we always had kings and queens, and they were totally elites running societies. Whether those working in India or in Britian or in France or Germany or wherever, that lasted for hundreds of years and all of a sudden they were eliminated with revolution in France, Russia ultimately fall of British Raj and a new set of elites emerged. These elites were politicians and businessmen with big money and some intellectuals. Now I believe that regime is falling apart. People are challenging these elites. People say you haven't done your job. We threw one set of elites out and we are going to threw new set of elites out because you have ganged up together," he said. The author further pointed out how the resources in the country have been 'cornered' by the 'new elites.' "New elites have cornered resources for themselves. People went to China because they wanted to avoid labour challenges. For cheap labour more profit... We need new economy, new ways to look at capitalism. Earlier, people used to think that capitalism and democracy can go hand in hand but Chinese have shown that they can have capitalist society under authoritarian regime and rest of the world today do not produce anything as a result," he explained. Pitroda's 'The Idea of Democracy' looks at the paradox of so-called democratic success coupled with its liberal decline, as the author puts it. It provides a detailed analysis of the essence of democracy, its workings, the kind of values it needs to encapsulate, forces and safeguards which work in liberal democracy's favour and how they can be preserved. According to the author, this book is meant to stimulate conversation, particularly among the youth on what the idea of democracy means to them and the role that they can play in helping democracy survive--and thrive--in the coming era. (ANI) The Election Commission of India on Saturday urged the editors of newspapers to be more cautious in publishing advertisements masquerading as news items, and any advertisements predicting the victory of a particular party. ECI cautioned the newspaper editors, stating that any form of speculative content related to election outcomes should be avoided. "To address the issues of unverified and baseless allegations in advertisements, editors have been reminded of the Press Council's norms, which provide that "an editor shall be responsible for all matters, including advertisements published in the newspaper. Advertisements in print media on pre-poll day and poll day will require pre-certification from the concerned media certification and monitoring committee," the Election Commission said. The poll body said that it has consistently kept a close watch on the political discourse during the campaigning by political parties. "The Commission has expressed concerns on several occasions about the plummeting levels of campaign discourse by political parties and has issued several advisories to arrest the decline, with the latest issued advisory on March 1, 2024," it said. "It may be recalled that in the ongoing General Elections 2024, the Commission recently censured two political leaders for their derogatory remarks against the dignity of women. However, the Commission took a step ahead and asked the party chiefs to sensitize their functionaries to be careful while communicating in the public domain and refrain from any such derogatory comments and violations of MCC guidelines," it added. ECI said that the conduct of the exit poll and dissemination of its results are prohibited from the beginning of the hours fixed for the poll on the first day of the poll (phase 1) and continue till half an hour after the poll closes in all the States and Union territories (phase 7). The specified period for ongoing general elections is 7 am on April 19, 2024, until 6:30 pm on June 1, 2024. (ANI) In a significant crackdown on illegal narcotics, police forces in Tripura have successfully seized a massive haul of dry Ganja, tipping the scales at 753 kg. The operation, led by officers and staff from the Sonamura Police Station alongside DIB personnel, was executed in the Sepahijala district based on actionable intelligence, Sonamura Police said. Jayanta Kumar Dey, the Officer in Charge (OC) of Sonamura Police Station, confirmed the details of the raid and the subsequent recovery. A case has been filed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, signalling the seriousness of the offence and the authorities' commitment to eradicating drug trafficking networks. The raid targeted the residence of a person identified as Ashadul Haque (35), located in Anandapur under the jurisdiction of Sonamura Police Station. Despite the suspect's absence, with Haque found to be absconding, the authorities discovered 16 plastic drums filled with the illegal substance during their search. The market value of the seized ganja is estimated to be approximately 50 lakh rupees, marking a significant blow to the drug trafficking operations in the region. This operation underscores the ongoing efforts by Tripura police to combat the proliferation of illegal narcotics within the state. The operation in the Sepahijala district is part of a broader initiative to clamp down on the illegal drug trade in Tripura. The state's strategic location makes it a critical point in the drug trafficking routes in the Northeast, prompting law enforcement agencies to intensify their surveillance and enforcement actions. The successful raid not only removes a significant quantity of narcotics from potential circulation but also sends a strong message to those involved in the drug trade about the relentless pursuit of justice by the Tripura police. The search for Ashadul Haque is on as authorities work to dismantle the networks supporting such illegal activities in the region. (ANI) Many holy places across the world earn a good amount of money from spiritual tourism every year. However, Bodh Gaya, a place of equal spiritual importance for Buddhists, is unable to attract as many tourists as it should be. The Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, is one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the world. It is believed to be the place where Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment, making it highly significant for Buddhists worldwide. As a result, there is a high demand for infrastructure development and improvements in the Mahabodhi corridor to accommodate the large number of pilgrims and tourists who visit the site every year. While talking to ANI, Suresh Singh, President of the Travel Association in Bodh Gaya said, "Bodh Gaya is completely dependent on tourists and these tourists are religious; they have faith. We have been demanding for a long time that a Buddhist corridor should be built for the tourists who come to Bodh Gaya but we are not able to move it. The government should focus on it." "Every Buddhist in 27 or 28 countries in the world wants to come here. We have put our point in front of the government that it should be developed in such a way that tourists come to Bodh Gaya throughout the year but flights stop after March. We will have to tell them that you can come here throughout the year; It has all the facilities," he added. Further, Suresh Singh said that the government should make such arrangements that there should be a special train from Banaras to Gaya so that tourists can easily come here. "I demanded from the government that, just like there is CMCH in the South, a Buddhist medical college should be opened in Gaya. Those who have religious sentiments attached to Buddhism will come for treatment. If tourists come, Gaya will benefit. The government should pay some attention. Bodh Gaya gives the most foreign exchange in Bihar," he said. Sudama Kumar, General Secretary of the Hotel Association, said that Bodh Gaya Corridor is a genuine demand for tourists. "You can see the corridor in Varanasi, which has changed the whole system. Many more tourist spots could be developed, but it did not happen. Bodh Gaya comes especially as a heritage site but its development has not been consistent. Such as the Niranjana river in our Bodhgaya. Continuous sand is being removed, which has reduced the water level of the river. We appeal to the Bihar government to at least do something for holy rivers like Niranjana," he said. While talking to ANI, one of the Buddhist monks said that there is a lack of hospital facilities in Bodhgaya and that a world-class hospital should be built here. (ANI) In a letter to the State Congress President, Dinesh Agarwal said, "I would like to inform you that I am resigning from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress Committee. Please accept my resignation." Earlier, the Congress party declared 40-star campaigners for Uttarakhand on Friday in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. The party has named its major leaders, including national president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, to woo the voters in the state. Uttarakhand has traditionally witnessed a close contest between the BJP and Congress. Both parties see the state as an essential battleground for displaying and gaining supporters for their national narratives. Uttarakhand will get to vote in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19. Voting in Uttarakhand will be held for five Lok Sabha seats. In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP won all five seats taking the poll per cent to 61.7. (ANI) Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat said on Saturday that Sanjay Nirupam, who recently broke ties with the Congress, will probably join the Shiv Sena in one or two days. Sanjay Shirsat said, "Sanjay Nirupam should probably come in 1-2 days. Eknath Shinde will decide whether he will contest the elections or not." "PM Modi's eyes are first on Maharashtra and it is our job to give him output. We all have to come together and give this gift to him. Maharashtra does what it says," he added. Former Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, who was expelled from the party, on Thursday, claimed that the disciplinary action against him came following his resignation from the party's primary membership. The senior leader was expelled from the Congress for "indiscipline" and "anti-party statements," Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal said in a statement on Wednesday night. Earlier, Nirupam was removed from the list of star campaigners for the Congress party in Lok Sabha general elections 2024. The action was taken for his recent remarks against INDIA block partner, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), amid seat sharing talks for the Lok Sabha election. Shiv Sena (UBT) declared that its candidate, Amot Kirtikar, will contest from Mumbai North West, a seat that Sanjay Nirupam was keen to contest from. Explaining what led to him tendering his resignation, the former Congress leader said, "When I got to know that they were in the mood to take action, I asked them not to waste their stationery and I will make an announcement today." With 48 Lok Sabha seats, Maharashtra is the second-largest contributor to the lower house of Parliament after Uttar Pradesh. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 23 out of 25 contested seats, while the undivided Shiv Sena secured 18 seats. The undivided NCP, part of the opposition alliance, contested 19 seats and won four. (ANI) President Joe Biden visited the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Friday (local time) and vowed to "move heaven and Earth" to rebuild the structure, The Hill reported. "Folks, we're going to move heaven and Earth to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as humanly possible," he said. "We're going to do so with union labor and American steel," the US President affirmed, describing the damage as "devastating." Biden delivered the remarks as he surveyed the wreckage from last week's bridge collapse in Baltimore, reaffirming his commitment to the people there. "I'm 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, according to The Hill. "The damage is devastating and our hearts are still breaking," Biden said in a reference to six people who died when the bridge collapsed late last month. The cargo ship Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Interstate 695 last Tuesday, causing it to collapse into the ocean. The cargo ship was bound for Sri Lanka. Reopening the Baltimore Port, which is usually one of the busiest in the US and essential to trade along the East Coast, was stated by the president as the top priority of his administration. According to him, authorities anticipate that the entire shipping channel will reopen by the end of May. Biden, during his visit to the bridge collapse site, took an aerial tour of the wreckage. He also talked about his family ties to Baltimore, and the amount of time he spent driving over the bridge. He also met the families of the victims who lost their lives. 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. Biden also 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. The collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, following a collision with a container ship early on March 26, has brought trade through the Maryland port to a grinding halt, causing significant disruptions to the flow of commodities, particularly coal and cobalt. Furthermore, the closure is expected to impede US coal exports to key destinations such as India, China, Canada, and the Netherlands, with Baltimore handling a significant portion of these shipments. Moreover, Baltimore's ports were the third-largest destination for US imports of unwrought primary aluminium in 2023, further exacerbating the impact on the metals trade. Furthermore, the closure is likely to necessitate the shifting of container traffic to other area ports, including those in New York, New Jersey, and Norfolk, Virginia, adding complexities to shipping operations. (ANI) An Indian student has died in the US state of Ohio, and the police investigation is underway, said the Indian Consulate in New York on Friday. The cause of death, however, is not known as of yet. "Deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of Mr. Uma Satya Sai Gadde, an Indian student in Cleveland, Ohio," the Indian Consulate in New York wrote in a post on X. The Consulate said that all possible assistance has been provided to the family of the deceased student, including transporting his mortal remains to India at the earliest. "Police investigation is underway. @IndiainNewYork continues to remain in touch with the family in India. All possible assistance is being extended, including to transport Mr. Uma Gadde's mortal remains to India at the earliest," the Consulate wrote. https://x.com/IndiainNewYork/status/1776304066550808985 The incident takes place at a time when the deaths of Indian-origin students in the US are on the rise. Previously in March, a 25-year-old Indian student had gone missing from the Cleveland area of the US, following which his family urged the External Affairs Ministry to find their son after receiving a "ransom call." Mohammed Abdul Arafat, a native of Hyderabad, went to the US for his masters in IT from Cleveland University in May 2023 but has been missing since March 7, 2024. His father, Mohd Saleem, said that after ten days, they received a phone call where the person was saying that their son (Abdul Arafat) had been kidnapped and asked for a USD 1200 ransom. Not long ago, in a distressing incident, an Indian student faced a brutal attack in Chicago in February this year. Following the attack, the Indian Consulate in Chicago stated that it was in touch with the victim, Syed Mazahir Ali, as well as his wife in India. The Indian mission assured all possible assistance to Ali, who hails from Hyderabad, and his family. Videos on social media that surfaced showed Ali bleeding heavily as he described the horrific incident. Meanwhile, on January 30, Neel Acharya, a student at Purdue University, was found dead after being missing for days, according to the Tippecanoe County Coroner. Similarly, on January 29, another Indian student, identified as Vivek Saini, was brutally killed with repeated blows from a hammer by a homeless man inside a store in Lithonia, Georgia, US. A video of the incident went viral on social media, but the date of the incident can't be confirmed. (ANI) The demonstration marked the 34th anniversary of the Baren revolution, a significant event in Uyghur history. Responding to the call of the International Union of East Turkestan NGOs (IUETO), an estimated 400-500 Uyghur men, women, and children raised their voices against the Chinese regime, denouncing its policies and actions. In a press release delivered at the gathering, IUETO Chairman Hidayet Oguzhan paid homage to the martyrs of the Baren revolution and strongly condemned Chinese authorities for imposing restrictions, including a fasting ban during Ramadan, on Uyghur Muslims. Alimcan Bogda, President of the Uyghur Religious Scholars Union in Istanbul and a lecturer at Medeniyet University, highlighted Chinese deception in orchestrating selective visits by foreign delegations to East Turkestan. He emphasized that these visits were carefully curated to project a false sense of normalcy and conceal the realities of oppression faced by the Uyghur community. Vice-President of the Union, Omer Shaikh, led the gathered crowd in prayers before breaking their Ramadan fast, underscoring the spiritual significance of the occasion. Across the globe, Uyghur diasporas observed the anniversary of the Baren uprising with remembrance and solidarity. In Turkey, particularly in Istanbul, the sizable Uyghur community regularly organises protests to draw attention to the plight of their brethren in East Turkestan. The demonstration in Istanbul echoes a global outcry against the Chinese government's treatment of Uyghurs, emphasizing the urgent need for international action to address human rights violations and ensure justice for the oppressed minority. (ANI) According to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND), Chinese aircraft entered Taiwan's eastern air defence identification zone (ADIZ). In response, Taiwan deployed aircraft, naval ships and air defence missile systems to monitor China's activity. In a post on X, Taiwan's MND stated, "1 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. The aircraft entered Taiwan's eastern ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and employed appropriate forces to respond." So far in April, Taiwan detected Chinese military aircraft 40 times and naval vessels 27 times. Since September 2020, China has intensified its use of gray zone tactics by increasing the number of military planes and naval ships operating around Taiwan. Gray zone tactics are "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." On Friday, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) tracked eight Chinese naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 am on Thursday (April 4) and 6 am on Friday (April 5), Taiwan News reported. "8 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and employed appropriate forces to respond," Taiwan MND posted on X. Earlier in March, Taiwan Air Force Command announced that it carried out an integrated air defence exercise to enhance the overall effectiveness of defence operations, Taiwan News reported. The Taiwan Air Force Command said it would continue to enhance training intensity considering the frequent intrusions by Chinese military aircraft and vessels into Taiwan's air defence identification zone and nearby water. It further stated that these efforts are made to fulfil regional security and defence operation needs, safeguard airspace and protect the homeland. (ANI) Tel Aviv [Israel], April 6 (ANI/TPS): Israel's Ministry of Construction and Housing signed an agreement with the Amidar company for the management and maintenance of public housing in the amount of approximately 6.2 billion Shekels (USD 1.7 billion) for 7 years. The agreement includes a variety of areas of activity in which Amidar will act as the executive arm of the ministry in order to ensure the well-being of the public housing residents. Also, the agreement includes for the first time the provision of long-term rental services according to which Amidar will rent apartments on the free market and rent them to those eligible for housing assistance from the state. In addition, within the framework of the agreement, Amidar will rent the apartments to those entitled to public housing, will be responsible for managing the apartment inventory, carrying out renovations and maintenance procedures, promoting urban renewal projects and projects in the field of rental housing for those entitled on behalf of the state. The agreement places the highest priority on the service for the residents of the public housing and is expected to lead to a significant upgrade in the field, in which the handling times for defects in the apartments will be updated, waiting times at the branches and the call center will be shortened, service will be implemented in a variety of languages and the satisfaction indicators of the tenants with the service will be defined. In addition, emphasis will be placed on improving the ministry's supervision and control capabilities over Amidar, through data reporting and performing procedures for control and tracking targets and more. According to the new agreement, the maintenance of the public housing apartments will be significantly upgraded through accelerated entry into urban renewal projects, improvement of the process of purchasing new apartments, expansion of preventive maintenance and additional budgeting for maintenance of cracks. (ANI/TPS) Dammu Ravi, the Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs (Economic Relations), will embark on a visit to Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya from April 7-12, accompanied by the Additional Secretary (East and Southern Africa), Puneet R Kundal. During the visit to Rwanda, the MEA Secretary (ER) will represent the Government of India at the event marking the 30th commemoration of the 1994 Rwanda Genocide (Kwibuka 30) on April 7. "He is also expected to hold meetings with Ministers and senior officials of the Government of Rwanda," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release. "Secretary (ER) will thereafter travel to Uganda from April 8-9 leading a 35-member multi-sector business delegation that aims to increase trade and commercial ties between the two countries," the release added. Additionally, he will also meet with ministers and officials of the Ugandan government, besides chairing a business session comprising captains of Indian and Ugandan industry. He is also expected to interact with the Indian community in Uganda. Furthermore, the press release disclosed that "Secretary (ER) will then travel to Kenya heading a large delegation comprising officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Indian agricultural companies and business chambers from April 10-12." This visit will fulfill the decision taken in the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and the President of Kenya during his visit to India in December 2023. The delegation will, interalia, explore the possibility of agricultural farming in Kenya. "Dammu Ravi will also be chairing a business session comprising Indian and Kenyan companies besides having meetings with Ministers and officials of the Government of Kenya. He will also be meeting with members of the Indian community in Kenya," the release added. The visit by the Secretary (ER) is a reaffirmation of India's commitment to further strengthen its ties of friendship with Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya and to maintain the momentum of high-level contacts between India and countries in Africa, post the entry of the African Union (AU) as a permanent member of the G-20 during the Indian Presidency. (ANI) US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who is on five-day visit to China, has urged Chinese officials to address its industrial overcapacity, reform its trade practices and create a "healthy economic relationship" with the United States, VOA News reported. Yellen, who is on a five-day visit to China, has raised concern with Chinese officials regarding state subsidies that fuel manufacturing overcapacity in industries like electric vehicles, solar panels and semiconductors. In her remarks in China's Guangzhou, Yellen said, "The United States seeks a healthy economic relationship with China that benefits both sides." She added, "But a healthy relationship must provide a level playing field for firms and workers in both countries." She also held a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and other high-level central bank officials on Friday. During the meeting, Yellen told Chinese officials that their industrial overcapacity, especially in green energy sectors, threatens American production of electric vehicles and solar panel parts, VOA News reported. China has backed its solar panel and EV makers through subsidies, building production capacity far beyond the domestic market's demand and exporting its products across the world. The production has cheapened prices for these green products. The US and European governments have expressed worry that Chinese products will flood the market and put their own domestic production at risk. During a meeting with Guangdong province Governor Wang Weizhong, Yellen said the US and China must hold talks on areas of disagreement, including green industrial policy. She said, "This includes the issue of China's industrial overcapacity, which the United States and other countries are concerned can cause global spillovers." China has tried to downplay these concerns, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin earlier this week saying that China's green production is a positive in global efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Wang said US reluctance to export technology to China meddles with global supply and demand. Wang Wenbin said, "As for who is doing nonmarket 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," VOA News reported. During her visit to China, Yellen also expressed concerns about Chinese trade practices. She said that China has been using "unfair economic practices, including imposing barriers to access for foreign firms and taking coercive actions against American companies." She called on Chinese officials to reform these policies. In her address at an event hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Guangzhou, Yellen said, "I strongly believe that this doesn't only hurt these American firms." She further said, "Ending these unfair practices would benefit China by improving the business climate here." Yellen's visit to China marks the first visit by a senior US official to China since November meetings between US President Joe Biden and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Jenet Yellen said, "It also remains crucial for the two largest economies to seek progress on global challenges like climate change and debt distress in emerging markets in developing countries and to closely communicate on issues of concern such as overcapacity and national security-related economic actions." She further said that efforts to push Chinese policies are geared towards reducing global risk. Yellen noted, "This is not anti-China policy" and called it an effort by the US "to mitigate the risks from the inevitable global economic dislocation that will result if China doesn't adjust its policies." On Friday, Yellen stated in a post on X, "Many American business executives have expressed the challenges of operating in China. I'll also discuss with my Chinese counterparts the risks associated with overcapacity. These exchanges will help lead to building a healthy bilateral economic relationship." US officials and economists have warned that China's overcapacity will further reduce prices and cost jobs, particularly if Beijing wants to offload excess production through exports rather than domestic consumption. During the telephonic conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said China's "unfair" trade policies and "non-market" practices harm the interests of US workers and families, VOA News reported. While addressing a regular briefing on Wednesday, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that Biden and Xi Jinping spoke on trade. He said, "the US has adopted a string of measures to suppress China's trade and technology development and is adding more and more Chinese entities to its sanctions lists. This is not 'de-risking,' but creating risks." Gary Clyde Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said that for capital-intensive industries like steel, oil refining and semiconductors, when capacity utilisation is below 75 per cent for an extended period of time, the majority of observers would call it excess capacity. Speaking to VOA News, Hufbauer said that China's government-stimulated and bank-financed investment has led to almost all of China's capital-intensive manufacturing industries having overcapacity. He said, "If China does pursue a massive export 'solution,' that will hurt manufacturing firms in Japan, the EU, Korea and other industrial countries. But low prices will be welcome in many developing countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia." Last week the VOA cited a report by New York-based Rhodium Group, which researches the Chinese market, stating that the utilisation rate of China's silicon wafer capacity witnessed a drop from 78 per cent in 2019 to 57 per cent in 2022. In 2022, China's lithium-ion battery production reached 1.9 times the domestic installation volume, which demonstrates that overcapacity in clean energy fields is emerging. China's exports of electric vehicles, solar cells and lithium batteries have witnessed a rise even more significantly. According to 2023 data, China's electric vehicle export volume was seven times that of 2019, while its solar cell export volume in 2023 was five times that of 2018, which shows a rise of 40 per cent from 2022. According to the report, temporary overcapacity might be harmless and a normal part of the market cycle. However, it becomes a problem when it is perpetuated by the involvement of the government. The report released by the Rhodium Group said that China's National People's Congress in March focused on industrial policies that provide benefits to high-tech industries, while there is little financial support for household consumption. The report said, "This policy mix will compound the growing imbalance between domestic supply and demand." It said, "Systemic bias toward supporting producers rather than households or consumers allows Chinese firms to ramp up production despite low margins, without the fear of bankruptcy that constrains firms in market economies." (ANI) Iran announced on Saturday that it had apprehended members of the ISIL (ISIS) group who were allegedly plotting an attack at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramzan, Al Jazeera reported. The breakthrough came after a vigilant citizen in Mahdasht, located in the Alborz province, approximately 60km (37 miles) west of Tehran, alerted law enforcement, according to police spokesman Saeed Montazerolmahdi. This tip-off led to the arrest of a "senior" ISIL figure named Mohammad "Ramesh" Zaker. Montazerolmahdi revealed that Zaker and two other ISIL operatives were taken into custody, while an additional eight individuals accompanying the alleged terrorists were also arrested, as reported by Al Jazeera. The group was purportedly planning a suicide attack during Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramzan. This development follows previous attacks attributed to ISIL in Iran, including twin bombings during a ceremony in Kerman in January, which claimed nearly 100 lives and left over 200 wounded. The Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), the Afghanistan-based branch of ISIL, claimed responsibility for the Kerman assault. Iran responded by arresting 35 individuals linked to the attacks, including an ISIS-K commander. In addition to the Kerman incident, ISIL has been implicated in other attacks on Iranian soil, such as assaults on a major Shia shrine in Shiraz. Notably, the group has targeted symbols of Iranian authority, including the parliament and the tomb of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 2017, according to Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, Iran faces heightened security challenges amidst escalating tensions in the region, exacerbated by Israel's military actions in Gaza. Recently, armed militants from the Sunni separatist group Jaish al-Adl launched attacks on two bases of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan. This prompted funeral processions for slain IRGC members across various provinces, including Lorestan and Mazandaran. Furthermore, Iran mourned the loss of Brigadier-General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior IRGC commander killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus, Syria. Speaking to a crowd in Tehran on Saturday, the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, Mohammad Bagheri, said "the criminal US and the cruel and child-killing Zionists must know that the life of the regime [Israel] is coming to an end, and there is not much left until its decay and destruction". "Air strikes on a consulate, as a protected mission under international accords, have no meaning but madness from the Zionist regime because it is harming and killing itself. If politicians in Israel had any credibility left, this move destroyed it," he said, renewing Iran's vow for revenge for its killed commanders, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI) After 17 Indian workers were repatriated from Laos, who were lured into unsafe and illegal work, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday lauded the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his commitment towards the safety of citizens. Jaishankar took to social media platform X to express his gratitude to Indian Embassy im Laos for their diligent efforts in coordinating the rescue operation. He also extended appreciation to the authorities in Laos for their cooperation in ensuring the safe return of the workers. "Modi ki Guarantee works for all at home and abroad. 17 Indian workers, lured into unsafe and illegal work in Laos, are on their way back home. Well done, @IndianEmbLaos. Thank Lao authorities for their support for the safe repatriation," said Jaishankar in a post on X. As many as 17 Indian workers who were ensnared into illegal and unsafe work in Laos are now on their journey back home, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. In an advisory, the ministry called upon Indians looking at job opportunities in the southeast Asian country to thoroughly check the background of the prospective employer. "It has come to attention that Indian nationals, lured by fake promises of lucrative job opportunities in Cambodia, are falling into the trap of human traffickers," it said. The ministry said these Indian nationals are "coerced" to undertake online financial scams and other illegal activities. "Indian nationals intending to visit Cambodia for employment are cautioned to do so only through authorised agents. It is also advised that the background of the prospective employer in Cambodia be checked thoroughly," it said. (ANI) Iran has once again reiterated its willingness to respond to the Israeli strike on its embassy in Syria and said that the attack "won't remain unanswered," CNN reported, citing Iran's semi-official news outlet, Tasnim on Saturday. This comes as the Iranian top general attended the funeral procession of military officer Mohammed Reza Zahedi on Saturday, vowing Iran would respond to the strike on its embassy consulate in Damascus that killed top figures from its Revolutionary Guard Corps. Bagheri, who is the country's highest-ranked military commander, said it will be up to Iran to decide how and when to respond to the attack, according to the Tasnim report. He also issued a warning to the US, saying the "main responsibility" for the Damascus attack lies with the US, according to Tasnim. Bagheri's remarks on Saturday were heard by a huge crowd gathered in the western city of Isfahan for Zahedi's funeral procession. Video from news agencies and state media shows mourners thronging the streets to catch a glimpse of the officer's coffin, which travelled in a highly decorated open cortege. Many mourners could be seen waving Iranian and Palestinian flags. Earlier, Iran's Deputy Chief of Staff for Political Affairs, President Mohammad Jamshidi said that Iran has warned the US in a written message to step aside and not to be harmed, Iran's state news agency, IRNA reported. In a post on X, Jamshidi said that Iran has also warned the US not to fall into Netanyahu's trap. He said that the US has also demanded Iran not to hit American targets. Following Iran's claim that it has sent a warning to the US to step aside from its escalated tensions with Israel and prompt the US to issue a high alert and actively prepare for a "significant" attack by the Iranian side on Israel or American assets in the region, CNN reported, citing a senior administration official. The warning was sent to the US after an Israeli missile attack on Iran's diplomatic premises in Syria killed one of its top commanders. CNN reported that senior US officials believe, based on input from their Israeli counterparts, that the attack by Iran is "inevitable." The two governments are furiously working to get in position ahead of what is to come, as they anticipate that Iran's 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 Biden's 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. 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, CNN reported. Iran vowed to take revenge after Israel's airstrike on Iran's embassy complex in Syria, which killed at least seven officials. Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a top commander in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), and senior commander Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi were among those killed, according to Iran's Foreign Ministry. At least six Syrian citizens were also killed, Iranian state television reported on Tuesday. Zahedi, a former commander of the IRGC's 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 Monday's 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. Iran's message to the US blamed America 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. "As Iran noted publicly, we received a message from them," the State Department spokesperson told CNN when asked about Jamshidi's 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, "Don't think about coming after us." 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, CNN reported. Israel's 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. (ANI) Echoing with the sentiments of this year's World Health Day's theme - "My Health, My Right" - Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia Region, Saima Wazed, on Saturday, said that South-East Asia Region has made "notable progress" in advancing right to health. "Our South-East Asia Region has made notable progress in advancing this right to health.From enhancements in healthcare coverage to declines in maternal and child mortality rates, there are achievements to be celebrated," Wazed said on the eve of World Health Organisation's founding anniversary. She also highlighted pressing issues in the region's healthcare landscape, saying that there is not enough health service coverage and that the government's expenditure to improve the services is also too low. Addressing the dire situation where nearly 40 per cent of the population lacks essential health services coverage, the director underscored the urgency for increased government expenditure and improved access to quality healthcare. Despite strides in healthcare coverage and reductions in maternal and child mortality rates, financial barriers persist, exacerbating the plight of vulnerable groups. The director emphasised the rise in "out-of-pocket expenses" due to inadequate government funding, hindering access to basic healthcare services. "Challenges remain. Nearly 40 per cent of our regions population still lacks essential health services coverage. Current government expenditure remains unacceptably low, leading to high expenses for many," said Wazed on the eve of World Health Organisation's founding anniversary. According to Wazed, under the theme 'My Health, My Right,' this year's World Health Day serves as a poignant reminder of the fundamental human right to quality health services, education, and information. "This year's theme was chosen to champion the right of everyone everywhere to have access to quality health services, education and information. It tells us of the right to safe drinking water, clean air and good nutrition. It reminds us that quality housing, decent working and environmental conditions, and freedom from discrimination should be enjoyed by everyone," she also said. In light of these challenges, the director articulated a vision for Southeast Asia, characterised by "holistic approach to health and well being and are physically and mentally empowered to achieve their full potential". Emphasising health as a basic human right, the WHO Regional Director said, "We want a region where this right is enjoyed by everyone starting from before birth, including the most vulnerable, and covering every community." However, amidst commendable progress, disparities persist, with gender disparities in non-communicable disease diagnosis and treatment, and the prevalence of poor-quality care impacting health outcomes. "From enhancements in health coverage to declines in maternal and child mortality rates, there are achievements to be celebrated. Financial hardships in accessing basic health care are unfortunately on the rise. Vulnerable groups encounter disproportionate obstacles in accessing health care. Gender disparities persist in the diagnosis and treatment of non communicable diseases," she also said in a video message. "Poor quality care takes a heavier toll on health outcomes than mere lack of access to care. However, amidst these challenges, we remain steadfast in our commitment to a rights based approach to health, we must ensure equality, participation, and accountability in healthcare decision making processes," she added. The director also urged governments to prioritise health investments and strengthen healthcare systems, while emphasising the obligation of duty bearers, including governments and the WHO, to uphold the right to health for all individuals. "Let us renew our resolve to make the right to health a reality for all. Let us set course towards a future where health is not a privilege, but a promise--a promise to safeguard the dignity and well being of everyone everywhere," she concluded. WHO's Constitution came into force on April 7, 1948, a date now celebrated every year as World Health Day. (ANI) The Philippines has raised concerns over alleged harassment by Chinese vessels targeting Filipino fishing boats within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the contentious South China Sea, just ahead of planned joint military exercises with its allies, Al Jazeera reported. According to Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard, two Chinese coastguard ships engaged in what he described as "harassment" of Filipino fishing vessels near the Iroquois reef on April 4. Tarriela noted that the Chinese vessels even went so far as to simulate readiness to use water cannons, intimidating the Filipino fishermen. He attributed such aggressive actions to what he termed as China's "greed" and its unsupported claim over the waters based on a disputed boundary. Highlighting the geographic location, Tarriela emphasized that the incident occurred well within the Philippines' EEZ, particularly at Rozul Reef, approximately 128 nautical miles off Palawan. Referring to the area within its EEZ as the West Philippine Sea, Tarriela stressed the Philippines' sovereignty over the region, Al Jazeera reported. Tensions between the Philippines and China have escalated in recent months, with multiple maritime encounters reported, including instances involving the use of water cannon. These confrontations often revolve around disputed reefs within the resource-rich South China Sea. Since assuming office in 2022, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has sought to strengthen ties with Western nations, including the United States, while adopting a firm stance against perceived Chinese aggression. He previously stated the Philippines' intention to take countermeasures following confrontations resulting in injuries to Filipino personnel and damage to vessels. In a bid to bolster regional cooperation and counter Chinese assertiveness, the Philippines is set to host joint naval and air drills with the US, Japan, and Australia in the contested area. These exercises, scheduled for Sunday, aim to demonstrate collective commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, according to a joint statement issued by defence chiefs of the participating countries. Additionally, an upcoming trilateral summit between US President Joe Biden, President Marcos Jr, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington, DC, underscores the strategic importance of collaborative efforts in the region. While details of the drills were not fully disclosed, Japan's embassy in Manila confirmed the inclusion of "anti-submarine warfare training." Despite China's accusations of the Philippines heightening tensions, top US officials have reiterated their unwavering commitment to defending the Philippines against any armed aggression in the South China Sea. US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin emphasized the significance of the joint activities with allies, stressing the shared commitment to upholding international law and ensuring freedom of navigation in the region, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI) Mexico has announced the suspension of diplomatic relations with Ecuador after Ecuadorian authorities forcibly entered its embassy in Quito and apprehended former Vice President Jorge Glas, who had sought refuge there, Al Jazeera reported. Vice President Jorge Glas, a two-time corruption convict, had been residing in the Mexican embassy since December, citing persecution by Ecuadorian officials. Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Friday, offering political asylum to Glas and urging Ecuador to ensure his safe departure from the country. However, Ecuadorian special forces, equipped with tactical gear including bulletproof vests and helmets, conducted a nighttime raid on the embassy, leading to Glas's arrest, Al Jazeera reported. "Ecuador is a sovereign nation and we are not going to allow any criminal to stay free," Ecuador's presidency wrote in a statement shortly before the raid. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador condemned the storming of the embassy and Glas's arrest as "authoritarian" and a "flagrant violation of international law and Mexico's sovereignty." For many Ecuadorians, granting political asylum to a convicted former vice president by Mexico, particularly considering his affiliation with the Mexican president, appeared to be a travesty of justice, remarked lawyer and political commentator Adrian Perez Salazar. "But the fact that there was this grievance does not - at least under international law - justify the forceful breach of an embassy," Salazar told Al Jazeera from Guayaquil, Ecuador. Alicia Barcena, Mexico's foreign minister, revealed that several diplomats sustained injuries during the raid, which she denounced as a violation of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations. In response to the incident, Mexico announced the immediate withdrawal of its diplomatic personnel from Ecuador and declared intentions to seek accountability from Ecuador through the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for violations of international law. "International law is very clear that embassies are not to be touched, and regardless of whatever justifications the Ecuadorian government might have, it is a case where the end does not justify the means," Salazar told Al Jazeera. The situation escalated further following remarks by the Mexican president about Ecuador's elections, which Ecuador deemed "unfortunate," as reported by Al Jazeera. Lopez Obrador's comments, referencing the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio last year, and drawing parallels with recent violence in Mexico's electoral cycle, were met with indignation by Ecuador. Implying that the assassination influenced the election outcome, Lopez Obrador criticised media owners and those fostering an atmosphere of violence during election campaigns. Subsequently, Ecuador declared Mexican ambassador Raquel Serur Smeke persona non grata, ordering her swift departure from the country. Ecuador has been grappling with heightened violence since earlier this year, marked by prison riots, escapes of criminal leaders, and armed assaults during live television broadcasts, highlighting the country's volatile internal security situation, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI) The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in South Asia has said that it requires USD 620 million to safeguard and assist Afghan migrants in Iran and Pakistan, reported Khaama Press. In a post on social media platform X, the organisation stated that the situation in Afghanistan and its bordering countries will be challenging in 2024. According to the UNHCR report, 4.8 million Afghan migrants and 2.5 million members of their host communities will be assisted in 2024. Citing UNHCR, Khaama Press reported that in addition to the deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan to Afghanistan, the country's circumstances got worse in 2022 and 2023 due to fatal earthquakes, catastrophic natural disasters, and the climate change problem. The UNHCR has characterised the state of human rights, particularly the rights of women and girls as well as religious and ethnic minorities in Afghanistan, as grave, citing the urgent need for humanitarian aid for 23.7 million people to survive. According to the report, Iran and Pakistan host around 7.7 million Afghan citizens, approximately 1.6 million of whom were depoted to Afghanistan since 2021. Meanwhile, Amnesty International and some human rights organizations have expressed concern about the continuation of the process of expelling Afghan migrants from Pakistan and demanded a halt to this trend. "The plan to repatriate undocumented foreign nationals in Pakistan violates the rights of refugees and international human rights law, especially the principle of non-refoulement, endangering the lives of all Afghan refugees, especially women, girls, journalists, and human rights defenders, Khaama Press, quoted Amnesty International official as saying. Over half a million migrants have been forcibly deported back to Afghanistan since November 2023. However, they are facing several challenges amid a dire humanitarian crisis. Many returnees are struggling with the lack of basic amenities such as shelter, food, and healthcare, exacerbating their already precarious situation. (ANI) This Agape Flights 1985 Reims F406 Cessna Caravan II had an equipment failure that forced it to land April 5 at a small airfield in Haiti. The two pilots were not injured. (Credit: PHOTO PROVIDED BY AGAPE FLIGHTS) VENICE One of Agape Flights two aircraft experienced a failure Friday morning that forced it into a gear-up landing at a small airport in Haiti. Neither of the two Agape Flights pilots on board were hurt, according to a release from Tim Kenny, the nonprofits director of donor relations and development for the Venice-based nonprofit Christian aviation ministry . The degree of damage suffered by the aircraft was not known as of Friday afternoon. We thank God that our pilots are fine and no one on the ground was injured, Agape Flights CEO Allen Speer said in a prepared statement. He also said the immediate priority was the safety and security of the air crew. Agape Flights purchased the plane in late 2022 to replace an aircraft that was destroyed on the ground at Les Cayes Airport in March 2022. Typically the plane carries about 2,000 pounds of cargo on weekly supply flights to Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. Most recently, since unified gang unrest has made flights to Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Haitis capital city of Port-au-Prince unsafe, the plane had also been used to evacuate missionaries and their families from Haiti. No passengers were on the aircraft, though it had been scheduled to pick up several missionaries at another location in Haiti and return to Florida Friday. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Agape Flights plane stuck in Haiti after gear-up landing at airfield Almost 80 years after his death, Iowan fallen in WWII honored with flags at half-staff Raymond U. Schlamp. Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered all flags in Iowa to fly at half-staff to honor Raymond U. Schlamp, an Iowa-born soldier, nearly 80 years after his death during a World War II battle in France. The honor comes as his family holds a celebration of life gathering Saturday at the Lawrence Community Center in Anamosa. Schlamp, 28, a U.S. Army Pfc. in Company G, 2nd Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division, had been missing and presumed dead until 2023, when he was identified through DNA and other analysis of remains removed from the Lorraine American Cemetery in Limey, France, in 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said in a March 12 news release. The family was recently given a briefing on the details, a separate news release from the governor's office said. From 2023: Missing Korean War soldier's remains being returned to Iowa more than 70 years later A news article included in the POW/MIA agency news release said Schlamp was born in the far northern Iowa town of McIntire, but that his family had later moved to Dubuque. He had joined the Army in November 1941 and had been overseas for about two years, the article said. According to his Army personnel profile, he was he was withdrawing with his company Spt. 8, 1944, during heavy fighting from an indefensible forward position in an area known as the Horseshoe Woods near the German border in northeastern France when he was wounded in both legs. He was last seen on the east side of the Moselle River. Medical corpsmen who returned the following morning could not locate him, and he was listed as missing on Sept. 11, the news article said. From 2019: Unknown for 77 years, WWII soldier's remains will return to Iowa The POW/MIA agency said Schlamp was declared dead in 1945. The remains eventually identified as his were found in 1951. His name is listed on the Walls of the Missing at Epinal American Cemetery in Dinoze, France, and a rosette will be placed next to it to denote that he has been accounted for, the agency said. Under the governor's order, flags on and in the Iowa Capitol, as well as flags on all public buildings, grounds and facilities throughout the state, will fly half-staff until sunset Saturday. The order encourages all other flags in Iowa to be flown half-staff "as a sign of respect. Biong M. Biong is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at bbiong@dmreg.com. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Recently ID'd Iowa killed in WWII honored with flags at half-staff WASHINGTON President Joe Bidens reelection effort pulled in more than $90 million in March, his campaign announced Saturday, giving him nearly $200 million in the bank heading into April. The figures were released the same day that the presumptive Republican nominee, coup-attempting former President Donald Trump, is holding his first major fundraiser of the general election season in Palm Beach, Florida, with donations as high as $814,600. A Republican close to the campaign predicted the event would take in close to $50 million. Trumps campaign and the Republican National Committee earlier this week announced that they had raised $65.6 million in March and had $93.1 million in cash available heading into April. Up to this point, Biden has already been able to accept large checks because he already had a joint fundraising agreement with the Democratic National Committee. Because Trump was competing against other candidates for the nomination, the RNC did not have a similar agreement with Trump, so he had been limited to receiving no more than $6,600 from each donor. The official reports for the Biden and Trump campaigns, their respective parties and their joint fundraising committees are not due to be filed with the Federal Election Commission until later this month. The Biden campaign boasted that its first-quarter fundraising total $187 million gives it the best financial start of any Democratic presidential candidate in history. The total includes $25 million from a New York City fundraiser last week that featured Biden as well as former Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, as well as $10 million the campaign said it raised in the 24 hours following Bidens State of the Union address. The Biden campaign also said that it is rapidly growing its small-dollar fundraising base and its email list doubled from the end of December to the end of March, with small donations ($200 and less) coming in at $1.5 million a day last month. Small-dollar donations had been a strength that Trump, who had a loyal following as the host of the reality competition show The Apprentice, brought to the Republican Party when he won the 2016 nomination. In 2020, Trump and the RNC together raised more than $500 million in small donations before Election Day and then $250 million more after Trump began lying about the election having been stolen from him. President Joe Biden is joined by former presidents Barack Obama (left) and Bill Clinton at a fundraising event on March 28 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Alex Brandon/Associated Press Trump has continued raising millions each month from that same pool of donors with the money going to his Save America leadership PAC, which he has effectively used as a slush fund to pay his legal bills, and his fundraising totals have shown signs that his followers were getting exhausted by the endless emails and text messages. Trump recently created the Trump National Committee, a joint small-dollar fundraising entity, that sends 90 cents of each dollar to his campaign and the rest to the Republican National Committee. The high-dollar joint committee, named Trump 47, puts Trumps personal committee second in line for the money, right after Trumps campaign. Only after donors have given the legal maximum to both does the RNC see its first penny. Trump a month ago locked up the GOP nomination despite facing four separate criminal prosecutions. Two are based on his actions leading up to and on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of his followers attacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to reinstall him as president. One of the federal criminal cases, on conspiracy and obstruction charges related to the 2020 election, could go to trial as early as late summer, depending on the timing of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on his claim that he is immune from prosecution. A Georgia state prosecution based on his attempt to overturn his election loss in that state could also start later this year. A New York state prosecution on charges that he falsified business records to hide hush money payments in the days before the 2016 election is set to begin jury selection on April 15, while a second federal prosecution based on his refusal to turn over secret documents he took with him from the White House to his South Florida country club has not yet been set for trial. In a separate civil case, a New York jury last year found that Trump had sexually penetrated writer E. Jean Carroll against her will in an incident at a department store in the 1990s, declaring him liable for sexual abuse. The jury also found he had defamed Carroll in remarks disparaging her account. The federal judge in the case later clarified that Trumps actions were rape in the common modern parlance. Related... Government employees will get a pay raise this year in budget passed by Kansas lawmakers Kansas government employees are in line for a pay raise this year, but not as big of a raise as lawmakers are getting. Legislators approved the state budget in Senate Bill 28 on Friday, the last regular day of the legislative session. It passed 78-44 in the House and 26-12 in the Senate. The state employee pay plan for the 2025 fiscal year, which starts on July 1, 2024, is modeled after last year's pay raises. It is designed to be more beneficial for workers who are paid below market wages. "My biggest thing is those employees that are considerable under market," said Rep Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, and the House's top budget negotiator. "It is pretty startling to see how many employees we have that are under market," Waymaster said. "That's one of my biggest goals, to bring those employees up to market." Kansas state government employees will get raises this year, which for most people will be about 5%, while most legislators get a 93% pay raise. State employees get 5% raises while Kansas legislators get 93% Meanwhile, legislators are in line for a more substantial pay raise. Their play plan, which was crafted by a commission comprised mostly of former legislators, was done in a way that allowed lawmakers to avoid voting on their own pay raise. Sen. Dennis Pyle, R-Hiawatha, complained about budget negotiators stripping out an amendment he proposed that would have forced legislators to vote on their pay raise. The percentage increase of the legislative pay raise depends on what all is included, but total compensation for rank-and-file legislators will be boosted from roughly $30,000 to about $58,000 a year. Pyle suggested it's not appropriate that "legislators get a 93% pay increase starting new year when the state employees are only getting 5%." Sen. Rick Billinger, R-Goodland and the Senate's top budget negotiatior, said he agrees that the legislative pay raise is "too much." He admitted that he "didn't fight probably as hard as I could have, but I knew it was not going in there." More: Kansas lawmakers may see a 94% pay raise. How can that happen? Pay raises for state employees start at 5% State employees can expected to see a 5% pay raise, but some may see more while other see less. The amount of the pay raise depends on a market survey that was used to identify positions that are underpaid relative to similar work in the private sector or for other governmental bodies. Employees who are currently paid under market by at least 10% will be raised to that 10% mark unless the 5% increase is greater, and then they would get the 5%. Employees who are currently paid more than 10% over market will get a 2.5% raise. Certain employees will get a 5% raise instead of a market adjustment: Capitol area guards, non-judge employees of the judicial branch, employees of legislative agencies and employees with job classifications that are not included in the market survey. Employees of the Kansas Board of Regents and postsecondary institutions will get a 2.5% raise instead of market adjustments. Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Kansas Highway Patrol employees who are on a formal career progression plan will advance five steps, while the bottom five steps will be eliminated. Any state employee earning less than $15.03 per hour will receive an increase to a new state employee minimum wage of $15.03 per hour. The pay plan does not include judges, statewide elected officials, legislators, employees of the Kansas StateSchools for the Blind and Deaf, part-time non-benefits eligible employees and employees on a formal career progression plan that are not named in the adjustment plan. Statewide elected officials got a sizeable pay raise last year. More: Governor, statewide officials in Kansas to see significant pay raise under new law How much will the pay raises cost taxpayers? The state employee pay plan is expected to cost $141 million in total, with $61 million of that from the state general fund. While it's not part of the budget, the legislative pay raise will cost about $3.5 million next year. The entire 2025 budget is $25.1 billion, with $10.4 billion from the state general fund, which is what lawmakers have direct control over. The budget includes funding for a wide range of areas, including agriculture, general government, human services, K-12 education, higher education, public safety, transportation and other expenses. 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: How much will the pay raise be for Kansas state government workers? 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. 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. COLFAX Brothers Connor Cheney, 11, and Gary Cheney, Jr., 9, were both moved to touch the marble headstone that was finally placed on the grave of their great-great uncle, World War II veteran Jasper Persue Kimble. The headstone sat neglected, covered with grass, weeds and paint splatter, for 15 years outside of a closed Alexandria funeral home. Kimble had no children of his own. He has lots of extended family including Colfax Alderwoman Timika Hamilton Price. Nieces, nephews, their children and their childrens children, along with friends and representatives of the Leonard W. Elie Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8852 of Alexandria gathered at Farenzie Baptist Church Cemetery in Colfax to honor Kimble as the marble headstone was finally placed on his grave. His tombstone, for whatever reason, sat in a driveway with weeds growing over it for 15 years, said historian Michael Wynne. We had no idea this headstone was missing, said Lillie Beed, Kimbles niece, during the tribute. For it to be lost for 15 years and to be discovered again, is a blessing. I believe everything coincides with what God wants to happen. Kimble died in 2009 and the family thought the headstone was already on grave because they were told by the former Gonzaque Williams Mortuary at 720 St. James Street in Alexandria that they would take care of it, said Beed. So, we just thought they took care of it. Not that were blaming anybody, because of human error, said Beed. The U.S. government provides marble headstones free of charge for all veterans, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The only charge is the setting fee for the headstone. Sheldon Antwine of Antwine Monument and Vault donated his services to place the headstone on the grave. Wynne told those gathered that a friend of his was scrolling through posts on the Facebook page Abandoned Louisiana when he came up on photos of the now-closed Gonzaque Williams Mortuary in downtown Alexandria. And sitting in the driveway, covered with plants, in the original wrapping, the metal wrapping, was this tombstone, said Wynne during the tribute. Since Wynne is big into history in Central Louisiana, his friend told him that he needed to do something about it. The long lost headstone of World War II veteran Jasper P. Kimble was at the former Gonzaque Williams Mortuary in downtown Alexandria where it had been for the past 15 years. So, I started researching and I found that Mr. Kimble was a World War II hero. He fought in Germany. He fought in France, said Wynne. He researched Kimbles history on the internet and found a photo of Kimble in uniform sitting on a German motorcycle that is part of the Emory University archives. He then told the story on television about finding Kimbles headstone and how he was searching for family members. He left a phone number where he could be contacted. Beed and several other family members saw the segment and called him. Since so many others have the same name, Beed said they wanted to make sure that it was their uncle, so they visited the gravesite. We came up here about a week ago and found the grave and we saw that the headstone wasnt there, Beed said. From there it was arranged to hold a special service to place the headstone. Who was Jasper Persue Kimble Wynne said Kimble briefly lived in Kansas City, Mo., where he was married but had no children. He came back to Central Louisiana and died in an Alexandria hospital. After Beed graduated from high school, she lived with him in Kansas City, Mo., for about a year before she joined the military. He worked at Richards-Gebaur Air Base. He was very instrumental in me going into the military, said Beed. She recalled that he was was very inspirational and always did his best in everything that he did and encouraged others to do the same. The words I cant never came out of his mouth, said Beed. There was always something that he could do, or you could do. And he would let you know to be positive about whatever he was pursuing. Brothers Connor Cheney, 11, and Gary Cheney, Jr., 9, were both moved to touch the marble headstone that was finally placed on the grave of their great-great uncle, World War II veteran Jasper Pers Kimble. The headstone sat neglected, covered with grass, weeds and paint splatter, for 15 years outside of a closed Alexandria funeral home. Kimble was active in his church, Morning Star Baptist Church, in Kansas City, where he was a deacon and treasurer. He was a very positive man. He was a gregarious person. He was a happy fellow, Beed recalled. He loved people. And he was very expressive. Connor and Gary Jr. never met Kimble but heard stories about him and his military service. It took a lot for me not to cry, said Gary Jr., noting that the service made him both happy and sad. Though he was sad for his great-great uncle, he was happy to see family members come together. Knowing about Kimble gives him somebody to look up to and be like, he said. I think about being in the military myself. So, its good to have somebody to look up to, said Connor, drying tears from his face. Members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Leonard W. Elie Post 8852 also came out to pay their respects to Kimble. We the members of Leonard W. Elie Post 8852, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, are here assembled to pay a lasting tribute and respect to our departed comrade, said Commander Charlie Anderson during the tribute. When the call of our country was heard, Comrade Jasper P. Kimble answered. Self was forgotten in the cause of a greater good. Shirley James of Colfax came to the tribute because she felt connected to the family. She was able to connect other family members with those who were trying to find them after they saw the TV segment. Beed said they were grateful to Wynne for taking the time to do the research and make the family aware of the headstone. It takes somebody with passion to want to even pursue this. The family didnt know anything about it until they saw him on TV and mentioned their names and Jasper Kimbles and left a number, said Beed. Im so happy. Did this change the world? No. But it was the right thing to do, said Wynne. The headstone sat neglected, covered with grass, weeds and paint splatter, for 15 years outside of a closed Alexandria funeral home. It was placed on his grave at Farenzie Baptist Church Cemetery in Colfax. This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Word War II veteran's grave gets lost headstone placed after 15 years A newspaper clipping from the Evening Independent notes the Veterans of Foreign Wars unveiled a service flag to honor Walter F. Schleiter and Leonard Kozelck, who were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. A U.S. Navy sailor from Massillon who was killed in Pearl Harbor during World War II will get his long-awaited burial soon with full military honors. Navy Fireman 1st Class Walter F. Schleiter was officially identified and accounted for in May 2018. The Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency a U.S. Department of Defense office tasked with recovering prisoners of war or personnel missing in action from past conflicts said Schleiter is slated to be buried at 1 p.m. April 11 at the National Cemeteries of the Alleghenies in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania. Special tribute: Banners along Lincoln Way in Massillon honor western Stark veterans Schleiter had no children and his closest next-of-kin are located in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, which is the reason why the Alleghenies cemetery was selected to host the funeral service, according to Gene Hughes, U.S. Navy POW/MIA Office communications manager. "The family lives close by and requested the location," he said. Remains of U.S. Navy Fireman 1st Class Walter F. Schleiter, of Massillon, are to be buried Thursday at the National Cemeteries of the Alleghenies in Pennsylvania. Schleiter was killed during World War II while serving aboard the USS Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor. Joseph Such, whose wife Lynn, 83, is a second cousin of Schleiter, said he and his wife were contacted by a Navy casualty officer in December about his positive identification. She was a 1-year-old when Schleiter died in 1941 while serving aboard the USS Oklahoma battleship. "There really wasn't any sadness (when learning the news of his death)," said Such. "We had no knowledge of him. It was more surprise, and to try to do the right thing (with the military burial)." Full military honors at Schleiter's ceremony will include the playing of taps, the presentation of a U.S. flag to a family member and a detail of uniformed Navy personnel, Hughes said. The honors are provided at no cost for veterans and active-duty service members. The COVID-19 pandemic and additional time necessary to identify remains of sailors who were at or approaching 100 years old were main factors in a few years passing before sharing Schleiter's identification, Hughes has explained. Schleiter is the recipient of several military awards, including the Purple Heart medal; Combat Action Ribbon; American Defense Service Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal. Schleiter, 22, served aboard USS Oklahoma during 1941 Pearl Harbor attack Schleiter, who died at 22 years old, was assigned to the USS Oklahoma on Dec. 7, 1941, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the vessel was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, causing it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in 429 crewmen deaths. Schleiter was among the deceased. A newspaper clipping from the Evening Independent in 1942 notes the Veterans of Foreign Wars honored Walter F. Schleiter, who died during World War II. From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu Cemeteries. In October 1949, the U.S. military classified those, including Schleiter, who could not be identified as non-recoverable. Between June and November 2015, the defense accounting agency exhumed unknown seamen from the USS Oklahoma for analysis. To identify the remains of Schleiter and others, scientists from the agency and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used dental, mitochondrial and anthropological analyses to make positive identifications. Reach Steven at steven.grazier@indeonline.com. On Twitter: @sgrazierINDE This article originally appeared on The Independent: Massillon's Walter Schleiter to get long-awaited military burial 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 '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 Hajar Harb is said to have taunted victims of Hamas's Oct 7 attacks on Israel on social media - AFP A Palestinian journalist who fled to Britain after exposing corruption in Gaza has been accused of mocking Israeli hostages on social media. Hajar Harb was given leave to remain in the UK after travelling to Britain following her successful appeal in 2019 against a prison sentence and heavy fine imposed on her by a court in the Gaza strip. From London, Ms Harb has contributed to media outlets such as the Washington Post, co-authoring a series of dispatches about the plight of Palestinians in Gaza and the deaths of civilians and journalists. But critics claim she has used her position on social media to mock victims of the terror groups Oct 7 attacks on Israel. Grabs from Facebook of Washington Post contributor Hajar Harb celebrating the Oct 7 attack The Campaign for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (Camera), which lobbies for accurate and balanced coverage of Israel, has highlighted posts Ms Harb published in what appear to be in questionable taste in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. She later deleted the posts and now claims malicious actors have previously posed as her on social media. An image published by Hajar Harb of dozens of red flowers understood to represent the total number of Hamas victims by Oct 8 One post, published on her Facebook account on Oct 8, as reports began to emerge of the number of Israelis massacred by Hamas gunmen, shows an image of dozens of red flowers arranged in the shape of the figure 600, understood to represent the total number known to have been killed at that point. Alongside the image Ms Harb is alleged to have written: On top of [any] loss amongst them is [like] flowers, just the number is beautiful. An alternative translation reads: Although it is a waste of flowers, the number is sweet. Camera claims that Ms Harb is suggesting that the shape created by the high number of Israeli dead is pleasing to look at. The total number of Israeli casualties on October 7 grew to more than 1,160 people, mostly civilians. Post targeted elderly woman hostage In another post on Oct 8, Ms Harb appears to mock the elderly Israeli hostage Yaffa Adar, who was photographed being driven into Gaza after her kidnap. In what appears to be her imitation of what Mrs Adars captors are telling her, Ms Harb allegedly writes: See this place maam? Allah willing, youll remain inside with us for a while or a little while. Mrs Adar, 85, was later released as part of a hostage prisoner swap. A photograph posted on Ms Harbs Facebook on October 8 showed the terrified Bibas family after they were kidnapped by Hamas from the Nir Oz kibbutz on Oct 7. Above the photograph of Shiri Bibas with her 9-month son Kfir and 4-year-old son Ariel, Ms Harb allegedly wrote: Enter with your right foot, sister. Instead she goes I want my children, I want my children. Go ahead, [this is] your home [for] you and your children. An alternative translation reads: Enter with your right foot. So that you dont keep saying I want my children, I want my children. Here you go with your children. Feel at home . . you and your children. The phrase enter with your right foot is a traditional Arab expression used when a bride crosses the threshold of her new home for the first time, and could be interpreted here as being used mockingly towards Mrs Bibas. Hamas later claimed that Mrs Bibas and her children had been killed as a result of an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis. In another post Ms Harb allegedly writes above a photograph of Hamas gunmen storming an Israeli building: Now we can truly say good morning. Above another photograph of Hamas terrorists entering an Israeli city during the October 7 attacks, Ms Harb allegedly writes: Enjoy your view. Posts celebrated slaughter A Camera Arabic spokesman said: During the October 7th massacre, Hajar Harb celebrated the events in a series of social media posts which have since been deleted. Celebrating the largest slaughter of Jewish civilians in many decades is neither befitting newspapers or journalists. It damages the Washington Post reputation in particular, and proves that Ms. Harb should not enjoy the privileges reserved for journalists, in the UK or anywhere else. An Arab journalist familiar with the Arab community in the UK: Hajar Harb operates within a media system that supports and aids her, giving her a platform here in London to criticise Israel, particularly the humanitarian fallout from its military operations in the Gaza Strip. Supporters of Ms Harb, who has also worked for the Al-Arabi TV channel and the Al Quds Al Arabi newspaper since moving to Britain, say her only concern is to shine a light on Israels treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied territories. A Washington Post spokesman said on behalf of Ms Harb: The Post has learned of claims against its contributor Hajar Harb involving alleged social media posts. Hajar has denied these actions to The Post and has said that imposters have previously created social media accounts using her name and photos of her. The Post is investigating the matter. In August 2022 Facebook deleted Ms Harbs longstanding account forcing her to open another one. She wrote at the time that this was because of what I wrote in defence of a Palestinian and part of the deliberate policy of fighting the Palestinian content. A Home Office spokesperson said: It is long-standing government policy that we do not routinely comment on individual cases. We are clear extremism has no place in our society. In March 2019 she was acquitted following an appeal against a prison sentence of six months and a fine of 1,000 shekels ($276), imposed on her in 2017 after she was found guilty of defamation and publishing false information. Ms Harb had claimed in an investigation that doctors in Gazas Hamas-run health ministry were writing false medical reports to allow healthy people to leave the enclave for treatment in exchange for payment. 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. Kansas City police are investigating a mans death as a homicide after his body was found in a south Kansas City neighborhood Friday night. Officers were summoned around 9:50 p.m. to the 8500 block of Wallace Avenue, where they found the injured victim. Paramedics arrived a short time later and pronounced the man dead at the scene. Police did not say how the man was killed. The victim had unknown bodily trauma when officers arrived, police spokesman Sgt. Phillip DiMartino, said in a news release. The name and age of the victim have not been released. Police said the victim was injured during an interaction with another person. No suspect or other information was available. The killing is the 38th homicide in Kansas City in 2024, according to data maintained by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings. Anyone with information about the killing is urged to call Kansas City police homicide unit at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS (8477). Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the date of the GOP primary, which will be in June, not November. Democrats have known for a few months that Adam Frisch will again be their candidate to run for Colorados 3rd Congressional District seat in the House of Representatives. Republicans, on the other hand, will have at least a few candidates to choose from on primary ballots this June. Incumbent Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert moved over to Colorado's 4th Congressional District to run in the GOP primary for that district rather than participate in a rematch against Frisch. At least two more candidates emerged from the CO-3 assembly, held Friday afternoon at the Southwest Motors Event Center in Pueblo. Here's what to know. Stephen Varela was joined by dozens of supporters on stage when speaking at the CO-3 assembly in Pueblo on April 5, 2024. Who is going to be on the ballot in the CO-3 Republican primary? Candidates can get onto the ballot solely by petitioning, solely at the assembly, or through a combination of both. Those who only go the assembly route require support from at least 30% of the delegates, while people who choose the hybrid method need at least 10% of the delegates to support them. Stephen Varela got the most support at the assembly and will be the first one listed on the ballot. He received 34% of his party's support. Ron Hanks, a former state legislator, received 32% of the delegates' support. Ron Hanks speaks at the CO-3 assembly in Pueblo on April 5, 2024. Russ Andrews got 17% of the support, but he also filed signatures with the Colorado Secretary of State's Office. Curtis McCraken, a businessman from Delta County, has been the only candidate to qualify for the ballot through the petitioning process. Jeff Hurd, Joe Granado and Lew Webb are also actively seeking to make the primary ballot solely through the petitioning process. Hurd was present at the assembly but he did not make any speeches. Three other candidates seeking to gain ballot access at the assembly failed to collect enough votes. What some candidates had to say at the assembly Varela is from Pueblo and currently serves as the representative from CO-3 on the Colorado Board of Education, though he is not seeking re-election in that race. He embraced his former affiliation with the Democratic Party something that he said he has in common with Donald Trump, Ronald Reagan and Lauren Boebert. Im tired of watching the far left create cancel culture within our party and destroy us from within. When are we going to wake up? Today is that day, Varela said. Hanks cast a gloomy view of the United States today and claimed that Donald Trump won in both 2016 and 2020, although no evidence of widespread voter fraud has been confirmed and Trumps lawyers lost dozens of lawsuits litigating the matter in court. Andrews, a businessman from Carbondale, rallied the crowd saying that people are coming for gas stoves, guns, Bibles and free speech. Russ Andrews raises his hand at the CO-3 assembly in Pueblo on April 5, 2024. Earlier in the day: Lauren Boebert named top candidate in race to replace Ken Buck at Colorado GOP assembly Anna Lynn Winfrey covers politics at the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com. Please support local news at subscribe.chieftain.com. This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Varela, Hanks top candidates at Colorado Republican assembly in Pueblo Matthew Keirans lived as William Woods for 36 years, until he was caught. A stolen identity victim was imprisoned, institutionalized and considered "crazy" after pleading his case that a Hartland, Wisconsin, man stole his name and Social Security number when the two worked together at a hotdog cart in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 33 years ago. Matthew David Keirans, 58, has been living in Hartland for at least the last 15 years but has been using the name William Donald Woods. According to prosecutors, Keirans has been using Woods' name, for insurance, loans, credit, driver's licenses, and even paid taxes in the false name. Keirans obtained remote employment in the IT department at the University of Iowa Hospital, where he made over $140,000 a year, using Woods' identity. He pleaded guilty in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Monday to two counts related to the identity theft scheme. In 2019, the real William Woods, who had been homeless at the time, tried to report it to a bank in Los Angeles, but after presenting his real ID and Social Security card to the manager, he failed to correctly answer security questions from the bank and the manager called the Los Angeles Police Department. LAPD called Keirans back in Wisconsin and Keirans told police that he hadn't given anyone in California access to the accounts and even faxed phony identification documents to the LAPD, prosecutors said. The LAPD arrested the real Woods, and prosecutors charged him in Keirans' name and held him without bail at the Los Angeles County Jail. What followed was months of court proceedings where the real Woods would beg with authorities that they had the wrong person. A California judge ruled that Woods was not mentally competent to stand trial because he kept saying he wasn't Keirans, and the judge placed the real Woods in a state-run psychiatric facility. He was also prescribed medication, records show. In March 2021, Woods pleaded no contest to two felony charges and was released on time served. He spent 147 days in the mental hospital, in addition to 428 days in county jail, for a total of 575 days institutionalized. As a parting gift, a California court ordered the real Woods to go by "Matthew Keirans" in the future, prosecutors said. For the next two years, Woods tried to reclaim his identity and Keirans continued to make false statements to law enforcement in Wisconsin and California. Then in January 2023, Woods found out that Keirans was working at an Iowa hospital. Starts with a complaint filed at the University of Iowa Hospital Woods reported to the University of Iowa Hospital compliance office that employee "William David Woods" is not who he says he is. In the report, he tells the hospital that he is the real Woods. That same day, university police opened an investigation. Police were able to confirm Woods' story through DNA testing and after an elderly Kentucky man came forward to claim the real Woods as his son. Keirans was taken into custody in Johnson County, Iowa, on July 17, 2023. Keirans initially insisted that Woods was "crazy" and "needed help and should be locked up" but eventually admitted in his interview with a detective to using Woods' identity in "every aspect of his life," prosecutors said. Keirans said he provided fraudulent documents to authorities in Los Angeles to help in the arrest, prosecution and incarceration of the real Woods. He obtained Woods' birth certificate from the state of Kentucky using information he found on Ancestry.com. He also filed an additional report with the Hartland Police Department. Records show that Keirans applied for multiple loans and credit lines using Woods' identity over the years. He also committed other criminal acts and identified himself as Woods. Although a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Iowa states Keirans was an administrator at the hospital, a hospital representative told The Gazette in Cedar Rapids he was not a senior leader in the organization. Keirans worked as a systems architect in the hospitals IT department from June 28, 2013, to July 20, 2023, when he was terminated for misconduct related to the investigation. In 2023, his salary was $140,501, according to the hospital. Matthew Keirans married and started a family Keirans married his wife, Nancy Zimmer, in 1994 and had a child whose last name is Woods. His family wrote letters to the court in November. "Matt has been my husband and chief support for our family," Zimmer said, adding the couple met in Salem, Oregon, and moved frequently to pursue educational and job opportunities. Matthew Keirans married Nancy Zimmer in 1994. "Matt established our home in Wisconsin over fifteen years ago, and after our son's elementary school was finished for the academic year, we joined him at the townhouse apartment he rented, and we have resided in since our move from Kentucky." Keirans also worked at Kohl's corporate headquarters in Menomonee Falls for about five years, according to Zimmer. She said when he got the job at the Iowa hospital, he initially commuted some of the days before being allowed to work from home. Keirans developed skills in computer science and had a role in development of systems at the Iowa hospital, Zimmer said. "I thank all those who have taken up my role as Matt's wife the nurses, doctors, counselors and cooks and all those in the judicial system who have so faithfully exercised their duties officers, clerks, attorneys, and judges to resolve this matter so that Matt may restart his civil life by lawful means and so that we may resume our happily ever after," Zimmer said. His son wrote to the court, "I am ... son of Matthew Keirans, formerly known as William Woods in either case, known to me as Dad. I am writing this letter to inform the reader as to his relationship with me: he has raised me, parented me, and supported me for as long as I can remember." "He gave me my first computer, my interest in STEM, science fiction, and fantasy; he paid for the car I drive and my tuition," he added. "For as long as I've been alive, he has worked hard to provide for my mom and me. We have lived together in Wisconsin for approximately fifteen years, and I hope you find it reasonable for him to return to live with us again." Keirans will be sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams after a presentence report is prepared. He remains in custody of the United States Marshals pending sentencing. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison and a possible maximum sentence of 32 years in prison and a $1.25 million fine. Drake Bentley can be reached at DBentley1@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Stolen identity victim called 'crazy' finally vindicated in Iowa A white cone-shaped capsule can be seen head-on with earth behind it. A NASA astronaut, a Russian cosmonaut and the first female Belarusian in space will leave the space station late tonight (April 5), and you can watch the action live. NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy and spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus will leave the International Space Station (ISS) at 11:54 p.m. EDT (0354 GMT on April 6), if all goes according to plan. Key events of the undocking and landing will be carried here on Space.com, via NASA Television. Coverage begins at 8 p.m. EDT tonight (0000 GMT on April 6) with crew farewells and hatch closure as the three departing crew members get into their Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft. Undocking coverage will begin at 11:30 p.m. EDT Friday (0330 GMT on April 6). These times could change due to operational constraints, however. Related: 3 spaceflyers arrive at the ISS aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft a white cone-shaped capsule can be seen head-on with earth behind it A view of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft over Earth. (Image credit: NASA TV) O'Hara will wrap up 204 days in space, while Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya are completing a short mission that began on March 23 alongside NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson, who will remaining on the ISS for a regular six-month rotation. The March 23 liftoff took place two days after a rare abort of the Soyuz spacecraft during launch from Kazakhstan, traced to a battery issue that was swiftly resolved. Should the undocking proceed on time, NASA expects the landing will take place Saturday (April 6) at 3:17 a.m. EDT (0717 GMT) near Karaganda, Kazakhstan. The deorbit burn is scheduled for Saturday at 2:23 a.m. EDT (0623 GMT), with coverage on NASA Television beginning at 2 a.m. EDT (0600 GMT). RELATED STORIES: 3 spaceflyers arrive at the ISS aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft Russian Soyuz rocket suffers rare last-minute abort during launch of 3 astronauts to ISS (video) China recruits Pakistan and Belarus for its planned moon base "After landing, the three crew members will fly on a helicopter from the landing site to the recovery staging city of Karaganda, Kazakhstan. O'Hara then will depart back to Houston," NASA officials wrote of their post-landing procedures. Vasilevskaya is the first citizen of the Republic of Belarus to reach space. Pyotr Klimuk and Vladimir Kovalyonok, however, hailed from the former Belarus Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) and had their first spaceflights in 1973 and 1977, respectively. The Soyuz MS-25 that carried O'Hara, Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya to space March 23 will remain at the ISS to ferry home another crew. Alongside Dyson, Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub will take the other two seats after completing their one-year mission this fall. Also docked to the ISS is the SpaceX Crew-8 Dragon spacecraft with the remaining astronauts of Expedition 71: NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barrett and Jeannette Epps and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin. They launched on March 4 for an expected half-year stay in space. Greta Thunberg, the climate activist, was detained by police twice at a demonstration in the Netherlands on Saturday. Ms Thunberg was initially detained and held for a short time by local police along with other protesters who tried to block a major road into The Hague. After she was released, she quickly rejoined a small group of protesters blocking a different road leading to the railway station. There, she was detained a second time. Ms Thunberg, 21, was seen flashing a victory sign as she sat in a bus used by police to take detained demonstrators from the scene. The demonstration attended by approximately 100 people and organised by Extinction Rebellion, the climate activist group was against Dutch subsidies and tax breaks to companies linked to fossil fuel industries. Greta Thunberg, seen being put into a bus by police, became the face of young climate activists worldwide after weekly protests Sweden in 2018 - Ramon van Flymen/Shutterstock Greta Thunberg gestures from inside the bus after being detained in The Hague - Peter Dejong/AP Extinction Rebellion said before the protest that activists would block a main road into The Hague, but a heavy police presence, including officers on horseback, initially prevented them from getting onto the road. The small group then managed to sit down on another road and its members were detained after ignoring police orders to leave. Extinction Rebellion activists have blocked the A12, which runs past the temporary home of the Dutch parliament, more than 30 times to protest against the subsidies. The demonstrators waved flags and chanted: We are unstoppable, another world is possible. The A12 blockades have ensured that the injustice of fossil subsidies is clear to everyone, Joost Thus, a spokesman for Extinction Rebellion, said ahead of the protest. The success of the A12 blockades has set in motion an international movement. At previous protests, police drove detained protesters to another part of town, where they were released. Local police were not immediately available for comment on Saturday. Ms Thunberg became the face of young climate activists worldwide after staging weekly protests in front of the Swedish parliament in 2018. She has been detained multiple times, including in Germany, Norway, Sweden and the UK. 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 West African nation of Sierra Leone has declared a national emergency to fight the rampant drug abuse, particularly among the youth. For years, young urban lives have been sapped due to addiction to Kush, a mixture of additive substances. Our country is currently facing an existential threat due to the devastating impact of drugs and drug addiction, in particular the devastating synthetic drug kush, President Julius Maada Bio said in an address to the nation this week. A task force has been set up to prevent, treat and provide social services support as well as law enforcement and community engagement in Sierra Leone to fight the calamity. But mental health experts told DW that kush intake can lead to permanent brain damage and suicidal actions. One mental health expert, Dr Abdul Jalloh of the Sierra Leone Medical and Dental Association, said that in 2023, cases of drug abuse rose from 2% to 40% over a two-year period, DW reported. The Mohammed VI Mosque in Abidjan was officially inaugurated on Friday with the performance of the Noon Prayer. The mosque was inaugurated, in accordance with the high instructions of King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, by the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Ulema, in collaboration with the relevant Ivorian authorities. Special Advisor to the President of the Republic, in charge of Religious and Social Affairs, Drissa Kone, who represented Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara at the official inauguration ceremony of the Mohammed VI Mosque said the religious institution reflects the excellence of the centuries-old relations between Morocco and Cote dIvoire. This architectural jewel testifies to the centuries-old and multidimensional relations between Cote dIvoire and Morocco, Kone, said. These enduring ties are reinforced by a strong friendship which is manifested through the various achievements accomplished within the framework of cooperation between the two countries, like the Mohammed VI Mosque in Abidjan, he added. According to the Special Advisor to the President of the Republic, this Mosque also testifies to the relationship of friendship and brotherhood between the Heads of State of the two countries, HM King Mohammed VI and His Excellency President Alassane Ouattara. The President of the Republic would like to thank HM the King and all the Moroccan people for this Mosque which remarkably reflects the depth of cooperation between the two friendly countries and the two brotherly peoples, he said. For his part, Grand Chancellor of the National Order, Ally Coulibaly, underlined that the Mohammed VI Mosque in Abidjan reflects the excellence of relations between Morocco and Cote dIvoire, and constitutes as well a very strong symbol of the bonds of brotherhood between the Moroccan and Ivorian people. Ousmane Diakite, President of the Superior Council of Imams, Mosques, and Islamic Affairs (COSIM) of Cote dIvoire, emphasized, on his part, the profound significance of the mosque as a symbol of peace, solidarity, and coexistence in Islam. Mr. Diakite underlined the historical precedence set by the King in spreading Islam throughout Africa, particularly in West Africa, through this majestic religious edifice. Expressing gratitude on behalf of the entire Muslim community, Mr. Diakite commended King Mohammed VI for his dedication to fostering values of solidarity and brotherhood. He highlighted the pivotal role the mosque would play in spiritual and educational endeavors within the community. Cheick Moustapha Sonta, President of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Ulema, echoed these sentiments, expressing profound appreciation to the King for his generosity in providing the mosque for the Ivorian and Muslim communities. Aside from serving as a place of worship, the Mohammed VI Mosque will function as a hub for Quranic education and the promotion of moderate Islam. Sonta emphasized the Foundations commitment to upholding the authentic values of Islam and fostering cooperation among Muslim scholars across Africa. Several members of the Ivorian cabinet attended the mosque inauguration. These include Minister of the Interior and Security, Vagondo Diomande; Minister of National Education and Literacy, Mariatou Kone; Minister of Heritage, Moussa Sanogo; and the Minister of Trade and Industry, Souleymane Diarassouba. The Ivorian Senate Speaker, Kandia Kamara; the President of the Economic, Social, Environmental and Cultural Council of Cote dIvoire, Eugene Aka Aouele; and the President of COSIM, Ousmane Diakite, also took part at this event. The Friday prayer sermon was delivered by Yazid Radi, President of the Souss-Massa Region Ulema Council and representative of the Moroccan Supreme Council of Ulema, who emphasized the value of brotherhood in Islam and the strong relations between Morocco and Cote dIvoire. A religious ceremony commemorating Laylat Al Qadr (the Night of Destiny) was held on Friday evening at the Mohammed VI Mosque with the participation of Ulema, caliphs of Sufi brotherhoods, and Ivorian and Moroccan religious guides. The Mohammed VI Mosque in Abidjan will work to spread wisdom, teach the Holy Quran, celebrate prayers, and promote the noble values of peace, tolerance and dialogue, as advocated by the Muslim religion. The Mosque will help share Moroccan expertise in managing the religious field, based on the common religious fundamentals between the two countries, symbolizing the fraternal and historic ties between the Ivorian and Moroccan peoples. Construction work on the Mohammed VI Mosque in Abidjan was launched on March 3, 2017 by King Mohammed VI and Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara. The work, carried out by Moroccan craftsmen, scrupulously adhered to traditional, authentic Moroccan architectural standards in all their splendor. The Mosque covers an area of 25,000 m2 and includes a prayer hall with a capacity of 7,000 worshippers, as well as a conference room, a library, a commercial complex, green spaces, and administrative offices. French daily Le Figaro shed light on Moroccos remarkable strides in reforming its social protection system, describing this initiative as singular within the African continent. The paper underscored the distinctiveness of Moroccos reform, and emphasized that on a continent where fewer than 15% of the population benefits from social protection, Moroccos efforts stand out significantly. The publication described the reform as a major social turning point and commended Morocco for its ambitious endeavor. Highlighting the urgency and scope of the reform, Le Figaro pointed out that Morocco has set a deadline for its universal social protection reform, aiming to fully implement it by 2025. The reform, it noted, is anticipated to have a transformative impact on millions of households, ultimately enhancing the countrys Human Development Index. Moroccos reform program, launched officially in 2021, is hailed as one of the most ambitious initiatives underway in middle-income countries globally. Drawing from the World Banks insights, the newspaper outlined the multi-dimensional approach of the reform, based on the progressive implementation of various pillars. The first phase, initiated in 2022, revolves around mandatory health insurance, which has already been extended to cover an additional 22 million beneficiaries. Complementing this, the article elaborated on the incorporation of family allowances, aimed at providing direct monthly income based on the number of children. The financial commitment behind the reform is staggering, with an estimated budget of 40 billion dirhams earmarked by 2026. The Moroccan government pledges substantial support, with a contribution of up to 20 billion dirhams over the next three years, Le Figaro recalled. Aside from the financial aspect, the article accentuated the innovative tools employed in the reform process. Central to this is the Unified Social Registry (RSU), hailed as a pivotal instrument. The RSU serves as a singular platform for registration, enabling efficient identification and evaluation of households eligibility for social programs. Moreover, its biometric features serve as a deterrent against fraudulent activities. A Trump rally in October. Photo: Scott Morgan/REUTERS The road to the White House this year will run through Black communities and all indicators point to a rough and tricky path for Democrats. Polls show a massive jump in the level of support among Black voters for Donald Trump, from 12 percent in 2020 to 17 percent now, according to a December survey by GenForward, a data project based at the University of Chicago. More recently, a New York TimesSiena poll had even more startling results, reporting that 23 percent of Blacks would vote for Trump if the election were held today. That would be the highest level of such support for a Republican presidential candidate since Nixon got 32 percent of the Black vote in 1960. How is this possible? This is the candidate who launched his political career by promoting birther lies to undermine the legitimacy of Barack Obama, the first Black president. He has a long history of racist comments and activities, going back to his vilification of the Central Park Five. At every rally, he makes abundantly clear that his movement is a vehicle for aggrieved whites to take back the power they feel they have lost. Is Joe Biden so unpopular that he could lose even this most loyal of Democratic constituencies? Black Republicans I spoke to think the Trump surge is real. Hes going to double those margins and increase the margins with Hispanics as well, says Scherie Murray, a Queens-based political consultant and a former member of the partys state committee. What were seeing now is people being frustrated with our political class and feeling it in the pocketbook. John Burnett, a Harlem businessman who is first vice-chairman of the New York State GOP, agrees. Its not a huge sample size, but sometimes when I travel to different places, like Milwaukee, Pennsylvania, and I talk to people, they say, Trump is Trump but I like what he has to say. The overwhelming majority of Black voters swing Democratic, but it would be a big mistake for Democrats to simply write off recent polls as a statistical anomaly. In a close race, it only takes a handful of voters to flip a state: Four years ago, Biden won Pennsylvania by an airtight margin of fewer than 82,000 votes. He carried Michigan by only about 154,000 votes and Wisconsin by fewer than 21,000 votes. Even a small dip in Democratic support in Detroit, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee could give Trump those states and the Electoral College precisely the scenario that doomed Hillary Clinton in 2016. Trump himself seems intent on alienating Black voters, claiming, for example, that reverse racism by Black prosecutors is the reason he is having so many legal troubles. Which means Biden and the Democrats largely have their fate in their hands when it comes to retaining voters allegiance. Republicans have had this kind of loosey-goosey outreach plan for winning over Black voters for close to 80 years. The problem is that for Republicans, Black voters present a little bit of a conundrum, says Leah Wright Rigueur, a political historian at Johns Hopkins and the author of The Loneliness of the Black Republican. Theyre constantly doing these mental calculations about what is the least amount of work we can do in order to get the most output from Black voters without alienating our core base of white voters? Indeed, in March the Republican Party said it was shutting down community centers charged with grassroots outreach efforts to Black and Latino voters nationwide (after the news broke, the party quickly claimed that the community centers would remain active). As Rigueur points out, Trump doesnt need Black voters to vote for him in big numbers: Stoking disenchantment within the Democratic Party can get the job done just as well. Over the course of the last 12 years, theres been an increase in the number of Republicans pouring money into digital media that is directed at not winning over Black voters but depressing Black voters. Its not voter suppression everything that they do is completely legal. But all of those things are based on the one premise of getting Black voters to move away from the Democrats, which is a kernel of truth rooted in this tense relationship between Democrats and Black voters, she says. So the biggest single factor that is driving this polling and attitude is not the Republican Party or anything that the Republican Party is doing. Its what the Democratic Party is doing or not doing. In conventional political terms, Biden has delivered a ton of goodies to Black communities, from selecting Kamala Harris as his vice-president to making Ketanji Brown Jackson the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. He has named Jamie Harrison chairman of the Democratic National Committee and reworked the political calendar to make heavily Black South Carolina the first primary state instead of New Hampshire. The Biden administration has directed over $7 billion to historically Black colleges and universities, and last year Black unemployment fell below 5 percent for the first time since the Department of Labor began tracking the statistic in 1972. Pretty good stuff but for some Black voters, not enough. This is where we get into descriptive versus substantive representation, says political scientist Christina Greer of Fordham University. A lot of Black voters are like, Why have we got all these Black people in charge and my life isnt changing? Why are my economic circumstances not exponentially better if I can look at how we had a Black president and weve got a Black mayor? Why is it that my schools are still bad, my neighborhood is still what it is? Burnett agrees, saying the disaffection is exacerbated by Democratic positions on immigration. When certain urban neighborhoods are overwhelmed by a preexisting homeless crisis, high rents, and a level of unaffordability in so many different categories, but yet they see individuals were talking about illegal immigration being placed in the front in terms of housing, even in some instances cash payments; theyre rolling off the red carpet, he says. And then they say, Wait a second, we vote for you guys, and we cant even get your attention on basic things, but you can find money to educate them, give them free health care, but when it comes to our needs as a Black community, it falls on deaf ears. I think Black people are sick and tired of being sick and tired. So some of them will actually exercise that level of protest by voting for Trump in the general. A third of Black voters have consistently polled as saying that they want stronger border control and having essentially xenophobic preferences, even Black migrants who come to the United States, Rigueur told me. Africans and West Indians tend to be conservative in some respects. I dont know that the Democratic Party has an answer for the complaints that Black folks are offering on the question of immigration. Trump and the Republicans are bound to play on those points of discontent as well as focus on a slice of Black men who are attracted to Trumps bombast. Trump brings that macho element who is not afraid to speak and tell the truth from their perspective, Burnett told me. We have to remember that Donald Trump has been with Black people for 40 years. Hes been in rap songs since like the 80s and 90s as this beacon of success, says Greer. You know, flashing gold and a guy who doesnt take any mess. On the one hand, there is evidence to suggest that Black voters who have always been conservative are finally allowing themselves to vote for the conservative party. On the other, there are voters who can be persuaded to return to the Democratic fold if they feel that Biden is going to make their lives better. The balance of the election just might lie between these two groups. the national interest J.D. Vance Says Trump Was Right to Try to Steal the Election, Because of Twitter The most ludicrous rationale yet. Joe Biden doesnt seem all that old to his fellow geezers. Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photos: Getty There has been a lot of chatter during the early phases of the 2024 presidential contest about Joe Bidens struggles to secure support from the young voters who were crucial to his victory over Donald Trump in 2020. Can he convince them that his economic policies actually benefit them, or that Trump is a threat to their freedoms, or that a vote for a third-party or independent candidate is a Trump-enabling waste of time? Can he overcome their unhappiness with his support for Israels war in Gaza? Most of all, can he motivate millennial and Gen-Z voters to turn out and vote for an 81-year-old president who was in the U.S. Senate long before they were born? A lot may depend on the answers to those questions. But there is a demographic group of voters who are disproportionately sure to show up at the polls in November and who by some measures are more favorably inclined toward Biden than youngsters. That would be Bidens fellow geezers. And even if seniors dont actually give Biden a plurality of their votes over that other geezer Donald Trump, a pro-Democrat trend among them could offset weakness in other parts of the electorate. As Ron Brownstein pointed out in December, this could be the silver lining associated with Bidens age: The major data sources on voting behavior including the exit polls conducted by Edison Research for a consortium of media organizations including CNN and the calculations by Catalist, a Democratic targeting firm all agree that Biden narrowly lost seniors to Donald Trump in 2020. But the same data sources agreed that Biden improved slightly over Hillary Clintons performance with older voters in 2016. In office, many polls have found that Biden has maintained more of his support among seniors than among other age groups, particularly young people. Getting a fix on the senior vote isnt easy, since many pollsters dont release age-based crosstabs, and some slice-and-dice age cohorts differently (e.g., measuring over 60 voters or even over and under 45 voters) in ways that make comparisons difficult. Polling variation is also common among the narrower voting categories thanks to small sample size. For example, a late-March national Marist poll of registered voters for NPR-PBS that showed Biden leading Trump by two points in a head-to-head contest gave the incumbent an eight-point lead (53 to 45 percent) among baby boomers and a two-point lead (48 to 46 percent) among the older silent- and greatest-generation voters. And a mid-March national Selzer poll of likely voters for Grinnell College showed Biden leading Trump by 11 points (49 to 38 percent) among over-65 voters even though Trump led the overall contest by seven points (45 to 38 percent). But a slightly earlier national YouGov poll of registered voters for Yahoo that showed a statistically tied head-to-head race gave Trump an 11-point lead (53 to 42 percent) among over-65 voters. Theres also a significant amount of polling showing old folks giving the octogenarian president relatively good job-approval ratings. An Economist-YouGov national survey of adults released earlier this week showed over-65 voters giving Biden the highest approval ratings (albeit a less-than-sensational 43 percent of any age cohort). Similarly, in a national CNN poll of registered voters in late January, over-65 voters gave Biden a 47 percent approval rating, compared to 38 percent overall. More generally and consistently, Gallups monthly job-approval rating surveys show above-average approval for Biden among over-65 voters dating back to March of 2022. Another feature of the senior vote that is noticeable in the polls this year is that old folks are less interested in third options like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The aforementioned late-March Marist poll showed 20 percent of Gen-Z and millennial voters opting for a non-major-party candidate. That percentage dropped to 9 among baby boomers and 7 percent among silent- and greatest-generation voters. In terms of issues affecting voting preferences, its worth knowing theres a significant generation gap in attitudes toward Israels war in Gaza, as Pew explained in a major December 2023 survey: Younger Americans are more likely than older adults to say that Israels current military operation against Hamas is going too far: 38% of adults under 35 say this, compared with smaller shares of those 35 to 49 (27%), 50 to 64 (23%) and 65 and older (16%). Positive as all these indicators are for Democrats and for Biden, they could improve at a crucial moment this autumn, as Brownstein noted: [A] date that some Democrats are already circling on the election calendar is September 1, 2024. Thats when the administration is scheduled to announce the results of the first-ever negotiations between Medicare and large pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices. The outcome could be substantial savings for seniors on 10 drugs taken by millions of Medicare recipients announced only a little over two months before Election Day. And thats just one component of an interlocked agenda on controlling drug and health care costs that could provide Biden a powerful calling card with older voters as it snaps into effect in the months ahead. It remains important for Democrats to bring younger Americans back into the fold, and there are grounds for optimism on that score as millennial and Gen-Z voters predictably sour on non-major-party candidates, while remembering who Donald Trump is and perhaps securing different Middle East policies from the Biden administration. But there could be gold in the silver-haired segments of the electorate as well. Alan revealed on Wednesday that he was sexually assaulted by a very famous photographer during his modeling days, which led him to quit the industry altogether. knowing he modeled for abercrombie and fitch, it's sadly not difficult to put two and two together here Reply Thread Link yeah, I remember the five models who sued Bruce Weber a couple years ago also accusing him of human trafficking :/ Reply Parent Thread Link Knowing he modeled risque male underwear (thongs, jockstraps, sheer and see-thru stuff), my mind went there first instead of A&F. Reply Parent Thread Link Glad hes speaking out. Its always been an open secret that modeling is an extremely shady and predatory industry. Reply Thread Link I really like him. He's so open, honest about his struggles with mental health and the things he's been through. I'm not surprised about this sadly. I've known people who have done professional modelling in the past and it has always seemed pretty icky. Reply Thread Link Me too he seems very genuine and fans who met him have only good things to say. Reply Parent Thread Link 100% A lot of famous models on the women's side got famous because they were the teenage girlfriends of famous photographers. Rich wealthy guys can call up agencies and ask them to send girls over to party with and they'll do it. Also the way modelling works for poor girls is indentured servitude. The agency says they will handle accommodations, food, travel and then the girls are working to pay it off. Is a teen in a foreign country who is heavily indebted to an agent going to feel comfortable saying no to their employer/handler when they ask them to meet men? No they are not. It's a horrible fucked up industry. Reply Thread Link https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/13/style/mario-testino-bruce-weber-harassment.html the new york times wrote an article about this sort of thing a few years ago Reply Thread Link Mario Testino was my first thought. I remember he got called out during the metoo movement. Reply Parent Thread Link Well, idt it is Mario Testino bc he also calls out Mario by name as sexually harassing him later on in his career Reply Parent Thread Link I still shudder when I think about people like Terry Richardson and how he worked for nearly every major brand name, despite it being known he was a sexual predator. He even flaunted it, and no one cared for the longest time. Maybe it's a preconception people have about models and that they're beautiful so they must have it so easy in life without any hardships. But yeah, the industry is terrible. A lot of these models are also very young, foreign and isolated so they're particularly vulnerable. There have been attempts to change/regulate (Cameron Russell and the Model Alliance) it but idk if they've gone anywhere as I haven't kept up with the news. Reply Thread Link Wow that's a name I haven't seen in a long time I hope he's in jail right now but something tells me he's still employed Reply Parent Thread Link When I was invested in the fashion industry for a hot second, he was the big name photographer and his "aesthetic" was so popular. I always hated it, and I think he finally started to see some consequences right when I stopped following fashion news? Idk, and I'm too afraid to look it up because I don't think I could handle the disappointment and disillusionment I'd feel if he were still working after everything. Reply Parent Thread Link Accomplishments listed here: Theyre currently trying to get the Fashion Workers Act S.2477C (Hoylman) / A.5631C (Reyes) passed in New York, which would greatly help regulate the industry. You can sign your support in the link below, and if youre in NY, contact your reps to help get it passed. https://www.modelalliance.org/fashionworkersact Theyve had some wins.Accomplishments listed here: https://www.modelalliance.org/anniversary Theyre currently trying to get the Fashion Workers Act S.2477C (Hoylman) / A.5631C (Reyes) passed in New York, which would greatly help regulate the industry. You can sign your support in the link below, and if youre in NY, contact your reps to help get it passed. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link i always think about the poor baby sheep he violated (or pretended to?) :( Reply Parent Thread Link Horrific and disappointing, but this is not a surprise. I'm glad he was able to remove himself from the industry. You'd think the ~glamor~ of the modeling industry would have been eradicated after all the shit that emerged from the 90s/00s but not so. Reply Thread Link I believe him and am sorry for what he experienced. Reply Thread Link Hmm I wonder if it was Mario Testino? Hes gotten some accusations. Makes sense that the model industry is ripe with it. In the arts, youre almost at the mercy of someone elses vision so a lot of these types see them as more props for better or worse. Look at the accusations Alexander Wang has! I remember Florence from florence + the machine indirectly him exposed in an old interview: At 1:47 He been accused of roofing or switching up peoples drinks. Edited at 2024-04-06 07:58 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link Idt its Mario bc in the article, Alan calls him out by name as sexually harassing/assaulting him later on in his career when he was acting Reply Parent Thread Link it's almost definitely bruce weber Reply Parent Thread Link Weber has been infamous for this stuff for decades. Reply Parent Thread Link He's absolutely right. I'm sorry he went through that. Reply Thread Link I'm glad he's speaking up, and I hope there's a reckoning for the fashion industry one day. People think the insular nature of the industry is there to keep prices high and maintain exclusivity, and while that's part of it, it also exists to hide the depravity of the industry. Celebrity models have some protection from it. It's awful for models from Eastern Europe and any African country. They pluck these children out of the most impoverished areas they can find and even refugee camps. Traffick them, pay them nothing, withhold passports, then send them back once they're too messed up to work. Edited at 2024-04-06 09:25 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link Good for him speaking out Reply Thread Link I watched a really fucked up documentary like a decade ago called Girl Model that was all about a scout-former model herself-who would go to Siberia to recruit girls to work in east Asia. It was a real bummer. Edited at 2024-04-06 08:15 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link I was just thinking the other day about how these industries (film, fashion, photography) were created to display art and they were ultimately turned into sex trafficking and/or money laundering. We really just can't have nice things. Reply Thread Link Facility Safety - Elevating Safety in Warehouse, Distribution Center and High Injury-Rate Retail Establishments: A Risk-Based Prioritized Approach Date: Thursday May 2, 2024 at 2:00pm ET - 1:00pm CT - 11:00am PT In today's fast-paced supply chain, where the demand for quick and accurate deliveries has never been higher, the safety of your warehouse and distribution center operations is pivotal. 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Then, in Portugal, a group sued their local governments for allowing climate change to happen. The Montana group even won. It's open season for suing governmentsand Big Oil. Of course, the supermajors have been a top target for environmentalist groups and some local authorities in the U.S. for years, but the lawsuits have not really resulted in any significant victories for the plaintiffsyet. But now it seems that anyone who has reason to be unhappy with their lot can just take Big Oil to court, which is exactly what one Belgian farmer did a month ago. According to Hugues Falys, "Climate change is having a tangible impact on my work and life: yield losses, extra work, and the stress that comes from dealing with a disrupted crop calendar." "My profession is intimately linked to the climate. In recent years, climate change has caused farmers a great deal of damage and left us uncertain about the future," the farmer explained in March. Yet rather than suing all the Big Oil majors, Falys singled out TotalEnergiespossibly because it is the largest fuel distributor in Belgium. Falys's case opens in mid-April, and it may be interesting to keep an eye on developments in the courtroom as a possible sign of things to come. Meanwhile, Shell's appeal against a landmark climate ruling by a Dutch court also began this month in The Hague. Back in 2021, the District Court in The Hague ordered the oil supermajor to slash its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 in a first-of-its-kind ruling in a climate case brought by environmentalists that could set precedents for other oil companies. The court said Shell must start doing this immediately and include the so-called Scope 3 emissions, those generated by the use of its producers, per the order. Shell appealed the ruling and, at the hearing, will argue that the original ruling had no legal basis and that it also overstepped the boundaries of judiciary authority, per the Financial Times. The environmentalist organization that won the original case, for its part, will present the same argument it used in 2021: that Shell has an obligation to act in accordance with studies suggesting the oil and gas industry causes changes in weather patterns and in accordance with international agreements such as the Paris Agreement. Meanwhile, that same group of activists, Friends of the Earth, is threatening to sue INGa Dutch lender that, like all lenders, does business with the oil and gas industry. The reason: that the bank does business with the oil and gas industry. In January this year, Friends of the Earth sent the CEO of ING, Steven van Rijswijk, a notice of legal liability, informing him that the bank had violated its legal obligations "by contributing to dangerous climate change." In another remarkable development in the litigation world, a climate NGO claims that Big Oil majors can be sued for what they call "climate homicide." The theory is that Big Oil knew about climate change but hid it, while climate change caused fatalities. For now, many believe this theory is outlandish and it would break down in court but its authors are not giving up, saying there has been interest from prosecutors. Suing Big Oil is already a business, and in some cases it can be a lucrative business. Pushing the boundaries of what grievances can be taken to court is a marked feature of the litigation push against Big Oiland a sign of tough times to come for an industry with a big climate change target on its back. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Iran is finding it increasingly challenging to maintain its balanced approach in the Caucasus. Fresh developments keep jiggling Tehrans diplomatic scales. Two major developments in recent years Azerbaijans reconquest of Nagorno-Karabakh and Russias unprovoked invasion of Ukraine created new diplomatic openings for Iran. The changed geopolitical environment has enabled Iran and Azerbaijan to smooth over what for much of the post-Soviet period had been a prickly relationship. At the same time, Irans traditionally tight ties with Armenia are coming under increasing strain. But both bilateral relationships remain prone to sudden twists. In March, the foreign ministers of Iran and Azerbaijan, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Jeyhun Bayramov, met on the margins of the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference in Saudi Arabia, agreeing on a return of Azerbaijani diplomatic personnel to Tehran. Baku had withdrawn its diplomats after an armed attack on the embassy in early 2023 that left an Azerbaijani citizen dead. (An Iranian court has reportedly sentenced the main suspect to death as a price for a full resumption of diplomatic ties.) The diplomatic reengagement occurred not long after Baku and Tehran lanced another boil of tension, signing an agreement last fall to construct a rail link known as the Aras corridor. The route will connect mainland Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave via Iranian territory. Azerbaijan had earlier sought to build a more direct route, known as the Zangezur corridor, by securing extraterritorial rights from Armenia. Iran had opposed Zangezur out of concern it would create a barrier to Iranian-Armenian trade. While Iranian-Azerbaijani relations are presently on a roll, Iranian-Armenian ties have hit some potholes. On the same day in March that the Azerbaijani and Iranian foreign ministers were restoring full diplomatic relations, Armenias defense minister, Suren Papikyan, visited Tehran for meetings with top Iranian officials, who delivered a firm warning that Yerevan should not grow too close to extra-regional parties. The phrasing was a clear reference to Yerevans recent cultivation of security ties with Western powers, including as France and United States. Armenias Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan acknowledged tensions with Tehran. Other geopolitical factors are pushing Tehran and Yerevan in divergent directions. First, tensions in the Middle East connected with the Israel-Hamas conflict have raised the possibility of a widening of warfare to involve Iranian allies and perhaps even Iran itself. This has prompted Tehran to hedge risks by taking steps to ensure calm on its northern border. Given Azerbaijans close security relationship with Israel, the last thing Iran needs is an opening of another front all the more so as Bakus hawkish allies in Washington and Jerusalem have consistently sought to weaponize Irans sizeable Azeri population against Tehran. Armenia also has experienced a rapid deterioration in relations with Russia, due to the widespread perception of Armenians that Moscow failed to live up to its security commitments to Yerevan during the most recent phase of the Karabakh conflict. As a result, Armenia is striving to diversify its foreign partners, in particular Western powers. Armenias recently voiced intention to apply for membership in the European Union stands to be a lasting irritant in Yerevans ties to Tehran. The accession process would require Armenia to make major changes to bring its foreign policy into alignment with Brussels. Among such requirements would be the scrapping of Armenias visa-free regime with Iran, and the reorienting of Yerevans trade away from the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union, with which Iran has signed a free trade agreement. The souring of Armenian-Russian relations sharply contrasts with Tehrans own strengthening ties with Moscow, a trend driven in part by the development of the North-South trade route, which helps Russia mitigate the impact of Western sanctions. The expansion of such trade encourages closer cooperation between Iran and Azerbaijan to facilitate the transit of Russia-bound goods. As two heavily sanctioned countries, Iran and Russia are drawn together by a sense of inter-pariah solidarity. Iran has supplied Russia with drones that the latter deployed against Ukraine. In exchange, Iran expects Russia to play a vital role in an upgrade of its air defense systems. In 2023, Russia overtook China as the main foreign investor in Iran. Conversely, prospects for Irans engagement with the West have diminished. Despite the warming Baku ties and the diplomatic knuckle-rap of Yerevan, it would be premature to assume that Tehran is intent on altering its Caucasus policy to firmly side with Azerbaijan at Armenias expense. Iran does not look at Caucasus geopolitics as a zero-sum game. Iranian officials, for example, still consistently voice support for Armenias sovereignty and territorial integrity. Even as Tehran pursues normalization with Baku, Iranian officials are determined to do all they can to keep the countrys trade route to Armenia open and flowing. Despite its agreement on the Aras transit corridor with Azerbaijan, Iran wants to diversify its trade network, hoping to develop another rail route via Armenia and Georgia to the Black Sea. Irans ambassador to Armenia, Mehdi Sobhani, recently reasserted these points, to the irritation of the pro-government media in Baku. For Tehran, Azerbaijans strong strategic relationship with Israel is a factor capable of quickly scrambling Iranian-Azerbaijani relations. Volatility in the Middle East, underscored by the recent Israeli missile attack on an Iranian consulate in Syria killing two Iranian generals, can bring Iran into direct conflict with Israel, upsetting Azerbaijans ability to be friends with two enemies. Within this context, even though Iran may not be thrilled about the growing Western, particularly French, presence in Armenia, that presence also helps to some extent to balance Azerbaijani influence in the Caucasus. In fact, support for Armenias sovereignty is one of the few things on which the West and Iran seem to agree today. By Eldar Mamedov Via Eurasianet.org More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Gazprom Neft is poised to fulfill its obligations under the April quota of the OPEC+ agreement on oil production cuts by the close of the month, CEO Alexander Dyukov informed journalists. "The Ministry of Energy traditionally communicates the quota to us, and we proceed to implement it accordingly. Our plan is to achieve the required volumes of production cuts by the month's end," Dyukov stated. During the April 3 meeting of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee of the OPEC+, no recommendations were made regarding alterations to the oil production policy. OPEC+ has agreed to voluntarily cut oil production by a combined total of 2.2 million barrels per day since during the first quarter of 2024. This concerted effort is aimed at restoring equilibrium to the oil market. OPEC+ had originally planned on this production cut spanning the first quarter, but left the door open for it could be extended. The voluntary production cuts will now go through the second quarter as well. The commitment of Gazprom Neft to fulfilling its obligations underscores the company's adherence to the agreements laid out within the framework of the OPEC+ arrangement. Such adherence from Russia is crucial in OPEC+ maintaining stability within the global oil market, particularly amidst ongoing fluctuations in supply and demand dynamics and geopolitical uncertainty. Gazprom Neft's timely compliance with the April quota will contribute to the broader objective of achieving market stability, after compliance had become a sticking point for the OPEC+. The Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) had asked Iraq and Kazakhstan to present detailed compensation plans on how they would cut production in the second quarter to make up for their overproduction in the previous quarter. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Honourable Yakubu Dogara, in Abuja on Wednesday, said those who rigged shamelessly during the 2019 general elections would not go unpunished. He said Nigeria is becoming a bad reference point in bad behaviour. Dogara spoke at the 85th Emergency National Executive Committee meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which took place at the national secretariat of the party. The Speaker, who won his reelection into the House of Reps, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct the Saturdays supplementary elections with professionalism. He said, What has happened (the 2019 elections) is pure evil. Our consolation as members of this party is that no evil doer has ever escaped punishment. Elections are done all over the world. Elections are conducted in other Africa countries and at no time have we heard of these inconclusive elections. The partys vice presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, said INEC had its problems, but added that those who should be blamed were those who directed the commission on what to do. President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki commended members of the party for remaining steadfast, stressing that what happened to the party at the polls was a tragedy for Nigeria as a country. Invest & Get 20% In Just 90 Days Click HERE >> Delicious Noodles Pizza In Lagos Click HERE >> To Buy Cheap MTN & GLO Data Click HERE >> President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday confirmed the appointment of Mohammed Adamu as the Inspector General of Police. According to Buharis New Media aide, Bashir Ahmad, Adamus appointment was confirmed at the Police Council Meeting holding at the State House. The meeting was presided over by Buhari. Ahmad tweeted, The Police Council chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari today, confirmed Mohammed Adamu as the substantive Inspector General of Police (IGP). WORKERS of Kwara State-owned College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies (CAILS) yesterday complained over nonpayment of their salaries from January till date. They blamed the past administrations for their ordeal, saying the former government did not place high premium on education. Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of the college, Musa Mahmud, during a tree planting programme organised by Media Advocacy and Technologies Centre (MATEC) in collaboration with Hajia Mero Mustapha in Ilorin, urged Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to consider their plight. The event was to commemorate this years World Environment Day. Mahmud noted that the state of education in Kwara State from 2003 till date was discouraging. The presence of government has not been felt in this school since 2003 till date, he added. He said: The new All Progressives Congress (APC) government is our own. The current administration is our collective decision. Many of us are not happy. As I am talking to you, I am holding back tears because the last administration turned us into destitute. We have been living at the mercy of others to survive and keep our children in their schools. We had to go cap in hand to make sure that our children are not sent out of schools as we could not pay school fees. We lived on the mercy of our relatives during the just concluded Ramadan fast. From the beginning of this year we have not earned a kobo as staff of this college. By Izunna Okafor, Awka Journalists in Anambra have commended the efforts and achievements of the State Commissioner of Police, CP Aderemi Adeoye in making the State safer. The pen pushers gave the commendation on Thursday, April 4, during the monthly Congress of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Anambra State Council. Tagged Finishing Strong, the event, which had CP Adeoye as the Guest, also featured a media parley between the journalists and the Commissioner, during which he fielded some questions from the newsmen on the general security situation in the State, vis-a-vis before and since his assumption of office as the States Police Chief barely nine months ago. Addressing the Congress, the State Chairman of the NUJ, Comrade Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, commended the impacts of CP Adeoyes security initiatives and the various feats so far recorded by the States Police Command under his watch, even as he gears towards finishing strong in his policing career in few months time when he would retire from active service. Comrade Odogwu, while commending the CP and his team for the results of their efforts, also congratulated him on the honour recently done to him in the State by the government through naming of a street after him in the capital territory. The NUJ Chairman, also, on behalf of the Union, lauded Governor Chukwuma Soludo for restoring pipe-borne water in the State after over 16 years such thing was last seen in the State. He highlighted the various ways the pipe-borne water can benefit the State and her residents, while also urging the Governor to sustain further reticulation of the water. The Congress also called on Governor Soludo to look into the proliferation of the states capital city by child beggars and people using sick and underage children to beg alms in the city an act that has not only defaced the capital city, but also exposes the children to danger. Earlier speaking, CP Adeoye, extolled the cordial relationship existing between the media and the States Police Command, as well as the support the Command, under his watch, has so far enjoyed from the media, which, he attested, contributed significantly to the successes recorded by the Command. Fielding questions from newsmen, the Commissioner, represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Criminal Investigation Department, DCP Akin Fakorede, made some clarifications on the various security-related happenings in the State, and also recounted the efforts and achievements of the Command in addressing the issues and further strengthening the general security of the State. According to him, the Command has also recently introduced some new proactive policing strategies and initiatives, and will sustain the raid against insecurity in the State. Contributing, the Police Public Relations Officer of the State, SP Ikenga Tochukwu highlighted the specific giant strides made by the Command in the past few weeks, including the raiding and destruction of insurgents camps at Achalla, Ogbunka, Aguluezechukwu, Ogboji, and other places; rescuing of kidnap victims, recovering of three beretta pistols from cultists at Ogidi and Ekwulobia, among other arms and ammunitions recovered at Awada, other insurgents camps and other locations. While underscoring the importance of stakeholders engagement and collaboration, the police authority also assured of sustained synergy with the media and other relevant agencies, to further enhance the security of lives and properties of Ndi Anambra. Also present at the event was the immediate-past State Chairman of NUJ in Anambra and incumbent South-East Vice President of the Union, Comrade Emma Ifesinachi, among others. Related Four individuals are feared dead, and 20 others wounded in Kaduna following clashes involving members of the proscribed Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shiites. The incident occurred as the Shiites gathered in large numbers on Friday for a peaceful procession in Kaduna to observe the International Quds Day. However, law enforcement agents, particularly the Nigeria Police, intervened to disperse the procession. Eyewitnesses reported tension escalating as shots were fired by the police to disband the protesters, causing panic among citizens and businesses along Ahmadu Bello Way, where the procession took place. According to reports, gunfire during the clash resulted in the death of four IMN members and left approximately 20 others injured. The Kaduna State Police Commands Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansir Hasan, confirmed that three police personnel sustained injuries during the incident and were hospitalized. ASP Hasan refuted claims that police officers killed IMN members, asserting that no live ammunition was used to disperse the procession. Before the clash, Professor Dauda Nalado, a leader of IMN, highlighted the significance of the International Quds Day, an annual event observed during Ramadan. He emphasized the solidarity with Palestine against Israeli oppression and brutality. Nalado condemned the recent violence in Palestine, calling for global condemnation and urging Nigeria to sever diplomatic ties with Israel. He also advocated for a permanent ceasefire and comprehensive measures for Palestinian freedom. The lawyer of Nigerian transgender, Bobrisky has expressed confidence as the Federal High Court deliberates on the case of his client. Bobrisky faced a six-count charge, including allegations of abuse of currency, currency mutilation, and money laundering, brought forward by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi on Friday. During the proceedings, the prosecuting counsel urged the court to dismiss charges 5 and 6 against the influencer. The court considered this request, while Bobrisky pleaded guilty to the charge of naira abuse in four separate instances. The Federal High Court postponed its judgment until Tuesday, April 9th, while Bobrisky was remanded in EFCC custody. Speaking to TVC News, Bobriskys lawyer acknowledged the delay, citing the relevant laws regarding their clients status as a first-time offender, and advocated for leniency in sentencing. According to Bobriskys lawyer, first-time offenders of currency mutilation face a fine of 50,000 or a six-month jail term. He revealed that the EFCC has agreed to the request to pay the fine, noting that theres nothing he can do regarding the case adjournment. During the trial, Bobrisky expressed remorse to the court, pledging to change and claiming ignorance regarding the consequences of spraying money, which he purportedly mistook for a cosmetic product. Despite the EFCCs acceptance of Bobriskys terms for fine payment, his release from custody has not yet been facilitated. Watch the video below: KanyiDaily recalls that Bobrisky was arrested on Wednesday evening, April 3, and has since been detained at the EFCCs Lagos Command. The Nigerian Police Force has disowned a document in circulation purportedly indicting the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, of certificate forgery. This was contained in a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, and shared on the Forces Facebook page on Friday. The statement read, 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 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. On January 9, 2023, the PUNCH report that Aiyedatiwa debunked a report that he was involved in a certificate forgery scandal, describing the report as the handiwork of some of his political detractors. Aiyedatiwa was sworn in on December 27, 2023, following the demise of his principal, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who lost his protracted battle against prostate cancer. Before Akeredolus death, Aiyedatiwa was acting governor and had battled an impeachment plot launched against him by the state House of Assembly, believed to be loyal to Akeredolu. The General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has cautioned individuals who criticize and mock him to proceed with caution. The cleric emphasized that those who engage in such behavior ultimately meet unfortunate ends. Pastor Adeboye said even though he is nothing and weak, those mocking him and the mission should know that his God is a consuming fire. He reminded his critics that the word of God made it clear that anyone God will use must be foolish, must be weak, be a nobody so that nobody will get the glory. Recall that Adeboye had been drawing criticism from several celebrities and on-air personalities over some of his declarations and comments. Adeboyes sermon Adeboye made the comments during his sermon and annointing service at the monthly Holy Ghost service. It was held on the theme: Shielded by Fire at The Redemption City of God. In his words: If Paul, who wrote more than half of the New Testament, claimed to be less than the least of the saint, according to Ephesians 3:8, Pastor Adeboye is nothing. However, his God is everything. Listen to me carefully, Adeboye is one stupid boy and I would prove it to you before I close, But his God is wiser than the wisest. Adeboye is weak, he eats pounded yam and goes to the toilet. But his God is stronger than the strongest. Adeboye is nothing but his God is the All-sufficient God. So there is nothing spectacular. There is no big deal if you mock Pastor Adeboye. He deserves to be mocked. The word of God made it abundantly clear. Anyone that God will use must be weak, foolish, and a nobody, so that only God will take the glory. So you can mock Adeboye, but you must not mock his God. Why? Because Adeboye is nothing, there is nothing he can do to you. But his God is a Consuming fire. Going further, he revered cleric asked his members series of questions. I want to ask you some questions. The fact that the leaders of Boko Haram are Muslims or claimed to be Muslims, does that mean every Muslim is a terrorist? Because one Islamic cleric said they should kill our first lady, does that mean every Imman is a murderer. There was this guy called HUSSPUPPY, the fellow who was the original 419 man that was arrested in Dubai. He happens to be a Nigerian, does that mean every Nigerian man is a 419? If a pastor and his wife do something insensitive somewhere, does that mean every pastor everywhere is insensitive? Pastor in Ireland Then what about this pastor somewhere in Ireland. They said he committed all manners of atrocities. How will you explain that? Number one, the way they reported it in Nigeria is different from the way is reported where it happen. Over there they said a former pastor. Meaning he used to be. But put that one aside. They didnt tell you the whole story, they did not tell you that they did not catch the boy. But he reported himself and why did he report himself, he heard a sermon on restitution and decided it is better to suffer shame while here on earth than to go to hell. And where did he hear that sermon, in the Redeemed Christian Church of God. We are among the few churches left in the world that ever talk about restitution. I am not Justifying the unjustifiable While noting that the pastor might have backslided when he committed the crime, he said: Do you know the Bible says he who thinks he stands should take heed, lest he falls? Even you standing today be careful. I pray you will never fall. You can say but he was ordained as a pastor. But have you heard about backsliding? Once hot for the Lord and along the line became cold. The Bible even said he that thinketh that he stand. I dont want to give the impression that I am justifying the unjustifiable. The Lord prayed all night and chose 12 disciples. One of them turned out to be Judas Iscariot. One failure out of 12. If you consider the number of pastors in RCCG in Nigeria, alone. Dont let me tell you the number. But let me tell you mathematically. The number of pastors in Nigeria alone today is more than 200 thousand. If we find one here, one there over there, well our Lord Jesus Christ the one we are following chose 12 but one was the devil. Nigerias Economy Pastor Adeboye lamented the increase in the pump price of fuel and the hike in the electricity tariff. He added that what is happening in Nigeria is not ordinary. Adeboye said when he saw the way things were going he had to quickly call on some prayer warriors to intercede for the country. He said: If I am not such a stupid boy I would have asked God how worse things would get before they get better. I did not ask. So, you see how stupid a boy I am. All of a sudden we saw the Naira going down. I never knew the Naira would go so bad. I know nations who got independence at the same time as Nigeria whose money is like 10,000 to a Pound. However, he said he called for more prayers for the country and those in place of authorities. He urged Nigerians not to be tired of praying for the country. As I was coming out of the prayer room, I heard the government has increased the price of fuel and electricity tarrif had increased. If the price of fuel increases, it means the cost of transporting the food to the market will increase. It means the food will increase in price. I had this feeling that the rate this is happening is no longer natural. And then I heard a prophet had prophesied that things would only get better towards the end of 2025. Abubakar Mannir, a 36-year-old Bureau De Change operator, has been accused of defrauding Mr. Manas Das, the Chief Executive Officer of Allkraft Technology and Industries Limited, of $737,015.00. According to Saturday Vanguard, it was gathered that Das, a Nigerian-based Indian, contacted the Bureau de Change operator, who operated under Emirates Booth company, to purchase the United States dollars under three agreements that totaled $900,000. General Manager of Allkraft Technology and Industries Limited, Abdulrahman Abubakar, told Saturday Vanguard that 100 per cent of the Naira equivalent was transferred from the Allkraft company Zenith Bank account to Emirates booth account number, in December 2023. However, trouble started for the Indian , after Mannir was said to have paid him only $162,985 through Emirates Booth but allegedly fled without paying the balance of $737,015.00 Abubakar explained that : The contracts were supposed to be fulfilled in November 2023, but the Emirates Booth owned by Mr. Mannir cited a delay and finally agreed to make the transfers from January 15, 2024, to January 19, 2024. By that time, Mr. Manas Das had travelled to Abuja, from where the remittance was scheduled to be transferred. Mr. Mannir was scheduled to meet with members of staff of both companies (Allkraft Technology and Industries Limited and Emirates Booth) on January 14, 2024, for a dinner meeting to discuss and ensure that payments were made the next day. The last call I received from Mr. Mannir was on January 14, 2024, at about 5 p.m, informing that members of both companies would meet at about 7 p.m. But the meeting never held The next day, after contacting the Emirates Booth office, including its managers and assistants, it was suspected that something was wrong. Staffers of both companies travelled from Abuja as early as 5am to Kano, where it was confirmed that Mannir had disappeared. We had to report the case to the Police. In spite of regular follow-ups with the police from that day until date, Mannir could not be traced and the money is yet to be recovered. The police informed us that Mannir had fled to Niger. However, we also know that he is in contact with his family because there are recordings of his conversation with his mother. The victim has been pushed into deep financial trouble and he is now trying to borrow money to survive and pay salaries to the staff and labourers who used to work in the company. Most of them have stopped working because there is no money to pay their salaries. Attempts to reach Mannir failed as his mobile lines were not connecting. His younger brother, Abubakar Imam, told Saturday Vanguard when contacted, that We have not been able to reach him. I dont know his current location, so I cant say exactly where he is. Earier this year, he was released from prison over the same fraud case with Zenith Bank. My 50-year-old mother is already battling with sickness about this case because she is aware of the matter. When Saturday Vanguard contacted the Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abdullahi Haruna on the matter, he confirmed that the command was aware of it, adding that investigation had commenced. Bernard Michael, one of the refugees in Okuama forest in Delta State, has stated that the residents of his community are farmers and do not participate in oil bunkering activities. Michael, father of six children, among those hiding in the forest, said if the government makes its findings, it will find out the Okuama community has no oil bunkerers. He said this in exclusive interviews that Okuama residents had with Vanguard in the forests since the incidents in which some assailants murdered 17 military personnel last month. Michael said, We are in the bush here, today, because one Ijaw man brought soldiers to our town when I was on my farm. So I came home, they were asking after our chairman. The chairman then came from the farm and we entertained them and they said they came for peace. However, later, they insisted that they would go with the chairman. The women refused, and soldiers started shooting and people scattered. Some boats later came to attack the soldiers and our people. It is a lie that we have oil in our community. We do not do bunkering. If the government uses every piece of equipment to dig our ground, they cannot see anything concerning oil bunkering. Amagbein is not from our community, we do not know anyone like that, and we have not heard that name in our community. Our children are out of school and we are suffering so much in the bush. We have nothing to eat in the bush; we eat wild fruits here and sleep on the grass. I am with all my kids and my wife, I did not lose anyone, but they have destroyed our houses and everything I have in the community, except this shirt, and shorts I am wearing. My appeal to the government is that they should allow us to go back home as we do not even know when we will go back. The soldiers are occupying our community now. UN appeals for humanitarian assistance for Zambia to address drought crisis Xinhua) 09:41, April 06, 2024 LUSAKA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) on Friday appealed for urgent humanitarian assistance for Zambians affected by the drought. An assessment conducted by the United Nations after touring affected areas has revealed that "the amount of crop failure is very devastating and leaves many people in need of food aid. Zambia is facing unprecedented drought," UN Assistant Secretary-General Reena Ghelani said. Ghelani, who is also UN climate crisis coordinator for the El Nino/La Nina response, told journalists at a press briefing that the international community needs to respond quickly to avoid further damages. While commending the government for responding urgently to the crisis by releasing food from the strategic reverses, she noted that there is need for external help to fill the gap. Etleva Kadilli, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) regional director for eastern and southern Africa, expressed concern that the drought may have a huge impact on children in the country. She said the situation is likely to result in increased malnutrition levels among children, a situation that may cause stunted growth. In February this year, the government declared a national state of disaster and emergency to enable a rapid response to the prolonged drought which has affected 84 of the country's 116 districts. The Zambian government has reported that about six million people are at risk of food insecurity. About 40,000 people facing emergency levels of food insecurity, the UN said. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Zhong Wenxing) According to Lagos police spokeperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, Tunde, who has been dismissed from service since 2020, charges N20,000 to beat anybody upon request. The Lagos State Police operatives have arrested Muhammed Tunde and his associates for assaulting a hotel staff member. According to Lagos police spokeperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, Tunde, who has been dismissed from service since 2020, charges N20,000 to beat anybody upon request. In a post on his X handle on Saturday, April 6, Hundeyin wrote: Dismissed Nigerian Navy personnel, Muhammed Tunde (dismissed since 2000), making people believe hes a serving military personnel, charges N20,000 to bring his boys and beat up anybody for you. He was apprehended while he and his boys were beating a hotel staff, a job contracted to him by one of the hotel customers who was asked to stop smoking in a no smoking area of the hotel. Prosecution follows! Former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, is gearing up for a legal battle against President Bola Tinubu in at least two courtrooms, Saturday Vanguard has learned. El-Rufais move stems from what his allies and critics term as his public humiliation by the Tinubu administration, accusing him of being a security risk unfit for ministerial office. In what promises to be a high-stakes confrontation, El-Rufai intends to clear his name both in the judicial arena and the court of public opinion, where he is speculated to pose a significant challenge to Tinubus anticipated re-election bid in 2027. According to a confidant of El-Rufai, You think Mallam will allow this tag to abide on him? I can assure you that he is going to clear his name in court. El-Rufai is a man who has many contacts internationally and he is not one to allow his reputation to be smeared by the reason given by the Senate of being a security risk. The former governors disappointment over being dropped during the Senate ministerial screening on grounds of failing security clearance has stirred up a storm within political circles. El-Rufais pivotal role in rallying Northern governors behind Tinubu and his contributions to securing Tinubus victory in some Southwest states have amplified the shock of his rejection. Moreover, El-Rufais opposition to the Federal Governments naira redesign project further fueled tensions, with the former governor alleging that the move was orchestrated to undermine the APCs electoral prospects. Apart from legal recourse, El-Rufai is reportedly mobilizing to challenge Tinubus standing in the court of public opinion in the run-up to 2027. Whether he will stand as a candidate or operate behind the scenes remains uncertain. El-Rufais transition from critic to ally of Tinubu has been marked by twists and turns, with past statements indicating a strained relationship. The Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, has sanctioned the deployment of dedicated Police Public Relations Officers and Deputy Public Relations Officer at the Force Headquarters, Abuja. According to a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Saturday, these appointments aim to enhance community engagement and strategic communication. Adejobi declared, The newly posted officers and their respective portfolios include CSP Isuku Victor Edailokun as Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters Abuja; DSP Ukandu Joshua to PPRO Ebonyi; ASP Buhari Abdullahi to PPRO Gombe; ASP John Timfon to PPRO Akwa-Ibom; and ASP Hundeyin Isaac Sewanu to PPRO Ports Authority Police (Western) Lagos. The Inspector General of Police hereby reiterates his commitment to standardising and repositioning the Force in line with his vision statement while wishing the newly posted officers success in their new roles. Adejobi emphasized that the newly appointed officers have been instructed to maintain professionalism and cultivate strong relationships with the public. Senegals President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has unveiled a new government, introducing a lineup of fresh faces to key positions after his resounding victory in last months election. The 44-year-old, a political newcomer who clinched a first-round win, pledged sweeping reforms during his campaign, marking his debut in elected office and making history as Senegals youngest president. Faye is expected to work closely with his appointed Prime Minister and former mentor, Ousmane Sonko, who played a pivotal role in propelling Faye to power. Sonko, in revealing the cabinet of 25 ministers, hailed it as a departure from the past, stating, The government set up here on April 5 is a breakaway government that embodies the project, a systemic transformation voted for by the Senegalese people. A significant appointment includes Birame Souleye Diop as the Energy Minister, a critical role given Senegals forthcoming oil and gas production, slated to commence in 2024. Ousmane Diagne, formerly a public prosecutor at the Dakar Court of Appeal, assumes the position of Justice Minister. Notably, the cabinet comprises four women, entrusted with portfolios including Foreign Affairs, Fisheries, Family and Youth, and Culture. With Senegal grappling with challenges such as a 20% official unemployment rate, Sonko outlined the governments priorities, emphasizing youth employment, cost of living reduction, and human rights protection. Lagos State Government plans to demolish a section of the Landmark Beach Resort to make way for the construction of the coastal highway as part of the Lagos-Calabar road project. This was contained in a letter addressed to the proprietor of Landmark Beach Resort, Paul Onwuanibe, dated March 19, 2024, and signed by Tpl Shomolu O., Deputy Director of the Development Matters Department on behalf of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Developments Permanent Secretary. In the letter, Lagos state authorities informed Onwuanibe that he has seven days to vacate his multimillion-dollar beach resort for demolition. Onwuanibe, 58, explained that the government said his Landmark Beach resort had to be removed as it falls within the right of way of a planned 700-kilometer (435-mile) coastal highway designed to link the former capital city to Calabar, a port city near the border with Cameroon. He told CNN he acquired the land in 2007 before plans for the coastal highway were drafted, expressed a range of emotions upon receiving the demolition notice, which also instructed him to file compensation claims. One was amazement, second was concern and the third one was, is this real or is this an April Fools (Day prank in) advance? Onwuanibe said. The proposed demolition includes sections of the property such as the Beach Resort, Kids and Bay Arena, Members Area, and Lagos Beach Club, as they encroach within the Right of Way of the planned road project by 50 meters. The Landmark Beach Resort, valued at over $200 million, hosts over 80 businesses, provides more than 4,000 direct jobs, and generates over 2 billion naira ($1.5 million) in annual tax revenue. Onwuanibe said that foreign and local investors in Landmark Group are considering withdrawing their support if the beach resort is demolished. Without the beach, the entire ecosystem is at risk and is severely damaged, he said, adding: I have had widespread panic calls from my international and local investors as well as local debt providers threatening to pull the plug as they think this is material to our survival as a business. The Lagos state government had previously published notices of the demolition in two national newspapers. The federal authorities approved the new coastal road on February 27, with the first phase to be constructed on Victoria Island and eventually spanning nine coastal states in Nigeria. KanyiDaily recalls that Lagos State Government had vowed that more structures will go down amid controversies surrounding the demolition of buildings in the state. Imo State Police Command has confirmed that the Action Alliance (AA) Senatorial Candidate for Okigwe Senatorial District in the 2019 elections, Hon Ndubuisi Emenike is dead. KanyiDaily had reported that Honourable Ndubisi was allegedly shot dead by his security aide. The security aid who shot the Imo politician has been identified as an official of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC). But, the name of the official could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report. The incident happened around 5 p.m. on Sunday at the country home of Miriam Onuoha in Umunachi, Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State. Mrs Onuoha was the APC candidate for Okigwe North Federal Constituency in the re-run election which held on Saturday. The Independent National Electoral Commission had announced the APC candidate as the winner of the election. It was learnt that Mr Emenike was shot dead by the NSCDC official during the celebration party that started shortly after Mrs Onuoha was declared winner of the election by INEC. The NSCDC operative is said to have followed his principal to the victory party. Witnesses said the official was shooting consistently into the air and mistakenly shot his boss, disrupting the party which was already underway. Mr Emenike fell and lost consciousness and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital where he was confirmed dead. Ndubuisi Emenike has been shot by one of his security aides. He was shot during APC victory party at Isiala Mbano LGA. He was shot at his lower abdomen by his aide, an NSCDC officer. This is very tragic and very unbelievable. We pray he makes it. The incident has shattered our victory party, one witness said. The police spokesman in the state, Orlando Okeokwu, confirmed the incident. He said the NSCDC official has been detained and the killing is being investigated. This happened less than two months, his fellow contender in the 2019 election, Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu slumped and died while taking his bath at his Abuja residence. How Time Flies is a daily feature looking back at Pantagraph archives to revisit what was happening in our community and region. 100 years ago April 6, 1924: Philip LaFollette, son of the U. S. Sen. Robert M. LaFollette, will deliver a public address in Bloomington on Sunday afternoon at the Castle theater. Mr. LaFollette is making a tour of the state of Illinois in the interest of his father, Senator LaFollette, candidate for the nomination for president. 75 years ago April 6, 1949: Pianist Lyle Smith, the man who decided that Bloomington needed another iron lung, raised the last of the money Tuesday. Mr. Smith laid $2,125.62 in the hands of Sister M. Celine, head of St. Joseph's hospital, Wednesday. His one-man campaign started March 14. 50 years ago April 6, 1974: A major expansion of the service offered by Kaleidoscope, Inc., has started as the result of a merger with the Browndale Foundation, based in Toronto, Canada. Manifestations of the expansion include buying houses to be used for "therapeutic treatment homes." 25 years ago April 6, 1999: Central Illinois farmers are pulling in their purse strings as tight as they can stand it. A University of Illinois report showed the farm net income averaged only $11,074 last year because of low commodity prices. A similar scenario appears likely this year. Vintage Pantagraph newspaper ads for medicine, 'magic' remedies Clover Blossom Extract - Nov. 15, 1883 St. Jacobs Oil - July 14, 1887 Castoria - July 26, 1892 Rheumatic Ring - May 29, 1894 Beefmalt - May 29, 1894 Wakefield's Cough Syrup - Feb. 13, 1908 S.S.S. - April 23, 1908 Olive Tablets - Nov. 20, 1911 Cold-go - Dec. 11, 1911 Dr. Danby - Dec. 11, 1911 Allcock Plasters - March 2, 1917 Olive Tablets - Feb. 23, 1918 Laxative Bromo Quinine - Oct. 16, 1918 Bayer Tablets of Aspirin - April 24, 1919 Bayer Tablets of Aspirin - April 29, 1919 Snake Oil - Nov. 22, 1919 Beecham's Pills - Nov. 22, 1919 Snake Oil - Nov. 29, 1919 Doan's Kidney Pills - March 8, 1920 Bayer Tablets of Aspirin - Sept. 21, 1920 J.C. Hutzell's Eczema Treatment - Nov. 11, 1922 Gude's Pepto-Mangan - April 2, 1923 O-Joy Corn Wafers - March 4, 1930 Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription - March 19, 1930 666 Tablets - March 25, 1930 Cuticura - March 25, 1930 Geo-Mineral - Dec. 8, 1948 Anacin - Jan. 16, 1963 Liquiprin - Aug. 27, 1970 Icy Hot - Nov. 20, 1977 The Ghana Police Service, through an intelligence-led operation and investigation, has arrested Six (6) persons including Four (4) Juveniles who are all Students of Presbyterian Boys Senior High School (PRESEC), Legon, Accra for staging a kidnapping incident. The two(2) adults among the six (6) are Isaac Kissi Adjei alias Kofi Black and Courage Teiko alias Timmy. Preliminary investigations revealed that one of the juveniles, in an attempt to extort money from his parents to enable him to travel abroad, conspired with the others to stage the kidnapping incident. In the process, they demanded an amount of Three Hundred and Forty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH 340,000.00) as ransom from the alleged victims parents. The Investigation further disclosed that the juveniles together with the two others succeeded in collecting an amount of Twenty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH20,000.00) of the total ransom demanded. In line with best practice, the identities of the juveniles have been withheld and their parents and guardians have been duly informed, as police investigations into the incident continue. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A Communicator of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Asante Mampong in the Ashanti Region, has reportedly been stabbed to death by his wife on Thursday night. According to reports, the deceased, 45-year-old Osei Yaw Akoto popularly known as Borga was stabbed while fighting with his wife. Reports said the first son of the deceased, George rushed to his house for help when his father was stabbed. When he rushed to the scene, George said he found him lying in a pool of blood with wounds on his chest. So I rushed to his house because we are neighbours; I call him Borga, and so when I got there he was lying in a pool of blood but still breathing. He was stabbed in his chest and so it was deep. I dont have a car, so I rushed to get a car, and we sent him to the hospital, he narrated. He said when they rushed him to Asante Mampong Government Hospital, the doctor tried to stabilise him but died in just 15 minutes. George said the deceased and his wife, both trained teachers, often engaged in quarrelling, but could not fathom why it turned fatal this time. The Police have since taken over the matter as the wife has been arrested to assist in investigations. 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 Lawmakers in the state of New York are working to pass a bill to scrap the crime of infidelity among married people to make adultery legal. New York is one of 16 states where marital cheating is still a criminal offence, as adultery is still treated as a felony in Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Michigan. According to The Telegraph, adultery, which has been on the books since 1907, is a misdemeanour with a maximum penalty of a $500 fine or 90 days in jail, and New York politicians are poised to abolish it. The offence was introduced at the period when adultery was the only way of ending a marriage and legislators were determined to reduce the number of divorces. The first prosecution, which took place weeks after the law came into effect, involved a married Coney Island investor who left his wife for a 25-year-old woman who was working in the millinery section of a department store. Prosecutions are now extremely rare, with only about a dozen since 1972, with convictions in five cases. The last was in New York in 2010, involving an incident in a park. However, the case was dropped as part of a plea deal. The bill to decriminalize adultery in New York was introduced by a Democrat, Charles Lavine, saying, The state has no business regulating consensual sexual behaviour between adults. He added, It just makes no sense whatsoever and weve come a long way since intimate relationships between consenting adults are considered immoral. Its a joke. This law was someones expression of moral outrage. The attempts to scrap the law were made several times with the first time one brought up as far back as 1964, but the proposals never led to a change in law. The bill has passed through the New York Assembly, and is now awaiting approval from the state senate. With politicians now regarding the law as archaic, the measure is set to be confined to legislative history in New York. Meanwhile, the Catholic church has not objected to the proposed change, as the Executive Director of the New York Catholic Conference, Dennis Poust, said, Adultery is a sin. I dont know if its a crime. Source: vanguardngr 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 Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, has pledged his countrys and that of the European Unions support towards all efforts to entrench democracy in Ghana, including the provision of free and fair elections. President Mattarella said this when he called on President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House yesterday, as part of a three-day state visit to Ghana. He said the future of the world lies in how individual countries cooperate with each other because the success and growth of each country enriches the growth of all others. He observed that there is a strong bond that exists between Ghana and Italy, and his country is looking forward to stepping up the relations and improving the same. President Akufo-Addo, on his part, promised to ensure that the upcoming 2024 general elections are held in a very free, fair and transparent manner. This, he said, would ensure a smooth transfer of power from himself to whoever gets elected as the next President of the Republic. This December, we are going to have the 9th presidential and parliamentary elections of the 4th Republic of Ghana, and I want to assure you and through you, all our friends in Europe that we as a government led by me, will make sure that the conditions of the elections are impeccable, that we have transparent, free, credible elections in Ghana to give the Ghanaian people the opportunity and the right to choose who will be their leader four years from now, was how he put it. By January 7, 2025, President Akufo-Addo would have served the constitutionally mandated two terms of four years given to any person as President. He would therefore bring his eight-year term to an end. For him, that should be enough for any single individual, and would therefore not do anything that will affect the smooth transition of power. He has assured not only Ghanaians but the international community that his government will do everything within its mandate to ensure the countrys enviable democratic credentials are maintained and improved after the December 7 general elections. 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 Flagbearer and leader of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has reaffirmed his commitment to further improve the business-friendliness of ports by effecting fixed exchange rates, aimed at alleviating forex pressure faced by traders. Vice President, Dr. Bawumia outlined the importance of the initiative stating that it would also mitigate the risk of losing port traffic to neighbouring countries. Speaking during the Town Hall meeting with the Pharmaceutical Society and other Pharmacy Pracitioners, the Vice President highlighted the necessity for businesses, including those in the pharmaceutical industries, to cultivate a competitive edge to foster economic growth. Were going to change the duty structure and go into more of a flat specific duty. If you have a 40-footer container, you know how much you are paying in cedis. So, you take the exchange rate out of the matter and deal with it. We are also going to make sure that our duties at ports by policy cannot be higher than in Lome, which is our competitor. And right now, theres a lot of diversion of containers to Lome because ours are higher," he said. Dr. Kow Donkor, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, in addressing the attendees of the meeting expressed optimism that the concerns raised by society members would be addressed, providing relief to its members. He said, We know the oil industry; the Bank of Ghana makes available the US dollars for their imports, pharmaceutical industry and medicines are also special items. When you have a shortage of medicines that becomes a national security issue. If the central bank is going to make funding available at a special rate for the pharmaceutical importers and manufacturers, it will also go a long way to stabilize the prices. Source: Kobina Darlington/peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. 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 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: An adult male loon feeds a small fish to one chick, while the other chick rides on the back of the female parent. Credit: Linda Grenzer The Common Loon, an icon of the northern wilderness, is under threat from climate change due to reduced water clarity, according to a new study authored by Chapman University professor, Walter Piper. The study, published April 1 in Ecology, followed up an earlier paper that showed a substantial reproductive decline in the author's study area in northern Wisconsin. The paper is the first clear evidence demonstrating the effect of climate change on this charismatic species. Specifically, the paper shows that July rainfall results in reduced July water clarity in loon territories. Reduced water clarity, in turn, makes it difficult for adult loons to find and capture their prey (mainly small fishes) under water, so they are not able to meet their chicks' metabolic needs. The result is low chick weight and higher chick mortality. Since loons use the same foraging mode across their breeding range, the impact of water clarity on loon breeding success found in Wisconsin is likely to be echoed from Alaska to Iceland. Piper, in collaboration with Max Gline and Kevin Rose from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, reports several important findings. Over the past 25 years, there has been a consistent decline in water clarity. During the same period, body weights of adult males, adult females, and chicks have also declined. By searching among a large number of environmental variables, the authors were able to pinpoint mean water clarity during the month of Julythe month of most rapid growth in chicksas the strongest predictor of body weight. In a separate analysis, the authors found that rainfall in July impacts water clarity negatively. That is, heavy rainfall in July results in reduced water clarity, whereas light rainfall leads to high clarity and good foraging conditions for loons. Consequently, the rise in rainfall observed in recent decades, attributed to climate change, poses challenges for adult loons in feeding their offspring and diminishes chick survival rates. The precise way in which rainfall leads to reduced water clarity is currently under investigation. The authors suggest that rain might carry dissolved organic matter (DOM) into lakes from adjacent streams and shoreline areas. But it is also possible that nutrients (such as fertilizers used on lawns by lake residents), pet waste, or even leaks from septic systems might be to blame. This study represents a unique partnership between diverse fields. Piper's three-decade-long study of loon behavioral ecology in northern Wisconsin intersects with Gline and Rose's use of Landsat imagery to calculate freshwater lake clarity. Combining data from these sources has illuminated the cause behind the sharp decline in breeding success in northern Wisconsin. It is now evident that both the loss of water clarityas well as increasing populations of black flies, which have increased due to greater rainfallare to blame for the population downturn. "Few animals on Earth are at once so beloved and so poorly understood as Common Loons", Piper said. "This partnership between a loon behaviorist and lake ecologists who collect satellite data on water clarity has given us a unique and powerful window onto foraging efficiency and the loon population as a whole that might help us conserve the species." Piper is in the process of establishing a second marked study population of loons, equal in size to the first, in Minnesota. There he will determine whether the recent decline in loon breeding success recorded by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources results from a loss of water clarity, as in Wisconsin. More information: Walter H. Piper et al, Climate changeassociated declines in water clarity impair feeding by common loons, Ecology (2024). DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4291 Journal information: Ecology 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: The recurring nova T Coronae Borealis will shine as brightly as the North Star some time in the next five months, astronomers say. Sometime between now and September, a massive explosion 3,000 light years from Earth will flare up in the night sky, giving amateur astronomers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness this space oddity. The binary star system in the constellation Corona Borealis"northern crown"is normally too dim to see with the naked eye. But every 80 years or so, exchanges between its two stars, which are locked in a deadly embrace, spark a runaway nuclear explosion. The light from the blast travels through the cosmos and makes it appear as if a new staras bright as the North Star, according to NASAhas suddenly just popped up in our night sky for a few days. It will be at least the third time that humans have witnessed this event, which was first discovered by Irish polymath John Birmingham in 1866, then reappeared in 1946. The appropriately named Sumner Starrfield, an astronomer at Arizona State University, told AFP he was very excited to see the nova's "outburst". After all, he has worked on T Coronae Borealisalso known as the "Blaze Star"on and off since the 1960s. Starrfield is currently rushing to finish a scientific paper predicting what astronomers will find out about the recurring nova whenever it shows up in the next five months. "I could be today... but I hope it's not," he said with a laugh. The white dwarf and red giant There are only around 10 recurring novas in the Milky Way and surrounding galaxies, Starrfield explained. Normal novas explode "maybe every 100,000 years," he said. But recurrent novas repeat their outbursts on a human timeline because of a peculiar relationship between their two stars. One is a cool dying star called a red giant, which has burnt through its hydrogen and has hugely expandeda fate that is awaiting our own sun in around five billion years. The other is a white dwarf, a later stage in the death of a star, after all the atmosphere has blown away and only the incredibly dense core remains. Their size disparity is so huge that it takes T Coronae Borealis's white dwarf 227 days to orbit its red giant, Starrfield said. The two are so close that matter being ejected by the red giant collects near the surface of the white dwarf. Once the mass roughly of Earth has built up on the white dwarfwhich takes around 80 yearsit heats up enough to kickstart a runaway thermonuclear reaction, Starrfield said. This ends up in a "big explosion and within a few seconds the temperature goes up 100-200 million degrees Celsius," said Joachim Krautter, a retired German astronomer who has studied the nova. The James Webb space telescope will be just one of the many eyes that turn towards the outburst of T Coronae Borealis once it begins, Krautter told AFP. But you do not need such advanced technology to witness this rare eventwhenever it may happen. "You simply have to go out and look in the direction of the Corona Borealis," Krautter said. Some lucky sky gazers are already preparing for the year's biggest astronomic event on Monday, when a rare total solar eclipse will occur across a strip of the United States. 2024 AFP 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: Ecological reconstruction of Feredocodon chowi (Right) and Dianoconodon youngi (Left). Credit: IVPP Paleontologists have presented a new insight into the initial dental variations across mammaliaforms, providing a fresh perspective on the evolutionary past of these ancient beasts. The discovery, involving a team of international researchers including Professor Patricia Vickers-Rich from the Monash University School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, is published in Nature. The research, conducted by a group of paleontologists from institutions in New York, China and Australia, examines the tooth structure of the Jurassic shuotheriids to gain a better understanding of their phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary paths. "Our study questions current theories and offers a new viewpoint on the evolutionary history of mammaliaforms," said Professor Vickers-Rich. "We provide vital insights into the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary trajectories of shuotheriids, little known until recent discoveries in China, by explaining the intricate tooth shapes and occlusal patterns," she said. Shuotheriids, mammal-like animals from the Jurassic Period, have perplexed scientists because of their unique dental characteristics. Shuotheriids had what are termed "pseudotribosphenic teeth," with a "pseudotalonid" (a basin-like structure) located in front of the trigonid in the lower molars, unlike the tribosphenic pattern seen in current therian mammals where the taloned is located behind the trigonid. "This unique tooth pattern has hindered our comprehension of shuotheriid relationships and the first steps in the evolution of mammaliaform species," Professor Vickers-Rich said. The research team used advanced techniques to discover new specimens, some with complete skeletons, of Jurassic shuotheriids, enabling a thorough examination of their "pseudotribosphenic" teeth. In their analysis of this new material, the researchers were able to more fully analyze the dental structures using a variety of analysis, which suggested that shuotheriid dental structures appear to be very similar to those of docodontans. The study suggests that shuotheriids do not have a genuine trigonid in their bottom teeth, indicating a closer relationship to docodontans than previously thought. This reassessment of tooth architecture not only resolves unresolved interpretations but also triggers a reconsideration of the evolutionary connections within mammaliaforms. Co-author, Dr. Thomas Rich of Museums Victoria Research Institute said, "In 1982, a single Jurassic small lower jaw with four teeth was placed at one point on the mammalian family tree by Minchen Chow and myself. Now two virtually complete specimens, analyzed in a different way, places all of them in a quite different place on the mammalian family tree. Additional specimens and different methods suggest different interpretations. This is how science often works." Based on this new data, shuotheriids appear to be in a different clade named Docodontiformes, separate from ausktribosphenids, and thus grouped with docodontans. This discovery highlights the significance of pseudotribosphenic characteristics in elucidating the first diversification of mammaliaforms. "The study emphasizes the presence of a significant variety of tooth morphology in early mammaliaforms, indicating unique ecomorphological adaptations throughout the evolutionary development within mammals," Professor Vickers-Rich said. "The dental modifications such as transverse broadening of posterior teeth, cusp rearrangement and even rotation indicate the many ecological niches early mammaliaforms inhabited." More information: Jin Meng, Jurassic shuotheriids show earliest dental diversification of mammaliaforms, Nature (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07258-7. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07258-7 Journal information: Nature Provided by Museum Victoria 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: NASA Europa is one of the largest of more than 90 moons in orbit around the planet Jupiter. It is also one of the best places to look for alien life. Often termed an "ocean world" by scientists, observations to date strongly suggest that beneath Europa's icy crust, there could be a liquid saltwater ocean containing twice as much water as Earth's oceans. Now, Nasa's Europa Clipperthe largest spacecraft ever developed by the US space agency for a planetary missionmay have the tools to detect it. As the Clipper spacecraft undergoes final testing and preparations before its October 2024 launch, scientists using one of the nine instruments onboard have made an exciting discovery. As well as determining whether Europa could support life, the instrument in question should, in fact, be capable of directly detecting alien life itselfshould it exist there. The three key ingredients for life are energy, liquid water, and the right chemicals. The spacecraft will provide more detail on these ingredients at Europa and, therefore, its potential for hosting life. Europa gets energy from the extreme tidal forces caused by Jupiter's gravity, which pushes and pull the material of the moon, generating heat within it. It is this process that supports the theory of a liquid water ocean beneath the surface. Europa's extraterrestrial ocean might contain the chemical building blocks for life. These include chemical elements such as carbon, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur. But the mission team will also be on the lookout for organic compounds, which contain carbon and comprise many of the more complex chemicals vital in biology. Europas ice shell floats on an ocean with twice the amount of water present on Earth. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Seti Institute Detecting the signatures of these chemicals is the key goal of the Europa Clipper mission. If such evidence can be found, this would indicate that Europa may be another place in the solar system capable of supporting life. A serendipitous finding The Suda (Surface Dust Mass Analyser) instrument, led by the University of Colorado Boulder, is one of nine instruments on Europa Clipper. It will collect tiny ice grains and dust from the region above the surface as the spacecraft flies by the moon. The primary objective is to determine the composition of this material, and by analyzing the trajectory, find out where on Europa's surface it originated. Scientists believe that some icy material may come from eruptions, or plumes, on Europa's surface. These plumes could carry water from the ocean below into space, so analyzing what this material is composed of will give a good indication of the habitability of the ocean. The Suda instrument will also be able to determine whether material has originated from Europa itself, or has come from another nearby solar system objectsuch as another moon of Jupiter. Speaking before the latest findings, Murthy Gudipati, a planetary scientist at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said: "We are not a life-finding mission. Europa Clipper's goal is to understand Europa's ocean and the moon's habitability." But recent research published in Science Advances has shown that Clipper could be a life-finding mission after all. A group of scientists (from the University of Washington, the Free University of Berlin and the UK's Open University) tested an impact ionizing mass spectrometer, the same type of instrument as Suda, in the lab under simulated conditions similar to those expected during the Europa mission. The Suda instrument was not designed to detect life, but scientists think it might be able to. Credit: Nasa/Lasp-CU Boulder In the tiny ice crystals fired towards the equipment, the scientists also included some bacterial cell material. They found that even when just 1% of a cell's complete material was included in an ice grain, they could still detect the presence of bacterial material. They were also able to determine that different modes of the instrument were better for detecting different organic compounds, such as fatty acids and amino acids. Fabian Klenner, one of the researchers, told New Scientist: "If life forms on Europa follow the same principle of having a membrane and DNA made from amino acids then detecting those chemicals would be a smoking gun for life there." The Suda science team will use these findings to analyze the data from Europa when it arrives. They have a little while to get things ready: the spacecraft won't arrive at Europa until at least 2030. It would be a sufficiently fantastic result if Clipper can demonstrate that Europa has the necessary ingredients for life, and would undoubtedly lead to much research and speculation, as well as possible preparations for a follow-up mission to detect potential life. If Clipper can do all that, plus gather direct material from alien life at the same time, it would be a landmark scientific discovery. To date, no concrete evidence has been found of life beyond Earth, though there are indications of suitable conditions on some other solar system bodies. Life on Europa would be the first extraterrestrial biology ever conclusively detected. While this life is not likely to communicate with us any time soon, it would answer the burning question of whether biology can exist anywhere other than Earth. Proving that Europa supports or has supported life will enable researchers to develop and test theories on how that biology came to be. This, in turn, could also provide insights into the origins of life on our planet. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain South Africa's government is calling for public comments on an updated version of its existing biodiversity economy plan. The National Biodiversity Economy Strategy aims to conserve biodiversity while also contributing to job creation and economic growth. It proposes to do this by promoting sustainable use of the country's natural resources. The strategy is being revised so that the country's national policy is better aligned with recent international policy developments in the biodiversity sphere. The most important of these is the Convention on Biological Diversity's Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This requires countries to develop domestic policies and regulations to ensure that they conserve more of their land in ways that are fair to the people on that land. Not everyone is happy with the strategy and its proposed revisions. It's been criticized for monetising and exploiting biodiversityin other words, using biodiversity to generate money. For example, the strategy lists using wildlife for fair-chase trophy hunting, meat hunting and wild meat sales. It also lists fishing and harvesting indigenous plants (for example, for medicine and tea) and insects (for food). But we think the strategy is a step in the right direction. We are conservation scientists who have conducted extensive research into the outcomes of different conservation strategies in southern Africa. Our work shows sustainable use of wildlife is an important strategy for expanding the area under wildlife conservation in ways that also benefit local people. Like other southern African conservation scientists, we support the revisions to the strategy. They show that the government is planning to meet global biodiversity commitments in a way that benefits local people, wildlife and ecosystems. The strategy addresses gaps in South Africa's conservation model, such as the fact that it still largely excludes previously disadvantaged groups of people. It also aligns ambitious global goals for expanding protected areas with the country's pressing development needs. In our view the revised strategy is an important step towards addressing these needs. Expanded remit South Africa is a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity. As such it's required to report against 23 targets. For example, Target 3 is to conserve 30% of all lands and seas by 2030. Target 9 is to manage wild species sustainably to benefit people. More than its predecessors, the convention's latest framework recognizes the need to conserve biodiversity as well as how biodiversity benefits people. Southern African countries such as South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe have long acknowledged the link between wildlife and nature's value to people through sustainable use conservation models. Here are some examples. South Africa's current model allows landholders to derive economic benefits from sustainably using wildlife on their lands. This is commonly done through ecotourism, recreational hunting and sales of live game and game meat. This model results in many landholders opting for wildlife-based enterprises on their land, instead of other land uses like agriculture. The outcome is often biodiversity conservation beyond protected areas, because it benefits people. This model has resulted in wildlife-based enterprises occurring across 14%-17% of the country's land. Wild herbivore numbers have increased tenfold since the 1960s. The country's revised strategy aims to expand this model. It sets out ways in which people can derive livelihoods that ensure biodiversity's benefitsboth monetary and non-monetaryreach previously disadvantaged groups. Namibia and Zimbabwe have also allowed private landholders and communities to become custodians of the wildlife on their land by establishing conservancies. These offer ecotourism, trophy hunting or both. The result has been the recovery of wildlife populations and improved livelihoods for people. But there's some push back on the concept of sustainable use, mostly from the global north. In particular, trophy hunting is opposed on moral grounds and perceptions that it threatens wildlife populations. Our view, however, is that the market expansion potential of key wildlife economy activities shouldn't be diminished. Trophy hunting South Africa's trophy hunting industry is one of the pillars of its wildlife economy. The revised Biodiversity Economy Strategy aims to expand this activity to unlock conservation enterprises on community land. Trophy hunting is estimated to contribute US$250 million per year to the economy and support 17,000 jobs, mostly in rural areas. Currently, it largely takes place on extensive private game ranches. We think trophy hunting and other sustainable use activities like meat hunting and meat sales are important tools for including communities in conservation. Firstly, hunting has lower barriers to entry than ecotourism. It can also take place in less accessible and less scenic places, meaning it can help support conservation and livelihoods where ecotourism cannot. Secondly, undertaking several activities on a piece of land, including trophy and meat hunting, increases the resilience of the enterprise. Such resilience will be critical for including communities in conservation efforts. But relying too heavily on trophy hunting to sustain conservation would be a mistake. It should be used as just one tool in a diversified biodiversity economy toolkit. This is what the government's revised Biodiversity Economy Strategy seeks to do. It includes trophy hunting as one of many biodiversity-based economic activities the country can invest in, particularly in multi-use conservation landscapes which include protected areas and working landscapes. These working lands include both private and community land. The revision also includes a renewed focus on ecotourism and game meat. Additionally, it lists activities like live sales of game, bioprospecting (searching for and commercializing nature products) and fishing. A common concern of sustainable use on communal land is that it can become a "free for all". This assumption is a dangerous oversimplification. However, good governance is needed. Investment into wildlife-based enterprises on community land should require a governing body, business and management plans, benefit-sharing agreements and monitoring protocols. Looking ahead South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe are some examples of African countries that have committed to policies aimed at unlocking well-governed, multi-use landscapes that support diverse livelihood strategies and link people to nature's values. The evidence shows that such landscapes can support the recovery of wildlife populations, the restoration of ecosystems, the improvement of rural livelihoods and rural innovation and resilience. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: NASA's Loral O'Hara, left, Russias Oleg Novitsky and Belarus spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya, right, are seen inside the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft after they landed in a remote area near the town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Saturday, April 6, 2024. Credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP A Russian space capsule with two women and one man safely landed in a steppe in Kazakhstan on Saturday after their missions aboard the International Space Station. The Soyuz MS-24 carrying Russia's Oleg Novitsky, NASA's Loral O'Hara and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus touched down southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan at 12:17 p.m. Kazakh time (0717 GMT). Those remaining at the orbiting outpost are NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, Tracy Dyson and Jeannette Epps as well as Russian cosmonauts Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin and Oleg Kononenko. O'Hara arrived at the International Space Station on Sept. 15, 2023, spending a total of 204 days there, NASA said. Novitsky and Vasilevskaya blasted off to space on March 23, two days later than initially planned. The launch of a Soyuz spacecraft carrying them and Dyson, scheduled for March 21, was aborted at the very last minute due to a voltage drop in a power source, according to Yury Borisov, head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos. The delay resulted in a two-day, 34-orbit trip to the space station for the crew. If the launch had gone as scheduled, the journey would have been much shorter, requiring only two orbits. In this grab taken from video released by the Roscosmos Space Corporation, NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara sits in a chair shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-24 space capsule near Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Saturday, April 6, 2024. The Soyuz capsule carrying NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, Oleg Novitsky of Roscosmos and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus touched down on Saturday. Credit: Roscosmos Space Corporation via AP In this grab taken from video released by the Roscosmos Space Corporation Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus sits in a chair shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-24 space capsule near Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Saturday, April 6, 2024. The Soyuz capsule carrying NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, Oleg Novitsky of Roscosmos and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus touched down on Saturday. Credit: Roscosmos Space Corporation via AP In this grab taken from video released by the Roscosmos Space Corporation Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus sits in a chair and holds a Matryoshka, Russian traditional wooden dolls depicting her shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-24 space capsule, near Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Saturday, April 6, 2024. The Soyuz capsule carrying NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, Oleg Novitsky of Roscosmos and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus touched down on Saturday. Credit: Roscosmos space corporation via AP The Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft is seen as it lands in a remote area near the town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan with NASA's astronaut Loral O'Hara, Russias Oleg Novitsky and Belarus spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya, Saturday, April 6, 2024. Credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP In this grab taken from video released by the Roscosmos Space Corporation, NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara sits in a chair shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-24 space capsule near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Saturday, April 6, 2024. The Soyuz capsule carrying NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, Oleg Novitsky of Roscosmos and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus touched down on Saturday. Credit: Roscosmos space corporation via AP In this grab taken from video released by the Roscosmos Space Corporation NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara sits in a chair shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-24 space capsule near Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Saturday, April 6, 2024. The Soyuz capsule carrying NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, Oleg Novitsky of Roscosmos and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus touched down on Saturday. Credit: Roscosmos Space Corporation via AP In this grab taken from video released by the Roscosmos Space Corporation, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky sits in a chair shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-24 space capsule near Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Saturday, April 6, 2024. The Soyuz capsule carrying NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, Oleg Novitsky of Roscosmos and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus touched down on Saturday. Credit: Roscosmos Space Corporation via AP The space station, which has served as a symbol of post-Cold War international cooperation, is now one of the last remaining areas of collaboration between Russia and the West amid tensions over Moscow's military action in Ukraine. NASA and its partners hope to continue operating the orbiting outpost until 2030. Russia has continued to rely on modified versions of Soviet-designed rockets for commercial satellites, as well as crews and cargo to the space station. 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Cynthia Van Ness carries the official title of director of library and archives at the Buffalo History Museum, though anyone who seeks her help understands this truth: Over the years, her work has turned her into a Buffalo historian of deep knowledge and perspective. Her intuitive appreciation for a treasury of documents, images and articles gives her a fast ability to pinpoint a couple of centuries worth of civic touchstones. Typically, she finds some long-ago context for just about anything thats happening in Buffalo today. Yet its through that prism that Van Ness considering the hit-or-miss idea that 1 million people might sweep into the region to witness Mondays total solar eclipse offers what for her is a rare judgment: If it happens, theres really no historic precedent for a gathering of that size, in Buffalo. I called Van Ness, grateful for her perspective, after contemplating with a wave of sadness many voices I might have sought out only a few years ago. I wish I could hear from Lum Smith, the great community historian, or George Arthur, the longtime City Council member of razor-sharp memory who always saw ways to bring events of different eras together. We lost them both in recent years, just as we lost Joey Giambra, the warm and multitalented artist who would have found such marvels in the eclipse, or Paul Gromosiak, historian and muse of Niagara Falls. I would have loved to speak with Ruby Siggers and Cleo Alexander sisters of keen insight who lived into their 90s in the same classic two-flat Buffalo house or Joan Bozer, the landscape-changing civic dynamo who died last year. What Id give for a conversation with these elders, gone now or so many others who put lifetimes of faith, humor and love into their city about the prospect of 1 million people or more arriving to look with awe toward the eclipse. All of that in mind, I turned to Van Ness. She arrived here 30 years ago to study library science at the University at Buffalo. She and her husband, Vincent Kuntz, found Buffalo dazzling, in a lot of ways, with its contradictory explosion of sometimes glorious and sometimes self-destructive aspiration. For Van Ness, her lifes work became interpreting the city as it was and, in the most intimate of ways, understanding how that led to everything it is. She spent her early career in the Grosvenor local history room at the Central Library. Seventeen years ago, she accepted her job at the History Museum, in charge of the research library. Today, Van Ness is an established author and researcher who believes that buffaloresearch.com, a 31-year-old website that shes maintained since 1996, is the oldest surviving website in Buffalo. Her daily mission involves questions of quiet significance whether helping emotional retirees figure out family sagas that are often herculean in love and sacrifice, or patiently aiding researchers and writers as they scroll through microfilm or old city directories. But even Van Ness, whose focus is always finding ricochet points in the past, offered this observation about the eclipse: Theres nothing in the history of this region to compare with the possibility her emphasis placed upon that fragile word of more than 1 million people coming Monday, to look toward the sky. Never at once, Van Ness said, noting her workplace provides the first means of comparison. The museum is the only remaining building from the great Pan-American Exposition, which from May to November of 1901 drew an estimated 8 million visitors to Buffalo, including President William McKinley who suffered a lethal wound at the event, from an assassins bullet. Van Ness doesnt believe the exposition ever drew anywhere close to the one-day number of people who could be here Monday, with Buffalo on the center line of what astronomers call the path of totality. Earlier this year, Van Ness assembled a digital packet of articles about Jan. 24, 1925, when a total eclipse last occurred in Buffalo. The full majesty, she said, was obscured by clouds in that snowy month. There was also no internet, she said, no easily accessed digital maps showing detailed paths of the eclipse trajectory and a whole lot more media today for people to hear about and learn about the eclipse. The size of Mondays potential crowd shifts almost day to day, based on forecasts. As of Saturday morning, the outlook for Buffalo was partly to mostly cloudy, said Bob Hamilton, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, with things looking better farther upstate, to the east of Lake Ontario. Itll be a major event ... if clear, said Dan Marcus of the Buffalo Eclipse Consortium, who notes many of the day trippers tentatively headed this way will be watching for the optimal chance of visibility at multiple spots, within driving distance of their homes. In the reason eclipse chasers make such a commitment, theres also a reminder that even now in an age as cynical as it can get sheer wonder can upend what seem to be the best forecasts, historic or immediate, of planners or civic leaders. Van Ness notes the idea of 1 million people all together has particular resonance within almost two centuries worth of city-building in Buffalo. From 1850 to 1950, the citys population climbed from 42,261 to 580,132 a dizzying increase based on geography, transportation and a then-booming industrial economy that at various points placed Buffalo within the nations 10 largest cities. Planners and civic leaders spoke confidently of a city that would someday push well beyond 1 million in population. Van Ness said thats why Buffalos City Hall was built as one of the grandest in the nation, and why its water system a revelatory effort at the time, designed to wipe out a legacy of disease from contaminated drinking water was intended to serve many times the roughly 280,000 residents of Buffalo today. They planned for it, Van Ness said, because all of the evidence they had at the time supported the idea of that growth. Everything changed in the sobering decades after World War II. It took a while, but Buffalo, as a community, had to finally stop hearing the echoes of that once-unbridled growth and to rethink its dreams and how to protect, rather than squander, the gifts already here. In the end, as Marcus notes, what finally might bring 1 million newcomers to town has little to do with what Buffalo was, or is today. Its a celestial game of chance, of moon and sun and shadow. While there are certain pieces of advice to offer one-time visitors such as how there is nothing quite as soulful as standing at dawn on Goat Island, at the brink of the Horseshoe Falls, while the sun rises in a clear sky this potential flood of people transcends some mainstream view of economy, of tourism, of civic history. They will be here, then swiftly gone. To count on sun on an April day is always a risky bet in Buffalo, and the precarious nature of viewing the eclipse fits all too perfectly with what weve come to expect from a lifetime of who-knows-whats-coming springs. Hopefully, Monday will beat the odds with one of those afternoons when the sun throws shards of light across Lake Erie, beauty weve come to see as routine in this town yet brilliance that will go out in a once-in-our-lives way as the planets emerge to burn in an abruptly darkened daytime. Van Ness plans to watch from either Freedom Park or beneath the towers of the Richardson complex in Buffalo. She has no idea yet of how it all fits in or where it goes, whether the eclipse will be unforgettable or one more dream hidden by clouds, but the meaning of her job leads her back to one sure thing. ROCK ISLAND It's always been a goal of Ehdee Htoo and his family to own a restaurant after collectively spending decades in the industry, and now they have their shot. Knyaw Restaurant in Rock Island is one of the newest offerings to the Quad-Cities' food scene, specializing in Vietnamese and Thai cuisine. The Knyaw are an ethnic group from Myanmar and Thailand. "I've always wished there were unique restaurants close to our area. Something to remember home where I grew up in a refugee camps in Thailand," Htoo said. "(The Knyaw have) very authentic and traditional food that the locals love in the southeast Asian region." The restaurant is in the former Pickerman's location, 4659 44th St. Htoo says it's the perfect spot because of its open parking lot, scenic views and the surrounding diverse community that has shown an interest in new flavors. Htoo recommends the pho, a classic Vietnamese noodle soup; khow suey, a noodle dish with chicken, canton noodles, yellow beans and coconut milk; and the khao mun gai, streamed rice with chicken. The owner says he's feeling the growing pains of being a first-time business owner, but he's grateful for the positive feedback so far. The goal for now is to expand their online presence and acquire more equipment so he can bring more options to the menu. The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Barkin' Beans closes doors SILVIS A dog-friendly coffee shop in Silvis is closing its doors, with its last day of operation set for Sunday. Co-owners Abigail and Blake Cantrill opened Barkin' Beans Coffee Co., 1251 Avenue of the Cities, Silvis, on July 1, 2023. They announced in a social media post March 28 that they planned to close, citing financial challenges. "Unfortunately we have completely exhausted all of our resources. There is no coming back from the financial turmoil we are in without a true miracle," said the post, which drew dozens of comments from disappointed supporters. The cafe is known for being the only dog-themed coffee shop in the area, specializing in coffee shop staples like baked goods, lattes, and energy drinks, as well as breakfast burritos and locally-made dog treats. The business owners declined to comment for this story. Other recent Quad Cities business openings DSavor House, 689 Avenue of the Cities, East Moline, is open as of March 9. The restaurant specializes in West African dishes, with jollof rice and egusi soup on the menu. Los Amigos, 2843 E 53rd St., Davenport, has opened up this third location as of March 14. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day except Friday, when they are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The restaurant also has locations in Bettendorf and Le Claire. Bubbles Boba Tea, 500 Belmont Rd., Bettendorf, is open as of March 18 on the Scott Community College Belmont campus. Hours are 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The bubble tea shop, which is 100% woman, Latina, and LGBTQ+ owned, also has a location at 101 W. 3rd St. in downtown Davenport. Five Below, 2001 5th St., Silvis, hosted its grand opening March 22. Situated next to Hy-Vee Grocery Store, most of the items at the national retail chain are priced $1-$5, with some hot-ticket items priced higher in the Five Beyond shop. Karen Asian Market Cafe, 4305 18th Ave., Rock Island, is open as of April 4. The market has added a sushi and Thai cafe and will be serving dishes like the Rock Island Roll, the Karen Asian Market roll and classic pad thai. The market and cafe is located next to Little Caesars. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. this week, expanding to 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. next week. A man awaiting trial in Scott County on eight charges alleging he inappropriately touched three juvenile females was arrested Friday for allegedly possessing more than 4,000 images of child pornography. Kencade Lee Godfrey, 20, had been on pre-trial release after he was arrested in November on four counts of lascivious acts with a child, three counts of indecent contact with a child and one count of indecent exposure. Lascivious acts with a child is a Class D felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of five years, while indecent contact with a child is an aggravated misdemeanor that carries a prison sentence of two years. Indecent exposure is a serious misdemeanor that carries a jail sentence of up to one year. The investigation into the inappropriate touching began Sept. 4, 2023, according to the arrest affidavits filed by Davenport Police Detective A.J. Poirier. Godfrey, from Cave Creek, Arizona, had been staying at the victims parents house during December 2022 when the inappropriate touching and indecent exposure occurred, according to the arrest affidavits. As part of the investigation, a search warrant for Godfreys electronic devices was served. According to the arrest affidavits, an examination of an Antec computer belonging to Godfrey contained more than 200 images and videos of child sexual abuse of many juveniles. A Samsung hard drive belonging to Godfrey contained more than 2,800 images and videos of child sexual abuse, while a Hitachi hard drive belonging to Godfrey contained more than 1,200 images and videos of child sexual abuse. An examination of a Sony cell phone belonging to Godfrey yielded one image of child sexual abuse material. Godfrey is charged with eight counts of possessing a depiction of a minor in a sex act-first offense. Each of the charges is a Class D felony. A warrant was issued for Godfreys arrest on the new charges on Feb. 27, while a warrant for violating the conditions of his pre-trial release was issued March 14. He was arrested Friday when a pre-trial conference was scheduled on the initial charges in Scott County District Court. That pre-trial conference has been rescheduled for May 3. Godfrey was expected to make a first appearance on the child porn charges Saturday in Scott County District Court when a judge will schedule a preliminary hearing in that case. Godfrey was being held Saturday morning in the Scott County Jail on cash-only bonds totaling $90,000. Gov. Glenn Youngkin has signed bills aimed at improving maternal health outcomes among them were measures to require health insurance coverage for doula services. Senate Bill 118 by Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, and House Bill 935 by Del. Destiny LeVere Bolling, D-Henrico, require health insurers to cover at least eight visits during pregnancy or following childbirth along with support during labor and delivery. Though not trained in obstetrics, doulas have training and expertise in the childbirth process. They serve as companions and advocates to pregnant people as they provide educational, emotional and physical support to parents. A U.S. Department of Health study noted their role in positive birth outcomes. Kenda Sutton-EL, founder of doula group Birth in Color, said doulas are particularly helpful for Black families. Birth in Color, which operates in several locations around the state, provides doula services and has a wing dedicated to policy and advocacy work. Sutton-EL and policy director Galina Varchena sometimes frequent the state Capitol to offer their expertise on legislation. Though Youngkin has formally signed off on the doula bills, they will not be taking effect just yet. First, they will have to be reviewed by the Health Insurance Reform Commission and then they will be subject to reenactment next year by the legislature. On signing them this year, Youngkin said he was grateful for the opportunity. This is the first step that we are really excited happened, Varchena said. Thankfully this year there wasnt a single vote against it, so we hope the legislature will pass it again next year. Youngkin has also approved other reproductive health care measures like House Bill 831 from Del. Rae Cousins, D-Richmond, to expand maternal mortality data collection. Cousins said that to not just look at the fatal cases, but also look at the close calls can help people better understand maternal mortality issues. Sutton-EL has said Birth in Color has had a few near-misses with some clients. The governor also has pending amendments on Senate Bill 35, which would require unconscious bias and cultural competency training. Youngkin amended the bill to require completion of two hours of continuing learning activities that address maternal health care for populations of women that data indicate experience significantly greater than average maternal mortality, including African American, indigenous, and Hispanic women and women in underserved rural communities. Not pleased with some changes to the bill, Varchena said its crucial to ensure that the training is evidence-based so that its efficiency can be tracked and the training would be less of a checked box. Its so easy to put something in place and then pretend that it solved a problem, Varchena said. We need to make sure that when were talking about training is it working? Varchena also said unconscious bias can be broader than race or ethnicity and can help target other areas of care. For example, she noted how it took her mother several years to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and receive proper treatment because of her weight. Doctors told her just lose some weight and she was gaslit until she found someone who listened to her, Varchena said. Medical professionals need to examine biases and question them Am I defaulting, or should I ask more questions or order additional tests? Am I ignoring this persons pain because of assumptions I have? As of Friday afternoon, Youngkin had not yet taken action on the House version of the bill, which is identical. He has until 11:59 p.m. Monday to complete actions on the rest of the bills that were sent to him from the state legislature. Lawmakers will return to Richmond on April 17 to take up Youngkins vetoes and proposed amendments to legislation. From the archives: Byrd Field Missing man found bagged in abandoned car Othon P Blanco, Q.R. A man reported missing April 2 in the municipality of Othon P Blanco has been found dead. On Thursday, municipal police responded to the report of a body inside a parked car near the community of Sergio Butron Casas. The report was made by an area taxi driver who found the abandoned car with what appeared to be a bagged body inside. Elements from the Secretariat of Citizen Security (SSC) were sent in to verify the finding while the State Attorney Generals Office (FGE), Mexican Army and National Guard were brought in to assist with the crime scene. On Friday, local authorities identified the deceased body inside the car as 43-year-old Hector T who was reported missing from Sergio Butron Casas three days earlier. Police have not commented on the death or a possible motive. By Cate McCurry, PA 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 the tricolour. 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 an ex-army officer 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. Those chickpeas in your hummus could mean a lot for the future of South Carolina farming. That was part of the message U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small received Thursday as she visited South Carolina State University and its Public Service and Agriculture (PSA) divisions Research and Demonstration Farm in Olar. As Small toured the 200-acre farm, extension agronomist Dr. Nana Kusi showed Small the farms chickpea field, which his team is using to research the viability of chickpeas as a cover crop for local farmers to grow in the offseason while also providing a commodity they can market to consumers. USDA visitor S.C. State demonstrates the use of AI and drone technology in agriculture for U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small at the Small said she is pleased to see the universitys climate-smart research on the impact of cover crops can have on reducing carbon emissions while also supporting small farmers. Its also exciting just to get to see the research thats being done on new potential crops, when it comes to the chickpea for example, and finding the best way to grow it, which can be then shared with farmers and support South Carolinas economy, she said in a briefing with regional news reporters at the farm. Using a specially outfitted drone, Dr. Joe Mari Maja, SC State senior researcher and director for the Center of Applied Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Agriculture, also demonstrated for Small the universitys artificial intelligence (AI) applications in agriculture and how they can provide farmers with critical information about their status of their crops. USDA visitor Extension agronomist Nana Kusi, right, discusses chickpea cultivation research at the S.C. State Research & Demonstration Farm with Deputy When it comes to research in supporting agriculture, its crucial that we take these new emerging technologies, she said. President Biden has been clear that when it comes to AI, weve got to make sure were developing it in ways that support farmers and people all across the country to invest in new ways of growing and make sure people get a fair share of the food dollar for the work that we do. Small was asked what makes SC State special among universities with agricultural missions. South Carolina State is one of the few recipients of a Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities grant, Small said. Whats so important about what theyre doing when I heard them talking about it, they talked about farmers and the impact it will have on farmers. SC State has two USDA-funded Climate-Smart initiatives: The first of those is a $70 million USDA investment into a partnership between Clemson and SC State to provide incentives to farmers in South Carolina to implement selected climate-smart production practices. The second is a $4.5 million USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service grant that will facilitate a partnership between SC State 1890 Research & Extension, Mixon Seed and the South Carolina Black Farmer Coalition for climate-smart initiatives. The funding will be used to educate and train South Carolinas small and minority farmers and producers in climate-smart practices. When it comes to investing in America, investigating in our nations farmers is crucial. President Biden is working hard to make sure that the investments reach the people on the ground, reach small growers all across South Carolina and reach partners like South Carolina State University, Small said. Following her tour at the farm in Olar, the deputy secretary made her way to SC States main campus in Orangeburg, where she met with leaders and faculty members about the USDAs partnerships with the university. She also engaged with SC States 1890 Ag Innovation Scholars, students who will fill roles in the nations agricultural industry. As deputy secretary for USDA, I spend a lot of time thinking about the future of agriculture and the future of USDAs workforce, Small said. It is so exciting to get to meet that future today when it comes to the 1890 scholars. One of the things were going to be talking with them about is what they see for the future of agriculture and how we can better invest in them to prepare for that, she said. Smalls visit to SC State came on the heels of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsacks visit in December, when he participated in a summit on campus with various stakeholders in South Carolina agriculture, including government leaders, growers, farmers and ranchers. If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). The title of Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaines Girls State prompts you to expect a distaff equivalent to their 2020 documentary Boys State, which found a group of male high school students forming a mock government in the blustery mold of the Trump years. But it becomes clear early on in the new movie, which is now in theaters and streaming on Apple TV+, that the girls experience is far from an exact mirror of the boys. The discrepancies between the gender-split programs, which are run annually by the American Legion, are highlighted by the fact that in Missouri, where McBaine and Moss shot in the summer of 2022, the two were held simultaneously, on a campus a short drive outside St. Louis. The boys are free to roam as they wish, but the girls are forbidden from venturing outside the dorms without a buddy, and while the boys get pep talks from elected officials, the girls learn songs and do group calisthenics. In her review of Boys State, Slates Madeline Ducharme noted how the boys confidently put themselves forth with identitarian labels like right-wing libertarian and big-time capitalist. Perhaps its the difference between shooting in bright-red Texas and purplish Missouri, but its striking how much gentler Girls States participants are in putting themselves forth. Even Emily Worthmore, a peppy blonde Christian who tells the filmmakers shes decided to use Girls State as a coming-out party for her political orientation, tends to couch it in language: Im more on the conservative side. Related From Slate Boys State Shows How Trump Is Shaping the Next Generation of Politicians Read More Where Texas Boys State came off as a bit of a MAGA incubator, Missouris Girls State seems, at least based on McBaine and Moss choice of protagonists, substantially more progressive. Where Boys States Steven Garza, the son of a Mexican immigrant, faced open racism in his campaign for office, Girls States Tochi Ihekona, whose parents emigrated from Nigeria, finds her anxiety about spending a week in the overwhelmingly white environment falling away as the days pass. (At one point, she goes as far as to say she hasnt experienced a single microaggression, before reconsidering and realizing that actually, she has.) But while the diverse group of young women vying to become the next generation of political leaders may stir warm feelings about the state of the youth, their optimism is sorely tested by the leak, two springs ago, of the Supreme Court opinion that would end up overturning Roe v. Wade. What good does it do to instill young people with a sense of promise and potential when generations of progress are being undone in the same instant? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its the most minor of spoilers to reveal that, because Girls State follows multiple young women who are vying for the same officesincluding governor, the most powerful, and a seat on the state Supreme Courtsome of them are going to lose. And its when they do that the movie becomes the most inspiring. Its a devastating blow when the girls, all overachieving superstars at their own high schools, find themselves facing off against their equals and have to swallow the unfamiliar feeling of being beaten fair and square. The movies opening credits play over photos of high-achieving women like Condoleezza Rice and Sandra Day OConnor, but how many of them started off their careers in defeat? Advertisement Girls States most engrossing characters dont wind up being those who prevail, but those who persist, who dust themselves off and find a way to keep going forward. Anyone can lead when theyre always out in front, but it takes more character to absorb a defeat and find a new battle to fight. Watching the girls process the leak of the Dobbs opinionand later making abortion access the subject of a case before their mock Supreme Courtis vividly and unpleasantly like reliving the end of a national right in real time. (It wouldnt be off-base for the movie to lead with a trigger warning.) But they press on, and leave us something to look up to. This post contains spoilers for Ripley. Part con man, part serial killer, Tom Ripley would be an American icon if he were anything at all. Patricia Highsmiths social-climbing sociopath, introduced in her novel The Talented Mr. Ripley in 1955, worms his way into the upper classes with a gift for impersonation, shedding his own identity so easily because he barely exists to begin with. As he adopts the lifestyle and takes on the mannerisms of the dissipated shipping heir Dickie Greenleaf, Tom begins to forget even the sound of his own voice, nearing what Highsmith calls the real annihilation of his past and himself. But in Ripley, the new eight-part Netflix adaptation of Highsmiths book, Tom (Andrew Scott) is not alone in his nothingness. The people whose company Tom wants so dearly to keepDickie (Johnny Flynn), his girlfriend Marge Sherwood (Dakota Fanning), and the wealthy wastrel Freddie Miles (Eliot Sumner)are hardly more concrete than he is. Their names, and the family money behind them, open doors, but theyre more like chalk outlines than actual human beings. When the murdering starts, its merely a formality. The new adaptationthe third, after 1960s Purple Noon and 1999s The Talented Mr. Ripleysticks the closest to Highsmiths original text, but it makes one major change, aging up the central characters by some two decades. The books Dickie, in his mid-20s, is still sowing his wild oats, burning through the family fortune in Italy beforeor so his father, who sends Tom to Italy to retrieve him, might hopeacquiring enough sense to go back to the U.S. and take over the family business. And Matt Damons Tom has a boyish charisma that makes him seem even younger. But Scott is 47, and Flynn, the series Dickie, is 41, and although the show makes only glancing references to their more advanced age, theyre clearly past the point of youthful dalliance, edging into the stage where who they will be is who theyve been. Dickie seems sanguine about the prospect of being a trust-fund kid for life, surrounding himself with younger hangers-on so his failure to mature is less glaring. But Toms clock is ticking, loudly. Whatever dreams he might once have harbored (and the series never makes us privy to who he was before), theyve long since expired. His only aspiration is survival. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Anthony Minghellas 1999 film, which brings the novels gay subtext all the way to the surface, Tom is driven mainly by his attraction to Dickie, whom he beats to death with an oar after Dickie spurns his companionship. (For a playboy expatriate bent on adventure, theres no more withering judgment than the one Dickie passes on Tom: Hes boring.) But where Damons Ripley kills for love, or the lack of it, Scotts is just trying to scrape by. His sexuality hews closer to Highsmiths original description, in which Ripley explains he cant make up my mind whether I like men or women, so Im thinking of giving them both up. He doesnt even lust after Dickies material comforts, although he does get caught trying on some of his hosts clothes when he thinks Dickie is out for the day. He just wants to be released from the precarity that seems to be his permanent lot in life, to know what its like to exist in the world without the wolf always at his back. Advertisement Ripleys Ripley is, in short, a grinder, not a striver. The series, written and directed by Steven Zaillian, is a version of the story for a time when even the objectively wealthy feel insecure because their fortunes pale beside the highly visible lifestyles of the ultrarich. (As Succession underlines, theres a divide between those who merely fly first class and those who can afford their own jets.) Dickies villa on the Amalfi Coast may offer splendid views of the Mediterranean, but to contemporary eyes its positively rustiche and Marge have an involved discussion over whether to finally get a refrigerator. As majestic as Robert Elswits cinematography is, the choice to film the entire series in black-and-white deliberately leaches away any hint of sensuality or visceral enjoyment. Minghellas version, by contrast, practically overflows with pleasure, not least the joys of eyeing its superlatively attractive cast. (Even Philip Seymour Hoffmans odious Freddie has a malignant charmyou cant wait to see what repellent thing hell do next.) When Tom joins Dickie onstage at an Italian jazz club, the chemistry between them is infectious, flush with the giddiness of Tom discovering a whole new way of living. But the series Dickie is a painter, not an aspiring saxophonist, and it takes only a single shot of his canvases to establish that hes positively dreadful at it. (I am not much of a guffawer, but: I guffawed.) Advertisement Advertisement Related From Slate Netflixs Mesmerizing New Series Goes Darker and Deeper Than Ever on One of the Great Villains Read More In fact, no one in Ripley is particularly good at anything. Dickies a terrible painter, Marge a would-be writer and photographer with no obvious talent for either, and although Freddie Miles calls himself a playwright, were not presented with evidence of him writing any actual plays, let alone having them staged. Toms not even much of a con man. His check fraud scheme falls apart the moment anyone takes a second look, and he gets away with murder, both figurative and literal, only because hes killing people others are happy to be rid of. (In a sly running gag, the Italian police pronounce Freddies surname as if its malaise.) Even Toms talent for impersonation is downplayed. If its easy to pass as the late Dickie Greenleaf, its because so few people know or care who he is. Hes just another rich American wasting his way through Europe, hardly worth a second look as long as his travelers checks are good. Advertisement Stipulating that Dickies father, played in a delightful cameo by Kenneth Lonergan, probably knows how to run a successful shipbuilding business, the only person we see competently plying their trade is the Italian detective (Maurizio Lombardi) who sniffs out Ripleys trail. Faced for once with a worthy adversary, Tom finally shows true flashes of cunning, but the sharp-witted inspector is betrayed by the indolence of his colleagues and the turgid pace of midcentury technology. It doesnt take a malevolent supergenius to stay one step ahead of him, just a keen survival instinct and an understanding of the mechanisms of privilege that comes from a lifetime of being subjected to them. Advertisement Advertisement From Harold Hill to Frank Abagnale Jr., the con artist is a key figure in American lore, the hyperbolic extension of the idea that you can be anything you set your mind to. We revel in the slickness of their patter and the ingenious complexity of their scams while feeling secure that wed never be dumb enough to fall for one ourselves. But Tom isnt the kind of swindler who makes us feel good about being taken for a ride. His actions are impulsive and crude as often as they are clever and calculated, imperfect crimes committed with the nearest blunt object and subject to laborious cleanup after the fact. (Tom spends most of Ripleys fifth episode just trying to dispose of a body, and is nearly foiled by a temperamental Italian elevator.) Its his single-minded determination that gives Tom the edge. He just wants it more. Zaillian originally made Ripley for Showtime, and though it benefits from its premium-cable gloss, theres something fitting about the series ending up on Netflix, slotted in the carousel next to Anna Delvey and the Fyre Festival. Once, grifters were isolated loners whose greatest weapon was their ability to remain unseen, but now theyre celebrities in their own right, admired for their ability to exploit a system weve accepted as irredeemably corrupt. Tom Ripley was just ahead of his time. Li Sa (L) introduces a batik product to a customer at her studio in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province, April 6, 2024. Li Sa, 25, has been learning batik making technique since a very young age from her mother Gan Caiyun, a municipal-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor of the crafts. After graduation from college, Li chose to start up her own business in her hometown Tangshan and set up a batik studio, devoting herself into the inheritance and creation of batik making technique. As a municipal-level intangible cultural heritage experience base, her studio has attracted many young talents. In recent years, Li has offered a series of voluntary and experiential courses in residential compounds, schools and nursing homes, as a way to pass down the batik technique. Integrating the aesthetics of modern life with the batik technique, the cultural and creative products her team designed are appreciated by the market. (Xinhua/Mu Yu) Li Sa draws a pattern for batik products in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province, April 6, 2024. (Xinhua/Mu Yu) Li Sa (L) teaches a young learner to make batik product at her studio in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province, April 6, 2024.(Xinhua/Mu Yu) Li Sa (1st L) and her mother Gan Caiyun (2nd L) demonstrate the batik technique at her studio in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province, April 6, 2024.(Xinhua/Mu Yu) Li Sa (R) demonstrates the batik technique at her studio in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province, April 6, 2024.(Xinhua/Mu Yu) A young learner views batik products at Li Sa's studio in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province, April 6, 2024.(Xinhua/Mu Yu) Li Sa (L) and her mother Gan Caiyun make batik cloth in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province, April 6, 2024.(Xinhua/Mu Yu) Li Sa smooths out batik cloth in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province, April 6, 2024.(Xinhua/Mu Yu) Seeing a partial eclipse, wrote Annie Dillard in a 1982 essay, bears the same relation to seeing a total eclipse as kissing a man does to marrying him. She recounts the strange spirituality of witnessing totality on a mountainside in central Washington. It sounds amazing! And I get her metaphoryou cant know how wonderful and strange some events in life are until you have experienced them. An astronomer made Dillards point in more scientific terms to a reporter at the Montreal Gazette: A partial eclipse, when youre just outside the path of totalitybe it 99.9 percentis not 99.9 percent of the experience of a total eclipse. Youre very far from it. The astronomer had personally traveled to see 10 solar eclipses across the world. So, yes, in basic terms, I understand why people are going to great lengths to experience Mondays solar eclipse. The editor of this piece, for example, is driving at least seven hours one way to northern New Hampshire to see it. In 2017 parenting and science writer Melinda Wenner Moyer wondered if hauling her family 2,880 miles across the country to witness the eclipse would be a mistake, before finding the experience magically surrealworth every mile. But let me make the case for the rest of us, the noneclipse chasers, who are staying home. The entire U.S. will be experiencing a partial solar eclipse. Just watch that! It may not be as cool, but it will be cool too. Advertisement Here was my partial eclipse experience in 2017 in New York: I went on the roof of the apartment building in Chinatown where the Wirecutter, my employer at the time, had a test home and watched with my co-workers as a chunk of the sun got taken out by the moon. It was nice? I dont think that it changed my life or anythingto go back to Dillards comparisonthe way marriage has, but in terms of experiences I would like to repeat, it was a good one. A unique twist on a workday, for sure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are ways to maximize the enjoyment of a partial eclipse. Ann Finkbeiner, a writer who covers astronomy, among other things, chronicled her experience, during the 90s, of viewing a partial eclipse from her home in Baltimore, and what happened after she turned her eyes not to the sky but to the ground. She describes the hundreds of tiny crescent baby eclipses that formed in the shadows when vines and leaves acted like pinhole cameras. I didnt have to do a thing for it, God and physics just handed it to us, she writes, adding, It wasnt a big epiphany, more like goofy delight. That does sound delightful! Advertisement And one more layer. We have already established that a partial eclipse is not the same experience as a full one. But will the partial eclipse be a lesser experience? Only if you evaluate it in terms of a three-ish-minute span of time, the length of time the sun will be covered by the moon in the path of totality (though this amount is even less in some places that are still in the totality). What if you include all of the surrounding time, effort, money, and travel that it will take to get to having those three-ish minutes in that place? (As well as the possibility of scrambling to reorient your plans when cloud cover threatens to interfere with the experience.) The New York Times reported that one hotel in Illinois, a normally inexpensive Super 8, is charging nearly $1,000 for a one-night stay during the event. Having a total solar eclipse pass through the U.S. is kind of like having 20 or 30 Super Bowls happening all at once, a member of the American Astronomical Societys Solar Eclipse Task Force told Time magazine. The piece warns of traffic jams and advises eclipse chasers to extend their stays in towns, arriving early and leaving late. I am simply not a person who likes being in crowded areas! Life in New York provides quite enough opportunities for that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I did not, completely, just lie down and accept the partial eclipse as my eclipse experience. I briefly considered flying to Texas and staying with a friend. (For some reason I now forget, this weekend wasnt ideal.) I also thought about traveling to Montreal, a city I love dearly. (This time of year, though, can still fairly be considered winter: The city just experienced a snowstorm, and honestly, I dont want to visit during that.) I guess what I am saying is that, in addition to not liking crowds, I prefer my travel be dictated by terms other than alignment of the moon and the sun. A partial eclipse may not be the same as a full one, but that doesnt mean its not still cool. To return, again, to Dillards metaphor: Marriage is great. But you know whats also amazing? Kissing! Phillip Barry Albert, the former President of Pelco Structural LLC, an established steel pole manufacturer based in Claremore, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison following his conviction for evading more than $1 million in income taxes. The sentencing, handed down yesterday, marks a significant milestone in the governments ongoing efforts to combat tax fraud and enforce tax laws. From 2014 to 2019, Albert engaged in a sophisticated scheme to divert over $2.6 million of company funds to himself, bypassing the tax system. Court documents reveal that he manipulated Pelcos external payroll service to mislabel these substantial payments as reimbursements instead of income. This deliberate mischaracterization meant that the payroll company did not withhold federal income taxes nor report the payments as wages on Alberts W-2 forms. As a result, Albert avoided reporting this income on his tax returns for the respective years, causing a tax loss to the IRS totaling $1,000,232. U.S. District Judge Terence Kern for the Northern District of Oklahoma also ordered Albert to serve one year of supervised release following his prison term. Additionally, Albert is mandated to make restitution payments, amounting to approximately $1,000,232 to the United States and a staggering $2,615,750 to Pelco Industries Inc., the former parent company of Pelco Structural. The case was brought to light and pursued by Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Departments Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Clinton J. Johnson for the Northern District of Oklahoma. The investigative efforts of the IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI were instrumental in unveiling the details of Alberts tax evasion tactics. The prosecution of the case was handled by Trial Attorney Meredith Havekost of the Justice Departments Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Duncombe for the Northern District of Oklahoma. Their diligent work underscores the governments commitment to maintaining the integrity of the nations tax system and holding individuals accountable for undermining public trust through tax evasion. Implications for Small Business Owners This case serves as a stark reminder to small business owners of the critical importance of adhering to tax laws and regulations. Tax evasion not only jeopardizes the financial health and reputation of the business involved but also places an unfair burden on honest taxpayers and the public resources funded by tax revenues. Small business owners should view this as an opportunity to reassess their tax practices and ensure compliance with all tax obligations. Consulting with tax professionals and leveraging accurate payroll and accounting systems can prevent inadvertent or deliberate misreporting of income and taxes. The significant restitution ordered in this case highlights the financial and legal risks associated with tax evasion. Businesses are encouraged to foster a culture of transparency and compliance, thus protecting themselves and their stakeholders from similar legal consequences. As the government continues to crack down on tax evasion and fraud, it is more important than ever for small business owners to remain vigilant and committed to upholding the highest standards of tax compliance. Small business grants can be especially useful for entrepreneurs who are navigating major challenges. Issues like construction projects, severe weather, and vandalism can all cause business closures or significant loss. So many communities offer grants to improve outcomes. Read about some current options for businesses facing challenges or planning new projects below. Phoenix Small Business Financial Assistance Program Phoenix, Arizona, is still offering grants to local businesses affected by the citys light rail construction projects. The Small Business Financial Assistance Program is now in its fourth and final year. Initially, Valley Metro and the city of Phoenix partnered in 2021 to provide more than 200 grants, with a total of $1 million in funding. The program is open to businesses along the South Central Extension/Downtown Hub construction corridor that have 15 or fewer employees and annual revenues under $750,000. Eligible businesses can apply for between $4,500 and $9,000. The program ends at the end of 2024. Logan County Severe Weather Grants The Ohio Chamber of Commerce Research Foundation is working on a program that will provide grants to small businesses in Logan County that were affected by recent tornadoes and severe weather. Eligible businesses in need of assistance after the weather events of March 14 can apply for grants of up to $5,000 to cover various expenses needed to resume business operations. The foundation is also accepting donations from individuals and corporate sponsors who want to support the grant program. Las Cruces Storefront Repair Grant ??Las Cruces, New Mexico, is providing grants of $2,500 to help businesses repair storefront damage. The Storefront Repair Grant originally launched last year, offering a total of $400,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. To qualify, businesses must provide a police report and proof of damages that occurred since January 1, 2021. Businesses must also have no more than 40 full-time equivalent employees. More than half of the original funds are still available, so businesses that have repair projects are encouraged to apply. The deadline to utilize ARPA funds is 2026. Calumet Large and Small Scale Projects Grant Programs The Downtown Development Authority in Calumet, Michigan is launching a new program called Large Scale Projects Grants Program: Fostering Community Development. The program aims to support business improvement projects with a minimum valuation of $100,000. Eligible businesses can apply for grants between $5,000 and $10,000 dollars to help with the overall cost. Eligible improvements can include interior and exterior improvements, sidewalk repairs, and more. Funds will be allocated annually, with applications accepted on a rolling basis. The DDA is also launching a program that will support smaller business projects. The Small Scale Projects Grant Program: Empowering Business Growth will provide between $250 and $2,500 to eligible businesses in the area. Funds can be used for smaller projects like signage and beautification improvements. Business owners will need to provide a 50 percent match. Wisconsin Red Letter Grants The Red Letter Grant, a nonprofit organization in Wisconsin that supports female entrepreneurs, is currently offering $2,000 grants to four small businesses. The program also recently expanded to include entrepreneurs from Barron, Burnett, Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor, and Washburn counties. In addition to the cash grant, recipients also gain access to a supportive network of professional women and increased exposure for their new ventures. April 15 is the deadline to apply. Hancock County Small Business Grants Hancock County, Mississippi recently announced a $75,000 grant program to support local business owners. Eligible businesses can apply for grants of up to $5,000, which they can use for marketing, supplies, or renovations. The grant program originally launched a few years ago to support women and minority business owners in the area. But this year, applications are open to all small businesses that meet the requirements. April 15 is the application deadline. All food stores under private ownership were consolidated into one grocery network under communism. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share The main street in Kosice maintained its refined demeanour even in 1951 when it was called Lenins Street. The regime had changed the street's name to a communist sounding one a mere three years prior. In the right bottom corner of the postcard is the sign Zdroj. Zdroj was a grocery shop through the communist era throughout Slovakia. The basis of the company was 28 stores of Julius Meinl, Lahodky Lamplota and Jedlo Bratislava, over which the state gained control in 1948. Later, all food stores under private ownership, such as butchers and greengrocers, were added to the Zdroj state company. After the fall of the socialist regime, the network was broken into several regional parts, which were later privatized. In the 1990s, these parts either operated independently, with their own networks, such as Sama, or gradually disappeared. Most of the chains from the 1990s became part of the CBA network. Above the shop, the big sign Praca (Work) is an advertisement for a newspaper in which citizens of then-Czechoslovakia were able to read how everything was going according to plan and how everyone was doing wonderfully. Beside the Zdroj store is the former town hall, built in 1779-1789 in the Baroque-Classicist style. It served the town until 1928 when the councillors moved to another building. There were several town halls in Kosice over the past centuries. Initially, during the Middle Ages, the town leadership tended to meet in the richtars (magistrate's) home. Only later, when Kosice became better off economically, a building was constructed specifically for this purpose. The richer the town was, the more splendid, typically, its town hall was too. The oldest known Kosice magistrate was named Arnold, the mention of whom dates back to 1307. During the long years of the towns existence, many people took their turns in this post, while some of them managed to hold this high, respected office repeatedly. https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!4v1712170675904!6m8!1m7!1sS21fI-jdkGTSl1NJyr845g!2m2!1d48.72148559307902!2d21.25786145886823!3f24.428947431281923!4f4.535859106067747!5f0.7820865974627469 This article was originally published by The Slovak Spectator on November 10, 2014. It has been updated to be relevant today. In the first quarter of 2024, Kosice airport processed almost 100,000 passengers. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share Passengers using the services of Kosice airport can now fly to Zurich, Switzerland, and soon can hop on a plane to the Adriatic Sea. Flights to Switzerland are part of the airport's summer flight schedule, which will be replaced by the winter one at the end of October. Swiss International Air Lines started operating a regular route between Zurich and Kosice three times a week on March 27. Another novelty is flights to Zadar, Croatia. "The first flight is scheduled for June 2. There will be flights twice a week - on Wednesdays and Sundays until September 29," explained Juraj Toth, manager for business development of Kosice airport. Passengers can also fly from Kosice to Dublin, Vienna, Warsaw, Prague, Liverpool and London (Stansted and Luton). On Thursday, the airport announced that over 900 charter flights to and from 17 beach resort destinations in 11 countries, including Albania, Turkey, Egypt, Cyprus, Tunisia and Italy, are planned for the summer season. In the first quarter of this year, Kosice airport processed almost 100,000 passengers. Their number increased not only compared to the same period last year, but also the pre-pandemic year of 2019. Compared to the first quarter of 2019, this is an increase of 15.4 percent. Villages like Blatna Polianka lack reliable acccess drinking water, despite ongoing efforts. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share 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. Saturday's runoff expected to be a tight battle. Ivan Korcok (L) and Peter Pellegrini (R) in the last pre-election debate in Bratislava, April 3, 2024. (Source: TASR - Martin Baumann) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share In this story, you will find the most recent presidential election polls conducted by five different polling agencies for different media outlets. After a surprise win in the first round, former foreign minister Ivan Korcok emerged as a winner in three of these polls. However, Peter Pellegrini, the speaker of parliament, has an equal chance of winning the second round. The margin in the polls, with the exception of one survey, is exceedingly narrow. FOCUS MEDIAN According to this poll, 53 percent of respondents are likely to vote in the runoff round. IPSOS According to this poll, 48 percent of respondents are likely to vote in the runoff round. The turnout in the first round was 51.91 percent. Ipsos calculated the possible results based on two different scenarios, with a lower and higher turnout. Pellegrini could benefit from the higher turnout, according to the agency. "Even with higher turnouts, the differences between Korcok and Pellegrini are at the level of a statistical error, so we are in for a dramatic election night with an uncertain election winner," analyst Roman Pudmarcik told Dennik N. The daily notes that about 70 percent of Stefan Harabin's voters, who cast the vote in the first round, are willing to visit the polls. Up to 90 percent of these voters say that they will vote for Pellegrini. More than 260,000 people supported Harabin, a pro-Kremlin politician and one of the most notorious spreaders of disinformation, in the first round of the presidential race. NMS Market Research The difference in the support of both candidates is 3.4 percent in favour of Korcok. This means that Pellegrini has a chance of becoming president. Pellegrini has gained a significant number of voters from unsuccessful candidates - especially from Stefan Harabin, NMS analyst Mikulas Hanes told the Sme daily. However, Korcok also managed to convince the voters who did not vote in the first round. Also, Korcok's electoral potential, 57.9 percent, is higher than Pellegrini's (55.3 percent), the poll indicates. SCIO Before the first round of the presidential election, the SCIO agency, co-founded by former politician Martin Klus, published the most accurate pre-election poll. Today, the agency asserts once again that Korcok has the potential to succeed in the final round of the race. "In politics, people like to follow the winners. Also, the smear campaign and the mobilisation were not effective when we collected the data," Klus told the Hospodarske Noviny daily. Like other agencies, Klus confirmed that Harabin voters could decide the election. "Many people are ashamed to say that they are voting for Pellegrini, especially Harabin's voters. Pellegrini doesn't completely suit them, but they want to vote because they don't want Korcok to win," Klus said. He emphasised that pre-election debates on TV channels, which took place after all the polls had come out, could have a significant impact on the final result. The smear campaign, which did continue in the past days, could also influence the result. The turnout in the runoff round was the second highest since 1999. Speaker of Parliament Peter Pellegrini (Hlas) became the Slovak president-elect on April 6, 2024 after defeating his rival Ivan Korcok in a runoff. In the picture, populist PM Robert Fico applauds Pellegrini's victory. (Source: TASR) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share Speaker of Parliament Peter Pellegrini, who chairs the coalition party Hlas, will become Slovakias next president. Pellegrini received 53.12 percent (1,409,255 votes), while Korcok ended up in second place with 46.87 percent (1,243,709 votes). Korcok won the first round, which was a surprise to many. The Statistics Office ended the counting process at 2:00 on Sunday morning, when it announced on its website that all the votes had been counted. The predictions made by the dailies Sme and Dennik N on Saturday night confirmed shortly before 23:30 that former diplomat Ivan Korcok was no longer capable of outrunning Pellegrini. At that time, more than 80 percent of the votes had already been counted. The turnout in the runoff round reached 61.14 percent. This is the second-highest turnout since 1999, when the president was elected directly for the first time. Shortly before midnight, Korcok congratulated Pellegrini on becoming the president-elect and said that he hopes Pellegrini will act without orders coming from the government. Korcok has been a vocal critic of the current government, which has carried out purges in the police and cancelled the Special Prosecutor's Office to stop the investigation of high-profile corruption. It is attempting to change the Penal Code and to get the public broadcaster RTVS under its control. Dozens of people who served under the previous Smer-led governments have been convicted of corruption and other serious crimes. "I'm disappointed," Korcok also admitted. In response to the smear campaign waged against him by Pellegrini and his team several days before the runoff round, the former diplomat said: "I will never forget what you've done to me." Pellegrini and the ruling coalition portrayed him as a "war president". Korcok is a strong supporter of Ukraine, like President Zuzana Caputova, but Peter Pellegrini has been calling for peace in Ukraine a long time and opposing any military aid to the country. In his campaign, he also claimed that Korcok would send Slovak soldiers to Ukraine to fight in the war. However, this is not a presidential power. "Fear has decided the election," Korcok said. He noted that Pellegrini won despite the fact that his campaign was non-transparent. President Zuzana Caputova, whose term will end on June 15, also congratulated Pellegrini on Saturday night. After midnight, Pellegrini pledged that the ruling coalition will remain stable and said that he will support the government. He's been nicknamed a "minion" by the public since late 2023. During the post-parliamentary election talks, the Hlas chair claimed that he wouldn't be anyone's minion. Thus far, his party has supported all the moves announced by the Smer-led coalition. "I won't be an uncritical admirer of the government," he announced on Saturday night. Nevertheless, he repeated the government's position on the war in Ukraine, and that Slovakia will "remain on the side of peace, not on the side of war." Fico's cabinet halted military aid to its neighbour last year, but his cabinet continues to support commercial arms deals, including those concluded by state-owned firms. "I will advocate for Slovakia, as its interests hold utmost importance to me," the speaker of parliament also stated. Pellegrini, like PM and Smer party leader Robert Fico, believes that Slovakia cannot agree with everything the EU and NATO say. As for his campaign, he said that it wasn't based on marketing, nor on a fight against anyone. Pellegrini, who mimics the positions of populist PM Fico when it comes to the country's foreign policy, didn't respond to Korcok's accusations. Standing by the president-elect, Fico said, "Long live Peter Pellegrini, long live the president, long live the Slovak Republic." It's known that their relationship isn't ideal. Ahead of the second round, Fico said that Pellegrini was not "an ideal candidate". Fico ran for president in 2014. He lost to entrepreneur and philanthropist Andrej Kiska. He had received almost 900,000 votes, significantly less than Pellegrini's 1.4 million votes. Pellegrini had been Smer's top party official for many years. He left in 2020, two years after the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and after Smer lost the 2020 parliamentary election, pledging that he would never sit in a government with Fico. Pellegrini then established his new party, Hlas, which Fico didn't like. Still, they formed a ruling coalition last year, also with the Slovak National Party. On early Sunday morning, Pellegrini ended his press conference with: "May God protect the Slovak Republic." GAZA, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced on Saturday that a delegation of its leaders would travel to Egypt on Sunday for talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a hostage-for-prisoner swap deal between the movement and Israel. "A Hamas leadership delegation, headed by Khalil Al-Hayya, will travel to Cairo on Sunday in response to a call from our brothers in Egypt," Hamas said in a statement. Al-Hayya is a member of Hamas' politburo and the movement's deputy chief in Gaza. Hamas said it would still adhere to "the position it presented on March 14," describing it as "natural demands to end the (Israeli) aggression" and saying it would not give up on them. The demands include "a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the return of displaced individuals to their places of residence, people's freedom of movement, relief and shelter, and a serious prisoner swap deal," read the statement. The Hamas announcement coincides with a meeting in Cairo on Saturday to discuss a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage-for-prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel, according to Israeli media outlets. The meeting brings together CIA Director William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, and head of Egypt's General Intelligence Service Abbas Kamel. During previous rounds of indirect talks, Hamas demanded a complete cessation of the war, while Israel agreed only to a temporary ceasefire and rejected Hamas' request to allow displaced civilians to return home. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240406/hamas-delegation-to-visit-cairo-on-april-7-for-ceasefire-talks-1117783177.html Hamas Delegation to Visit Cairo on April 7 for Ceasefire Talks Hamas Delegation to Visit Cairo on April 7 for Ceasefire Talks Sputnik International Palestinian movement Hamas said on Saturday its delegation would visit Cairo on April 7 at Egypt's invitation to take part in a new round of ceasefire talks while maintaining all its demands. 2024-04-06T16:33+0000 2024-04-06T16:33+0000 2024-04-06T16:33+0000 world palestinians israel hamas cairo gaza strip palestine-israel conflict https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/01/1e/1116483146_0:0:3072:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_7275bc97acba0b372dd32fcc60c31049.jpg "A delegation of the Hamas leadership, headed by [senior official] Khalil al-Hayya, will leave for Cairo tomorrow, Sunday, at the invitation of the brothers in Egypt. Hamas reaffirms its commitment to its position set out on March 14, its natural demands for an end to the [Israeli] aggression," a statement seen by Sputnik read. The movement's demands include, in particular, a complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, the return of the internally displaced persons to their homes, the free movement of Gazans and the free entry of humanitarian aid to the enclave, as well as a "serious" prisoner exchange deal, the statement read. CIA Director William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and an Israeli delegation will also attend the talks, Egyptian broadcaster Al Qahera News reported, citing informed Egyptian sources. There have been several rounds of ceasefire talks in the Gaza Strip in recent months, but they have so far failed. Al Thani said that Israel's opposition to Palestinians returning to the northern Gaza Strip was hampering progress on the truce talks, which have stalled on the same points discussed in Paris in March. On October 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. Nearly 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted during the attack. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 33,100 people have been killed so far by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, according to local authorities. Over 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240406/strike-on-aid-workers-in-gaza-us-knows-how-to-be-silent-on-israels-violations--analyst-1117776230.html israel cairo gaza strip Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International ceasefire in gaza, palestine-israel conflict, gaza peace talks https://sputnikglobe.com/20240406/iraqi-shia-groups-take-credit-for-attack-on-israeli-oil-refineries-1117774108.html Iraqi Shia Groups Take Credit for Attack on Israeli Oil Refineries in Haifa Iraqi Shia Groups Take Credit for Attack on Israeli Oil Refineries in Haifa Sputnik International Shia armed groups forming part of the so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq took credit for an attack on oil refineries in the northern Israeli city of Haifa Saturday. 2024-04-06T03:06+0000 2024-04-06T03:06+0000 2024-04-06T04:42+0000 world newsfeed middle east iraq haifa israel israel-gaza conflict gaza strip palestine-israel conflict https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/09/03/1083789616_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_ebd2e285aa627b310697c8d8455f3745.jpg DOHA (Sputnik) - Shia armed groups forming part of the self-proclaimed Islamic Resistance in Iraq took credit for an attack on oil refineries in the northern Israeli city of Haifa Saturday.Today at dawn, Saturday, April 6, 2024, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq attacked oil refineries in Haifa in our occupied territories with drones, read a statement posted to Telegram. Observers expect the Iranian-backed Axis of Resistance to step up attacks in the Middle East after an Israeli strike hit Iran's consulate in Syria this week. Seven Iranian military advisors were killed in the attack, including two generals.Armed groups largely paused attacks on US installations in the Middle East earlier this year after a strike on a base near the Syria-Jordan border killed 3 American Army soldiers. Iran reportedly urged the groups to stand down after the provocative incident, but the bombing of the Iranian consulate marks a re-escalation of tensions.Public opinion throughout the region has been inflamed since Israel began its military operation in the Gaza Strip last October, which has killed more than 33,000.Iran has warned it will launch a retaliatory attack against Israel imminently, with analysts suggesting the country may strike within Israeli territory. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240128/american-base-near-syria-jordan-border-attacked-amidst-rejection-of-us-role-in-area-1116455518.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/iran-vs-israel-military-comparison-whos-tougher-1117759486.html iraq haifa israel gaza strip Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International haifa oil refineries attack, iraqi resistance haifa attack, iraqi resistance drone attack, iran israel attack https://sputnikglobe.com/20240406/natos-losing-war-and-an-empty-promise-to-ukraine--1117773465.html NATO's 'Losing War' and an Empty Promise to Ukraine NATO's 'Losing War' and an Empty Promise to Ukraine Sputnik International KJ Noh, a scholar, educator and journalist joined Sputnik on Friday. Michelle Witte asked Noh what would happen if US Republicans decided that opposing NATO expansion is a winning political message for them. 2024-04-06T02:07+0000 2024-04-06T02:07+0000 2024-04-06T02:22+0000 analysis nato nato expansion nato summit antony blinken ukraine brussels washington donald trump republicans https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/0b/02/1114665982_0:116:3072:1843_1920x0_80_0_0_e6068e3b6db8419d29561d9ee2b4886e.jpg US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Thursday that Ukraine will eventually join NATO. It was the same message the US has been repeating since 2008, although the alliance has not revealed a concrete timeline for Ukraine's accession. US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (often referred to as MTG) and US Senator JD Vance took to social media to decry Blinkens comments as irresponsible and dangerous, saying inviting Ukraine to join NATO during a war is to invite our nation to war.KJ Noh, a scholar, educator and journalist and member of Veterans for Peace, joined Sputniks Political Misfits on Friday to discuss these developments. Sputniks Michelle Witte asked Noh what would happen if Republicans decided that opposing NATO expansion is a winning political message.But let's come back to MTG and JD Vance. You know, they are not the most informed people in the political classes, they're clearly pandering to the base," he claimed. "And as I said if you recall on this show, the US public tends to reflexively support most US wars initiated by their elites until they start losing and then they stop supporting them."I think it has to do with the fact that they don't believe it's a winning proposition to be associated with NATO, which is currently losing a war, and this is a NATO war. And, of course, it also has to do with the fact that [former President Donald] Trump himself has a very mercantile, business view of NATO. He sees them as free riders on the American military, and he wants the quid pro quo.Former President Donald Trump said recently he would 100% keep the US in NATO should he return to the Oval Office, as long as European countries pay their fair share and play fair. The former president told British media the US pays for 90% of NATO, adding that it is the most unfair thing.NATO estimates that for 2023 Poland was actually the top spender and allocated 3.9% of its GDP to the alliance, which was more than twice the amount it had spent in 2022. In contrast, the US spent 3.5% of its GDP about the same amount it has been spending for the last decade.However, only 35% of NATO member states meet the alliance's spending targets on defense, prompting criticism from Trump and aligned "America First" conservatives. Proposals to resurrect European countries' weakened defense industries have been greeted with skepticism as the continent is rocked by protests over economic concerns.Witte asked Noh if the NATO summit slated for July will include a concrete plan to incorporate Ukraine into NATO.We've sunk these costs on. And so we have to keep on sinking into more costs. I don't think the European population will stand for it, [but] the ruling elite seems still to be stuck on this. So I think it is an incredible debacle," he added. "I think they also want to pivot again to the Pacific, and they want NATO to be involved there. And so I think they're trying to do their best to see if they can get their hands off and wipe them clean of this tar baby that is rapidly showing diminishing returns. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/ukraines-military-has-collapsed-as-nato-marks-75th-anniversary--1117752717.html ukraine brussels washington russia donbass Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Mary Manley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/0b/1092187887_0:0:2048:2049_100x100_80_0_0_0c2cc4c84f89aff034cc55bb01fb6697.jpg Mary Manley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/0b/1092187887_0:0:2048:2049_100x100_80_0_0_0c2cc4c84f89aff034cc55bb01fb6697.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Mary Manley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/0b/1092187887_0:0:2048:2049_100x100_80_0_0_0c2cc4c84f89aff034cc55bb01fb6697.jpg nato, ukraine, analysis, politics https://sputnikglobe.com/20240406/new-rustled-up-joint-nato-mission-shows-west-has-no-real-plan-in-ukraine---analyst-1117775376.html New Rustled-Up Joint NATO Mission Shows West 'Has No Real Plan in Ukraine' - Analyst New Rustled-Up Joint NATO Mission Shows West 'Has No Real Plan in Ukraine' - Analyst Sputnik International Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorskis thoughts regarding a new joint NATO mission in Ukraine are more a wish than reality, strategic analyst Paolo Raffone told Sputnik. 2024-04-06T07:16+0000 2024-04-06T07:16+0000 2024-04-06T07:16+0000 analysis nato poland ukraine radoslaw sikorski jens stoltenberg david cameron european union (eu) vladimir putin white house https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/103522/88/1035228815_0:183:3073:1911_1920x0_80_0_0_bba404c3b49d85917275ccaed70d505a.jpg Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorskis thoughts regarding a new joint NATO mission in Ukraine are more a wish than reality, strategic analyst Paolo Raffone told Sputnik.Sikorskis thoughts do not match with David Camerons statements at the NATO summit in Brussels. The UK foreign secretary acknowledged that the 'war will be lost if the allies don't step up,' but when asked whether Western nations should send troops into Ukraine, Lord Cameron replied no, Paolo Raffone said.As for the alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, he said that there were no plans for deploying NATO troops on the territory of Ukraine."We dont have any plans of having any NATO combat troops inside Ukraine, there have been no requests for that, but the Ukrainians are asking for equipment, for ammunition, for weapons and we are providing that to Ukraine that doesnt make NATO allies party to the conflict," Stoltenberg told a press conference. He did, however, add that NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is working on a proposal to enhance the alliance's coordinating security role in Ukraine. According to officials, this would presuppose bringing the Ukraine Defense Contact Group currently led by the US under NATOs control. It is this group that coordinates the delivery of weapons to Kiev.The hot-button issue of NATO "boots on the ground" in Ukraine has been uppermost ever since French President Emmanuel Macron blurted out that he refuses to rule out sending EU troops to the conflict zone. The remarks drew harsh backlash from some European politicians, and are still reverberating in political circles.However, just recently, American security and defense consultant Edward Luttwak wrote in an article for the website UnHerd that NATO countries "will soon have to send soldiers to Ukraine, or else accept catastrophic defeat," as 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."Weighing in on this, Paolo Raffone underscored that the alliances support for Ukraine is limited to certain logistic, advisory and training functions, and under the current North Atlantic Treaty, it would not be possible to do more.NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg has also floated plans for a 100-billion-euro five-year package of military aid to Ukraine, hoping to finalize the deal in time for the next summit of the bloc in Washington in July.But this is a plan on paper without any concrete fiscal coverage from NATO member states," Paolo Raffone noted. He described it as the last nail in the coffin to Ursula von der Leyen, who suggested a similar arrangement under the EU defense system."All these statements should be interpreted in view of the possible return of [Donald] Trump to the White House at the end of 2024. They look like attempts to create 'Trump-proof' conditions, preemptive declaratory engagements to balance candidate Donald Trump suggesting the US could cut support [to Ukraine] and claiming some NATO members were not paying their way. The reality is that the US, which has been providing 80% of military supplies to Ukraine, has not managed to approve the new package of military aid. Without the US, the European allies can do very little in support to Ukraine, noted Raffone.There have been fears that a Trump presidency could restrict funding to Ukraine. The former US president has said that he would not provide financial assistance to Ukraine if elected this fall, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated after their meeting in March. As for the "joint NATO mission in Ukraine" touted by Sikorski, should it be established, it goes in the sense of not engaging NATO directly in Ukraine," Raffone said, and added:NATO has no real plan for Ukraine, but it would like to see the situation 'stabilized' to be more manageable. The undeclared scope is to reduce the Ukrainian forces sliding (or collapsing) so that, at one moment, without one winner and one defeated on the ground, some negotiations could take place.Talk about establishing a NATO mission in Ukraine comes ahead of looming presidential elections in the US, and enormous tensions within the US apparatus signal that the military-industrial complex (MIC) does not want to lose the flow of federal funds, according to the pundit.MIC knows that any president has limited powers. Therefore, MIC is prepositioning with the scope to keep the war in Ukraine active enough to push political decisions. NATO just reflects the US internal forces struggling ahead of the presidential elections, Paolo Raffone summed up.At this point, it should be noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin warned in his state of the nation address in March that NATO risks a nuclear conflict if it sends troops to support the Kiev regime."Theres been talk of sending NATO military forces to Ukraine. We remember the fate of those who sent their contingents to our country before and this time the consequences for the potential interventionists will be far more tragic," Putin said. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240406/natos-losing-war-and-an-empty-promise-to-ukraine--1117773465.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240404/natos-bold-move-preparing-ukraine-for-trump-era-with-massive-aid-package-1117726416.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/ukraines-military-has-collapsed-as-nato-marks-75th-anniversary--1117752717.html poland ukraine brussels kiev Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Svetlana Ekimenko Svetlana Ekimenko News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Svetlana Ekimenko nato, nato ukraine, nato join mission in ukraine, nato is a part of ukrainian prozy war, russian special military operation https://sputnikglobe.com/20240406/outgoing-boeing-ceo-bags-33-million-pay-off-despite-b737-max-accidents-1117777062.html Outgoing Boeing CEO Bags $33 Million Pay-Off Despite B737 Max Accidents Outgoing Boeing CEO Bags $33 Million Pay-Off Despite B737 Max Accidents Sputnik International Recently, the beleaguered US planemaker has faced myriad safety problems due to several mishaps involving its 737 Max aircraft, escalating concerns about the quality standards of their planes. 2024-04-06T11:43+0000 2024-04-06T11:43+0000 2024-04-06T11:43+0000 americas us business san francisco houston alaska federal aviation administration (faa) alaska airlines united airlines boeing 737 max https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/107321/88/1073218888_0:171:3008:1862_1920x0_80_0_0_45145d0a3e46abeed61937b1a7513c05.jpg Boeing's departing CEO Dave Calhoun's 2023 pay package jumped by 45 percent to about $33 million, according to an annual proxy statement filed on Friday.Boeing reported that Calhoun's compensation mainly consists of deferred stock options. Boeing's share price has slumped almost 30 percent this year as of March 29, 2024 following the mid-air blowout of an Alaska Airlines B737 MAX 9 jet door plug on January 5.A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that Boeing failed to correctly install the four bolts required to secure the door on the Alaska jet.The revised figure for Calhoun's overall earnings in 2023 totalled $24.8 million. The departing CEO pocketed $22.6 million the previous year, according to the regulatory filing.The Seattle-based planemaker is in financial and regulatory trouble after several accidents with its B737 Max short-medium haul airliners. It has suffered a drop in new orders and mounting concerns over quality control and corporate governance raised by regulators and customers.Last February, an expert panel found Boeing's safety practices "inadequate and confusing" and noted a "disconnect" between the company's senior management and front-line workers.In March, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) probe found multiple issues within Boeing's 737 Max production, including quality control violations by major supplier Spirit AeroSystems. The FAA conducted 89 product audits of which 33 failed, totalling 97 instances of noncompliance. Based on FAA findings, Spirit AeroSystems underwent 13 audits, failing seven.Calhoun was appointed CEO of Boeing in January 2020. His 2023 pay-packet is his highest yet, despite the transnational corporation's litany of woes.Following the Alaska incident, Boeing's executive compensation committee adjusted the payment structure for top officials in 2024. Executives in the commercial aircraft division will now have their pay split into 60 percent based on operational performance and 40 percent based on financial performance. Previously, three-quarters of pay was based on financial metrics.Timeline of Boeing safety incidents so far this year: https://sputnikglobe.com/20240227/federal-probe-finds-inadequate-and-confusing-safety-protocols-at-boeing-1117017885.html americas san francisco houston alaska Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Chimauchem Nwosu https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/09/01/1113046371_0:99:1536:1635_100x100_80_0_0_9c5c627283eca931c39fe4852bbb301c.jpg Chimauchem Nwosu https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/09/01/1113046371_0:99:1536:1635_100x100_80_0_0_9c5c627283eca931c39fe4852bbb301c.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Chimauchem Nwosu https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/09/01/1113046371_0:99:1536:1635_100x100_80_0_0_9c5c627283eca931c39fe4852bbb301c.jpg boeing 737 max, boeing ceo, dave calhoun, david calhoun, beoing outgoing ceo, compensation for boeing departing ceo https://sputnikglobe.com/20240406/sixteen-detained-during-prayers-in-al-aqsa-mosque-in-jerusalem---israeli-police-1117781337.html Sixteen Detained During Prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem - Israeli Police Sixteen Detained During Prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem - Israeli Police Sputnik International As many as 16 people have been detained during night and morning prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on suspicion of incitement to terrorism, the Israeli police said on Saturday. 2024-04-06T13:48+0000 2024-04-06T13:48+0000 2024-04-06T13:48+0000 world jerusalem israel east jerusalem temple mount https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/08/15/1083681132_0:0:3071:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_a00d6c9e4d2b99829493dda93839b4ca.jpg "The Jerusalem District Police and border police officers detained 16 people suspected of being involved in incitement and supporting terrorism in the Old City in the Temple Mount area of Jerusalem," the statement read. The police identified that most of the detainees were young people from East Jerusalem, northern Israel, and one from the Palestinian city of Nablus, the statement read. The worshipers shouted provocative slogans and set off fireworks, the Israeli police said. Thousands of worshipers attended the Laylat al-Qadr (The Night of Power) prayers in the night from Friday to Saturday to mark the approaching end of Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the police added. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230408/palestinians-barricade-themselves-in-al-aqsa-mosque-in-jerusalem---reports-1109281409.html jerusalem israel east jerusalem Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International al-aqsa mosque, prayers in al-aqsa mosque, temple mount, israeli police https://sputnikglobe.com/20240406/slovakia-committed-to-humanitarian-aid-not-bombs-for-ukraine---foreign-minister-1117772645.html Slovakia Committed to Humanitarian Aid, Not Bombs, for Ukraine - Foreign Minister Slovakia Committed to Humanitarian Aid, Not Bombs, for Ukraine - Foreign Minister Sputnik International The government of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico continued to chart an independent course on the Donbass Crisis Friday by insisting the country would not contribute towards arms provisions in a proposed NATO fund for Ukraine. 2024-04-06T00:18+0000 2024-04-06T00:18+0000 2024-04-06T02:19+0000 world jens stoltenberg ukraine slovakia nato robert fico https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/04/06/1117772723_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_8930208627bc82c799d62743714adab4.jpg Slovakian Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said the initiative to create a Ukraine aid fund requires detailed study, but if the republic supports it, it will be in areas not related to arms supply.Previously NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg proposed creating a contribution fund to finance Ukraine over five years in the amount of $100 billion as part of a package of documents that will be signed at the alliances July summit in Washington. The move is seen as a hedge against the prospect of a second Donald Trump presidency in the United States; observers speculate Trump would end US support for Ukraine and possibly reduce funding for NATO.A proposal was presented. These were three very important areas, but they are still at an early stage and it would be premature to express any position on them," Blanar told reporters. "At the end of the discussion, the [NATO] Secretary General stated that despite the enormous support from partners in the form of lethal and non-lethal systems, this is not enough, Ukraine needs more [support]."Blanar said Slovakia will continue to assist Ukraine in the humanitarian sphere by supplying mine clearance systems, as well as partnering with Kiev on the implementation of joint civilian projects.Russia previously issued a statement to NATO over arms supplies to Ukraine, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying any cargo containing weapons for the country would become a legitimate target for Russia. The Kremlin said propping up Ukraine with weapons from the West does not contribute to the success of Russia-Ukraine talks.Lavrov said the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict in the Donbass, not only through supplying weapons, but also by training personnel... in the territory of Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and other countries.Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico rejected European interference in the Donbass conflict recently, urging Slovakias congress to pass a resolution against the sending of troops to Ukraine.Some European politicians talk about the need to directly participate in the war in Ukraine against Russia with such intensity that I am beginning to take it as a reality, said the leader in an apparent reference to French President Emmanuel Macron. And that's why I would consider it right if the National Council takes a decision as quickly as possible that it does not agree with such a military adventure.Fico, often considered a voice of dissent against the increasingly Russophobic tilt of the European Union, took the opportunity to criticize the tenor of debate surrounding the subject. If you are in favor of peace and stopping the killing of Slavs, you are Putin's man, Fico observed, responding to frequent characterizations of himself as an ally of the Russian president. If you are in favor of killing and involving the EU and NATO in the war in Ukraine, you are in the right place.The Prime Minister claimed there is no military solution to the Donbass conflict and urged negotiations for a peaceful settlement. He also promised the cooperation of Slovakia in efforts to provide Ukraine with humanitarian aid at the time.I refuse to have an iron curtain built between the EU and the Russian Federation, said Fico in separate remarks previously. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240321/why-slovak-wildcard-robert-fico-could-bring-eu-house-of-cards-crashing-down-1117477241.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240328/macrons-proposed-escalation-in-ukraine-risks-nuclear-annihilation--experts-1117595458.html ukraine slovakia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International slovakia nato ukraine fund, slovakia rejects ukraine weapons, slovak foreign minister rejects ukraine weapons, juraj blanar ukraine weapons, juraj blanar nato ukraine arms, robert fico ukraine, robert fico putin, robert fico russia https://sputnikglobe.com/20240406/strike-on-aid-workers-in-gaza-us-knows-how-to-be-silent-on-israels-violations--analyst-1117776230.html Strike on Aid Workers in Gaza: 'US Knows How to Be Silent' on Israel's Violations Analyst Strike on Aid Workers in Gaza: 'US Knows How to Be Silent' on Israel's Violations Analyst Sputnik International US frustration with the Israeli armys actions in Gaza is all about politics and upcoming presidential elections, Mehmet Rakipoglu told Sputnik. 2024-04-06T11:32+0000 2024-04-06T11:32+0000 2024-04-06T11:32+0000 analysis us israel palestine-israel conflict gaza strip hamas joe biden benjamin netanyahu israel defense forces (idf) palestinians https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/04/06/1117776433_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_76e29dc879baf7a48d5ef2e274eff9fb.jpg When the White House suddenly begins to express its frustration with the Israeli Armys actions in Gaza, as we see now, its all about politics and upcoming presidential elections, Mehmet Rakipoglu, a researcher on international affairs at Dimensions for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank, told Sputnik.The flurry of official statements now coming out of Washington showing concern about civilian casualties in Gaza is hypocritical, according to the pundit. From day one of the current spiral of the Palestine-Israel conflict, the US has cared precious little about civilian deaths. As it stands, the Gaza Strip's health authorities have said that 32,916 Palestinians have been killed since the hostilities began.But politics" has prompted Washington to speak up in the wake of the Israeli strike on aid workers from the World Central Kitchen organization, Mehmet Rakipoglu noted.US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip were "unacceptable." "President 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 readout of the call that happened in the wake of the Israeli strike said.After the strike, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops had "unintentionally harmed non-combatants" in Gaza, adding that "this happens in war." The US State Department called the incident unacceptable and said that the IDF must impose measures to rule out a repeat of such an incident. Israels strike on WCK aid workers in the Gaza Strip must mark its last civilian casualty incident, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday. White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said the US was unaware whether American-supplied weapons were used in the Israeli strike.For all the tough rhetoric, Mehmet Rakipoglu did not predict any "radical changes in Washington policies towards Israel."Why I am saying that is because it's not new for us to see that Israel is violating international law, he pointed out. At the same time, he added, Washington "knows how to be silent. In rhetoric, the US is the most important country concerning international law, civilian casualties, not targeting civilians, but it's obvious that it's not the case when it comes to the implementation."Under mounting pressure on the home front, in shift a from its three previous vetoes, the US abstained from a UN Security Council vote on a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza on March 25. The move was seen as feeding into a growing chasm between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At the time, many pundits believed the abstention was no more than a posturing PR stunt. Recent polling has shown that Biden risks losing the November election after infuriating large portions of his partys base, including Arab American voters in swing states.But there was swift blowback from Israel, with an exchange of tense rhetoric between Washington and Tel Aviv. In a diplomatic snub, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a high-level delegations trip to the US. Meanwhile, there has been no halt in US lethal aid flowing to Israel, despite half-hearted calls from the administration for Israel to spare civilian lives.One can expect more problems between Netanyahu and Biden to play out in the future, the expert predicted. He also suggested that the US could plan that if there is any problem with the elections that can lead to a loss for Biden, Biden can say Okay, now Netanyahu is responsible for that crisis, we are not and Israel is not. And Israel as a state can come up with the idea that Okay, we are now putting all responsibilities on Netanyahu, not on our state'."But failing that, the expert ruled out anything radically changing between the US and Israel. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240404/biden-tells-netanyahu-us-gaza-policy-to-depend-on-israel-minimizing-civilian-harm-1117744781.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240327/us-israel-rift-widens-amid-tense-back-and-forth-over-gaza-war-1117575379.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/israeli-strikes-in-gaza-proving-part-of-concerted-effort-to-industrialize-genocide-1117770696.html israel gaza strip Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Svetlana Ekimenko Svetlana Ekimenko News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Svetlana Ekimenko us frustration with the israeli armys actions in gaza, gaza strip, violence, humanitarian workers in gaza, war crime, israeli attacks, israeli strike on aid workers in gaza, israeli attack on wck aid workers, biden and netanyahu spat ROME, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Over 1,100 migrants and refugees including 121 non-accompanied children were rescued off Italy's southern coasts over 24 hours, local media said on Saturday. Some 145 people were saved during the night while sailing aboard three boats that had departed from the Libyan ports of Zuara and Tajoura, according to state-run Rai News 24 channel. And the other 797 migrants were rescued in previous operations in the southern Mediterranean Sea. Among them were mainly Bengalis, Egyptians, and Syrian and Palestinian nationals, Ansa news agency reported. Over the past 24 hours, dozens of other migrants also arrived at different ports in Sicily, including those in Pantelleria, Marettimo and Mazara del Vallo. The improving sea and weather conditions were believed to have sparked the recent surge in maritime arrivals in southern Italy in the last few days. The latest migrant boats all departed from either Libyan or Tunisian ports and crossed the perilous waters of the southern Mediterranean Sea, according to local media reports. By April 4, 12,991 people have arrived in Italy by sea, down from the 28,342 in the same period of last year, the Interior Ministry has said. And according to the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, Italy registered 157,661 sea arrivals in 2023. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240406/ukraine-loses-over-280-troops-in-avdeyevka-region-in-past-24-hours---mod-1117779898.html Ukraine Loses Over 280 Troops in Avdeyevka Region in Past 24 Hours - MoD Ukraine Loses Over 280 Troops in Avdeyevka Region in Past 24 Hours - MoD Sputnik International The Russian armed forces repelled 12 attacks by Ukrainian troops in the region of Avdeyevka, over the past 24 hours, with Kiev losing more than 280 servicepeople in the area as a result, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday. 2024-04-06T11:38+0000 2024-04-06T11:38+0000 2024-04-06T11:38+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine russian defense ministry avdeyevka ukraine russian armed forces https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/03/07/1117186946_0:163:3061:1885_1920x0_80_0_0_7ee32e2e347db13f7a40e5c27c6b856b.jpg "The enemy lost more than 280 servicepeople, three tanks and two armored combat vehicles, as well as six vehicles. In the course of counter-battery fighting, a 155-mm M777 howitzer and a US-made 155-mm M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery system, a 122-mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mount and a 122 mm D-30 howitzer were hit," the ministry said. Moreover, the Russian armed forces repelled two attacks by assault groups of Ukrainian troops in the area of the village of Rozdolovka located near the city of Artemovsk, in the Donetsk region over the past 24 hours, the ministry added. As a result, Ukraine lost over 470 servicepeople, two armored vehicles and eight vehicles, as well as a US-made M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery system, a US-made M777 howitzer, four Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mounts, a Rapira anti-tank gun, and a field ammunition depot in the area, the ministry also said. In addition, over the past 24 hours, Russian troops hit Ukrainian defense industry enterprises engaged in the production and repair of armored and automotive equipment, drones, military airfields and temporary deployment sites for foreign mercenaries, the ministry stated.Russian artillery and attack drones hit five boats of Ukraine overnight when the latter's troops were loading and trying to approach the left bank of the Dnepr River, with Kiev losing up to 30 servicepeople as a result, the ministry said."The movement of vessels on the Dnepr River was monitored overnight, and five enemy boats were hit by artillery and attack drones at landing points of the assault forces while attempting to approach the left bank. Ukrainian losses amounted to up to 30 servicepeople, two vehicles and one self-propelled artillery system Paladin, as well as M777, D-20 and D-30 howitzers," the Dnepr group of Russian troops said on Telegram. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240227/watch-advancing-russian-paratroopers-unleash-firepower-near-artemovsk-1117009493.html avdeyevka ukraine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russian armed forces, russian defense ministry, ukrainian troops, ukraine loses https://sputnikglobe.com/20240406/us-israeli-military-on-high-alert-for-iran-to-strike-back-at-israel---reports-1117776762.html US, Israeli Military on High Alert for Iran to Strike Back at Israel - Reports US, Israeli Military on High Alert for Iran to Strike Back at Israel - Reports Sputnik International The United States and Israel have put their armed forces on high alert amid reports of a possible retaliation from Iran for Israel's airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, the New York Times reported, citing sources. 2024-04-06T08:04+0000 2024-04-06T08:04+0000 2024-04-06T08:04+0000 world israel iran islamic revolutionary guard corps (irgc) middle east us high alert https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/0b/0c/1114905557_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_a5ba6bbb0f4b784b4147859e58e7a917.jpg On Friday, the US broadcaster CBS reported citing officials that the United States and Israel believe Iran is about to retaliate for the Israeli bombing of the Iranian consulate in Syria. Israel canceled leave for combat units, recalled some reservists to air defense units and blocked GPS signals, the NYT report said. Two unnamed Iranian officials said Iran placed all its armed forces on full high alert, adding that a decision was made that Iran must give a response directly to the Damascus attack to create deterrence. On Monday, Israel carried out an airstrike on the consular annex of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, destroying the building. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said seven of its members had been killed in the attack, including two commanders. On Tuesday, the Syrian Health Ministry said that the attack had also killed four Syrians and injured 13 more. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/iran-vs-israel-military-comparison-whos-tougher-1117759486.html israel iran Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International united states and israel, armed forces on high alert, retaliation from iran, https://sputnikglobe.com/20240406/us-uses-legislative-power-to-punish-countries-that-escaped-their-imperialist-control--1117774456.html US Uses Legislative Power to Punish Countries That Escaped Their Imperialist Control US Uses Legislative Power to Punish Countries That Escaped Their Imperialist Control Sputnik International Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, and Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar proposed new sanctions against Cuba, reaffirming its designation as a state sponsor of terrorism. 2024-04-06T04:26+0000 2024-04-06T04:26+0000 2024-04-06T04:26+0000 analysis us us imperialism cuba haiti https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/03/11/1117388738_0:0:3082:1734_1920x0_80_0_0_1b8af2eafe19b8a91632bd3019195550.jpg Cuban-American members of the US House of Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) have proposed new sanctions against Cuba reaffirming the country's designation as an alleged state sponsor of terrorism.According to a report published by Responsible Statecraft, the move would block assistance to the countrys private sector and penalize nations that host Cuban medical missions, accusing them of perpetuating modern slavery.The legislation prohibits the Biden administration from supporting Cubas private sector, a US policy under Presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden. Rep. Salazar called the private sector a myth," arguing that relatives of government officials own some of the businesses."Diaz-Balart forced the Biden administration to abandon plans to assist the Cuban private sector last year by threatening to block aid for Ukraine," reported the article.Pan-Africanist organizer Netfa Freeman and Yolian Ogbu, a member of the Black Alliance for Peace and Horn of Africa Pan-Africans for Liberation and Solidarity, joined Sputniks The Critical Hour program Friday to discuss the development. Sputniks Garland Nixon likened the US' actions against Cuba to its role Haiti, suggesting the US cannot forgive either country for escaping US imperialism.The [US] have sanctions now that are blocking assistance to Cuba's private sector, which they've always tried to buttress, on the grounds that there is no private sector, that everything is owned by Cuba, he added.Where the US and the Western countries are always sending occupation forces and creating war, Cuba sends doctors and teachers for selfless missions.Ogbu agreed with the analysis, noting that hostility between the United States and the communist-ruled island goes back decades.Lawmakers and congressional members that already have a particular gripe against Cuba continue to put up these ridiculous bills through to Congress, the activist claimed. And it goes back to a lot of this anti-communist rhetoric and consciousness and thinking in this country that is so easy because we're so propagandized to just believe many of the lies about Cuba.Haiti held democratic elections in 1990 but the US opposed Haitians' choice of populist leaders who wanted to make Haiti more equitable.In 2011 following Haitis devastating earthquake the year prior the US interfered in Haitis presidential election by accusing their preferred candidate Michel Martelly's opponents of fraud. The US then backed Martellys successor Jovenel Moise until his assassination in 2021, after which they supported Ariel Henry, a chronically unpopular acting president.Former US Representative Andy Levin writes that as the US supported Henry, Haiti descended first into kleptocracy, then into systematic gangsterization and lawlessness, and finally into complete chaos until the whole house of cards came crashing down last month. As gangs united against the government and prevented Henrys plane from landing at the Port-au-Prince airport, even the United States had to concede that its handpicked leader was no longer tenable."The former US politician then described what a real democracy would look like unsurprisingly, it resembles what US imperialists often lambast as "socialist propaganda." https://sputnikglobe.com/20240220/lavrov-top-cuban-diplomat-to-visit-russia-in-2024-1116884517.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230824/brics-bank-should-become-alternative-to-modern-financial-institutions---cuban-president-1112862931.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240328/crises-in-palestine-haiti-rooted-in-legacy-of-western-colonialism-1117597077.html cuba haiti Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Mary Manley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/0b/1092187887_0:0:2048:2049_100x100_80_0_0_0c2cc4c84f89aff034cc55bb01fb6697.jpg Mary Manley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/0b/1092187887_0:0:2048:2049_100x100_80_0_0_0c2cc4c84f89aff034cc55bb01fb6697.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Mary Manley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/0b/1092187887_0:0:2048:2049_100x100_80_0_0_0c2cc4c84f89aff034cc55bb01fb6697.jpg cuba, haiti, us imperialism Mae Smith celebrated her first lifetime training victory on Friday afternoon, April 5 at Buffalo Raceway as she sent out her 11-year-old trotter Pepin Coolie ($7.60) to win the $10,000 seventh race in 2:00.4. The 34-year-old Hamburg, New York horsewoman had just three prior training starts -- a second, third and fourth-place finish -- since taking over those duties for Pepin Coolie last month. Kevin Cummings drove the Swan For All-Right Bayou gelding to a gate-to-wire victory for Smith, topping Heavens Fury (John Cummings Jr.) and The Irishman (James McNieght Jr.) by three lengths. The fractions were :30.2, 1:00.4 and 1:31, with a :29.4 final quarter to cap off the mile over the fast track. The win was the first in six starts this year for Pepin Coolie and his 33rd career victory, bumping his bankroll to $148,288. A pair of mares took the co-featured $12,162 trotting events. Retha Babe ($8.60) and Muskingum ($4.60) used different tactics but got the same victorious results on the matinee program. Retha Babe and driver Kyle Cummings used a first-over trip and was able to grind out a neck decision over Aint No Mojo in 2:01.1 over the fast track while Muskingum and Joseph Chinado Jr. led gate to wire to subdue Poets N Pirates in a snappy 1:58.2. In the opening co-main event, Silver Buckeye and HP Maestro each battled it out for supremacy to the opening panel. Silver Buckeye (Jim Morrill Jr.) eventually took the lead and posted fractions of :30, 1:01 and 1:31.1. Retha Babe began her long brush up the backstretch the final time and got on even terms with Silver Buckeye. But down the lane, Retha Babe was able to wear down Silver Buckeye and hold off a late charge from Aint No Mojo (David McNeight III), Co-owned by trainer Tammy Cummings and Kyle Cummings, five-year-old mare Retha Babe (Muscle Massive-Redeposit) earned her first victory of 2024 in her seventh start. The win was her eighth lifetime and jumped her earnings to $86,285. There was little suspense in the second feature as Muskingum had little pressure to scoot away from the field. In the early going, Muskingum had to deal with the slightly favoured Caviars Yankee (Jim Morrill Jr.), but things changed quickly. Approaching the quarter-mile marker, Caviars Yankee jumped off stride and gave Muskingum an uncontested lead. From there, after fractions of :28.3, :58.1 and 1:28.1, Muskingum was solid in the homestretch and dialed it down in beating Poets N Pirates (Kevin Cummings) by 1-3/4 lengths while Lougazi (Ray Fisher Jr.) was third. Owned by Fox Racing Inc. and trained by Maggie Chindano, seven-year-old Muskingum (Triumphant Caviar-Abbey Craig) made her second trip to the winner's circle this year from six attempts. The career winner of 25 races has now banked $239,304 lifetime. Kevin Cummings and Kyle Cummings each had three victories on the card while Chindano Jr. had a double. Tammy Cummings notched two training wins. Racing will continue on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. with a 13-race program. There's an $892 carryover in the Pick 5, which begins in the second race. (With files from Buffalo Raceway) Top Fraser Downs pacers Armycaptin Hanover and Sunshine Boy squared off once again in the stretch with their Friday, April 5 match-up in the $10,000 Preferred Pace ending in another close call. The pair last faced off two weeks ago on March 22 with Armycaptin Hanover prevailing by a half-length in a career-best 1:51.3. That Rod Therres trainee doubled up in the track's top class, winning another photo finish by a head this time out. Itll Be Fine showed his usual gate speed for driver David Hudon and got the first call with Armycaptin Hanover and Sunshine Boy leaving from the outside. Allan Molloy tucked Armycaptin Hanover in the pocket behind Itll Be Fine while Scott Knight drove on with Sunshine Boy through a :27.2 opening panel. The Jim Marino-trained Sunshine Boy cleared to command as the field of five passed in front of the grandstand the first time and backed down the pace to the half in :57.2. As Sunshine Boy raced on to three-quarters in 1:24 with company coming, Molloy made his move with Armycaptin Hanover and the stretch duel between the even-money co-favourites ensued. The pair hit the wire together in 1:52.3, with Armycaptin Hanover ultimately getting the salute. Itll Be Fine chased through the passing lane but finished 1-3/4 lengths behind in third. Armycaptin Hanover has now won three of his last four starts while taking on Sunshine Boy in the Preferreds since being claimed by Therres for $20,000 last month. He paid $4.20 to win and $2.20 to place. There was no show wagering. The eight-year-old Captaintreacherous-Allamerican Coed gelding now boasts 42 career wins and $313,801 in purse earnings. Once race later, Molloy teamed up with Therres' homebred claiming pacer Dillion James ($5.20) for back-to-back victories on the card, going from last to first in 1:57.1. Kelly Hoerdt led all trainers with a triple on the nine-race program, driving his winning stable starters Light My Shadow ($3.30), Joe Dimagio ($4.40) and Everyones Hero ($5). To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Fraser Downs. (Standardbred Canada) Even before I applied to teach overseas, Id heard about the great deals in custom tailoring to be found in the Orient, especially Hong Kong. Like any goods and services, however, it paid to ask the old timers for advice. Generally, they agreed, the stories were true the old adage of you get what you pay for, still held true. After a few test items, I settled on a Chinese tailor located in the Post Exchange the military equivalent of a Target or Walmart. Later, toward the end of the school year and with an upcoming marriage, James Lee made my rehearsal dinner suit, as well as the raw silk sport coat Id wear on our honeymoon! While Id yet to propose, my steady girlfriend and I joined a tour to India over the two-week Christmas break. The savvy tour companies, well aware of Hong Kongs commercial attraction, planned their itineraries to allow a day or so in Hong Kong at both the beginning and end of tours. As old-timers noted, this facilitated ordering ones tailored clothing before the tour and retrieving them afterwards. This usually allowed for one fitting prior to, and a final fitting after the tour. Id been pleased with the things James Lee had made, but I decided to try an Indian tailor there in Hong Kong. Since I generally wore a sport coat and tie to work, I elected to purchase two sport coats, each with complementing pants, as well as a new suit. The fashion of the day (1969) was polyester double-knit fabric in bold colors. It didnt seem so outrageous at the time, so my new wardrobe included a burgundy checked sport coat with solid burgundy slacks; a brown and blue boldly-patterned sport coat with both brown and blue slacks; a suit with a herring-bone pattern of blue and burgundy total bill: under $200 dollars (US) a real steal! Shortly after our return to Okinawa, I wrote Sis, gloating a bit about my exceptional bargains. Merediths college major was home economics, she made some of her own clothes, and had long been attentive to the days fashion. In addition, Mom worked for Tanner of North Carolina, a manufacturer of upscale ladies wear. During visits home from Maryland, Meredith would utilize Moms discount to up-date her wardrobe with classic clothing. It was a while before she responded. Finally, a letter arrived, but she hadnt written anything; shed simply enclosed a cartoon. Pictured were two men talking on a street corner, one short, one tall. The tall man appeared rather dapper in a well-fitting, dark suit. The short, stocky man was wearing a much too boldly patterned (some might say gaudy) plaid sport coat and appeared a bit disheveled. Nonetheless, he was saying with a big smile, Yep, only cost me twenty-five bucks in Hong Kong! O would some power to see ourselves as others see us. Chinese FM meets with Vietnamese counterpart Xinhua) 09:51, April 06, 2024 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) (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Zhong Wenxing) Officers of Qinzhou Port Customs check imported mangosteens at the Qinzhou Port in Qinzhou City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 25, 2024. (Photo by Li Fuyang/Xinhua) NANNING, April 6 (Xinhua) -- After an eight-day voyage, a cargo ship loaded with 68 tonnes of mangosteens docked at the port of Qinzhou in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Having cleared customs swiftly, the fruits imported from Indonesia were transported to nearby provinces, as well as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Yangtze River Delta. As a pivotal hub along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, the port of Qinzhou witnesses a daily hustle and bustle of rail-sea intermodal trains delivering cargo from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries to China's inland regions. Launched in 2017, the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor is a trade and logistics passage jointly built by provincial-level regions in western China and ASEAN members. Today, thanks to the corridor, more and more fruits from Southeast Asia can reach the Chinese market and meet the growing and diversified needs of Chinese consumers. "In the past, our imported fruits were disembarked at Nansha District of Guangzhou," said Huang Liangsong, a staff member of Guangxi Zhengfan International Logistics Co., Ltd., adding that nowadays the import logistics of the port of Qinzhou are faster and more cost-effective thanks to the continuous expansion of foreign trade routes. "With the arrival of the fruit season, an assortment of ASEAN fruits will be shipped to the port this year," he said. To further spur the flow of agricultural products from ASEAN countries to the Chinese market, the port of Qinzhou has established several tropical fruit express lines as well as optimized cold chain, cold storage, and other supporting infrastructure. "We launched an express line from Laem Chabang of Thailand to Qinzhou which runs four times a week, and the fruits can reach China within three days," said Zuo Kongtian, an official with the Qinzhou Port area of the Guangxi Free Trade Zone. According to customs statistics, from January to February this year, fruit imports through Qinzhou Port -- mostly longan, coconut, mango and mangosteen -- totaled more than 3,300 tonnes, with a total value of 25.43 million yuan (about 3.51 million U.S. dollars), up 178.4 percent and 292.5 percent year on year, respectively. In addition, the establishment of a fruit trade center in collaboration with ASEAN countries in Qinzhou has also contributed to the efficiency customs clearance. "We have set up an inbound fruit 'green channel' to largely reduce the waiting time and to ensure streamlined customs clearance processes," said Cao Teng, an officer at Qinzhou Port Customs. Youyi Pass, over 200 kilometers from Qinzhou Port, is nestled on the China-Vietnam border in Guangxi. It saw 23.88 billion yuan worth of fruits imported in 2023, reflecting a 262.3 percent year-on-year increase, according to local customs statistics. Early April marks the first peak of the massive influx of tropical fruits via Youyi Pass, China's major land route to Vietnam and Southeast Asia, where trucks loaded with ripe durians and jackfruit form queues for customs clearance at this time of year. According to Wang Zhengbo, president of a Guangxi-based supply chain management company, business collaboration opportunities between China and ASEAN have continued to grow in recent years, boosting the demand for and the quantity and variety of goods in cross-border trade, as well as seeing continuous increases in freight volume. The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor is also an economic corridor featuring in-depth integration of transportation, logistics, commerce and industry, thereby creating significant opportunities for industrial cooperation among countries. "With the effective implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the acceleration of the construction of the land-sea trade corridor, economic and trade cooperation between China and the ASEAN will bring about new opportunities," said Zuo. Vendors transport packaged durians at Haijixing Market, a large wholesale fruit market, in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhao Huan) Meta implements new policies to combat deepfakes; AI-powered diabetes program revolutionises health management; AI-powered diabetes program revolutionises health management; Study Reveals Racial Bias in AI Chatbots- this and more in our daily roundup. Let us take a look. 1. Meta implements new policies to combat deepfakes Meta, the parent company of Facebook, implements new policies addressing deepfakes and altered media. It will introduce "Made with AI" labels for AI-generated content, expanding to include videos, images, and audio. Additionally, more prominent labels will identify manipulated content posing high deception risks. Meta shifts from content removal to transparency, aiming to inform viewers about the content's creation process, according to a report by Reuters. Also read: X expands access to Grok chatbot for premium subscribers amidst competition Also read Looking for a smartphone? To check mobile finder click here. 2. China may misuse AI in global elections; warns Microsoft China may employ AI-generated content on social media to influence elections in countries like India and the US, asserts Microsoft. Despite low immediate impact, China's increasing use of AI in manipulating content poses long-term risks. North Korea is also implicated, in using AI to enhance its operations and engage in cybercrimes, according to the latest report by Microsoft Threat Analysis Center, PTI reported. Also read: Google to introduce new tool to identify unknown callers directly through the Pixel phone app 3. AI-powered diabetes program revolutionises health management A groundbreaking AI-driven diabetes program, endorsed by experts, offers personalised advice to combat chronic metabolic diseases, particularly during religious fasts. TWIN Health's innovative Whole Body Digital Twin technology creates personalised nutrition plans, aiding blood sugar control. Experts hail it as revolutionary, potentially transforming diabetes management, especially during fasting periods like Ramadan, by providing data-driven insights for informed health decisions, PTI reported. 4. Study Reveals Racial Bias in AI Chatbots AI chatbots exhibit racial biases, favouring white-sounding names over Black ones, warns a Stanford Law School study. For instance, a job candidate named Tamika may receive a lower salary recommendation compared to a candidate named Todd. The study underscores inherent risks in biased AI, particularly in hiring processes, as companies integrate AI into operations, potentially perpetuating stereotypes and inequalities, USA Today reported. Also read: Alexa, start barking: Smart 13-year-old girl saves herself and her sister from monkey attack in UP 5. Mumbai Professor falls victim to AI-driven Police impersonation scam A Mumbai professor loses 1 lakh to a fraudster posing as a police officer who used AI to gather personal details from social media. The scammer claimed her son was detained, threatening arrest unless money was transferred. Cyber experts warn of rising AI-based frauds preying on emotions. Police are investigating the case involving this new modus operandi, Times of India reported. 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: Elon Musk says Tesla will unveil its robotaxis on August 8, 2024. Elon Musk revealed Friday that Tesla will pull back the curtain on a robotaxi this summer, news that comes as the adoption of self-driving vehicles hits speed bumps over safety concerns. The billionaire boss of the electric car maker did not provide details, saying only in his post on X that the "Tesla Robotaxi unveil" will come on August 8. Tesla shares rose more than three percent in after-market trades following the post, after finishing the day down. Musk has long boasted of work Tesla is doing on its systems for electric cars to drive themselves. Tesla models with FSD (Full Self-Driving) "will be superhuman to such a degree that it will seem strange in the future that humans drove cars, even while exhausted and drunk!" he said in a post on X in March. Musk has also said that owners of Tesla vehicles with FSD will be able to have their cars serve as robotaxis, rather than remain idly parked. Despite its potential, rollout of self-driving vehicles in the United States has been tentative and rocky so far as both regulators and the public voice safety concerns. San Francisco has been a testing ground for the technology. Robotaxis from Google's Waymo in the city have been targeted by vandals opposed to autonomous vehicles, while GM-owned Cruise indefinitely suspended its robotaxi service at the end of October after several accidents sparked a crackdown by California regulators. Tesla's "autopilot" feature has also come under scrutiny, facing accusations the marketing of the feature oversold its actual capabilities. Tesla's robotaxi reveal came on the heels of a Reuters report that the company had abandoned Musk's long-touted plan to manufacture an electric car model selling close to $25,000 to drive adoption in the mass market. Musk fired off a post denying the report. Tesla this week reported sharply lower first-quarter auto sales amid an underwhelming demand outlook for electric vehicles, while legacy players including Toyota rode improved US inventories to higher sales. Musk's auto giant reported global deliveries fell 8.5 percent in the quarter, reflecting in part a weak sales market in China, where it faces heavy competition from local electric vehicle makers. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives called the quarterly results "an unmitigated disaster." 2024 AFP Farmers operate on a sugarcane sowing machine towed by a driverless tractor that follows a satellite-planned route at a field in Wuxuan County of Laibin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 13, 2024.(Photo by Luo Wenwu/Xinhua) NANNING, April 6 (Xinhua) -- As heavy rain clouds gather over Shangtang Village in Wuxuan County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, drovers eye their buffalo herds in the distance and hasten their pace, while unmanned tractors maintain their steady advance across the sugarcane fields. During this spring plowing season, farmers sitting behind the driverless sugarcane tractors, guided by the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), drop sugarcane seeds at regular intervals. With the help of the automated tractors, the process of planting, fertilizing, and mulching can be completed in one go. Modern agricultural technology and mechanization were a real game changer for Wuxuan County, one of China's major sugarcane planting areas. Today, the seeding of sugarcane is ten times more efficient than before. Tractors now follow a pre-designed route planned by the BDS. "With the help of BDS, we can control the deviation of the straight lines within two centimeters, as well as control the distance within five centimeters between each line, which can benefit photosynthesis and the absorption of nutrients and oxygen in sugarcane," said Wu Qihui, director of Wuxuan Bosheng Agricultural Machinery Specialized Cooperative. "Also, the favorable ventilation is crucial to achieve high yield." Having been planting this common cash crop in southern China for more than 10 years, local farmer Lu Ruwen joined the cooperative in 2020, which hires out agricultural machinery and equipment. "It used to take a week to plant by hand my 20 mu (about 1.33 hectares) of farmland, but now just one day to finish all the work," he said. The whole process of sugarcane planting can be mechanized with all the of tools available in the cooperative, which help reduce at least 100 yuan (about 14 U.S. dollars) per mu, according to him. In addition to the efficient equipment, quality sugarcane seeds are also crucial to boosting yields. In the cooperative's breeding base, rows of tall, bushy sugarcane ready for harvest are the early-maturing, high-sugar variety introduced from the regional academy of sciences. "Later they will be cut into 20-centimeter-long stalks and then disinfected in our processing workshop," said Wu, adding that their standardized sugarcane seeds are popular because of their higher yield, which can produce eight tonnes per mu. With better policy support for agricultural production, local villagers are more and more willing to participate in the development of modern agriculture. "The government also has corresponding subsidies for those who adopt mechanized farming methods or disinfected and healthy sugarcane varieties," explained Mo Tingjin, director of the Agricultural Mechanization Service Center of Laibin. "Many farmers can even plant sugarcane at zero cost with these subsidies." A child looks out of a window on a train in Dhaka, Bangladesh, April 4, 2024. With the holy Eid al-Fitr drawing near, many people have streamed out of the city of Dhaka by train to get together with their kith and kin in villages for the festival. Eid al-Fitr, one of the largest religious festivals in Bangladesh, will be celebrated on or around April 11 based on the sighting of the new moon. (Xinhua) Parents take care of their child at a train station in Dhaka, Bangladesh, April 4, 2024. With the holy Eid al-Fitr drawing near, many people have streamed out of the city of Dhaka by train to get together with their kith and kin in villages for the festival. Eid al-Fitr, one of the largest religious festivals in Bangladesh, will be celebrated on or around April 11 based on the sighting of the new moon. (Xinhua) Travelers wait for the train on the platform of a train station in Dhaka, Bangladesh, April 4, 2024. With the holy Eid al-Fitr drawing near, many people have streamed out of the city of Dhaka by train to get together with their kith and kin in villages for the festival. Eid al-Fitr, one of the largest religious festivals in Bangladesh, will be celebrated on or around April 11 based on the sighting of the new moon. (Xinhua) Travelers are seen on the platform of a train station in Dhaka, Bangladesh, April 4, 2024. With the holy Eid al-Fitr drawing near, many people have streamed out of the city of Dhaka by train to get together with their kith and kin in villages for the festival. Eid al-Fitr, one of the largest religious festivals in Bangladesh, will be celebrated on or around April 11 based on the sighting of the new moon. (Xinhua) Travelers are seen on the platform of a train station in Dhaka, Bangladesh, April 4, 2024. With the holy Eid al-Fitr drawing near, many people have streamed out of the city of Dhaka by train to get together with their kith and kin in villages for the festival. Eid al-Fitr, one of the largest religious festivals in Bangladesh, will be celebrated on or around April 11 based on the sighting of the new moon. (Xinhua) TEHRAN, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The number of security personnel killed in Wednesday's attacks in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan has reached 15 after five others succumbed to their wounds, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Saturday. Among the fatalities, 11 were members of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and four were law enforcement officers, Fars added. In a statement, the IRGC reported that the attacks, which targetted public venues and military sites in Chabahar and Rask counties late Wednesday night, were carried out by "terrorists and armed bandits" with alleged links to foreign intelligence. The statement added that 18 "terrorists," identified as members of the Jaish al-Zulm group, were killed during the ensuing clashes with security forces. On Thursday, Iran's Deputy Interior Minister for Security and Law Enforcement, Majid Mir-Ahmadi, said that initial reports from the country's intelligence organizations suggested the "terrorists" were foreign nationals. He added that two other non-Iranian individuals, responsible for providing the "terrorists" with backup, had also been arrested. Jaish al-Zulm, designated as a terrorist entity by Iran, has been involved in many attacks against Iranian security forces and civilians in recent years, including a December 2023 strike on a police headquarters in Rask County that claimed the lives of 11 policemen and wounded seven others. Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zhang Lizhong (4th L) and Ugandan Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng (2nd R) attend the handover ceremony of the anti-malaria medicines donated by China, at the National Medical Stores in Kajjansi, central district of Wakiso, Uganda, on April 5, 2024. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua) KAMPALA, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Uganda has said the anti-malaria medicines worth 1.1 million U.S. dollars donated by China will greatly help curb the epidemic in the east African country. Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said the country last year experienced an upsurge in cases of malaria, which spread to more than half of the districts across Uganda. Aceng was speaking Friday after receiving the consignment of drugs from the Chinese Ambassador to Uganda, Zhang Lizhong, at the National Medical Stores in Kajjansi, central district of Wakiso, a district in the Central Region of Uganda. "As a country we are at high risk of malaria due to our climatic conditions. Uganda is also the 3rd highest contributor of malaria cases (5.4 percent) and 7th highest contributor of malaria deaths globally (2.9 percent)," Aceng said. "Therefore, this generous donation of anti-malarial drugs will be helpful in the fight against malaria and control of the malaria epidemic, especially in prone areas," the minister said. According to the minister, the most affected populations included children, pregnant women and people who live in rural and hard-to-reach areas. She said between 2021 and 2023, the country experienced a generalized increase in malaria cases, "with some areas surpassing the epidemic thresholds." "At the peak of the epidemic in July 2022, over 75 districts were reported as having a malaria epidemic. As a result, there was an increase in the demand for anti-malarial drugs," she said. Ambassador Zhang said the cooperation in health was one of the most important areas of cooperation in the bilateral relations of the two countries. "This donation is also an implementation of the medical and health program among the Nine Programs initiated at the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)," Zhang said. The Ambassador said the two countries had for long cooperated in the health sector and would continue doing the same. Since 1983, China has dispatched 23 batches of medical teams to Uganda with 218 doctors. Hundreds of thousands of Ugandans have since been treated for various sicknesses. Zhang said the two countries could work together to achieve digitalization in healthcare and jointly research in herbs to combat viruses. Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zhang Lizhong (R) and Ugandan Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng sign the documents during the handover ceremony of the anti-malaria medicines donated by China, at the National Medical Stores in Kajjansi, central district of Wakiso, Uganda, on April 5, 2024. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua) Ugandan Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng speaks during the handover ceremony of the anti-malaria medicines donated by China, at the National Medical Stores in Kajjansi, central district of Wakiso, Uganda, on April 5, 2024. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua) 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. ABUJA, April 6 (Xinhua) -- At least 25 people were killed by a group of unidentified gunmen who recently attacked a local community in Nigeria's north-central state of Kogi, local authorities said. The gunmen wreaked havoc in the Agojeju-Odo community in the Omala local government area of Kogi late Thursday, injuring many others, Elias Atabor, a community leader told the media late Friday. Atabor said the attacks have been incessant recently, noting "the death toll keeps rising by the hour, including children." The gunmen drove into the community Thursday evening and began to shoot sporadically, the community leader said, urging the government to deploy more troops to the area, to forestall future attacks. Vsico Maritime invests $67 mln in two wharves at Chan May-Lang Co economic zone By Duc Tai, Minh Hue Sat, April 6, 2024 | 10:16 pm GMT+7 Vsico Maritime JSC on Saturday broke ground on two wharves in Thua Thien-Hue province's Chan May-Lang Co Economic Zone, with total investment of VND1.67 trillion ($67.3 million). The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (fourth from right) launches the construction of wharves No. 4 and No. 5 in the Chan May port cluster, Chan May-Lang Co Economic Zone, Thua Thien-Hue province, central Vietnam, April 6, 2024. Photo by The Investor/Duc Tai. The Vsico Hue wharves No. 4 and No. 5 will be parts of the Chan May port cluster, which is considered the closest and most convenient gateway to the East Sea for the East-West economic corridor, connecting central Vietnam with Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, other Asian countries and the world. The cluster is located in the center of Vietnam, between the two largest localities in the central region: Thua Thien-Hue province and Da Nang city. According to Vu Duc Hue, managing director of Vsico, the two wharves will cover 20.4 hectares with total length of 540 meters. They will be capable of accommodating cargo ships of up to 70,000 tons and container ships of up to 4,000 TEUs. The project is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2025 before going into operation in early 2026. It is expected to handle 80,000 to 100,000 TEUs per year, he said. On the same day, provincial authorities granted an in-principle nod to the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park JV Co. Ltd. (VSIP) to build a VND7 trillion ($280.4 million) VSIP industrial park. The IP, called La Son, is expected to span 500 hectares in the first phase. The province also held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Hue International Central Hospital No.2 under the Hue Central Hospital. With an investment of nearly VND400 billion ($16 million), the hospital will have a total floor area of 21,000 square meters, with 300 beds meeting international (five-star) standards. Construction of the hospital is expected to be completed in 2026. (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. A Casper police officer who fatally shot the suspected killer of Sheridan Police Sergeant Nevada Krinkee is back on the job. Officer Michael Chand, a four-year veteran of the Casper Police Department, was one of 23 officers from the Casper department dispatched to Sheridan on Feb. 13 to assist in what would become a 24-hour standoff with Krinkee's suspected killer, William Lowery. After shooting Krinkee, Lowery fled in a truck and barricaded himself inside a home, according to law enforcement officials. On Feb. 14, after hours of unsuccessful negotiations and an attempt to force the suspect out of the home with gas grenades and a high-pressure hose on a below-freezing morning, the Sheridan Police Department, backed by officers from the Casper Police Department, Natrona County Joint Special Response Team and Gillette Police Department, used an excavator to remove the roof from the home in which Lowery was barricaded. Chand shot and killed Lowery as he fled the house, shooting at the excavator. Return to duty After the shooting, Chand was placed on paid administrative leave, said Casper Police Department Public Information Officer Amber Freestone on Friday. "The main focus for Officer Chand when he went on paid leave was mental health and wellness making sure he had the opportunities and any resources he might need," Freestone said. Even before Chand was forced to make the life-and-death decision to subdue Lowery, Casper's department was already thinking about the mental health toll Sgt. Krinkee's death and the standoff would take on officers. Freestone said that a large part of the contingent the department sent to Sheridan was made up of its peer-support team. "That was one of the specialties that went and served on and off [in Sheridan] for the next two weeks," Freestone said. The team, which includes law-enforcement-specific counselors and Banner Health experts, is always reachable by Casper officers, Freestone said. It focuses not only on helping officers after high-stress incidents but also their family members, Freestone said. "There is literally a button to anyone on the team," she said, describing an app officers can use to reach out for assistance. Chand's return to light duty at the department, Freestone stressed, is at his own pace. "They can also change their mind," she said. "If he came back and is not comfortable or had other things to deal with he could go back on administrative leave. That is always an option." The leave, or light-duty at the department, isn't punishment but focuses on mental health of the officer, Freestone said. While the department doesn't need to frequently implement it, Freestone said it has a "very complete policy" for responding to officer-involved incidents. Investigation Freestone said the department is focused on peer support, so any investigation is conducted by third parties. In Chand's case, that investigation is being conducted by the State of Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation in cooperation with the Sheridan County Attorney's Office. This policy also helps show the department is transparent and removes potential conflicts of interest, Freestone said. "Per our department practices and policies, the internal review of this incident remains ongoing as we consider the role of our tactics, equipment, training and the guidance of our policies, as they were brought to bear when meeting the challenges faced during this event," Freestone wrote in a prepared statement. "Wyoming DCI is routinely requested to conduct objective and thorough investigations of critical incidents around the state. These investigations consist of, among other investigative procedures, scene processing, physical evidence and forensic processing, digital evidence analysis and interviews," according to a prepared statement which notes that Sheridan police made the call for its assistance. Once it completes its investigation, the state agency will report its findings to the Sheridan County Attorney's Office, which will make any "charging consideration." While Freestone stressed that the Casper Police Department will be as transparent as possible during the investigative process, the state Criminal Investigation Bureau said it does "not anticipate releasing additional information until the investigation is complete and a prosecutorial decision has been made." "The impact of this event and the events leading up to it have been felt across our state and throughout our profession. We are humbled to have been able to assist in this incident," Freestone wrote. "It is a privilege to serve with law enforcement, firefighters, medics, telecommunicators and the hundreds of behind-the-scenes professional staff in our Wyoming community." "They know what they signed up for, and they are good at it and that's OK," Freestone said of the members of her department and Chand. Casper Star-Tribune Executive Editor Stephen Cheslik can be reached at 307-266-0575 or stephen.cheslik@trib.com. A steel company in China's Tianjin, which had previously faced significant operational challenges, was rescued from financial distress, after a series of reforms were initiated. #GLOBALink SHERIDAN In an attempt to increase rail safety, the Biden Administration announced it had established a new federal rule requiring crews of at least two people on freight trains. The rule will go into effect in about two months. The Federal Railroad Administration issued the final rule establishing the minimum requirements Tuesday. According to Federal Register informational documents, a final rule is made when an agency concludes that its proposed solution will accomplish the goals or solve the problems identified, after soliciting public comment. The FRA first suggested the rule change to require two-person crews in 2022, and it gained momentum after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in February 2023. In response to the derailment, which investigators believe was caused by wheel bearings overheating, Congresspeople introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at enhancing railroad safety. The legislation has largely stalled, with its latest action coming in December 2023 when the bill was placed on the U.S. Senates legislative calendar. The bill would increase maximum fines for safety regulation violations, expand derailment training, require two-person crews for certain freight trains and provide funding for research and development to improve rail safety. Federal rules did not previously specify a minimum crew size. The new rule requires a two-person crew because the associated benefits may help reduce the likelihood of at least one type of foreseeable accident that is more likely to occur with a one-person train crew than a two-person train crew, if a train is not equipped with proper devices to stop the train if an engineer is unresponsive, according to the rules executive summary. 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 board and now theres a federal regulation in place to ensure trains are safely staffed, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said 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. When asked for comment on the new rule, BNSF Railway officials directed The Sheridan Press to statements from the Association of American Railroads. 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. 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. According to the rule document, BNSF commented against the rule and said it would impede the railways ongoing efforts, through collective bargaining, to implement one-person crew operations that also deploy ground-based conductors. According to FRA data, there were 604 train accidents or incidents in Wyoming between 2014 and 2023; in the same time frame, there were 91,682 total train accidents or incidents nationwide. A father yesterday called for police officers to be trained to handle people with mental health conditions, after his son was shot and killed by a municipal officer on Friday afternoon. He needed help and they kill him, Cleophas Noel said of his son, Elijah Noel. Cleophas said Elijah, 20, was schizophrenic. Hexavalent chromium is a chemical used in electroplating and dyes. You might know it from the Erin Brockovich case, where traces of the chemical in drinking water gave residents cancer. But that movie (and the real case it depicted) failed to address the question on everyones mind: What do we do if we have a barrel of hexavalent chromium, and a cat jumps in? Find out below, along with a conspiracy to make you like art. 15 Old Mexico Don't Miss The state of New Mexico isnt named for the country of Mexico. Both are instead named for the same place the uncharted land of the Mexica people. The people in the place we now call Mexico thought this mysterious uncharted Mexico lay to the north. 14 Give It 110 Percent All electric heaters are 100-percent efficient, in that all the electricity that goes through them is converted to heat. However, alternative heaters can get a lot more efficient than that. A heat pump can be 400-percent efficient or more, in that it transfers much more heat from outdoors than the amount of electricity it consumes. 13 Dirty Politics In 1936, workers digging around the U.S. Capitol building discovered a couple of old marble bathtubs. This revived knowledge of an old tradition: Senators used to bathe in the Capitol, because their own living quarters had no bathing facilities of their own. 12 Hypnotizing a Chicken Advertisement The next time a chicken is rude to you, hold the bird down and move a finger down its beak then along the ground. It will freeze for up to half an hour, a condition known as tonic immobility. 11 The Inner Secret A bowling ball is not solid. It contains a core, which defines how it rolls. And professional balls contain special cores with unique shapes, to make it swing more sharply. Travis Rathbone We have now completely lost respect for champion professional bowlers. 10 Always Rings Twice Advertisement Advertisement Old homes had no mailboxes and no mail slots. Mailmen had to knock and deliver by hand. Boxes and slots would be useless without an established practice of using them, and this practice had to be mandated by law before homes started including them. 9 Roofman, Deliverer of Toys A North Carolina man told his girlfriend that he had a secret job working for the government. He actually spent his days in a secret lair he built in a Toys R Us, and he robbed this place regularly for gifts for her kids. 8 Eating at a Table Advertisement McDonalds introduced drive-thrus to China in 2005. They didnt do a very thorough job of explaining the service's benefits, though. Drivers would collect food from the drive-thru window then park and come inside the restaurant to eat it. 7 Our Teeny Galaxy Advertisement In 1920, scientists held a day-long debate in Washington over whether the Milky Way contains all the stars in the universe. It took till later in the decade for this question to be resolved no, it turns out there many other galaxies, maybe even trillions of them. 6 Cat in a Vat Advertisement A cat fell into a vat of poisonous chemicals last month in Fukuyama, Japan. People only realized this when they saw the cats orange paw prints trailing from the vat, and the city had to warn all residents to steer clear of the deadly unseen cat. Nomura Plating And that was how it became the Joker. 5 The Pollock Conspiracy The CIA covertly funded art movements in the U.S. during the Cold War. The goal here may have been to promote abstract expressionism as revering individual freedom, the exact opposite of what Soviet realist art tried to do. 4 Prune Juiced Advertisement Advertisement The most deadly job in America may well be tree trimmer. Tree trimmers have the highest rate of death in some years, due mainly to having to handle automatic saws all day. 3 Hot Merchandise A trio of thieves broke into a plant in 1999 to steal some radioactive Cobalt-60. One of them died in half an hour from handling the stuff, while a second died shortly after. 2 Exotic Cuisine Advertisement Other than in big cities, bagels were little-known in America as recently as 1960. A New York Times Magazine article from that year defined the dish for readers as an unsweetened doughnut with rigor mortis. Peter Williams thought he had the law on his side last year when he led an effort to remove ugly and illegal housing restrictions that still appeared in the founding documents of his Tucson neighborhood. Now he knows it for sure. Gov. Katie Hobbs has signed a new state law that makes it easier for homeowners and neighborhood associations to get rid of race-based housing codes that were outlawed in the 1960s but still appear on the books in at least 150 Tucson subdivisions. Senate Bill 1432, also known as the Uniform Unlawful Restrictions in Land Records Act, gives the governing boards of neighborhood associations full authority to amend their covenants, conditions and restrictions or CC&Rs to remove any unlawful restrictions without a vote of their full membership. It also allows individual property owners to remove illegal restrictions on their own, simply by filing an amendment with their local recorders office. Williams said he and his fellow neighborhood association board members are just thrilled about the new law and how much support it got from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle at the Arizona Legislature. Nobody voted against it, he said. The measure was introduced on Jan. 30 by Republican senator and former speaker of the House J.D. Mesnard and co-sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Denise Mitzi Epstein, both from Phoenix-area districts. Hobbs signed it on March 29, after state lawmakers passed it without a single no vote. The law comes less than a year after researchers at the University of Arizona documented just how widespread racist housing restrictions once were in the Tucson area. The Mapping Racist Covenants Project tracked down the CC&Rs for more than 750 subdivisions established between Arizona statehood in 1912 and the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968, which banned race-based property restrictions. More than one quarter of them had racist rules on file. Though they were rendered illegal and unenforceable more than 50 years ago, these discriminatory relics can still be found in the governing documents of neighborhoods across Tucson and the nation, largely because of the difficulty and expense involved in amending private agreements among homeowners. The new state law seeks to change that. This is a momentous step forward for Arizona, said population geographer and U of A professor Jason Jurjevich, who led the mapping project. Amending CC&Rs will reduce dignitary harm for people of color and other restricted groups who, until now, had to read and sign these documents as part of the closing process. Williams is board chairman of the San Carlos Place Neighborhood Association, which governs a subdivision of 77 homes west of Swan Road between Grant Road and Glenn Street. He said he went looking for a way to amend the neighborhoods CC&Rs because he was disgusted and embarrassed by the overt racism still included in the 78-year-old document. Like dozens of other Tucson subdivisions, San Carlos Place once prohibited any person of African or Asiatic descent or not of the White or Caucasian race from owning property or living there unless they were employed as domestic servants. Last summer, with the blessing of his fellow board members, Williams filed a revised version of the CC&Rs with the offending and illegal language blacked out. He said all it took was some official letterhead, a notarys stamp and $30 for the filing fee at the Pima County Recorders Office. A similar approach is spelled out in the new state law. It just reinforces what Ive been saying all along, Williams said. It gives the process that much more gravitas. He said the new law even appears to give legal cover to neighborhoods that lack severability clauses allowing invalid restrictions to be jettisoned and to neighborhoods saddled with so-called perpetuity clauses that declare the racist rules permanent. The bill gives every neighborhood association the same language to lean on, he said. Since he helped clean up the CC&Rs for San Carlos Place, Williams said he has been contacted by three or four other neighborhood associations that wish to do the same. For anyone whos interested, he has produced a short how-to guide outlining the process he used. As far as Jurjevich is concerned, the new law is a hopeful sign that an ugly chapter of our past is squarely behind us. He just doesnt want to see it forgotten entirely. Im hopeful too that we, as Arizonans, will continue to explore the history of why racist and illegal language exists in CCRs in the first place, Jurjevich said. Understanding the legacy of racist CCRs and other forms of housing discrimination is an essential step towards securing more equitable and just housing policy across Arizona. China's Yangtze River Delta, one of the country's economic hubs, is seeing an efficient operation of ports thanks to the region's coordinated development. Produced by Xinhua Global Service A 29-year-old woman was killed in a crash Friday morning after investigators say it appears she swerved into oncoming traffic after a tire failed on the SUV she was driving, Tucson police say. About 7 a.m., Joellen Maria Gonzalez was driving a 1998 GMC SUV south in the 6800 block of South Alvernon Way, south of East Valencia Road, when she swerved into northbound traffic, Tucson police said Saturday in a news release. The SUV smashed into a northbound 2022 Polestar sedan. Its 52-year-old driver was hospitalized with injuries deemed not life threatening, police said. Gonzalez died at the crash scene. Evidence indicates Gonzalez was traveling well above the posted 45 mph speed limit at the time of the crash, the release said. The investigation continues. Kesebonye Mbambo rests after pushing a wheelbarrow full of firewood in Francistown, Botswana, July 23, 2023 (Photo by Shingirai Madondo/Xinhua) GABORONE, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Kesebonye Mbambo, a resident of Somerset, a high-density suburb of Francistown, Botswana's second largest city, has started to ransack the forest near her home for firewood ever since Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) switched from post-paid to pre-paid over a decade ago. In an interview with Xinhua, Mbambo, 41, said she uses about 2 tons of wood per months for cooking and to perform other domestic chores that need energy such as ironing. "There is no other means at my disposal to cook because I cannot afford to buy electricity cooking gas. So, I have to cut down trees in the forest near where I am renting a one room," she added. According to Mbambo, she used to use electricity in the past even if she had no means to pay for it because BPC, Botswana's sole power utility, had not switched from post-paid to pre-paid electricity. Pre-paid electricity means a customer can only be allocated electricity according to what one has paid for. The payment is done before the customer has used the electricity, said Mbambo, adding that many are failing to do so. Tiny Moloi is a neighbor to Mbambo and in most cases they go to the forest together in search for firewood "because like my friend (Mbambo), I cannot afford to buy the pre-paid electricity," she said. Moloi said she needs at least 1.5 tons of wood every month in order to meet all her energy needs. She tried to substitute electricity with liquefied gas and illuminated paraffin, but it proved expensive for her. A single unit of electricity costs more than one pula while liquefied gas is valued at more than two pulas, according to a recent survey conducted by the Department of Consumer Affairs, which falls under Botswana's Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry. Mbambo needs 500 pula (about 38 U.S. dollars) per month while Moloi needs 300 pula (about 24 U.S. dollars). Mbambo has five children and Moloi has three. The bigger the family, the higher electricity expense there are. Dumezweni Mthimkhulu, Botswanan Minister of Environment and Tourism, admitted in an interview with Xinhua that residents account 20,000 hectares of deforestation each year in Francistown. "We are deeply concerned by the alarming rate of deforestation and forest degradation in our country, driven by unsustainable land-use practices, illegal logging, agricultural expansion and infrastructure development," he said. Mthimkhulu said this destruction not only threatens biodiversity and ecosystems but also exacerbates climate change, leading to adverse impacts on weather patterns, water cycles, and human health. "We call upon residents, civil society, and the private sector to prioritize the conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of forests," said Mthimkhulu. He said Botswana is doing everything within its power to strengthen protected area networks, implementing land-use planning and zoning regulations, promoting agroforestry and sustainable agriculture practices, and supporting community-based forest management initiatives. In addition, Botswana has embarked on promoting clean energy through installation of solar farms with a view of making electricity accessibility cheaper and more convenient to the residents. Under Botswanan law, anyone who cuts down trees and collects other forest products without a license risks arrest and a fine of between 5,000 pula and 500,000 pula (357 U.S. dollars and 35,714 U.S. dollars). But little has been done in terms of enforcing the laws protecting forests because "it is difficult to enforce a law when the government is the one failing to provide the amenities to its people," said Mthimkhulu. According to an analysis by the World Bank, the forestry sector contributes an average of between 4 percent and 19 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP) of seven member states in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, including Botswana. Tiny Moloi carries firewood on her head in Francistown, Botswana, July 23, 2023 (Photo by Shingirai Madondo/Xinhua) The 2024 model of Audi Q7, a crossover SUV made by German manufacturer Audi, will be imported into Vietnam in June, at a starting price of VND3.4 billion (US$135,880) apiece. Audi Q7 2024 cars will go on sale in the Southeast Asian nation from July. The Audi Q7 2024 will come to Vietnam with a 45 TFSI engine. The Standard and S Line versions will be introduced in the country. The S Line boasts a sporty appearance. The Audi Q7 20224 marked the second facelift since the launch of the second generation, Audi Q7, in 2015. The Q7 was facelifted for the first time in 2020. The second makeover might be the last time of its enhancement before the automaker shifts to electric vehicle production. Following its facelift, the Audi Q7 boasts a sleeker, more contemporary appearance with a revamped grille design. After the second facelift, the Audi Q7 looks more modern. Photo: Audi The wheel disc of the 2024 version is one inch bigger than that of the previous version. The updated Audi Q7 now comes with LED headlights incorporating Laser high-beam technology and distinct lighting signatures, complemented by striking LED tail light strips. Its brake light enhances visibility for vehicles following behind, contributing to safer driving conditions. The engine of the Audi Q7 2024 was kept unchanged. The 2024 Q7 is powered by a 2.0 L petrol direct injection engine, producing 248 horsepower and 370 Nm of torque. This model is equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission and features four-wheel drive for enhanced performance and stability. An Audi Q7 car. Photo: Audi In Vietnam, the Audi Q7s rivals are the Mercedes-Benz GLE and the BMW X5. The Mercedes-Benz GLE is priced from VND4.67 billion ($186,680) each, while the price of the BMW X5 facelifted in late 2023 in Vietnam costs from VND3.9 billion ($155,970). Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! 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 percent 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. Tourists ride aboard The Maid of the Mist boat tour, ahead of the Solar Eclipse that will take place across parts of the United States and Canada on April 8, at Niagara Falls, New York, U.S., April 5, 2024. Photo: Reuters 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. Tourists take a photo at the Horseshoe Falls, ahead of the Solar Eclipse that will take place across parts of the United States and Canada on April 8, at Niagara Falls, New York, U.S., April 5, 2024. Photo: Reuters 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. A child looks at the American Falls, ahead of the Solar Eclipse that will take place across parts of the United States and Canada on April 8, at Niagara Falls, New York, U.S., April 5, 2024. Photo: Reuters 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. Check out the latest news in Vietnam today: Politics -- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong has sent letters and flowers of greetings to top Lao and Cambodian officials on the occasion of the Bunpimay Festival of Laos and the Chol Chnam Thmay Festival of Cambodia. Society -- The Ministry of Home Affairs said on Friday that it endorsed the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs proposal, according to which public workers in Vietnam will be given five consecutive days off to celebrate the upcoming Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers Day (May 1). -- Two elementary school students, aged eight and nine, drowned while picking edible moss from a stream in Muong Lat District, Thanh Hoa Province, north-central Vietnam on Friday afternoon, a local official confirmed the same day. -- The Ministry of Health has ordered its subordinate agency in Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam to investigate a suspected food poisoning incident which left one fifth grader dead and 28 other students hospitalized on Friday. These elementary and middle school students developed symptoms of possible food poisoning after having breakfast offered by different eateries and street vendors around the schools the same day. -- Vehicles are banned from entering several inner-city streets in Ho Chi Minh City such as Dong Khoi, Le Loi, and Cong Truong Lam Son between 3:00 pm and 11:00 pm on April 6 and April 13 to serve the first edition of the Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival. Education -- The administration of Hai Phong City in northern Vietnam and Singapores KinderWorld International Group jointly held a ceremony on Friday to break ground on a Singapore International School project, the first of its kind in this northern port city. World News -- A 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck near New York City on Friday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said, shaking buildings up and down the East Coast and surprising residents in an area that rarely experiences notable seismic activity, Reuters reported. -- 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, according to Reuters. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Concerns about the safety of the glass bridge at Love Valley, a renowned tourist destination in Da Lat City, have surged following the circulation of several video clips showing throngs of tourists crowding onto it. The clips showing hundreds of people jostling to cross the Ngan Thong glass bridge at Love Valley surfaced on social media on Wednesday. The first glass bridge in the Central Highlands, the Ngan Thong glass bridge, spanning 325 meters, offers a one-way route from Mong Mo Hill to Love Valley. It features a three-meter-wide bridge surface made of five-layer tempered glass, nearly four centimeters thick. The bridge incorporates 7D technology, providing visual and sound effects to enhance the visitor experience. Tourists crowd the Ngan Thong glass bridge at Love Valley, a popular tourist spot in Da Lat City, located in Lam Dong Province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. As many people have raised questions over visitor safety in the video clips, Dinh Tuan Anh, director of Love Valley, on Thursday reassured the public that safety measures were in place despite the crowded scenes. He underscored the safety measures implemented at the tourist area's glass bridge, which include regulations such as capping the number of visitors allowed at any given time and prohibiting the opening of umbrellas while crossing. In addition, visitors are prohibited from crossing the bridge in adverse weather conditions such as strong winds or heavy rain. The Ngan Thong glass bridge offers a one-way route from Mong Mo Hill to Love Valley in Da Lat City, located in Lam Dong Province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre Anh clarified that the glass bridge can accommodate up to 350 people simultaneously, well within its capacity tested for safety, which exceeds 200 metric tons. He pledged continued monitoring of safety protocols in the bridge area and adjustments to visitor flow to maintain esthetic appeal. The unusually large crowd on the day of the incident was due to a local discount promotion, Anh explained. Such crowding is not typical. Load testing involves continuously pumping 50 metric tons of water into giant bags placed on the Ngan Thong glass bridge at Love Valley in Da Lat City, located in Lam Dong Province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Photo: T.A. / Tuoi Tre Anh's statement contradicts the initially advertised capacity of the Ngan Thong glass bridge, which Dang Van Thanh, chairman of Thanh Thanh Cong Group, the investor of the glass bridge project, stated to be only 200 visitors simultaneously upon its inauguration on August 19, 2023. Before its opening, load testing involved continuously pumping 50 metric tons of water into giant bags placed on the bridge. Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reached out to the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Lam Dong Province for safety management inquiries regarding this glass structure, but there has been no response. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnamese food safety authorities are investigating the death of a schoolgirl on Friday and the hospitalization of over 30 students from two schools in Nha Trang City, the capital of Khanh Hoa Province, due to suspected food poisoning. The Department of Food Safety under the Vietnamese Ministry of Health on Friday issued a dispatch requesting the provincial Department of Health to launch an investigation to clarify the death of a grade-5 student who died after having a breakfast outside the campus on Friday morning. According to Nha Trang authorities, the schoolgirl from Vinh Truong Elementary School displayed symptoms of food poisoning around 7:00 am in class, feeling fatigued and faint before being transported to the provincial General Hospital. Local authorities reported that doctors attributed the victim's death to "out-of-hospital respiratory arrest of unknown cause." Within half an hour, many other students began exhibiting symptoms such as stomach pain, vomiting, and headaches. School staff promptly administered first aid before transporting 16 students to the General Hospital and three others to Tam Tri Nha Trang General Hospital. At Tran Hung Dao Middle School, situated in Nha Trang, 12 students were taken to nearby hospitals on Friday due to symptoms of food poisoning, local authorities said. On Friday afternoon, the school's principal disclosed that these suspected food poisoning cases were part of a group of 38 students who had breakfast at the eatery situated in front of the school. The school reported that the majority of the students stated they had consumed chicken rice, bread with shredded chicken, and fried egg bread from the caterer. Khanh Hoa Province General Hospital (left) is where doctors reported the unfortunate death of a schoolgirl from Vinh Truong Elementary School in Nha Trang City, stating that she passed away outside the hospital due to unknown causes. Photo: Phan Song Ngan / Tuoi Tre As of Friday night, 28 students from the two schools were still receiving care and treatment at hospitals in Nha Trang, while three others had been discharged, the Khanh Hoa Department of Health said. Nha Trang leaders paid a visit to the family of the deceased schoolgirl to offer condolences and provide support in arranging her funeral. The Department of Food Safety has urged the provincial health department to instruct relevant hospitals to utilize all available resources to treat the sick students. The department should collaborate with relevant agencies to conduct a thorough investigation and determine the cause of the incident, the department said. They should work alongside schools and local authorities to enhance food safety measures both within and around school premises, and take decisive action to identify and address any violations of food safety regulations. Recently, Nha Trang has witnessed several cases of food poisoning, with the most recent incident occurring at Nguyen Van Troi High School. Ten students were hospitalized after consuming chicken rice and spaghetti purchased from a vendor near the school on March 29. In mid-March, nearly 370 people were hospitalized for food poisoning after consuming chicken rice at Tram Anh Restaurant located on Ba Trieu Street in the city. Tests conducted by the Nha Trang Pasteur Institute revealed that samples of water and food obtained from the restaurant were contaminated with bacterial pathogens including Salmonella spp, Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus aureus, among others. In November 2022, close to 650 students and staff members of iSchool Nha Trang an international school in Nha Trang were hospitalized following lunch, resulting in one fatality. The cause of the poisoning was determined to be Salmonella bacteria detected in chicken wings. Like us on Facebook or follow us on X to get the latest news about Vietnam! A 42-year-old man hailing from Bac Lieu Province, southern Vietnam has asked authorities for a green light to mine some three metric tons of gold in the Ca Ty riverbed in the south-central province of Binh Thuan. The Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Binh Thuan confirmed on Saturday that it had received a request letter for gold mining from H.P.T., who claimed his forefather discovered that the Japanese military had hidden the said amount of gold in the river section running through Phan Thiet City. T. said in the letter that the relevant documentation and images are not available since the discovery was made a long time ago, adding that he was the only one in his family to be informed of the location of the so-called gold mine. He also asked to excavate the gold without conducting exploration, citing prior knowledge of the mine's location. Once he secures approval from authorities, he would conduct the gold mining process in around 10 days. Also, he pledged to deposit an environmental remediation fee of VND500 million (US$20,000) for the province and would get the money back after restoring the original status of the location. The man said that he would take 30 percent of the treasure trove, while the rest would be handed over to the state. He also requested that the province provide him with support in terms of personnel to protect and check the gold during the mining process. The Binh Thuan Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has yet to respond to his request letter. Previously, T. had visited the headquarters of the Phan Thiet City administration and the department to seek approval for such gold mining, during which he was told to rewrite his request letter in accordance with prevailing regulations. In related news, another man named Tran Van Tiep had earlier sought a green light from Binh Thuan authorities to mine 4,000 metric tons of gold in Tau Mountain, located in Tuy Phong District. His gold exploration later yielded no results. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The engineering force of the Military Command in Quang Binh Province, north-central Vietnam swiftly removed a wartime bomb, weighing over 200 kilograms, found at the edge of a street in downtown Dong Hoi City on Friday. The bomb, weighing 227 kilograms, measuring over 1.5 meters in length and containing 87 kilograms of explosive, was safely transferred to a military warehouse the same morning through a collaborative effort between the engineering force and Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a humanitarian non-government organization that helps clear explosive remnants of war. The military engineers identified it as an MK 82 bomb, which still has the detonator, dropped by the U.S. during the American war in Vietnam. The bomb has been safely brought to the warehouse, said a leader of the engineering team of the Quang Binh Military Command. Shortly, it will be detonated along with other explosive materials. Earlier, a construction team involved in building an embankment along the Nhat Le estuary in Hai Thanh Ward, Dong Hoi City, uncovered the bomb during excavation. It was buried several meters deep and only 10 meters from Truong Phap Street in downtown Dong Hoi City. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! CANBERRA, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government has announced it will appoint a "special adviser" to scrutinize the investigation into an Israeli airstrike that killed aid workers, including an Australian woman. In a joint statement issued on Friday night, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Penny Wong, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, said information provided by Israel on its investigation into the airstrike has not satisfied the Australian government's expectations. Marles and Wong said they would write to their Israeli counterparts notifying them of Australia's intention to appoint an independent special adviser to oversee the investigation and that Australia expects all evidence to be preserved. Wong said that Australia was concerned that those responsible for the operation had not been stood down while the investigation was ongoing. The Ministry of Home Affairs said on Friday that it endorsed the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs proposal, according to which public workers in Vietnam will be given five consecutive days off to celebrate the upcoming Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers Day (May 1). As the Reunification Day and International Workers Day fall on Tuesday and Wednesday this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs agreed that public workers should be allowed to be off from work on Monday (April 29) and work on another instead, so that they can enjoy five straight days off from Saturday till Wednesday, or from April 27 to May 1. The five-day break is expected to boost consumption, promote local tourism and economic growth, according to the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs. The home affairs ministry urged the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs to submit the proposal to the prime minister for consideration and approval. The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs is now pooling inputs from 14 other ministries and agencies on the proposal. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! UK chef Jamie Oliver will join MasterChef Australia across two-weeks, the longest he has ever participated in the 10 series. Last year he featured across the first two episodes, after first appearing in the 2012 season. This season, hosted by Andy Lee, Poh Ling Yeow, Jean-Christophe Novelli and Sofia Levin, his parents will also make an unexpected kitchen cameo. 7:30pm Monday April 22 on 10. 20-year-old man missing after jumping off a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, report says A 20-year-old man on holiday with his family went overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise. The man, who's been missing since early Thursday morning, may have jumped, a report said. The US Coast Guard has launched a search operation. A 20-year-old man who was vacationing with his family on a cruise may have jumped overboard, The New York Post reported. Royal Caribbean confirmed that a passenger, whose identity has not been revealed, went overboard near The Bahamas at about 4 a.m. on Thursday and has been missing since then. The US Coast Guard launched a search for the passenger on Thursday. A Royal Caribbean spokesperson told Business Insider that the cruise line's "Care Team is providing support and assistance to the guest's family during this difficult time." Bryan Sims, a fellow cruise passenger, told The New York Post that he'd hung out with the passenger in the hot tub until 3:30 a.m. Sims said the man appeared to be "pretty drunk." Sims told the Post that after leaving the hot tub, they encountered the passenger's father while approaching the elevators. "His dad was fussing at him for being drunk," Sims said. Deborah Morrison, another passenger on board the cruise, told the Post that "there was a lot of yelling and that the crew was alerted immediately." "The ship's crew immediately launched a search and rescue effort alongside the US Coast Guard, who has taken over the search," the Royal Caribbean spokesperson said. #Breaking @USCG crews are searching for a 20-year-old man who went overboard from the Liberty of the Seas cruise ship 57 miles from Great Inagua this morning. USCG Cutter Seneca and Air Station Miami HC-144 crews are conducting the search.#USCG #SAR pic.twitter.com/zZPpKOdyCn USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) April 4, 2024 The Liberty of the Seas departed from South Florida and was 57 miles from Great Inagua in The Bahamas when the passenger went overboard. The cruise ship has 18 decks and can accommodate up to 3,634 passengers. It's served by a crew of about 1,300. The chances of falling overboard on a cruise ship are extremely low . In 2023, about 31 million passengers traveled on a cruise, and at least 10 people went overboard, with two of them surviving, Business Insider reported. "Even one incident is one too many," a spokesperson for Cruise Lines International Association told Business Insider, adding that "the vast majority of cases are either reckless behavior or some form of intentional act. People don't just inadvertently fall over the side of a ship." Last month, a 23-year-old man who felt seasick fell overboard from the MSC Euribia cruise ship while crossing the North Sea in Europe and was presumed dead. In December, an MSC Cruises passenger jumped from one of its ships while sailing from Europe to South America. According to a CLIA report, only 28.2% of passengers who fell overboard between 2009 and 2019 were successfully rescued. Read the original article on Business Insider Welcome Guest! You are here: Home Earlier seen in 1946, T Coronae Borealis to dazzle the sky again Sky gazers can look for another astral vista as T Coronae Borealis - a binary star system 3,000 light-years away, is set for a luminous outburst that could grace Earths night sky sometime between now and September. Saturday April 6, 2024 10:05 PM , ummid.com Science Desk [Image for representation] Mumbai: Sky gazers can look for another astral vista as T Coronae Borealis - a binary star system 3,000 light-years away, is set for a luminous outburst that could grace Earths night sky sometime between now and September. The once in 80-years seen astral event which will be observable with naked eyes signifies the third known opportunity for humankind to witness such a stellar performance. This recurrent nova, a rarity among the cosmos, promises stargazers an unrivalled show that has only been observed by human eyes twice before first in 1866 and then in 1946. The phenomenon is due to a dance of death between two stars - a red giant, in its expansive twilight years, and its partner, a dense white dwarf. The two stars exist so close to each other that the red giants ejection accumulates on the white dwarf, eventually leading to a thermonuclear eruption once sufficient mass amasses. The light from the blast travels through the cosmos and makes it appear as if a new star -- as bright as the North Star, according to NASA -- has suddenly just popped up in our night sky for a few days. There are only around 10 recurring novas in the Milky Way and surrounding galaxies, Sumner Starrfield, an astronomer at Arizona State University, told news agency AFP. Normal novas explode "maybe every 100,000 years," he said. But recurrent novas repeat their outbursts on a human timeline because of a peculiar relationship between their two stars. The James Webb space telescope will be just one of the many eyes that turn towards the outburst of T Coronae Borealis once it begins, Joachim Krautter, a retired German astronomer, told AFP. But you do not need such advanced technology to witness this rare event -- whenever it may happen. "You simply have to go out and look in the direction of the Corona Borealis," Krautter said. Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic. Welcome Guest! You are here: Home NASA invites application for its Internship Programs The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has invited applications from the local and international students for its various internship and fellowship programs. Saturday April 6, 2024 5:32 PM , ummid.com News Network Washington: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has invited applications from the local and international students for its various internship and fellowship programs. NASA offers several opportunities for students to undertake meaningful and challenging projects that truly make an impact on humanity. NASAs Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) paid internships allow high school and college-level students to contribute to the agencys mission to advance science, technology, aeronautics, and space exploration, the American Space Agency headquartered in Washington DC said. OSTEM internships offer students an opportunity to gain practical work experience while working side-by-side with mentors who are research scientists, engineers, and individuals from many other professions. Internships may be full time or part time; and, they may be on a NASA center or facility, or even working from your home or dorm, NASA said. NASA runs various internship programs for students which include pathways internship, fellowship, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) internship and international internship. An internship at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a chance to do the impossible. Our internships put you right in the action with the scientists and engineers whove helped make JPL the leading center for robotic exploration of the solar system, NASA said. The NASA internship for which application is currently open are SMD Internship for Technical Writer, Evaluate Architecture and Protocols for Wireless Networks for Space, ASSENT: Simulating Autonomous Vehicles in the National Airspace, Range and Mission Management Office (RMMO) Business Support Intern, Virtual - Celestial Mapping System, Aeronautics at Ames Research Center Fall 2024, Balloon Program Support, Capacity Building Program Geographic Analysis, Virtual: Indigenous Peoples Initiative Outreach, Earth Observation Training, Education, and Capacity Development, Data & Analytics Intern, Design & Development of Molecular-based Laser Diagnostics, Application of Formal Methods to Autonomous Systems, Javascript Support for Web-based Aeronautics Simulations - Fall 2024, Microsoft Power Apps Developer, CAD and Experiments for a Lunar Imaging System and others. Interested students can apply now at nasa.gov. Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic. Huawei strengthens partnership with Ethiopian university to enhance ICT development Xinhua) 10:02, April 06, 2024 ADDIS ABABA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's Addis Ababa University (AAU) and Huawei, a Chinese telecommunications company, on Friday signed a cooperation agreement that will boost Ethiopian students' access to industry experience on information and communication technologies (ICT). As part of the signed Memorandum of Understanding, Huawei Ethiopia and the AAU will increase collaboration in talent and skill cultivation in the ICT sector. It will also enable AAU students to intern at Huawei Ethiopia and gain more practical ICT experience. Bikila Teklu, chief executive director of Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, said during the signing ceremony that the partnership agreement is expected to contribute to AAU's recent endeavor. He said strategic partnerships and collaborations with key industry stakeholders, such as Huawei, is one of the key focus areas of the AAU as part of its new strategic plan. "Such partnerships are crucial for providing industry exposure and capacity building for our faculty and students and eventually to produce graduates that are fit for the labor market needs," Teklu said. Calling on students to effectively exploit the opportunity provided by Huawei to further their knowledge and skills on key information and communication technologies, Teklu emphasized that the success of such practical hands-on trainings will positively contribute to the development of the overall telecom sector in Ethiopia. The Addis Ababa Institute of Technology hosts the Huawei Academy, which was established with the support of Huawei Ethiopia with state-of-the-art facilities. According to Teklu, the Huawei Academy hosted at the institute has so far trained hundreds of technicians, who are now engaged in various telecom projects across the East African country. He said many other AAU graduates have also benefited from training and career opportunities offered by Huawei. "We dearly value our partnership with Huawei, a global powerhouse in the telecom and ICT sector, and our vision is to further strengthen our partnership by building on the existing platform," Teklu said. Zerihun Alemayehu, an official from the Ethiopian Ministry of Labor and Skills, on his part commended Huawei's commitment in nurturing young Ethiopian talents in the telecom and ICT sector. "There is a high demand for digitization, both in the private and public sectors. To achieve this, developing trained and qualified manpower is of great importance. This experience is exemplary and needs to be strengthened and scaled up to all sectors and training institutions," he said. Liu Jifan, chief executive officer of Huawei Ethiopia, on his part expressed the company's keen commitment to further strengthening its collaboration with the AAU in particular and Ethiopia's digitization ambitions in general. "Huawei, as a leading global provider of ICT infrastructure and devices, is proud to partner with the AAU, a renowned institution of higher learning, to bring you the exceptional opportunity today," he said. Liu further urged students attending the event to serve as a driving force in the East African country's digitization ambitions by harnessing the opportunities presented in recent technological advancements. The Ethiopian government is currently implementing a national digitization strategy, dubbed "Digital Ethiopia 2025," which envisages significantly augmenting all forms of digital services in the country by 2025. Liu underscored that Huawei Ethiopia will "spear no effort" in contributing to the success of Ethiopia's digitalization drive. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Zhong Wenxing) Muslim farm owners in Pakistan on March 23 beat a Christian laborer with iron rods and shot him in the leg for requesting his wages owed him, sources said. Waqas Masih, a 42-year-old farm laborer in Chak No. 8 Panj Garaiyan Kamalpur village in Faisalabad District, Punjab Province, had asked for his wages in order to buy clothes for his two children for Easter celebrations, said his brother, Akash Masih. Farm owners Luqman Jutt and Imran Jutt attacked Waqas Masih, a Catholic, after he pleaded with them to pay his wages, his brother said. The two men first brutally tortured Waqas with the iron rods, and then Luqman pulled out a pistol and opened fire on him, resulting in a bullet injury on his right thigh, Akash Masih told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News, adding that they continued beating his brother as he lay bleeding from the bullet wound. We were able to take him to the Allied Hospital in Faisalabad on time, otherwise he could have died due to excessive bleeding, he said. Stay informed with The Christian Daily Newsletter Sign up Although police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the two suspects, they obtained pre-arrest bail and have returned to the village, he said. We are very poor, and a majority of the nearly 300 Christian families living in the village work as laborers for Muslim landowners, Akash Masih said. We are often subjected to cruelty and torture because we are weak and helpless. The assault was the owners second in less than four months on his brother, he said. In December, my father, brother Waqas and his wife were attacked in our home when he requested his employers to pay his wages for Christmas, Akash Masih said. The family decided to sell their 816-square-foot house and leave the village for better prospects, but the landlords learned of their plans and were determined to keep them in bonded labor even though they had repaid a 150,000-rupee (US$540) loan taken from as advance salary three years ago, he said. My brother has paid 70,000 Pakistani Rupees [US$252] in excess to the loan amount, but even then they are deducting money from his wages, Askash Masih said. They have intentionally trapped us in this debt bondage to keep us from leaving their work. Local police were aiding the suspects, who are influential in the local community, he said. Neither of the two accused have been arrested, while on the other hand, we are being warned against raising the issue, he said. In such circumstances, theres little hope for justice for us. Waqas Masih was recovering at home, but the attack has strained the familys meager finances. I appeal to the police to give us justice and protect us from further exploitation by the landlords, Akash Masih said. This is our only demand to the government. Community leaders say that costs and lack of resources are the greatest barriers for religious minorities in obtaining justice in Pakistan. A majority of Christians are poor, working-class people and consider their minority status as an exacerbator of their poverty, said former Punjab Minister for Minorities Ejaz Alam Augustine, a Christian affiliated with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). They are not confident about attaining justice and, unfortunately, the law also hasnt really taken ownership of them. Augustine said the government needed to instill confidence in vulnerable communities by ensuring access and justice. Rule of law and speedy justice are a prerequisite for any civilized society, he said. Perpetrators of violence, especially when the victims belong to vulnerable communities, must be dealt with sternly in accordance with the law. Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors 2024 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian, as it was the previous year. Welcome Guest! You are here: Home Over 2.5 mn offer Taraweeh at Masjid Haram Makkah on Laylat al Qadr 2024 More than 2.5 million Muslims from different parts of the world offered Taraweeh prayers at Masjid Haram in Makkah Friday Ramadan 27, 1445 H that coincided with the Laylat al Qadr. Saturday April 6, 2024 10:51 AM , ummid.com News Network Makkah: More than 2.5 million Muslims from different parts of the world offered Taraweeh prayers at Masjid Haram in Makkah Friday Ramadan 27, 1445 H that coincided with the Laylat al Qadr. Laylat al Qadr, also known as Shab e Qadr in the Indian subcontinent, is one of the nights during the last ten days of Ramadan the holy month of fasting. It is believed that Holy Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) over 1400 years ago in this blessed night. The night of al Qadr is better than a thousand months, Quran says describing the virtues of Lalylat al Qadr. Masjid Haram in Makkah was full to its capacity on Friday April 05, 2024 as Umrah pilgrims thronged the sacred mosque to offer Taraweeh special night prayers of Ramadan. Prayers for Palestine, al Aqsa President of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques, Abdur Rahman as Sudais led the prayers as millions from around the world stood in supplication. Hundreds of thousands around the world watched live broadcast of the Taraweeh prayers from Masjid Haram in Makkah as As Sudais prayed for world peace and the freedom from the shackles of the Zionist Masjid Aqsa in Occupied Jerusalem. Oh Allah, Grant victory to our brothers in Palestine and free them from the occupation of the Jewish Oppressors, Sudais said and Muslims said Aamen. Sheikh Sudais: Oh Allah, Grant victory to our brothers in Palestine and free them from the occupation of the Jewish Oppressors. Oh Allah, protect Al-Aqsa Mosque from the aggression of the aggressors, and grant us a prayer in it before death. pic.twitter.com/78yTlIrVjp Inside the Haramain (@insharifain) April 5, 2024 Oh Allah, protect Al-Aqsa Mosque from the aggression of the aggressors, and grant us a prayer in it before death, Sudais prayed. 20 mn pray at Prophets Mosque Meanwhile, official data released by the General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Prophet's Mosque said about 20 million people pray at Prophet's Mosque in the first 20 days of Ramadan. "A total of 19,899,991 worshippers and visitors were received, with significant numbers of them visiting key sites within the Masjid Nabawi", it said. A total of 1,643,288 individuals visited the Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) tomb, and Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifa welcomed 655,277 visitors, with a balanced distribution of male and female visitors. The authority has made considerable efforts to cater to the needs of different groups; for instance, 50,820 older individuals benefited from specially designated sites. Meanwhile, preparations are also on in Saudi Arabia to spot the Eid al Fitr Moon 2024. According to sources, Eid al Fitr moon sighting in the Kingdom will be held on Monday April 08, 2024 . Eid al Fitr marks the end of Holy Month of Fasting, Ramadan. Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic. HA NOI The Viet Nam tech ecosystem raised a total funding of US$35.7 million this year as of March 15, down 39 per cent from $58.6 million of the same period last year, according to private markets data platform Tracxn. Overall, Viet Nam currently ranks third in terms of capital mobilised in the first quarter of this year among Southeast Asian (SEA) countries, behind Singapore and Indonesia. The countrys early-stage investments only reached $31.2 million in the first quarter of this year, down 47 per cent year-on-year. Funding for Vietnamese seed-stage technology companies was worth $4.5 million in the first quarter of the year. Be Group, the owner and developer of the multi-service consumer platform Be, has raised $31.2 million in Series B round, becoming the company with highest funding in the field in the first quarter of the year. Automotive technology, educational technology and corporate applications are the segments with the best performance in the entire Vietnamese technology industry in the first quarter of this year. Of which, companies in the AutoTech and EdTech sectors have raised $31.2 million and $2.5 million, respectively, from the beginning of the year to mid-March. So far, no new unicorns have appeared in the Vietnamese ecosystem since the beginning of the year, similar to the first quarter of last year. There was hardly any divestment-related activity, just two acquisitions and no initial public offerings (IPOs). In terms of capital funding for the city, tech startups based in HCM City raised $33.2 million in the first quarter of this year, while startups based in Binh Thanh District raised $2.5 million. CyberAgent Capital, Nextrans and Viet Nam Silicon Valley are the most active investors. Northstar Ventures, Monk's Hill Ventures and R2 Venture Partners were the top seed-stage investors in technology companies in the first quarter. The Tap chi Kinh te Viet Nam (VnEconomy Viet Nam Economic Times) quoted Tracxns assessment that Viet Nam has established itself as an emerging startup centre in Southeast Asia and this ecosystem has the potential to develop in the coming years. VNS HCM CITY Viet Nams fruit and vegetable exports could reach record levels in 2024, especially with the country working on an export protocol for fresh coconut and frozen durian with China this year. In the first quarter the exports topped US$1 billion for the first time after increasing by 25.8 per cent year-on-year. ang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Viet Nam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said durian accounts for a majority of the exports, and would increase further since the Central Highlands is entering harvest season. If Viet Nam can export the two products to China, fruit and vegetable exports would see significant growth, he said. The revenues from each could be up to $300 million, which would see fruit and vegetable exports exceed $6 billion in 2024, he added. Cao Ba ang Khoa, general secretary of the Viet Nam Coconut Association, said businesses are excited that they can export coconut to China as soon as the protocol is signed. He urged the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development to strictly manage farming areas and packing companies codes and product traceability. Nguyen said farmers and businesses need to pay attention to crop protection agent residues used on their crops that are exported to China. Farmers should adopt VietGAP (Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices) standards, he added. oan Thuy Giang, chairman of Vinh Khang Group Joint Stock Company, said his company exports durian to China and plans to invest in cold storages and export the fruit in frozen form. China has huge demand for durian, and since Vietnamese durian is equal in quality to Thailands, Chinese businesses pay attention to it thanks to competitive prices. The Plant Protection Department and agriculture ministry stated that it is important to step up oversight of farms and packing facilities to control quality from the early stages of production. Local authorities need to encourage businesses to invest in infrastructure, semi- and deep processing, preservation, and cold storage, they added. VNS HCM CITY German investment in Viet Nam is expected to keep growing in 2024, the German Business Association (GBA) said. Alexander Ziehe, the new chairman of the GBA, said: "Traditionally, German investments were mainly directed to Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. These countries host an established cluster of German industries, such as the automotive sector in Thailand or research and development hubs in Singapore. The trend is changing, and Viet Nam is now considered as an investment location of increasing attractiveness. German investors favour Viet Nam to supplement their China operations for its lower costs, alternative markets, and convenient geographic and supply route proximity to China. Viet Nam itself also offers a rising middle class and opportunities to establish German brands for Vietnamese consumers with local distribution and supply chains. The GBA said it has recently received commitments for new projects from Fuchs Petrolub for lubricants production, Schutz for industrial packaging in Ba Ria Vung Tau Province, Karcher for machinery manufacturing in Quang Nam Province, Tenowo for fabric production in Hai Phong City, and Ziehl-Abegg for control technologies and ventilation systems in ong Nai Province. The GBA recently launched its 2024 action plan to strengthen economic relations between Viet Nam and Germany, focusing on enhancing interactions, expanding its presence in the northern region and driving strategic development initiatives. The association is enhancing economic and trade links between Germany and Viet Nam by promoting the interests of GBA members and fostering close collaboration with relevant stakeholders. They will also pursue these objectives through specific strategies, including new operational initiatives. A highlight is the expansion of its presence in the northern region and the pursuit of strategic development opportunities. These demonstrate GBA's proactive approach to meeting the evolving needs and demands of its members while maximising the value it provides to the German business community in Viet Nam and the Vietnamese economy at large. Its specific activities and plans are all geared towards business networking and promotion of investment in Viet Nam. The most anticipated event is the GBA Oktoberfest, which will take place in the three big cities of Ha Noi, a Nang and HCM City in September and October this year. Besides, in 2024, for the first time, the GBA will give away the German Business Awards in Viet Nam. In close co-operation with the Delegation of the German Industry and Commerce in Viet Nam (AHK Vietnam) and the European Chamber of Commerce in Viet Nam (EuroCham Vietnam), it will organise special events to expand investment and business opportunities for its members. They include a business trip to Cambodia in May and the German Pavilion showcasing technology and "green" solutions at EuroChams Green Economy Forum & Exhibition (GEFE) in October in HCM City. In the first quarter of this year the GBA's commitment to fostering strong German-Vietnam ties was demonstrated through a diverse schedule of events and activities. They included a roundtable conference with visiting German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in HCM City, which was a notable highlight. A high-level delegation that included the German Minister of Labour and Social Affairs participated in constructive exchanges with the German business community in Viet Nam, laying the groundwork for future cooperation and partnerships. The GBA business meeting held in March 2024, focusing on the economic outlook of VietNam 2024 and the role of ASEAN, set a record with over 100 business executives participating. The GBA also actively collaborated with Vietnamese government agencies to address members' concerns and support policy reforms to promote business development. VNS HCM CTIY In recent times, the picturesque sandy shores and crystal-clear waters of Viet Nam have captured the attention of South Korean travelers, with the top four destinations among Korean visitors being coastal cities and islands of the country. a Nang, Nha Trang, Hoi An, and Phu Quoc Island are the most sought-after locations, with HCM City rounding out the top five popular destinations in Viet Nam, according to a report from Agoda Vietnam. Lam Vu, the country director of Agoda Vietnam, highlighted the allure of Viet Nam's beaches for global travelers looking to experience vibrant coastal towns, beautiful sandy beaches, and diverse cultural experiences. He noted the historical charm of Hoi An, the tropical paradise of Phu Quoc, and the dynamic urban energy of HCM City as particularly appealing to South Korean visitors. "Its unsurprising that our beaches attract global visitors seeking both vibrant coastal towns and cities, and beautiful sandy beaches. From the historical allure of Hoi An to the tropical island of Phu Quoc, or the urban energy of HCM City, there is a rich tapestry of experiences that South Koreans seem to appreciate, as illustrated by Agodas travel insights from this past quarter," he said. Currently, the cast and crew of South Korean television drama Marry my husband embarked on a leisure trip to the coastal city of Nha Trang. Accordingly, famous actors Park Min Young, Na In Woo, Lee Yi Kyung, and Choi Gyu Ri reserved a resort for a four-day stay in the beach city. The Vietnam General Statistics Office recently released official inbound travel data for the first quarter of 2024, revealing a total of 4.6 million international visitors. This figure surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the same period, with South Korean tourists leading the way. Cherry blossom chasing As the spring season commences, cherry blossoms are expected to bloom in late March to April, attracting travelers keen on experiencing this natural spectacle. Klook, a platform for experiences and travel services, observed a 63 per cent increase in bookings to North Asia in March 2024, where cherry blossoms are abundant, indicating the popularity of springtime travel experiences. According to a Klook survey, 87 per cent of travelers in the Asia-Pacific region are inclined to embark on dedicated trips to witness cherry blossoms in full bloom. The majority of travelers who plan such trips tend to make arrangements up to three months in advance and intend to stay in their chosen destinations for up to two weeks. Japan emerges as the top destination for viewing cherry blossoms, with 76 per cent of APAC travelers expressing interest in experiencing this iconic phenomenon. Many travelers show a desire to explore multiple cities within the same destination, with eight in 10 willing to venture up to 60 minutes away from main city areas to discover specific viewing locations. Vietnamese travelers exhibit a higher degree of spontaneity, with 42 per cent planning their cherry blossom trips within a month or less before departure. Additionally, nearly half of Vietnamese travelers opt for quick getaways of less than a week, compared to the regional average of 35 per cent. For Vietnamese travelers planning trips to view cherry blossoms, knowing the best locations for viewing the flowers is a top priority. Other considerations such as the duration of the holiday, affordability, available activities at the destination, and transportation options also play a significant role in trip planning for Vietnamese travelers. VNS 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. Stay informed with The Christian Daily Newsletter Sign up 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. HCM CITY The HCM City's 2024 Tourism Fair, taking place from April 4 to 7, aims to showcase the city's vibrant tourism industry. This event positions HCM City as a "tourism supermarket" by offering a diverse range of tourism products from not only HCM City but also other provinces. The annual fair in District 1's September 23 Park is drawing in a multitude of local and international visitors with its vast array of over 100 booths from tourism promotion agencies representing 43 cities and provinces, as well as travel companies, hotels, and various tourism services. On the first day of the fair, even under the noons hot and sunny weather, the fair was packed with visitors dashing from booth to booth, looking for great tours to buy, many of which are promoted with great discounts. Many of them managed to get themselves tours to Cambodia or Japan at good prices, and some even got nice gifts such as bags and cups, or played fun games for more exciting prizes. Pham Thanh Hai, deputy director of at Viet Tour, told Viet Nam News at the fair that, with the motto of 'great tours at good prices', at Viet Tour is here to provide customers with attractive tour products for the upcoming summer holiday of 2024. It offers both domestic and international tours to Europe, Australia, the US, Japan, South Korea, and others. The first day of the fair saw around 1,740 tour buyers, with total revenue of over VN26.3 billion (US$1 million), up 49 per cent compared to the same period in 2023, according to the citys Department of Tourism. Meanwhile, booths from other localities promoted their own culture and regional specialties. For example, a booth for ak Lak Province was organised by the provincial Department of Culture and Tourism to display and exhibit tourism products, including souvenirs and products that are One Commune One Product-certified from ak Lak businesses. Its display of culturally-rich decorative items, tasty-looking food samples and staff members donning traditional dresses beckoned many people to visit the booth. Vo Minh Luan, a member of ak Lak Tourism Association, said that this is an opportunity for all visitors from HCM City as well as the whole country to know more about the culture, history and tourism products of ak Lak Province. One of the most stand-out booths is definitely the one promoting tours to Mongolia, organised by the Mongolian Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Mongolia Tourism Organization. With an eye-catching yurt (a type of Mongolian tent), traditional outfits, items, and even musical performances, this booth garnered attention from many onlookers, eager to find out more about the countrys culture and travel opportunities. Nguyen Xuan Hanh, Honorary Consul of Mongolia in HCM City, said that the HCM City's 2024 Tourism Fair is an opportunity for Mongolia to introduce to tourism businesses and HCM City locals the country, people and unique cultural traditions of Mongolia - a country that most Vietnamese have few opportunities to experience with their own eyes. The bilateral visa exemption agreement between Viet Nam and Mongolia, which came into effect on March 7 this year, will facilitate economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. Ganzorig Tsogtoo, board member of the Mongolia Tourism Organization, told Viet Nam News, "Mongolian Airlines will have a direct flight to HCM City from Ulaanbaatar in November. We are promoting Mongolian package tours here for Vietnamese people." On April 5, as part of the fair, the Go Mongolia Roadshow 2024 programme was held to introduce Mongolias culture and tourism co-operation potential with Viet Nam. It is also one of the activities to celebrate the upcoming 70th anniversary of the two countries diplomatic relations (November 17, 1954 - 2024). Almost a dozen Mongolian tourism companies and around 40 Vietnamese tourism companies attended the programme, discussing opportunities for co-operation and facilitating tourism between the two countries. ZolKhuu Ulambayar, general director of Maikhan Camp & TDM Tourist LLC, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that he attended this event in HCM City to promote tourism, and that ever since the visa exemption, more Vietnamese customers have gone on his companys tours. He also hopes that more and more Vietnamese would know of and visit Mongolia. A supermarket for tourism Le Truong Hien Hoa, deputy director of HCM Citys Department of Tourism, said that he hoped that this 20th HCM City Tourism Fair would stimulate domestic tourism for the summer holiday and help localities promote their tourism products and services. The event solidifies HCM Citys position and role as a leading tourism supermarket for the country, he said. Indeed, tourism companies and provinces around Viet Nam are gathering at the fair, making full use of this opportunity to showcase their best tours and travel destinations to locals, expats and foreign tourists. Nguyen Vu Anh, a HCM City local, told Viet Nam News that while at first he had just planned to have a look around, he ended up being tempted by all the great discounts and exciting travel opportunities, so much so that he will visit the fair again with his girlfriend to buy a tour. HCM City, a big economic and tourism centre of Viet Nam, plays an important role in facilitating tourism for the whole country. It has seen no shortage of tourism stimulation events like this one, having hosted many annual tourism festivals, fairs and co-operation facilitation conferences with other localities around the country over the years. For the rest of 2024, the city will have a river festival, International Travel Expo HCM City, and Tourism Week, all offering local and international businesses a chance to promote their tourism products to local and international visitors. HCM City is also working with 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta to strengthen co-operation on promoting tourism and developing tourism products in 2024, including at this tourism fair. With HCM City's support for tourism businesses from many other provinces, the city is really like a tourism supermarket for local and foreign visitors to know more about tourism products, said Vo Minh Luan, as his ak Lak booth was swarmed by curious locals. VNS Ahead of the official visit to China by a high-level Vietnamese delegation led by National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hue at the invitation of Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Sao Mai gave an interview to the press. Can you tell our readers about the purpose and significance of National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hues official visit to China? Accepting the invitation from Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hue will lead a high-level delegation from the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam on an official visit to the People's Republic of China from April 7 to 12. This is the first visit to China by Hue in his capacity as National Assembly Chairman, signifying a historic moment as it marks the first direct meeting between the heads of the legislative bodies of Viet Nam and China since the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Notably, this visit follows the recent state visit to Viet Nam by General Secretary and President of China, Xi Jinping, in December 2023, during which both nations issued a joint statement on continuing deepening and elevating the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries and building a Viet Nam-China community with a shared future of strategic importance, underscoring its profound strategic significance. This visit by National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hue holds great significance in fostering high-level exchanges, setting strategic direction for bilateral relations and aligning shared perspectives between the top leadership of both parties and countries. It reaffirms Viet Nams prioritisation of nurturing relations with China as the foremost agenda and a strategic cornerstone in its foreign policy. The visit also seeks to advance the six major cooperation orientations between the two nations, with a particular emphasis on enhancing "heightened political trust" and fortifying "a more robust social foundation." These efforts contribute to elevating the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Viet Nam and China, fostering mutual benefits for both peoples, and fostering peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the wider world. Furthermore, against the backdrop of the continuously consolidated and well-developed relationship between the National Assembly of Viet Nam and the National People's Congress of China, this visit will contribute to deepening and enhancing the effectiveness of cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries; affirming the very important role of Viet Nams parliamentary diplomacy in the country's development. Please assess the recent bilateral relations between the two countries? Viet Nam and China are neighbouring countries with many similarities in culture, political systems and development paths. In recent times, under the joint efforts of both sides, the relations between the two Parties and two countries have maintained a very positive development momentum and gained many important achievements in all areas, reflected in several aspects. Firstly, high-level exchanges and contacts have been enhanced. The leadership of the Parties, States, Governments, National Assemblies (People's Congress), and Fatherland Fronts of the two countries through flexible forms, regularly meets, exchanges and discussions, have contributed to enhancing political trust and solidifying the political foundation of the relations between the two Parties and two countries. Especially the historical visits of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (October 2022) and General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping (December 2023) have contributed significantly to continually consolidating and elevating the neighbourly and comprehensive cooperation relations between Viet Nam and China. The most remarkable point in these contacts is that both sides have affirmed considering the other country as a priority in their foreign policies. Viet Nam considers developing relations with China as a top priority and a strategic choice, always desiring to promote stable, healthy, and sustainable development of bilateral relations with China for the happiness of the people of both countries, for the cause of peace and progress of humanity. China emphasises persisting with a friendly policy towards Viet Nam, considering Viet Nam as a priority direction in its neighbouring diplomacy. China also affirms its support for Viet Nams prosperous development, the happiness of its people, the building of a strong, independent, and self-reliant economy, promoting comprehensive renewal, industrialisation, modernisation, comprehensive international integration, and developing open and friendly relations, playing an increasingly important role for peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world. Secondly, economic, trade, and investment cooperation continue to deepen, becoming substantive and shining points in bilateral relations in recent times. China maintains its position as Viet Nams largest trading partner and the second-largest export market, while Viet Nam is China's largest trading partner in ASEAN and the fifth-largest in the world (after the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Russia). Both sides also actively coordinate step by step to resolve outstanding issues in some previous economic cooperation projects. Thirdly, cooperation in other areas such as culture, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges has yielded numerous practical results, bolstering the social foundation of bilateral relations. To date, nearly 60 provinces and cities in Viet Nam have established friendly cooperation relations with various Chinese localities. China has essentially reinstated commercial flights with Viet Nam, currently operating over 200 flights per week between the two countries. Moreover, China has resumed issuing visas for Vietnamese students and workers returning to China. In 2023, over 1.7 million Chinese tourists visited Viet Nam, while in the first three months of 2024, nearly 890,000 visitors arrived, marking a remarkable increase of 634.5 per cent compared to the same period last year. Fourthly, both sides have made significant strides in fostering peace, friendship and cooperation along the land border between Viet Nam and China, thereby contributing to the socio-economic development of border areas. Additionally, efforts have been made to sustain exchanges and manage differences at sea in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Both nations actively engage in negotiation mechanisms on maritime issues and work towards the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC). Furthermore, endeavours are underway to establish a substantive, effective and legally binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC), with the aim of ensuring peace and stability in the East Sea and the broader region. How has the Vietnamese Embassy in China prepared for this important visit? What are the expectations for the achieved results in the future bilateral relations? The Vietnamese Embassy in China has placed significant emphasis on National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hues official visit to China, considering it a pivotal focus of our current efforts. We have actively engaged in preliminary delegations, maintained close communication, and exchanged frequently with relevant agencies from both sides to discuss the visit's itinerary, agenda and preparation progress, ensuring the success of the visit. Through this visit, I expect both sides will achieve substantial outcomes, including: Advancing the positive trajectory of relations between the two Parties, two countries, and two National Assemblies in the future, contributing to concretising the new achievements and commitments of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Viet Nam and China. Deepening exchanges and sharing experiences in legislative work, while bolstering social foundations and enhancing mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries. Underscoring the critical role in monitoring and urging the active implementation of previously reached agreements. Strengthening coordination and mutual support on regional and global parliamentary platforms, as well as collaborating to ensure the enforcement of international conventions that both sides are party to, for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world. VNS HA NOI Vietnamese Party and State leaders joined the celebration of the Lao traditional festival Bunpimay held at the Lao embassy in Ha Noi on Saturday. Prominent among them were Politburo member, permanent member of the Party Central Committees Secretariat, and head of the committees Organisation Commission Truong Thi Mai; Politburo member, President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Chairman of the Central Theory Council Nguyen Xuan Thang; Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang; and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son. On behalf of the Party and State leaders and the people of Viet Nam, Thang extended the best wishes to the Party and State leaders and people of Laos; congratulated them on their achievements recorded over the recent years; and expressed belief on their further successes in their national building. The official stressed that the two countries enjoy special and unique relationship in the world, and that the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between them will continue to develop. Now as before, the Vietnamese Party, State, and people are determined to join their Lao counterparts in maintaining and developing those relations, Thang said. Lao Ambassador Khamphao Ernthavanh said the Vietnamese delegations participation in the celebration manifested the comradeship, fraternity and special relations between the two countries. Congratulating Viet Nam on its recent achievements, the diplomat expressed his belief that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, the Vietnamese people will reach their target of becoming a developed and high-income country by 2045. He also expressed gratitude to the Party, State, and people of Viet Nam in its past national liberation and current national construction and defence. The two Parties and Sates will continue tightening the Laos Viet Nam great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation despite the complex development of the world and regional situation in the recent past, the diplomat affirmed. VNS GENEVA Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son reaffirmed Viet Nam's priorities when participating in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), including protecting vulnerable groups, promoting gender equality and digital transformation, and ensuring human rights, while delivering his opening statement at the 55th regular session of the council, which took place from February 26 to April 5. He emphasised that human rights can only be best ensured when peace, stability, and international law are maintained and respected, with states placing people at the centre of all policies and ensuring inclusive and sustainable development. Son called on countries to support Viet Nam's re-election as a member of the UNHRC for the 2026-2028 term. The Vietnamese delegation led by FM Son actively joined many sessions, discussing specific rights such as the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; the right to food; cultural rights; rights of persons with disabilities; and rights of children. Additionally, Vietnamese delegates also engaged, exchanged views, and consulted with delegations from other countries, co-sponsoring a number of initiatives in the spirit of dialogue and cooperation. They also fulfilled their duties as a member of the UNHRC by participating in consultations and voting on 32 draft resolutions and two decisions of the council. Viet Nam gave a joint statement on a topic of mutual interest shared by other ASEAN countries, focusing on fisheries exploitation and ensuring the right to food. Viet Nam also spoke on behalf of the core group of the resolution on human rights and climate change - including Viet Nam, Bangladesh, and the Philippines - during a dialogue session related to the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on measures to mitigate the impact of climate change on the enjoyment of the right to food. Representing the inter-regional group, Viet Nam delivered two joint statements with strong endorsement from partner countries, calling for the acceleration of the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to promote gender equality and protect essential infrastructure for people in armed conflicts. In these statements, Viet Nam emphasised consistency, efforts, and achievements of the Southeast Asian nation in promoting and protecting human rights; reaffirmed Viet Nam's commitment to sustainable development for the benefit of its people; and highlighted the necessity to address inequality and protect vulnerable groups. Viet Nam called for addressing global challenges such as climate change and protecting human rights in armed conflicts, while affirming its commitment to enhancing constructive cooperation with countries, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UNHRC and the council's mechanisms to promote and protect human rights for all based on respect for the UN Charter, international treaties on human rights, ensuring national sovereignty and principles of objectivity, fairness, constructive dialogue, and cooperation. The UNHRC completed its 55th session with a heavy workload and record-long meeting times, in the context that humanity still faces many challenges such as strategic competition; the conflict in Ukraine; the Hamas-Israel conflict; climate change; food, energy, water insecurity; and many other social injustices. The council reviewed and discussed about 80 reports, consulted and adopted 32 draft resolutions, adopted reports of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on human rights of 14 countries, and approved decisions to postpone some activities of the UNHRC. VNS HA NOI Bridge construction costs a fortune, yet some kindhearted people in southern Viet Nam dip into their pockets to build bridges for local communities. Nguyen inh Phung, an 81-year-old war veteran in Xuan An Ward, Tam Ky City, Quang Nam Province, has been traveling from place to place to replace run-down temporary bridges with solid ones. Inspired by his son who spent his own money to build a bridge in Ben Tre Province in 2016, he engaged in bridge-building the same year with the help of his wife and a close friend named Hiep. Whenever he found a commune in need of a bridge, he proposed a construction plan to the local authorities and used his retirement pensions to pay for a new one. His first bridge was built in Truong Xuan Ward, about 7km from Tam Ky City, and the latest was inaugurated on June 1, 2023, in Binh Phuc Commune, Thang Binh District, Quang Nam Province. With each costing between VN50 million (US$2,000) to VN90 million ($3,600), he has built 30 bridges across Quang Nam over eight years. "I'm happy that my wife and children support my bridge-building efforts," Phung said. "Now that I'm old and frail, I want to help people as much as I can because I can't take money with me when I die." All the bridges bear the name Phung Hiep. Phung represents the veteran himself, while Hiep commemorates his late friend who shared his vision. He plans to break ground on the 31st bridge in Tam Phu Commune (Tam Ky City) on April 30. His life goal is to build 50 bridges, a promise made to his late friend. Despite his age and declining health, he shows no signs of slowing down. "Everyone has their way of enjoying old age, and for me, it's building bridges," he said. "I don't know when I'll lie down, but my goal remains the 50th bridge." Beyond bridges, he actively engages in social initiatives, sponsoring two disabled children, offering assistance to the poor and granting scholarships to students. Nguyen Van Be Hai, a 67-year-old farmer in Tan Binh Commune, Chau Thanh District, ong Thap Province, has dedicated more than two decades of his life to building bridges. He began by repairing damaged bridges alongside local authorities after a devastating flood swept through ong Thap in 2000 and destroyed everything on its path. "For every VN50 million ($2,000) I earned from selling rice, I set aside VN10 million ($400) to buy timber for repairing the bridges," he recounts. "But timber bridges turned out to be not durable." Knowing the limitations of timber, he assembled a team to raise funds for building concrete bridges. Initially, his team focused on small bridges with load capacity of one tonne for motorbikes only. As traffic demand grew, he recognised the need for larger, more robust bridges. He rode to ong Thap's Department of Transport to ask the director for help. Impressed by his sincerity, the director promised to provide his team with technical guidance on large bridges. "Since then, the bridges I've built can withstand two to five tonnes," he notes, revealing that each bridge costs from several hundred million to over one billion Vietnamese ong ($40,000). Ong Kiet Bridge is one of the large bridges he has constructed, spanning 40m in length and 4m in width. It costs a total of VN1.1 billion ($44,000). While local authorities contributed half of the funding, he raised the other half through community donations and his own resources. He has raised approximately VN30 billion ($1.2 million) to build 267 bridges over two decades, of which his family contributions account for several billion. "My daughter in HCM City has contributed VN1 billion since the beginning of this year, said Hai. "I do it because I believe many people need help, not to seek recognition." His selfless efforts have earned him numerous accolades, including commendations from the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Transport and the People's Committee of ong Thap. Yet, for this unassuming farmer, the true reward lies in the positive impact he has made on the lives of local people. VNS HA NOI The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) has given the green light to a proposal that will allow public employees to enjoy an uninterrupted five-day break by swapping a workday around the upcoming holidays on April 30 and May 1. The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) on April 4 suggested swapping the workday on April 29 with another day because April 29 falls between the two holidays and the weekend, disrupting the continuity of the holiday period. MoHA has agreed with the proposal, urging MOLISA to submit it to the Prime Minister for enactment. Many people have thrown their support behind the proposal. Nguyen Hoang Long, Chairman of the Trade Union of Matsuo Industries Vietnam, underlined the importance of the uninterrupted five-day break. Taking two days off and then working one day, followed by another two days off may not necessarily lead to high work efficiency on the second day, said Long. "I fully agree with the proposal." Nguyen Huu Dung, former Director of the Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs, is all for the proposal. MOLISA should submit the proposal to the Government promptly so businesses and workers can plan their holidays accordingly," said Dung. VNS HCM CITY The rate of organ donation from deceased people in Viet Nam remains modest compared to other countries, leaving demand for organs still far exceeding supply, according to the Viet Nam National Coordinating Centre for Human Organ Transplantation under the Ministry of Health. The rate of organ donation from deceased people in developed countries ranges from 50-60 per cent, said Assoc. Prof. ong Van He, director of the centre. Spain, France and countries in North America have high rates of deceased organ donation at more than 90 per cent, he said at a conference held at Cho Ray Hospital on Friday. More than 8,360 transplant operations have been carried out in Viet Nam since 1992, with only 6 per cent of transplant operations being from deceased donors and the remaining 94 per cent from living donors, he said. With more than 1,000 transplant operations conducted a year, Viet Nam has taken a lead in Southeast Asia in the number of transplant operations over the past two years, but it is among the countries with the lowest rate of organ donation from deceased people. Only four hospitals perform more than 100 transplant operations a year while many hospitals have to halt transplant operations as there are no organ donations for transplants, he said. Nearly 4,000 people are on the waiting list for transplants, with most of them waiting for kidney and liver transplants and more than 80,000 people are registered to donate organs after death. The establishment of a network of organ and tissue donation advocacy is essential to encourage organ donations and leads to an increase in the rate of organ donation from deceased people, he added. At the conference, a branch of the Viet Nam Association for Organ and Tissue Donation Advocacy at Cho Ray Hospital was launched. Dr. Nguyen Tri Thuc, director of Cho Ray Hospital, who was appointed as head of the branch, said the advocacy for promoting organ and tissue donation plays a vital role in increasing the number of organs available for transplant. Cho Ray Hospitals Unit for Co-ordinating Human Organ Transplants has received more than 47,000 donor enrollments. VNS I visited the National History Museum in Stockholm where they had an exhibition on the Battle of Gotland in 1361. This confused me at first because I wasn't familiar with the Battle of Gotland, but then realized it was referring to the famous Battle of Visby. Visby is a town on the island of Gotland, which is now part of Sweden. In 1361, King Valdemar IV of Denmark invaded and launched a one-sided slaughter at Visby in what is generally described as a massacre. On one side was the professional Danish army with many well-equipped mercenaries. On the other side were the local farmers and peasants who had been rebelling against the wealthy merchants in Visby, who were part of the Hanseatic League. It's believed the merchants shut the rebelling farmers out of the safety of Visby's walls, leaving them to be slaughtered by the invading forces. The farmers had cause for rebelling too, as they paid five times higher taxes than the wealthy merchants in town. The Battle of Visby, or Battle of Gotland, is historically significant because of archaeological excavations that took place between 1929-1930. Though done with antiquated techniques, excavators uncovered evidence like skeletons and artifacts left just after the battle. Bodies from the losing side were thrown into mass graves, likely because of the extreme heat and rapid decomposition at the time. Coins and other valuables were sometimes still on the skeletons, showing they were hurriedly buried. The excavations provide rare insights into armor and clothing of the time period. Much of the armor recovered was a simple lamellar or brigandine construction - just overlapping metal plates riveted between layers of leather or canvas for protection. These plates were uneven, unpolished, and likely represented the lowest quality armor worn. The exhibition provided some artifacts but lacked detailed object labels and information. Context was also missing on how the armor was constructed and worn. It seemed focused more on aesthetics than conveying the historical context and significance of this important medieval massacre. Overall, it was a frustrating exhibition that didn't live up to conveying the importance of this battle. A study recently published by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe (OIDAC) in 2022 revealed the reality of self-censorship, most prevalent among college students. A documentary film based on this study launched in January 2024. In it, students, who were identified only by their first names, admit to keeping quiet when they believe they shouldve spoken in name of their faith. Students from Belgium, England, France, Vienna, Spain, Hungary, Germany, Ireland, and Peru were interviewed about the extent to which self-censorship affects them. They came from different denominational backgrounds, and found common ground in their self-censorship experiences. Together they explored what they can do to promote an atmosphere that enables free expression. Why do people self-censor? Many of the students interviewed said they censored themselves for social acceptance. Mary, from Northern Ireland, found herself in a classroom with an atheist professor who made horrendous claims about the God of the Bible. I didnt want to stand up in a lecture theatre of 300 other people who were laughing and finding it funny, said Mary. It felt like me against the world, and I felt I very much couldn't speak out. Stay informed with The Christian Daily Newsletter Sign up Valeria, from Peru, started censoring herself when she began university. I remember not hiding it, but I definitely wasnt open about it, she said. I was already in a mindset of, Im just not going to say anything. Yusuf lives in Hungary but was born in Nigeria. He explained that his upbringing in Nigeria plays a part in his self-censorship. The situation in the northern part of Nigeria, has been getting a bit bad, said Yusuf. If theres an event that could spark some outrage, then thats when the Christians usually have to fear for their lives. Markus, from Vienna, said, I got the feeling [Christianity is] a big topic in society. Its a big topic at university, but its so difficult to talk about it. Threats and intimidation In Spain, Mafe was the only student who expressed views against abortion when one of her professors brought up the subject in one of her classes. [The professor] was trying to create a conversation but it turned around to an attack, she said. After that conversation, because I was the only one, I received a death threat. [My classmate] told me, I know the subway you take every day, so be careful. After this, Mafe had to be escorted home by police officers for a month. They always made me feel so bad about sharing my beliefs or my way to live, she said. I learned over time to just be very careful of what I was going to say. Mary managed the social media for the pro-life society at her university. She would constantly receive death threats and malicious comments from users with graphic descriptions of how they would harm her. Im more than happy to share my beliefs, but if its going to result in personal attacks like that Its very difficult to face, walking around campus [with] people knowing who you are, she said. Valeria believes these behaviors have been normalized to a certain extent. I guess [these things are] not seen as an aggression. Challenging stereotypes Sixtine, from France, said she once had a roommate who was an atheist. At the end of their year together, her roommate said that Christians were nothing like she initially thought. I think [my roommate] thought we were really extreme in our ideas, [and] political ideas, in our anything, said Sixtine. While living with me she discovered it wasnt the case at all. Sara, from Germany, thought Christians would be boring. I never thought I would crash into it and love it! she said. Now a follower of Jesus, she loves her faith, and she shares about it with others. Ive [had] very good experiences when you have the courage to just speak out, she said, which is a completely different perspective than the world has now in some areas. Yet the students also recognized that Christians can also unfairly condemn and judge others. We need to be able to call out situations or call out people that we feel sometimes take advantage of Christianity as to be able to get votes, Yusuf stated. They may not properly represent what we stand for. Mary explained, In the UK, you might see people that hold signs on the streets that say, If you dont follow us, youre going to hell, which I dont think is helpful for anyone. Let it be between you and your God. Many students explained feeling like their faith had to be something discussed only in the private spheres. The first few years after he came to Hungary, Yusuf struggled. I thought there was an unwritten law somewhere that people just felt like, If you believe, then let it be between you and your God and leave us out of it, he said. I felt like in Europe, everyone preaches the message that religion is an individual thing, stated Yusuf. Markus explained that its easier to share Christian convictions in one-on-one conversations, but if you talk in a big hall or in a discussion group, its getting very difficult. Ive been at the same workplace for 16 months and I dont think they know Im a Christian, said Wouter from Belgium. I dont hide it, I just dont talk about it. Valeria disagreed with this approach. She believes its unacceptable for the Christian identity. Today people [might say], Yeah, believe whatever you want but just keep it to yourself Your artistry and your faith are separated. You do this, and your faith is on the side and I think thats a no-go. These students see their Christian faith as an integral part of who they are as people rather than something to keep private. Its the best way to be who I am, said Sixtine. What can be done? The students in the study were also asked what they would change to create an atmosphere where Christian beliefs do not need to be set aside. Were living in a world full of different people, different religions, different cultures, said Sixtine. The important thing is to know who you are. As soon as you know who you are, then its so important to be able to discuss [it] with other people. Sometimes we talk about what we believe to be true, but dont really understand why we believe it, said Wouter. Overall, these students understood that no matter the circumstances, following Christ could still bring negative situations. Daniel, from England, quoted George Orwell who said, If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people things they do not want to hear. He believes that one of the best things students can do is be more courageous about what you want and be outspoken about what you want in your university. Yet he also explained that living fully as a Christian, or making that conversion, could come with negative consequences even if you are not completely rejected. Potentially you might lose some friends who think youve suddenly become bigoted or whatever. Other students agreed pointing out that the polarized social atmosphere classifies some views and beliefs as offensive which decreases free expression. This makes debates on controversial topics less likely to take place and increases self-censorship. Support Us Your Support will ensure EPWs financial viability and sustainability. The EPW produces independent and public-spirited scholarship and analyses of contemporary affairs every week. EPW is one of the few publications that keep alive the spirit of intellectual inquiry in the Indian media. Often described as a publication with a social conscience, EPW has never shied away from taking strong editorial positions. Our publication is free from political pressure, or commercial interests. Our editorial independence is our pride. We rely on your support to continue the endeavour of highlighting the challenges faced by the disadvantaged, writings from the margins, and scholarship on the most pertinent issues that concern contemporary Indian society. Every contribution is valuable for our future. McLennan County jurors deliberated 40 minutes Friday to find Christopher Paul Weiss guilty for the capital murder of his 1-year-old daughter, Azariah Rosa-Lee Martinez, at Tradinghouse Lake in 2017. The conviction means Weiss, 32, of Temple, must serve life in prison, with no possibility of parole. Weiss has been in the McLennan County Jail since November 2017 awaiting trial in the murder of Azariah and her mother, Valarie Martinez, 24, who witnesses testified Wednesday had a relationship with Weiss. Dallas County prosecutors took over the case when McLennan County District Attorney Josh Tetens recused his office. The new prosecutors so far have elected to proceed only on the capital murder charge involving the infant. Dallas County Assistant District Attorney Scott Wells on Friday declined to say whether prosecutors will pursue the first-degree felony charge of murder involving Valarie Martinez. This trial is about Azariah, because after he shot her mother four times, that man, Christopher Weiss, had to reload (his four-shot Derringer) and walk over to the car to shoot his own daughter, Wells told the jury Friday during the states closing arguments. Those two bullets were for her. Luz Martinez, mother of Valarie Martinez and grandmother of Azariah, was present at the trial. Justice has been served after all these years of waiting, she said in an interview. Defense attorneys Walter Reaves Jr. and Russ Hunt Jr. declined to comment after the verdict. In earlier testimony Friday, Texas Department of Public Safety firearms and tool marks analyst Jeffrey Kelly said he analyzed two firearms for the case but neither could be positively linked to the shootings. One of the weapons, a .22 caliber rifle seized from the home where Weiss had begun to move his wife and children Nov. 1, 2017, was excluded as the weapon that fired any of the rounds recovered from the scene, Kelly said. The second weapon Kelly tested, a revolver designed for .22 caliber short ammunition, had been recovered from Tradinghouse lake in 2018. McLennan County Deputy Kevin Reyna said fishermen found the revolver in August 2018 near where Azariah and Valarie Martinez were found dead. Kelly said that when he test fired the revolver it produced bullets with markings from the barrel that matched some of the bullets recovered from the scene. But he said he could not positively match it as the weapon used in the killings because bullets recovered from the scene with similar markings were the length of bullets used in .22 caliber long rifle ammunition, not the .22 short the revolver was designed for. When describing ammunition and firearms, the caliber is the diameter of the bullet and the barrel designed to fire it, Kelly said. There are three main types of .22 caliber ammunition manufactured for sale in Texas: .22 short, the kind the revolver was designed for; .22 long, which have the same size projectile but a slightly longer casing and a bit more powder; and .22 long rifle, which have a longer bullet, a longer casing and more powder, Kelly said. It would be possible for someone with the right know-how to take apart .22 long rifle ammunition and reload the bullets into .22 short casings, Kelly agreed under questioning from Hunt. During the defense case on Friday, Hunt also showed the jury a video of Weiss firing a rifle or shotgun at a location in the country with small .22 revolver, that looked very much like the one in evidence, sitting on a bench next to where Weiss was shooting. Prosecutors also showed the jury a sale document from a pawn shop indicating Weiss bought a four-shot Derringer in 2015. Kelly said the gun indicated on the pawn ticket would fire .22 caliber short, long and long rifle rounds. No Derringer was ever recovered in the case. Reaves told the jury during his closing argument that Weiss said the Derringer had been stolen. However, no theft was reported to police. Three of the five projectiles and projectile fragments recovered from the scene of the shooting could be conclusively analyzed, Kelly said. The two that could be partly analyzed were the weight of a .22-caliber long rifle projectile but had markings from the barrel of a gun that resembled those produced by the one recovered from Tradinghouse Lake. On Thursday, a Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences DNA expert confirmed Weiss was Azariah's father. In Weiss' first interview with investigators, he denied having been to Tradinghouse Lake and handed over his phone for analysis. In his second interview when confronted with GPS data from his phone showing he had been at Tradinghouse Lake around 2 a.m. Nov. 5, he said he had gone there. In other testimony, the state showed video from security cameras at a business near the lake taken around 1:50 a.m. and around 2:30 a.m. that day. The first video showed a truck resembling Weiss' and a car resembling Valarie Martinez's driving toward the lake in tandem. The second showed the truck resembling Weiss' leaving. During the defense case Friday, Hunt introduced a third video segment taken at a time between the other two that showed a second pickup truck, darker in color than the one said to be Weiss', that drove in the same direction toward the lake as the other two vehicles. Hunt asked Rebecca Eubank, who was the lead investigator for McLennan County Sheriff's Office on the case, whether the second truck had been investigated. Eubank said she had not seen it before. She acknowledged its occupants could have gone to the park where Weiss and Martinez went, but said she could conclude from the video where it had gone off camera. Also on Thursday, Joyce Marek, a former Waco police crime scene technician, testified Valarie Martinezs car was found with $250 in it, as well as Azariahs Social Security card and other documents of Valarie's. During closing arguments Friday Wells said the money being left indicates it was not been a random robber who had killed Martinez and Azariah. By Cillian Sherlock and Grainne Ni Aodha, PA The next leader of the Government has said he is not currently prioritising a united Ireland. Simon Harris, who is due to be appointed as taoiseach on Tuesday following the resignation of Leo Varadkar last month, said it was more important to focus on North-South economic collaboration. Asked if he shared the view of his predecessor that there would be a united Ireland in his lifetime, Mr Harris said: I would like to see a united Ireland, but that is not where my priority lies right now. Outgoing Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (Grainne Ni Aodha/PA) Mr Harris was recently selected as the new leader of the Fine Gael party, which is holding its annual Ard Fheis conference this weekend. Speaking to reporters in Galway city ahead of the conference, he said: Right now, the priority has to be on working the potential of the Good Friday Agreement. We live in a country where we have had one of the most successful and enduring peace processes, but I think its fair to say its still a frosty peace. I dont think weve yet seen the full potential of that, in terms of economic prosperity, in terms of the North-South economy, in terms of areas of co-operation and collaboration. He said he did not want to say anything provocative, and added: I am somebody who would like to see a United Ireland, that is a legitimate political aspiration for me to hold. But right now I think the priority has to be on embedding the institutions in the North, supporting the Northern Ireland Executive, using the Shared Island Fund to bring about real practical areas of co-operation. There will be a North-South Ministerial Council meeting in Armagh on Monday. Israels admission over the drone attack that led to the death of seven aid workers features among a range of stories on the front pages of Irelands newspapers on Saturday. The Irish Times leads with the situation in Gaza after an Israeli military inquiry into the killing of seven aid workers in an air strike this week found serious errors and breaches of procedure. Obesity will become a disease of the past thanks to new weight-loss medications helping people who struggle most, a HSE expert tells the Irish Examiner. The Irish Independent has details of a property developer who is taking a judicial review against An Bord Pleanalas decision to grant permission to a major housing development in south Dublin. A former 2FM presenter is set to sue RTE over entitlements he claims he missed out on, according to the Irish Daily Mail. The Irish Daily Mirror reports that the body of New York knife attack victim Sarah McNally is being returned to her grieving family in Longford ahead of her funeral. The Belfast Telegraph reveals that MI5 agents believed the father of deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly was a leading member of the UDA and involved in an international plot to secure weapons for loyalist paramilitaries. In the British papers, The Independent reports that Israel has now admitted its grave mistake in the killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, with two members of the IDF sacked as a result. The Daily Telegraph says the Royal Mails decision to cut second-class deliveries risks patients safety. The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph: 'Mail cuts pose risk to patient safety, say NHS chiefs'#TomorrowsPapersToday Sign up for the Front Page newsletterhttps://t.co/x8AV4Oomry pic.twitter.com/uMnWxso0PZ The Telegraph (@Telegraph) April 5, 2024 The Times leads with the pressure on junior doctors in England to end their strikes after consultants backed a pay deal. The Times: Pressure on junior doctors to end strikes #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/izCN6CnBLM George Mann (@sgfmann) April 5, 2024 The Daily Mail says British civil servants will strike after being ordered to return to the office for two days a week. Daily Mail: Now civil servants to strike over WFH! #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/WUouPpP24B George Mann (@sgfmann) April 5, 2024 The Sun runs a story about the separation of actors Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher, who announced they are getting a divorce. On tomorrow's front page: Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher announce divorce after 14 years of marriage and vow to work through this changehttps://t.co/GG8ONT6AVX pic.twitter.com/hXtgdJlQwR The Sun (@TheSun) April 5, 2024 The Daily Mirror shares a message of support to Kate Middleton in her cancer battle from an ex-prisoner whom she inspired. Saturday's Front Page You inspired me to turn around me life... this will not beat you Read more: https://t.co/yfI06fe7Xs#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/qNRWf8bbma The Mirror (@DailyMirror) April 5, 2024 The Daily Express quotes British prime minister Rishi Sunak, who declared that the UK economy will really take off. According to the FT Weekend, Thames Waters parent company has sent a notice to bondholders stating that it has defaulted on its debt. Just published: front page of the Financial Times, UK edition, Saturday 6 April https://t.co/GWtXcClMul pic.twitter.com/vQrNDBNH9c Financial Times (@FT) April 5, 2024 And the Daily Star warns Britain to brace yourself for Storm Kathleen which will bring 70mph winds and heavy rain. Atrangii OTT, under the leadership of Vibhu Agarwal, has launched its inaugural horror series, 'Kalwa,' featuring renowned actors Karam Rajpal and Tanishq Tiwari in the lead roles, alongside Shaji Choudhary and Vicky Ahuja. The series, 'Kalwa,' delves into the tumultuous life of a couple, Ajay (portrayed by Karam Rajpal) and Sanjana (played by Tanishq Tiwari), who are struggling in their marriage after they lost their 7 year old son in an accident and due to their inability to conceive anymore. Their situation takes a terrifying turn when they begin to encounter paranormal activities. They soon realize that these are not just any ordinary disturbances but the malevolent spirit of Kalwa. In the realm of ghosts, Kalwa is considered the most dangerous entity. The show promises a gripping and eerie journey as Ajay and Sanjana battle against the formidable spirit of Kalwa. Karam Rajpal shared his experiences during the show's launch, stating, "Shooting in Lucknow for this show was an incredible experience. It's a well etched out story about a couple haunted by the evil spirit of Kalwa. This is my first horror project, and I must add the filming late at night in the darkness, in the jungles certainly gave us the creeps. The show is sure to give you the chills. Vibhu Agarwal, the founder of Atrangii OTT, said on the launch, "Launching our first horror show with 'Kalwa' has been a thrilling venture. Collaborating with Dr. Nitin Mishra, the producer who has meticulously crafted this compelling story for our audience, has been a remarkable journey. We're also overwhelmed by the reception of our previous shows, 'Ansuni' and 'KINK,' and are excited to announce that new seasons are on the horizon." Nivedita Basu, the Senior Vice President Group at Atrangii, informed on the show launch, "We endeavoured to assemble an outstanding cast for this series. We're very pleased with the outcome and anticipate that our audience will embrace Atrangii's first venture into horror." Deborah Ball has been named the Asia Editor for The Wall Street Journal, stationed in Singapore to lead regional coverage with a team of journalists across Asia. Previously serving as the deputy chief of world coverage in London, Ball will continue her role within the APAC region, reporting to the WSJ's World Coverage Chief, Gordon Fairclough. With over 25 years at the Journal, Ball has been instrumental in reporting major European events, including the Ukraine conflict. Her reporting experience spans across business, finance, and politics in cities like Milan, London, Zurich, and Rome. Ball is also the author of "House of Versace," published in 2010 by Random House. She steps into the role previously held by Andrew Dowell, who now heads to Dubai as the Middle East editor to manage coverage on the Israel conflict, regional tensions, and the U.S.-Saudi Arabia relations. Greaves Electric Mobility Private Limited (GEMPL), the electric mobility segment of Greaves Cotton Limited, has appointed K Vijaya Kumar as its new Executive Director and CEO. In his new role, Vijaya will lead the company's initiatives in product development, dealer distribution, and market expansion, among other areas. With over three decades of experience in the mobility sector, Vijaya Kumar has served as the Managing Director and CEO of SAR Group's E-Mobility Business, shaping the growth of electric vehicles. His return to Greaves marks a significant milestone, having previously served as the President of the automotive business at Greaves Cotton Limited (GCL). His career encompasses senior leadership roles at TVS Motor and Bajaj Auto. "We extend a warm welcome to K Vijaya Kumar, the newly appointed Executive Director and CEO of Greaves Electric Mobility Pvt Ltd," stated Nagesh Basavanhalli, Non-Executive Vice Chairman of Greaves Cotton Limited. "His established track record and experience in growing businesses will facilitate our progress in the electric mobility space." The ongoing cyberattack on the City of Birmingham is causing a shortfall in public safety, according to the Fraternal Order of Police Birmingham Lodge 1. Officer Deangelo Hall, president of the states largest FOP, penned a letter to Mayor Randall Woodfin to address the massive hack that has disrupted the citys network. The letter was written on the same day the city confirmed the attack. Significant concerns have been presented to the Fraternal Order of Police regarding the City of Birminghams lack of transparency in the handling of the recent cyberattack against the city, Hall wrote. The lack of information from leadership has led to feelings of uncertainty and disregard among city employees and citizens. Hall said there are multiple complaints by employees that they are not being fully compensated or, in some cases, not being paid at all. Additionally, he said, the lack of pay stubs has added to the frustration and distrust among employees who simply want proper compensation and assurance that their benefits have been paid and will not be interrupted. These issues have contributed to low morale among city employees, especially within the police force, exacerbating the current difficulty in hiring and retaining officers, Hall wrote. City officials have stressed that the 911 system has not been affected. Emergency operations remain functional. However, the computer hack has caused some problems for law enforcement with police facing limitations on checking to see if a vehicle has been reported stolen or if a person has outstanding warrants, AL.com has reported. This ongoing issue has negatively affected essential services due to the police departments disruption of internal resources that has made officers jobs increasingly more difficult, Hall wrote. As a result, the city has suffered a shortfall in public safety. In a memo sent to city employees Wednesday, Woodfins office provided a brief update on the network disruption, and acknowledged for the first time that hackers accessed the citys computer systems. This process is ongoing; however, based on the investigation thus far, we understand that an unknown third party gained access to our systems for a period of time, according to the memo sent to employees by Rick Journey, the mayors communications director. Officials said the problems began on March 6 when they observed unexpected activity that disrupted operations of some computer systems. Multiple government sources have told AL.com that the city is the victim of a ransomware attack, with hackers gaining access to the citys computer systems and demanding payment for the city to get its data back. Upon learning of the unexpected activity, we took steps to confirm the security of our network, the memo reads. We are working to restore full functionality to our systems as soon as possible. The mayors memo to city employees came a day after AL.com reported that the city had been the victim of a ransomware attack by hackers. Journey on Friday, in response to questions from AL.com, said as he has previously stated, employees who have questions about their compensation are encouraged to contact their departments payroll coordinator. The finance department has been working with each department to assist in resolving any issues involving pay and continue to do so. Those issues do not appear to be widespread,' Journey said. Of the 3,300 payments distributed in this current pay period, 1.2% were identified to have discrepancies. Journey said the city is committed to fully resolving each and every matter on an individual basis. Journey also said critical public safety and public works services have continued uninterrupted throughout the current situation. Woodfins office declined to respond specifically about FOP concerns about lack of confidence in public safety caused by the hack. Several Republicans have seized on the immigration status of a man charged last week with sexual abuse and other offenses allegedly involving an underage girl in Alabama. Those claims come despite statistics showing that undocumented immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans. U.S. House Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, and Tom McClintock of California, chairman of the committees Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, were the latest Republicans to inject politics into the case of Pablo Mendoza, 23. Mendoza, who is accused of sexually abusing and sodomizing a 14-year-old girl March 25 in Enterprise, is undocumented, Coffee County Sheriff Scott Byrd told WDHN. The complaint against Mendoza, filed in Coffee County District Court said his alleged victim could not consent by reason of being physically helpless or mentally incapacitated. Prosecutors initially charged Mendoza with rape but have since dropped the charge. They refiled the case, charging Mendoza with sodomy, sexual abuse and human trafficking, according to WTVY. State court records showed the rape charge was dropped but the new offenses against Mendoza were yet to be uploaded as of Friday afternoon. Mendozas attorney had no comment, a person in his office told AL.com. Jordan and McClintock are asking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide the subcommittee with data on Mendozas Homeland Security case history, details on any and all of Mendozas entries into the country. They are also seeking information on Mendozas processing by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials and whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged an immigration detainer against him. Criminal aliens exploit vulnerabilities in our nations immigration system to the detriment of those in the United States, the congressmen wrote Thursday to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, according to a copy of their letter obtained by 1819 News, a website that was once owned by the Alabama Policy Institute. The Biden Administrations border and immigration policies only increase the likelihood that criminal aliens will successfully enter and remain in the U.S., the letter went on to state. Pursuant to the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to conduct oversight of federal immigration policy and procedures. From the first media report that detailed Mendozas immigration status, Republicans said the case was the result of President Bidens immigration policy, including the congressman representing the area where the alleged crime occurred. My prayers are with this young girl and her family. Thanks to Bidens reprehensible open border policies, every town is a border town, including mine, Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, said in a statement released on March 27. Biden undid every single one of President Trumps border security initiatives with the stroke of a pen, and he could bring them back today and protect American families if he wanted to. Biden also could have helped pass H.R.2, the strongest border bill in history, that passed the House a year ago and still awaits a vote in the Senate. Instead, he has chosen to do nothing as eight million illegals, including 617,000 with a criminal record, pour across our southern border. The blood and the broken hearts of these tragedies are on Bidens hands. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville also tied Mendozas arrest to Biden. This is Pablo Mendoza. He is an illegal alien who was just arrested in South Alabama for raping a mentally incapacitated 14 year old girl. @JoeBiden is aiding and abetting these monsters. #SayHerName, Tuberville posted to X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter. Victims of sexual assaults are generally not publicly identified by law enforcement or journalists. This is Pablo Mendoza. He is an illegal alien who was just arrested in South Alabama for raping a mentally incapacitated 14 year old girl.@JoeBiden is aiding and abetting these monsters. #SayHerName pic.twitter.com/Fv6dfZ8QTV Tommy Tuberville (@TTuberville) March 27, 2024 Linking crimes allegedly committed by undocumented immigrants to immigration policy under Biden is not a novel strategy implemented by Republicans. The case of Laken Riley, a nursing student whose body was found on the University of Georgia campus and was allegedly killed by an undocumented immigrant Jose Antonio Ibarra while Riley was out jogging, was exploited by the GOP for political purposes. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., shouted at Biden to say Rileys name during his State of the Union address last month, and Sen. Katie Britt mentioned the Riley case in her rebuttal to Bidens speech, saying the president was to blame for Rileys murder. When Grevi Geovani Rivera-Zavala, 29, of Honduras pleaded guilty this week in the 2023 rape of a teen girl in the bathroom of a Prattville restaurant, District Attorney CJ Robinson said failed policies allowed for this crime to occur. Rivera-Zavala entered the U.S. illegally, was briefly detained, and then was then released despite the fact that he had a criminal record, Robinson said. I pray our federal government adopts stronger immigration policies to identify and prevent dangerous illegals from entering our country looking to commit criminal acts' Robinson said. While Republicans paint undocumented immigrants as violent criminals responsible for an uptick in crime across the country, the statistics dont bear that out. The CATO Institute, a libertarian think tank, conducted a study in 2020 showing that undocumented immigrants were convicted of crimes at a lower rate than native-born Americans, although undocumented immigrants did have higher conviction rates than immigrants in the country legally. The CATO study was based on crime data in Texas, which the institute said was the only state to record and keep immigration status for arrests. It could be that illegal immigrants in Texas are the most lawabiding illegal immigrant population in the country or the least lawabiding. Until other states start recording and keeping the data, we wont know for sure. But there is much suggestive evidence that the illegal immigrant criminal conviction rate in Texas is comparable to their crime rates across the country, CATOs Alex Nowrasteh said of the study. Efforts to reach Alabama-based immigrant advocacy groups HICA and the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice for this article were unsuccessful. U.S. intelligence personnel likely will resume the activism they prominently displayed in 2016-2021 as the presidential campaign season deepens. They then were driven by ideology and special interests, which now are stronger. Many of the former senior intelligence officers then critical of Donald Trump have badly damaged their credibility, so new politicizers with new messages may emerge, especially after July, when Trump presumably will be formally renominated. The agencies themselves, as matters of policy, will not be activist. The culprits will be former intelligence officers with deeply partisan views, who have few restrictions on their public activities, and current employees who leak. Agency leaders do not directly control these activities, but some past and current leaders established policies that continue to strongly encourage tendencies toward political activism. President Obama was the major instigator of the politicization of U.S. intelligence. His Executive Order (EO) 13583 of August 18, 2011, Establishing a Coordinated Government-wide Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce, summarized his explicitly political agenda, which soon became known as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Dennis Blair converted an early version of Obamas diversity agenda into Intelligence Community policy in 2009, before Obamas government-wide mandate. DEI policies appeal to two general groups of intelligence people. First, leftists like them for ideological reasons. While liberals embrace DEI as a fairness issue, cultural Marxists know that DEI, an offshoot of critical race theory, is designed to be divisive in organizations and societies that embrace it. Second, the policy overtly favors privileged demographic groups -- minorities, women, LGBTQ+ people, and later disabled persons -- in hiring, promotions, and assignments. DEI thus is materially helpful for these people, who now comprise large and growing shares of the intelligence workforce. For these people, DEI policies are self-evidently good on philosophical and personal material grounds. Some even imagine that DEI policy-induced ideology and its associated personal benefits are key components of national security. Others argue that it is essential that CIA and other agencies look like the country they represent. They do not ignore people who disagree with them. Instead, they actively reject the views of people Hillary Clinton called deplorables. CIA director John Brennan (2013-2017) was especially aggressive at implementing Obamas agenda. But his favoritism and blatant politicking soon generated a backlash. The favoritism toward women and minorities was not just unfair to White men, some people argued, it damaged the performance of intelligence. In response, DNI James Clapper and others asserted, always without evidence, that DEI policies actually enhance the agencies performance. An academic study of such assertions found no evidence to support them. Many more current and former intelligence officers now say instead that there has been major damage. A study of these claims is now underway. Stay tuned! The purposeful changes in policies, demography, and organizational culture at CIA, especially, led intelligence officers who strongly supported Obamas agenda to react viscerally in 2016 when Donald Trumps arrival on the national political scene seemed to threaten the progress Obama had made. Quiet when Hillary Clinton seemed likely to win the presidency and continue Obamas policies, former intelligence officers heeded Brennans call for political activism to defend the progress, as did evidently many current employees in the form of leaks. Of the former intelligence officers prominent in 2016-2021, no one was louder than former deputy CIA director Michael Morell. He started the blatant violations of longstanding, very functional CIA norms against political activism with his op-ed endorsing Clinton in August 2016. And he instigated the worst abuse of intelligence credibility, the open letter signed by 51 former intelligence officers that claimed, just before the 2020 election, that the New York Posts accurate story about incriminating evidence on Hunter Bidens laptop computer had all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation. Morell later told the House Judiciary Committee the letter was instead an influence operation instigated by the Joe Biden campaign to fool voters just before the election. One of the people approached to sign the letter told me the pitch received was explicitly to help Biden, not to enlist intelligence expertise. Trump and his appointees incomprehensibly did nothing to reverse the policies Obama initiated, but President Bidens even stronger executive order of June 2021 expands Obamas agenda to DEIA -- diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. The diversity offices at each agency now are creators of ideological orthodoxy, and its enforcers. The diversity office of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence publishes a quarterly newsletter called The Dive, which conveys this orthodoxy to the intelligence workforce. For example, its Winter 23/24 issue tells employees to avoid specific words that might offend American Blacks, Africans, and Muslims. It contains an article by a man who explains how being a cross-dresser at work makes him a better intelligence officer. He supports the mandatory transgender awareness training that DNI Avril Haines imposed on all intelligence officers in 2023. And it has a story about a deaf person who had a good deployment abroad, aided by two sign language translators. The receiving element got one intelligence officer for the price of three -- no problem in Bidens world of DEIA. (Thanks to The Daily Wire for getting this pub declassified and released!) The Dives words are not mere suggestions. Intelligence officers generally are smart people who read between lines for incentives to follow. They know that the diversity offices have become go-to places for people of privileged demographic groups if they feel they have not been treated appropriately -- or as they would like. Like Soviet communist party commissars, CIA diversity officers reportedly relieve managers who misbehave, per DEIA orthodoxy, leading managers now to approve or even reward substandard work, or quit as managers. Even more damaging may be the impact on analysis. History indicates clearly that biased organizational cultures within intelligence services lead to analytic errors, and intelligence agencies leaders in recent years have been candid in acknowledging their ideological agenda and aims to change organizational cultures. We do not yet know what major intelligence failures of the future may be a direct result of the ideological biases of reengineered organizational cultures. The ideology and interests that directly generated the politicization of intelligence in 2016-2021 by many accounts are much stronger than they were in 2016. Intelligence officers have been quiet in recent years because many of them like Bidens DEIA policies and others are afraid to express opposition to them. History suggests strongly that activism will resume if Trump again appears to threaten their politics and interests. Citizens can help fight such activism. Current and former CIA people, especially, with the help of the anti-Trump media, misrepresented their actions and motives and manipulated voters in 2016-2020. In defense, voters should learn about disinformation techniques. Watch for politicization by formers and call out them and the left-leaning media that promote them. Resist believing bogus stories. But remember that while inappropriate partisanship seems certain to reemerge, many fine intelligence officers still quietly maintain traditional norms of apolitical public service. These people deserve our thanks. The intelligence agencies are important. They need reform, not elimination. John A. Gentry is a former CIA analyst and author of Neutering the CIA: Why US Intelligence Versus Trump Has Long-Term Consequences. Follow him @gentry_johna. Image: Donald Tong, Pexels If we are to believe our declared enemies, especially those in our midst, we have a lot to answer for in the West. Apart from natural disasters, nothing has been more apt to produce inequality, want, and misery in the world than our civilization. Supposedly, our sins are plentiful. As if expected by the whole world to make up for the past, Westerners on both sides of the Atlantic go to great lengths to conform politically and make amends in accordance with the ritual requirements of the day. Straining themselves to the breaking point to appear open-minded, welcoming, and accommodating, they occasionally demean themselves. The theatrical pretense of repentance may be downright nauseating to witness. A poisonous amalgam of old-school Marxism and anti-Western identity politics is the source of this absurdity. Inextricably linked with historical injustices against people originating from other parts of the world, from which arises the suspicion of racism, the West has fallen out of favor with the progressive movement. It is, to be sure, the hour of reckoning. The revisionist tribunal at colleges, on social media, and in the U.N. has been assembled to correct the injustice of history. The West stands accused of having enriched itself at the expense of the Third World. While some i.e. the aggrieved party of the show trial, ranging from dispossessed to extremely privileged natives of former colonies are allegedly entitled to compensation for political oppression and economic exploitation, others i.e. the offending party, taxpaying minions of former colonial powers are held responsible for abhorrent shadow sides (e.g. Atlantic slave trade) of a world order from before the French Revolution (or, at least, the American Civil War). The ideological showdown with the West, however, goes well beyond postcolonial revisionism. Actually, it concerns every Western enterprise operating in the Third World. Thus, as a matter of course, multinational corporations founded in the West are suspected of social injustice. Before the ideologically inflamed tribunal, they must defend themselves against accusations of neocolonialism. Moreover, it is immediately assumed that Western citizens with origins in former colonies have an old score to settle. It requires a historical and psychological perspective to realize the full scope of the ideological conflict. The ultimate targets of socialist attacks are the open society and capitalism well, human nature itself. The purging hawks of the tribunal, the Jacobin revolutionaries of our time, are not likely to rest until the great struggle whatever its guise here and now (i.e. a struggle between the classes of society or the races of the world) is over. However, it never will be. The driving force behind the attacks is, in the end, not an exaggerated sense of justice in the group of political activists, but a maladaptive, unreasonably intrusive, and conceited approach to life in the individual. As soon as the external enemy is defeated, he will turn his paranoid attention to the internal enemy, the reactionary shadow warrior, real or imagined, who constantly plots sabotage and threatens to rob the righteous of the fruit of their sacrifices (cf. the fable Animal Farm by George Orwell). Thus, the revolutionary never rests. He is an uncompromising totalitarian at heart. The outside world is his cynical pastime. The guiding idea in Marxism, which continuously adapts to survive as a refuge for the maladapted, is that every relationship between people, also between man and woman (between parent and child, between binary and non-binary person etc.), can be interpreted as a power struggle between an oppressor and an oppressed. Marxism, aiming to destroy the institutions in which we usually put our trust, enthusiastically appropriates any conflict that might serve to promote the downfall of the West. The approach is as opportunistic as it is malicious. In the absence of Western civilization, the rest of us would become desperately alienated and homeless. With no stake in events dating back centuries, modern-day people in the West are made to believe that they are nevertheless indebted to the Third World, as it stands today, and unworthy to judge others as they should properly judge themselves. Self-doubting and repentant, though truly bewildered, they prepare to account for the past and take the punishment as it comes. As if they were babbling idiots, they are compelled to feign indulgence in the face of Third-World lawlessness, brutality, and tyranny. Who are they, after all, but sinners? Nobody would like to be the first to cast a stone (John 8:7). Indeed, it is nothing but a gigantic hoax. With the appearance of Christian penitence, but in reality the expression of moral confusion, suggesting the decline of an entire civilization, the modern phenomenon of Western self-denial is destructive of everything that we normally depend on: (a) morality, (b) justice, and (c) the rule of law. The self-denying attitude inspired by woke activists, whose agenda revolves around the destruction of Western values and institutions, including freedom of speech and the separation of powers, reflects not only a resigned and self-tormenting, but also a false and deeply irresponsible, understanding of matters. Atonement for the mother of all crimes, racism, may very well be completely out of reach. Therefore, we are instructed to allow for the righteous anger of colonial victims or, rather, their descendants and compensate them on demand. By contrast, we, the sinners, are expected to condemn our own past and deny ourselves. The sectarian, self-betraying style in the media evokes memories of forced confessions during the Reign of Terror or Maoist re-education. As something unprecedented in world history, Westerners call on each other to tear down symbols of their civilization and tolerate humiliation indefinitely as punishment for something of which nobody alive is guilty. The absurdity has reached unimaginable heights, because we have allowed it to happen. The contrast between the conspiracy theories of woke mythology and reality are striking. From the farthest corners of the world, people struggle to reach the West and settle down. Happily unaware of the Western suicide game, they know from their own lives the difference between (a) oppression and freedom, (b) poverty and wealth, and (c) chaos and the rule of law. Both the political and economic refugees (asylum seekers) of the world are therefore heading for the same place. It is fair to say that probably nowhere in the world are people as tolerant as people in the West. Thanks to our civilization, which has recovered from several setbacks since the Renaissance, latently threatened by secular movements, e.g. socialism and fascism, we enjoy orderly conditions, taking civil liberties for granted, including freedom of speech, the right to vote, and the right to own property. The notion that bigotry is particularly widespread in the West is a delusion. Only, the problem is never publicly debated in other parts of the world where tyranny is the dominant form of government. After the end of World War II, the West has received millions of immigrants from all over the world and invested enormous resources in integrating them into our society. The majority of them come from failed states without law and justice, shithole countries in the words of a former president deprived beforehand of any prospect of social mobility and prosperity. If the inflow of immigrants becomes sufficiently large, however, integration cannot keep up. In that case, they are left to their own devices. On foreign soil, immigrants will typically seek something that reminds them of home. Accordingly, they become very sensitive to the influence from political-religious leaders of the moment. Surrounded by fellow countrymen, they invariably fall back to norms of behavior familiar from home. In doing so, they will transplant the culture from which they have fled to the West; our institutions will be in danger of collapsing sooner or later. It is a question of the demographic balance. Honestly, should the West really owe the rest of the world to go under? Is there any limit to our delusional self-torture? For the time being, it is up to us to decide for ourselves. Image: Public domain. Even if you dont happen to be a lawyer, law professor or legal scholar, it isnt hard to see a big problem with many of the published decisions made by judges who are hearing defense arguments and motions made by President Trump, in the continued lawfare cases being used by the DNC (not the United States) to persecute him financially, and block him politically. There are a number of these judicial positions that are out in the press. Id like to focus on just one: the most recent case in Georgia involving free speech. Im not going to write up a case review that is readily available from several professional critics involving substantive and procedural law. What I want to point out here, rather, is that the governments case, and the judges opinion stemming from it, rest on systematic logical fallacy. The prosecutors entire argument, parroted by the judge, consists of mere assertion, without any evidence standards, because the government cant prove the charges they can only keep repeating their claims over and over. That is why they are obsessed with President Trumps intent, and his state of mind. The prosecutions entire case must rest on a fallacy of assertion. What is a fallacy of assertion? In the spirit of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who often stated that a dictionary was among his best judicial tools, here are a few definitions: 1. Ipse dixit (bare assertion fallacy) a claim that is presented as true without support, as self-evidently true, or as dogmatically true. This fallacy relies on the implied expertise of the speaker or on an unstated truism. 2. Proof by assertion, sometimes informally referred to as proof by repeated assertion, is an informal fallacy in which a proposition is repeatedly restated regardless of contradiction and refutation. The proposition can sometimes be repeated until any challenges or opposition cease, letting the proponent assert it as fact, and solely due to a lack of challengers (argumentum ad nauseam). In other cases, its repetition may be cited as evidence of its truth, in a variant of the appeal to authority or appeal to belief fallacies. 3. Appeal to Ignorance. This fallacy occurs when you argue that your conclusion must be true, because there is no evidence against it. This fallacy wrongly shifts the burden of proof away from the one making the claim. These are some of the most obvious logical errors that the government feels perfectly at ease with and apparently so do the majority of the judges. But arent we always told that lawyers and judges use something called legal reasoning? What is legal reasoning? Some judges prove they either cannot reason consistently within a finite set of legal rules, or that they will suspend logic as a form of rhetorical (self) deception. As an example, consider the Georgia judge who just ruled on President Trumps motion to dismiss that is centered on free speech law, and rights. It is a fascinating example of logical error. The judge stated 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 agencys jurisdiction which threaten to deceive and harm the government. This is a troubling use of judicial opinion that merely reinforces the prosecutions case by repeating it, when it serves no purpose in judging the presence of free speech rights. Such rights are not quashed by allegations. One might mistake the judge for the prosecutions advocate. The judge does admit that the DNCs case is alleged, but he makes a fast syntactical switch from describing behavior as alleged, to judging that same alleged behavior as ipso facto criminal (and constitute false statements knowingly). But it gets worse, as the judge slowly but thoroughly engages in what psychologist Stanley Milgram called the Cyrano effect, where an individual repeats the words from another person, without realizing what they are doing; some call it speech shadowing. A Cyranoid is someone who exhibits identity incongruity, because their words are coming from someone else. Concerning the actual free speech doctrine that remains at issue in this case, it is fair to note that pre-trial motions to dismiss are difficult, largely due to judiciary plaintiff bias, and the motion was denied without prejudice, meaning it can be raised again. But the judges words are worth thinking about: Even core political speech addressing matters of public concern is not impenetrable from prosecution if allegedly used to further criminal activity. This obviously invokes Holmes clear and present danger test, if you buy that argument (I dont), but what the judge mischaracterizes is public concern which was in reality, public duty and public right, which Trump was charged as their president to represent. The judge then uses circular reasoning to link concern with crime (which is based on a report from Nancy Pelosi). Clearly in the Trump legal cases, most judges otherwise seem to have been given instructions, and may not recognize, or cannot admit, that they have abandoned judicial neutrality and reason. They still believe that they are actually judges in a court, because they cannot separate form from content, ritual from reality, or power from privilege. As Canadian lawyer and Queens University law professor Bruce Pardy said recently, Now we have courts that openly advocate political views. Indeed, the views are out in the open, but the influence and corruption are not. The worst part is that such judges dont realize how far they have fallen from the law itself, and from their higher duty to uphold and promote public confidence in it. Matthew G. Andersson is the author of the upcoming book Legally Blind. A corporation founder and former CEO, he has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time Magazine, the National Academy of Sciences, and the 2001 Pulitzer Prize report by the Chicago Tribune. He received the Silver Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of America and has testified before the U.S. Senate. He attended the University of Chicago and the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied with White House national security adviser W.W. Rostow at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License Annasofia Scheve covers trending news for the Express-News. She can be reached at Annasofia.Scheve@express-news.net. Annasofia has bachelor's degrees in journalism and political science from the University of Missouri. She is an Ohio native, and wrote for Cincinnati Magazine and the Cincinnati Enquirer before joining the Express-News in 2023. The once relevant political consultant Karl Rove made a bid to gain attention Wednesday by scolding former President Donald Trump for his vow to pardon January 6 defendants. One of the critical mistakes made in this campaign is that Donald Trump has now said, Im going to pardon those people because theyre hostages,' Rove said in an interview on MSNBC. No, theyre not. Theyre thugs. Having watched countless hours of January 6 footage in researching my forthcoming book, Ashli: The Untold Story of the Women of January 6, I feel safe to say that Rove has no idea what he is talking about. I would also argue that Trump should talk more about January 6, not less. The Capitol protest/riot lasted a little more than three hours. The Biden witch hunt has lasted more than three years and shows no sign of easing up. Trump is the only one with platform enough to expose this ongoing evil. And evil it is. Of the ten female thugs that I profile, the worst crime any one of them committed was to help break a window. That woman, Rachel Powell, a 40-something mother of eight, is now serving a 57-month prison sentence. Prosecutors asked for eight years. In the way of comparison, female attorney Urooj Rahman, who firebombed at least one police car during the George Floyd riots in New York City, received a 15-month prison sentence. Two of the ten women profiled did not survive January 6. Ashli Babbitt, a 110-pound Air Force veteran, was killed by a Capitol Police officer in what was arguably the least justified police shooting ever captured on video. That officer has since been promoted. Rosanne Boyland suffocated when police pushed a crowd of protestors on top of her. Once the pile cleared, a female Metropolitan D.C. Police officer mercilessly beat the dead or dying Boyland over the head with a tree branch. This beating was captured on video. The officer in question was rewarded a month later with a trip to the Super Bowl. Six of the other seven women profiled entered the Capitol through an open door. The seventh climbed through a broken window to make a phone call and promptly climbed out. Those who stayed inside wandered around for ten or fifteen minutes, committed no violence or vandalism, and then left. Five of those women were sent to prison. The other two await sentencing. Among the latter two is Rebecca Lavrenz, a praying great grandmother who was on trial these last two weeks in Washington. Lavrenz was bucking the odds. No D.C. jury had acquitted a J6er. The reason why is easily understood. No J6er has been allowed a change of venue from a district that begrudged Donald Trump no more than 5 percent of its vote. Some J6 juries have spent no more than an hour or two deliberating. The Lavrenz case was so compelling that the jury spent three full days in deliberation before dashing the hope of patriots everywhere. Lavrenz was convicted on all four counts. Almost all who came to Washington on January 6 came to protest what then Vice President Mike Pence called an election with significant allegations of voting irregularities and numerous instances of officials setting aside state election laws. Added Pence in his famous missive recusing himself from intervening, I share the concerns of millions of Americans about the integrity of this election. Given the voting irregularities that took place in our November elections and the disregard of state election statutes by some officials, Pence continued, I welcome the efforts of Senate and House members who have stepped forward to use their authority under the law to raise objections and present evidence. Pence would seem to have swallowed what Democrats, Rove Republicans, and the media were uniformly calling the big lie. In one voice, they had been assuring America that the 2020 election was, in the words of the Brennan Center for Justice, one of the most secure elections in our history. What helped make it secure, claimed the Brennan Center, was that the votes were counted in a timely manner. Abraham Lincoln knew the election results before he went to bed on election night 1860. One hundred and sixty years later, votes were still being counted a week or more after the election. No matter. In 2020, once respected institutions chose to honor the final, most essential command of the Party in Orwells 1984, namely to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. In 2020, the Democrats and their Rovian allies were that Party. If their operatives were willing to play by Orwellian rules, the patriots in flyover country were not. On January 6, they showed up in Washington to assert their First Amendment right peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. As even Pence conceded, those grievances were real. The overwhelming majority of those arrested did assemble peaceably. Worst case, they expected punishment comparable to the hundreds arrested for disrupting the Senate confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Reported NPR blithely, Most of those charged this week with disorderly conduct, crowding or obstructing paid fines of $35 or $50. The J6ers had no such luck. Instead of the expected wrist slap, they have endured the greatest mass injustice against American citizens since Japanese internment. The critical mistake we all make is not to denounce this infamy every day until November. Image: TaptheForwardAssist Former president Barack Obama has never kept it secret as to whom he sides with in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Obamas palpable dislike for Israeli prime minister Bibi Netanyahu is also widely recognized. Thats why it must have been challenging for Obama to appear alongside perceived Israel-supporter Joe Biden at a recent fundraiser that attracted Hamas protesters. Obama, as well as the whole Democrat lefts treatment of Israel and its failure to condemn the current climate of anti-Semitism, smacks of unstated agreement that Israel is an oppressor that deserves what it got on October 7. In a November speech, Obama publicly condemned Hamass actions. But somehow Obama always finds a way to elucidate his statements by insisting that additional clarification is needed on his part as to why women and children were mercilessly raped and hacked to death in their beds. Barack is adept at the tactic of accepting personal blame as a manipulative vehicle to point the finger at those he secretly considers the enemy. Rather than condemn the perpetrators, whose slaughter included Holocaust victims, he acts as though he alone embodies the ultimate insight to steer the Middle East discussion toward fairness and truth. Following the October terror attack, Obama said, If you want to solve the problem, then you have to take in the whole truth. And you then have to admit nobodys hands are clean, that all of us are complicit to some degree. And no one knows the whole truth about what justifies the blood on Hamass hands more than Barack Obama. Why? Because if anyone is complicit, its not us; its Obama. The former presidents public dislike for Netanyahu, the dissension he stirred up over Israeli settlements in the West Bank, his implicit defense of Islamic terrorism, and his undercover deal with Iran are what emboldens terrorist groups like Hamas. Furthermore, it was Obama who agreed to release $150 billion in Iranian assets not to mention a $1.7-billion cash payment to Iran in foreign currency, millions of dollars of which amounted to ransom used to leverage the release of four Americans held captive in Iran. As a result of those actions, Iran has used Obama-sanctioned money to finance worldwide terrorism. Then, in the middle of a war with Israel, Obamas front man, Joe Biden, compounded the former presidents recklessness when he too unfroze billions in Iranian assets. Is it possible that, despite all of his pontificating and supposed scholarly insight, Obama still hasnt figured out that placating and enriching terrorist states leads to only more terrorism? Or did he send pallets full of foreign currency to Iran because secretly, or not so secretly, Obama considers Israel the real tyrant? Fast-forward to March 2024, and Obama, Clinton, and Clueless Joe are at a star-studded Democrat fund raiser held at Radio City Music Hall. During the event, Gaza war protesters showed up outside as well as inside the music hall. Always the relevant one, Obama attempted to subdue a dissenting activists comments by saying, You cant just talk and not listen. ... Thats what the other side does. That sort of sly rhetorical ploy is exactly how Obama exposes what he really believes and manages to extend sympathy (for Hamas) while tacitly insulting those he pretends to defend (Israel). And hes masterful at it. Obama responded to the protester, saying, It is possible for us to understand that it is possible to have moral clarity and have deeply held beliefs, but still recognize that the world is complicated, and it is hard to solve these problems. Translation: I believe that your side possesses moral clarity, but because of Israels insistence on responding to October 7, right now it is hard to solve this complicated problem. One week after that interaction, Bumbling Joe Biden, who couldnt find his way to the changing station in the womans restroom if his adult diaper depended upon it, all of a sudden comes out with two strong statements warning Israel of a sharp shift in his policy over the Gaza war. Unexpectedly, self-proclaimed Zionist Joe Biden became frustrated with the guy he bear-hugged on his recent trip to Israel. Coincidentally, that guy is the same guy Obama left sitting alone in a White House meeting room because he wouldnt conform to Obamas demand to immediately halt new settlement construction in east Jerusalem. While the war in the Ukraine rages on, sounding more like she was chiding Joe for sniffing a baby, even Dr. Jill voiced her opinion concerning civilian casualties in Gaza when she allegedly instructed Joe to Stop it, stop it now. Dont Barack and Mr. and Mrs. Biden know that dead civilians are an unfortunate casualty of war? This week, while reading off colored cue cards in a listen, man telephone call to Netanyahu, tough talking Biden purportedly lowered the boom on Bibi by making it clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by [Americas] assessment of Israels immediate action to curtail killing civilians and U.S. aid workers. During that call, Biden informed the Israeli prime minister that the U.S. will no longer support Israel if he doesnt comply. Are Americans supposed to accept that its Joe who made U.S. aid to Israel contingent on Israel ceasing strikes on Gaza? Or Joe who cooked up the idea to order U.S. air drops of aid into Gaza, as well as allowing a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire? Once again, what is patently clear here is that the Israel-hating charlatan who enthusiastically followed Joe Biden down the steps of Air Force One and guided him to the motorcade last week is the one who believes that giving billions to Iran to fund state terrorism is somehow justified, as is chastising Israel for civilian casualties that occur while fighting a war it didnt start. Jeannie hosts a blog at www.jeannieology.us. Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0. Iran's stern warning that the United States must "bear responsibility" for an Israeli airstrike on its consulate in Damascus, despite U.S. claims of non-involvement, marks a tense moment in international relations. This incident, which resulted in the deaths of senior Iranian military commanders, exacerbates already strained U.S.-Iran relations and highlights the complex geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East. Iran's vow for revenge introduces a precarious element to the situation, especially against the backdrop of concerns about sleeper terror cells within the U.S. The presence of these cells, believed by many to be a consequence of lax border security policies, poses a significant domestic threat, potentially enabling Tehran to enact retaliation on American soil. This scenario underscores the critical need for robust national security measures and a cautious approach to foreign policy, ensuring that the U.S. can effectively navigate the delicate balance of international diplomacy while safeguarding against internal threats. So, when liberal media outlets express shock over the likely imminent bloodshed on U.S. soil, remind them that Joe Biden rolled out the welcome mat for terrorists to enter through our southern border. Oh, and lest we forget, Obama gave billions of dollars to Iran to finance their heinous acts of mass murder and mayhem. Image: Jim Watson, DoD The world reacted with outrage when an Israeli strike killed seven adult foreign aid workers (including one American) who had deliberately inserted themselves into a hot war zone. For Joe Biden, this was the magic moment. Suddenly, he had the cudgel with which to beat Israel into submission by promising to withhold desperately needed military supplies. Weirdly, the fact that Hamas killed at least 11 American civilians on October 7 and still holds Americans hostage didnt spur Biden into any forceful measures against Hamas. I guess that, for Biden, its different when theyre Jews. And for Biden, its also different when Biden does it. By it, I mean accidentally killing civilians. In August 2021, days after 13 American troops were killed during Bidens humiliating retreat from Afghanistan, the Pentagon launched a drone strike in Kabul. The strike managed to kill three adults and seven children. According to the Pentagons own investigation, the American military believed that it was firing at a legitimate military target. Therefore, the Pentagon concluded that there was no violation of law, including the law of war. Its war; death happens. Image: John Kirby (cropped). YouTube screen grab. Thats not the case, though, when Israel is involved. Despite Israel fighting a war with such exquisite care that the militarys two-week battle against Hamas terrorists in Shifa Hospital had no civilian casualties, when Biden heard about the dead aid workers, he purported to be incandescent with rage. Fueled by that rage, Biden demanded Israels immediate surrender to Hamas. (And no, he didnt use the word surrender, but, as even Biden acknowledged, an immediate, unconditional ceasefire, without any demands on Hamas, means that it can regroup.) Bad Israel! Bad! But what about America and her boo-boos? On Friday, Martha MacCallum flat-out asked John Kirby, the White House National Security Communications Advisor, why America gave itself a pass for slaughtering those seven Afghan children, even as it insists that Israel is evil for having accidentally killed five adults who knowingly inserted themselves into a hot war zone: Kirby answered, Well, look, these are events that happened three years apart, two different geographic locations, two different countries, two different sets of circumstances, two different types of threat[s] that were being evaluated, and [two completely] different militaries that were involved, with two different chains of command. So, I think weve got to be careful comparing both events too closely. We, too, had an independent investigation, Martha, of that incident, and that independent investigator found that there was no need for personal accountability to be had When MacCallum pressed him again to clarify what was really different, Kirby doubled down: Kirby responded, Yeah, well, first, again, two different incidents. I understand that there [are] similarities here. But it would be, I think, imprudent to try to compare two things that happened three years apart in two different conflicts. Cut through the nervous babble, and heres what Kirby really said: Its different because we did it. Kirby tried to dance around this point by saying that, even as it discounted any responsibility whatsoever, the Pentagon suggested proactive changes. Hes clear, though, that Israel made a mistake while the Pentagon was just waging war. The former requires punishment; the latter does not. One of the hallmarks of malignant narcissism is that the narcissist is never culpable. What he does is always for the greater good and he, personally, is the greater good. If something goes wrong, its always someone elses fault, or theres no fault at all. The flip side of this is that everyone who is not in the narcissists circle of supporters is the enemy and will always be in the wrong. Thats malignant narcissism at the individual level. But this type of narcissism also functions at a national level. When you have an entire administration made up of people who accept the premise that there is no higher morality than themselves and their needs, then the government will also be narcissistic. No matter what, it will always be different when they do it. Weve seen this time and time again in whats become a two-tiered American system: Leftists riot at the Capitol and invade the building? Free speech and political protest. Conservatives riot at the Capitol and invade the building? Criminal insurrection that requires prosecuting hundreds of people and trying to imprison the former president and current Republican presidential candidate. Detaining people at the border during a Democrat administration? Keeping them safe. Detaining people at the border during a Republican administration? Kids in cages. Kill civilians as collateral damage under a Democrat administration? Legal warfare. Kill civilians as collateral damage under a Republican administration? Air-raiding villages and killing civilians. Kill civilians as collateral damage if youre Israel? Surrender immediately. As those unlucky enough to find themselves in a narcissists orbit knowand this is true whether these contacts are professional or personalthere is no good outcome from engaging with a person who is his own god. The same is true for those nations unlucky enough to find themselves on the receiving end of the Biden administrations god complex. Muslim persecution of the Jews is not the end game. It always starts with the slander and defamation of Jews, but only ends when a Muslim majority is created in a targeted city. Obviously, that means that non-Muslims of other religions must be bullied and denigrated too. Thus, a Muslim majority is achieved by the Muslims making life so uncomfortable for persons of other faiths, including Christians and Hindus, that they leave the area. This Muslim majority then morphs into a world within a world where Sharia Law governs, police dare not enter, and the area is termed a no go zone, such as those found in Menlo, Sweden, and parts of Dearborn, Michigan. In other words, non-Muslims do not enter -- it isnt safe. In September 2011, after putting up with Muslim prayer services on busy Paris streets, France effectuated a ban on these crowded open-air services because the practice had snarled traffic and kept passersby and shoppers from the affected streets. The deleterious economic effects were immense. That ban, however, did not cover similar sidewalk takeovers then occurring in Marseille Muslims used their prayer mats and bodies to intimidate passersby and hijack a good portion of the public square. In London, England, the practice of Muslim street prayer, predominantly in the Soho area, has not been banned, but is currently being litigated. However, it is important to note that other aspects of public Muslim practices have been banned in many Western European countries. France, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Norway have banned the wearing of the burqa in public. Parts of Italy and all of Switzerland have banned the wearing of the hijab in public. What appeared to be an unsettling foreign problem has jumped the Atlantic, invading America with a concomitant rise in anti-Semitism, personal attacks on American Jews and synagogues, and has resulted in a dangerous foothold in many American cities, with accompanying thuggish, disruptive behavior. Recent examples are the pro-Palestinian demonstration in St. Patricks Cathedral in New York City, and the two nights of vandalism at a prominent synagogue (where the author is a congregant) in the Main Line outside of Philadelphia. It would be prudent for all Americans to remember that Muslims attacking Jews is just their first step. The real goal is Islamic global hegemony. One only has to inspect the myriad extant Muslim countries to confirm that not only are they devoid of Jews, not many Christians remain either. A phenomenon known as Islamic controlled no go zones is steadily growing in Philadelphia. A stealth and increasingly overt Islamic takeover is occurring in Philadelphia and suburban area public school systems, libraries, and universities. The area was shocked when it popped out into the open with the University of Pennsylvanias Palestinian Writes symposium which was an anti-Israel advertisement disguised as a literary symposium. This takeover includes pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel/anti-Semitic rhetoric. On Good Friday afternoon, March 28, 2024, a Christian Easter parade wove through the streets of Philadelphia. It was a celebration without any negative remarks against any other religion. It was televised and covered in print. That same Friday evening, hundreds of Muslims held an open-air prayer service, weaving around city hall. They had prayer rugs and were following special prayers during Ramadan. But they werent only praying. They used the occasion to propagandize for Gaza and rant and slander and defame Israel, while Hamas has reached the sixth month in which 130 Israeli hostages are still being held in Gaza, in underground tunnels, enduring unspeakable terror, torture, and rape. Is this what America is becoming? Is this what America wants? A public call to prayer five times a day where public streets are hijacked, non-Muslims are belittled? The schools and libraries teaching and practicing only Islam? More American cities becoming no-go zones? One can only hope not. Image: DoD Multitudes of barred owls are scheduled to DIE partly because of anthropocentric notions of DEI, promulgated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which favor spotted owls. There is no natural equity amongst the owls. Some, like barred owls, simply dominate others, like maladjusted spotted owls. Though they began migrating from the northeast in the early 1900s, and arrived in the Pacific Northwest at least as early as the 1970s, barred owls have been tagged as invasive as they outcompete weaker, endemic species. Another interpretation is that they are just successful, something Bidens army of burrowed bureaucrats, including those in FWS, cant tolerate. Instead, to counter the dynamics of the natural world, they intend to lethally enforce what amounts to ornithological-targeted DEI mandates to ensure the constantly failing spotted owls achieve survival equity. Its not enough that weve bent over backwards to offer the spotted owls equality of opportunity. Nope, they must have equal outcomes. To that end, FWS plans to unleash 'hunters' in California, Oregon, and Washington to kill about half a million magnificent barred owls who dared to migrate west, and had the nerve to infringe upon the protected spotted owl. The absurd plan is for hunters to instigate barred owl commotion by mimicking their territorial calls. Once theyve been lured, theyll either shoot on sight, or, if firearm use is inadvisable, theyll capture and euthanize them. Yikes, what could go wrong during nocturnal hours in misty forests? Mistaken identity (they look similar), misaligned gunsights, disrupting forest ecosystems, trigger-happy shooters for whom nothing is inadvisable, or misfiring firearms. In short, just about everything could go wrong, so lookout all you forest-dwellers, including critters that might encounter poisonous casings. Not only is execution of the impractical plan fraught with flaws, but it is inherently diabolical. Owls upon whom nature has conferred superior abilities will be exterminated to ensure survival of the weakest. Thats devolution -- evolution gone backwards. Its foolhardy for busybody FWS staffers to quarrel with natures imperatives, even as natures inhabitants adjusts to human interactions, including forest mismanagement. They tried to cull majestic barred owls before in order that spotted ones may thrive in a DEI habitat. But their record is spotty, to say the least, partly because of the underlying mechanism of natural selection, and the absolute onus on adaptability. It would be wise to acknowledge that the natural world is not equitable in that regard. Rather than impose some warped notion of DEI that favors underperforming owls, how about enforcing some tree equity through better forest management? Maybe that would satisfy barred owls, who are instinctually non-migratory, after all. But for those who chose to head west, are they necessarily invasive, deserving of a belly-full of gunshot lead? No! Its their prerogative to adapt to salubrious environments. Now theyre at home -- native, if you will, for several decades -- in states including Washington, Oregon, and parts of northern California. Whats invasive are the landscaping practices whence they came. Whats invasive, toward the rhythms of nature, are the FWS bureaucrats attitudes towards successful species. Some barred owls wander in search of prey, but they dont need no stinking FWS passports to travel to exciting new destinations in the west. Starting in the early 1900s, its their ornithological version of Manifest Destiny. Indeed, one of natures wonders are the migratory patterns of birds, but looking at it through the Feds DEI prism, theyre willfully invading new territory to pillage and plunder. Nevertheless, when necessary to counteract human interventions, including haphazard deforestation, nature will inevitably have its way. So, too, will barred owls have their way with spotted owls. Indeed, through interbreeding, some essence of spotted owls -- who were so disruptive of our timber industry -- lives on in a hybridized incarnation creatively called sparred owls. Nature doesnt generally abide by anthropomorphic constructs that unnaturally promote those less capable, at the expense of those more qualified. Unfit species sometimes become extinct. Still, in a way, sparred owls represent a form of natural DEI: a new, minority species that affirms natures elan vital -- at least for now. In fact, sparred owls are quite fertile, and will even mate back with barred owls. No hard feelings then. Image: PxHere The Biden administration is very worried that Israel made Iran, which funds terrorists and pledges death to Israel, mad, by taking out its terrorist leaders. In this article by CBS they say that those sweet leaders in Iran will be careful to only target intelligence and military facilities and protect civilians. At the same time, Team Biden spreads propaganda that Israel doesn't care about civilians. Iran doesn't give a hoot about civilians in its country or anywhere else. Of course, our intelligence officials who give these warnings had no idea that Hamas was going to attack Israel on October 7th despite years of training and planning in Iran and we know how careful terrorists were in protecting Israeli citizens. Heaven forbid that Israel take out the terrorists that planned the attacks. Biden and other Democrats warned how dangerous Trump was when he took out General Soleimani who maimed and killed thousands. He was so careful not to take out civilians. Biden demanded that he tell Americans his strategy in Iran since this is so dangerous. Maybe Biden can explain his strategy on Iran and terrorists since it is working so well. Democratic presidential candidates are expressing concern after a U.S. airstrike in Iraq Thursday night killed Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani , the head of Iran's elite Quds military force and one of the most powerful figures in the Islamic Republic. While candidates are not mourning the loss of Soleimani, whom the Defense Department has blamed for the deaths of hundreds of Americans, several are criticizing President Trump for ordering the attack. Here is what Joe Biden said: "No American will mourn Qassem Soleimani's passing. He deserved to be brought to justice for his crimes against American troops and thousands of innocents throughout the region. He supported terror and sowed chaos. None of that negates the fact that this is a hugely escalatory move in an already dangerous region. The Administration's statement says that its goal is to deter future attacks by Iran, but this action almost certainly will have the opposite effect. President Trump just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox, and he owes the American people an explanation of the strategy and plan to keep safe our troops and embassy personnel, our people and our interests, both here at home and abroad, and our partners throughout the region and beyond. Why didn't the media ask if the Biden administration can't be trusted when they killed an innocent family of ten in Afghanistan during Biden's chaotic 2021 pullout that they claimed were terrorists? After all, that is what they say about Israel? People in Israel have been fired for their mistake, but no one was fired in the Biden administration and there was little to no outrage. When Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby was asked on Fox News to explain the difference, his explanation was as brilliant as it always is. An academic organization misleadingly titled the "American Political Science Association" recently issued its members' collective opinion of our country's presidents: The 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey. I write "misleadingly," because the group is not strictly American. By its own website's accounting, the APSA is composed of "more than 11,000 members in 100 countries." Ivory-tower elitists in that organization are basically wagging their fingers at regular Americans. Why citizens here should heed a global group's judgements of our chosen presidents -- and, by implication, which sorts of candidates for whom we should cast future ballots -- is an obvious question the APSA report never addresses. Unsurprisingly, voices in the group are disdainful of President Trump. He was and is supported by tens of millions of American patriots who compose the MAGA movement. Trump's policies rightly put our country ahead of other nations, including APSA members' own. Unsurprisingly, they ranked him last. Globalists have long viewed America as a piggybank, and believed that foreign peoples are somehow entitled to U.S. taxpayers' earnings. (Ukrainian hands-out leaders and Washington politicians who rush to accommodate them over their constituents' needful circumstances, exemplify that wretched philosophy.) Pro-Democrat press functionaries regularly wheel out supposed experts to assure viewers so injudicious as to trust them of Biden's infallibility. Seemingly, by those venues' reckonings, faith in the Democrat Party and its steady leftward trend is necessary for expert ranking. Grassroots American citizens have suffered disastrous consequences owing to experts' counsel. Such include unreasonably high gas and grocery prices, an open southern border across which illegal invaders stream in record numbers (potentially devastating our Social Security, Medicare, hospital, educational, and other taxpayer-supported programs), soft-on-crime policies and the crime epidemic that predictably ensued, and international warfare, including in the Middle East. But, like erroneous television weather forecasters, media-crowned and uniformly liberal experts need never fear professional sanction. That mainstream outlets persist in presenting them is indicative of institutional political bias. Among its other positive attributes, the 2016 election of President Trump illustrated rank-and-file American voters' renunciation of often-wrong experts. Relentlessly championed by tenured academics and media experts, these last few Biden years have engendered misery on numerous fronts. That term should be considered a cautionary example of how globalist Democrats eagerly exploit authority to Americans' detriment. A good rule of thumb is to ignore establishment-hailed experts. Blinded by ideology, they cannot see our country's sorry condition -- let alone what action is needed to make it great again. Image: America Political Science Association 105-year-old LaVerne Biser prepares to experience his 13th solar eclipse on Monday. Pitris/Getty Images / iStockphoto A 105-year-old Fort Worth man is ready to experience his 13th solar eclipse on Monday a lifelong tradition that hasnt wavered because of his age. LaVerne Biser began chasing the solar phenomenon in July of 1963 when he took his family on a 2,000-mile drive to Maine for the best eclipse view. In an interview with the Dallas Morning News, Biser described his family of five staying in motel rooms while eating peanut butter sandwiches and deviled ham. On that summer day in July, he gathered his family in a farmers field alongside other solar enthusiasts as he set up his homemade solar tracker and a movie camera he attached to his car battery. The family peered toward the sky as the moon slowly traveled across the sun for one minute and 39 seconds. Advertisement Article continues below this ad ALSO READ: NASA weighs in on new map claiming more of San Antonio than expected will see total solar eclipse What started as a fascination as a young boy has now become a tradition that has spanned six decades. He has chased eclipses from a state park in eastern New Mexico to a sandy beach on Canadas Prince Edward Island, a pasture in Nebraska and the Black Sea near Russia. Bisers age-old tradition became a staple in the family. During his travels, his wife, Marion, wrote detailed notes, including names of motels, places they visited, what they packed, and stories like when the family hamster tagged along to keep their son company. Marions notes also described the time their daughter Carol came to them with two possible wedding dates: June 3 or July 8. Biser joked that if his daughter wanted him at the wedding it would have to be June 3 because he would be watching the eclipse in Canada on July 8. An eclipse nut, Marion wrote about her husband. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Marion, who died last year at 97, accompanied her husband on all his eclipse trips but one. Bisers efforts to photograph eclipses got him lauded at a meeting of the Fort Worth Astronomical Society. It was during a 1979 eclipse in North Dakota that his diligence in finding the best viewing spot landed him a perfect progression of the eclipse. The photograph still hangs in his Fort Worth home. Advertisement Article continues below this ad On April 8, Biser and his family plan to gather at his daughters home in Plano, where he will set up his homemade telescope to watch more than three minutes of a phenomenon thats an important family tradition. Chinese company to produce Slovakia's flying cars Xinhua) 10:51, April 06, 2024 BRATISLAVA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese company is set to manufacture certified flying cars developed by Slovak company Klein Vision. On Thursday, Klein Vision announced that it sold its flying cars' production and sales authorization for the Chinese market to Hebei Jianxin Flying Car Technology, a company based in Cangzhou, north China's Hebei Province, in March this year. "We are pleased to announce the sale of the license for our certified flying car technology to the esteemed Chinese company," said Stefan Klein, Chairman of the board of Klein Vision. "This partnership represents a significant step in our mission to expand global access to revolutionary mobility solutions and drive progress in the industry," added Anton Zajac, co-founder of Klein Vision. The car, designed for land and air use, can transform from a vehicle to an aircraft within 3 minutes, with a flight speed of up to 300 kilometers per hour and a flight distance of over 1,000 kilometers. The car was granted the official Certificate of Airworthiness by the Slovak Transport Authority 2022 after it completed 70 hours of rigorous flight testing, which was compliant with European Aviation Safety Agency standards. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Zhong Wenxing) An 18-year-old man was shot and killed in an East Side parking lot late Friday. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images An 18-year-old San Antonio man died after being found with a gunshot wound in an East Side parking lot, police said. San Antonio police responded to a shooting in progress shortly before 11 p.m. in the 2100 block of East Houston Street. The caller reported that someone had been shot at the location. Advertisement Article continues below this ad When they arrived, officers found the man in a parking lot with a gunshot wound to the torso. The unidentified man was pronounced dead. Google has a ton of first-party apps, and were constantly getting reports of the company switching and changing their UIs. Well, this is continuing with the Google app. According to a new report, Google may be testing a bottom bar in the Google app. The Google app is the companys gateway to Google Search on Android phones. Its more than a bloated search bar. Right now, the company is actually testing a Gemini toggle in the Google app. When you open the app and switch to Gemini mode, youll have access to Geminis assistant capabilities. You will be able to summon it with a voice command and ask it to perform different tasks within your phone. At this point, Google is looking to make it a proper alternative to Google Assistant. Google is testing a bottom bar for the Google app When opening the Google app, were used to seeing the search bar up top with our recent searches below. When tapping on the Google icon, we open the Discover page, and it still shows the search bar rather close to the top. However, according to a new report, the company may be working on bringing the search bar even lower. Looking at the screenshot below, it appears that Google wants to make the search bar a part of the bottom bar. We see the search bar within the same UI element as the tabs on the bottom. It will hover just above the Discover, Search, and Saved tabs. As smartphones get bigger and taller, we start to appreciate companies doing this more. We cant deny that its pretty tough reaching the top of our nearly 7-inch phones. At this point, phones have the ability to summon the notification shade with simple gestures, shrink the entire display, and bring half of the screen down to accommodate larger displays. So, its clear that companies acknowledge that larger phones can be a bit of a hassle. If youre a person who uses the Google Search app a lot, and you dont want to constantly stretch your finger to the top of your phone, then you will love this change. Theres another change This change has pretty much been confirmed by Google, as it shows up and screenshots on the Play Store listing for the Google app. In the screenshot above, we see the pill-shaped element surrounding the selected tabs. So, the magnifying glass for the Search tab is inside of a pill-shaped enclosure. This will bring the Google app even more in line with the Material You design language. Its a nice little addition to the app. Also, it will help create a more consistent look throughout all of Googles apps. Even though Material You was introduced back in 2021, the company is still working and tweaking the design of all of its apps to make a fully consistent design language. At this point, its clear that Google is only testing these changes. So, theres no telling if both of them are going to come to the Google app. We will have to wait for Google to officially confirm this to be sure. Meta is fighting the FTC about the WhatsApp and Instagram acquisition, and it has hit the agency with a preemptive strike. While the FTC claims this is a monopolistic business practice, Meta is going after the legal definitions. The Federal Trade Commission is currently engaged in a legal battle with Meta. The company, previously known as Facebook, is accused of being anti-competitive and creating a monopoly. Meta has essentially requested a Federal Court to junk the FTCs antitrust lawsuit. The Instagram and WhatsApp acquisition benefited consumers, claims Meta Meta has confirmed it has filed a motion for summary judgment in its lawsuit against the US FTC. The company is essentially asking the District Court to dismiss the case because the FTC has failed to provide evidence to support its claims. There are two aspects that Meta urges the court to consider. The company believes the FTC wont be able to prove what it claims is the relevant market in the case. In simpler terms, Meta insists that it did not become a monopoly after acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp. On the contrary, Meta faces fierce competition from a range of platforms from TikTok and X to YouTube and Snapchat, laments the company. Consumer Watchdog Group Supports Metas Move for Summary Judgment in Antitrust Case WASHINGTON, D.C. Facebook parent company Meta is moving for summary judgment in the Federal Trade Commissions (FTC) ongoing litigation against them regarding their acquisition of Instagram and Taxpayers Protection Alliance (@Protectaxpayers) April 5, 2024 Secondly, Meta insists that acquiring WhatsApp and Instagram did not hurt the market or adversely affect end consumers. The company stresses that it has painstakingly improved these social media platforms. Meta has reportedly stated that it spent billions of dollars and invested millions of hours to make the apps, better, more reliable, and more secure. Why is Meta urging the US Court to dismiss its case against the FTC? Meta insists the FTC has no evidence establishing that the companys conduct was exclusionary. What this essentially means is that Meta claims acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp did not cause harm to its competitors and consumers. In other words, Meta has implied that its actions werent detrimental to the competition, and they didnt negatively affect end users. It is important to note that back in 2021, DC District Court Judge James Boasberg had accepted Metas motion to dismiss FTCs complaint. However, the judge gave the FTC a chance to file an amended one, which was allowed to move forward. NetChoice Applauds Meta For New Motion to Halt Biden FTCs Anti-Consumer Agenda WASHINGTONToday, Meta filed a motion at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, pushing back against the Federal Trade Commission for its lack of evidence in its case against the pic.twitter.com/xVUvsgdRgV NetChoice (@NetChoice) April 5, 2024 The FTCs amended complaint is far more substantial and detailed than its previous one. However, in its appeal, Meta has targeted the FTCs market definitions, which it claims are unreasonably narrow. The FTC has excluded platforms such as TikTok and YouTube from its market definitions. Instead, in its complaint, the agency includes only Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and MeWe, Meta claims. Needless to say, Metas platforms are way bigger than the other platforms included in the FTCs market definitions. However, if other big web platforms and companies are included, Metas gargantuan stature is somewhat humbled. The FTC will get a chance to respond. Hence, there should be a lot of back-and-forth in court filings. Abba has thanked fans for their steadfast loyalty and support as the band celebrates the 50th anniversary of their Eurovision Song Contest victory. The Swedish pop supergroup made up of Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad won the competition with their hit song Waterloo on April 6 1974 at Brighton Domes Concert Hall. To mark the anniversary, several pianos across Europe will simultaneously play a piece pre-recorded by Andersson and which is designed to make it appear as if he is playing live. Reflecting on the milestone, the group issued a joint statement saying: Its slightly dizzying and deeply humbling to think that millions of you who saw us for the first time in the Eurovision final 1974 have passed our music on not only to one generation, but to several. We see evidence of that every time one of us visits Abba Voyage in London, and its because of this we can celebrate the 50th anniversary of that event in the knowledge that our songs still resonate around the world. The members said they find it difficult to comprehend that 50 years has passed since their success in Brighton, adding: So what were our dreams during those suspenseful moments or in the chaos in the aftermath of the victory we had secured with the smallest margin in Eurovision history? Four different dreams, no doubt, but whatever they were, however grand, reality has surpassed them, thats for sure. Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson attending the Abba Voyage digital concert launch in 2022 (Ian West/PA) Many of you were there from the very start and have followed us ever since for over half a century! Music you discover and learn to love when you grow up or even later in life has a way of staying with you forever. We share that experience with you and to know that our music has become a constant in your lives is a wonderful thing. The statement also said: Throughout the years we have been blessed with the outpouring of love from you, our fans. We feel it and we want to know that hardly a day goes by when were not reminded of it. To say thank you for what youre giving us without sounding trivial is not easy and this is not a moment of triviality. It is a happy and, at the same time, solemn moment and we can only hope that you understand how deeply grateful we are for a long, successful career and for your steadfast loyalty and support through the years. Thank you! Members of the public watch a performance by the Mark de Lisser singers of Abba hit Waterloo on Saturday at Waterloo station in London (Alastair Grant/PA) As part of the celebrations, fans will be able to listen to the piano moment in major cities, including at Londons Waterloo station and in Berlin, Warsaw and Stockholm, where every hour the instruments will play a short piece pre-recorded by Andersson in unison that will be experienced as if Benny were there and playing live, the group has said. Commuters passing through Waterloo station in London were also treated to a choir named the Mark De-Lisser Singers, helmed by De-Lisser who was the choir director for the Kings Coronation and Queens Platinum Jubilee, who sang several spontaneous renditions of Waterloo. Abba has reissued their album Waterloo, which was first released in March 1974 with songs including My Mama Said and Honey, Honey, as a limited edition box set in celebration of milestone. On Thursday, a plaque was unveiled outside Brighton Dome to mark the anniversary of the win. To mark 50 years since ABBA sang their way to Eurovision victory at Brighton Dome on 6 April 1974, our Mayor unveiled the BBC Sussex Blue Plaque today! The city will be celebrating in style with a weekend of exciting events Take a look at what's on https://t.co/8oz2vZwtx1 pic.twitter.com/ym7HcCEC76 Brighton & Hove City Council (@BrightonHoveCC) April 4, 2024 The band went on to have a string of chart-topping singles and albums, including Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, Dancing Queen, Super Trouper, The Winner Takes It All and Mamma Mia. Ulvaeus and Faltskog wed a year before Abba formed, with Andersson and Lyngstad marrying at the height of their fame, although both couples later divorced. The group split in 1982 after 10 years but reunited and released their first new music in almost 40 years with their ninth studio album Voyage in 2021, which topped the UK album charts. The musical Mamma Mia!, based on their song catalogue, premiered in London in 1999 and became a worldwide hit. Two movie versions Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again were made with casts including Meryl Streep, Dame Julie Walters, Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan. In 2022, the band launched Abba Voyage, a virtual concert in which life-size avatars of the band as they looked in 1979 perform in a purpose-built arena in east London. Although this years Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Sweden, Andersson told BBC Newsnight last year there is no way the group will reunite or even walk on stage together during the event. Former prime minister Boris Johnson has criticised Lord David Cameron for his response to the debate on UK arms sales to Israel, saying the Foreign Secretary had gone into a kind of purdah on the issue. Three Britons were among the seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers who were killed 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 Cameron said the UK will carefully review findings of the initial IDF report into the incident released on Friday. He said: 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 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. Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron (James Manning/PA) In his column in The Daily Mail, 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 US 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? The former prime minister concluded that the banning of arms sales would be insane and shameful. He added: The sooner the Government formally denounces the idea, the better. Former prime minister Boris Johnson (Jonathan Brady/PA) Alicia Kearns, the Conservative chairwoman of the 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. On Friday, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched through central London for the annual Al Quds Day demonstration. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has written letters 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 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. The struggles faced by the Windrush generation must never be in vain, descendants said as they held a candlelit vigil to mark the sixth anniversary since the scandal was exposed. More than 50 people, including campaigners and religious leaders, gathered in Windrush Square in Brixton on Saturday afternoon. Candles were lit and speeches and prayers read to remember those who have passed away and to thank those who continue to campaign. Bishop Doctor Desmond Jaddoo, the chairman of the Windrush National Organisation, told the PA news agency that the sacrifices and contributions made by the Windrush generation must never be forgotten. We must never forget what happened. We are on the road to justice. The thing about it is that we settle for second best and this time that must not be allowed to happen, he said. This isnt just about those who have suffered. This is about ensuring that future generations dont go through anything like this again. In addition to that, some 50 plus people have lost their lives, theyve not made it through the journey. Their losses must never be in vain. The scandal first received widespread public attention in 2018, with the Government facing a furious backlash over the treatment of the Windrush generation named after a ship that brought migrants to Britain from the Caribbean in 1948. Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK before 1973 were automatically granted indefinite leave to remain. Campaigners gathered in Windrush Square, Brixton, to mark the anniversary (Kendall Brown/PA) But some were later challenged over their immigration status and denied access to healthcare and benefits, unlawfully detained and even deported, despite living in the UK legally for decades. The Government promised to right the wrongs of what had happened but the compensation scheme, launched in April 2019, has been repeatedly criticised for the speed at which claims are being processed and payments made. Professor Patrick Vernon, a Windrush campaigner, told the PA news agency the community does not trust the Home Office and called for the compensation scheme to be completely revamped. The community does not trust the Home Office. It is the same directorate which runs the compensation scheme that also deals with deportation flights and detention centres, he said. Jacqueline McKenzie said people affected by the scandal had lost out on life-changing opportunities (Kendall Brown/PA) So, it doesnt feel like theres any kind of neutrality. The Government talks about righting the wrongs, so I think it is only fair and reasonable for there to be a degree of independence. Prof Vernon said there needs to be more public awareness of the human tragedy of the scandal. He said victims and their descendants suffered personal stress, depression, and anxiety as a result of the scandal and at least 53 people had died before receiving compensation. An Age UK report released in February found that a number of areas of the compensation scheme had failed those affected. It said that by the end of 2023, only 1,993 individuals had been offered compensation, fewer than one in seven (13%) of all whom the Home Office estimated to be eligible. The charity has called for an independent body to take over the running of the compensation scheme. Jacqueline McKenzie, a human rights lawyer at Leigh Day Solicitors, works with clients affected by the scandal and the compensation process. Im working with between 200 and 300, if you include family members, on compensation, she told the PA news agency. People have lost jobs, they lost their houses, they lost their businesses. Not many, but some people were denied access to medical care. One of the saddest things for me are the descendants of those affected who lost out on university places because you know how life-changing that can be, and we come across so many people who lost out on higher education opportunities. We see a myriad of people cutting across all social strata and from various communities. There isnt just one narrative about the Windrush scandal. Speeches, poems and prayers were read by campaigners and church figures. It marked the first time that activist organisations and religious groups have come together to commemorate the Windrush generation and to campaign for justice with the same message. Bishop Jaddoo said it was important the two groups were on the same page to take the agenda forward. He said: Today is a very special day because today is the coming together of the clergy and the campaigners on a united stage. Importantly, we are now going to be on the same page, so when the clergy talks to the Government, they are going to be doing so with the same message as the campaigners, a shared message. That tells you now the gravitas of who is here today, not just to remember but also to take the agenda forward. A Home Office spokesperson said: The Government is committed to righting the wrongs of the Windrush scandal and making sure those affected receive the compensation they rightly deserve. We have paid more than 80 million in compensation and over 82% of claims have received a final decision. We continue to make improvements so people receive the maximum award as quickly as possible, whilst providing extensive support to help people access and apply to the compensation scheme. Scotland is battling a weekend of heavy rain and high winds, with a number of flood alerts and wind warnings issued as Storm Kathleen continues. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has 18 regional flood alerts and 43 flood warnings in place in Scotland, an increase from 16 alerts and 34 warnings earlier on Saturday. Vincent Fitzsimons, Sepas flood duty manager, said: Across the weekend, Scotland is braced for impacts from Storm Kathleen including very high winds and coastal flooding in western areas. Flooding impacts are expected across western coastal areas throughout the weekend. Impacts start in the Solway coast and Firth of Clyde on Saturday and then move around the coast to the eastern side of the country over the next few days. Of particular concern is the likely impact to communities in the Western Isles and Orkney late Saturday and across Sunday. On top of already high tides, Kathleen will bring a storm surge and large waves. This combination is particularly dangerous especially around high tides. There is real danger to life from wave overtopping, particularly around causeways, coastal roads and paths. Storm Kathleen : Western Scotland coastal flood impacts likely, with key focus on Western Isles and Orkney Check the latest info at https://t.co/rvecJQc0Mu Check the latest news at https://t.co/AkrDU2fyFi #StormKathleen #Flood #Flooding pic.twitter.com/dXUskyTWF5 SEPAFlood (@SEPAFlood) April 6, 2024 Disruption to travel and infrastructure is possible, as is isolated flooding to coastal properties and communities. While the risk is greatest around high tide times, our message is clear: take extra care if you are near the coast at any point and stay well clear of waves and water. Be careful when travelling around exposed coastal areas and dont walk or drive through flood water as there may be hidden hazards. The Met Office issued a yellow wind warning for much of the UK. In Scotland, the warning stretches from the Scottish Borders to just south of Stirling. RED #Gourock #Dunoon 6Apr Due to adverse weather, all further sailings are cancelled. A shuttle bus service will continue to operate close to timetable as possible. The last bus will depart Dunoon at 2150 and Gourock at 2220. CalMac Service Info (@CalMac_Updates) April 6, 2024 It spans the west coast, throughout much of central Scotland, and ends just short of the east coast. The Met Office warned of potential damage to buildings, power cuts, poor mobile phone coverage and danger to life due to large waves and debris from beaches being thrown on to sea fronts. The warning came into effect at 8am on Saturday and was due to end at 10pm, with a second warning for Sunday to come into force at 9am, ending at 3pm. Scotlands ferry operator CalMac announced a number of cancellations due to the weather, with warnings that other services may be cancelled at short notice. Scotrail previously warned that some of its services were disrupted between 12pm and 7pm. Lewis Hamilton may have only managed to qualify seventh for the Japanese Grand Prix but he insists his Mercedes has not felt better in three years. The seven-time world champion will start from the fourth row at Suzuka, with team-mate George Russell in ninth. While from the outside that would suggest Mercedes once again struggled with an underperforming car like much of the past two years Hamilton was in good spirits following Saturdays qualifying. Having lamented the gap to pole-sitter Max Verstappen over the team radio during the session, he had a more positive outlook in the aftermath. The car has been much nicer to drive this weekend this is the nicest it has felt in three years, he said. I think we did a really good job over the last week, just the analysis weve done at the factory to get the car into a sweet spot. This weekend its much more in the sweet spot and so I hope that continues in the following races. Then weve just got to add performance. I think weve got the car into a much nicer working window and so its been really enjoyable driving, its just the guys are just a little bit faster. Hamilton has amassed just eight points from the opening three races of the 2024 campaign and retired last time out in Australia. The early signs are Mercedes face another year of chasing the fastest cars rather than challenging for victories but the Briont, who will race for Ferrari from next year feels things are starting to look up. Asked if he believes Mercedes are now heading in the right direction, Hamilton replied: I personally believe so. We were a second or just over a second off last year to the Red Bull and seven tenths is now better, he added. I think what its giving us is I know exactly where the car is not strong enough, I can feel it in the car, and I know now to be tell them to push in this particular area. But Im hoping the race will be stronger tomorrow. What wed do for one extra tenth Disappointed to not be higher on the grid, but a step closer to our rivals on a track we expected to struggle at pic.twitter.com/khMjUYzFeC Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) April 6, 2024 Mercedes were hit with a Euros5,000 (4,290) fine for an unsafe pit lane release of Russell at the start of qualifying. Russell will start the race from his lowest grid slot this season but he believes it will be a close battle with the cars in and around him. I think its just so tight out there between ourselves McLaren, Ferrari and Aston Martin, he said. If you nail your lap you are up at the front of that pack, and if you dont you will be at the back of that pack, we knew that this circuit was going to be a slight challenge for us. We know our limitation in the high-speed corners. Nancy Pelosi in Washington DC on 21 March 2024. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA More than three dozen congressional Democrats including representative Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker and a key Joe Biden ally signed a letter to the president and the secretary of state Antony Blinken, urging a halt to weapons transfers to Israel. 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. It was signed by Pelosi and 36 other Democrats including Representatives Barbara Lee, Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Fridays letter also calls on the US to withhold future arms transfers pending a US investigation into the airstrike on the World Central Kitchen humanitarian workers or if Israel fails to sufficiently mitigate harm to innocent civilians in Gaza. On Thursday, hours after Biden told Israel to take concrete steps to protect civilians and aid workers in Gaza or risk losing military support from the US, top senators belonging to the presidents Democratic party ramped up pressure on the White House to go further. The progressive senator Bernie Sanders was among the strongest voices. Israel should not be getting another nickel in military aid until it markedly facilitates the flow of provisions into a region that the US suspects is already grappling with famine, he said. We are looking at one of the worst humanitarian disasters that we have seen in a very, very long time because Israel is not allowing the humanitarian trucks into Gaza, and especially into the areas where people are in most desperate condition, Sanders told CNN on Thursday. Related: UN body calls for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes Adding that it was not the USs job to worry about how Gaza may tie into the political future of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Vermont senator added: My view is no more military aid to Israel when children [there] are starving. Meanwhile, the Democratic senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland insisted that the president enforce a national security memorandum signed in February that aimed to condition the transfer of military weaponry to Israel on its adherence to humanitarian benchmarks. I was glad to see the president indicate that hes going to monitor compliance and base US policy going forward on the government meeting these requirements, Van Hollen told Politico Playbook. That suggests no more anything goes when it comes to policies towards the Netanyahu government. Topping the list of policies that Biden could leverage against Israel is the suspension of transferring offensive weapons to Israel if it fails at reducing civilian harm or getting desperately needed assistance to people in need, Van Hollen said. The senator alluded to that policy days after Israeli airstrikes killed seven employees of the international food charity World Central Kitchen (WCK). Following the attack, a cargo ship carrying 240 tons of food destined for Gaza returned to Cyprus. The Massachusetts Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren said she would seek to impede the sale of F-15s to Israel after the killings of the WCK staffers, which included a US-Canadian citizen and three British nationals. Related: Israeli inquiry findings on aid worker killings lack credibility, charity says A day before the WCK workers were killed, a report surfaced that the Biden administration was mulling an $18bn arms transfer package to Israel that would include more than two dozen F-15 fighter jets. We cannot approve the sale of arms to a country that is in violation of our own laws on this, Warren told CNN. And that includes access to humanitarian relief. This is a moral question it is also a legal question. Congress has responsibility here, and Im willing to take that responsibility. Netanyahu has said Israel killed the WCK staffers unintentionally, and two senior military officers have been fired as a result. Sanders, Van Hollen and Warren are all part of a 51-49 majority that Democrats and independents who caucus with them hold in the Senate. Biden and his administration have generally stood in steadfast support of Israel, which has struck Gaza on land and by air after the 7 October attack by Hamas killed 1,100 Israelis and also took hostages. But with the death toll in Gaza climbing above 30,000 and the humanitarian crisis worsening, the US which provides Israel with at least $3.8bn in security assistance annually recently abstained from a United Nations vote which resulted in a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Biden on Thursday for the first time called for an immediate ceasefire, too. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents and K-9 security dogs keep watch at a Texas checkpoint station in this 2013 photo. Authorities said a Texas National Guard member turned around at a Border Patrol checkpoint and fled from police in Kinney County. Eric Gay/Associated Press A Texas National Guard member was arrested and charged with human smuggling near the U.S.-Mexico border after he allegedly turned around at a Border Patrol checkpoint then led state troopers on a high-speed chase that ended when police deployed road spikes, according to authorities and Kinney County court records. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers arrested Savion Amari Donovan Johnson, 26, on March 31 on U.S. 90 in Kinney County after they pursued him at speeds of more than 100 mph for 15 miles, according to arrest affidavits. He stopped mid-chase to drop off a young Hispanic man before speeding past cars on the wrong side of the highway, the affidavits said. He finally stopped about 2 miles after the spike strip punctured the tires of the GMC SUV he was driving, the affidavits said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Johnson was charged with a pair of felonies human smuggling and evading arrest in a vehicle as well as unlawfully carrying a weapon, a misdemeanor, after police discovered a 9 mm pistol in the vehicle. Johnsons arrest was first reported Wednesday by NewsNation, which also reported that he had been deployed to Eagle Pass as part of the states multibillion-dollar border initiative, Operation Lone Star. It was not clear whether Johnson had a lawyer. DPS investigators contacted Johnsons first sergeant after his arrest, according to the affidavits. The Texas Guard did not respond to requests for comment. If the allegations are true, the accused is a traitor and criminal, said Andrew Mahaleris, spokesperson for Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who serves as the Guards commander in chief. We have zero tolerance for Texans who violate laws that directly contradict the mission we are seeking to achieve. The accuseds illegal smuggling may subject him to a mandatory minimum prison sentence of at least 10 years. He deserves more. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A new state law passed by the Legislature last year increased the minimum sentence from two years to 10 years for people convicted of smuggling immigrants or operating a stash house. The crash happened in Hancock county, Mississippi. Photograph: Mississippi Highway Patrol A charter bus taking university students to a fraternity event crashed in southern Mississippi on Friday afternoon, injuring 11 people, including 10 students and the driver. Mississippi highway patrol said 56 college students were on board when the bus crashed into a concrete barrier on Interstate 10 in Hancock county. Nine students were taken to local hospitals by ambulance, while the driver and another student were airlifted from the scene in critical condition. The incident took place when a tire on the bus blew out, forcing the driver, 55-year-old Tina Wilson, to stand up to hold onto the wheel, according to Bay St Louis police chief Toby Schwartz. Schwartz told WLOX: According to what students said, she stood on that steering wheel with every ounce of energy to keep that steering wheel straight. At one point, the bus began to lean and was traveling on two wheels, Schwartz said. When the bus came back down on all wheels, the windshield shattered and the driver was ejected. A student, Paul Clune, then grabbed the steering wheel and regained control of the bus, bringing it to a stop, he said. If that bus had flipped, we would have had casualties, Schwartz recalled. Its the bus driver and student that saved those kids. The bus driver is an incredible hero. The University of South Carolina said the bus had been carrying USC fraternity members and their guests traveling to an event in New Orleans. Our thoughts go out to the students involved in the accident and those affected by it, the university said in a statement. The college fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon commended its member who acted instantaneously to take control of the bus and prevent further tragedy, adding: The safety of these students is our top concern and we are grateful to first responders and all those providing care. The crash remains under investigation by the Mississippi highway patrol. According to Matthew Bennett of Third Way, Robert F Kennedy Jr is dangerous and voting for him is tantamount to voting for Trump. Photograph: Caroline Brehman/EPA Celebrating the demise of No Labels as a third-party presidential election threat, two advocacy groups who mobilised against it have said they would now turn their sights on Robert F Kennedy Jrs independent run for the White House. Though it is hard to make solid predictions, a high-profile third-party run in 2024 unnerves both Republicans and Democrats who fear it might siphon off their votes. But the nervousness is especially pronounced among supporters of Joe Biden, who worry such a campaign could split the center and left and allow Donald Trump and his highly motivated rightwing base to win a return to the Oval Office. Related: No Labels national director says he will vote for Joe Biden Just as we organised against No Labels were going to organise against Robert Kennedy Jr, Rahna Epting, executive director of MoveOn, told reporters a day after No Labels said it would not field a candidate against Biden and Trump in November. Kennedy an environmental attorney, conspiracy theorist and member of a famous political family is running as an independent, gaining ballot access and polling in double figures. Were going to let folks know he cant win, Epting said, but he can help Trump win by taking votes from Biden. Were going to let folks know that he said he supported abortion bans. Were going to let folks know that his vice-presidential pick [Nicole Shanahan, an attorney] calls IVF one of the biggest lies and were going to let folks know that his dark money Super Pac is being funded by Trump donors. Theres a lot were gonna let folks know. This victory against No Labels is just the start. There is a lot of work that we have to do. No Labels said on Thursday it had not been able to find a candidate to run against Biden and Trump. On Friday Matthew Bennett, of Third Way, said No Labels was helped on its way out by a coalition put together by his centre-left group and MoveOn, an effort from the left all the way to the centre-right and the Never Trump movement. But, Bennett said, The challenges ahead of us are in some ways even tougher. Kennedy cannot be talked out of this race. He is going to have a lot of money and hes not subject to reason. So were going to have to make clear that voters understand who this guy is, and that is not his father. Kennedy is the son of the former US attorney general and New York senator Robert F Kennedy and the nephew of the 35th president, John F Kennedy. But, Bennett said, the current Kennedy is not a safe place to park your vote if youre dissatisfied with something that [Biden] is doing. This guys dangerous and voting for him is tantamount to voting for Trump. Its also true of the other third-party candidates, Jill Stein [the Green nominee] and anybody else who runs. Bennett said No Labels had posed a danger by planning to attack Biden from the political centre, even though Biden, as a Washington dealmaker of 50 years standing, was kind of the platonic ideal of a No Labels candidate. Kennedy, Bennett said, is coming from some kind of weirdo fringe and so it is harder to understand who his coalition is. However, our view is that anyone who divides the anti-Trump coalition is dangerous. The Biden campaign has set up a team to combat Kennedy. But, Epting said, It is incredibly important that we get to work in campaigning against Robert Kennedy and ensure that the choices in November are clear to voters. It is that whether we like it or not we live in a two-party system and theres only two candidates that can win this presidential election. Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Our job is to make that very clear to voters and in terms of resources to ensure that we re-elect President Biden and an usher in a Democratic House and Senate. We have a $32m program to do that and we will be driving Weve got a great team that we assigned to this No Labels work. Were going to reassign them to our Robert Kennedy work. Epting and Bennett were asked what they would do to woo the Kennedy curious, voters who might be won back, perhaps by less brusque tactics than those employed by Hillary Clinton, who said this week anyone dissatisfied with a Biden-Trump rematch should get over yourself. Were not going to shame people into voting for Joe Biden, Epting said. That is not the pathway to get us out of this quagmire. Really, its making a strategic case to voters, [saying], We understand your grievances, we hear them and yet we live in a two-party presidential system. So the impact of your vote will result in one of two possible worlds. A world in which Donald Trump is president, and he is dismantling our democracy even further. He is instituting a national abortion ban. He is setting up migrant camps, etc. Related: Robert F Kennedy Jr vows to investigate January 6 prosecutions for political bias Or a world in which Joe Biden continues to be in the Oval Office and were able to continue to campaign, to push him to enact all the policies that we have dreamed up to strengthen our democracy: to go further around gun violence prevention reform, to protect abortion rights, to continue to create green new jobs and invest in our economy, to continue to tax the rich. Epting promised to ask tough questions of Kennedy on subjects such as abortion, on which he supported a 15-week ban before quickly reversing. We need to get [his responses] on camera and we need to share what we get with all the voters that we can, especially in battleground states and districts, Epting said. Asked about previous Democratic defeats involving third-party candidates, Bennett said that as a veteran of the [Al] Gore campaign of 2000, losing two elections in my professional life to third-party candidates is incredibly galling, and I have made it my mission that we wont lose three. That was also a reference to 2016, when Jill Stein took votes from Clinton as Trump won. Bennett said: I think everybody in Democratic politics ignored Jill Stein in 2016 because we did not think that she posed a threat, just as the Gore campaign didnt think Ralph Nader posed a threat in 2000. Were simply not going to make that mistake again. Ricarda Louk with her now-deceased daughter Shani in an undated photo - CEN An award given to a photo of Shani Louks dead body in the back of a Hamas truck has forced her family to relive the pain of her murder and abduction on Oct 7, her mother has told The Telegraph. Ricarda Louk, 53, said that pictures of her Israeli-German daughter, 22, were traumatic for all of us. Just try to imagine seeing your loved girl lying half-naked and lifeless on the truck with those savages around her. That trauma was raked up all over again, she said, when one of the photos was among those awarded Team Picture Story of the Year by the Missouri School of Journalisms Reynolds Journalism Institute last month. The picture, which was taken by freelance photographer Ali Mahmud and published by Associated Press, shows four triumphant-looking Hamas militants brandishing a rocket launcher and guns as they sit on top of Shani Louks body, lying face-down in the back of a pickup truck. 'Seeing those pictures again makes our family relive the pain,' says Ms Louk - INES JANAS In the picture, she was still wearing the clubbing outfit she had on when she attended the Nova music festival. Blood and dirt can be seen on her skin. Separate footage posted online later in the day showed her body being paraded around the streets of Gaza, with some spitting on her. Seeing those pictures again because of the contest makes our family relive the pain, said Ms Louk. She also highlighted the fact that the image can still be bought by news outlets, effectively generating profit from her daughters death. Thats really unimaginable, every day goes by they still earn money on those pictures... Theyre still selling them and theyre still making lots of money from them, she said. Ms Louk said the family was not told in advance that the photo was up for an award, adding it made me angry. The fact they celebrated this photo with a prize makes us hurt even more because really, its like celebrating that they were killed. I mean, the whole massacre is celebrated. Its not by chance that they chose this picture so it hurts us even more. Bringing attention to harsh realities of war The Reynolds Journalism Institute has said it strongly condemned the Oct 7 attack by Hamas but that it stood by its award. Reactions to the Team Picture Story of the Year express the greater emotions related to that conflict, said Lynden Steele, the director of photojournalism at the institute. While we understand the reactions to the pictures, we also believe that photojournalism plays an important role in bringing attention to the harsh realities of war. The Telegraph has contacted the Associated Press (AP) for comment. The wire agency is currently being sued by the US-based National Jewish Advocacy Centre for allegedly being so quick to photograph events on Oct 7 because they or their journalists had advance knowledge of the attack. In a statement in February, AP said the lawsuit was baseless. AP had no advance knowledge of the Oct. 7 attacks, nor have we seen any evidence including in the lawsuit that the freelance journalists who contributed to our coverage did. Allegations like this are reckless and create even more potential danger for journalists in the region. Social media outcry Ms Louk is not the only person to condemn the picture being given an award. There was outcry on social media when the picture was posted on Instagram by the Institute. That post has since been deleted. Simon Sebag Montefiore, the British historian and author wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: It is hard to know who is more repellent @AP for using the product of a ghoul who rode with terrorists and rapists as they slaughtered women and children and then stopped to pose and snap this vision of heartless, diabolic triumph or the Missouri School of Journalism that is rewarding that repulsive conduct, A petition demanding Nikon to denounce the award given to the Associated Press for Picture of the Year has raised nearly 150,000 signatures. Ms Louk says she is trying to move on from the horrors of her daughters murder, while still waiting for her body to be returned by Hamas. We did the Shiva which is like the seven days of mourning with lots of people, but we didnt do a burial yet, she said. We are giving it a year for her body to come back and if it doesnt in a year, we will do a burial. Dr Michael Tanner: in his magnificent rooms in Corpus Christi College's Old Court, he would lead novices through The Ring cycle act by act Dr Michael Tanner, who has died aged 88, was one of the most brilliant and single-minded Cambridge dons of his generation. He possessed an astonishing intellectual breadth that both inspired and sometimes overwhelmed his pupils, whose loyalty to him was usually total and unequivocal. For over 60 years a fellow of Corpus Christi College, Tanner was at different times director of studies in Philosophy and English, doing both jobs simultaneously until 1980, when Corpus decided at last to appoint a dedicated English fellow. The English faculty had been founded in 1919 but, as Tanner told one of his undergraduates, the Corpus governing body chose not to appoint a fellow specifically to teach the subject because they considered it to be the mark of a gentleman to have read these books anyway. His approach to English literature, which he had not formally studied (having been an undergraduate on the Moral Sciences tripos) was heavily influenced by his admiration for, and friendship with, FR Leavis and his wife Queenie. Tanners greatest passion in life, however, was for music, notably the works of Richard Wagner. He had been captivated by them after hearing Parsifal on the Third Programme (a service he considered an essential part of his education) at the age of 16, and built up a vast collection of recordings on vinyl and on cassette tapes. His interest, as a philosopher, in Nietzsche created another important intellectual bridge with Wagners music. For years he held informal evening gatherings in his magnificent rooms in Corpuss Old Court (the oldest continually inhabited building in the university, dating from 1352), which were said to have belonged to Christopher Marlowe, where he would lead novices through The Ring cycle act by act. Wagner His God, as a conductor, was Furtwangler, whom he felt interpreted Wagner in a way that realised the supreme artistic achievement, in words, music and ideas, of The Ring. He wrote the introduction to the English translations of Furtwanglers Notebooks, and became good friends with the conductors widow. In later life he became opera critic of The Spectator, a post he held for more than 20 years, though it was an occupation to which he brought a refreshing degree of cynicism: as he once said to a friend, youre typical of people who love Wagner. You hate opera. However, his passion for the operas of Mozart was intense, although he detested much of Richard Strauss. His critical acuity was immense, and no one not even authorities such as Roger Scruton or Bryan Magee wrote about Wagner with such insight. Michael Keith Tanner was born in Bromley, Kent, on April 15 1935. His father had served in the London Fire Brigade, but moved to Warwickshire shortly before the Second World War to become the countys Chief Fire Officer. He helped lead the battle to put out the blazes in Coventry on November 14 1940 when the Luftwaffe blitzed the city and its cathedral. Michael, then aged five, was evacuated to live with a piano teacher and her elderly mother. He found the sound of the piano fascinating, and asked whether he could sit quietly in the lessons just to listen to it. The first piece of music to which he became attached was The Messiah, and for 10 years he attended every performance he could. He would refuse to stand for the Hallelujah chorus, however, feeling it an absurd tradition, and he eventually came to detest the piece and said he never wanted to hear it again. He quickly moved on to Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. When Michael was 12 the family acquired a piano, and he achieved a reasonable level of competence in playing it, though he was reluctant to do so in company. Influenced by Hollywood romances, he recalled that I liked the idea of playing the piano dramatically, and coughing blood over the keyboard. Nietzsche From the age of 10, he recalled, he was passionately and ignorantly keen. that I should come to Cambridge to study philosophy. He enjoyed listening to Bertrand Russell and CEM Joad (quite a hero of mine, I am ashamed to say) on the wireless. He attended Warwick School, where he began to develop philosophical interests about life and death, body and mind, and whether right and wrong were objective values. His family were Anglicans and he was not religious, but at the age of 13 felt the pull of the Roman Catholic church, and started to attend High Mass. It was typical of him that his curiosity about Catholicism, which never matured into anything approaching a deep faith, was stimulated by attacks on the religion by Protestant evangelicals. Infallibility was something I was really interested in, he said in 2010, because I have a strongly ambivalent attitude towards authority my basic tendency is to sabotage it, and satire is my favourite literary genre. As a schoolboy he was reading Bertrand Russell, but after encountering Parsifal moved on to Ernest Newmans Wagner Nights. After National Service in the RAF part of which he spent stationed in Lubeck in Germany and spying on Soviet activity he went up to Corpus in 1955. He took a double first, and was elected to a fellowship in 1961. Shortly afterwards he was appointed director of studies in Philosophy and English, and then as Dean of the college, which put him in charge of undergraduate welfare and discipline. Given that he was an incipient rebel this was an ironic appointment to say the least. He was appointed an assistant lecturer in Moral Sciences in 1961 and to a lectureship in 1965, a post he held until retiring in 2002, when Corpus appointed him a Life Fellow. He livened up what he considered the somewhat moribund Moral Sciences faculty at Cambridge by introducing the teaching of aesthetics, and also a deep study of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, the 19th-century German philosophers who would guide his understanding of Wagner. By the early 1970s Tanner had built a reputation as a radical voice in the faculty, but he was not ambitious for status and did not strive to make friends or build alliances, which helped explain why, for all his originality and profundity of mind, he was never awarded a chair. He also became a heavy drinker, which began to affect his work, but gave up alcohol for good in the mid-1970s. Schopenhauer Tanner remained unconventional in appearance, his hair en brosse, dressed for decades in a 1960s Mod-style leather jacket, and later in life adopted brightly coloured tops with his ubiquitous jeans. His uncompromising approach to intellectual matters put him at one with Leavis, whom he met in the late 1950s and whose black-and-white attitude to English studies and view of English literature as the central humane subject in academic pursuits he entirely shared. He described Leavis as the one greatest teaching influence on my life. Tanners trademark style, whether teaching a small group of undergraduates, lecturing a room or simply in conversation with friends and colleagues, was to express unequivocal views that sought to stimulate debate, and were often based on decades of reading, thought and reflection. He either admired people or works of art to the point of adulation, or dismissed them with brutal severity: one of his most deployed verbs was to loathe. One of his favourite adjectives about students he had felt had not taken their work seriously enough was thick, which he would almost spit out. He was especially hard on those he thought had some talent but had failed to develop it. He wrote introductions for several of Nietzsches works for Penguin Books, including Beyond Good and Evil, Ecce Homo, The Birth of Tragedy Out of the Spirit of Music and Twilight of the Idols. His Nietzsche was published by Oxford University Press in 1994, Wagner by Harper Collins in 1996, Schopenhauer by Routledge in its Great Philosophers series in 1999, and The Faber Pocket Guide to Wagner in 2010 of which, however, he said there are some things about that book that make me gag. The Faber Pocket Guide to Wagner by Michael Tanner (2010) When asked why he had written it he replied that I reasoned that if I didnt do it they would get someone who would make a mess of it to do it instead. He was motivated by the thought of how many remarks about Wagners dark underside we would encounter. He had been attacked for repudiating the link between Wagner and Hitler (the idea of his endorsing let alone sharing the blame for Auschwitz does seem absolutely grotesque) and he continued to taunt those who accused Wagner of being a forerunner of the Nazis, or who propagated absurdities such as that someone who died before Hitler was born can be responsible for the Third Reich. After his retirement Tanner devoted himself to musical criticism. He was a frequent visitor to his college, where he lunched most weekdays on High Table; his renunciation of alcohol meant that he almost never came in for dinner. He and his partner Michael Amos, a businessman to whom he was devoted, converted a disused pub in Cambridge into a stunning home with a spectacular library and spent their weekends in a medieval house in the walls of the Abbey at Bury St Edmunds. Tanner was an inveterate cyclist, and in 2022 was knocked off his bike in the city. Although his injuries did not seem severe he was never entirely the same again, and he died in Addenbrookes hospital after a short illness. Michael Amos survives him. Michael Tanner, born April 15 1935, died April 3 2024 James Heappey, the outgoing Armed Forces minister, agreed with the assessment of Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, that the UK had moved into a 'pre-war age' - Corporal Nathan Tanuku/Army Britain has failed to prepare itself for war as a whole nation endeavour, former defence ministers have warned in a stark wake-up call to the Government. James Heappey, the former Armed Forces minister, has revealed that only Whitehall officials from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) bothered to take part in an exercise to find out how the country would be governed from the UKs wartime bunker. Two weeks after leaving office, the Tory MP and former Army officer urged ministers to prepare for conflict. He called on them to put plans in place for commandeering land for cultivation to feed the nation and requisitioning consumer electronics for weapons. His comments were backed by Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary, who said there were too many people in the Government relying on hoping that the current instability would go away. Mr Wallace, who led the MoD until August last year, said it was time to blow the dust off manuals drawn up during the Cold War on how Britain would be run during wartime. The criticism from the two comes as the Government is belatedly reviewing its contingency plans for an all-out war against the backdrop of Russias invasion of Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East. Mr Heappey, a former soldier who reached the rank of Major, served as Armed Forces minister for four years between February 2020 and this March, when he announced that he would be standing down as a minister and would not contest the general election. Writing for The Telegraph, he said he agreed with the assessment of Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, that the UK has moved into a pre-war age following Russias invasion of Ukraine. However, he warned that Britains preparedness did not match the scale of the threat, adding: War is a whole nation endeavour and, to be frank, in the UK were a very long way behind. During the Cold War, Britain had a set of national plans the Government War Book detailing how the country would transition from peace to war. Mr Heappey, 43, said that there were parts of the Government that had not given serious thought to how the UK would function at war since I was in primary school. The post-Cold War peace dividend meant that our strategic resilience could slip down the list of government priorities, he said. Defence meant doing things in remote places like Afghanistan or Iraq rather than in Western Europe and the North Atlantic. As a result, the rest of Government didnt need to worry about defence it was just left to the MoD. He said this ignored the fact that, in a war, the whole of Government would have to be involved. Pointing out that certain Cabinet ministers have reserved desks and beds in the UKs wartime bunker, he said: They are there because their departments are as integral to the war effort as the MoD. James Heappey has warned that Britain's preparedness does not match the scale of the threat - Jeff Gilbert Mr Heappey said Mr Wallace, when he was defence secretary in 2022, had pushed hard for a whole of Government exercise to get people down to the bunker so they could see what their working environment in war would be. However, he claimed the proposal had fallen on deaf ears and said: In the end, rather depressingly, it was just defence ministers, senior military officers and MoD officials that participated. Its a shame that the whole of Whitehall didnt get involved, not only because it was a useful exercise in continuity of government and would have exposed how out of date many of our procedures now are, but also because once the doors of the bunker are sealed the mood does quickly change and you start to ask yourself very seriously what your job is in the most dangerous moment our nation could face. Mr Heappey said ministers needed to have answers to a host of questions, from how Britain would feed itself during war to how public services would work. He revealed that, as a minister, he had been leading a piece of work into whether the legislation in the War Book remained usable, but had concluded that much of it no longer was. Mr Wallace echoed the call for the Government to raise its game, telling The Telegraph: The growing instability and insecurity directed at Britain and her allies means that the whole of society needs to make a step change towards recognising that our core duty is to think about our defence and our resilience. Its how we used to think during the Cold War, and everyone from local government to the MoD played their part. Mr Wallace added that while the MoD had made the change in the last few years, there are too many people in Government and society relying on just hoping everything will go away. He added: Its time to blow the dust of all the old manuals and processes of the Cold War, understand the role that we have to play in it, and modernise it. A senior national security official, who asked not to be named, agreed with the two former ministers that Britain was underprepared, saying: We spend more time considering whether we are sufficiently diverse and inclusive than preparing for threats which would potentially destroy the nation. The source said that, while Whitehall had initially responded to the invasion of Ukraine as a whole of Government effort, it had retreated back to business as usual, adding: There is a sense that we have lost our way a bit weve lost our momentum on ramping up industrial capability. The source claimed good ideas for improving resilience ended up lost in the bureaucratic morass of the Cabinet Office or poo-pooed by the Foreign Office, who dont want to recognise the sad reality of the modern world. The intervention by Mr Heappey and Mr Wallace comes at a time when Rishi Sunak is under pressure from many of his MPs to increase defence spending. Britain currently spends about two per cent of GDP on defence, but Mr Sunak has been urged to include a commitment to move to three per cent in the Conservative Partys election manifesto. A government spokesman said: We are investing a record amount in defence to protect the national security of the United Kingdom and ensure the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. Between 2020 and 2025, weve invested an extra 24 billion the largest sustained increase since the end of the Cold War. The UK has robust plans in place for a range of potential emergencies and scenarios, with plans and supporting arrangements developed, refined and tested over many years. Practical steps taken to enhance the nations resilience include the launch of the UK Government Resilience Framework, the publication of the National Risk Register and strengthened work with local partners and front line authorities. We regularly hold cross-government planning exercises for a range of scenarios and continue to review the risk landscape, including threats to the UK from overseas. The comments by the former ministers will feed into a wider debate taking place about how the UK should defend itself. In January, General Sir Patrick Sanders, the head of the Army, said the military needed to be able to train and equip a citizen army if needed. Krisjanis Karins, the Latvian foreign minister, has suggested that the UK should follow his country in reintroducing conscription. Last week, Sir Alex Younger, a former head of MI6, said Britain could in extremis emulate Sweden by rolling out a form of selective conscription. A car destroyed in the missile strikes in Kharkiv on 6 April. Photograph: Sergey Bobok/AFP/Getty Images President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned last night that Ukraine could run out of air defence missiles if Russia keeps up its intense long-range bombing campaign. The Ukrainian leaders starkest warning to date of the deteriorating situation faced by his countrys air defences follows weeks of Russian strikes on the energy infrastructure, towns and cities using a vast arsenal of missiles and drones. If they keep hitting [Ukraine] every day the way they have for the last month, we might run out of missiles, and the partners know it, Zelenskiy said on Ukrainian television. Ukraine had enough air defence stockpiles to cope for the moment, he said, but added that it was already having to make difficult choices about what to protect. He singled out in particular the need for Patriot missiles. The sophisticated US air defence systems had been vital during Russian attacks with ballistic and hypersonic missiles, and 25 systems would be needed to cover the country fully, he said. The president also said Ukraine does not have enough ammunition for a counter-offensive against Russia but has started receiving some from partners to defend itself. We dont have shells for counter-offensive actions. As for the defence there are several initiatives, and were receiving weapons, he added. He said his country would agree to a US aid package in the form of a loan. We will agree to any options, he said, adding that the key thing was that the aid arrived the sooner, the better. Russian forces attacked Ukraine with drones and missiles overnight, killing at least eight people and wounding 11 more in Kharkiv, Ukraines second largest city. Russia had attacked with 32 Iranian-made Shahed drones and fired six missiles, according to the air force commander. Ukrainian air defences shot down three cruise missiles and 28 drones, Lt Gen Mykola Oleshchuk said. Russian killers continue to terrorise Ukrainians and attack Kharkiv and other peaceful cities, he said. The Kharkiv regions governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said that the missile strikes on the city had damaged homes, a petrol station, a kindergarten, a cafe, a shop and cars. The city has suffered extensive damage from months of Russian bombardment since Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. A Ukrainian drone attack on the Morozovsk airbase in Russias Rostov oblast killed or injured 20 airfield personnel and destroyed six Russian warplanes, as well as badly damaging eight others, according to Ukrainian officials on Friday. Russian defence officials, however, claimed they intercepted more than 40 Ukrainian drones and only a power substation was damaged in the barrage. Neither sides claims could be independently verified. Michelle Donelan says AI has become part of the 'special relationship' between the UK and US - TOLGA AKMEN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The US is leaning on the UK for artificial intelligence (AI) support because of Britains expertise in the field, the Science Secretary has claimed. Michelle Donelan visited Washington, DC this week to sign a landmark cooperation agreement between the British and American AI safety institutes following months of behind-the-scenes diplomacy. She said that AI, like longstanding intelligence and defence pacts between the UK and US, had become part of the special relationship, and criticised the EU for rushing to regulate the technology. The United States is leaning on us at this time because we already are more advanced in terms of where our institute is up to, Ms Donelan told The Telegraph. We are sharing both expertise and information on the technology that will decide this generation. There is a deep, special relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States in our work on AI, she added. The US wanted to conclude the agreement before a general election when a new Labour government could adopt overbearing EU regulations, a source in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology claimed. Both governments announced they would set up AI safety institutes to understand the risks of the technology around the time of last years Bletchley Park summit. Britains institute, which has been running since November, was handed an initial investment of 100 million while hoovering much of the available talent. By contrast, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where the US body will be based, is badly underfunded. Staff routinely struggle with leaking roofs, poor internet, blackouts and mould, the Washington Post reports. Michelle Donelan and Gina Raimondo, the US commerce secretary (pictured), reportedly high-fived after cameras recording the signing ceremony were switched off - Peerapon Boonyakiat/SOPA Images/Shutterstock Small teams on both sides have exchanged hundreds of calls and emails since the Bletchley Park summit, with Britain providing advice on setting up the US institute while thrashing out a formal cooperation deal. The two camps met face-to-face in March when they ducked into a quiet room on the sidelines of a G7 gathering in Verona. Ms Donelan and Gina Raimondo, the US commerce secretary, have exchanged several calls on the deal. When they finally signed it this week, the pair high-fived after cameras recording the ceremony were switched off. Meanwhile, Ms Donelan declared that Britain was leading the world in AI while hitting out at the EU, which voted to approve regulations last month. I think rushing to legislate in an area where technology is still not properly understood and the risks are still emerging means that you can end up with legislation that will quickly be out of date, she said. The approach that we have taken will mean that well be able to influence the global standards and the global approach. A spokesman for the Labour Party said: A Labour government would work closely with the US on AI safety and economic opportunity and we will always ensure regulation can safely drive innovation and growth. The Government are right to collaborate with the United States on this crucial technology, but ministers are still missing a plan for domestic safeguards. The United States issued an executive order setting out rules and regulations to keep US citizens safe, but the UK is still lagging far behind. He noted that Peter Kyle, the shadow science secretary, had met with leading AI companies and members of the US commerce department. Greta Thunberg, the climate activist, was detained by police twice at a demonstration in the Netherlands on Saturday. Ms Thunberg was initially detained and held for a short time by local police along with other protesters who tried to block a major road into The Hague. After she was released, she quickly rejoined a small group of protesters blocking a different road leading to the railway station. There, she was detained a second time. Ms Thunberg, 21, was seen flashing a victory sign as she sat in a bus used by police to take detained demonstrators from the scene. The demonstration attended by approximately 100 people and organised by Extinction Rebellion, the climate activist group was against Dutch subsidies and tax breaks to companies linked to fossil fuel industries. Greta Thunberg, seen being put into a bus by police, became the face of young climate activists worldwide after weekly protests Sweden in 2018 - Ramon van Flymen/Shutterstock Greta Thunberg gestures from inside the bus after being detained in The Hague - Peter Dejong/AP Extinction Rebellion said before the protest that activists would block a main road into The Hague, but a heavy police presence, including officers on horseback, initially prevented them from getting onto the road. The small group then managed to sit down on another road and its members were detained after ignoring police orders to leave. Extinction Rebellion activists have blocked the A12, which runs past the temporary home of the Dutch parliament, more than 30 times to protest against the subsidies. The demonstrators waved flags and chanted: We are unstoppable, another world is possible. The A12 blockades have ensured that the injustice of fossil subsidies is clear to everyone, Joost Thus, a spokesman for Extinction Rebellion, said ahead of the protest. The success of the A12 blockades has set in motion an international movement. At previous protests, police drove detained protesters to another part of town, where they were released. Local police were not immediately available for comment on Saturday. Ms Thunberg became the face of young climate activists worldwide after staging weekly protests in front of the Swedish parliament in 2018. She has been detained multiple times, including in Germany, Norway, Sweden and the UK. Storm Kathleen is expected to bring both strong winds and the hottest day of the year so far for the UK, as it pummels the country with warm air from the continent this weekend. The Met Office said temperatures could reach up to 22C in East Anglia, while western areas will see gusts of up to 70mph on Saturday. The forecaster has issued a yellow weather warning for wind in the north west and south west of England, parts of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, from 8am to 10pm on Saturday. The weekend is fast approaching and so too is #StormKathleen But despite the strong winds, there'll also be some warm sunshine at times on #Saturday Find out when you'll have the driest conditions by checking the #4cast pic.twitter.com/xMgYGDQH8E Met Office (@metoffice) April 5, 2024 Met Office meteorologist Ellie Glaisyer told the PA news agency: The storm is the reason we are seeing the warmer temperatures, because the location of the storm situated out towards the west of the UK is bringing a southerly wind across the UK. This is bringing those warmer temperatures from the continent, meaning we are likely to see temperatures reaching 22C. The highest temperature of the year so far was 19.9C, recorded at the end of January at Achfary in north-west Scotland. Storm Kathleen is likely to bring some heavy rain across the UK overnight, which will spread its way northwards across the country, Ms Glaisyer said, adding: For most places it should be a relatively dry start to Saturday. Storm Kathleen is also expected to bring 50-60mph winds quite widely on Saturday, while some Irish Sea coastal regions will see gusts up to 70mph and large waves. Ms Glaisyer said: Almost anywhere is going to see above average temperatures. Western parts of the UK are likely to see temperatures of 15 or 16C. However, the further west you are, where those strongest winds are in that yellow warning area, despite the temperatures being above average it will feel a little colder. On Friday, the Met Office updated its weather warning to forecast stronger gusts during Storm Kathleen than previously predicted. It warned of injuries and danger to life from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties, a possibility that road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected and the potential for power cuts and phone service outages. The forecaster said winds would stay strong into Sunday, particularly in northern parts of Scotland. There will still be some showers around, but there should be some sunshine between those showers, Ms Glaisyer said, adding: It is generally remaining unsettled through much of next week. There is another area of low pressure moving towards the UK through Monday and into Tuesday. That is likely to bring some heavy rain for much of the UK, particularly in the West. Storm Kathleen, named by the Irish meteorological service Met Eireann, is the 11th named storm in eight months. #StormKathleen has been named by @MetEireann and is forecast to bring strong winds to Ireland and much of the UK on Saturday Stay #weatheraware pic.twitter.com/dcDmifdqjL Met Office (@metoffice) April 4, 2024 It is only the second time in a UK storm season that the letter K has been reached in the alphabet. The Met Offices shipping forecast had 20 gale warnings in place on Friday evening for sea areas including Viking, Plymouth, Biscay, Sole and Lundy. The Environment Agency (EA) issued 14 flood warnings where flooding is expected and 123 flood alerts in England on Friday, with National Resources Wales issuing four flood alerts. The Environment Agency also issued 43 red cautions for strong streams on the River Thames, advising users of all boats not to navigate. 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. Jeff Greenberg / Contributor/Getty Images As a native Floridian, you could say I was raised on Publix. When I was a baby, my mom pushed me down each aisle as I dangled my legs from the shopping cart. As a child, I practiced saying 'thank you' when accepting my free cookie at the bakery, and weighed myself every week on the giant green scale near the entrance. As a teenager, I bought Pub Subs with my friends and we took them to the beach. After college, I moved up North, but the store was usually one of my first stops when I came back to visit. Compared to the big city supermarkets I was frequenting at the time, Publix was a calm, brightly lit, incredibly stocked oasis. Much later, as an adult, I moved back down South to Alabama. Publix was the first place I drove our rental car and it felt like coming home. Everything else in my life felt unfamiliar, but as I walked into the store, I knew I was in the right place. Eventually, I found myself pushing my own baby in a shopping cart, and taking him to get his free cookie. All of this is to say that I am very well-versed in the world of Publix products. It remains my favorite grocery store, not just for sentimental reasons, but for the friendly employees and quality products, many of which are the store's own brand. (And I am not the only one who feels this way.) Here are some of the items that make it into my cart week after week, and hopefully well into the future. Related: 7 Ways You Can Save Money When Shopping at Publix Getty Images Bakery Bread One of my all-time favorite Publix items is brioche hamburger buns, found in the bakery section. Tender and squishy, they are the ideal roll for any type of sandwich. And they freeze well too, which is a good thing to know if they are on sale. (Same goes for their brioche hot dog buns.) I also buy a loaf of bread at the bakery every week. Our favorite is the Publix Mountain Loaf, which comes in white or wheat. I like that bakery employees will slice it, if you like, and that you can choose how thick you'd like the slices to be cut. Pizza Dough We eat a lot of pizza at our house because of this dough, which is also available in the bakery. If it's available, I prefer the pre-rolled kind, like you see here. All you have to do is let the dough come to room temperature, then unfold it right onto a (preheated) baking sheet. Add some toppings, and dinner's done. Publix Fried Chicken If you've had Publix's famous fried chicken, I don't need to tell you how good it is. (I think the secret is celery salt, but that's just a guess.) My son goes crazy for their fried chicken tenders, which have a wonderfully crunchy and craggy crust. Dried Mango If this dried mango doesn't come home, it is practically a crisis at our house. We've gone through hundreds of bags of this stuff, and while it isn't always in stock (Publix execs, I hope you are reading this), it is worth seeking out and buying up when you can find it. Unlike a lot of other dried packaged mango slices which can be overly sweet or too sour, these are always just right and there is no sugar added. Publix Ice Cream I appreciate Publix's steadfast commitment to seasonal ice cream flavors. They just keep 'em coming all year long! And while other brands make limited-edition flavors that seem more designed to grab attention and headlines, Publix's ice cream comes in flavors I'd actually want to eat. Frozen Plantains This Cuban Black Bean and Rice Bowl is my go-to recipe when I can't muster the brainpower to figure out what's for dinner. We eat it a lot, but it never seems to get old. (And looks like commenters feel the same way!) The recipe instructs you to bake raw plantains in the oven, but truth be told, I skip this step and microwave these frozen ones, which makes the whole dish come together in no time. Canned Chickpeas What can't a chickpea do? These legumes find their way into so many of my recipes, and Publix is my go-to brand. Unlike other canned chickpeas, these are typically uniform in size and you don't get any of those weird gray ones floating around in there. Mini Muffins Mini muffins from the Publix bakery have gotten me out of many a jam, particularly classroom parties, where everyone has to bring something to share that is individually portioned. I've also served them at brunch when I didn't have time to make muffins from scratch. The blueberry and banana-nut flavors are equally good. Milk Publix GreenWise milk has been my go-to for years. It's always fresh and tastes just as good (if not better) than other organic milk brands. I also like that there's a lactose-free option. Facebook/Publix Pub Subs How could I not mention the Pub Sub? While I don't buy one every week, it is a tried-and-true lunch and a savior on those I-don't-ever-want-to-cook-again-nights. Related: 7 Publix Hacks That Make It The Elite Grocery Store For more Southern Living news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Southern Living. Apple's patent illustration of an Apple Watch with a camera. Screenshot from United States Patent and Trademark Office Apple is reportedly working on home robots that could follow users and be used for FaceTime sessions. The company also has a patent lineup that peeks into what could be its "next big thing." Analysts predict which Apple patents are likely to become products. Here's what they said. Apple is exploring the creation of home robots in an effort to make its "next big thing" after the company ended its self-driving car project earlier this year, sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. The tech giant is looking into developing a mobile robot that follows users around their houses, Bloomberg reported. It's also working on a tabletop device that can rotate a screen independently. The rotating smart device could follow a user's head movements during a FaceTime session and zoom into a particular person in a crowd that's on the call, per Bloomberg. It's not clear if these robots will ever hit the market. But Apple may not just be betting on domestic machines. The company's famously hefty patent lineup offers a glimpse into what else the iPhone maker could make as part of its quest to create the next big product. For example, some of the tech giant's recent patents point to a 20.3-inch MacBook with a foldable screen that top analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts could enter mass production in 2027. Others may also be on the horizon, said Anmol Saini, a technical architect at Insights by GreyB, the innovation consulting firm's patent research division. Saini is part of a team that analyzes the latest trends in Apple's patents. He identified three Apple patents he believes the company will likely make. The patents Saini identified as "highly probable" include: 1) An Apple Watch with a camera Apple's patent illustration of an Apple Watch with a camera. Screenshot from United States Patent and Trademark Office 2) A hand-wearable accessory for the Apple Vision Pro Apple's patent illustration of hand wearables for a headset. Screenshot from USPTO 3) Siri that works offline on the iPhone An Apple patent illustration of an offline version of Siri Screenshot from USPTO Notably, most of Apple's patents the company filed 95,500 of them globally, per recent Insights by GreyB data don't make it to production. "Typically, about 30% of them ultimately find their way to some feature," Gene Munster, an analyst at Deepwater Asset Management, told BI regarding the tech giant's patents. Saini says he made these predictions based on the trends he identified when reviewing the patents. He noted that the Apple Watch camera could be a feasible product because "a lot" of Apple's patents were around gesture and hands-free control, which he claims depend on a camera feed. The same goes for the Vision Pro's hand-wearable accessory. Many patents related to the gaming and VR space, he said, explicitly mention a "hand wearable device." "This kind of detail is usually not common unless the company has plans to build such accessories for advanced use," Saini said. In terms of Siri, the analyst says that "almost all of the patents around AI" mention words like "privacy," "secure," and "local training." He says they indicate Apple's values for its AI strategy and "point indirectly" toward offline models. "I think all three of those make sense," Munster said when asked if he agreed with Saini's predictions. "I would consider them a natural evolution of their product lines." The Deepwater analyst added that an Apple watch with a camera would be a "big selling point." He says that making Siri work entirely offline would make sense because the AI assistant has "a lot of limitations" when the iPhone isn't connected to WiFi or cellular data. However, Munster said a hand accessory for Apple's mixed reality headset is the "longest shot of the three." After all, he noted that similar patents like an iPhone with a keyboard never came to fruition. The analysts' predictions come as Apple switches gears to focus on AI technology some say the company is falling behind. In early March, Apple killed its self-driving car project to redirect its team efforts to AI. The tech giant appears to be working on an AI coding tool similar to Microsoft's GitHub Copilot and an AI-powered search feature titled Spotlight, among others, according to Bloomberg. Rumors are even swirling that Apple may even be in talks with Google to build Gemini, the search giant's generative AI model, into the iPhone, per Bloomberg. "Apple has been silently doing a lot of research on AI," analyst Saini said when asked about Apple's patents related to AI. The company's strategy is increasingly coming under scrutiny. The US Department of Justice sued Apple this week for engaging in illegal anti-competitive practices to dominate the smartphone market. Still, Munster doesn't see this as the company's ploy to stay competitive. "I don't think their patent strategy is defensive," he said. "I think it's offensive and opportunistic within that." Apple didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment before publication. Read the original article on Business Insider By Blake Brittain (Reuters) - Apple urged a U.S. appeals court on Friday to overturn a U.S. trade tribunal's decision to ban imports of some Apple Watches in a patent dispute with medical-monitoring technology company Masimo. Apple told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that the U.S. International Trade Commission's decision was based on a "series of substantively defective patent rulings," and that Masimo failed to show it had invested in making competing U.S. products that would justify the order. Representatives for Apple and Masimo did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the filing. Irvine, California-based Masimo has accused Apple of hiring away its employees and stealing its pulse oximetry technology after discussing a potential collaboration. Apple first introduced pulse oximetry to its Series 6 Apple Watches in 2020. Masimo convinced the ITC on Dec. 26 to block imports of Apple's latest-edition Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches after finding that their technology for reading blood-oxygen levels infringed Masimo's patents. Apple temporarily resumed sales of the watches the next day after persuading the Federal Circuit to pause the ban. The appeals court reinstated the ban in January, leading Apple to remove pulse oximetry capabilities from watches sold during the appeal, which Apple has said could last at least a year. U.S. Customs and Border Protection separately determined in January that redesigned versions of the watches did not violate Masimo's rights and would not be not subject to the ban. Masimo said in a court filing that the watches "definitively do not contain pulse oximetry functionality." Apple told the Federal Circuit on Friday that the ban could not stand because a Masimo wearable covered by the patents was "purely hypothetical" when it filed its ITC complaint in 2021. The tech giant also argued that Masimo's patents were invalid and that its watches did not infringe them. (Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Josie Kao) A University of South Carolina student is being hailed a hero after he took control of a charter bus following a crash Friday in Hancock County, Mississippi, according to authorities. Eleven people onboard the bus were injured. The driver of the bus, 55-year-old Tina Wilson, and a student were airlifted from the scene in critical condition, according to police. The charter bus, carrying 56 students from the University of South Carolina, was traveling west on Interstate 10 around 3 p.m. local time when it collided with a center concrete barrier, police said. PHOTO: A charter bus crashed in Hancock County, Mississippi, on April 5, 2024. (Mississippi Highway Patrol) "The bus is still moving, now it's on all wheels on the ground, still moving out of control without a driver," Bay St. Louis Police Chief Toby Schwartz said. "So heroically the second hero of the day, a young man, a student with Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, Paul Clune, grabs that steering wheel and regains control of the bus until it came to a final stop." The bus, according to the University of South Carolina, was transporting fraternity members and guests to an event in New Orleans, Louisiana. PHOTO: A charter bus crashed in Hancock County, Mississippi, on April 5, 2024. (Mississippi Highway Patrol) PHOTO: A charter bus crashed in Hancock County, Mississippi, on April 5, 2024. (Mississippi Highway Patrol) "Our thoughts go out to the students involved in the accident and those affected by it," the university said in a statement. MORE: At least 2 dead, including student, in crash involving school bus on Texas highway: Authorities The remaining students at the crash site were transported to a nearby school building, where they arranged for further transportation, police said. Authorities are not sure what caused the crash, but preliminary information suggests that a mechanical failure may have caused the incident, Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper Cal Robertson said. This crash remains under investigation by the Mississippi Highway Patrol. College student hailed a hero after he took control of bus after crash originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Boeing handed over $160 million to Alaska Airlines to make up for the carriers losses after a January incident in which a door plug flew off one of its Boeing planes. The airplane manufacturers cash disbursement to Alaska Airlines was an initial payment to make up for the equivalent of its losses in Q1 pretax profit, primarily comprising lost revenues, costs due to irregular operations, and costs to restore our fleet to operating service, according to an SEC filing by the airline Thursday. Alaska Airlines said Boeings multimillion-dollar payment was just the beginning and additional compensation is expected to be provided beyond Q1, although it didnt disclose how much or when. Following the door-plug incident in January, Alaska Airlines grounded its fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 Max airplanes. The Federal Aviation Administration later temporarily grounded more than 170 of the planes across airlines as the National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation. Most are now back in service. Following the door-plug incident, a string of failures with components of Boeing planes attracted the ire of its customers and scrutiny from regulators. Last month, the companys CEO, Dave Calhoun, said he would step down at the end of the year. Boeing still has work to do before it can regain its customers trust. Alaska Airlines CEO, Ben Minicucci, said in an interview following the January incident that he was angry at Boeing and demanded it improve its manufacturing process. Minicucci added that an inspection by the FAA found that many of the airlines grounded 737-9 Max planes had loose bolts. Another airline and one of Boeings biggest customers, United, has said it may ask its pilots to take unpaid time off next month because Boeing is so late in delivering its new planes. The airlines CEO had previously said he was disappointed with Boeing and was looking to its Europe-based rival Airbus as an alternative. Meanwhile, Boeing is looking for a new CEO to right the ship as its stock faces a 27% collapse since the start of the year. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com 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. The Israeli military said Saturday that it had recovered the body of an Israeli hostage during an overnight raid in the Gaza Strip. The body of Elad Katzir was returned to Israel after an operation in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, the Israel Defense Forces said. According to Israeli military intelligence, Katzir died while being held in captivity by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a militant group that took part in the Oct. 7 attacks alongside Hamas, and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. Elad Katzir. (via the Hostages and Missing Families Forum) The IDF expressed its deepest condolences to the family. In a Facebook post written in Hebrew, Katzir's sister, Carmit Palty Katzir, took comfort in the return of her brothers body, saying "Elad will have a grave in Nir Oz. We will not remain in uncertainty." She went on to sharply criticize the IDF and the Israeli government. "He could have been saved if a deal was reached in time," Carmit wrote, noting that he was photographed alive twice while in captivity. "Our leadership is cowardly and driven by political considerations and that is why it did not happen." Katzir, then 47, was taken hostage by the PIJ on Oct. 7 from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a community near the Gaza border that was among the hardest hit by the Hamas-led attacks. In December, Katzir appeared in a video released by Al-Quds Brigades, the military arm of the PIJ. Katzir pleaded for his release alongside another hostage who identified himself as Gadi Moses. Katzir's mother, Hanna Katzir, was also taken hostage and subsequently released on Nov. 24 during the seven-day truce and hostage-prisoner exchange. Katzir's father, Avraham-Rami Katzir, was killed during the attack on the kibbutz. Katzir was born and raised in Nir Oz, where he worked on agricultural irrigation, and was the liaison between the kibbutz and the military. The IDF reiterated that it will continue to locate and return the remaining 130 or so hostages in Gaza "until the task is complete." The operation to recover Katzir's body comes as Hamas said it would send a delegation to join renewed talks for a hostage deal in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. President Joe Biden this week urged Israel to reach an immediate cease-fire agreement. 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 Family, friends and activists join hands at the intersection of West Hadley and North 18th streets on Friday following the death of Lakeyshia Timmons, who was shot and killed Monday outside her home. "Lakeyshia did the right thing. She tried to avoid this. She was ignored." That was the message sent by community advocate and radio host Tory Lowe at a prayer vigil Friday for 42-year-old Lakeyshia Timmons. The Milwaukee mother of eight was shot and killed Monday by the father of her children after returning from dropping her kids off at school, according to prosecutors. Her death came at the end of an arduous and yearslong custody battle over three of her children with their father, 52-year-old Ronald E. Fuller. Her family is speaking out as Timmons seemingly took all the right steps to avoid interactions with Fuller prior to her death. Latanilia Timmons, Lakeyshia's mother, stood at the scene of her daughter's death in the 2700 block of North 18th Street on Friday with other family, friends and activists to talk about her daughter. "I don't know why Mr. Fuller did this to my daughter, over a custody battle that she won," Latanilia Timmons said. Lakeyshia Timmons was awarded sole custody and primary placement of her children in late February. Latanilia Timmons and community advocate Tory Lowe address the media following the homicide of 42-year-old Lakeyshia Timmons, a mother of eight. Before then, Lakeyshia Timmons filed a restraining order against Fuller, but the court denied her request. Court records show that Lakeyshia Timmons' harassment retraining order against Fuller was denied the same day by Deputy Family Court Commissioner David Pruhs in October 2023. Family said that Lakeyshia Timmons often reported Fuller to the police when he would harass her. "We gonna have to get something done about this because this is not fair to the system," Latanilia Timmons said. "My daughter did not deserve to die like this." The Timmons family is requesting a meeting with Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Police Chief Jeffrey Norman. Although they said the mayor's staff has been in touch with them. Lakeyshia Timmons' 24-year-old daughter, also named Latanilia Timmons, said Friday that, "(My mother) reported everything that he did, all of his tactics, and nothing was done. We need answers. My siblings, they deserve answers. ... This won't rest until something is done." The Timmons siblings remember their mother as one of the best around, having raised her four adult children all on her own. Lakeyshia Timmons also has four other children ages 3 to 12. Lakeyshia Timmons' adult children address media at a vigil Friday for their mother. Jessica Thomas (gray sweatshirt) and Latanilia Timmons (second from right) said their mother was the best around. "She had a beautiful soul. She was a nice person," said Jessica Thomas, Lakeyshia Timmons' other 24-year-old daughter. "She was very loved by everyone. Like everybody loved her. You couldn't get no bad comments from my momma. ... If anyone of y'all would have come up to our door saying y'all was hungry, she woulda fed all y'all." A GoFundMe page set up by the family had raised nearly $6,000 by Friday evening. Lakeyshia D. Timmons, 42 Court records detail an arduous custody battle 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. His listed attorney could not be reached Friday. He 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. 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. 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. 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. Domestic violence deaths far too common Lakeyshia Timmons is the 24th homicide victim this year in Milwaukee. But more than three months into 2024, gun violence has continued to slow, with homicides down 37% and nonfatal shootings 27% from the year before. In 2023, homicides dropped 20%, while nonfatal shootings fell 4%. Milwaukee and Wisconsin have had an increase in domestic violence since 2020. In 2022, the state broke its record for domestic violence deaths with 96, according to a report from End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin. The same report outlined how a 70% drop in federal funding in 2024 would stress shelters in staying open, keeping hotlines staffed and having advocates available to help victims. Locally, however, as of mid-December, domestic violence-related homicides in Milwaukee County appeared to have fallen from 41 in 2022 to 31 in 2023, according to the Sojourner Family Peace Center, the largest service provider for domestic violence victims in Wisconsin. Carmen Pitre, the president of the organization, attributed the drop to expanded intervention services as a result of a $1 million grant from the state government. Where to find help for domestic violence in Milwaukee Our Peaceful Home, which serves Muslim families and is a program of the Milwaukee Muslim Womens Coalition, operates a crisis line at 414-727-1090. The Hmong American Womens Association, which serves the Hmong and southeast Asian community, has advocates available at 414-930-9352 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Asha Project, which serves African American women in Milwaukee, provides a crisis line from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 414-252-0075. The UMOS Latina Resource Center in Milwaukee offers bilingual, bicultural, domestic violence, sexual assault and anti-human trafficking supportive services and operates a 24-hour hotline at 414-389-6510. The Sojourner Family Peace Center in Milwaukee operates a 24-hour confidential hotline at 414-933-2722. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233. Other resources Milwaukee's Office of Violence Prevention recommends these resources for free support: 414Life outreach and conflict mediation support: 414-439-5525. Milwaukee County's 24-Hour Mental Health Crisis Line: 414-257-7222. Milwaukee's Child Mobile Crisis and Trauma Response Team: 414-257-7621. National crisis text line: Text HOPELINE to 741741 to text with a trained crisis counselor. Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. Elliot Hughes of the Journal Sentinel contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee family seeks accountability following death of mother Robin L Marshall/WireImage While they played dad and daughter on Suits for seven seasons, Wendell Pierce took it upon himself to give Meghan Markle some fatherly advice. Pierce, 60, recalled a moment when he spoke to Markle, 42, about dating Prince Harry during filming. Im always reminded of the last day working with Meghan, which was the wedding scene prior to her engagement to the prince, Pierce explained to E! News during an interview on Saturday, April 6. I said, Meghan, your life is going to be a whirlwind. Youre going to be in this bubble.' The actor wanted to assure Markle that even though her life was changing because of the relationship she was in, she could always reach out to him and any of the other Suits cast members if she needed support. Suits Cast: Where Are They Now? He continued, adding that he told her, I just want you to remember that no matter what happens, you always have friends and I hope you count me in that number. Im so grateful that I was able to express that to her before the whirlwind engagement and [the] wedding and becoming the duchess. Mike Coppola/Getty Images for 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala While Markle, who played paralegal Rachel Zane on Suits, left the series during the seventh season, Pierce, who appeared as her dad, attorney Robert Zane, stayed on for two more before the show ended in 2019. Pierce confessed that staying in touch with his onscreen daughter after she married Prince Harry in May 2018 was tough, but now that the couple has stepped back from the royal family and moved to California, he has been able to reunite with her. Prince Harry and Meghan Markles Relationship Timeline We were at a public function together and she was receiving an award, Pierce noted. It was great to see them because theres this public persona, and then its the two that I know. Pierce has often gushed about the Duchess of Sussex. In a March episode of Whos Talking to Chris Wallace?, the star opened up about how much he admires her as an actress and a person. YouTube Shes wonderful. Shes wonderful as both. Shes the nicest person ever, Pierce, expressed. And I actually, the one thing that bothers me the most right now for Meghan is the fact that I know she would love to act again. While Markle hasnt stepped back into any major TV or movie roles since leaving Hollywood, she did just trademark her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard, which she is planning to sell a string of domestic items, including cutlery, cookbooks and jarred foods through. Texas AG Ken Paxton regularly files cases that go to U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump and is a former attorney for a conservative religious liberty legal group. Associated Press Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, nominated by President Trump to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, is deputy general counsel at First Liberty, a Plano firm that focuses on religious liberty cases. Credit: First Liberty Gabrielle Banks/First Liberty Federal judges in North Texas say they plan to ignore a new advisory rule meant to crack down on judge shopping, or the practice of filing lawsuits in places where attorneys are likely to get a favorable ruling. The filing comes after U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and other top Republicans urged judges not to comply with the rule. The Northern District of Texas has been a key destination for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and GOP allies to file claims against the Biden administration and its policies. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The districts chief judge, David Godbey, told Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in a letter Monday that the judges met and decided they would not make any change to our case assignment process at this time. Godbey did not provide the judges explanation for that decision. Schumer called the courts decision unfortunate and said the Senate would consider legislative options that put an end to this misguided practice. Judge shopping has been abused by right-wing activists to circumvent the legislative process and subvert the will of the American people, Schumer said. The American people deserve to have faith in the fairness of our court system. The rule was passed last month by the Judicial Conference of the United States, the policymaking body of the federal courts. It requires judges from across any given district to be randomly assigned to all civil cases that seek to block or mandate state or federal actions. Texas has four districts splitting the state by north, south, east and west. But in recent weeks, Cornyn; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., wrote letters to chief judges across the country insisting that Judicial Conference policy is not legislation, according to NBC News. Advertisement Article continues below this ad It is Congress that decides how cases should be assigned, they wrote in the letter. Whatever the Judicial Conference thinks you ought to do, what you actually choose to do is left to your courts discretion under the law. Most federal court districts already assign cases at random to judges, but some, like the Northern District, assign cases to judges in the lower-level division where the case is filed. In the Northern District, two divisions have just one judge each, and a third has two judges, allowing plaintiffs to more or less choose which judge they want to hear their case. As a result, by filing in Amarillo, Paxton can all but guarantee his offices cases get assigned to U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump and is a former attorney for a conservative religious liberty legal group. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Paxton has filed suits in recent years in single-judge divisions over abortion laws, environment regulations, and labor and gun rights, among other highly politicized issues. An appeals court granted the Department of Justice (DOJ) authority to reopen an antitrust probe into the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Friday. In a 2-1 decision, a District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals panel of judges reversed a lower court decision to set aside a 2021 investigative subpoena from the Antitrust Division of the DOJ that it had issued in a previously closed investigation into NAR policies related to the commission and the choices of home sellers, per the Friday filing. The NAR had previously settled with the DOJ during the Trump administration. The Biden administration nixed the settlement deal and opted to continue the investigation until a lower court blocked its ability to do so in 2023. The Friday court decision ruled that the case being previously closed didnt mean it couldnt be reopened, allowing the DOJ to continue its investigation into possible anti-trust behavior. In our view, the plain language of the disputed 2020 letter permits DOJ to reopen its investigation. We therefore reverse the judgment of the district court, Judge Florence Pan wrote in the majority ruling on Friday. At the center of the legal fight against the real estate trade organization are the high commission rates on home sales, paid by the buyer, which contribute to increasingly unaffordable home prices. The realtor association recently agreed to pay $418 million in a settlement with home sellers over commission rates. Realtor group agrees to slash commissions in major $418M settlement In a statement by the DOJ on Friday, Jonathan Kanter, assistant attorney general of the DOJ Antitrust Division, said [r]eal-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 unlawful conduct by NAR that may be contributing to this problem. The Antitrust Division is committed to fighting to lower the cost of buying and selling a home. I would like to commend the staff of the Antitrust Division and our colleagues in the department for achieving this important result, Kanter continued. Judge Justin Walker cited the NAR and DOJs previous agreement as his reason for dissent, stating that the NAR made a contract with the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice. As in every contract, each side gained something, and each side gave something up, Walker stated. The Realtors agreed to give up four policies that DOJ considered anticompetitive. In exchange, DOJ promised that it had closed its investigation into two other policies. The NAR slammed the ruling in a statement to The Hill, saying it is weighing how to proceed. As articulated by Judge Walker in his dissenting opinion, NAR believes that the government should be held to the terms of its contracts, said NAR spokesman Mantill Williams. We are reviewing todays decision and evaluating next steps.The National Association of Realtors remains steadfast in our commitment to promoting consumer transparency and to supporting our members in protecting their clients interests in the home buying and selling process. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. David Chang issued a public apology on his podcast amid criticism over his company Momofuku attempting to trademark the term chili crunch. Chang, chef and founder of Momofuku, and Momofuku CEO Marguerite Mariscal said on the April 12 episode of Changs podcast, The Dave Chang Show, that they are no longer enforcing the trademark. Over the years, Chang has become somewhat synonymous in the U.S. with Korean fine dining, microwave cooking and a host of Asian supermarket goods. As a celebrity chef, hes no stranger to controversy: Chang isnt afraid to share hot takes online, and hes been accused of facilitating toxic work environments in his restaurants. (Chang called accusations made in a 2020 Eater article consistent with his behaviors at the time, and apologized, though he didnt remember them specifically.) But this time, folks are fuming over his recent attempt to own the term chili crunch, which it uses for the chile-allium-oil condiment sold under the Momofuku brand. According to the Guardian, the brand sent cease-and-desist letters to companies using the term chili crunch and chile crunch and was hoping to successfully trademark the former. (It purchased the trademark for the latter in 2023 from Chile Colonial, a company that now licenses the product name from Momofuku.) Shortly after the report, everyone from consumers to small-business owners and even fellow chefs took to social media to share their disappointment with the man who has held firm ground as a leader in the Asian American culinary space. Now, Chang and the Momofuku team are saying they wont be enforcing the trademark, even though it may put their ownership of the term at risk. Heres everything you need to know about the controversy. What happened? In 2020, Momofuku started selling jars of chili crunch a spicy condiment commonly found across many Asian cultures made with chilis and oil which it launched in 2018. The product also goes by chili crisp, chili oil, crunchy chili sauce and countless other names, and it took off exponentially across the American grocery market in 2021, though Momofuku was not the first to bring it to shelves. There are now dozens of brands selling to consumers across the country, and all of them have their own recipe twists and monikers. Some opt to include the word crunch in the name, much like Changs company did. On April 4, the Guardian reported Momofuku is currently trying to trademark chili crunch with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Though it doesnt own the trademark yet, Momofuku sent cease-and-desist letters to an unknown number of brands that use crunch in their condiments name. Momofuku Chili Crunch. Chili oil in studio on Thursday, April 15, 2021 in Los Angeles, CA. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) What small business owners are saying The phrase that I would use to refer to Momofuku in this case, is a trademark bully, says Stephen Coates, the lawyer representing New York-based Malaysian food brand Homiah, which received a cease-and-desist. Homiah sells a Sambal Chili Crunch. The brands founder, Michelle Tew, wrote in a LinkedIn post that the letter felt like a punch in the gut. She told the Guardian that had she received a cease and desist from a large corporation like Kraft Heinz, it would have been distressing, but the fact that it was Momofuku makes me feel really, really sad. Jing Gao, founder and CEO of Fly by Jing, a Sichuan chili sauce company, wrote on LinkedIn that she is disheartened to see Changs company allegedly 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, Gao continued. She tells TODAY.com that as a business owner herself who was told in the past that her chili crisp product was too niche for the American market, she sees more competition as a good thing. This isnt a zero-sum game, and there is enough space for everyone, Gao says. The bigger we can grow the pie for all, the better it is for everyone. Eric Huang, chef and founder of Pecking House, tells TODAY.com that trademarking food is an exercise in capitalist nonsense. Between all the effort hes seen is necessary for building a business, the work that goes into recipe testing and the logistics of creating a food product, the only reason you would (trademark food) is for a soulless cash grab. Huang continues to call this trademark filing a disappointing turn of events for someone who so singularly represents AAPI in the food & beverage industry. This is so uncool, Kerry Diamond, founder of Cherry Bombe magazine and former coffee shop owner, wrote in an Instagram caption. Dave was once the little guy. I hope it isnt Dave Chang personally issuing this command, Huang says, but rather his boardroom of likely rich, white dudes who got their MBA from Tuck. Chang and Momofukus response to the controversy 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 on his podcast. Theres a lot of chefs that Im friends with. Theres a lot of people that are upset, customers, and thats the last thing literally the last thing that I wanted to happen. He continued, adding, 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. 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, a spokesperson for Momofuku and Chang told TODAY.com. The company initially said it hoped to resolve branding disputes amicably. Chang, in his podcast, explained the backstory behind Momofukus chili crunch, citing the brand Lao Gan Ma, known for its spicy chili crisp sauce, as one of the original inspirations for the product, in addition to other sauces including ssamjang and salsa macha. When we were thinking about naming and again, shame on me if I didnt know this but we named it chili crunch specifically because it was not chili crisp, Chang explained. And we named it chili crunch because it was out of deference to chili crisp, which we associated with as Chinese, specifically carved out by Lao Gan Ma. The name behind the popular product was intentional, with Chang explaining that the product wasnt chili crisp, but rather the texture was crunchy. 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, he said. Chang and Mariscal explained that when the brand launched its chili crunch product, it received a cease-and-desist letter from the Colorado based company Chile Colonial. However, rather than changing the name of its product, Marsical said that Momofuku worked with the company to purchase the trademark and gave the brand a perpetual license to continue to use the name. Everything Momofuku said in the podcast is true, Susie Hojel, founder of Chile Colonial, tells TODAY.com. I did send a cease-and-desist letter to Trader Joes to defend my mark, and ultimately they changed their name. I later sent a cease-and-desist letter to Momofuku. Trader Joes did not respond to TODAY.coms request for comment on whether it changed its name because of the cease-and-desist from Chile Colonial. Hojel says when she applied for and then received the chile crunch trademark from USPTO, she thought it covered any spelling of the name. When we acquired this mark, it then became our job to protect it, Mariscal explained. The reason we received a cease-and-desist from Chile Colonial is the same exact reason that Momofuku was sending them out, which is if you dont show the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) that youre routinely defending your mark and thats from any size business, large, small then youre at risk of losing your trademark. Mariscal said Momofuku was stuck with a dilemma of how to handle and protect the trademark without having the term chili crunch claimed by another company. At the end of the podcast, Chang shared the future of Momofukus plans with the trademark, explaining, The plan moving forward with this trademark is and its a strange way of sort of taking the power away from it by doing nothing. Were not going to enforce the trademark, he said. And by doing so, its possible that it becomes a generic term and nobody can own it. Marsical added, As a business, were taking the risk that by not enforcing it. Someone could come along someone much bigger than us say were not enforcing it, and therefore, they should own the mark. Hojel says she is truly sorry Momofuku has received so much bad publicity for defending their trademark. The name Chile Crunch has become very popular and I think some companies wanted to take advantage of the trend, she adds. I believe if you have a registered trademark, it is your right to defend it. It is too bad that it is so difficult and expensive to do so. On his podcast, Chang said, I dont want this to be seen as being inactive or being apathetic to the situation or us trying to have monopolistic powers or anything like that. Our choice is to do nothing. That is our action, is inactivity, no enforcement, no policing of this trademark. And if theres a better plan, were all ears. What next? Before Momofuku walked back the cease-and-desist, folks like Tew were given 90 days to stop using the word chili crunch, and five days to respond saying they would acquiesce. Momofuku trusts that Homiah did not adopt the CHILI CRUNCH mark in bad faith or with an intent to create confusion, the cease-and-desist letter reads. But because trademark law requires brand owners to police use of their trademarks and because Momofuku is concerned that consumers may actually be confused here we write to request Homiahs cooperation. Diamond wrote in her Instagram caption that as a small business especially for anyone who is a newbie entrepreneur it can be scary to go up against a big company. Youre scared so you pay the thousands of dollars to hire a lawyer to tell their lawyer to go away, she wrote. It just sucks. Tew told TODAY.com that she had already spent around $5,000 to have a lawyer draft a response to the cease and desist. She says she spoke with others who, within just a few days, apologized to Momofuku and said they would rebrand. The Guardian reported several brands had decided to comply and change their product names to avoid the fees and hassle of a legal battle. This article was originally published on TODAY.com Eight men have been charged by federal authorities with stealing numerous cases of beer from train cars and other facilities across the Northeast over the course of nearly two years. Prosecutors with the Southern District of New York said Wednesday that the men carried out dozens of beer heists in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts between about July 2022 and March 2024, costing beverage distributors at least hundreds of thousands of dollars. Under cover of darkness, the men would usually gather in the Bronx, then set out for a given night's target, according to the SDNY complaint. Once they arrived, they'd usually cut a hole in a fence surrounding the location, and/or cut the lock to railroad cars, to access sealed pallets of cases of beer, usually Coronoa or Modelo shipped in from Mexico. Once brought back to a gathering point in the Bronx, the men would inspect the cases and subsequently sell them. Prosecutors said the heist teams were paid hundreds of dollars for a given night's work. One of the charged men accused of being a leader, Jose Cesari, known as "Cry," would post on Instagram seeking recruits for the ring, advertising the ability to make "$100K+ in a month by following what he described as the beer train method. Cesari is also accused of using a police scanner to monitor potential police activity, and was found to be in possession of a firearm that he brandished, according to the complaint. The men face seven federal criminal counts, including charges under the 1946 Hobbs Act governing interference with interstate commerce, equating to decades of prison time. 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 a 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." A spokesperson for rail group CSX, which owns one of the railyards targeted by the suspects, also issued a statement: CSX is committed to protecting the safety of its property and that of its customers. We take criminal activity very seriously. Railyards are privately owned property and unauthorized activity is considered criminal trespassing and violators will be prosecuted." It was not clear whether the suspects had obtained legal representation. SDNY reps did not immediately respond to a request for information from NBC News. A fire at Sen. Bernie Sanders' Vermont office is being investigated as arson, the Burlington Fire Department said Friday. Firefighters were dispatched Friday morning to the building that houses the independent senator's only congressional office in the state. They found "a fire in the vestibule between the elevator and the entrance door to [Sanders'] office," the fire department said in a news release. Police in Burlington said "an unknown male subject entered the vestibule" of Sanders' office and then "sprayed an apparent accelerant on the entrance door." "He then lit the accelerant and fled," the police statement said. It also said that 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." There were no reported injuries. The door to Sanders' office was damaged by the fire and other parts of the building had water damage. The suspect has not been apprehended, and there is no known motive, according to police. fire suspect bernie sanders office (Burlington Police Dept.) We are grateful to the Burlington Fire and Police Departments who responded immediately today to a fire incident that took place in our office building, said Sanders state director Kathryn Van Haste in a statement. We are relieved that no one on our staff and, to our understanding, no one in the building was harmed. Van Haste said that U.S. Capitol Police and the Senate Sergeant at Arms are coordinating with local first responders. The Burlington Fire Marshals office, Burlington Police Department and Vermont State Police are conducting a joint investigation. A spokesperson for the state police did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday night. The suspected arson comes as Capitol Police recorded an uptick in threat assessment cases last year. Police investigated more than 8,000 cases about 500 more than the previous year including cases involving "concerning statements and direct threats," according to a January release. Sanders, 82, is in his third term as senator. He previously served in the House for 16 years, and before that was mayor of Burlington, where he lives with his wife. Its been 30 years since Kurt Cobains death and his only daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, wished she could have known him. The 31-year-old daughter of the legendary Nirvana frontman and Courtney Love paid tribute to her late father on the 30th anniversary of his death by sharing black-and-white photos of their last time together. She also shared photos of the singer when he was a child and with his mom. Kurt Cobain died April 5, 1994 at the age of 27. Cobain and Love were married from 1992 until his death by suicide in 1994. Frances Bean Cobain was only 1 when he died. Francis Bean Cobain shares final photos of her with late dad Kurt Cobain on death anniversary (@thespacewitch via Instagram ) 30 years ago my dads life ended. The 2nd & 3rd photo capture the last time we were together while he was still alive, Frances Bean Cobain began before sharing a story about how her grandmother say that her hands resembled her rock star fathers hands. The first photo in Frances Bean Cobain's Instagram post is a photo of her father's hands taken by Michael Stipe. His mom Wendy would often press my hands to her cheeks & say, with a lulling sadness, You have his hands. She would breathe them in as if it were her only chance to hold him just a little bit closer, frozen in time, she wrote. I hope shes holding his hands wherever they are. Frances Bean Cobain wrote that in the last 30 years, her ideas around loss have been in a continuous state of metamorphosing. She wrote that the biggest lesson shes learned through grieving for almost as long as shes been conscious is that it serves a purpose. The duality of life & death, pain & joy, yin & yang, need to exist along side each other or none of this would have any meaning. It is the impermanent nature of human existence which throws us into the depths of our most authentic lives, she wrote. As It turns out, there is no greater motivation for leaning into loving awareness than knowing everything ends. Francis Bean Cobain shares final photos of her with late dad Kurt Cobain on death anniversary (@thespacewitch via Instagram ) Frances Bean Cobain then gets sentimental, sharing moments she would have enjoyed spending with her musician father. I wish I couldve known my Dad. I wish I knew the cadence of his voice, how he liked his coffee or the way it felt to be tucked in after a bedtime story, she wrote. I always wondered if he wouldve caught tadpoles with me during the muggy Washington summers, or if he smelled of Camel Lights & strawberry nesquik (his favorites, Ive been told). She continued by noting that there is deep wisdom being on an expedited path to understanding how precious life is. He gifted me a lesson in death that can only come through the LIVED experience of losing someone. Its the gift of knowing for certain, when we love ourselves & those around us with compassion, with openness, with grace, the more meaningful our time here inherently becomes, Frances Bean Cobain added. Francis Bean Cobain shares final photos of her with late dad Kurt Cobain on death anniversary (@thespacewitch via Instagram ) Frances Bean Cobain shared that before she was born, her father wrote her a letter and the last line of it reads: Wherever you go or wherever I go, I will always be with you. He kept this promise because he is present in so many ways. Whether its by hearing a song or through the hands we share, in those moments I get to spend a little time with my dad & he feels transcendent, she wrote, before concluding her tribute with a message to to anyone who has wondered what it wouldve looked like to live along side the people they have lost. Im holding you in my thoughts today. The meaning of our grief is the same, she wrote. Frances Bean Cobain received many messages of condolences on her post, including from her father-in-law, skateboarder Tony Hawk, who wrote: Thank you for this. You carry his legacy with grace and compassion. She is married to Hawk's son, Riley Hawk. Paris Jackson and Billie Lourd, whom both have lost their parents, Michael Jackson and Carrie Fisher, respectively, also left comments. I love you so much, wrote Lourd, while Paris Jackson left a heart emoji. This article was originally published on TODAY.com CAIRO (AP) Israel's military said Saturday it had recovered the body of a 47-year-old farmer who was held hostage in Gaza, while negotiators prepared for another round of talks Sunday on brokering a cease-fire and securing the release of the remaining hostages, six months into the war. Israel's army said it found the body of Elad Katzir and believed he was killed in January by militants with Islamic Jihad, one of the groups that entered southern Israel in the Oct. 7 attack, killed more than 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. Katzir was abducted from Nir Oz, a border community that suffered some of the heaviest losses. The discovery renewed pressure on Israel's government for a deal to get the remaining hostages freed, and thousands gathered in Tel Aviv to call for a deal as well as early elections. Hostages' families have long feared time is running out. At least 36 hostages have been confirmed dead. About half of the original number have been released. He could have been saved if a deal had happened in time," Katzirs sister Carmit said in a statement. "Our leadership is cowardly and driven by political considerations, and that is why (a deal) did not happen. Israelis are divided on the approach by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. A week ago, tens of thousands of Israelis thronged central Jerusalem in the largest anti-government protest since the war began. Inside Gaza, the toll of Israels offensive is measured in tens of thousands of deaths and more than a million Palestinians displaced. We have arrived at a terrible milestone, the U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said in a statement marking six months and noting the immediate prospect of a shameful man-made famine. He called the prospect of further escalation in Gaza unconscionable. Cease-fire negotiations will resume Sunday, according to an Egyptian official and Egypts state-owned Al Qahera TV. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the talks. U.S. President Joe Biden has sent CIA Director Bill Burns to Egypt. A Hamas delegation will arrive Sunday to join the talks, the militant group said. Hamas has insisted on linking a phased end to the war to any agreement releasing hostages. It has said it will agree to release 40 as part of an initial six-week cease-fire deal that would include the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Hamas also seeks the return of displaced people to devastated northern Gaza and more aid. Israel has offered to allow 2,000 displaced Palestinians mainly women, children and older people to the north daily during a six-week cease-fire. The talks come days after international condemnation of Israeli airstrikes that killed seven humanitarian workers with the World Central Kitchen charity. The Israeli military described it as a tragic error. Aid groups said the mistake is hardly an anomaly. The U.N. says at least 190 aid workers were killed in Gaza through the end of March. Some Israel allies now consider halting arms sales. Biden warned Netanyahu that future U.S. support for the war depends on swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers. We need security guarantees for us as humanitarians but also for the people we serve, said Marika Guderian with the World Food Program, speaking inside Gaza. The killings halted aid deliveries on a crucial new sea route for aid directly to Gaza as the U.N. and partners warn of imminent famine for 1.1 million people, or half the population. The humanitarian group Oxfam says people in northern Gaza are surviving on an average of 245 calories a day. In Jabaliya, a refugee camp near Gaza City, families scrounged in the rubble for mallow leaves to make a thin broth to break the daily Ramadan fast. Life has become miserable. They (daughters) tell me, Father, you are feeding us mallow, mallow, mallow every day. We want to eat fish, chicken, canned food. We are craving eggs, or anything, said Wael Attar. They shelter in a school as part of the 1.7 million people displaced in Gaza. Israel has promised to open more border crossings into Gaza and increase the flow of aid. The U.N. says that in March, 85% of trucks with food aid were denied or impeded. The death toll from the war in Gaza is 33,137, the territory's Health Ministry said. Its toll doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants, but it has said women and children make up the majority of the dead. The ministry said the bodies of 46 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes had been brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours the lowest daily tally in months. Israel blames Hamas for civilian deaths in Gaza, accusing it of operating in residential communities and public areas like hospitals. The U.N. said it finally gained access to Gaza's largest hospital, Shifa, following a dayslong Israeli raid and found what the head of the World Health Organization called an empty shell, with most buildings destroyed. The WHO said numerous shallow graves, and many partially buried bodies, were found just outside the emergency department after the Israeli siege. The destruction of Shifa and the main hospital in southern Gaza, Nasser, has broken the backbone of the already ailing health system, the WHO said. Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah now holds more than half of the territory's 2.3 million people, and Israel's vow to carry out a ground offensive there has caused weeks of dread and warnings even from Israel's top ally, the United States. ___ Metz reported from Rabat, Morocco. Associated Press writers Julia Frankel and Jack Jeffery in Jerusalem contributed. ___ Find more of APs coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war By Dan Williams and Nidal al-Mughrabi JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) -Israel said on Saturday its special forces had recovered the body of a hostage killed while being held captive in Gaza, as the Palestinian enclave's dominant Islamist movement Hamas said it would take part in a new round of ceasefire talks in Cairo. Almost six months into the war, Israel has faced protests at home demanding a deal to free the dwindling number of live hostages from Hamas' Oct. 7 cross-border rampage. Western countries, meanwhile, have voiced outrage over what they see as an unacceptably high Palestinian civilian toll and the accompanying humanitarian crisis. The body of Elad Katzir, a 47-year-old Israeli farmer, was unearthed by commandos in southern Khan Younis overnight, the military said. He had been killed by his Palestinian Islamic Jihad captors and buried there in mid-January, it said, citing intelligence information about which it declined to elaborate. Islamic Jihad, an ally of Hamas, had no immediate comment. Katzir was among 253 people dragged into Gaza by Hamas-led gunmen who killed some 1,200 others in southern Israel, according to official tallies, sparking an offensive that medics in the enclave say has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians. His father Avraham was killed in their kibbutz, Nir Oz, and his mother Hanna was also taken hostage but freed in November under a truce. Qatari and Egyptian mediators have been trying to secure another deal that might return some of the 129 remaining hostages in a longer ceasefire in Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry on Saturday reported one of the lowest daily death tolls in six months, saying 46 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours. The Gaza-based ministry does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants in its reports but local health officials say most of the fatalities have been civilians. Israel says at least a third are fighters. Hamas on Saturday said its fighters targeted three Israeli tanks in Khan Younis with missiles, inflicting casualties. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, though it said earlier that troops had engaged with gunmen in the area. TALKS The World Health Organisation said its team had managed to reach Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where Israeli special forces conducted a two-week raid against suspected militants, leaving a wasteland of destroyed buildings. The team saw at least five dead bodies at the complex, most of which had suffered extensive destruction. "Even restoring minimal functionality in the short term seems implausible," said a statement from WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Al-Shifa, the Gaza Strip's biggest hospital before the war, was one of the few healthcare facilities that had been partially operational in the north of enclave before the raid. Angered by an Israeli air strike that killed aid workers in Gaza, U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday urged an "immediate ceasefire" and for Israel to boost humanitarian relief measures. Israel approved the reopening of the Erez crossing into northern Gaza and the temporary use of its Ashdod port following the U.S. criticism, measures welcomed on Saturday by U.N. aid coordinator Jamie McGoldrick. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid told N12's Meet the Press on Saturday that he was travelling to Washington where he will meet U.S. officials next week. The Biden administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether senior officials will meet Lapid. Hamas said it would send a delegation to Cairo on Sunday for a new round of mediated talks. Israel was undecided on whether to attend, an Israeli official said, citing concern that the event would be "more political theatre than actual progress". Hamas wants any deal to bring about an end to the war and withdrawal of Israeli forces. Israel has said that, after any truce, it would topple Hamas, which is sworn to its destruction. A rally in Jerusalem calling on leaders to secure a hostage release was set to take place on Sunday, which marks six months since the Oct. 7 attack, and anti-government protesters in Tel Aviv on Saturday called for an election. In a Jan. 8 video posted by Islamic Jihad online, Katzir said: "I was close to dying more than once. It's a miracle I'm still alive ... I want to tell my family that I love them very much and I miss them very much." Based on various sources of information, Israel has declared at least 35 hostages as dead in Gaza captivity. Palestinian factions have said some were killed in Israeli strikes. While confirming this in several cases, Israel says that, in others, hostages whose bodies were recovered bore signs of execution. (Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Giles Elgood) By Alexandra Valencia QUITO (Reuters) -Latin American governments, including regional heavyweight Brazil, rallied around Mexico on Saturday after its embassy in Ecuador was raided to arrest a controversial politician who had been granted asylum by Mexican authorities. The late Friday night seizure of Jorge Glas, Ecuador's former vice president who was detained on graft charges, triggered a suspension of relations with Quito by Mexico City, with the government of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador blasting the unusual diplomatic incursion and arrest as an "authoritarian" act as well as a breach of international law and Mexico's sovereignty. The government of Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa had argued asylum protections were illegal because of the corruption charges Glas is facing. Still, under international law, embassies are considered the sovereign territory of the country they represent. On Saturday, governments across the political spectrum in Latin America - including Brazil and Colombia on the left, and Argentina and Uruguay on the right - sharply criticized the arrest of Glas, who had sought refuge in the embassy since December. He could be seen on video circulating on social media being taken by police convoy to the airport in the capital Quito, flanked by heavily armed soldiers. He then boarded a plane en route to a jail in Guayaquil, the Andean nation's largest city. Photos on social media, including one posted by Cuba's foreign minister, showed what appeared to be the embassy's wall being scaled by armed police or soldiers. Reuters could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the photos. Brazil's government condemned Ecuador's move as a "clear violation" of international norms prohibiting such a raid on a foreign embassy. Ecuador's move against the embassy "must be subject to strong repudiation, whatever the justification for its implementation," according to a statement from Brazil's foreign ministry, which stressed Brasilia's solidarity with Mexico. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement said the United States condemns any violation of the convention protecting diplomatic missions. The statement added the United States encourages "the two countries to resolve their differences in accord with international norms." 'FLAGRANT VIOLATION' Mexico's top diplomat Alicia Barcena expressed shock at Ecuador's incursion into the country's embassy, located in Quito's financial district, calling it "a violent attack" perpetrated by the police. "Mexico reiterates its condemnation for the violation of the immunity of its embassy in Quito and the attack on its staff," she said in a message shared on X late on Saturday, adding that 18 would return to Mexico on Sunday. "(Mexico) reiterates that it will appeal to the International Court of Justice and all relevant regional and international bodies after this clear and flagrant violation of international law." Earlier in the day, she said that Glas was granted asylum after an exhaustive analysis of the circumstances surrounding the accusations he faces. Also on Saturday, the Washington-based Organization of American States issued a call for dialogue to resolve the escalating dispute between Ecuador and Mexico, adding in a statement that a session of the body's permanent council will be convened to discuss the need for "strict compliance with international treaties, including those that guarantee the right to asylum." Colombian President Gustavo Petro, meanwhile, argued in a post on X that Latin America "must keep alive the precepts of international law in the midst of the barbarism that is advancing in the world." Petro's government noted it will seek human rights legal protections for the now-detained Glas, according to a separate statement. Glas, convicted twice for corruption, had been holed up in the embassy in Quito since seeking political asylum in December, a request Mexico granted on Friday. Ecuadorean authorities had unsuccessfully sought permission from Mexico to enter the embassy and arrest Glas. In 2017, Glas, the former second-in-command to ex-President Rafael Correa, also a leftist, was sentenced to six years in prison after he was found guilty of taking bribes from Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht in exchange for awarding it government contracts. As he faced a fresh arrest warrant on separate graft charges, Glas has claimed he is the victim of political persecution, a charge Ecuador's government has denied. (Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by David Alire Garcia; additional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell and Christopher Cushing) What's happening Four years ago, Oregon voters approved a groundbreaking plan to decriminalize possession of all drugs in the state. That brief experiment is now set to come to an end. A bill signed into law by Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek earlier this month will roll back reforms that removed criminal penalties for the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs including heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine while steering users toward treatment programs. Drug decriminalization in Oregon came about as the result of a ballot measure, known as Measure 110, that received nearly 60% support from voters in 2020. But public opinion quickly began to turn against the new policy as the state saw a major spike in overdose deaths and rising concerns about public safety throughout the state. A poll released in August of last year showed that 56% of Oregonians supported re-criminalizing drug possession. The new law, which was passed with strong majorities in the state legislature, makes drug possession a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison. It also creates pathways for drug users to receive treatment as an alternative to incarceration under certain circumstances. It goes into effect on Sept. 1. Though Oregon was the first state in the U.S. to attempt across-the-board drug decriminalization, the strategy has proven quite successful in other nations. The most noteworthy example is Portugal, where drug-related deaths have plummeted in the 20-plus years since the country stopped criminally punishing drug users. Oregon, however, saw overdose deaths increase by 50% between 2021, when decriminalization went into effect, and 2023. Why there's debate Theres little question that the decriminalization of drugs failed to achieve its goals in Oregon. But the reasons why and what that failure signals about the efficacy of decriminalization more broadly are the source of intense disagreement. Conservatives argue that Oregons struggles are definitive proof that decriminalization is a disastrous policy destined to lead to lawlessness and unnecessary death. They make the case that the threat of jail time is a critical deterrent that keeps drug use from getting out of control. The repeal of Measure 110 was largely led by Democratic lawmakers who continue to support the concept of a drug policy that promotes treatment over criminal punishment. Many of them have since said they feel that blanket decriminalization was too radical and abrupt to be effective. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, for instance, said officials botched the implementation of the plan by rushing to end criminal penalties before treatment services were in place to care for drug users in need of support. Other reform advocates say Oregon is making a mistake by abandoning decriminalization after such a short period of time. They argue that the increase in overdose deaths which also occurred in neighboring states during the same time period is the result of a complex collection of factors, including the explosion of fentanyl in the region, decades of underinvestment in the states social safety net and the failed approach of the war on drugs. What's next The prospects of comprehensive decriminalization being enacted anywhere else in the U.S. appear slim in the wake of Oregons experience. But there is some momentum behind targeted campaigns to apply the principle to specific, less harmful drugs. A few states have removed criminal penalties for marijuana possession even though weed is still illegal there. Colorado has decriminalized personal use of certain psychedelic drugs, like magic mushrooms, and a handful of other states are considering following suit. Perspectives Decriminalization has only one inevitable outcome Turns out that when you send a societal message that drug use is fine, you get more of it, along with the social ills that invariably follow. Editorial, Wall Street Journal Treatment works, incarceration doesnt With overdose deaths still on the rise and other states considering decriminalization, a reversal could undo vital national progress in fighting addiction, which is far more effectively resolved with care, not coercion. If we really want to end the overdose and homelessness crises in Oregon and around the country we have to understand and follow the evidence, not the fearmongering. Maia Szalavitz, New York Times Theres enormous space for policies that promote non-criminal solutions without allowing a free-for-all Though our polarized politics tends to frame policy choices as on-off switches, in truth they are more like a dial with many intervening settings. That dial can be productively turned in many parts of the country. Keith Humphreys and Rob Bovett, The Atlantic Decriminalization will always fail if the right support systems arent in place The ways in which Oregon officials ignored what it would take to successfully implement their vision of drug decrim are staggering. Changes to law aren't a standalone fix for anything, they are part of a huge, complex system. Brandon del Pozo, drug abuse researcher at Brown University The threat of jail is an important deterrent When perceived risk of drug use diminishes, which is inherent in legalization and decriminalization, more people, especially youth, begin using, resulting in more disordered use. Judy Grisel and Marvin Seppala, USA Today Decriminalizing drugs is a form of giving up In short, the fight over decriminalization is a distraction one typical of societies unable to manage their problems. If society lacks the capacity to deal with deviant behavior, it can simply insist that the behavior is not really deviant. Charles Fain Lehman, City Journal We have decades of proof that the criminal justice system cant solve the drug crisis This recriminalization is dangerous. Weve been down this road before. More than 50 years of evidence demonstrates that locking people up for possessing drugs or forcing them into court-ordered programs does not end drug use, but it does increase harms, including death. Kassandra Frederique, Daily Beast Harm reduction policies dont actually reduce harm The evidence is increasingly clear that harm reduction usually doesnt reduce harm to those with self-destructive behaviors, because they have no concomitant duty and little incentive to change their ways. As a consequence, harm reduction policies generally increase harm to communities, rot social cohesion, and undermine public safety. Wesley J. Smith, National Review Decriminalization didnt make Oregons drug problems worse, just more visible Drug abuse isnt pretty. But make no mistake: Even if you dont see the carnage of the overdose epidemic, its still there. These programs do not worsen drug use; they simply draw it out of the shadows. If Oregons law accomplished anything, its that it forced the state to reckon with the addiction epidemic in an extremely personal way. Robert Gebelhoff, Washington Post Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images Russian troops are deploying banned chemical weapons on the Ukrainians with a frightening degree of regularity. The command of Ukraine's Support Forces reported that Russian troops are increasingly using munitions with prohibited chemicals, and it has become 'systematic' as of Friday. Ukrainian forces documented 371 cases of usage of munition containing these forbidden chemicals over the past month, which accounted for 90 cases more than during the previous one. Support forces said that for such attacks, Russia primarily uses K-51 and RG-VO grenades, which are delivered via drones. In total, Russian troops have used munitions with chemicals, which are banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention, 1412 times over the past year, according to the Kyiv Independent. "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. On March 10, Dmytro Lykhovyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Tavria Group of forces, stated that Russian troops had deployed drones to release grenades containing suffocating and tear gas about 50 times within the week. The Institute for the Study of War confirmed in December 2023 that Russian naval infantry units had utilized prohibited chemical weapons in the village of Krynky, positioned 30 kilometers northeast of Kherson. The 1925 Geneva Protocol forbids the use of chemical and biological weapons in warfare. Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher have called it quits after more than 20 years together. The Borat star, 52, and the Wedding Crashers actor, 48, announced April 5 in joint statements in their Instagram stories that they jointly filed for divorce in 2023. After a long tennis match lasting over twenty years, we are finally putting our racquets down. In 2023 we jointly filed to end our marriage, the pair wrote alongside pics of them dressed in tennis clothes. Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher announced their split April 5 in joint statements on Instagram. (@sachabaroncohen via Instagram) We have always prioritized our privacy, and have been quietly working through this change, they continued. We forever share in our devotion and love for our children. We sincerely appreciate your respecting our familys wish for privacy. Baron Cohen and Fisher tied the knot in 2010 and share three children. The former couple have kept both their marriage and their family largely out of the spotlight over the years. Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fishe (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic) In 2020, Baron Cohen opened up to The New York Times about how he was immediately smitten with Fisher when the two first crossed paths at a party in Sydney, Australia, in 2000. She was hilarious, said Baron Cohen. We were at a very pretentious party, and me and her bonded over taking the mick out of the other people in the party. I knew instantly. I dont know if she did. Its taken her about 20 years to know," he added, laughing. When the publication asked Baron Cohen how two "A-list stars" with kids have made their marriage work, the actor responded by saying "luckily" he and Fisher were "not A-list." I remember once in Hollywood, I was trying to avoid being photographed by paparazzi. I think I put something in front of my face when exiting a restaurant and this photographer shouted, Youre only a B-lister! And I said to Isla, Oh, my God, were B-listers! We made it! Were B-listers," he joked. He added that it seems bizarre that were still married in Hollywood after so many years. The couples divorce news comes on the heels of Rebel Wilson accusing Baron Cohen of asking her to perform a sex act on him on the set of their 2016 film The Brothers Grimsby, which also starred Fisher. Wilson writes about the alleged misconduct in her new memoir, Rebel Rising, released earlier this week, in a chapter titled Sacha Baron Cohen and Other A-------. Wilson also alleged on social media in February that Baron Cohen had tried to stop her from writing about him in Rebel Rising. A representative for Baron Cohen told NBC News that Wilsons allegations were demonstrably false. While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage, and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of The Brothers Grimsby, the representative said. This article was originally published on TODAY.com GUANGZHOU, China (AP) U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Saturday that upcoming U.S.-China talks will tackle a top Biden administration complaint that Beijing's economic model and trade practices put American companies and workers at an unfair competitive disadvantage. I think the Chinese realize how concerned we are about the implications of their industrial strategy for the United States, for the potential to flood our markets with exports that make it difficult for American firms to compete, Yellen told reporters after the announcement during her trip to China. Its not going to be solved in an afternoon or a month, but I think they have heard that this is an important issue to us, she said. The two sides will hold intensive exchanges on more balanced economic growth, according to a U.S. statement issued after Yellen and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng held extended meetings over two days in the southern city of Guangzhou. They also agreed to start exchanges on combating money laundering. It was not immediately clear when and where the talks would take place. Yellen, who arrived later in Beijing after starting her five-day visit in one of China's major industrial and export hubs, said the talks would create a structure to hear each other's views and try to address American concerns about manufacturing overcapacity in China. China's official Xinhua News Agency said the two sides had agreed to discuss a range of issues including balanced growth of the United States, China and the global economy as well as financial stability, sustainable finance and cooperation in countering money laundering. Xinhua said China had responded fully on the issue of production capacity, but the report did not provide details. China also expressed grave concern over American trade and economic measures that restrict China, according to the agency. Chinese 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. Its going to be critical to our bilateral relationship going forward and to Chinas relationship with other countries that are important, and this provides a structured way in which we can continue to listen to one another and see if we can find a way forward that will avoid conflict," Yellen told reporters. The exchanges on balanced growth and money laundering will be held under the framework of existing economic and financial working groups that were set up after Yellen met He in July. Yellen struck a positive note on joint efforts to address U.S. concerns about Chinese companies selling goods to Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. We think theres more to do, but I do see it as an area where weve agreed to cooperate and weve already seen some meaningful progress, she said. Earlier state media coverage of her trip had characterized U.S. concerns about overcapacity as a possible pretext for tariffs. In a commentary published Friday night, Xinhua wrote that while Yellens trip is a good sign that the worlds two largest economies are maintaining communication, 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." Yellen told reporters during an Alaska refueling stop en route to China that the U.S. wont rule out tariffs to respond to Chinas heavily subsidized manufacturing of green energy products. The U.S. has made efforts through legislation and executive orders to wean itself off certain Chinese technologies in order to build out its domestic manufacturing capabilities. Many members of the White House and Congress view the actions as important to maintaining national security. The $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act passed in 2022 aims to boost the semiconductor industry and scientific research in a bid to create more high-tech jobs in the United States and help it better compete with China. Additionally, last August, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order to block and regulate high-tech U.S.-based investments going toward China. Yellen will hold meetings in Beijing with more senior officials and economists on Sunday and Monday. ___ Moritsugu reported from Beijing. KYIV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in remarks broadcast on Saturday that he hoped that he and Swiss President Viola Amherd would set a date within days for a world peace summit in Switzerland with 80 to 100 countries. Russia has said such a meeting would be pointless if it did not participate. Kyiv has previously proposed a world peace summit but has said Russia would not be invited. Zelenskiy said in a television interview that he and the Swiss president would have to agree on the date between them and then send invitations to world leaders. "We expect to have 80 to 100 countries." He added, "This is the number of countries, I believe, that will be able to at least try to force Russia to a fair peace." In the interview, recorded during a visit to Chernihiv region, where he visited fortifications work on Friday, Zelenskiy said that they did not yet have a specific list of countries. "We will agree how it will happen in coming days," he said. "Days, I hope, not even weeks." Asked about the role of Turkey, Zelenskiy said he was grateful to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for his support and desire to mediate, noting Turkey also had other interests and strong relations with Russia. "Turkey as a mediator is not enough for us," he said. "Undoubtedly, they will be among those leaders, countries that can perform a mediation mission but not the mediation," he added. Zelenskiy said the format of the summit would be very complex, bearing in mind the many interests involved in a summit involving so many countries, including historical and contemporary relations with Russia, Europe and elsewhere. "Nevertheless, get all of them together, find the format, the way we go forward, and agree on it," he said. (Reporting by Maria Starkova in Lviv, Ukraine, and Elaine Monaghan in Washington; Writing by Elaine Monaghan; Editing by Andrea Ricci) President Joe Biden speaking at a GM electric vehicle assembly plant. Nic Antaya/Getty Images As President Biden looks to November, seniors could play a decisive role in his reelection bid. Biden has maintained a relatively stable share of support among voters aged 65 and older. This support could give him an important electoral lift in an array of key swing states. With President Joe Biden facing a tough reelection fight against former President Donald Trump this November, the incumbent Democrat will need to expand his current level of support to secure reelection. The president's reelection challenge is even more daunting given his overall job approval rating is well below 50%, with the incumbent underperforming with critical groups that fueled his 2020 victory, including young voters, Black voters, and Latino voters. But while Biden works to shore up his support among these key groups, he retains a notable advantage among seniors or voters aged 65 and older. It's an edge that Trump enjoyed in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center, when the then-president won seniors by a 4-point margin (52%-48%) even as he lost the election to Biden. In the latest Wall Street Journal survey of the top battleground states (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin), Biden trailed Trump in six of the seven states. However, in the Journal's most recent national and swing-state polling, Biden's support among seniors has sat at roughly 48%, a rare bloc of stability for the president. Biden, who'll be 82 at the start of a second term, may be in a better position with seniors than Trump given his focus on issues like cutting the price of insulin and prescription drug costs. And while Biden's age has been a concern among many voters, it hasn't contributed to any deterioration in support among seniors. Here's how Biden's relatively solid standing with seniors could help him secure a second term: Older voters show up at the polls The Wall Street Journal reported that voters aged 65 and older make up roughly 28% of the electorate. In the 2020 election, voters in this group made up about 22% of all voters, according to exit polling conducted by Edison Research. And they're some of the most consistent voters in primary races, where the results generally set the ideological direction of the major political parties. But it's their high-propensity voting patterns that could be an underrated benefit for Biden in November. Solid support among older voters could boost Biden in a key state like North Carolina. Walter Bibikow/Getty Images In the 2020 presidential election, 74% of voters aged 65 and older went on to cast a ballot, according to the US Census Bureau. If Biden can build on his existing support with seniors, it could go a long way for him in Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, which all have a sizable share of older voters and retirees and are poised to be decided by razor-thin margins this fall. The Israel-Hamas war isn't hurting Biden with seniors Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war is one of the most pressing issues among young voters with many Americans aged 18 to 29 demanding that the president change course in Gaza by calling for a permanent cease-fire. It's an issue that has hurt Biden's standing among young voters, who backed him by 24 points (59% to 35%) in 2020, according to Pew Research, but are backing him by narrower margins in recent polling. He remains under immense pressure from antiwar groups and liberal politicians who are pressing him on the issue and have called on Democratic primary voters to select "uncommitted" in protest. But in a Pew survey from February, 30% of voters aged 65 and older believed Biden was "striking the right balance" on the war, while 23% of respondents believed that he favored Palestinians too much, and 13% of respondents felt that he favored Israelis too much. (About a third of voters aged 65 and older were unsure of their opinion.) A greater proportion of seniors felt that Biden had a more balanced approach to the war than any other age group. For instance, only 12% of respondents aged 18 to 29 felt that Biden had struck the "right balance" on the issue. (Nearly 4-in-10 young voters felt that Biden's war policies were too slanted toward Israel, a percentage higher than any other age group.) This isn't to say that seniors are a monolith there are certainly plenty of older Americans calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza. But the long-standing geopolitical alliance between the United States and Israel is likely to be a more defining attribute for older voters, with them perhaps giving Biden more deference on the issue given his foreign policy background that has spanned decades. Read the original article on Business Insider Editors Note: This CNN series is, or was, sponsored by the country it highlights. CNN retains full editorial control over subject matter, reporting and frequency of the articles and videos within the sponsorship, in compliance with our policy. 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. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A high-dollar fundraiser Saturday to benefit former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party has raised $43 million so far, a source familiar with the details told CNN. The event, the first major fundraiser for Trump and the Republican National Committee since he became his partys presumptive presidential nominee, will have 100 attendees. An invitation to the fundraiser lists the former president and former first lady Melania Trump as headliners for the Palm Beach, Florida, event hosted by hedge fund founder John Paulson. An array of wealthy GOP donors are serving as its co-chairs, including hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah; oil tycoon Harold Hamm; hotelier and space entrepreneur Robert Bigelow; and casino mogul Steve Wynn. Three former Trump rivals who have since endorsed him South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum are listed as special guests on the fundraiser invitation, CNN previously reported. Per the updated invitation, the price tag for the fundraiser ranges from $250,000 per person for those who serve on the host committee to $824,600 per person to serve as a chairman. Perks for those contributing at the top level include dinner seating at Trumps table. The campaign said Saturday evening it expected to bring in as much as $50 million from the event. The Palm Beach fundraiser is collecting money for the Trump 47 Committee, a joint fundraising operation that includes Trumps campaign, the RNC and state party committees. It also benefits a leadership PAC that has underwritten Trumps personal legal bills and is part of the joint fundraising agreement. The fundraiser comes days after the Trump campaign and the RNC announced raising a combined $65.6 million in March, entering April with $93.1 million in cash on hand, the groups said earlier this week. The announced totals represented an improved financial position for Trump and the RNC compared with the previous month, but they face a significant gap to close with President Joe Bidens campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Biden and the Democrats reported cash-on-hand totals of more than $155 million at the end of February and have not yet announced their totals for March. This story and headline have been updated with new reporting. CNNs David Wright contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Karen Nickel has been dealing with lupus and other illnesses for years, illnesses she blames on childhood exposure to a suburban St. Louis creek where Cold War-era nuclear waste was dumped decades ago. It's time, she said Friday, for the federal government to start making amends. People have died and are still dying, Nickel, co-founder of the activist group Just Moms STL, said. Nickel and others impacted by nuclear waste exposure in the St. Louis region joined Democratic U.S. Rep. Cori Bush at a news conference at a park that sits near long-contaminated Coldwater Creek. They urged renewal of a law initially passed more than three decades ago that would provide an estimated $50 billion to compensate Americans exposed to radiation by the government. Last month, the Senate approved legislation by Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico that would not only extend the 1990 Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, but expand its scope to include Missouri and other states adversely affected by the nations nuclear weapons program. But the compensation plan was excluded from a spending bill. The Senate did its job, but House leadership has failed to act, Bush, of St. Louis, said. This injustice cannot stand. The plan isn't dead. It could still pass as a stand-alone bill, or be attached to another piece of legislation. But time is of the essence, Bush said. The RECA program expires June 7. Uranium processing in the St. Louis area played a pivotal role in developing the nuclear weapons that helped bring an end to World War II and provided a key defense during the Cold War. But eight decades later, the region is still dealing with contamination at several sites. In July, an investigation published by The Associated Press, The Missouri Independent and MuckRock showed that the federal government and companies responsible for nuclear bomb production and atomic waste storage sites in the St. Louis area were aware of health risks, spills, improperly stored contaminants and other problems but often ignored them. While it is difficult to prove definitively that the waste caused residents illnesses, advocates argue that there is more than enough evidence that it has sickened people. Since the RECA program began, more than 54,000 claims have been filed and about $2.6 billion has been awarded for approved claims in Nevada, Utah and Arizona. In New Mexico, residents in the communities surrounding the area where the first atomic bomb was detonated in 1945 the top-secret Manhattan Project were not warned of the radiological dangers and didnt realize that an atomic blast was the source of the ash that was raining down upon them. Advocates also have sought to bring awareness to the lingering effects of radiation exposure on the Navajo Nation, where millions of tons of uranium ore were extracted over decades to support U.S. nuclear activities. President Joe Biden signed an executive order in 2022 extending RECA for two years, into June. Hawleys bill would extend the law for five years and expand coverage to include people in Missouri as well as Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alaska and Guam. The White House has indicated that Biden would sign the legislation. The President believes we have a solemn obligation to address toxic exposure, especially among those who have been placed in harms way by the governments actions, the White House said in a statement earlier this year. Others worry about the cost. The taxpayer advocacy group Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget said that the legislation should include budget offsets to pay for it. Nuclear waste stored near St. Louis' Lambert Airport made its way into Coldwater Creek in the 1960s. Many people who grew up or live near the meandering creek believe the contamination is responsible for cancers and other illnesses, though experts say connecting radiation exposure to illness is complicated. Cancer concerns also have been raised by people in nearby St. Charles County, Missouri, where uranium was processed and a large quarry became contaminated, resulting in a Superfund cleanup. In 2022, a St. Louis County grade school closed amid worries that contamination from Coldwater Creek got onto the playground and inside the building. The Army Corps of Engineers announced last month that it is testing a few homes near the creek after high radiation levels were found in their backyards. Like Nickel, Democratic state Rep. Doug Clemens grew up along Coldwater Creek. He said every man in his childhood neighborhood eventually died of stomach or intestinal cancer. They knew they were poisoning us for 75 years, Clemens said of the government. RECA is a step. We must do RECA now. ___ This story has been corrected to show the last name of the New Mexico senator is Lujan. Tennessee could soon become the latest state to require public school students to watch a three-minute computer-generated video on fetal development created by an anti-abortion group. The state Senate passed the legislation, commonly known as the Baby Olivia Act, in a 21-6 vote Thursday and the bill is now headed to Republican Gov. Bill Lees desk. Under the proposed law, schools must incorporate the video, or an equivalent, into their family life curriculum. This curriculum will cover topics such as human growth, development, and sexuality through a a high-quality, computer-generated animation or high-definition ultrasound of at least three minutes in duration that shows the development of the brain, heart, sex organs, and other vital organs in early fetal development. Produced by the anti-abortion group Live Action, the animation, which depicts a baby through different phases of development, has sparked criticism among experts who say the video is medically inaccurate and can have significant consequences. Rep. Gino Bulso presents a bill on the House floor to prevent Pride flags from being displayed in schools during a legislative session in Nashville, Tennessee, on February 26, 2024. - George Walker IV/AP Republican Rep. Gino Bulso, who sponsored the House bill, argued in March the video was medically accurate and approved by a committee of medical professionals and experts. However, Tennessee House Democrats said they had research from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists they believed debunks that statement. Like much anti-abortion misinformation, the Baby Olivia video is designed to manipulate the emotions of viewers rather than to share evidence-based, scientific information about embryonic and fetal development, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) told CNN in a statement. Many of the claims made in this video are not aligned with scientific fact, but rather reflect the biased and ideologic perspectives of the extremists who created the video. ACOG is strongly opposed to the spread of misinformation about reproductive health. State Minority Leader Sen. Raumesh Akbari said the video doesnt deserve a place in the curriculum. Students deserve unbiased, medically accurate sex education that helps them make healthy and safe decisions, Akbari said. This legislation achieves none of those goals. House Democrat Rep. Aftyn Behn argued the pro-life video is incredibly problematic and goes against Bulsos views on education. To use your own words Representative Bulso, when you were asked about a controversial piece of legislation you carried a few weeks ago, you said a school is a place where a child goes to learn, not a place where a child goes to be indoctrinated, Behn said. The House passed HB2435 with a 67-23 vote in March. Medical expert says video is medically inaccurate and disregards the mother The narrated film claims to provide a chronological account of what takes place during the different stages of pregnancy. The video begins with the fertilization and implantation of an egg and proceeds to show the embryonic and fetal development of a fetus. Republican Sen. Janice Bowling, who sponsored the Senate bill, said on Thursday she favored the legislation introduced by Bulso. Baby Olivia is a medically accurate, animated glimpse of human life in the moment of fertilization. This scientifically accurate video shows her growth as she progresses from one developmental stage to the next in preparation for her continued life outside the womb and, I repeat, this is one of the choices that teachers may choose in showing this type of information, Bowling said. Dr. Daniel Grossman, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, disagrees and points out multiple inaccuracies and said the lack of accurate medical information is concerning. The claim that life begins at the moment of fertilization is not a medical fact. In medicine, a pregnancy begins when a fertilized egg implants in the wall of a uterus, he told CNN. This would mean the timeline in the video dates the stages of pregnancy two weeks earlier, making it sound like the fetus is more developed than it actually is. So, the stage the fetus is in at 11 weeks in the video is actually a depiction of a 13-week old fetus, Grossman says. I think the danger of having biased and inaccurate information like this in schools is that it is being used to form and influence public opinion that ultimately affects the legality of abortionand potentially IVF, contraception, and other medical care, he added. The part of the video where the babys heartbeat is discussed is also not entirely accurate, Grossman says. The video claims the babys heartbeat can be heard at three weeks, and while rhythmic contractions of the cardiac tube can be seen on ultrasound at 5-6 weeks, according to Grossman, the heart does not fully form until 9 weeks. The video also claims a fetus can survive at 20 weeks with a lot of help outside the womb, however only 10% of babies born at 22 weeks survive long enough to be discharged from the hospital, according to Grossman. There is very little mention of the woman in whose body the embryo is developing, including how she may feel about the pregnancy and how it may be affecting her health, he added. Noah Brandt, vice president of communications for Live Action, the anti-abortion group that produced the video, says the group consulted with a panel of medical doctors including experts in embryonic and fetal development for the project. The group also says each doctor endorsed this presentation. Lila Rose, founder and president of Live Action expressed gratitude for the bills passage: I applaud the Tennessee state legislature for passing the Baby Olivia Act, a crucial step toward educating students about the amazing process of human development in the womb I look forward to Governor Lee swiftly signing this bill into law, setting a precedent for other states to follow in prioritizing comprehensive education on human development. Rep. Justin Jones raises his hand to be called on to speak on bill HB 2716 at the Tennessee State Capitol building during a general session in Nashville, Tennessee, on February 26, 2024. - Seth Herald/Reuters Tennessee Democratic Rep. Justin Jones said in a recent phone interview with CNN the new legislation was an attempt to merge religious beliefs with science and to confuse students with medically inaccurate information. It is shameful that this is what they are pushing in our schools when we are facing the situation where our schools are underfunded, our teachers are already being forced to ban history, to ban books about critical race theory, or about diversity, and yet theyre going to push this propaganda into our schools to present a view that is not factually accurate. Jones also said GOP representatives voted against an amendment that would allow parents to opt their children out of watching the video. CNN reached out to Lees office about the bill and whether it would be signed into law. If signed, the law will go into effect immediately starting with the 2024-2025 school year. CNN also reached out to Planned Parenthood for comment. This bill comes two years after the state of Tennessee banned abortions at all stages of pregnancy, even in cases of rape and incest. The ban only makes an exception if a pregnant womans life and body are at serious risk. Tennessee will join North Dakota in the adoption of the Baby Olivia bill. Similar legislation has also been under consideration in Iowa, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri. CNNs Ryan Young and Dianne Gallagher contributed to this story. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A third victim of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has been recovered, officials said Friday evening. Dive teams located the body of 38-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval and notified Maryland State Police, according to a statement from the unified command in charge of recovery. Suazo-Sandoval, described in a statement as a construction worker, was one of six people believed dead in the March 26 collapse after a cargo ship struck a bridge support. This evening the Unified Command announced that divers were able to bring Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, one of the remaining missing workers, home to his family, the city's mayor, Brandon M. Scott, said in a statement. Suazo-Sandoval's body was located about 10:30 a.m. and his family has been notified, according to the unified command, a cooperative of first responders and investigators from federal, state and local agencies. The discovery was made within the site of the collapse, unified command said. The bridge stretched across the Port of Baltimore, formed where the Patapsco River meets Chesapeake Bay. Two other workers were recovered from a vehicle in the water on March 27. Those victims were identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, who was from Mexico and lived in Baltimore; and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, who was from Guatemala and lived in Dundalk, Maryland, authorities said. Joe Biden (Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP) "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," Scott said. He continued, "I am grateful for the first responders who have maintained focus on recovering the remaining victims and continued their work to clear the channel with the utmost care." President Joe Biden on Friday toured the site of the collapse by air and then received a briefing from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers. He described the six dead workers as "hard-working, strong, and selfless." "To all the families and loved ones who are grieving," he said, "Ive come here to grieve with you. We all are." Penobscot Nation members drum on the Penobscot River in Eddington, Maine, on 22 July 2013. Photograph: Boston Globe/Getty Images This month, three Indigenous American tribes on the west and east coasts will collectively receive nearly $755,000 in federal funding to manage ocean and coastal problems, as well as engage in partnerships to offset the effects of the climate crisis in their regions. The tribes projects will blend together Indigenous knowledge and scientific data to build innovative strategies around coastal resilience. On Monday, the federal agency National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), and the US Department of Commerce announced that the Makah Tribe in Washington, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians in California and the Penobscot Nation in Maine will be individually awarded between $200,000 and $290,000 for their two-year projects. The funding comes from the Biden administrations bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which provided Noaa with nearly $3bn to facilitate environmental stewardship, build climate-resilient coasts and support infrastructure around weather forecasting from 2022 to 2026. Related: Kristi Noem, South Dakota governor, banned from second reservation in state Amid warming waters and sea level rise, tribal engagement is critical to be able to really benefit from that knowledge and round out our perspectives of how to act together in managing oceans and coasts, Betsy Nicholson, the north regional director for Noaas office for coastal management, told the Guardian. Tribes have a long history that we do not have in terms of having been through some of these changes before, so its an incredibly meaningful relationship. It takes funds to have the capacity to maintain that participation. Noaa has engaged with Indigenous communities on coastal and ocean management for many years. This funding will allow the tribes to hire staff, attend convenings with state and federal governments and to incorporate their traditional ecological knowledge into infrastructure planning on the coast and in oceans. In many cases, we are using data and tools to make decisions on where to site aquaculture, where to site offshore wind projects, said Nicholson. Those tools dont necessarily include the traditional ecological knowledge and their perspective. The Makah Tribe will use the funds to continue work around ocean mapping, as well as to teach younger generations how to govern the collection, ownership and use of their communitys information, otherwise known as tribal data sovereignty. The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians plan to use the money to define their values around ocean and coastal management, which may include prioritizing the protection of marine mammals. In Maine, The Penobscot Nation will conduct more research on the historical significance of their waterways, such as identifying submerged archaeological sites that were once tribal lands before the sea level rose thousands of years ago. Chuck Loring, a Penobscot Nation member and the tribes director of natural resources said they will also use the funds to share the knowledge that they learn from state and federal governments with four other tribes in the area Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Mikmaq Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkomikuk and Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik. Were going to try to continue identifying tribal priorities for offshore and inshore ocean environments, increasing the tribal involvement, said Loring, as well as supporting awareness of ocean-related issues of climate change and energy projects. For instance, he said, the tribe is concerned that birds, bats and fish may be killed by the offshore wind turbines that the state plans to erect along the coast. They also want to ensure that a mitigation plan is in place so that oil leaks from the turbines dont contribute to water pollution. Loring said that the funding will provide them with the resources and time to engage with the state about such infrastructure projects, given that Indigenous voices have largely been left out of discussions since the tribes are working over capacity. He hopes that the partnerships will help the Penobscot Nation learn more about their own history, which has partially been forgotten due to colonialism. We obviously had quite a connection to the ocean. Weve kind of lost that since we dont have a significant landholding down there, Loring said. Were looking to rekindle that, to educate ourselves a little bit more. In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the reality star says she faced racism, sexual harassment and physical assault during her time on the show Desiree Stone/Getty Faith Stowers in Los Angeles, California in March 2017. Faith Stowers filed a lawsuit on Friday, April 5, against Bravo and its parent company NBCUniversal for charges that include discrimination, retaliation and enabling a hostile work environment. In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the former Vanderpump Rulesstar claims she was subjected to racism, sexual harassment and physical assault during season 4 of the reality show when she joined the cast. Stowers, who appeared on seasons 4 and 5 of Vanderpump Rules, specifically calls out several former castmembers in her lawsuit. She claims that, during a tense verbal and physical argument, Lala Kent held a knife to Stowers neck and threatened to cut a bitch. Related: Lisa Vanderpump Speaks Out After 4 Vanderpump Rules Stars Are Fired: 'I Condemn All Forms of Racism' She also alleges that Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute claimed that Stowers went AWOL from the United States Army and was a serial criminal who drugged and robbed men in Los Angeles. In addition, the reality star claims the pair filed a false police report listing Stowers as the assailant. The only similarities between Stowers and the assailant were their gender and skin color, the lawsuit states. Stowers, who is Black, alleges these efforts amounted to a brazen and defamatory campaign of racial harassment intended to harm her and her credibility. And when she expressed her concerns to NBC and Vanderpump Rules production company Evolution Media, Stowers claims she was warned to keep quiet and play nice. The reality star claims she was eventually demoted to an unpaid volunteer. Reps for Bravo, NBC, Kent, Doute and Schroeder did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment. Jerritt Clark/WireImage Faith Stowers in Hollywood, California in May 2017. One insider close to Kent denied Stowers allegations. Theres no basis to any of these allegations, the insider told PEOPLE. Its convenient she has a podcast coming out this Sunday and shes doing a new movie with [Kent's ex] Randall Emmett, so [it] feel like this is no accident. Schroeder and Doute, for their part, previously weighed in on past racially insensitive behavior days after being fired from Vanderpump Rules in June 2020. Schroeder confirmed in 2018 she called police about Stowers during an appearance on the Bitch Bible podcast. At the time, Doute also weighed in a now-deleted tweet that included a link to a news story about then-at-large female suspect, writing, "hey tweeties, doesn't this ex #pumprules thief look familiar? someone put her on mtv & gave her a platform for press. I didn't wanna go there but I'm going there." "Stassi and Kristen acknowledged what they did was wrong, have apologized and been punished," Schroeder and Doute's rep, Steve Honig, told PEOPLE at the time. "Without casting aside their actions or the impact of those actions, they want to move forward as part of the solution in ways that are productive, meaningful and sincere. Both of them recognize actions speak louder than words and that is what will guide them as they move forward." Related: Faith Stowers Says Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute 'Shouldn't Be Shunned for What They Did' Doute recently returned to Bravo in a new reality show, The Valley, alongside other Vanderpump Rules alum, including Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright. Schroeder, who has not been back on the network since being fired, runs her introspective podcast Stassi. Stowers plans on debuting her own podcast The Frequency with Marcus Millions on April 7. The reality star told Variety on Thursday she would be candid there about her time on Vanderpump Rules. 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. Im going to be saying everything I didnt say to be politically correct, Stowers told the outlet. I wanted to be a voice for my Black community. I wanted to make sure that people who were going through what I was going through had a blueprint so they didnt make the same mistakes I made or feel powerful enough to speak out immediately instead of having to be scared like I was. Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules is currently airing on Bravo. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Its hard to describe a place like Redwood National and State Parks. We struggle with this on a daily basis, how to convey the feeling of it, because it's not just the math, said Patrick Taylor, interpretation and education manager for the National Park Service at Redwood. You almost lose that scale though when you're in it, because when you're under a tree that's over 200-300 feet tall and you look up, you can't see anywhere near the top of it. Heres what travelers can see and expect at Redwood, the latest national park in USA TODAYs yearlong series. Answers to your biggest park questions: What is the most visited national park in the US? What is special about Redwood? It always starts with the trees, Taylor said. Coming to the tallest trees in the world is kind of a very specific thing that people like to say they've done. Seeing the trees leaves some visitors speechless. One of the things we've noticed is when people go into the groves, when they get out of their cars, everybody's really happy and chatty, Taylor said. Then as they walk down into the old-growth groves, there's like the silence that often falls over everybody, and it's almost like a reverential spiritual experience for many people. It's not like anywhere else they've been. According to the National Park Service, "In 1929, Clara W. Stout, widow of lumberman Frank D. Stout, donated this tract of old-growth redwood forest to Save the Redwoods League." The half-mile-long Stout Grove trail is popular among Redwood visitors. Is one day enough for Redwood National Park? If you had one full day here, you would have an amazing day, Taylor said. It would leave you longing for more, but not necessarily frustrated that you didn't get to see any of it. Two or three days in the park give visitors time to explore its other offerings. A saying that a lot of times the locals use around here is that you come for the trees, but you stay for the river, you stay for the ocean, Taylor said. Lupine blanket Redwood's Bald Hills during the spring. What is the closest city to Redwood National Park? Eureka, California, is often what we cite as our close kind of metropolitan area, Taylor said. It has a regional airport and all the hotels and everything somebody would need if they were coming up here for vacation. Its about 40 miles from the park. Crescent City is closer, though smaller, and offers similar amenities for travelers. The city's motto is "Where the Redwoods meet the sea." Moving out a little further, Medford, Oregon, is about 2 hours from the park. It has a little bit bigger airport," Taylor said. Santa Rosa, California, is about four hours away by car. Many travelers may choose to fly into the Bay Area and make a trip of it, visiting multiple parks. For a lot of people, this is a bucket list destination, Taylor said. Redwood's trees are wonder to behold. Where is the best place to see the giant redwoods? As I talk to everybody, it almost seems like the best redwood groves are whatever redwood groves people see first, Taylor said. For him, that place was Stout Memorial Grove. It was just like stepping into another world, he recalled. Intellectually, you know it exists, but once you're there, it just kind of changes your perspective and understanding of what nature is really like. He said Stout Grove is also a great stop for first-timers and families because it doesnt require a lot of hiking. You're just kind of right in it, right away. Dozens of California state parks also have redwoods, but Taylor said the largest contiguous stretches of old-growth redwoods are to the far north, in places like Redwood, which is jointly managed by the National Park Service and the state of California. Patrick Taylor, Interpretation and Education Manager at Redwood National and State Park says, "It's almost impossible to ever fully get the scale of the trees other than how wide they are at their base and kind of projecting what you imagine that to turn into up above." Why are redwoods only in California? Technically, theyre not. There's a spot just over the Oregon border that does have a very small coastal redwood grove, Taylor said. But like 99.999% are in California. He noted redwoods used to stretch farther up and down the coast, but environmental factors and commercial logging have taken a toll, and there are only so many places the trees can grow. Coastal redwoods, they get a lot of the moisture they need in the summer months from fog, not just from the ground. So for them to survive, they really need to be in spots where there's a heavy kind of daily fog that rolls in off the coast. They're not able to move inland very far. Seastars cling to the rocks at Redwood's Enderts Beach. Is it worth going to Redwood National Park? Yes. It doesn't get old, Tayor said. Even staff that have worked here for 30 years, as soon as they step outside, you can just see it's like breathing life back into them. Story continues below. Which is better: Sequoia or Redwood National Park? They're basically siblings, and so it's like comparing your kids, Taylor said. You love them both for slightly different reasons. He explained that giant sequoias tend to have more volume to them. So they're bigger in the sense that they usually have a wider base, and they don't taper off as fast, he said. The coastal redwoods are usually a little taller and a little more slender. He also noted that redwoods are more communal trees. It's rare when you can see an amazing coastal redwood just kind of standing by itself, Taylor said. For them to get big and tall and healthy, they almost have to have a whole bunch of neighbors helping support each other because their roots intertwine, and they literally anchor each other to the ground. Whereas the sequoia trees, they also need a healthy ecosystem around them, of course, but like General Sherman, it's kind of this big stand-alone tree. Standing among the redwoods leaves many visitors speechless. Which Native American tribes lived in the redwoods? Seven federally recognized tribes are tied to the park. Redwood has partnered with tribes for years. We've recognized that even the old-growth systems that we consider were unmanipulated and unmaintained and completely natural hadn't been that way for thousands and thousands of years. There have been traditional fires, traditional burns and other ways they had been working with the forest, Taylor said. And so more and more we're working with our partners and having the partners lead, in many cases, how we do these restoration efforts. The park also partners with the state and Save the Redwoods League. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Redwood National Park is not like anywhere else youve been A Wisconsin woman was sentenced to life in prison on Friday after she was convicted of killing her friend with poisoned eye drops, as the victim's friend told the killer "hell" awaits her. Jessy Kurczewski, 40, fatally poisoned 62-year-old Lynn Hernan in 2018 and stole nearly $300,000 from her estate, authorities said. Kurczewski was convicted in November of charges including first-degree intentional homicide and theft. The sentencing included emotional statements from friends of the victim, including James Kelliher, according to local outlets including Fox 6. "The devil awaits you," Kelliher told Kurczewski. "I hope you rot in hell." Kurczewski remained stoic in the Waukesha, Wisc., courtroom as Judge Jennifer Dorow handed down her sentence. "I think the criteria that I have when I think of it are not only the seriousness of the offense but also the need to protect the public; that's one of the key factors here," Dorow said. Kurczeweski will be eligible for parole after 40 years, making her "older than Lynn would be today," Dorow said, saying that the sentences for the homicide and theft convictions would run consecutively. Dorow said that Kurczeweski had falsified documents, covered her tracks, and justified her motives before pointing the blame elsewhere when she was caught. During a victim impact statement, one of Hernan's friends called Kurczewski a monster and said that the sentences were too lenient. Kurczeweski maintains that Hernan willingly drank Visine bottles and died by suicide. Her attorney vowed to appeal, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "She took it to help her sleep, and it took away her pain," Kurczewski said in her two-hour testimony prior to sentencing, also sharing letters allegedly written by Hernan. "To say I killed someone who I considered family?" Kurczewski said. "It just doesn't make sense." Hernan's friends described her as a loving woman who cared for animals and her family, and who enjoyed going to the beach. They pleaded for the judge to sentence Kurczewski to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Delegation of Palestinian and Arab politicians applaud the dragon's policies and call Western accusations of human rights violations false. For experts, China orchestrates trips to Xinjiang to conceal persecution of the Muslim minority. At the same time, it seeks to expand its influence in the Muslim (and global) world. Dubai (AsiaNews) - The silence of the Islamic world, especially the Middle East, on the human rights violations of the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang, the far west of China, which is counterbalanced by interested praise of Beijing, is entering a new chapter in recent days. In fact, a delegation of Palestinian and Arab politicians "extolled" the dragon's policies and called reports of abuse by Western governments false during a recent visit to the area, triggering an indignant response - and criticism - from local experts and activists and international. In reference to the visit, the Global Times, the official English-language newspaper of the communist party, explains that the delegation was led by Bassam Zakarneh, member of the Palestinian Revolutionary Council of Fatah; furthermore, it was made up of politicians from Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan and Tunisia. On March 27, the head of the Communist Party of Xinjiang, Ma Xingrui, welcomed delegates in the capital Urumqi. The aim of the visit, according to a report by Xinjiang Daily, was to show a general vision of the situation in the western region and convey to the international community the narrative of a peaceful and vibrant area. This story is in stark contrast to the denunciations of the United States and Western chancelleries, which have repeatedly accused Beijing of pursuing a policy of genocide against the 11 million Uyghur Muslims, imprisoning, torturing and sterilizing those who do not comply. Accusations always rejected by Beijing, according to which the (alleged) concentration camps were in reality professional training centers which have now been closed. Pro-Beijing newspaper reports say that, during the meeting with Ma, the delegation praised China's creative governance measures and "unprecedented progress in economic development". The head of the delegation then stated that "people of all ethnic groups lead a good life, enjoy full freedom of religious belief and have smiles on their faces", even if the newspaper story does not indicate the names of those who did statements or attributed direct quotes. The document goes on to say that the delegation attacked the United States and other Western nations for allegedly "slandering" China's Xinjiang policy by fabricating baseless false accusations. However, experts and scholars of the region point out that Beijing orchestrated every moment and all aspects of the visit, establishing a priori what the delegates could (or could not) see, in order to hide the persecution of the Uyghurs. Visitors should have been able to speak directly and freely with residents living in the region, said Robert McCaw, director of the Government Affairs Department of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. China apparently wants to reach out to these leftist movements in the Arab world and use them for its own propaganda, added Mustafa Akyol, senior fellow at Cato's Institute's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity. The Arab world - he warns - should not be influenced by China and its propaganda. On several occasions in the past, analysts, NGOs and activist groups have shown how Beijing uses these visits to Xinjiang to conquer other Muslim groups and distance them from the sphere of influence of the United States and other Western powers. The Chinese dragon has also supported the Palestinians, trying to expand its influence in the Middle East as has also emerged during the resumption of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, mediated by Beijing. Ten months ago, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a visit to Beijing that he believed the Xinjiang issue, often framed as a human rights issue, was actually a battle against terrorism, extremism and separatism. China seeks to build consensus and strengthen its global influence, said Ma Ju, a Hui Muslim scholar who lives in the United States. Meanwhile, Muslim nations may be increasingly less willing to criticize China because they need its political support and investment. Inaugural mass of the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, in the al-Dawasa district. The place of worship had been conquered and devastated by jihadists, then turned into a police barracks of the Islamic State. The joy of the more than 300 Christians who attended the service. Mosul (AsiaNews) - An "exceptional" result that can "encourage" Christians "to return to their beloved city, with the certainty that this will help create hope, promote harmonious coexistence and preserve the beautiful and diverse fabric of Mosul". This was emphasised by the Chaldean Patriarch, Card. Louis Raphael Sako, in his homily during the Mass celebrated yesterday for the inauguration of the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the northern Iraqi metropolis, at the end of renovation work. A place of worship symbolic of the devastation of the Islamic State (IS, formerly Isis), which had occupied - and desecrated - it when it was conquered in the summer of 2014 and liberated three years later by the Iraqi army. "I ran this church and sponsored the school for 15 years," the cardinal recalled, "and we felt we were one family, Christians and Muslims, in complete harmony. Chants, hymns, and slogans from a festive Christian community accompanied the mass for the inauguration of the Chaldean Church, 80 years of history behind it, after having become a religious police office under Isis. The celebration was attended by Christian, Muslim, Yazidi and Sabeans religious and political leaders from Mosul and the Nineveh Plain, as well as international dignitaries, including those who financed the reconstruction of the place of worship, and at least 300 worshippers. Among the ecclesiastical personalities were Bishop Nicodemus Daoud Sharaf of the Syrian Orthodox Church, Msgr. Imad Khoshaba, current Archbishop of Tehran of the Chaldeans, and Msgr. Michael Najib Michael, Archbishop of Mosul, as well as priests, nuns and religious. "I have been waiting for this day," 74-year-old former school headmaster Ilham Abdullah tells Afp. He emphasises that he hopes that "Christian families will return and life will resume as it once was" in Mosul, home to one of the oldest communities in the world. Salim, who came to the city specifically for the mass, said that the Chaldeans "came to see their church" abandoned "when the Daesh oppressors ruined it". At the moment in the northern metropolis - the scene of Pope Francis' historic visit during his apostolic trip to Iraq in 2021 - there are other churches and monasteries being renovated, but reconstruction is slow and many have not yet returned. In his homily, Card. Sako stressed the "pioneering" role of Christians in building Iraqi civilisation and society, culture and progress in the governorate of Mosul. That is why he said he was "sorry" for the non-participation of the current governor, whose presence would have "encouraged" Christians to return to their city "but he does not seem to care". 'Difficult circumstances,' he adds, 'threaten their existence', which is why we 'look forward with hope' to a political system 'at the service of citizens' and measures aimed at 'justice and equality' to overcome 'sectarianism, quotas and components' in a perspective of 'peace and trust'. It is necessary, he concludes, to fight corruption, the spread of arms and 'dismantle extremist ideology'. The devastation caused by the Islamic State had emerged in March 2017 at the time of the liberation of the al-Dawasa neighbourhood at the hands of Iraqi forces who, while searching the area, found a Christian church used as a base by the militiamen. It was indeed Um al-Mauna (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) which, at that time, no longer bore any sign of its past because the crucifix and statues had been destroyed, replaced by Daesh (Arabic acronym for Isis) posters and symbols. The sign above the door, 'Chaldean Catholic Church', along with the grey marble altar testify to the building's original function, while a ban on entry was posted on the walls. Posters on the marble columns of the once Christian place of worship illustrated life in the time of Isis. One of them listed the 14 rules for Mosul, including the obligation for women to dress modestly and show themselves in public only 'if necessary'. On the debris-covered floor, a leaflet was found listing the corporal punishments provided (with explanatory pictures) for those guilty of theft, alcohol consumption, adultery and homosexuality. The Islamic State had conquered the metropolis in June 2014, forcing Christians to choose between converting to Islam, paying a special tax, fleeing or being killed. A few weeks later they devastated Qaraqosh in the Nineveh Plain, forcing most of the 120,000 Christians to flee. (Photo taken from the website of the Chaldean Patriarchate) Ecuadorian police stormed the Mexican Embassy in Quito to arrest a former vice president who sought asylum there prompting Mexico to cut diplomatic ties and accuse Ecuador of violating international law. Jorge Glas, 54, was hauled out of the embassy building after holing up there since December following his indictment on corruption charges, the Associated Press reported Saturday. "Ecuador is a sovereign nation and we are not going to allow any criminal to stay free," the office of President Daniel Noboa said in a statement. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador responded by calling Friday's raid an "authoritarian act" and a "flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico." Ecuador's move came one day after it said Mexico's ambassador was no longer welcome due to what the government called "very unfortunate" remarks Obrador made about last year's Ecuadorian presidential election, which was won by Noboa. Alicia Barcena, Mexico's secretary of foreign relations, said some Mexican diplomats were injured during the embassy raid. The entire delegation will return home once the Ecuadorian government guarantees safe passage out of the country, Barcena said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter. The Mexican Embassy remained under heavy guard late Friday, AP said. Mexico plans to take the matter to the International Court of Justice to "denounce Ecuador's responsibility for violations of international law," Barcena said. Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, diplomatic buildings are deemed "inviolable" and local law enforcement agencies aren't allowed to enter without permission of the ambassador. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who faces espionage charges in the U.S., lived in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for nearly seven years before being arrested in 2019 for violating bail conditions set by a British court. 6 April 2024 16:20 (UTC+04:00) Fatima Latifova Read more On April 5, starting from 15:10 to 17:35, the Armenian armed forces units, in order to create basis for next provocations, attempted to conduct work for the purpose of engineering improvement of a trench in front of the Azerbaijan Army positions stationed in the direction of Hajali, Aghbulag, Aghdam, Garalar, Kohna Gishlag settlements of Tovuz district and Galakend settlement of Gadabay district, Azernews reports. Aykhan Hajizada, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made a commentary on the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia regarding the latest military provocations. Accusations by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia against our country in an intentional escalation of the situation, intending to distract attention from the military provocations of the Armenian side regularly committed against the units of our armed forces and from the steps of concentrating military forces in various directions over the past few days, are unacceptable and have no basis Regarding the statement that the construction of military fortifications by Armenia in the bordering areas with Azerbaijan is part of their military reforms and that the policy of mass militarization by Armenia is their sovereign right, it should be clear to everyone why these steps taken by Armenia are illegitimate and pose a threat to our country. Accordingly, the ongoing claims against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan in the Constitution of Armenia, as well as in a number of legislative acts, and the existence of revanchism attempts demonstrate the scale of threats from Armenia against our country. Moreover, taking into account that Armenia occupied the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan for 30 years when they had a military capability, the efforts to provide additional military power undoubtedly will create conditions for Armenia to become a new source of tension and a threat. Unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan has liberated its sovereign territories from occupation in accordance with international law with full military superiority and did not pose a threat to Armenias territories. Against the background of the mentioned challenges, the aggressive militarization of Armenia under various pretexts is a source of threat, and it is necessary to urge Armenia to refrain from this dangerous path. Expression of frivolous ideas such as arms control and non-aggression pact by Armenia, that for 30 years has grossly violated its obligations within the framework of the international agreements and arms control mechanisms to which it was a party, and during the occupation of our territories illegally deployed most of its military equipment and weapon systems on the territory of our country and concealed them from the international arms control mechanisms, and that does not respect Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty contrary to the Alma-Ata declaration, which it refers to many times today, is a political manipulation. In order to prove that Armenia is serious about the peace process, she has to refrain from contradictory statements and provocative steps and respect the norms and principles of international law. Azerbaijan, for its part, will seriously prevent threats against it in the region and will continue its peace and construction efforts. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 April 2024 19:57 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more Armenia could not find an answer to its most important question in Brussels. Azernews reports that Sergey Markedonov, a scientific employee of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and political scientist, said this. He said that the issue of Yerevan's security is still up in the air. According to the expert, some promises made to Armenia have not been fulfilled yet. It should be noted that on April 5, a meeting was held in Brussels between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Josep Borrell. According to the Armenian mass media, the ruling "Civil Contract" party was dissatisfied with the outcome of the meeting. Because less funding was allocated to Armenia than expected. In addition, according to the opinions of many experts, Armenia's complete inclusion in the Western union calls into question its future in the South Caucasus. Armenia, which once depended only on Russia and ensured its economic existence under its patronage, has chosen a completely different direction and is fighting for an uncertain outcome. Armenia is also unable to achieve possible results in the normalisation of relations with Azerbaijan. Because his choice does not allow it. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 April 2024 12:45 (UTC+04:00) Elnur Enveroglu Read more On April 5, Armenia's participation in the tripartite meeting with the United States and the European Union shed some light on a number of issues regionally. The first of these is that Armenia is completely isolated, falling under the umbrella of the West in the South Caucasus. Armenia, which came out of the Second Garabagh War with a heavy defeat, sees the Kremlin as the main cause of this defeat and believes that it could have been otherwise possible for Garabagh to remain under the occupation of Yerevan. However, the rapid change in the geopolitical situation was no longer dependent on the steps taken by Russia or the West, where Armenia took refuge. The momentum of the liberation of Garabagh and the ending of Armenia's aggression over the territories of Azerbaijan was the right time for it. Now, Armenia thinks that everything will be more comfortable and promising for the country from now on, following its full submission to the EU. Besides, Yerevan, which feels like a fairy tale in the Western League, is still hoping for the return of Garabagh, as well as the protection of the four occupied villages. However, the West's open relations with Azerbaijan do not indicate this. In any case, both the European Union and the United States think that it is pointless to return to the issue of territorial division, i.e., the border demarcation and delimitation between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Because every party except Yerevan knows that achieving the complete separation of Armenia from Russia is the only goal for the West. As for the West uniting with Armenia and exerting any pressure on Azerbaijan, this does not reflect reality at all. Because it would be an extremely weak policy for the West to ally with a weak state like Armenia and threaten a state with wide opportunities like Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus. When Azerbaijan expressed its concern about the April 5 meeting, the West reacted sufficiently and did not leave Azerbaijan's questions unanswered. This was a diplomatic gesture that reflected the West's reckoning with Azerbaijan. Although the participation of Azerbaijan in this meeting is important, US State Department Secretary Antony Blinken personally called President Ilham Aliyev by phone and informed Azerbaijan in advance about the objectives of the meeting. Speaking with Blinken, the President of Azerbaijan expressed his agreement with the provisions of the statement agreed upon at the Prague meeting in 2022 and noted that the false statements made by France and other parties about Azerbaijan only serve to exacerbate tensions in the South Caucasus. The fact that the President of Azerbaijan touched on the same issue in his meeting with Mevlud Cavusolglu, a member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and the head of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly delegation, and emphasised that the tripartite meeting on April 5 is a policy aimed specifically at Azerbaijan, proved that the West acts by double standards. Of course, both the West and the European Union have made unfair accusations against Azerbaijan. For example, the PACE depriving the Azerbaijani delegation of the right to vote, France calling Azerbaijan an aggressor and claiming that it is allegedly inciting an attack against Armenia, as well as the biased actions of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe against Azerbaijan since September 13, make the future of this meeting clearly express its main direction. In addition, the dullness of the meeting and the fact that it did not create agitation as presented by Armenia serve to conceal the fact that the West's explanation to Azerbaijan is untrue. The US and the EU wanted to assure Azerbaijan that the measures planned for Armenia were not directed against Azerbaijan. But there are serious grounds for not satisfying Azerbaijan with these claims. Although today the West is conducting secret talks with Armenia in this meeting, the real results of this will begin to be revealed after some time, along with their adverse effects. The West is trying to re-experience the secret Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact that divided Europe in 1938 and thinks that the secret meeting and negotiations with Armenia without the participation of Azerbaijan can change something in the South Caucasus. However, the West has forgotten one important point, that the geopolitical situation they thought was the same as in the past is left behind. The influence of President Ilham Aliyev and his ability to influence the process can now decisively prevent the intervention of foreign forces in the region. This undoubtedly serves to protect Azerbaijan's national interests and position with determination and principle. Armenia's plans to create tension in the region by uniting with the West or other forces will no longer have any influence. --- Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews Deputy Editor-in-Chief; follow him on @ElnurMammadli1 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 April 2024 17:25 (UTC+04:00) Fatima Latifova Read more Since the end of the second Garabagh War, Azerbaijan has repeatedly proposed to the Armenian authorities peace talks around the table and, at the same time, urged that they adhere to the November 10 agreement. However, in addition to reneging on its obligations, by involving the Western forces in the processes in the South Caucasus, official Yerevan has done its best to slow down the peace process with its provocations on the border with Azerbaijan. Following the Brussels meeting, Armenia's violation of the ceasefire on the conventional borderin the direction of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and Tovuz regionand the concentration of the army in the direction of Eastern Zangazur overshadow the 'calls for peace' voiced by the Pashinyan government. It seems that Yerevan's goal is to create a new hotbed of war in the region, in addition to forcing Baku to take retaliatory measures. Military expert Emin Hasanli, touching on the subject in a comment for Azernews, said that these provocations by Armenia were imminent. Thus, official Yerevan has never fulfilled its obligations. "Armenia has never fulfilled its obligations. Neither during the period of Tsarist Russia nor during the period of Bolshevik Russia, nor Kocharyan, nor Sargsyan, nor Pashinyan did this country stand behind its word. The expert noted that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan always makes different excuses for the provocations on the border. "Every year, the Armenian authorities declare that there are great hopes for peace this year. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan makes encouraging speeches for peace, but somehow the opposite is happening. He blames the soldiers for every provocation on the border, allegedly saying that the generals in the Armenian army serve the fifth column of some country and do not obey his orders. But he does not disclose the names of the generals. Sometimes he claims that those who violated the ceasefire were drunk or mentally ill. Emin Hasanli drew attention to the special tactics that Armenia is trying to implement. He said that official Yerevan is trying to draw the attention of other countries by further deteriorating the situation in the region. "Armenia has been gathering troops to the front in recent days and is spreading disinformation that Azerbaijan will attack Armenia. The tactics of this country are as follows: to intensify the situation in the region and draw the world's attention to it," added Hasanli. The expert also touched on the issue of people of Armenian descent who moved voluntarily from Garabagh. He said that the main goal here was to create prejudice against Azerbaijan in the Christian world. "People of Armenian descent were taken out of Garabagh themselves. With this, they wanted to direct the pressure of the international community, especially the Christian communities, against Azerbaijan and make the country unjust in its rightful cause. Thus, sanctions would be applied against official Baku. However, they could not achieve their goals, and no sanctions were applied." Emin Hasanli also recalled that all countries in the world recognised Garabagh as the territory of Azerbaijan. "The international world did not see any strangeness here when Azerbaijan ensured its territorial integrity. Because the UN had decisions on this issue. Also, the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Organisation of Islamic Countries, and other institutions knew that Garabagh is the territory of Azerbaijan and confirmed it." The expert noted that despite 4 years of the Second Garabagh War, Armenia cannot accept defeat and is currently trying to put pressure on Azerbaijan with all available means. "With these steps, Armenia is pursuing two goals. The first and main goal is to focus the attention of the international community on Azerbaijan. Pashinyan's government is trying to describe itself as helpless and show Azerbaijan as an aggressive state. In addition, Yerevan denies the provocations committed on the border and tries to portray any retaliatory step by Azerbaijan as a threat to its sovereignty. With this, state officials also create anxiety among their citizens and form a topic for pointless discussions." He noted that another goal of Armenian provocations is to obtain financial aid. The expert said that the decisions made during the Brussels meeting prove this. "Armenia intends not only to pressure Azerbaijan but also to beg money from the West. It's no secret that this country has been financed by various institutions for years and is asking for help at every opportunity. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 April 2024 08:30 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more Green energy is a new concept and it has a broad horizon. The International Energy Agency noted that the capacity of renewable energy expanded by 50 percent between 2019 and 2024. The sector is new and promising. Day by day innovations are discovered or invented in the sector which affects daily life. Currently, 26 percent of electricity demands throughout the world are met by renewable energy, and it is expected to expand in the near future. The more the sector expands, the more opportunity for people emerges. According to the information, in 2021, there were at least 12.7 million people employed in the renewable energy sector worldwide, both directly and in wider supply chains, with the majority of these jobs concentrated in China, Brazil, the EU, the USA, and India. But above all, the most important point is to join efforts to prevent a dangerous natural disaster like global warming that the world is facing. Speaking to Azernews on the issue, Dr. Frank Musmar noted that the Paris Agreement signed in December 2015 during the COP has the ambition to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 C compared to the pre-industrial level. He said that the world has used over 65% of the carbon dioxide budget, allowing it to stay within the 2 C limit. To stay within this limit, global carbon neutrality should be achieved between 2055 and 2070. Renewable energy helps mitigate climate change, reduce air pollution, enhance energy supply independence, and stimulate employment in various sectors. Accordingly, the demand for skilled workers in the renewable energy industry is rising. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, by 2030, the renewable energy sector could create up to 30 million new jobs globally, the expert emphasized. Musmar pointed out that there is no doubt that China's Green Economy is a role model, with investment in research that propelled it to positive results and growth even in times of economic crisis. He said that green is an ethical investment avenue, and the economic impacts of green energy can be seen in creating new and more jobs, lowering consumer expenses, facilitating universal energy access, and reducing disaster recovery and rebuilding costs. Azerbaijan has a vast solar and wind energy potential. In addition to the advantages in terms of contributing to cleaning ambient air from pollutants with concomitant health benefits, especially in large cities, there is growing awareness by the local government of the eventual finiteness of the national oil and natural gas reserves. Azerbaijan has many reasons to go green. First, the country's average per capita gas emissions level is high due to fossil fuel-intensive energy systems; with climate change mitigation efforts mounting worldwide, there is a growing desire to curb emissions. Second, fuel requirements for electricity and fresh water supply consume a significant share of domestic oil production; especially with current high oil prices, retaining oil predominantly for foreign exports is attractive. Third, over the coming years, the government will likely attempt to enhance the number of jobs in the private sector to meet an imminently increasing demand from new job market entrants in the rapidly growing young population., the expert said. He added that Azerbaijan's currently installed renewable energy capacity is 4.5 MW. Azerbaijan began the installment of its first primary solar plant in 2023. The government of Azerbaijan aims to increase the share of renewables in total electricity production to 30% by 2030. Accordingly, switching to solar or green requires far less investment into the power sector than building new coal or nuclear power plants. That means a lower electricity price, which impacts everything in the economy. A lower electricity price reduces the cost of production and increases profit. Moreover, doubling the share of renewables by 2030 would bring a range of positive impacts, including an increase in the gross domestic product (GDP) by up to 1.1 percent, an improvement of welfare by 3.7 percent, and over 1 million people working in the renewable energy sector, Dr. Frank Musmar concluded. --- Qabil Ashirov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @g_Ashirov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The Culture Minister of Uzbekistan, Ozodbek Nazarbekov, has received the director of the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre in Tashkent, Samir Abbasov, who is completing his service in this country, Azernews reports. At the meeting, Ozodbek Nazarbekov spoke about cultural ties between the two countries, noting that thanks to the efforts of the leaders of the two states, relations between the countries have been brought to a high level. Speaking about cultural ties with Azerbaijan, the minister expressed satisfaction with their development, mentioning the meetings held with Azerbaijan Culture Minister Adil Karimli and the expansion of cultural partnerships between the two countries. He recalled the Days of Uzbek Culture held in Azerbaijan last year. Ozodbek Nazarbekov hailed the merits of the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre in Tashkent in the field of culture and cooperation between the two countries. He underlined that through its numerous events and projects, the centre carries out real public diplomacy and creates a bridge of friendship. Speaking about the historical friendship between the two peoples, the director of the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre in Tashkent, Samir Abbasov, praised the development of Azerbaijani-Uzbeks relations. Note that Uzbek and Azerbaijani peoples are united by similar national customs and traditions, a common language group, and culture. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1995 between the two countries, bilateral ties have forged deep bonds. Over 100 documents have been signed between the two countries until today. The holding of the Uzbek Culture Days in Baku in 2023 was another step towards strengthening Azerbaijani-Uzbek relations. The large-scale event featured gala concerts, theatre performances, book presentation, exhibition and other events that aimed to highlight Azerbaijani-Uzbek relations. Operating since 2019, Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre in Tashkent also contributes to the development of ties between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. In 2024, Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku presented the exhibition "Heritage Living in Loops: A Journey to Uzbekistan's Embroideries". The exhibition was dedicated to the cultural and historical heritage and national costumes of Uzbekistan in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Over 148 examples of decorative and applied art were displayed at the exhibition, held jointly with the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation. The Azerbaijani-Uzbek relations will further strengthen and expand. ---- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 April 2024 11:43 (UTC+04:00) On April 6, 2024, a detonator explosion occurred in Agdam, Azernews reports, citing the Press Service of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), a detonator explosion occurred in the territory of Saricali village of Agdam district, which was freed from occupation. An employee of the agency, Anar Piriyev, born in 2000, received minor injuries to his hands and feet as a result of a small detonator with an aluminum body going off while performing his duty. The injured employee was taken to the district hospital for examination. There are no life-threatening or serious injuries. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he is teeing up a packed legislative agenda for when lawmakers return next week, expressing hope they can make progress "on a path forward on TikTok legislation," according to a report. The New York Democrat did not indicate a specific stance on the legislation in a statement released Friday, but said, "in the weeks and months ahead, we have the opportunity to make progress on bipartisan bills" including TikTok, Reuters reported. The Senate will return after a two-week recess. The House, by a 352-65 margin, voted last month to give ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, six months to divest from the social media app or face a ban in the U.S. Congressional staffers told Reuters there is no action planned on TikTok as discussions continue. Some lawmakers contend that TikTok poses a national security risk, fearing that China will be able to access private data from its U.S. users or employ the platform to influence Americans, including toward interference in the 2024 presidential election. There are about 170 million TikTok users in the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell said last month that she was weighing holding a public hearing on the issue. "The key point here is getting a tool that can be used to stop foreign actors from doing deleterious things that might harm U.S. citizens," Cantwell said. "We'll get it done and we're not going to take forever." President Biden indicated last month that he would sign the legislation if it clears Congress. TikTok has claimed that a ban would violate Americans' First Amendment rights. 6 April 2024 17:55 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more The Azerbaijan State Academic Russian Drama Theatre has successfully performed at the 26th International Festival of Russian Theatres. This year, the festival titled "Meetings in Russia" marks the 225th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, Azernews reports. The Azerbaijan State Academic Russian Drama Theatre opened the festival with the play "The Captain's Daughter", directed by St. Petersburg director Igor Konyaev. The theatre's performance of the play "The Captain's Daughter" was met with resounding success and acclaim, showcasing the troupe's exceptional talent and skill in bringing classic literature to life on stage. The Captain's Daughter is a historical novel by the Russian writer Alexander Pushkin. The novel is a romanticised account of Pugachev's Rebellion in 17731774. The title "The Captain's Daughter" has also been used to refer to a collection of stories, one of which was the actual novel. The premiere of the play in Baku took place in June 2023. The performance was staged within the international project "St. Petersburg Theatre Workshops", organised jointly by the Committee for External Relations of Saint-Petersburg, the Association of Russian Theatre Workers Abroad, and the Baltic House Theatre Festival. The Azerbaijani actors managed to transfer all the emotions and feelings of their characters. The actors were greeted with thunderous applause and received many positive reviews. Speaking about the play, director of the Azerbaijan State Academic Russian Drama Theatre, Honoured Cultural Worker Adalat Hajiyev, said at a press conference that it was a great pleasure for Azerbaijani actors to work with Igor Konyaev. He added that the play "The Captain's Daughter" brought together full houses in the Azerbaijan State Academic Russian Drama Theatre. The meeting at the Russia Festival welcomes theatre troupes from Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and other countries. The large-scale annual festival is held under the motto "Pushkin forever", and therefore most of the performances shown at it are dedicated to the Russian poet and are based on his prose, poetry, and literature. The State Russian Drama Theatre, named after Samad Vurgun, plays a major role in the cultural life of the country. Charismatic and extraordinarily talented theatre actors always surprise the audience with wonderful performances. Many works of Russian literary figures such as Lev Tolstoy, Alexander Pushkin, Anton Chekhov, Nikolai Gogol, and Mikhail Lermontov, works of world classics such as Shakespeare, Schiller, Moliere, Dumas, Hugo, and Balzac, as well as plays based on works of Azerbaijani literary figures such as Jafar Jabbarli, Mirza Fatali Akhundov, Ali bay Huseynzade, Najaf bay Vazirov, and Huseyn Javid, are staged in the theatre. The theatre team pays special attention to young viewers, and plays a significant role in introducing theatre art to children. ---- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 April 2024 13:22 (UTC+04:00) The heads of the State Agency for Preschool and General Education under the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Baku City Education Department, as well as a group of subordinate schools principals, have visited the Military Lyceum named after Jamshid Nakhchivanski of the National Defense University, Azernews reports. The guests first visited the monuments to National Leader Heydar Aliyev and Jamshid Nakhchivanski erected in the territory of the lyceum. They were provided with detailed information about the conditions created after the overhaul and reconstruction carried out at the Military Lyceum according to the relevant Order of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev. In the end, the guests familiarized themselves with the conditions created at the Military Lyceum. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 April 2024 14:41 (UTC+04:00) Fatima Latifova Read more Passports were issued to 3,623 Azerbaijani citizens living without documents in Istanbul, Turkiye, Azernews reports, citing Istanbul Governor Davut Gul as he told at the meeting with Fuad Muradov, Chairman of the State Committee on Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The governor also expressed his satisfaction with the high level of Turkish-Azerbaijani relations and emphasised the role of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Ilham Aliyev in reaching this level of strategic alliance. The chairman of the State Committee said that the Turkiye-Azerbaijan brotherhood is an example for all countries in the world. During the meeting, parties discussed a number of issues related to the implementation of the "Action Plan for persons who immigrated to the Republic of Turkiye (Istanbul) since the 1990s and are likely to be citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including their family members born in Turkiye". It was noted that 7093 applications have been answered so far. 3,623 of them received passport registration and other services. In this process, the role of the Istanbul governorate was especially emphasised. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 April 2024 16:39 (UTC+04:00) Ulviyya Shahin Read more At the general assembly of the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) held in Panama, Azerbaijan's mine problem was brought to the agenda, Azernews reports. Representatives from 153 countries participated in the hybrid event. The Azerbaijan Social Work Public Union was represented in Panama by Aytakin Huseynli, a member of the Board of Directors, Sanan Aghayev, and Ilkana Qoca, a member of the Advisory Council. In her speech at the opening of the general assembly, Aytakin Huseynli stated that the dissemination of inaccurate information in the media disrupts neutrality and consequently leads to the creation of incorrect social impacts. Later, Aytakin Huseynli drew the attention of the participants to the fact that racism and differential treatment towards refugees from other countries also hinder social justice. Ilkana Qoca, a member of the Advisory Council of the Azerbaijan Social Work Public Union, who joined the assembly online, proposed studying and implementing advanced experiences in improving the mental health of people suffering from wars in front of the World Health Organisation. Within the framework of the event, attention was drawn to the increasing number of mine victims in Azerbaijan, as well as the lack of overland communication between Azerbaijan and other regions, including the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR). --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 April 2024 17:44 (UTC+04:00) Ulviyya Shahin Read more A training session was conducted with the support of ADA University at the State Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Affairs of Refugees and IDPs, Azernews reports. According to Azernews, the training session was dedicated to presentation methodology and data collection methods. Besides, the purpose of the training was to enhance the knowledge and skills of colleagues from various structural departments of the committee in data collection and conducting surveys. Moderated by Anar Valiyev, a lecturer at ADA University, the training provided both practical and theoretical insights into the types of information, quality indicators, and basic tools used in conducting surveys. Discussions relevant to the topic were held during the training, and questions from committee colleagues were addressed. It is envisaged to continue the series of trainings on relevant topics in the future. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 April 2024 18:58 (UTC+04:00) Fatima Latifova Read more The next meeting of the Agrarian Policy Committee of the Milli Majlis was held on April 6, Azernews reports. The chairman of the committee, Tahir Rzayev, said that 3 issues were included in the agenda. Pointing out that all 3 draft laws were submitted to the Milli Majlis as a legislative initiative by President Ilham Aliyev, the chairman of the committee said that "On tobacco and tobacco products", "On food safety" and "On the Tax Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in the Customs Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan", and "On Amendments to the Laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan" on "Licences and Permits" were presented to the committee for discussion in the first reading. Giving detailed information about the proposed changes, Tahir Rzayev emphasised that the changes are part of purposeful reforms in relevant fields, as well as ensuring the protection of the population's health, compliance with sanitary and hygiene norms, protection of the interests of business entities, regulation of production and circulation, tax evasion cases and other - will create a foundation for the prevention of illegal production, the formation of a competitive investment environment in the existing field, the increase of the export potential of manufactured products, and the creation of prospects for the use of local raw materials. It was noted that the amendment providing for the addition of the extract from the register of business entities engaged in the import and production of tobacco products to the "List of business permits" will create conditions for the implementation of more efficient and effective activities in this field. Then, the deputy head of the State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy, Samira Musayeva, gave detailed information on all 3 issues. In order to increase the competitiveness of the local production of tobacco products and alcoholic beverages, expand their export, and organize transparent economic activity related to the import and production of tobacco products and alcoholic beverages, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On strengthening state control in the field of import and production of tobacco products and alcoholic beverages" brought to attention the issues arising from the order dated February 7 2023. It was noted that the proposed changes include the implementation of the permit system for the production and import of tobacco products, the improvement of the permit system for the import and production of alcoholic beverages, the determination of requirements for the use of local raw materials in the production of tobacco products within the country, as well as the protection of the interests of business entities, regulation of production and turnover, prevention of tax evasion, illegal production, as well as solving a number of other issues. During the discussions, the deputy chairman of the committee Sabir Hajiyev, and members Novruzali Aslanov, Javanshir Pashazade, Aydin Huseynov, Igbal Mammadov, Emin Hajiyev, Mushfiq Jafarov expressed their views on the issues on the agenda and emphasised the importance of the submitted draft laws. Samira Musayeva, deputy head of the State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy, Azer Suleymanov, head of the General Department of Excise and Marked Goods Circulation Control of the State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy, and Elshad Jabrayilov, head of the Legal, Personnel and Enforcement Department of the Food Safety Agency, clarified a number of comments and suggestions made by the deputies. they brought The draft laws brought up for discussion were recommended to the plenary session of the Milli Majlis for consideration in the first reading. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 April 2024 08:00 (UTC+04:00) Russia on Friday summoned South Korean Ambassador Lee Do-hoon over a new package of sanctions introduced by Seoul against Russian entities and individuals, Azernews reports, citing Anadolu Agency. The Foreign Ministry in a statement said Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told the South Korean diplomat that Moscow considers such actions as "another unfriendly step, taken based on groundless accusations" of Russia's cooperation with North Korea. The ministry stressed that sanctions will harm the Russian-South Korean relations and that Moscow "categorically rejects such illegitimate actions." Rudenko urged Lee to abandon "counterproductive sanctions and force measures" that provoke further escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula. South Korea imposed on Tuesday sanctions on Russian courts, organizations and individuals, accusing Moscow of "illegal" cooperation with North Korea. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 April 2024 21:30 (UTC+04:00) By Alimat Aliyeva The United States, Australia, Japan and the Philippines will hold joint exercises in the South China Sea, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets. The exercises will take place a few days before the first trilateral summit of US President Joe Biden with the leaders of the Philippines and Japan in the disputed sea claimed by Beijing. The Joint Defense Forces will conduct exercises on April 7 on the territory of the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, according to a joint statement. Naval and Air Force units of the four countries will take part in the exercises called "Maritime Cooperation". The Japanese Embassy in Manila said the maneuvers would include anti-submarine warfare training. Meanwhile, the Australian warship HMAS Warramunga arrived on the Philippine island of Palawan. It should be noted that the exercises are taking place after repeated clashes between Chinese and Filipino ships near the Southeast Asian country in recent months. Beijing accuses Manila of escalating tensions on the waterway, which has long been the scene of maritime territorial disputes. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 April 2024 16:14 (UTC+04:00) Ulviyya Shahin Read more The world traveller arrives in Azerbaijan after leaving behind sections of the route passing through Canada, the USA, China, and Kazakhstan, Azernews reports. The "80 E-Days" project of the Spanish Rafael de Mestre serves as a global eco-promotional tour, reinvigorating the automotive world. This project began when de Mestre embarked on a true adventure with his electric car in 2012. Feeling akin to the protagonist of Jules Verne's "Around the World in 80 Days," Rafael set two goals for himself: to demonstrate the practicality of electric cars and to dispel doubts about their everyday use. As a result, De Mestre travelled over 28,000 kilometres with his Tesla Roadster, proving that electric cars are ready for such long journeys and traversing various countries. De Mestre's journey played a catalytic role in global initiatives promoting environmental care and technological innovations. In 2016, during the second part of the 80-day journey named "Elduro," Rafael led 10 teams. This time, De Mestre travelled with a different car, while the Roadster was gifted to a museum in Germany. Thus, the teams departing from Barcelona covered a total of 29,000 kilometres across 20 countries, demonstrating the feasibility of entirely ecological journeys. A significant aspect of the "80 E-Days" project is the "Tree Route" initiative, where participants planted trees along the route to reduce air pollution caused by harmful gases. Each team aimed to plant trees throughout the route, leaving a green footprint behind them. This initiative became an integral part of the "80 E-Days" project and manifested its multifaceted mission of combating climate change and promoting ecological awareness. Rafael de Mestre had intentions of regularly embarking on global travels, but events at a global scale brought about changes in plans. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the initial plans for the year 2020 and slightly postponed subsequent global projects. Finally, it was decided in 2023 that the project would continue with a renewed route in 2024. The idea of the promotional tour also stemmed from the need to revive the Tesla Roadster, which had a weakened battery after years in the museum. However, the plan to refurbish the Roadster required its transportation from Germany to the USA. As a result, the electric car was transported to the Tesla factory near Miami on the sailboat "Avontur," powered solely by wind energy. The desire for the journey to be free of carbon emissions underscores Rafael's commitment to ongoing ecological progress. The purpose of Rafael de Mestre's travels to various countries is to establish mutual connections with local organisations, journalists, and electric car enthusiasts, exchange knowledge about ecological transportation, and promote the development of charging infrastructure. Having already left behind sections of his route in the USA, Canada, and China in March, Rafael finally reached Kazakhstan. Despite facing harsh weather conditions and challenges like floods, Rafael successfully completed his journey in Kazakhstan with the help of local eco-friends and electric car enthusiasts. The next stop is Azerbaijan. It is known that in Azerbaijan, the year 2024 has been declared the "Year of Solidarity for a Green World," and our country is preparing to host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29). In the context of these events, the arrival of the global electric car ambassador Rafael de Mestre carries symbolic significance for Azerbaijan. At the press conference organized by the Azerbaijan Automobile Dealers Association, Rafael de Mestre will present his project and answer journalists' questions. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Limb amputations have become "routine" for Palestinians detained at a field hospital in Israel, amid the country's war with Hamas, an Israeli doctor at the facility reportedly wrote in a letter to government officials detailing the grim conditions. The doctor, who was not identified by name, addressed the conditions at the Sde Teiman detention center in a letter to Israel's defense minister, health minister, and attorney general, Israeli outlet Haaretz reported Thursday. The physician described conditions that, they said, could jeopardize inmates' health and put the government in potential violation of the law. They include injuries sustained by more than half of patients from handcuffs that are worn constantly, the doctor wrote. The handcuffs cause serious injuries that "require repeated surgical interventions," the doctor reportedly wrote. "Just this week, two prisoners had their legs amputated due to handcuff injuries, which unfortunately is a routine event," the physician wrote. The letter said inmates are fed through straws, left to defecate in diapers, and are subjected to constant restraint, in violation of both medical ethics and the law. Patients are blindfolded and handcuffed by all four limbs, regardless of how dangerous they are considered, the doctor went on to say. "Under these conditions, in practice, even young and healthy patients lose weight after a week or two of hospitalization," they wrote. The Sde Teiman facility was set up after the start of the Gaza war to hold Hamas terrorists, including those who took part in the Oct. 7 attacks, until they could be transported to a regular prison. In response to the allegations made by the physician, the Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson's Unit told Haaretz that detainees were given enough food and access to the restroom in accordance with their medical condition. Palestinian prisoners are provided with diapers if their movement is restricted, the spokesperson said. Another IDF spokesperson said that the way detainees are handcuffed is determined "in accordance with the law and according to an individual determination of the dangerousness of each detainee, with the aim of ensuring the safety of the troops and the medical staff." An IDF spokesperson also responded to a specific incident recounted to Haaretz by three sources who said that a detainee had a hand amputated after they were left in plastic handcuffs for a prolonged period of time. The spokesperson said that that incident was investigated, but because no criminal offense was found, it was decided not to open a military police investigation. 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 "Green Agenda" of the climate cult in running into heavy opposition of both sides of the Atlantic as well as in Australia. In the US, rural opposition to wind and solar "farms" has led to over 600 of them being blocked so far and active opposition continues to grow. Europe has been beset with massive farmer protests, blocking roads, ports, and airports in opposition to the Green agenda. Now, a former adviisor to French President Macron is warning of a massive social revolt against the Green Agenda. The Farmland First organization fighting to stop hundreds of wind turbines in Wisconsin from a wind developer tied to the Chinese Communist Party is an example of the growing public opposition to these things in rural America. So far, over 600 wind and solar projects have been documented to have been stopped by determined public opposition in rural parts of the US. https://stopthesethings.com/2024/04/01/locals-war-against-industrial-wind-power-spreading-like-turbines-on-fire/ https://robertbryce.com/renewable-rejection-database/ Rural citizens in Australia are also fighting back to stop wind and solar in their communities: https://stopthesethings.com/2024/04/05/hostility-mounts-rural-communities-ready-to-explode-against-wind-solar-onslaught/ In France, David Djaiz, former advisor to globalist President Macron, warned in an interview with Le Point news magazine of Paris that France faces a massive social revolt against the green agenda that would dwarf the farmer protests and the Yellow Vest protests. The Yellow Vest protests, which forced Macron to abandon his plan for carbon taxes, were themselves massive with huge crowds, public bulidings burned, armored cars deployed by the government, and Macron with a helicopter on standby outside the presidential palace in case he had to flee the capital. Djaiz warned that the green agenda was "going to end very badly" with "a huge public finance crisis" and "a social revolt to which the Yellow Vests and the farmers are just appetizers" https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2024/04/05/ex-macron-advisor-warns-of-society-wide-revolt-in-france-over-green-agenda/ Opposition to wind and solar can pay political dividends as was shown in the last provincial election in Ontario, where the new leader of the Conservative Party, Doug Ford won a landslide election over the Liberal govenrment by running against "green energy", flipping a 2 to 1 Liberal over Conservative majority to a 10 to 1 Conservative over Liberal majority. On taking office, Prime Minister Ford cancelled all the wind and solar permit applications that were pending and repealed the Green Energy Act. And here is a good article on how media censorship plays into the "climate con": https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/climate-con-media-censorship-complex-part-1